Circling high above the vast island below him, Jake felt conflicted. He could see the small Kobold town far below, and from this altitude, it seemed so close to the sea it startled him. When they fled, it had appeared so far from the coast. Watching the bustling town, he felt conflicted. Should he be happy or sad that he had found it?

"Brother hunt?" Tir's voice seemed distant, as Jake tried to suppress his memories. After shaking them off, he grinned.

"No, little sister, those are Kobolds. We don't hunt them. They can turn into Dragons like me. But some down there tried to harm me and my friends."

An angry hiss came from his back as both Tir and Ter seemed agitated by his words. "We fight them?" Ter, sofar not one for direct conflict, was glaring from his back towards the barely discernible Kobolds moving around.

"No. We are going to see who won the battle in the end. There were some nice Kobolds. Perhaps they need our help." Sighing, Jake began circling down, wondering if he should approach or scan from the sky and leave it at that. He wasn't that far down when he saw they had spotted him far sooner than he had expected. Before he was in yelling distance, a group of Kobolds had gathered in front of the small town.

Scanning them, Jake found a few familiar faces and was relieved to find Bolyr standing at the front of the group. Can he recognize me? He shook his head. Impossible. Flapping his wings at twenty meters above the ground, Jake realized he could impossibly hear what the Kobolds were yelling. Looking around, he didn't find a single spot where he could land without them being able to reach him. Scanning for Vestr, he didn't see the old bastard anywhere, but Gria was standing next to Bolyr. He was shocked to see she was missing an arm. Damnit. I need to talk to them! After a moment, he decided on a course of action.

"Bolyr! Move away from the others so we can talk in private." As he roared above his flapping, Jake wondered if the other would be startled when he heard his name.

Almost immediately, the Kobolds began running around. Within a minute, all the other Kobolds had rushed back to the village, waiting at the edge and leaving the yellow armed Bolyr by himself. Making sure he could get away before the others; Jake descended, the powerful wind causing Bolyr to lean forward, trying to keep his footing. When he landed, he looked Bolyr almost straight in the eyes, again hammering home that his Dragon shape was not all that big yet.

Staring at him, Bolyr nodded. "Jake?"

How the... Just because I called his name? Startled, Jake nodded back, keeping a constant eye on the other Kobolds in the distance.

"Yes. How did you know it was me?"

Bolyr laughed for a moment covering the pained expression he had. "Because there are no Dragons like you on this world anymore. Besides, you know my name, and I have never met any sea Dragon." Bolyr sighed, his frivolous expression gone again, and he stared Jake in the eyes. "I am very sorry for what happened. Vestr tried to take control of the tribe and killed all but a single of the elders. He hid it from me, but I should have realized something was wrong. Are your friends, alright?"

Shaking his head, Jake narrowed his eyes. "What happened to Vestr?"

"Gria killed him, but it was a hard-won victory." Bolyr rubbed his lower arm as he spoke, not seeming to realize he was. He stared at Jake but kept quiet.

Wondering how far he could trust the other, Jake decided he had little choice unless he wanted to search for the other island randomly. "I've lost the others on the way back to the first island when I changed. They should be there somewhere, but I don't know how to get there."

Bolyr began rubbing his jaw, an inquisitive look on his face as he stared at Jake. "How did you manage to find your way back here?"

"That isn't important. What is important is that you can help me to find the others. Will you?" Jake's voice shook a little as he asked, knowing that if the other didn't help voluntarily, he would jump him and drag him along by force.

The older Kobold smiled and nodded. "I will help. We will do anything in our power to help you and wash away the shame that Vestr brought on us. If you want, I can come with you. Gria doesn't need my help, and I had to kill too many Antraci to stop Vestr. " Bolyr's voice trailed, the painfull look returning to his reptilian face.

"You can come, but we will leave right away. I need to find Mason and see if he is alright." Jake stood back on his haunches, staring at the Kobolds who were still waiting in the distance. Lyra, Bolyr's daughter, was standing next to Gria, a fresh scar on her only a finger width from her right eye. "Go say goodbye to your daughter, then we leave."

Bolyr turned and stared at the distant Kobolds before exhaling. "No need. I killed one of her friends. She does not wish to speak with me. " He raised his yellow arm in a peculiar greeting before stepping forward. "I am ready. Let us go."

Even with all that had happened, Jake still felt sympathy for the Kobold, and he lowered his head. "Fine. Get on my back and keep your hands away from my wings. And don't hurt the two small ones, they are my Dragon siblings."

Bolyr's eyes widened, and he stepped forward, finally seeing the two small serpents on Jake's back. He swallowed before carefully climbing on the spot behind Jake's wings and shoulders. His feet almost touched the ground, but Jake didn't care and jumped forward his powerful frame, propelling them in the air, ignoring Bolyr's startled cry. He felt a stream of energy from the center of his being flow into his wings, and a minute later, they were soaring forward.

