Alright guys, I dont think I need to say who won since it was rather obvious from the very beginning! Will say it anyway. It was LUNA

Thanks to everyone that voted and I apologise that I am only now posting again but I was on a business trip that came up at the last second. I am also surprised at how much hate my fic has been getting lately and it bothered me for a bit, but I am over it.

As promised here is the pic.

Hopefully my drawing skills are not too bad. i have also decided that all the donations i receive will go towards buying a drawing tablet, so that in future i can do these things in color. I have done some research and they are quite expensive, however, since the dollar is so much stronger than the currency in my country it wont take more than one hundred dollars. Of course getting donations will in no way affect how many chapters i post.

As always i hope you enjoy the story and if you have not already please, follow, favorite and vote.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

45

Forming Bonds by Showing Trust.

In the middle of vast plains under an immense starry sky a campfire is silently crackling, throwing a small circle of light in its surroundings. Four people are seated around the fire, one is sitting with his back towards the others.

Slyfer sitting away from the rest feels a shiver run up his spine as he thinks back to how he had nearly lost his life, due to making a huge mistake. He once again repeats a note he had sworn to himself, to take to his death. –Never throw a female with water when they don’t expect it!-

He had unsuspectingly changed to his humanoid form and as soon as he did, was tackled by the two. The attack had forced him to clean himself as well, which led to the current situation. His cheeks warm up and he silently tries to sneak a peek, but shivers run up his spine as soon as he makes the movement. –They are watching me so closely; trying to sneak a peek means death… maybe it would be worth it?-

Slyfer sighs and lowers his head as shadows dance on his naked back. –Wait a minute! Why are they allowed to see me naked, but I am not allowed to see them? Females are so unfair. - Another long sigh escapes him. –What is the difference between this and Vinx? Is there a difference, I don’t care anymore.-

Tension leaves him and he leans back straightening his legs out in front of him. His actions surprise the girls since he now seems relaxed. In truth Trisha and Fira had been staring at his back ever since they had been sitting. The muscle on his shoulders bunch up naturally rippling under his bronze skin as he leans backwards, his damp hair falling back when his head turns up to look at the star-filed sky. His voice rings out causing bugs that were chirping nearby to fall quiet.

“Do you ever think that there is something more out there?” He reaches up almost feeling like he can pluck the stars out of the sky.

The others are caught by surprise at his question. Trisha answers first. “More then what?”

He grabs a hand full of grass and sits forward while his hands start to work automatically. “More than this world, this place, our situations and our problems. Maybe there is another land somewhere that has peace, where no-one fights because they simply don’t need to fight.” The dragons laugh calling him naïve, but he simply ignores it. Waiting for anyone or thing to answer.

Fira is the first to talk. “That world does not exist, because in such a world there would be no, vision or aspiration, goals and…love.”

Her answer surprises Slyfer, but to him makes sense. Trisha is also surprised. Luna chirps in. “It sounds like Alpha Slyfer wants such a world?”

All question the word “alpha”, but soon dismiss it. Slyfer nearly turns around, but then remember s and quickly turns back. “I used to believe I lived in such a world, where I grew up the biggest predators were my family. Everything was always peaceful and quiet. The only person who always seemed in a rush was Aldowin. I never realized it, but I do now. Always the training; always trying to improve me in some way. If I knew what I know now, maybe I would have worked harder, faster…rushed like him.”

Trisha speaks for the first time her cat eyes also turning to the stars. “I do not think you have done so bad.”

Slyfer laughs at her cynically. “So bad… the first time we met you nearly killed me, the high elves shunned me and Aldowin lost his people.”

Trisha huffs, “I apologized for that and I also regret-“

Slyfer interrupts her quickly. “No, no don’t get me wrong. I am not blaming you all over again. I am just thinking back on my choices and where it has brought me…no us.”

Luna snorts. “If Alpha had shown his true form, he would have had all the people begging him to help instead of chasing him.”

Slyfer grunts before saying. “What, would that have achieved? Would I have been any better than the black dragon? I cannot lead out of fear; no it would not have worked.”

Fira leans forward hugging her knees and staring at the fire. “If not out of fear, respect then? The people would have respected you for what you are.”

Slyfer shakes his head and plucks out a few more stalks of grass while he chuckles and says. “Now you are just lying to yourself. If the people did not respect the promise made with the mightiest and respected dragons, how would they have respected me? Not to mention, both camps had or may still have traitors in the ranks.”

Trisha sits forward a bit angry, to her it seems like everything could and can be different if everyone knows what Slyfer is, she does not get the need for secrecy. “So what if they found out? What could they have done?”

