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Oltura opened her eyes slowly, scanning her surroundings. It was dark except for the dull light of her wings, her den. She only remembered hatching into the world then being attacked by some purple light. It hurt like mad, like something was attacking her brain. She remembered crying out in pain. Next was a fight where she felt like a puppet in her own body.

Oltura whined in pain, she was so tired, the bleeding cuts and scrapes felt dull compared to the exhaustion weighing her down. She clawed against the ground, trying to prop herself onto her legs. She took a step, only to collapse back onto the ground. Laying back against the wall of her den, tears forming in her eyes. She had no idea what was going on, only that she was tired, in pain and wanted some form of comfort. She curled into a ball, tail wrapped around her body. Exhaustion quickly took over and she fell asleep.

‘I’m telling you, Ratha thinks there's something going on with this place.’ Oltura awoke to the sound of voices speaking. ‘There hasn't been any activity here in over a month, why would there be something now?’ From the sounds, Oltura could tell someone was getting closer, too close for her liking. She hopped onto her feet and stood on guard, more afraid than anything else at that point.

Two people entered the through a tunnel, followed by a rathalos. Oltura panicked upon realizing that they were the same people she met before. Growling and baring her fangs, she was certain she looked pretty intimidating. However their expressions only changed to surprise. ‘Its alive, but its so small.’ A white haired girl with pointy ears said. Now that it was mentioned, Oltura realized everything looked much bigger than it did last time. She glared at them, hoping to scare them off. Unfortunately for Oltura, it seemed to have the opposite effect. The human and the rathalos stepped closer. Oltura fanned out her wings, desperately trying to scare them away, she might have recovered some strength but she was in no condition for a fight.

Oltura snarled as she slowly backed up until her foot hit the wall. Her eyes darted around the chamber, looking for an escape. ‘Hey it's okay you don't have to be afraid. We're not going to hurt you. I know last time we met under less than preferable conditions but we just wanna help you.’ The human girl said, her hand stretched out, a hand open a short distance away from Oltura’s snout. Oltura heard a clang and saw a sword discarded on the ground. Confused and desperate, she walked towards the rathalos, staring into his eyes begging for comfort as if he were her parent. The rathalos rubbed his snout against hers, then turned his head towards the wyverian and human. Oltura hesitantly approached them. The human held out a piece of fruit in her hand. Oltura didn't remember if she had ever eaten, probably not, and greedily took the offered food, gobbling it down in seconds.

‘Do you want to come home with us?’ The human asked while the wyverian stood back. The human was crouched down but was still a head taller than her, she was much smaller than she thought, she remembered towering over them. The human had her arms wide open. Oltura glanced at the rathalos who nodded, before she climbed onto the human who immediately picked her up in a hug. Oltura wanted to protest but the hug was so comforting, the pain she had felt previously was nothing but a distant memory. The last thing she remembered before passing out cold was the warmth of being held.

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Oltura uncured herself and stretched her wings, she was laying on something soft, softer than anything she had seen before. There were these white objects that were soft to hit, Oltura liked them. Parts of her body were wrapped in a white cloth, especially her right hind leg which she could hardly see any more, only her claws poked out. Oltura saw the human next to her, still asleep. Oltura walked up to the human, her claws felt unsteady on the soft surface. She nudged the human gently with her snout, after a few tries the human finally woke up.

‘What’s up Oltura? You hungry?’ The human asked while sitting up and petting Oltura’s head. The young dragon chirped in affirmation, she wanted more of the stuff she got before. The human got off the bed, Oltura followed suit. However when she landed on the ground she winced in pain. Her right hind leg hurt so bad. She turned to the human for answers. ‘Oh right, Ena mentioned you might have a broken bone in your leg, here let me carry you.’ The human mumbled while crouching down with open arms. Oltura put her front claws on the human’s shoulders and felt her back being scooped up.

Oltura looked around the walls were made of wood but everything else looked strange and unfamiliar. Was this entire thing the human's den, granted her own was much bigger but it only had one chamber. Oltura's train of thought was broken when she was put on a large version of the white objects she saw on the bed. ‘Stay here for a bit’ She watched as the human approached a black box and lit a fire. The human held a silver-colored round container and put pieces of meat inside. It smelled so good. The human had set another one of those containers on a stand, Oltura had no clue what was in it. She wanted to get closer but knew she wasn't supposed to, she stretched out as far as she could, trying to get a better view.

Not long after, the human brought a bowl of food to her. Oltura gobbled it down greedily, licking the bowl for any juice. The human chuckled at the sight.

Next, they walked out to meet Ratha at the stables. Oltura was in the human's arms, looking around at all the things she had never seen before.

The human set her down on the ground next to Ratha. Ratha nuzzled Oltura's snout, she chirped happily at the rathalos.

‘Be nice you two, I'll be back by evening. Ratha, if anything happens call me.’ the human said. So Ratha was the rathalos’s name, Oltura's mind put together. After the human left, Ratha nudged Oltura into his straw nest. Oltura hopped in and rolled around. Ratha grabbed a few toys next to the nest and tossed them in with Oltura. Oltura saw a short rope with a ball at each end. She grabbed one end while Ratha grabbed the other. The two of them started playing tug of war.

As an elder dragon, Oltura was far stronger than she looked, however her current size seemed to prove a disadvantage. When Ratha swung his head, she had to move a few steps each time, she was careful to keep her right hind leg off the ground. The two of them continued playing for a few hours before Oltura got tired and curled up in the nest. Ratha curled protectively around her, covering her with his wing as a blanket.

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‘Can I please meet her? You said she's so cute, I wanna see Oltura.’ Oltura woke up and looked towards the sound of the voice. Most of her body was covered by Ratha’s wing, leaving just enough room for her head to stick out. ‘I was going to say yes either ways Kayna.’ Kayna, the name of the new tall human, Oltura noted. Oltura butted her head against Ratha’s waking him up. Ratha got up and stretched his wings. Oltura flapped hers a few times before folding them back. The two humans entered the stable stall, Kayna gushing at how cute Oltura was. Oltura felt a little terrified by Kayna’s energy and ducked behind Ratha. Ratha glanced at her before wrapping his tail around the young dragon. Kayna sensing what was going on left after a quick goodbye.

