Four Crescent Moons - Chapter Two

    ~ Chapter Two ~

'What just happened? '

        Crescent walks over to his bag, which lay on the ground near the water.  Picking it up, he flies over the trees and soars through the sky. 'Is this what it feels like to be free? ' he thinks after about two hours of flying.  He recalls the events that happened earlier,  'Why did Dusk lick my ear? Why did he almost kiss me? I thought he hated me.' He shakes his head, 'Well, I guess neither of us are sure anymore.' He starts to feel the need to vomit once again, so he dives and lands in a forest nearby, barely making it to a tree. Panting, he cleans his face and looks around. To get a better view, he climbs up a tree and pokes his head out the top. In the distance, he can see Jade Mountain, known for holding the famous school called Jade Mountain Academy. Luckily, the school year starts in two weeks, so maybe he can stay there and be just another hybrid student who happened to be at the school. Not some so-called freak who shouldn't exist. 'It isn't my fault I just happened to be born on a night with four moons. Who even knew there was a hidden world on the other side of the atmosphere?' He leaps into the air again and glides through the low clouds, heading to the academy. 

        Hours later, the sun is setting and the moons are rising. The three of them side by side in their resting place in the sky. Crescent finds a small cave as he lands and checks it for any threats. He sees a small plume of flame in the middle of three squeaking scavengers roasting some fish. They don't notice him, due to the mixture of  how dark it was and his night-black scales. He quietly steps forward, trying not to spook the poor creatures. One of them screeches, pointing at him and sputtering something incoherent. The others jump out of their seats and run over to their weapons, threatening Crescent with the small sharp blades. The one holding a spear squeaks, jabbing at him with the small makeshift weapon. He takes a step back and then lowers his head, trying to show them he's not a threat. They look at him in surprise and  the spear-holder gets closer. He lays down and the little scavenger reaches out, the other scavenger squeaking at her. He breathes out deeply, making the small female flinch. She rests her hand on his snout and Crescent glances at the fish. He hadn't eaten in a few days, since some of the other dragonets would always take his food. Also being the reason why he's a bit smaller than them. The scavenger points at the fish and one of the others grabs it and brings it over. The female takes it and holds it in front of the dragon. He sniffs at it and then takes it in his mouth standing up. He nuzzles the small scavenger and then turns around, padding over to the entrance of the cave to eat. After he finishes, he looks over to see the little female scavenger carefully walking over to him, and then  pointing at the fishbone.  He places it in front of her and she takes it, bowing to him and then walking back to her friends.

        In the morning, Crescent wakes up to the warm morning light hitting his face and a small paw patting his snout. He sleepily opens his eyes, seeing the same scavenger from the night before. She shows him her bag and points at her fellow scavengers. She points at the entrance and makes a hushed squeak. He nods, and sits up. She seems to think for a moment and squints at his wing. He tilts his head, feigning confusion and curiosity. The small brunette -Cocoa, as he decided to call her, due to her chocolate colored hair- motioned as if flapping her arms and points at him. He blinks, understanding what she's asking for, as the other scavengers squeak and shake their heads, looking scared and worried. Cocoa screeches at them and places her paws on her sides.  He nudges her slightly and she turns around. He nods and lays down so she can climb onto his neck, hanging on to his horns. Crescent looks at the other two male scavengers and  waves at them to climb on. After they're all situated, he grabs his bag and  leaps into the air once more. He hears small squeaks from the little mammals, and then feels a pat on his horn, signifying that he turn. They fly farther away from the Diamond Spray Delta and sees little structures in the forest near the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. Crescent heads towards the village and lands near the gates, so as not to disturb the scavengers that live there. He hears a whistle and ducks, looking up to see an arrow where his head used to be. Hiding behind a few trees, he lays down again so Cocoa and her friends can slide off. They run over into open ground and The little female waves her arms as she communicates with the archers. She then motions to Crescent to  come out of his hiding place and he carefully and cautiously pads into the open and stopping next to her.  She reaches out and pats his snout, and he lowers his head.

'So this is where most scavengers live? '

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Chapter Three