Peryite He Is

“Greetings, my brother-shedding-son.”

It was the Dawn. Or was it? It was somewhere and Peryite did not know where as he stared upwards up at his father-brother-shedder with great unease and shame.

“…”

“Why do you not speak? Have you forgotten the good manners that you once so greatly possessed? Look at me and greet me.”

“Greetings, Aka, my father-brother-shedder. I am not worthy to be in your presence.”

The Great Dragon blinks his eyelid and stretches, staring at the Taskmaster with a confused expression. “What do you mean by those words, Peryite? Tell me what is troubling you.”

“I do not know the right words to describe it.”

“Do you need to see the Tome of New Words?” Aka winked, and Peryite couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at the question. “Speak from your heart, my brother-shedding-son.”

The Taskmaster shuffled on his legs. “I lied and threw away the sphere that you gave me without care just to save the life of my shedding-brother. But I do not feel sorry but I know I should. What is wrong with me, father-brother-shedder? Am I not a true part of you?”

Aka chuckled. “Do you know why your name does not begin with the same letter your shedding-brothers? Why they are Auri-El and Alkosh and Alduin and Akatosh?”

“No, I do not.”

“Because you are the most like me because you are different. They are similar in name because they are merely me. But you, Peryite, you are different. You have never been like me, not all the way. Do you see it now?”

The Taskmaster looked shocked at the Great Dragon, not fully understanding his words.

“You…wanted me to be like this?”

“No, I didn’t. But I am pleased that you are. You became something that I needed, my brother-shedding-son. Something that I am proud of. The others, they were falling apart and losing their sense of identify. You, however Peryite, retained yours because you were different.”

“I didn’t wish to be this way.”

“But you are. And you like being what you are now instead of what you once was. Come, Peryite, take your Perch on my nose one more time.”

At those words the former Little Dragon gasped and backed away on instinct, before nodding his head and flying upwards into the non-air and perching on Aka’s nose.

“It has been many years.”

“We are beings of Time, my brother-shedding-son. Such things are not relative, and are always happening.”

“That is true. I think…”

“Peryite, I know. You do not have to be ashamed.”

“I came here to say goodbye to myself. And then I wondered if I should. But now I know I have to and I need to. I am no longer a shard of you Aka. I am better than you.”

“Goodbye, Peryite.”

And then the Taskmaster, who got to be the Little Dragon one last time, left himself behind in that unknown abyss and fled the home he never knew.

THE END.