THE WERE-DRAGON MATE

"A long time ago, all was right with the world. Prosperity and peace filled the days. The four strongest immortal species.

"Werewolves, weredragons, witches, and vampires lived amongst each other in peace and harmony.

"Great respect was offered to the weredragons and werewolves. Because apart from being able to walk in their human form during the day and night.

"They had the power to shapeshift into their counterparts' wolves and dragons. The weredragons got their power from the sun.

"And the werewolves got their power from the moon. The dragons were strongest in daylight. And the wolves got stronger too as the day ended.

"Among the four races with predominate power, the witches held a special place. For centuries, the witches were the defenders of humanity.

"They kept everyone, including humans, with no superpowers, in check. They uphold ancient vows of non-interference between the two sworn enemies.

"Werewolves and weredragons were the two most powerful supernatural beings that were sworn enemies threatening the balance.

"A war between the two meant the beginning of the winner as the most powerful supernatural being and the end to the losing species."

That was Iyya's childhood favorite story. 'The Legend of werewolves and weredragons.' narrated by her late mother, 'Anna' to her. It was like a lullaby to her, and she wanted to hear it every night before she went to sleep.

In her childish mind, she always imagined her mother to be the last long-lost weredragon that survived until the end of that tale and has never been found.

At the end of the tale, one wedragon survives. And it was fortunate for her that the weredragon that survived had no legs or hands in her body, just like her mother.

She had always dreamt of a day that she would see her mother moving on her own without a wheelchair.

So Iyya had imagined her mother turning into a dragon one day and flying around the Zanzibar skies. Spitting fire out of her mouth into the Indian Ocean while Iyya stood at the beach.

The wish turning into a reality was so vivid in her mind and she always saw herself watching her mother with fascination in her eyes. While she jumped happily.

That tale, as of right now, at this moment, keeps knocking on her head. Not only that. But it is also accompanied by a reminder of the last conversation she had with her late mother on her deathbed.

In her current state, the tale brings her to tears because it reminds her so much of her late mother. The person she ended up growing to pity.

But she would rather occupy her mind with that tale and the painful memories that come with remembering her mother, however painful it is, more than what is happening now.

Right now she is in the middle of the forest and the thick forest waste and entangled grasses hold her back from running and putting up her feathered wings to fly.

FLY? Yes, fly. She laughs sadly at the thought. She is no longer in her human form but a colorful bird. 'A useless one,' if you asked her about her opinion on it.

It can't speak and it has done nothing to help her turn back to her human form.

How she wishes she could get back into her human body in this moment and be able to shout for help or run with her own two legs.

But no. The violence and fear of the world have followed her around all her life. She is a second example after her mother of someone she would pity.

She is scared. Terrified at the moment. But nothing can beat her biggest fear. Her biggest fear is never meeting her stepmother 'Heina' again.

To Iyya defense. She doesn't know what she did so wrong to Heina. But she thinks it has been enough punishment given to her living in a peacock body for this long. She doesn't know anyone who would help get her human body back other than Heina.

After all, it was all Heina's doing.

Five years now. Five years leaving the life of a bird. She still sometimes does not believe this is real. That this is her life. She thinks it is a dream. She will wake up soon.

Heina had been her mother since her dad 'Khamsini' died and was her only close friend and relative. She was so supportive and loving, the only person who made her dad truly happy after her late mother.

'What happened?' is a golden question Iyya would love to know the answer to. Such a drastic change. That made Heina hurt her this much.

Iyya wants to plead with Heina to forgive her and let her have a bit of normalcy in her life.

Today, she is miles away from Zanzibar where her stepmom resides, and she is now abandoned in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a Safari Park.

Home to all dangerous animals.

She has been here for a few hours ...... She craves Zanzibar. The place that holds answers to her redemption.

Everywhere her face turns, there is a thick forest and lots of bushes.

She is in Serengeti Park, and from what she remembers from her class five Geography books, this is supposed to be more of a treeless grassland. But it is not. It is a clouded forest.

The increasing sound of an animal running toward her draws Iyya's attention fully back to her reality. The dangers surrounding her in the park.

Her heart jumps high with fear of what is coming after her, her ears are pointed high.

The trees swaying and branches clicking are some of the major disturbances she doesn't want to hear right now.

Because she wants to track the animal's movements and be able to hide.

Sunrays that are protruding through the tall trees are not helping either, as they show her enemy exactly where she is heading.

Then she hears car horns about one kilometer away and what would have been a good sign while in a human settlement, but here. It is not a good sign.

They are the tourist cars, and they are after the 'Big Five', which include either a lion, leopard, Rhino, Buffalo, or Elephant.

That also means the big five are around here and around her.

