We watched Clay set up his elaborate circle outside where the eggs had been. He tiped the contents of many jars into the salt and herb circle this time; the crystal pillars and seemingly random items drenched with the liquid.
Russet was excited, jumping about when she saw what Clay was doing when he took the head to start the summoning.
The blue energy returned, despite it not being night. The late afternoon sun didn't fuel him as much as the moon did, but didn't hinder him either.
"This is some amazing stuff" Ari breathed beside me when Clay raised his hands to the sky, muttering.
"You should see what else he can do" I smiled back.
Clay focused on his circle, entering a trance. I saw the glowing circle start to pull upwards from the ground and pull over the shape of something sprouting upwards.
"Mama! " Russet squealed out in happiness, tugging on me and pointing to the thing.
I kept her by my side as the shapes started to become recognizable.
I saw pointed ears on the back of a large, sloping face. The face stretched upwards as it's jaw opened to take in a deep breath. It's short neck curved and connected to a slender body that bristled with glowing white fur, stained blue from where the markings had stretched over it. When a tail curved from behind the body, Russet couldn't hold her excitement anymore and tore from her own body so she could bolt to the animal standing there and frantically lick at its face.
Clay picked her up to peel off the hoodie he had given her. Her own tail was wagging furiously when she greeted the animal.
"Is that a werewolf?" Ari gasped in disbelief.
Clay smiled proudly at the gigantic wolf beside him and nodded.
The werewolf was huge. It dwarfed Clay and maintained an aura of fierceness without looking frightening. Unlike Russet, this werewolf didn't have human features when shifted. It was as if it was an ordinary, marked wolf.
It shook its fur that white dust billowed from and jabbed its snout into Clay's side to check on him. It's black eyes shimmered when they focused solely on him.
"This is my protector" Clay spoke fondly as he rubbed the head of the werewolf "and one of the reasons I am here."
"With something like that on call, I can see why" Ari commented as he took in its massive size "it's incredible."
"All witches have an animal to guide them. Mine just happens to be Roan."
Roan's ears perked up at the mention of its name and it nudged Clay again, demanding attention that wasn't from Russet.
"We will follow the car on foot. Bee will expect Scala to fly after him since she has wings. By staying grounded and out of view, we can track him and remain hidden."
We all nodded back and watched Clay pack up the items into his bag he threw on his back before climbing onto Roan. Roan lapped up the water snaking through the pebbles, Russet joining him eagerly.
I stripped off and shifted back so Ari could collect the clothes and grab onto me. He grasped onto my neck and held on tight.
"Let's go" Clay slapped the side of Roan's neck encouragingly "I need you to track the scent of Bee again."
There was no sight of the black car anywhere, but Roan picked up on the scent immediently and took the lead.
For her size, Russet kept up with us easily. She looked like she was having the time of her life when she fought for the lead of the group with Roan who put her antics straight with a low snarl.
"You've done this before" Ari called to Clay "since when?"
"A while ago" he replied "I called on Roan to show Evelyn and Maisie. Since Bee was there, we decided to track him and show off Roan a little. Bee did catch us back then though. We weren't exactly being subtle."
"Which one is Maisie?" Ari repeated for me.
I knew Evelyn was Apple. But I hadn't heard the other name before.
"The vampire" Clay chuckled back "I wasn't expecting her name to be so cute either."
"Vampire?"
"Sounds like you had the whole pot" Ari smiled at my confusion.
"She always had this blood smell about her. I couldn't figure it out until I saw what was in her drinks."
The strange copper smell. The dark drinks; it was all making sense now.
What about the others?
"So, you have a witch, a werewolf, and a vampire" Ari blew out a breath when he looked at Clay and a Russet before me "lucky you, Scala."
"And a demon and two human twins" Clay replied, holding up his fingers with a giggle "Evelyn was the demon and the twins were Reuben and Tristan."
"I didn't know any of that. I named them myself."
Ari looked to Clay and sniggered.
"She named you all anyway" he hinted with a smirk.
