Bakenkhonsu

The other dragons may joke that he looks more like a fire dragon than an arcane dragon, but Bakenkhonsu is an arcane dragon through and through. He often spends his time with his nose buried in a book, usually a magical tome. Unlike most other magic dragons, though, he uses contact magic.

His secret goal is to learn mastery of fire magic, which Rahotep has been helping him with.

---

"Again."


Bakenkhonsu took a deep breath and began to utter an incantation, concentrating as hard as he could. Flames began wrapping around his arms, encircling his sharp claws. As soon as he felt it, he quickly struck toward the practice dummy--only for the flames to sizzle out as fast as they had appeared.

Rahotep sighed, shaking his head. "That was terrible."

"I know," Bakenkhonsu muttered, his feathered wings ruffled in irritation. It was a daunting task for an Arcane dragon to learn fire magic, but he knew he could do it. The first time he managed to conjure even the tiniest ember, excitement surged through him. He practiced day in and day out, channeling all the magic power he could, growing stronger and stronger. And he had been doing so well--it got to the point where he managed to burn at least a dozen practice dummies to ash. Yet in the past few weeks, his ability to use fire magic had been steadily diminishing. He didn't understand why. It wasn't fair.

He wheeled around and socked the practice dummy in frustration, this time with his arm coated in the arcane magic he was so familiar with.

Rahotep didn't even react to this sudden outburst. He just watched, his cool eyes as calm as ever as Bakenkhonsu angrily strode over to the shell bench on the side of the room. He let out a huff as he plopped down on it, looking down at the ground in order to avoid Rahotep's gaze.

"I don't get it," Bakenkhonsu growled. "I was doing so well! Now I'm just getting worse, and I don't know why! What is wrong with me!?"

"You're not concentrating hard enough."

Bakenkhonsu looked up to find that Rahotep was right in front of the bench. How does he manage to be so stealthy?

Rahotep took a seat on the bench next to Bakenkhonsu before continuing. "You know as well as anyone that magic requires a lot of concentration; especially magic that is not of your element. Your focus is waning. That's why you're failing."

"What are you talking about? I'm completely focused!" Bakenkhonsu barked. Rahotep cast him a steely side glance. "...Alright, fine. Maybe I'm not." He sighed in defeat.

"Why?" Rahotep asked simply.

"Why... what?"

"Why are you not focused? Is something distracting you?"

This made Bakenkhonsu pause. He looked down at his claws, unable to find an answer. Why was he distracted? He racked his mind for anything--he was getting along fine with the other dragons, there wasn't any drama he was involved in--so what was distracting him?

The two sat in silence as Bakenkhonsu struggled internally. Rahotep didn't mind--he was a very patient dragon. It seemed like hours had gone by when Bakenkhonsu finally opened his mouth again. And what came out was not at all what Rahotep expected.

"What happened with you and Sunflower?" Bakenkhonsu had been looking down at the ground while he was in thought, but when he looked up, he was surprised to see that Rahotep was completely shell-shocked, something that was very rare for the normally calm and poised dragon. He wasn't even entirely sure why he asked that question, or where it came from. But as he let his thoughts wander, it was the only thing that popped into his head.

Rahotep stuttered before clearing his throat. "Why, uh, what..." He shook his head to compose himself. "Where did that come from? I wanted you to find something that was bothering YOU, not dig into MY personal life."

"Well," Bakenkhonsu shifted uncomfortably, "we've been friends for a long time, and I guess I just... want to know?" There was an awkward silence that stretched far too long. Bakenkhonsu was beginning to regret ever opening his mouth. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to--"

"I didn't love her."

Bakenkhonsu looked over at his friend, noticing the grim look on his face. He waited patiently as Rahotep mustered up the courage to continue.

"You might remember that it was a time when the clan needed money," Rahotep mumbled. "I volunteered to provide hatchlings. They chose Sunflower as my mate. She made it very clear from the start that she didn't want to keep any of the babies, and originally that was the plan, but... when Magnolia was born, I just... I couldn't let her go.

"When I told Sunflower I wanted to keep Maggie, she got upset. She told me how she didn't want to be a mother, and I told her she didn't have to be. I would raise the girl by myself. And that's when she told me that the whole reason she did this was because she wanted me to fall in love with her. She thought that if I spent enough time with her and mated with her, I would fall for her. She wanted to be with me, but she didn't want a kid to get in the way." He laughed darkly. "I told her that I didn't love her and there was no chance I would ever be with her. I had feelings for someone else. She was furious, she left, I got to keep my daughter, and that was that."

Bakenkhonsu was stunned. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be," Rahotep said with a chuckle. "Sure, the 'breakup' was ugly, but I have a beautiful, talented daughter now." He got up from the bench and stretched. "That was a lot more talking than I expected to do, but that's alright. Are you satisfied now?"

"Yeah, thanks for telling me," Bakenkhonsu said with a smile. "I know it's not always easy to talk about the past, so I really appreciate it."

