Page 46 of Devastation
Her head swings down and familiar burning orange eyes narrow in on me.
I did it!
Her voice is so joyous and full of shock in my mind, and I feel like a proud big sister as I clap my hands excitedly. "Yes, you did!"
She tries to twist her head around to get a look at herself and ends up walking around in a circle with no luck.
She looks like a dog trying to catch its tail.
The thought makes me giggle as she speaks into my mind.What do I look like? Am I fierce?
Right now she looks like an excited puppy, but I don't think that's what she wants to hear so I give her two thumbs up and answer, "The fiercest!"
A chuff comes from her throat and I swear she preens as she unfurls her wings for the first time. She stumbles as the motion throws her off balance, showing that she hasn't quite mastered using her wings. Ducking as one flies towards me, I laugh at how unaware of her new body she is.
Cadmus is going to have his hands full with lessons.
"How does it feel?"
She steadies herself just before she can topple off the platform and into the beautiful rose bushes on that side.
I feel amazing! But...also nervous.
Rising from my crouched position, I walk around the platform, fully taking her in. Her head swings down to sniff a patch of plants that look foreign to me before she promptly sneezes on them, lighting them ablaze with her fire in the process.
Holding a hand out, I project a stream of water toward the plants, quickly dousing the fire. Walking closer to the charred plants, I reach a hand out to one of the vines and feel the thrum of connection between it and me. Gently pushing a trickle of power into it, I watch as it springs back to life, small white flowers now blooming throughout the thicket.
Wow.
"I'm still getting used to it myself," I admit to Kinder as I turn back to face her. "Maybe don't sniff anything else until you learn to control your fire," I advise with a wink.
Reaching out to feel our tether, I smile when I feel an open connection between us now. However, part of me knows that I'm the one holding it in place, and I need her to accept her role for the connection to be truly established.
I can't say how I know that. Some part of me just innately feels it.
"Do you think you can change back?"
Her large lids close as if she's concentrating hard. Nothing happens, and she growls.
"It's okay. Don't force it. Just picture your human side. You have beautifully tanned skin, short wavy black locks, and are just a few inches shorter than me," I add onto the end jokingly, thinking of how she doesn't like to be called little.
Her dragon form seemingly folds in on itself, and within seconds she's standing before me once more in her human form. Somehow, she manages to keep her clothes intact, and I'm grateful for that because I wouldn't know where the heck to get her any new ones.
Jumping back up onto the platform, I approach her as she looks down at herself and pats her body like she can't believe what just happened. As I draw near, she glances up at me with tears falling freely from her amber eyes. "Thank you," she whispers through her tears.
Unsure of whether she'll let me but desperately wanting to comfort her, I reach out and pull her into a hug. At first, she's tense with her arms hanging stiffly by her side, but slowly her hands come up to rest on my back and her head falls onto my shoulder as sobs wrack her body.
"Shhhh," I soothe her while stroking her hair with one hand, "I told you that you wouldn't be alone again and I meant it. I will always be here to help you through any difficulties you may face in this life."
"I miss Fiona and" she breaks to hiccup through the tears, "my parents so much."
"I know. I've lost so many people I loved so dearly. You'll always miss them, Kinder. And they can never be replaced," I admit, thinking of all the loved ones I've lost.
Her arms tighten around me as her small frame shakes with her cries.
Dropping my head to rest on top of hers, I rub my hand on her back and whisper, "But do you want to know a secret?"
My question causes her sobs to quiet a bit and she pulls back to look at me. "What?"
