The morning sun started to peek through the trees, casting the clearing in different shades of purple. In the Enchanted Forest, where magic still flourished, everything was so saturated with the magic of the world that it tinted the foliage purple and gave the bark of trees an almost silver hue.

At the heart of the clearing sat a humble, log cabin. A small river flowed right behind it and there were several small fenced in enclosures that housed different animals.

The front door opened and Yunho stepped out, a wide smile on his face as he stretched his arms over his head. "What a beautiful morning." He said to no one in particular while ruffling his fluffy brown hair.

He turned to the pens and walked to the first one. Inside was a pregnant unicorn. She was laying on her side, relaxing in the cool morning breeze.

"Hey Lightfoot, how are you doing today?" Yunho asked, moving to kneel next to her head. Her long, white horn flashed and she let out a soft whinny. Yunho rubbed her cheek and then her neck. "You look like you're coming along. I'd say just a few more weeks now."

The unicorn blinked at him and Yunho knew she was saying thank you.

Yunho smiled at her and patted her neck a couple of more times before moving to check on the other animals under his care. One was a dire wolf who had been caught in a hunter's trap. His leg was so badly damaged that Yunho was afraid he'd have to amputate it, but with his skills he thinks he might have saved it. The recovery was a long process, though, so the wolf had agreed to stay here for as long as it took.

Another pen housed three cows. They weren't sick or injured, but Yunho used their milk for nutrients for all animals. Because they fed of the purple-tinted grass, their milk was rich and held magical properties of its own.

After doing his rounds, Yunho's forehead creased and he paused. "Cynder?" He called out. "Cynder!"

A screech came from the distance and Yunho turned to see his small, red dragon diving out of the sky. She spun in circles then unfurled her leathery wings to slow her descent before landing on his shoulder and rubbing against his neck.

"There you are." Yunho tickled her chin with his finger, earning some chirps in response.

Cynder was a special dragon. Her body was no larger than an average house cat, but her wings were long and graceful, as well as her tail. Normally dragons could grow to be larger than a house, but for as long as Yunho had known her, Cynder had always been this size.

He was just about to ask what she wanted to do today when her squeaks turned harsh. She dug her claws into his shoulder to get his attention. "What is it?"

Cynder snorted, sending out a small puff of smoke.

Something was coming... Something that had the small dragon worried.

<<~*~>>

Written by flamewhipper