Prejudice

A few weeks in the wild, and Alexander was already a more ferocious warrior than he had ever been. Melys was a liar, her motives unclear, but she did not exaggerate this point it seemed. Even as near the city as they were powerful beasts of the wild assailed Alexander and Yudi near constantly. Alexander didn't mind-- it was as steady supply of meat for Yudi, and he was able at least to tell her, "Don't eat the ones that talk." Whether or not the lessons took, only time would tell. He was quick to remind her of that at every convenience.

He also tried to teach her to honor the kills. The beasts of the wild were ferocious, and they were not remarkably intelligent. They still lived and breathed, just the same as Alexander and Yudi. He was sure to stress this point: Yudi relied on eating other living creatures. She needed not to feel bad for her nature. Rather, she should thank them for being here to sustain her. Oh, and, "Don't eat the ones that talk."

Alexander did his best to teach her why not to eat the ones that talk. Unlike the savage beasts, he explained, the ones that talk could reason, and build, and create, and believe. They felt the passage of time, they had memory and experience, and more importantly (perhaps most importantly) unlike the savage beasts they were all weak and afraid. Alexander never attempted to conceal Yudi's heritage from her. She was intelligent, and he had confidence that she understand that him and her were different species.

What was important was that Alexander stressed a bond between them of father and child. One day, he knew she would be old enough to leave and live her own life. He was prepared for this. If he had done right, he would not have a prouder moment. Spending time with this dragon was like raising a child, and every minute spent teaching her new things and listening to what she had to say made the darkness of his memories creep farther and farther away. Dragon? Certainly, Yudi was a dragon. Daughter? Of course. Family was more than blood-- at least to Alexander.

Alexander did not lie to Yudi either about the circumstances surrounding their departure from Draconis: neither of them were welcome there. "They were made ignorant from years of fear," Alexander explained, "and they simply don't know well enough to be afraid of me yet." He had also been attempting to teach Yudi to use her abilities, and focus her shocks. She was getting stronger by the day, and was already able to take on most of the monsters in the forest on her own. Of course, that was one-on-one. They had not tried two-on-one and Alexander was in no rush to put her in that situation.

The day began like any other. Alexander and Yudi were on a hunt. Alexander himself directed Yudi to follow him as she saw fit, and Alexander moved on the ground, staring into the darkness of the forest with killer intent in his eyes. He brandished his blade, its non-reflective dull metal gliding through the air like the talon of an apex predator. By all rights, Alexander and Yudi were both the new apex predators in this area. Things that bit Alexander typically died seconds later, and the wounds left healed quickly enough. They had some trouble initially, but learning to hunt helped them smooth things out.

Alexander crouched down, peering into the distance. He saw what appeared to be a large wild deer of some kind, but as he strained his eyes he motioned for Yudi to stop. The beast was fake, he could tell that much from it. There was no soul within, no indication of life. He glanced to Yudi, and looked forward again at the creature. Then, he eyes trailed around. He kept his senses suppressed usually, freeing himself from being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of souls in the world. He could measure the suppression out, just as he did now.

He could feel twelve. He wasn't sure what they were, only that they most likely were not animals. They were stationary, as if waiting. Alarms rang out in Alexander's head: the faux beast was a trap. He raised a hand to Yudi, indicating a warning. Hopefully she would heed him.

Alex and Yudi had been living on their own in the forest for two weeks now. Yudi had already grown to about the size of a wolf. Since there were no longer around tons of talking people Yudi was no longer learning the common language nearly as fast. Yudi now began to speak regularly in simple sentences.

Yudi still loved sitting on Alex's shoulders but she only barely fit on them and her weight was a burden to Alex. Yudi kind wished she would just stay small so she could always fit on his shoulder.

