Forum Thread

First I would like to tell you something about this "Fanfiction"... It's not a fanfiction. It's supposed to turn into a real novel someday. Additionally, this is kind of version 2.0, the first version being written in German with a slightly different storyline, but being finished basically, though it misses some details and is about 50 Microsoft word pages long. I'm not very good in writing things unimportant for the main story, that's why it's still this short.
This second version is written in english (as it's sometimes easier for me although I'm german xD) and it's only 13 Word pages long.

These two stories have been read only by myself, my mother and maybe another person. I have a concrete imagination of the main story, as well as the main characters, but any ideas for side stories /-characters are very welcome, as well as pointing out spelling or grammar mistakes.
Please tell me if you would like me to upload the first (german) version, that is, if you're are able to read german~

So let's get started with this in the next post! I'm excited! Oh by the way, it's a story about dragons being able to shapeshift into humans and one of these dragons (not all are able to shapeshift) falling in love with a human. Like... Twilight with dragons instead of vampires haha.

What I forgot to add: anything written in italics means it's said over telepathy or it's the thoughts of a person.

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A dark red scaled tail swept across Felizita’s furred back. She watched her mate with her glowing green eyes. In her claws she held their child, protected by a hard eggshell. Their breaths warmed the cave they lived in, and so they warmed the child. The male laid down next to the young mother.
How long do you think will it take? Felizita asked her mate through telepathy.
All dragons had a lot of ways to communicate with each other. The most used method was telepathy and growling sounds, but they could use their voices just like humans. Since dragons have a different language when using the ‘spoken language’, they prefer talking via telepathy. Only those with dragonblood understand draconic.
Not long anymore, don’t worry. Athanasius licked her head. He was very proud of his mate. She was one of the rare furred dragons, and the scaled dragons, who lived in these mountains, didn’t accept her. But all the time she had held her head high up and now she even found some friends. They were on their way to this cave, together with their child.
Felizita’s ears twitched when she heard the flapping of three pairs of wings. Please guide Derya and Diego in, Athanasius. They just arrived. She nestled her head to the egg. It had the same dark red color as Athanasius’ scales, like most of the fire dragons. She, on the other hand, was one of the wingless wind dragons. They were rare in comparison to their winged relatives, and only show up in the race of the wind dragons. Felizita’s fur was light blue, nearly white, her belly fur was cream-colored and the long fur along her spine was light orange.
On soft paws the four dragons entered the cave. Derya, the female storm dragon with the grey scales, greeted her friend by nudging her softly. How are you, Felizita? And how’s the baby?
Thanks for coming. We are pretty fine and the baby is starting to move. She’s really full of energy. Felizita smiled.
Oh, you already know it’s going to be a girl? Diego asked, the mate of Derya, and Felizita nodded.
Yes, we can hear her thoughts clearly. So, little Bella, you are going to have a playmate very soon.
Bella was hiding behind her father’s leg, but nodded shyly. She watched the egg with curious red eyes. They didn’t stand out on her red scales. Since her parents were a fire dragon, which were the native dragons in these mountains, and a storm dragon, her scales were colored in red and grey and she had a few little horns on her head.
The egg between Felizita’s claws moved. Athanasius laid down next to his mate quickly.
What is it? Diego asked with an anxious voice.
She… she wants Bella to come nearer.
Diego gently pushed Bella forward with a paw. Don’t worry, they won’t bite you. He encouraged her with a smile. Bella sat down next to the egg and sniffed at it.
She smells…nice. The young dragon smiled, but then jumped back when the egg moved again. Felizita held it tight in her claws. Don’t worry; she’s always moving when she says something. She said she likes your smell, too.
Derya stepped forward. I am sorry to say this so abrupt, but we’ll be going now. Little Bella hadn’t eaten anything today, so we’ll go hunting now. I am happy to see that everything is good. I really enjoyed visiting you.
Yes, it was fun. Feel free to come back anytime. Goodbye! She watched her friends leaving their cave. She closed her eyes and sighed.