Clay sniggered too now, waiting eagerly.
"He's Mushroom" I tilted my head to Clay "because of his white hair and skinny body."
Ari burst out laughing and tried to contain himself long enough to repeat the words to make Clay laugh out as well.
"That explains why that one sound was so familiar. She had her own word for me" he shook his head in amusement.
"She was Little Chick" I tilted to Russet "her clothes and hair made her look like one to me."
"Little Chick" Ari giggled to Clay, pointing to her at Roan's side.
"And the others?" Clay chuckled back.
"Apple, Mouse, Leaf, Pancake" I revealed and added each meaning behind them to more roaring laughter.
"Scala" Ari gasped "you are killing me here!"
"Well, die quietly then" I huffed back, annoyed "I had to work with what I had at the time."
"We're only having fun, beautiful" Ari rubbed my neck affectionately "I love your creativity, honestly."
I huffed again but felt the small smile at his praise.
"What would she have called you?" Clay called to Ari then looked to me "something foody?"
I felt Ari lean back against me and focused on his weight there.
With only the children's looks and personalities to go from at the time, I couldn't be swayed into choosing something based on thier interests I didn't know about.
Ari had come to me with a cut on his cheek. He wore all white and had large, styled black hair. He did meet me with flowers, but that was to show off his craft I would have otherwise not known about. I had to think of him as if I were seeing him blindly again for the first time. He had seemed happy, if not a bit nervous. Could I include the sash he wore to cover his eyes from me?
"Kookaburra."
"What?" Ari gasped back while Clay tried to find out what I had said "how come?"
"They have that mark across thier eyes like your blindfold" I smiled "and they are quite showy like when I first saw you. They're mainly white like your clothes were and the dark wings look like your dark hair. And I found you quite funny when we met."
"A kookaburra then" he accepted before repeating it.
"It does suit you" Clay smirked back "I can see it too."
"Yeah, yeah, Fungus" Ari brushed off his cheeky compliments.
We followed Bee's car as it led us further from what was familiar. I was starting to get worried that we had unknowingly committed ourselves to several more tedious hours, or maybe days, of tailing him. That was until he finally turned off the main road and slowed down another road that eventually turned to rocky gravel.
Russet had became too tired to continue hours ago and was being carried in Roan's mouth. The way she had tucked herself up like a little pup as he ran with her made her look simply adorable.
It was a lot easier to remain hidden when there was nothing but bushland surrounding the gravel road. Suddenly, I felt invigorated, knowing that the end was close.
When the red lights of Bee's car illuminated again, we all stopped.
Clay and Ari slipped down so Roan and I could stretch off the tiring run and relax on the ground.
I saw Bee had led us to an isolated cottage out in the woods. The gravel road ended and turned to grass around the rounded log cabin.
The trees had been cut back to form a leafy barricade around the home. It left enough space so that it wasn't too boxed in by the foliage, but not enough to make it look out of place.
The whole place was georgous. Grey plumes of smoke spiraled from the chimney and each wooden framed window was bordered by blue and white checkered curtains that were drawn back to show off the wood and stone interior.
And around the back, a little off-centered from the house, was a glistening pond.
When we shuffled around, I saw the side of a pier branching out to the pond; a bucket hanging on one of the end logs supporting it.
But what was Bee doing all the way out here?
We watched in silence as he got out of the car and ran over to knock on the door. He only waited a few moments before an old man grinned at him and opened it up to welcome Bee with a hearty handshake that turned into a hug.
"He obviously knows the man" Ari whispered "seem like old friends."
I shifted to my human form so we didn't draw attention to ourselves, and took the clothes Ari handed to me.
"How could he know someone with such a big age difference?" I frowned at Bee excitedly drawing out the eggs from the car to hand to the old man who quickly rushed his inside "he doesn't look like someone who would work with him at the mansion either."
"And too old to be his father or granddad" Clay added.
"Should we scooch closer? See if we can hear anything?"
Clay looked to Roan who shook its fur out again and sniffed the air.
"Seems good" Clay nodded when Roan didn't react.