‘So there's someone I want you to meet, you think you're up for it, Oltura?’ The remaining human asked. Oltura looked at Ratha before chirping, asking him to answer. Ratha picked her up by the neck and placed her next to him before nodding at the human. This seemed to delight the human as Oltura was instantly picked off the ground and into the human's arms. The human carried Oltura and started walking off, followed by Ratha. Oltura looked over the human's shoulder, watching as the village disappeared into the distance. They were walking though an extremely dense rainforest. Oltura had insisted on walking on her own and was placed on the ground reluctantly. She strode alongside Ratha as they followed the human, Oltura occasionally running circles around them.

They stopped upon reaching some old ruins, Oltura instantly running up to one to get a closer look. ‘He should be around here somewhere, I think.’ The human said. They heared a loud thump behind them. A large rathalos landing on the ground behind them. Ratha ran to him and nuzzled his snout, the large rathalos doing the same. Oltura cautiously approached, stopping a short distance away. ‘Guardian Ratha, this is Oltura, Oltura that's Guardian Ratha.’ The human explained, pointing at the two. How many rathalos are named Ratha? Thought Oltura as she stepped closer. She was still a bit apprehensive, not daring to go any closer. Guardian Ratha sniffed the young dragon and licked her muzzle, giving her the courage to approach him.

Once she did, she felt her curiosity taking over. Oltura placed her claws on his snout and climbed onto him. Guardian Ratha didn't mind it, her claws were blunt, he had thick skin and scales, and this meant she trusted him. He happily satisfied himself with a conversation with Ratha.

Oltura walked along his back, a bit unsteady as she tried to balance, without letting her right hind leg touch anything. It still hurt when she tried to walk on it and she still had white pieces of cloth wrapped around wounds. She focused on exploring, poking and sniffing every inch of the huge rathalos. Her investigation was interrupted after a while, much to her disappointment.

‘It's getting late, I'm heading back to the village. You two wanna stay here for the night or go back.’ The human asked. Oltura had nearly forgot about the human until then. Ratha chirped and turned his head towards Guardian Ratha. Oltura considered for a moment before nuzzling her snout against him. The human nodded and walked off.

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Guardian Ratha allowed Oltura to have fun a little longer before calling her down. He was overjoyed to meet the young adorable dragon.

Ratha thought Oltura's behavior was extremely cute as she toddled along Guardian Ratha's back.

Oltura thrust her wings down, throwing herself into the air, she glided in circles around the two before landing next to Ratha.

Guardian Ratha reached behind him, and grabbed a mouthful of fish, fruits and other foods, placing them in front of Ratha and Oltura. Oltura darted towards a red berry, it was the size of a basketball. She took a bite and decided she liked it. Then proceeded to devour the rest of it. She felt full afterwards so she trotted over to Ratha who was still working on a large fish. She rolled over onto her back and threw her claws in the air, telling him she wanted to play. Ratha nudged her claws with his tail. She got back on her feet and started chasing after his tail when it swung away. This kept her occupied until the other two had finished eating.

Guardian Ratha picked up the two with his mouth and placed them next to his wing. He curled his tail and head around them and settled down for the night.

Oltura leapt onto Guardian Ratha's body but was stopped by Ratha who insisted it was too late for that. Oltura obeyed albeit reluctantly and joined Ratha's side. Even after both Guardian Ratha and Ratha had fallen asleep, she was still squirming around. She wasn't tired and couldn't sleep. She looked around, there was a gap between Guardian Ratha's wing and his tail, big enough for her to fly through. She carefully moved past Ratha and took off.

I'll be back by sunrise, they won't notice if I go exploring for a bit. Oltura reasoned as she slipped past Guardian Ratha and into the rainforest.

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Oltura glided onto a tree trunk, folding her wings, she used her claws to climb higher. Her right hind leg no longer hurt so she was more than happy to use it. She climbed up one of the branches and poked her head out of the leaves. There were monsters nestled into trees, flying in the sky and lying on the beach. Oltura saw a large rock formation in the distance, her den. She thrust herself into the air and flew towards it.

Upon arriving at the cave’s entrance, Oltura stood there, gazing into the darkness. It brought back her memories of the fight, the rays and how she had nearly killed so many. She knew they hadn't held it against her, and that it wasn't her who was in control but it still hurt all the same.

She walked deeper into the cave, it got darker and darker, but she hardly noticed. Her eyes were adapted to let her see even when there was nearly zero light. The light of her wings was more than enough. She looked around the walls, many had fallen prey to traps, it was terrifying yet comforting. Although many were hurt, it was nice to know her home stopped those with the wrong intentions from reaching her.

Distracted by her thoughts, she was caught off guard when she couldn't feel the ground in front of her. Looking closely, she realized it was the pit.

After a bit of consideration, she dove in. Large worm-like tendrils lay discarded on ledges of the pit. Summoning her power, she grew several dozen times her size, reaching her maximum. She descended lower into the pit, at the bottom was an opened cocoon, hers. It was next to a large crystal, the one she used to draw energy from. Even at her current size the crystal still towered over her. Being near the crystal stopped her from tiring out and allowed her to keep her larger form. A small carved piece of Kelbi horn lay next to it, half of the wyverian girl’s amulet. Oltura picked it up and held it in her mouth. She inspected the cocoon, not really expecting anything but still curious about it. She had actually hatched from an egg just over fifty years ago but had lived only a few weeks before going to sleep for fifty years. She didn't remember much but as her memories slowly came back to her, she remembered watching this human with Guardian Ratha from a distance. Guardian Ratha was still about the size of Ratha at the time while the human was a young boy. Huh that human kinda looked similar to Ratha's human. Though it has been over fifty years, I wonder what's happened to him. Oltura thought.

Oh no, it's probably sunrise by now! Oltura realized. She hastily flew out of the pit and out the cave, her size instantly shrinking as she moved further away from the crystal. Even with the size change, the amulet was still held securely in her mouth. By the time she reached the opening of the cave, she was back to her smaller size. Looking up at the sky, she noticed how high the sun had risen, it was already noon. She was in so much trouble.

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Ratha stretched his wings out, beating them a few times as he groggily woke up. Looking around, he tried to spot Oltura, only to realize that she was nowhere to be seen. His heart skipped a beat as he scrutinized the area around him, still no sign of her.

By then, Guardian Ratha had woken up, he folded back his wing, looking forward to spending time with the two youngsters. He saw Ratha in distress and searching frantically. He was about to ask what he was looking for when he realized Oltura was missing. He got up and looked around, he couldn't see nor smell hide or hair of her.

