The 'Dragon Goddess'

First Flights

After devouring my dragon nip, I'm moved outside, where my 'birthday party' is supposedly being held. In other words, it's just going on a flight, but with me actually flying this time. I flap my wings, willing myself to lift up into the air, but failing.

"Try running up and jumping," Selene suggests. I nod and do as she says. I leap up higher than I've ever leapt before and manage to use my wings to glide back down, but apart from that it doesn't work.

I keep trying until I eventually get the hang of getting myself into the air. I then move on to my landings, which is a lot easier and I manage to do successfully without needing any real practice.

"Let's fly, Indigo!" Melanite cheers constantly, fluttering about. "Okay, okay!" I laugh, taking off. She follows, as do the others, who make sure I stay up.

"You're doing great, Indi!" Selene encourages me. "You'll be racing laps around me in no time!"

I grin at that. "You're going to wish I was never born then... or hatched... I guess? I'm still unclear on that part."

Everyone laughed. "Well, Indigo," Asher smirks. "When a mummy and daddy love each other very much..."

"... they make sure their inappropriate son shuts up when Melanite is nearby?" I pick up the sentence where he left off. "Sounds about right," Selene agreed, glaring at Asher.

"What happens when a mummy and daddy love each other very much?" Melanite piped up curiously, her big innocent eyes looking at us. "I don't know it all myself, Melanite," I tell her. "I just know that it involves bad places to touch, which is why you're not learning about it until you're a little older and mature enough to handle it without thinking it's too disgusting, okay?"

"At least you don't tell me it's just a metaphor or something like that," Melanite shrugs, seemingly satisfied with her answer. Good. "You don't know about... you know..?" Selene asks me. "Nobody was around to teach me," I reply. "I've got a basic idea of what it is and how it works and that kind of thing, but it's very basic. I don't need to know all the details, though."

"Guess not," Asher agrees. "You're lucky. I got the full-on lecture thingy or whatever it is. It was the most awkward fifteen minutes of my life." He shivered over dramatically for effect.

"That's the most awkward?" I question in surprise. "Well What's yours?" He shrugs, though I can tell he's also relatively intrigued. "Hm..." I pretend to think. "What about being shoved in front of a bunch of shapeshifters who are claiming to be the family you thought were likely dead?"

This shut that little show-off up.

"Hey Indigo, I've been wondering this for a while now and I know that this is a completely unrelated topic, but can I ask you something?" Adriana asks. "Go ahead," I agree with a slight nod.

"Why do you always wear that mask?"

I almost lose my balance and fall, caught off guard by that question, but I keep steady and answer. "I can't have any pathetic humans know who I am. They'll check my past for my weaknesses. Then I don't know what I'll do to protect my pack."

"You must really care for them," she says. "I'd protect them with my life if I had to," I agree instantly. "Though hopefully it won't ever come to that."

She nods. "So would we be able to see under the mask at some point?" Asher, Melanite and Selene look to me curiously at that. "At some point, yes," I confirm. "But once I show you, none of you can ever tell a soul or I'll personally come and erase your memories of it, understood?"

"You can erase memories?" Adriana asks. "Indirectly, but yes," I confirm. "Though that's not all I can do and I suggest you don't test me to see what else there is."

"Sounds fine by me," Selene nods. "As long as you keep the secret of our location and the fact that more Morphwings exist... though you can show that you are one of us if you want to." "I wouldn't dream of saying anything you don't want known," I reply. "I'd be a hypocrite if I shared this information."

"Good," Selene smiles at me before licking the side of my face. "Now how about we go get some fish?"

"Sounds good to me," I smirk, folding my wings halfway in and leaning forwards like I've seen my partners do. Like I predicted I go into a perfect nose dive towards the ocean below us. I can my wings out once I'm level with the water and glide over the top, opening my mouth underwater so I can catch fish inside. When I pull up again my jaws are filled with them.

"Someone's learning fast," Selene remarks, an impressed expression on her face. I nod, then fly back onto the land and drop my treats onto the ground, nudging a few towards Melanite to make sure she gets something to eat as well.

"Thanks, Indi!" She cheers happily, licking the side of my face before chowing down on her snack. "How did you find your first flight then?" Asher asks me, taking a fish for himself.

"Incredible," I reply, picking a fish up as well. Asher threw his head back and snapped at his fish as it went down, so I did the same. It's actually a pretty easy way to eat in this form, which is helpful to know. I don't even have to worry about all the bones because according to Selene they sort out in our digestive systems or something like that... though only if eaten in dragon form, when our throats are different.

Despite being raw, the fish is fresh and delicious. I quickly move onto another one, suddenly feeling ravenous. "What an unladylike way to eat," Asher teases in mock horror.

"Shut up, a girl's gotta eat," I reply snippily, eating another fish.