Those were interesting times, Aimee', to have youthful Dragonkin, man shaped, fighting me.Those were interesting times, Aimee', to have youthful Dragonkin, man shaped, fighting me. Hand to hand, with sticks, and then with swords, I learned how to see my opponent, how to hear him and how to smell him. Six months is not a long time, but it was enough to make me aware of Ryu. The cheerfulness was facade', Aimee', for inside he was truly hurting. His rejection at the hands of his peers was often more than he could bear, and I would hear him sob in the night, whether as a way to sleep or something from his dreams, I did not know. In the six months I spent with him, rarely did he have Dragon visitors. Once, Desa came to visit us in his full dracoform, and the difference between the two of them was bewildering. Desa was fully three times as broad and four long compared to Ryu. I started to understand Ryu's pain. None of his visitors were evidently female. It was in the eighth month, as the snows began to lighten up and the sun returned more often, that I asked Desa permission to study beyond my ken. "What are you seeking?" he asked. "I want to research the library to learn how to look at the origin of a creature." Desa looked understandably concerned. "The alchemy of life is one of the most difficult sciences known, young Darynn. What are seeking?" "I want to know what makes a creature large or small." He nodded. "His tears get to you, too." "I can bear it, sir, but not forever. He will die without help." "And you think you can help him." "I can look for an answer." Desa paused, thinking. "Very well. I want to know every detail of your research. In this science, if you cast even a cantrip I want to know about it. Understand?" I nodded. Four months more before I could take it no more. From my sleep the sounds of crying roused me. You have never heard a Dragon cry, Aimee', but describing it is beyond me. |