While the two of them were busy searching around Guardian Ratha's den, Kayna entered the area. ‘Hey guys, I came to check in because somebody was apparently too busy to take a break.’ Kayna said energetically before realizing none of the rathalos were in the mood. It suddenly occurred to her that there was a monster missing. ‘Wait where's…’Kayna looked at the two who helplessly stared back. ‘Oh No, I'll uh ask patrol to keep an eye on lookout. You two check the rainforest. I'll check the other end of the island. I don't think she would have left it.’ Kayna rambled. Guardian Ratha nodded as Kayna scurried off.

She met up with Avmar at the village. After a short explanation to her and all the other riders who knew about Oltura. They took off in search. After searching for hours, Avmar spotted an odd rock formation and pointed it out. It suddenly occurred to Kayna that Oltura's den was nearby. Hopefully the kid’s there. Kayna thought as she ventured closer. A series of loud thuds sounded, a large monster was nearby. The two of them immediately hid behind the trees. Although they were confident in their abilities to take on about any monster, they did not need to be getting into a fight right then.

The sounds quietened down, Kayna glanced past the tree trunk. A shadow was walking out of the cave. As the figure stepped out, Kayna realized what it was, or rather, who it was. Oltura! Kayna was about to go and confront her before Avmar held her back. Avmar turned her head towards Oltura. The young dragon still hadn't noticed them. Nodding, Kayna stepped back into the cover of the trees, the two of them watched Oltura.

Oltura's wings suddenly drooped and her mouth gasped. She looked around and saw some movement in-between the trees. Oh no, Kayna

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Oltura spread out her wings, prepared to take off. ‘Oh no you don't!’ Kayna yelled as she jumped in front of Oltura. Oltura immediately folded her wings back. Scrap, guess it's time to face the music. Oltura thought as she meekly stepped back. ‘Do you know how much you made everyone worry? We spent hours looking for you, I was terrified, you could have gotten hurt. Please, next time at least tell someone before you leave.’ 

‘Now come on, we gotta get back to the village.’ Kayna said as she headed back. Oltura surrendered and followed behind Kayna. On the way back, all the night-long wandering caught up with her and she started to slow down. Kayna noticed and picked her up in her arms. After nodding off a few times, Oltura couldn't resist dozing off. 

By the time they arrived back at the village, Oltura was fast asleep in Kayna's arms. To everyone's relief, she was safe and sound. The second Ratha saw her, he immediately ran up to her. He scrutinized every bit of here before being satisfied that she was unhurt. 

A crowd had started forming and the commotion was loud, too loud. Oltura started hyperventilating as the crowd got larger and louder. Oltura squealed and squirmed in Kayna's arms, wanting to get away as soon as possible. Kayna scanned the crowd looking for Scarlet (Ratha's rider aka protagonist). Upon seeing her, she passed the distressed dragon to her. While Kayna worked on crowd control, Scarlet brought Oltura back to her house. 

Oltura curled up against the human, recognizing her as the one who found her before. She whimpered as tears formed in her eyes and her breathing rapidly increased. She pawed at the human's shirt and rubbed her head against it. She shut her eyes but was still whimpering desperately.

‘Hey, hey calm down.’ Oltura could hear the human's voice but was too panicked too respond. She felt the human setting her down. No! Oltura started chirping noisily once she was set down. She called out even louder when she wasn't picked back up. ‘It's…Oltura. I…ing you..’ Oltura partly heard. She calmed down once she felt the human stroking her head. 

Scarlet had thought that Oltura was upset with her and set her down on the bed. The young dragon was lying flat on the bed, her wings splayed out. Scarlet assumed she was just tired and was about to leave her when she started crying out. Oh no, what do I do now? Scarlet worried as she tried to calm down the panicked dragon. She stroked Oltura’s head which immediately quietened the whimpers. Much to her relief, calming Oltura didn't seem too hard.

Oltura felt herself being picked up, feeling around, she quickly nestled in the human's arms. She was tired, exhausted. When she calmed down enough, she peaked open her eyes, looking at her, before fluttering them close.

Scarlet was extremely relieved, Oltura was calm, safe and sound. She would have to address her about wandering off but that could wait till later. 

In the meantime, she had to reply Ena’s letter about bringing Oltura to Rutoh for a visit.

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Scarlet opened the letter, inside it read

-Dear Scarlet,

I've talked with grandfather about letting Oltura come over. He is fine with it so long as Oltura behaves herself. Although some villagers are hesitant, most won't turn down an opportunity to see you again.

Whenever you're free come visit Rutoh.

Cheers, Ena-

Looking at the snoozing dragon in her lap, Scarlet sighed and mumbled, ‘Well your misbehavior ain't any worse than mine, I'm still invited there so it's probably fine. Only thing I'm worried about is the crowd. Might have to teach us to use cues.’

Scarlet pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen to respond to the letter. She rolled up the paper and tied it to a downy crake, sending it to Rutoh.

‘Now what?’ Scarlet mumbled as she looked at Oltura, not willing to get up in fear of waking her.

She started to remove all bandages and replaced those that still needed to be there. There were only two after that, one on Oltura's tail and on one of her horns, specifically the right top one.

By the time Oltura woke up, it was already evening. She stretched her limbs, only for her right wing to hit something, looking at that direction, Oltura realized it was the human. After quickly tucking in her her wings, she sheepishly backed off a few steps. ‘Well you're awake now so let's get this straight, please don't run off by yourself without telling anyone, okay, I don't want you getting hurt or worrying the whole island, if you wanna explore I'll come with you alright.’ Oltura nodded. ‘Good now let's get dinner.’

Scarlet got up and gestured for Oltura to follow. She glanced back from time to time to check on Oltura until they reached the kitchen. 

‘Just wait around, try not to get in trouble, I'll prepare dinner.’ Scarlet said as she took out the necessary items.

Oltura took this as an opportunity to explore, she moved around the kitchen, sniffing every nook and cranny.

When Scarlet finished preparing the food, she looked around for Oltura, unable to see her anywhere. Until a chirp gave away Oltura's location, on top of the cabinets. ‘Oltura get down here.’ Scarlet said. Oltura chirped defiantly and lay where she was, crossing her front legs. Scarlet glared at Oltura before looking at the food. ‘Well…dragons who don't come down don't get to eat.’ Scarlet slyly said. Oltura immediately jumped off the cabinets to the ground. Scarlet laughed and put the food in front of her.

Oltura quickly snapped up the food with her jaw and swallowed it whole. After finishing it, she sat next to the human until her food was finished as well. 

