Many, many years ago:

  Phaedra gave a soft, pathetic whine and stared up at Gibs with the softest of eyes, once more in her small bck puppy form. She’d even lifted her front right paw up, as if she was wounded.

  Gibs just sighed and looked down at her. “You know, when you go into your demonic form, I can see your tail wagging. It really breaks the ‘I’m sooooo hungry’ image you’re trying to make.”

  “But I want cake nooooooow,” Phaedra whined before walking back to her dropped wool. She dug her snout into it and pulled it up, tossing it over herself so she could shift back into her sheep demon form.

  “And you’ll just need to wait,” Gibs said. “Don’t you want to share a piece with your daddy?”

  “He’s coming?” Phaedra asked, her face lighting up. “Really? This time?”

  “He’ll be here in a few hours,” Gibs said, shaking his head and gncing down at her. She’d barely come up to his knees, then. So as, it had been simple for him to keep the cake out of reach. “He’s actually coming.”

  “YES!” Phaedra yelled. “But why can’t I have some cake now AND when he gets here? That’s TWICE the cake.” She had been very good at pastry math in those days.

  Gibs just sighed, shaking his head. “Why don’t you go and practice your fire weaving? You can show your daddy, won’t that be fun?”

  “Okay,” Phaedra said softly, lowering her eyes and walking away dejected.

  Gibs gave a soft sigh before shaking his head. “Fine. FINE. No cake, but you can have a little--” She didn’t know the word, it was just like the other words that seemed odd to her. Grunty. But she DID recognize the little fruit he pulled out. She let out a giddy little squeal before taking it and running off, lightly chewing on the gummy fruit.

  ------

  Phaedra couldn’t help feeling gleeful the moment her father’s airship came to a stop and began to be tied down. He so rarely was able to visit her these days, she just couldn’t wait. Despite Gibs’s objections, she ran off ahead.

  The ptform of the ship was only just coming down when she entered the airfield. Her father standing at the top of it. He gave a hearty ugh and leaped down from the vessel, ignoring the ptform entirely. He was finally here!

  There was a fsh of light on her right, she didn’t care though. But her father did. She saw the moment of fear on his face.

  Then a moment ter he changed. The tall, powerful demon grew massive, within a moment so rge he blotted out the sun, his paws rger than her sheep form could ever be. His fur, white as snow, seemed to radiate an icy coldness that made frost form across the ground with every step. He didn’t so much leap as he snapped his head out, covering the space between himself and… something else. A figure. Blood spshed across her wool and she went still.

  Phaedra stared at those massive fangs. The jaw clenched tight. The gleaming, bck eyes…

  She remembered. Everything.

  ------

  Medon gripped his sword tightly in both hands, bringing it down with all his might. It dug into the Wolf’s shoulder, barely drawing blood.

  The Wolf chuckled, before swiping out with that same arm. It caught Medon in the chest and sent him flying back, his sword cttering to the ground besides him. “This foolishness has gone on long enough! Show me your real power, Medon! This battle should be legendary!”

  “I-I am!” Medon yelled before picking up his sword once again. Everything hurt. His arms, his legs, he’d been thrown around again and again. He could taste blood and every movement he made hurt. But he was supposed to be the hero, right? Shouldn’t he get some second wind about now? Some great, untold power? A moment where everything clicked into pce and he could unleash that might they all said he had?

  The Wolf caught his next swing with his bare hand, the bde only slightly cutting into his palm. His other hand formed a fist and punched Medon so hard he swore he felt like his spine cracked, lifting him off his feet and sending him rolling along the ground. “Do you think this is a joke?”

  Medon id there, a few pained tears going down his face. It hurt. It all hurt so much. How was he supposed to fight like this? He couldn’t even cut this demon, let alone kill him! He cringed when his sword was embedded in the ground by his head a moment ter.

  “Fine, then,” the Wolf said with a low growl. Slowly, he began to grow. Medon whimpered helplessly when he looked up at the demon who just seemed to go on forever, his very paws soon far rger than him. “Last chance, so-called Medon. Show me the might of a legend!”

  Medon reached out a shaking hand and grabbed his sword. The Wolf’s eyes were focused on him, snout so close he could hit it. So he did. He struck out with all of his strength, swinging the sword with every ounce of power he had left.

  The sword shattered against the demon’s hide, not even cutting the great, white snout. An icy chill began to spread up Medon’s hand, numbing the pain slightly of the vibrating sword…

  A moment before the Wolf’s jaws lunged forward and closed around his arm, tearing it from him. Medon screamed in agony, clutching the bloody stump. Unfortunately, it was just the first. Fortunately, while the Wolf did tear him apart, it wasn’t long before he lost consciousness and his life. Ripped to pieces by the vicious, ughing demon.

