The Wolf’s Daughter

Phaedra’s eyes slowly opened. Everything hurt. Even her wool hurt, all the way up to the tips. She didn’t even know that was possible. Her body felt so heavy and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and go back to sleep.

“Ah, so you’re up,” Yroth said.

“Mmmm… no…” Phaedra mumbled before closing her eyes and laying back, against Yroth’s scales. They were so warm and comforting. Like--

“DIXXY!” Phaedra yelled before sitting up. “Where is she?”

“You should know the answer to that,” Yroth said from behind her. “I told you—”

Phaedra clambered to her hooves and turned to her. Even as tired as she was, she felt nothing but fury and though her legs threatened to buckle, she couldn’t suppress it. “You… you didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

Yroth was, once again, in her normal dragon form, albeit just big enough to still fit in the throne room behind the throne. She glanced over before shrugging. “I dealt with her. She—”

“YOU HAD NO RIGHT!” Phaedra screamed, before taking a step closer and slapping the scales. It did nothing but make her hand hurt, though she did it again. And again. And again. It felt like she was hitting a brick wall, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“She was a threat, was she not? She knew who you were and would tell your family,” Yroth said. “I did you a favor. If they knew—”

“That was my choice, not yours,” Phaedra said. “I messed up. NOT you. I told her. NOT you. I was… I was the idiot who… I…” She finally stopped slapping the scales before sinking to her knees. Tears started to go down her cheeks and she let them, not even trying to suppress them anymore.

“She would have killed you,” Yroth said. “All of them would have. They—”

“Shut up,” Phaedra said.

“Excuse me?”

“I said shut UP!” Phaedra screamed, turning to glare at her. “I’ve had it with you! I’m done! We’re… done.”

“Done?” Yroth asked. “How are we—”

“I’m done working with you,” Phaedra said. “I’m taking my forces… and I’m leaving. You can do whatever you want with your mountain, your home. I don’t… I don’t even care anymore.”

Yroth gave a sigh and shook her head. “You’re being ridiculous. Emotional. Over a demon who would turn on you in a moment? Without my aid, you’d—”

“SHE WASN’T JUST A DEMON!” Phaedra screamed, her vision a blur now from the tears. “You don’t know ANYTHING about her! You never DID! Do you know who she was? She was my little cousin, the only one I had younger than me! She was the baby of her family! She was the kid who… who asked me when she’d get claws, too, because she wanted to have them like me and daddy! She was the kid who tried to steal my fleece once to see if she could be a sheep demon! She was FAMILY! She was MY FAMILY! You didn’t know a THING about her or any of them!”

“You’re—”

“Circe is the girl who used to tease me for not having wings!” Phaedra screamed at her. “And then spent a month teaching me a dozen different spells to make sure my hair and fleece always shined and how to clean them with a moment’s notice! Do you know why? Because she realized I was upset about being land-locked while they could all fly!”

“I don’t—”

“The twins were the ones who when they first met me they took me FLYING! Even though daddy and uncle Obby said it was too dangerous they knew I wanted to and they took me anyway!” Phaedra screamed, ignoring the dragon’s objections. “It was dangerous and they knew they’d get in trouble, but do you know why they did it?”

“St—”

“Because I begged and harassed them!” Phaedra screamed, an arm reaching up to wipe her tears. “Because… they cared about me. And I know they’ll hate me. I KNOW they’ll… they’ll kill me when they find out. Probably. But… but I could have… done something. I could have convinced Dixxy it was a trick, or something. She didn’t have to die.”

“Phaedra!” Yroth yelled finally, her tail cracking against the stone hard enough to make the ground shake. “This was for your own good, for your protection, you—”

“Don’t,” Phaedra yelled, cutting her off. “It’s done. It’s over. My protection, my ‘own’ good, is no longer your concern. Ever.”

“It will always be—”

“No, it won’t,” Phaedra said. “I’m going to my father. I’m going… I’m going to make a deal with him.”