Back in the bedroom, Scarlet watched as Oltura ran around in circles, wearing off her energy. Scarlet noticed on the bed was an odd object, the missing half of Ena’s amulet. ‘Hey Oltura, do you know where this came from?’ Oltura stopped playing to look at Scarlet. She nodded her head and chirped. ‘You wanna give it to her later?’ Scarlet asked. 

Oltura tilted her head in confusion, see her later? Did that mean she was coming to visit?

‘Oh yeah I forget to ask, Ratha and I are planning to take you to Rutoh village, are you okay with that?’ Scarlet asked 

Explore a new place, yeah! Oltura chirped and nodded.

‘Okay but before that, I'm gonna need us to agree on some cues. Now let's imagine I'm carrying you and you want to move away from some place, what would you do to tell me that?’ Scarlet spoke, gesturing Oltura to get into her arms so they could practice. Oltura climbed into her arms and nudged her head against Scarlet’s arm. ‘Okay, and if you want to get down?’...

They continued this until both of them recognized the clues. They covered things from Oltura being interested in something to needing to use the bathroom. 

By the time they were done, the sun had already set long ago. Scarlet lay down and settled Oltura on the pillow next to her. The two of them fell asleep not long after.

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The next day, Scarlet packed her satchel, Oltura brought the amulet, and met up with Ratha, taking Oltura along with them. They practiced Oltura's cues for a few minutes and thanks to Ratha's near perfect memory were ready to head off.

Scarlet sat on Ratha's saddle, one hand holding onto the handle while the other held Oltura securely. Ratha, having flown to Rutoh village multiple times, knew the route by heart, his main focus was keeping steady for Scarlet and Oltura’s sakes. 

Oltura grumbled as the human held her, she would have preferred to fly on her own but that apparently was not an option. She watched as the ground turned from forests to sand to open sea. The scenery remained unchanged as they flew over the sea. 

When they arrived a distance the entrance of Rutoh village, Scarlet had to physically restrain Oltura from jumping off. Scarlet stepped off and hoisted Oltura into her arms.

Oltura pouted, she was perfectly capable of walking. - Don’t worry she used to do that to me when she could still pick me up- Ratha said. Oltura was about to protest when she remembered the amulet in her mouth, she did not want to drop it.

‘Everyone remember what we practised?’ Scarlet asked, receiving two nods. ‘Alright, behave and let's try not to get into any trouble.’ 

As they approached the village, Ena immediately came out to greet them. Ena placed her hands on Scarlet's face to greet her ‘Mahana style’.

Oltura used the opportunity of the human's distraction to slip out of her arms. However as she tried to sneak off, Ratha grabbed her by the neck and stopped her from leaving, earning a little pout from Oltura. 

Ena turned to see Ratha having a staring contest with Oltura. Ratha gave up and went to greet Ena, with Oltura tailing him. Ena stroked Ratha's head before bending down to do the same with Oltura. Oltura opened her mouth and let the amulet slide to the tip of her mouth and held it up to Ena. Ena happily took the amulet and stuffed it into her pocket, thanking Oltura. 

Alwin and Elder Maolo appeared shortly after, the elder calmly approached the group while Alwin moved hesitantly but unwilling to stray too far from him.

Ratha instantly went to greet them with Oltura tailing and curiously peaking from behind Ratha. Ratha used his tail to nudge Oltura forward. Oltura hesitantly looked at the two wyverians. They look so serious, she thought. 

Elder Maolo started on his ‘speech’ that Oltura got lost in after the first few words. She subconsciously placed the tip of her tail in her jaw, and chewed on it while everyone else listened to the elder. She wanted to play but everyone else was busy paying attention. She clawed at the ground, the soil felt different from Hakolo island, it was drier and less mushy. The area was so different from back home, Oltura wanted to explore all of it. 

Yip, she squeaked as she was suddenly picked up. Arms wrapped around her chest and under her belly. The human held her up while trying to place Ena's arms in a similar position. Oltura stepped onto Ena's arms with little hesitance, she seemed friendly enough. Oltura could feel Ena tremble and try to position her fingers so Oltura wouldn't fall off. Oltura was internally chuckling at that, she wouldn't fall off and even if she did it wouldn't hurt, also she has wings, everyone seemed to be forgetting the last part. 

By now there was a crowd of wyverians forming, it wasn't as big or as loud as the one at Mahana, but it still made Oltura nervous. The wyverians were all curious, asking questions and stroking Oltura. Oltura didn't necessarily mind the stroking but it felt weird on her wings, she folded them and tucked them against her sides, trying to discourage it. However, the wyverians only gushed about how cute it was. Clearly, they didn't get the hint.

At some point Ena had kneeled down because Oltura was being surrounded by children. They were surrounding her, what unnerved her was that some of them had their hands hovering over her, as if they were debating whether or not to touch her. She rather get over it than anticipate it happening. Also the types of questions they asked, how was she supposed to know her volume density, she didn't even know what they were talking about. 

One of the older children asked to hold her, Oltura hit her front paw against Ena's arm, trying to tell her no but it seemed to have the opposite effect, as Ena said, ‘It seems Oltura would like that.’ No, Oltura tried scanning the area for the human, to her dismay she was quite far away, surrounded by the adult wyverians. Ratha was with the human as well so she was on her own with a bunch of wyverians who were unnervingly quiet, she never thought she'd miss the chaos of Mahana children, even the wyverians there were louder than this. Oltura felt herself being passed to the wyverian who if Oltura were to guess was about the equivalent of a human 10-year old. 

Oltura felt extremely uncertain about this, one the child's arms weren't that stable. Even though falling wouldn't hurt, it wasn't nice if there was no space to land properly. She was still surrounded by wyverian children. She curled her tail around her body to try and calm herself down. This excited the children who were more than eager to move closer. Oltura's heartbeat sped up, she wanted nothing more than to get out of there. She could no longer see the human or Ratha, Ena was barely in sight and she was surrounded by children who clearly haven't handled monsters before. Oltura's mind waa filled with panic, nervousness and uncertainty, the child holding her was passing her to another one. This other one kept moving his arms, making Oltura feel very unstable. She tried to get off, but the boy moved his arms causing her to lose balance. 

Oltura was on the verge of tears, she felt trapped and scared. As the children kept poking her, she tried her best to restrain herself. She kept breathing faster and faster, feeling more and more breathless. The distress forced her to shut her eyes. However none of the children seemed to notice as they didn't stop. Oltura shrieked, getting up, something tried to push her back down, she bit it on instinct. Jumping onto the ground, she caught Ratha's scent and clumsily ran towards him, tripping on everything in her path. As her eyes were shut tight, she crashed right into him. When she felt him, she was more relieved. She rubbed her head against his body, chirping whatever she could get out of her mouth.

