The buzzing of flies stirred Fia awake in the most annoying way possible. They zipped by her horns and eardrums, and their tiny presence could be felt landing on her eyelids.

"Gah!" She awoke with a start and tried to shake the flies off. Some flew from beneath her wing, where they had been trying to get to her cauterized wound. "Ew… leave me alone," she muttered.

Her outburst also woke up Viliant abruptly, so she accepted his frantic mental connection. What's wrong?

Just flies, she said.

None are bugging me.

Probably 'cause they're all attracted to me. Fia squirmed as she tried to get comfortable once more. Because I'm so sweet!

Though she wanted him to leave her alone so she could get more sleep, Viliant came over sluggishly and swatted away the rest of the flies. Get up. We've slept enough. Let me see your shoulder.

Fia lifted her wing higher up her body, shielding her face from the sunlight and exposing her body to him. Everything ached from overexerting herself last night, both physically and magically.

"Ack!" Viliant made a sound of audible disgust. Uh, Fia, I think they laid eggs on your wound.

"What?" she yelped and jumped up at once. Fia started wailing, not even wanting to look at her shoulder. It was too early in the day for this. I don't want the flies to eat me! She sniffed and cried more intensely, waiting for Viliant to make it better.

It's okay. Stop crying. He said that in her mind, immediately followed by a harsh, "Shush!" We'll get moving and find a stream. Then you can wash your wound.

That solution would take too long to resolve the issue. Fia wanted the fly eggs off her this instant, so she roared in Viliant's mind, I'm gonna burn them! This'll teach them not to mess with a fire dragon—

No, wait!

Fia waited with bated breath. Tiny flames danced from her nostrils in a snort. One brow lifted while she stared at him. What?

Your shoulder is already burnt.

Exactly. Fia had a high heat tolerance—more so than the bugs. She had already cauterized her shoulder in that explosive, uncontrollable fire spell, but that much heat would not be necessary to cook the insect eggs. Some additional flames would hurt that area none, or so she thought.

I don't think you should make it any worse, Viliant said gently. The flesh you can see is burnt, but not so much underneath.

Fia realized that this was true as she tried to move her shoulder. The waves of pain became more intense deeper down, where the flesh had been seared less. In contrast, the exposed surface of the wound did not hurt, probably why she had never felt the flies land there. The nerves were burned past the point of sensation.

Thanks to this, she might be able to gently brush the eggs off with little pain. Fia tried to tend to her wound. Though her neck was long and flexible, her head was too big and her shoulder too close to lick it comfortably. She would miss spots, and then she feared what the larvae would do to a dragon.

Maybe she could run her shoulder along a bush or against the ground instead. However, the harder and pricklier surfaces would probably cause pain. Moreso, she worried about cleanliness if she could not lick her own wounds.

Will you—? she started.

Let's get going. Viliant knew exactly what she was about to ask, and he did not even want to hear the request. We'll find a river. You can wash your shoulder there.

The dragons marched eastward under broad daylight. Both their claws dragged across the dirt as they crossed little ground for a lot of effort. Oddly enough, Viliant seemed to struggle almost as much to walk. His head drooped low enough that long grasses and low shrubbery brushed against his face. He could not bother to lift it any higher.

Are you sore? Fia asked.

Yeah, Viliant mumbled. Just overdid it.

The inexperienced mage had cast spells all night to save their lives. The duration of his magic usage made the aftereffects linger, unlike Fia who had pushed past her limit all at once and conked out afterwards.

You're not gonna die are you? In its most severe state, mana exhaustion could put a magic practitioner on their deathbed.

Nah, I'm fine. A teasing intent entered his mind as he said, More likely the flies will get you first!

Fia squeaked out of fear and bit back a fresh assault of tears. Now that she was awake and moving around, she could keep the bugs at bay. They irritated her more than usual given the recent violation, so she swatted at them with ferocity in her wings and wickedness in her tail.

The flat of her rigid tail spike hit Viliant squarely on the cheek, who had been bringing up the rear.

"Oops! Sorry." Thoroughly surprised by her accidental misdeed, Fia gave a verbal apology.

His scales could protect him from the scratch but not the aggravation. Hey, watch it! I'm not a fly.

