Cyrus smiled lightly, glad that the dragon was being so kind. He followed Soloi's gaze, noticing that the shackles that were there yesterday were gone. He was happy that they had been removed, though sad to hear what he had said. A dragon as beautiful as this one should be able to be free. "I can't fly either... I thing my wings are too small," he commented, stumbling to his feet. The dew seemed to have been absorbed through his skin, giving him strength and energy. "I think I will be ok. Where is this stream? I can survive on water alone for weeks on end. I suppose that has something to do with being part dragon?" He was excited to start learning about his other half. Perhaps Soloi even knew where he had come from.

Soloi went down to keep the boy steady when necessary. "You're young yet." He said as they moved away and toward the stream. "Your wings will grow with time, trust me. Even air dragons can't fly the first six months of their lives. In the beginning they don't have wings at all, nor scales or hair or feathers. Half-blooded dragons develop slower, however, and you're still small." He glanced back, happy to see that no one seemed to mind as they left. The sound of running water came to them swiftly, and as he lifted his neck, Soloi could see bright, clear water rushing over smooth rocks.

"Water and ice-based dragons can live for at least a month on water." Soloi answered as they approached the bank. It dipped down into somewhat dry mud and tall grass, and Soloi put down his head to help Cyrus go down. "It does have merit with your dragon blood, yes. Earthen dragons, while meat-eaters by nature, can survive for up to a year on foliage before beginning to grow weak. Fire dragons can exist on magma rock for up to two weeks. Air dragons use a second set of lungs to breathe in energy and small amounts of food from the air, and can handle that for around three weeks, though we're herbivores." He went down and stepped into the water, gasping slightly at how cold it was. The sun had yet to be able to warm the rocks.

"So I am a water or ice dragon?" Cyrus questioned, slipping slightly on his way down the bank. He felt the water with his feet, enjoying the brisk cold that enveloped his toes. He was still sluggish, as the sun had yet to energise him like all cold-blooded creatures, but the water that soaked through his skin gave him enough energy. He took his clothes off, not wanting them to get wet, and dove into the water. His heart pounded in his ears as he explored the river bed. There were many rocks and weeds, with small fish darting about.

He took a few gulps of water before surfacing again. He seemed to be able to hold his breath for a lot longer than normal humans, and the cold water was refreshing and energising instead of uncomfortable. He laid on his back and glanced over at the other dragon. He was glad that he had a friend.

Soloi quickly ducked his head underwater, snapping a few of the small, quick fish up by their tail and coming back up, stepping onto the grass and lying down again. "You're an ice dragon, no doubt about that." He said as he set the struggling fish away from the stream and put his front leg before them to block their path back. "Were you a water dragon you'd require a body of water of sorts to change, and you'd be more finned than you are. Considering your water-based ancestry, though, you're able to handle high and low water temperatures and hold your breath a lot longer than other elemental bases. And humans, of course."

Soloi nosed a flower nearby, taking in its scent before snapping the thin, blue head off its stalk. Setting his head on the ground, he spread his wings to catch the weak rays of sun filtering through the grass above as they fell down onto the water and the stream's bank.

"So what's the difference then?" Cyrus questioned, feeling curious. He rarely asked questions or wondered about the world around him. He crawled out of the stream and eyed the fish that Soloi had left on the bank. Remembering that the dragon had said that he was a vegetarian, Cyrus assumed the fish were for him. He swallowed them down without biting, enjoying the way the fish struggled in his throat. He giggled and lay on the bank, feeling the sun warm his skin.

After awhile he went back into the stream. He loved the coolness of the water wrapping around his body. He could feel it move his hair and caress his long blue horns. Part of him wanted to transform and feel his other body be embraced by the water. He swam around the bottom of the stream, looking for any treasures. He found an oddly shaped rock and carried it to the surface to show Soloi.

Soloi turned his gaze upward as he thought. “Difference? Why, quite a bit, actually.” Twitching his tail, he put it in the water and allowed the light feathers to dampen, then brought up the fan to brush over his head. “When dragons were created by the dragon gods, they separated their elemental abilities into four main elements: Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. That way neither of them would become mad with power. Centuries passed just like this, as more races, humans, and animals revealed themselves, and eventually dragons were able to become human, should they find specific energy-based crystal dropped down from the sky, from where the dragon gods existed. However, after some time, dragons began to show up in the main bloodlines as new races entirely. Some don’t survive at all, as it’s too risky for them to exist and they die of natural complications. I believe the ice dragon was a combination of water and fire dragon offspring, but because they were natural opposites, a new bloodline was created: Ice.”

