Trespassing on another male's territory was a thing. A big thing. Wyverns were solitary animals, unlike dragons. Wyverns would only come together once a year. Males had their own territories while females held no ground of their own and would keep traveling until she felt the need to mate and partner up. She would find a suitable male's territory and enter it making herself known straight away to the male. They would stay together for a week, mating and enjoying each other's company before she would move on and find a place to lay her eggs. If another adult male would enter on grounds claimed by another, it would usually result in bloodshed and potential death for one of the males.

Aleron realized his mistake the moment he heard the loud angry voice boom in his head. How he had not noticed before was a mystery to him as the old wyvern snarled and bared his teeth while opening his wings, making him look big and as dangerous as could be. He had his tail curled around and the tip pointed right at Aleron, the poisonous spike clearly visible with a drop of fluid dripping down from it. The wyvern owning these lands might have been old, he was strong and not one to be messed with. The scars along his face proved it.

Aleron instinctively went to raise himself up, growling in return but as he did, he felt something stir against the soft scales of his belly. A little confused he looked down and raised his wing slightly, revealing a young girl snuggling with his tail with her back against his stomach.

The girl... The human girl he saved from the village.

How could he have forgotten about her! Aleron swooped his head back at the old wyvern, his instincts completely forgotten as he laid back down again protecting the sleeping child. The older wyvern had seen her though. He stared at Aleron and slowly lowered his wings as the snarl that came from his throat silenced.

"You are not a wild wyvern are you?"

Aleron blinked a couple of times, confused at the remark of the wyvern. He remained on edge though, not wanting to drop his guard just yet even while the dark brown wyvern seemed to relax.

"What do you mean? I am a wild wyvern... I think. I have no rider so I must still be wild. I'm sorry for trespassing on your territory. I'll leave as soon as I can." Aleron finally spoke back and kept looking between the girl and the creature that was supposed to be a threat. He wanted nothing more than to leave, to make sure the human was safe but he was scared to move and to actually wake her up.

"Haven't you bonded? Considering that child next to you I assumed you were. When we're wild we stay away from them and yet you have one next to you, protecting her as you were her mother. You are not wild. Not anymore at least." The old wyvern dropped every sign that could be considered as an act of aggression and curiously stared at Aleron while trying to get a peek of the girl from time to time.

"I... got rejected." Aleron let out a defeated sigh as he admitted it for the first time.

"Did you reject as well?"

"What? What do you mean by that? I got rejected isn't that enough?"

The big wyvern shook his head at Aleron's question and ignorance. "Your rider might have rejected you, but did you reject your rider back?"

Aleron shook his head in response, a little baffled by how the older wyvern would know such knowledge. "No. I did not reject him back. I wanted him to accept me so when he rejected me, I took off straight away."

"Then you are still bound to him and thus bonded and no longer a wild wyvern. Hence you are no longer scared of the humans. You saved this little one from the village back south?" He laid down on the grass and blinked lazily at Aleron indicating he meant no harm.

"How do you know this?! And why are you not scared of the girl if you're wild?" Aleron shifted slightly and moved his wing so he shielded the child from the chilling wind which had switched direction.

"That, my young friend, is a story for later. You can stay here, I'll hang around close enough to keep you guys safe. When dawn comes, take the girl to the west. There's another village there and the humans there will take her in. She can't stay with you. Come back after if you wish to know more." He got up, ready to leap into the air.

"Wait! What is your name?" Aleron quickly asked before the old wyvern could take off. He chuckled in response and answered.

"You truly are no longer a wild one. My name is Khuzaimah. Now get your rest."

Khuzaimah took off and flew away leaving Aleron alone with the child again. With a shock, Aleron knew Khuzaimah was right. Wild wyverns never cared for each other's names and would never bother to learn them. Names were for a wyvern themselves and for their bonded humans if they would bond to someone. For Aleron to have asked the name of the old wyvern was direct proof he was no longer wild, but he was not truly bonded either. It frustrated him to still not know what or where he was in terms of status. Six years after rejection he was just as confused as the moment he received the rejection.

Aleron let his thoughts wander about everything Khuzaimah had said. He could take the girl to safety just as he has suggested and then leave. He could forget about this conversation, forget about the girl and try to pick up a territory for himself again and pretend this had never happened. Then again, he could come back and see for himself what Khuzaimah had to say. The old wyvern seemed to hold a lot of knowledge about things a normal wild wyvern would not even bother with.

The girl moaned softly in her sleep and turned on her other side. She looked troubled so Aleron wrapped his tail tighter around her body again and softly hummed, letting his body resonate softly. It seemed to soothe the girl as her face softened. Her hair now partially covered the damage on her face and Aleron hoped the other village would accept her even though she no longer was perfect.

When the darkness was being chased away by the sun Aleron awoke again but still did not move even though his muscles were all stiff from sleeping outside. He was used to sleeping in dens or makeshift burrows in caves where he would always bring some leaves and sand to make a soft bed. If for some reason, he had to spend the night outside as he had now, he always turned and moved around often so he would not grow stiff and rigid as he was now. With the girl lying next to him, he had not dared to move a single muscle and he prayed the sun would soon come out and warm his strained body. He watched as the sky brightened even more and stars disappeared. Soon the sun peeked from over the horizon and it was not much longer it showed itself completely, bathing him in its full glory.

