Kinu whimpered at Jing’s words. She was awake, and her head was off the ground. She looked at Jing with hurt eyes.

Jing’s ears twitched as she heard the whimper, turning her head to look at Kinu. She was awake?! “K…Kinu… I…” 

Kinu’s eyes were shiny with tears, and she bowed her head, turning away from Jing. Slowly, weakly, she pushed off the edge of the water.

Jing stood quickly, going over to her confused and worried. “K…Kinu I didn’t mean it that way! P…Please don’t be upset!”

‘You… you don’t want to be my Dragonlord…’ Kinu’s voice trembled in Jing’s head. ‘I didn’t… know that.’

“I never said that Kinu! I…I didn’t know it would mean being your dragonlord when you hatched. If I had I…I would have been scared to become one because I know the danger and risks I would bring to you. But… But I don’t…I don’t regret it. Because… I care about you so much Kinu!”

Kinu didn’t look at Jing, ‘If… I told you I can break our connection…’ She glanced at Jing. ‘What would you do?’

Jing was shocked at what she heard, unsure what to say. If the connection was broken… it would mean she couldn’t cause more pain to Kinu because her own weakness.

‘Do you want to stop being…’ Kinu trembled, ‘Do you want to stop being linked to me?’

“I…I don’t…I don’t want to Kinu but… Look what I ended up doing to you! Your…your so hurt because of me…” Jing said quietly.

Kinu watched her, ‘Do you want to break the connection or keep it? If I break it you could do as you told Bast, and die and die over and over again all you want…’

Jing bit her lip, hands going into fists at her sides. She didn’t want to go back to that kind of life! But she wanted to protect Kinu somehow! Finally she shook her head slowly, unable to speak.

Kinu watched her. ‘N…no?’ Kinu moved closer. ‘You… you still want to share a link with me?’

Jing looked at Kinu through tear filled eyes and she nodded. “I…I do…”

Kinu smiled weakly, coming to rest at the edge of the lake once more. ‘I’m sorry I’m so weak…’ She said, looking down with a pained expression. ‘If… if I were stronger, so would you be…’

Jing shook her head, sitting down close to Kinu “Its not your fault Kinu… you are strong… stronger then I’ll ever be…”

‘N…no I’m not… I… I’ve been laying here in the water, too weak to even eat… since y…you….’ She trailed off, knowing Jing understood since when. She nuzzled Jing.

Jing bit her lip and nodded a little, hugging Kinu’s head. “I’m sorry I put you through that…”

Kinu whimpered. ‘If I were stronger you could have fought back…’

Jing shook her head “I…wouldn’t have been able to that time… I was in to much of a shock to try consentrating on my powers…”

Kinu whined again. ‘I’m sorry I left you so suddenly. I kept thinking of you, of how you were doing, if you were okay…’

“Its alright Kinu… I…I kept thinking about you too… I missed you a lot.” Jing said, hugging the dragon again. “And you have grown so much.”

Kinu smiled a bit, ‘I have to grow fast if I want you to mount me.’

Jing smiled a tiny bit and nodded. “I guess. Have you been flying more?”

‘Yes! I can fly a lot now.’ Kinu shifted to look at Jing, ‘I… I’ve been practicing my magic too. Jing… do… do you want to grow up too?’

Jing looked at Kinu, confused “What do you mean?”

‘Well, you look like a 13 year old but you’re not.’

Jing nodded “I know… the curse keeps me from aging… I’ll… look like this for ever now until the curse is broken.”

‘I can change that.’ Kinu said.

Jing blinked a couple times, looking at Kinu in shock. “W…wha? You can? How?”

Kinu nodded, ‘I knew you were bothered by that, since you don’t like being called a kid… So I’ve been learning how to do it.’ She paused, ‘It might help me recover my strength too, in time.’

Jing was still shocked at what she heard “Can you… really do that? How would that work?”

Kinu nodded, ‘I can do it, but it will require strong magic that would kill me in my current state… unless we fuse.’ She explained, ‘I’d… become one with you for a while, until I am stronger.’

Jing blinked a couple times, not liking the sound of it endagering Kinu. “Fuse…? I don’t understand.”

‘I would… be within you. That way even if you died… I would be safe. You wouldn’t see me, but we’d always be together.’

Jing thought for a minute, looking at Kinu “So you would be safe. And it wouldn’t hurt you at all?”

