I woke up with my head under Valtrax's wing and I rubbed my cheek against my mother's body.

Gradually I was coming to my senses but I felt like I was a volcano filling up in its magma chamber.

"MOM!!! I'm scared!" I growled.

She put her muzzle against mine.

"You don't know how happy I am that you see me as your mommy. I looked for you for years, endlessly and when I saw you happy with your human family, I cried..you can't imagine but also I loved this family that took care of you, and most of all that loved you like I never could. "

"MMMm. Mum...."

she smiles at me.

"You are beautiful. "

Valtrax was all flushed, super happy, and was petting me.

"Listen, Torin... Forgive me if I call you Thor, but I'm willing to let you have this. You'll have to be brave, my good man."

"What will become of me?"

"MMMmm. You're still you... but you'll live! We will do everything to make you happy..."

"Thank you mom. but I am lost, disoriented, I am not me.. and I am unhappy..."

She drew her head closer to her chest.

"Listen to my heart beat. You too have a heart...and you too can love now... Do you remember, the arrow?"

"Yes... Mumm.., it was terrible but look at me... I am huge, I have plenty of fire inside me and I am suffering."

She put her horns against mine, her forehead against mine

"Torin... we are all here... you're not alone and you won't be. You saved your friends and family and you saved yourself... You were going to die anyway..."

I sat up straight..

"Is that right..?"

"Yes... it was me who gave Rubix the dagger but she loved you so much that she was unable to do that to you... to heal you.

But we didn't know you were going to be a dragon again. We thought Exodus might show up again but I knew you were Thor and that was a lie. Trust us, it's not our fault or yours.."

I sighed and had to take in all this information.

Valtrax: "But you need to rest. It's important for your body to balance with the powers you've inherited. You're hurting because your mana circuits were asleep and now they're being pumped violently with your monster core..."

"I'm a monster?"

"Nooo, nooo. You don't attack on sight? no? so you're a dragon..like a human. but stronger.."...

I put my head on my feet.

Valtrax: "We'll go home first.."

I thought of Cove, my farm, but it had been razed..then the cabin..

And I could see volcanoes in the distance.

"No...to my den, no.. OUR den. and... I have to teach you everything again..

Come on!! Get up!"

I became aware of crawling and wanted to stand up on my hind legs but I was too long and shaking.

"Come on, my big blanket..."

I finally straightened up and by not thinking about it anymore, my walk became more fluid.

Calmed down, the fire was no longer flowing from my mouth and I could move forward without burning everything in my path.

We moved slowly, but as fast as a galloping horse.

"While you are moving forward, you must flap your wings to strengthen your muscles. it must become natural"

I had like 2 pairs of arms. 1 in front, and 1 in the back but they were as strong as my legs. Powerful muscles made flying possible.

I was confused.

One time I flapped my wings, the other time I slapped my front legs and landed face down on the ground.

Valtrax smiled a little, but it annoyed me. "Yes, yes... it's funny..."

Valtrax: "Sorry, but you can't imagine how happy I am to walk next to you.

And a little affectionate blow of the horn.

Mom was almost in love with me.

"You know... you look a lot like your father from when he was still free... He was a very handsome male, strong and proud...Then she looked behind her and saw Rubix following in the distance.

She beckoned her to come closer...

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM were doing each of my steps and the earth was shaking but Rubix was following and moved aside not to be dispatched with my tail full of spines.

"Look who's here!"

I turned, all happy.

"RUBIX!"

She flew up like a sparrow and went to land on my neck and rested her cheek against it. I felt like I had a little kitten on me.

"Torin... I'm with you... and I love you!"

I stopped and turned my head to see her smiling at me, like a dragon knight on her dragon.

"Hahaha!" I laughed as I saw her riding me like a horseman....

"That's the best! A dragon knight riding a dragon..!"

Valtrax kept pace and smiled at Rubix who seemed happy.

But a horse passed us. It was Milo!

And Saphie on it!

She was screaming at me. "Torin??? Torin... I love you too!" and she jumped on top of me and made herself a place behind Rubix.

I huffed a little, sad for Saphie but Rubix, I thought she was particularly pretty. They were my friends and... my girlfriends... except they were small....

I had tears, real ones this time.

Rubix was translating everything to Saphie who understood some of the grunts, from being around them.