Yroth went entirely still then. A look of shock on her face. “You… can’t be serious.”

“I am,” Phaedra said. “I’m going to… tell him… I’ll tell him I know where Medon is. All he has to d-do is release the… the rest of Medon’s companions. And… and when t-they’re free… I’ll tell him the truth. I’ll tell him everything. Who I am… what I am.”

“He’ll kill you,” Yroth said.

“Probably,” Phaedra said. “But maybe he won’t. Maybe… he’ll… care.”

“The Wolf does not love,” Yroth said before reaching out a wing towards her, but she shoved it away.

“No,” Phaedra said. “But… there’s no other way, anymore. My cousin… Dixxy is dead because of me. I tried… I tried to d-do this… a different way. To… to be careful. But you… you don’t even care… do you? That you killed her? That Dixxy is… she’s dead now… and it’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” Yroth said in a gentle, soothing voice. “I made the choice, not you. Her blood is on my claws.”

“I was stupid,” Phaedra said, shaking her head. “I was stupid enough to… to not see through her disguise. It was so OBVIOUS and I fell for it. And now she’s dead. Because of me.”

“You are powerful, but not unstoppable,” Yroth said softly. “Far more powerful than you realize. You were able to penetrate my scales. Few could do that…” She reached out a claw towards her, but Phaedra shoved it away. “Few could have protected her as well.”

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Phaedra screamed. “Don’t ever… ever touch me again…”

“Phaedra…” Yroth said gently.

“Don’t,” Phaedra said before turning her back to her. “If you… want to kill me, to take the name for yourself? Then just… do it. I can’t defeat you. But other than that? You know my plan. What I’ll do. I don’t know what will happen now. But…” Her fists clenched and she shook her head. “I know it doesn’t involve you.”

“Why do you care so much for them?” Yroth asked. “Were they not your enemies?”

“That was a hundred years ago!” Phaedra yelled. “It was… over a hundred years ago. I lived a new life since then. I was a part of their family. And you know what? They were a GOOD family! Yes, we had fights, arguments, there were little petty feuds and rivalries over things that didn’t matter, but we cared about each other. We… believed in each other. I never… had that… when I was… before. I didn’t even know a family could be like that. I didn’t think it could be. But even when they scared me or… I messed up… they were my family. And they were there for me. And now… Now Dixxy is dead.”

“Demons are often reckless and rush into battle,” Yroth said. “Is this truly the first member of your family to perish?”

“No,” Phaedra said. “But she didn’t die for a reason. She didn’t die doing what… she wanted to do…” Phaedra wrapped her arms around herself and tried to suppress the fresh tears forming in her eyes. “She died because I screwed up. I don’t even know why she was there. She shouldn’t have been! She… oh…”

“What?” Yroth asked.

“Lilith… escaped,” Phaedra said. “Of course she did. Why wouldn’t she? No wonder Dixxy was trying to pretend to be her. No wonder she ran off in such a rush. Why am I so stupid? Why can’t I ever just… pay attention?”

“Phaedra,” Yroth said in a soft, gentle tone. “They can and—”

“DIXXY CAME BACK FOR ME!” Phaedra screamed, turning to face her again. “Dixxy could have run and she DIDN’T! She tried to stop you! She put herself at risk, to stop YOU!”

“That, she did,” Yroth said before she slowly began to rise, getting up on all fours. Well, three. Phaedra noticed that her front left arm was bound tightly to her side. Her wings remained spread out, however, reminding her just how much bigger the dragon was like this as they touched one wall and nearly stretched out enough to touch the other. “And after that, you demonstrated a power you hadn’t before. I suspected your power would be sizeable, with your connection to the Wolf. But that went beyond. You pierced my arm clean through… few mages could do such a thing. At least, not without a name.”

