x
-Art hand drawn by Eridanus 436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSN3uurasN
(I accidentally drew his sleeve red, so just humor me and pretend it’s orange.)436Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0REydkVfL
Felix looked around in panic as houses were set ablaze and people of every kind were killed by the invaders. He dashed from the alley he was hiding in to another across the street.
He flattened himself against the wall as a group of invaders ran past him. A purr-like sound came from the hidden pocket in his cloak, and a little dragon climbed up his cloak and onto his shoulder. “Shh!” Felix hissed, glancing around the corner.
The small dragon cocked her head in confusion. “You have to be quiet.” Felix barked at her. He picked her up and put her back in the hidden pocket. She just climbed back up to his shoulder.
Felix glanced at the small dragon, and pulled his hood up, his fox ears sticking out of two holes he had cut in it. “Fine, but stay quiet, and don’t let anyone see you.” Felix whispered, then glanced around the corner and bolted.
This hadn’t been how Felix had wanted to spend his day.
Felix groaned and rolled onto his face as he tried to block out the sun that had woken him. Birds began to sing, and Felix growled, grabbing the sack of grain he used as a pillow and threw it over his head. It didn’t work.
He threw the sack of grain across the room where it burst open and spilled grail all over the room. Felix muttred complaints as he rolled onto his back and sat up.
He sat in a small abandoned barn on a bed if hay in the loft. The wood was grey and weathered, and the walls where horse stalls had once been had long since fallen.
There wasn’t much in there aside from the bed of hay where Felix was. There was a pile of clothing on the bottom floor and a backpack beside it.
A tiny dragon about the size of a brick climbed on to his leg. She looked up at him with her large purple eyes. There was blue in the center of her eye.
She had mostly dark turquoise scales that reflected the dim light the seeped between the cracks in the walls.
When she stretched her wings to try and fly, the shimmering underside of her wings caught the light. It looked like the galaxy itself with dashes of colors like galaxies and random small white scales.
The little dragon didn’t even get off her feet. She huffed with frustration and crawled up to Felix face where she purched on his noze and made a weak excuse for a roar.
“Your hungry, aren’t you?” Felix asked. She nodded, and proceeded to fall off of Felix’s face. Felix smiled slightly and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
He was a Fenicc around 17. He didn’t know his age for sure. He had dark red fur and his ears, tail, and feet were all tipped black. His eyes were brown and his pupils were black slits.
He picked up the small dragon and put her on his shoulder and got to his feet. Or paws depending on how you looked at it. The joints in his legs worked the same as a fox’s back paws.
Felix climbed most of the way down the ladder than jumped the remainder of the distance. He crouched as he landed, his feet made a quiet thunk, but that was all.
He walked over to the pile of clothes and rummaged through them. He pulled out a loose long-sleeved orange shirt as well as some black pants. He set the tiny dragon on the floor and switched into them. There was a hole in the pants, and both pieces of clothing were torn and frayed at the edges.
Felix pulled a red cloak out of the pile. From the way the trees swayed, he would tell it would be a bit cold today. Felix liked windy days. He pulled a large flame-shaped wooden broach out of his backpack and used it to pin the cloak in place. The cloak had a couple patches on it, and tears on the edges, but it still worked.
Felix pulled an old leather belt out of the backpack. Attached to it was a dagger in its sheath. He drew the blade for a moment to examine it for any rust or chips then sheathed and is buckled it around his waist.
Felix stood and stretched with a yawn. He looked down at the tiny dragon as a smile played on his lips. She was trying to fly up to his shoulder. She gave up and jumped to catch the edge of his cloak. She crawled up to his shoulder and rubbed her head against his furry cheek with a purr-like sound.
Felix laughed at the tiny dragon’s antics. “Okay, Fella. You can sit up there for now, but you have to hide when we get to town.” He told her. She nodded and sat down. Felix could feel her small tail waving with excitement.
Felix walked out of the barn, and headed through the empty fields towards town. Indeed, it was a windy day. Fella lifted her head to feel it blow across her scaly face as Felix’s cape whipped behind them.
“Think I could vault it?” Felix asked, referring to the fence that they were approaching. Fella made a poor excuse for a roar in reply as if challenging the fence.
Felix ran full force, and grabbed it with one hand when it came within reach. He pulled his legs in as their momentum moved them forward. Felix mage it over, but stumbled on the landing. “I’ll get it perfect one of these days.” Felix said, panting as Fella recovered from the jolting landing.