As the boy dove back below the water, Soloi glanced up to above the bank, where the water once cut through before it eroded the land. Small animals appeared and flitted about, vanishing quickly to avoid being seen by the humans all-too close to their natural habitat. Though animals normally felt calm around air dragons. Their vegetarianism and normally calm nature allowed usually shy creatures to approach with confidence. He looked back around as Cyrus approached with a strangely shaped stone. “Interesting.” He said, eyeing its sharp but smoothly cut state. “That’s not a normal stone you’d find in any river or stream. Must have been made by hand! Or, maybe paw? It’s almost reminiscent of dragon carvings.”

Cyrus peered at the object, seeing that it wasn't just a strange rock after all. He could see where it had broken off some sort of carving and when he looked at it long enough, he could make out a hand. He took it back from Soloi and held it up so he could see it better. It was indeed some sort of broken carving, though he didn't know what dragon carvings looked like. He placed it carefully down by the dragon's feet and dove back under the water, searching the bed for anything similar.

He soon surfaced with a few more fragments of the same type of rock. He had never seen anything like it before. It was red and smooth, but not see-through like gems or glass. It seemed to be very hard, even running his sharp claw-like nails over the surface didn't leave any marks. He tried to piece them together, but only two seemed to match up. It was a faint carving of a human lying down, something standing over him. Cyrus stared at it for a long time, feeling like he had seen it somewhere before.

Soloi studied the form of the fragments as Cyrus tried to put them together, but he could see the form. “Oh my.” He muttered. “I... I think I know what that might represent. An old statue, many were made years, thousands of years ago. This was when dragons were beginning to become feared creatures, and the dragon gods grew tired of the fear. Then they became human, to hide amongst humanity without this fear, and moved around constantly to hide their immortality. This is also the origin of dragon-human crossbreeding. The dragon gods fell in love with humans many a time, but then as they continued finding these statues, became cold, and locked themselves away in their respective homes to never come out to face the hatred humanity began feeling.”

Soloi shook his head. That was quite a while ago, and he wasn’t much younger than the end of that ‘situation’. His mother had told him all about it. While he couldn’t yet fly, he’d ride on her soft, moonlight-stained hair and she’d speak of the dragons and how they came to no longer be specifically feared. While humans now respected dragons, they were still afraid of the power they held. “I can’t be sure if that’s what the fragments are from, but... perhaps.” He sat up straight and folded his wings. “Cyrus, would you like to go for a ride? The clouds won’t support you, but it’s such a nice view.” He looked up---there was a nice, thick field of clouds right above them, not far off.

Cyrus listened to Soloi's story with interest. He supposed he was this curious about dragons because it was part of his heritage, even if he hated his dragon side. He stood up and put his clothes back on, unsure if dragons cared about modesty. Cyrus never really liked wearing clothes, he enjoyed the feel of the elements on his bare skin. He realised that he didn't actually hate his dragon blood. He had only developed the hatred from years of being forced to transform. Maybe he could learn more about it and shed his humanity all together.

He glanced up at the sky, wondering what it was like to fly. Ever since he had started to turn into his dragon form, he had always longed to stretch his wings and soar through the air. He wasn't sure if ice dragons like himself could fly. His wings were very small. He hoped they would get bigger one day. He nodded enthusiastically in reply to Soloi's offer. "If it's alright with you... I'd love to be able to fly on my own one day."

Soloi shook his head, standing and stretching his legs. “It’s no bother at all. I’d not have offered otherwise, you know.” Going behind Cyrus, he lowered his head and went underneath him, letting the boy slide down just in front of his wings. “Keep hold of my hair, it’s the only grasp you’ll have.” Putting down his ears, Soloi crouched and spread his wings, carefully lifting himself and Cyrus with a couple swift beats. The water and grass shuddered as he took off, slowly this time to both keep the boy at ease and adjust to the extra, slight weight.

