The True Meaning of Passion

The air smells of dinosaur musk and my back is killing me, but in three hours my guard shift ends and I get to go home to my wife and kids.

Looking up at the purple night sky, how my path through this forest is only illuminated by the two full moons in the sky, it’s one of the only perks of this job.

As those words were processed in my head, I heard a small crack in the distance. This is odd as I’m patrolling for possible dinosaurs trying to cross the border to dragon territory and they don’t exactly leave a small crack.

As I slowly approached, I am met with the last thing I was expecting to see. A small tabaxian girl with green eyes and black fur. If she didn’t step on that twig, I would have never spotted her even with my ability to see in the dark. What’s strange about this encounter is tabaxians live on an island thousands of miles away which means she must be a spy. For this reason, I can’t play nice even if she’s a kid and treat the situation as it is.

I rushed forward toward her, putting my spear inches from her face as I shouted,” what are you doing so close to the border, girl?”

I was breathing with a bit of a snarl in the back of my throat, trying to intimidate the possible spy. That being said, however, just as fast as I was on her my attitude changed into one of nervousness. I’m a nearly two-thousand- pound dragon and she’s a two-foot-tall tabaxi girl yet she gave no reaction.

She didn’t react, not even so much as a whisker. She looked up at me with soulless eyes that saw straight into my soul. She didn’t say a word which is also troubling.

“Are you aware you are between two nations at war? If you do not say anything I’ll be forced to take you to the king of the dragons and he won’t be as kind as I am now so speak!”

Once again, she didn’t say a word. She sat down on the grass and looked back into my eyes with a look I’ll be seeing in my nightmares. Since she won’t talk I had no choice but to capture her and take her to the castle.

I placed the girl in a small metal cage the guards give us for hunting food with since our target is dragons and nothing I have for them would fit her. She didn’t fight back or say a word as strapped the cage to my back. I hope the king can get to the bottom of this matter.

Walking through the kingdom of dragons at night is the second highlight of this job. The path from the forest to the castle has a lot of highlights. To the west of the kingdom are the beautiful blue sanded beaches and the water of the sea illuminated by the cities of the deep.

Looking forward down the path you enter the main shopping district of the whole kingdom. The market these days is packed with meat thanks to the war. I think my wife is making triceratops burgers tonight with a side of her Kraken berry pie. Thinking about her cooking makes my empty stomach grumble and once dry lips water with anticipation of what’s to come.

I unstrap the cage from my back to make sure the girl isn’t trying anything. The straps aren’t messed with and she’s in the same position she was when I put her in there.

“We are going to make a quick stop at my house and if you remain good, I will share with you some of my wife’s cooking. Does that sound like a fair deal?”

The little feline finally gave a hint she was aware of her situation by nodding to my question. I decide to grip the cage with my hand, holding it close as I walked to the east side of the kingdom where the housing districts are.

As I approached my street, I heard a voice filled with pain and sorrow. “Mr. Dragon, I need to get home before sunrise before my d..dad realizes I left my room.”

Before I could respond I heard another voice that erased the questions I was forming in my head to respond to the cat I captured.

“I was starting to think you forgot all about me and your kids Richard.”

My wife was standing on the front porch, hand on her hip as she gave me a smirk. Walking up I stretch out my other arm that wasn’t attached to the hand holding the cage and gave her a firm squeeze.

“You kidding, the thought of returning home to you guys is what keeps me through my shift.”

My wife looked at the cage I was holding and leaned close to look at the girl sitting inside. She then attempted to take the cage from me, concern plastered on her face like a worried mother. She held it up to the torches on the side of the house, looking over the tabaxian child. The next words that came out of her mouth sent chills down my spine as she looked at me with a blood-curdling glare.

“Richard, did you do this to this baby?”

“Yes I did dear, she was walking the border between the two….” That’s all I could say before she slapped me with enough force to knock me to the ground.

“I don’t give a damn what she was doing. You dare give these injuries to a girl not even a percentage of your body weight!”

My look of confusion must have given her a sense of relief as she dropped the anger and helped me to my feet. She gestures for me to look at the girl in the light and what I saw made my blood boil.

