Weeks had passed since my "incident," and boredom mixed with frustration had been driving me absolutely insane. Being locked inside the family cave felt like being a hamster in the world's most luxuriousbut still very much hamster-sized cage. Freedom had been completely denied under my family's rules; stepping outside the cave complex was impossible without an adult's direct supervision.
Every time I even glanced at the entrance, someone would appear from nowhere, demanding to know where I was going, like security guards blessed with divine timing.
"Just getting some fresh air," I'd say.
"The air inside is perfectly fresh, little flame. Why don't you practice your fire breathing instead?" Sparkwing would reply, her enthusiasm rivaling that of someone recommending broccoli to a sugar-addicted child.
Most of my time was spent lying on my favorite warm rock near the lava channel, staring at the entrance and thinking about amber eyes and perfect crimson scales—like a lovesick teenager with a dinosaur twist.
Will she be okay over there? She was taking punishment for a mess I caused. My heart couldn't rest, and my mind kept replaying her face like a broken music crystal stuck on the same romantic song.
"You look miserable," Sparkwing observed on the fourth morning of my captivity as she settled beside me like a therapist making house calls. "Want to talk about it?"
I glanced around to make sure we were alone. "I hate being stuck here. I feel like I'm in prison."
"You're being protected," she corrected gently, like a lawyer arguing house arrest is better than jail.
"Is there a difference?" I asked bitterly. "I can't go anywhere, do anything, or see anyone without being watched. How is that different from being a prisoner?"
Sparkwing studied my face with those wise amber eyes, like a detective reading misery written in clues. "This is about more than freedom of exploration, isn't it? This is about the Lavaforge girl."
My scales flushed with embarrassment. My acting skills could've fooled anyone—except her, who might as well read minds.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Rider," she said with amusement, like a parent catching a child with chocolate smeared on their face, "you've been staring toward their territory for four days straight. And every time someone mentions the Lavaforge girl, you perk up like your tail's on fire."
There was no point in denying it—like trying to hide an elephant behind a toothpick.
"She was kind to me. She didn't care about my weird scales, and she defended me against her family… and what I did got her locked up. I want to meet her and apologize," I admitted miserably. "But I'm not welcome in Lavaforge territory, and she can't come here thanks to that rotten-faced uncle Scarletface."
Sparkwing smiled. "How badly do you want to see her again?"
"Badly," I confessed like someone proudly admitting to a crime of the heart. "Really, really badly."
"Then sneak out." Her tone was careful, like a lawyer explaining loopholes in a contract. "I'm not telling you to disobey your parents. I'm simply saying… sometimes young T-Rexes need lessons they can't learn in a safe cave."
"Like what kind of lessons?"
"Like how to move through the forest without being detected. Like which family members patrol which areas at what times. Like which territorial borders become… fuzzy after sunset," she explained like a professor with a PhD in Sneaking Out.
My heart sped up like a race car engine revving. "Are you saying I should sneak out?"
"I'm saying," she replied with a sly smile, "that Uncle Scarletface always takes his evening patrol through the northern caves between sunset and nightfall. Your parents will be busy with tribe matters. There's a little lava spring halfway to their cave with a secret passage opening in the back of their prison chamber. I'm the only one on surveillance, but I love my afternoon naps."
I stared at her like someone handed the keys to a candy vault. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Who knows?" She grinned. "Maybe something interesting will happen and relieve my boredom."
That evening, as the family settled down for post-dinner rest, Sparkwing's information was put to the test. Scarletface left for his northern patrol right on time, and the rest of the family was snoozing in the lava-light of the main chamber like content cats after a feast.
Moving as quietly as possible, like a ninja dinosaur, I slipped out through a smaller cave entrance. The flame forest pathways had already been memorized during my supervised outings, and every step sent my heart hammering like a panicking drummer.
The world outside was peaceful—lava cracking softly, distant family calls drifting in the air. The blue sun was setting, painting the flame-trees in purple and gold, like a fantasy painting come alive.
The lava spring was exactly where Sparkwing said it would be: a gorgeous natural pool fed by a thermal vent, surrounded by crystal formations reflecting the evening light like nature's own disco ball. Steam rose into the cooling air, and after a bit of searching, the underground passage was found.
I crawled through it like a determined mole on a mission.
An hour later, I emerged beneath the prison chamber wall and climbed the rocks, clumsily but successfully, like a very determined and slightly confused Spider-Man.
