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*The Age of Fire: Era of the Talon *

** Chapter 2 **

Saving The Siblings

Down below, in a forest nearby the Red Mountains to the south, a pack of wolves was on the prowl. It was a familiar location where one of the rivers met with the inland sea. They moved stealthily through the underbrush in the dawn, their keen senses on high alert. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound in the sky.

Looking up, they saw the two dragons circling above them.

At first, the wolves were wary. They had never seen dragons this close before, and they didn't know what to make of them. But as the dragons swooped lower, their scales and armor glinting in the dawn's light, the wolves began to growl and snarl.

The dragons didn't seem to be deterred by the wolves' aggressive posturing. They continued to circle, their eyes fixed on the pack below. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, the dragons dove towards the wolves. The wolves scattered in all directions. The lead wolf looked back at his companions for guidance, but they were already running away from him. He paused only long enough to yip an angry warning at the other wolves...

Before the lead dragon landed in front of him. It was a giant, muscular female, her head held high in defiance and confidence. She leaned forward slightly, lowering herself to one sii as she stared down at the wolf. Her golden eyes seemed almost hypnotic as they bore into the wolf.

"Are you wolf lead?" The dragonelle tried to voice in wolf speech.

Hearing her words echoed in its ears, the alpha tilted its head and barked in reply. "I lead. Pack is mine, you won't have!" The alpha barked, snarling at Olivia.

"I not want pack. You have pack, I save pack."

"You not make sense! I have pack, you save pack; save from what?" Questioned the wolf.

"Man." Olivia replied. "Man tame dragon, man use dragon kill pack. I save dragon, I save pack."

At the realization of what Olivia spoke in broken speech, the alpha's ears drooped. "Pack gone if man has way." The alpha voiced. "Why come here?" He asked.

"I call Thing. Wolf and Dragon hunt together against man. Man move now to take many dragon. If man get dragon, man use dragon kill packs. Man have dogs, they kill packs. Mate and I go save dragon, need help from Thing." The dragonelle implied to the wolf, her message broken still.

Yet her words would get to the point as the alpha wolf howled and voiced words to the distant packs. With only a little understanding of what the wolf was saying, Olivia waited for the wolves to finish so she could get prepared to leave. For many moments, howls went back and forth, until the few words signaled her that there was a Thing to be called.

"Pass this neeeeews!"

Hearing this caused the dragonelle to look pleased with the news, the howls of the dawn were enough to bring tense tidings in a nearby mountain for all wolves to meet. Olivia knew that the meeting was going to include a large gathering of the packs, many enough for her to at least put her main goal into fruition. With an internal smile, the dragonelle would look to the rest of the uneasy wolves. She knew this was going to be a very difficult thing for the wolves to understand, but in time she would teach them much in the times ahead.

And she would learn much from them in time.

The dragonelle could only hope that they had enough time.

"Thing gathering, we go to Thing." The Alpha spoke. ""All pack to gather. We will meet at Thing."

With that, the wolf and dragon flew off into the dawn, leaving a rumbling in the ground beneath their feet. The forest was alive with sounds of excited wolves gathering towards a gathering place. However, as the pack made their rush to the North, Olivia would voice herself to the pack and the alpha who were rushing to the passages of the mountain.

"Pack go to Thing, we go to dragon, save dragon!" Olivia roared, bellowing out in her flight. Her wing tilted right to aim for the nearby mountains. KelGore followed her in pursuit, whilst the alpha wolf howled against the wind.

"You must come to Thing!"

"I will to Thing! Meet you there!"

"What is you name?!"

"I Olivia! Starweaver of Sky!"

"Starweaver! We speak you to moon, meet at Thing!" Howled the alpha.

"Howl name in nights, I listen to packs, will come to save all!"

With that, Olivia and KelGore flew to the tail-end of the Red Mountains. Olivia had given her promise, and it was time to keep the wolf's words in her heart as she went into this fight.

"You do realize they will not be in time to save AuRel and Irelia from the assassins." KelGore's voiced ringed in warning to Olivia's mind when they had flown past a small river to the south. She sensed his concern reflected on his rapid flaps and his sharp movements.