Soloi loved to fly. It had been so long since he’d truly been able to, and now he had someone to enjoy the view with. Usually after a time on the ground he’d angle himself steeply toward the first cloud bed he found, or he’d make one himself first with a little manipulation. This time, however, he circled a few times, leaving the ground far behind before drifting over the bed he’d found and touching down gently. “Here we are. Stay on me or you’ll fall right down through the clouds. Only air dragons are able to stand on this medium.”

Looking out over the treetops below, Soloi closed his eyes to the sunlight and kept his wings out so the air could drift under them. Up here the air was so clear and fresh, so much better than anywhere else. “Are you afraid?” He asked Cyrus after a moment.

Cyrus gasped as he felt the dragon take off from the ground. The powerful muscles worked under his legs, as Soloi's wings caught the air and climbed up high. He cried out in excitement, hugging the dragon's neck with shaking hands. He made sure not to grip too tightly, as his claws were very sharp and he didn't want to cut Soloi. As they landed on a cloud, Cyrus stared around them. It was another world up here, the clouds shaped like mountains and gentle sloping hills, the air pooled around them like water. He relaxed, still hugging the dragon's neck.

"No... This is so pretty..." he breathed, looking at the world below. He could see the village from here and the field they were currently camped in. "How could you stand being on the ground if you knew that you could be up here?"

Soloi smiled, and walked a bit, finding an especially thick patch and lying down slowly. "My race of dragons are born atop the clouds. Mothers find cavernous areas or thick, heavy cloud cover that will remain while they can't manipulate them and keep them still and stagnant, and give birth to live babies, up to two at a time. Since we're born on the clouds, we live on the clouds, we sleep on them and exist in the air, because our wings are so powerful we can fly even while we're half asleep, for well over a day. So, air dragons have existed in the air since the very day they were born. It's a normal place for us to exist. The ground is different for us, and it's where our food grows and lives."

His tail came sweeping through the air, flattening the cloud cover as it began rising slightly to obscure their vision. "I find it nice that I can show others, like you, a new place, that's beautiful and odd, but dangerous. I've always lived for that, you know? You're not the only human I've brought up to this realm, and in fact, I've shown other dragon races this very scene. It's safe, unlike a fire dragon's realm of unbearable heat, and I feel it's all much more amazing." He spread his wings, resting them at his sides. "And I believe you deserve something new." With that, Soloi glanced around and grinned a bit. He was glad to show a young half-dragon a new, amazing sight otherwise out of his reach, out of, even, his dreams.

Cyrus beamed, staring about the land below with greedy excitement. He wished he could live up on these clouds as well, wishing that he had been born an air dragon. He saw the stream again and watched as the water rippled in the slight breeze. "It's like when I go underwater... Like I belong there and become a part of the environment... I wish I could live near a cool lake and be able to swim all day and night..." He closed his eyes and imagined it, forgetting about his enslavement.

"You've had other friends?" he asked after some time of imagining. "You are my first friend, and also the first dragon I have ever met. I never got to meet my father... I know nothing about him. All I know was that he could turn into a human... And he fell in love with my mother. After he showed himself to her, she chased him away... Gave birth to me and abandoned me..." He swallowed the loneliness down.

Soloi twitched his ear, then lifted his head. "I... have had friends. Over the decades I've befriended one, two people at a time, who could trust me, who I saved from danger one time or another. But, as humans are prone to doing, they died, mainly of old age, and I was left not only alone, but with a reminder from each one. You see my necklaces, my ears and armbands?" Glancing around, Soloi moved one of his ears so from the corner of his eye he could see a gold stud shine. "Each of them are from my old friends, before they passed on, as a reminder to who they were to me."

Soloi shifted a bit, slightly onto his side, and pulled Cyrus onto the flat part of his side so he'd be safer from the threat of falling. Looking down, he studied the thin gold bands, some laced with pale gems he himself had dug up, or had come across one day. All dragons found shiny things rather appealing, especially air dragons, who more often than not were more proud than others. While most did have necklaces, arm or tail bands, earrings and circlets, they never had them given by humans. Soloi's all came from those he'd protected throughout their lives, showed them worlds they'd never seen before, broke them away from the bonds of their oppression.

"Cyrus." Soloi glanced around to the boy. "I can tell how unhappy you are. I hate to see you abused, forced to change your form when you don't want to, when you can't. I only saw it once, but I felt your agony, the pain in your eyes. Have you never been able to run away? Has no one tried to help you?"