Fira and Trisha scream aghast as Slyfer suddenly whips around ignoring them as they make all kinds of attempts to cover what can be covered while quickly turning their backs to him. “What could they have done? What a stupid question? Why the need for secrecy? It is so obvious the very question is filled with idiocy! Do you think I wanted to keep it a secret? You people should know what it is like to have to hide yourself…I never wanted to, but the more worms we uncovered and battles we thought the more reasons became clearer and clearer with every life I had to take.” He runs his hand through his hair and gets up grabbing his pants and putting it on.

His voice rises as he does. “Why do you think the black dragon’s army has not attacked? They nearly killed us on the way here, three times we have thought the tiniest of his army. What keeps me safe is his lack of knowledge. What stops him from sending legions of griffons to come kill us?” Slyfer falls quiet expecting an answer, but getting none.

He sighs and his hand goes through his hair again before he starts to apologies. “I am sorry, I forget that you were not taught the same history I was. Chrono’s army was not defeated, they just up and left, which means they are still there. If he were to find out that something like me is here and that we are uniting the people he tore apart he would not think twice before attacking. What keeps us safe is his confidence in being able to wipe us out whenever he wants.” Slyfer starts to pace while he talks. “I do not have any evidence of this, so it is all my conjecture and thoughts, but just stop and think about it for a second. Even here in the middle of nowhere we have met his armies three times. Our lives rely on the secrecy and lies. I hate it, but it’s true. It’s frustrating to not have the power to live the way I want. What I need, no what we need is the strength to simply live our lives! That is what you all fail to understand, it is what I try and get into everyone’s heads. I am not a savior, only the people can save themselves by fighting for themselves. Right now we would be nothing more than a bug to be crushed under his heel. To be honest sometimes I feel like the people are not worth saving.”

The camp falls quiet and Slyfer stands around breathing hard for a while, he blinks a few times as he starts to relax. Guilt grips his heart and he starts to feel bad because he went off. The frustration of having to convince the people that there is danger and that they cannot run from it has been hounding him for longer then he cares to admit.

Trisha and Fira are thinking hard about what he said. They listen silently as his feet shuffles around a bit before he turns around and the fading sound of his steps tells them he is walking off somewhere. The two look in Luna’s direction who had sat facing him the whole time. The girl is staring at her hands intently. The words he used were sometimes not understandable, but the feelings behind them were clear to her.

She looks at them. “I think Alpha is sad and frustrated, but I do not understand why?”

Trisha and Fira glance at each other and Trisha speaks first. “I also did not understand why, but I think we have learned a lot tonight.” She turns to Fira. “I think it is time that we ask our elders to teach us the real history of this world and not the one they made up to placate and sooth themselves.”

Fira nods, “I will speak of this with my father when we get back, it may result in a fight, but it has to be done. Otherwise my people will die for their lack of knowledge.”

Slyfer is gone just clearing his head giving the woman a chance to speak to each other, the rivalry between them keeps the sentences short and chopped, but they learn a good deal about each other. Trisha feels a bit jealous of how Fira grew up. People accepted her the way she was and that was that. Trisha was ridiculed and most of her time was spent alone.

Both tip toe around the subject of Slyfer, never revealing much but always trying to learn something new that can give some type of advantage.

Finally having enough of the tip toeing Fira sighs and says to Trisha. “Enough, let’s just come clean and discuss this like adults.”

Trisha nods, but says nothing. Fira rolls her eyes and starts to speak. “I want Slyfer, not just because of political reasons, but because our souls are already joined and I have feelings for him.”

Trisha frowns at her. “I have already promised myself to him no matter what, you cannot make the same commitment that I already have. Besides that we met first and he made me believe for the first time that I…I am beautiful and wanted.”

Fira snorts flicking her hair over her shoulder. “That is a lie, my brother said it plenty times when he followed you like a puppy.”

Trisha clenches her teeth, but manages to keep her feelings under control. “Your brother only wanted one thing from me and never had any feelings, you just wanted to use Slyfer to advance your station and gain prestige.”

Fira narrows her eyes and Trisha’s eyes get a hint of killing intent. Fira lifts her eyebrow, “You abandoned him when he needed you.”

Trisha smirks, “In order to tell the Queen to go to the hell gates so I could follow him.”

Fira stands up and Trisha follows suit. Vinx flies in between them having watched the spectacle and now wants to stop it before it escalates. “Why don’t you share him?”

Both look at Vinx and shout, “NEVER!”

Luna looks between the two girls. Her brain thinks for a while and she starts to giggle, drawing everyone’s attention. She sees them looking and smiling innocently says. “If you don’t want to share, then I will take him.”

The other two nearly fall over and look at each other, another rival had crept up silently. “You are to young to understand these things.”

Luna frowns and she feels irritated, that’s all everyone ever tells her. It causes her speech to come out wrong. “I too young? Luna feels happy when see Alpha, Alpha save Luna. Luna is Alpha’s woman. What is to understand?”

