“Asha has something important to discuss.”
“Uh-huh. So why isn’t she talking yet?”
“The last Kin hasn’t arrived.”
“What’s so important that she had to gather all of us on this island?”
“You’ll find out as soon as she gives her speech.”
“I’m tired, and we need to return to our den. Why don’t you just tell us now? Why did we—”
Kuro growls, “If you don’t stop asking questions, I’m going to rip out your tongue and shove it so far down your throat that I could pull it out the other side! WAIT until the last Kin arrives and SHUT UP!”
Enyll recoils slightly, his feathers bristling. He’s trying very hard to not lash out. “I was just trying to be nice, Kuro. But as usual, it seems you’re only interested in causing problems. Guess some things never change.”
Kuro snarls a warning. She lowers herself and opens her wings wide in provocation.
Enyll scoffs, whipping his tail as he leaves to trot back to Nakino’s side. “Dungheaded wingbeater…”
I laugh, feeling some reserved pride. Kuro’s been taking my advice on burns to great effect! It honestly makes me feel a little bad for Enyll, but the fact they’re still flinging insults at each other leaves me oddly comforted. Some things truly never change, and I’m all the more glad they haven’t.
But where is the last Kin? I told everyone to arrive at this island as the sun was setting behind the mountains of the Great Valley, and the last Dragon, Tomcat, is nowhere to be found. Everyone else — Ykuvi, Gima, Enyll, Nakino and Fra, — have all arrived on time. I suppose all I can do is wait a little longer.
Sunlight crests across the mountains, painting the grass along the island’s ledge a brilliant shade of orange and red. The others have assembled in front of a gnarled strand of wind-swept trees, idly preening themselves and chattering to their mates as they lie among the undergrowth. After a bitterly cold frostwing and frigid early greenwing, it’s great to feel a warm breeze and be in the company of friends.
I pace along the ledge, assessing each of them as they wait. These are the Dragons I’ve grown to trust the most during my journey in Felra. Ykuvi and Gima, the second and third dragons I ever met, ones who would vie for my admittance into the flock. Fra, the first Dragon I ever considered my friend, and another important voice during my admission. Enyll and Nakino, the second dragon I ever met, and…
Well, my relationship with Nakino is still a little strained. But for what I’m planning to ask of these dragons, I need all the help I can get. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and Nakino will feel compelled to owe me a favor after all the crap he put me through?
The sun lowers against the sky, and just as the shadows of far-off peaks stretch their tendrils across the valley, a cry arrives on the wind.
ROOOARGH!!
From the direction of Tall Spires a white-dappled Kin wings into view.
“About time!” Gima exclaims in her reliably cantankerous voice. “I almost ran out of feathers to preen!”
The young drakaina catches a thermal and rides the distance to our island perched at the bottom of the valley. With the grace of a fledgling on their very first flight, she dives in fast and angles hard for a landing. I raise my wing to shield against the spray of sticks and leaves, then lower it to find Tomcat sticking a perfect landing directly in front of me.
“Heh-heh!” She ruffles her feathers in satisfaction. “Made it just in time!!”
Like every other Kin, Tomcat has molted her winter plumage and shifted her feathers from pure white to a checkered brown and gray. As she usually roosts at Tall Spires, this is only the second time I’ve seen it.
“No, you’re late,” Enyll chides, his tail whipping behind him.” All of us showed up on time except you!”
“I was busy!” Tomcat says, trotting to join the crowd of Dragons. “Asha didn’t invite my mate, so I had to spend as much time as possible with him!”
“Well, she’s here now,” Gima says, stretching her talons. “So Asha can start talking about whatever it is she wants to talk about!”
“Yes,” I say, releasing a breath. “Finally, we can begin.”
The other dragons finish what they’re doing and turn to me with expectant, curious stares. I relax against my haunches, close my wings and attempt to relax. This is the exact type of speech I’d give as a Monarch, though I’m in the company of friends. I can relax.
The wind blows gently through my feathers.
…
I open my eyes and begin talking. “Thank you all for flying here today. I invited you because I consider you one of the Dragons I trust the most.”
I assess everyone present — two seasons ago I knew none of these Dragons. Now, they seem like the only friends I have in a changed world. I wouldn’t make this request of them if I didn’t feel like I had any other choice.
