Birth of the Dragon

Mel

The forest was a blur passing Mel at an inconceivably fast pace. In the faint moonlight she could vaguely make out the huge, snarling animals running alongside her kidnapper, the humanoid wolf. She tried to twist around to see Sam, but the grip around her body was too tight.

They had just entered a clearing full of tents and shadows when Mel was dropped to the ground. She instinctively reached out for a source to strengthen her. A rush of power flooded over her, replenishing her magic. She did her best not to react, but there was no point, as the humanoid wolf was focussed on Sam, like everyone else. She gave herself a moment, before she stood up and caught up to Sam, looking shaken. The two were escorted through the camping ground by the humanoid wolf and a few others. Families stopped and stared as they passed.

Mel couldn't help but feel like she and Sam were outsiders who were intruding, despite the fact that they were the ones who had been kidnapped. They were looked upon with suspicion and a wariness that she felt came from a similar place to her own community's caution. Someone more ignorant might have thought this was a cult.

Crackles of power danced along her fingers as she sensed danger on all sides, though she did her best not to let her power show. Something about these people was the key to her source. Her mind was racing, trying narrow down what it could be, as two middle age people exited a tent nearby.

Mel wanted to demand answers, but held her tongue. She knew they were really after Sam. If she was to prove annoying, she didn't know what they would do with her. Perhaps they had simply brought her here to be killed.

"So," the woman began, stepping forward with her arms folded, "this is Connor and Marion's whelp." Though she was quite plain in appearance, the other people seemed to regard her with respect.

Sam, however, growled, and pulled against his captor, the humanoid wolf. "How do you know my mother?"

"Sam," Mel warned tensely, "stay calm."

The other leader was a man with dark eyes and even darker hair. "Well that answers that question. They've obviously not told you anything."

"Told him what?" Mel asked.

The man chuckled. "Have you not figured it out, little witch? My. The coven must be losing its touch."

Fear bloomed in Mel's chest at the mention of her coven. If he knew about her and the abilities she could possess and wasn't afraid of her, he was either stupid or dangerously powerful. Her magic didn't feel like enough anymore. It lurked beneath her skin, waiting to be called to the surface, but she held it in.

Suddenly, though it was almost inaudible, she heard Sam whisper under his breath, obviously shocked, "you're werewolves."

Mel snapped her gaze to him.

"Indeed we are." The woman was grinning.

"Werewolves?" Mel frowned. "We?"

Sam nodded, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He muttered something else under his breath before speaking louder. "We are!"

"Y-you're not a vampire?" Mel blurted out.

Laughter came from all sides as the woman said, "how on earth could you think that?"

Mel couldn't think of anything to say as Sam gave her a warning look. "So what does me being a werewolf mean exactly?"

She didn't understand how he could be so calm. From what she understood, werewolves weren't as bad as vampires, which was a relief. But they could still be very dangerous, especially a pack of this size.

"Well it means you're one of us, of course," the man said.

Mel's heart thudded loudly.

"Why the dramatic kidnap then?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.

The man's voice hardened. "For one, you were in hostile territory. Which, we have put ourselves in significant danger over so I would have hoped you'd be grateful," he snarled, and Sam lowered his head. Mel's magic thrummed furiously at the sight. "And, we were unsure of what Connor's son would be like." He paused. "Given his violent history."

Mel knew Sam well enough to see the subtle signs of fury, but to her relief he held his tongue.

The woman clapped and smiled warmly at the surrounding wolves. "Let's welcome our new pup, Sam!"

Mel was suddenly let go as the shadowy figures, along with her captor, surged forward, cheering and whooping in a mixture of human and animal voices. Her view of Sam was blocked as she was left behind, forgotten.

She could hear them introducing themselves to Sam, and she felt a sinking feeling in her chest as he responded with enthusiasm. Her fear grew as she glimpsed his grin, shaking hands, and people clapping him on the back through the crowd. He was not only okay with this, but wanted it.

Her thoughts were drawn back to the night of the party. At first, his actions seemed to have clearly pointed out to her that he was a vampire. Now, different details of that evening stood out. The growling, the animalistic look in his eyes, the anger that was so different to the coldness of the vampires they'd just encountered. And despite the fact that Sam was still her friend and not a vampire, if that mindset was what being a werewolf meant, she knew she didn't want him anywhere near these people.

