What—what did I just do?

I collapsed onto my stomach, not caring about the pain in my wing. Confusion overwhelmed me. I growled, but I wasn't sure why or at what. My eyes were unfocused; the world was a blur. I didn't notice my rider slide off of my back. I felt lost.

Suddenly, pain erupted from my left side so intense I closed my eyes and roared in pain. My vision briefly flashed grey as I rolled onto my left side, panting. Tears erupted from my eyes. Every fiber of my body hurt; my magic felt like it was weak and almost nonexistent. How did I go through all my magic so quickly?

"Mmmm... mmm... Mister Monster?" A weak voice whimpered from next to me.

I groaned and slowly managed to lift my head to look at her. Every movement hurt, and my ears remained flattened, though I was not sure for what reason: pain, frustration, or anger.

The small female Stellan squeaked. "Th—thank you."

I didn't recognize the words and winced as I slowly rolled onto my feet and stood up. The kid is safer now, need to go back, or my punishment will be even worse. I took a step back towards the town.

"Wait!" The girl squeaked and placed a hand on my shoulder. "P—please don't leave me!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

I flinched as a painful twinge twisted into existence in my stomach. She won't survive out here alone.

Wait, why do I care? I looked to the trembling child, then growled in frustration. Why do I feel that I have to help her?

The child whimpered in fear and stumbled backward, terrified of my growl, as she should be.

The sickening feeling arose in my stomach again. "Fine!" I spat with a gravelly growl, my deep voice startling the small child. "I will take you to the nearest city. There, you should be safe." Why am I doing this? Why do I feel obligated to help her? What is wrong with me?

The small child slowly calmed and timidly looked up to me. "Th—thank you." She said as I looked down at her.

Why am I doing this? She's not even half my height; I could easily overpower her and kill her. But for some reason, I can't do it. Why can't I do it? The pain isn't stopping me. What is stopping me?

I growled and winced in pain as I moved my left wing but managed to settle the appendage against my side. "Let's go." I began to walk in a direction opposite of the now-ruined town. "Keep up." 

I wanted to walk faster, but I could not manage anything faster than a walk. Though I wasn't limping, pain spiked through my body with every step. The faster I do this, the sooner I can get more magic. I felt magically drained and mad at the world, but I couldn't be angry at the tiny child.

The child blinked, then nervously stumbled after me. "Can't you fly me there? Or at least carry me?" Her voice continued to tremble, though it was much less noticeable than the wavering earlier.

"I damaged my wing; I'm not carrying you." I snorted and continued to walk across the uneven ground of the forest.

"Do you even know where we're going?" She slightly whimpered as she tripped over a rock and struggled to keep up. "Are we lost? How do you know a city is in this direction? Could we find and follow a road instead?"

"You ask too many questions," I stated, my voice dripping with annoyance. Why am I doing this? Why don't I just abandon here? I could effortlessly leave her and go back to Master! The sickening feeling once again added to my load of pain. Fine! I physically snort in frustration at the unfamiliar internal suffering as it churned in my stomach. But I'm not taking her any farther.

With that revelation, the feeling subsided, but my annoyance at myself never went away. Why am I thinking like this? Why do I care at all? I shook my head and tried to clear the confusion. Stop asking questions. Monsters don't ask questions. I released a frustrated growl as I mentally continued my mantra. Monsters also don't help the enemy.

"Mister monster? Are—are you ok?" The little girl looked up to me with worried silver eyes.

Am I a monster? "I'm fine." I gruffly replied and refocused on the land in front of me, the tiny child barely in my peripheral vision. "You ask too many questions. Monsters don't ask questions."

She quieted and looked down at her feet. For several moments, we walked through the quiet forest. The sounds of the dying town slowly faded behind us, the sound blocked by the woody stems of the plants around us.

Suddenly, she looked up with a determined gleam in her eyes and a grin on her face. "Well, I'm not a monster!"

I'm not a monster... My mind echoed with her words until I forcefully shoved them into the deep crevices of my consciousness where I hoped they would stay. "Your kind are monsters just as much as I am."

"How so?" She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip. "I don't have scary claws or sharp teeth like you monsters! I'm cute and adorable!" Her hooded ears flattened as if they were trying to prove her point.

I spooked her as I burst into a deep, rumbling laugh. "Not all monsters look powerful and scary. You Stellans are the ones that have defected from the ancestral ways. Your kind are monsters too."

"Agree to disagree." She snorted, then walked a few paces ahead of me. "I'm not a monster, and you can't convince me otherwise."

