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---   Sally   ---

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The man grabbed Aylin and pulled her behind himself, protecting the girl with his body as he stared at Orion with seething hate. I could barely hold back my laughter as Orion stared back with an absent look, clearly lost as to why being caught with a little girl in the woods might look really, really bad.

“Is it a problem?” Orion asked seriously as he got up from his spot on the ground next to me, facing the man with a serious look, his eyes narrowing as he threateningly looked at the two family members.

At least that’s probably what the grandpa thought, but me? A de facto Orion expert?

He is probably immensely confused right now, wondering what being alone in a forest with a little girl could possibly allude to, and his ability to express that confusion is laughably lacking.

I burst out laughing, unable to contain the absurdity of the situation as I let out a foxy laugh, the two adults turning and looking at me with perplexed looks on their faces

“GRAMPY! Stop it!” Aylin pouted, the grandfather looking at her with shocked expression.

“Wha- *sigh*, who are these people Aylin?” The man asked, looking tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“It’s the dragon man and Mr dragon!” Aylin happily introduced, the man turning and looking at the two of us with an unbelieving look. He stared at me closely as I puffed out my chest, proudly presenting my draconic form.

I saw the elderly man squint in concentration as I raised my eyebrows a couple times in a confident show of ‘Eh? Ya like what you see?’.

“Aylin… I thought my son would’ve educated on the difference between an overconfident drake and a real dragon.” The older man sighed, sounding tired as he patted the little girls head and shattering the dreams of a little girl and a baby dragon’s ego.

I flopped to the ground, lifeless and the life left my eye as my confidence got crushed.

Do I- Do I really look like an overgrown lizard?

I looked over to Orion for reassurance, but he just looked away awkwardly the moment I glanced at him.

“REEAA-LLY?” I moaned, Orion just shrugged in response and lifted my limp body onto his head, letting me lay there lifelessly as he got up to face the old man.

“It can talk?” the old man asked with his mouth slightly agape, earning him a little glare from Orion.

“He is a dragon” Orion countered, making my mood a little better with his childish response.

“And I’m the moon god” he sneered, with the bitterness only an old coot could dredge up.

“You don’t look like them” Orion stated, leaving the man flabbergasted before he eventually recovered his wits.

“W-What? Even my granddaughter wouldn’t say that.”

“Childish arguments aside, you still haven’t explained why you’re alone with my little Aylin, Stranger.” He accused again, finally remembering the original reason to his being here.

“My name is Orion, and this is Sally” the archer stated pointing to me as he said my name.

“I am the medicine man Icaro” the exasperated elder said while motioning with his hand for Orion to hurry up.

“We’re travellers who’d come across the village by chance, and we were asking Ayling about some things when you came across us. But more importantly, when was the last time you went to town?”

“I’ve been in the forest for a few weeks… has something happened?” Icaro suspiciously asked.

“It’d be better if you ask Aylin”

“…” Icaro slowly looked at Aylin with a tense look, the little girl happily staring back at him with a smile.

“Aylin, did something strange happen while I was gone?”

“Hmmm… I guess?”

“Allot of people moved out, like dad and my brothers.”

Aylin’s words made Icaro frown, his regal face slowly becoming more and more worried.

“Where?” The medicine man asked, and when the girl didn’t answer he crouched down by her and grabbed her shoulder.

“Where Aylin, where did they go” he pleaded through gritted teeth, Aylin looking uncomfortable as she shrugged. He turned and looked at us with worry in his eyes, his calm demeanour slowly breaking down, Aylin beginning to match her grandfather’s worry, the old man’s words and tone letting her know that something’s wrong.

“Explain.”

“There’s some sort of-” Orion tried to explain but I interrupted him by tapping his head with a sharp claw, just before he could spoil Aylin’s innocence. Icaro seemed to get the message and held his hands over the girl’s ears, Aylin trusting him enough that she only mildly protested to getting cut out of the conversation.

“There’s a monster called a wendigo going around and probably eating people.” Orion carelessly mentioned to Icaro, the older man’s face draining of colour as his hand began to tremble.

“S-so the people who moved-”

“Yes”

“A-ah” Icaro painfully gasped, letting Aylin go as he turned around, hiding his face from us as tremors wracked his body.

“Everything O-kay Grampy?” Aylin asked the old man, Icaro taking a deep breath before turning to face his granddaughter, recomposed with a smile on his face.

“I’m fine Aylin. Now assuming this situation isn’t some sort of misunderstanding, is it danger-, okay to go back” the recomposed Icaro decided after catching himself from saying something worrying in front of Aylin.

