A Dragon's Pain

The moon was unusually bright tonight. Usually, it sat in the sky, extending its light towards the world but never quite reaching. Tonight, the lonely streets were bathed in its pale glow. The silence and still breeze were calming as if the world held its breath in anticipation of some grand event.

Reks always enjoyed nights like these. The moon was better than the sun which always seemed too bright. Not that there was anything he could do about it. He remembered hearing somewhere that Silver Horntails spent most of their life underground and ventured out at sunset. That could explain the light sensitivity.

But it didn’t explain why his scales were a silver color, or why he had spikes on his tail, or why he could breathe fire if he lived underground. The humans couldn’t explain a lot of things. But there was nothing he could do about that either.

He stood and stretched raising his tail towards the sky and holding that position for several seconds before sitting back down. Guard duty was the worst. Most places wouldn’t dare break into a place with a dragon parked out front which was why he was there, but it wasn’t a full deterrent. Some humans were more than willing to shoot a dragon to get what they wanted.

But it wasn’t the danger that bothered him. It was boredom. Sitting in one place for hours with no hope of entertainment, sustenance, or relief. He was stuck there in front of the large warehouse door until morning. If hungry, he went without eating. If thirsty, he had to hope for rain. If he needed to piss, he had to go where he stood. Sleep was not an option. The consequences should anyone learn he left his post were too severe to take a risk.

A rat ran past and Reks’s stomach growled. He purposely didn’t eat dinner because then he would want to relieve himself. He learned a long time ago it was better to go hungry than to have to put up the stench of his shit.

The sound of claws on the ground brought his attention back to the present. He quickly stood and adopted a threatening stance. “Who’s there?”

A large dragon, a Highwind Ravager, appeared from behind a stack of crates. Instead of the usual blood-red scales Ravagers were known for, he was a light shade almost pink in color. But the drake’s size was the real problem. He was similar in size to a large horse which made him bigger than Reks. The drake wore a wide grin on its face, fangs glistening in the moonlight.

Something about the dragon’s calm demeanor made him feel uneasy. It felt like a calm moment during a storm. From the drake’s posture to the way he hummed to himself felt like a thinly veiled threat. “Oh, hello. Don’t mind me. I was just passing through.”

“Well, you’re passing through private property. Keep walking, friend.”

The drake’s smile fell. “Did you just give me an order, pet?”

Reks swore. Of all the dragons to bother him, why did it have to be a clan-born?

“Listen, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll let that go, but I’ll move on when I’m good and ready to.” The drake dropped his rump on the ground and stared at Reks.

Reks said nothing and relaxed his stance. Two dragons would give the most ambitious thief pause. So long as he didn’t speak to the drake, nothing bad should come of the encounter. Now he was especially glad he never ate or drank tonight. He didn’t want to think about how this drake would react to seeing him sitting in a puddle of his own urine.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat in silence, but the drake never looked away. Most clan-borns couldn’t stand being around a domesticate.

“Hey, you,” the drake said. “I don’t like pets, but I’ll give you one chance to walk away now.”

Reks stood up. “Wait, what?”

“Last chance, pet. Walk away and we’ll pretend we never saw you.”

“We?”

Reks sensed something approaching him from above. He looked up just in time to see a large dark shape descend on him, pinning him to the ground. The air rushed through him as pain wracked his limbs.

“Did you really have to do that?” the Ravager asked. “We’re trying to do this quietly.”

“No, you wanna do this quietly,” a female dragon replied. “If we’re fast, no one will even know we’re there.” She squeezed Reks’s head until he whined in pain. “Besides, I don’t like pets.”

Reks cursed himself for not seeing the setup sooner. The dragon sitting on his back had to be a Nightstalker. They were known for hunting prowess especially at night when their black scales blended perfectly in the darkness.

But more worrying was the dragon herself. She gave off a murderous vibe not caused by the paw gripping his head. Her scent carried only rage whether toward him or all domesticates he didn’t know and did not want to find out.

The Ravager sighed and approached Reks. “Well, you were too slow, pet. Now the decision’s made for you. But I guess you’re used to that.” He laid on the ground and looked Reks in the eye. “Now are you going to be a good dragon and stay down or do we need to put you down?”

Reks said nothing. Partly because he was still trying to breathe with the larger dragoness on top of him, but he also knew mouthing off to a clan-born was a dangerous mistake.

