No one noticed when Caven slipped away. He’d done it on purpose, knowing the fight with the humans would distract the others. He’d hoped it would be enough for him to be able to leave without them noticing, and he was right. Now he was free, albeit on the run.

It was terrifying.

He stayed in his human form as he made his way through the forest. He’d never been on his own. He’d never not had a home. He’d planned on leaving so he wouldn’t have to return to his cell once they were back at the palace, but now that he had, he didn’t know what to do.

He clearly should have planned this better.

He could still hear the sounds of dragons and humans fighting somewhere behind him, but he knew the queen was safe, which was all that mattered. Her inner circle would make sure nothing happened to her. They were tight-knit and the backbone of the queen’s presence on the throne. Still, Caven felt slightly guilty at the thought that he could have done more to help the clan. He should be defending the clan and Queen Ita from the humans, not running away.

But there was no going back for him.

There wasn’t much to do for a dragon who didn’t have a clan, which was what Caven was now. He could find another one, but he doubted anyone would welcome him. He didn’t want anything to do with the clans who would, because they were traitors of the worst kind, and that wasn’t someone Caven wished to ally himself with. They’d demand he betray the Ogorth clan, which Caven would never do.

That only left one possibility. No matter how much he didn’t like it, he’d have to blend in with humans.

Caven looked down at himself. Even though he was in his human form, there was little human about him. A glance would be enough for anyone to know he didn’t belong, and with humans now aware that dragons could turn into a human form, it could spell trouble for him. So, staying with humans was out, too. What did that leave?

He supposed he could stay in the forest. If he did it right, he could hide in the trees while also being close enough to a human town that he’d be able to get food and whatever else he needed. They wouldn’t even have to see him. He could sneak in and out of town during the night when humans slept. Anything would be better than going back to the cell he’d been stuck in since his cousin had arrested him.

He stumbled on a root at the thought of his cousin. He wasn’t innocent in this situation, and was very much aware of it. He’d been trying to protect the clan in the only way he knew how to, and he’d been an idiot. He should have known better than to go after the people who were important to the queen, but it had been easy, or at least, it had felt like it would be. He shouldn’t have listened to his father, but then that went for every single situation Caven had found himself in. He now knew that taking Ita’s place on the throne wouldn’t have saved the clan, no matter how many times his father had told him it would.

He swallowed and pushed past a branch. He let it go too quickly, and it slapped him in the face, scratching him. He scowled at the tree, but he continued walking.

He wasn’t used to any of this. This forest wasn’t his place. The cell he’d been in wasn’t his place. His place was at the palace, surrounded by his allies. His place was on the throne in his cousin’s position, according to his father.

Caven wasn’t sure about that anymore.

He’d allowed his father to convince him that everything would be okay once he was king. He’d allowed his father to convince him that he wanted to be king and that being king would make him happy. Caven now knew that wasn’t true. He’d watched the queen long enough to know how hard her job was. It would probably be an easier job with him not there to be an asshole, but he couldn’t help but worry.

Without him there to keep his father at bay while also smoothing things out with some of the other clans his father had allied himself with, would the queen be able to keep the clan safe?

The Ogorth clan was Caven’s entire life. He’d been doing his best to keep it safe, which hadn’t been easy when his father was actively working against both the clan and the queen. Caven had been stupid enough to go along with what his father wanted because he thought it was what he should do, but he knew better now. The problem was that his cousin didn’t. The queen wasn’t aware that Caven’s father had been involved in all of this and that he was probably behind the fact that the humans had found them. Caven wouldn’t put it past him to have told the humans where they could find dragons in the hopes they’d capture Ita and some of her allies. 

Humans were greedy, and even though they now knew that dragons could turn into humans, Caven wasn’t surprised they still hunted them. They were afraid of what they didn’t know, and they didn’t know dragons. It was entirely their fault, too. They’d been hunting dragons for hundreds of years, so who would blame dragons for hiding?

But Caven supposed he would have to get used to being around humans. He’d have to be careful, because he’d end up killed and torn apart if he wasn't. There was no going back to the Ogorth clan, though. After what Caven had done, there was no place for him there.