A wild-eyed messenger skidded to a stop in front of Dark Shadow, wheezing and hacking as he frantically tried to speak.
"Stop. What is it?" Dark Shadow said immediately, beckoning a medic over.
The messenger waved the doctor away. "Boy-dragon-okay-our...tribe...playing-not-dead-betrayal-"
Dark Shadow gestured for him to stop and catch his breath. When he did, the messenger dipped into a bow from embarrassment. "Forgive me. I saw a boy from our own tribe with the dragon you tried to capture. They-"
"What?" Dark Shadow said, already beginning to summon his military generals. "How badly hurt is this boy?"
The message bringer hesitated. "Not at all, sir. He was... Perfectly fine. In fact, he was... Playing with the dragon."
Dark Shadow scoffed. "Your eyes must have failed you, Feathered Heron. No one plays with dragons."
The messenger nodded meekly. "They are in the Hallowed Creeks."
Dark Shadow tipped the messenger a dismissive tilt of the head. "Thank you, Feathered Heron. You are dismissed."
Heron saluted, bowed again, and raced off into the distance.
Dark Shadow watched him for a moment more, then turned briskly to his attendant.
"Whirling Storm, bring my military generals, please."

Cloud cocked his head as Boy danced around, imitating whatever he was imitating. Nevertheless, Cloud laughed as Boy tripped and face planted. Cloud started mouthing River's words, trying to express how crazy his mom could be.
Boy's face changed from happiness, to confusion, to dread. Cloud glanced behind him and balked.

Humans stalked towards them, jabbing sticks and pointy things at them. They formed a circle around them, and Cloud wished desperately he could fly. Oh, if he were nine! When dragons turned nine, they automatically knew how to fly. Come to think of it, it was his birthday soon. However, most dragons started developing flying gradually and a little before that.
Well, Cloud couldn't fly right now, and Boy wouldn't be much help either. Cloud imagined River, Rain and Ash advancing on him with pointy stuff and shuddered. These were Boy's brothers and relatives.
Boy clung instinctively to Cloud's tail, peeking around at his friends in horror. He had long dreamed of being a honored messenger, but Shadowed Rock probably just killed that dream.
"Stop!" He commanded through the musky helmet. "By the name of our tribe, I call upon this power to hereby report you of the following offenses:　Interacting with foreign species without consent or notice of a tribal citizen or guardian, being in the presence of a dragon for an extended amount of time without immediately notifying a tribal person, and being a suspect of the failed dragon hunt attempted three days ago." He paused for effect, staring at the dragon and the boy with no emotion. The helmet made him look like he was leering. "These crimes are punishable by death."
Another person stepped forward, and Drifting Breeze's senses went into overdrive. This was Wild Buffalo, the person who had raised him like a younger brother. Wild Buffalo, however, sounded official and devoid of emotion. He clung on to each word with horror.
"Your choices are to fight, flee, or come peacefully. If you are to come with us without a fight, the dragon will be executed. The boy, however, will merely be held in trial, and work six years for a master of choice. If you choose to fight, know that it was you who started and us who defended ourselves. When we win, both of you will be held responsible for our casualties, and your injuries will not be cared for. If you wish to flee, you are welcome to try. However, the Hallowed Creeks have no way out-except for towards us. To attempt running away is to allow us to pursue you, and the same terms hold for your choice of fighting. It is to live or die, Drifting Breeze. You have thirty sun-counts to explain."
Drifting Breeze froze. His life without Cloud and forever in shame, or both of them dead. None were good choices. He was going to get killed anyway, trial or not. The people of his village didn't forgive easily. And he wouldn't leave Cloud. It wasn't worth it anyway.

Cloud didn't understand what the squeaky metal-covered human was talking about, but it was obvious that they were about to kill them, based on the warriors with lots of pointy stuff and metal things. Seventeen arrows were aimed at his chest.
     One metal-clad guy jabbed a pointy stick at Boy, who gaped like a fish. Cloud whimpered slightly. Coming here was a very bad idea. Boy squeaked something that sounded like a mouse being repeatedly stabbed with a rubber duck, but it must have been offensive because the humans came charging toward them.

