Erebus

Erebus had lived a simple life. He was fine with that, happy to stay for the rest of his days alone. His life became very complicated in a very short period of time, and it all started with an Imperial.

Erebus, the loner he was, had taken to hiding himself in the Tangled Woods, away from a family he literally couldn't grow into. He had no idea how long it had been since he had left his old clan, but he estimated months, years, even. He tried not to keep track of time, preferring instead to hunt and stay alive for the next day.

He heard a crash, somewhere nearby, and decided to check it out. He saw an Imperial, who had somehow gotten herself stuck in the branches of a tree, fighting her way out. He considered helping her, when she fell to the ground suddenly.

She looked distressed, even as she was dusting herself off. It was with great caution that Erebus approached her.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "Some grand entrance, am I right?"

Erebus eyed her suspiciously. Who was this Imperial, and why was she here? How did she find him? He had gone through great lengths to not be found.

"I am Demeter. And you, Erebus, are like me." She paused, giving him a moment to reflect on what she had said.

"How do you know my name?" He demanded.

"Knowledge is a gift of mine. As much as shadows are a gift of yours." She explained. "I am Demeter, seeker of those like ourselves. Those who seem to have been blessed by something otherworldly."

She paused, allowing Erebus to take the information in. He didn't believe a word of it. She knew about his strange connection to the shadows, but that proved nothing. He had no idea how this dragon had found him, but he turned away from her, processing his own thoughts on how to best proceed.

"How did you find me?" He finally asked, after a solid few minutes of thought.

Demeter didn't respond right away, almost giving Erebus the impression that she had left. He tended when she spoke again.

"I followed your energy." She replied simply. "It's been there for a long time. Longer than it would for any normal dragon. I know you grow old slowly. I know why you left your former clan. I've been-"

He turned around and shot her a look, one that screamed out his anger to the near-stranger. She knew nothing of his life. Nothing.

She quickly backtracked, appearing nervous in her demeanour. The first dragon he had met in ages, and he had unsettled her. That was fine by Erebus. He just wanted to be left alone, as he was before.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she said slowly. "I just wanted you to know there's more of us out there."

"Us? What exactly does that mean?" He asked in an irritated tone. "Don't lump yourself in with me. We are nothing alike."

Demeter looked defeated, turning away from him.

"If you don't want to meet others that can understand," she started, "fine, then don't. But you now know that there are more who grow slowly as you do, and more who live similar lives to you. That cannot go ignored, no matter how hard you try to."

Erebus watched her begin to leave, back towards the tree she had crashed into only minutes before. He felt something, a pang of longing, a wish to belong in a work that he had never truly belonged to. If one were to ask him about it, he would say that it was a sense of community, of finally not being alone.

"Wait," he said to her. She turned, expecting the worst. "I'll go with you. I'll see if what you say is true. Then, I'll return."

Demeter nodded excitedly, and the two took to the skies. Erebus, for the first time in forever, felt truly free.