We waited for the old man to carry the last egg inside before making our move. We hurried across the grass to the side of the house. Another window was above us that we ducked under. This one was closed but was so sheer that you could still see through.
The pond was now ahead of us that I looked over in awe. It was a large area with reeds and lillypads floating on top. Even though the water was glistening and basking in the dying sunset, it was murky.
There was a mass of the lillypads in the middle of the pond that were built so high and wide that it reminded me of Barebone's nest in the river.
I heard splashing on the surface but saw nothing. I did see the ripples from where something had surfaced momentarily.
So, even fish loved it here.
"And we know it's from your dragon?" I heard the old man when footsteps approached the window and something squeaked before rushing water was heard
Everyone pressed to the wall to avoid being seen.
Bee muffled a response to make him chuckle.
"So we will boil it then?"
Another muffle and the clicking of metal as the water was shut off.
"Ah, so that's how it is" the old man sighed "there is no way that boy would create something that quickly, you know. He's not a machine."
There was more chuckling and the footsteps left.
Eyes fell on Ari who blushed under the unwanted attention.
"I think they are just jealous" I nudged him with a smile.
He smiled back quickly then peeked up at the window. I saw him pull on the edge, testing it, before it started to swing open.
"Careful" Clay warned "not too much."
Ari inched it outwards until we could finally hear the clanking and movement inside. The muffled voices were much clearer to understand now.
I peeked up with him to spot both men sitting around a stone fireplace with cups of tea. A kettle sat on a table between them as they stared at the flames with the eggs now wrapped in blankets and nestled at thier feet.
"I'm sure our Zimena and Knot will take to them anyway. She's always keen for more things to brood over."
Something stabbed me within at the mention of someone else doing the job I should have been. It made me angry and sad at the same time I was robbed of raising my own because I wasn't the right type to keep them alive.
"Hey" Ari placed a hand on my shoulder to make me realise I was clenching my fists against the home "there's nothing you can do about it. You'd boil them alive."
"And they can do better?" I whined back to him without taking my eyes from the men "it's not fair."
"It isn't" Ari agreed "but it is for the best."
I sighed and saw Bee place his cup down and get up. I ducked down with Ari to avoid being seen.
"Should we take them to her now?"
"She's out hunting" the old man replied "and he hasn't been back all day. Most likely with her. I'm in charge of babysitting, again."
Babysitting?
I peered at the pond again to see a tiny face watching me. When our eyes met, it dipped below the surface again.
Wait... that wasn't a fish. What exactly was it?
It was several more seconds before it popped up again in a place a few meters from where it had been.
It caught my interest before it dipped down again.
It looked like a baby dragon.
Surely, I was trying to convince myself it was rather that what it actually could be?
When it appeared again, I studied the shape that squeaked out and dove down. I saw the hunch of its back and the tiny flapping wings that followed.
It was a baby.
Was I already yearning for something I couldn't have to the point I was delusional? It couldn't be that convenient for something like it to be right here when I was.
I heard a door slam and footsteps on wood. The face popped up again before the body followed, paddling excitedly to the pier while squeaking.
There wasn't just one either. The waters came to life with squeaking babies who swarmed the pier for the old man that carried another two buckets out.
There had to be twenty, maybe even fourty of the eager creatures.
How could one mother care for so many at once? She was obviously very experienced to have this many already hatched even before the season was over. She must have been breeding right before it started to have them all here right now.
What a risky move. It was reckless but I had to admire at what she had achieved from it.
They were precious.
"No sign of them" the old man mumbled when he scanned the skies "they should be here soon, hopefully."
Bee banged in the empty upturned bucket on the wooden pole to make the squeaking intensify. I saw a few stragglers frantically paddle to the call to join the swarm of gnashing mouths popping open.
I went to creep closer to them but Clay grabbed my arm and shook his head sternly at me.
I slouched back against the house to hopelessly watch on.
Suddenly, a shadow made us all freeze up and look to the skies.
