It had been a few days since Russet came home, and he was looking a bit better. He wasn't as nervous, and he had eventually greeted everyone.

I was sitting outside while he played with the bunnies on the grass in the shade. Angel and Daddy were helping us find good homes for them, so Russet and I were really thankful to them for that.

I got up and stretched. I really wanted to run around and play tag, but Russet was too weak for that. I pouted and leaned over to pat his head. He smiled up at me.

"Wanna play?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"Kinda. I want to shift, though."

He frowned. "Shift?"

"I am a hybrid. I'm a wolf-dragon."

Russet's frown deepened. "What do you mean by 'shift'?"

"Oh, I change forms. I'm in my main human form right now, but I have a dragon form that I can change into."

"Ooh, may I see?"

"Sure, but just remember that I won't hurt you. I'm still me, just a lot bigger."

Russet tilted his head in thought. "Okay, but you can't possibly be—eek!"

He blocked his face as wind hit him from my transformation. Russet looked like a tiny speck down at my talons, so I sat down and placed my head next to him.

Russet squeaked when he saw my violet and silver-ringed eye next to him. "You're huge!" he shouted, and I flicked my ears at him.

"Gee, thanks."

He flinched. "What was that?"

"It's called telepathy. I have to use it to speak to people in this form."

"Ooh, okay. You look super soft. May I touch you?"

I said nothing, but closed my eyes and let him run his fingers through my fur.

"What are these hard things where your skin should be?"

"Scales. They protect my skin underneath my fur. My fur covers them completely, so I look quite vulnerable, but I'm not."

"Wow, that's so cool!" he exclaimed, making me laugh. "Your hair is the same color as in human form, huh?"

"Mmhm."

"You've got a very regal-looking wolf head and body, but your front legs are like a big lizard instead of wolf legs in the back. And your tail is so fluffy!"

I giggled internally when Russet hurried down to my tail and flopped headfirst into it.

"And you have such cool, twisty horns! Your wings are so pretty! They're the same color as your fur, too. The scales on your wings joints are hidden under fur, right?"

"Yup." I said softly, gently licking my talons. I was now so sleepy.

Russet came back to my head and petted my nose, making it twitch. I looked at him, going crosseyed. Russet laughed and hugged my snout, so I licked his cheek. He pouted and wiped his face with his shirt.

"So mean, Annie!"

I chuffed and him, gently nosing his face. "Love you, too."

Russet paused and gave me an extremely bright smile. "Love you, too!" he beamed, rubbing the left side of my muzzle.

The bunnies hopped over, so I sniffed them and lowered my head to the ground. Russet tucked into my side, and I curled my tail around him, then closed my eyes with a happy sigh.

A prick at my backside made me flinch, and I turned my head. A deep growl rumbled the airwaves when I saw more than a few familiar faces.

"Russet, go inside and take the bunnies. Get Daddy for me."

"What's going on?"

"Just go! It's not safe for you!"

Russet hurried and ran inside with the bunnies running after him. I turned around and stood up, releasing a guttural screech at the intruding Draconia Clan.

I dug my talons into the earth and swept my tail behind me, tucking my wings against my body. Grandmother was holding a strange object, and Grandfather was holding out his hand. I noticed wires seconds before water hit my body and pain shot through my backside. My pained howl rose in volume as the electricity crackled through my body.

"He's frozen! Capture him!" cried Grandmother, and soldiers marched forward with their swords drawn.

"Baby!" cried Daddy, and I felt his presence grow.

A shadow passed over me and his massive white-scaled body landed in front of me, his talons slicing through the wires that were used to immobilize my form through high-voltage electricity.

I sighed with relief and shifted back to see the metal device fall. I returned to my dragon form and roared in the soldiers' faces, slamming my talons into one platoon and sending them flying out of Daddy's barrier. Grandmother was on the edge of it, since Daddy's magic didn't let women inside.

Daddy's dragon form was twice the size of mine, but that made sense. He snorted as I took my place next to him, then opened his mouth to let out a stream of honey-gold and white fire. It melted armor and soldiers shrieked, most running back the way they came.

A tremendous roar filled the sky and I saw a massive shadow of something passing overhead. I raised my gaze to the sky and my jaw dropped.

A white dragon skeleton with tattered wings swooped down to land next to me. It was three times the size of my dragon form, and much, much bigger than our mansion-like home. The skeleton was being held together by midnight, azure, and white magic. I blinked and saw the skeleton lower its head and I saw an orb of light inside the darkness.

"Uncle Andros?" I asked with amazement.

He chuckled in my head. "Yes, my sweet pup. I am known as a Lich; an undead skeletal dragon."

"You look so awesome, Uncle! I have lots of questions, but maybe we should save them for later."

"All right, pup. Should we kill them?" he asked, waving his talons over the soldiers. Just the movement alone knocked the enemies back twenty feet.

Uncle Andros and Daddy are super powerful. Could I ever match up to them?

I blew a puff of smoke out of my nose and stepped forward towards the ones I was ashamed to call my blood relatives. Grandfather backed away, but I pounced before he could shift. I turned my head and looked at him, my lips curling in a smirk as he shivered.

"I believe I told you I'd show no mercy if you messed with me and or my family again, dear Grandfather Alexios."

"Then kill me now! Don't play with my mind."

I huffed. "I don't know about that, Grandfather. You did hurt me pretty badly. How much do you love Grandmother? Do you think she deserves to get the same treatment that she gave me? Do you think she can handle it?"