"The Wolves are meant for something else, we must hurry now to save the hatchlings!" Olivia reassured her fellow dragon.

KelGore gave no reply. His wings flexed with a deep breath, and he let out a mighty roar as he rushed onward into the mountain. The great beast would follow his mate, no matter what the cost would be.

Olivia knew that KelGore's loyalty was far greater than any of the people she had known in her life, and she could never doubt his commitment. She trusted him in battle, mind, spirit and he had proven himself strong and fast. By his words and actions, he had proven himself a mate she could rely on and a warrior to handle her commands.

And she will need him in this coming fight.

Now more than ever.

Before she could even think about what to say to AuRel and Irelia in the immediate future, a shadow pulsed from a nearby cliff and bolted directly for the two dragons. Olivia was quick to turn her wings and face the shadow that was flying toward them. Like a streak of lightning, the huge shape came from the cliff and struck the air just over Olivia's shoulder. She felt the impact of the body as it connected with her, sending her spiraling in an arc over the ground.

In this split-second decision, Olivia folded her wings and angled herself to the ground. The wind picked up at her face as she dove, but the momentum gave her enough speed to open her wings and glide up into the air to angle upward.

It was when she was able to angle herself safely, it was the moment she glanced at the familiar shape of a shadow. Up above and near KelGore, the familiar bronze scales of a dragon in the air. The sight caught Olivia by complete surprise, not realizing that they were too close to the territory.

With her sights still locked on the approaching AuRel, Olivia watched as the attack came for them. The dragon overhead dived at KelGore and took him by surprise. By swift precision, AuRel came right at KelGore and slammed right into the black dragon's chest, causing the armor to bend and for the black dragon to recoil in a stagger.

Before AuRel was able to clamp down and bite KelGore's neck, Olivia slammed right into AuRel's side and yanked the dragon from KelGore. In a flash, the two dragons spun around and fell into a clearing in an uncontrolled tumble.

The moment Olivia could recover, she felt the teeth of the dragon right at her throat, squeezing slightly to draw blood. She soon realized that the dragon had sniffed her and started to give confused glances along her body as he kept his hold, even pressing her to the ground for more effort.

"I know what you are thinking, AuRel... and yes, I am a dragonelle... we are not here to take your territory." She spoke to the dragon in mind speech. Her expressions were pained as she was held by the large dragon holding her down.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you and your mate for coming near?" Snarled the dragon.

"We are here to save your mate and clutch. You and your brood are in danger, The Wheel of Fire dwarves and other hominids come to kill you and your mate and take your clutch as prizes." Olivia pleaded. "Please believe us, they may already be in your caves now if we don't hurry!"

"You will turn back now and-"

"No, they will keep coming after you AuRel, the hominids are going after all dragons in the Red Mountains, we are trying to save you and your family from the fate they bear of you and all our kind!" Olivia explained, causing the male to hold onto the dragonelle's neck even tighter. "Auron, Wistala, Jizara, and your unnamed Copper son can be saved as well, please, I am trying to save your family, nothing more!" She begged.

Upon hearing the names of his hatchlings and soon tasting the blood of the dragonelle, AuRel suddenly released his grip from the dragonelle and shook his head. Olivia could only look up at the Bronze dragon as he would stand up and back away slightly, giving the red dragonelle suspicious looks from where he stood. "Only my mate and I know those names. And this blood... who and what are you?" Snarled the dragon, baring his teeth at the dragonelle.

"I am Olivia, a dragonelle exposed to magic and ancient runes; I know of your hatchlings by visions." The dragonelle lied, using half-truths to keep the dragon from killing her at that moment. "My mate is KelGore and he is of the Princedoms far from these lands, we come to save as many dragons to keep the hominids from using them to breed an army of human-serving beasts of war. Please, let us save your family and provide you shelter before you decide for your brood. That is all we ask."

It was here, KelGore landed with a limp. As he did so, AuRel would simply walk past Olivia, swipe a sii with a little bit of Olivia's neck blood and let a couple strands of her blood stand in front of the dragon. "Lick your mate's blood." He spoke.

