I nodded slowly, feeling a sense of cautious optimism. "Okay, that sounds okay, I guess." The hatchlings cheered, and I couldn't help but smile slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I thought.
We made our way to the nearby caves, the hatchlings chattering excitedly among themselves. I trailed behind, feeling a bit more at ease with each step. When we reached the caves, Kaldraveth said, "I'll count to ten, and then we'll all hide!" The others nodded, and I watched as Kaldraveth closed his eyes and started counting.
When he finished, the hatchlings scattered, seeking out hiding spots. I hesitated for a moment, then slipped into a nearby crevice. I held my breath, listening as the others called out, searching for each other.
As I waited, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all. And with that thought, I smiled to myself, feeling a tiny spark of joy.
The hatchlings continued to play, their laughter and shouts echoing through the caves. And I, Tharros, was a part of it, hidden away but feeling a sense of belonging.
Suddenly, I heard a faint rustling sound coming from deeper in the cave. It was soft at first, but it grew louder. What could it be? I peeked out of my hiding spot, my eyes scanning the darkness. The sound seemed to be coming from a nearby tunnel. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I wondered what might be making that noise. Should I investigate, or stay hidden?
I ask, "What does that sound?" One of the hatchlings popped out from behind a nearby rock, her eyes shining with excitement. "I think it's coming from the tunnel over there!" she whispered, pointing to the dark passageway. "Want to go check it out with me?" She looked at me expectantly, her face alight with curiosity.
I hesitated, feeling a twinge of uncertainty. What if whatever was making the noise wasn't friendly? But Yndorexiel's enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself nodding along with her. "Okay," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.
Together, we crept towards the tunnel, our hearts pounding in unison. The sound grew louder, and I could feel my senses on high alert. What were we going to find?
I checked a look, and there is nothing . I heard one of them signhed, and I looked one that sighed "was there a party here, and you guys canceled it because of my anxiety?!" I said, and my ears folded.
One spoke "well we did, but it find!" Than I heard "why can't we do a party is all because that newby huh! Why can't he be more talkative!" My ears folded, and most of the hatchlings here gasp.
Then one who is in front of the one saying (Why can't he be more talkative!) Said "just turn around Rhunakor and all your answers is there!"
Rhunakor turns around and sees us, and one who is right next to me said, "Rhunakor! How can you say! Yes, he may not be so sosial! But that doesn't mean you can make fun of him!"
He looked at me and said, "Are you OK?!" I said hesitate "yeah! Yeah, I'm fine" Tears streaming down my silver scales and snout.
I felt a wave of embarrassment and hurt wash over me as Rhunakor's words cut deep. The other hatchlings' gasps and shocked expressions only made me feel more self-conscious. But then, the hatchling next to me stood up for me, and I felt a surge of gratitude towards them.
As Rhunakor turned around and saw me, his expression faltered, and he looked taken aback. The hatchling next to me continued to scold him, and I felt a sense of relief that someone was standing up for me.
But despite their words, I couldn't help the tears that streamed down my face. I felt vulnerable and exposed, and I didn't know how to stop the emotions from overflowing. I tried to say that I was fine, but my voice cracked, and my words sounded hollow.
The hatchling next to me looked at me with concern, and I felt a sense of shame wash over me. I didn't want to be pitied or sympathized with; I just wanted to be left alone. But at the same time, I was grateful for their kindness and understanding.
I ran into the forest, not looking back and ignoring the other words behind me, so I flew off.
I pumped my wings hard, feeling the wind rush past me as I soared into the sky. The forest blurred beneath me, a green and brown smear as I fled from the pain and embarrassment. Tears still streamed down my face, but the wind whipped them away, leaving my scales cold and damp.
I didn't know where I was going, only that I needed to get away. Away from Rhunakor's hurtful words, away from the pitying looks of the other hatchlings. I just wanted to be alone, to hide and lick my wounds in private.