A sharp pain dug into his back. “He asked you a question, pet,” the Nightstalker said. “And why are you asking him anything? We should just kill him now.”

“We’re not here for him,” the Ravager said. Then he smiled and Reks’s stomach dropped. “Although, we could make it look like that’s why we’re here. It’s not like the humans will give a damn. There’s plenty more where he came from.”

Reks racked his mind for ideas. With the dragon on his back, any chances of flight or fighting were off the table.

“Wait! I’m not a domesticate! I just took this job so I could buy food!”

The Ravager tilted his head. “Really? Where do you live? I’ve never seen you in the dragon district.”

“Um, I just came here from Diamus. I haven’t really introduced myself yet.” He prayed his lie worked on them. He was dead if it didn’t.

The Ravager stood up and left Reks’s field of vision. For several moments, there was nothing. The silence made it worse.

Finally, the Ravager spoke. “Let him up. If he’s not with the humans, we don’t need to worry about him. Right?”

Reks knew that question was aimed at him so he quickly nodded.

The Nightstalker climbed off him and he gulped down large helpings of the cool night air. The Ravager stood and headed for the warehouse. “Now you stay right there. We won’t be long.”

Reks lay on the ground, listening to the two dragons break the door down and unleash their fury on everything inside. He wondered what he should do. There were only two of them and they weren’t around. He could make a run for it. By the time they realized he was gone, he could be long gone or possibly returning with help.

But what would his master say? The whole point of him being there was to deter anyone from breaking in or deal with it himself. But two fully grown dragons? Even if it were just the Ravager, he didn’t like his odds. Clan-borns were much more experienced in combat while he had never fought another dragon or human.

Still, his master wouldn’t take kindly to knowing he sat there and did nothing. Maybe it would be better if he died fighting. Zachary would kill him anyway. He stood up and spun around. Perhaps he could wound one of the dragons before they ripped his throat out.

The two dragons were still inside, the sounds of things shattering echoing into the night. Reks ran into the warehouse. He imagined how a potential scenario would play out as he approached.

Most likely, the Nightstalker noticed him first. She would warn the Ravager of his intrusion, but if he moved quickly enough, it wouldn’t matter.

All he needed was one tackle to knock the Ravager down. Then Reks could use his tail to keep the Nightstalker at bay while he bit on the Ravager’s neck. With at least one dragon taken down, his odds of surviving the night would be that much better.

At least that was the scenario he saw in his head. In a blink, he was on his back and staring up at the angry face of the Nightstalker.

“I told you stay put,” she said, her growl loud and threatening. “Looks like you’re not that good at following orders after all.”

“Look, I’m sorry! But I need this job! I haven’t eaten in three days!” His stomach growled as if on cue.

The Ravager laughed. “So his stomach does his talking for him! Tell you what, in return for pretending you didn’t see anything, I’ll treat you to something nice.”

Reks already knew he wasn’t getting a say in the matter so he just nodded and hung his head in shame.

The two dragons went back inside the warehouse. The sounds of their destruction wracked him with guilt. He had been entrusted with protecting this place. It would make his master look bad and his master would no doubt make him pay for it. But if he tried to stop them, they’d kill him. Being torn apart by angry dragons sounded like the better option.

The district went quiet. The two dragons returned.

The Nightstalker snorted. “I’m surprised you’re still here. I thought you’d go running to your boss.”

Reks flinched at the venom in her voice.

“Leave him alone,” the Ravager said. “He just lost his job because of us.” He turned to Reks with a friendly smile. “What’s your name anyway?”

“Uh, Reks.”

“Hey, Reks. Call me Lolus.” He gestured to the Nightstalker who turned away again. “This is Coralin. Don’t mind her.”

“We’re wasting time,” Coralin said. “We need to keep moving.”

“Yeah, someone will be making rounds soon enough. You should join us, Reks.”

“I…what?”

“You don’t want the humans to blame you, right?”

Reks nodded slowly. Blame would be placed on him regardless.

The dragons spread their wings and took to the air. Reks followed wondering how he was going to get out of this situation. He had nowhere to go until morning. Going home early and taking his punishment was an option, but he preferred to hold off on that for as long as possible.

Lolus led them to another warehouse not far away and landed on the roof.

“What are we doing?” Reks asked.

“Teaching the humans a lesson,” Lolus said. “They underpay us to guard their stuff then keep us out of the stores where they sell them.” He bared his fangs as his claws scraped the roof. “Or they send their pets to do it for free.”

