Listening to this description, Tike's expression became increasingly peculiar.
"Are you talking about a person? Feathers and wings... sounds like some big bird."
"Not a big bird!" The little girl puffed up her cheeks and retorted immediately, "Grandeeney is a Sky Dragon! A real dragon!"
"Dragon...?" Tike was stunned for a moment, then felt a sense of closeness upon encountering one of his kind. "Are you not human either?"
"I am human." The little girl shook her head and explained seriously, "Mother Grandeeney adopted me."
"Oh... so that's how it is."
Tike nodded, digesting this information.
(A dragon adopting a human cub? First time hearing this.)
(Hmm... dragonkind is nearly extinct now. If I really can't find a female dragon willing to lay eggs for me in the future, I can consider this method.)
"Mother Grandeeney treats me very well," the little girl continued, her voice filled with happiness. "She taught me Sky Healing Magic."
"Mm-hm."
Tike could sense a bit of this from the faint sky aura on her, not to mention the corroboration from future information.
"And..." The little girl tilted her head and thought, adding, "Sky Dragon Slayer Magic."
"Mm-hm... hmm?"
The expression on Tike's face froze instantly. After placing the little girl on his back steadily on the ground, he dodged behind a relatively thick tree stump in a flash, only poking half his head out. The expression that had just carried a trace of relaxation and closeness was now completely replaced by wariness.
The little girl was startled by Tike's sudden change. She didn't know why the brother who was pleasant just now suddenly acted like a different person. Her small body shrank subconsciously, looking timidly at Tike behind the tree.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"You just said you know Dragon Slayer Magic?"
In Tike's limited but extremely profound cognition, nothing associated with "Dragon Slayer Magic" was good.
Acnologia—the enemy who killed his father Vitarnus and heavily injured his mother Selene.
That number one Saint or whoever—after knowing his true identity, would also extremely likely harbor ill intentions toward him, even coveting his dragon heart.
Even Irene, whom he had only briefly contacted, left an extremely negative impression on Tike.
"Dragon Slayer Magic... what's wrong with it?"
Unlike Tike, in the little girl's cognition, that was important magic Mother Grandeeney taught her, meant for her to protect herself, and also part of the bond between them.
Why would the brother who was kind and gentle just now reveal such a terrifying look just at the mention of the words "Dragon Slayer Magic"?
Unease and grievance spread rapidly in her heart. Red mist rose in the little girl's eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye, and crystal tears began to swirl inside.
She couldn't hold on anymore, squatted down, buried her small face in her arms, wiped the constantly flowing tears indiscriminately with the back of her hand, and let out suppressed and heartbreaking whimpers.
"Boohoo... Grandeeney... Grandeeney, where are you..."
Tike stared blankly at this little munchkin crying so sadly before him. That fear and helplessness were so real, just like he used to be.
(...Damn it.)
She was just describing her "Sky Dragon Mother" in such a happy tone. How could such a child raised by a dragon and loving her dragon mother deeply be the kind of enemy he thought took pleasure in hunting dragons?
Imposing the hostility generated by Acnologia and others onto such an obviously innocent little girl, wasn't this outright prejudice?
"Sorry."
Tike walked out from behind the tree, returned to the little girl's side, and apologized seriously.
"Because of some matters, I have a bit of difficulty treating people who use Dragon Slayer Magic with a normal heart."
"Waaah—!"
Tike's apology had the opposite effect; the little girl cried even harder.
Seeing he made things worse, Tike waved his hands hurriedly and explained somewhat flusteredly: "Wait! You're different, you're definitely different! I don't dislike you! I even quite like you!"
This wasn't entirely words of comfort.
Tike was always accustomed to distinguishing good and bad people and things by scent. The pure sky aura on this girl before him was precisely the type he would feel close to and like.
It was just that he was too sensitive about Dragon Slayer Magic, plus having stayed beside Irene for a long time previously, influenced by that contradictory aura on her, confusing his judgment momentarily.
This somewhat urgent and even slightly clumsy explanation finally had some effect. The little girl sobbed, slowly lifting her head from her arms. A pair of big eyes filled with tears and red rims looked at the boy in front of her.
Seeing her emotions seemed to stabilize slightly, Tike breathed a sigh of relief secretly, softened his tone, and tried asking gently: "You can call me Tike. Can you tell me your name?"
The little girl sniffled and answered with a voice still thick with nasal sounds: "Wendy... Wendy Marvell."
(As expected.)
Tike understood in his heart. He asked no more and sat down next to Wendy.
"Um... I'll wait here with you for a few days. I guess you falling from the sky might be because when Grandeeney took you flying in the sky, she got distracted... um, a sharp turn or sudden brake or something, and accidentally threw you out?"
"Mother Grandeeney wouldn't be so careless!"
Wendy retorted in a low voice immediately, but her body honestly sat properly on the spot, raising her small head to look at the sky above again, hoping that familiar figure would appear.
After a short silence, Tike turned his head and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Wendy's stomach let out a slight grrr sound timely. She lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly and didn't speak.
"Well, I'm hungry too."
Tike reached into his chest pocket, fumbled around, and then pulled out a pack of instant noodles that had completely turned into crumbs.
This was a gift from Grammi, said to be a specialty of her hometown.
"Uh, smashed by you just now." Tike shook the pack of noodles somewhat awkwardly, pinched a small pinch, and offered it to Wendy. "But it should still be edible."
Looking at the golden crumbs, then at Tike's slightly helpless smile, Wendy hesitated for a moment but still extended her small hand to take it, carefully putting it into her mouth.
The two just silently shared this pack of special "crumb noodles," pinch by pinch.
After eating, Wendy became sleepy. Her body tilted slightly, and her small head naturally rested on Tike's shoulder beside her.
The scent on him was a little bit like Grandeeney's, so Wendy didn't treat him completely as a stranger. Instead, she felt a trace of inexplicable familiarity and peace of mind, falling into a deep sleep quickly, her breathing becoming steady and long.
Tike was also somewhat tired.
He looked down at Wendy sleeping soundly on his shoulder, gently raised a hand. Several large leaves were drawn and shaped by invisible power, quickly turning into a light and soft leaf blanket, gently covering the two of them.
After doing all this, Tike also closed his eyes. Accompanied by the whispers of the forest night wind and the girl's steady breathing beside him, his consciousness gradually sank into dreamland.