A/N: And so I return! Fresh from seeing The Lashes and Panic! At the Disco at Bumbershoot (huge music and arts festival in Seattle). I’d really love it if I got some feedback on this chapter as well as the rest of the story. Let me know how I’m doing. Talk to me, I’d love to hear from my wonderful readers.

-------- - -

After that, time meant nothing to me. I lived in the mountains as a beast would. I had cast aside the protection of clothing, of people, and thrown myself into the ways of a wild creature. I slept in the open under the stars and the silent observation of Luna. In the beginning, I ate only of the roots and berries of the plants, but that was not enough to sustain me, especially as I began to practice flying. I needed something more substantial to support my strengthening muscles, something to give me the energy I needed to travel further away from Del’thoa; to leave my old life behind me.

And so I found myself sitting on the shore of a large lake in the valley of a snow-capped mountain. My reflection regarded me coolly, her skin coated with dirt, her wings half spread. I paid her no mind. My attention was focused solely on the flickers of movement beneath the surface. Meat. Fresh meat. The creatures had no name to me as Issanel had never described anything like them. They went against everything I had seen before, existing under the water without air. It seemed unnatural to me. But I had seen hawks and even bears feasting upon the scaly, finned creatures with relish. If they could do so, so could I. It was catching one that was the problem.

The creatures had avoided my grasp for days. Foolishly, I had assumed that their scales would make them easier to grasp, only to find that they were covered in a thin layer of slime that made gripping them difficult. I had tried diving at them from above unsuccessfully, learning the hard way that wet wings kept me land-bound. Lunging at them from the shore also proved ineffective. I found myself at a loss. The flickering of silver bodies under the surface mocked me and I scowled at them as my stomach decided to voice a violent protest at the lack of food.

This is getting me nowhere, I decided. The fact that the day was overcast and dreary did nothing to improve my mood. I hated not being able to see blue skies above me. I wanted to feel the sun on my wings, but all I got was rain.

“What are you?”

I had become so accustomed to the sounds of nature, the wind, the rustling of foliage, and the noises of the surrounding creatures that the voice of another intelligent being startled me to my feet and almost into flight as I whirled around, wings spread to keep my balance.

The creature that stared back at me resembled the descriptions Issanel had given me of a cat…but much, much larger with a horn the size of my forearm protruding from its head. It stood level with my shoulder, crouched down on long, powerful looking legs. Muscles rippled like waves beneath its smooth golden-brown fur and long fangs protruded from its top jaw curving backwards and ending in wicked points. I found myself captured by enormous green, slit-pupiled eyes. They seemed bottomless, flecked with bits of gold, fierce and predatory.

To say that I was intimidated is quite an understatement. I wanted to flee, to throw myself into the sky and fly far away from this fearsome-looking feline. But something compelled me to stay where I was. Perhaps it was the gleam of curiosity I saw in its eyes, or some desperate yearning for company. Whatever it was, it had me rooted to the spot, unable to move until the creature spoke again.

“Did you hear me? I asked you a question,” it said in a voice I defined as masculine, eyes sparkling with apparent amusement as I fumbled for the words to answer his question.

“…..I….don’t know.” I found myself stammering, taking a few steps backward and folding my wings. “I could ask you the same question.” My eyes traveled to the curving claws on his feet and I raised my hands in defense. “Please don’t eat me.”

The creature sat back on his haunches and rumbled deep in his chest. It took me a full terror-filled minute to realize that it—he—was laughing. At me.

I found myself, inexplicably, offended and forgot my fear momentarily as I spat, “And just what is so funny? Who are you? What are you?”

He regarded me lazily, eyelids drooping. “You are. I am Lhasaron of the Meron, strange one. And I wouldn’t dream of eating something as stringy as you.”

Now that I think back on it, his words could have been interpreted as a compliment. At the time, they simply annoyed me.

“…..Stringy? You’d be stringy too if you couldn’t catch something to eat. I am Lianna and I don’t know what I am, but I know that you are rude.”

Perhaps it was that he was just as lonely as I was, or maybe it was simply out of curiosity, but Lhasaron chose to stay with me that day. He caught a good number of those water dwelling creatures—he named them “fish”—and listened with interest to me when I told him my story.

By the time I was finished, the sun had long since fled from the sky and Luna had fought her way through the clouds to stare at her reflection on the lake far below her. Lhasaron lay a few feet away from me, tail twitching as he considered my words carefully.

“That black rain sounds like a Kantraharo’s doing,” he murmured, digging at the ground with a claw. “Strange to see one so far north though.”

My head shot up and I regarded the large feline with wide eyes. “What in the world is a Kantraharo? And why would it destroy a temple?”

He snorted and rolled onto his side, stretching languorously. “A Kantraharo is a black dragon. Huge and evil as the sun is bright. You usually find them far to the south, across the sea on the Black Isles. It’s unheard of for one to be as far north as Del’thoa. Sounds like you’re terribly unlucky.”

Unlucky? That’s an understatement. My heart sank. Issanel had told me of dragons, but never of evil ones. His stories had always been of great noble blue beasts that called the endless skies their domain.

“There goes any thought of revenge,” I muttered. “What could I possibly do against a dragon?”

Lhasaron sat back up and yawned hugely, his fangs gleaming in Luna’s light. “That’s the spirit. Best not to trifle with the Kantraharo, strange one.”

I sighed, a soft and sad little sound. “The only dragons Issanel ever told me about were blue. He called them lords of the sky and said they breathed storms and danced on the winds. I never imagined there could be anything different.”

The great feline snorted again. “There are many different types of Kantra in this world. Although I believe your mentor was referring to the Kantratera.”

“How would a dragon—“

“—Kantra.”

“….Sorry. How would a Kantra make the sky rain black death?”

Lhasaron shrugged. “Beats me. Magic maybe.”

I glared at him, annoyed at his indifference. “Doesn’t sound like you really care.” I stretched my wings and stifled a yawn. “Rude.”

A lazy eye stared right back at me, unfazed. “I have my own problems, strange one. You’re not the only one with issues.” When I continued to glare at him he laughed and lashed his tail in amusement. “Don’t give me that look. In any case, I’m going to sleep now. I suggest you do the same.”

My anger dissipated as curiosity won me over. “You’re going to sleep? Here?”

The great feline stood and padded gracefully over to me where I sat, staring down at me with gleaming emerald eyes. “Strange one, I like you. I’d like to stick around if you don’t mind. Besides,” he grinned toothily at me, “without me to catch you some food, I think you’d starve to death soon.”

Stick around? He wants to stay….with me? For some reason, the thought of having someone else around again, even if it was a ferocious-looking talking feline, filled me with warmth. I had been alone for so long. I stood and looked down at Lhasaron, a slow smile creeping its way onto my face. “I’d like that.”

I fell asleep that night to the sound of a content purr.