     With a yelp, Cloud instinctively jumped back, issuing a jet of blue-white fire. The humans jumped out of the way just as the fire singed the grass behind them, but advanced with grimmer steps than ever.
     Cloud looked up and grabbed the nearest branch he could find. Hauling himself up the massive oak, he looked around to see Boy jumping nimbly in the trees. With a grunt of effort, he clambered up the next branch, burning the stronger ones as he went.
     The soldiers gnawed their teeth in frustration. They couldn't climb Cloud's tree because he had burnt all the branches safe for climbing, and no other tree could support their weight. All the while the dragon and the boy were getting higher, and higher, and higher away.

     Cloud thought that he was climbing trees by sheer luck, but really his wings were kicking in, helping him levitate - his ninth birthday.
     A tap on his wing nearly made Cloud fall out of the tree. Boy crouched behind him in the shrubbery, and Cloud was about to sigh in relief when Cloud looked at his urgently pointing finger.
     The people who tried to kill them were quickly fashioning a crude ladder, from twigs and leaves and rocks. It was  rapidly growing, and could reach Cloud and Boy in no time.
    Cloud leapt up another branch, but the twigs were rapidly thinning. He could only jump up two more branches before falling to his death or getting stabbed to death.
     The human came glowering up the ladder, and Cloud realized he was going to die either way. He said his death will in his head and mourned the life he would never have for about 0.2828374748 seconds, then raced up the skinny, branches and jumped.

    Drifting Breeze caught Dragon's tail as he jumped, knowing he couldn't bear the shame and blame at home-not to mention execution. He knew it was cowardly, but right now he couldn't think. He trusted Dragon not to go jumping to their deaths, which he probably shouldn't have. Dragon plummeted down, wings outstretched, towards the nearing Seas Beyond.
     Suddenly Dragon's wings snapped out to his sides, and he rode on a horizontal wind, skidding slower and slower down until they finally plopped into the ocean with a gentle splash.
     Boy's swimming instincts instantly kicked in, and he started treading water, but he had never been so deep in the Seas Beyond before. It made him nervous. Cloud coughed and spluttered, and Boy realized that a fire dragon probably shouldn't be sitting in an ocean. Unsure of how to help, he dove down and planted Cloud's feet firmer into the sand. Cloud stopped kicking sand everywhere and scaring all the fish away.
     They just stood there catching their breath, a white dragon snorting smoke and a small boy paddling in the water, until Boy realized they weren't dead.
    "Yes!" He said quietly. "Dragon, we aren't dead!"
    But then he realized that they weren't dead, but stranded in an unknown ocean with no food or shelter. He thought with dread of his village he could never see again. Surely he would have been exiled. Of Song Sparrow, of Laughing Creek, of Jumping Fish, of all his friends who would now think of him in shame. Cloud was thinking the same thing: of River and Rain, despite how annoying they could be, and Ash, and Evening, and most of all Star, if she felt like this too.

      Cloud grunted miserably and tromped to shore. Shaking the sand off his scales, he gazed at the huge forest behind him and the speck of land in front of him. Boy lay down next to him, both of them too wallowed up in misery to say anything.
     Suddenly Cloud bolted upright. That speck of land was the only land besides his forest! If Star left, and all the Ancient Dragons left, where would they have gone? Only there, of course, unless they were water dragons.
     If he could fly, Cloud thought miserably again. If only he could fly, he could see Star again, and maybe lots of other dragon friends too! He could show Boy all the wonders of being a dragon.
     Cloud took a few steps forward, and Boy squinted at him curiously. He broke into a run, then launched himself into the sky, and coasted for a few seconds before crashing down again.
     They stayed on the beach for two days, Boy watching for nonexistent people, Cloud slowly but surely learning how to fly on his own.
     On the third day, Cloud finally came up to Boy and pointed at the small island, then flapped his wings, then pointed at Boy.
     It took several tries to get Boy to understand, but when he did, his eyes became as big as watermelons. Boy sat in silence for a few minutes, then stood up. He was ready to move on.
He slung his leather pack over his shoulder, quietly said goodbye to all the people he'd ever loved, and swung his leg over Cloud's shimmering back as they flew into the starry sky.