As I flew, the trees and mountains fell away beneath me, and I found myself over open sky. The sun beat down on my scales, warming me, but I didn't feel any comfort. I just felt lost and alone, unsure of what to do next.
I saw father albino scales flying in the distance he didn't see, so I flew behind and hugged his tail.
Father looked down and saw me crying, and he said, "Tharros, what wrong?! Didn't you go with your cousins?"
I spoke, "Rhunakor said that 'Why can't he be more talkative!' To me!" I hicup a bit still crying.
Father, scope me up with his paws gently and said "And did the rest of your cousin say something mean?" I shook my head, my wolf-fox ears still folded.
Father's warm paws enveloped me, holding me close as he looked at me with concern. "It's okay, Tharros," he said softly. "Rhunakor's words may have hurt you, but it's not okay to speak to someone like that. I'll talk to him and his parents about it."
He gently stroked my scales, trying to calm me down. "You know, being talkative isn't everything. You have your own way of communicating, and that's what matters. Your cousins should understand and respect that."
I sniffled, feeling a bit better with Father's reassuring words. I buried my face in his chest, feeling safe and protected. Father's presence always made me feel better, and I knew he would take care of me.
I ask. "So what are you doing here?" Father answered," I'm just doing some adventuring since I didn't do some adventure because I need to keep you happy and comfort you all the time!"
Father chuckled, "And help you sleep since you wouldn't sleep until I'm around and stay under my wings!"
I look down and said "Oh so you didn't do much of your life because of me!"
I looked down, feeling a mix of emotions. Father's words made me realize that he had put his own desires and needs on hold for me. I felt a pang of guilt and regret, knowing that I had been so dependent on him.
Father's expression softened, and he gently lifted my chin. "Tharros, don't think like that," he said. "Being with you, taking care of you, it's not a sacrifice. It's my pleasure. You're my son, and I love you more than anything."
He smiled, his eyes shining with warmth. "Besides, I've had many adventures in my life, and now I get to have new ones with you. Like this one, flying with you when you're upset and need a hug."
As Father landed and placed me down, he spoke, "Go and talk with your aunt and uncle since you didn't get to talk to some because you are so anxious and shy and just hid but you did be so hype to meet your uncle Valthorn your mother older brother right so go and meet them!" I nodded.
I took a deep breath and nodded, feeling a bit more at ease with Father's encouragement. I walked towards the cave entrance, where Mother, Uncle Valthorn, and Aunt Lyrixaera were waiting. As I approached, Uncle Valthorn's eyes lit up, and he smiled warmly.
"Ah, Tharros! It's great to finally meet you, nephew," he said, his voice booming and friendly. Aunt Kaldraveth smiled and nodded in greeting, and I felt a sense of relief that they didn't seem to mind my earlier behavior.
I looked up at Uncle Valthorn, feeling a bit awestruck by his imposing presence. "H-hi, Uncle Valthorn," I stammered, trying to be polite. Uncle Valthorn chuckled and ruffled my hair gently, making me feel more at ease. "Don't be nervous, Tharros. I'm here to get to know you better, not to scare you off."
Valthorn smiled. "So little nephew, I heard my son Kaldraveth took you in to invite you to a party, and I believe it was canceled because of your anxiety and shy!" I nodded
He sighed. "Rhunakor is your uncle Kaidriax he is mine and your mother youngest brother, and he got contact from your father earlier about Rhunakor hurtful words!"
Then a big dragon came up towards me, and Valthorn said, "This is Kaidriax he came to apologize for Rhunakor mean words!"
I looked up at the big dragon, Uncle Kaidriax, feeling a mix of emotions. He looked apologetic and concerned, and I could sense that he was genuinely sorry for Rhunakor's hurtful words.
Uncle Kaidriax bowed his head slightly, his eyes locked on mine. "Tharros, I'm deeply sorry for Rhunakor's behavior. As his father, it's my responsibility to teach him better, and I'll make sure he understands the impact of his words."
