Wings of Destruction and Duty

15 || Aurnia

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The two sat huddled behind the mayor's fence trying desperately to avoid setting off the dull-witted dogs that Hamlin considered his protectors. Aurnia could sense them lounging in the garden. Their breath left a faint bitterness in the air and the threads of life the bound them to Aefither hung lazily around their hearts. But it was their plumpness that worried her most. Aurnia drummed her fingers on the ground, mentally tallying up the energy that simmered within her. Did she want to start another fight tonight? It was one thing to pamper a pet. But putting them at risk of heart failure was a different story.

Hamlin never failed to disappoint her.

"I am sure that this is the best thing I can think of right now." Aurnia spluttered as Koa's foot landed in her mouth for what felt like the hundredth time. He was sitting on her head, two front feet propped on the edge of the fence, nose twitching with every shadow that danced behind the manor's curtains. "Believe it or not, Agrona's seeing stone still isn't responding to me, and it's much better to be stuck in a place where I know we can get food."

"But why can't you go hunting? You are a dragon and dragons have claws?" Koa had bent down to look into her eyes. "Is it because you're not good at hunting? Because if that's the problem, I don't mind. I can help you do it. I have claws too!" As if to prove his point, he flexed them before her eyes with a proud grin on his face.

Aurnia sighed. She had forgotten what it was like to have to guide someone through the world. "That's not the case. Or least, that's not the complete reason why I don't hunt." She brushed his foot away, straightened up, adjusted her bag and hopped over the fence. They could wait a little longer, but with the setting of the sun, time was running out. She could feel the clouds of frustration slowly rolling in, they chewed on her thoughts and bubbled. It was best to get over a fight before Hamlin's children had to go to bed.

"I don't hunt because of my mother's gift. Whenever I sink my fangs into a listless deer, I feel their pain ripple through me." Her voice had dropped to a bare whisper. "I don't see the point in doing it anymore."

The path thudded dully beneath her feet as she and Koa wove their way around the stumpy trees. A dog growled. Low and threatening it rumbled through the air. She gave a sharp hiss and they both froze, with Koa slinking silently behind her legs.

"Aurnia? Can we go a little faster please? I don't want to be dog food." Koa's voice slunk through her head as they dipped behind a bush. Hamlin's mansion loomed before them. Brittle stone and haunted archways cast long shadows upon the windows. She shook her head and whispered, "We're almost there, and those dogs couldn't catch you even if they tried." She tickled his chin and raced towards a little set of stairs that dipped into the ground.

It was easy to pilfer a few goodies here and there. Hamlin's wife had never bothered to listen whenever the head maid listed out their supplies for the season. Aileen never minded her visits to the kitchen, she said it brought them a spark of life and Aurnia secretly craved her warm rich laughter. She hesitated before the warped wooden door, carefully listening to the sounds of bustle within. Something clattered to the ground and she strained to make out Aileen's voice. Then she heard it and smiled. Spluttering and coughing, the old lady was demanding a cloth to wipe up the spill.

"Stay on my shoulder and try not to cause any trouble. Some of these folks are a little scared of the wild magic I wield." She tucked Koa safely behind her and gave the door a gentle shove. It swung open without much pressure to reveal what looked like a disaster zone. Soup and mottled vegetables coated the back wall, and the foul smell of burning milk filled the air.

Two young men raced after an unseen thing with a metal pot. They clanged around uselessly all while hurling insults that would make their mothers sob. Aurnia took a step back to survey the damage. Perhaps it was a silly time to disturb the peace. Aileen had her system and you disrupted it at your own peril.