The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 36

Aiden's eyelids lifted.

The familiar, heavy weight was on his back. His body was still sprawled on the cave floor.

Haaaah~

His jaws opened in a massive yawn. He had slept well. His red tail swished back and forth. He glanced over his shoulder at the two creatures on his back. They were still sound asleep.

He pushed himself up and crawled forward a few paces. The weight on his back vanished. He looked back. They had tumbled to the ground but remained completely still, not stirring in the slightest.

They won't even wake up from that? A pair of lazy oafs.

He turned his attention away from them. Sniff, sniff. He followed the scent of meat, stopping in front of the pile of rubble. He was hungry. Time to eat. It was a good thing they had prepared food before sleeping. No need to go hunting on an empty stomach.

Pleased with their foresight, he began to dig at the rubble with his claws. As he dug, he glanced at the cave mouth. Good, it's night. I won't have to seal the larder again.

He looked back at the two sleeping dragons. When morning comes, if they're not awake, I suppose I'll have to wake them myself. A special wake-up call from their dear, caring brother. A grin unconsciously spread across his face, and his claws began to move faster.

After a few moments of digging, an opening large enough to retrieve the food was revealed. He pressed his body close to the rock wall and reached a claw into the gap.

He groped around. And groped some more. He came up with nothing.

Damn it, did they put it that far in?

He backed up two steps and lifted his long, draconic tail high. The fine red scales covering it were smooth, and the tip glinted with a faint, cold light. It was like a long, red spear.

WHOOSH!

His tail became a red blur as it shot into the gap.

THUNK!

Yes. The distinct feeling of piercing flesh. He controlled his tail, withdrawing it. A single Aridfell corpse was dragged out, impaled on his tail. The sickle-like tip was buried deep in the creature's skull.

Bullseye.

He brought his tail around in front of him and opened his maw, biting down on the corpse. It was a bit hard. And cold. The Aridfell was still frozen solid. It hadn't rotted, and the smell was unchanged.

He pulled his tail free, letting it coil behind him again, and dropped the carcass onto the ground. Now, it was time for a dragon to feast. He opened his jaws, bit down, planted his claws on the body, and ripped. A large, ice-cold chunk of meat entered his mouth.

Emmm.

He chewed, then swallowed. Honestly, it isn't as tender as the whelps. Perhaps because it was frozen. But he wasn't a picky eater. He lowered his head and continued his meal.

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Soon, nothing of the Aridfell remained but a pile of organs. Aiden disliked offal. He always had. When food was plentiful, he allowed himself to be selective. He looked down at the pile of guts. They would make for excellent bait.

The thought of those incredibly fast fish made his scarlet tongue unconsciously dart out to lick his lips. I wonder what they taste like. When daytime comes, I'll take those two and we'll go dig a pit. We'll definitely catch those fish!

With food in abundance, Aiden didn't want to eat until he was full. Seventy percent full was enough for now. He turned and began to crawl back toward the depths of the cave. Time for another short nap. It's still night. It's too cold outside to move.

A rustling sound reached his ears. He stopped and looked toward the source. They were still sleeping, their heavy eyelids shut tight. Bianca's body was scooting across the floor toward Azure. The two hatchlings huddled together.

A few seconds passed. Azure's leg shot out, delivering a powerful kick. The target of the kick, Bianca, slid a good five yards across the floor.

A few more seconds passed. Bianca's body began to move again. Her target was still Azure.

These two… they're amusing.

Thump.

With another kick, Bianca was sent sliding again. After watching this spectacle repeat a few more times, Aiden lost interest. He lay down, his great head coming to rest on the ground. His heavy eyelids slowly closed.

Just a short nap…

He had just finished the thought when his eyelids snapped open again. He lifted his head and looked at his back. The two of them were already there, neatly arranged, their bodies pressed tightly together, occupying the small patch of available territory.

Aiden stared at them for a few seconds. Fine. Let them be.

He let his head droop back to the ground. His heavy eyelids closed.

…

“Azure Azure” a youthful draconic voice whispered from beside her. Her body was being nudged.

“Azure~”

The familiar voice belonged to Bianca. Azure's heavy eyelids slowly lifted, revealing the brilliant blue, slitted pupils within.

“You're finally awake!” Bianca chirped.

Azure slowly pushed herself up. “What is it?”

“I'm hungry. Let's go eat.”

Azure stared. If she's hungry, she can just go eat the Aridfell herself. Why wake me up?

Wait. Her gaze…

Following Bianca's line of sight, Azure saw where she was looking. Of course. She's looking at Aiden. Is she worried about him? It seems that beating left a lasting impression.Aiden was still sleeping nearby. From past experience, Azure judged that Aiden probably wouldn't say anything even if they ate a few Aridfell. He had always been generous with food, right from their very first hunt.

Now that she was awake, she realized she was a bit hungry herself. She looked at Bianca, who was still staring at Aiden.

“Stop staring. Let's go eat.”

“Shouldn't we wake him?” Bianca asked, pointing a claw at the sleeping form on the ground.

“If you want another beating, you're welcome to try.” It was a universal trait among dragons: they hated being disturbed while sleeping.

Leaving Bianca with that thought, Azure began to crawl away. Hearing her words, an unpleasant memory surfaced in Bianca's mind. Her body trembled. In the next second, she scrambled to her feet and hurried after the blue dragon.

…

CRUNCH… CRUNCH…

A continuous chewing sound echoed through the cave, like a dog gnawing on bone.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

There it was again. Aiden's heavy, scale-covered eyelids lifted. He pushed himself up. Ahead, Azure and Bianca were hunched over, eating something. The sound was coming from them. Aiden began to crawl forward.

Hearing the footsteps behind them, the two dragons stopped eating. They lifted their heads and looked back. Aiden was crawling toward them.

As he got closer, Azure, who had been chewing on half a bone, silently spat it out.

“Want some?” she offered. Very perceptive. In stark contrast, Bianca still had half a bone hanging from her mouth, a stupid look on her face.

Aiden looked at the half-mangled bone on the ground, covered in glistening saliva. How slovenly.

He shook his head. “I'm not hungry. You two eat.”

With that, he looked away from them. The pile of organs he had left out was still untouched. But the smell was strange… It had gone bad.

Aiden looked toward the cave mouth. The sky outside was blazing with the midday sun. The rolling heat waves rising from the stone platform distorted his vision.

Well… it's not too late. It's the perfect time to go dig that pit by the river.

Aiden nudged the pile of organs with his claw. A powerful, rotten stench filled the air. They were completely spoiled.

Fish will eat rotten meat, right? Aiden wasn't sure.