Cale stared at that man with wide eyes. The neutral tone in his voice and the way he looked at the huge dragon did not express any emotion. In compensation... that nickname...
"P-Pup?" Cale repeated incredulous "Who does he think he is calling Aries pup?"
Mikhal held the hood of Cale, preventing him from taking satisfaction with the mysterious man.
The huge dragon remained motionless and quiet, although there is still an aggressive glow in his greenish eyes, denouncing his lack of reason. His shoulders went up and down with a heavy breath, and the draconic aura had not ceased.
"Finally you have reached your true form, but it is still clumsy as a puppy."
"Koa" Yvaine was the first to address the man "I didn't expect to see you so soon."
The man, who was a dragon, turned his head slowly to Yvaine. Not even that simple movement outlined his emotions. It was like a plaster statue that walked and spoke.
"Goddess of prophecies. What brings you to my lands?"
"Help my companion to return to his true form." she replied calmly, despite being clear her fatigue "Riteun said that Belice would help us with this, and also about the egg..."
She pointed softly at the human boy, who was holding the egg and partially hiding behind Mikhal. The man's eyes fell on the human figure, he just assessed him quietly and then turned his eyes to the dragon.
"I understand. You lost control when you saw one of our people in danger. As always, you are true to your instinct."
"Do you know how to get him back?" asked Cale.
The man ignored him. He only had eyes for the huge dragon. Extending his hand, he stroked Aries' paw carefully, and the dragon just grunted keeping control. Cale raised his eyebrow, and looked at Yvaine and Mikhal as if asking for a logical explanation for such bizarre behavior.
"Koa warrior... please, do you know how to bring Aries back?" Yvaine tried.
"It is my duty as a father to guide my puppy in the right way. Once awaken his true form, he can begin his training and—"
"We're out of time for charades here" Cale stepped in panting "I need him back now."
Koa just looked at Cale in the corner, a cold look full of thorns. Not that Cale would be scared by it, he had suffered worse. But it was annoying to be ignored when clearly he was the master of the blessed dragon.
"A goddamned divine" Koa murmured.
Aries growled loudly, grunting and getting up with an aggressive kick. The bond between theiodesmos and his master tightened in Cale's chest, and Yvaine gasped without any drop of energy to contain her companion.
The dragon's father raised his hand and touched his paw again, causing him to stop moving. It was as if he had an immeasurable force to lift Aries in that form, and lull him into his arms. However, Koa only touched his paw.
"Calm down, pup. Don't get mad at the cursed."
"Koa warrior, I recommend that you refrain from saying such things. He is my master, and also the one of Aries."
He grunted painfully, like a teenager being scolded. Silently Koa turned to Cale and bowed his head subtly.
"Forgive me, cursed boy. I didn't mean to sound rude."
"It's okay, don't worry. My grudge list is too full for me to be stuck on little things. Besides, are you the father of Aries?"
He nodded calmly.
"I am Koa, protector of the Belice's forest. Aries is my only cub."
Cale held back to not laugh the way that being called Aries. It was lovely and disturbing, but an excellent hook to disturb Aries in the future. Moreover, he was not exactly in good condition to play.
"Then you must have felt his presence and because of that you came, am I right?"
"No" he denied with his head "I came because the village lost contact and the presence I felt was worrying. I almost did not recognize Aries when I saw him."
"How could you not recognize him?" Mikhal looked at him surprised.
Koa looked at the son again, who just kept quiet under his touch. Be it by obedience or recognition.
"His energy is different... it's stronger. But I need to take care of the humans first, only then will I be able to help you."
Koa slowly moved away from the group, to go to the village. Cale observed him and sighed heavily leaning on Aries' paw. It was such a person... melancholic, despite being beautiful. Now that he paid more attention, Aries had the same traits as his father, with some point differences.
"Damn, he's too weird."
"Koa is known for his sulky personality. Do not miss it, my lord" Yvaine stood by his side and then looked at Mikhal "I am without divine energy, so I will depend on you now."
"Time for me to play the knight? You know I have an armor for that."
She just smiled and Cale let out a low laugh.
"As long as we stay away from any annoying divine presence, I can be of some help too."
From a distance, the group observed Koa helping humans who gathered to treat the wounded and check their losses. Shortly after, rangers arrived pulling carts loaded with huge boxes of supplies. The distribution was done and the scenario seemed less chaotic.