I'm not a monster... I growled to myself and buried the thoughts again, and I hoped this time it would be for good. I snorted but didn't say anything as I slowly caught back up to the moody Stellan. What have I gotten myself into?

For a while, we continued to walk in silence. eventually, however, the Stellan looked up to me, and annoyingly opened her mouth to speak. "My name is Saki; what's your name?"

I snorted and refused to answer. Unimportant.

Saki blinked and frowned slightly, "do you not have a name?" Her frown deepened, then changed to a determined grin. "I officially dub you, Goldie! Get it? Because your eyes are gold?" She grinned as a small giggle escaped her lips.

"No," I growled.

Saki blinked as her upbeat demeanor deflated. "Why not? Do you not like it?" After a pause, her smile reappeared as she resumed talking again, "what about Max? Maggie? Dusk? Duke? King? Fluffy?"

I growled in anger, especially at the last name. This is humiliating; why am I dealing with this? The sooner I get her to a city, the better.

"Bolt? Sandy? Claws? Snapper?" The young female Stellan continued to ramble seemingly random words, "Killer? Vicious? Cookie—"

"—HOSHIRYU!" I barked in frustration, "I am Hoshiryu." I raise my chin slightly and sternly look down at my forced charge. She flinches before I continue speaking. "You will call me Hoshiryu." My eyes narrowed into a slight glare.

She blinked and briefly shied away, then recovered with a grin on her face. "Ok, Hoshi!" The white and pink cloaked Stellan happily skipped a bit ahead of me, her cape flapping with each little hop.

"Hoshiryu." I corrected her with a snort. I watched her, but I don't bother trying to catch up. I doubt she will go too far. As I expected, she stayed within my sight as we continued to walk through the dense woodland.

For a while, we continued in relative silence, other than the occasional giggle or delighted squeal from the Stellan.

Over time, her speed decreased, and her excited sprints became less and less frequent. A few moments later, she played down on a large fallen tree trunk that blocked our path. When I caught up, she looked at me. "Hoshi, I'm thirsty. Can we take a water break now?"

"You're fine," I snort as I calmly jump over the decaying log, then continue on my way without looking at her. The faster I get this done, the sooner I can get back to Master, and the less he will punish me.

I heard her roll off of the log and noisily crash into the ferns, then release a whining groan. "Hoshiiiiiiiiiiii..." I ignored the Stellan as I heard her roll to her feet and stumble after me.

Suddenly, something jumped and gripped my tail, and I froze as pain violently flowed through my body.

Where does this pain originate? My vision became a blur of cloudy browns and greens as nausea crashed over me. My knees and elbows buckled; I collapsed onto my side. It was the same kind of pain I had felt when I had lunged at Saki, though this time, my head did not hurt as well.

My ears rang, and I couldn't feel anything, not even the ground. Is this caused by refusing to help the girl? The fluttering pain briefly reappeared in my stomach. Fine! I'll help her!

"Hoshi? H—HOSHI!" Feeling and hearing returned to my body after the revelation and became distinctly aware of tiny muddy hands pressed against my left wing as the owner's high-pitched voice squealed in my ears.

I flinched and rolled back onto my stomach. "I'm fine." I gruffly stated as I slowly stood on trembling legs. "Let's find you some water." I attempted to shake off the mud from my right side but to no avail. I raised my nose and sniffed the air with my ears attentive for the sounds of running water.

"I'm...I don't n-need—sniff—water anymore" Saki made a strange hiccuping sound as she removed her hands from my side.

I looked to the young female Stellan and paused as I noticed the water running down the sides of her face. "What is wrong with your face? Your eyes are leaking water. At this rate, you can drink that water."

"I'm sorry!" The mud-and-dirt-covered girl buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

I crinkled my nose. I don't have time for this. I grabbed Saki's cape and lifted her off of the ground, then deposited her onto my back. Saki squeaked in surprise but did not struggle in response to my actions. "Let's go." I scented the air, then began my slow, pained walk towards the source of water.

"I'm fine," she attempted to slide off of my back, but I glanced back to her and released a bit of a growl.

"Stay," I order with a stern gaze.

Saki squeaked and shivered but stayed on my back as I continued to walk through the dense forest towards what I hoped was drinkable flowing water. Though my body ached and I was desperately low on magic, a strange, almost peaceful feeling washed over me. I've never felt this feeling before.

Why do I feel this way? My thoughts wandered as I followed the distant sound of running water. After a while of walking, a small rocky stream appeared at the base of a hill.

Finally, I found it. I slowly made my way down the slope, careful to refrain from slipping on any loose leaves or soil. Eventually, we arrived, and I hesitantly scented the water to make sure it seemed safe.