They stayed in the woods near Draconis. It wasn't deep enough for them to come across any of the truly terrifying creatures of Iota. They were only deep enough so that they only ran into the weakest of them. They were still strong though and were quite a nuisance but they always kept Yudi's belly full. Alex told her never to eat anything that talks. As Yudi got bigger the attacks began to get less and less frequent. They didn't know why but the reason was the beasts wouldn't dare attack a dragon and as Yudi got bigger they began to notice her before they attacked so instead of attacking they just left. Some still persisted though as the wondered what a baby dragon would taste like.

Alex was starting to make Yudi start killing the attacking beasts. It was so easy that Yudi didn't actually go straight for the kill. She played with them for a bit before killing them. Alex had also been trying to teach Yudi to master her lightning but Dragons weren't like the races of Megalo, they were born knowing how to use their elemental ability and they didn't need to be teached magic. As they grew up the knowledge just came to them. Yudi had complete control of her lightning, she didn't understand why Alex kept having her shock things. She figured he had a good reason it though.

Another day began and they went on a hunt for food. Alex always seemed so serious about it while Yudi just happily tagged along like it was a game, a game her prey wasn't very good at playing. Alex suddenly motioned for her to stop and she complied. In front of her Yudi could see a deer like creature but it didn't have a scent in fact it didn't smell like there was any meat on it at all. It was really just an illusion. 12 wyverns had been sent to the area to take care of the thing that was killing a lot of the lesser creatures of Iota. If they kept it up the balance would be disrupted.

Wyverns are much like dragons the differences are they are only mildly intelligent, there scales aren't as hard their talons (yes talons not claws) aren't as sharp, they don't have any of the magical prowess, and unlike dragons who very in different elements all wyverns can only breath fire. Also instead of four legs they have only two and use their wings to substitute for front legs. They are still large most of them about the size of a large house and they are still very dangerous. They are considered to be a lower middle class danger level of Iota beasts compared to all the others.

"Rescue the hatchling. Make sure it is not hurt then kill the trespasser." The leader of the wyverns said. One of the wyverns which was flying in the air swooped down to grab Yudi. Alex had teached her not to eat things that talked so she didn't know of that meant she shouldn't kill them too. Instead of fighting Yudi ducked under Alex's legs. The wyvern flew back up as it reevaluated how to go about this.

As the first beast flew down after Yudi she slid between his legs, and ducked down to atop her, narrowly avoiding the Wyvern's talon. "A dragon...?" Alexander shook his head. It looked far too different from Yudi to be a dragon, but they could talk too it seemed. He hung onto the words the leader spoke.

"Rescue the hatchling; kill the trespasser."

Alexander looked back to Yudi, confused. "Rescue?" Another Wyvern came from the air, and Alexander brandished Clarent. The angry sword was raised in defense, and Alexander shouted out towards the Wyvern, "I am not your enemy!" The creature's Talon's clashed against his blade, but they proved unable to even scratch the hard material. However Alexander lots his grip on the blade, and one of the Talons grazed his arm. The poison blood scattered onto the earth and the trees, and the plant life already began to die as the wound started to seal up.

Alexander planted Clarent into the wound, coating it with his poison blood and brandishing it once more. "I am not your enemy," he called out again, keeping Yudi defended firmly beneath him,"but I will defend myself and my child!" They had incurred a father's wrath, and while Alexander would refrain from doing any lasting damage there was enough poison on his sword to make such large creatures violently ill.

"I am not your enemy!" Alex said to the Wyverns. "You are two legged, you are enemy." The Wyvern leader replied. Another Wyvern had swooped down at Alex and brushed a talon across his arm spilling blood everywhere. Yudi did not like seeing her parent bleed like prey. A deep anger rose within her. Jumping out between Alex's legs Yudi's body began to dance with electricity like she was wearing clothing made of lightning. Yudi summoned all the electricity she had stored in her body and released out of her mouth. The lightning bolt that exited Yudi's mouth looked like several bolts woven into one. A thunder clap resonated as the bolt hit one of the Wyverns before it could even blink. The bolt burned a whole right through its body and it was super heated, all the liquids inside him exploded as they reached far beyond boiling temperature.

