Athea's P.O.V.

Run! Keep running, friend! The little black and silver fire lizards shouted at me as I ran through the Dead Forest.

I pushed against the ground with my bare feet, wincing as sharp rocks cut into my feet.

Don't scream! Don't scream! They'll hear you! I screamed to myself in my head, Just bear it until the crevasse.

My lungs strained with every breath I took and my heart felt as if it would burst out of my chest. The clouds covered the stars and moon, the only light came from the red glow of the Fire River. I could hear the scent hounds howling somewhere behind me and growing closer with every step I took. Dead branches and brush sliced into my bare arms and legs as I ran through them, my matted hair and raggy cloths snagging on the twigs. Lightning ripped through the sky, momentarily lighting my path. Fallen trees and shattered rocks flashed into my vision and then darkness filled my world again. Then thunder shook the skies and I stumbled through the dark, tripping on the rocks and fallen trees.

Careful, friend, the fire lizards warned, Let us guide you.

I nodded, Guide me to the crevasse, I ordered.

One of the fire lizards flew in front of me, its silver scales reflecting the faint light of the Fire River giving me something to follow. An icy rain began to fall to the ground and it caused me to shiver, but I ignored it as I ran. The rain, though cold, gave me a small spark of hope. The scent hounds might not be able to follow my trail now. I started to slow down but the fire lizards urged me to keep running. They chirped and chittered at me until I sped up to a run instead of a jog. My little friends flew over my head, the black ones blending into the shadows while the silver ones were my guiding beacons.

You are guiding me to the crevasse, right? I asked.

Of course, friend, my guide assured me, We would never betray you who can hear our voices.

I nodded and put on an extra burst of speed. The faster I get to the crevasse, the better. The crevasse was the border between this land and the kingdom beyond. That was my destination. It was a deep ravine that stretched along the entire Western border of my home country.

I continued following the silver fire lizard through the forest, my lungs straining to fill with air as I ran. The fire lizard made a sharp left turn around a large boulder that seemed to suddenly appear in front of me. I dodged around it and kept running until the forest ended. I gave a small yelp of surprise as I skidded to a stop. Stretching out in front of me was the crevasse. Never ending either way I looked, I looked down and saw the Fire River falling down into the crevasse, the glow of the lava never reaching the bottom. I looked up into the dark sky and saw large, dark shapes circling overhead. I shivered as the wind chilled the rain soaked rags I wore. I heard the hounds howling getting closer and I backed towards the edge of the cliff stopping only when I felt my heel hit a pebble over the edge. I reached for my necklace that was around my neck and held it tight in my hand, seeking comfort from the elven carved stone.

Ten scent hounds burst out of the forest, skidding to a stop in a half circle around me with their teeth bared. Their masters soon followed and at the lead of them, the man I ran from in the first place. He smiled his cruel smile, the one he always got when he was about to beat me. He walked towards me, holding out his hand to me.

"Now, now," he chided me softly, "Girls should never run away from their fathers. Come home, girl."

I felt my knees shaking in fear and I tried to back away, but I just reached the edge of the cliff again. I saw my fire lizard friends perched in the trees and one of them looked up. I followed its gaze and saw the faint glint of a scaled hide. I looked back towards my father and his men and shied away. They scared me more than the endless fall of the crevasse. My father lunged for me, reaching for my arms. I turned and jumped off the cliff.

Help me! I screamed in my mind, feeling the power I was born with activate.

There was a deafening roar and a dark shape dived from the sky towards me. I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs as the shape caught me in its foreclaws. The last thing I saw was my father screaming in rage, the deep crevasse shrinking into the distance and the pale gold eyes of the dragon that held me in its claws before I passed out.

***

I woke up to feeling warm sunlight hitting my body. I heard birds chirping and water running nearby and as I opened my eyes, I saw the lush green leaves of trees. I blinked at the sudden brightness and looked around. I saw that I was lying in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Flowers bloomed around me, filling the air with their scent. I heard a soft rustle next to me and I turned my head to see the dragon that rescued me lying on the ground a few yards away. In the daylight, I could now see its coloring. Its scales were the color of dark honey and they glinted in the sunlight. Its sharp horns and talons were cream in color. Its large wings were folded against its sides. The dragon lifted its elegant head from its resting place on its paws and looked down at me with its pale gold eyes.