Grandfather's face paled. "No, please, don't harm her..."

"Harm her? How do you think she has been getting pureblood dragons all this time? She's addicted to experimentation—she's addicted to the idea that she can become important to you through giving you pureblood children."

Grandfather's face completely drained of color as he looked at his wife's expression of want as she stared at Daddy's magnificent form.

"She hurt herself to please you, but now she does it willingly because she loves the way you treat her after she gives you what you want. You're the worst, Grandfather. Go home and look at your wife for once. Look at the track marks on her forearms, belly, and thighs. She has those because of your greed." I snarled, then knocked him out of the barrier.

I inhaled and released a flood of violet and silver flames over the rest of the soldiers, and even managed to pierce Grandmother through the barrier. She screamed and retreated, and the enemies fell away. I sat down and made sure they left, then imagined a fortifying barrier of magic against people with terrible intentions. I huffed.

Daddy walked up to my right side and sat down on his haunches, lowering his head to lick and kiss my head. Uncle Andros stepped over, and I leaned into his gentle touches with a happy bark. They chuckled in my mind, rubbing themselves on me.

__________________________

After that encounter, Daddy, Uncle Andros, and I all shifted back and redressed ourselves before going inside. My butt was still stinging from earlier, so my uncle was eager to hold me again. I snuggled into his embrace, nosing his neck while Daddy pulled some food from the fridge.

"Uncle, are you going to stay for awhile?"

"Yes, pup. I want to make sure all is well before going back."

"Mm, okay." I grinned, squirming a bit to peck his lips. "I love you, Uncle Andros. And I missed you."

He inhaled sharply and hugged my small form. "I love you too, Anwyll. And of course I missed my sweet pup."

I giggled. "Yay! Also, it's so cool that you're a Lich, Uncle Andros! A super awesome dragon! How come the others think you're not one?"

Uncle Andros sighed as he set my butt on the counter. "Because I am merely a skeleton, Anwyll. I do not have flesh, nerves, or skin."

"But you do have membrane on your wings." I reminded with a grin, which made him chuckle as he kissed my cheeks.

"Yes, but they do not consider me a true dragon because my form is that of the undead."

"Hmm, that's rude. Your form is super awesome." I pouted, crossing my arms.

Daddy laughed as he pushed a sandwich corner to my lips and I bit into it. I munched with a happy hum, pecking Daddy's lips when he bent down to kiss my cheek. Uncle Andros petted my hair, then turned when I noticed movement to my left.

"Russ!" I said with a grin, once I swallowed. "C'mere! I want you too meet my uncle."

Russet shyly shuffled in, then stopped at the counter on my left. "Annie, are you okay? Everything looked really scary."

I beamed. "It's okay! My butt hurts a bit, but Daddy and Uncle Andros came to my rescue. Thanks for getting the former!"

Russet blushed, then smiled and grasped my hand. "You're welcome."

Uncle Andros stared at Russet. "New family member?"

"Mmhm, it's been three days since my dear Russet was brought home. Isn't he cute?"

Russet blushed under Uncle Andros' gaze, and probably after my embarrassing introduction. "H-hi, sir. My name is Russet. Anwyll named me, because I didn't have a name. I'm really happy. And I'm trying to find some homes for my bunny friends. Do you know some good ones?"

Uncle Andros was quiet, but I could tell he was close to laughing. I kissed his cheek and he managed to calm down. Russet watched with a strange emotion in his eyes, but relaxed when I ruffled his hair.

"It's nice to meet you, Russet. You have a very wonderful name. My name is Andros DeLuca. I am Alexandre's older brother and Anwyll's uncle."

Russet smiled and hopped on his toes. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Are you hungry, Russ?" I asked, and he nodded. I tore off part of my half sandwich and gave it to him. He thanked me with a huge smile.

While he nibbled on it, Uncle Andros answered Russet's other question. "As for finding good homes for your rabbit friends, I may know a couple people who adore rabbits and have been wanting one for a really long time."

"Really?" asked Russet, his eyes filling with happiness and his beaming smile made me return it.

"Yes. I can give Alexandre their information, so you can look into it as well."

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, his tail wiggling behind him.

I giggled and petted his auburn curls. "Isn't that great, Russ?"

"Yep! I'm going to be a bit lonely without them, but I'll be happier knowing that they went to good homes that would be able to love them a lot more than I ever could."

"Now that would be near impossible, Russet." I huffed, then leaned down to kiss his forehead.

He giggled and shuffled out of the room, his tail wiggling behind him. "I'm gonna go to your room, Annie. See ya later!"

"See you." I grinned, waving back at him.

Uncle Andros chuckled and pecked my lips after Russet walked down the hall. "Cute kid. How old?"

"I did a scan on him the second day he arrived. He's twenty, and had likely been with that evil crone for the last eighteen years."

My jaw dropped. "He was in that cage for eighteen years? He looks so young!"

Uncle Andros stiffened. "Cage?"

Daddy sighed and had his brother pick me up. "Let's go to my office to talk. It's more private."

"Mm, okay." I mumbled, pressing my face into my uncle's neck. "I'm sleepy."

Daddy cooed and kissed my cheek. "Then sleep, baby. A lot of excitement occurred today."

"Mmhm." I hummed, closing my eyes and tucking my fists under my chin.

Uncle Andros breathed deeply and petted my hair. "Oh, my pup is too cute."

Daddy smiled and led him out of the kitchen. "He is definitely our adorable little wolf."

I giggled sleepily, yawned softly, then curled tighter with a happy sigh.