It was impossible to tell them under the mask of darkness her black fur, but in the light, it was clear this girl was in a lot of pain. She had bruises and cuts all over her body with her left eye slightly ruined. As we looked at her, she finally showed emotion as she started to cry and cover her face with her little paws.

My wife wasted no time getting her out of the cage and taking the girl inside. It’s clear to me I left work, defending the kingdom from battle, only to bring a new conflict to my home.

Being part of the royal guard for the dragon empire has its perks. For royal guard members, we get houses with five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It’s perfect for me and my family. Going inside, my son Peter was eating dessert with his brother Dale.

“Kids, go to your rooms and yes you can take your dessert with you.” My wife was quick, trying to hide the child from the kids, however, our sons were quick on the draw with Dale noticing her first.

“Mom, did you get us a cat?” Just before my wife could respond, Peter made his comment.

“Is the cat a reward for our good grades and if so, can we fry it up?” Tabaxi is time to time sold in the market if captured, but rare at best. My wife gave our sons, The Look, which sent them running to their rooms.

My wife put the small child on our dining room table and I went to warm up some milk. When I got back, the child was back to being so defensive. My wife took a deep breath and with a soft voice started speaking to the child.

“Hello, my name is April and this is my husband Richard. What’s your name?”

At first, the child didn’t say anything, then she said in an almost nonexistent voice muttered out,” my name is Uxie.” My wife looked relieved as I put the milk next to Uxie who looks away from it.

“How old are you Uxie if I may ask?” My wife’s an English teacher for one of three middle schools in the kingdom yet I don’t know why she’s being so polite.

“I…I’m three years old,” after saying this my wife just looked at her for a very long time. I had to leave the room, the house even, as I was trembling with anger. Why does a girl that old have those types of injuries? That’s not tenderizing a snack, that’s child abuse!

I got so upset I went to the large, bronze wood tree in my front yard and gave it a hefty punch. The nerves in my hand send waves of pain through my body which acted as a calming agent. I had a lot of questions form in my head, but only one mattered at the moment.

I walked back into my house and looked at Uxie. I didn’t realize my voice reflected my feelings as when I spoke, April looked at me with a little fear in her eyes.

“What are the names of your parents so I can properly arrest them for what they did to you?!”

“Richard please, calm your voice before you make matters worse for this girl.” My wife tried reasoning with my emotions, but I restrain them for a moment. Besides, this girl didn’t even flinch at my anger which pissed me off even more. My intimidation attempt in the woods with my weapon, and my loud voice, the reason it does not affect her is that she’s had worse done to her.

“My father's name is Cent and my mommy's name is Blare….”

I and my wife looked at her for enough time for our son Peter to come down from his room, probably curious why we stopped talking for so long. Why did it have to be those people? Why did it have to be him?

I was the first to find my voice as I needed to confirm my fears. “Uxie, what is your last name?” When she said Husvuck, my wife fell to her knees and started to cry.

Even though this girl was a Tabaxian, she was still a toddler that has been abused. I became a guard to protect the children of my kingdom while my wife talks highly of the children she teaches. We love kids, regardless of their race.

I was fully prepared to find the parents and give them the same treatment they did for their child, but her dad being Cent Husvuck makes that impossible.

“Your dad is Cent Husvuck? I learned about him in history class.” Peter approached the girl while I and his mother couldn’t find our words. “He’s a celebrity through our kingdom!”

Cent Husvuck was the general to our kingdom's former king. He raided the tabaxian homeland and captured their queen, Blare Rose. To think after all these years, he finally had a child with his grand prize from the First World War. It makes sense why he’d treat Uxie with such disgust; Cent had an extreme hatred for the tabaxi’s nobody understood why.

“Can you use both blue and black fire magic like your parents?”

Uxie shook her head, starting to tear up a bit. As her small tears landed on the table, Peter’s ears dropped and he got a better grasp of the situation. He went back to his room for only a few moments before he returned with his slice of pie which only had a single bite taken from it.

“Mom tried making pie with regular Sea berries instead of Karen berries like she normally does. It’s way too sweet for me, so you can have it if you want.”