And, from the backpack, a little scaly head came out.

I shook my head a little... "You can't afford them..."

Valtrax, for fun... "So Rubix, you are a dragon knight...SNORT!!!hahaha!"

Rubix was embarrassed..

"Where is your dragon? PFFFT hahaha!"

Rubix looked at Valtrax and kissed me on the neck.

"I got a shiver.."

As night fell, we could hear the monsters following far behind and I had completely forgotten about them...

We took a break, walking when we could fly hurt our legs but we were in a circle around the fire, mom and I on either side, my head at her tail and the other way around. And Saphie and Rubix sitting on me.

There was a fire nearby, a human camp.

I looked in the direction.

Valtrax: "These are your friends..and your human family...they come with us but they are so small and they are scared. And I'm used to it..."

"When will they come?"

"When you're ready not to crush them..."

I made a little whimper like the dogs but I couldn't accept myself. it was too abrupt, too violent, too sudden.

I looked at my hand which was huge with monstrous talons.

I turned it in all directions.

"This is a nightmare... I'm going to wake up... this is not possible.."

Valtrax understood immediately and held me close, giving me all the love she could.

"If I knew to make you happy..."

But slowly I understood that I was not so alone...That they loved me for who I was and not what I was. Not once did they mention my powers."

"My little dragonet... That's right! You are a newborn dragon... 25 meters tall, but a newborn...

Well. I'll pass on the feeding although you have to relearn everything from the ground up.

Eat

Washing

Flying

Hunting and above all

Survive!"

I sighed and she sang me a lullaby and I fell asleep between her paws.

Once I was asleep, she continued to sing and cuddle me a bit, running her claws gently over the scales of my neck in a subtle massage.

The dragons were flexing themselves in couple in the neck and the mothers also licked their young thus. Especially in places that are hard to touch.

Gamblin approached Rubix from about fifty yards away

"So what?"

Rubix: "Shh... he's sleeping... he's calming down a bit.. but he's still our Torin.. "

Gamblin, whispering: "What is he saying?

Rubix : "He's got a hard on... He wants to go back to the way he was..."

Gamblin : "And the powers?"

Rubix : "He doesn't care, I think, but he's afraid of monsters...He needs time..."

She went back to lie against me and Gamblin came back to the humans.

"Saphie is sleeping on it with Rubix...I think we have a chance. We'll have to leave them alone but the mission continues!"

Esme and Ragul could see me from a distance but everything was distorted, different but everyone was starting to get their hearts back.

Lord Blackthorne was no more, nor his double! Life could resume slowly if I did not provoke a cataclysm!

Two days passed and I slowly began to realize the lightness of dragon life. Lounging in the sun was taking all its importance.

I was exhausted but slowly the pain began to fade, I didn't make any violent movements and I forced myself to become calm. But used to the stress, to the overexcited life of a human, I was as if in need of action.

But my reptile mass was in the way.

Mom didn't help in this respect and neither did Rubix, who obviously took advantage of it. She must have liked my furnace heat.

But I was pulled out of my torpor by the pleasant smell of bread and cheese.

Unfortunately, the portion was Saphie's, who had prepared HER breakfast.

Then, annoyed, I turned my head to meet Mom's gaze.

"Frustrating, isn't it? If you want to eat... you'll have to hunt..."

It was too unfair and I started to cry...

Rubix, as good as bread... came with a cheese and cast a spell on it: "enlargement".

And, the small block like a bread crumb for me became a portion like before... A cube of one meter by one meter...

I wanted to lick the dragon but it was a big risk... I had to hold back.

But my eyes were crying with joy.

"Torin, take good care of this treasure... There are no two like her!"

And my heart leapt as I looked at her.

Amazed, she turned her head, sideways, as if to get a wider angle of vision. "Are you okay? Torin?"

I wanted to jump on her so much I loved her but I had to be patient. She was still so young and I was so tall.

Sapphie also tried the enlargement spell, but it was not her class and failed miserably. She then begged Rubix who also enlarged the bread.

And we could have lunch together, just like before

Valtrax was really a nice creature and it was horrible what was wrong with her.

For a moment I was smiling again and slowly my pain was decreasing.

When the meal was over, Gamblin came to talk to me, kneeling down as if before a God.

"Hey... I am Torin... your knight..."

The mage smiled again. Everyone began to hope...