My senses alerted me to a presence. I lifted my head slightly, alert enough without taking my eyes off of my latest project. I had begun creating effective and efficient weapons and tools years ago for protection and hunting purposes. In comparison to my family, I was weak and especially vulnerable. My outermost layer was soft and punctured too easily for my taste, my nails would never pass as claws, I couldn't overpower anyone near my home, let alone within it, and my speed left nothing to be desired.

Sounds of the forest were interrupted by subtle, almost ignoreable, movements, but my ears burned with the nearly undetectable shifts in weight. I struck the small, chipped stone in my left, dominant, hand against a larger, yet also chipped boulder, breaking off small pieces of both. Pausing to check the thin edge, I had to be careful ad I ran my tender finger along, hopefully avoiding a small fracture in my skin.

Satisfied, I fetched a branch I had widdled to be mostly straight and reached for a small animal skin pouch I had made to carry supplies. This particular case held long strands of braided grasses I had collected to twist together when I couldn't leave the cave.

The back of my mind pleaded for me to turn and look at the approaching danger in the dark shadows of the foliage behind me. Fighting the urge, I selected one strand of braided, formerly green, grass and began wrapping my sharpened stone to the end of my widdled stick.

Tugging the final knot tight, I admired my work and stood, allowing my mind some ease as I seamlessly looked around without alerting the predator of my awareness.

Deep, mountain crystal blue eyes hung about ten feet above my head, staring in my direction. I mentally sighed, knowing instantly who the "predator" was.

"Hello, KuroRyu," I smiled a cheeky grin.

A low, perturbed growl cursed, to which I grumbled back, "Language, Ryu, what would Ma say?"

A long tail bopped me on the head, not lightly I may add.

Massive claws made themselves known. The talons, each longer than my arms and sharper than my weapons, were a light charcoal color. Black, obsidian scales adorned the arms, creating a near impenetrable armor that could shed and regrow as it was necessary.

Following the arms was the head and serpentine neck, pushing frustratedly into view. The familiar face and royal blue eyes contorted into an annoyed scowl. I shifted back as his torso, covered in thick, also black, leather-like wings, entered the clearing I had been working in, followed by his tail and similar leather thick skin that stretched from the tip.

"Why must I be graced with scales of night and shadow if my eyes are bright as sky?!" The reptilian creature grumbled, pearly, jagged teeth bared.

"Your eyes are too dark to be akin to the sky, brother, they're just... a bit obvious when surrounded by..." I sighed as I caught sight of his scrutinizing gaze. "Alright so they're a bit..." I couldn't find a word, so I started again.

"KuroRyu, it's a bit hard to explain, but the gods must have given you those eyes for a purpose. And as they are all knowing and all powerful, we must have faith in their timing as well."

My feet involuntarily left the ground as a small earth tremor jolted when Ryu flopped down, quite ungracefully. He groaned slightly, letting me know I was right.

"You knew bringing my faith into question would make me relent my moping, didn't you?" Ryu looked up at me from under his brow ridge.

"Ma told me it was the only way to get through your thick skull sometimes," I shrugged.

"She has also taken to think hitting my head gets the same result, I don't see you trying that," he grumbled.

"I also enjoy having all of my limbs intact; I'm not willing to break my hand again for your benefit. "

"My benefit?"

"Yes, you humble little ass," I grinned.

A small smirk danced at the corners of my brother's mouth.

"Ma wants you back in time for supper," Ryu settled on shaking his head and returning to why he came in the first place.

"And logically, you settled on hiding in the shadows to bring me home?"

"I was hoping to finally sneak up on you. For a human, you have incredible senses."

I rolled my eyes at his jab at my species.

"And for a dragon, you're fairly decent at stealth."

We playfully sneered at one another before I leapt onto his snout and climbed his face to his head as Ryu pressed his head up.

Ryu was a hornless dragon like Ma, but unlike Pa. He was also a wind affinity dragon, one of the rare affinities, second only to lightning. I like to think his eye color was a manifestation of his affinity, but somehow my logic doesn't make sense to dragons.

Turning on my brother's massive head, I sat down and slid down his neck to where it connected with his body. I flipped myself over and clamped my hands down onto a large, grass necklace I had braided for him years ago for both decoration and for something to hold on to when he flew with me.