I think this is the proudest I have ever been of my son. Earlier he talked of eating the very child he’s now giving his desert to. We may be her race's top predator, but that doesn’t make us monsters.

Uxie sniffed at the pie for a moment, then started eating it quickly. It was nearly the same size as her yet she didn’t let that intimidate her. My wife stood up and went over to our son to gently give him head pats, also proud of his actions.

She looked at Uxie and then gave me a long look.

“Uxie, would you like to stay here for a bit? We can be a safer home for you if you’d….”

“I can’t….. if I stay with you, he will beat my mom instead of me. I need to go home…..My mom needs me…..”

Tabaxians are known for being passionate creatures, it’s where they get their power from, but this child goes beyond anything I've seen in a long time. My wife started to cry again as it was Peters's turn to be speechless. I looked at her injuries and knew what I could do for her.

“Uxie, I know we met on bad terms, but if you let me I would like to teach you something that could be useful in protecting you and your mother.”

Uxie looked at me as her once hopeless eyes filled with hope. She gave me a subtle nod and offered my hand to her. She looked at it for a moment, then climbed on. My wife gave Uxie a soft kiss on the head, her lips the same size as the child's before I walked outside with her.

The wind was cool against my scales as I walked with Uxie sitting in my palm. Her aura changed as I gave her hope and that sent a happy warmth down my body. The stars came out as if to make the night more special for the girl that needs the most help.

“Uxie, do you know anything about the magical fire of the four kingdoms?” She shook her head at me and I took a deep breath.

“The world has four kingdoms, eight if you count the dark kingdoms of the north. Each kingdom has a different elemental fire that reacts to one's own emotions.”

“The Tabaxi have the blue fire of compassion that grants incredible healing magic to those that show compassion toward others. The dragons have the black fire of tranquility which grants incredible strength to those that show no emotion in the face of battle.”

Uxie looks at me as I set her down on the soft red grass as I took another breath.

“To unlock this power, you normally have to come of age when you become a teenager. That being said, there have been cases of children getting these powers early.”

“What do I… I need to do to use these powers only?” I looked at her with sad eyes as I took a knee to get closer to her.

“I’m sad to say I don’t know. I wanted to teach you the emotions you need to concentrate on later in life. I and my wife could protect you until that time comes when you will naturally, gain the power to defend yourself.”

The two-foot-tall toddler looked up at me and shook her head.

“I would rather be beaten to protect mommy than be aware of her, knowing she’s getting it herself.”

I couldn’t control myself at that moment. I worked as a royal guard for twenty years and I’m a grown, adult dragon. This little girl, however, is making me cry as if I was a child myself. I want to hug her, but I know I would crush her if I tried.

Uxie looked at me and hugged me herself. I could barely feel it, yet suddenly I found myself leaning back so a tear didn’t fall and crush her.

“Uxie I have been a royal guard for twenty years, serving with some of the bravest souls in the whole kingdom. You’re not even classified as a child yet and….. you have shown me more bravery than anything I’ve encountered before.”

She didn’t say a word until the sun started to rise and she started to panic. I don’t think she understood what I just said to her, but it wasn’t important for me to clarify to her. She started running away from me and I chased after her, she shouting at me.

“I need to get back before my dad wakes up, or mommy’s getting beat.” Suddenly I knew what my next mission was and I scooped her up into my arms and ran faster than her little legs could ever take her. She pointed in directions as I ran through the woods, determined to help Uxie on her mission to save her mom.

We stopped at a clearly by the cliff side and I saw a dragon-sized house in the middle of nowhere. Uxie pushed her paw on me, thanking me for the help, then ran back to the house. I watched as her father came out, dragging the former tabaxian queen like a rag doll.

I was nearly thirty feet tall while Cent was a little over fifty. His body was scared from the former war and his scales were as dark as Uxie’s fur. When Uxie got close, screaming for her dad to let go of her mom Cent raised his hand and slapped the little girl hard across the cheek. She fell to the ground, body trembling as I felt pathetic in the shadows.

