Chapter One

Izora

Casimir and Melon's egg was black and came up to my navel now. Slim black spikes stuck out in a ring around the egg's equator. In the right lighting the egg shined like raven feathers. The hatchling growing inside sounded as healthy as any other Moonscale hatchling I ever eavesdropped on inside their egg. Melon tapped her toes against the soft padding of the nest. She wasn't all that impressed with me. In fact, she only agreed to have me check in on the egg periodically at Casimir's insistence. Apparently, in the Starscale Flight they only called in the healers if they thought something was wrong with the egg. Her problem was more with Casimir than me. He's the one who implied there was a problem. Well, at least that's what he did in her mind. I liked Casimir well enough and would check on the egg whenever the parents wanted, but I wasn't going to bat for him against a nesting dragoness who merely tolerated my presence to make him shut up.

"Perfect eggling," I stood upright and stepped out of the nest to find my shoes.

"Thanks, Iz," Casimir nodded at me.

Heavy bags hung under his eyes. Those weren't uncommon for first time sires, but Casimir was usually cool, calm, and collected. Still, the job was done, and I left them to it. They weren't a couple. They had been playmates before in the purple district. When they conceived, they decided to co-parent. I didn't know about a peaceful life, but their kid was definitely loved already.

My next stop was just down the hall inside the Medwin 2, Baby Caxlin. The son of our spaceship captain and his mate. Baby Caxlin was almost a week old now and had already shifted into his furry form a few times. When he did so, his star scale still shined bright on his chest. He was a Starscale just as much as he was a Moonscale. The couple moved back in to the bedroom almost as soon as he was born to avoid the bickering that was Melon and Casimir over their egg.

"Better him than us," my dragon chuckled into my thoughts.

He wasn't wrong about that. I knocked on the captain's door and his mate, Axlin, answered almost immediately. He wore just the cod scale he usually wore on stage and I wondered if I interrupted something more than bonding time with the baby.

"Come in, Izora," Castor said from the rocking chair in the corner.

It was the only piece of furniture inside the Medwin 2 not made to align with the magical gravity controls of the ship. The chair was an old family heirloom belonging to Axlin's family. If his family's lore was to be believed, his ancestors flew away from Earthside with the chair strapped to one of their backs. Either way, Castor seemed to like it. Castor the carrier didn't look any less fierce than Castor the Captain. He rocked his baby against his chest, but his eyes were more alert than ever.

"Don't mind him," Castor nodded at Axlin. "Remember clothes aren't all they're cracked up to be around here."

"Ah, yes. The nudist dragons," I winked at him.

"We're not nudists. We're naturalists. Actually, we're more about keeping sovereignty over one's own form, but that's just picking apart details," Axlin shrugged.

"Saves on laundry, I guess," I shrugged and turned my attention to Castor and asked how he felt.

"Tired. He sleeps well enough, but every time I wake up and don't hear him I have to check on him. He's not far away, but still."

"That'll pass in time as he gets older," I said, placing my hand on the baby's back.

He stirred in his sleep. Over the Moonscale Flight link I saw the baby's dreams. They were abstract blurs but the voices of his parents came through crystal clear. With only a little coaching, the captain passed him off for me to take a look at.

"What are your plans today?" Castor asked. "Going out, I suspect. Unless you want to hang around and referee those two in the dining room?"

"I've got the clearance back from both the medical council and Hush to go out and pick some mushies," I informed him as I tested his wolf pup's reflexes.

"Mushies?" Axlin looked up from the book he seemed to be reading whenever I came in to check on Castor and the baby. "You're going to get high?"

"No," I shook my head. "You might not know it, but the mushies are already used by Starscale healers in different concentrations to treat many things. I'd like to run my own experiments on them. All in the petri dishes, for now, of course."

"Are you bored?" Axlin asked.

"I'm cooped up. House or no house. Pool or no pool. I need something to do and wandering around the forest looking for mushrooms seems like as good of a way to kill an afternoon as any other."

"Don't take the shrooms, Iz," Castor laughed.

"No plans of it. Just a little change of pace. As you know, everything is flight friendly. So, if you need me, just yank on my tail," I said, passing his healthy baby back to him.

"So?" Axlin looked up at me.

"So what?"

"The baby?" he arched a brow.

"He's healthy," Castor said before I had a chance to speak. "You're always telling me to learn to use the Starscale link. I think you need to work on the Moonscale link while I do that."

