Cade POV

The students stare at Ash as she shrinks and shifts. As you would, if a fire-breathing golden dragon slowly transforms into a twelve-year old girl.

I can feel my younger sister- I didn't know her name yet- wriggling against my tail that holds her in a light grip.

When Ash's wings finally recede into her shoulder blades, her eyes still glowing, she rolls her shoulders as she stares at the crowd as though to say 'what? You guys go through this everyday,' manner.

The teachers and students alike seem to get it, and step back a little, whispering among themselves. Nosy. We didn't ask to descend upon a gaggle of people when we returned.

I turn my focus to Will, who stands beside beside me, muscles tense while listens in to conversations muffled by palms over mouths and the shouting of the magickal tapestries who were in an outrage. It seems that one was about to faint again. How does fabric faint, exactly?

Ah, that must be the infamous Sir Acworth that Will compalains so much about.

I expect Ash to run straight into our parent's arms. But she doesn't. All she does is shoot them a stern look. I really don't understand.

My father had only carried one of the twins into the hall. Where was the other? I know my mother was pregnant with twins. It was common in the supernatural world for dragons to have more than one offering at a time.

The little child behind me settled slightly, giving up and laying against my back. Good. Hopefully Ash would be able to calm her down more when she talks to her. That was the whole purpose of her shifting back. For her to talk to our family.

Our family. They look so different. Even though dragons age extremely slowly once they hit eighteen, my parents look with beyond their years, with my father with a salt and pepper strands dotted across his head.

And my mother, who has more stress lines on her face than there were years ago. Probably due to her eldest son being kidnapped and disappear for so long.

But even though Ash had been missing for over a week, although I'm not sure she knows that, she merely passes the people who gave us life a quick glance slash glare that clearly declares, 'Don't come near me or I swear I will blow up.'

I knew my sister that well. It was the second time she had done it to them since they showed up.

They flinch back, obviously understanding what she is thinking.

Ignoring their hurt faces, she steps around me to have some privacy from  the crowd to speak with Nicole.

I head her bare feet softly padding across the cold tiles, her voice apprehensive, borderline nervous.

"Nicole?" She whispers, although loud enough for me to pick up.

"It's me, Nicole. I came back. It's Ash."

There is a short pause before a there is a whoosh of air and a thump as Nicole, as I had learned what my baby sister's name was, launches herself as Ash in my periphral vision, my long body curved into the wall, obscuring the curious young dragons' stares surrounding the space cleared for us.

They have closed in even more after my twin shifted, taking advantage of the free space that her shrinkage has created.

The smell of salty water wafts through my senses. Although this shouldn't come as a surprise, for the sea was only over the cliff, after all. I could head it battering the rocks below.

No, these belong to a person. Nicole or Ash, I don't know. Most likely both.

Their muffled words are clear to me even though no ordinary person would be able to sense the expanse of things I could.

I hear what a young voice says about her parents crying every night while trying to find her big sister and how she hadn't been at home since the 'mean men' were there.

The only mean men I knew of around here were the hunters.

Of course. I should have known. They were planning to go after my family for ages. Now I knew why they kept me behind in the last attack when they were usually willing to push me out to watch my kind be slaughtered.

They hadn't succeeded this time. I had known that when the boss stormed through the clearing, cussing and shouting about how 'the bloody creature got away.'

Then the hunt really started.

He had been manic with rage that I feared for my life, just like the rest of the slaves, worried he would take it out on us.

We scoured the forest for hours until we came upon the willow tree.

There had been rustling in the dead leaves while we creeped our way in. But it was too late. The what I hadn't known were magickal branches snatched the young pair into the branches. But they had been too late aswell. Thinking that I could be rewarded extra scraps that night, I yelled for the group to come running.

I regreted it instantly.

The moment I saw the wild hair and the icy blue eyes, I regreted it.

The boss had patted me on the back, congratulating me as I stood in a daze, shockwaves running through me as I realised what I had just done.

I had condemned my sister to death.

At the last moment, I deflected the archers arrow aimed straight for my sisters heart.

I got a fair beating and yelling at later on, that's for sure, only to add to the collection of scars on my body and mind.

But I didn't regret losing their trust that I had built up. My sister was alive, and we were together again, with our family with us.

"Nicole sweetie, I have to tell you something," my sister's voice snaps me back to reality, the memory of the whip on my bleeding back fading with the pain that throbs on my spine as I remember.

Ash hesitates before she pulls a lungful of air into her body.

"You see that big Dragon over there, the one that licked you?" She asks. I almost chuckle. That was fun.

Her little voice replies instantly, clearly excited about the precarious position she was in.

"I didn't know Dragons were real! They're soooo big! And that one's funny!"

I can see her little chubby pointer finger waving in my direction out of the corner of my eye. I'm glad she thinks I'm funny. I'd lick her face over again if I could head her laugh. Although, when she hits her teenage years, she probably won't like it as much. My tail twitches in amusement.

"Yes.. he's very funny, do you know who he is?"

Awww... My twin doesn't think I'm funny. I'll have to get her back later. I'll prove to her I'm funny. Wait till you see.

"Well Nicole... you see.... you know the way you have a brother that was born on the same day as you? Your twin?" She questions, a slightly sad note to her voice, and I almost frown myself. Where was Nicole's twin. Was he still at our grandma's house, where my little sister said she was staying until all of this cleared up? I sure hope so anyway.

My younger sibling's next words shatter my heart into a million tiny pieces. Her tone is steeped in devastation.

"Yeah, his name is Archie, and he is older than me and we all miss him lots. We have loads of pictures, Don't we Ash?"

The realisation that my baby brother is missing, or even worse, dead deafens me of all noise that I barely hear Ash's next words.

"Nicole, I have a twin too, and he is standing right behind you."

My tail stops twitching.

A/N

Yeah... I know the past two chapters ended at the same point. But I felt as though we needed some insight into Cade's mind while this unfolded.

He needed to react to Archies death :(

And I think we needed a break from Ashlyn's mind for a while.

Thank you for reading!!

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