Arra looked down at the sleeping child before her, and sighed heavily. What was she to do with the girl? She had enough to worry about with just her own young….

As if in response to her thought, there was a scuttling of tiny claws behind her, and three small bodies came into view. All three approached the girl cautiously. Sargat, the eldest, sniffed the air uncertainly, then gazed at the small two-legger. He then snorted; obviously this new creature wasn't of any importance to him. Syrta and her twin brother Tarken, however, were more curious. Syr trotted up next to the child, nudging its side warily with her snout. The girl intrigued her. Syr circled the unmoving form slowly, eyes alight with curiosity, as the creature proved to still be alive. Mother never brought anything home alive….

Not to be outdone by his sister-older-by-minutes, Tark padded over and snuffed at the tangled mass of light-colored hair that spread out around the girl's neck and shoulders. He was fascinated by this soft stuff coming out of the creature's head. He'd never seen anything quite like it before. It reminded him of the sun-dried grass in late summer, but it was much softer than the grass had ever been.

Arra called her younglings away from the girl with a pinprick to each of their minds. Sargat came first, broadcasting his disinterest to all. Syr backed away reluctantly; her curiosity hadn't been satisfied. This creature was entirely new to her, and she wanted to inspect it more closely. Tark ignored his mother completely. He flopped over on one side, wriggling himself into the child's hair. It was just so soft…

Arra snorted and flicked her tail, conveying her impatience with Tarken, and called to him again, sharply. He just snuggled deeper in response, and promptly went to sleep. Syrta, not prone to stay away from her twin for long, trotted back over to her brother and curled up around him. Sargat watched, warring with indecision. Finally, with a small snort, he joined his siblings beside the girl. All three were quickly asleep.

Arra sighed again, wishing she hadn't taught them how to pattern their minds to sleep. It hadn't presented a problem until now. She looked down at the girl, surrounded by her hatchlings, and shook her head. It would take much to pry this new 'toy' away from Tark, and Syr would follow his lead.

Lying down against the far wall, Arra let her thoughts run their course.

So she must keep the child, at least until the hatchlings tired of it. This did not appeal to her. She did not fancy dealing with the girl-child and her storm of emotions. Humans tended to have much stronger emotions than any other animal, and Arra was not thrilled (to say the least) with the notion of trying to control them.

But…

If the child - say - didn't remember the cause of such emotions, those emotions would dissipate. Arra could easily place false memories in the child's mind…. All it would require was the blocking of the true incident. A very simple matter, as the girl would naturally try to block it out. The touchy part was making sure the girl would have access to those memories later, when she would be able to deal with them and would need them. It would take delicate handling, and she'd have to be extremely careful.

But it could be done.

Having made up her mind, Arra gently merged her mind with the girl's, and set to work.

Sunlight made me squeeze my eyes closed scant seconds after opening them. I had just had the strangest dream.. it was.. it had been… the memory escaped my reach even as I tried to recall it. I shrugged it off and sat up slowly, yawning and stretching simultaneously, blinking a few times to clear my sight. Looking around, I noted that Mother was gone, probably out catching breakfast. A rather loud commotion further back in the cave proved to be a wrestling match between Tarken and Sargat, and Syrta dozed lazily in a patch of sunlight on the cave floor.

As I rose from my own bed of grass, Syr raised her head and blinked at me sleepily before snorting and going back to sleep. The other two ignored me for their game as I edged around them (though it wasn't easy with all their tumbling) to the small pool in the very back of the cave. The ever-present gentle rustling of running water brought a smile to me as I began to wash. I never tired of the sound, both cheerful and soothing. Maybe Mother would let me go down to the lake when she returned.

As if answering my thoughts, there was a rush of wind and wings at the cave entrance, causing Sargat and Tark to stop their wrestling and bringing Syr into full wakefulness immediately.

Arra dropped into view, the form of a large grass-eater hanging limply in her front claws. Mother…

Wait... that's not Mother!

I blinked, wondering where that thought had come from. Of course it was her! Who else would it be? The back of my mind stirred uneasily, but I pushed it away.

Mother touched to the ground solidly and gracefully, despite the heavy weight she carried, folding her wings silently across her back as she landed. Her fore claws locked firmly about its neck, she dragged the old buck into the cave where she was immediately swarmed by a rush of three hurtling bodies. I stood back and watched, knowing better than to get in the way of those tiny, sharp claws. A piercing pain skirted my mind, and all three hatchlings jumped back as if stung. Arra dropped the deer on the now-clear cave floor in front of her before receding to the pool, where she drank eagerly. The moment she was out of the way, the dragonets were upon the buck. I laughed aloud as I watched them, scrambling on and over each other, and over the buck. Three heads lifted as one at the sound, only to disappear again as hunger raised its demands above all else.

Mother raised her head from the water, watching the hatchlings for a time, then turning her gaze on me.