I looked at him warily, still feeling a bit hurt from the earlier incident. But Uncle Kaidriax's kind tone and genuine apology helped ease my tension slightly. I nodded slowly, accepting his apology. "It's...okay, Uncle Kaidriax," I said softly. "I'm just...really anxious sometimes."
Uncle Kaidriax nodded understandingly, his expression sympathetic. "I know, Tharros. We'll work on helping Rhunakor be more considerate, and we'll support you in any way we can."
I look at my siblings, who are talking to our other aunts and uncles, and I sighed and walked towards Lyriath, who is talking about this dragoness who looks bigger than Uncle Kaidriax
Lyriath smiled "Tharros this is Aunt Lyrixaera she is the youngest sister of our mother!"
I looked at her and bowed and said, "My.... my name is... is tha-Tharros I'm 8 years old!"
She chuckled. "It nice to meet you, Tharros. I heard you are my sister eldest and strongest and smart son!" I nodded.
I nodded, feeling a bit more at ease with Aunt Lyrixaera's warm smile. "Y-yes, I'm the oldest," I said, trying to sound confident. Aunt Lyrixaera's size was indeed intimidating, but her gentle tone put me at ease.
Lyriath chimed in, "Yeah, Tharros is really smart and strong, Aunt Lyrixaera. He's always helping us out and coming up with great ideas." I felt a surge of pride at Lyriath's words, and Aunt Lyrixaera's eyes lit up with interest.
"Is that so?" she asked, looking at me with a curious expression. "I'd love to hear more about your ideas, Tharros. Maybe we can talk about them later?" I nodded, feeling a sense of excitement at the prospect of sharing my thoughts with Aunt Lyrixaera.
Aunt Lyrixaera spoke, "I heard you have master your fire elements a bit, and I heard you've more elements than that!"
I nodded and let out my water elements and made the water in a perfect ball of water.
Aunt Lyrixaera's eyes widened in surprise, and she let out a low whistle. "Wow, Tharros, you're indeed talented! Mastering water elements at your age is impressive. And the way you formed that water ball is perfect." She leaned in closer, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I think I might have a few tricks up my sleeve to help you improve your elemental control. Would you like to learn from me?"
I nodded eagerly, feeling a thrill of excitement at the prospect of learning from Aunt Lyrixaera. I had always been fascinated by the elements, and the idea of improving my skills was exhilarating. Lyriath grinned, nudging me with his elbow. "Yeah, Tharros would love to learn from you, Aunt Lyrixaera. He's always looking for ways to get better."
I smiled. "Thank you, but I would love to, but I already have a powerful mentor to teach me how to use my elements, and it is a male dragon name Throkos!"
Aunt Lyrixaera's eyes lit up with interest, and she nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, Throkos, I know him. He's a skilled dragon, and a good mentor. I'm sure he's teaching you well. But I'm always happy to offer some additional tips and advice, if you'd like to learn from me as well."
She smiled, her expression warm and encouraging. "It's always good to learn from different perspectives, and I'm sure Throkos would agree with that. Maybe we can even arrange a time for me to work with you and Throkos together?"
I nodded, feeling grateful for Aunt Lyrixaera's offer. Having multiple mentors and teachers could only help me improve my skills, and I was eager to learn from her as well.
I aks "do you know Throkos?!" She shook her head and said "no but I heard he live when the time of humans were the top and have many kingdoms and empires! 100 years ago!"
I smiled "Well I heard about him over 100 years old!" She giggled."Despite I never see or meet him before, but don't know how your parents can find him!"
I smiled "Well father seemed to know him a bit, but I don't know when and how!"
Her eyes looked a bit shocked, but she calmed herself and changed the topic. "So what is your 2 elements are?!"
Lyrics answered first, "dark and fire and water, but I don't normally train my fire elements that much!"
I answered mine elements "fire and air and water and earth and light and thunder and tech and ice but I have a low skill on light Elements!"
Aunt Lyrixaera's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked at me with a mixture of amazement and curiosity. "Wow, Tharros, you have a wide range of elements! I've never seen anyone with so many elements, let alone mastering them at such a young age."
