A week later, during playti, the garden was noisy as usual. Luna was racing around the trees so fast she was practically a blur, her small wolf form kicking up leaves in her wake. Kelpie was splashing tiny arcs of water at anyone who ca too close, giggling every ti soone squeaked and jumped away. Rocky was crouched near a patch of pebbles, arranging them carefully by size and color, his little stone tongue poking out in concentration. And Felix stood nearby, pretending not to participate while clearly observing everything with the intensity of a nature docuntarian.
And in the middle of all that movent, all that chaos, all that normal kindergarten energy—
Drake was sitting on the grass.
Not running.
Not shouting.
Not challenging anyone to a race or trying to set sothing on fire accidentally.
Just sitting there, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk storing nuts for winter, staring at absolutely nothing.
Boo slowly floated down in front of him, tilting his head with extre suspicion. His eyes narrowed dramatically.
"What is wrong with you, Dragoon?" he asked curiously, circling Drake like a detective examining a cri scene. "You are not moving. You are not yelling. You are not even chasing Luna. This is concerning."
"I am tired," Drake replied with a dramatic sigh worthy of a stage performance. He lowered himself backward onto the grass with exaggerated slowness and spread his arms wide like a fallen warrior.
Boo blinked in disbelief, freezing mid-float. "You? You are tired? You are the most energetic creature in the entire world! How is this possible? Have you been replaced by an imposter? Are you an imposter dragon now?"
Drake turned his head slowly toward him, moving like soone in slow motion. "Yesterday I was a powerful dragon. Today I am... a soft potato."
Luna stopped mid-run and stared at him from across the garden, her ears perking up in confusion. "You are weird. Like, extra weird today. What happened to you?"
Boo hovered closer, thinking so hard that steam might have co out of his ears if he had a physical form. "Maybe you should chase Luna. You will get your energy back. Chasing is good for energy."
Drake shook his head weakly, barely moving. "I have no energy to chase. No energy for anything."
He did not even lift his arms this ti. That alone made everyone pause mid-activity. Drake not moving his arms while talking was like the sun not rising in the morning. It was wrong. It was unnatural. It was cause for concern.
Just then, Vlad Jr. approached calmly, holding a water bottle with both hands like he was presenting a sacred offering. His steps were asured, his expression serious.
"I got you water," he said politely, offering it to Drake with formal dignity. "Maybe you had heatstroke from running too much yesterday."
Drake blinked at him slowly, processing the information at half speed.
Felix finally walked over, hands in his pockets, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the whole situation. His red eyes scanned Drake with scientific detachnt.
"Not everyone gets heatstroke from the sun," Felix said evenly, adjusting his invisible glasses. "And not to ntion, he is a fire dragon. He basically enjoys high temperatures. Heat is his natural habitat. If anything, the cold would bother him more."
Drake nodded weakly in agreent, his head bobbing like a buoy. "Yes. The sun is my friend. The sun and I, we are brothers. We have an understanding."
"Then why are you lting?" Luna asked flatly, hands on her hips.
"I am not lting," Drake protested softly, his voice lacking its usual fire. "I am... conserving. Saving energy for later. Strategic resting."
Boo gasped so dramatically that he floated backward several feet. "He is in dragon-saving mode! Only essential functions are working!"
Vlad Jr. still held the water bottle patiently, his arm never wavering. "Regardless of the theories, you should drink. Hydration is important for all creatures, even fire dragons."
Drake pushed himself up slightly with visible effort and took the bottle. He drank slowly, dramatically, like a hero recovering from battle in an epic tale.
Everyone watched intently.
Nothing happened.
He blinked twice.
Still tired.
His wings drooped even more behind him, sagging against the grass like forgotten laundry. His usual spark was completely missing, replaced by sothing that looked almost like exhaustion.
"What happened?" Rocky asked softly as he walked closer, his carefully arranged pebbles forgotten when he saw Drake’s unusually weak face. His brow furrowed with worry.
"We have no idea," Boo said, swishing his tail nervously back and forth. "Dragoon suddenly lost energy. He was fine yesterday. Today he is... half-charged. Quarter-charged. Maybe one-eighth charged."
Kelpie blinked and crouched near Drake, his big eyes wide with concern. Little water droplets sprayed gently as he moved. "Did you run too much? Did you play too hard? Did you forget to eat lunch?"
"I always run too much," Drake muttered darkly. "Running is my purpose. Running is my identity. And I never forget to eat food."
Lucien stepped forward quietly, observing him with calm, thoughtful eyes. His dark gaze swept over Drake’s form, cataloging details. Sable hurried beside him imdiately and knelt down without hesitation.
"Drake... are you sick?" Sable asked in a worried voice, his big black eyes shining with genuine concern.
"No," Drake replied slowly, like the word was heavy. "I do not feel sick. I just feel... slow. Like soone put rocks in my legs."
"Slow?" Luna repeated, looking deeply suspicious. "You do not know how to be slow. You were born running."
Drake frowned deeply. "Exactly. That is the problem. I am experiencing sothing new, and I do not like it."
Felix finally approached fully, folding his arms as if this were a scientific case requiring careful analysis. His expression was serious. "Describe your symptoms."
Drake blinked. "What?"
"Symptoms," Felix repeated patiently, like he was explaining to soone very dense. "What exactly feels wrong? We need details for a diagnosis."
Drake thought very hard, his brow furrowing with the effort. "My body feels heavy. Like soone filled with rocks. And weird. And my back feels strange."
"Strange how?" Rocky asked carefully, leaning closer.
"Like... tight?" Drake said uncertainly. "And itchy. But not normal itchy. Different itchy. Back itchy."
Boo gasped dramatically, floating up and down like a yo-yo. "You are cursed! Soone cursed you! Maybe you ate cursed food! Maybe you looked at a cursed mirror! Maybe you said ’vampire’ three tis in a mirror!"
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