In a Blue Moon

TF

Tick. Tick. Azure watched the seconds click down until class finally ended. He'd been at this school for about a week, and was surviving. He'd managed to avoid any drama so far, mainly by virtue of his quiet nature.

As he picked up his belongings, an excited voice called, "Hey Azure!"

"Hey, Percy," he replied. He wasn't quite sure if he would call Percy a friend, but it wasn't as if Azure disliked him. In fact, he felt a sort of connection since his first night here. Percy never mentioned those weird cult-looking guys, so it seemed to Azure like Percy had some secret life of his own.

"Hey, if you're not doing anything, is it cool if I hang at your place?" Despite Azure's uncertainty, Percy seemed to consider them friends.

Azure sighed, "Sorry, I don't think my Uncle'd be alright with it. Plus we're still getting moved in." It was just excuses. He liked when it was just him and his Uncle, since it was the only time he could be a dragon.

"Oh. Alright, next time, then." Percy started running off in some direction. "Later!"

"Yeah, later..." Azure took a last moment to make sure he had everything, and began his way back home.

As usual, his Uncle was out at work when Azure got to the apartment. Fortunately, that day's note said he'd be home earlier than normal. Again as usual, Azure took on his hybrid form the second he was inside. After a day of sitting and waiting, nothing felt better than stretching his wings.

It was about an hour later that it got dark out. Out on the balcony, Azure had a stunning view of the full moon sitting over a clean reflection in the water.

Full moons were something Azure was always a bit curious about. Not the event itself, but everything associated with it. The idea that a full moon can spur magic or some other supernatural force. Indeed, he did feel somewhat empowered on those nights, like he could fly a bit faster.

On fullmoon nights, Azure liked to be more unusual types of dragons. It wasn't something he made a big deal out of, just a thing he did that was mildly amusing. This night, he decided to let his powers do whatever, and see what he'd become. Another mild amusement. Standing on out on the balcony, the moon reflecting in his eyes, an aura of blue flame burst to life around Azure.

The first thing to change were his wings. Initially bat-like limbs blue with leathery black membranes, they flared out, with their 'fingers' rapidly losing definition. The blue bled into the black as they started to thin out, almost resembling  butterfly's wings. The edges gained a black border, speckled with light red spots, while the insides took on a brighter shade of blue than Azure would usually have.

"Huh. That's neat," Azure commented as he gave his odd wings a few test waves.

Next was his tail. It grew out longer, gaining a solid few feet, as its rough scales smoothed out and took on the same bright shade. The whole thing slimmed down as its spines shrank away. The black spade on its end flared and grew into two fins with the same shape as his wings, taking on a similar design of a black, red-speckled border with a cyan inside.

Azure curled his tail around his legs, then up into his hands. "This feels nice," he commented, experimentally flexing its large, decorated fins. He appreciated having a lighter and more flexible tail. "But am I still going to be a hybrid, or... Oh." At that point, cyan scales started to coat his hands.

His fingers grew into long, whitish claws as they rapidly lost dexterity. Scales zipped up his soon-to-be forelegs, smooth and slightly shiny. Once they reached his shoulders, the scales began down his torso, giving it the same smooth, slim shape as most of this form. His legs changed shortly after, locking Azure into the quadruped stance he was comfortable in.

Last, the scales ran up his neck, stretching it out a couple feet. Azure closed his eyes while his head changed. His mouth and nose grew into a slim muzzle, while his already-draconic ears grew a bit wider, assuming the shape of an insect wing. Instead of growing horns, a long pair of antennae grew out just above his ears.

Azure opened his larger eyes, and flicked the strange things on his head. He could taste the air with them, and feel even the smallest breeze. It was a bit disorienting, but nothing too overwhelming. It was then that he realized that, throughout the entire transformation, he'd been shrinking, and was now only a few feet tall.

"So, I guess I'm a..." Azure glanced behind him at his huge butterfly wings. "...fairy dragon? That's neat, I guess..."

His ears and antennae perked up when he heard a door open behind him. "Azure, I'm back," called a familiar voice.

Azure whipped around to see a brown-haired man wearing a button-down and khakis. It was almost comedic, how utterly normal he looked. "Uncle Ryan!" Azure ran over to him, his tail wagging like a puppy's.

"Oh. New look?" Ryan set down on a knee and rubbed his supposed-nephew's head. "It's cute."

"Yeah, I know..." Azure managed to hold back a small purr. Even if he sort of liked being stroked and pet, he hated the idea of acting like a pet. "Is it okay if I go out like this? I like these wings, so..."

Ryan sighed, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Alright. But eat some dinner first, okay?"

"Okay." Azure nodded, then made his first attempt at flying on a bug's wings. It was clear he wasn't used to them; Unlike the steady, rhythmic beating he was used to, he needed to constantly flap these to keep in midair. He got the hang of it pretty quick, and discovered that they allowed him to hover in place and quickly zip a short distance.

Ryan quietly watched his nephew flutter over to the refrigerator and pull out a chunk of raw meat that probably weighed more than the dragon carrying it. Then, he breathed a bit of fire to heat it up- or, he tried to. Instead of the usual blue flame, he spewed some kind of glittery dust. Azure whimpered with disappointment.

"Looks like cooked meat it is," Ryan said, putting the raw meat back and bringing out a few frozen patties.

"It just tastes fake," Azure complained.

Thirty minutes later, Ryan had a hamburger and Azure had a small stack of beef. They sat on the couch and turned on the first channel that seemed interesting. "So, how's school?"

"Fine," Azure said between rapid bites. "It's just a bunch of waiting, really."

"Preach." Ryan nodded. "And... you haven't had any problems, have you?"

" 'course not," Azure replied, shaking his head. "Unless you count those weird robed guys, anyways. But I haven't seen them since."

Ryan nodded again. "That's good. Let's hope it stays that way."

"Oh yeah." By then, Azure had already finished his meal. Even when they're small, dragons have monstrous appetites. He gazed out at the balcony excitedly.

"Go for it," Ryan said. "Just be back before sunrise."

"Thanks! See you then!" With that, Azure zipped out into the night sky.

It didn't take long for Azure to realize that his new wings weren't built for soaring long distances, so he touched down in a park. It was late, so there was nobody around. Just him, and this little pocket of nature.

Parks were another thing he liked. In general, he felt more at home in forests and whatnot than the cities he actually lived in, so it was refreshing to see a small piece of a natural setting in the middle of an artificial landscape.

It wasn't long before he felt a presence. His antennae twitched nervously, as they felt the air moving in a way that said Azure wasn't alone anymore. He didn't know why he was so nervous all of a sudden, until he turned around. There, looking right at him, were three of those strange robed people.

There was no delay. Azure bolted out into the trees. He probably could shift into a more powerful shape and scare them off again, but he didn't feel the need. Even if his current shape couldn't fly too far, he was still much more quick, light, and agile than normal, perfect for shooting through thick foliage.

He ran until he reached what he thought was the middle of the man-made forest. He let out a relieved sigh, and curled up near a large tree. He was tired, he wanted to rest.

Then something struck him, and everything went dark.