She turned to Lyriath and said, "And you, Lyriath, you're focusing on dark and water elements, with some fire elements on the side? That's interesting. The dark element is quite rare, you know."
Then she looked back at me, her expression thoughtful. "And you, Tharros, with seven elements... I'm not sure I've ever heard of anyone with that many. Tech element, huh? That's a rare one too. And you're still working on mastering your light element, I see."
She paused, collecting her thoughts. "I think I might have some information that could help you with your light element. Let me talk to your parents and see if we can find some resources to help you improve."
I spoke, "I have 8 elements, aunt Lyrixaera!"
Aunt Lyrixaera's eyes went wide with astonishment, and she stared at me in utter disbelief and i can see she realized he got the wrong amount and misscount it a bit. "Eight elements?! Tharros, that's... that's unprecedented! I've never heard of a dragon having eight elements, let alone an 8-year-old mastering some of them." She looked like she was about to ask a million questions, and I could sense her excitement and curiosity. "Tell me more about your elements and how you're handling them. This is fascinating!"
I smiled and gave her about them. "So my light Elements isn't good, Father said it will be good but all I see it I have horrible skill of it! And fire and water I'm really good at!"
And my tail wag faster. "Ice and tech are good at least, and wind sometimes I trained it but not much and earth is good enough!"
Aunt Lyrixaera chuckled at my enthusiastic tail wagging and listened intently as I described my elements. "I see, so you're a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, huh? That's amazing! And don't worry about your light element, Tharros - Father's words are probably right. It'll come with time and practice."
She smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I love seeing you so excited about your elements. It's infectious! I'm sure Throkos is doing a great job teaching you, and I'd love to see you demonstrate some of your skills sometime."
Aunt Lyrixaera's expression turned thoughtful, and she nodded to herself. "You know, I think I might have some ideas on how to help you with your light element. Let me think on it for a bit, okay?"
I smiled, then I heard footstep come towards me, and it was loud. I looked behind me and saw Uncle Kaidriax and Rhunakor, and Uncle Kaidriax said, "Come on, apologize."
Rhunakor stepped forward and said, "Sorry for saying you that 'Why can't he be more talkative!' And a few mean words towards you!" He look down in shame
I looked at Rhunakor, and my initial wariness softened slightly as I saw his genuine remorse. "I... it's okay, Rhunakor," I said, trying to sound calm. "You didn't mean to hurt my feelings, right?" I glanced at Uncle Kaidriax, who nodded encouragingly.
Rhunakor looked up at me, his eyes still filled with regret. "No, Tharros, I didn't mean to. I was just... frustrated. But that's no excuse for being mean." He took a deep breath and looked at me directly. "I'll try to be more considerate in the future, I promise."
I nodded, feeling a sense of acceptance. "It's okay, apology accepted." Uncle Kaidriax smiled and ruffled Rhunakor's hair. "Good job, Rhunakor. Apologizing takes courage."
Aunt Lyrixaera smiled, pleased with the apology. "Well, it seems like everything is settled here. Tharros, it was great talking to you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon."
I nodded, feeling happy that the encounter with Rhunakor had ended on a positive note. "Yeah, Aunt Lyrixaera, me too. It was great meeting you."
As the adults began to chat among themselves, Lyriath leaned in and whispered to me, "Hey, Tharros, I think we're going to have some fun with Aunt Lyrixaera around. She's always got some cool stories to share."
I grinned, feeling excited at the prospect. "Yeah, I think you're right, Lyriath. Let's go explore and see what kind of adventures we can find."
With that, Lyriath and I slipped away from the group, eager to start our next adventure together. And as we walked away, I could hear Aunt Lyrixaera's laughter echoing behind us, a warm and comforting sound that made me feel like I was exactly where I belonged.
Chapter 157 ended with a sense of new beginnings and possibilities, as I looked forward to spending more time with my family and exploring the world around me.