Once there was a clever little forest-Kin and a strong, young Shieldskull. The two were bonded and played every day by the river in their quiet village in the hills. One day, the two went too far downriver, almost reaching the Great, Great Sea.

“We’ll be late for dinner!” cried the Shieldskull, who was young and strong and needed lots of food to eat.

“By the Three, momma will have my ears!” the forest-Kin wailed.

"I can help you,” a soft voice replied from the thick trees lining the river.

The Shieldskull was so hungry he moaned, “Do you have any food?”

“I have something better!” the voice replied.

The forest-Kin, being very clever and having her wits about her, knew not to trust strange voices in the wood. “Please come out and give us your name!” she called.

“I can’t,” the voice said, sounding sad. “I’m stuck.”

“I am very strong, I can help you!” the Shieldskull announced, moving toward the trees.

“But first, tell us your name!” the forest-Kin demanded, stepping in front of her Shieldskull bonded.

“My name is River, like the river just behind you. If you help me get unstuck, I can help you home!”

The Shieldskull rushed in to find a small, scaled xeriin before him. A xeriin with dragonlike eyes and a long, spiny tail. The myth-Kin’s tail was stuck beneath a large boulder.

The clever little forest-Kin shouted, “Wait!”

But it was too late.

In his hunger, the strong Shieldskull smashed the rock with a mighty roar. The myth-Kin was soon free and swept his tail happily before shifting a great set of wings. “You saved me! I can help you, now.”

Both the little forest-Kin and her Shieldskull friend were wary now. They knew that the myth-Kin were very powerful and played dangerous tricks on other xeriin. But they were getting hungry and the sky was getting dark. “Give us your wings, then, so we know we can trust you,” the forest-Kin said.

“If I give you my wings, I can’t fly you home,” the myth-Kin smiled with narrow, sharp teeth.

“Then give us your tail!” the Shieldskull demanded.

“You helped me, of course I’ll help you. But I can’t give you my tail. How about this charm around my neck?” River said, lifting the amulet over his head.

The forest-Kin knew that magic could be dangerous, but the Shieldskull used magic, too. So maybe it wasn’t all bad. Hesitant, she took the amulet and scrambled backward.

The myth-Kin laughed, transforming into a great dragon, now that the amulet was no longer around his neck. He roared and the two younglings cowered fearfully, the amulet cast aside. The myth-Kin burned the trees and crushed the plants beneath his clawed feet, and rose high into the air.

The two bonded younglings, xeriin and saurian, fled back up the river, toward their home. It was dark and their only guiding light was the angry flames of the dragon myth-Kin high above them.