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Well, first off I wanted to ask you if I'm allowed to post stuff on this. And second, LOVE IT! I really hope you post more stuff on this, because I want to hear all of it. ^U^ *squee* :D

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Of course you're allowed to post here! I wanted to have some feedback before posting more of it. Glad you like it!

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I really am looking forward to seeing more of this. I love it! Due to my confusing European heritage, I can read German, so I'd be interested in the first version, as well. Keep writing, it's a great start!

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Are you alright? You seem tired. Athanasius watched her with a careful eye.
I’m fine. It’s just that I can’t wait until our baby hatches. I feel… useless when she’s there in her egg. I hope she hatches soon. She laid her head next to the egg. Her breath went even and she fell asleep. Athanasius laid his head down for some sleep, too. With a last powerful breath to heat up the cave his mind washed away.

The young parents watched their egg for a few more days, when suddenly small cracks appeared on the outside. The child pushed against the shell with its nose and her small claws tried to scratch a hole into the shell. Felizita opened a small hole to help her baby and with a last powerful hit the hatchling raised her head out of the egg. With large yellow eyes she looked around the cave. She climbed out of her little sanctuary and fell on her nose. With a small growl she licked her paws. She had beautiful dark red scales and a short mane along her cervical. She was wingless just like her mother and also had soft, catlike paws, which seemed too big for her tiny body. Then she noticed the huge paws around her and looked up, straight into her father’s blue eyes. She cheeped surprised and jumped up. She tried to growl at the huge dragon, but all that came out of her throat was a gurgling sound. Athanasius laughed.
The little hatchling is afraid of me. That’s too delicious!
Felizita pushed away her mate. Stop that, she’s still newborn and didn’t have as much contact with you as with me. Hello, my child. Don’t be afraid of him, he won’t hurt you.
The hatchling watched the female dragon anxiously, and then put on a smile. Without a word she went forth and prowled around her mother’s front legs. She smiled at her and made the gurgling sound again, this time meant as purring. Her paws made no noise on the rocky ground. Felizita licked her body dry, since she was still coated in mucus from the egg. The hatchling pressed herself against the tongue and purred again. Athanasius came nearer and laid his head down so the child wouldn’t be afraid of him again. The hatchling went to her father and patted his soft nose with her paw. Now he could hear her thoughts more clearly.
“I love you, Dad,” she said with a loving voice and smiled a wide smile, exposing her tiny but sharp teeth.
He nestled his head to hers. “I love you, too. Aren’t you hungry, little girl?”
How about we think about a name first? Or do you want to keep calling her ‘little girl’ and ‘little hatchling’? Felizita watched her child playing with her tail. I like the name ‘Kiko’.[i]
[i]Where did you get that? I’d prefer ‘Nova’.[i] Athanasius snuffled.
[i]She will decide. Come here, my baby.[i] Slowly the hatchling went back to her mother. [i]Which name do you like most? ‘Kiko’ or ‘Nova’?[i]
She looked at her mother, at her father, and back again to her mother. Then she murmured: “Kiko…” took a deep breath and continued: “… or Nova?” She seemed to be deep in thought, when she suddenly sat down. “I like Kiko. Who is that?”
[i]Kiko, my little girl, is you.[i] Her mother smiled as Kiko looked at her confused.
“I am Kiko? So, my name is Kiko?” she asked, watching her father, who had closed his eyes.
[i]Yes, you are Kiko. Remember this name, because it will shadow you your whole life.
Suddenly Kiko’s stomach growled. “Mum, I’m hungry. May I get something to eat?”
Of course, darling. Come, we’ll go hunting. Athanasius, you’ll stay here.
The pair stepped out of the cave onto a landing platform. “How are we supposed to get to the food?” asked Kiko and peeked over the edge of the platform.
Her mother jumped off the cliff and floated up again. We are going to fly!