Orion nodded and we headed off into the forest, the determined grampa and Orion meshing well as they stalked through the forest silently. Well, it would be if Aylin wasn’t getting dragged through the brushes by her grandfather, leaves constantly getting captured by her mouth and leaving her spluttering loudly every few seconds.

And all the while he was still glancing at us, keeping us in the corner of his eye at all times. It seems like he doesn’t trust us. Fair enough, I wouldn't trust Orion at first either given the circumstances.

Eventually we returned to the village, staying at the edge of the brush, eyeing the quiet little town from the safety of the forest. Icaro silently reached into one of his many pouches and pulled out a handful of a mysterious powder, with a little pile of the dirty yellow dust on his open palm he blew it towards the village.

It exploded into a cloud and floated towards the village for a moment before getting blown back by a wind that I couldn’t feel and sending it flying directly into my face.

As spluttered from what felt like inhaling a lungful of cigarette smoke for the first time, when I eventually recovered I saw that Icaro was staring at me with raised eyebrows.

“WHAT?” I grumpily asked, confused as to why he was surprised that his pollen attack made me choke.

“…” He wordlessly looked away and back at the town, his face tense and a little bit worried.

“We shouldn’t stay there tonight, let’s head back to my camp.” Icaro decided, getting up and walking off with Aylin without a single response from us. I made an annoyed harrumph as Orion asked if we should follow them, to which I nodded.

 With one last look at the afternoon sun over the town, Orion turned towards the forest and plunged back into it, following the clearly experienced hiker and medicine man through the trees.

I relaxed as I lazily watched the passing greenery, thinking about the implications of meeting Mr Icaro, hopefully he’d help with killing the Wendigo.

Some other thoughts spun around in my head while I lay there, the mental exhaustion of the day bringing back old thoughts. Why do I have to bother with this?

I know it’s harsh a thought, but I just really didn’t want to get involved in some complicated drama. Killing monsters is one thing, but dealing with a f@cked up and traumatised family is a different sort of messy.

At least this Grampa is here to deal with it instead of us.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m heartless, I just…

I have enough problems already, I don’t want to deal with more.

Eventually we reached Icaro’s camp while I was stewing in my miseries, the small campsite consisting of a campfire and a one-person test. The elder immediately took Aylin into the tent, leaving Orion and I awkwardly standing around as we heard quite whispering coming out from behind the curtains.

I jumped down from the ranger’s head and sat on the only log stool in the campsite as the man went around picking up some sticks and twigs to get a fire going. He stole some of the old man’s prechopped wood to get the fire roaring, lighting it with a worn-out and well-known lighter, the little BIC symbol standing out.

I guess that confirms that he’s from earth, I guess it’s nice to know that I’m not the only person who ended up here. But unfortunately, it’s a conversation I’ll have to save for later for when I can talk properly.

The two of us settled by the fire, falling into a peaceful silence, the kind that didn’t need any talking stop it from becoming awkward.

We rested there for around an hour, the sun slowly descending until its light was turning a range of colours between light orange and blood red. If not for all of the ancient and horrifying things in this land, it would’ve made for a wonderful holiday spot.

But eventually the talking inside the tent stopped, Icaro leaving it, looking tired and messy, with some strands of hair escaping his hair tie.

Icaro grabbed some supplies and pots out of a bag near his tent, placing some veggies into a wok and filling a pot of rice with water, the old man then placed them onto the campfire’s coal. He let them cook as he turned to us and began to talk.

“So now that Aylin’s asleep, let’s talk.” He muttered, running a hand along his head to smooth down the stray hair, regaining some of his regalness.

“About?” Orion innocently asked, leaving both me and Icaro slightly stunned with how… straightforward he can be.

“The- *sigh* the matter of my missing son and many people from my village.” Icaro bitterly said, sounding exasperated and tired as he talked.

“We arrived at the village a couple days ago, and discovered a beast known as a wendigo walking around the village at night. It had gone to Aylin’s house to… inspect her.” Orion neatly reported, leaving the old man looking even more tired and aged.

“Do you… do you have any proof?” Icaro asked with a hint of desperation, like he wanted Orion to say no.

“I can show-”

“What am I saying? Of course it’s the truth” Icaro finally admitted to himself, his demeanour breaking down as he accepted what’d happened in the village.

“SAD-LY” I cheaply apologised, feeling obligated to say something as Icaro grew more miserable by the second. But the elder immediately broke out of his stupor and stared at me with a sharp and intense glare.

