Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Some days, I think of what I would be doing if I was still in normal life, maybe sitting at home, being bored? But instead, I’m in the woods, cringing at every noise, and wondering where Will thinks we should be going. I trip on a twig for the hundredth time, catching Will’s attention. “Are you ok?” He asks me. “Yup, fine. What are we hoping to look for anyway?” I ask him, panting for breath. “Byleth, we can stop if you want.” Will says bluntly. “Ok, let’s stop at this tree right here.” I point to a tall tree nearby to sit under. A gust of wind sends chills down my spine, making me want something warm. I sit down next Will, and take deep breaths to calm my heart down. I open my mouth to say something but Will covers it with his hand. “Shhhhh, listen.” He says.

 I listen. There’s a voice, a thick british accent but calm at the same time “She what? That’s impossible. Lamia- there’s just no way.” The person speaking, who I now I can identify as a female, is devastated. I hear something else but I can’t make out what they’re saying. “Where is she? I need her now!” The female yells. The other voice that I can’t make out talks again. I hear wing beats and then footsteps. I look at Will, his face is pale and white, stricken with fear. I wait until the footsteps and wing beat sounds fade away to talk to him. “Who is Lamia?” is my first question. “Lamia, is the element dragon that destroyed the dragon tribe.” He explains. “I-I am one of those and I-I could kill a tribe in an instant.” I stammer. “Byleth, you will never be like Lamia, she was power-hungry. You for one, are not power-hungry.” Will, grasps my shoulder. I nod slowly. He pulls me up to my feet. My arm feels warm. We’re so close that I can feel his breath on my skin. I pull away, “Let’s keep moving, if we move fast enough, we might be able to catch the girl that was talking.” I mention. Will’s face looks like something I’ve never seen before, anger? Frustration? 

Instead of thinking of the girls at school, I this time think of Lamia to turn into a dragon. I really dislike her, even if I haven’t met her yet. My body expands into a long teal steel form, and I flap my wings to stay above the treeline. Will is already waiting for me on top of a tree. As we fly, I scan the forest floor to see if there’s any life. Except for bugs, vicious venus flytraps, and weird looking pastel creatures the size of a rodent, there's nothing really concerning. I eventually decide to ask Will what the pastel creatures are called. “They’re called figsons. My family has one as a pet back home, we named him Filbert. Think of guinea pigs, except figsons are pastel and have tails.” He explains. I spot one running away from a venus flytrap. They look adorable. “Can I have one as a pet on this trip?” I ask Will. “Sure, they do get in the way sometimes though. Turn into an elf to catch one, then let one smell you.

 After that, give it a leaf and it will trust you.” Will gestures down toward the ground. I dive toward the forest floor and then turn back into an elf. I pick one up and hold up a finger to it’s mouth. It licks me and squeaks. I pick up a leaf and hold that up to its mouth. Suddenly, I hear something- It’s that person’s voice again. The british voice that I heard earlier. I stroke the figsons fur, and then listen to what the girl is saying. “I need her by sundown, or else you’ll be sorry.” The british voice threatens. Then I hear the other voice, I cup my hands over my mouth. “I promise, she’ll be in our hands by then. Two element dragons on the same side, this will help us.” It’s Rayonetta’s voice.