Ilith curled a lip. Greedy dragon.
She examined the two leggers Rath hovered over protectively.Only one of them is in your horde.
The shiniest of the two leggers. The man who claimed ownership of her crown and whose aura currently contained flecks of brightly colored light marking him as bigger prey than Ilith cared to hunt at the moment.
Though Ilith didn’t put it out of the realm of possibility for the future. A battle with the shiny man would be gloriously destructive.
It doesn’t matter how many are in Ryu’s hoard. I forbid you from tackling any of them,Tate said.
Ilith huffed and rose out of her hunting crouch. Her Savior was such a spoil sport.
Despite the danger passing, none of the two leggers relaxed, remaining on guard against Ilith as the dragon waddled away.
It was rare for a dragon to target another dragon’s hoard. Such things were considered sacred to the dragon in question. Interfering with one brought far more trouble than it was worth, often resulting in the destruction of all involved.
Dewdrop raced around her, blocking her path as he glared at her. Ilith stopped, baffled at his expression.
Was he angry? She didn’t understand.
They’re worried,Tate told her.
I am dragon. There is no need.
That’s not how it works with friends.
Ilith’s tail moved as she tucked her wings in close. Two leggers were so hard to understand sometimes.
Tate’s laughter resounded in Ilith’s ears as Willa padded forward to prod a separated piece of the amalgam. She sneezed.
“What is she doing?” the shiny man asked as Ilith considered the amalgam’s remains.
Dewdrop shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
Ilith lifted her head, scanning the fog that had thickened at some point while she and Ryu were tearing the amalgam apart.
This wasn’t over.
Stupid amalgam and their ability to split.
Ilith wrapped her tail around Dewdrop and lifted him.
“What are you doing?” Dewdrop hugged her tail, his face pale.
“Should we interfere and help him?” one of those behind Ilith asked.
There was a short hesitation as the shiny man looked from Ilith to where Rath watched her and Dewdrop with interest. No trace of concern was on the other dragon’s face.
The shiny man shook his head. “Stand down but remain at the ready. I don’t think she’ll hurt him.”
Of course, she wouldn’t hurt Dewdrop. Her Savior would never forgive her for harming any of those she considered family.
These two leggers thought it was Ilith who was the true threat. They’d never seen what Tate was capable of when enraged.
Even a dragon wouldn’t be stupid enough to stand in her way.
Holding Dewdrop, Ilith waddled to the edge of the fog. She lifted Dewdrop to eye height, looking expectantly from him to the haze surrounding him.
Dewdrop followed her gaze, no trace of understanding in his eyes. Ilith shook him slightly, prompting another puzzled stare.