The big five means more danger to her. She doesn't want to get crushed or eaten at that moment.

Bad territory.

Coming face to face with these animals would be the end of her. In the animal form of a bird, she is in. She is an easy target, even for weak animals. She keeps reciting her go-to words in her head.

'I NEED TO SURVIVE,'

'I NEED TO LIVE,'

Then the car horn sounds are heard again and the intensity of the sounds. It shows the cars are too close. Catching her full attention again, this time, she thinks maybe going after the tourist cars wouldn't be a bad idea after all and would save her.

But she needed to get to the main road first, 'but which direction is the main road?', she wondered, her eyes searching from right to left.

Maybe some tourists will take an interest in her.

Most people who saw her on display at ZALA had an interest in her. Like the Commissioner that brought her from Zanzibar. Whether it's poaching or buying her legally, she doesn't care.

Right now, her top one biggest need is to get out of this park before she turns out to be a meal for the animals here.

And foremost, the one chasing her.

And now it is all over.

The ground is shaking, and the tree branches and leaves are being crushed, telling her how fast the animal running after her is running. Any second now.

She starts to tremble, she trips and falls, she tries to look back at the danger after her, and comes face to face with a wolf.

'Oooh!!!! My God... it's a giant wolf,' she shouts in her mind after she is face to face with the animal. A giant wolf with sharp teeth, bending to her neck, ready to tear her apart. She tries to get up but can't.

Roots like cobwebs are around her legs. She tries to scream, but she has no voice. She says her last prayers and lets the darkness completely consume her.

The tour guide showed Xendy his travel itinerary, which showed the places his agent had suggested visiting.

He wanted a forest tour or something like that now. The Zanzibar Land Animal Park (ZALA) was the only thing close to what he wanted.

They agreed to start out there.

As they got to the main gate, the first scent to hit him was cloves, and he looked for the plant that produced that mouthwatering smell.

There was no tree up close and his eyes darted around only to see the caged lizards, snakes, and all other animals on display behind the separation wire.

And he let out a frustrated growl which alerted his tour guide. The smell came not from there; what was his wolf thinking? He got out of the taxi and walked in to explore the park and see if he could find a place where he could shift and let his wolf take over.

Just when he was ready to cross the ZALA junction and walk into the park, he saw a bird running, trying to flee away.

Someone who looked like the leader was commanding the men to help him load the animals into the van. And to run after the bird.

And the watchman he had met at the entrance a few minutes ago just passed him on his heels after the bird. More men who were working loading the van joined the race, surrounding the bird at all corners.

The bird was running desperately in circles to avoid being caught. But then..... Right there at the junction, a speedy car that was getting out of ZALA was just a few steps in front of the bird.

Xendy raised his eyes to the driver and he could tell the driver was in shock after noticing how close he was to the bird. The bird was inches right in front of his speedy car.

Xendy could see the driver's struggle as he tried to hit the brakes, but he was too close. Whatever he did would not be fruitful. There was no other way.

He was going to hit the bird.

Everyone stood still and worried as they watched the scenario unfold.

The sound of brakes being pushed to their limit was the last sound everyone heard before the car came to a speedy stop.

The driver of the speedy car breathed hard with fear written all over his face. He quickly unbuttoned his seat belt with trembling hands as he walked out of the now-parked car. He walked to the front of the car to scan what was happening.

And to his surprise. The bird was not there.

His eyes scanned the area around. Frightened by the scenario. And his eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of Xendy holding the bird by the side of the road.

Xendy was not aware of how many eyes were on him. Or how he had saved the bird. What got to his senses then was how good this bird smelled, the scent of the bird. It dazed him as the scent hit him again.

With a whiff of a good mix of cardamom, vanilla, and cloves, the fragrances were all over his nostrils that flared. The scent was killing all his sensory organs, from his skin that pricked, mouthwatering to his eyes that wanted to pop out.

The bird he held was the source, a peacock. It was taller than any bird he knew, about one hundred seventy centimeters tall. It covered its body in a vibrant ocean-blue color.

Its feathers were all green and covered the part between the body and the tail. The most beautiful, captivating colored tail had brown-like leaves or feathers with spots like eyes that were a mix of green, brown, blue, and black.

Xendy was still in a daze when the watchman snatched the bird out of his hands. And unexpectedly, he felt a sense of loss after the bird left his body, and when he raised his eyes at the watchman to warn him.

His eyes popped, with his mind wondering what was happening.

Emotions he had never felt were clouding Xendy as he felt so bad watching how aggressively the watchman was pulling the bird away from him. And taking steps toward the van. So many emotions were pouring into him all at once.

And weirdly enough, his mind fixed his eyes on the bird.