“So?” Phaedra asked. “It doesn’t matter, I still lost. I--”

“I let you you speak your words, allow me to speak mine. I have spent well over a hundred years loathing the Wolf,” Yroth said before glancing away from her. “And I have… often been one who is… too quick to act. Temperamental. It is not always a good combination. But, the wrongs that have been done to you? No amount of anger or hate can undo them. And as much as I may loathe the Wolf, much of that hatred stems from being misled and tricked. I do not agree that those you consider family can be trusted. But… as you seem… prone to hysterics when—”

“Did you just call me HYSTERICAL?” Phaedra yelled, unable to keep any semblance of calm in her voice there. “You kill my cousin in front of me and then call me HYSTERICAL for being UPSET?!”

Yroth took a slow, deep breath. “Please understand I am… trying to not lose my own temper here, as I understand that—”

“Don’t even try that,” Phaedra snapped, cutting her off again. “That was a stupid response before and it’s a useless one now. You killed. My cousin. You don’t get to then act as if I am the unreasonable one here. No. It’s done. It—”

“ENOUGH!” Yroth yelled, her voice reverberating through the throne room and making Phaedra cringe back. “Enough. I believe that is enough. Phaedra… I am trying to apologize.”

“Well you’re terrible at it!” Phaedra yelled. “And being ‘sorry’ after you killed my cousin doesn’t work. If you were sorry, you’d have listened to me, neither of us would be hurt and—” The words died in her throat when Yroth retracted her wings.

Revealing Dixxy. Alive. Bound in chains and collared with the very collar that had been put on Yroth’s neck until recently, but alive. She looked incredibly pale and frightened, however.

“Dixxy?” Phaedra asked before taking a small step towards her. She wanted, desperately, to believe she was still here and alive. But she’d already been tricked once today. “How…”

“You were very persistent,” Yroth said before glancing back towards her arm. “I realized if I were to slay her, the consequences to our relationship may well become… insurmountable. It hardly does me any good to kill her to protect you if you then get yourself killed by trying to fight me. And, despite my… desire to end the threat, you are right on one account. She did come back for you, when she could, should, have fled.”

Phaedra slowly took a few more steps closer before, finally, she ran to her cousin and knelt by her. She reached out and tore off the chains and uncovered her mouth, before finally tearing off the collar. She then gave her the biggest, tightest hug she could. “I-I’m sorry, Dixxy. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry. I tried to protect you. I swear. I—”

“I… I know, I heard,” Dixxy said softly. “I heard everything. Why do you… are you going to…”

“I don’t know,” Phaedra said softly before wiping the tears from her eyes, but more just kept coming. “Damn it. I… I’m sorry. I’m useless. I just… I…”

“I don’t understand…” Dixxy said softly. “I thought… Medon was supposed to be our enemy?”

“Medon… I… was tricked,” Phaedra said softly before glancing back to Yroth. “A lot of us were. And it caused a lot of pain. I… don’t want to be your enemy anymore…”

“Dad is going to freak out when he finds out,” Dixxy said softly. “Taming the Ascended Dragon AND being Medon?”

“Oh no no no no,” Phaedra said quickly, shaking her head. “Dixxy, you can’t tell him. If he finds out, then…” She trailed off for a moment before sighing. “… I guess I can’t really stop you, though.”

“Oh, you could,” Yroth said.

“I’m not going to!” Phaedra said before looking down at Dixxy. “You know the moment everyone finds out they’re going to want to kill me, right?”

“Why? If you have the name, then we can use it!” Dixxy said, a grin forming on her lips. “That name is one of the pillars of our world! You could be the most powerful demon to ever live! There has NEVER been a demon with that name! Just imagine what we could do!”

Phaedra blinked a few times and wished she knew if that was true. While a lot of the heroes who had been summoned in the past had been human, she’d heard there had been some others who weren’t. Supposedly some of the species that now lived in this world came about by mixing their bloodlines with past heroes. “Yes… I guess there hasn’t. But… if they knew I had it, wouldn’t they want it for themselves? Look at how angry Circe was over you just taking Lilith. Imagine if she knew that the hunt was already over and all she had to do was slay me to take the name.”