After seeing their comrade die a rather abrupt and disturbing death; the leader ordered a retreat. After their departure Yudi went to inspect her fathers wound. She licked it trying to clean it. The blood she lapped up would not hurt her as she was immune to poisons. Yudi gave a sad whine as she tried to clean his wound. Everything Yudi had seen bleed died shortly after and she thought her father was going to die.

"You are two-legged; you are enemy."

The words reached into Alexander mind and rattled it. The logic was so foriegn and backwards to him-- legs? "Freakin' stupid," Alexander called out. "My legs have nothing to do with my allegiance!" Of course, he realized it was about more than legs. It was at the core about not being a Wyvern, or a Dragon. It was about looking just human enough to be a push-over in appearance to larger predators. It was about being different. Alexander had learned the lesson in Aramayt, and relearned it in his previous journey, and yet still it seemed other creatures had not measured the basic principle.

He understood why. The admission that he was some how not an enemy... it meant a different lifestyle for them. He could accept their differences. They could not. It was that simple. Then, the same Wyvern whose Talon had graced Alexander's arm earned Yudi's wrath, and it exploded violently at the result of a static discharge. The other's fled at a retreat order, and as Alexander's wound closed Yudi gave it a loving, worried like. "Its okay," Alexander told the dragon. He had already figured out that she was immune to his poison, and he drew that conclusion when she nipped his metal finger. Normal creatures would have died nearly instantly, placing the toxic bone into their mouths.

The wound was already closing and Alexander once more reassured Yudi. "It'll be fine," he smiled at her. "Frankly, I'm more concerned about those things. They aren't going to be happy that one of them is dead," he said to her. "I didn't think about it being out here, but we shouldn't kill the ones that talk if we can help it." Alexander's rather non-chalant reaction to this situation probably wasn't going to do well in relaying his message, so he repeated it a little more carefully. "The ones that talk, we should be kinder to. They can be friends, and friends shouldn't be food. Or dead. Mostly not food." As he waved towards the Wyvern's remains, he told Yudi, "so, we aren't going to eat that. We'll find something else."

Alex kept reassuring Yudi that things would be fine and of course his words comforted her. She was rather amazed and captivated as his wound closed up. She hadn't seen anything else do that. Her father was cool.

Alex then gave her a lecture not to eat the thing she just killed because it could talk or at least it use to be able to. He also said something about trying not to kill something that talks. Yudi didn't really understand what that meant. She decided just not to kill things that could talk, but doesn't that mean what she just did was bad. Alex hadn't scolded her for it. Yudi decided to push the question away she had another question which she was more interested in. She didn't understand why she couldn't eat it not that she would it was way too over cooked. Yudi found cooking meat took its flavor out at least in her opinion. She just wanted to know why. Alex said things that talk have emotions but Yudi was sure they don't have emotions after they die. So what was so bad about eating them after they were dead? "It dead, so why?" She asked.

Yudi felt really uncomfortable. She had used up all her electricity in that blast and now she was on empty. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. It was almost like feeling really hungry but in a different way. It would take a long time before she built a comfortable amount of electricity. There was one way she could get it back quickly though. She would just be exchanging one energy source for another and Yudi liked her electricity more than her magic anyways. In fact she hadn't used any magic at all until now. Dark clouds began to from above their head which was the work of Yudi. It was forming much like it did the day she hatched.

"It dead, so why?"

The big question. In itself, there was nothing wrong. It was just a charred corpse on the ground now, with no more feeling or emotion than the earth it lay spread upon like a bed. Why not eat it? Was it because the mere fact that "it was wrong"? No. That was a definition imposed by a society that practically expected Yudi to act a monster.

