Sparks flew as I took my anger out on the heated metal. Each stroke of my hammer drives my anger away from me. If only my anger wasn't endless these days. Jade chucked drawing my attention to her. "What is so funny?" I spat.

"Your anger has allowed you to catch up with your work."

"Why is this funny!?"

She smiled at me. "You need a drink Kyros, my friend. A drink and a long talk." She stood and walked to the door. I followed her grumbling. "You have been in an awful mood since Topaz dragged you off the battlefield."

"It's nothing to do with him." I growled as we walked down the street.

The castle looked more empty than it had. Even this made me angry. Those bloody humans chasing away people from their homes! Jade chuckled at my growl.

Sitting at our favorite table and waved a coin at the rabbit to bring us our usual. "Then tell me what it is. You have not just caught up with the work you missed but you have been up half the night even after I've left you. You work and work, to the point where now you have made enough swords, arrowheads and spearheads to arm the army for the next three years of battles."

The Rabbit came over with a tray with a jug of wine and two glasses. Jade offered the coin to the Rabbit staring at me the whole time so I didn't scare them off like I did last time. I growled as the Rabbit turned, it sent him bounding away.

"Talk Kyros."Jade growled with her irritation.

I looked up at Jade and saw her annoyance from the smoke coming from her nose. "I nearly became a bear."

Her eyes widened and she swallowed her wine hard. "Oh.... I see. So your constant grumpiness is the effect?"

I shook my head. "Not just that. I think it's also the other things. Most of the after-effects are my mind being slow and.... my body wants to hunt."

She frowned and then tapped my cup. "I know a Dragon that might be able to help." I drank my drink and Jade stood. "Come. Let's get you back to normal."

I stood and followed her. She led me to the Blue Dragon's hospital then around the back to the cluster of houses they had taken as their own. In this castle, there are more Blue Dragons than anywhere else as they had set up a field hospital here after I had pointed out that sending wounded to the Dragon home could lead the humans to it.

Jade stopped outside a door and knocked once. Stepping back she sighed. I frowned as the door remained closed. I was starting to lose my temper when the door creaked and opened to reveal a small Blue Dragon that was bent over. He wore a monocle over one eye and had the longest horn on his chin I had ever seen. His cloudy eyes squinted at Jade and then flew wide. "Jade my dear Purple Dragon! What on earth and sky are you doing knocking on my door today? I told you I was sleeping this week." His voice sounded like rocks grinding together in a bag.

It held many more years to it than I could place. Wait a minute! Sleep this week? Is that normal?

"Please excuse my intrusion ancient one. My friend here has an issue I know you have made it your life's work to study." The old Dragon took a few steps and then stopped looking at me. His long neck creaked as much as the door had as he moved his head around to examine me.

"Ahhh Jade you are right! Come in my dear Jade we must sort out this poor yaspilrmeth. He suffers with his mady and needs to be helped." He turned slowly plodding back into the house. "Tell me Bear that's stronger than the mountain, why have you all but given up on your humanity?" He called as he disappeared behind the door.

I growled as Jade gave me a general push into the house. I followed the Dragon into the cramped space. The house was packed with books and boxes from floor to ceiling. The old Dagon weaved his way through the maze of things with more speed and agility than it looked like he should have for his age.

Every step I took puffed up little clouds of dust that tickled my nose. The only thing I was grateful for was that I was slightly smaller than the old Blue Dragon. Couldn't he have dusted before moving all his books in? I thought waving the dust from my nose.

Looking over my shoulder I saw Jade in human form walking in the dust voids my steps left on the floor. She tried to not touch anything as she moved. Occasionally bumping into something then stopping the pile from toppling. Finally, the old Dragon stopped sitting in an old armchair that also puffed up a cloud of dust that he waved away from his face. "So Bear do you have an answer to my question?"

"I know! I don't talk about it!"

"You need to Bear. The reason you are so close to becoming the bear is because you haven't dealt with the reason you are giving up." I sat in a chair that had lost a leg and now was supported by a stack of books as Jade made it into the small room, that felt cramped with all the books.

I growled still unwilling to give up my past to a stranger. The old Dragon sighed. "Let me explain it to you then. Long ago the yaspilrmeth used to run and play as both animal and human. We Dragons were caught up in our own things at this time but we still watched. When the yaspilrmeth started to gain a mind to do things like build and fight, they also started to love. They felt it so strongly that it twisted some of them. Some wanted to be human and expand what little they had to build community, others wanted to hunt or run free of all that responsibility."

