Page 21 of Randall (The Tenth Step #3)

Flynn

Some days, Flynn thought being a cat shifter was the best thing ever. Normally, this would have been one of those days, lying in a warm patch of sunshine with nothing to do but wait. Flynn, however, didn’t have that sort of patience at the moment.

He’d passed the time with Timur, learning about the Frost Dragon shifters of Wintervale.

Timur described the mountains and high valleys, the raging waterfalls, the stone and wood homes, and the ever-burning fires needed for cooking, heat, and light.

He spoke about his training, his schooling, his teachers, and mentors.

Flynn could almost taste the delicious food as Timur talked about it; he could practically hear the beautiful melodies of music and admire the sleek dancers spinning on the dance floor.

In all the descriptions, however, Flynn couldn’t miss how Timur would begin to say father or mother or brother and hear how it twisted to “my friend” or “someone I know.” There was no mention of family unless it was disguised as belonging to some other dragon.

The falsehoods grated on Flynn’s ears until he eventually got up and walked off, after spilling his own lies about needing to stretch his legs or finding a tree to relieve his bladder.

Meanwhile, the sun moved steadily across the sky, and as every bird drifted past, he would look up and hope Randall had sent a return message.

His hunger grew with each passing hour. At least with the river nearby, he could assuage his thirst. Flynn crafted a bowl of vines and lined it with fresh leaves, which allowed him to carry water to Timur.

He also used the water to wash away the dried blood and give him a better view of the damage.

The ragged gash would require extensive stitching to pull the skin together.

Flynn questioned Timur on a dragon’s healing prowess and was assured that once he was put to rights, he’d heal just fine, but Flynn heard the worry in Timur’s timbre.

He suspected that the poison-infected wound was worse than Timur made it sound.

Because if the dragon couldn’t heal himself, what would?