☾ Sidereal In relation to the stars

I stared at Marek, bundled up in blankets. He was shivering, even though he was sound asleep. Bandages covered what few parts of his body I could see. His short red hair was matted and tangled.

Waylon nudged me and Ethyn aside to get to his patient. He was holding a health potion, shimmering shades of pink and red. He opened it, kneeling beside the bed. He carefully opened Marek’s mouth, forcing the potion down his throat. Marek moaned in his sleep, brows and fingers twitching. Waylon set the empty bottle down and tucked the blankets around Marek.

“I-I can’t be here,” I whispered, turning.

I came face-to-face with Stefan.

He gently smiled, “Welcome back, Elkan. How are you feeling?”

I took a shaky step back, unable to reply.

His expression turned to concern, “I’m not angry at you, Elkan.” He reached up and brushed my black hair away from my face in an attempt to comfort me.

I stiffened at his touch, backing away a bit more. Ethyn steadied me with his good arm. I lowered my head in both respect and shame.

Stefan deeply sighed, taking my hands. He pulled me close, forcing my arms around his waist. He pushed my head into his shoulder. My knees trembled. I leaned onto his chest, trying to control my breathing. I weakly wrapped my arms around his waist, closing my eyes. I was shaking. I felt tears burning behind my eyes.

“Here, sit,” Stefan dragged me over to another bed, forcing me to sit down. He knelt in front of me, “Are you feeling okay? I know you get tired and hungry after your transformations.”

When I didn’t reply, staring blankly at the stone floor and not daring to glance up at him, he looked to Ethyn for answers.

Ethyn softly explained, “He ate all the fish I got him, and let me clean him up, so he’s doing a bit better, considering…,” he glanced at his arm, then to Marek. “What about Serenity and‒” I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes tight, not wanting to hear their names, not wanting to risk another trigger.

Stefan gently took my wrists, pulling them away from my head, “Don’t worry, Elkan; they’ve been punished accordingly. If they bother you again, you come tell me or Wren, okay?”

I shakily nodded.

He looked doubtful. “I need you to promise that you’ll tell me or Wren if they say anything unkind to you. I will not tolerate mistreatment such as that.”

I nodded again.

Stefan held my face, “Look me in the eyes and promise me, Elkan.”

I looked up to face his blue eyes. “I-I promise.”

“You promise what, Elkan?”

I swallowed, blinking back tears. “I promise th-that…. I promise to tell you or Wren if the others say mean things to me. A-and I promise not to lose control anymore.” It was an empty promise, we both knew that, but I felt as though I had to say it again anyway.

Stefan looked disappointed. “Try that again. Cut that last part.”

I whimpered, trying to pull away from his hands. His grip on me tightened. I bit my lip, blinking back more tears and only helping them fall. I took a deep breath. “I promise to tell you or Wren if the others say mean things to and/or about me.”

“Much better, thank you,” he praised with a sweet smile. “Now, I’m sure you’re exhausted from your transformation. Go get some rest.” He looked at Ethyn, “Make sure he gets there, and stay with him.”

“Of course,” Ethyn gladly did so. “Come, Elkan; you need to rest.”

Rubbing my eyes, I shakily followed him.

Our base was within a large cave system which had once been a mineshaft, in the early days, when the Wild Lands weren’t so wild. Almost the entirety of the Wild Lands, east of the Dragon Crest Mountains, were thick forests filled with ghost stories; a perfect place for us to take up residence. A lot of the tunnels were empty halls of withering slate stone, with occasional carved signs. Only the main area, the large cave opening that led up out of the cave, as well as a few of the branching tunnels, felt alive.

Ethyn and I shared a room. It was isolated from the rest, and far larger to allow for any accidental changes. It was mostly empty, with a large bed against the far wall, with creaky and scuffed wardrobes on either side. There was a desk and shelves in one corner, which held all of Ethyn’s old books about star studies and the mythology of the moon sisters. His star maps were scattered about, with a land and sea map of all of Esan pinned to the wall. On the other side of the room, there was my nest: a collection of blankets and pillows which I hid in when I needed to feel safe.

I fell face-down into my nest, screaming into a pillow and kicking my legs. Ethyn laid a hand on my back, rubbing my exposed skin. I curled up on the blankets, tunic riding up to expose my scarred legs. Ethyn sat beside me. Just the scent of him helped me stay calm.

“You wanna try to eat a bit more?” He softly asked.

I shook my head, whining.

“Do you want a kiss?”

I nodded.

The blankets shifted as he leaned down over me to firmly kiss my head. He moved my wavy black hair out of the way to kiss my neck. His hand was cold on my skin, but his lips were surprisingly warm. I moaned, shifting to turn onto my back, with the pillow held to my chest. He stroked my hair.

“...I hate it here,” I muttered through the fabric. “You’re the only good thing.”

“I’m glad I bring you some starlight,” Ethyn leaned down and kissed my forehead, then my cheek, then my nose. “I know your life is painful. I’m glad I can ease that pain.”

Tears burned my eyes, “And now I’ve caused you pain.” I looked at his broken arm again, splinted and bandaged and in a cloth sling.

He lightly chuckled, petting my head, “I’ll be fine. Half a healing potion mended most of the damage. Waylon says I’ll heal up fine within the next few days.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I whined when his lips left my head. He chuckled and kissed me again, “Come ‘ere. Lay with me.”

I gladly cuddled up under the blankets with him, pulling him close yet careful not to touch his injured arm. I cautiously curled my wings around both of us, nuzzling into his shoulder. He kept kissing my head.

“Tell me about the stars?” My request was barely a whisper.

Ethyn chuckled, “What do you want to know?”

“...The runes.”

He smiled, “The star runes are the written language of us night children; as you know, we have no spoken tongue as you do. We write with the stars, as our moon mothers do; dots placed in specific locations to convey a story or message.” He raised his good arm to trace along the air, as though drawing out the constellations. “The Ussuni and Jalinii have tried to translate our written language, but they can barely comprehend it. It is instinctual for us, and unnatural for them.”

“Don’ magma children have s’mething sim’lar?” I muttered.

“Yes, they have fire runes. We night children cannot read their language, and they cannot read ours. But, unlike us, they have a spoken tongue. This makes them… far more accepted. Many night children are incapable of speech whatsoever. The few of us that can, are blessed moreso than we already are.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You are blessed, Elkan.”

I muttered, shying away, “I’m notta night ch’ld.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” he trailed his hand down my cheek, looking at my vivid purple eyes that glowed in the darkness, just as his. “Perhaps you are something new, a mix of night and magma. Or perhaps you are something old.”

I huffed, blushing, and repeated the words that I had heard many times over my 19 years in the caves, “Last of my kind.”

“As far as we know,” Ethyn solemnly nodded. He delicately traced my face, laying beside me and looking into my eyes. “The last dragon.”