“You, what sort of creature are you?” Icaro asked with suspicion in his voice, leaving me more annoyed than confused. I’d already told him before what I was, now the cranky old man was asking again? Does he have dementia?

“DRA-”

“Don’t spout that nonsense again, I don’t know what sort of nature spirit you are, but it certainly isn’t the likes of a dragon.” Icaro scowled, not in the mood to accept the truth.

“NA-TURE?” I asked, wondering where he’d gotten the notion from.

“The powder, it flees from the unnatural and towards sources of nature. Away from whatever is haunting the town and towards you.” Icaro explained, leaving me wondering why that pollen loved me so much.

Oh yeah, the necklace! It’s some sort of nature item, so it should be what the powder is attracted to, if I can just prove to him that it’s the necklace and not me, then I’ll finally be proven to be a dragon!

I held out the ivory pendant, the white teardrop attracting the attention of the elder, the man leaning over to take a closer look at my necklace.

He squinted at it for a moment before reaching into the same pouch as earlier when he tested the town, sprinkling a pinch of pollen onto the ivory piece.

But, instead of settling onto the pendant like it should’ve, it rushed for my face again and choked me, making me rear back in pain and surprise.

“Listen little one, you must understand that there hasn’t been a newborn dragon pup in a very long time, let alone a laid egg. No one would, could believe that a dragon popped into existence without the remaining dragons knowing and making a fuss about it.” Icaro wisely explained, while I rolled around on the floor, coughing out the remaining bits of dusts and definitely paying attention to what he was saying.

Though why did the magic powder go straight for me again and not the pendant? Wasn’t it the source of all this nature bullshit?

Can you explain system?

[it’ll attract those of your sexual attraction to you and give you the allure-]

Not- not that line, I mentally commanded as I pushed down my internal embarrassment at seeing that line again.

[It’ll give you the presence of nature that is obvious to fairies and little men]

Oh, there’s the fine print, it’s not that the necklace with the aura, it gives me the presence of nature. And seeing how I’m permanently bonded with it, I’m guessing I’ll be smelling like this for the rest of my life.

What would ‘nature’ smell like anyways, dirt? Maybe compost?

“Do be careful of spirits Orion, the little folk can be tricky things. They can even play pranks so audacious that you’d think them fools. Like pretending to be a dragon.” Icaro warned, but Orion just ignored the incorrect assumption and nodded anyways.

“Sally is a source of nature?” Orion dumbly asked as Icaro nodded, leaving me feeling misunderstood and annoyed as I lay on the dirt floor.

“APPRAISAL!” I angrily grunted, Orion finally figuring out the easiest way to understand what’s going on with me.

“Appraisal?” Icaro asked with a frown, the old man seeming irked that we were doing something that he didn’t understand. I laughed at him while Orion used his skill, the big buffoon finally understanding the situation as I held out the amulet for him observe.

“Do you know of the system?” Orion politely asked, the old man shaking his head.

“What exactly is this ‘system’?” He scowled, Orion giving him one of his signature emotionless stares.

“Have you not heard of it? It was everywhere in the city of the sun.” Orion explained.

“You come from that cesspit?” Icaro spat, his calm demeanour becoming angry, like it was a horrible accident to even be sitting with someone from that place.

“No, I passed through it a while ago, is it a bad place?” Orion innocently asked, leaving Icaro looking dumbfounded.

“Bad place? It’s a place infamous for its mandated worship of the sun god, and if you don’t you follow the rules of the sun god you get… reprimanded.”

“Could you explain?” Orion naively inquired, earning him an annoyed scoff from the elder.

“Did you never see a rows of stocks, or an inquisitor dragging someone out of their home?” Icaro sighed, getting his answer from Orion’s blank stare.

Icaro sighed and calmed down, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“Well, you got very lucky that a curious enforcer didn’t introduce you to the worse parts.”

“And I’m guessing you got this… ‘system’ from there as well?” Icaro followed up and Orion nodded in response.

“Then you can keep the foul magics of the sun god to yourself.” Icaro huffed, but the rest of his nagging was cut off as the pot of rice began to overflow, snatching his attention away from us as he went to go tend to the food.

After the chat the campsite calmed down for a while, things becoming quiet as Icaro returned to cooking, retrieving some spices from his bag and frying them up in the wok, creating an enticing aroma.

I thought back on the conversation and how it’s probably a good thing that I’m indistinguishable from some sort of spirit.