Mel wanted to leave - to run while no-one would notice she was gone. But she couldn't leave Sam behind. Sudden movement next to Mel made her flinch. It was a black wolf, the same one with the bright green eyes that had stared her down in front of the vampire's cave. It was watching the crowd like Mel was.

Mel went to speak, but the wolf gave a short bark. The crowd instantly turned and backed away. Mel could see Sam clearly now, looking overwhelmed but excited. She wondered almost bitterly if he had forgotten about her.

The wolf's gaze rested pointedly on the two leaders, and Mel got the impression that they weren't impressed. They stood rooted to the spot as the wolf padded forward until it was a short distance from Sam.

Sam spoke. "It's lovely to finally meet you, my brother."

Finally? Mel thought. He's seen this wolf before?

Laughter echoed around the encampment at Sam's words. Mel clenched her fists.

The wolf stood on its hind legs and its fur began to recede. In the low light of the encampment, Mel squinted to see the wolfs muscles and bones moving and reforming until it was no longer a wolf standing there, but a woman. She wore a skin-tight black body suit, with short black hair.

Sam was averting his eyes, but Mel watched with sick curiosity, unable to take her eyes off the strange scene playing in front of her. The woman didn't seem phased by her near nakedness, though two other wolves quickly brought her some clothes.

She took a moment to get dressed, and ran a hand though her hair to fix it, before responding. "The pleasure is all mine, Sam. My name is Lyalla."

Sam was clearly confused. He tried to regain his composure but he couldn't hide his shock. "Uh, thank-you for saving us from the vampires," nodding to the humanoid wolf, the one that had kidnapped them.

"You will need to tell us why exactly you were there. Come. Walk with me."

Mel couldn't help it. She raised her voice. "Sam, wait!" All eyes turned to her, and so she tentatively stepped forward. "What… what do you want with him?" she asked Lyalla, though she already knew the answer. Her magic thrummed beneath her skin.

Lyalla's eyes narrowed. "I don't see why a witch would need to know that."

Mel glared back. "He's my friend."

Sam's voice rang strongly throughout the camp. "I'm not going anywhere without her."

Mel's fears softened, though she couldn't help but look surprised at Sam's words. He had never taken charge like that before, had never sounded so sure of himself.

Lyalla, to Mel's surprise, gave a half smile. "Follow me then."

Mel gave Sam a small, grateful smile, and turned to follow Lyalla alongside him.

Neither of them spoke as Lyalla led them through the forest, leaving the pack behind. Mel's magic was a whisper at the back of her mind. She took the walk as an opportunity to distract herself from it by observing more about the werewolf. Lyalla was tanned, well-muscled, and appeared to be around the same age as them. Mel wasn't sure whether Lyalla was the leader, or the two other werewolves were.

Finally they arrived at a dreadfully familiar clearing. Mel and Sam's place. Mel's earlier fears were brought back to the surface. Had Lyalla seen them here before? Had she chosen this spot specifically to send a message of some kind? The place looked odd in the moonlight; darker and bleaker than Mel was used to seeing it during the day. It felt alien.

"Here is far enough," Lyalla said. "We have exceptional hearing so privacy is difficult."

Mel frowned. In this exact clearing, Sam had also demonstrated an almost supernatural sense of hearing, the day Mel had tried to sneak up on him. She crossed her arms and asked the first question that came into her head. "How do you know I'm a witch?"

"I can smell it on you." She wrinkled her nose. "Some find it pleasant but I never have."

Mel raised her chin. "Well I don't need super senses to smell your dog breath."

Lyalla smirked. "Hm, cute."

"How did the leaders know my mother and father?" Sam asked, speaking a little too quickly.

"I can't tell you from experience, but from what I've been told," she hesitated, taking a deep breath, "your father used to be one of our Alphas. However, he was incredibly violent. Apparently he was abusing your mother while she was pregnant and his fellow Alpha stepped in. In his rage he killed the other Alpha and the pack drove him out because they refused to deal with him any longer. Your mother's family begged her to stay but she left with your father and we didn't hear from them again."

Sam took a moment before speaking. "How long ago was this?"

"Over fifty years I believe."

"Sam," Mel said quietly, not sure how to comfort him. She put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

Lyalla seemed confused for a moment and then placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. "I'm so sorry, I hadn't realised."

Mel glared silently. She didn't understand what Lyalla wanted. Her magic ached to be used.

Sam shook both of them off and turned away from them. "Why did the pack wait so long to bring me to them?"