She roared her encouragement wich made Felix laugh. He climbed up onto the fence and walked along it, sticking his arms out for balance as he walked along it.
“So what sounds good today?” Felix asked as he looked put over the landscape of fields and nearby pine forest. He could see the three mountains that surrounded the valley in the distance around them.
Those mountains were the reason why so few knew that Thovell existed. The kingdom owned the land around the mountains as well, but few even came to the southern mountain range anyway. Not with all the-
A large shadow fell over Felix and Fella. Without looking up, Felix jumped off the fence and bolted for the trees. He skidded to a stop under the canopy and pressed his back to one of the trees.
He put a finger to his lips and risked a look past the tree. A large grey dragon swooped low over the fence, heading towards the nearest farm.
Felix ducked back behind the tree and waited for a little longer. Dragons. The were in a mountain range with a ravine and a river on either side, so of course several thunders would make their homes here.
Felix looked down at Fella. As beautiful as dragons were, they were dangerous. Seeing Felix with a baby dragon would not look good, especially since no human had bonded with a dragon since the Order of the Dragon Riders had fallen 58 years ago.
Felix had found a bunch of poachers raiding a dragon den on his way home one night and of course, he tried to save the dragons. The adults were already dead, but he had managed to steal Fella’s egg before they found it.
He had hidden in the woods for a while to make sure he hadn’t been followed, and she had hatched in his hands.
If Felix focused, he was able to sense where she was, and with some effort, even see what she saw. He rarely used this because she was always with him.
Felix stepped out from behind the tree and made sure that the dragon was no longer in sight before going back to the fence. He moved a little faster now.
Several minutes later, the capital city of Thovell came into view. It was large and full of people. A large wall surrounded the city, and the palace. It must have been 100 times bigger than Felix’s barn. It was in much better condition too.
He cast a resentful look at the castle. It wasn’t fair that these people got to live in such luxury while he had to live in an old rotting and search for scraps all day.
They didn’t care at all what happened to their people beyond the castle walls, and he doubted whichever of their kids took over would care either.
Fella made a chirping sound to get his attention. “Alright, you have to hide now.” He told her, listing her off his shoulder. Fella huffed, but didn’t climb out of the hidden pocket in his cloak.
Felix walked around the entrance to the wall and pulled several loose bricks out of it where the guards could not see. The empty rectangle was just big enough for Felix to crawl through. He put the bricks back into place and walked out of the alley into a street full of shops.
Felix’s smile disappeared. He hated being in town. He always felt crushed between all the people and buildings. He pulled his hood up, his eyes hidden in the shadows as his ears poked through the holes he had cut in the hood. He followed the sound of a hundred voices to the market.
His ears went back in an attempt to dull the noise, and his tail twitched with annoyance. He moved through the market, searching for something to eat. His eyes locked on to a vendor selling mutton. Felix knew it was a bit of a fox stereotype, but it tasted good!
He quietly slipped his hands into people’s pockets for a coin or two. By the time he got there, he had enough to pay for it. He bought enough for him and Fella then snuck off to an alley to cook it. He may or may not have taken some wood from a couple other vendors.
He sat down on the stone floor of the alley and set the wood down. He sat with his back to the market, and his cloak spread around him so nobody would see fella as she tried to light the wood. She finally managed to get a small flame to catch the wood. The flames grew with a bit of coaxing. The fire wasn’t red or orange like normal flames. It changed between blues, purples, and greens as it moved.
Felix dropped the meat onto the wood and watched it to make sure it didn’t burn. “Your getting better at breathing fire.” Felix commented. Fella straightened and chipped happily at her person’t praise. Felix smiled at her joy.
He drew his dagger and stabbed the meat, flipping it over. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this when you get big. You’ll eat more that I do in a week.” Felix said with a laugh. Fella pawed at him till he lowered his hand for her to climb onto. She rolled over onto her back and chirped happily, her wings splayed out across his palm.
Felix had to put her down a minute later to stab the meat and pull If off the flames. With Fella not helping very much, they put out the flames. Felix pulled the steaming meat off of his dagger and cut a part of it off for Fella. He cut a piece for himself and continued shaving off parts of the meat till it was gone.
Felix wiped the juice off of his chin as Fella licked her lips for any pieces she might have missed. It didn’t have any seasonings on it, but it was still good. Felix wondered what an actual meal tasted like. One with more food than you could eat, and everything tasting perfect. Felix shrugged. He at least had food.
