Four hours later, Severo was turning a Yan and a Snow Mu around on another makeshift spit. He hadn’t known if the boy was up to roast Yan, so he had found the Snow Mu for him. It had a much milder taste, and many humans did find them quite edible. Severo had even heard about a Mu farm, once…

 

 

Drake woke slowly, smelling the cooking meat. He looked and noticed the scales that were on his hands and arms were gone.

He put on a spare set of clothes. Drake, luckily, had packed extra gauntlets and gloves. He liked falconry because the raptors gave him a reason to wear his bracers; they hid the scars no matter what outfit he chose.

Drake gave Celestina some meat cubes and then headed out of the tent. “Oh, cool, you went hunting.”

 

“I thought you might be hungry,” Severo explained while poking the cooked Snow Mu with a fork suspiciously.

 

In actual fact, he was checking to see how well cooked it was, though to an outsider it might look like he was testing to see if it was just playing dead.
His people were very observant, and despite wanting answers, he decided interrogating the boy was not the best way to get them… it might scare him off and he might never come back…

 

Drake smiled and then sat down by Severo, “Thank you.”

 

A few minutes later, and Severo seemed happy with the Snow Mu, and cut Drake a generous slice from it and put it on a plate, which he offered out to him.

“Here, this should make you feel better, lad.” He said, his voice was encouraging, but there was a hint of confusion there too.

 

Drake took the plate and ate the meat happily and hungrily.
He caught the confusion in Severo's voice, but... he wasn't sure why.

 

“So,” Severo started as he began to poke the Yan with a fork; and after not seeming content, stopped, and then went to sprinkle on some more spice. “Do you know anymore about what happened, lad?”

 

“What happened with what?” Drake asked, taking another bite.

 

“In the cavern, when you changed.” Severo replied, pouring himself a drink.

 

He refused to believe the boy had forgotten. That would make even less sense. Perhaps he didn't want to talk about it? Still, he kept his tone from sounding accusing.

 

“Oh... that. Hey, we should have gotten some of that blood; it's worth a fortune...” Drake looked toward the distant caves as if considering. He waited for a moment... but there really was no avoiding the questioning stare. “As for the rest... I don't know. It’s never happened before— not all that. I don't know what happened.”

 

“No idea?” Severo asked.

It was obvious the boy was uncomfortable, but it didn't seem like he was lying. This really made no sense! Severo knew for sure that the prince's father was completely human. Severo had only met Drake’s mother once, but she hadn't seemed like a seventeen ton fire-breathing dragon...

 

Drake shrugged, “I don't know. Mom's a mage... maybe this just happens to fire elements? Might be why they stay away from me.”

 

Severo sighed, for he had no idea why Drake's parents spent so little time with their son. This, too, made no sense to Severo. Chaucer wasn't like this, he had been so excited when his wife told him she was pregnant. The boy was gifted, he controlled his powers well. True, the change had been a little nerve-wracking, but it wasn't that bad... It could be much worse.

Something was wrong at the palace, and Severo’s instincts told him that these changes were not natural. Still, the real reason was lost to him, for now… he didn’t want to scare Drake.

“Perhaps it is normal for elementals,” the wolf man finally agreed. He saw no reason to worry the boy any more than he already was.

 

Drake shrugged again, finishing his meal. “I could go home and look it up...”

 

“Maybe you should ask that Eclipse person?” Severo suggested.

From what he had heard, the king had hired the man because of his boy's special powers. Surely he would know more about this than anyone...

 

“... Maybe, but I'd have to admit what happened...” Drake grumbled.
He didn't imagine Eclipse would be at all happy about that.

 

“No one likes to get in trouble.” Severo agreed with a wink and a small smile, “But sometimes things are more important than not getting in trouble.”

He stood up and cut himself a piece of the Yan. It had the same strong smell as it had when he had first offered the prince some, many years ago. At least some things didn’t change.

 

Drake grinned. “No, getting into trouble is fun! Getting caught is what ruins it.”

 

As the week past, Drake left Celestina back at the camp a lot. Drake went with Severo and they did go back to get some things from the dragon. Its meat was too old and some of the monsters had gotten to it, but its blood was easily collected and they got quite a few vials that they split.

Drake didn't shift to that... other form, whatever it was, again. He did his best to forget about it... but the questions echoed in the back of his mind, even as the ship arrived to take him home.

Drake promised he'd come back as soon as he could, and as soon as he figured out what all had happened, but he wasn’t sure about it. Severo was cool. He was like a much wiser, much older brother! He wasn’t stiff or uptight, and he always seemed happy to see Drake—something Drake wasn’t all that used to. The people at the palace… it was hard to tell what they really thought. They bowed, they smiled, but their eyes were empty.