"Until I found you that day you hadn't smelt like us at all so we had no idea of your connection to them. And then I investigated and realised you parents had moved to the fringes of the witches territory. They had managed to hide because the house reeked so badly of alcohol and candles that I was practically blind for two hours."

"Hold on, you two have met before?" Mel asked, trying not to sound mad.

The two shared a look and Sam said, "briefly."

"Since you've had a question it's now my turn." Lyalla rubbed her forehead with one hand, the other on her hip. "What on earth possessed you to not only go into vampire territory, but to go straight into their lair?"

"Um," Sam scratched the back of his head, "they'd taken our friend and we went to get her back." Mel had almost forgotten - Dakota. Hopefully the poor girl didn't go through much pain before -

She stopped that train of thought.

Lyalla nodded slowly. "That was a very brave thing to do."

"But then we were kidnapped," Mel continued, "by you. She could be gone for all we know."

"Your little rescue squad would have died if not for us," her voice was harsh.

"And that gives you the right to kidnap us? Are we even now?" Mel scoffed. "You don't understand anything about us."

"Says someone who couldn't even recognise a werewolf," Lyalla said with a raised eyebrow. "And I had no interest in bringing you, I was just smart enough not to linger at the entrance of a vampire cave during a crescent moon."

"And we're very grateful for that Lyalla," Sam interjected, giving Mel a pointed look that made her bristle. There was the Sam she knew. "But my… awakening, I guess you could say, did have a purpose."

"Sam," Mel started, knowing where he was going with this. She frowned and shook her head. "We shouldn't, not without the others."

Lyalla glanced between them but didn't press. "Perhaps we should get you back to them then, I don't trust my parents to just let you go."

"Your parents?" Sam asked, shocked.

Mel raised her chin, seeing Lyalla in a new light. She had wondered about the tense dynamic between Lyalla and the two leaders, had even suspected that Lyalla was a third leader, but not this.

Lyalla smirked. "You didn't see the family resemblance?" She laughed. "Come now, the others will surely be looking soon."

Sam and Mel followed Lyalla towards Bash's house. Mel shouldn't have been surprised that Lyalla knew where it was. Soon they stopped.

"Our territory doesn't extend past here and we can't risk angering anyone else."

"Won't you get in trouble with your parents for letting us go?" Mel asked.

She smiled wickedly. "Oh, absolutely."

Mel shrugged. "Good enough for me. Sam?"

Sam was doing that thing with his jaw, eyes flicking between Lyalla and her. He was clearly torn, wanting to learn more but also wanting to get back to his friends. Mel refrained from crossing her arms as she waited for him to make his decision. "We do need to get back, but," he hesitated and scratched the back of his neck, "I also need to learn how to control all of this." He said, gesturing to himself. "Will you teach me, Lyalla?"

Mel wasn't a fan of Sam seeing Lyalla again, or having anything to do with a pack of werewolves that seemed perfectly fine with kidnapping her. But she couldn't control him, and if Lyalla really could teach him to rein in his werewolf side, it might be better than the alternative. The lesser of two evils.

Lyalla nodded. "Here, dusk, tomorrow." And with that she ran off, gone faster than their eyes could register.

Mel clenched her fists. "I don't like her."

"She saved our lives Mel." Sam said as they began to walk back to the house, though nearly rushed to return.

"We were already out of the vampire caves, she didn't save us from anything. Her people kidnapped us."

Sam gave Mel a questioning look. "Do you not realise we almost died in there? Had the wolves not come along the vampires would have slaughtered us."

"That doesn't give her the right to kidnap us!" Mel stopped, breathed deeply, before continuing. "I'm sorry, I just worry. It's a good thing you found your… kind."

As long as that kind didn't end up secretly being bloodthirsty killers that turned Sam into a monster. Despite vampires typically dominating in that field, she had no doubt that the werewolves could easily do the same. Her magic churned, reacting to her fear, her stress… her worry for Sam.

Sam half laughed and smiled to himself. Mel sensed he didn't share her concerns. "I did yeah."

She managed a smile, putting her troubles to the side for now. "So that's why you attacked me. You were channelling your wolf." She chuckled. "I sound like an idiot."

Sam chuckled with her. "It's less like channelling and more like it's a separate entity that you're struggling for control with."

She considered her own magic, comparing it to his description. The magic inside her wasn't a separate entity, it was like an extension of her subconscious. It was certainly wild and longing to be let out. But it didn't want control, like Sam's wolf. It only wanted to help.

Mel frowned slightly as she sensed her magic humming peacefully for a change. She glanced at Sam, but looked away before he noticed. She needed to think about something else.

