~~~

  The next week became a steady rhythm of routine as Wyrmwood was kept mostly isolated in the empty room. Bixxy would sneak over to talk at him through the door slit, blabbering on at him until a guard caught her and took her away, he still hadn’t gotten another look at her since his “arrival.”

  Smith, the tiny so-called “dragon whisperer” was the only real contact he was afforded and every time the shrew kin entered Wyrmwood’s prison the collars would activate and he’d be helplessly stuck to the floor.

  It confused and irritated Wyrmwood that his inherited knowledge told him that the little creature had as much magical power as an elder dragon! How was that even possible!? He could fit the stuttering thing in one of his oversized-looking palms!

  Little Smith was apparently studying Wyrmwood. Constantly muttering and walking both around and even hopping on and walking across his immobile form.

  Veronica seemed unreachable in her fury at this point. Wyrmwood had actually started to develop a headache from all her wrathful screeching in his mind before he figured out how to dull their mental connection from his end.

  Aside from studying him though, Smith also talked to Wyrmwood about what his future would be like when, (though Wyrmwood promised himself and Veronica that he would die before he let himself be stuck with these people), he stayed and got used to everyone and “civilized society.”

  He was expected to get used to interacting with others and would then be slowly trained for something called “war.” Wyrmwood couldn’t really grasp the concept of that and when Veronica calmed down that day, she said she wouldn’t show him what she knew about it yet, but as far as he could tell, it was basically a lot of duels happening at once.

  Dragons would duel each other all the time according to his inherited knowledge. They dueled for treasure, territory, personal feuds, and it was even how they secured their mates. But Bixxy had said there was only one ruler per country on this continent, so why were the rulers making their subjects fight their own battles? Wyrmwood’s prideful draconic reasoning just couldn’t make sense of it.

  In return for dueling in their “wars” Wyrmwood would get “all the food he could eat, the best living space they could give him, and even a female dragon or two if he found himself fancying any later.”

  It disgusted him. He was a DRAGON. More than just his nature, his very instincts told him it was his duty to earn all those things on his own! When the shrew had so casually mentioned just giving him females… he had done his absolute best to fumigate the entire room with his dragon breath!

  The so-called “dragon whisperer” had easily escaped, but at least Wyrmwood’s prison floor was now a softer and more comfortable fungal bed instead of hay.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  He hadn’t been given any food or water the next day, but he’d already proven to himself he could live off the fungus he produced anyway, so it likely didn’t affect him as much as his captors had hoped. He spent any alone time he had trying to plan an escape with Veronica.

  ~~~

  Princess Fluffy leaned back into the couch and sighed to herself. She’s been staying at the fort for a week now. Spending most of her time in an office sending off and receiving letters on her country’s state of affairs and supervising the shuffling of troops along the borders, while also getting worrying reports from the king’s spies along the border between their own and the fey’s country.

  Summarizing it all: something big had happened in that forest and it wasn’t even just the fey that were on the move anymore.

  Some of their country's adventures had thankfully returned by now, but it would still be a day or two before she and the king would be getting their own official reports.

  Despite their races generally well above average strength, the Princess could admit that her country’s communication methods were… Well, saying they were “a bit outdated” would be putting it very nicely.

  She straightened up when there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in!”

  The door slowly opened, revealing… oh! She had had to look quite far down to see the local dragon whisperer entering. What was his name again?

  The tiny hooded figure toddled in, closing the door behind him. Barely up to the Princess’s knees in height, she had to purposefully hold back her thoughts that he looked like a toddler. She had almost moved to help him up onto the seat when she saw him struggling to sit in the chair across from her.

  “Y-you wanted a report o-on the new dragon, P-Princess?”

  “Indeed I did,” she nodded to him in affirmation. “It’s been quite the hot topic among countries for some reason, so I’d like to get an idea on why.”

  And that was an understatement! Only the higher-ups knew this, but the whole point of her expedition had been more of a showing to possibly capture the mystery hatchling all the other countries had been frenzying over. They hadn’t been expecting much more than a shallow foray into the Great Dochna Forest at first. It had only been the termutts’ attack that had driven them deep enough to happen upon the unconscious hatchling.

  “W-well, I’d like to start by saying that the h-hatchling is a miracle of nature!” Smith eagerly expressed, bouncing in his seat, his lisp notably receded in his excitement. “My initial findings indicate that it has no less than three parasites that would normally actively kill their host, yet he’s somehow managed to reach stability and isn’t degrading in health like all signs indicate he should be! That tail of his too! While I dare not get too close with how obviously hostile it is, all magical scans have relayed to me that it is another creature of some kind that has merged with the hatchling! The implications of that alone are-“

  The princess had to raise her hand to stop Smith’s rambling. Half of what the dragon whisperer said was likely to appear in her next nightmare.

  “Okay, thank you Smith. You can continue your research later. I need a summary and for you to tell me if the hatchling would be integratable with our dragon forces stationed here.”

  “Y-yes, apologies Princess.” Smith said, clearing his throat. “As I was saying, the hatchling has multiple deadly parasites that its body has somehow seamlessly integrated into itself. It’s probably fine to introduce it to other dragons, though I worry about what its tail might do. Since it wasn’t originally a dragon it brings in an unsettling amount of unpredictability.”

  Princess Fluffy had to hold back the urge to sigh in front of him, instead maintaining her regal posture. “Sadly, we are a bit pressed for time. I can only stay here as long as the reports on our expedition haven’t reached my father. Once the King learns of the attack…” The princess grimaced. “My being recalled to the capital will be the softest reaction to expect.”

  Smith nodded gravely in response. “Understood, your highness. I shall introduce it to some of its kind stationed here after its next feeding time.”

  ~~~

  generously say I have a schedule! You can hate the author, but please don't let that affect how you feel about the story!