They feared Drake… He wasn’t sure what he’d done to cause the fear, but it was so apparent. When he was very young, it hadn’t been like this. He still remembered some things. He remembered people smiling at him in expressions that filled their eyes, too. He remembered people coming to see him just because they wanted to. The older he got, the more they ignored him. Severo was the only one who didn’t seem to care who he was, or what he was…or if he did, he at least didn’t show it.

The airship landed and Drake jumped on board for the long, uneventful trip home. He headed for his room once they'd reached Daguerreo. Celestina stayed quiet and peaceful as usual in her cage as he walked to the hawk keep.

 

 

Eclipse, of course, had known they would soon be back. He was already waiting in Drake's room for him. Of course, not in the same room as the birds. They still hated him. He was glad he wasn't the one that had to feed them every day while Drake was gone.

He had been preparing Drake's punishment all week and was quite pleased at how it had turned out.

 

Drake put Celestina back in her cage and then walked into his room; he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Eclipse waiting there for him.
“... Hello.”

 

“Welcome back.” Eclipse said, in a civil tone as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. “How was the arctic?”

In a way, he was really looking forward to seeing the reaction on the boy's face.

 

Drake had been surprised to find Eclipse waiting for him… but was even more surprised to find out Eclipse knew where he’d been.

 

Căcat! “Rather fun, how was your time stuck here?” He was slightly afraid of what that means, and it made him get angry. He’d forgotten things were different between home and hunting and it was a very bad idea… shut up, Drake!

 

“Oh, I've been spending a lot of time thinking.” Eclipse started, turning away from Drake almost arrogantly, and began to idly look at items on a shelf. “Thinking how long I should ground you for...”

 

Drake groaned. The idea of talking to Eclipse about the weird change that had occurred while fighting the dragon completely left his mind. “And the verdict?” he asked.

 

“I'm afraid I can't ground you.” Eclipse replied after a brief pause, and sounded almost disappointed.

He turned away from the shelf to again face Drake. He wanted to see the boy's face. People’s reactions were often so amusing.

 

Drake almost smiled. Almost. However, he had learned to wait for the catch... Still, he was slightly glad to hear that. “... Oh, yes?”

 

“You see, the young Empress Pricilla visited while you were away, and expressed how much she would love for you to go and visit her.” Eclipse said, still holding the edge of disappointment in his voice. “For a month.”

 

Drake's happiness faded. “... And... what did you tell her?”

 

“Me?” Eclipse asked, looking almost shocked. “I didn't say anything to her; I can’t stand that girl,” he replied truthfully.

Then turned, and sat back down slowly. “However, your father loved the idea. And it’s not my place to argue with his wisdom…”

 

The robed man in the chair said with a small smile on his face. Though it was impossible to tell if his apparent cheeriness was just polite, or he was loving informing Drake about this.

 

Drake knew Eclipse was loving this, and his anger just grew. “... No way.” He informed Eclipse, and then turned and walked out of the room, as if he could escape the situation.

It was a bad situation, oh how he hated that girl!

 

Eclipse was unconcerned; he knew that the boy had no choice. Not only was his mother and father sure that this was their idea, and determined to have the boy go. Eclipse had his own ways of making sure that boy got on that airship, and spent the entire month in that girl's castle.

So, he calmly got up a few seconds later, and went to his own room. Giving the birds in the next room as wide a berth as possible, of course.

 

 

 

Drake spent the entire next day trying to talk Chaucer out of demanding Drake go. He even gave in and begged his mother; neither budged. They insisted that he needed social interacting and thought visiting Pricilla might teach him some manners… so far, all staying with Pricilla had ever taught him was that evil existed in this world.

Drake knew this was Eclipse’s doing. Drake could talk his parents out of anything... unless Eclipse did something.
Which was not fair. His parents had tried to fire Eclipse many times; Drake always stopped them. His parents couldn’t be in the same room with him for more than a few minutes most of the time, if Eclipse and Ellipsis left… he’d grown up with them… No matter how harsh it got or how unfair, or even how truly odd he, and other people who told him, found it… he didn’t like thinking that he’d really be alone. Now... now that was working against him.

He wasn't going to go. Not a chance. He was going to stay in the hawk keep taking care of the raptors and defiantly not be anywhere near that regal brat Pricilla.

 

Eclipse went up and knocked on Drake's door after he 'heard' him get back.

 

Drake growled at the door, but did not open it or give any sign that he'd welcome it to be open.

Drake looked at the door from the keep to the hall... it would be a way out if Eclipse went into his room.

 

Getting no answer, Eclipse went inside anyway. The boy's disobedient attitude was becoming an annoyance. One that Eclipse would only tolerate for so long.

 

Drake heard the door to his room open and swiftly rushed out the door leading to the hall, after letting Vanda out of her cage.

