"Mama?"
I hesitated with the second wave of fire and felt it simmer out in my throat the longer I held it back.
Eventually, all that was left was a trail of steam that billowed from around my mouth when our eyes didn't move from each other.
Mama? Maybe I had misheard it? It could have said Scala.
But that was a far stetch for an assumption like that.
The monster carefully lifted itself up and pulled its body through the hole it had created.
Instantly, I was on guard. I had never seen something like this before in my life and didn't know anything about it.
It had just been tearing down my door and now it was sitting here calling me Mama...or Scala.
But I had never met this thing before.
"Mama."
It shuffled towards me on all fours slowly, keeping its fists curled. The thing was covered in maroon fur that looked like it was tangled with leaves and small twigs. It had two ears on top of its head that were flattened down and a scrawny tail hanging limply behind it.
Even though it had all the features of one, it wasn't a dog. This thing looks like a human covered completely in fur. It didn't have any clothing on it like a human would or a snout like a dog would.
It was somewhere in between both.
And it was terribly frightened. It's whole body was shaking when it quickly looked behind it at the shouting voices now filling the air and scurried for the break in my nest to hide behind.
It was only that it was up close that I could see it's fur was dripping wet, which was possibly also a contribution to its shivering.
But the thing that caught my attention and made me instantly drag the shivering body toward me was what I saw on its back.
A circular dragon brand.
"Russet?"
It didn't look up at me. The trembling thing huddled between my front legs and buried its face there when carers swarmed the hole in the flickering door they quickly beat out the flames of and gazed into.
"It's somewhere in the dragon's room" one reported to the others. I heard swearing from another.
"It'll be with the dragon, no doubt" another commented "have you seen the door? I'm not going in there if it tried to fry the girl."
There were murmers of agreement.
"I'll go in" one sighed with annoyance and promptly opened it to stand there while the others watched from safety.
Russet whimpered again and finally looked up at me. I saw her uncurl her fists to reveal the handful of shells she had been hiding in each one.
Instantly, I knew the reason for her drowned appearance and fear. I pressed her to my translucent scales for warmth and shielded her body with my own as the carer stepped closer.
"Rus, it's me" it called out and kept its arms wide and open when I glared at her instead "it's Mama."
I looked down at Russet to see her peering at the woman curiously over my arm I blocked her with. The name was a commonly used one to her if she was just throwing it out there without meaning.
"M-Mama?"
"Yes" the carer grinned and beckoned as she stepped closer "Mama. It's me; I'm here."
"Tricks" I hissed to her to make her stop "how dare you!"
"Sue, get out of there" another called out "she's getting too aggressive."
"Get out of here, Sue" I hissed when she ignored the warning and stepped forward again.
"I'm only here for her" she spoke softly to me now "she needs the proper care for her condition."
Condition? The girl was literally something else entirely! And somehow I didn't want her to leave. I wanted her to stay here with me like what she wanted.
Sue darted forward in my distraction and grabbed onto Russet's tail to drag her from the nest. She squealed out and clutched to me desperately before I rose up to snap at the woman tugging on her.
Sue let go and made Russet fall to the ground in her bid to escape. I saw Sue fall over and try to drag herself back while fearfully looking up at me advancing on her.
"You will leave her alone" I spat at the woman trembling there, my voice growling on the edges "I won't let you trick her like that."
Sue saw the fire rumbling within me when I spoke and made her dash for freedom. I let the flames loose at the door to make the carers run for safety as it was set ablaze.
"Mama" Russet whimpered from the nest.
"Mama's here" I nudged her face poking around the corner "come and warm up, baby."
She instantly snuggled into my side and sent my maternal instincts into overdrive. Her tiny body wedged its way up to my head to rest and cling there. Her subsiding whimpers as she warmed up against me made the overwhelming urge to protect her only grow stronger.
She wasn't mine but she was making it very hard to convince myself otherwise with her calling out to me like I was her parent here to shelter and nurture her.