He smiled with a faraway look in his cloudy eyes. "The ones that became human hunted the ones that stayed beasts. The yaspilrmeth did not like this and asked the Dragons to aid them in this war between what had once been their brothers. After the yaspilrmeth betrayed the Dragons when they needed aid, that is except the nightwolf pack. We told them they were on their own. The war started and the yaspilrmeth and humans fought, they were equally matched. Each side lost many of their numbers. That was when the alpha of the night wolves came to Gold Dragon. The alpha laid the dragon helm at her feet and begged her for aid."

"So Duhas pack begged for help?" I asked feeling caught up in this story. "I don't see a strong wolf doing that. My friend Wolf would never beg at someone's feet. It would seem like weakness to him."

"The alpha of the nightwolf pack is always a woman. It was Duha's ancestor who begged. Female wolves find it easier to put their ego aside to ask for assistance. Anyway, the point is they needed our strength. The pack didn't like the price we asked of them in exchange."

"What was the price?"

The old Dragon took a deep breath and then met my eyes. "We would withdraw from the world to see how it was shaped by the peace we would broker. What the pack didn't know was the humans also came to us. They demanded we get involved or they would send their allies the spiders to attack us. Gold Dragon refused to be intimidated by the humans knowing that the new Queen of Spiders was full of treachery. She knew that the spiders would side with whoever was winning at the time. Which would be the whichever side we sat with. The balance would shift and they would side with the other side."

I frowned. "What has any of this got to do with my issue?"

"You will understand soon Bear."

Jade put her hand on my arm and asked. "Would you mind telling me.... is this where Red Dragon got his title?"

The small Blue Dragon smiled. "That Red Dragon got himself many titles. Kyanite who holds the history is the one he is proud of, but the small shield is the one he earned in this story. He was a young boy then, he didn't even have a horn or colour." The old dragon said scratching the horn on his chin. "The Dragons agreed to broker peace between the sides, but the humans were as bad as the spiders. They attacked the delegation of Dragons and in the middle of the battle the spiders turned on the humans, and the Dragons protected the humans. They did this in the hope of saving the peace talks."

The old Dragon poured a glass of wine offering it to me. "Kyanite saved a human who gave up their weapon and shield to him when he broke his mighty spear. Kyanite protected the humans and rallied the Dragons. He beat back the spiders. The human told him to keep the weapon and shield upon retiring to our home." I took the cup taking a drink.

"So that was the human Kyanite shared his hoard with?" Jade asked taking the cup the old Dragon offered her.

The one he told me about. I thought my mind drifted back to a converstaion I'd had with Kyanite."I saved a woman and she gave me a gift. Then she showed me that I could trust humans."

"You shouldn't trust them." I said frowning at him. 

"Humans are more than they seem. That's why you should let him in. He loves you Bear, and I would be a bad brother if I didn't remind you of that."  

"So what happened to her?" I found myself asking as the memory faded from my mind.

"You can not jump to the end young man. Not when the story is so important. The delegates made up a deal that all agreed to. The yaspilrmeth and humans would not fight and the Dragons would withdraw from the world."

I took another sip of my wine shaking my head. So thats why they where all asleep.

"Kyanite and his wife returned home. They had two children one human, and one Dragon. His wife asked the Gold Dragon to allow them out into the world. She did and off they went. When Kyanite's wife died he came home. That was when he learned of the queen of spiders' second betrayal. She took his daughter. The price of the anti-venom was to be hers. So he agreed and when his daughter died of old age he was free of her."

So that's what happened! He never told me that. He always said that she learned not to anger him. If this story is true then how could she have learned. Maybe it's something he did to get free.

"We watched the shakey peace for three generations. The Gold Dragon was tired and wanted to lay forever in the home hoard. She asked for one that would hold the history and Kyanite stepped up." The old Dragon sighed.

"This was when he wrote this." He offered me a book from the pile next to his chair. "This is when he saw a yaspilrmeth lose themselves unwillingly. The Dragon went to sleep after he wrote it but I would wake when he had more for me. I found myself unable to rest when I heard of the plight of these yaspilrmeth. One time he brought me one like you. It took me nearly her whole life to work it out. The yaspilrmeth only lose their form when they give up that part of themselves. So I ask you once more Kyros of the mountain. What is making you give up on humanity?"