 

Eclipse growled, and it was almost inhuman. Luckily, Drake was far enough away not to hear it. The boy was also lucky in that Eclipse only just managed to resist killing the bird as it flew at him, attacking. However Eclipse was angry, and he quickly over-powered the vile thing's mind, sending it crashing to the ground in pain.

He let it writhe there in agony for a moment while he put up the barrier, his barely suppressed anger making it about four times stronger than it usually was.

Then, finally, he paused, watching the bird in pain for a moment. Watched it screeching loudly, and flapping its wings futilely, but desperately, before he walked out and closed the door. Only then releasing it from the pain. Perhaps the bird had been unlucky that he had decided not to kill it. Only then did he notice something… off. He could feel the stupid owl’s mind and it was… fine.

 

There was no panic, no fear, no pain in the bird’s brain, just… boredom, if anything. Eclipse paused a moment to try and figure out why, and was mildly impressed and intrigued when he realized what happened…

 

Drake felt it, before he even reached the archway... Vanda.

He'd meant to give her an escape, but she'd attacked. Drake had felt it before he'd heard her shrill cry. Those birds really did hate Eclipse...

Drake felt Eclipse's attack toward Vanda, Drake had been connected with her at the time.
A redirector was quickly set up, Drake let the pain Eclipse was sending to Vanda and let it go to himself instead.
Drake was bigger than Vanda; the pain was a tenth of what it would be to her, but he told her what to do.

Drop, scream, cry, fake it all.

 

Drake shut his eyes and listened. Eclipse was quiet, but Drake was focused. Once Eclipse left the keep, Drake dropped the transfer and Vanda flew back to her perch wondering what all that was about. She was safe, and that’s all that mattered.

 

Eclipse went back to his room to think. Was it a good sign that his Prince was able to do that? It showed immense concentration and power; showed he actually had learned something in all the lectures.

 

Yet it also showed compassion for lesser creatures and Eclipse didn’t like that. He wanted his son to behave like him! He did not want the boy to care for those mindless beasts; yet he always had! He was a hunter with a soft spot for animal! What sense did that make? Monsters in the wild the boy killed. Animals of the domestic assortment or upraising, he adored.

 

At the very least, the birds did hunt… they were ruthless killers; except the owl… it did kill mice and things Drake sent it after, but it was hardly worth keeping around. It was too needy, too pathetic.

 

The others were the problem!

 

For as long as Eclipse could remember, it was ‘Eclipse, I want a puppy.’ ‘Eclipse, I want that cat!’ ‘Eclipse, this bunny followed me home…’ it was revolting! He couldn’t always say ‘no’, either. It looked bad and it had caused the boy to simply try asking his parents or… those wretched ‘grand’parents who always said yes.

 

One of the reasons he had so many horses.

 

… And the giant slide… but also horrible sweaters either by design or material.

 

… After a long debate, Eclipse decided to let this event go. Drake obviously saw the threat, now, and it was useful to know that the boy could transfer energy like that… Still, he walked out to check and see where the prince was.

Drake took off to the archway, but he was actually floored when he tried to pass through. He tried to get up and keep going, but turned back. The barrier was far worse than it usually was... it brought him to his knees and he knew there was no chance he'd make it to the palace, and wasn't sure what good getting there would do.

 

Eclipse looked out of a high window that faced the archway. He spotted Drake on the floor, and gave a slight nod of satisfaction before heading to his own room. Drake wasn't going anywhere.

 

Drake growled as he got up.
Can't get out this way... this wasn't the only way... Drake knew it was risky, but there was another way out.
I have a balcony... I have rope. He decided, heading for his room, fast.
He'd need to be fast or someone might stop him.

 

Eclipse heard Drake charging back up the tower, but paid no attention to it. The boy could be mad about his failed attempt at escape all he wanted. Eclipse was sure that the extra pain from the barrier had made his point clear to the prince. He was surprised that Drake hadn't learned that such stupid and foolhardy attempts to get out would only result in punishments.

It didn’t just annoy Eclipse that he was defiant, it annoyed him that he was also really stupid sometimes. Especially when he was mad.

 

Eclipse decided to open the doors to his balcony. The room was rather stuffy. He used the catches installed in the walls to hold the doors open before he sat back down.

 

 

Drake walked in to his room and walked to the balcony, looking down, trying to judge the distance...

 

He backed up. He didn't have enough rope, but he was not going to stay there.
With only the anger that burned inside him as fuel, Drake ran, hit the balcony, and made a daring leap off.

 

The moment his feet left the balcony... Drake decided this was a stupid, stupid plan!

He went forward for a few seconds... then down.

Should've brought the rope! Should've brought the rope!