When I peeked inside, she was there—Pallet. Sitting with a gloomy face, staring at the ceiling like someone waiting for paint to dry in the world's most boring art class.
"Pallet, look here," I whispered.
"Huh? Rider?" she blinked, spotting me hanging on the window like a misplaced window cleaner.
"Hehe… can I come in?" I asked, trying not to fall like a badly balanced acrobat.
I hopped through and landed beside her like an action hero whose landing scores would be generously judged.
"No, Rider, you should go back! It's dangerous here. What if you get caught again?" Pallet warned, her voice sharp with survival instinct.
"Relax. Last time I was caught because I was unprepared. Now I know the routes, and the family is busy. Even if they return early, I can run," I said, overconfident, forgetting my own caution in excitement. "Look! I brought you fire-elk meat cooked by my mother!"
"You brought me dinner?" she asked in disbelief, like someone discovering room service in a prison.
"Well, we never got to introduce ourselves properly. I thought we could share a meal and get to know each other. It's my apology—and thanks for saving my life. Please don't refuse."
"This is… incredible. Thank you," she said.
"I also have something I stole from our garden. Try this fire-fruit," I offered, holding up a golden glowing fruit like a sommelier presenting fine wine. "It only grows near lava springs. Most families don't know about them. We've cultivated them for generations."
I bit into it and nearly gasped like someone tasting chocolate for the first time. Sweet, warm, and spicy all at once the energy spread through me like a power-up.
"That's amazing," I said. "What does it do?"
"It boosts flame development," she explained. "Young T-Rexes who eat them early develop fire breath sooner and stronger."
"Really?" I stared at the fruit as if it were a legendary artifact. "Does it work for… unusual flame types?"
"I don't know," she admitted honestly. "But your purple smoke is so unique. I keep wondering what it'll become."
We shared food and stories—our families, our fears, our dreams. She spoke of her passion for art and her secret wish to leave the flame forest one day, just to see other lands. And I told her things I'd never spoken of before—stories of another world: yellow-haired heroes fighting alien monsters, unstoppable villains, warriors with impossible power.
She listened like the world's most enthusiastic audience, clapping every time I finished.
As night fell and the blue sun vanished behind the flame-trees, we made plans to meet again tomorrow—like two conspirators plotting the world's sweetest crime. The thought of having something—someone—to look forward to filled me with lightness, as if my chest were full of helium and joy.
"I should go," I said reluctantly as darkness deepened. "If they notice I'm gone…"
"Be careful," Pallet whispered, worry soft in her voice. "I don't want you in more trouble because of me."
"It's worth it." I leapt through the window and vanished into the passage like a romantic action hero making his dramatic exit.
Getting home was easier—confidence and happiness made my steps light, as if I were walking on clouds. I slipped back into the family cave just as Scarletface returned and pretended I'd been napping on my warm rock the whole time like an actor giving the performance of his life.
No one noticed—except Sparkwing, who gave me a knowing look like a co-conspirator acknowledging success.
As I curled up for the night, I was already counting the hours until tomorrow. Sleep came with thoughts of amber eyes and shared fire-fruit. I knew I would do it again. And again. Like someone addicted to the sweetest forbidden flame.
In this life, I was going to live differently. Loving parents and an adorable girl who might become a friend… it felt like winning the lottery twice in one day.
---
Inside the Lavaforge Cave
"Huff… I was suffocating. I almost died," Pallet breathed in relief as she watched Rider disappear into the passage.
"But why is he so kindhearted and innocent? Completely opposite of the evil monsters I faced during war…" Her little body trembled, sweat glistening on her scales. "I was charmed by him before I even realized it… If I hadn't seen half the Elven army incinerated by a breath of the same color, I'd doubt he was that terror."
Controlling her emotions, she rested her head against the cave wall.
"Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he isn't that monster. I'll stay close, keep this friendship… observe him properly."
She stretched lazily and pointed her claw at the steel bars.
"Yawn… Trash T-Rex family thinks they can imprison the daughter of the Elven Queen?"
A crimson magic circle spun above her heart, glowing with power.
"Amazing. Only a week old and I'm already a two-circle mage. This T-Rex body's heart is completely extraordinary compared to elven hearts at channeling magic."
She pressed her claw against the bars—metal hissed and glowed red.
"Let's steal some fruit and berries to nourish this vessel."
The steel bars melted down with a soft rumble, leaving her path open.