"Of course. I'm sorry it took this long, if anything." Rahotep glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Ah, it's late. I think that's enough for today. We'll pick it up tomorrow." He started heading toward the door.

"Sounds good," Bakenkhonsu said as he stood as well. "Oh... wait. Hey, wait!"

Rahotep looked back. "Yes?"

"Maybe I could help you out with that dragon you like? You know, be your wingman!" He grinned, but then he realized that Rahotep had completely frozen. "Er... you said that you told Sunflower that you had feelings for someone else, right? I just thought..."

"No."

Bakenkhonsu blinked in surprise. "Er... what?"

Rahotep went out the door without another word, leaving Bakenkhonsu feeling more confused than ever.

---

Days passed and Rahotep didn't show up to a single one of their practice sessions. Bakenkhonsu had about a thousand emotions swirling around inside him, and each one made his head hurt. He was angry, he was sad, he was hurt. Lost, confused, uncertain. Irritated. Cold. Warm.

Why was Rahotep avoiding him? Was Rahotep angry? Was he offended? Were they still friends? Where had he gone? Who was the dragon he had feelings for?

That last question popped into Bakenkhonsu's mind the most--and it was the one that bothered him the most. He couldn't take it anymore. The whole situation was driving him crazy.

He would pace back and forth in his room, mumbling to himself and occasionally swatting a pebble or two across the floor as his mind whirled.

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself. I'm going to go insane at this rate. I need to do something. Anything.

I need to get out of here.

Before he even knew what he was doing, before his mind was done processing that last thought, he darted out of his room and down the spiral hallway. He didn't know where he was going until he stopped--right at Rahotep's door. Without even thinking, he began knocking frantically. He wasn't expecting an answer, so when the door swung open, all he could do was stand there and stare dumbly at his friend.

"Come in," Rahotep grumbled, and Bakenkhonsu obliged, shutting the door behind him. "Look, I... I'm sorry I've been absent these past few days. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, and I needed some time to recollect myself." He settled himself into a comfy-looking pile of neatly-arranged cushions and looked up at Bakenkhonsu, waiting for a response.

Bakenkhonsu stared blankly.

Rahotep raised an eyebrow. "Khonsu?"

Bakenkhonsu stared blankly. His mind was whirling. He felt dizzy. He felt sick. He felt...

"Khonsu, are you okay? You don't look well." Rahotep was beginning to grow concerned. His friend was standing in his room, looking pale, feathers standing on end...

"Who is it?" Bakenkhonsu blurted out suddenly. He recoiled at his own outburst. "I-I mean... who is it that you have feelings for?" Why was he so nervous?

Rahotep stared at the disheveled coatl for a moment before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Please," Bakenkhonsu said, his voice shaky. "Please tell me." His heart was racing.

"I can't."

Both dragons were now getting increasingly nervous. As Bakenkhonsu looked into his friend's deep blue eyes, he saw that Rahotep was scared. He had never seen Rahotep this vulnerable before. His ears were folded back against his head, his nostrils were flaring, his claws were grasping each other nervously, his blue and brown-flecked tail was twitching across the floor like a paintbrush gone rogue.

At that moment, Bakenkhonsu understood everything. In that tense, awkward moment, a strange wave of relief washed over him. He was no longer uncertain. He was no longer afraid. He knew exactly what he was feeling. No more doubt. No more confusion.

He started to laugh.

Rahotep stared at him, confused.

"I'm sorry," Bakenkhonsu choked out. "It's just... this whole time, I was having trouble figuring out why I couldn't concentrate on my magic. And the answer was literally right in front of my face!" He laughed again. "And you--you were afraid to tell me the Sunflower story because you were worried I'd figure out who you have feelings for!"

Bakenkhonsu bounced over to Rahotep and playfully nudged one of his wings. "You were too worried about scaring me off? Pah! You couldn't if you tried! If you had just told me, maybe we would've already been together by now!"

At this point, Rahotep was too dumbfounded to really say anything. "W... whuh?"

Bakenkhonsu lowered himself to Rahotep's level. "It's me. You have feelings for me." He grinned. "Well, it turns out... I have feelings for you, too."

"Whuh?"

"That's the reason I couldn't concentrate on my magic. Ever since you agreed to help me with it, we spent so much time together and the more I got to know you, I..." He blushed. "I started to have feelings for you, too. I just didn't really know what it was, you know? I felt so confused, but because of all this, you helped me get my head together." He smiled warmly. "I'm not confused anymore. Everything is as clear as the water we live in. I want--"

Rahotep kissed him. It was passionate, fierce. It was the kiss of someone who had been wanting to do that for a long time. When he pulled away, Bakenkhonsu was left breathless.

"Well?" Rahotep asked, his demeanor now back to the confident, collected dragon that everyone knew. "How was that?"

Bakenkhonsu smiled deviously.

"Again."

---

Originally White/Jungle/Abyss:



Rare coloration--1 of 2 to exist, only one active.