He picked up Fella and stood. After kicking the pieces of wood apart to make it look as if they were just random pieces of charred wood, he hid Fella and left the alley. He moved away from the noise, avoiding meeting anyone's eyes.
He paused at one of the town’s wells. He waited in the shadows of an alley for everyone to clear out before moving towards it. He let the rope uncoil and the bucket fall into the darkness. He heard the echo of a splash and grabbed the crank. He waited a moment for the water to fill into the bucket then began to pull it back up.
He grabbed the bucket’s handle when it came within reach and set it down on the ground beside the well. He crouched beside it and let Fella Pearce on the edge to drink her fill. When she was done, Felix lifted the bucket to his lips and drank some himself.
He set it down again and let Fella dive in to wash the dirt off her scales. Felix dipped his dagger in when he was done, and splashed a bit on his face as much as he resented it. He dumped the remainder of the water into the well and let the bucket hang on the eld of the crank. He shook his head to get any stray droplets off then smoothed his fur.
Felix walked through the streets with no particular destination in mind. He passed an abandoned street and felt Fella paw at his side. Felix suppressed a smile and moved into the street. Even if it was abandoned, he knew to be careful.
Felix ducked into one of the alleys and set Fella on an old barrel. “Alright, just try gliding. I’ll catch you if you fall.” Felix told her. Fella nodded and Felix crouched in front of her. He pulled his hood off so it would be easier for her to try and land on his shoulder.
Fella leaned forward and jumped off the barrel. She flung her wings out and wobbled as she tried to go straight for Felix’s shoulder. She tried to flap her wings when she glided lower than his shoulder and fell into Felix’s outstretched hands.
“Maybe try having your wings ready next time.” He told her as he put her back on the barrel. He really had no clue how to teach her to fly, but she was a dragon. Flying was part of her, and he had to try to teach her. He knew that birds learned by falling, but he wasn’t about to throw her off a building.
Fella tried again, her wings outstretched from the start. She still wobbled, but she made it further before getting tired and dropping into Felix’s arms. “That was better! We need to fix that wobble problem though.” He said. Fella breathed a puff of smoke into his face. Felix laughed and fell onto his back.
Fella curled up on his chest and the two looked up at the passing clouds. It was a few hours past noon and they had plenty of time before they had to start heading home.
Felix hummed quietly as they watched the clouds pass. His kind was known for sitting by the roadside and singing along with instruments. They got decent money from handouts. Meanwhile, Felix couldn’t sing in front of people to save his life. He’d never had the chance to try an instrument either.
Fella hummed along with the melody. A dragon’s hum was more of a rumble, but she still carried the melody well enough. They stayed there for a few minutes before Felix grabbed Fella and sat up.
“You know what I’m thinking?” He asked. She chirped in response. “Was that… food?” Felix asked. Fella nodded happily. Felix had been trying to learn Dragon Speak, but he was a slow learner. “Alright, what is ‘water?’” He asked.
They did this for a while, Felix asking for words and trying to say them in Dragon Speak. By the time the hour had passed, Fella was on her black laughing as he attempted to say ‘barn.’ Felix eventually got it right, and they stopped to find a quick snack before heading home. The sun would set soon, and Felix hated being in the city at night.
He hid her again, and moved toward the market again. He snuck a price of bread from a nearby vendor and snuck crumbs to Fella as he ate some himself. The sun was starting to set now, and Felix was starting to head for his exit when a loud crash came from the direction of the gates. Knights out on patrol ran towards it and civilians ran away.
A huge bang and the sound of splintered wood resounded through the city. The gates were broken. Felix bolted towards his exit, the walls seeming to close in around him. He stopped as he came to a street full of battle. He covered his mouth at the bodies that already littered the streets. There was no way he would get through.
He could see several homes starting to burn, the light of the flames stabbing into the twilight. He ran towards the castle. There would be more soldiers there, so he had a better chance. The invaders were starting to press to the heart of the city.
He ducked into the nearest alley as the street he was in became another battle ground. His ears went back against the screams and shouts that echoed through the night. The sky was almost black now, making the flames seem all the brighter.
Felix looked around in panic as houses were set ablaze and people of every kind were killed by the invaders. He dashed from the alley he was hiding in to another across the street.
He flattened himself against the wall as a group of invaders ran past him. A purr-like sound came from the hidden pocket in his cloak, and Fella climbed up his cloak and onto his shoulder. “Shh!” Felix hissed, glancing around the corner.
