Rian's pupils never changed from slits as he snarled, "Not lad. Dragon. And I'm not going back."
So far, Rian didn't act any different from other children when they first spoke with their inner beasts. "I know you were inside that maze-like cavern for years. Always listening and watching, but never interacting."
"I hated it."
"Who wouldn't? It's a bit lonely, isn't it?"
"And boring."
"Yes, boring. But now you found your way out, you don't have to go back. However, you do need to share everything with your human half now. Together, you work as a team."
Rian bared his teeth. "How do I know that? He'll lock me away. And I'll be stuck, bored and angry. I don't want to go back."
Rhydian chanced another step. "If it's okay, I'm going to let my dragon out and you can talk with him. He can answer some questions for you, too. Would that be better?"
Rian's slitted eyes studied him a second. "He can't have my food."
If the situation weren't so precarious, Rhydian might've smiled at the childish, possessive tone.
Instead, he said, "He won't touch it. He's full."
A few beats more and Rian nodded. "Okay. But don't come closer. I don't want you to steal my food."
Rhydian spoke to his beast. Ready to handle this?
Yes. Using a little dominance should help.
Not too much.
His dragon growled. I'm the dragon, so let me handle the other dragon.
Rhydian retreated to the back of his mind and allowed his beast to the front. Even to his own ears, his voice was a bit deeper as his dragon said, "You can't stay out and in control forever. That's selfish."
It's not what Rhydian would've said, but he trusted his dragon completely. So he hung back and continued to watch as Rian snarled, "I can, too. I don't want to go back. It's dark. Lonely. Boring. Cold. I hate it."
His dragon shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think anyone likes living inside those tunnels. But you do for a short while to protect you and your human half. Children can't control themselves, and you might shift and hurt someone. That would harm you both. But now you're old enough to work together."
Rian moved in his seat. "How can we do that?"
Rhydian wanted to clap at the progress, but didn't. With a little more coaxing and convincing, Rian might just be all right.
His dragon said, "You take turns. Ask to come out and talk. Over time, learn who should be in charge. And always you can talk to your human in your mind. Try it."
Rian bit his lip and closed his eyes. Since they couldn't see if his pupils remained slitted or not, Rhydian's dragon leaned them forward a bit and waited.
Rhydian was vaguely aware of Delaney standing still. Later he'd have to tell his female just how brave and brilliant she really was. For not being around dragon-shifters, she seemed to know what to do instinctively.
Rian's eyelids fluttered open, revealing rapidly changing pupils. Rhydian's beast waited another moment before asking, "Are you talking?"
It was Rian's dragon who finally said aloud, "I'm trying. But he's scared."
"That's normal. Play a game with him inside your mind. And maybe let him be in control a little. You need to trust each other."
"But I'm hungry."
Delaney finally spoke up, her tone calmer than she no doubt felt. "Dinner should be done. I'll just fetch it from the oven, if you want?"
"Yes. Food. More food. I'm starving."