Alexander looked to Yudi, a grave look in his eyes. "Yudi, do you remember that city? We were only there for a little while, but you remember it, don't you?" He smiled despite the sadness. It was a serious topic, and one difficult to explain. "That city was built by the ones that talk. But, they built more than that." He pointed at her, and then at himself. "If I died, and somebody had eaten me, would you be sad?" He looked towards the direction of the city.

"Yes, its a natural order. The other animals we've killed don't enforce it, but they also don't mourn like we do. You and I? We laugh together, cry together, and play together. We talk. We teach. We learn. And when some one we love or care about dies, we feel sad," he told her. "The same is of that creature that we killed. It mattered somebody, some where. When they matter to a person like that, its simply not okay to eat them. In fact, after we've found food we will return. If any scavengers are trying to pick at his body, we will shoo them away and then bury him." He nodded. "Enemies or friends, everybody that talks has someone that loves them, somewhere in the world."

Of course, this also applied to animals that didn't talk. Pets and the like. That was complicated as a concept, and Yudi hadn't actually seen pets (or to Alexander's knowledge, knew what they were). That is to say, while pets were veiwed as more by some people they were categorized as possessions, like toys. It was a complicated process. As Yudi grew older, she would easily understand. Alexander wants to teach her honor, not survival of the fittest. Of course she should do what she could to survive, but she needed principle, especially with her power.

Above them, storm clouds began to gather. Alexander glanced up peacefully and remarked, "Looks like rain's coming, Yudi." He turned his head to see she was otherwise preoccupied with the sky, and watched.

Yudi was starting to understand. At first she thought it was still ok since at least some good came of it, but then she thought about how she wouldn't want any good to come to the one's who killed her parent. "Yudi make you not die." She responded not giving any hint she understood the lesson.

Unlike the the Megalo races which all had a similar patter of development the way Yudi was understanding and implementing different concepts was in a whole other order. Not that it mattered. It wouldn't take long for Yudi to learn these things.

"Not rain. That would hurt you." Yudi responded to his comment about the weather. Yudi was purposely using her magic to make sure it didn't rain. If it were to rain the lightning might dance its way through the falling water and hit Alex.

In a matter of no time the sky was covered in dark clouds. Then a lightning bolt fell accompanied by its usual thunder clap and struck Yudi. Her body danced with a blinding amount of electricity. The electricity began to fade as Yudi absorbed it into her body. Just as quickly as the clouds came they began to leave. Now that Yudi was full of electricity again she was feeling good.

Alexander merely sighed. Yudi was still young, and had plenty of time to learn this. Still, her childlike innocence was reassuring, especially with her reply being what it was. She didn't seem to understand the lesson, but would come around in due time. He wondered exactly how different she was from a Human developmentally. In truth, Alexander wasn't Human, but he was taught as one. Looking back, the differences were obvious from the moment he met Jericho. The whole world transformed before his eyes into a ballad of color and emotions, and he felt warped by the experiences.

All beings could become Dissident. Dogs, cats, even bugs. But Humans were the most common, because they were the most social. Even though the Curse could no longer transfer Alexander still feared of meeting his kin again. Meeting them meant the dynamic of the world would change soon after, and Alexander did not want that a second time. Yudi's words that followed after were a clarification on her part: It seemed the darkness in the sky was her doing to begin with, and as lightening shot down from the heavens his eyes drew wide as Yudi was struck with a mighty bolt.

Then, even looking at Yudi became a problem. The lightning became intense and blinding for only a second, and Alexander eyes went white while his ears started to ring. It seemed that it only lasted a few seconds in total length, and almost as soon as the clouds had vanished had Alexander regained his senses. "That was pretty impressive," Alexander laughed. This new world full of magic was still foriegn to Alexander, and still he felt himself reaching out for it. Magic, in itself, felt natural to be around, though he wasn't sure why.

Yudi hadn't realized she might hurt Alex's eyes. "Sorry" she said after the electricity around her body was absorbed. Yudi didn't think she would be doing that again. She didn't know how to do it without hurting Alex. From now on she would just make sure she didn't use up her reservoir of electricity.

