Jongin gasped when he saw the young man. He knew him instantly, even though he had visited only once before. The prince had grown up so much, growing into his lanky body. His hair was a soft caramel brown and his skin was fair.  

The dragon arched against his chains, crying out.  

“Help me! I’m here! Please help me!”  

His chains scraped noisily against the floor as he fought, the shackles digging even further into his flesh. Blood dripped from the cuts, but he barely even noticed the pain, eyes focused on the young man who was frowning, stepping even closer to him. 

He was raising his hand, seeming to place his hand on nothing. Whatever he had laid his hand upon shimmered, and the barrier fell away, revealing the prince standing just outside Jongin’s tiny cell. 

“What the .”  

Sehun stared at the man trembling on the floor before him in shock. He was in terrible shape with bruises beneath his eyes and blood dripping from his wrists, caused by the silver manacles on his hands.  

“Help me!”  

The cry snapped the prince out of his stupor and he jolted forward, kneeling to get a better look at the man.  

“How do I get these off?” He asked sharply, dark eyes flashing. Jongin winced when he gripped his hand, his hold slightly too tight to be comforting. 

“I…I don’t know.” He breathed, still in disbelief. Sehun cursed loudly, pressing his fingers against the shackles. Instantly, an image of how the metal fitted together filled his mind. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the air around him. That was his material.  

Jongin watched in fascination as the prince’s brows furrowed, the air in the room suddenly becoming still as all of it was forced into the single manacle around his wrist. There was a lot of pressure and suddenly, the metal shattered.  

Sehun reached for the other wrist immediately, not wanting to waste precious time. They had to get out of there, fast, before they were discovered. He knew his powers had limits. Magic had their rules and his concentration could only get them so far.  

Sweat beaded on his forehead as the second manacle snapped apart and he was on his feet, dragging the dragon up.  

“Come on, we need to go.” 

Jongin could put up no argument as the prince yanked him out of the prison cell he had spent so many of his days. 

“I’m Jongin.” He tried to explain as a wall of stone slid back before his eyes and Sehun was dragging him into a passageway.  

“Sehun.” The prince’s reply was curt as he broke into a run, still gripping Jongin’s hand.  

He had no idea why he was helping the dragon. Dragons were unpredictable and ones that had been locked up even more so. And this dragon was so young. His heart ached at the thought of the dragon being confined to such a small space for so long. 

Free from the witch’s wards, Jongin could feel his power beginning to pulse beneath him again. He relished the feeling of it, the burn of his magic running through his veins as they ran down the dark hallways, the prince twisting and turning swiftly to lead them through.  

A black expanse of stone appeared before them and Sehun lifted his hand, a jet of air cleaving the stone in half easily. Jongin’s jaw dropped. He knew the prince was powerful, could feel the vast span of his power beat in his blood as he ran with him but at such a young age, he had not expected the amount of control he had displayed. 

A rush of wind filled the passage and Jongin’s heart soared. The night sky twinkled, full of stars as they ran outside, hand in hand.  

Sehun did not stop, heading straight for the forest. The moon was full, providing more than enough light for them to see by as they sprinted towards the dense trees. Jongin turned his head when a light went on in the castle and then there were yells.  

The prince’s face was pale as he lengthened his strides, sprinting full speed for the forest.  

“There! Seize them both!” A female voice split the night and the quiet fury that had been boiling beneath Jongin’s skin exploded. His hatred combined with his frustration released from his hands in the form of pure power.  

Sehun screamed in terror when he was knocked off his feet, flying into the thicket of woods. All the air was knocked out of him and he laid there for a few moments, struggling to catch his breath.  

Jongin was transforming, his bone structure rearranging itself as sleek black wings unfurled from his back sending gusts of wind into the air. Black scales crawled up his neck as he shifted, back into the powerful Forest dragon that he was.  

He tipped his head back and roared, the wind generated by the powerful sound ruffling the treetops.  

The guards running towards them with lances paused.  