The moment KelGore took a lick, the black dragon's limp would stop and he would stand tall again. From the corner of Olivia's eyes, she could see the familiar look of fear and relief on KelGore's face. However, as the black dragon would give the bronze a look of wonder, AuRel would find something familiar in KelGore's eyes.

"Who was your sire?" He asked of KelGore, moving from Olivia so she could be able stand.

"I do not know, he was hunted by hominids before I was hatched. They say he was a reddish-orange dragon of the mountains." KelGore spoke, causing AuRel's eyes to shine in understanding. "Is there... something wrong, AuRel?"

"I may have known of your sire, long ago."

"NiVesseth?" Olivia would speak, causing AuRel and KelGore to look back at the female. AuRel's eyes widened at Olivia's on-point answer and KelGore curious at why she knew.

"How? You would not have been hatched before you would have known of him."

"My lord, the visions have given me knowledge and insight of times before and after this age. It is why I know of many names to which I would never know otherwise." Olivia spoke in a lie, bowing her head as to not arouse too much suspicion from AuRel; but enough for KelGore to understand more.

"We will speak of this later, but on this occasion, I will listen. Son of NiVesseth, we have much to share. For now, we save my mate and clutch." AuRel spoke, turning to the direction of the mountains to begin taking flight. "And as for your mate, KelGore. Your mate's blood brings a magic that can heal. She is more valuable than you think."

---

Auron and The copper exchanged blows within the egg cave. Bites, claw swipes, tail blows, and the rolling grips of their sii and saa's caused them to tumble across the floor with deathly intent. One hatchling was defending the egg cave while another sought to fight for the dwarves and man that were coming. Neither could get a killing blow across the cavern floor and they soon stood across from each other.

The copper still hopped to his place, his crippled arm keeping close to his frame as he stared at the champion of the clutch.

It was here that Auron realized he was being delayed, The Copper was playing with him. This was not a fight to the finish, a fight to waste time.

"You live this day if you trouble me no further," Auron said. "Though when I tell Father of this, he may feel differently. He'll pull the mountains down to find such as you, who'd lead assassins to the egg shelf."

"Your father will do no such thing." A different voice sounded from the direction of mother. Emerging from darkness, a towering dragonelle the size of father shone speared the darkness like a ray of sunshine. She was armored, crimson scaled, and radiated a look in her eye that displayed power in them. "Your brother was deceived, do not blame him for falling for hominid tricks." She spoke, looking at the copper.

The copper could see the look of something... different in the female's eyes. There was an emotion that was remarkably sympathetic and something the young one did not understand, but he saw the female did not harbor any ill will to him. "Go to your sire and dam young ones, we will hold them off." The dragonelle voiced.

And just as The copper was about to realize what was going on, he would hear the tapping sounds of distant dwarves and other hominids approaching from the distant cavern.

It was here that the dragonelle stepped forward and snarled at the two hatchlings. "Go! You will not have long!" She roared, her voice booming so loud that Auron and The copper forgot themselves and scrambled to flee where Irelia would be. "Run, RUN!"

---

Looking out into the lower cavern, Olivia could make out and see at least a large number of armored dwarves and elves making their way up and to the cravens of the chamber she stood on. They were armed with swords, spears, and shields, and their faces were masked in bronze armor or clothed hoods of different shapes.

Olivia knew that she had to act fast to give the dragons time to flee. She spread her wings and let out a deafening roar that echoed throughout the mountainous cavern that shook the rocky slopes below. The dwarves and elves approached, shouting battle cries and brandishing their weapons. The dragonelle knew she could not use her flame here, but as she watched them make their approach, she would back up as the cracks of crossbow-bolts screamed over her head.

Good thing about slopes, that left the dragonelle an avenue to fight the many hominid foes head-on. This was the only passage to the egg shelf, and the dragonelle would use it to take as many of the enemies down with her as possible. It was just a shame they didn't have the time to produce any more weapons for her to use here.