The bird was trying to protest. Still trying to be free itself. The watchman got agitated by the bird's struggle and raised his hand with all the force he could gather and hit the bird on its head.

The sound of the slap echoed in Xendy's mind like a bomb.

He felt pain so much pain but that was not enough for the watchman. The watchman was determined to hit the bird once again. Xendy did not know what happened, but the next thing he knew. He was standing right in front of the watchman, holding the watchman's waist in midair.

He would not stand for such abuse to happen again.

He could not stand to feel the pain again. Mentally It was as if the watchman was hitting them both at the same time as he hit the bird.

"What?" the watchman turned angrily to look at Xendy who was holding the watchman's waist up in the air. Xendy yelled.

"What do you think you are doing? This is against the animals' welfare. You are not supposed to do this."

He then let go of the watchman's hand aggressively.

"Who are you to meddle in this?" the watchman shouted back angrily as he rubbed his waist gently.

The tour guide walked into the middle of the two men and pulled Xendy out of the scenario that was already capturing people's attention and forming a crowd.

Xendy walked to the taxi and half turned with a sad face to see the bird being pushed into the van that was ready for transportation.

The event troubled him so much throughout the day that he had to leave Zanzibar for Serengeti.

****

Today in Serengeti....

Sitting on the top of a branch in his wolf form, on one of the tallest trees in Serengeti Park. Xendy mirrored the surrounding area, trying to find a thick forest where his wolf could enjoy the shift comfortably.

His wolf 'Yendy' had tried to come out since yesterday's incident, but the environment did not favor him until today.

The weather here is too hot for his wolf. Yendy needs a more closed forest with wetlands and winds through his fur when he runs to cool down.

Xendy sees a separate forested area at about ten kilometers, and that is his target. He gets down and trout. Running and breathing in the fresh air. As he gets closer, he meets a pack of wolves.

He puts his head down as a sign of surrender, 'an intruder meaning no harm to their pack', and does not get any response.

He tries to observe them, and he notices they are not werewolves, but mere wolves.

He had never met mere wolves before, hanging around any packs in America, and it was his first meeting. They look like werewolves in a minor way. He had heard stories about these creatures that looked like him but were just animals.

And did not have the superpower of shifting from an animal form to a human one as he did.

Xendy had felt no barriers around Serengeti or Zanzibar since his arrival. He was not sure whether there was a pack around. He was not sure if there were werewolves around there.

He thought maybe the werewolves around here prefer living hidden among the humans, but then 'they have to be part of a pack, right?!' He questions himself with no answers.

Standing with the pack of wolves lost in thoughts on his merry way to the thick forest in Serengeti, that was just in front of him.

The scent of the bird from Zanzibar hit him again...... Something involuntarily pushed his body in fast steps toward the direction of the scent.

When he gets closer, the scene in front of him makes him tremble and shout with a loud growl. He sees the same bird, his beautiful peacock, in a more delicate situation than it was in yesterday in ZALA.

It was going to die at the hands of a wolf who had raised his canines, ready to tear the bird apart.

He questions whether he should get involved, but Yendy is already scaring him with the emotions he is portraying.

Yendy is jumping all over his head, dancing with happiness. He takes over and shouts, "Mate!"

Looking at the bird, Xendy does not understand what Yendy means.

Xendy had searched for his mate all over the world for the last century with no success. On every continent, he paid a visit, and he came out empty.

His mate situation had led him to travel to the far end of America.

Running away from a tragedy he called life, he did not want to see the look on his pack member's faces when he completely turned human and was stripped of the Alpha title.

He failed his pack. And he had come to terms that he would no longer be. He would no longer be there for his pack members to protect them. He failed his people and now Yendy was playing tricks on him.

He called a mere bird a peacock, 'Their mate'.

Xendy felt sad at the turn of events. How can a bird be his Luna?

How could this bird be their partner for life and soulmate? How can this bird that is not human or werewolf or any other supernatural being complete them and make them whole again?

Bring their life back from the crutches of death that are now swallowing them bit by bit completely.

His ending was becoming too tragic, even for him. He knew his time was up and he had come to terms that it was all over, especially when his mind-link stopped working on his way to Zanzibar.

In the werewolf world, the first indication of someone's death in the pack is the mind link cut off from his pack.

Then suddenly... Xendy felt a power rush running through his veins, and all the mind links even those not from his pack bashed into his head.

It looked like in that split second he got his life back. Not just his life, but more to it. So much more than he could ever imagine. He growled loudly. Whether it was out of instinct or happiness, he could not tell.

Another involuntary growl that he made surprisingly pushed away the wolf on top of his bird. The wolf flew away like an arrow, stooping as if aimed in the air to drop dead on the branch of a faraway tree.