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“But… but I can’t! I’m too afraid…” The little hatchling pressed her claws into the ground.
Try it, you will like to fly. Be brave. I know you can do it. Felizita flew circles in the air.
“No, Mum. I don’t want to! Please help me.” Kiko shouted it up to her mother.
I can’t hear you, darling. What did you say? She laughed.
Carry me, I’m afraid of flying!, Kiko screamed in her thoughts.
Her mother landed next to her, took the hatchling softly with her lips in the neck and placed her between her shoulders. “Hold tight, Kiko, it’s going to be windy!” The dragon took off again and flew with her daughter over the volcanic mountains. A lot of dragons were in the air, some with little hatchlings. Felizita flew to the south, until the mountains were replaced by green grassland. Kiko watched all the birds and the other animals around her and asked her mother, what they were called. Felizita spent a lot of time with explaining, until they finally landed near a pasture with cows and a small cottage. The cows ran to the opposite side of the pasture when they noticed the dragons. Kiko jumped down from her mother’s back and looked at the animals.
How am I supposed to catch these? They are about… three times larger than me?
Felizita laughed and the cows flinched. Don’t worry. I am going to catch one. Just watch and learn. She lifted off and flew some circles over the animals. Then she dived and caught a cow with her claws. She broke the animals neck and laid it down in front of Kiko.
Enjoy your meal. You’ll like the meat. She watched her child jumping on the cow and ripping parts of meat off. She swallowed the pieces without chewing and was soon full. Leaving the carcass on the grass she turned to her mother.
Look at you! You’re full of blood! It is time for some washing. With her huge tongue Felizita licked her daughter clean.
Mum, let me go! I can do that on my own! Kiko protested and wanted to get away, but her mother hold her in place with a paw. Suddenly an old woman came out of the cottage. As she saw the dragons, she started screaming.
Oh darn it. Come on, Kiko, we better go. The mother wanted to take her child, but Kiko prowled to the old woman and growled. The human waved at her with a stick to scare her off, but Kiko watched her with a careful eye.
“You killed another of my cows! I damn you! I curse you! I curse you with the power of my ancestors! Until your dying day you shall not be happy anymore!” She waved with her stick even faster, a gust blew Kiko back to her mother. The dragon caught her child and flew away. Breathless they arrived at their cave in the evening. Athanasius heard his mate’s worried thoughts and greeted them on the platform. Kiko fell asleep on the flight and was put on a small nest of straw. Felizita explained in a few words what had happened, but Athanasius couldn’t understand her worries.
That was just an old human. What could she do to us? You worry too much. Look at her; she’s fast asleep. She will be okay, so you better get some sleep now, too. Goodnight, my love, dream well.
With that Athanasius laid down on his nest of straw and closed his eyes.
Felizita watched her child for a few more minutes, then went to sleep, too.
I hope he’s right.

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Kiko grew very fast. At her birth, she had the size of a cat. Now, four days after she was born, she grew to the size of a big dog. Nothing unusual had happened since she met the old lady, except for the fact that Kiko was unable to fly. Of course her mother started to worry about her, but then remembered that she hadn’t been able to fly right after birth. Kiko could go hunting on her own now and played nearly every day with Bella. From Athanasius she learnt to breathe small flames, although most of the time only puffs of smoke came out. But there was one thing that annoyed her. Everyone talks about the ‘little, wingless dragon’ when she met the other hatchlings. At night, she had a discussion about it with her mother.
This really gets on my nerves! They shall stop calling me small!, Kiko growled when she came home after a long day with Bella.
What is it, darling?, asked Felizita with a soft voice.
They all say I am too small for my age and that I am weak. I even beat this skywing boy Tyrone in a fight! Even Bella couldn’t beat him! She kicked a stone from her nest and laid down.
Her mother licked her face. Calm down. Why did you have a fight with Tabitha’s son?
Well, he picked on me again because of my size. And he told the others how stupid I am because I am not able to fly, so everyone laughed at me. When I told him to stop, he said ‘Aw, the little baby is so brave. Get here, and we’ll clear this like dragons!’ And then we had a fight. The young dragon bristled with anger.
They don’t mean it like this. You’re younger than them, so it’s just natural that everyone picks on you. As soon as you get bigger and older, they will respect you. Listen, the skywing don’t grow as big as us, so you’ll top Tyrone in no time. Now, calm down and sleep.
But Kiko jumped up again. No, I don’t want to sleep now! You baby me! But I am old enough to look after myself! So she ran out into the night, always heading south. And she ran, and ran, and ran, without ever looking back.
After she had reached the grasslands after hours, she turned east. She wouldn’t follow the path her mother had shown her.
“I am old enough!” she growled to herself and scared some birds in the trees. She followed the wind for a few more hours, until she had to rest. Kiko nearly fainted on the road near a village and had to stay still for a few minutes. Luckily it already was very late so no one saw the little dragon. The clouds on the sky moved and revealed the full moon. She looked up into the silver light and suddenly heard a voice.