At the emergence of a single head, the whip of the dragonelle's tail cracked the scouting dwarf of his position, throwing the male into the slope tumbling into the lower depths in a crash. Knowing what was coming, the sudden wave of dwarves and elves brought the dragonelle to launch herself forward, her jaws opening wide to catch a hominid who dove blindly from the slope edge.

In her mouth, the dragonelle chomped down on the dwarf she caught, his legs kicking in vain as he landed in the dragonelle's maw and was summarily executed. The dragonelle's body jolted around, her tail lashing out and knocking a few others back with a sii raised to swipe a column of elves before they could recover from climbing the slope. A spray of blood was all she could see before she was forced to retreat.

Still exposed for that moment, the sting of three crossbow bolts striking her along the sides of her chest. The armor caught the bolts before they could penetrate, but the dragonelle backed up before the rest of the group could recover and chase her down. As the dragonelle made her way to rush back towards safer ground...

The dragonelle's heart stopped when she glanced at what stood in her way. A human draped in the familiar armor colorations of dragon scale, with a white-tipped spear and a sword clinging to his hilt. Blocking her only pathway to escape was The Dragonblade, a man whose cunning and burning hatred made progress into the deaths of many a dragon.

Standing before the killer of dragons, the dragonelle swallowed her fears and replaced her fear with the anger of what the man supported. "I should kill you where you stand," the dragonelle growled, speaking to the human in Parl. "Dragonblade, murderer of dragons... supporter of those who would commit genocide on the world... Drakossozh." Snarled the dragonelle.

"You know my name?" The dragonblade said, stepping closer with his spear aiming down at the dragonelle. "Whoever spoke to you about me, they know very little. Your kind deserves to be put to my blade, and I will send you hence."

The dragonelle lowered her body to protect her vital organs from the dragonblade, snarling and now glaring into him. "As supposed to what, hominid? Your kind is practicing slavery, murdering your own kind for blood debts, or even the raping and pillaging of other societies? Your kind is worse than mine, at least we have a nature to explain our actions." She retorted, snarling back at the human. "You may have personal justice for your actions, but the world is and ever will be cruel. Humans are good at blindfolding themselves to it." She retorted, knowing that the sounds of the second wave of hominids were coming.

"KelGore! He is blocking my way!"

"The future does not concern me dragon, what matters now is your end." The Dragonblade replied, before lurching forth to attempt a false stab at Olivia's neck. The dragonelle knew this was coming and bolted to the side, crying out as the dragonblade's spear jutted along her side, slashing pieces of her scale and armor apart as she dragon-dashed to bolt around the dragonblade. A spray of her own blood caused Olivia to cry out in pain as the wound on her side made her rush out, taking the small gash on her side as blood price for her escape.

She knew the rest of the dwarves and elves were close, and she needed to run.

That was when the sting of crossbow bolts struck her in the back, two of them hitting her lower flank and one striking her backside. She gasped as she felt the onrush of blood running down her backside, bringing her to a limp.

With one last ditch effort, the dragonelle dug into one of the small leathery slots inside of her armor and pulled out a sii-full of acorns from the slot and threw it to the ground. In a last-ditch effort, the dragonelle unleashed her flame upon the group of acorns and rushed past the enflamed batch of nuts.

In a leap over the batch, Olivia made it in time before the acorns could undergo the effects of her power. Scraping herself along the ground, the dragonelle would witness the nuts exploding into a batch of rooted and hardened trees that blocked the hominids from coming to the cave in time. With her speed, Olivia rushed ahead and limped to the cave where KelGore and the others were waiting for her. The dragonelle soon came upon KelGore, who witnessed her partially wounded state.

"What happened?" KelGore asked, his voice strained as he felt the dragonelle's wounds.

"Dragonblade attacked me, but I escaped him by using the acorns I stored within my armor." Olivia winced. "KelGore, I need you to take a claw and gently dig out the bolts in me..."

KelGore did as she commanded, taking a sii before sharply digging out the three bolts that had been lodged into her scales, though the dragon would not speak to what pain she endured. With each bolt removed, Olivia screamed at the rapid field medical maneuvering that they had to do. Blood would trickle from her wounds, but with KelGore's movements, the bolts would soon be taken out without too much ripping and tearing into her scales. Olivia still winced at the pain of his claws digging in her, but the dragonelle needed them gone or else they would bring her infection.