Ratha was shocked, one moment he was discussing with Shaulk about flight patterns and the next, Oltura was crying for him to protect her. Wasn't Ena watching her? Ratha thought. He cradled her with his wing and looked in the direction she came from. Ena stood there, hand partially covering her agape mouth, looking concerned. A wyverian child stood there in tears, clutching his arm while the boy next to him looked angry. Most of the children looked a mix of worry and confusion. 

Most of the adults were now watching the scene. Scarlet immediately ran over to Ratha, kneeled down and tried to pick up Oltura. Oltura however still had her eyes closed, she felt someone try to pick her up but she couldn't tell who it was. She darted to where she assumed was behind Ratha. 

Parents were rushing towards their children. The mother of the child whom Oltura bit was scrutinizing her injured child. To her relief, the bite had although left a visible marking, didn't pierce the skin. She held her child close while their brother glared at Oltura.

Ratha grabbed Oltura by the neck, which she was oddly comfortable with, and placed her in Scarlet’s arms. Oltura was about to jump off when she felt the familiar texture of the human's arm guard. Calming down a bit, she peaked open one eye, confirmed that it was the human, and made herself comfortable against the human’s chest. 

‘Come on, let's go somewhere more quiet.’ Scarlet gestured to Ratha. After a quick goodbye, they walked off towards the woods.

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Finding a clearing in the woods, Scarlet placed Oltura on the ground before seating herself on a large rock, not a basarios, she checked. Oltura explored the area a bit before deciding to tussle with Ratha. Ratha easily knocked Oltura onto her back but to his surprise, she managed to get him to fall onto the ground. The two of them wrestled as Scarlet watched them, reminding herself that they were both really still children. By the time Oltura got back onto her feet, she was covered in dirt. Just as they were about to start round two, they heard footsteps approaching. 

‘Hope we aren't interrupting anything.’ Oltura heard Ena's voice. Well other than the game Oltura saw the human get down to go and talk with Ena and Alwin. Shaulk had come along as well, Oltura tried to climb up on him. Struggling as she couldn't get a good grip on his skin. Shaulk tried to use his tail to prop her up but she slipped off it. 

‘You can fly you know’ Ratha pointed out the obvious. ‘Yeah but, it's more fun this way.’ Oltura whined. Ratha picked her up and placed her onto Shaulk's back. Oltura climbed onto his horns, she crawled over him until she got bored and slid off. She and Ratha resumed their wrestling match with Shaulk occasionally joining in. 

After a while, Oltura grew quite tired. Her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't keep up with Ratha any more. This was quite frustrating for her, she could wrestle and mess up as she wanted, and now she didn't have the energy for it. She slipped her tail into her mouth to soothe herself, only for Shaulk to knock it out and tell her not to do it. 

That's not fair! Oltura internally screamed, however the only thing that came out of her mouth was incomprehensible screams. She started thrashing her wings around while her front paws scratched up the ground. 

Shaulk was stunned, all he did was tell her not to chew her own tail, he didn't think she'd get so upset. Ratha didn't know whether to pick her up, or how to calm her down.

The commotion caught Alwin, Ena and Scarlet's attention. Scarlet immediately ran over, with Ena holding Oltura's wings to the side, she could pick up the young dragon. To her surprise, Oltura still didn't calm down, Scarlet tried stroking her, whispering, all the things that worked before didn't do a thing to calm her. She was still thrashing around as Scarlet tried to settle her down.

Urgh, what do I do!? My mouth itches, I wanna chew but Shaulk won't let me. Oltura grumbled, wishing she could gnaw on something. She was really upset, she couldn't get words out of her mouth but no one seemed to listen to her. 

Just as Scarlet was worried Oltura would fall out of her arms, the dragon swung her tail into her mouth. She calmed down a bit, no longer thrashing, just squirming around. She chewed on the bulge at the tip of her tail while she gripped the part just below it tightly with her claws. She was lying on her back in the human's arms. 

Exhaustion took over and before she knew it, the world blacked out and she fell asleep, still gripping tightly onto her tail 

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Oltura yawned and stretched her wings, looking out the window it was bright and sunny. Wait a minute, it's bright and sunny, the human isn't here and where is this place. The room looked similar to the human's den but that was definitely not the human's den. 

‘Oh good, you're awake.’The wyverian girl, Ena said as she opened the door to Scarlet's house. Oltura perked up at seeing a familiar face. ‘Scarlet asked me to watch you for a while. She and Alwin went on a quest, they won't be back for a few hours though.’ Ena explained as she approached Oltura. Oltura guessed that Scarlet was the human and nodded in understanding. 

Ena gently picked Oltura up, ensuring that she was being careful. I'm not made of glass Ena, I won't break even if you through me off a cliff so I doubt you could picking me up. Oltura badly wanted to say to Ena but well, Ena doesn't speak monster. 

As Ena carried Oltura through the village, Oltura got a better look at the wyverian villagers. Most of them were staring at her but at least this time they weren't all over her. 

Oltura watched as they went up some stairs and into a large moss covered stone building. Ena entered into her bedroom, placing Oltura onto the bed, she said, ‘Wait here for a minute, I'll go get you something to eat.’

Oltura stared after Ena, extremely confused. Does she think I'm an infant or something, she could have just dumped me on the ground at any time, I can walk. She does know that, right?

Ena brought back a bowl filled with a mashed fruit smoothie. Oh my, mashed fruit, really?! She must really think I'm an infant. Oltura stared at the bowl then at Ena, trying to ask if she was serious. Ena suddenly gasped, and as Oltura hoped that she finally got it, Ena said, ‘Do you need me to help feed you?’ WHAT! If she had hands, Oltura would have facepalmed. Oltura glared at Ena and raised her wings to show annoyance, not that she still hoped Ena would understand. She reluctantly stared to eat it before Ena got the idea of trying to feed her. 

She finished the bowl in record time, the fruits tasted bland much to her disappointment, but she was starving. At this point all she hoped for was for Ena to stop acting as if she was a newborn. Although by wyverian standards that was exactly what she was if they didn't count the fifty years she spent sleeping.

Next, Ena pulled out a purple piece of cloth that she tied around the dragon's neck like a scarf. Next she pulled out some toys and placed them in front of Oltura. Looking at them, Oltura felt disgusted. Actual baby toys now, this is getting too ridiculous. Please say this is a joke, what on earth am I actually supposed to do with those? Oltura was dumbfounded, did Ena actually expect her to play with those. Ena looked at her eagerly and tried to get her interested in the toys. Oltura merely stared into space, this was going to be a long day. 