Vinx flies over and starts to tap the girl on her shoulder. A silver light had started to creep into Luna’s eyes as she talked and started to gesture sending images of Slyfer into their minds, that being her most comfortable way of talking, like falling back into your native language when fighting with someone.

Fira and Trisha are surprised at the girl’s anger, but most of all the emotions and images she had shared through their minds. It was of how Slyfer had confronted her the first time and them bathed and taken care of her . The nights spent sleeping in his arms and being fed by him.

She stands up and turns her back to them. “Luna not understand, in your heart you happy when see Alpha, but not happy when someone else is happy in the same way! I decide Luna is Alpha’s woman.”

After dropping the bomb she too stalks off into the darkness, heading in the same direction that Slyfer had. Vinx wants to follow, but she holds up her hand causing the fairy to stop.

Vinx’s light dims for a bit and then lights up brighter than before. Fira and Trisha had stepped forward in order to comfort her a bit only to find the fairy smiling from ear to ear. Before they can ask anything Vinx says something that nearly bowls them over. “Kids grow up so fast.”

Slyfer is sitting on a boulder not far from the camp, he swears to himself. He had tried to do some magic training, but his mind could not get rid of the frustration he felt and in the end kept him from being able to train. With resignation he now sits and stares while continuously weaving the grass in his hand.

Footsteps pulls him out of his deep thoughts. His senses were on alert, but he had somehow failed to realize someone was coming. Luna hops onto the boulder next to him.

Her eyes scan the sky before she starts to speak. “Luna does not understand everything, but wishes that people would stop treating her like a baby.”

Slyfer looks at her and her sad face, he gets up and goes to sit behind her, giving her a hug. He sighs and says. “You wish you were older, while I wish I was still up in the mountains oblivious to everything.”

She leans back against him not bothered by his contact, but liking it. “Alpha, when will Luna be grown-up enough to be kissed? Luna’s heart races and I feel warm whenever I see Alpha.”

Slyfer’s mind freezes for a second. He regains his wits and rubs her hair, enjoying the softness of it. “Luna I am not sure when, such things are hard to understand.” He thinks of a way to explain it better and soon gets an idea. “If you found a small tiger that was lost and you help it, give it food and take care of it. Would you want to keep it in a cage when it grows up, or would you want to let it decide for itself if it wants to stay with you?”

Luna looks up at him, her eyes reflecting the stars. “Luna would like it to stay by its own. Luna has been in a cage and it is not nice.” Her little body shivers when she thinks back.

Slyfer holds her a little tighter when he feels it and whispers in her ear. “I will keep you safe and make sure you will never go back into a cage. That is also how I feel when I tell you, you are still young and must learn before we… have that kind of relationship.”

Luna shakes her head and says. “Alpha is not a cage, but a wide open space where Luna can be free.”

Slyfer hugs her, his heart filling with warmth. “When you are older the wide open space may become smaller and you will want to go beyond the horizon to explore the rest of the world.”

Slyfer’s voice is filled with a little sadness when he says it, it somehow makes her happy when she hears it. “Knowing Alpha will be sad when Luna may leave makes Luna happy.”

The two sit in silence just enjoying each other’s contact for a while. After about an hour Slyfer gets up picking the girls up who had fallen asleep in his arms. He makes his way to camp silently. When he arrives the others are sitting in silence looking at the fire. They look at him as he softly places Luna down resting her head on a rug sack that Fira had brought along.

He sits and continues with weaving the grass he had. Trisha looks at what his hands are busy with and can already make out the shape of a tiger. Slyfer breaks the silence that had been there along with a stifling and awkward atmosphere as soon as he finishes the tiger. “Do you want to leave tonight or go back tomorrow?”

Fira answers first. “I think it’s better if we leave tomorrow seeing as Luna is already asleep.”

He nods and places the weave aside. Trisha walks over and sits next to Slyfer. “We have thought about what you had said.” Slyfer only replies with a questioning gaze.

“Whether or not you revealed yourself is not our decision and your thought on our safety has merit. What bothers me is what you said about feeling like the people are not worth saving.” Trisha takes a twig and breaks it throwing the small pieces into the fire as she does. “If you do not feel like they are worth saving, why are you heading towards the capital?”

He leans back. “I made a promise and I want to attend the school there. There is so much that we do not know and above all else I wish to know things. I have heard that there is a great library in the capital and I have been wandering if there would be some inkling or lead as to where we come from and why we are here. Who are my real parents? There may also be some clues as to what the wards are that the humans uses. I have inspected them closely and found that they are not anti-magic, but just a different kind of it.”

Trisha nods her head. “I have had the same feeling and I share the same curiosity as you. My mother is not my mother by blood. I was found in an old temple by her.”

Fira perks up. “Me and my brother were also found in the same way by the healer.” There gazes turn towards Slyfer.

He shrugs. “I do not know where I was found or how. Alric and Serena has never told me.”