Reks couldn’t deny that. He wouldn’t see a single coin for sitting outside that warehouse all night.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just burn the warehouses down?” Reks asked.

Lolus tilted his head. “That would tell the humans a dragon did it. This way is better.”

“But what about your message?”

“It’s not about the message,” Coralin said with a wry smile. “It’s about watching the stuck-up humans suffer. Now you two go down there and see if there are any guards. When it’s clear, send me the signal.”

Lolus nodded and leaped off the roof. Reks didn’t want to follow, but he did anyway. He went around the other side of the warehouse, opposite the direction Lolus walked. A question nagged at him as he circled the perimeter. Why wasn’t he making a run for it? This was the opportune moment to break away from the dragons, perhaps even notify the authorities to what they were doing.

But instead of walking away, he continued to circle the warehouse. It felt good to walk among the clan-borns without fear. Not to see hatred in their eyes or feel the sting of their venomous words. It felt good and the moment they parted ways, it would be gone.

He heard a voice and stopped. The voice came from around the corner of the warehouse. Carefully, he peeked and saw a single Horntail stood outside the back of the warehouse. Reks’s stomach dropped when he saw the red collar around the dragon’s neck.

There were no signs of Lolus or Coralin nearby. Reks quietly approached the drake.

The Horntail spun around and raised his tail into the air. “Who’s there?”

Reks stopped walking. “Whoa, calm down. It’s just me.”

The Horntail maintained his aggressive stance. “I don’t know you. This is private property so you need to leave.”

“I can’t do that.” He inched closer but stopped just outside of striking range. “My name is Reks and I wanted to warn you. A pair of clan-borns are scoping this place. If you want to live, you should run now.”

“Did…did you say…clan-borns?” the Horntail’s tail fell behind him. “But…I can’t abandon this place. My master will kill me.”

“Are you kidding me? These dragons will kill you!”

“Well, maybe we can take them. You said there’s only two.”

“We are not taking on clan-borns.”

“Please?” the Horntail dropped into a submissive position. “My master needs this warehouse. If we lose it, he’ll go bankrupt. Please, I’ll do whatever you want.”

Reks’s tail slapped against the ground. “If we fight them, we’ll die.”

“I don’t care! My master saved me from the last human who owned me. I won’t abandon him!”

Before Reks could argue further, a black blur descended from above and tackled the collared dragon. The two slid for a bit across the ground, the Horntail on the bottom. A chill went through Reks as a dark chuckle cut through the air.

“Nice one, Reks. Thanks for distracting him for me.”

“Help me!”

Reks could tell Coralin had her guard up and expected him to move to help the domesticate. He shook his head and turned away almost walking into Lolus. The Ravager wore a look of sadness and disgust.

“When did you--?” Reks began.

Lolus turned back towards the warehouse. “Come on, let’s get started.”

“But what about--?”

“She’ll catch up. Besides, you don’t wanna see what happens next.”

Reks dropped his head and followed Lolus to the warehouse. A single shoulder charge to the door and the locks gave in, granting them access. The moment they crossed the threshold, a scream of pain and terror broke the silence. Reks froze. The screams intensified into a shrill shriek that made him cringe.

Somehow, he managed to hear Lolus swear. “Couldn’t she wait until after we done?”

The screaming slowly died down to loud groans and whines. Not long after, Coralin trotted into the warehouse the scent of blood wafted from her. Her muzzle and claws glistened in the light shining through the broken door. Reks’s stomach turned.

“Did you have fun?” Lolus asked bitterly. “Thanks to you we might have to make a run for it.”

“Relax, no one’s gonna come running after hearing that. We have plenty of time.”

Lolus growled, his tail slapping the floor.

“Um, maybe I should go outside and keep watch just in case?” Reks offered.

Lolus kept his gaze fixed on Coralin. “Yeah, you do that. Tap your tail twice on the roof if you see something.”

Reks hurried outside. The metallic scent of blood was heavier than he imagined along with the stench of fear. The other Horntail still lay groaning on the ground. He didn’t dare get close to see the damage. He shook his head and flew up the roof.

Thankfully, the sound of crates being smash covered up most of the noise of the dragon likely bleeding out on the ground. Reks looked everywhere except the Horntail’s direction.

“Anything?” Lolus asked.

Reks started at the Ravager’s sudden appearance. He quickly composed himself and said. “No. I thought humans would be swarming this place by now.”