Cyrus went quiet, frowning at Soloi's sudden question. He slowly shook his head, still frowning. "No one has really... Cared about me... I think people are afraid of me... Because I remember when I was living on the street how people thought I was some sort of demon because of my horns..." He stared off at the horizon, lost in thought. "I have never really thought about being free... I am happy where I am... Before Mr Kaga... I went hungry, I was beaten and scientists were going to cut me open to study how I work... I guess... I never thought about being free..."

He heard a commotion below in the field and glanced down. It seemed that the fair was opening soon and the men were searching for him, swearing at each other. Cyrus was Mr Kaga's prized possession, his top earner. If he ever disappeared, Mr Kaga would be furious. "We should head back before they start hurting each other."

Soloi sighed, but turned slightly and stood. "Very well then. But I won't like taking you back to be harmed again." Stepping to the edge of the cloud bed, where his paws sunk in a bit at the thinner points. "I'd much rather take you away from this place." He noted before spreading his wings, and let himself drift off the thick clouds, gliding back to the ground and frowning at the solidity of the earth below his feet.

As he landed, those searching for Cyrus approached, but slowed as Soloi raised his head high. "Calm down, all of you. He was with me, like I said he'd be. Kaga." He glowered at the flamboyant man nearby, who waved them along, signalling them to come in unhindered.

Cyrus slid off Soloi's back, smiling lightly at the men around him. It was a relief to be able to walk for himself and not be manhandled by the smelly muscular carnies. He put his hand lightly on his dragon friend, leaning on him as he made his way back to his cage. He was glad to see that they had cleaned it out while he was gone, with fresh straw and a new bowl of water. He climbed back up into his cage, nodding to Soloi to show him that it was alright.

The carnival was opened once again to the public. The children ran to the rides and food stalls, dragging their parents along behind them. A few people walked through the cages, stopping to gawk at the different creatures locked inside. Once again, Cyrus was a popular attraction. The people crowded around his cage stared in awe and some in fright. Many of the villagers hadn't been able to make it there on opening night, so a lot of them were convinced he was a demon.

When the show came around, Cyrus was pleased to see that he wasn't chained up and dragged along. He walked with the other performers like an equal. Even though he was dreading his transformation, he was the happiest he had been in a long time. When it was his turn to perform, Mr Kaga didn't hurt him to force him to transform. Cyrus found that he could transform using his happy energy and that it hurt a lot less.

As the carnival was open to the public, Soloi found a place to lie near Cyrus’s cage and keep an eye on him. Though he found that difficult once crowds had become overwhelming, and a surge of nervousness sometimes led him to back away. But otherwise he was a calm attraction, and allowed young ones to crawl on him while their parents gawked and studied his fur and wings, surprised that a dragon, of all things, could be as docile as a domesticated dog.

Although when people started filing into that tent again, Soloi gritted his teeth and reluctantly followed. He was glad to see that they allowed Cyrus to walk on his own, like he was a person rather than a misbehaving farm animal in need of taming. If they had just taken a little time, like Soloi had, to talk to him... But then again, Kaga only cared about the money he generated. With a venomous glare, Soloi shot him a look as he situated himself outside the tent enough to allow himself a clear viewpoint.

Soloi still didn’t feel right watching Cyrus change, even without the prodding of an angry electric buzzer. But it seemed easier on him tonight. Perhaps Soloi had done well. Perhaps taking his mind off this prison for a while had made Cyrus a little happier. He smiled to himself, backing out and wandering the almost-deserted grounds until he found the dragon-boy’s cage, which he curled himself around.

The show had been another success and Cyrus was allowed to walk back to his cage as his dragon form. It was the first time he was able to really feel his new body, the muscles under the rock hard scales and the heat burning deep in his chest. He had never breathed fire, but he was unsure if he could, as he was a water dragon. He opened his small wings and felt the cool air blow through them, almost lifting himself off the ground.

When he got back to his cage he saw Soloi curled up around it, waiting for him to return. Cyrus couldn't feel his human form coming anytime soon, so he sat before the air dragon and smiled, showing his sharp fangs. "Hello, friend," he spoke, his voice sounding much deeper and colder.