Trisha mumbles Serena’s name in reverence. “Tell me about your parents?”

Slyfer’s starts to laugh as soon as she asks. Fira sits forwards just as curious. “Well Alric was almost never around and when he was he never missed the opportunity to torment me.” The girls go pale at the thought of a dragon tormenting someone. “He did however teach me how to hunt and eat. His visits became less frequent when I turned ten years old. After that he would only come by now and then. Serena taught me how to speak in the dragon’s tongue and how to read the ancient runes. I have never seen these runes in person, but they used to be used a lot in the old days.”

“Aldowin taught me everything essential to survive and be somewhat normal compared to… well other people. None of them really showed any affection that I could feel at the time, but now thinking back Alric tormenting me was his way of making me tougher. Serena always protected me in some way and I feel regret because somehow as I grew we started communicating less and less. I could have learned so much more if I had not been so stupid.”

“Every day I would wish to leave, every day I would yearn for the outside world. It is a shame that I do not know if I will ever go back or if I can, but I would like to someday.” Slyfer sits back and smiles at the memories in his mind.

He continues telling stories way late into the night. Like when he was small he used to always pee on Serena’s claw for some reason the dragon got angry since it caused some of her scales to go lighter than the rest. Alric once accidently breathed to hard and sucked Slyfer right into his nostril. When the dragon sneezed him out, Slyfer broke both his arms when he came out despite being caught by the dragon! After that the dragons spent all their time at the top of the waterfall.

Slyfer falls quiet after a while as his mind thinks back on everything, he finds himself missing the two dragons and decides to talk with Alric more.

Trisha once again breaks the silence. “I have apologized before, but I am sorry for what happened when we first met. In truth I acted more out of fear then anything else. The way we treated you afterwards was also not right. I am sure the princess also feels sorry for her actions. To be honest I do not know why you forgave us.”

Slyfer raises an eyebrow. “You were the first people I met and to someone that has never felt something like me, it would indeed feel strange. I was angry at the time, but I also did not know how to handle it. We were about to be attacked and there was no time for any kind of feelings at all. All the dark elves did not accept me at first as well, but after some time, it changed as well. I cannot expect a whole race to simply accept me out of the blue. I did not understand this at first, but it makes sense to me now. Wars were fought and many have died in history. Outsiders are a potential danger, if I accomplish anything my wish is to take away that stigma, however, I am too inexperienced to do so… right now.”

“To be honest I think the white dragon was correct in doing what he did, but he did it in the wrong way.” All the dragons fall quiet at those words some growl in anger others simply think.

Fira frowns and asks. “What would have been the right way then?”

Slyfer shakes his head. “I don’t know, but depending on what happens in the capital I may find out.”

The rest of the night is spent in silence and the next morning they have a quick meal and set out back towards the main camp. Three hours later they arrive and head down. It almost looks like nothing has changed in their absence, but as soon as they enter the camp Slyfer can feel the difference in the atmosphere and bearing of the people.

When he reaches his tent Bam is already waiting. “My lord.” He quickly bows and steps forward.

Slyfer looks at him, taking in his bearing and atmosphere before he asks. “What has happened?”

“My Lord, more and more villages have been appearing as we made our way forward. We have been buying food from them, but yesterday someone arrived along with a few people.”

Slyfer steps forward suddenly very interested! Bam smiles at his Lord’s curiosity. “It is a delegate from the capital. Apparently we are not so far away anymore and they wish to know our intentions.”

Slyfer can’t help but feel excited at the news. The atmosphere in the camp is clearly the same. He wants to rush off but stops himself and asks. “What race is this delegate?”

Bam shakes his head. “We are not sure, she keeps her face veiled at all times, however I have heard her men say that she is a snow elf.”

Slifer smiles at the news as he thinks. –Not sending a human will work in the capital’s favor, could it mean that the black dragon does not have as much power as we thought?-

The smile disappears when Bam speaks again. “There is more news… a human has also been sent and though the snow elf has the authority it is clear that she is wary of this human.”

Slyfer swears and turns around. “This is troublesome; please send a messenger to my sister. I want to hear more about this human and Snow elf. Also send a messenger to the high elves and inform them of what has happened, despite how I may feel we are in this together.”

He nods and quickly sends his men to do as asked. “There is one more thing my Lord.”

Slyfer in thought at first does not hear him, but the second time Bam finally gets his attention. “My Lord the girl we saved in the village has been asking for you.”

Just thinking about it makes Slyfer’s blood boil! He clenches his fists at his sides. “I will go speak to her first, after that I will go find these representatives.”

Bam nods and asks more out of curiosity than duty. “What is your plan my lord?”

Slyfer smiles, a smile that does not reach his eyes. “My plan? My plan is to find out just how deep the claws of the black dragon has reached and once I have. I will break off those claws and burn them to ash!”