Fia rolled her eyes around innocently. We flew pretty good last night! I think that technically makes you a fly.

An unamused glare settled over Viliant's face. His shredded wings drew closer to his body as he muttered, You were the one who flew, not me.

Right. I'm…. Fia was about to apologize for the insensitive remark but then remembered how Viliant did not want any remorse for his wings. Her mind fell silent.

Although Viliant was perplexed by her incomplete thought, he did not bother to question why she trailed off. His mood stayed broody for a while, but he rebounded soon enough and then some.

The black dragon seemed to put some effort towards peppiness for her sake. Viliant tried to distract her from the bugs and her soiled wound. The sun feels nice, doesn't it? So warm on our scales….

I know! So nice! As a reptilian species, the dragons gathered warmth from their surrounding environment—except for Fia whose fire always burned in her belly. Instinctually, she still enjoyed the sun on her scales. We're free, she mused. We're really free!

It's still hard to believe, Viliant agreed. When I close my eyes, I can still see that cell…. A shudder ran down his spine to the tip of his tail. Thanks for helping me get out of there.

Back then, the older dragon had already seemed to give up on life. Now, Viliant would have a bright future beneath the sun and open sky. Fia could not wait to return to her clan so that he could have a home again—and warn her people.

When she walked closer to nuzzle Viliant, his black scales felt incredibly hot from absorbing the sunlight. Thanks for saving me too, Fia said. Couldn't have done it without you!

Viliant gave her a sidelong glance, confused but accepting her friendly gesture. We're in this together, till we make it back to your clan. You have to save them. And you promised me a home.

Yes! Despite the urgency to their cause, Fia did not dwell on their long-term goal. As long as she had Viliant at her side, she felt as though she could do anything! For now, she focused on their immediate circumstance, and those worries reconquered her mind.

Late in the afternoon, they still did not come across a pond or stream.

Viliant! she whined.

Fine. Flies hatch quickly, he reasoned. We should probably get them off sooner rather than later. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else.

The dragons rested beneath the boughs of a tree.

Can you lick them off? Regardless of the fly eggs, her wound needed tending. The curative properties of dragon saliva could help stave off infection.

Viliant's snout wrinkled up. Give me a minute.

She stared at her crossed, tightening claws while he composed himself.

You owe me big. His eyes squeezed shut when he lowered his snout into the cavity of her busted shoulder and stuck out his tongue. Once he had some eggs on his tongue, he immediately spit them out and licked grass. He repeated these steps, only opening his eyes just enough to see the spot that he should lap at next.

There. Done. Viliant moved over to the tree and scrubbed his tongue on the bark. At the sight, Fia could not help but giggle to herself. His head bobbed like a snake rising out of a basket; he only needed some snake-charmer music.

Since he could sense her amusement, he snapped, What? Did I get fly eggs on my face?

No, it's nothing, she dismissed hastily. A warm and fuzzy feeling was fostered in Fia's chest, knowing that Viliant had done something disgusting for her sake. Thanks so much!

We're traveling during the day from now on, sleeping at night. I'm not cleaning your wound everyday! Viliant sat with his nose upturned to the leaves above. He continued, We passed a town not long ago. I'm going back to find some medicine, a proper cloth to wrap your wound, and more importantly…. His stomach spoke for him in loud rumbles. Food.

Her own belly panged in hunger. Yes!

They had not stopped to eat all day. Dragons had big bellies, so they could easily stuff themselves with their daily or weekly caloric needs during a single feeding period. Albeit, Fia and Viliant would probably want to sleep afterwards if they ate enough for a whole week.

Since Viliant had never learned to hunt—not even bunnies—he would have to pillage livestock from the nearby farms. Her belly grumbled as she thought of those sheep and goats that they had seen on the way. The growing dragons needed to eat a lot, especially to replenish the energy expended traversing across the countryside and performing magic. A part of her worried an angry farmer might come looking for his lost animals and discover them, but the dragons needed to eat.

If not for her broken leg, Fia would catch some rabbits and show Viliant how to hunt small game. That would be much safer, but there was nothing that they could do about it. She sighed and emphasized, Remember to bring me back a big, juicy steak!

Will do. Stay here till I get back. Viliant stalked away and became nothing but a rustle in the long grass.