The branch protruded through the wolf's stomach, hanging the limp body in the air while blood dripped through its fur down to the ground.

Xendy was still in awe of what was happening when the pack of mere wolves that were all going to join the meal, in tearing away the bird, were too close, mid-way between Xendy and the bird.

All turned around after what happened to their pack member and launched at Yendy.

Neither Xendy nor Yendy did anything but in a split second thunder reflected in Yendy's golden eyes, the sky too dark, with clouds covering it, turning a bright day into a night in seconds, the roar of thunder echoing loudly around the Park.

The wolves growled in fear as sparkles of lightning traveled through all their bodies in a flash, dropping all of them dead in one shot.

The tsunami in the area was extraordinary, pushing everything and everyone around, everything and everyone flying all over the sky.

The push was too great to withstand, but it didn't seem to touch or affect Xendy or the bird that had fainted in the middle of the thick forest.

Yendy walked in slow motion to the bird. All that was being heard at the moment where the sound of his paws as they hit the ground, and the strong, powerful energy radiating from his body.

With each step he took, everything stopped around him, falling back into its original place. Yendy picked up the bird into his hold.

Xendy was busy counterplaying what just happened in his body at the moment and what it meant. Was this how the ending looked like before the final blow?

But also at the back of his head, he was still troubled and could not shake off the hope growing in him from what he heard from Yendy and all the powers still flowing through him.

Suddenly Yendy stopped and stared, frozen in place.

Xendy was cut short by his thoughts and forced to take notice of what was happening. When he brought his mind to reality, it registered to him why Yendy froze. The bird was awake.

******

Lost in consciousness. Among her very first memories with her mother creeps into Iyya's head. That day, she was asking her mother about her favorite tale. "Where did you learn the tale of the werewolves and weredragons' mama?"

"I learned it from my parents, and they learned from their parents, and one day you will teach your children about it too."

"You have never told me about your parents."

"They were taken from me the same day both my parents cut off my hands and legs when I was very young. At the same age as you right now, Iyya."

That answer scared Iyya, and she held on to her mother tightly as she inquired more. "Why did they do something like that to you, mama?"

"Because they loved me so much, just like I love you." Iyya let go of her mother and blinked. Studying her mother with worries written all over her face. "Are you going to cut my legs and hands, too?"

"No... No... I won't do that to you, my baby. Don't be scared of me. I wanted this too. They did what they did because they wanted me to be safe. This was the only way out.

"This was the only way that kept me alive. It was not an easy decision and I thank them for that. I do not know where they got the courage, but looking back. I am so proud of them.

"We all believed me staying like this was the solution. That would make me survive but also be likable in our community. Because by then all our neighbors feared us.

"But our neighbors don't fear us, mama! They take care of us. And they love us!"

"Yes, they do, my lovely girl. The world I lived in back then doesn't exist here. So, we are safe now. Things are better, the world here is better. You won't be running away, Iyya.

"You won't be living in fear. There is no war here. This is Zanzibar. The island of peace, as everyone calls it. This is a future my father and forefather looked up to.

"A world with no more suffering and fear. A world that was given to me by my first-ever friend who wanted to see a better day. I will not be cutting your legs or arms off.

"But keep in mind and remember times change, and if ever the time comes. It will be your choice to keep or cut your arms and legs yourself."

At the thought of cutting her own legs and arms and the fear creeping into her, she shouted, "No..." and she opened her eyes.

Gaining consciousness. Iyya blinks as she opens her eyes more to a large body on top of her in an unfamiliar environment, away from the memory she was in.

She couldn't see its face, but it was an enormous animal covered in black fur, and the smell of blood brought her back to her environment. She is a bird now, and she is in Serengeti Park.

And a large wolf wanted to kill her. There is too much blood everywhere. 'Is it my blood? Am I dying?' Iyya questions herself.

No one in the middle of the forest bushes was going to help a Peacock, everyone was going to leave her for the dead or make her a meal for breakfast.

It almost felt peaceful to think of dying, but she didn't want to die, accompanied by more pain than she was already in.

She wished there was just a simple way to just die peacefully and be able to meet her mom and dad; she missed them so much.

At that moment, her whole life flashed in her eyes. The happy and sad times, the fear and failure.

And the only good memory that makes the list in the past five years is the relief she felt as a memory of the handsome man from yesterday.

While lost in her thoughts, a roar vibrating just above her head, from the gigantic animal above her brings her back to her senses, before her senses register more.......

'Not again, please lord, not again,' Iyya prays desperately. Her mind knows what that means.

She is back to square zero, in the hands of another extremely big wolf. Her mind knows what that means. Her flesh was going to be torn to pieces any minute now.