Kinu shook her head, ‘No…’

Jing looked at Kinu, hugging her “How long… would you be fused with me? It will be hard not seeing you again… after just coming back together again.”

‘I don’t know. It would depend on… how things go. But maybe a week or so, or up to a month.’ Kinu explained. ‘But we can talk always, and see each other in dreams.’

Jing nodded as she started to understand more “You really are amazing Kinu… for learning how to do that…”

Kinu smiled, ‘I wanted to help you!’

Jing smiled at her, hugging the dragon. “Thank you Kinu.”

‘Do you want to do it now?’

Jing nodded “If you can do it safely then sure.”

Kinu nodded and smiled happily. ‘Take your pendant out.’

Jing nodded, moving the blanket she had wrapped around her a little. Luckly since the pendent had been under her shirt when she had been frozen, it met it wasn’t left behind like her cloths had been. “What do I do with it?”

‘Just hold it out to me.’ She said, moving to touch it with her snout. She closed her eyes, and the pendant began to gleam with silvery light.

Jing did as she was told, watching silently and making sure not to move.

Soon the light had engulfed the dragon as well, her dull scales suddenly bright with the radiant light. Then the itensity grew, blinding Jing.

Closing her eyes tightly Jing brought up one of her arms over her eyes, the other still holding the dragon pendent out for Kinu.

The flash brightened, then disappeared, plunging the blinded girl into sudden darkness for the contrast. Then she felt her body become heated, her bones aching and muscles growing taunt.

Jing looked around the cave but when she was unable to see anything it made her nervous. When her body started to feel strange she whimpered, curling up a little.

The pain mounted, her body becoming hot and spikes of pain going through her arms and legs.

Jing cried out as the pain got worse, body trembling more and she felt like she was going to pass out.

The pain ascended as if her body was white-hot metal on the forge’s anvil, her body changing, growing and her proportions changing as well. Finally the pain stopped, though she still ached some. The pendant glowed with the after-magic, and everything was silent.

Even as the pain lessened Jing didn’t move much, just curled up on the ground and crying quietly. She had never felt pain like that before… and now that it was mostly gone she was extreamly tired. Whimpering quietly she closed her eyes and finally passed out.

Kinu’s worried voice reached her then, ‘Jing? Are you okay?’

“Sore… and tired but I’m okay…” Jing answered to Kinu when she heard the silver’s voice.

‘I’m sorry… I didn’t know it would hurt so much!’

“Its alright Kinu… I forgot that people grow a lot between 13 and 16. Many have growing pains when they age normally. Going through that so fast… pain is to be expected.”

‘I guess… You should go in the lake, it’ll soothe the pains.’

Jing was silent for a moment, “Yes… your probably right Kinu… But thank you so much. Your amazing.”

‘You will find your magic works again, and is stronger now.’

Jing nodded, “Thats good to know Kinu. I’ll have to… practice somewhat to see how its changed.”

‘You can use my pendant to summon clothing too, just imagine what you want to wear.’

“Wow Kinu… thats amazing. I think I should try and wake up… and get into the water.”

Kinu’s giggles were lighthearted, and her voice was no longer covered in the pain they held before they had fused. ‘Before Bast comes searching for you and finds you out cold and naked on the floor.’

“Yes! I better wake up right now!!!” Jing thought, but felt happy to hear Kinu sound so much better, like she had before she dissapered.

When Jing managed to open her eyes, she found a rather amused look on Leria’s face, as the huge dragon watched her from her wet bed.

Jing sat up quickly, wincing a little from her still sore body moving. “L…Leria…? Your awake.” She said quietly, moving the blanket that more around her.

Leria nodded. “I see Kinu actually did it. How do you feel?”

“Sore… very sore.” Jing explained, looking at Leria “You knew about this?”

Leria nodded, “Of course. She asked me about it, I helped her learn the magic required.”

Jing smiled at Leria and nodded a little “I see. Well thenk you as well then…” She said before moving a little to stand up slowly.

Leria watched her. “I’ve made sure Bast doesn’t come in until you are ready to see him.”

Jing blinked a couple times, looking at Leria “You have? How?” She asked as she stood. Wow… she was actually taller! “This… feels strange…” She admitted with a nervous smile.

Leria chuckled, “He’s fast asleep at the cave entrance.” She said.

