A harsh tapping noise echoed throughout the cave. It was methodical. Fifteen taps. A pause. Then fifteen more. It drilled into Dazinara's head and roused her from her slumber. She opened an eye and through the bleariness of sleep, she spied a figure pacing from wall to wall at the entrance of her cave.

She blinked.

The pacing human was still there. The man was tall by human standards with a lean figure. His brown hair looked windswept, almost as if he had been out in a storm. He wore a brown fur overcoat that was several times too large for him. That wasn't his.

Not many people would dare bother a sleeping dragon without reason. Fortunately for him, this human had a good reason. Dazinara watched him through slitted eyes. The human stopped pacing, walked to the mouth of the cave and sat down.

Dazinara smiled. The opportunity that presented itself was far too good. She would be able to get him back for waking her up and taking one of her possessions without her permission. She slowly rose to all fours. In a low crouch, she prowled her way towards the human. Taking great care to keep her claws from clacking against the stone beneath her feet, she was nearly there. She took in a deep breath as she closed the distance. Just a few more-

“Good morning, Daz." He turned his head to smile at Dazinara, who had stopped mid-step, her chest puffed out as she prepared to roar. “Did you sleep well?"

Dazinara let out her saved breath in a huff. No use roaring at someone who knew she was there. “Well enough," she grumbled as she continued her way towards the man. “Good morning, Ash. How do you do it?" She lay down at the edge of cliff-face and looked over at Asher.

One time might have been luck, and twice a weird coincidence, but this was the third time that she had attempted to startle him that he noticed her. He was starting to make her title of Iridescent Whisper look bad. At least her scales still lived up to her title. Even in the predawn light, her copper colored scales shimmered with blues and reds and purples.

Asher chuckled and reached a hand over to scratch at her neck. “You've taken me here enough times overnight for me to notice that your breathing changes when you wake up."

She hummed as she leaned into the scratches. “And you've held this information from me because...?" A devious grin formed on her snout before she gasped in mock horror. She stared at him with wide eyes.“Were you planning to take advantage of me while I was asleep?"

The look of horror that formed on Asher's face was enough to send Dazinara into a laughing fit. Once he realized that she had been joking, he joined in and punched her shoulder lightly. “You're just awful, you know that."

“I am not. I'm actually quite nice. You, on the other hand, just hit a lady."

“You're no lady." Asher said, deadpan. As Dazinara glared at him his face broke out into a smile.

“You're a dragon."

“Damn right! You should take more care on who you strike, human!"

“Sure, sure." Asher said. He sighed and looked out onto the horizon. The sun was rising over the distant mountains, painting the sky a brilliant orange. “I don't think I'll ever get tired of this." Dazinara nodded in agreement and the two sat in silence as the sun crawled its way up into the sky.

“So, how's little..." Dazinara looked away and snapped her mouth shut as she forgot the name of Asher's child, her tail twitching in irritation.

“Angie? She's a handful, like always. The energy that kid has is astounding, she tires me and her mother out constantly." If Asher took note of her hesitation, he didn't show it. He beamed at Dazinara. “And she's going to be a sister."

“Really?" Dazinara smiled at Asher. “That's wonderful." Her smile faltered and she looked down at her paws. “I'm sorry that-"

“Stop it." Asher cut her off. “You know as well as I do that if I actually had a problem with you whisking me away out of the blue every now and then, I would have said something by now. I owe you my life. You may have laid claim over it after saving me, but after all these years, they've just become just words, no?"

Dazinara rustled her wings. “Yeah...but I still feel like-"

“Besides, you're practically family. How many children can say that they have a dragon as a godparent?"

Dazinara's eyes widened. “You really..."

“Of course! We've been talking about it for a while, but with the new kid on the way, we decided that yes, we'd love to have you be a part of our family."

Dazinara's throat tightened as she stared at Asher. “I am honored." Her voice cracked. “Thank you, Ash."

Asher smiled at Dazinara. “It's the least we co-" This time Dazinara interrupted Asher by pulling him into a hug. She held him there for a few seconds before she pulled away and held him at an arm's length. “Wait, doesn't being a godparent mean that I have to watch your kids if something happens to you and Rachel?"

