Playing Among The Stars | Minsung

- Ch. 11 -

The next day had been a little better at least.

Exiting his quarters to find his "mentor" (mentor was a very generous word), he instead ran into the blue-haired right outside his door, a frown on his lips, his brows furrowed. He wondered why and how can someone be so grumpy so early in the morning. However, he remembered Changbin existed.

Minho could only roll his eyes, expecting insult to injury, or maybe a half-assed lecture if Jisung was up to it. But instead, he apologized, low and still staring at Minho with a haughty glare. Minho was sure he didn't mean it, and Jeongin probably told him off to apologize to the sorcerer. But the apology was good enough for Minho. He was sure the dragon-trainer had his reasons, especially since almost all the town felt that way toward outsiders—Minho.

Jisung gestured Minho to follow with no explanation, heading north of town. He thought they were just going to the classroom again, take a quiz, read a book, study, whatever.

Instead, Jisung continued walking, and walking, and walking. Until they reached the base of the cliff. Glancing up, he brings his fingers to his mouth, whistling loud enough that Minho was sure that the damn trolls on the other side of the mountains had heard it.

Though at the edge of a cliff, peeked a horned black head. The creature crawls down the cliff side, using the hooks at the edge of its wings, spider-like as it lands on its feet in front of Jisung, breathing at his face in small greeting.

The dragon was smaller than the copper one Minho ran into in the woods, black with no incredulous shine to it. Its eyes are sunken in, creating enough of a shadow that its piercing blue eyes glowed even in daytime.

It's a lithe creature, two massive horns protruding from the sides of its frill-framed face. Its wings were long, hooked at the tips to climb as it did earlier. And despite its reek of death, it greeted Jisung with a warm lick.

"Down, down. Ugh, your breath smells disgusting." Jisung gags before the dragon could tackle him to the ground. When it's eyes flickered to Minho, the dragon almost immediately growls low, stalking the sorcerer. Jisung placed a hand on its snout, shouting, "Down! Down! He's not an enemy."

But Minho swore he heard Jisung mutter, "at least Jeongin doesn't think so..." under his breath, but decides to ignore it.

"So... is this your dragon?" Minho asks, the younger nodding.

"Ara. She's Ara," Jisung says, gesturing up. "We're going somewhere. High in the mountains. It'll take at least a week for us to get there if we were to walk. And I don't think I can last that long being that close to you."

"Where are we going?" Minho asks, Jisung hitching his hooked weapon behind the dragon's horns and heaving himself up onto her back.

"Up. Toward the hatchery." 

—-

"Are you getting off or what?"

Minho's eyes shot open, glancing toward the blue-haired that already jumped off of Ara, standing on a ledge that led to the mouth of a cave.

"Oh, yes, yes. Hold on." Minho clears his throat, lessening his grip on the dragon and carefully, very carefully inches toward the ledge, jumping with a yelp and landing on the snow. Luckily, the dragon trainer hadn't seen his pathetic display and already entered without waiting for Minho. But the sorcerer scampers inside the cave, ignoring the very tall, barren mountainside the ledge hung over.