Carefully, Aleron removed his wing that covered the tiny human and he watched as she snuggled closer to her doll. It was time for her to wake up. Aleron uncurled his tail and gently managed to shove himself away from her so that she was alone on the grass. When he was a few steps away from her, he stretched every limb and muscle he had in his body while scanning the area around him for anything that could potentially be dangerous. There was nothing and Aleron had no doubt Khuzaimah had something to do with that. There was no trace of the older wyvern though. He turned his attention back to the girl to find her grimacing and moving around in her sleep. She would wake up soon without his warmth next to her for sure.

She lazily opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She looked confused as let go of her doll and touched the grass around her. It took her a few moments to register that Aleron was watching her. He was sitting straight up on his hind legs, his wings folded in next to his body. The girl's mouth dropped open as she stared at him with the same big doe-like eyes from the day before. It was silent for a short moment before she hurriedly got up, dropped her doll and tried to run away as best as she could. She did not get very far as she fell down on her already scraped knees and turned around to see if the beast was following. 

He could smell her fear and confusion as their eyes met. Aleron cocked his head to the side, wishing he could talk to her to let her know he meant no harm. He couldn't though and he could only show her through his body language. She did not scream or cry out loud. She just stared as he saw a few tears run across her cheek again. Aleron lowered himself again as much as possible and the noticed the doll which still resided in the same place as where they had been sleeping. The girl got back up to her feet again, either ignoring the pain from her injuries or maybe she really did not feel any of them. 

They were back in the same position they had been in at the village. Carefully studying and eyes each other, neither wanting to make a move. Aleron noticed her gaze moving from him to her doll and back up at him again. She had clutched her tiny fists together and bit her lip as he noticed her taking a couple of deep breaths. She was trying to bury her fear. Aleron smiled in his head at the idea of this young child having more courage than most of the humans he had seen in life. He made a choice and hoped she would not freak out.

Aleron stepped towards the doll and bared his lips, revealing some of his teeth and gently picked up the doll between the sharp white fangs. The girl hugged herself as she saw him pick up the doll and the fear in her eyes was back again. He breathing rate increased when Aleron swung his head towards her and released the doll so it flew through the air and landed smack in the middle between them. The girl gasped and instinctively raised her hands to cover her mouth as the soft sound escaped her throat. She stared at the doll and back at Aleron again who gave her a small nod. 

She was quick for a small human. 

The girl ran towards her doll, picked it up and hugged it tight to her body. She looked up at Aleron who still had made no attempt to close the distance between them. For her to trust him, she had to come to him he knew. She had already closed half the distance and had not run back. Instead, he noticed she actually flashed him a small smile as she stroked the doll's head caringly. They stood like that for another couple of minutes before she started walking. 

She took a few small, slow steps towards him and the more she took, the more confident she got. Aleron wanted to jump up and down with joy as she seemed to trust him finally but he remained still and only lowered his head to her height.

The first touch was soft and very careful. Her small fingers touched his nose and gently moved around his head as she giggled softly at the feel of his scales underneath her fingers. It was nothing like the moment Joseph had touched him, but it felt good nonetheless. With Joseph, there had been a connection straight away and that connection was not there with this girl. He could not see into her mind as he could with the lad. He did not feel her emotions, her fears, and her dreams and he was sure she did not experience anything like that either but he liked her touch anyway. It wasn't long before she let go and instantly hugged his big head. 

He had her complete trust.

Now came the difficult part. How to tell her to climb on his neck so he could fly with her to the next village? The girl let go and smiled widely at him adoring the wyvern in front of her. She danced and jumped all around him, touching him at various places as if examining him with her hands. For a while, it seemed like she had completely forgotten what had happened to her the day before but Aleron wondered when she would realize it again. For now, though, he let her enthusiasm and childlike wonder for what it was and just enjoyed the cheerful child jumping around. She touched his tail, his legs, his wings when he let her, and his head again. She observed and touched him everywhere and when Aleron had enough he raised himself up all the way and stretched out his big wings showing her his true size. 

It did not scare her anymore. She just smiled even wider, even as Aleron flapped his wings a few times causing a strong gust of wind to blast past her delicate body. She giggled again and covered her face in her hands as it happened and peeked through her fingers when it stopped. Aleron repeated it again and again for a few times like it was a game between them. Eventually, he ceased the game and laid down on the soft grass hoping she would get the meaning. He wanted her to climb on. She looked at him puzzled and a little sad their little game had stopped. She stepped closer and Aeron moved his tail behind her, gently pushing her towards her neck. 

At first, she did not understand. She just stared at him confused while he kept pushing her. Eventually, Aleron tried to wrap his tail around her and lift her. It didn't go as planned as she shrieked in fear and he let go straight away. He then nudged her again with her tail and even lowered his wing so she could use it as a way to get on.

He didn't know how, or when she got it, but she got it. She caught on his intentions and tried to climb. His scales were slippery and smooth and it took the girl a few tries before she managed to pull herself up with some help from Aleron's wing and tail. He felt her body against his as he slowly got up and she wrapped her arms as tight as possible around his neck. He would have to fly very carefully with this delicate load.

Aleron opened his massive wings and pushed away from the earth with his strong hind legs. They were off. The girl pressed herself against him, her hands wrapped around him so tight he was afraid she would never be able to let go again. She was tiny and he barely felt the extra weight at the base of his neck. Aleron stayed low to the ground at first and eventually, he felt the girl relax. Her grip softened, her legs still pressed into his body, but not as strong as before. He took off higher and set course to the west, to the village Khuzaimah had told him to go.