Akira Dracorider's Arc

Chapter 1 of 12

Akira checked the water troughs one more time, though he'd already filled them twice. The first visitors would arrive by sunset — families who wanted to see if the sanctuary could be trusted, if the creatures here were really safe to be around. He needed everything ready. He needed people to see what he saw: that the beasts everyone feared could become companions worth keeping. But Takashi wasn't at the ice gazebo. Akira had set up the frost-touched structure specifically for the displacer beast. Takashi usually draped himself across elevated platforms, his six legs tucked beneath his dark body where people could watch from a safe distance. The gazebo had been perfect — beautiful enough to draw attention, open enough that visitors wouldn't feel cornered. Now it stood empty, frost patterns gleaming in the afternoon light. Akira circled the grounds, scanning for displaced shadows or the telltale shimmer of Takashi's form. Cascade raised his blue-scaled head from where he'd been arranging the welcome crates near the path, supplies tucked inside for the families. The dragon's eyes tracked something Akira couldn't see. Near the gazebo's base, a telescope sat propped against one of the ice columns — the portable kind someone carried for watching stars, or watching other things. It hadn't been there this morning. Akira picked up the telescope and turned it over in his hands. Someone had been here. Someone had seen something. He looked back at Cascade, who had suddenly become very interested in straightening crates that didn't need straightening. The dragon's tail curved protectively around the smallest box, and he wouldn't meet Akira's eyes. Akira set the telescope down carefully and walked toward his oldest companion, reading the truth in the way Cascade's wings tucked tight against his sides — the dragon knew exactly where Takashi had gone.