“Uxie Husvuck where the hell have you been?!” Uxie tried to answer but got slapped again as Cent dropped Blare to the ground. Blare was trembling, but unconscious while Uxie was slowly standing up again.

“You tried running away again didn’t you?” Uxie didn’t dare to speak again as her father repeated himself in a tone so loud it shook the earth under her feet.

Uxie took a deep breath as she stopped crying, looking up at her father with an emotionless look I understand the cause of now.

“Leave momma alone,” she mustered out through the unimaginable pain her body must be going through as Cent slapped her again. I watched in shock as the tiny kitten stood back up again and with a trembling breath repeated herself. She got slapped once more and Cent growled at her.

“Say that again and I put you through the walls of our house again you disgrace of a daughter.”

Uxie stayed on the ground for a few minutes as she clenched her fists around the grass. She stood back up as I started to cry. The air went cold as I felt something resonate through the crust of the planet. Uxie slowly walked to her father and raised her hand. I started to pray to the planet of Scale to give her the power she needed for this.

“Leave…….. my mom…… alone!”

The flame that resonated from her little first was dark blue, a combination of passion and tranquility. The passion for her mother and the tranquility to keep her emotions in check as she slammed her fist into Cent’s leg. The shock wave was enough to knock him back and into the house he just threaten to slam her through, his body turning it to rubble.

This was my chance and I took it, rushing forward while Cent couldn’t see my actions. I scooped up Uxie and her brother then ran as fast as I could back home.

When I got home and April saw who I was holding she went full momma dragon and took both girls from my arms. The kids were off at school by this time in the morning and that gave me a little joy knowing Peter wouldn’t have to see his new friend in this state.

April sent an urgent letter to the school she worked for, telling them we had a family emergency that needed to be taken care of.

April did the best she could yet Uxie was too small for attentive care. She then focused all her attention on Blare as Blare was eight feet tall and could properly bandage her daughter.

It was the most stressful three hours of my life, but Blare woke up and without a word went to take care of her baby. She put her hands over her daughter and a soft blue flame erupted from her palms. The blue fire of passion doesn’t burn like the other flames, it heals the body with nurturing warmth. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, she stopped. Uxie was asleep yet looked a lot better than she did before.

“Thank you for saving me and my daughter. Once she’s healed up we will…” My wife quickly cut her off.

“You will not leave this house. Your daughter needs you and you need to go honk what’s best for her.”

Blare looked at April for a few moments before nodding her head, holding her daughter close to her. Before I got a chance to speak, there was a hard knock at the door. April quickly got the felines to another room as I answered.

All the color drained from my face as I looked at Frank Dragonic, King of the dragons. He let himself in and with a calm voice spoke to me.

“Where is the girl? Your kids said you were harboring a war hero’s child and I came personally to punish you and return the child to her home.”

“My lord, with all due respect….” He glared at me and I nodded my head, leading him to the room where Uxie was with her mother. Frank came in and looked at her.

“Did you give her these scars?”

Despite Blare's healing, there were scars not even magic could heal. I shook my head and informed my king it was Cent. He stood there, looking at the toddler and then at the former Queen of the tabaxian race.

“Remind me of the fire possessed by the dinosaurs we are at war with and how they achieve that power.”

“The Green fire of rage that grants the dinosaurs incredible speed depending on how much rage and hatred they feel,” I responded to him. He nodded his head and turned, leaving the room with a few words.

“You are to remain here and watch over them for the time being. I don’t care if Cent is a war hero. What he did to these two can only be explained by hatred and anger. Those emotions are what we are currently at war against which means he is to be treated equally to the dinosaurs. Do I make myself clear?”

His words were calm, but his face was that of rage. The king didn’t like children, especially of other races, but his hatred of the dinosaurs beat those feelings.

“ My king, thank you,” I responded with my words while my body showed respect by kneeling with a hand on my chest. He looked at Blare for a moment before leaving the room.

As he left Uxie woke up, leaning up in her mother's arms as she softly spoke.

“Mom, where are we?”

Blare looked at me and I gave her a nod followed by a warm smile. My wife hugged me from behind, also nodding as Blare looked down at Uxie.

“We are safe and the nightmare is over.”