She cocked her head in confusion. “You have to be quiet.” Felix barked at her. He picked her up and put her back in the hidden pocket. She just climbed back up to his shoulder.
Felix glanced at the small dragon, and pulled his hood up. “Fine, but stay quiet, and don’t let anyone see you.” Felix whispered, then glanced around the corner and bolted.
He didn’t know where he was going anymore. He just wanted to get away. He drew his dagger, having it ready in case any of them tried to attack him. Not a moment later, one of them ran up behind him.
Felix flicked his blade flat against his arm and elbowed the invader in the chest, his dagger adding a puncture wound beside the bruise. He spun, and cut across, then flipped the grip of his blade and slashed the invader across his throat.
He backed away as the man fell at his feet, dead. He stared at the morbid sight for a moment. He had killed someone. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of pounding feet and ran.
In the direction of the castle, something exploded. Felix realized he was moving toward the castle. He skidded to a stop, only a few streets away. When he turned to run the other way, he was met with four more invaders. Felix crouched, relishing their momentary confusion and shock as his joints went the opposite way they were supposed to.
He grabbed a fistful of diet then threw it in their eyes. He leapt to his feet and slashed wildly at them. When one of them got to close, Fella shot a small jet of flames, startling the inadvertent as the shadows of Felix’s hood were temporarily lit with multicolored flames.
Felix took advantage of their confusion to kill one and bolt, having no choice but to move closer to the castle. He muttered a quick thanks to Fella as he ducked into another alley. More invaders ran past.
Felix silently wished Fella was a huge dragon like the one who had flown over them this morning. He wished he actually knew how to fight, but wishing did nothing. He bolted out of the alley, pausing to look for the next place to hide.
He noticed a man trying to defend his family from a group of invaders and rushed to help. Together they managed to kill all of them. “Stay to the shadows and run for the gate!” Felix shouted, then bolted to the next street.
He would help who he could, but he wasn’t about to stay for the victory or risk death. He helped a couple others, but the invading number began to get to great. He stopped trying to help people and focused on protecting himself and Fella.
If he died, Fella wouldn’t be able to take care of herself, and if she dies, Felix wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He had a few wounds, but none of them were bad enough that he would bleed out.
He paused in the shadows of an alley to catch his breath. Fella rubbed her head against his cheek to comfort him. He could feel the small dragon shaking in terror, though she was trying to be brave.
“We’ll be okay.” He whispered, to her as much as himself. He looked up at the sky. Black smoke from the burning city choked out the sky. The air smelled like smoke and death, screams of terror and pain sent chills down Felix’s spine.
He bolted from the alley only to be met with a group of invaders. He took several steps back, and stumbled on a fallen knight. Felix choked back a ache of horror and moved around the body.
He knew he was outnumbered, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. He did whatever he could, kicking up dirt, and killing despite how much he hated it.
Fella breathed the largest flame Felix had ever seen from her into the face of an invader to save him. The multicolored flames light up the night, though no smoke rose from the flames. The invader screamed and stumbled away as the green, blue, and purple fire scorched him.
Felix managed to cut down two more, but he was overwhelmed. Someone rounded the corner as he fought, breathing hard. She was a human a little younger than him. She had green hair and green eyes and wore a long-sleeve off the shoulder blouse and black pants and boots.
Felix didn’t have time to wonder about her odd-colored hair because he had to cut down three more invaders. There were five more, but he was too winded to kill them all.
Fella breathed another jet of flame, but it didn’t even reach the invaders. Her fire was spent. The human just stood there! Felix glared at her for a moment, but he remained focused on the invaders. He slashed when one of them tried to approach him, but they could tell he wouldn’t last much longer.
The human grabbed his hand. “It’s not worth it!” She shouted, and ran in the opposite direction, pulling him with her. He stumbled as he ran, but didn’t stop. Fella retreated into the hidden pocket in his cloak where the human wouldn’t see her.
Felix stopped and pulled his hand out of the human’s when he was sure they weren't being followed. He ducked into an alley to catch his breath. The human looked around to confirm they hadn't been followed then slid to the ground, breathing hard.
Felix couldn’t believe this was happening. He had almost… Felix discarded the thought. They weren't safe yet. They had to get out of the city. “Come on, I owe you. We need to get out of here.” He said.
The human smiled and stood. Felix glanced around the corner then began leading the human through the burning city.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