A side to side rocking motion nearly threw me off if his midnight scales, as my draconian sibling stood. He unfolded his leathery wings, spreading them wide and up before powerfully slamming them down, claws leaving the ground with one thrust.

Defying whatever invisible magic that typically kept two to four feet on the ground was terrifying. I don't care what anyone else says, humans were not meant to fly, if we had been, we would have hatched with wings. No wings, no flying.

My knuckles were white and I slammed my eyes shut before I felt the temptation to look down... one would think that someone who grew up riding dragons, I would have been more accustomed to flying. I can assure you, it is the least desirable ability of dragons and birds alike.

I was grateful when I felt the recoil from the ground connecting with Ryu's haunches. I let go and slid down, hands cramped from being clenched for so long. And my knees were too weak from the uncomfortable trip that I dropped down to them, thanking the gods I was still alive.

"Hatchling," Ryu scoffed.

"I will clip your wings if you're not careful, Blackie," I scowled, attempting to stand.

"I would like to see you try."

"Says the dragon who doesn't even realize his kid brother is standing next to him until I clear my throat."

If dragons could blush, Ryu would have been crimson.

"You're too light on your feet!"

"You're too unobservant!"

"KuroRyu, leave your brother alone," Ma's voice rumbled from the fissure in the cliff face we had landed next to. Her polished, sand colored scales were lightly reflecting the rose sunset. Her amber eyes bore holes into her eldest son.

Ryu huffed but did nothing more to object, while I let out a triumphant grin.

"You know Isaac hates flying," Ma slid her tail under my torso and curled it around, lifting me over to her to begin the nightly fuss.

I sat patiently through the grooming. Ma would softly breathe flames after removing my poncho and other clothing I had received over the years, articles called pants and underpants, which seemed self explanatory. I stood unembarassed as the dirt and grime was simply burned away, fire doing no more damage than water would have without taking the precious time it needed to dry.

The flames tickled and I fought not to laugh when it touched my sides and feet, which were particularly ticklish.

After I was done, I put my clothes back on, smelling more like burnt sage than smelly human. Ma looked satisfied and stretched up to breath her magic onto the mountain crystals.

Mountain crystals were a fire free source of light. It meant that the smoke was not a danger and the heat was not unbearable in the summer heat. They were a deep blue until magic was used to make them glow a radiant white that could light a small cave.

I ran into the fissure - like cave and sat down, waiting for Pa to come home. We never ate before PA came back to the cave, it just wasn't done. Ryu slouched in, obviously having been scolded by Ma and sat next to me.

A few awkward blinks later, Ryu sighed, "I'm sorry I teased you about being uncomfortable with flying. I realize that everyone is different and we must respect those differences."

He sounded rehearsed when he said this, but it still made me laugh because it was pretty much a daily occurrence. He would have to apologize for at least one thing before he could have dinner, Ma made sure of that.

"Apology accepted," I bowed my head down as a respectful sign of the acception and smiled.

"When will you learn, KuroRyu?" Ma sighed, coming in while shaking her head.

"The other side of never?" I muttered, loud enough for Ryu to hear.

His chest compressed and he bowed his head as if to stifle off a laugh. Ma gave me a quick glance as if to ask what was wrong, I gave my best innocent face and shrugged. Luckily Pa picked that moment to walk in.

Pa was one of the largest dragons of his age, as dragons do not actually stop growing, and his power was unequaled. It was one of the reasons why he was allowed to keep me rather than leaving me to die all those summers ago. His whole aura radiated authority.

"Welcome home, Ra'ak," Ma lovingly nuzzled, up to Pa's neck. Dragons mated for two periods, it was either a contract of sorts for power, or it was a lifetime commitment. Ma and Pa mated for life. It was something I respected and admired about them.

"It truly is good to return, Elorna," Pa returned the nuzzle.

Ryu smiled a little at our parents' blatant affection, while I openly grinned. I liked to think I was what was called a romantic, but not too crazy of a romantic.