But…

I am a dragon though. Nothing against spirits, I just want to be a dragon, but I sighed and pushed down my feelings, the action annoyingly familiar. It dredged up memories of my years in high school, and that frustrating need to try and fit in, while it may suck pretending to be something you’re not, it’s better than the alternative.

Eventually Icaro finished cooking and went to go wake up Aylin up for dinner, the girl grumbling as she stumbled out of the tent. Icaro smiled softly as he passed a bowl of food to the little girl, Aylin accepting it as the two interacted with each other in a familiar and comfortable way, they were clearly family.

He served some to us as well, some nice stir-fry and rice in wooden bowl, handing Orion a bowl and placing mine on the floor, like he was feeding a dog. I glared at him, angry that he’s now treating me like some wild animal as he stared back at me, the two of us starting a staring contest to see who’d give up their dignity first.

We didn’t break eye contact for an impressive while, my unspoken demand of him giving me the respect I deserve and his want to get me to eat off the floor. Eventually Orion got up from his spot on the floor and moved the bowl up onto the seat with me, resulting in my win for our unspoken contest.

Icaro sighed, rubbing his eyes as I smugly dug into my meal.

“The reason your food is on the floor is because, as spry as I might seem, sitting on the floor isn’t good for an old man.” Icaro muttered, my victory turning to bitter dust between my claws. Before I even had a chance to defend my seat Orion grabbed my bowl and placed it on the floor, betraying me and changing sides in this war. After another moment of grumbling I acquiesced, following my dinner and jumping down to the floor, Icaro spryly snatching up the seat the moment I left.

I started eating the food next to Aylin and Orion on the floor, the three of us silently demolishing the food, the stir-fry tasting surprisingly nice for a medieval meal. I thought that it’d taste horrible given that most pre-world trade food lacked spice, but this was as good as the stuff back home!

Without any hesitation I devoured the meal in less than a minute, both Aylin and I finished it with specks of sauce and rice covering our face, while the elegant ranger ate it with a bit more grace.

But as soon as the little girl finished her food, she begun to eye me with a suspicious look, slowly creeping closer every time I took my eyes off of her. Eventually I had to begin retreating, shuffling away every time she got a bit closer, this situation feeling a bit familiar.

“Just one hug?” Aylin begged, the seriousness of the situation sinking in as the little girl got closer, a fate worse than death, being pet. She got up and begun stumbling after me, making me flee in response, Aylin giggled as she stomped after me like an excited ogre.

I tried to hide behind Orion, ducking behind him as Aylin almost ran full tilt into him, stopping just before she barrelled into him.

“SAAALLY, just one okay?” Aylin begged again, holding up a single finger with an outstretched arm, standing in a defiant pose, her legs spread with a hand on her hip as she made her declaration.

But I wouldn’t fall for such tricks, I could practically see the greed in her eyes when she looked at me, like she was about to get her hands on a new stuffed animal. I shook my head, but instead of being disheartened, the girl seemed even more determined, slowly taking another tentative step towards me.

But I still had my trump card, Orion! No way the bumbling girl could get past my final defences.

“You’d think that a great dragon would be able to overcome a child” Icaro chuckled, his words leaving me feeling annoyed, you try being half the size of a child that wants to manhandle you!

But in the moment I used to glare at the miserable old man, Aylin striked. She nimbly took a step around Orion and pounced, being surprisingly fast for an overweight little girl and she snatched me up with her grubby little hands.

She squealed in delighted as she held up her prize, the prize in question struggling desperately to escape the kid’s hands. But it was useless, somehow I couldn’t even pry open a child’s hands, how come she was stronger than me, doesn’t the word dragon mean anything around here?

“ORI-” I tried to shout, but my plea was cut short as Aylin wrapped me up tight in her arms, squeezing out all of the air in my lungs and trapping me even further in her grip.

“Huggable…” Aylin whispered in my ear, that and Orion’s slight smile at seeing Aylin hug me, gave me the morbid realisation that I wasn’t going to be saved anytime soon.

And Orion! He wasn’t even bothering to get up to come save me, just sitting there uselessly. I can’t wait to grow up and be bigger than him, just to be able to pick him and do whatever I want to him, give him a taste of his own medicine.

I could do anything I want when I finally got to be a fully grown dragon, I could pick him, pin him down, show him how it feels to.. get…

That... That doesn’t sound quite right.

But before I could come up with actual ideas for payback against the archer, Aylin began tottering towards the tent, taking me with her to presumably go to bed, leaving me to make one last silent plea as I got dragged into the dark folds of the tent.