“She’d never forgive you,” Dixxy said softly. “Is that how you were able to win against her?”

“No,” Phaedra said. “I actually don’t have the power of that name yet. It was kind of… broken… when I got it. I need to fix it.”

“And you’re still more powerful than Circe?” Dixxy asked.

“I don’t know if that’s really fair,” Phaedra said sheepishly. “I’m just a lot stronger than she expected. She was really powerful.”

“You didn’t even have to transform to beat her,” Dixxy said.

“Well… I got a lot from my father,” Phaedra said.

Dixxy stared up at her, her eyes narrowed. After a few moments she cocked her head to the side. “If I side with you… and keep this quiet… when you gain your power, can I be one of your generals? No, can I be your BEST general?”

“I’ll… think about it,” Phaedra said softly. “I don’t think you’re really old enough to be acting as a general.” The last thing she wanted was for Dixxy to have to fight someone like Gibs.

“You’re as bad as dad,” Dixxy grumbled.

“Well, maybe Uncle Obby is right in this case,” Phaedra said. “But, I tell you what. If you promise to not tell anyone, keep this a secret just between us… I’ll let you serve as my apprentice after I get fully settled.”

“That doesn’t sound very impressive,” Dixxy said softly.

“I served as Leviathan’s apprentice for decades,” Phaedra said. “How do you think I got so strong? You can learn a lot serving as an apprentice.”

“What does an apprentice do?” Dixxy asked.

“Come with me when I fight other demons and try to get names, sharing meals with me, occasional sparring, frequent assassination tests,” Phaedra said.

“Assassination tests?” Yroth asked.

“Yeah, Gibs would try to ‘assassinate’ me a few times a month,” Phaedra said. “The first time it was really hard, I lost a few teeth and he broke my arm. For most of them, though, I managed to avoid breaking anything. Most of them.”

“Wait, is this why you call Leviathan Gibs?” Dixxy asked. “And me Dixxy?”

“Kind of,” Phaedra said sheepishly. “The translation of… the magic that brought me here doesn’t work right. It’s why I have my little… speech issue. Why I get words messed up sometimes. Dixxy is just close to the name I always hear. As for Gibs… well… It’s not quite the same. You see, uhhhh… it’s… a little hard to explain.”

“If you’re sharing all your other secrets with me, why not?” Dixxy asked, making a pouty face.

Phaedra gave another sigh. “Fine. If you really want to know, I’ll tell you. So, back when I was alive… err… back when I was a human… the first time… oh, this gets confusing. Where I originally came from? There was this… thing. Called ‘gibbing’ something. It was where someone got hit so hard that they exploded in all directions, their limbs, everything. I saw him do that to an assassin when I was like… fifteen? I think? With a single fist. I’ve called him ‘Gibs’ ever since.”

Silence reigned in the throne room after that.

“What?” Phaedra asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Your world was more violent than you led me to believe,” Yroth said. “I thought you were… weak?”

“You’d be surprised just how violent weak people can be,” Phaedra said before slowly pulling back from Dixxy. “Speaking of violence… I need to go make sure our fight isn’t going to get everyone running to my father.”

“Of course,” Yroth said. “I take it you’ve changed your mind about—”

“Some things,” Phaedra said. “Not all.”

“Meaning…?” Yroth asked.

“Meaning I need to… I need to do my job,” Phaedra said. “And I need some space away from you.”

“What?” Yroth asked.

“I need some space from you. I need to evaluate where we stand, how we stand,” Phaedra said before she turned towards the door. She paused for a moment, before reaching down to grab Dixxy’s hand. “Come. I really don’t want to leave you alone with her for now.”

“Phaedra?” Yroth asked, her voice confused and slightly alarmed. “But I gave you what you wished, did I not? I—”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Phaedra said before pushing the door out of her throne room, slamming it shut behind herself.

She needed to evaluate a lot of things about that dragon, now. Namely, just how far Yroth would go to ‘protect’ her when she didn’t desire it.

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