Pa looked up and greeted Ryu with a slight bow, as was common after the sons came of age. Ryu bowed deeply in return, as a sign of respect. Pa then looked down at me and lowered his head. I stood and ungracefully flopped down onto Pa's snout, his scales were closer to Ryu's in color, being a deep forest green, but not black which was quite an uncommon coloring to have.

My greeting to Pa was typical of a very young dragon child, but as it was pretty obvious that I wouldn't be getting any bigger, I quite enjoyed the playful welcome only I could give him.

Pa lifted his head and let me stand before declaring he was famished and required sustenance, I didn't complain as my stomach agreed.

I didn't eat nearly as often as my family did. I only required three meals, while they required anywhere from six to ten a day. Also, I needed my meats cooked, otherwise caused me to get ill and it was anything but pleasant.

Ma had cooked some dear meat for me and had it off to the side next to the rest of the deer and what looked to be a bear for the rest of them, Ma was a brilliant huntress to be able to get such a large haul.

We dug into our food and I pulled out a few edible plants from another pouch and began my feast, as I was the only omnivore in the family. Pa finished first and began talking about his day. He was an advisor to the council of the elders as he was very level headed, usually. He usually tried to speak reason when the old ways of the Council would be less than advisable to the rest of the forest.

"Halour came to the council for help today," he sighed.

Halour was the name of a city that still practiced magic arts outside of the forest. Magic had been banned a few years before I had been born, and few places still practiced it as it was punishable by death. Not everyone had magic, to my knowledge, and it seemed the humans were afraid of it.

"What was the council's verdict?" Ma asked, sounding like she already knew the answer.

"We will do nothing until the treat is closer."

"How close does the threat have to be to the forest before the elders see sense?" Ma shook her head disappointedly. "Creos?"

"It's highly probable that they wouldn't act until the army was already infiltrating the forest," Ryu grumbled, tearing into another piece of meat.

"You don't mean that," Ma scolded half heartedly.

I looked up at them and settled down to listen to draconian politics, something that boggled my mind.

"Ale'aden spoke of how we cannot divide what few resources we have, while Amon opposed quite adamantly," Pa sighed.

"That centaur is the only one who sees sense on the council," Ryu commented. I had to agree, Amon was young, a mere 65 summers old, and he was the main advocate for leaving the forest to fight for our freedom.

"While I do not necessarily disagree, you must speak wisely of the elders, KuroRyu," Pa smirked. "Amon sent fifteen scouts to Halour to assess the situation. He is threatening to resign his post on the council to more effectively fight the Imperial Lords."

The Imperial Lords were the ones who banned the practice of Magic, yet still upheld the belief in the gods, which was the fundamental principal of all magic arts. The gods were more powerful than a mage, they were the guiding force behind their hand. If the gods saw the attack of magic as unjust, the magic would simply fail. Except for elemental magic that is.

Elemental magic was a magic a mage was born with, and took years to control, though Fire Mages were all but extinct. Maybe one in a million existed today. They were rare and their tomes had been destroyed making the practice of fire magic not only near impossible, but dangerous without a master. Elements were a product of one god, Master Earthen, and he was said to be asleep, which was why elemental magic was the most reliable.

"That is foolhardy," Ma scowled.

"And a threat that would be devastating if carried out. I want to help the outside cities as well, but if the centaurs were to leave, we would have lost a large and powerful ally. The council has been advised to think this through carefully and to consider all options, not just the old ways."

"And what makes you think that Amon won't end up leaving?" Ryu asked.

"Absolutely nothing, but I like to think that the council has done what has been best for the forest up to this point."

I covered my mouth as I yawned, but blinked to stay awake and listen.

"Today Halour, tomorrow, Creos, if we sit idly by and do nothing, we will be destroyed," Ryu growled.

"You should spend more time around Amon, I'm sure it will do good things for your rash personality," I made a perfectly flat expression and filled my voice with as much sarcasm as I could pack in.

"Ah, quip it, kid."

"Just saying..."

Pa smirked and slid his tail around me, much like Ma did earlier. He lifted me to a nook I particularly enjoyed sleeping in and set me down.

"The moon is high and the night is still young. We will leave talk of politics and opinions for the morning. For now, we rest, and dream of a better tomorrow."

It was too late, I was already curled under my bearskin poncho fast asleep, dreaming of fire, and a different tomorrow.