The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 33

Aiden flew a wide circle around the area.

There was nothing.

Aside from a few scattered cacti, the world was nothing but sand.

He lifted his draconic head. The sun had climbed much higher in the sky. It was about time.

Let's go back.

He banked his wings, changing his flight path back toward the Aridfell cave. The mountain grew larger as he approached. He tucked his wings and dove, plunging back into the darkness of the cavern. The temperature dropped abruptly; the cave was still quite cool.

He rounded the large stalactite and saw the six remaining Aridfell corpses. His claws touched down on the stone floor as he folded his wings. He settled his body into a prone position, his head facing the entrance.

They should be back soon.

…

So slow.

It has to be soon, right?

Time has a way of stretching when you're waiting for something, making you feel every second of its agonizing length.

…

The jaws of the dragon lying on the floor opened in a massive yawn.

Haaaah~

Those two are so slow.

The yawn only intensified his desire to sleep. His eyelids grew heavier, slowly beginning to close.

Maybe just a short nap… Yes, just a little one…

Just as his heavy eyelids were about to shut completely, he heard it.

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

Two distinct gusts of wind from the cavern entrance. The sound was deeply familiar. It was the beat of dragon wings.

He shook his head from side to side, forcing his drowsy eyes open again. Two figures landed in front of him.

They really know how to pick their moments.

Azure and Bianca noticed Aiden's unwavering stare. Faced with those red, slitted pupils, Bianca instinctively shrank back. Aiden shot her a sideways glance. She's acting guilty. No doubt she was talking ill of me.

He turned his head to the other one. Azure was perfectly calm, not a ripple of emotion in her placid blue eyes.

“We're back,” she said, her tone as even as her gaze.

Aiden looked at the two hatchlings. He wanted to thrash Bianca, but he had no reason to. He could only give a slight nod.

“Good. Let's go.”

With that, he pushed himself up, turned, and clamped his jaws around one Aridfell corpse while scooping up another with his claws. With a beat of his wings, his claws left the ground. Let's get back quickly. Then I can finally have a nice, long sleep. That was the only thought in Aiden's mind.

He flapped his wings faster, his speed steadily increasing. The biting wind whipped against his head. He hated this cold.

Soon, Aiden flew out of the cave. He began to ascend, climbing higher into the sky. The warm sunlight washed over his scales, making them gleam.

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Ahhh, that's better.

His pupils narrowed to slits. He could feel his muscles beginning to relax. He wanted to sleep.

To get to sleep sooner, he beat his wings faster still, pushing himself to his top speed.

The flight was peaceful. They encountered nothing. There might have been something on the ground below, but Aiden paid it no mind.

A cave appeared on the face of the canyon wall ahead. They were home.

His claws touched down on the stone platform first. He scrambled forward a few steps to stabilize himself, then folded his wings. He scanned the cave entrance but saw no sign of the corpses they had sent back earlier.

Where did they put them?

He opened his maw, letting the frozen carcass in his mouth drop to the ground. Sniff, sniff. Aiden's large nostrils flared. He could smell it. They were inside the cave somewhere.

He grabbed the corpse on the ground with his left claw and, standing on his hind legs, walked forward.

Hm? A pile of rubble.

The scent was coming from behind it. He brought his head closer. A wave of cold air washed over his face. It was the chill of Bianca's frost breath.

He stared at the pile of stones. So, this is a simplified refrigerator.

The first name that came to his mind was Azure. She really is clever. To think of a way to store food like this.

Aiden released the two corpses in his claws.

Haaaah~ he yawned again. His jaw slowly closed. So sleepy. I'm going to bed. The rest can be left to Azure. She'll handle it properly.

Aiden lowered himself back to all fours, turned, and walked toward the depths of the cave.

…

Whoosh.

Azure landed on the platform first, followed closely by Bianca. She scanned the area. Aiden was nowhere in sight, but there were fresh drag marks on the ground.

He's gone to sleep, then.

She walked into the cave. Just inside, near the storage pit they had dug, lay the two Aridfell corpses Aiden had brought. So he found it. She wasn't surprised. A dragon's senses were perfect in every aspect, and their sense of smell was particularly exceptional. This was even more true for an Ascendant Dragon like Aiden.

She used her claws to dig away the rubble. When she had cleared an opening large enough to fit the corpses, she stopped. One by one, Azure shoved all six Aridfell into the makeshift larder.

“Bianca. Your turn.”

“I know, I know, aoww,” came the slightly impatient reply.

Nevertheless, Bianca walked forward and aimed her snout at the opening. Her mouth opened, and a torrent of white, freezing mist poured into the pit. She kept the stream going for a full minute until a thick layer of white frost coated the inside of the small opening. Seeing the frost, Azure knew it was enough.

“Alright, that's good.”

Hearing Azure's words, Bianca immediately stopped. Her throat was beginning to ache. Even if Azure hadn't spoken, she was about to stop anyway.

“Is that enough?”

“Yes, we're done.”

Hearing that she was no longer needed, Bianca's eyes narrowed with sleepy satisfaction. Sleep, sleep~ Finally, I can get some proper rest.

She turned and began to crawl deeper into the cave. Azure paid no mind to the sound of her retreating footsteps. She began to seal the opening, scooping up the rubble with her claws and packing it into place. Little by little, the hole was blocked.

…

Azure looked at the pile of stones, no longer leaking cold air. That should do it.

Her own maw opened wide.

Haaaah~

After the yawn, Azure turned and walked into the darkness.

At the very back of the cavern, she heard them before she saw them.

Hoo…

Hoo…

Two sets of even, rhythmic snores. In her line of sight, two figures lay on the ground, a great distance separating them.

It was daytime now. So…

Azure padded over to Bianca's side.

Plop.

Hoo…

The sleeping Bianca gave a half-hearted shove. Azure was used to it. She simply pressed up against her again. This time, there was no resistance.

So nice and cool~ This is Bianca's only good quality.

With that thought, the heavy lids covered in fine blue scales slowly closed.

Hoo…

Hoo…

Hoo…

In less than a minute, there were three sets of snores filling the cave.

…

Within the human Empire, Isolde lay on her small bed.

Grrrwl…

Her stomach made a noise. She was so hungry. She wanted to eat something, anything.

Should I go to the kitchen to find something? But if I get caught, Auntie will definitely punish me, Isolde thought, deeply troubled.

She held up her right hand. It was a small, slender hand, its skin rough and covered in fine black lines from years of chores. It hadn't changed. It was still her hand. But her strength had grown. And so had her appetite.

A meal that once left her feeling perfectly satisfied now felt like a mere appetizer. Yesterday, when she had tried to take a little more, her aunt had scolded her fiercely.

GRRRRWL…

Her stomach protested again. She placed a small hand over it.

“Be quiet… Auntie will get mad. There's nothing I can do.”

GRRRRRWL.

Her stomach roared its defiance. The hunger was a painful, twisting knot inside her, making her head feel faint. After a few moments of internal struggle, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

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