“I guess if they hear a dragon screaming, they stay away.” He looked down at the Horntail writhing on the ground. “Poor bastard. He won’t be the same if he survives the night. Coralin likes to tear pieces off pets to make an example of them.”

Reks stiffened to hide his tail shaking. “Wow, most dragons just kill domesticates and be done with it.”

Lolus looked around before answering. “You never heard this from me, but Coralin once fell in love with a pet.”

“You’re joking,” Reks said, his eyes wide.

“It’s true. Almost had a clutch, too. She didn’t know it, but she’s lucky to have found out when she did.” He sighed and a low growl entered his voice. “Some pets are good at hiding what they are. It’s disgusting.”

“So what happened when she found out?”

Lolus turned away, his expression grim. “What do you think happened?”

A tense silence hung between them. Reks stared at the sky and hummed to himself. It didn’t drown out the Horntail below still moaning in agony.

Eventually, Lolus spoke again. “You’d think he’d shut up by now.”

“Maybe we should leave before someone comes.”

“Nah. No one’s coming. Besides, if we leave Coralin without telling her, she’ll skin both of us.”

“If you two are done talking about me behind my back,” Coralin said from behind them. “We can go now.”

Lolus grinned nervously and followed Coralin into the air. Reks looked down at the domesticate on the ground then spread his wings and followed. They soared higher until the city below dissolved into a blur of distant lights and color.

Lolus and Coralin stopped and faced Reks. They wore similar grim looks.

“Um, is something wrong?” Reks asked.

“You think we’re stupid?” Lolus asked. “We know you’re a pet, Reks.”

“What? I’m not!”

“You know what gives it away?” Coralin asked, the growl in her voice deepening. “You accuse anyone else of being a pet and you’ll be lucky they don’t rip your throat out.”

Reks folded his wings and plummeted towards the buildings. He cursed himself for forgetting something so simple. Outrunning a Nightstalker in the open wasn’t possible, but if he landed amongst the buildings, there may be a chance.

Something slammed into his back and pinned his wings to his sides. Over the roaring wind, Coralin whispered into his ear. “Going somewhere, pet?”

Reks swung his tail, hitting what he assumed was his captor. A roar in his ear and the claws releasing his body confirmed his aim. Immediately he flapped his wings, surging towards the ground at greater speed.

He just managed to level out before slamming into the roof of the nearest warehouse. A crash followed him, but he didn’t look back and hoped it was one of the dragons. He landed on the ground and continued at a full sprint towards a large stack of crates nearby.

Lolus’s rage-filled voice filled the air. “You’re dead, Reks! When I find you, I’m gonna tear you apart!”

The crates Reks sought for cover had been arranged in a way that provided cover from the air. He crouched low curling into as small of a ball as possible. He held his breath and closed his eyes fearing they would shine in the darkness and give away his position.

“You’re real proud of yourself, aren’t you?! You really thought you had pulled one over on us! But you didn’t even hesitate to let that other Horntail take the fall for you! That’s what I hate most about you pets; you’re a bunch of fucking cowards!”

The sounds of Lolus’s rage drew closer. Reks curled tighter until it hurt.

“Would have joined in if Coralin asked? Would you have helped her? I bet if she offered to lift her tail for you, you would’ve jumped right on that pet.”

Reks heard Lolus’s steps approaching. Every few moments, there came a loud crash. He bit his tail to keep from screaming.

“So how long did you plan to keep up the lie? How far did you plan to go? Not far enough would you? You would still go running back to your ‘master’ like a good little slave!”

Reks snapped his eyes open and stared at the opening of his hiding place. There would only be one shot. If Lolus appeared, he could stun the drake with his fire breath and make a run for it.

The swears and threats and the sounds of things shattering moved away. Reks didn’t dare so much as blink until the sounds disappeared.

Slowly, he reemerged from his hiding place. It was too dangerous to fly, so he ran back to his master’s mansion.

****

“You stupid, spineless lizard!” Zachary Bachmann yelled, spittle flying from the human’s mouth. “I gave you one job to do!”

Reks maintained his submission posture. “But…but master, they would’ve killed me if I—”

A glass object shattered near his head.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses! How am I supposed to look Mr. Nazaretian in the eye and explain to him that his product is destroyed because my dragon is a coward?”

Reks stared at the floor and said nothing.