"What are you going to do about your father?"

Sam halted abruptly, his expression dark and his hands trembling. Just like that, the magic was active again. She would have to talk to Maureen about learning how to make it stop. Sam was gritting his teeth. He took a deep breath. "We'll come to that hurdle when we get to it."

Mel tried to think of something comforting to say, but she didn't know much about his father other than that it was a sensitive topic. They continued walking in silence for a while, until Mel felt her magic grow peaceful again, and tried not to think about why.

They came to the house. "Do you think the others are worried?" Mel muttered as they climbed the steps.

"Well you'd hope so. We were kidnapped without an explanation after all."

Ryan

The sounds of his room were attacking Ryan's ears. Shifting for the fifteenth time, Ryan stared at the ceiling. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. He had first noticed it walking back from the vampire's cave when he sensed something behind him. But when he had turned, nothing.

Finally he threw off his covers and got out of bed. He stretched, enjoying the feeling, before a rustle outside put him on edge again. He covered his face with his hands, groaning.

Downstairs, everything was dark. Ryan crept through the kitchen to the back door, where he could sense someone sleeping. When he heard her murmuring in another language, he knew it was her. Alex.

Ryan tried to open the door quietly but the breeze pushed it against the wall harder than he intended. He winced, sensing Alex had awoken. "Hey," he said, trying to sound normal, leaning on the door frame.

Alex rubbed her eyes. "Why are you out so late?" Her tone echoed the venom it usually contained but was obviously too tired to fully muster. He would have found it hard to take it to heart anyway with the way she was sitting on the large wooden chair, curled up under a blanket.

"Couldn't sleep." He nodded at her. "But you're out here too. I didn't realise you were keeping watch."

"We'd be idiots not too. We've managed to piss off a lot of people in just a few days."

"Still, you could have asked someone else to help. But that's not something you'd do, is it?" Ryan thought he was starting to understand Alex and her brother, Bash. The two of them lived here, in a giant house, on their own. Independence must be a necessary part of their lives.

She scowled at him. "We don't need help."

"Oh I know," he responded with a smirk. But something told him he still had a lot to uncover about her.

Something rustled in the woods and Ryan immediately zeroed in on where it had come from. A spot in the trees on a high branch, behind the leaves. "Did you hear that?" He glanced at Alex.

All of her grogginess was immediately gone. "No, but I can feel them."

"Them?" Ryan stepped forward to get a closer look, coming to the edge of the veranda. "I knew it - someone has been watching me. What can you feel?"

Alex closed her eyes and her lips parted slightly as she concentrated. Ryan swallowed, thankful it was night, and turned back to the trees with coloured cheeks. "There's two of them." She shuddered. "They feel like you do."

Ryan closed his eyes and focussed on his other senses, listening, smelling, feeling the air around them. At first all he could sense was Alex's breathing, then her steady heartbeat. He let himself get distracted for only a moment before focussing again. Farther out, two other heartbeats sounded, but they weren't human, they were faster and lighter - like animals. Ryan frowned. "All I can sense are animals."

"Don't let that fool you. That's them."

He flashed back to the moment Renwyn, his best friend, transformed into a bat. It was him. Suddenly anger and calmness collided and Ryan opened his eyes, jaw clenched. He jumped the railing, landing lightly, and set off to confront his old friend.

"Hey! Did I not tell you how many people we'd pissed off already?!" Alex called out, running to catch up.

"Yeah yeah," Ryan muttered dismissively. "Show yourselves! I want to talk!"

A large bat plunged through the branches and swooped low. Ryan slowed but kept going as the bat came closer. Suddenly it grew, changing colour and shape until pale, human legs touched the ground, the wings shrank into arms, and Renwyn stood before him. He wore dark shorts and a dark tank top, his hair now revealing his elven ears. "Ryan - " he began.

"Where’s your friend? I know there's two of you," Ryan said coolly.

So quiet that even Ryan didn't hear, a black panther jumped down from a nearby tree. However, a beautiful elven woman landed, her long brown hair flowing in the wind. She too wore dark clothes, with a cloth wrapped around her left arm. Ryan knew he should have felt a sense of wariness, but instead all he felt was a calmness about her.

"Look, mate," Renwyn began, sounding almost dejected, "I had no choice alright? I'm under your father's rule and he needs you."

Ryan's arms remained at his sides. "I - I can't trust you after what you did to me. What do you want from me?"