It was different from what had happened in Riteun's territory, not being destroyed. Still, the village was simple, and its losses were significant. Cale came to think that perhaps Belice was a more humble deity in terms of wealth.
While walking nearby, Mikhal watched around finding strange signs drawn on the ground. A piece of cloth buried in the ground caught his attention. The light blue color, like the sky at dawn, was recognizable. He pulled out the cloth and sighed when he saw the embroidery in the corner.
"Why do you have to go so far?" he murmured to himself.
(...)
After some long and tedious hours of waiting, Koa was back. Surprisingly Aries was calm all the time, which made life easier for the group. He assessed Aries silently, touching his paw. But Aries did not answer it.
Even when Koa tried to call on him or get his attention, the dragon just remained quiet lying between the trees.
"Hm... I'll try another way."
He again turned into a huge dragon. He stood in front of Aries, who looked at him tense. Koa bent his long neck and sniffed Aries from top to bottom, in a not at all pleasant scene.
It was a curious moment, to say the least. Koa walked around Aries, sniffing and grunting trying to elicit an answer. Only when Koa's tail came close to the group, that Aries growled.
And that became a test of limits.
"They're going to stay on this for how long?" Cale moaned crossing his arms.
"It's hard to understand if the big guy is conscious or not" Mikhal pondered, bowing his head "Maybe it's something only dragons understand?"
The conversation was interrupted when Koa grabbed the group. The instant Koa's jaws closed around them, it took a moment for them to understand what had happened.
"He will devour us!!!" cried Linus hugging the egg desperately.
Cale grabbed a canine, and pulled Linus close to him.
"Hold on to your teeth. Don't let him swallow us!"
"That's disgusting" hissed Mikhal "And hot, very hot. I'd rather have been pushed down a cliff."
"He will not devour us. I think he just... saved us" Yvaine tried to rationalize, although her fingers were stuck in the teeth of the beast.
The previous effort to keep Aries hidden still weighed on her shoulders, and the unusual transport did not help.
Cale, in turn, was as quiet as possible. He was exhausted, and the heat of the environment caused waves of dizziness. But what bothered him most was the muffled sound of the world outside -- the fast-paced pace of powerful paws, the buzz of the air being cut off. Koa's body moved at an almost impossible speed.
"That's..." Linus muttered, holding the egg by his chest, shrunk in the less slippery corner of the cavity "... like being inside a storm. But made of meat."
The scaly walls vibrated with the sound of the dragon's heartbeat, and everything around seemed to be lulled by this living rhythm. It was strange, almost hypnotic. As if Koa's mouth was less a prison of teeth and more a portal to another world.
Suddenly, a shudder passed through the whole living structure. The group felt the movement of the surrounding muscles change pace — more accelerated, tense. There was a muffled roar, this time coming from outside.
A muffled growl might sound soft from the outside, but for the group inside that huge mouth it was deafening. They even let go of the fangs to cover their ears, falling on wet tongue and saliva.
The dragon's enormous tongue moved beneath them, and spat them out of its huge mouth. Cale growled loudly as he saw their fetid moldy state.
"This is disgusting!!!! This has already passed the limits of ridicule!!
"What is this place, sir?" Linus asked, still holding the egg.
The sunlight no longer fell with force; it danced, filtered between interlaced cups, drawing golden beams like divine fingers touching a floor covered by leaves that never rot.
The breeze there smelled of old dream — sweet moss, wild flower and wet memory. The sound of distant streams mixed with the whispering of living trees. Each step into the forest seemed lighter, but no less dense: it was as if the air would bend in respect to the sacred space of Belice.
Translucent butterflies floated near the branches, and giant trees twisted like natural columns of a living cathedral. The ground, with each stretch, gained bluish and golden tones according to the influence of crystals hidden under the earth.
It was impossible to tell where the dream began and where the real world ended. Belice did not allow clear boundaries.
The huge dragon turned into man again, Koa with that serene countenance.
"It is the land of Belice. The entrance to your sanctuary."
"Hey! You would devour us, wouldn't you?!" growled Mikhal.
Koa only bowed his head, not seeming to understand what he meant. And then, a loud roar sounded. When they all turned around, they saw a furious dragon flying towards them.
"I was just using you as a way to bring this puppy back home."