His head was pulled backward by the horn and he was forced to look at his master’s wide face that grew progressively redder. His black hair hung wildly as if he just climbed out of bed and he gnashed his teeth together. “You look at me when I speak to you! Do you know how much you’ve just cost me?”

“N-No, I…I don’t.”

“Of course you don’t. Why would I expect a dragon to understand the value of anything they can’t shove down their greedy throats?”

“You shouldn’t,” Reks replied meekly, his eyes fixed on the manic fury in Zachary’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Master. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes—”

Zachary released Reks’s horn, much to Reks’s relief. He immediately scampered away from his master’s reach.

“Shut up,” Zachary spat. “Just get out. I’ll deal with you in the morning.”

Reks hurried out of the room. Something shattered near his head again and he doubled the pace. He didn’t stop until he reached the stables.

The horses nickered as if in greeting when Reks came inside. After living among them for so long his scent was familiar to them. He went to his stall at the far end and lay on the pile of hay that was his bed.

Nightmares of Lolus visiting him plagued his sleep.

The sun peeking through the windows was an unwelcome sight knowing it meant Zachary would be coming to scold him more properly.

He heard footsteps approaching. He tensed and awaited his punishment. If he were lucky, a verbal lashing would be the worst of it. Instead of Zachary Bachmann, Edward came into view wearing a wide grin. He had always been tall and thin, but the sleeves of his shirt were folded yet still reached his wrists. His brown hair had begun to thin despite being in his late twenties. Dark circles were under his kind brown eyes. Reks would have smiled back if not for the tray of food in the human’s hands.

“I figured you would want some breakfast,” Edward said. “I know you skipped dinner last night to take that security job.”

“You didn’t need to do that. If Zachary sees you—”

“If my brother has a problem with me bringing you food, he knows where to find me.” He sat the tray down in front of Reks. “I’m not about to let you go hungry.”

“But—”

“Just eat. I had the cooks make you something nice. I’m sure you’re sick of eating scraps.”

Reks’s hunger got the better of him and he devoured the meal. It had been so long since he ate cooked meat instead of gnawing off what little fat remained on the bone and bread crusts. Edward sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him eat.

While he was licking the plate clean, Edward said, “I spoke to Zach and convinced him to give you a more creative punishment.”

Reks froze mid-lick. “You…did?”

“I did. He wanted to whip you, but I convinced him that doing that would mean he had to explain where the marks came from.”

Reks flinched at the thought. “So what did you convince him to do to me?”

“Well, since he insists on going on about the money you cost him, I told him you should be able to work it off.” He stood and picked up the tray. “You’re going to work with Charlotte to work off your debt.”

“Oh. Do I have to work for her? She’s so…energetic.”

“Come now, she isn’t so--”

The tray fell to the floor. Edward quickly turned away but Reks saw the shaking of the human’s hands.

“Did you remember to take your medicine?”

Edward hunched his shoulders. “I was going to after I brought you breakfast.”

“You know you’re not supposed to—”

“You’re not my nanny,” Edward interjected firmly. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I wouldn’t leave you to the mercy of Zack.”

“Rose did,” Reks mumbled. He cursed himself for the reaction.

Edward sighed softly. “Technically, someone else made that choice for her. I promise you she would’ve chosen differently given the option. Just like she would be glad to see you still got out of that terrible situation.”

“Can we talk about something else? I don’t want to think about that right now.”

“You’re right. Let’s think about more cheerful things. Now I’m going to take this inside and take my medicine before you and Zack force-feed it to me.”

Reks cut in front of him and took the tray in his jaws.

“Come now, Reks, I won’t drop it again.”

Reks snorted and left the stable with the tray. He wasn’t allowed inside the mansion, but in this case, Edward was with him. Even without the human, he would’ve gladly taken the punishment and came inside anyway.

The kitchen was empty, but that worked in their favor. He sat the tray on the nearest counter and accompanied Edward to his bedroom. By the time they reached the stairs, Edward stumbled a lot and had to lean on Reks to stay upright.

They made it to the bedroom without incident. Even with the space of Edward’s bedroom, it took some maneuvering to get him to the bed and to get his medicine out of the bottle. Edward swallowed the pill dry and they waited a few minutes for the effects to kick in.

“Thank you,” Edward said. “I never would have heard the end of it if I had collapsed on the way back.”

“You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard.”

“Says the dragon who skips meals.” He rubbed Reks’s snout. “I want you to know that what happened last night was not your fault. Even if Zack won’t say it, he’s glad you are safe. And so am I.”