With the use of her foua, the worst wounds on her body were cleansed from her bodily pains as they would harden and slightly heal in the wake of her healing flame. "Are they ready?" Olivia asked.

"No, Irelia is too weak from hunger." KelGore spoke, causing the dragonelle to moan and start rushing to the cave entrance. As they started to move, the smell of fire began to smog from the wooded trees.

They didn't have long.

"We may have to carry her, then. I am not leaving anyone behind!"

Taking that moment, KelGore and Olivia rushed to the scene where The copper, Wistala, and Jizara clung to Irelia, squealing for her to get up. Auron and AuRel were nearby, drinking the sorrow of what may happen if they left Irelia behind.

At the moment of Olivia and KelGore's coming, AuRel's eyes flashed and he rushed to Olivia; knowing what could be done. "Do you have enough blood to get my mate her strength?" AuRel asked. It was a long shot of what he was asking from her, but the point needed to be made.

"AuRel? My lord? What are you speaking of? Save the young ones, all of them." Irelia begged, confused with hunger as she was weak where she laid.

"Olivia, this dragonelle, is special, let her blood nourish you for the moment." AuRel commanded, turning his head to look at her and then back at Olivia. For a moment, there was a fatherly tone she saw in his eyes, worry for his mate. It was something that made her pause for the second...

Before Olivia started walking to Irelia. The moment she came into the green dragonelle's view, Irelia looked upon the crimson dragonelle with a confused understanding of things. "Is it true? Can your blood give me strength?" She asked.

"It gave me strength by a trickle my mate, drink hers for a moment and have your strength back." AuRel implied.

"Please Irelia, my mate is trying to help all of dragonkind, she can help you." KelGore spoke up, voicing himself for his crimson mate. Olivia could only look back at KelGore, then turn back at Irelia as she felt some of her blood still trickle from her back.

With a lift of her sii, Olivia swiped a strand of her blood and laid it in front of Irelia to look at. "Take my blood and drink it, you will regain your strength... strength enough to take your hatchlings and find a new home. All your hatchlings will survive, but they need you and your wisdom." The dragonelle spoke, even as the three hatchlings only looked at her with a strange implication.

Irelia looked up at the dragonelle's eyes and saw her determination. With a look to her hatchlings and her mate, Irelia conceded and took Olivia's offered blood, and a moment later, she felt her strength return. As her senses returned, she realized the two strange dragons were bearing familiar armor designs from ancient history. Looking down, Irelia noticed her sii and saa were no longer numb.

"You wear Silverhigh armor... where did you get that?" Irelia would speak when she gathered her bearings. Weakly enough, the dragonelle began to stand, with The copper, Wistala, and Jizara scrambling backwards to let Irelia stand. "I might be young, but few mind-shapes show what you wear."

"This will be something for another time, but we have found an outpost of Old Silverhigh and I was exposed to their last vestiges of magic. Think you can move enough to carry your hatchlings?" Olivia asked, nodding to Irelia who was shaking herself off.

"I can, and where shall we go?" Irelia asked, the smog soon started to become heavy, and Juzara started to cough.

"The Diadem, I have secured a home for dragonkind there. You shall be safe temporarily, away from these folk." Olivia coughed, soon motioning the family to grab each other. "We have to leave now, take your hatchlings and go!"

Taking the hint, Wistala, The copper, and Jizara would climb onto Irelia and Auron with AuRel. Both dragons would follow behind KelGore and Olivia as the armored dragonelle and her mate rushed out of the cave entrance and into the sky. Billowing from the cavernous depths, AuRel and Irelia followed them, taking to the skies to escape the hominids that came after them.

Smiling, Olivia was washed in the feeling of being overjoyed in this moment. Not only were AuRel and Irelia alive, but Jizara could at least enjoy what life she could have as a dragonelle. To have a mate, bear a clutch, and enjoy the fruits of raising a brood made the crimson dragonelle feel warm on the inside, just as she would make the flight direction to The Diadem to the south.

