"Am I hearing things or what?"
Grim asked as the hatchling was surprised.
"Y-You can understand me?"
The baby dragon asked. Its voice as soft, young, delicate. Truly befitting his age.
"Perhaps I hit my head too hard trying to dodge that humongous dragon earlier…" Grim thought out loud. "But still, she should not have left one of her offspring here alone."
As his hands extended the torch and lit up the top of the baby dragon, Grim's curiosity was answered.
"Y-Your wings…"
Grim pointed it out, causing the young dragon to nod his head down in shame.
"My wings are underdeveloped. I can't fly."
Said the baby dragon.
Indeed, this was in fact the case. One look at his wings and you could already tell that something was wrong with it.
They were far too small for flight.
Compared to his siblings from earlier which were keeping pace with their mother, Grim doubts this one could even leave the ground even for a second.
"Is that it? Did they just leave you for good?"
Grim asked him.
"What is a dragon good for if it cannot fly?"
The dragon responded.
Its black scales were definitely the same as the ones who flew out of the cave's mouth earlier.
"Still though, that's pretty screwed up."
Grim could swear he heard the baby dragon sigh.
"I'm going to make a bonfire again, alright? You seem a bit cold."
The dragon nodded.
After making it near the place where the baby dragon lay, Grim sat down and gathered his belongings which were swept away by the huge mama dragon from earlier.
The first thing he wanted to make sure was safe was his grandfather's portrait.
Its frame was destroyed. Probably hit against the cave's walls. But the portrait itself was fine. Grim saw something which was unusual.
As he picked up the portrait, he saw that there were words written behind it.
"Hm? What's this?"
He turned the portrait around and it was in fact a long letter, penned by his grandfather himself.
Grim sat down across the baby dragon, who was still looking down.
The letter read as follows:
"Dear Grim,
If you are reading this letter, then that means I am no longer with you. I've always been brittle, but as I got old, the more my illnesses started to affect me. I believe I have done my very best to raise you myself. I'm sorry for leaving you all alone now. I know I have been dodging the topic of talking about your parents, but I will tell you where they are now.
Go to the main city of Vanheim, Midgard. Ask about the Six Symphonies tavern. Tell the bartender there that you are my grandson, they will know what that means.
Lastly, I know your parents asked me not to tell you this. They wanted to tell you themselves. But I figured there was no better chance than right now. The truth is, Grim, is that the Fenris family are an elite chimera-taming bloodline. Some elves can tame some weak or lesser type of chimera, but if you are a member of the Fenris family, you have no limit as to what you can tame, no matter how strong it is. My portrait is not huge enough to detail what exactly 'taming' means. You're going to have to go back to our house and snag a book underneath your bed. Chances are, if I knew I was passing away soon, I would have placed it there.
Be good, Grim. I hope you will find happiness in life."
Grim could not help but tear up.
"Goodbye, Grandpa."
He said as he stashed the portrait back in his bag.
Grim's eyes met with the dragon's eyes.
"What should I call you?"
Grim asked.
"I was never given a name by mother. Maybe she knew that it was not worth keeping a flightless dragon around?"
Grim thought long and hard about what this small baby dragon's name was to be.
"When I come back, I'll give you a name myself, is that alright?"
The dragon nodded.
"I won't be gone for long, alright?"
Grim pulled his hoop up, obscuring his face.
"I just got out of that town, am I really going to have to go back?" He sighed. "If you had just told me about it, Grandpa, I would not have to back track my steps…"
Even if Grim was complaining, he still got up and walked back towards the town.
The dragon attempted to walk out of the cave after seeing Grim go out.
A slight rattle of a tree's branch scared him enough to come running back to the cave for protection.
Its black beady eyes stared at the sky above from the inside.
"The skies above are a place where I cannot be."
He turned his neck around and looked at his underdeveloped wings. While Grim was gone, the dragon let all of its emotions out as it sat right in front of the bonfire. All alone amidst the storm brewing outside.
After half an hour, Grim had already made his way back to the town.
His eyes darted around the area, trying to see if the residents were there.
To his surprise, nobody was in the town anymore.
Not a single soul was roaming around. The houses were even unlocked, revealing nobody else but him to be there.
"Where is everybody?"
When Grim finally got to he and his grandfather's house, just as he was about to open the door, he sensed some sort of projectile closing in on him. Fast.
It was an arrow targeted at the door's knob.
Grim turned around
"Who's there?!"
He shouted.
From the shadows behind a tree, a figure walked out, revealing himself.
It was another elf.
But this one was different, it was wearing the extravagant trappings of a warrior.
Grim took out a knife and was prepared to fight him.
"I am not dying today."
He said.