“I flew to Felra last harvestwing assuming I’d have a home to return home to. But as Kuro and I discovered, that is no longer the case. Ellyntide has been ransacked, torn to pieces, and occupied by our enemies from the Confederacy of Nortane. If I were to return to my home den as a Lemur, I would be captured and imprisoned alongside the rest of my family, never to see my homeland again.”
As the Kin look on with curious stares, something magical flashes in Tomcat’s eyes. Since Kuro and I parted ways with her at the beginning of Greenwing, Tomcat’s made the crossing to the Farlands and come of age in the flock. This is a particularly special occasion because it’s the first time she’s allowed to hear my stories from the Farlands.
“But the deities do not favor this outcome for Ellyntide. They favor a different approach, one that bends the notions of what we consider… reality itself. Keuvra has tasked me to restore the Lordanou crown through whatever means necessary and foster peace among ascendant and Kin.” I pause and ruffle slightly. “This is my Divine Flight.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Every Kin besides Enyll seemed to know this was the true reason for this gathering — I was here to discuss my meeting with Keuvra and share what we talked about. Until now, Kuro and I have eluded the bevy of questions from the flock and refused to share any details. Indeed, I was keen to take a page from Ellyntide’s playbook and keep the whole thing secret from the public. But Keuvra never told me I couldn’t talk about it, and now I feel comfortable doing so.
On hearing that I had received a Divine Flight, the other dragons perk in stunned surprise.
“W… what? Really?” Ykuvi asks in disbelief.
“You?!” Nakino ruffles in shock. “He gave you a Divine Flight to… make us friends with Farlanders?!”
“Yes,” I say simply.
The Kin exchange uncertain glances.
Enyll leaps to his talons and asks, “How could he choose you for that?!”
“I am Ellyntide’s Princess,” I say. “And the rest of my family is—”
“No, not that!” Enyll glowers. “Farlanders are prey! We can’t be friends with them!”
…Oh.
I guess I wasn’t expecting this response. As I look between the Kin, everyone but Tomcat seems to bristle at the revelation. Quickly, I try to imagine how Mom might’ve handled this; I must carefully thread a response.
“I believe the serenity of Kin and Ascendant is necessary for the future of the flock. For example, a healthy relationship will foster easier access to the summer hunting grounds. Keuvra shares this opinion.”
“But we need Farlanders for prey,” Fra says, projecting her meager voice forward. “The last time my mate few to the Farlands, the only prey he could find was a Rabbit.”
“Farlanders aren’t as dumb as they used to be,” Kuro ripostes, a particular bite to her voice. “The seasons of our ancestors preying on droves of Lemurs is long gone.”
Kuro has a point: The proliferation of radio has made it far easier for homesteaders to be aware of Lithan sightings and seek shelter. These days, the news of ascendants being taken in Sarlain rarely reaches Ellyntide’s borders.
“And there is much we can learn from each other,” I quickly add. “My time in the flock has taught me we are more alike than different. With the restoration of Ellyntide, we have an opportunity—“
“This is stupid,” again Enyll interrupts, his talons tearing at the grass beneath him. “Kin are the grandest creatures on the moon, and Farlanders are only useful to us as prey.”
“Are you suggesting Asha’s lying about Keuvra’s intentions?” Kuro asks.
“I want to hear Keuvra himself tell us!” Gima says.
“I agree,” Ykuvi tips his wings.
“Asha,” Nakino says, his voice measured. “This is not was I was expecting to hear from you. I want to believe you, but… even if Keuvra gave you a Divine Flight, what he asked you to do seems impossible. Farlanders are prey animals, and the only thing they can do when they see us is flee.”
“But they can be so much more!” I exclaim, grateful for the chance to explain myself. “I know Farlanders are terrified of Dragons, but they’re just as brave and intelligent as any Kin! As long as they feel safe, they won’t flee!”
A part of me feels taken aback; These are the same arguments Relmoon used to justify exterminating me from Felra, though I suppose I can’t blame my friends for sharing a similar response. They’ve spent their entire lives watching ascendants flee at their mere presence, a lifetime lived knowing every creature alive dreads them. And that they’re as sentient as Farlanders matters little. In death, some Kin would sooner prey on their own family members than live with the knowledge a contemptible prey animal consumed them.
Indeed, I’m no stranger to the macabre urge to prey on the flesh of my own.
But I know Kin and Ascendant can live together. I saw it with my own eyes! There’s no way I can reveal to them the visions of the past Keuvra showed me, so how else can I convince them?