Now that they were no longer running to get something done Yudi decided this was the perfect opportunity to place herself on Alex. Quickly before Alex could have a chance to object she ran up to Alex and jumped onto his shoulders only barely fitting. Her size would push his head a bit. There were numerous reason why Alex wouldn't enjoy this. Yudi wasn't as small as she once was, but she tried to ignore that fact. She didn't like getting bigger.

Alex hadn't mentioned he didn't have magic nor had he mentioned he had it. The thought just never crossed her mind. Not that Yudi knew how to teach it. It wasn't like she could just retell what was teached to her. The major races of Iota new magic more than anything else in this world. They understood the core root of how it worked. Humans needed chants, rituals, and other silly things to help them while the major races in Iota could do it all in their head. If a Megalo race were to be teached magic by a dragon they would become the most powerful Megalo individual in recorded history. Dissidents are any gods worse nightmare, but the major races of Iota are the worse nightmare to anything but gods. If you were to combine the two then you would get a truly invincible being more powerful than the gods themselves.

Yudi apologized to Alexander, seemingly aware of his discomfort. He brushed it off, knowing it was an accident and smiling as she tried her absolute damnedest to balance on his shoulder, having climbed up his body more rapidly than he could deny her presence. Her claws were sharper and cut into his skin, but he bore the pain admirably. After all, the most recent skirmish had empowered him with emotions from both sides, particularly Yudi's anger.

His head tilted to the side, he experienced only minor discomfort. He didn't mind her weight, but it seemed by her expression she was aware of her growing size. Alexander chuckled, and would pat her gently. "We can't keep doing it forever kiddo. Good things end, so that more good things begin." He said this with a smile as he started walking through the forest, keeping his senses alert. Alexander had far spread his senses out that he was waiting for the Wyverns. If they came within a few miles, he'd know it.

He wasn't concerned with them. He could get Yudi to knock them out, and if he hit them with the broadside of his sword he could probably just knock them out. He could pull himself free of a stone tower, but when apply force who knows how much damage he was capable of? He had been limited to fighting the wildlife of Iota. No human opponents, yet. Still, he focused on one name. A name that he had already decided that he would eventually seek out: Iofrud.

Melys the dishonest elf had spoken of this dragon slayer to Alexander, and Alexander had intended to find him to gain information. However, he still decided that he must wait. Alexander wanted to be sure that Yudi was able to be left alone. And, in his opinion, she was capable of being alone for at least some time. However she would most likely follow him, and he could not yet afford to put her in danger.

They were coming upon another living creature, and Alexander stopped. A deer was in the distance, and Alexander crouched with Yudi on his shoulder, and motioned with his hands, signalling that the hunt was on.

Yudi couldn't see how any good could come from getting bigger. Sure she might be stronger but Yudi would much rather be able to fit on his shoulders. Then Yudi came up with a brilliant idea. She could use her magic to reverse her growing process and once she reaches the size she desired she could just keep herself from growing any further. It wouldn't even demand much energy to do it. Keeping herself from growing was a simple matter she just had to use magic to force her brain to stop. Reversing her growth would take a little bit more magic though but that would recover in no time at all. Yudi couldn't help but smirk. She began using her magic to do it. She didn't stop the hardening of scales or the sharpening of claws she only stopped and reversed her her size growing processes. The only problem with not also reversing the scale's and claws would be that the change would be almost permanent. It would take a tremendous amount of magic to start it up again magic that would take years to regenerate, but Yudi didn't care. She would now be decreasing in size just as fast as she was increasing and she would completely lose her appetite until she stopped shrinking. In two weeks time she would be just as big as when she hatched.

Alex then told Yudi that hunt was on. She felt like she had only just gotten on his shoulder and didn't feel like getting off so she didn't move.

