The Dragon Prince: Breath of Hope

Chapter 3- Breathing Again

Rayla sighed as she looked around the clearing they had come across. "This will do. We can stay here for a bit."

"Good. I feel like I've been awake all night," Ezran groaned, sitting down against a tree and rubbing his feet.

With an exhausted sigh, Callum sat down beside the human, "I'm tired too..."

"It's alright Callum, we'll stop for a bit. Right Rayla?"

"We can't afford to stop for too long but... yeah, long enough. She pulled the bundle off her back and passed it to Callum, "Here, change into these, you'll feel better for it." Walking away to a rock, she sat atop it.

The Dragon Prince looked at the clothing, and nodded, removing his rags and throwing them away. As he started to remove his pants, Rayla blushed a slight pink and quickly turned her back to him.

He hissed a few times as the clothes touched his painful sores and bruises, but eventually, he got the clothes on: an undershirt with pale trim at the edges, a belt around his middle, and a blue jacket on top. Rayla had already cut two holes in the back so he could get them over his wings which were now covered with a long, dark red cloak. It was partially a scarf, so it would work well for hiding his mouth and fangs, plus the hood would conceal his horns.

He had a pair of dark grey trousers and brown boots, while in the pockets of the trousers, he found a pair of brown, fingerless gloves. They were perfect for his still sore hands and wrists.

Ezran chuckled as he watched the prince look over his new clothes. "Wow Callum, the look suits you! But... you have the trousers on backwards."

"My tail won't go otherwise," he explained, groaning and sitting back down against the tree. He looked up at the night sky, "I... I forgot what the sky looks like," he admitted softly.

"Yeah, the stars are pretty aren't they?" the human yawned, holding onto Bait, and leaning on the older boy as carefully as he could, knowing he was still hurt and weak.

The prince smiled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulders, his tail shifting to wrap around them both and keep them warm while they slept.

Rayla smiled at the tender scene and nodded, "You should get some sleep too Callum. You're still weak."

Shaking his head, he whimpered. "I don't want to."

"Callum, you need to rest," she sighed, walking over to him.

"I don't want to," he repeated, turning his head away.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm scared I'll wake up there again," he sobbed, tears falling down his face.

Rayla stared at him, and once she was sure Ezran was still asleep, she reached out and wiped his tears away, "Callum, I promise, this is all real. You really are safe and we will get you home."

"How can I know? How can I know this isn't... isn't a dream? That you're real?"

Unsure of how to answer the question, the Moonshadow elf sighed, thinking for a moment before an idea popped into mind. "Give me your hand," she said, holding out her own.

Callum, still crying, looked confused at the request, "Why?"

"So I can prove this isn't a dream."

Tilting his head a little, he slowly held out the hand that wasn't holding Ezran. Taking it, she carefully moved his hand to her chest, right over her heart, "Listen. Can you feel that?"