"And what do you mean father's rule?" Alex accused.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at Renwyn, daring him to answer.

Renwyn began to speak, rushing through his explanation. "Ryan, I know this is a lot to take in, but we don't have that much time. You're a Prince. When your mother was pregnant with you she left the Elven Kingdom for the humans. The King, your father, sent me to watch over you. But now, the King is dying, and you are the only heir to his throne. Please, Ryan, come with us."

"I'm a Prince?" Ryan questioned. "How come my mum never told me any of this?"

Renwyn took a breath to start explaining, but Ryan held up a hand. Renwyn immediately stopped. Ryan glanced at his hand, furrowed his brow, and lowered it. "Nevermind that. I can't go with you."

Ryan saw Alex fold her arms out of the corner of his eye. "So now that the King is dying you give a shit about Ryan. What happened to the other heirs?"

He almost laughed. Alex was ten times better at… whatever this was, than him, but that was hardly surprising. Still, he couldn't help but stand a little straighter, and try and think a little faster so he could keep up with her.

Renwyn shared a glance with Rin, who shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Ryan is the only one," Renwyn said. They fixed their silent gazes on him.

The prospect of being an Elven Prince floated in the air, and Ryan didn't know how to deal with it. Renwyn and Rin seemed waiting for some kind of response from him. His mind felt empty of all knowledge, like he was in an exam he hadn't studied for. What would they expect from him? He knew nothing about being a Prince, let alone an Elven Prince.

Something cool and deep and flowing brushed his consciousness. He immediately stiffened as Alex's voice echoed through his mind. "Don't react."

He kept his breathing steady as his thoughts raced. "Alex? Woah that was weird! What's going on?"

"Just hush. They've been telling the truth about everything so far. It's a bit hard to gauge on the 'you're the only one' front but at the least it feels like a half-truth."

"They're telling the truth?" Ryan blurted the words out to Alex before he could stop himself. He covered his mouth and looked away.

The two elves turned to look at Alex, Renwyn looked startled, but the female's expression didn't shift. Her movements were feline, like her panther counterpart. Ryan wondered if all elves were like this.

"You're Nicholas' daughter."

The effect on Alex was immediate. She froze, her body locking up and her eyes grew wide.

"Who?" Ryan asked. He would have been more curious were it not for Alex's sudden stillness making him wary.

"The resemblance…" Renwyn peered closer at Alex. "You are the daughter of our Psychic?"

Alex gaped, trembling. Finally she clenched her fists and strode towards them. Renwyn took a hesitant step back but was caught off guard as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "What the fuck do you mean by that? Where is the fucking bastard?!"

Ryan ran forward. "Alex, stop!" Her face was contorted with fury and pain, scaring Ryan, though he didn't know why. He couldn't help but feel protective of Renwyn, despite everything. This version of Alex was something Ryan had never witnessed before. She was unpredictable, and it didn't help that she had psychic abilities.

Renwyn bared his teeth, showing fangs. "Get away from me!" he snarled.

Worried now for both of his friends, Ryan pushed Renwyn away, who didn't protest, and pinned Alex's arms down when she tried to reach for Renwyn again. She struggled furiously against him. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! TELL ME"

Ryan was forced to let go and cover his ears as Alex shouted in his head, drowing out everything else.

"TELL ME"

The effect of her mental scream knocked Ryan to the ground. He tried to get up, but was disoriented.

The female elf rushed to Ryan's side, her beautiful face blurring across his vision. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

"I'm not…" Ryan groaned and sat up. "I'm fine."

Looking past the female, he searched for Alex. He relaxed slightly when he saw she was fine. She was on her knees, breathing heavily and staring at the ground. Ryan stood and turned to Renwyn. "What do you know of her father? Please, she's clearly… emotional about him."

Renwyn gave a shake of his head. "Come with us, and we'll see what we can do for her."

Ryan stepped away. "I can't," he glanced back at Alex and the house, "not now."

Renwyn glanced at Rin. "We're running out of time. We'll give you a few days to think about it. After that, whatever happens to the Elven Kingdom… it's on you, Your Highness."

The way Renwyn regarded Ryan now was so different to before. He remembered when he had first met Renwyn at school it had been the same way. Now he knew why.

As Ryan knelt next to Alex, he looked up at Renwyn as the female elf began to leave. There was a softness in Renwyn's usually warm eyes, but also a sadness. Ryan looked away.

The two elves left, leaving Ryan and Alex alone.