The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 32

Aiden stopped his raised claw mid-air.

“Are you going to move the food, or not?”

She didn't answer. An icy indifference settled in her white, slitted pupils. Her gaze was utterly cold.

He waited a few seconds. She still didn't speak.

Aiden silently began to lift his claw again.

The moment she saw the claw rise, the white pupils constricted. “I'll move it!” she yelped.

This one, Aiden thought with a sigh, she only responds to the stick, not the carrot.

He lowered his claw and slid off her back. Freed, Bianca immediately scrambled to her feet, putting several yards between herself and Aiden. She stared at him, her mind a whirl of confusion.

It's so strange. I can take on ten Aridfell by myself now. Why can't I beat Aiden?!

Though he had just thoroughly thrashed her, Aiden felt no sense of accomplishment. If anything, it felt like he had just disciplined an unruly brat. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to Azure.

“Alright, you two get going.”

At Aiden's words, Azure silently clamped her jaws around one Aridfell corpse, then used her foreclaws to embrace another. Her blue wings spread wide. With a powerful gust of wind, she lifted into the air.

Efficient, Aiden noted. As perceptive as ever.

His head turned to the other one. White pupils and red pupils met. They stared at each other for more than ten seconds.

Then, Bianca's white head tilted to one side.

Did I hit her so hard she's actually become a fool? Aiden wondered. He silently lifted a claw.

Seeing the raised claw, Bianca's eyes snapped into focus. She immediately sprang into action, snatching up one Aridfell in her mouth and another in her claws. Her white wings spread. With a frantic, furious flapping, she shot off the ground, ascending so quickly she almost slammed into the cavern ceiling. She swerved wildly, wobbling for a few moments before stabilizing, then furiously beat her wings to chase after the blue silhouette already disappearing down the tunnel.

Aiden watched the entire clumsy spectacle unfold.

“That simpleton,” he muttered under his breath.

He began to walk, his red wings unfurling from his back. With a single, powerful beat, his claws lifted from the ground. A round trip for Bianca and Azure would probably take more than two hours. Waiting in the cave was too boring, and the light, unsatisfying sleep of a guard held no appeal.

Aiden looked toward the mouth of the cave. I'll just go for a stroll. And maybe eat some more cacti.

With a plan in mind, his wings began their rhythmic beat. He flew out of the cave and into the light of a red dawn cresting over the mountaintops. The sun had only just begun its ascent.

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He tore his gaze away from the sunrise. A gentle breeze washed over him, carrying a crisp, clean scent. Aiden exhaled heavily, and the air from his twin nostrils immediately turned to white vapor in the cold. He watched the mist slowly dissipate. It was still quite chilly.

When the last of the white vapor had vanished, Aiden looked down at the land below. It was the same familiar vista: a sea of yellow, decorated with sparse dots of green. His eyes scanned the landscape. After a moment, they settled.

You'll do.

Aiden had locked onto what looked to be the largest cactus in sight. With a beat of his red wings, he flew toward it. Soon, he was hovering directly above it. Looking down, he saw it was even larger than he had anticipated. It was a cone over thirty yards high, its surface growing in flat, fan-like pads that were covered in sharp, black spines. The tips of the thorns glittered like steel needles. This was an ancient specimen, one that had grown undisturbed for a very long time.

He slowly descended, his body settling onto the cactus's peak. The black spines were no match for his scales; they bent or snapped harmlessly beneath his weight. Once he had fully landed, he sprawled on top of the cactus.

He looked down at the plant beneath him. This thing is sturdy. It didn't even wobble. The top is like a large, flat platform.

He used his claws to scrape away the spines in one area, then lowered his head, opened his maw, and took a large bite. A huge chunk of flesh entered his mouth. It was cool and slick, almost like jelly. But it was completely tasteless. There was certainly no sweetness.

The thought of sweetness brought a wave of frustration. Why did I have to hatch in a place like this? I can't find a single sweet thing to eat.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He lifted his claw and slammed it down.

Damn it all!

This was a full-power strike. Cactus flesh exploded outwards. A massive crater appeared in the top of the plant. As Aiden went to put his claw down again, he found only empty space. His body lurched forward. He flapped his wings frantically, arresting his fall. After regaining his balance, he looked down.

A huge hole gaped back at him. Right, I did that…

Well, this is convenient.

Looking at the pale green flesh inside, Aiden lowered his head and plunged it directly into the hole. His long neck extended deeper into the cactus as he tore away at the pulp from the inside. It was incredibly satisfying.

After eating his fill, Aiden pulled his head out. He raised his snout to the sky, his great, scarlet tongue licking the residual juices from around his mouth. I'm full. Still a bit bland, though.

He looked up. The sun hadn't risen much higher. Not much time had passed. He couldn't sleep.

What should I do now? Might as well explore.

With a beat of his wings, Aiden's claws left the cactus behind.

…

“Azure~ wait for me!”

Hearing the voice from behind her, Azure slowed her pace. With a rush of wind, a white dragon pulled up alongside her. Azure glanced at the figure beside her. There was a large, red welt right in the center of Bianca's forehead where her scales had been shattered. Similar marks were scattered across her body. It seemed Aiden had been quite heavy-handed this time.

“Aiden is getting more and more unreasonable,” Bianca complained. “Why don't we leave together? We don't have to stay with him.”

Azure did not share her opinion. Unreasonable? Not really. You're just a fool who frequently does foolish things.

“We can't leave.”

“Why not?”

Azure kept her head facing forward, refusing to look at Bianca's stupid face. “This desert is dangerous.”

“I'm not afraid! We're dragons!” From her confident tone, it was clear she was feeling very brave.

Hearing this bold declaration, Azure finally turned her head. Fierce courage blazed in Bianca's white eyes, a look slightly undermined by the fresh wounds covering her body. Azure stared into those silly, earnest pupils.

“Low-level magical beasts travel in packs. Only high-level magical beasts live alone.”

“You…”

Azure didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning in her blue eyes was clear.

You are not strong enough.

Bianca completely missed the message. She lifted her white head high. “Dragons should be fearless!”

Azure stared. …This idiot.

With a powerful flap of her wings, Azure shot forward, accelerating rapidly.

Seeing the blue dragon suddenly pull so far ahead, Bianca cried out again. “Wait for me!”

Her white wings beat faster as she gave chase. But no matter how fast she flew, the blue figure in front of her maintained the exact same distance.

If you can't reason with a fool, the best course of action is to ignore the fool and keep your distance.

Azure was doing precisely that.