Xilon D'Kohralx Vorian Churgo swung low over the forest. His wings rustled the treetops below him. Wind buffeted across his back as he glided along the air current. The sunrise colored the horizon in blues and purples. His favorite time of day. Used to be he and his brothers would do their first hunt this early. Savoring the food to welcome the new day. Too bad he couldn't stay out beneath the two suns’ warmth during this fine summer day.

Below him, growls and snarls erupted.

Perfect. His enemy had spotted him and was coming to attack like he’d planned.

Xilon released his dragonfire breath into the swarming Tryns below. Their poisoned spears soared up to meet him. He banked left. The weapons chewed the space he’d just vacated.

Their howls of anger rang in his ears, and he lifted a scaled talon in salute. He blasted the enemy again, hoping to fry their hairless dark hides. But he could roast thousands of them and that wouldn't quell their numbers. Fucking beasts multiplied faster than greziles.

The memory of his discovery on how they reproduced sat like a weight in his chest. Elora, his promised mate, had been shot down from Tryn. By the time Xilon learned what had happened to her. It was too late. Thousands of Tryn larva were eating the insides of her corpse. He had burned the forest down around him, cradling her scaled head, remaining intact, as he wept. He hadn't cried a tear since, nor had he ever loved again. Truth was, if he could take out these monsters completely, then he would do so no matter the cost. He'd give his life to see them all destroyed.

A final stream of dragonfire scorched the few stragglers that poured out of the burning forest. The smoke would alert more Tryns in the area. As much as he'd relish in killing more of the bastards, his father would send out a search party soon. And while he didn't care about himself, he wouldn't extend his recklessness to his people and family. The Tryns were too sneaky to turn his back on them for long. With rage festering in his heart, he turned back toward the mountains. Two of his brothers had gone to Earth and perhaps his father should order an evacuation. Let him and a few other warriors stay and exterminate Renjer of the Tryns. He'd stay and do it himself. Burn down his homeworld until nothing but lava remained. All that mattered was the Tryns were destroyed and his people survived.

He swooped low over the valley. Daring any hidden Tryn to come out and try to attack him.

Nothing but a few scattered hivlorx dashed across the grass. There used to be hundreds of the docile creatures in this meadow and now thanks to the Tryn, there were less every day. Renjerians’ food supply was dwindling. And as much as Xilon would love to feast on Tryn meat, their blood was poisonous to his kind if ingested or got through his scales into his bloodstream.

Like it or not, his father needed to do something soon. There small attacks against the Tryn weren't even putting a dent in the bastards’ numbers. Their people were weakening do to lowering food supply and having to hide during the day in a labyrinth of caves.

Xilon landed at the top of one of the mountain peaks and scanned the area one last time for the enemy. Earlier, the Tryn had followed his brother Kohl and a human woman here. Then Taurian, his other brother, had fought a giant Tryn and both had disappeared.

It had taken all his family to fight the swarm of Tryns before they discovered his secret home in the mountains. There was little place elsewhere to hide on Renjer. The enemy had taken over all his father's places and they'd found the caves in the forests.

Not seeing any of the Tryns dark shapes across the valley or in the mountains, Xilon flew to the cave opening and ducked inside quickly.

His wings scrapped along the stone walls.

In the opening, his sister Desmada rushed forward, her tail thrashing the dirt floor.

“Where have you been?” Her scaled eyebrows rose. “It's been daylight for over an hour.”

“Out.” He shrugged.

She rested a talon over her pregnant belly. Soon she would nest and lay her eggs. “And what if you had gotten captured or killed?”

“Then I would hope to take as many of the bastards as I could with me.”

“Xilon!” Her spiked tail twitched behind her, showing her irritation. “What about those you'd leave behind? And don't you think you should have a family yourself? Life must go on. We can't fight and battle all the time.”

“Why not?” He grinned. “Suits me just fine.”

She blocked his path through the dirt tunnel. “If that's all you think there is, then the enemy has already won. We forget love and our family and making new Renjerians, then we'll become extinct.”

“A warrior's life is not his own. I fight so that one day our people will live in peace like before the Tryns invaded.” Even if it meant sacrificing his life, which he’d do gladly, providing it would kill every last Tryn around.

“I will plead to the ancestors to send love to you.” She rubbed her scaled nose against his cheek. “It's no good having a life without love. Without someone to share everything with.”

He stepped away. “I've been a loner my entire life. If I wasn't fighting and making babies, we'd all be dead now.”

“I know.” She sighed. “That's not what I'm trying to say. Just don't shut out love and your family.”

“I'm not. I'm trying to protect you all.” He brushed past her to one of the cave openings. Damn them all. Did they not realize the danger he faced each and every day to keep the monsters from discovering their hideout? His half-brother Kohl had led a mob right to them weeks ago. And now Xilon had to do nightly scouts of their location before he could move into hunting them in the valleys and forests.

Taurian, his older brother, wasn't much better. He'd been missing since the attack as well.

A roar ahead shook the cave and rocks cascaded down onto Xilon’s head. Fungus warts! Father's upset about something again. Xilon raced down the labyrinth to his father's chambers. His father, King of Renjer, sat in a dirt cave instead of on one of his thrones.

Xilon burst past the opening and skidded to a stop. Standing in front of his father were two humans. He inhaled, but only scented his father and two of his brothers: Kohl and Taurian. But that was impossible. It was only his father and these two men in the chamber.

His scales tightened. Had these humans harmed his brothers and gotten their smell all over them?

“What's going on?” Xilon asked. Did these men have magic? How else could they have bested two dragons? Sure, Kohl was the youngest and runt of the family since his mom had been human. But Taurian? He learned most of his fighting skills from his older brother.

His father snorted. “Tell him, Taurian. Or better yet, why don't you both show him.”

Both humans turned to him. They looked like every other human he'd seen. No scales or colors. Just flesh and bones and easy to snap into pieces. Xilon let out a low growl that neither human trembled at hearing.

The man on the right turned and something in his sapphire eyes gave Xilon pause. Taurian’s scales were that color blue…almost. And he got a sense of his brother like he was there with them, but that was impossible. Renjerians couldn’t shift into humans or vice versa. No one knew how to do that save dark magicians that had been extinct long before Xilon was even born.

With a pop, the man began to transform. His body lengthened and his flesh shifting to scales. His brother, Taurian stood before him.

“You too, Kohlxchijr,” his father said using his youngest brother’s full name rather than his nickname.

When the second man transformed into Kohl, Xilon’s rage boiled in his chest.

“What sorcery is this?” Xilon asked. Whoever had done this to his brothers would pay.