Scadoosh!

Peeping through half closed lids I study the underside of my wing' veins; illuminated by the synthetic sunlight, pointed ears errect and stiff frills alert to all sounds while I remain  deathly still.

Easing my wing above my head I find myself surrounded by water both in front and besides me as I rest atop a natural rock formation that extends several yards into a large body of dazzlingly prestine water. The shore is covered in pearl white sand, the tree line in the distance to my far right with a river flowing down the hill through the dense forest.

Across the bay a land bridge stretches one fourth of a mile over calm waves to touch down on the opposite side of shore, beyond that is ocean.

Abruptly the right side of my head and body is drenched with lukewarm slightly salty water; quickly leaping to my paws snarling with flared wings and tail poised over my head moving in a down stroke to carry me away in the blink of an eye as I scan the area for immediate danger.

Qasim bobs in the water below to my right with a wicked grin on his face. "You're a heavy sleeper love."

Lower my tail slightly and halt my wings ace decent,  rising a few feet into the ait than drifting down like q dandelion, tossing dust and loose pebbles from the ground, shaking water from my scales before my talons touch earth. "I'm tired from my hunt nor do I appreciate being woken. What if I return the favor by rain fire down on you?" I growl at Qasim.

"You wouldn't dare." Qasim swims to the rock formation.

I walk to look over the side of the bridge and watch Qasim digdigs his fingers into the rock path and begin climbing up to me with ease.

"I love you as much as a toothache," I grumble at him, curling my tail around my paws, giving him a disdainful look as I lick water from my scales as he climbs over the lip of the wall, opting to sit cross-legged in front of me.

"Welcome to the Estuary!" He raises his arms dramatically making jazz hands.

"Thanks... now what are we doing here instead of the cliff?" I gaze at him suspiciously.

"I wanted to surprise my beautiful mate with a beautiful sight, is that a crime?" Qasim tilts his head with a broad smile. "Besides, I had another reason for bringing you here. Tonight you're going to be fighting Andre one on one for your position in the pack; I figured we could train a bit to prepare you for tonight. Now you may be a young dragon but I th-."

I roll my eyes and snort cutting him off. "That won't be necessary; I can take care of myself."

"You'll be fighting him in human form Ferocity, I really think you should let me train you as best I can with the time I have," Qasim warns me.

"Did I stutter? I got this, relax and watch the master at work."

"Master? I'm the master." Qasim grins and folds his arms over his chest.

Charging forward I crash into his chest, sending both of us into the sparkling waves below; my second eye lid covers my eyes as I make contact with the warm water. "Some master you are to fall for a sneak attack," I growl at him telepathically, giving him a toothy grin. Tucking my limbs to my body I trust my wings down and worm my way through the water as if I was a member of the crocodilian family.

Spotting a purple and bright green flash in the water I see a school of fish. Three sets of fins on their backs, two underneath their jaws and two under their tails; their bodies are all purple with green stripes with distinct markings and patterns that set them apart as individuals. The fish are about two feet longer than me with somewhat streamline bodies.

Stiffening my limbs I sink into the gloom, raising my frills to detect their heartbeats in the water as I track them with my eyes, flicking my tongue out in the water occasionally to taste blood or distress.

Hiding in the shadow of the school I slowly close the gap between me and them, my attention doesn't waver and my resolve solidifies on closing my maw around those fish.

I'm feet from the school when I notice one not paying attention and swim into my strike range, without hesitation I latch onto its tail, enveloping its top and bottom fins in my mouth.

Suddenly the fish convulses violently to the point I'm almost positive I'll have brain damage from being shaken so violently. Four hard points suddenly press against my jaws from the inside, two at the top and bottom; the school is alerted by the vibrations coming from ym prey in frantic waves.

They converge upon us, swimming in a tight circle creating a current that tugs me and their school mate in; I lose track of what is up and down as the point press painfully into my jaws and begin forcing my mouth open.

I swipe at the fish with an open paw, digging my talons into it's side. 'I have to end this quickly, my oxygen is running low from all the effort.'

Pain flutters all over my body as other fish begin ramming themselves at me. Swinging my tail and talons wildly to defend myself, flaring my wings open and pump them once, closing them quickly to avoid getting them punctured.

Air is knocked out of me as one slips past my defenses to ram me in the center of my chest; on instant my maw flies open wide and the fish darts into the group. Several more blows rain down on me, instinctually I strike forward with my teeth exposed, biting into a unsuspecting fish forehead, viciously gripping it's being like death.

More blows rain down on me but I don't leg to, instead digging my talons into my would be attacker as it's school attacks increase.