Though the fast-flowing water was unimpressive and small, it smelled fresher than any water I have ever encountered. This water almost didn't have a smell, especially compared to the salty ocean water and the spring water on Master's Island, which smelled sour. For some reason, I suddenly felt thirsty.

"Here, water." I winced as I painfully kneeled slightly so my rider could slide off of my back.

"Thank you." Saki dropped onto the ground, then stumbled and fell into the stream with a small splash.

"You needed a bath anyway." I snorted, then lowered my head and calmly lapped up some of the delicious liquid.

"Humph!" Saki huffed as she splashed my face with a bit of the clear water, "You need a bath too!"

"I'm working on it." I huffed, then look at the water. There's not enough to immerse me. I splashed a bit of water over the splotches of mud, but the minimal amount of liquid failed to clean me.

I snorted, then rolled a bit into the water. After I stood on my feet, I shook the water off my form, then studied the results. It was semi-effective, but it still needed some work, as muddy water still streaked my side. I paused, then splashed more water over the spots with a swipe of my paw.

"Good enough." I mused as I began to lick my golden fur dry. It tasted a bit grimy, though otherwise, I was perfectly clean.

"Ewwwww..." Saki crinkled her nose. "You lick yourself clean? That's so gross! I was hugging you!"

"So you'd rather walk the whole way? Fine by me." I continued to finish cleaning my golden fur.

She paused, then pouted in defeat. "Fine, do it your gross animalistic way. I'm gonna do it the right way." She continued to rinse off her clothing in the stream, a frown still across her face.

Soon, she finished and looked at me after she drank a bit of water. "I'm done now!" She said, then shivered a bit as she yawned.

"Great, let's go." I kneeled again for her to climb back onto my back. "I'm going to follow this stream in case you need any more water breaks."

Saki hesitated, "are you sure you want me on your back? You didn't want me too earlier when I asked you."

"Just climb on." I glare slightly, which is enough to get her to obey me and scramble onto my back. Annoyingly, she was dripping wet, but I didn't complain as I continued to walk down the creek bed through the dense undergrowth.

"Hoshi, I'm tired...," Saki whined after I had traveled for a while, "can we stop and sleep? The sky is dark, and I can't see much of anything. I think I see the moon through the trees, but that's it."

"You can just sleep on my back," I stated as my memories automatically answered my mental question as to what a moon was, "monsters don't need sleep, and I can see perfectly fine in pure darkness. I'm going to keep walking. The faster we get you to the city, the better."

"What if I fall off?" The pink-cloaked Stellan's voice wavered slightly. "I don't wanna fall off."

I sighed as I felt her tremble. "I'll find a place to stay the night." I begrudgingly sigh. I glance around for something even somewhat suitable.

After a few more moments of walking, I see a large rock jutting out from the hillside. Though it's big enough for both of us, I only need it for Saki. It looks dry enough. "Here," I kneeled again so Saki can easily slide off of my back and land on her feet, "you can sleep here."

Saki paused, then slowly dropped to the ground. "Will you stay with me?" Her hand remained on my side as she stared into the dark moss-covered crevice. "I'm scared to be alone."

I hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, I'll watch over you."

Saki hugged my neck, then walked under the overhang. She brushed a few leaves and twigs aside, then laid down with her cape tightly pulled around her. As I watched her in pure boredom, her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed. She eventually fell into a light sleep, but I heard her shiver slightly.

I fought the strange feeling in my stomach for a little while. She's fine. I snorted slightly, but my thoughts only made the sickening feeling worse.

After I fought the feeling with a scowl, I conceded, and the feeling faded as I stood; The things I do to limit my pain. I walked over to Saki, then wedged myself between the damp rock in the back of the small cave and the girl's curled-up form.

When she continued to shiver, I wrapped my tail around her and carefully lowered my pained left wing over her like a blanket. There, now she should be warm enough. She stopped shivering, at least.

Suddenly, my mouth opened as I released a yawn. I blinked in surprise. That's not supposed to happen. How am I tired? I've never been tired before. Every monster knows monsters don't need sleep. Master just has us do it to save our energy for more missions. So why am I tired?

I yawned once more, and my wordless yawn offered no answers.

Why am I helping this Stellan? What am I doing here in the first place? Am I a monster?

YES! I mentally roar at myself as my eyelids become heavy. I AM a monster! I always have been!

I lowered my head to the ground; my eyes automatically closed. Of course, I am a monster......

...but am I?

Author Notes!

It's been so hard to type out Hoshi's full name after knowing his adorable nickname, but im finally free! What do you guys think of this chapter? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Do you think Hoshiryu is a monster?