“I damn you! I curse you! I curse you with the power of my ancestors!”

She felt a tremble in her body and fell asleep.

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Nobody knew who the girl was. A boy found her on the street out of the village in the middle of the night, naked. He brought her to the local Inn, where the wife of the innkeeper gave her some clothes and cared for her, together with the boy. When they wanted to look after the girl in the morning, she had disappeared. Only some red hair was left on her bed. A few meters away from the confused human, a young, red scaled dragon sat in a tiny cave and wondered what had happen in the night. She had woken up in a soft bed in a human house. The sun was already up, but no human was in sight, so she quickly jumped out of the opened window onto a tree. Right after she had left the room she could hear a woman come into the room and gasp. She turned away and came back with a man and a boy, who were all surprised.
Then Kiko heard the woman say: “Where is the girl? We laid her down in this bed!” They discussed a bit more, but Kiko went to a pile of large rocks outside the village, which had formed a tiny cave. There she sat down and watched the human village wake up. About noon some kids ran to the stones and played on them, but they didn’t dare to take a look into the cave, so Kiko just had to make herself small. When the kids went away she noticed her hunger. She crawled out of the cave and went on a hunt in a nearby forest, where she caught a rabbit. Then she returned to the cave. After a few hours a boy came out of the village and stopped on the path. He murmured something and looked around. Kiko quickly duck behind a stone in her cave.
“Where the hell could she have gone?” asked the human and scratched his head. His eyes locked down on the group of stones. He slowly walked to them and hunkered down. Kiko hissed at him angrily, crouching so the human would think she was a cat. He backed away, turned and went back to the village. The dragon sighed.
I’m so tired. I better get some sleep. The sky already started to turn red. I hope nobody finds me.
But she didn’t fall asleep until the moon shone on her face. All of a sudden she couldn’t breathe and crawled out of her cave. She fell down on the grass and coughed. The trembling started again. She looked straight into the moon. It wasn’t full moon anymore; it looked more than an egg. She rolled over and closed the eyes. After a few minutes the trembling stopped. Kiko felt strange. She looked down on her body and gasped. She looked like a human! The wind blew long, red hair into her face. Round breasts had grown on her chest.
What happened to me ? she asked herself and looked at the moon. Then she remembered last night. She had heard the voice of the old lady in the cottage when looking at the full moon.
Is this the curse? What should I do now? She looked at the village and decided to sneak into a house and get some clothing, as the humans were always wearing some. She crept around the houses until she found the Inn. Men were sitting in a large room, laughing and drinking some golden liquid. Kiko climbed through an open window into a dark room. It smelled like soap. Carefully she walked across the room to the door. When she opened it, she looked straight into a woman’s eyes. She stepped back, shocked. Then she stumbled over something and fell on the floor. The woman went to her and helped her up.
“Hey, it’s you! Where have you been?” the woman asked surprised and guided Kiko upstairs, after cloaking her in a towel.
Me? Do you know me? Kiko asked, but didn’t get an answer. Then she remembered. Right, humans can’t use telepathy . So she said out loud: “Do you know me?”
The woman pushed her down onto a bed and went to a cupboard. “A friend found you last night unconscious on the street and brought you here. Why don’t you have any clothes? Where do you live?” She held a shirt and some shorts in her hands when coming back to Kiko.
“I… I don’t live anywhere. I ran away from home.” Kiko murmured and put on the clothing with the woman’s help.
“So you have nowhere to stay? “ The girl shook her head in response. “Why don’t you stay here? We have enough rooms, and my husband will cook you something delicious. Are you hungry?” The girl shook her head again. “Say, do you have name?”

