When Allendis woke up, for the briefest of moments he discovered he
could not move. As soon as the feeling passed he scrambled to his feet, breath heaving. That moment was much too similar to the dream he'd had for his liking.
Allendis had dreamed about being trapped - under the trees, unable to move, watching a wildfire race toward him at a pace faster than anything he'd seen. He had woken up just as the first flame touched his face.
Now that he was awake, he once again felt uncomfortable in his scales. As he walked through camp he was oddly aware of the sound of his chest fin rustling with the movement. He stopped under the tree in which the Skydancers slept and sat, patiently waiting for them to wake up.
Chi was the first in the tree to wake up. She glided down to ground level.
"Hello, Al. What are you doing here? You seem conflicted about something."
"Good morning, Chi," Allendis remarked. "I came here to see you, actually. I need to talk about something."
Chi, sensing Allendis' discomfort, led him past the tree into the forest a short distance. "What's wrong?"
"Chi, is it..." Allendis hesitated. "This is going to sound stupid."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"Chi... is it possible to be born as the wrong type of dragon?"
Chi blinked. "I've never heard of that happening, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Tell me what's making you think that."
Allendis shuffled his back foot. "I just don't feel right. I'm way too big, too heavy. It's all clumsy and weird."
"Alright," Chi said. "That would make sense, then. I assume you came to me to see if I could change what you are? Do you know specifically what you feel like you should be?"
Allendis paused at that, thoughts whirling. He truly hadn't expected the conversation to come this far. "Um. You really can change the kind of dragon I am?"
Chi nodded. "I really can. If I have the right resources for it."
"Thank you," Allendis sighed. "But I think the dragon I should be is one I've never seen for real before. One that stands on two feet."
"Well, that narrows it down to two." Chi took out a notebook and writing stick and made two quick sketches, emphasizing the distinguishing features of each.
Allendis immediately pointed to the second one: larger hind legs, small, dextrous arms, a feather crest, and a large claw on each foot. "That one."
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Chi admitted. "I can do that for you. BUT I don't have the resources to do so this moment. If you can wait a little while longer, I'll see what I can do."
Allendis lowered his head, then raised it again. "Can I help? If you tell me what to look for, I can help you get what you need."
"Of course you can!" Chi smiled at him, then started writing on another sheet of her notebook. "Now. This is what we need..."
-I keep glancing at Coli out of the corner of my eye and thinking that Anaisa just died while I wasn't looking but nah, she's just camouflaged.
-Myste is level 4.