Chapter Four
If Nakomii had been used to living in the thick woods, he would have seen the subtle hints. But since he had lived his life above the tree line, on a side of the mountains that was dry, wind swept and perfect conditions for a flyer, but not for woods, he didn’t see the hints. He didn’t even know what they were. All he knew was that one moment he walked through thick woods, and the next he was in a clearing.
The clearing was large, considering the sun shone and encouraged growth. But it had also become a favorite spot for the large flyers that lived on all sides of the mountain.
Unlike their larger cousins, the smaller, quicker and longer Dragons lived more in the woods then the air or plains. Built in a similar manner as a snake, they were able to flatten their stunted wings and crawl into holes that were half their diameter. Collapsible ribs, a spine with three times as many vertebrae as their bigger cousins, the smaller Dragons inhabited the woods. The clearing Nakomii had come upon was used by the smaller Dragons to procreate, and he could smell it.
It wasn’t unpleasant to him, but he didn’t like it. Not because it was strong, or naturally repulsive, but because in his mind he would only smell it in passing, the scent that females had when they wished to couple. That he would never interest a female, no matter what he did, how high he flew or how wild his dives became.
In a flash of irrational thinking, he stretched his wings out to see if the space was big enough.
It was. His wing tips would clip the branches, but there was enough room for him to leave, to fly. Crouching, he leapt straight up, pumping his wings to gain altitude. When he reached the height he wished, he leveled out and started to glide.
What was he doing? Was he honestly hoping to find in his travels a female who would love him? Want him? Him, with the distorted paws? The over size wings? Him? Who would want him? Only someone blind. But no, they would be able to sense it, they would be able to smell it, there was no way to hide his disfigurement from anyone or anything. He was nothing.
Thoughts whirling along the same despondent vein, he turned his head slightly. Why stay on the mountain. There was no need for it anyway.
He would never belong.
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Dekani sat back. She had seen the large sky hunter fly up, and couldn’t yet catch her breath. She found herself listening for the wing beats, in her strange, unemotional way hoping to hear them again. When she didn’t, she looked in the direction they had gone.
She would follow.