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“My name is Kiko. What is your name?”
“I am Octavia. Nice to meet you.” She smiled.
Suddenly the door opened and a boy stepped in. “There you are, Octavia. I was looking for you… Hey, you’re the girl I found on the street!” The boy smirked.
“Akira, what is it? I’m busy here.” the woman answered with an annoyed tone.
“The guests downstairs are making trouble; I think they’ve drunken too much. And they won’t listen to me.”
“Gosh, these alcoholics! I’ll be right back. Kiko, stay here with Akira for a moment, please.” She hurried downstairs and closed the door behind her. Akira sat down next to the girl.
“So your name is Kiko? I’m Akira. I’m glad you’re okay. Why did you disappear last night so quickly?” He smiled and Kiko couldn’t look away from his face. He had beautiful sun yellow eyes, even brighter than her own eyes. His silver hair looked a bit messed up, but still very glossy and neat.
“You found me? Well… thanks.” Kiko murmured and looked away.
Akira laughed and Kiko got goose bumps. “No need to thank me. It’s just natural to help people. So, where do you come from?”
The girl was silent. Then she took a deep breath. “You don’t need to know. Just let it be, okay?” Akira was a bit confused, but nodded. “Alright, no curious questions, I promise.” He paused. “But if you want to tell me something, go ahead.” He grinned at her and she had to laugh.
“You wouldn’t believe a word.”
“Oh, who knows? I’ve already heard some crazy things.”
Kiko looked out of the window. “How about we go outside? Just a bit walking, you know?”
She followed him downstairs, past the drinking men and out of the house. They walked side by side through the village, silently.
“Why are you still awake? It’s in the middle of the night.” Kiko asked and watched his beautiful face.
“I sleep very badly these days. So I stay awake and walk through the village.” They sat down on a bench. “And you? What brings you to lay sleeping on a path outside the village?”
Kiko looked up to the moon and closed her eyes. Then she grinned. “You promised to ask no curious questions, remember?”
Akira shrugged his shoulders. “Alright, I promised.”
They went silent again. Kiko felt very calm next to Akira’s cool skin. He watched her with curious eyes.
“What is it? Is there something in my face?” she asked him.
“No, I’m just admiring your beauty.”
“What the… Are you flirting with me?” Kiko laughed.
“Well yeah, I guess I am.” She jumped up. “Hey, what did I do wrong?”
“Nothing, little boy. I just need to move a bit, I’m getting cold.”
Akira stepped right in front of her. “I can do something against the cold, if you let me.”
Kiko blushed. Although she was born as a dragon, she knew how humans think. She had heard their thoughts a lot of times when hunting. “What… would you do against the cold?” she asked shyly.
He put his arms around her. “Maybe something like this.” She answered his movement and closed her arms around his waist. “Do you like it?”
“Hn… yes, I like it. I really like it.” She leaned her head against his chest. Although his skin was cool, it heated her up. Suddenly she felt as if she were in her egg again; warm and protected. But then she pulled away from the human.
“What?” he asked, afraid to have done something wrong.
“Nothing. Let’s go back.” Side by side again they went back to the Inn. In front of Kiko’s room they said goodbye. Kiko whispered quickly before slipping into her room: “Will I see you tomorrow night again?”