I waved goodbye and left them to their mate bickering. Castor and Axlin always found a middle ground. They were good like that. Still, I heard enough bickering in the dining room to last a lifetime. I hoped when Melon and Casimir found their true-mates they got along better than they did.

***

An hour after checking on Castor's baby, I landed in the clearing closest to the forest where the mushies grew. The properties of the mushrooms in question varied by which authority or researcher you believed. So, naturally, I believed none of them. If a claim was unable to be peer reviewed, verified, and repeated by a different party, it was just that – a claim. For something to be true and accurate, it must be repeatable by anyone with the qualifications and access to the same materials. The only thing everyone agreed on was that the mushies in their raw form made everyone trip balls. That I didn't need to prove or experiment further on.

I stripped off my shirt and stuffed it into my bag when I spotted the cabin that worked as headquarters for the priests, healers, and forest wardens who guarded the forest and oversaw those who came to experience the mushies firsthand. With my permits in hand, I crossed the clearing and knocked on the cabin door. I wondered if they like most people at work here, would be doused in their version of pheromone blocker spray.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

"Doctor Izora Moonscale," I answered.

Moonscale was not my surname back on Earthside, but it was just easier for us to follow suit on Starscale 1 and go by the surname of our birth flight.

"Doctor what?" the gruff voice called back.

"Healer Izora Moonscale," I tried instead, furrowing my brows.

"And you have a permit for eating mushies?" the voice called back.

"No, I have a permit from the council who oversees medicinal practices and…."

Laughter erupted inside the cabin and I blinked. My dragon reared up on his hind legs like the impatient beast he was.

"Come on in," the gruff voice called. "Had to fuck with you a bit. No one knocks around here. Not at this door. It's flight property, not personal property. Come on in!"

The Starscale concept of property was one I was still adjusting too. Anything that wasn't personal property was considered flight property. It should've been simple, but that included businesses, offices, and random buildings built by dragons to serve a temporary purpose but left standing. You could be asked to leave flight property for misbehavior, but no one ever asked why you were somewhere that seemed odd. Except the forest. There were rules about the forest that homed the mushrooms.

I pushed the door and it opened easily. Inside the cabin were several desks, a mini kitchenette, and two doors leading out of the main room. A clinic and a restroom by the smell of it. A pair of dragons lounged on one of the desks, the shorter sitting between the taller one's legs. They were true-mates by the smell of it.

"I'm Cevin," the shorter one said. "This is Bluing. He's a fucknut, but he's my fucknut."

"Mates, I take it," I nodded.

"Let's see this permit," Cevin held out his hand and I passed off the paper.

"Take a seat," Bluing said, proving himself the owner of the deep, gruff voice.

I looked around and pulled over one of the rolling desk chairs. Cevin stared at my permit for a long time as if looking for proof it was a forgery.

"You got all that?" he asked several minutes later.

"Excuse me?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Cevin frowned, his brow furrowing.

"You didn't say anything," I said gently, because who knew what hour of his shift he was on.

Bluing laughed, but Cevin rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Mate," Bluing hugged his partner close. "He's new on the flight link. He's like a hatchling that way."

"I'm going to write Hush a letter when he leaves," Cevin said to his mate. "He needs to host a class or something for the Moonys to know how to use the link properly, but for now, I'll speak aloud." He turned his attention to me and took a long, deep breath. "This piece of paper permits you to collect official medical samples. It permits you to wander the woods without disrupting the ecosystems or the dragons partaking in the fungi of the forest. We ask that you give them a wide berth out there, but if you come across someone who looks in need of help, please inform us via the flight link. You do know how to do that much, correct?"

"Yes, I know how to speak on a flight link," I said, doing my best to not grit my teeth.

"Good," Cevin nodded, "because if you get lost that's our best way to find you."

"Don't forget about the wildlings," Bluing reminded him.

"Wildlings?" I asked.

"You are familiar with the concept of dragons who do not shift into humans, correct?" Cevin asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Good. Are you familiar with their shifting children?"

"I've heard of rare occurrences."

"Rare isn't the word I'd use. It probably happens at least once in every five hundred or so clutches," Cevin said, smirking. "I was an egg in such a clutch. Still visit my parents every Sunday for brunch. Wildings have special rights. We're considered Starscales. We are Starscales because we're born with the star shaped scales on our chests."

"I see that," I nodded at the light blue scale on his chest.

"Good. Your eyes are working," Bluing laughed, and Cevin rolled his eyes at his mate.

