Rising of Ashes: a Dragon Story

Wings of Destiny

I slowly stretched my limbs and rose from the bed, a bed graciously assigned to me by the gentlemen. The thought crossed my mind that I could have shared this intimate slumber with one of them. Yet, I found myself in a delicate state of drowsiness that prevented me from aligning my rhythms with their early morning stirrings. It was their considerate hearts that refrained from disturbing my peaceful repose.

Chan had thoughtfully granted me a room strategically positioned just above his own. Lee Know's dwelling was situated a bit further down the hallway, and the chambers of Hyunjin and Felix resided in the far reaches of the house, in the western wing.

Leaning toward the nightstand, I reached for my phone, resting there throughout the night. As I unlocked the device, a notification beckoned my attention. It was a Snapchat message from Samiro and Sofia. A rush of concern coursed through my veins as I tapped on the message to reveal its contents.

Why did you leave when we needed you here?

 I blinked and hastily typed a brief, anxious response to Sofia:

  Why? I have nothing left there to do.

Of course, you do, 

she replied.

 Kiril broke into tears earlier in the middle of class. The teacher sent him home because he couldn't compose himself.

I blinked rapidly, realizing Kiril had broken down in tears because I wasn't there anymore. It must have been because... he must have read the notes, I thought, sighing.

I put my phone down and buried my face in my hands, sitting on the bed with my duvet covering half of my lower body. The sunlight gently caressed my exposed upper body as if comforting me while my wings trembled and my tail flicked back and forth. What had I done?

Suddenly, three knocks at the door startled me. Blinking rapidly to prevent tears from falling, I composed myself, folding my wings and walking to the door. Changbin was there, his muscles bulging under his simple turtle neck. "Oh hey," he said, surprised by my slightly disheveled appearance. "Did I wake you?"

I shook my head, not wanting to tell anyone about what was happening back home. "Everything's fine. Why did you come?" I asked, keeping my voice level.

Changbin seemed worried, and I didn't want to make him more anxious by sounding rude. He sighed and offered a hand, muscles flexing. "Come and train with me? Chan will be busy, and none of the others have schedules that align with mine. I'm free from now until 3:40. Please?"

I groaned, throwing my head back, but amusement sparked in my belly. He just wanted to train together, which wasn't a bad idea. "Well, sure. I haven't trained in a while, so why not? Give me a minute, though. I need to freshen up a bit." Changbin nodded and left me to my morning routine.

Soon, all thoughts of my conversation with Sofia about Kiril had faded to the back of my mind.

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"We need to talk about frogs. Right now. Let's have a little chat about them," said Lee Know, punctuating each word with exaggerated movements. As I watched, the others did the same, their eyes fixed on him. Being the only dragoness there, it was getting hard to dance.

We dragons didn't usually dance like you mortals did. We could dance, but we did that in the air. If we danced on the earth, we would twirl like those petty ballerinas you watch. Other than that, dance was not a part of our culture, not for dragonborns.

"It seems simple enough," I said, and Lee Know nodded. "You've been dancing with us for at least a few hours. Since I know you're a quick learner, you should get this down." I blushed a bit, my scales darkening. "I'm sure I can get it down if I try."

I sighed and nodded to Hyunjin, who started the music again. Closing my eyes, I let my instincts guide me, and soon enough, I was dancing, moving just like I had seen Lee Know do. It didn't seem as hard when I didn't think that the guys were watching me or that we were anywhere else than just a training room. Soon enough, the music stopped, and I opened my eyes, my chest heaving with each panting breath, smoke trailing from my twin nostrils.

"You did so good!" Lee Know beamed, and I was a bit surprised when he hugged me, his strong arms wrapping around me, burrowing his nose into my neck.

"Wow, I've never seen Lee Know so affectionate!" laughed Jisung, and I felt Lee Know stiffen. I laid a wing over his back, my chest trembling as I chuckled. "Guys, let him be," Chan chuffed before shaking his head. "But he's right, you did good, love." I smiled and hugged Lee Know tighter. He was a head taller than me if you didn't count my wings, which gave me a bit of a height difference if I had them at a higher angle.

Soon, I let go of Lee Know, and he stepped back, his cheeks dusted pink. "Well, let's get back to the dorm. There are no more training sessions for today," I heard Felix say as we all headed to the corner of the room to grab our bags. I grabbed mine, giving one of my wings a shake. It had been bruised slightly when I had danced too hard yesterday. I had been with the boys for a long while. It seemed, even though it had just been two to four days, time flies when you have fun, I thought, smiling. But my smile soon faded.

Or is it enjoyable? I just left ten years of a life I always knew behind. I sighed, and there I went, pushing myself down. No, I need to stop doing it. If I will be here for the rest of my life, I better start seeing the positive things, such as finally being here with my soulmates, the true loves of my life. How lucky could I get?

Yes... how lucky, indeed?