Yudi had decided to remain affixed firmly to his shoulder, making silent movement impossible for Alexander. He was now torn: Yudi wasn't doing anything wrong, just being a bother at the moment as all children are prone to doing. It was extremely inconvenient, Alexander had to admit, but beyond that there would be more prey toda if this one got away. Then, Alexander recalled something, and smirked.

"Yudi," he told the Dragon, "remember that lightning you used earlier?" He pointed his sword at the deer. "Try to hit that animal with it. Just enough to stop its brain from working, and not blow it up."

It seemed Alex was not going to make her get off but he did ask her to do something she wasn't sure she could do. She may have complete control over her lightning but she didn't know how much was too much to shock the creature with. Yudi shot a small amount of electricity out of her mouth at the creature. The creatures entire body twitched as the electricity confused its nervous system. It then bolted of. Yudi shot another bolt at it more powerful this time. The creature just froze and fell over. Yudi was confused. It was still breathing and its heart was still pumping but it seemed dead and why was it so stiff. Yudi hadn't killed it but the animal went into shock. "Good?" Yudi asked. She wasn't very sure what happened.

Yudi's first shot at the beast, while well aimed, was too weak too topple it. The creature jerked unnaturally for but a moment before it regained its senses and fled, with Yudi readjusting and firing another blast of lightning at it. Mid-run the creature froze and toppled, as though all resistance in its limbs was lost. It laid in the ground beneath it, body paralyzed, but now the soul was gone. Yudi had done it; the creature was brain-dead.

Alexander nodded as he approached the now motionless creature, confirming that Yudi had done good with a nod. "Great job," Alexander told her. "You've done excellent." He approached the creature, the hunt's victime as he always had, knelt down on the ground, and thanked the best. He then plunged his blade into its heart, letting its body die. He nodded to Yudi. "And there's dinner."

Yudi was still a little confused what had happened but Alex said it was dead. Alex announced it was dinner and since Yudi like her meat raw she was normally the first to dig in, but because of the magic she had used Yudi didn't have an appetite. Instead of jumping on the freshly killed meal Yudi didn't do anything. Which was unusual behavior because up until now Yudi would jump into any food she could get like she was starving.

Yudi was content with sitting on Alex's shoulders and purring. Yudi knew that one day soon she would be able to easily fit on his shoulders. Then again Yudi had only been alive for a few weeks. Every day seemed to take forever.

When Yudi didn't immediately jump onto the corpse, Alexander gave her a concerned glance. She looked at the body, and seemed to understand what this was, but didn't set upon it as she had in the previous days. Alexander felt worry build in his breast, and he asked, "Are you alright Yudi?" It was irregular-- she had lost her appetite, yet she purred as she always did when she was content.

Alexander began to consider that he may need to go after Iofrud sooner than he thought.

"Yudi is alright." Yudi replied to Alex's question. Yudi then decided she wanted to have some fun. She playfully hit Alex's head with her paw before jumping off his shoulders and running up a nearby tree. The game Yudi was playing was called tag but she didn't know that. Yudi was hoping Alex would come after her.

As Yudi's paw smacked Alexander head, he could feel her joy wafting from her. It made him a little ill, but he could stomach it and smiled back at her, seeing that she was in a playful mood. He indulged her, and rushed up the tree after her, shimmying up the trunk quickly.

Still he could not shake his concern: this was unusual. While he was hesitant to return to Draconis so soon, he started to wonder if there would be a choice in the coming days. It was no immediate concern yet, but he would keep a watchful eye on Yudi.

Yudi had not expected Alex to climb up the tree so fast. She expected him to be slower but he scaled it like climbing was an every day thing. Either way Yudi couldn't go back down without Alex catching her she already had a plan in place. Once Alex was like 3/4 up the tree Yudi jumped off and spread her wings. She glided on a straight path to the next tree. Yudi was ecstatic she did it, but she knew if she tried to turn she would fall.

Yudi landed on the next tree and prepared to hop to the next once Alex got close again.