Jing couldn’t help but smile a little. “I see…” She said quietly, walking over to the lake to look at her reflection. “Wow….” She muttered, “I… look different…”

“Well of course, you’re a young woman blossoming into the prime of life after all.” Leria chuckled, “I wonder how Bast will react to seeing you like this.”

Jing bit her lip as she heard Leria. This all felt so strange to her… for the last three years she hadn’t changed at all! “I don’t know…” She answered quietly, though part of her was now wondering what Bast would think of her looking like this.

Leria watched her, “Go on, take a bath, you’ll find the waters soothing to your sore body.”

Jing nodded a little, and let the blanket fall to the ground beside the lake before going into the water carefully, making sure to stay near the edge where it wasn’t too deep. “How are you feeling Leria?”

“Better. Still sore and all, fighting two dragons in one day can be exhausting.” She sighed, “At least my wounds have healed, and my scales are growing back.”

Jing again nodded as she started to relax in the water with a content sigh. “I’m glad to know you are getting better.”

“How are the others doing?” Leria asked.

“Everyone is doing pretty well. We met up with another group. Veldahar is a gold dragonkin, and a total ass sometimes. Lyuthi is a really pretty draik who seems to care about Veldahar a lot though why I don’t know. Chert is a old kinda… gruff tonu. Keelin is a pretty bronze dragonkin we rescued when freeing a lot of slaves.” Jing explained as she closed her eyes and relaxed more. “Cade is the guy who let us into the valley.”

“Seems you’ve made many new friends.” Leria said approvingly. “Hard to feel lonely with so many around you!”

“I missed you and Kinu… a lot Leria.” Jing admitted.

Leria smiled, “I’m sorry for disappearing so suddenly.”

“Its not your fault Leria.” Jing said as she shook her head a little.

“Maybe, but I still felt bad for up and leaving you all so suddenly.”

“I can understand that… how have things gone for you since you left?”

“Pretty good. It’s really hard convincing the dragons of what is happening to their eggs. But they’re starting to believe, or at least doubt that Taksis is keeping her end of the bargain.”

Jing nodded “Its good to know they are starting to realize the truth. Oh, I forgot, there is another one in our group now. Dalit. He is a baby silver dragon.”

Leria blinked, “Really?? Another silver dragon?” She laughed, “How’d you come upon him?”

“It was actually Lei. When you left we went back a ways and Silver had found another tunnel. Lei said he was leaving… and he headed back to his place. Next time we saw him was when we had faced a black dragon. Lei was with Dalit, both prisoners of the black. Dalit… hatched right before his egg was about to be used to make more draconians.”

Leria winced, “Poor fellow… so he’s younger than Kinu. Is he okay now then?”

Jing nodded “He is younger then Kinu. He is doing better now, Iris helped with the damage the black caused. He is really close to Lei, maybe partly cause Lei is a dragonkin.”

Leria nodded, “I can imagine that.” She smiled, “Seems you’ve all been doing good without us! I was worried for a while when I left, how the group would fare.”

“We have had more then a couple close calls…” Jing said with a nod. “Leria… Does this mean you will be able to come back now? Back to everyone else…?”

“I might. It’ll depend on the others.” She smiled, “I want to make sure they join this war… we’ll need all the help we can get.”

Nodding Jing sighed quietly “The water does help… My body isn’t as sore as it was before…”

“Good.” Leria said, relaxing on the stone floor, shifting her body in the lake, sending ripples over Jing. “I wonder if Bast has frozen to death out there.”

Jing blinked a couple times as she heard that “I forgot about Bast!” She said, quickly getting out of the lake and using the blanket to dry off a little. He really should come back into the cave… but she prefured to have cloths on when he did.

Leria chuckled, “Already forgot all about him eh?”

Jing fidgeted a little “S…Sorry! I was enjoying talking to you again… its kinda like when we first met.” She admitted, drying off her fur atleast a little, though her tail and hair were still dripping wet. “Now… Kinu said to just think of cloths…” She said quietly to herself, thinking about the cloths she had lost in the ice, but thinking about them being bigger to fit her now.

The clothes appeared, and on top she wore a warm furry cloak, an addition Kinu decided was needed for the cave wasn’t as warm as all that, and would be colder while she was still wet from the lake.

Jing blinked surprised at the cloak, but smiled happily. “Thanks Kinu…” She said quietly. “I’ll go get Bast.” She then said to Leria before heading to the enterance of the cave.

Leria nodded, settling down again but keeping her ears pricked for Bast’s reaction.