What is it like to die? Now that is a question with many different answers depending on who you ask. Some would say there is only darkness with no sense of time or existence. Others would say there is a tunnel with light. It was different from person to person. As for Rico, he walked in a endless field of red poppies that went on forever into the horizon. There was a feeling of peace and detachment. Then he woke up.

Confusion was the first thing that came to Rico's mind as he stirred. Soon after the ache in his body took priority on his thoughts. The horse sized wyvern shifted a bit and opened his eyes and found he was in a room. Not the infirmary though. But yet there was medical equipment on wheels there. "Ah, your awake." A kindly voice spoke.

Shifting his head a bit on the soft pillow under his jaw the large reptiles eyes focused on the voice. It was Doc Prof as everyone at the mansion affectionately called him. He was sitting in a chair looking over a clipboard. "It was a bit touch and go with you there. But you have a remarkable will to live." Standing up now and giving his signature warm smiled face the elderly man walked over to a monitoring device and took down some information on his clipboard. "I am happy to say you will make a full recovery. But to be sure I will have to keep you here for another 24 hours for observation."

At that Rico just closed his eyes. "Where is here?" He said weakly. "A spare room on the ground floor. I apologize for the rudimentary conditions." The elderly gent replied and walked around to look at some other wheeled equipment. "When Leon notified me of your condition getting you through the front door was difficult enough a task on its own much less trying to get you up to the second floor. I had to repurpose this room to meet your needs."

The Doc's words brought back memories of last night. It was not a pleasant thought. Rico was more concerned if Leon, the very one who poisoned him had said anything about what happened. Being interrogated by a X about his hidden friend out in the woods and the hunters he came dangerously close to eating was not something he was interested in dealing with.

But being berated by a X for going around alone in the woods in the middle of the night was something he could live with. But still he kind of hoped this would all just blow over and nothing bad happens out of it. For the moment he would rest and think up ways to lie and cover up the truth of what exactly happened last night.

You would think lazing about on the floor doing absolutely nothing accept eating and sleeping would have been incredibly boring. But it seemed like Rico's inner dragon came out. He was perfectly being a lazy lizard. In the end his plans for an excuse proved unnecessary. Nobody seemed to question what had happened last night. Well, almost nobody accept the good doctor. He did not get very far on that topic as Rico was not very inclined to talk about it.

It took a bit of poking and prodding but reluctantly Rico finally grunted and stood up to leave the room and exit the mansion. It was another beautiful day and as always the pool was full of students. Something about the water seemed very inviting to him at the moment. Unable to resist he slinked his body head first into the water causing the water level to rise a bit.

Rico was mindful of his large body size compared to the others so the most rough thing anyone experienced was a gentle bump here and there as the horse sized creature shifted itself in the water lazily. The splashing and laughter of the kids did not really effect him. That or that some of the kids were clambering over his back or just plain sitting on it.

One particular irritating child kept splashing him. Rico found it fitting to take a mouth full of water and spit it with enough force to make them have second thoughts about the splashing and stop. Not that it helped as others found the sight funny enough to splash Rico in attempts to solicit ate a similar response with them.

Like most when they grew tired of annoying kids Rico climbed out the pool and walked on his hind legs into the grassy field not far away. Falling down to his wing joints the dragon laid onto the ground to bask in the sun. Life seemed pretty content. With Easter weekend coming up though he was not exactly sure what he was going to do. But Rico had some things on his wish list. Finding a cold beer as he has yet to find any here at the mansion. And secondly. Get laid.

That like the beer, he did not expect to get here at the mansion either. So that really just left one option. He had to sneak away again. Seeing as none of the X's seemed to notice he had been doing that quite a bit lately. His chances of getting away with it again was pretty high up there.

There was something really pleasant about basking in the sun. Before long Rico dozed off. He had strange dreams like always. Mostly just the sound of whispering voices. Words he could not understand. Not that they were in a different language. It was just that the words were so faint and weak. Cracking open a eye the whispering did not go away as it normally did. Blinking repeatedly he looked around and found it was just him.

'Your alive.' A familiar deep voice said as it invaded his mind. It was always the same routine with the old lizard in the woods. Rico shifted and scratched at his jawline with a clawed foot and resumed lazing on the grass. 'I don't die easy.' Rico thought knowing the other invasive one would be listening. 'That whispering thing you are doing when you enter my head is creeping me out. Don't do it next time. I don't do the whole mind game thing.'

There was a pause before the strong presence brushed against his mind again. 'That is not me, but that is not what is important right now. You are leaving again soon?' Rico looked in the direction of the woods and wondered just how far away the other creature like him was. "How did you..... oh right. You probably went nosing around my head. I was thinking about it.'

'And?'

Rico opened his mouth and gave a toothy yawn as he grew more alert with the mental conversation he was having with the ancient psychic dragon only stopping to snap his mouth shut on a butterfly that came drifting by. 'I should be good to leave for the weekend. Lots of students are going out and most of the X's are gone on some kind of hush hush mission. I don't have any sessions planned with Devon and Juliette has been lost in her thoughts lately. Pretty sure I can leave and no one will notice.' At that thought he paused before thinking another. 'It has been a long time since I have tasted man flesh. Can we go hunting together?'

'Yes' The others thoughts came full with feelings of joy.

'Just no children.' Rico thought and shifted his eyes to look at the laughing children in the pool. 'But there meat is the sweetest.' The old dragon stated in a matter of fact way. 'I know.....' Rico's thoughts trailed off. 'I just don't like eating the little ones.'

'Rico.....' The others thoughts said full of disappointment.

At that Rico sighed. 'I know, I know, we are what we are. But I do have my standards. I will come out tonight and we shall hunt far from this place. Now leave me to my thoughts'

Hours later.....