"Eat!" She nodded towards the squall over the buck. "You won't last long if you don't eat, youngling."

Following her gesture, I glanced over to the dragonets, which were still tearing at the dead animal, and repressed a shudder.

"I'm… not hungry," I managed, trying to hide my revulsion at the thought of eating raw meat. I had no idea why it should bother me, as I seemed to recall having eaten it before….

Arra snorted contemptuously, and I looked down in embarrassment. My attempt to hide my thoughts had been pathetically useless.

I braced myself for reprimand. Scales clicked softly as Mother shifted. I glanced up in surprise as she moved away from me, back to where the hatchlings were busily eating. A loud roar that echoed through the cave chased the dragonets from the buck. I watched silently, awed by the very sound, as Mother reached down to the recently vacated buck and tore a large chunk of flesh from its hindquarters. She then stepped back, and three sets of eyes watched her warily for a moment before they were back upon the animal.

She came back over and dropped the meat in front of me. Before I could even think to say anything, her head snapped back and a deep rumble began in her chest, and suddenly the flesh on the floor was engulfed in a ball of flame. I jumped back quickly, the heat alone hot enough to burn any who dared go too close. The flames died out slowly, leaving a very well done piece of meat on the floor. Arra lowered her head to sniff at it once, then snorted and made her way to a large niche in the rear of the cave, to the right of the pool, and lay down without a word.

I stood and stared stupidly at the charred lump before me for a long moment. The hatchlings had paid the whole affair not an ounce of attention, and went one gorging themselves obliviously. It occurred to me that I was pretty hungry. Very hungry, in fact. And that meat smelled awfully good… I fell upon it with a fierce desire, making very short work of it, (charred pieces and all) and burning my fingers and tongue several times in the process. Licking my fingers, I glanced around to see the hatchlings sleeping in various positions around the remains of the buck, and Arra still in her niche, eyes half-closed, but awake. She raised her head as our eyes met, and nodded before I could say a thing.

"You may go to the lake. Just don't wake them," she told me, indicating the sleeping hatchlings with a pointed claw.

I left the cave carefully, heaving a sigh of relief as I got out of hearing range. The dragonets were adorable, but could be a nuisance at times…. Spotting one of the many deer trails that ran through the woods, I set off down along it, in no particular hurry and letting my thoughts wander. It bothered me that Arra took things out of my mind like that, rather than waiting the few moments it would take for me to tell or ask her myself. If she could just wait for me to open my mouth and ask.. wait… I interrupted myself. Open my mouth? What did that have to do with anything other than eating? I blinked, trying to figure out where such an absurd thought had come from. It felt as thought the answer was hovering just out of my mind's reach, taunting me.

Just then, I felt Mother's gentle touch in my mind as she checked to make sure everything was all right. I sent back a wordless reassurance and headed forward at a quicker pace, reminded of my destination, and my thoughts of just moments before vanished….

The forest is silent. Not a leaf stirs, not a bird chirps. Then a faint wind touches the very tops of the tallest trees, and somewhere, a squirrel chatters its annoyance. The wind begins to pick up slowly, sluggishly. A distant and very faint rumble makes its way out of the west sky. Four sets of ears perk at the sound, and there is a scramble of feet and small claws, jolting the leaves underfoot. The wind begins to pick up speed, swaying the taller trees near the tops. The sky rumbles again, somewhat louder. A lone bird calls, but receives no reply. The new leaves on the ground begin to tremble as the first bit of wind makes its way to the forest floor. There is a flash of light against the darkly clouded sky, followed many seconds later by another louder rumble. The wind now reaches the lower trees, pulling them back and forth with varying intensities. Light flashes again, now followed closely by a low boom. The first splatters of rain hit the forest floor with a soft plop, starting a quiet music throughout the forest as the wind tones down a bit. Lightning flashes brightly, and four bodies on the ground jump as one as a loud, booming thunder sounds its roar overhead.

I laughed happily as the rain began to pour over us in buckets, and I spread my arms out and tilted my face up to the sky to let the raindrops find my face. How I loved thunderstorms! They always came in late summer, drenching the forest at least three or four times a week. The only thing I loved more was hunting. Mother always took us hunting in the summer, and we all enjoyed it. The hatchlings were beginning to hunt without her guidance, though, and it being my twelfth summer, I was as good as any of the dragonets. I didn't have talons like them, but she taught me to use animal bones as my claws, and how to use and sharpen sticks if there was no bone to be found.

