Flight of Eden

Chapter Four

"Thanks again for letting me borrow some of your clothes." I told Karoline for the third time. She didn't even bother responding this time, just rolled her eyes at me as I finished changing. I met her the night before when she lent me some clothes, and she insisted on giving me a tour the following morning.

According to Jonas, Karoline was Kaleva's "second-in-command". When I asked him what that meant, he said that she helps him organize the hunting parties and the patrols, but Jonas seems to think Karoline just helps keep Kaleva sane.

After meeting her, I'd be inclined to agree. She was the polar opposite of Kaleva with his brooding and glaring. She was warm and friendly, and had lent me some of her clothes without hesitation. They were a little too big on me, but they were nicer than any of the clothes I'd had back home. The material was thick and well crafted, and there were even some with colored fabrics. She even let me borrow a nice, thick jacket lined with wool.

None of the dragons seemed to be too bothered by the winter air, so Karoline insisted I take the jacket. I was grateful for it when it came time for bed and the jacket was the only thing keeping me from shivering all night long. The square room, which I learned was called the Hospital Wing, wasn't very protected from the elements, and the little windows let in plenty of cold air throughout the night.

"Come on, let's get you some food." Karoline told me, grabbing my wrist and dragging me behind her out of the Hospital Wing. Outside of the front door there was a long hallway, with a door on the left side and windows lining the right.

"That's the library. It's not much, but some of the younger ones love to have a space away from their nosy parents." Karoline pointed to the door as we passed it, not stopping to show it to me. She was much taller than me, and a fast walker, so it was all I could do to not trip as I struggled to keep up with her. I made a mental note to ask Jonas later what a library was.

"Up here is the dining room, the most important part of Clan Hall." Karoline explained as we approached the end of the hallway. It opened up into a much larger room that had vaulted ceilings with big, wooden arches decorating the space. There were rows of wooden tables and benches filling the space, most of which were full of people eating their breakfast. They all mingled amongst each other, and some young children chased each other around the perimeter of the room. I saw a little window at the back of the room where two women were piling food on people's plates. I couldn't tell what they were serving, but it smelled delicious.

No one seemed to notice when Karoline and I entered, but I was acutely aware that I was the only human in a room full of dragon shifters. They looked entirely human as they ate and socialized with each other, but I knew they weren't. They were all a little too tall and muscular, and had the same tan skin and dark hair as the other shifters I'd met.

"There used to be a lot of fighting amongst shifters for food. It's so scarce up here, it began to drive shifters wild trying to hoard and fight for the resource. Many were driven mad by their hunger, and turned into Wild Ones." Karoline explained as we did a lap of the room. I shivered at the memory of the Wild One in the cave, and the image of my little brother's broken body.

"That's terrible." I told her honestly. I knew that kind of hunger. My village had gone many winters with only limited rations, and I could understand it driving someone mad.

"That's why we're all so grateful to Kalle. He was the first to bring back living as clans. Centuries ago, when dragon populations weren't so small, they lived as clans and shared resources. The practice fell off due to lack of resources and population. It was a rough start at first, but now we're able to share resources and talents to help each other." Karoline told me with a proud smile on her face. A few shifters waved at her as we walked or told her good morning, and she smiled at each one of them. She was clearly proud to be a part of the community they'd built here.