Butterfly

As he scanned the vast range of cowering rocks, Butterfly made his way past the stones scattering the ground. He had left his parent's lair a few days ago and he had grown used to the thrill of adventure. He peered past the claws of stone that jutted from the ground to see the ground form cliff at edge of his vision. He soared over valleys and ravines before darting down to search for food. Butterfly spotted movement on one of the lower branches of a nearby birch tree. He chased after the creature in pursuit, hunger rumbling in his belly. He was about to close in on the creature when all of a sudden a blur of reds and whites flashed in front of him. "Hey!" Butterfly exclaimed. "I was chasing that!" The Skydancer gazed at him calmly. "I didn't mean to take your catch. You can take it, I can catch another."

Butterfly stepped away from the speckled dragon. "I can hunt for myself." He grunted pushing the bird back. "Oh, don't be so stubborn! It's a Java Sparrow, you look exhausted and they're great for an energy boost." The Skydancer insisted, pushing the Java towards him. Butterfly grunted in reply then bent down to take a bite. "Thank you." He murmured in between bites. "What's your name?" He asked after he had finished. "Monarch." The red and white dragon replied. "What's yours?" Butterfly sat down in front of Monarch. "Butterfly." He responded. "Well, Butterfly, why don't you come with me back to my lair. I'm sure Marian and Banquo wouldn't mind you staying for a few nights." Monarch offered. "I guess for a few nights..." He mumbled.

A few weeks had passed since Butterfly had met Monarch and he had begun to settle into the lair. He had contributed catching food for the lair during his stay and he had grown used to going out to forage in the mornings. He saw Raven and Monarch chatting at the edge of the lair and bounded over to greet them. "Hey guys, what'cha talking 'bout?" He asked. "Not much." Raven responded, shifting over to make room for Butterfly to sit down. "When are you planning on leaving?" Monarch questioned. "I don't really know." A feeling of dread threatened to wash over Butterfly as he thought of leaving them. "Y'know, you could just... not leave." Monarch pressed. "I guess." Butterfly yawned. "I'm gonna go to sleep for the night though. See ya guys in the morning." As Butterfly made his way to the nest he was using, he felt a sudden jolt of happiness at the thought of staying here. "Maybe for a little longer..." He mumbled sleepily before drifting off.

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