blueteamnovel Chapter 6 Growth
Chapter 6 Growth
Contract Dragon: Shadowflame.
Status: Newborn dragon. Satiety: 85% (Good).
Body length: Approximately 0.41 meters (grows slowly).
Weight: Approximately 2.5 kg (slowly increasing).
Ability: Basic fire breath (Hatchling level, proficiency slightly improved).
Intimacy level: 25/100.
The satiety level reached a good 85%.
There was a slight but real increase in body length and weight.
My proficiency with fire breath has increased.
The intimacy level has increased to 25.
The extremely simple raw fish feast had a far greater effect than expected.
After eating and drinking his fill, a wave of fatigue washed over him. Will found a sheltered spot under an abandoned pier, where dried seaweed and tattered canvas scraps were piled up.
He quickly cleaned up the area, spread the relatively clean canvas on the ground, and lay down inside, holding the somewhat drowsy and curled-up Yingyan.
Shadowflame automatically found the most comfortable spot in his arms, resting its head on his arm, its slender tail wrapped around his wrist, and its body heat warmed his cold body through its tattered clothes.
Xiao Long soon began to breathe softly and rhythmically, and fell asleep.
It needs to digest food and also needs to accelerate its growth during sleep.
Will lay on his back, looking through the gaps in the wooden planks of the pier at the Braavos night sky, shrouded in mist and devoid of stars.
The sound of flowing water filled my ears, and occasionally, the cry of a night bird or the faint whistle of a ship could be heard in the distance.
My body was exhausted and I had pain in many places, but my mind was unusually clear.
Will was awakened by a wet, warm, rough touch on his cheek.
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He suddenly opened his eyes, his consciousness instantly snapping out of his deep exhaustion, and looked around warily.
The light under the pier was still dim, but it was no longer the deep black of the night; instead, it had a hazy, pre-dawn glow.
The sound of water continued to flow, and the air was filled with the unique scent of early morning, a mixture of moisture and faint mud.
Touching him from his embrace.
Shadowflame has awakened.
It was rubbing its little head, covered with fine black scales and dark red patterns, against Will's chin and cheek. The action was not so much affectionate as it was more like an urging.
Or it could simply be a matter of moving your neck.
The dark gold vertical pupils were exceptionally clear in the dim light, staring unblinkingly at Will, with a small, dark red spark burning steadily in the center of the pupil.
Seeing that Will had woken up, Shadowflame stopped wriggling, let out a short, impatient hiss, and gently slapped Will's arm with its long tail.
Will sat up, his body aching, and his first thought was to check on Shadowflame's condition.
Xiao Long looks to be in good spirits.
The languor after last night's hearty meal has completely vanished, replaced by a newfound, energetic restlessness.
The tiny bony spurs on its back seemed to stand more upright, and the black scales gleamed with a restrained, metallic sheen in the dim light, while the dark red veins appeared even clearer.
Then, Will noticed the difference.
On either side of Shadowflame's back, close to the spine, the wings, which were originally only slightly raised, now clearly bulged into two symmetrical, palm-sized protrusions.
The scales on those raised areas were slightly lighter in color, leaning more towards dark gray, and their texture seemed to be more supple, rising and falling slightly with Shadowflame's breath.
It's those wing buds.
Although it is still very small and far from being able to take flight, this is undoubtedly a clear signal that Shadowflame is growing, and at a speed that may be faster than expected.
Contract Dragon: Shadowflame.
Status: Newborn dragon.
Satiety level: 70% (slowly decreasing, need to eat).
Body length: approximately 0.42 meters. Weight: approximately 2.7 kilograms.
Growth stage: Hatchling stage.
Abilities: Basic fire breath, weak dragon's might, scale armor defense, sharp claws and teeth, wing bud development (early stage).
Intimacy level: 28/100.
With satiety dropping to 70%, it's clear that dragons expend enormous amounts of energy for growth and metabolism.
Its body length and weight have increased slightly again.
The growth stage has skipped 5 points!
It seems the raw fish feast last night had a significant effect. Our intimacy level also increased by 3 points.