Reks remembered the other Horntail and pulled away.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I…I’m just tired. I was up half the night.”

Edward gave him a stern look. “Reks. What is it?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Zachary asked.

Reks immediately bowed low to the floor. “I’m sorry! It’s just—”

“I asked Reks to help me to my room,” Edward said. “I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t get here on my own.”

“Are you all right?” Zachary asked, all his anger from before had vanished.

“I’m fine thanks to Reks. You should thank him.”

Reks risked raising his head. Zachary wore a disgusted frown. “Thank you, Reks, for assisting my brother,” he said stiffly. “Now, please excuse us, Edward. I must have a word with my dragon.”

“If it’s about his punishment, I already informed him.”

Zachary clenched his jaw. Reks stared at the floor again.

“Very well then. I guess that’s all. Now you.” Reks flinched from the bitter infliction in his master’s voice that he knew was aimed at him. “It seems my brother is more than capable of moving on his own so why are you here?”

“He’s here because I asked him to be.”

“He’s not some puppy to be coddled. Reks, go outside before you break something.”

“If that happens, I’ll take responsibility.”

Zachary began to turn red in the face. Since he was blocking the only exit, save for the window, Reks curled up near the base of the bed.

“Edward, do not contradict me,” Zachary said. “With these beasts, you must be--”

“Beasts?” Edward interjected coolly. “Rose would never have allowed you to speak about him that way.”

“You leave my wife out of this!”

Edward jumped to his feet. “Every time you mistreat the most precious thing she left behind, you bring her into it!”

Zachary started forward. Reks took advantage of the opening and hurried out of the room without a word.

Zachary shouted behind him, “If you leave any scratches or tracks on the floor, you’ll be licking it clean for the next week!”

He didn’t stop to look at the floor. The bright sun greeting him brought little comfort. Not when the threat about spending the next week licking the floors clean wasn’t a bluff. He cursed his carelessness. Zachary always made him wipe his paws before coming indoors.

The scent of a female dragon caught his attention and he whirled around to see a Green-Crested Genial standing before him. Like the species’ namesake, she was covered in green scales, particularly her horns which were a dark forest green unlike the lighter of her body.

Reks snorted. “What are you doing here, Glee?”

“Wow, someone’s pissy today. Your master giving you a hard time?”

“What do you think?”

Glee looked back at the house before replying, “That your master is an ass like he always is. Anyway, I came to warn you; Not sure if you heard or not, but a clan-born was killed last night. The district lord is pissed.”

Reks sat on his tail to keep it from betraying his trepidation. “Are you sure? What kind of dragon was it? Was it a Nightstalker?”

“Yeah,” Glee replied slowly. She gave him a sideways look. “How do you know that?”

He thought about lying to her, but she was the only domesticate—or rather only dragon—he could count on. “I…I might have been the one who killed her.”

“What?! That was you?” She circled him, scanning his body like a concerned parent. “But how? You don’t have a mark on you.”

“She attacked me in the air and hit her with my tail. I might’ve slashed her wing and she fell.”

“Yep. That’ll do it. I guess you were attacked in the warehouse district, too.”

“Um, too?”

Glee sat on the grass, wearing a forlorn expression. “Yeah. You know Argentine?” When Reks shook his head, she continued. “Well, he belongs to the Kings. He was also attacked last night. He’ll live, but he won’t be the same.” A small whine escaped her. “They gouged his eyes out and carved his body up like a piece of meat.”

Reks felt weak in the legs.

“Anyway, his master will need to get him some special care, so I’m asking if anyone can spare something.”

“I…uh, I can ask, ask Edward if he can spare anything.”

“Thanks. Sorry to cut this short, but I need to spread the word.” She turned and spread her wings, but froze and turned instead of leaving. “Oh, and thanks for killing the dragon responsible. I won’t tell anyone it was you, but I feel better knowing the bastard who did that won’t attack anyone else.”

Reks lay down on the grass as she flew off. He never felt as low as he did now. “I didn’t do it for him.”

He rolled onto his back and stared at the sky. “You humans like to say you’re watching us when you die. What about you, Rose? Are you watching me? Or are you too angry to look at me? I’m surviving like you told me to, but…is this what you wanted?”

A gentle breeze caressed his body. With a heavy sigh, he rolled onto his side again. “I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? I kept my promise. I’d do it again if I had to.”