Soloi watched Cyrus approach, flanked by two large men. They didn’t seem to want to leave, but a warning growl from Soloi sent them back, hesitantly, but eventually. He returned his gaze to Cyrus as they went off, and smiled back. “You do cut an impressive figure.” Soloi noted, sweeping his eyes along the icy-blue scales covering Cyrus. “But you do have quite a bit of growing to do, yet.” Looking around, Soloi made sure no one was too close to them. “I... have been thinking. While you may have been here for a long time, Cyrus, it’s not quite... healthy. Especially being forced to be in a little cage, like some kind of animal. As if you don’t have a standard.” He crossed his front legs, as though setting up a proposition. “Perhaps, come later, when everyone is sleeping, I might unlock your cage. You’ll not be forced to entertain gawking crowds of humans anymore. I can take you all around, and show you safe places where humans don’t hate or fear you irrationally.”

He went quiet as someone passed, but kept his eyes on Cyrus. When they were alone again, Soloi added: “When one thing leads to another, a dragon will always stick up for its own, no matter what element they are. I hate to see you trapped so often, changing for the amusement of others. But if you need time to think on this, I’ll give you time.” He nodded once.

Cyrus stared at Soloi, becoming lost in the proposition the dragon had given him. He shrugged to show that he needed to think about it and climbed up into his cage, waiting for his change to take place. He hid under the straw as he changed back into a boy, crying silently at the pain and crushing sense of shame he felt whenever he changed back. He thought hard about leaving this place, the only place he knew, and being free with Soloi. If he had considered leaving before, the only thing that stopped him was the fear of being completely alone. Now he didn't have that blocking his way. He sighed heavily, peering out of his cage as he came to a conclusion.

"I'd leave this place. But I know nothing else. This man, Mr Kaga, saved me from death. He protects me from those that wish to destroy me. I owe him my life."

Soloi put his head on the lip of the cage, reaching one of his front paws up to run a short claw over the plating that made up one of his necklaces. He could hear the rustling of the straw in the cage, moving as Cyrus returned to a human. It was hard for his ears to miss anything, even the near-silence of the boy’s crying. Soloi lifted his head as Cyrus came to the bars.

“Cyrus. You can learn. You’ve adapted before, as is apparent to your existing here. But now Kaga manipulates you. He uses your guilt at the prospect of leaving to keep you here, in a cage like an animal, as if you have no morals, or sense of comfort or humanity. You don’t belong here, Cyrus. You must be allowed to be free, or you’ll be stunted in your growth. I can tell already that your wings are too small for your age, your tail too short. If you’re forced to remain in this small cage, you’ll never grow much more than you already have. And along with this, I can’t stand to see someone with a dragon’s heart to be forced to perform cheap tricks.”

Cyrus sighed and stared up at the night sky between his bars. He remembered sitting on Soloi up there in the sky and the feeling of happiness when he dove into the river. "I just... I don't know..." he said, sitting with his back on the bars of his cage. He looked over the place he called home. The pile of straw in the corner that he used as a bed, the metal bowls that would be full of water and food. He had lived here most his life and the prospect of being free scared him slightly.

"I'm afraid to leave," he finally told the dragon, feeling his voice crack and tears starting to form in his eyes. "I don't know anything else. I am so scared..."

Soloi gave a dragon-like smile, and pressed his nose to the bars. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t be afraid.” He said lowly, and in an act of affection, stuck out his tongue and drew it over Cyrus like a dog would. “But if you never leave, you’ll never be free. And you’ll never grow more than this, to become the dragon you were meant to be. And you’ll be safe, because I’ll be with you until you learn how to take care of yourself. I’ll be with you as long as you like. And while you learn, I can show you everything you might only have been able to dream of while locked in this cage and surrounded by others that don’t understand you and fear you because of their own ignorance. You can take it from me, though, Cyrus: There are people in the world that don’t fear you just because of a strange look, or what you might be.” He rested his head against the bars.

Cyrus breathed in deeply and looked to the dragon. The obvious wounds around his legs and the fact that he didn't fly as often made the boy realise that Soloi was trapped at one point of his life as well. He had overcame the fear of running from his imprisonment. Cyrus sighed and glanced back to his cage, imagining a life different to this, where he could fly through the air and swim in the deepest oceans.

"Take me away," he said finally, reaching out and lightly petting Soloi's face. "Show me the world."