I sighed happily as the rain streamed down my face, wanting the moment to last forever. Sargat was flicking his tongue out randomly, trying to catch the drops before they hit the ground, while Tark and Syr made a game of trying to see who could find the biggest puddle. And then Tarken landed on Syr's tail. She squealed her indignance and whirled around, biting his hind foot, and Tark whipped his tail to thwap her on the nose in return. Things suddenly got very muddy very quickly as the dragonets began tumbling over the wet ground, flinging mud and hissing half-roars at each other. Sargat watched amusedly, then decided he wanted to play, too. He joined the fray with a large PLOP!, spraying even more mud about. Both pounced him immediately, their own quarrels forgotten in their mutual desire to make Sargat as muddy as them. By this time, I was on the ground laughing so hard my sides hurt. But being on the ground proved not to be the brightest of ideas. Syr managed to stay clear of the mud and tumbling long enough to notice me. She chortled in her own draconic laughter, and leapt in front of me, splattering me liberally with globs of mud. I reached out and pushed her away, only to find myself pushed back. Sargat and Tark loomed out of the dim light behind her, and I knew I was in for it. Three hurtling balls rammed into me, which rapidly turned into a four-way mud wrestle. I gave as good as I got, often wrestling with one or another (or all!) of the dragonets (who had sheathed their claws as not to hurt me), flinging mud about as well. Shortly after, all four of us were sprawled out on the forest floor, totally spent, completely happy, and absolutely coated in mud.

A long swim and several water-fights later, we came back to the cave, the hatchlings immediately dropping to sleep in an untidy heap. Arra chortled softly at the sight of them, but her thoughts grew serious as she turned to me.

"Kara."

She spoke only my name, but with that one word, I suddenly felt cold, and all my recent happiness and amusement began to fade. She rarely used my true name, and I had come to be wary of the times when she did.

"Mother?"

She snorted at me.

"Arra, child! I've told you that often enough!"

I nodded apologetically, as my mind raced. What was going on? Why did things feel so… wrong?

Mother shifted uneasily, her expression clouded and unreadable. Her unease made me uneasy, as I had never seen Mother uneasy about anything…

"It has been six years since I found you, child," she began hesitantly.

I stared in open surprise at her words. It felt like one of the hatchlings had just shoved his nose into my stomach. Hard.

"Found me? What-"

"Don't interrupt me!" Arra's voice was sharp. "Have I taught you nothing? Be still, girl, and listen!"

I stood still and listened.

"It's been six years.. and in that time I have taught you how to care for yourself. I have taught you how to hunt and kill, though you have no claws and you teeth are small. I have taught you to find edible things when there is no game to be found, and how to survive when you have nothing but the trees around you. I have taught you the best I can, and all I can." She paused, her eyes never looking away from me. "It is now time you returned to your own people."

My own eyes narrowed in protest and disbelief; they were my people, the only people I had known all my life. Her, and Sargat and Tark and Syr - but I said nothing. Yet.

Arra had obviously picked up on my thoughts.

"We are not your people. Your people live outside the forest, in caves they built from mud and wood and straw. They are not dragons. And neither, child, are you. You have neither tail nor wings, and your claws are short and stubby. You have none of the natural born magicks of the dragons, and it is only by chance that you can talk with us at all."

"You are not one of us. You are of the human race," she finished firmly, watching me closely and waiting for my reaction.

Silence stretched.

I was dumbstruck. Mother had just confirmed every doubt I had ever had, every moment of uncertainty I'd had as I'd seen these differences on my own. I had daydreamed that I was one of the shifter dragons that had somehow shifted to human at an early age and never knew how to shift back, but would one day learn. Reality now chased those dreams away, bringing me to the truth with a rather rough slap in the face. My first reaction was a forceful and angry denial.

"NO!" I burst out. "It.. that can't be! Sargat and Tark are my brothers! Syr is my sister! You raised us all; you're our mother! I am of the dragons! I may not look it, but inside, inside I am dragon!!" I glared at her defiantly, my eyes wild and leaking angry tears, but a layer of fear hid beneath that anger…

Arra shook her head slowly, sadly, but her voice remained stern.

"No, Kara. You are human. You are not of dragon blood. You may feel like a dragon on the inside, but that is because it is all you know," she said, and then paused a long moment.

"..or at least, it is all you remember…."

Tears flowed down my cheeks, unheeded, as I listened, shaking my head in further denial. Then her last phrase stuck in my mind, and I glanced up at her sharply.

"All I remember? What do you mean by that," I demanded.

Arra returned my gaze stare for stare, and I felt as if she were weighing me. Maybe she was. Finally she spoke.

"I had to block your memories when I found you. Or more accurately," She snorted, "when you found me. You were in shock, and an emotional mess, and I was in no mood to deal with it." She sighed and continued in a lower tone, as if talking to herself. "Although I had not intended for this to go on so long…."

I stared at her, her words making no sense to me. In shock? An emotional mess? What on earth was she talking about?

She sighed again.

"Brace yourself, child!"

And that was all the warning I got as a gate somewhere in the back of my mind lifted slowly, letting loose a torrent of thoughts and images and memories. I swayed on my feet with the impact, stumbling as I tried to keep my balance, and failed miserably. Everything blurred as I started to fall, then faded into blackness as I met the ground….