Titanium weights cage my torso; warmth and familiarity blossoms at the touch. I'm dragged backwards in the water faster than I could ever imagine. A flurry of motion below me as a jet of bubbles flows in my wake.

Moments later I'm on warm sand, sucking in a lungful of air; maw still clamped around my wiggling prize.

"You could have easily drowned, those are Torpedo Minnows!" Qasim growls at me.

"Heros never die." I roll my eyes, jerking my head sharply, snapping the fishes neck and sending its' soul to the void.

Qasim raises a brow.

"Since you plan on using me to return the vampire species back to human that makes me a hero," I reply simply. Sucking in another lungful of air while tightening the muscles around my pent up breathe; exhaling a plum of hot air and grey smoke. I tilt my head in shock before I lash at the sand with my wings and tail while turning in a tight circle, roaring in frustration.

"Maybe you inhaled water and that damaged your ability to breathe fire?" Qasim drops on the balls of his feet to stare at me worryingly.

"No its Ghost, by her not accepting what she is she throws off the shifts and my capabilities randomly. Even when I'm finally free she ruins everything!" Rising onto my hind paws I quickly take a deep breathe than exhale again, this time a few pitiful embers and more smoke escapes my maw.

"Well how about we head back to the mansion; we'll bring the fish and I'll have it cooked and you can prepare for the fight tonight."

"Why are you letting your precious cargo fight crazed werewolves?"

"Andre is a lycan, and because according to this pack's standards this is the only way they will accept you. He isn't allowed to seriously hurt you, just prove his dominance over you in front of the pack," Qasim replies as he picks me and the still warm fish up.

"And if I beat him?"

"He will be demoted on the spot and have to fight the top fighters in each tier in the pack to regain his spot or whatever top rank he happens to beta, and you'll be accepted into the pack and be considered the next beta in training directly underneath the alpha." Qasim says and takes off at the speed of light.

"Sounds like a good opportunity to remind the dogs of their position in the food chain," I say with a toothy smirk.

***

I watch the glittery body of the Torpedo Minnow be carried away by a servant who looks at me with wonder and amazement.

"Qasim..., can I touch her?" she says hesitantly. Her shiny platinum blond afro framed perfectly around her silver industrial bar piercing; emerald green eyes popping against her dark mocha skin, pinkish pale freckles spanning across her broad nose, full lips quivering as if she couldn't believe she asked such a question. "All my life I've read stories of dragons; admired their ability to fly, questioned if they're as intelligent as the stories say..." She gulps maintaining eye contact with Qasim.

"Don't ask me ask her," Qasim replies quickly.

Nervous trills escape me as he extends me towards the unknown vampire; wrapping my tail around his arm, raising the frills along my spine cautiously while watching her every move.

She sprinted across the room and stops feet from my snout, her dainty fingers with bright orange nail polish inches from my forehead. "Hey little girl can I-."

Striking forward like an eastern diamond back I attempt to take her fingers with me, spitting angry hisses when her hand retracts before I can put my teeth in it. Flattering my ears and waving my frills side to side dangerously I growl loudly at her. "Do I look like a dog?! How about I pet your face with my talons and see how you like it!" Unintelligible grunts and growls stream between my snarls.

"... she doesn't sound too happy," she laughs nervously, returning her gaze to Qasim, "maybe if you turn her around and I pet her back instead?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, you should hear what she's saying about you now, it's rather colorful," Qasim replies with a smirk.

I focus on my rage, it builds to new levels until my scales quiver from it's intensity. Locking my eyes with hers I imagine a wave of bright purple fire fueled with my fury spreading past my scales, enveloping Qasim and the other vampire.

I smile venomously as terror sweeps across her face. I add my supremacy to the wave, imagining the flames curling through her body, invading every vein and cell she possesses. I sense my true astral body stepping forward from the confines of my body partially into the physical world.

Fire sprinklers simultaneously go off as the temperature in the room spikes abruptly. Shaking my head side to side my astral body follows my movements, heat intensifies around the room.

Qasim's arms disappear from underneath me, half a second later I catch myself before I catch myself, gazing around perplexed at the draconic head formed by the rising heat, stalking towards the female vampire. Steam sings where water falls on my intangible head.

My vision wavers, slowly transitioning until I'm surrounded by darkness; before me are three bright silver masses, two of them possess golden cords ejecting from their spines only to disappear into this air five feet above their heads, the third much smaller mass with no golden cord.

Lunging forward I snap at the female vampire; instantaneously Qasim pushes her to the side out of my way, instead my jaws clamp around the dead torpedo fish.

Energy surges back into me as I can't keep my astral body in this plane any longer, on quivering limbs I sink to the floor.

'Woah... how did you do that!' Ghost squeals.