"Where do we go?" Jake roared, heading towards the coast.

"A bit more towards that black outcrop, then go straight. " Bolyr's voice sounded giddy, and he was looking around like a child.

Sighing in resignation, Jake leveled out when he was a few hundred meters in the air, knowing he needed to conserve his strength. With Bolyr's added weight, he would not be able to fly for as long as before. The wind rushed around them, but it wasn't ear-shattering, and he turned his long neck a bit so he could examine the Kobold.

"What do you know of my siblings?" He asked, staring at the two quiet little lizards that had yet to speak since Bolyr joined them on his back. They were around the length of his lower arm.

Bolyr stared at them for a while, smiling and seeming happy. "They are pseudo dragons. Usually, Awoken eat them to gain strength, but sometimes there are too many, or the Awoken Dragon chooses to let them live. Legend says that those Dragons who let their nestmates live are more powerful. They don't care about the small boost in strength it would give them."

Jake found the idea of Dragons waking up and eating the others revolting, and he could feel Tir and Ter move skittishly. "Don't worry, little ones. I would never eat you! And those Dragons who do should be ashamed!"

Tir and Ter calmed down again, and Bolyr stretched a hand, leaving it close to Tir's head. She bent and sniffed his hand, appearing to like what she smelled. Moving close, she nestled against Bolyr's leg, purring like a cat and startling Jake.

Stroking her gently, Bolyr smiled widely. "There are many benefits to you and your friends for letting the pseudo dragons live. As they stick to you, they will become more intelligent and powerful and, although it might take many years, they can eventually grow into Dragons. You will have to guard them until then because their high Dragon blood makes them a prime target for many recently Awoken. "

Ter finally overcame his fear and lay at Bolyr's other side, listening to the yellow armed Kobold.

"Didn't Gria tell us that there were no real Dragons left?" Jake felt confused, wondering if he had heard wrong.

Bolyr chuckled and began speaking in a storyteller like voice. "She is right and wrong. Although there are no more living Dragons of old, those who awaken their Dragon blood are part Dragon, and if they can increase their purity, eventually they will lose the last vestiges of before and turn into true Dragons."

"Has this happened yet?" Jake asked, wondering if there was any truth to the legend like stories the Kobolds kept telling him. Besides, what was with the way he had said living?

"Not yet, but on the mainland, there are dozens of Dragons who are infinitely close. "

"How do you know all this? And why didn't Gria tell us this?"

"She does not know..." Bolyr gazed in the distance, a far off look in his eyes. "Before we came here, her father was our leader, and the last of the awoken. I was there when he died, and he shared his secrets with me. He made me swear only to tell them to those who took the first step to become a Dragon." Snapping out of it, Bolyr grinned and padded Jake's muscled flank. "That would be you! I had hoped you would survive the ascension, because you are a good person. It's about time that I tell you everything you need to know. "

While Jake and the little ones listened, Bolyr began speaking of ways to increase blood purity, and what one should eat to grow healthy and pure. He spoke of the mainland, of places to avoid, and areas that were beneficial until Jake felt his mind dazzle from all the impressions. He could barely keep track of all the names and locations and was glad when Bolyr was quiet for a while. While his imagination began painting pictures of grand cities and ancient citadels, Bolyr scraped his throat, his bearing suddenly changing.

"Of all I have told you, what comes next is the most important, and the most secret. It is only known by the leaders of the tribes, and if they find I know while not being the leader nor an awoken, I will be killed on sight. "

Jake swallowed at the severe tone of the other. Gone was the storyteller's voice, and Bolyr sounded dead-serious.

"When the Dragons cast their last spell, they used their blood power, causing their bodies to wither and die. But their minds and souls were still fine. Using a technique left behind by a long-forgotten race, they created a fake world, an alternate world. Unlike your old one, this one was purely one of spirit, and they send their souls and minds inside. In this world, they sleep and wait for the first pure-blooded Dragons to return to the outside world. When this happens, portals will open around the world, and all those with a high blood purity will feel a calling. They will be drawn to the portals and the world that lies behind it. Once there, the ancient Dragons will teach them all they need to know, and when they return, it will signal the return of the Kobolds! We will go back to our lands of old, and retake what was stolen from us!"

Listening to the story, at first Jake was nodding, but when he heard Bolyrs barely hidden hatred and anger at the end, he swallowed. Seriously? After so long, they would go back to wage more war? As Bolyr kept staring off into the distance, a dangerous twinkling in his eyes, Jake hoped not all of the Kobolds shared his sentiment.