"While most wildlings do venture out into the towns while they're young and many even attend schools we don't always grow up and decide to live within the towns. We have the right to nest where others don't. You couldn't go out in the mushie forest and build a nest. I can. I was born out there. I don't, but I can. Some do. We have one wildling in this part of the forest. He's about a hundred now. Mostly keeps to himself. Just don't go climbing into strange nests. If he eats you, it's your fault by flight law for trespassing just as if a wild dragon ate you. If it looks like someone left a belonging somewhere on purpose, don't bother it. It's probably his. He can do that by his birthright."

"Understood," I nodded more curious than ever. "Probably fifty years ago now a wolf was born like that. At least, that was the last time I heard about something such as this occurring."

"Well, you're not on Earthside anymore, baby," Bluing laughed, and Cevin pinched his knee.

"Don't call him baby," he said to his mate, sliding off the desk before turning his attention to me. "If you don't have any questions, I need to show him who he belongs to."

Before I could say anything, he started undoing his alpha's fly. I excused myself from the cabin before I got a purple district experience out on the edge of the mushie forest. My dragon chuckled, but both of the guys inside the cabin rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps it was the culture back home that left me with ruffled scales, but that's not how any of us would have treated a visiting researcher.

"Don't take it seriously. We're a novelty to them. Wait ten years and they'll get over it," my dragon chimed into my thoughts as I headed into the forest. Right away I passed two dragons stretched out on their backs staring up into the canopy of the tall trees.

"I think I can feel your knees," one said to the other.

"Don't touch them then," the other one giggled.

"NO! I feel them on my knees! I think we traded knees!"

"I didn't agree to that! Why are you stealing my knees?" the giggler giggled on.

I walked past them quickly so that they might resolve the case of the switched knees in peace and privacy. My dragon twisted around in his inner sanctum, wanting to return and figure out the conflict, but I had other things to do. So, we got on with them, doing our best to avoid other dragons.

Soon enough I stumbled upon an empty trail. It was a dirt path through the forest, most likely beaten down by dragon tails to keep it clean and flat. On either side, rainbow-colored flowers loomed over their edges. I squatted to examine the ombre petals and that's when I noticed the mushies growing around the stems of the flowers. They were just as brightly colored as the flowers as if they developed a matching color scheme to camouflage against predators. I grabbed a few and dropped them into one of the specimen jars and made a few quick notes on the label about where they came from before wandering further down the path. Soon the flowers that loomed and leaned over the path gave way to what could only be described as their version of a sunflower. They were as purple as those back home on Earthside were yellow. The mushies were sparser around their stems. Still, I collected a few before the sunflowers gave way to the tall trees that seemed to have been planted youngest to oldest as the beaten dirt path led on.

I stopped to watch a chipmunk looking creature with purple streaks down its back shove seeds into his stretchy cheeks until he looked comically chonky. He glanced up and a second later a shadow passed over us. A shadow falling from the sky wasn't an unfamiliar experience on Starscale 1. The dragons here took to the skies more than life ever allowed for on Earthside. Flying was the most convenient form of transportation and kept everyone active. It was healer approved, even by this healer.

I glanced up, squinting against the bright afternoon sunlight. The dragon flying overhead was probably around a hundred years old given their size. I couldn't make out all their features, but they had dark belly scales. When my gaze fell back to the ground, the chipmunk, his purple stripes, and his seeds were gone. It was just as well. No hunting was allowed in the mushie forest, and it was best not to tempt my dragon with an already stuffed dish.

Following the winding path, I collected whatever mushrooms looked the most interesting, keeping my eyes and nose open for any wild dragons my mere presence might tick off. Eventually the beaten path ended at a cliff wall, forcing me to venture deeper into the forest if I wanted to keep tracking them down.

The cliff wall was as good a spot as any to stop for a snack before my inner beast really decided to chow down on some poor unsuspecting rodent. I found a nice flat sunning rock and after sniffing around for company, I sat down and pulled my sandwich out of my bag.

Another shadow crossed overhead. At a quick glance, I was almost positive that it was the same dragon as before. I took a bite of my sandwich, ‘pig and cheese' as they called it here, and watched the dragon in the sky circle lower. He flew in loops as if surveying a territory. For a second, I wondered if he were the wildling but wild dragons did that too. They were not always welcoming to those passing through their territories.

"Can't tell either," my inner beast chimed into my thoughts. "Could be either. If he gets much closer, let's go, unless you want to fight him."

