We spent the night camping outdoors. The air was cold but not unbearable for someone like me who frequented the forest. The old man and the woman, however, appeared to have more difficulty.

  The woman, or maybe it is best I call her by her name, Amrak, was beautiful even in her sleep. She must have done either great or greatly evil deeds in her previous life to be this beautiful. I wondered if she believed in reincarnation as I did. The Northerners and Easterners are said to have a lot in common. The same is said about the Imperial Westerners and the citizens of the many Beyliks down south. "Such beauty and an ability for magic. Where I have been blessed with neither." I thought to myself, some feeling of jealousy rising within me.

  Then I looked at the old man. Mubarak, was it? How lucky he had been as well. He probably ate well for all his life and had no difficulty. He grew old, never facing a challenge. He lived in the Royal Court and ate the best food they had. I thought to myself. I wonder if he even learned magic to begin with. Like most people, he probably had an affinity with it, but why would he bother learning it when all his life would be spent in comfort anyway?

  I wonder why he was sent alone. He said that he was an envoy, but from what I know, those are usually accompanied by large armies. However, he hired mercenaries to protect him instead. And from another country at that.

  It was curious, but I was getting sleepy. My body slowly forgot how dangerous the woods could be as my vision was slowly faded. It wasn't long until I fell asleep; forgetting the danger around me. The wyverns could come at any moment, yet this half-baked party had done no preparations. Or so I thought.

  When the sun was the furthest away from its spot at noon and when the moon was the brightest it could be, a wyvern spotted us. It came in terrifying speed, landing in the center of our encampment. The heat from the flame dispersed, and a cold wind rushed towards me. I woke up abruptly, at first not fully understanding the situation and treating it as a dream.

  As the wyvern roared, I became more awake. My eyes, now widely open in terror. The old man and the mage had woken up as well. The woman was already in battle formation, whereas the man remained seated.

  I reached for my knife but couldn't find it. Only the shiny rock was in my pocket. I looked at the mage, who appeared to be as terrified as I was. The wood mana around us was in solidarity. Eager to change and burn at once but too large in volume for the mage to handle by herself.

  I spotted my knife at a distance. It was next to the old man, who still hadn't moved. I told him to pass me the blade, yet he made no haste searching for it with his gaze. I yelled the direction. Alas, he took a few more seconds to find it, and when he did, he looked at it as if it were a marvel of engineering. Holding it towards the moon and attempting to see the little carvings. He seemed more like he was picking out a knife at the bazaar and less like he was in battle. I shouted at him again, but it didn't mean much. Only when he was done truly appreciating the blade did he pass it to me. I say this with some disgruntlement, but I had no use for the blade either. Both the old man and I had put our trust into the mage. Or so I thought.

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  The wyvern hadn't made a move. It remained motionless. The fire provided a faint light, enough for us to see but perhaps not for the wyvern. Unfortunately though, its motionlessness would not last long, as it started circling us and making different sounds.

  Said sounds were not noble roars like that of a lion but rather shaky growls like a mother dog searching for her children. At this point the mage and I were on opposing ends with the old man at our center. As the wyvern circled around us, we circled with it where the old man sat without movement.

  For a while a silence ensued with neither of us nor the wyvern making a sound, only for it to be broken by a whistle. It was the old man calling for something. His whistle, unwavering. As if he knew exactly what he was doing. It resembled more of someone comforting the beast rather than confronting it. The wyvern that was in a circular motion with us broke the loop and headed for the old man. I was barely holding the knife in my hand. My grasp was powerless, and my stance was shaky. The woman appeared to be no better. The old man, however, was unwavering.

  He started speaking as the wyvern came closer to him:

  "Such misunderstood creatures they are, wyverns."

  The wyvern lowered its head as if it was in agreement. The old man continued talking:

  "They are just alone, most of them. Without anyone to love them. They live long lives but do not have partners. Very lonely creatures they are."

  "He raised his hand and placed it at the wyvern's forehead:

  "Timid and hurt creatures. Despite their tough hides, they are fearful, and wary of both their potential mates and humans."

  The wyvern appeared, for a second, to be a peaceful creature. I would've forgotten its original nature had it not been for the scars and bloodied claws it possessed.

  The wyvern took a deep breath, smelling the air around us. Once it did so, it abruptly raised its head and howled at the moon. Turning it swiftly in my direction. It opened its wings in front of the old man, who remained motionless. As did I, now looking at the wyvern directly in the eyes. I was thinking of running away when vines rose from the ground, swarming the wyvern in all directions. The wyvern broke through the first few with pure strength, but the vines were unending. The wyvern's screams grew louder as its head was pulled to the ground by the vines that had found their way above it. When its head was fully on the ground and as it was still growling, the old man commented:

  "Well, that was a bit unusual."

  Promptly rising from where he was sitting and murmuring a few words. Suddenly setting the vines and the wyvern aflame. The vines burnt first, and the wyvern ran away in fear. The old man watched the dragon fly away, turned to me, and calmly asked,

  "You wouldn't happen to possess a dragon egg, would you?"