She slept soundly beside me all night while I kept watch. The carers did return to try and make another attempt at taking Russet until they noticed I wasn't as asleep as they needed me to be. They returned multiple times just to check for an opening.
I stayed up all night to guard her and keep her warm. By the morning, I was struggling to keep my eyes open while she slept soundly.
If I did close them, they would pounce. They would be back any moment.
But I needed to leave. I had to return the shells before Barebone came searching for them and terrified little Russet again. I wanted to confront him about how she had become so shaken last night, without her in harms way.
It was what worried me most.
"Russet" I nudged her gently "wake up."
She groaned but didn't open her eyes. She grabbed onto my nose to snuggle into it.
"We have to leave" I pressed, licking her cheek now to make her giggle "before they come back."
I dragged her towards me and held her to my chest with one arm before dropping the seashells in with her as I approached the ledge.
She tensed up against me while I crushed her there. If I let her wriggle free or lost my grip for only a second, Russet would end up like the eggs just below us.
"Hold on, baby!" I cried out before placing my other hand over her body and dropping.
She screamed at the sudden dip and clawed against me. I didn't budge, even when she started to bite and draw blood. From the burning that slashed through me, it felt like she was using the shells to try and get me to release her.
I saw carers come rushing out the front doors when I dipped down to land and let Russet loose; instantly deciding against it before she had even wriggled free.
I just had to get to that river as quickly as possible before she gnawed her way through me.
With the river below me and Russet still struggling, I scanned it's winding body frantically for any sign of Barebone.
Eventually I found him near a bend where his nest laid.
River rocks had been stacked into a circle in the middle of the river where he laid. Around the mound stretching out of the water was his horde, branching outward into the surrounding river in glistening glory.
Shells in an assortment of gradianted colours laid around dark purple and silvery pearls shining under the waters surface. It was all placed so precisely that no two colours laid beside each other in thier elaborate artwork.
There was no sound other than the running water and rustling branches here. It was calm and serene.
I could see why Barebone liked to boast about his success now.
He was sleeping soundly when I landed on the bank and released Russet with the shells. True to my suspicions, she was gripping a bleeding one that she promptly dropped when she started crying and grabbing for me again.
The noise stirred Barebone who didn't move from his nest and instead just looked at what had intruded his peace.
"Ah, so you've brought back the little hellion" he grunted without moving "I suppose it's one of yours too?"
"The mark on her back should make that obvious" I replied a little too coldly "what did you do to her? She was shaking like a leaf last night."
Barebone lifted his head now and bared his teeth at the blatent accusation.
"I didn't do anything. The thief almost drowned herself trying to steal from my horde. And when I went to stop her, she dragged herself out and took off. I don't appreciate blame for something I didn't do, Scala. I already get enough of that from the humans."
I lowered my head to avoid his glare that turned on Russet now who drank noisily from the river. He didn't like her presence here at all.
"I came to return the shells."
"I don't want them anymore " he grunted "they're ta... are you bleeding?"
He moved from the nest to swim towards me. He remained in the water when he reached me, Russet running over to hide behind my leg.
"Get in the water" he ordered and pulled me towards it without waiting for an answer "submerge it and let it flow. It'll feel much better."
Russet followed as far as the waters edge before she started crying out for me. Barebone huffed and kept wading out until he was in the deepest part between his nest and the edge.
No wonder Russet had struggled here. It was already coming up below my shoulders.
Barebone sat opposite me so we could bathe in the water together. His eyes never left mine, despite Russet scurrying further down the river in the persuit of a brave fish.
"You're running out of time, Scala" Barebone reminded me when I pulled my gaze from him to watch Russet lunge for the water "it'll be here and gone while you are chasing your humans."
"I'm almost ready" I announced proudly "I'm just looking for something else to put on the white quartz."
He looked impressed with my choice. I felt my stomach flutter at his acknowledgement of success.
It was certaintly a better reaction that the flat-out refusal over a month ago.
"And what are you thinking?"
I could tell he was deeply interested, despite having no intentions to act on it. He waited for my response while I pondered the options.
