Page 8 of Lyric

My wings flapped at the air.Ourwings. With another great roar, this time with fire bursting through the yard, we rose upward. Tsu quickly jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the fireball that shot forth from my angry beast’s snout. The doctor began to shift out of sheer survival, clothes ripping, his scales forming a barrier to protect himself.

Lyrican, stop!

That was the last thing I saw before Lyrican took off as if the gun shot starting an important race had just sounded. The skycame up blue and endless before us. The wind pressed against our leathery wings and hard scales.

That was when I felt it. The muscles where the wings connected to our shoulder blades began to ache with an old pain I'd experienced before. It had started about six months ago whenever we pushed ourselves hard to cross the finish line first. We'd been treated for the pain. Lyrican had gotten massages. I had gotten pills. Both had helped the pain recede until we were healed enough for the next race. And the next.

But this time the pain came first, and we weren't racing. The wind was at our back. The warm air moved under us to help lift our body higher.

Deep inside my dragon mind, I let the empathy of my emotions course through. Our thoughts became one.

I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still hurting. I am hurting. We are hurting. But that's okay, we can fix it. When you're ready. When we are ready.

Need. Comfort. More time at the roost. We are in agreement. We need time and rest.

Thank you. Thank you for reminding us we need our time alone, too.

I couldn't argue with my beast now that his pain was mine. Just because I didn't feel muscle tenderness in my human form didn't mean we weren't hurting.

I love you.

It didn't matter if it was the human or the dragon that said it. We were one. Our bond was comprised of memory and wind and the weaving of a life together. That was the way it should be between man and beast. Between shifters.

Together we flew toward the wild forest beyond the hills where our human home lay. Our dragon home rested in the trees that gently swayed on the mountain breezes. Each was as comforting as the other. At the roost, we had a tiny shelter I’dbuilt. I had stashed blankets, clothes, food and water for the moments when my human self wanted to curl up under the stars. We would be fine for a while where no one could find us without Wi-Fi and phones and agents calling us at all hours to book more races. Lyrican would subsist on fish from the freshwater rivers and I, if need be, could snack on the jerky and crackers and ramen I had stored.

Maybe we'll never go back.

The sentiment came from our combined voices. I knew this was important for him and for me. For racing had come to a point where it was killing my beast.

4

Jinn

The overhead shadow darkened the clearing I had just run through. I scrambled beneath thick bushes. I barely felt the stickers on the thin branches scrape across my body as I crawled beneath them. My breath came in quick bursts and low moans. I quickly quieted myself, already worried that Colt had heard me.

Colt’s dragon, Coltan, roared until the ground shook. I put my arms over my head and curled into a tight ball. Leaves and dirt clung to my hot skin. Rocks dug into my knees.

I squeezed my eyes shut as hot tears swelled. If Colt found me, he would hurt me bad, then take me away where no one would ever find me. Or maybe he would kill me. His rage was no longer predictable.

After a minute, I opened my eyes. The dragon’s shadow had moved away. I took a deep breath, exhaling rapidly as the shadow returned. Coltan had circled.

Could he smell me?

I froze, my skin going cold despite the heat of the air. Another roar shook the ground again. I heard the crackling of the tops of trees as they burned. It was illegal for a dragon to shoot fire onto any landscape or city. Coltan didn’t seem to care.

Would he go so far as to burn me out?

I peeked out from beneath the sharp leaves to assess if the fire had spread. All I could see in the clearing was a thin rain of black ash. Above, smoke clouds floated but there was no flame, only a scent of burnt wood. At least it might diminish my own scent.

After about ten minutes, Coltan flew off. I no longer heard his big wings or his angry cries.

Slowly, I crawled out from under the thicket. I looked down at my body. Dirt stuck to my skin. Leaves fell from my hair. I rubbed the back of my hand over my eyes, no doubt smearing more dirt around. More tears burned along my cheeks.

What to do? I was lost for sure. If I wasn’t being chased, I could shift and fly upward to view my situation. But Coltan would surely see me.

All I could think of to do was stay in my human form, keep low and walk until I found a town. There would be safety among people, and I could call the police.

Slowly, I moved into the trees. I glanced up, trying to figure out which direction the sun was heading so I didn’t walk in circles.

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