Oltura was tempted to jump out the window but she would have to break it first and she would definitely get in trouble for that. For the past ten minutes, Ena had been trying to get her interested in a rattle, stuffed unidentifiable object and a clicking thing. Oltura had no interest in those, they're clearly meant for actual infants. 

Eventually, Ena gave up on the toys and took Oltura outside for some sun. Oltura dashed to the door before Ena could pick her up. Ena decided to let Oltura walk on her own since she clearly wanted to. They explored the village, Oltura watching out for anyone approaching her. A few children tried to go nearer but Oltura scampered away when they got too close. 

Suddenly hearing a commotion, Ena assumed it meant the riders were back. She and Oltura maneuvered through the crowd to meet their friends. Scarlet and Ratha were covered in blood but judging by everyone's lack of concern, it was unlikely to be theirs. The blood mostly covered Scarlet’s arms and torso with droplets staining her shoulders and legs. Ratha had droplets of blood on his head but most of it was covering his claws, with some on his wings. That probably meant the quest involved helping out a wild monster, not slaying or fighting one, rare but it did happen occasionally. 

Oltura ran up to Scarlet, desperate for someone else to spend the day with. Scarlet however stepped back, telling Oltura she needed to clean the blood off first. Ratha unfortunately needed to have the blood be cleaned off as well. Oltura looked to the final familiar face with a pleading look. Alwin sighed and hesitantly said, ‘If you would like, I could watch Oltura for a bit.’ Oltura jumped for joy. Scarlet happily agreed while Ratha nudged her towards him, careful not to get the blood on her.

When everyone else departed, the only ones left were Alwin, Shaulk and Oltura.

This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Alwin and Oltura stared at each other, both waiting for the other to do something. Oltura initially thought it would be fun to have a staring contest with him, but she blinked before she finished that thought and lost interest in it. Shaulk rolled his eyes at the two before breaking the silence with a chirp. This caught Oltura's attention and she bounded towards him, stopping mere centimeters away. She looked at him in curiosity. When nothing happened, she decided it would be fun to run circles around him.

After a few moments of silence they decided to head towards the stables where they could get some of Ratha's toys for her to play with. On the way up the stairs, Shaulk had to be careful not to step on Oltura as she ran around him. Alwin chuckled as he watched the young dragon, she reminded him so much of Shaulk when he was just hatched, playful, easily excitable with boundless energy.

By the time they made it to the stables, Oltura was rolling around in the moss. Alwin picked out a few toys and placed them near Oltura. Upon noticing them, Oltura rolled back upright and grabbed a twisted rope with two bulges at the ends, like the one she used to play with Ratha before. She picked up one end and tried to get Shaulk to do the same. However, unlike Ratha, Shaulk wasn't used to playing those kinds of games and merely stared as she tried to make him pick up the other end and pull on it.

After multiple attempts at getting Shaulk to join in with no success, she just swung the rope at him. He told her not to do that, and flicked at her with his claw. So now he wants to play

Frustrated, she trotted over to Alwin who was silently watching on the sidelines while writing in a notebook. Unfortunately, he didn't get her point either and asked her to go play with Shaulk as he was busy.

Suddenly a villager ran up to Alwin to discuss something with him, realizing no one was watching her, Oltura took the opportunity to escape. Bolting down the stairs without anyone noticing, Oltura realized how lost she was.

She felt someone move behind her, turning around, she saw a young wyverian girl.

Chapter Text

“You’re the dragon Scarlet brought over, Oltura right? Hi, my name’s Indie.” Oltura stared at Indie, she wore a beige shirt and a long brown skirt that reached her ankles. Oltura chirped out of curiosity. ‘Do you wanna come exploring with me? I'm sneaking off to Wendwood.’ Indie whispered. Oltura nodded, exploring sounded fun.

The two climbed over a wall to avoid being spotted by anyone and headed off.

Oltura followed Indie through Wendwood until they reached a large tree. It was larger than any tree Oltura had seen, it made even the tall pine trees look like sprouts. The forest floor was covered in fallen leaves, many dried out. Indie started climbing on of the roots. Oltura followed behind and helped to push her up.

They got three meters off the ground when Indie realized how high up they were. She froze in fear, she had never climbed this high up before, granted she usually didn't have a dragon pushing her up and making sure she didn't fall. Looking down, the ground was so far away. She panicked upon realizing she would have to climb down.

Oltura was confused when Indie stopped moving. Chirping to get her attention, Oltura was surprised when Indie didn't even respond. Oltura leapt of the tree trunk and flapped her wings, she flew next to Indie who was hugging the tree for dear life. Oltura tried to wrap her claws around Indie and pick her up, but Indie refused to let go of the tree.

When Alwin managed to get the crowd to disperse, he realized Oltura was missing. Shaulk, who thought she was with Alwin, spun around looking for her. After they were certain that she was definitely not around, they went to fetch Scarlet and Ratha.

‘Again?! I thought I told her not to run off. Acala’s huge, it'll take forever to find her.’ Scarlet exclaimed as she paced around, hands on her head. Ratha chirped, urging them to start looking and stop wasting time.

For whatever reason, Shaulk decided to go check Wendwood first. Everyone knew that they had to start somewhere so they agreed.

Oltura was begging Indie to let go of the tree so she could airlift her down. Indie was torn between trusting her new friend and her fear of falling.

Just then, they heard a loud roar echo throughout the forest. A blast of fire hit the tree, scorching Indie’s right hand. Indie cried in pain as she pulled back her hand. Oltura immediately grabbed her and flew her to a bush, using her tail to push Indie down. Oltura gave her a quiet growl, instructing her to stay put, although she probably didn't understand it, Oltura hoped she got the message.

Oltura got into battle position, wings raised, legs in position to run, mouth charging up a blast. A large Rathian stomped into view, her mouth slightly ajar, fire burning inside. Oltura fired her blast as soon as the Rathian did, the blasts cancelled each other out. Out of frustration, the Rathian flew a few feet off the ground. Oltura reared her wings up and flew to match the Rathian’s height. Both glared at each other, sizing up their opponents and trying to make the other back down. Indie watched with her mouth agape, Rathians were known to be powerful fire breathing wyverns and this one was even bigger than normal. She could only hope Oltura was strong enough to take her on.