"I wanted to go with something colourful to really stand out. There's no nice gemstones around here though, otherwise I would horde them."
"There's a marketplace in the town near here that have some beautiful supplies. It's all about natural remedies so you'll find spices and herbs there along with crystal dealers."
I felt my excitement spike at the mention of the loot, but then quickly deminish when I saw the flaw.
"I can't just steal them from someone."
"You can" Barebone said "anything that passes into a dragons possession is deemed as belonging to them. It falls out of previous ownership while it is with us and will have no owner until someone comes to steal it. It's a loophole people like to use to claim things that normally wouldn't be thiers. It's a greedy tactic that works. So those crystals would be yours once you take them. I'll even come and help you."
"You would?"
"I would" he nodded with a smile "if they want to believe we are mates, then we will look the part. People are more likely to offer gifts in the square anyway if they believe a pair of dragons are lurking nearby. It stops us from targeting the stores. It's a win-win."
I chuckled at Barebone who had a cheeky grin on his face.
"Sounds like you've done this before."
"Well, I didn't get all my pearls from ocean diving" he sniggered back and pressed his forehead to mine.
I felt my heart skip a beat when I looked into his eyes and felt his tail wrap around mine. For someone not interested, he sure was sending a lot of mixed signals.
"Shall we grab some crystals tommorow, my mate?" he whispered to send shivers through me.
"Yeah" I gulped back "o-of course."
"I love how you react to me" Barebone teased as he pulled his forehead from mine "so desperate."
I pouted back at him and turned my head from his to focus back on Russet who was proudly sprinting back with a large fish in her mouth, slapping her face frantically as she ran.
Barebone turned when I began to laugh and couldn't hold his back at the sight. Russet called for me again and I moved to obey it.
"I'll drop by tommorow, Scala" Barebone smiled while retreating to his empty nest to curl up in it "good luck with your pup."
I didn't reply as I snatched her up in my jaw while she still held the floundering fish in hers. I took off, making sure to stay close to the ground this time so that Russet wouldn't be spooked by the height.
Despite seeing the world flash by her, Russet was more calm in my jaw than what she was being blind to it. She grabbed for the grass I passed over and swiped at the tips of the trees I glided above when I ascended. She was having a thrilling time while trapped in my jaw.
Carers were already waiting by the front doors when I landed there to release Russet. Mushroom and Apple were there too, waiting for me. Bee stood there amongst the crowd with concern on his face.
Apple held a blanket that Russet immediently ran for and was swaddled in. She proudly gnawed on her dead fish while Apple held her close.
"See? Scala returned with her" Mushroom told Bee "she's just doing her job."
I puffed myself out proudly, just like Barebone would, and saw Bee smile weakly at the gesture.
"We can't have her attacking more of the staff. They are here to care for you all and they can't do thier job if they fear for thier lives."
"They tried to take her by force" I told Bee who advanced on me "you have to believe me. The were tricking her!"
"Scala" he soothed and ran a hand over me "it's going to be alright."
What was going to be alright?
I felt the stab in my front leg where my scales had been removed and looked down to see Bee withdrawing a needle from the healing wound. Black liquid dribbled from it that had an overwhelming toxic, fuel odour.
What was that?
"It'll be fine" Bee continued to run his hand over me while I stared at him in shock.
I saw Russet nestled in her blanket in Apple's arms and falling asleep. She reached out her hands for me and grabbed the air.
"Mama."
"Mama's here" I smiled back and walked towards her.
Each step felt like it was being supported by bones made of jelly. I could feel each leg bending and buckling with every small step towards her.
The world tilted to try and cripple me as I pushed through it. When it started spinning, I faltered.
I was almost there.
I saw Russet lean from Apple's arms towards me when the world tipped violently again.
This time I staggered and fell, barely missing her tiny fingers that desperately reached for me when I found myself at Apple's feet.
"Mama" Russet whimpered now.
"D-don't w-worry..." I struggled out as my eyes started to sting and burn from fighting to keep them open before they dragged shut again "...Mama's h-here."
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