I see you're awake, human child, the dragon's deep voice rumbled in my head, You were asleep most the day.

His voice sounded young. He was also smaller than most dragons I've met; only about the size of a large draft horse at his shoulder. I placed his age somewhere between 5 and 10 years.

Where did you bring me? I asked him, linking my mind with his.

Far into the country west of the crevasse, he told me, I felt that you want to be as far from that man as possible, so I took you as far as I could before the sun rose.

I sighed in relief, Thank-you, my friend.

The dragon shook his head, I didn't have a choice, child. You commanded me, therefore I obeyed.

I sat up slowly, whimpering as pain shot through my body, but I bit my lip and pushed past it. I saw that my entire body was covered in dried blood mixed with mud and grime. I looked towards the dragon again.

I didn't ask your name, Dragon. What is it? I asked him.

He huffed at me in what sounded like a laugh, I have no name, child. A lone dragon has no need for one.

I gave him a small smile, I don't have one either. Can I give you one? I don't want to keep calling you 'dragon'.

His eyes sparkled with laughter, I suppose you can if you want, human child.

I thought for a moment, raking through my memory for the name that I knew would fit. Then it came to me and I looked over to him, meeting his eyes.

How about Dareem? I offered, It means 'friend' in the old language of the nomadic clans to the South.

He thought for a moment, Dareem... I like the sound of it.

I smiled and reached out to him, I'm glad you like it. I can't remember the last time I talked to a dragon like this.

He brought he head over to my hand and I rubbed his eye ridge. He gave a greatful huff.

I've never talked to a human, he told me, but I do like talking to you, child. It's calming somehow.

I giggled. The sound of my laugh was foreign to my ears but nice to hear again. Dareem lifted his head and looked down at me.

You are a nice child but you reak of blood and filth, he said with amusement in his voice.

I sniffed my arm and cringed, I guess I do. Can you take me to the closest river or stream?

He nodded his head and stood up; stretching like a cat does after a nap. He walked slowly out of the clearing as I tried to push myself to my feet. As soon as I put weight on my feet, pain shot up my leg. I cried out and fell to the ground. Dareem turned back towards me as I examined my feet. The sight I saw nearly made me sick. The bottoms of my feet were covered in deep gashes and cuts. They were also covered in dried mud mixed with blood, grit embedded deep into the cuts. I looked away quickly and steadied my breathing. Dareem lowered his head and examined my feet with his pale gold eyes. He then positioned himself next to me.

Climb onto my back, child, he told me gently, there is no way that you will be able to walk on those feet.

I whimpered as I crawled over to him and pulled myself onto his back. When I settled myself, Dareem stood up and walked through the trees, the leaves brushing against his head. I looked ahead and saw a small stream flowing through the woods. My mouth suddenly felt like I had swallowed sand. As soon as Dareem settled himself next to the stream, I slid from his back and cupped my hands into the cool water. I drank hungerly and splashed my face, wiping away the dried mud. I then dipped my feet into the stream, sighing as the water soothed the throb that pulsed in my wounds.

Thank-you, Dareem, I thought to him.

Dareem just nudged my head with his nose, You're welcome.

I ripped a strip of cloth from my stained shirt and dipped it in the water. I scrubbed out the worst of the filth from the fabric and then started wiping the grit out of the gashes in my feet. I winced and bit my lip but I kept on cleaning out my injuries the best I could. I felt tears sting my eyes from the pain and from relief as I placed my feet back into the cold water.

You're in pain, Dareem said, sounding worried, Is there anything that will help?

I shook my head, No. The pain will pass and the wounds will heal. I've suffered worse.

You still need a human's medicine. You are very weak and if those wounds become infected, you could die.

Fear stabbed through me and I shook my head, I don't want to be anywhere near humans. I can't go back to them. They scare me.

I'm not going to argue with you about this. You are starving and injured, and you have to be in the care of someone who can care for you, Dareem said firmly.

He stood up and took hold of me with his foreclaws and lifted me up into the air. He beat his wings and flew up into the sky. We flew for a few minutes before he landed in front of a cave. The opening was covered in healthy green vines. Dareem set me down gently, making sure to place me down so my feet didn't touch the ground.