Rico rolled onto his side in dragon form to reach out with his long neck and grab the last cold can of beer out a cooler. Biting into the can with enough force to puncture it he looked up to the sky with his head and allowed the cold fluid to run out the can down his throat. Confident the last of it would go where it was suppose to because of gravity's sake Rico spit the can out to the side with the others.

'I don't understand why you enjoy that piss water so much.'

Rico ignored the invasive thoughts of his elder and relaxed onto his back. He scratched at his chest for a moment before using the talon of his wing joint to pick at his teeth. It had been a nice meal but there was something there lodged between his gum and teeth. After a few moments the dragon forced out a human rib bone shard lodged in his teeth and gave a loud belch and sighed in relief.

'Alcohol does not go well with our body's you know.'

The invasive mental thoughts of his telepathic companion said. "I know......" Rico said in a slurred voice. "But that just makes me a cheap drunk. Such wonderful creatures humans are. Not only did they provide us with a meal. But they provided booze as well." At that he rolled over lazily and looked at the campfire.

"A hearty meal, cold beer, a warm fire. It does not get much better then this." At that he looked to the sky. Looking at all the sparkling lights in the night sky Rico added. "Look at all that..... do you ever wonder if there is a god?" At that the elder wyvern resting not far away with crossed wings slowly turned his head and looked at the pile of human bones discarded not far away in a pile.

'I don't know..... Ask them. They screamed for gods help as we ate them.'

Being intoxicated Rico let out a laughing sound of there kind that sounded almost exactly like a Australian kookaburra bird before speaking in the human tongue. "Yes, I suppose that is true. No god appeared to save them. So clearly there is no god." At that Rico paused. "I have satisfied one hunger. But I still have yet to satisfy another." He did no elaborate. But the elder wyvern with the gift to read his thoughts has something to say as he looked away and spoke with disgust.

'Really? Have you no shame? Wanting to mate and couple with a human. You might as well lay down with a animal. Still, if you insist there is a human town not far away. You can go there tomorrow to satisfy your need.' 

"What is your problem with humans anyway? I like humans. Humans raised me you know." Rico said to the elder wyvern very much annoyed at the old lizard. He was always talking down on humans like they were animals. Mind you Rico had accepted the fact he would always crave human flesh because that is just the way it was. But how he killed and ate them was for him to decide. These were living breathing people with hearts, souls, and dreams. The old Wyverns words forced there way into his head.

'I do not have a problem with humans. As a matter of fact I think every Ostroja should own at least one.'

"Again the slave jokes....." Rico grumbled. "I know you told me once upon a time our ancestors ruled over mankind and used them for slave labor and food. But that is in the past. Last time I checked they outnumber us a hundred to one." The mental words of the psychic wyvern entered Rico's mind again this time more sad.

'Those were good days. Nothing could oppose us. We ruled like gods. But in our greed we also bred the humans like cattle and as often is the case with slaves and there masters. They rebelled. Gone are the days that we could fly openly in the skies with no fear. Gone are the days of our glory. Now we hide only to come out and hunt at night. The blood of our people has grown weak and it has grown thin Rico. You must come with me back to the others. You have to do your part for the clan.'

Rico knew what the old lizard wanted. He knew from the first time they had met when he asked Rico to go with him before. "I am still thinking about it. I just am not sure about the whole sitting around screwing around all day thing. Mind you I love it just as much as the next guy. But cmon, it will get pretty boring if that is all I do day after day. Pretty sure after a week of that I would not be able to walk straight."

At that thought Rico looked back to the campfire of the humans the two of them had eaten. "I'm going to sleep off this meal. You should do the same old man." With that Rico laid his head down and settled down for the night. Rico was done talking and ignored any more invasive thoughts the other attempted.

Rico shifted a bit and opened his eyes in a half dreamy state to find the other wyvern watching him. "Wow....." Rico said lowly with a sleepy voice. "That is not creepy at all." Rolling over Rico scratched under his jaw with a clawed foot and attempted to settle back down next to the dying campfire of last nights prey.

'You have to choose young tatter wing. Will you come with me? I will not wait for you any longer.'

The old lizards voice in Rico's mind did not hold any urgency. But when Rico thought about it. Its voice never did. Rico did not answer right away as he thought about the whole situation and what his companion wanted. "I am not ready to come with you right now to live with the others." Rico said lowly as he shifted to look into the dying embers of the campfire.

"From what you have told me in the past the clan and the eyrie kind of reminds me of the Amish. You want nothing to do with the outside world and only wish to be left alone to practice your ways.  I am not ready to just uproot and leave everything behind. No matter how much I want to. But I will come to the clan when I am ready." At that Rico went silent before adding. "When It feels right."

The old lizard seemed to accept this response and its invasive thoughts forced there way into Rico's mind.

'As you wish. To find us you but only need follow the tail of Lash-Ana.' At that the voice forced a image to appear in Rico's mind. The image of a select group of stars. 'Follow her tail when the hunters moon shines brightly with a halo across the great water. Far across the sea that glitters like star light. You will find a coastal shore washed with white waters. Then you rise high into the sky until you see nothing but a ocean of white clouds. It is then that you will see the sky islands. It is here you will find us. It is here that we will be waiting for you.'

The old voice of the other creature was relaxing in Rico's mind and just as it had finished imprinting the closely guarded instructions to finding there home Rico had fallen back asleep. When he woke up in the morning the old wyvern was gone leaving nothing behind but the faintest scent. Remembering the instructions Rico suddenly lost interest in turning to human form and visiting the nearby town.

Rico instead chose to return to the mansion.