Sometimes I think about the humble beginnings of dragons

  all of them spreading forth from a single source

  learning, growing, and eventually

  the stars are their home—our home

  Our ships reached planet after planet

  empty worlds were soon populated

  or worlds full of life were taken into our care

  joining together with the fauna and expanding our diversity was one of our goals

  from the gentle life forms or hostile creatures of alien worlds, new dragons were born

  I am unsure if I could call earth our greatest achievement

  yes, we have accomplished many things on this world

  but we lost so much

  however, I still call earth my home

  I was born here, this planet is a part of me

  Humans look up and they see us flying around

  going where we need to go

  flying for leisure

  here, in Rome, we crowd the skies.

  In the city, away from wide-open spaces

  when they see us fly, they do not think of us as a threat

  that's because “the dragons who talk won't dare hurt us!” They say

  but venture farther out, into the mountains and the valleys, the hills that roll for miles

  or in the searing heat of deserts and in the mist of the jungles

  or even the within coldest of the arctic storms

  where dragons roam free, and humans will be singing a different tune.

  Out there, dragons hunt freely, love freely and live freely

  and yet, humans threaten that by imposing hunting restrictions

  they staunch our breeding methods in an effort to slow down our population increase.

  dragons suffer enough on this rock

  humans have managed to degrade the lowest tier dragons—dragons incapable

  of defending themselves properly, or dragons bound to The Code,

  or dragons who are human mixed and too in-tune with their human side.

  I want to say I cannot feel their pain, but I do

  it takes a special talent to tune out the cries of your children

  it's something I've honed over the years

  I shut them out but sometimes I lower my guard

  I let them back in

  just for a peek at how they are faring.

  the moment I let them in I feel their souls being crushed

  grated, ground into fine dust

  over and over again

  my mind is invaded by racing thoughts

  my mouth goes dry and my eyes well with tears

  My lips quiver as breaths escape in ragged hiccups

  “Ashuton?”

  I reconstruct my guard and give attention to my brother, Tommaso

  For your sake I’ll refer to him as Thomas

  He leaned forward to get a good look at my face

  his brows are furrowed, he’s concerned

  “You’re crying. What’s wrong?”

  I don’t feel like pouring my heart out today

  “Nothing. Just thinking about the past, that's all.”

  I notice Thomas bites his lip

  I know what’s coming next, so I close my eyes and sigh

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  there’s a sharp pang in my head as he bypasses my mental barrier to invade my mind.

  everything I feel in this moment is now shared with him.

  I open one eye, then the other, and I see his reaction

  He opens his eyes, the tears pouring down his cheeks

  he covers his mouth as he huffs—still dazed by the pain

  This isn't the first time he's done this

  I feel like he does this to himself for fun

  he didn’t have to peer into my mind when he knows what I go through

  “You need to stop—t-taking on everyone’s…pain.”

  I look out the window, “you tell me this, but do I listen?”

  “I think we need to take a flight before we go. You need a clear mind to enjoy the show.”

  I sigh, “if it makes you feel better.”

  “No, it will make you feel better.”

  I roll my eyes

  today isn’t the day

  The car stops and we both exit

  We both shift into our dragon bodies and take flight

  being in the sky makes me feel no better

  my wings carry me, but nothing carries my mind

  Thomas flies around me, zipping under and above—and slapping my face with his tail.

  I suppose it feels nice to have the sun’s heat on my scales

  I was getting cold in the car

  despite all of this, my mind still wanders and prevents me any true leisure time to myself.

  the wellbeing of earth dragons continues to fluctuate and I continue to think about it.

  I think about that, then I start to think about the past, then I start to think of the things I endured.

  the hundreds of times humans freely tore into me, each death testing the limits of my endurance for brutality

  Each death becomes a reminder that my immortality will always bring me back.

  “Ashuton!” Thomas flies beside me, giving a worried stare

  “I’m fine.”

  I dive towards Fontana delle Naiadi

  a crowd disperses so I can land

  wisps of fire aid my dragon body in reshaping into my human form.

  Thomas lands beside me and (of course) he does a quick pose for any of his fans in the crowd.

  cameras flash, people exclaim and hands are held out with smartphone cameras capturing our every move.

  we walk to Teatro dell’Opera, where the rest of the family is waiting inside.

  Thomas jumps in front of me as we walk—how does he manage to walk backwards so effortlessly? “how do you feel?”

  I shrug, “fine.”

  He frowns, “please don’t be lying again.”

  I let out a gentle laugh, “I’m not, I actually feel fine—for now.”

  Sometimes a pleasant feeling will wash over you without warning

  whatever this feeling is, wherever it came from, I pray to the humans’ gods that it persists for the night’s entirety.

  I follow Thomas inside, feeling a little hopeful that tonight’s show will be good

  its been a long time since I last saw a ballet performance.

  ~??~

  Remember, please share this story with your friends. I truly need the support. I have been writing these dragons for so many years. Thousands of drafts, outlines and cloud note files later, and I finally have a tangible form to bring them to you—a form that works for me. Let’s hope this lasts! ??