“This is a waste of time,” Enyll snarls, whipping his head around in frustration. “Farlanders are as feckless as every other prey animal. We’ll never be their friends!”
“Now wait a wingbeat,” Gima says, concern suddenly filling her face. “I want to hear Keuvra tell us about her Divine Flight, but Farlanders aren’t as dumb as the usual prey-animal. Asha used to be a Farlander, and she was smart when we met her!”
Enyll’s gaze whips to Gima and he flinches as if the older drakaina physically assaulted him. Why did she defend me? Has she noticed how upset this conversation is making me?
“T-That’s different!!” Enyll barks.
“Is it?” Gima asks, her talons growing restless. “Asha gave your sister prey because she felt bad about her. When was the last time a ‘feckless’ prey animal gave you prey?”
Enyll snarls, “I don’t need the charity of a prey-animal because unlike you, I’m still able to catch my prey!”
The old drakaina roars, leaping to her talons with a whip of her tail. Ykuvi rises to join her, and Nakino bolts forward to support his mate. Though she survived the illness that swept through the flock last harvestwing, Gima’s been plagued by a persistent fatigue that has kept her flights short and jaws stilled from hunting. But, um, what the hell, Enyll? Why are you trying to fight her?!
Growls and snarls rise as the Dragons erupt in a tizzy of emotions.
Gima flares her wings and bellows, “Freck, you’d better take that back!”
“Why?!” Enyll taunts. “Because it’s true, Gima? All you do is lounge around the Grandfather Tree! I think you’re just lazy!!”
“She’s INJURED!” Ykuvi roars. “Nobody should understand that better than you and your mate!”
As feathers fly, Kuro flashes a glance at me. She believes this argument is as pointless as I do.
Ugh.
I had a feeling this would happen. Kin are feral, apex predators; they simply can’t understand why a prey-animal wouldn’t flee their presence. When me and Kuro planned this meeting, we decided it would be a good idea to have a Plan B in case we couldn’t convince my friends that Farlanders were intelligent creatures capable of controlling their emotions. I guess we should have considered my friends were Dragons, and they too had emotions that often needed taming.
I exhale a quick grunt and offer Kuro a curt nod. With that, we launched our plan.
Kuro leaps to my side and splays her wing across my flank. Briefly, Ykuvi’s attention is drawn as he believes Kuro’s going to join the fray, but quickly shifts back to the argument. With everyone focused on the fight, I fold my wings, lower my body close to the ground, and close my eyes.
The changes begin quickly, as they often do. The hackle feathers on my neck are the first to recede, followed soon after by the tips of the grand flight feathers on my wings. Here in the real world, my transformation still doesn’t cause me any pain, but the feeling of bones shrinking, cracking, and rearranging themselves isn’t the most pleasant. It’s at this point that I see the dim glow of elementia behind shut eyelids, and the senseless argument reaches a swift conclusion.
“Wha?!”
“Asha?! What are—?!”
“Kuro, what’s happening?!”
Kuro offers only a stiff growl, one that reverberates and blends with the sounds of my friends as my language processing is reformed and replaced by that of a prey-animal’s. Words of stark dismay and ardent confusion are exchanged with the braying growls and savage noises of creatures far larger than me. The air is thick with the scent of monsters, some of them my own. Finally, when I feel the underbrush pushing against my shoulders, I rise to my feet and open my eyes.
Kuro’s wing is draped beside me, a shield from the predators lurking at the opposite end of the clearing. By this point, everyone was standing at attention with the muzzles agape and their eyes as wide as I’ve ever seen them. Though I can recognize the shocked words of draconic language, I can barely hear them over the drone of Kuro’s low warning growl. Enyll had taken an opportune step forward during my transformation, his talon frozen in midair.
Still groggy from the change, I’m slow to translate their words.
“Asha?! As…. ppend to you?”
“—a Lemur!! She’s a Lemur!”
I hold my palm against my head and clumsily transmit,
The ground shudders as Enyll shrieks and leaps a step back.
“Asha?” Nakino rumbles. “How are… this whole time, you really were a Lemur!”
I push the underbrush aside and confidently project,
The Princess's Feathers: Heir Dragoness is now available in and Pick it up today and welcome Asha to a position of power on your bookshelf! For those who aren't served by Amazon's distribution network, I'm investigating an alternative option to order the paperback! Stay tuned!