I didn't want to fight any wild dragon. I wasn't one hundred percent sure of the laws here, but morally I was opposed to harming any wild thing you didn't plan to eat unless it was one hundred percent necessary. We all came from wild dragons in the Other World after all. Who knew what ways the future was irreversibly altered when someone slew a wild dragon. What sort of karmic justice followed such an act? That wasn't a question I'd answer in this lifetime, but I chewed it over as I ate my sandwich and kept an eye on the circling dragon.

A splashing sounded to my right, in the distance. I sniffed the air. There was definitely a body of water nearby. There had to be in these woods – so lush and blooming. Only water and sunlight made plants grow as thick and luxurious as the ones I'd encountered in the mushie forest so far.

"Maybe he's fishing," my dragon chuckled, but the wild beast was nowhere in sight.

Curious to discover more of the native wildlife, I packed away my half-eaten sandwich and headed into the trees. Not counting the wild dragons there wasn't much to be cautious of. The leaves rubbed against my bare arms and chest. They were so green they nearly matched the star-shaped scale of my chest perfectly or maybe I was the one who matched them. The fly-by dragon was nowhere in sight and the canopy grew thicker and lower as I inched my way toward the sound of splashing. It was hard not to step on the mushies that seemed to grow in thick, dense patches the closer I walked toward the water.

"Maybe it's someone tripping balls," my dragon chimed into my thoughts. "Can I steal their knees if I'm right?"

I shushed him up and kept going toward the water. Peeking through the dense foliage I spotted an otter-looking creature. It was brown and silver with big purple eyes that stared back at me. In his hands he held a silver and purple fish. He sniffed the spot where he last bit before chomping into it again. I inched closer. Back home on Earthside otters were generally friendly enough as long as you didn't fuck with them too much. They were playful and intelligent. If this otter was the descendent of one the Starscales stole from Earthside there was no reason he or she wouldn't behave the same way.

The otter chomped away on its fish as I observed its thick water dense fur. The silver spots stood out with clear definition as if some old god had drawn them on with a permanent marker. I found another flat rock to sit on and joined the otter for lunch. No sooner than I pulled my half-eaten sandwich out of my bag did the thing emerge fully from the water to reveal a long wagging tail as if it were part dog. I tentatively offered it a piece of ham and the greedy otter-dog gobbled it up.

A cloud drifted over the lake, and I stretched out on my belly to feed the otter-dog another bite of my sandwich. Fortunately, I was well aware of my draconic appetite, and it wasn't the only one I brought along to snack on. The creature nuzzled against my hand as more clouds followed the first. Through the trees I couldn't see them but spotted their fluffy ends over the lake. Something crashed through the trees and the otter-dog popped up like a meerkat on its hindlegs. Its tail wagged. I twisted, expecting more of its own kind instead of the chocolate pearl colored dragon swooping down through the trees.

Instinct said run! So I did, but not before scooping up my bag and the otter-dog. It clung to me with happy little paws with sharp nails, seemingly oblivious to the danger we'd found ourselves in that afternoon. The dragon roared and I raced faster, pushing myself, and bracing for the fire that was sure to follow me soon. Would the beast set the whole forest of mushies on fire to get me? Was I that tasty of a snack? Did he smell my sandwiches or was it the happy little water beast he wanted to sink his teeth into? A more pragmatic dragon might've tossed the otter-dog up to the wild beast and made a break for freedom. I was not that much of a realist. Besides, I worked with the military medical unit during the Moonscale war against the hate group Mundanes Before Magic. One wild dragon wasn't going to get the better of me. Eventually I'd lose him or he'd grow tired of chasing me around and look for easier prey.

Or so I thought. The faster I ran the more he spread his near iridescent wings and drifted along above me. He growled and made small roaring sounds. My fellow prey barked at him and then hissed before climbing out of my arms and onto my shoulders as if he meant to reach out and swat the beast pursuing us through this alien forest full of mushrooms and more colors than Earthside painters ever dared to dream of.

Eventually, the beast did tire of chasing us. He crashed through trees knocking them here and there. He smelled like metal and something familiar. Of course, all dragons smelled somewhat familiar to other dragons. My skin burnt hot as I raced under the canopy unable to escape the humid heat that prickled and evoked sweat from every pore of my body. Then he came down – fast and hard – the otter-dog barked and leapt at him, but in the end, he scooped us both up.

That's when I finally smelled him correctly, and my mind drew a blank. His scaled digits wrapped around me.

"Mate!" my dragon roared from inside his inner sanctum.