Everyn pulled away her hands, as her trinkets on her wrist clanked side to side. The only memento she was left with as a baby. She had been abandoned, and the only family she could remember was those of the scaly kind. Her eyes peered towards the pile that gotten much larger the last few years within this already tight sealed cave.  

A new batch of babies. Everyn thought, as she noticed a nest not too far from her with what looked to be white eggs about the size of a small stool. Her fingertips would touch them from time to time, as they would slightly shiver to the sensation and she in turn would smile. They were precious, and she would do anything to protect them. 

“They have vanished again.” a voice complained, as she made her way towards the gathering.  

The Elders. 

Everyn had seen them many times before, but this time it seemed they were huddled closer together than usual. She had scooched herself closer through a pile of rocks and then with her hands climbed higher and higher till she could see their bodies in full grandeur.  

“They had killed them.” Another replied, with his nose in the air and his teeth jagged and uneven visible with his open jaw. His scales of red shimmered with the very limited light that had made its way inside the cave, as the others too adjusted themselves to allow for enough room to move. 

“How many more of us have to die?” They all shrieked in agony, and Everyn who had heard their conversation, felt her heart get tighter.  

What do they mean they died? 

“It is the humans.” They all chanted, as the air in the cave thickened and the humidity made Everyn sweat uncontrollably. The dragons have gotten angsty, and their emotions have become uncontrollable that the environment had begun to shift.  

Could she ease them? She thought, as her fingers gripped tighter onto a boulder to step out into the open. 

“That is enough. Not all humans are bad and I am sure there is an explanation.” Kasai's voice echoed outwards and it made Everyn stop herself from going any further. If she were to reveal her location, the repercussion for eavesdropping would be harsh. 

“You say it is not the humans, but even the heavens do not meddle with us divine beasts.” they all nickered, which was not entirely false.  

The heavens have rarely interfered with conflicts in the lower realm; thus, the dragons have always maintained the highest rule and authority here. The humans were the weakest, yet they were the ones to cause the most chaos.  

Everyn felt her heart move to Kasai’s defense, but she too understood the dragons were the ones to suffer in this current conflict. 

 With her eyes slightly furrowed and nose dripping fluid due to the humidity, Everyn took this time to slide herself between two boulders, to move further away. Her feet had lost its grip and she slipped, with her own palms out as it scraped along the jagged rocks on the side. She bit her lip to hold back her pain, as she managed to get herself back onto her feet to avoid any suspicion.   

“You did it again.” Kasai’s voice had rung out and Everyn had frozen in place before her two feet could touch the floor. Her ears slightly red, as she was guilty.  

“I didn’t mean to.” Everyn promised, as she turned herself to face massive beast that stood about twenty feet in height. He had himself arched, as his large claw embedded themselves close to her small self in the dirt. His eyes fixated on her with great disappointment.  

“You have to watch yourself Everyn. If the elders had seen you, you would have been thrown out.” 

Everyn with her head low and face down. “I know. I am a pest here.” 

“Who said that you were a pest? I don’t recall that statement being made.” Kasai had lowered himself just enough to place his claws around her gently as she took those steps towards him.  

“Everyone. I am not your kind.” Everyn stated, and he curved his neck around her, as he placed his head just close enough by her side to console her. 

“You are alive, and that is all that matters. Dragon or not.”