I heard a screech and saw a massive dragon swoop into view. It clutched a dead, dangling fish in its back claws that it promptly dropped into the water. It landed on the mound of lillypads to sink into them from where it caved inwards.
"A nest" Clay breathed.
The dragon worked within the lillypads, pushing and nudging the unseen brood with its snout before opening its mouth to drown it with water.
Its dark blue scales looked just like Barebone's oceanic ones. It had specks of white along each one that resembled sea mist. The dragon's wings were connected to its front legs that merged with the folds seemlessly. Instead of having them on the sides like I did, this dragon walked on knobbly elbows joined to v shaped arms stretching upwards.
I had never seen a dragon with attached wings before. It certaintly was an unusual sight.
Its green eyes tracked the begging children as it snapped its jaws together and clicked to call them to the meal it had provided.
"Zimena!" the old man called out happily "we have gifts for you!"
The dragon only watched as Bee scurried inside to return with one of the eggs he held up.
It made her leave her nest so she could swim towards Bee and loom over him at the pier. Bee was drenched by the water falling from the dragon when it inspected the clear surface then wrapped its teeth around it.
I felt everything inside me tense at the quivering babies surrounded by the serrated teeth and wrapping tongue. The dragon simply carried it above the water as it swam back to the nest to gently place it inside and drown it too.
The men were overjoyed at her acceptance. Bee offered the other two that she took quickly to give the same treatment. It was only on the last one when she was moving it within the nest that she paused and started to nudge it from it towards the water.
"No!" I snapped, barely more than a whisper.
She kept nudging until it teetered on the edge and rolled down the side to hit the water and slowly sink under.
I was shocked by what I had just seen. The mother was happy with her decision and didn't try to retrieve the rejected egg.
It didn't have a chance with me and now it didn't have a chance with her. It was a cruel fate that made me hold back my sobs as Ari held onto me.
The men didn't try to save it either. They groaned out like it was just a minor inconvenience like dirt on their shoes and watched the mother leave the nest to tear up the floating fish eagerly.
Another shadow flitted across the house before a second dragon dropped down another fish. This one was sure to let everyone know about its success by screeching it out when it climbed into the nest to move the brood and spill a stream of flames over them.
I heard the water boil within the blackened lillypads around the inside. The ones supporting the nest at the bottom remained untouched by the quick flash of fire.
I could tell this was the male of the pair. Its scales were deep red with transparent ones at the front to show its fire burning within. Its eyes were a lighter red as well, which gazed at its feeding family lovingly.
This one didn't have the joined wings like it's mate did. They were separate and at its sides that were heavily gouged from old scars.
I saw him enter the water to dive beneath the surface and retrieve the rejected egg. It held it delicately in its sharp teeth to hold it over the nest that the female watched now.
I felt my smile return at its renewed chance at life. I waited with held breath for the male to place it with the others just below it.
He grated long and low to her before snapping his teeth through the shell and spilling the contents over the nest. His jaw crunched on the shell and licked up the oozing yolk that collapsed around his teeth.
The female joined him now, not to snap at him for the waste of life, but to croon to him eagerly for a share of the dripping mess she tried to lap from his mouth.
"NO!" I screamed at them both, leaping to my feet.
The male instantly dropped the smashed egg to hiss at me. His red eyes focused only on me when I stood there, heaving furious breaths in through my blinding tears.
"It's time to go!" Clay panicked when the male launched itself into the water to power towards us "get us out of here, Roan!"
The werewolf was already sprinting back for the gravel road with Clay and a now awake Russet.
I quickly shifted back to my natural form and threw Ari on my back to leap into the sky just as the male let loose a stream of fire.
He didn't give up. He lunged after us and powered into the air to chase me from the nest.
"Scala!" Ari panicked and grabbed for my neck "don't drop me! Please don't drop me!"
"Just hold on!" I warned him and heard his scream when I dipped upwards to dodge another blast of fire that ran along my stomach.
Ari tucked his feet upwards to avoid the flames and trembled against me, sobbing.