Sehun seized his chance, dragging himself to his feet as Jongin turned to face the guards. The dragon’s eyes flashed with fury as he roared once more, the ground quaking beneath his feet.  

Flames exploded from his mouth, the heat searing Sehun’s face as he turned to run, breaking through the line of trees that would lead him into the Forest.  

Jongin flapped his wings, snarling as he turned to seek out the prince. A final puff of blue flames caught the tree line alight and the guards running for the forest skidded to a stop. 

He spun, following the prince as he crashed through the undergrowth, diving downwards into the forest. 

“Wait!” He tried to cry but all that came out was a roar.  

Sehun risked a glance over his shoulder and his blood chilled.  

The dragon was following him! 

He stumbled, ducking under a low hanging branch, a soft sob catching in his throat as fear overwhelmed him.  

A sharp branch caught his sleeve and he yanked, stumbling forward. He risked a glance over his shoulder and his breath caught.  

The dragon was slowing, possibly because the forest was far too dense for his size and wingspan, but he was still close, far too close. 

He broke through another thicket of trees, and a sharp pain shot up his leg when an exposed tree root caught him unawares, sending him crashing to the ground. The pain was sharp, stealing his breath as he hobbled forward, the sounds of the dragon crashing through the trees behind him keeping him moving.  

Adrenaline was pumping in his bloodstream as he stumbled, branches scratching his face, tearing his clothes as he forged a way through the trees.  

The trees parted all of a sudden, and he stumbled into a clearing. His knees buckled and he fell, his lungs burning as he struggled to draw breath.  

He knelt in place, gasping as sweat dripped down his face, soaking into the mossy ground. 

“Are you alright?” Sehun barely heard the question, still focused on catching his breath.  

- 

Jongin grimaced when his wing narrowly missed slammed into another tree. He had shrunk down his size as much as he could so that he could fit through the trees but with his wings, it was still difficult to fly in the forest.  

But fly he had to if he wished to catch up with the prince, who was fast, darting out of sight and vanished when he had rounded a bend. Only the trail of broken branches and crushed shrubbery gave him any indication in where he was going. 

The dragon roared when his wing caught in a branch, just before he saw a break in the trees. He was dragged backwards, the human part of his mind swearing bloody murder as he tried to untangle himself from the branches. 

At the rate he was going, he would never catch up to Sehun.  

Folding his wings as close as he could, Jongin dove through the line of trees, nearly crashing into another one as he surveyed the clearing he just nearly destroyed. The clearing was terribly dark, possibly because his body was in the air, blocking out most of the moonlight that had managed to filter through the forest’s dense trees.  

There was a small figure standing in the middle of the clearing, blatantly staring at Jongin with no trace of fear. He snorted, feeling smoke puff out from his nostrils as he tried to catch Sehun’s scent.  

Jongin glanced at the figure again and his eyes widened when he noticed the man’s hands. They were covered in fur and claws protruded from his paws. He was also staring back, eyeing Jongin up and down. 

Jongin landed on the mossy ground, his scales receding and his wings folding into his back. He looked at the man nervously before his mouth opened, the words spilling out before he could think about them. 

“Have you seen a boy? He came this way? Caramel brown hair and fair skin?”  

The man shrugged and turned away, looking ready to go on his way and Jongin felt his heart drop.  

“Please!” Jongin lurched forward, grabbing the man’s shoulder as he was preparing to step out of the clearing. 

Desperation coloured his voice as he started to ramble, fingers gripping too tight around the stranger’s shoulder. 

“Can’t you tell me which way he went? I didn’t mean to scare him but he just took off and…”  

The stranger turned, eyes raking down Jongin’s face, the young man too distracted to notice. He had to be a sight, chocolate brown hair falling into his eyes and sweat dripping down his face. 

“He went that way.” Jongin heaved a sigh of relief as the man spoke, one of his strange claws pointing toward the west.  

“Thank you!” He cried out, breaking into a sprint in the direction the man had pointed in.