"My children are mistaken, we are deserters from the demon king's army. We are enemies of the humans but not us.

And my brother has decided to stay with the goblins and orcs and other lycans. We like to live like humans and with humans. I am Lycan and my wife is human. Our children are demons. We refused to eat humans and were "executed by wolves""

Me: "Eat and we don't care and I turn to the child and ask him, do you want to play a game with me?"

"Mercy" cried the father.

"But I just want to play, we're only 2 years old!".

"Is your name Christine, I think.

Do you know the stinking hand game?"

Christine was surprised. "No????"

"In Asia children play it and it's great fun. You have to sing and find a piss vinegar or a vinegaron.

And I saw some earlier when I got some wood to light the fire." I said...

Christine: "And what is that?"

"It's a scorpion but instead of stinging, it spits out its venom which is harmless to us but stinks of vinegar. He has a whip that spins and when he's angry he spins it to show that he's angry.

He calms down and his whip stops. But when he breaks down, he spits out his vinegar, hence the name vinegar piss.

It's also called for frustrated and angry people: vinegar piss."

"so you have to get one and pass it from hand to paw without making him angry. And whoever has the paw or the hand that smells like vinegar has lost."

"He who loses? What happens to him?" asked the little girl, before the incredulous eyes of her parents and her little brother.

"Well, he has to sing the song of the vinegar, going around in circles until he makes the others laugh, otherwise he's a sissy and they throw him in the lake to get rid of the smell but mostly to get him wet... It's stupid, isn't it? "

"When do we play?"

"Now!" I said

"Hey you, too, the grown-ups have to play! you've had something to eat, so dance!" shouted Auberone.

I was folded in two!

We were looking in the branches for a vinegar and we were singing:

"VINEGARON RON RON, WHO GOES ROUND AND ROUND IN CIRCLES IS A SCORPION, PAWN PAWN PAWN,

HE'S BOUNCING AROUND!

VINEGARON RON RON,"

Ah, I got one, says the dad. OUCH, he pinched me.

Me: "Show me once? Ugh, you stink of vinegar, you lose!

Hop the song on the rock or we'll throw you in the lake!"

Children: "Lake Lake Lake Lake Lake!"

"The Vinegaroonn, is not very good, the vinegaroonn doesn't smell very good..." but the funny lyrics were not right and Auberone, grabbed him with her claws and threw him in the lake.

"WET CHICKEN, Cot cot cot cot cot! " they shouted.

He reached the shore and went to dry himself by the fire.

Christine: "And what do we win?"

"Mmmmhh Yes, an almond cake!"

The 3 remaining humans each found a scorpion and me and Auberone, we had to make a splash, the mother and the little brother.

Christine had won.

We launched "Leomund's safe shelter" and a camp with tents and a fire and provisions appeared and we could sleep the rest of the night. The material disappeared with the birds singing, the humans fell on the ground, on the leaves, the beds and mattresses disappearing with the dawn.

"Yes, it's a bit sad, but it's not a comfort spell. It's basically a survival spell to rest in a hostile environment.

Beware there may be people who want to harm you but we're going to close the camp and head north, to the remote lands.

We said goodbye and after a final hug, we flew away singing the song of the vinegaron so that the children won't cry anymore.

FLAP FLAP FLAP FLAP FLAP FLAP.

The lake passed under us and was quite long. It was at least ten kilometers long but only a few hundred meters wide.

Then another lake and another and when we got higher, it was like a sea of lakes, connected to each other by narrow strips of land and we saw a lagoon city, the houses built on stilts and a gigantic lake, a bit like a sea. there were also small fishing boats, a church, a market and a small wooden fort and a big altar with stakes and torches.

Then we went around the village and sang a ave maria and danced in the air with ribbons and dropped magic sequins and Japanese cherry petals in our train to greet the people of the little town.

We were answered by loud horns and sisters calling out to us and then some people from below ran to the poles and tied something to the poles and lit brazeros.

People downstairs gestures approached us and one of them shouted in a doorway words or rather grunts in draconian: SACRIFY EAT MERCY NOT KILL US.

But they're crazy!

A guy had a spear and was about to kill a young girl in front of us, probably to be devoured by a wyvern but killing her just beforehand to shorten her suffering.

We ran into the soldier and just barely got him off with our tails. He was ejected to the side but he must not be hurt. We stood in front of the poor girl who was tied up and screamed in terror!

NAAAAAAHHHHH I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

"Calm down young lady. We are kind magicians who travel and explore the world

We don't eat humans! We're nice wyverns."

And suddenly we cut the poor child's ties. She fell to her knees and begged for mercy.

"Get up, child, by the way, we're children too, but we're a little bit bigger than you! Tell me what's going on here and why do you want to sacrifice yourself?"

An old man came and said: Lord dragons, spare our village. We're so poor and this is our most beautiful child. Take her and let us mourn her.

"Oh, we're just passing through and we were looking for a place to rest and have a good time.

My name is Vermithraxa and this is my sister Auberone. We're magicians from the Zanzar Academy."

The face of the old man, the village earl, lit up: "Zanzar sent you? "

"Zanzar is no longer just the king. We flee because it was a dragon with a sorcerer who killed the king and since we are dragons, we fled without asking for the rest of us.

We had nothing to do with it, but these are human problems and we're distancing ourselves more and more."

The man seemed pained at the disappearance of the king and Zanzar.

"Then the forces of chaos may come upon us, the goblin king's army may feel its wings sprouting," the old man said.

But it's Vertrix, our flea.

"He's settled on the other side of the rocky hill and when he's tired of fishing and bored, he comes and ravages our boats and uses them as toys and bites the fishermen.

Then when that's not enough for him, he sets fire to the houses and watches us run like ants.

We've been able to calm him down a little by offering him food, but he prefers young humans and he eats them or does whatever with them, but none of them ever come back alive."

Please, dragon ladies, our city is slowly dying!

"When is he coming?"

"He should come today, tomorrow at the latest."

Okay.

We're gonna do an illusion and we're gonna have a lot of fun.

But is he taller than us?

Yes, I'm afraid so and he's a male!

"Anyway, Auberone, we're too young. Haven't you had any cravings yet? Have you?"

Auberone: "Feelings for what?"

Me "Nothing, forget it!"

A Wyrme can mate at 4 but is fertile at 5 or 6. So we were still relatively safe.

Our mental age, or at least that of Auberone, was close to that of a pre-teenager, but I, with my memories of my previous life, was mature.