A human trader stops here once in a while, Dareem explained, She is kind from what I've seen and she has medicine that can help you.

I shook my head and tears started falling down my face, Why, Dareem? Why did you bring me here? I told you I don't want to be near humans.

Dareem growled at me, You can be in the company of a single human until you get better, child. I can't care for you as this woman can. She travels alone and is an old woman. She can do you no harm.

A sound reached my ears that sounded like a wagon bumping down a road. Dareem raised his head towards the sound and huffed contently.

There she is now, he said happily, She will care for you, child. She won't hurt you as those men did. She is a simple trader that doesn't ask for trouble.

How do you know, Dareem? I asked, How do you know she won't hurt me?

Dareem looked at me with kind eyes, Because I've met her. She helped me when I was injured even when she had no reason to. She is the reason I brought you here. She is a kind old woman who wants nothing more than a traveling companion. Please, give her a chance.

I sniffled and nodded. Dareem touched my head with his nose and turned to leave. I watched as he spread his wings and took off into the sky, not looking back. I sat at the mouth of the cave as the horse drawn wagon came into view. Sitting on the driver's seat was an older woman with long black hair pulled away from her face. Her face had wrinkles around her eyes that showed that she smiled a lot. She was a little overweight, but not overly so. She wore a pale grey dress and a darker grey shawl around her shoulders. When she saw me, her eyes widened a little.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" She asked no one in particular.

She pulled the reins of the dappled grey horse pulling the wagon, signaling it to stop. It halted with a snort and tossed its head. The woman climbed off the wagon and walked towards me, her face wearing a kind smile. I cowered away from her, my whole body trembling from barely controlled panic.

"Don't worry, child. I won't hurt you," she said, her slightly gravlly voice gentle, "I saw that brown dragon taking off as I pulled up. Did he bring you here?"

I nodded, shrinking away slightly in reflex. The woman just smiled.

"Well, if he brought you here, he must have thought you need help or that you were lost. He is a kind dragon, that one. His mother raised him right. Don't worry, child. He didn't mean to scare you."

I shook my head, silently telling her that he didn't scare me. She just smiled again.

"You can call me Grandma Josie," she said with a smile, "Or just Granny. What's your name, sweetheart?"

I shook my head again. Granny's face fell slightly, "You don't have one, my dear?"

I nodded. Granny looked me over and her eyes widened when she saw my feet. She crouched down in front of me and examined my feet with expert eyes. She reached out to touch me, but I flinched away. She met my eyes gently.

"I won't hurt you, sweetheart," she said with that motherly tone only a mother could have, "I want to help you. That dragon brought you here so you can get help. I have medicine that can help your feet but I need to see how badly you're hurt."

Something in her tone of voice was calming and I didn't flinch away when she gently gripped my ankle to examine my foot. She looked it over with calculating eyes and placed it back down again.

"Those are some very bad cuts. You won't be able to walk on those feet for at least a week until the cuts shrink. Let me get my medical kit and some bandages and I'll do what I can."

Granny stood up and walked back to her wagon. She pulled out a wooden box and a roll of white cloth and came back over to me. She opened the box and pulled out a small leather pouch and opened it. Inside was a white paste that smelled familiar. She scooped out a finger full and reached for my foot again. I pulled back and pointed to the paste with a shaky finger, silently asking what it was.

Granny smiled gently, "It's a salve that I got when I was trading with the Wood Elves. It numbs pain and helps keep out infection. It will help you heal faster."

As soon as she said Wood Elves, I remembered watching it being made once as a small child. I let her spread the salve over my cuts and wrap my feet in bandages. She nodded to herself, satisfied with her work and stood up. She went into the cave and came back with some leather boots. She handed them to me.

"Here you go, my dear," she said with another smile, "Now you won't have to walk around barefoot and risk infection. We'll stay here for the night and I'll get you to the nearest town. Now I have to think of a name for you."

She put her finger to her chin and thought for a moment, looking me over. She focused on my eyes and smiled.

"How about Athea?" she suggested, "You're eyes are the same color as the rare Athea flower with their blue petals and green tint. I think it suits you nicely. You must be a beautiful girl under all that dirt, like the Athea flower."

I smiled and nodded. Athea was a much better name then the name I left behind.