However, as the dragons made their rapid escape, Olivia turned her attention to KelGore and called for him with a roar. "KelGore, I need you to take something from me." She spoke through the mind, causing the great black dragon to fly to her closely as she started to pull out the scroll and hand the parchment to him. "Hold onto this for me, take them to The Diadem and make sure The copper lives, ensure no one dies." Olivia spoke as she looked into the dragon's eyes.

"What are you going to do?" He asked her.

"Natasatch and Starlight are being taken to the docks. I will scour the lands with wolves to get them and many hatchlings back to The Diadem." Olivia spoke, smiling at the dragon. "Spend your time with your sire's battle companions, learn from them."

"You make sure to get back... I will come after you if you are gone for longer than three moon cycles." KelGore chuckled, before Olivia started to turn her wing and take flight to the north.

"Good luck to you all! I shall see you in The Diadem with more hatchlings!" She roared, taking the flight away. And as she flew away, she parted KelGore with a final thought. "And my mate... write these memories into a script or a blueprint if you can write it down. It will give The Diadem enough time to make their defenses..." She spoke, sending him flash memories of an early form of artillery weapon that would carve through entire enemy formations at will.

"What is this thing...?"

"The Grapeshot, it will be very useful against The Iron Riders when they are clumped together into formations. It will give us the time to earn a pension for delivering such a weapon for defense, and allow the dwarves to see we are a proper investment. Bring this to The Diadem, they need to learn how to fight."

---

Many hours had passed since Olivia left KelGore to bring AuRel, Irelia, and their clutch to The Diadem. Among the many packs of the wolves under Thing, the dragonelle swooped in the middle of the day among the howls of wolves calling for her in number and mass. It was when she landed, she had taken a few elk in a hunt and recovered from her wounds by form of her own flame. She rested easy among the wolves, but the hours were rapid and the day was long... so she waited until the moon shined in the night when Thing was called formally.

In the night that followed, Olivia had heard the case of the wolves, that man did not encroach upon their territories nor did they make bite with packs. Too few a man came upon the mountains and many were friendly to packs. Many wolves did not want to endanger their litters, mates, or territories to other packs. She heard their back and forth arguments and the dragonelle lurched and spoke to them in earnest. Since being exposed to the language and using their memories as means to learn... Olivia came forward and spoke to them as an alpha.

"Man will threaten all of you by taming dragonkind, young dragon litters are being taken as we speak. Innocent dragon pups are taken to be trained as their horses, and they will use them to kill you, me, and all in this land. They want no pack to contest and no more threat to theirs. There is a word my kind uses to describe this. Man wants to commit genocide, a giant wave of fire from the north to sweep all packs into death." Olivia voiced to the packs, looking at all of the packs who had gathered here.

"No more can wolf stay divided into multiple packs, you must unite as one pack, one wolf... one people. You must do this, or all packs will die. No great hunt, no mates to claim, no pups to raise, not even a pack to lead. I go to save dragon pups from man, will you follow me to save yours?" She asked.

The wolves went silent and stared at each other. A single wolf stood tall, he was the largest male of the packs with a thick head of dark and grayish fur, his eyes reflected the pale light of the moon. He bared his teeth and growled, and other wolves shared his sentiment.

"We follow."

Olivia nodded to him and to other wolves who rose up to stand behind him. As the wolves gathered to prepare their next move, the dragonelle would sit on her haunches and continue in wolf speech. "Where is the wolf named Blackhard, of The Dawn Roarers?" She asked them.

The alphas, on hearing the name of the wolf and his respective pack, looked to the wolf who led the Dawn Roarers. As a response, the alpha of the Dawn Roarers came forth and looked at Olivia with a tilt of the head. "What do with him?" He asked.

"Need wolf to make his own pack, he is alpha material. Backup in case man hunt all packs down." The dragonelle spoke, looking at the Dawn Roarer alpha. "He is a loyal wolf, know his sight by mind and experience."

"He wolf not good, he lack bite." The alpha spoke.