Wing bud development, early stage.
A surge of excitement welled up in Will's heart.
However, Shadowflame's greater energy requirements—developing flight organs and muscles—will certainly not be small.
"Hungry?" Will rubbed Shadowflame's head. The little dragon didn't dodge or flinch, but instead nudged Will's palm with its nose, conveying a clear desire for food.
Will himself was hungry.
The calories provided by those two small fish last night have long been used up.
He moved his stiff, cold limbs. The wound on his back seemed to have formed a thin scab overnight. It still stung when he moved, but it was much better than yesterday.
He carried Yingyan out of the temporary shelter under the pier.
The morning chill hit me, mixed with water mist.
A thin veil of white mist shrouded the river, making visibility worse than last night, but also more concealed.
Fishing has once again become the top priority.
Having learned from last night's experience, Will's movements became much more practiced.
He re-tied the makeshift harpoon and stepped barefoot into the icy river.
This time, Shadowflame didn't stay on the shore, but followed closely behind him in the shallow water. Its slender neck was raised, and its dark gold vertical pupils sharply scanned the water surface, like a small, black predator sentinel.
Perhaps the fish are more active in the early morning, or perhaps their "combination" does indeed create a certain deterrent and efficiency; today's harvest was smoother than yesterday's.
Will was in charge of observation and stabbing, while Shadowflame was in charge of deterrence and interference, occasionally unleashing a small burst of scorching air for "precision strikes".
More than an hour later, they successfully caught four fish, slightly fewer than the previous night, but slightly larger on average.
It is still eaten raw.
Will and Shadowflame shared the cold breakfast on the shore.
After eating the fish, Will could feel a warm current spreading in his stomach, dispelling some of the chill.
Shadowflame ate with undivided focus and speed. As the food entered its stomach, the two small wing buds on its back seemed to swell up a little more, and the membrane under the scales could be faintly seen to pulsate.
Its satiety level had recovered to 80%. Shadowflame licked its front paws contentedly, then made a move that surprised Will.
It stepped back a few paces and walked to a relatively flat pebble beach, lowered its body slightly, stretched its neck, and visibly tightened the muscles on both sides of its back.
Then it began to try, somewhat clumsily, to thump the two bulges.
Once, twice...
The black scales tightened and relaxed in the dim light of dawn, while the dark gray wing bud membranes were pulled outward by internal forces, trembling slightly as if trying to break free of their restraints and unfold.
But it was too small and not strong enough.
The wing bud had only swelled slightly, its raised outline becoming more pronounced. Through the translucent, tough membrane, one could even see the extremely delicate, dark red skeletal structure inside, like the patterns of lava encased in the finest black glass.
However, those tiny wings ultimately failed to unfold; they merely stretched the membrane to its limit in vain before helplessly relaxing back down.
Shadowflame seemed somewhat annoyed, letting out a low, frustrated hiss, and irritably scratching at the pebbles on the ground with its hind paws.
Will walked over, crouched down, and gently stroked Shadowflame's neck and back, not daring to touch the still slightly trembling wing bud. "Don't worry, little one. Your wings will grow. Wait until you eat more and grow a little bigger."
His reassurance seemed to work; Shadowflame calmed down, turned his head, and looked at Will with his dark gold vertical pupils, the dark red spark in his pupils flickering.
Then, it made another move—it tried to stretch one of its wing buds upward and backward as much as possible. Although it only stretched the membrane and did not actually unfold, the posture vaguely resembled the rudimentary form of a bird about to take flight someday.
Immediately afterwards, it emitted a trembling sound from its throat that was lower and longer than its usual hissing.
The sound wasn't loud, but it had a strange penetrating power, as if it could cause a slight resonance in the air.
With that trembling sound, a distorted heat wave, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, appeared in front of its slightly open mouth.
It wasn't the scorching, spewing airflow of last night; it was more like a condensation.
Or perhaps it was an initial attempt at controlling and shaping the ability to exhale?
Although nothing was sprayed out, Will could sense that the flame-related energy within Shadowflame's body was flowing and converging in a more orderly manner.