The Hunter and His Dragon

Waking Up

***Alec's POV***

The first sensation he felt when he woke up was a foggy mind. Yawning, his eyes blinked open slowly as he attempted to lift his head. It was dark around him, surroundings blurry as his vision gained better focus. When the clarity returned it came with a stinging pain. The white hot feeling made Alec shudder, his neck aching with deep pulses of pain.

"Ngggh."

"Alec. Alexander you should lay down, rest for awhile."

A comforting voice murmured above him. A green scaled claw pressed him down gently, making sure he lowered his head back down onto the stone slab it previously rested on. Maryse watched him with a worried gaze, peering at where his injury likely would be.

"Mom. What happened?" He groused.

The fog in his brain was lifting, but the pace was much too slow for his liking. The white clouds blotted out information that lay within the depths of the maze of his mind. Distantly, he realized someone had put him on pain meds to speed up the healing of his injury. Alec had never been a fan of pain medication, preferred dealing with the hurt if it meant keeping a clear head, but even he couldn't argue when his Mom spoke in that unrelenting tone.

"You were hurt, that's what happened." Maryse said, her tone abrupt.

Alec winced as he lifted his wings, the stiff soreness in them from being curled up so long presenting itself like a gag gift on Christmas. He swayed onto his feet with an unsteady lurch. Maryse stepped back quickly, giving him space to gain his bearings. Memories of the fight sprang into his mind. Sebastian's wicked smile and broken tail, the latter wailing on the the ground with each strike. For a battered dragon the elder male knew how to put up a fight. And maybe that was just something that happened after years of abuse. Alec felt bad for him. The same thing might've happened to Jace if we didn't rescue him.

The thought left him unsettled.

Monsters were created, not born.

"I remember now. What happened with Sebastian?" And where's Magnus? Asking about the Hunter —who had tried to murder his Father days before— to his mother of all dragons seemed strange, a misplaced request. She would likely frown upon it, and he could hardly blame her considering what little she knew of the man. But if she knew . . . If she knew . . .

My predestined.

It was such a shock to behold, yet it made sense all the same. All the weird feelings he'd been having since Magnus had returned to his life finally clicked. His soul was opening up, welcoming in the truth and singing with it. Ecstasy, plain and simple. It made him want to climb onto the top of the cave palace and cry out in joy. Perhaps the biggest purpose in any dragon's life was to fine who was made for them, whether they be a dragon or not. And Alec had been lucky enough to stumble across his own. After all these years he felt fulfilled. It was a good feeling, the best. But then there was Magnus. Magnus, who Alec had no idea how he felt about this situation. His predestined, who very well may hate Alec's entire race. The possibility sent a shiver down his spine, mixing with the hopeful yearning.

"Sebastian has been chained up accordingly. I think Jace went to question him." The dark look on Maryse's face said it all. There was no think about that sentence. They both knew where the gold dragon was.

Alec shook his head. "What am I going to do with him?" It was a rhetorical question, but his mother answered anyways.

"I don't know. Maybe give him orders not to do questioning. Sebastian and Jace's connection goes well beyond the allowed bias for these sorts of things."

He let out a sigh. "On that unpleasant note, I'm going there." He stumbled in place slightly, claws grasping at loose gravel. It appeared the pain medication had yet to fully wear off. It would explain the grogginess in his mind as well as the lack of feeling he had in his tail tip. Dragging behind him like a limp blanket, the appendage refused to respond to his commands. He barely felt the rocks snagging on dark scales. The pinpricks of pain would be a nuisance for future Alec to handle.

"Alexander, you should wait until you're feeling better." Maryse chided, not unkindly.

Alec considered this. "Yeah, but Jace . . ."

"Will be just fine. I'm heading over there now to ensure nothing goes wrong. So is Robert."

"Oh. I see." It made sense the king and queen would oversee the interrogation. But . . . "Are you sure you don't want me there?"

"You need to rest son. And besides, I believe someone wanted to talk to you. That hunter—"

"Magnus."

"Yes, Magnus, he came by earlier. With the other humans of course."

The feeling in his tail was beginning to return. The black appendage swished in anticipation just at the mention of Magnus's name. What did the hunter say? Had he been worried about Alec? He had to know.

"W-what did he say?"

Maryse chuckled, her expression turning fond as she reached up to pat Alec on the head. Even with their height distance she was able to rub his forehead with her delicate claws. He leaned into the touch, reminded of the days when he was a young dragon.

"You mean to ask if he was worried about you. I'm not sure what's going on between the pair of you, but Alec, I would be careful. He is a hunter after all." Maryse pointed out.

Alec nodded. The same problem had been popping up in his own head. "Yes, I know. And I was asking about that. Mom . . . despite how Magnus has acted in the past, he's different then we first thought. Being here has changed him." It was the only way he could think to explain. Hopefully it was enough.

"Hmm, I believe you son, I do, but . . . he did try to kill your father."

Alec's tail stilled. "I know." The memory played out like an old movie. The fast movements, a snagged sharp rock levered at his father. If he hadn't been quick enough, well, there was no telling what might have happened.

"Can you honestly say he wouldn't try to do the same if given the same chance again?"

"I . . ." He swallowed. Could he make that claim? His father meant the world to him, as did the rest of his family. Was it fair to put them at risk? His family didn't deserve to be put through any pain. As future king it was up to him to protect not just them but all the dragons of Star Flower Valley. "I don't know. But-but I have to hope so."

Maryse's gaze turned sympathetic. One of her wingtips reached out to brush his own. The touch was so tender, like a mother bird brushing their wing down the back of their little birdie child. But Alec was anything but little, towering over his mother even though he was so many hundreds of years younger. Dragons were relatively immortal, the line of time a flimsy thing in comparison to their long-winded life spans. Things like height varied across a wide range.

"No you don't. You owe him nothing sweetheart."

No, I do owe him something. You just don't understand.

If only he had told her then, maybe things would've turned out better. Maybe so much of the upcoming pain might've been avoided if he had just talked to her. If only he let out the feelings inside his heart. If only. But Alec just gave her a sad smile and turned to leave. He had a hunter to find.

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A/N: Is this chapter long overdue? Yes. Very much so. I'm sorry I didn't update earlier. I've been going through a hard time since my dog died recently (which I've mentioned in another fic I write) so updating can be just another stressful thing for me lately amongst all the school work I have going on. I'll try to make next update happen faster so bear with me.

Where this story's going there's no turning back.

—Anna Shadowhunter