"Blackhard enough, every wolf has bite. You hold wolf back, let him gain bite for all wolves." Olivia spoke, causing all the alphas in the Thing to look at the alpha of the Dawn Roarers. In seeing such eyes looking at him, the alpha drooped his ears and backed off.

"Blackard gain bite, he go." The Alpha relented.

Olivia nodded and looked to the other alphas. "Wolf scour lands for dragon pups, they are caged by man, and eggs taken by man too. Do not engage man, find first, attack later." The dragonelle commanded. "Want wolves safe first, if wolf can save dragon without man knowing, take initiative and save, I prepare to save dragon." She spoke, looking to all the wolves.

"We go save dragon pups, dragon pack help wolf pack!" The Alpha howled.

"For dragon pack!" The rest of the wolves howled.

---

Perched atop of a cliff, Olivia screened the lands of Hypatia with the eye of a hawk. The wolf packs had recently dispersed with their three score number and searched for the few hatchlings that were most likely en route to the docks. The land around her was drenched in a warm light of dawn where rays of sun made its way through the clouds above. Day and night became as one to her as she spent her many hours hunting for the hatchlings, knowing that it would not be long before Hazeleye set sail from the town bordering the egg chambers.

As she watched over the horizon, the hues of reds, oranges, and yellows painted the sky in vibrant colors. This land was different than the Texan home she knew all well in love; here, life seemed more abundant. It was easier to breathe, the air cleaner, and the sun brighter. She wanted nothing more than to explore the world outside this glorious mountain range. But until then, she would continue her hunt.

Olivia kept her eyes fixed on the empty landscape as she waited for the howls of the wolf packs. The sounds of birds singing filled the air, but nothing moved except for the occasional wind gust ruffling her scale and armor. It was hard to try an speak with the avians through beast speech, but she still attempted to commune nonetheless.

"How are you my friend?" She tried one last time.

The bird, a crow, responded by cawing happily, but it was hardly understood. It was almost like trying to communicate with a child who spoke a foreign language. Yet, knowing crows and ravens, they were intelligent in their own right. If only they could understand her better! Taking a few shiny pieces of her silver armor, Olivia hung it before the crow and spoke again.

"Shiny silver, take shiny silver."

At first, the bird did not seem to understand what she said at all, but after some time it caught on, and fluttered down upon her outstretched sii. It sat there pecking at the armor pieces before taking off and landing near a tree to its own perch. Smirking, Olivia snatched an acorn from that very same tree and blew an ember into the acorn before tossing it nearby. Expectedly, the acorn grew rapidly and it turned into a vibrant and healthy tree.

"I make tree, new home."

Looking at the tree and then back at the dragonelle, the crow fluttered to the new tree and it started to quickly make its new nest. It took no more than a minute for the remaining branches to pop out and coat the area in its leaves, and for the crow to settle in. The crow cawed loudly as it hopped around the trunk, making sure everything was perfect for its arrival. Finished with its nest-making, the crow fluttered to Olivia and landed on her shoulder.

"Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!" The crow spoke, bobbing its body up and down cutely.

"Name Olivia, welcome-welcome." She replied back with a humbled snort. "Spread name, I tree-maker. I want learn."

A smile crossed Olivia's lips as she watched the crow hop around her shoulder, repeating her name. Eventually, the crow fluttered off of her shoulder and flew into the forest, cawing her name through the woodlands behind her.

Olivia felt herself swoon slightly at the sight of such a beautiful creation. What a kind creature this crow was. She could tell that he or she was happy to call the tree home. A wave of contentment washed over her as she continued to watch the crow soon gathered other avians as now a flock gathered around the bird. Soon enough, she heard the distinct sound of wolves howling in the distance. Her heart leaped up into her throat, and she let out a loud roar.

"What neeeews!?" Olivia roared.

"Pack find two caged dragon pups! On way to man town! Another three dragon pups on way to another man place!" The wolves howled in return, causing Olivia to swallow her fears and roar in return.

"Take three packs to the three dragon pups and ambush man! Kill man if possible, delay at all cost! The rest of wolf packs, we go to man town! We save dragon pups tonight!"