Oltura looked right into the eyes of the Rathian, the Rathian wasn't backing down and neither would she. The Rathian hurt her friend, she wouldn't let that happen again.

The Rathian suddenly darted towards Oltura, the elder dragon acted quickly and headbutted her away. The force sent the Rathian back a few meters. This enraged the Rathian who swung her claws at Oltura. Oltura dodged easily, shouting for her to back down. The Rathian refused, readying another fireball, she aimed carefully for Oltura. Oltura charged her own up, absorbing what energy she could from the nearby plants. She was ready to end this fight.

Alwin, Shaulk, Scarlet and Ratha heard the roar, followed by birds flying away and the sound of monsters fleeing. Oltura’s roar was heard too. The sound came from quite far away but was extremely concerning if Oltura was there. The ride there would take about half an hour, the riders hoped they would be in time.

Oltura had miscalculated, the fireball hit her before she could launch her blast. The Rathian grinned as Oltura fell to the ground, those pesky children on her turf, with the Duramboros defeated this area was hers.

Oltura got up, the fireball barely hurt her, the force may have thrown her down but it was nothing. Next, the Rathian attacked with her claws, Oltura screeched in pain before recovering. She charged straight towards the Rathian knocking her back before delivering a powerful whack with her tail. The Rathian was caught off guard when the small dragon lunged at her with such force. After landing on the ground, the Rathian took a quick second to regain her balance. As she prepared to attack, she was thrown onto her back. Oltura pinned her down before striking her with electrified claws. The Rathian felt more and more pain as the small dragon she underestimated kept striking her repeatedly. With no time to recover from each hit, the Rathian soon ran out of energy to struggle. Oltura flew slightly above the Rathian giving her a final warning before returning to Indie. Indie was staring at them, her face shown half fear, half amazement.

Oltura hovered and looked all over Indie, thankfully the only injury was the burn on her right hand. Just then, Oltura spotted two riders and their monsties among some trees,well they were late to the party.

Chapter Text

(A few minutes ago) Scarlet stared in horror at the scene, a large rathian ready to attack Oltura. She was about to interfere when Ratha stopped her.

When he pointed out that Oltura seemed to have things handled, Scarlet calmed down a bit but still watched nervously. Alwin’s face betrayed no emotion, but Shaulk could tell that he was worried for Oltura. Scarlet heaved a sigh of relief when the battle was over. What surprised her was when Oltura ran over to a bush and a young wyverian girl walked out. Alwin's reaction to the girl was quite different. ‘Indie, how many times have your parents and I told you not to leave the village without an adult. You could have gotten seriously hurt or worse.’ Alwin reprimanded. Oltura slunk away as Alwin approached Indie.

‘Oltura kept me safe and why is it the other kids get to go out on their own but not me?’ Indie protested. ‘That is for your parents to decide, now come.’ Alwin helped Indie onto Shaulk's saddle. Oltura wasn't that well off either. ‘We’re having a very serious talk when we get back…’ Scarlet said as she noticed three large cuts down Oltura's back. They were coated in dried blood which Scarlet was certain was not the Rathian's. ‘But before that I need to give you a bath and some bandages.’ Scarlet mumbled with a hint of uncertainty.

Oltura was exhausted, her wings and tail were dragging on the ground, she barely heard anything Scarlet said. Swallowing her pride, she nudged Scarlet's leg with her claw. Scarlet bent down, surprised. Oltura usually preferred walking over being carried, but nonetheless, Scarlet opened her arms for Oltura to climb into. Oltura tiredly grabbed onto Scarlet's shirt with her front claws. Scarlet secured one arm under Oltura's back, while the other held her in position. Oltura's wings were folded up around her while her tail had snuck into her mouth again. They hadn't even left Wendwood yet Oltura was fast asleep, curled up into a ball while still chewing on her tail.

Shaulk mentioned how it wasn't a good idea to let her chew on her own tail. Ratha responded by telling him that until they found a better substitute, it was one of the few things keeping her calm. The walk back was mostly silent other than Shaulk and Ratha's occasional conversation. When they arrived back at the village, Alwin brought Indie to her parents while Scarlet walked off with Oltura. Ratha and Shaulk returned to the stables.

Chapter Text

Scarlet brought Oltura back to her house. She gently woke Oltura up before putting her into the sink which was filled with water. Oltura didn't have the energy to play so Scarlet had a relatively easy time washing all the blood off. When they were done, Scarlet dried Oltura off with a towel and wrapped the scratches with a bandage. Oltura fell asleep halfway through the bath so Scarlet brought her to the bed when she was done with the bandage.

Oltura curled into a ball, nuzzling the soft surface, her tail making its way into her mouth. Scarlet tried to push it away but Oltura was apparently determined to chew on it. ‘Alright then I guess we'll just do things like this.’ Scarlet muttered as she sat next to Oltura. Even while asleep, Oltura tried to move closer to Scarlet. Her head was now resting against Scarlet thigh. Scarlet stroked the young dragon who was still busy sucking on her tail.

Scarlet opened a book and started reading, occasionally reaching out her hand to stroke Oltura.

About an hour later, Oltura started squirming restlessly, whimpering as she turned from side to side. Scarlet put down her book and scooped Oltura into her arms, Oltura was still asleep but wouldn't stop moving. The chewing on her tail turned into actual biting. Scarlet realized Oltura was hungry.

Walking to the kitchen took quite a bit of effort as Scarlet tried to hold onto a squirming dragon.

‘You probably won't like this but… I doubt you can argue if you won't wake up.’ Scarlet grinned as she dug Ratha's old baby bottle out of a cabinet. She rinsed it before filling it with a thick berry smoothie. After screwing the cap on, Scarlet placed the nipple of the bottle into Oltura's mouth. Surprisingly the young dragon instantly started drinking without even waking up. ‘Wow, you really aren't getting up for this, how do you even eat like this?’ Scarlet puzzled as she held the bottle. Her earlier statement was meant to be a joke, she didn't expect it to actually happen.

Once Oltura let go of the bottle, Scarlet placed it in the sink before walking back to the bedroom with a content dragon in her arms. Scarlet placed Oltura on the bed before heading back to the kitchen to wash the bottle.

Chapter Text

When Oltura woke up the next day, something felt off. Her head was pounding, her body was aching, and why was she freezing. Oltura tried to prop herself up onto her legs but soon realized it took way more energy than it should. Stretching her wings, she realized she could hardly lift them up despite them being as light as a feather. Grunting in frustration, she plopped back onto the bed and curled into a ball.