I took a long drink of my wine and looked at Jade. She smiled at me waiting for the next story. What has all that got to do with my history? Why do I have to tell them a thing! I looked to the Two Dragons. I think I needed to know that to understand why Kyanite sided with him... Kyanite found someone he loved when all the humans looked as treacherous as the spiders. The lesson is, not everyone is the same. Like the yaspilrmeth that wouldn't help the Dragons but the Night Wolf Pack came to their aid. I met Jade's eyes as she touched my arm. I should open myself up a bit like I did for Eric. They are trying to help me. "I... lost someone."

The old Dragon sighed topping up my glass. "It is more than that." His statement filled me with anger.

"Fine! I lost everything! I was with my lover and we were both dragged into this war the humans were having. My lover was human but he knew what I was. I fixed the armour and he cooked the meals. We were meant to be safely away from battle but...they attacked us to cut off the supply lines and my lover was wounded. I lost myself and attacked them in bear form. We got away but they were hunting us. Both armies chased us until I got us far enough away that they lost us. We hid in a cave but my lover's wound festered and..."

Jade took my hand squeezing it for support. I took a steading breath and tryed to push my emouthions down. "He died.... I buried him in the woods under my cave. I lived near him for years. It became my little ritual... I would wake after the cold months and then visit his grave when I hunted and gathered what I would need for the next winter. Every day I would visit his grave at sunrise and pass by it again at sunset on my way home. Then the humans moved me off again, and attacked me and my friend's in my cave... they never stop! Why would I want to be like them?" I was shouting by the end and growling.

Jade took her hand back suddenly rubbing it. I growled and looked at my arms that sprouted extra hair. I sighed and took several deep breaths like Eric told me to do and got my inner bear back under control. A hunger for raw meat and the warmth of a cave started to fog my mind and I chased away with thoughts of Eric.

"If that was true why then do you still fight it?" The old Dragon asked softly.

"Eric." Jade answered.

I glared at her. "Ahh, so he loves someone. Kyros if you do not resolve your internal conflict you will lose yourself to the bear. To repair the damage done you must move on. Without healing you will wander off as a bear leaving your friends and lover behind. I know you feel this. It is how they all feel at this stage of this malady."

"I can't resolve it! He won't say he loves me." I growled.

The old Dragon laughed. "You do not need to hear those words to know he loves you Kyros. He has shown you. That is why you can fight."

I frowned now my brain had taken in everything he had said. "Wait... how come you suddenly know my name, and what's going on with Eric?"

The old Dragon laughed. "I lost my sight a long time ago Kyros, but I still see. My eyes can barely focus on the words in a book now. That makes it easier for the ones past to call me to see."

"So you know everything?" I asked unsure how to feel about this. "From the start?"

He shook his head. "Not everything only enough. The anticonts don't call on me to show me your personal life. Only what I need to help you. Think back to Kyros. You knew from the first that I knew who you are."

"Then tell me what I need to do." I growled.

"You need to think about everything you two have done together. Then you need to go to him and show him you love him. He will do the same. Then you will be free to be a bear or human for however long you want. Just like us." The old Dragon stood stretching his back. "I have passed on everything I was told to. There is only one left to hear what needs to be heard. That will happen in time. I must sleep... see yourselves out."

He moved off down another maze of boxes and books. "Come on then... let's get you back to Eric."

She stood up and started to walk back through the maze and I hurried to follow her. "He said I needed to hear that. What did that mean?"

She sighed stopping and looking back at me. "Dragons talk in riddles, old Dragons are worse. Come on let's talk at the pub."

She continued to lead me out of the house and morphed as soon as we were out. "So you didn't know what he told me?"

"Some... I'm not interested in the histories. I love the stories about the ancients but... I don't like the stories of battles."

She walked off with me following behind. "Wait so not all Dragons know the history of your people?"

She laughed. "We know enough. Not everyone is interested in the history."

We sat at our table again. "So all I need to do is think and talk?"

"At least you're good at one of them. The thinking, not the talking."

I chuckled as the Rabbit left another jug. "You're right."

"Then tell me Kyros. Share your stories with me and we will make you better."

She poured me a drink and I raised my cup to her. "Then we drink and talk our way into being free of the ties that bind us."