Asher smiled. “All you have to do is make sure that they're safe and taken care of should anything happen to us. No one will do anything to harm our children if they have a dragon breathing down their neck. Not that anything will happen to us anytime soon. We've got a dragon protecting us, and doing a damn good job."

With the happiness that his gift had brought, Dazinara regretted having to bring the mood of the conversation down. She sat with him for a few more moments before she pulled away.

“Asher, I-"

“So is-"

They paused to look at each other before Dazinara chuckled bitterly. The light mood had turned somber. Asher tried again.

“You were drunk when you grabbed me last night. More so than usual. And when we got here, you promptly passed out. Is everything alright?"

Dazinara shook her head. “No, Ash. No it's not." She took a deep, shuddering breath, and told him what had happened the day before.

Dazinara had just started the patrol of her land. Rarely, she'd find the remnants of a bandit attack or one in progress. Most able thinking people don't attack caravans when there's a dragon patrolling the land, but then again, bandits aren't known for their thinking capabilities.

It was during her patrol that she smelled blood on the wind. At first she could barely smell it. But then the wind shifted and the smell grew strong. There was nothing on the horizon that revealed the origin of the scent.

Steeling herself for whatever she may find, followed the scent to a large wagon. The smell was coming from the canvas-covered cart. Two large horses pulling the wagon strained against the weight of the vehicle. The man driving the wagon sat lazily on the bench. He smelled of blood as well. Dazinara landed in front of the wagon.

The man waved a hand at Dazinara. “Hullo" He pulled the horses to a stop and hopped off the wagon. The dark green cloak he wore obscured his face, which he kept tilted towards the ground. “What can I do ya for?" The man's voice was clear and sharp.

Dazinara eyed the man. “You do not seem that worried of a dragon setting down in front of you."

The man barked a laugh. “I've traveled all throughout Myria. There's not much that can spook me. I already know that there's a dragon protecting every piece of land here in this nice little kingdom." His voice took on a sharp tone. “Unless you're not the one protecting this swath of land, and you are instead here to rob me."

Dazinara tossed her head at the question. “Of course not! I'm the one that protects part of the kingdom." The man relaxed. “I only approached because you and this wagon reeks of blood."

The man cursed and turned away. Kicking at the wheels of the wagon, he muttered under his breath. “Of course it does...Damn dragon blood." He turned around to find Dazinara's face inches from his own.

“Care to repeat that." Dazinara growled at the man. The man gave a frightened shout and stumbled backwards. Dazinara kept the distance between them. “You know that dragons protect this land, so you should also know that it is a capital offense to kill any dragon."

The man stopped walking so quickly that Dazinara nearly bowled him over. “And what if the dragon stops protecting the land they've sworn to and instead starts terrorizing it, or if a dragon living here decides they had enough with the locale?" He asked.

Dazinara glared at the man. “That dragon is no longer protected by the kingdom, and a Slayer is sent to dispatch them, but only a Slayer or another dragon can kill a dragon."

The man smiled from under his hood. He stood up straighter and his presence changed. This man was dangerous. The sudden change made Dazinara's skin crawl. She backed away and watched the man. He pulled aside a fold of cloth on his cloak, revealing the royal crest and an emblem of a dragon skull."You're well informed of the laws. That's good."

Dazinara's blood ran cold. This man was a Slayer. Was he here for her? She racked her mind for anything that she might have done to have the kingdom send a Slayer after her.

“Don't worry, I'm not here for you. In fact, I'm happy that you found me." He pulled back his hood. The man was rather young. With bright green eyes and a kind smile, the man looked more human than Dazinara thought a Slayer would look like. The smile faltered. “I just came from the east, and...well." He looked back to the wagon.

No.

Dazinara's stomach dropped. She slowly approached the back of the wagon. The length of the thing was about as long as an adult dragon. A canvas overhang prevented curious eyes from peering in. It didn't prevent the smell from leaving, though. Now that she was closer, she could smell him beneath all the blood.

She pulled the cover up over the back of the wagon and looked in to find a black dragon laying in the back of the wagon. His eyes were closed as if he was sleeping, but that fact that his chest did not rise said something else.

It was the neighboring dragon from the east and her friend. It was Rakmelor, and he was dead.