‘Hey, Oltura, you awake yet?’ Scarlet called from the kitchen when she heard a noise from the bedroom. She continued preparing some food until after a few minutes when she realized that Oltura still hadn't shown herself. Scarlet put out the fire before walking over to the bedroom.

Oltura heard Scarlet's footsteps approaching the bedroom, she was about to get up and greet her when. But when she pushed herself up, she fell back down. Her head was pounding even harder and she was cold.

Scarlet entered the room, immediately realizing that something was off. Oltura was fidgeting on the bed and whimpering as if she were in pain. Did she get hurt in the fight yesterday? I could've sworn she was fine when I checked her over. Scarlet thought. She scooped Oltura into her arms, Oltura instantly pressed against Scarlet. ‘You’re really cold. That's not normal right?’ Scarlet pondered as she held the young dragon.

Oltura felt Scarlet picking her up but was too tired to acknowledge anything. Scarlet was warm, Oltura instinctively leaned into her.

Scarlet internally panicked, one Oltura was freezing, two she was hardly moving and three, she was whimpering. Scarlet immediately headed to the village doctor with Oltura in her arms.

Oltura fell asleep at some point while Scarlet was walking but when she woke up, she was on a table with three wyverians and Scarlet having a heated discussion. Oltura barely heard any snippets of the conversation that got past her headache. ‘Not…normal…might be…elder dragon…no idea.’ Another voice chipped in, ‘...Hakolo…’

Suddenly somebody screamed, ‘...temperature dropping!’ The next thing she knew, she was out cold.

When Oltura woke up, she was resting in Scarlet's arms. Looking around, Oltura realized they were no longer in Acala but on Hakolo island. The trees were broader and the forest floor was much dimmer. She felt some of her energy returning.

Suddenly, she felt her stomach cramp, the next second, she jumped off Scarlet’s arms and crashed onto the ground. Puke gushed out of her mouth onto the ground beside her.

Scarlet panicked as Oltura suddenly jumped off and started puking while on her side. She immediately shifted Oltura onto her belly and rubbed her back.

After a few moments, Oltura was just dry heaving but still felt nauseous. Oltura felt tears fall from her eyes, she instinctively curled into a ball and started to whimper pitifully. Her tail and claws got covered in puke but right now she didn't care, it was too much.

Scarlet immediately tried to soothe the young dragon. Scarlet picked her up and cradled her. Oltura sniffled and stuffed her tail into her mouth. The taste of vomit wasn't nice but her tail was one of the few comforts she had.

As Scarlet kept on walking, Oltura felt even more energy returning. However the nausea and headache didn't abate. Oltura was confused until she saw an unusual rock formation. Her den! With a sudden amount of energy from an unknown source，Oltura bounded into the cave and rushed deeper inside. ‘Wait up!’ She vaguely heard but didn't care, she could go back later but right now she had one priority. Reaching a large round hole, Oltura lit up her wings and flew in.

There stood a large crystal, just what she was looking for. As soon as she got close to the crystal, all her pains faded away. Looking around, she saw a small crystal fragment that had likely broken off. She picked it up and flew back out of the hole.

Chapter Text

Scarlet was waiting at the edge of the hole anxiously, she had seen Oltura glow for a brief second before diving down.

When Oltura reappeared, she was so relieved. Then, Scarlet noticed the crystal in her mouth, the singular piece of crystal illuminated the pitch black cave.

Oltura nuzzled Scarlet with the back of her head. She draped herself around Scarlet’s shoulders as Scarlet started heading out of the cave.

Ratha was waiting at the mouth of the cave, when he saw Scarlet and Oltura approaching, he ran up to them.

After arriving at the village Ratha and Oltura headed to the stables after a brief goodnight to Scarlet.

At the stables, Ratha had settled in his stall with Oltura rolling around in his nest. Just two hours ago, she could hardly lift her head up and now she was restless.

‘Can we play tug of war?’ Oltura squeaked while rolling on her back and gesturing to Ratha's rope toy. ‘Just one round then we sleep, kay?’ Ratha responded. ‘Fine’ Oltura got onto her legs and picked up one end of the rope while Ratha got the other.

Ratha swung his head in different directions at random, Oltura held firm onto the rope as she tried to pull it back. They kept repeating this until eventually, Oltura was too tired to continue, much to Ratha's relief, he had no interest in doing it all night long.

Oltura snuggled deeper into the nest with Ratha curled around her. Both of them in deep sleep.

Chapter Text

‘BANG!!’ Oltura woke up to a start, turning towards Ratha who was just as startled. ‘Where is it? We know you're hiding it here somewhere! Hand the elder dragon over or face the consequences!’ A loud shout could be heard throughout the village.

Hunters and riders had come, and not just any, they were the ones from the cult. The two immediately realized that they were talking about Oltura. Ratha quickly hid her under a pile of hay, instructing her to be still and silent.

Angry murmurs of villagers could be heard as the riders tried but failed to corral the foreign hunters and riders out of the village. ‘Search the village!’ A commander shouted. Hunters tried to move forward but were stopped by angry villagers.

‘You have no right to be here, nor any to invade us. Leave now!’ An elderly woman said sternly. Enraged, the commander retorted ‘The dragon is a threat, the hunter’s guild has…’ ‘The guild means nothing here. Leave now.’ Another villager chipped in.

‘Charge!’ A command was heard, hunters readied to attack. Monsties and wild monsters pushed them aside, threw people off course and made it clear that nothing would get past them.

No one knew how everyone had coordinated together but the thing about a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere, you learn to do what it takes to survive. Even if it meant teaming up with rivals, competitors or enemies, all could agree on one thing, the invaders had to go.

Riders, monsties and wild monsters pushed the invaders away from the village and sent them off the island. The invaders cursed and threatened them with worse fates but nothing could deter the island’s inhabitants.

When the coast was clear, Scarlet and Ratha returned to Ratha's stall in the stables. Upon hearing their reassurances, Oltura stepped out of the hay. She was trembling with fear, having heard all that was said. Sensing the young dragon’s distress, Ratha signaled Scarlet to step aside. He curled around her protectively, she rubbed against him in-between whimpers and tears. Scarlet silently left, leaving the two to themselves.

Oltura grabbed onto Ratha's scales, trying to hold him as close as her as possible. The fears were spiralling in her mind. Was she really that dangerous? Were they going to take her away? Would they come back? ‘Hey it'll be okay, we won't let them get you.’ Ratha reassured. Oltura bit down hard on her tail while clinging to him.