'How did you think I pissed the mutt off before? Same thing except this time... I don't really know what just happened.'

The female vampire stumbles to her feet, panic apparent in her gait. "Monster! Demon!" She turns and runs out of the room, taking the door off in her mad dash to safety; Qasim stands not far from where my astral projection's maw had been moments ago, holding his head in his arms with a stupefied look.

Grunting a snort I crawl forward until I reach the fish, which is now cooked to perfection. "A fed demon."

***

Holding a fish bone between my paws as I chew lazily in the same spot I had been in after scaring the female leech off, regaining my strength from using so much energy unintentionally. 'This fish must have magical powers, I feel hotter than usual,' I ponder to myself.

Qasim walks through the door frame wearing a black leather vest on top of a white t-shirt with black denim jeans, around his neck a necklace with 7 lightly glowing gems each a different color and pulsating lightly in tune with each other; their pulsations and brightness grow quicker as they get closer to me. In his hands is a black hoop about three inches wind and five inches thick. "Its time for your showdown with Andre, you're going to put this on too." He holds the black hoop in front of my snout, "It's an enchanted manacle that's designed to keep you from opening your wings and flying away while roaming the pack lands."

"I'm not putting that shit on," I growl at him.

Cool air whisk against my frills; Qasim looks at me with a slightly sullen expression and the enchanted manacle is no longer in his hands. "I'm sorry sweetheart but with your latest stunt of trying to fly away I can't take any chances with you running away. Hate me, threaten to set me on fire, bite me; do whatever will make you feel better for as long as you must but this is for your own good."

Tumultuous noise pierces my ears, resembling a thousand quarters being rubbed against each other as a chunk of the metal band grows from the source, skittering across my scales to rest atop my collarbone in the form of a shiny black collar.

"That's an extra security measure, while you're allowed to roam a twenty mile radius if you're to ever try to leave your designated area that collar will give you a nasty shock that will increase in intensity the father you go until you're eventually incapacitated and the collar has a tracking device in it so I'll be able to track you no matter where you go."

I laid there seething at him, that overwhelming anger I felt earlier felt like eons away, but what I feel had me ready to explode at a moment's notice. "Fine... bring me to the mutt to I can take this out on someone's face."

Qasim lifts me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest and dashes out of the door.

My second eye lids slide down as the air rushes against my eyes as we leave the confines of the house a few seconds later. I observe the lawn under the moonlight in an attempt to keep calm enough to not attempt ripping Qasim's neck out. 'No... I'm saving to beat the dog shit out of a certain someone. Show these mutts whose boss!'

The landscape is slightly blurry as my eyes begin to focus as the speed we're traveling; above the moon shines brightly on this cloudless night. Dew saturates the lawn that quickly melts away to dense forest. Qasim hardly makes a sound as he dashes between the trees, leaping over a fallen log we soar through the air for several yards to come to a soundless landing and continue speeding on in the night.

After several minutes he slows to a stop before a large raised wall the size of a three story house above our head.

"They call this the Battle Palace, it's where formal battle challenges are held for the pack to watch as well as where the pack come to spar. Normally this section of wall isn't here but the nature witches grew it for your match with Andre," he says barely above a whisper.

A section of wall starts to melt away like a candle beside a forest fire, in it's wake stands Adella; hands raised and eyes alight with a sinister green as a soft chant she had been saying dies on her lips as we come into view. The wall is as thick as a car, where rock had been bright green grass resides, perky as if it hadn't just been under thousands of pile of rocks.

My internal heat spikes as I catch the beta runt himself further in the arena. His gaze locks with mine and he gives me the middle finger. Growling loudly I flick my middle talon up in retaliation runt with open aggression. Frills waving side ti side furiously, tail lashing like a black mamba.

I stop half way in the arena opening; choosing to direct my hostility at Qasim. "I just want you to know while I'm beating his head in I'm imagining its yours as well."

Lashing my tail against a loose clump of rocks I dash into the arena with exaggerated leaps, shaking my head side to side displaying my growing horns; lips pulled back to show off my impressive teeth to release a mighty battle cry with the promise of redemption!

*~*~*~*~*

I'm sorry but I had to leave you wanting more with this awesome cliff hanger!

Whose ready for a good dragon vs. werewolf smack down?! Do you think Ferocity or Andre will win?

What do you think of the enchanted manacle? Personally I think it's a dick move but hey *shrugs* understandable why Qasim feels it's needed.

Anyone think Ferocity or Ghost will find a way to escape?

What about her astral projection? Any ideas or theories on that?

Tune in next time on LONG MAY I REIGNNNNNN!

P.S. Thank you to any and all who have followed this book with me thus far <3

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