I didn't want to be forcing him into something that terrified him, but I had no other choice. The sky was faster to tear through than trying to run on land.
Bee and the old man wouldn't have a clue either. It was so dark up here that I didn't even know which way I was going until I saw the flash of Roan's fur under the trees below leading the way.
The male screeched out and snapped at my tail with his teeth. He missed, going for another attack of fire.
I powered on while trying to indicate I wasn't there for a challenge. He was so enraged that words failed him and he had devolved to just his basic feral survival skills.
I was sure I would be the same if someone lurked near my nest when it was that full.
I darted down, throwing Ari off balance, when the teeth returned. I shot back my own fire this time to hit the male in the face and make him shake it off.
Neither attack was going to do anything. And now that he knew we were the same, he could see his efforts were not going to get him the victory he wanted.
But, his motives changed.
The fire aimed for Ari now. I fell limp to avoid it along my back, but it was too late. Ari screamed when it licked him and made him tumble from my back.
I saw his body twisting when he hurtled to the trees. He grabbed and screamed desperately for me, reaching upwards when I shot down.
My claws raked the length of his outstretched arm to split his skin and send new terrified pain through him.
I wrapped Ari in my arms to hold his desperately grabbing body close while the male hovered, growling at me.
I let my own anger take over and forgot all sense of intellegance to screech back at him and throw my own stream of fire back at his body.
I saw him grunt at the annoyance then cry out when I lunged for his neck, tearing my teeth into it to try and rip out some of his scales.
I threw Ari onto my back so I could use my claws as well, slashing and grabbing at the shrieking body below me that tried to swipe me away.
Ari even contributed by kicking out at the head when teeth pierced into my own scales at the bottom of my neck.
We tore at each others armour, with neither succeeding in any serious damage. It wasn't until I snapped my teeth through his wing and tore a hole through it that he screamed out and withdrew to make a lopsided escape back to his own territory.
With the threat gone, my concern turned back to Ari who was bleeding over my scales from where had torn him open. He grunted and grimaced as I carefully pressed him against my chest when his grip started to falter.
"I'm... so... tired" he mumbled out against me "I'm cold... and hot at the... same time..."
"Hang in there" I whimpered back "you can be strong until we get back home, OK?"
"O...K" he drawled out and sobbed "I'm scared, S-Scala."
"You'll be fine" I growled, mainly trying to trick myself into the false truth that I was determined on not scaring me "you're almost there."
He didn't respond and I shook him to have a noise come out.
The sky did not limit or hinder me like the ground did. I sped through it effortlessly, trying to orientate myself in the darkness.
All I had to do was search for the mansion lights and go towards them. But with several hours of running distance between us and them, I didn't know how soon they would appear.
"Stay with me" I whimpered and shook him again to have nothing return "ok, Ari? You are not going anywhere. I need you."
He felt cold. His body was limp in my claws and his arm dangled as lifelessly out the side of my steady grip.
"I need you" I whimpered through the tears "you aren't leaving me now. I love you too much, you idiot."
My heart twisted when I finally spotted a cluster of lights with more spread out behind it. I sped toward it, crashing to the front of the mansion that stretched above me.
What a beautiful sight it was. I could barely see it through my tears that shook through me.
That's when I clutched onto Ari and wailed, not caring about anything else when carers spilled from the front doors towards me.
"HELP ME!" I screamed out as my body shrank to wrap around Ari's as a desperate human "PLEASE! HELP ME!"
There was nothing proud about the way I begged and trembled in the pebbles there. I was reduced to the most raw of instincts to save the most important part of me I had.
And even though none of them could understand me, they listened. Ari was tugged from my tight grip and rushed inside while I was ushered in behind him.
It wasn't the way I thought I would be accepted by them, but each carer made sure my babbling and wailing was soothed by keeping me close to my mate and comforting me with soft words and reassuring touches.
Even when Ari was pushed through to where I was forbidden to follow, they stayed with me and made sure my running mind didn't dive to the worse scenario; especially when Ari's screams of pain drove me to tears all over again.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
