The warlock hybrid enjoyed his dungeon and solitude. He had a nice quiet life for the most part. Kadrid was one of the few creatures that understood and respected that about him. If he loved any other creature it was his dragon. She was more than his friend,  like his child, not just an enchanting young dragon. Soon he began to wonder about her safe return from the spirit empire. She was a big girl and could handle it, he knew that with certainty. 

He knew she would return anytime. He cared for her a great deal and her safety especially when he sent her out to do his bidding. He looked out for her and in turn she would guard their home. He sat there in his favorite chair reading through the ancestral book, then a gigantic sized alchemy book. When he read the last page he heard a familiar sounding thump, as Kadrid landed just outside of their tower. He set the book down and stood with a smile, waiting for her to get inside. He stood for a few minutes, by then his dragon had walked in with a look of exhaustion.

"There you are. I was getting worried." Salem told her with a wink.

"I'm not a two year old anymore,   you know." Blurted out his  friend.

"I know that you are a big dragon and can take care of yourself but I will still worry." He replied with a caressing tone.

"You don't need to worry over me but it's nice that you do." She replied in a humble tone.

He hugged her for a long moment, just glad to know she was back without any casualties. He worried for her, only because he cared for her more than his own. He enjoyed her company even if it was in silence or deep in a theoretical conversation under the stars. When he let go of her, she asked the usual question after a long task like this one.

"Do you require anything else, warlock?"

"No, that was all. You've done well my friend. Go on and have a little fun." He told her with a softness she'd grown fond of over the years. She in return nodded goodbye to him and took off.

Salem didn't know exactly where she went when she flew off, but he had to let her experience life, even if it made him a nervous wreck. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. He loved her too much. It was a comfort to him that she would check in with him usually on a daily basis. As kadrid was off spreading her wings, the warlock headed for his laboratory to work on stocking up a few of his most useful potions.

             He gathered up everything he needed to brew the potion. He double checked and noticed the potion called for nocturnal fairy dust. It wasn't the easiest item to obtain. He needed to see if one of the local shopkeepers had any of it. If not the only other way was to find a nocturnal fairy, a near impossible task for any warlock even a good one. He was going to have to leave the sanctuary of his beloved dungeon room. It was very late afternoon, if he got moving the warlock vampire could get back just after dusk.

"Damned by my cursed fate." Salem spoke to an empty cobblestone dungeon. He loathed having to go to the village, even though in the village he knew how to fake being mister sociable. He hated leaving for errands. He really didn't care for crowds of villagers. Without dwelling on it any longer he grabbed a few things and headed for the journey, hoping to make it quick and painless. He hurried out of his dungeon and through the tower. 

The sooner he got going the better. As he passed by the majestic waterfall, he noticed it was rather quiet in the forest. He found that to be a little odd. Brushing off the feeling that something wasn't right he continued on ward for the village. He walked a quick pace through the forest hoping to get this over with. He looked to the skies for a moment, he heard something. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw the bird in it's nest half way up a large birch tree. It was a hybrid too.

 It was black and sleek with the body of a phoenix. It was a phoenix raven, a newer hybrid crossbreed. He smiled as he continued on until he could see the village coming into his view. When he reached the village, he looked around and saw his preferred store and headed for it as fast as he could without knocking anyone down. For late afternoon to early evening the village was crowded.

After weaving his way through the crowd and avoiding any eye contact he reached the local shop with the gold colored hand painted sign The Trinket Box. He liked the name and the owner was a pretty nice fellow. He opened the door and stepped into the store, nodding a brief hello to the shop keeper. Mr.Geeves stepped down from his small ladder to see who it was . He gave off a radiant smile as the short and stout elven dwarf hopped down.

"Salem it's so good to see you. What brings you in to see me?" Mr Geeves asked with too much excitement in such a small package.

"I'm in need of something quite rare."

"Lay it on me, rare is my specialty." Replied the shop keeper.

"I'm looking for nocturnal fairy dust." He blurted out and waited for the merchant's reaction.

"Yes, I have two pouches of it left."

"I'll take them both, thank you."

When Mr.Geeves rang up the rare item, Salem set down seven gold coins.

"You've given me one coin too many."

"No I haven't, one is for your years of always having what I wish to aquire."

The warlock grabbed his purchase and walked out of The Trinket Box with a sly grin. He walked on quickly through the town square, but a few random villagers stopped to say good evening. He wasn't as annoyed by it as usual. He made his way through the town square, dodging the crowds of people coming and going in the village of Barren Falls. Once he had made it outside of the village and into the gigantic forest terrain, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to have all of that over with as he picked up speed.

 He wanted to get back to his lab, his dungeon and his potion. While he walked back home through the forest, it was not as tranquil as it had been when he walked through it the first time. He noticed the sun was already setting for the evening, so he moved a little faster through the dense forest. He didn't mind the forest a night, it was quite enjoyable but he had work to do. He slowed a little, caught by the scent of a lilac willow tree. For a moment it seemed to have a hold over him. He looked at it just for a moment. 

           He then headed back in a sprint. He enjoyed his home more so than most people or even warlocks. Salem hurried through the forest, avoiding rocks and tree roots poking out of the forest floor. He noticed a few night faries arguing in the distance. He scurried past them like a small squirrel, going unnoticed. He needed to get back to his potions, being a perfectionist by nature he wanted to go back to the comfort of his laboratory, and maybe gremlin wine this time. He didn't always but some nights, a little wine was relaxing.

After a few more miles he called upon his vampire side, then broke from a sprint to a vampiric speed not slowing down until he reached the majestic waterfall. He noticed there were a few creatures near bottom of it. There were a few unicorns, a Pegasus and a small family of goblins. A few of the mermaids came out to play in the waterfall. He slipped past the other creatures and didn't stop until he reached his sanctuary. He took a five minute rest and then got up to head for the laboratory to work on his secret potion and his spell book.

                It took him just a moment to prepare, then he added the final item to the concoction. Once had finished the potion and made a note of it in the book, he set the potion on a shelf with the rest of his emergency ones. He smiled feeling completely at peace. He always did when he worked in his lab, it was his obsession. After a moment of reflection, he exited the room, and then the dungeon. Climbing to the top of the waterfall he sat there looking at the stars under a silver elm with bright blue leaves. It was a calming experience he enjoyed on occasion. He noticed the other creatures that had been at the bottom pool of the waterfall had all gone home for the night. He beamed a huge grin, knowing that he could enjoy the evening in peace.

It had become so relaxing that he started to meditate. He sat there with his eyes closed listening to the sound of the water rushing down the narrow slope, it helped him. After deep breathing, he was in a trance like state, altering his awareness. He felt as if his entire essence had been relaxed, not just his body and mind. As the hours passed, he stayed there in a calm meditative state, until he heard a few creatures rustling in the trees. Then he got up and headed back into his sanctuary. As he entered the tower and walked down the marble winding staircase, he heard something completely unfamiliar to him in the dungeon. It was a voice, possibly human.