  ------

  Phaedra stared at her daddy, her eyes wide with horror. She watched him tear apart… whatever that was, not that it mattered. Whoever they had been, they were now long dead. Slowly she took a step back.

  The Wolf turned to her and, for the first time in this life, she felt afraid of him. He ughed, though that ugh faded when she screamed and ran. She heard him calling after her, but she didn’t stop. She ran and hid from him. Under her bed, in the furthest corner. Never coming out, even when Gibs tried to coax her out with promises of cake. Even when her daddy pleaded.

  She never saw her father transform again after that. She almost never turned into her wolf form after that. The very nature of his visits changed. He was no longer her daddy. He was her killer.

  Worst of all was how much it hurt. She could see the pain in his face every time she recoiled. It hurt her, too, feeling such fear around him. Knowing he’d never hurt her before. But the fear was too much, the memory of him tearing her apart.

  Her family, who she had once looked up to and admired, became a new fear. Even Gibs, her most trusted protector, she knew couldn’t entirely be trusted. She finally understood all those little quirks and issues she’d had growing up, how some words just didn’t seem to work right or do what she was told they should. She got better at hiding who she was, what she was. Pretending.

  Always so aware that at any moment, if she let it slip, she’d likely die. Her own father would likely tear her apart himself. That she’d be just as helpless, if not moreso, than she was before. She was too frightened to risk his ire.

  That is, until the day she saw Yroth there. Chained. Helpless. And she took that risk. She challenged her father… and found someone she could finally reveal everything to.

  ------

  “I’m not… scared of him,” Phaedra said softly. “I’m not scared.”

  “I find that unlikely,” Fenrir said, his voice cold. She could hear the restraint he was forcing himself to keep. “Phaedra, you--”

  “Fine. I’m scared of you,” Phaedra said. “I’m scared of being helpless. I’m scared of being JUST a sheep. I’m scared of not being able to defend myself. This talk of Medon just reminded me how helpless I can be. I have my own territory now, and I have an Ascended Dragon under my control. But even there, I was scared to fight my cousins over her. I suggested the other allies of Medon because I didn’t want to fight them. I don’t… think they’ll be able to befriend them. Most of them won’t be able to. Sometimes… I feel like I’m the only one in this family who truly understands what it means to be weak and helpless.” She regretted those words almost as soon as he said them. She could see the pain in her father’s eyes, the way he cringed from them.

  “Phaedra, mb chop,” Fenrir said in a soothing tone before he came around the table. She put a hand to his chest, stopping him from coming in to hug her. “You’re not helpless. You’re not weak.”

  “I know,” Phaedra said. “But it doesn’t stop me from feeling like I am. I need to be stronger. I need to get my own allies, to get my own strength, to have my own territory. I need… to be me. To find out who I can be, Daddy. And I need you to stop interfering. I need you to stop making everyone else see me as weak and helpless.”

  Fenrir stared at her, his eyes lowering. She was pretty sure it would have hurt him less if she’d just stabbed him. “I see. Very well, Phaedra. You’re… your own demon. I can’t… protect you forever. If you feel that… if you want that, I’ll support you.” He turned to leave.

  Phaedra gulped, watching him leave. However, when he was halfway to the door she dashed forward and reached out, grabbing the smallest finger on his hand. “Daddy?”

  “Lamb chop?” he asked, looking back at her.

  “I…” Phaedra said, staring up at him. It felt wrong, it felt weird. He was her killer. Her enemy. Wasn’t he? But… “I… I love you, Daddy.” She stepped in a little closer and hugged him from behind. She could practically feel his desire to turn and hug her back, but he didn’t.

  “I love you too, my little mb chop,” Fenrir said softly. “I… only want what’s best for you.”

  “I know,” Phaedra said. “This is what’s best, really. I’ll get stronger… and I won’t be scared of you anymore.”

  “I know you will,” Fenrir said. “You know I could never use the power of Fenrir against you.”

  Phaedra nodded, but she didn’t answer. She didn’t want to say what she knew was a lie. If he knew what she was… he’d probably tear her apart. Slowly, she let him go.

  “I’ll inform your captain that you’re free to return home,” Fenrir said before he started walking again. He paused after a moment and gnced back. “Honey?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you… try and visit me? When you have time? I promise not to harm any of your subjects,” Fenrir said.

  Phaedra couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, Daddy. I’d love to.”

  She watched him leave and gave another soft sigh once the door was closed. A part of her wished she could truly just be Phaedra. As, she knew she was still that human girl from before, she just had a new body and family than she had before.

  Still, she also had an Ascended Dragon back home. One who was going to be soooo mad that she missed all of this when she found out.

  MelodyAvant