 

 

Eclipse's head shot down as something quickly fell past the window. He ran onto the balcony as he realized what it might be. Perhaps he had been too hard on the boy, or he hated Pricilla even more than Eclipse had known.

Once on the balcony, he looked down.

 

 

Drake took a moment to debate... if this kind of death would be better than spending time with Pricilla... It would be a lot less painful.

That was quickly resolved by the realization that he did not want to die!
With perhaps twenty feet left until the ground would make a swift end to his life, his body erupted into flames.

With ten feet to go, his wings formed and caused a less than graceful end to the fall.

 

Eclipse watched the boy fall with what might actually pass as terror in his eyes. He needed the boy! Dragon was necessary for his, and his people’s, survival! Eclipse didn't have long to think about it though, as he saw the boy suddenly engulfed in flames, and then saw… something like wings.

It was a bad landing, but Eclipse knew one thing. The boy was alive. If he was dead Eclipse knew he'd feel the affects instantly.

 

On the balcony high above, a pale faced man narrowed his eyes. Waiting to see what would happen next, and making sure his barrier was still up.

 

 

Drake wasn't sure... how to land. His wings were far too large, if he tried to slowly lower himself, they'd hit the ground and that hurt a bit...
Therefore, he pulled them back and let himself fall...
Really not a graceful landing.

He had to hold the wings up, too, once he landed. Alright... I got out of the tower...and the wings are back... and the scales are back... okay then. Drake found walking was also rather difficult with the wings, but he tried. His goal was the dock.
He didn't get far before his head started pounding.

 

 

Eclipse continued to watch with fascination. This was the kind of change he had been expecting years ago, and now it seemed like it had actually happened! It was an odd change, though Eclipse really had no idea what to fully expect; he assumed the boy would look like Cináed… but he didn’t, not from what Eclipse could see.

The boy had jumped. That suggested he knew about the wings that would appear. Therefore, he could change his appearance at will...?

Drake was walking clumsily, and the landing had been terrible. This meant that these powers were new to the boy— he might have even discovered them on his last hunting trip. So, maybe that stupid old dog had served a purpose after all...

 

Drake backed up till he was away from the barrier... well now what? If he walked inside like this people would flip out.
Maybe he could somehow fly... over the barrier?

Drake jumped, flapping his wings, trying to get lift again.
Wasn't working as well as it should have... He kinda just hovered and found it hard to figure out when to flap his wings. The air resistance was weird— they were so big any height he gained with each flap was lost when his wings went back up for the next push down...

 

Eclipse smiled slightly. Yes, the boy was definitely new at this. He was starting to wonder if he would have to go down there and get him.

 

Drake growled at the wings. They were too big, too big! Shouldn't wings start out too small? They were supposed to grow to fit him, not the other way around?
“Grrrrr, stupid wings. Stupider barrier!”

 

 

Eclipse smirked, the young prince was obviously not going anywhere and needed some help… which was good for many reasons. However, if someone saw him that could be very bad. So, he straightened up and left the balcony. After that, he casually made his way down the tower, and out of the main door. Then he circled around the building until he found Drake.

“Having trouble?” Eclipse asked him, while crossing his arms. He was using this time to subtly examine the changes from this closer view. Incredible...

 

Drake looked at Eclipse and growled in a sound Eclipse had never heard a human make.

 

“Shall I take that as a yes?” Eclipse asked, remaining perfectly calm, despite the fact that a guard might come along at any moment.

He was sure he could even see Ellipsis staring at them from his bedroom window..., which was rather amusing.

 

Drake debated hitting him with one of his wings. “... Kind of.”

 

Eclipse nodded. Now that he'd had time to examine the wings more closely, he was fairly sure of a way to make them disappear. He put out his hand, and fired a small electrical bolt straight at the wings.

 

Drake was startled— that had hurt! Then... he fell the few inches of air he'd managed to get as the wings disappeared and stumbled a bit, having lost his balance.

 

“Come.” Eclipse said, and turned around to walk back into the tower.

He stopped just after turning around. Eclipse seemed to think for a moment, then turned back around to Drake and offered out his hand. He did need this boy to at least half trust him…

 

Drake ignored the offer and walked past Eclipse, back toward the palace.

 

“Where are you going?” Eclipse asked, while following at a slower pace. He moved the barrier to block the palace in case the boy did something foolish.

 

Drake grumbled what could be counted as a reply and then stopped as he felt the barrier.

 

Eclipse came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Let's go upstairs... We have a lot to talk about.” He said gently to the boy, “I'm sure you know that.”

 

Drake glared at the ground. His plan had seemed so simple before. Jump, see if the wings appeared again, fly away, don’t look back. It had gotten hard… he wasn’t sure how. The barrier didn’t let him go anywhere, though… so he gave in. “… Fine.”