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((Just so you know, I'm mentally giving you positive feedback through all of this.))
:)

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“Why not tomorrow morning?” Akira sounded confused, but the girl shook her head.
“No, I’ll see you in the night. Goodbye.” She closed the door and fell down on her bed. She would try to not sleep, afraid she might oversleep and someone could see her in her real form. With her thoughts still with Akira, she smiled at the window. First she had thought it would be a real curse to be transformed into human, but now she was glad. Glad that she had had the chance to meet Akira. She giggled. How cute he was. How he always looked at her, with his sun yellow eyes. She couldn’t resist these eyes. And he smelled like sandalwood, so sweet and warm.
Suddenly she shook her head. What the hell am I thinking? He’s just a normal human. Humans are afraid of dragons. I should stop thinking about him.
She closed her eyes, careful not to sleep. But when letting her mind wander again her body welcomed the darkness of sleep, without her noticing.

She woke up in a shock when the sun shone on her face. She could hear Octavia’s voice right in front of her door and wanted to escape out of the window, but wasn’t fast enough. The innkeeper opened the door, looked at her and screamed. Quickly the small dragon climbed out of the window on a nearby tree, hiding behind the leaves. She heard another, strange voice. “What happened?”
“There… there was a monster in the bed!”
“A monster, you say?” The voice was skeptical. Kiko didn’t know it, she was sure it wasn’t Akira’s voice.
“Yes, a monster! It was red and had the size of a huge dog! It laid right in the bed! And it had terrifying teeth!” The woman’s voice went hysterical.
“Octavia, calm down. The monster is away.”
“But the girl is gone!”
“Which girl?”
Octavia nearly cried. “Kiko, the girl which was found on the street in the night. We have to look for her!” She ran out of the room. The other voice sighed.
Kiko ran directly to the group of stones where she had hidden the past days. Even from there she could hear what happened in the Inn. And so she heard how Octavia told Akira about her missing. He asked where the monster had gone, and she pointed to the grassland where the dragon hid. A few minutes later Akira went straight out of the Inn to the stones. He kneeled down and looked into the hole. Kiko hissed at him again, but with a guilty conscience.
“Sh, be quiet. Or do you want anyone to notice? Come on out there, I know you’re not an ordinary cat.” he murmured, always looking around. Slowly Kiko crawled out of the cave and looked at Akira.
“I was right. There was a dragon hiding. But I’ve never seen a red dragon without wings. Never mind, come with me, I’ll bring you to a better place.”
The still very small dragon followed the human to the forest where she had gone to hunt. There he led her to a meadow with an underground cave, hidden under a bush. He sat down on a tree stump.
“You can stay here. Normally nobody comes here and I’ll know where you are.”
Why are you doing this for me? , Kiko asked him carefully via telepathy.
He thought about it for a moment. “A friend of mine is a dragon rider and so I already had contact with a dragon. I know how they are hated by most humans. So tell me something about you. Why is such a small dragon alone out here, without his parents?”
Kiko growled. First, I am still a girl. The boy looked at her. She nearly bit her tongue. Why did she have to say ‘still’? If he gets suspicious now, she had ruined everything. He wasn’t allowed to know of her as a… What was she actually? By now neither dragon nor human. She had to avoid that he found out.

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“Okay, you’re a girl. Please accept my apology, I didn’t know.”
The dragon nodded. Second, I come from the mountains in the north-east. I… ran away from home. That’s enough. And third… She took a deep breath. “I am not small!” she growled into his shocked face.
“Uhm… excuse me?” he murmured, with a cautious voice.
I am not small, got it? I’m just young.
He raised his hands. “Alright, I’ll never call you small again.”
She sat down next to him and laid her head on his lap. He carefully started ruffling her short black hair that grew from her tip of nose along her spine to her shoulders. Then he fondled her behind her round ears. She began to purr in blissfulness and closed her eyes. Without noticing she leaned her head more and more to his belly. His fingers ran down her throat, then he stroke her side with his palms. He felt every single of the tiny smooth scales.
“Do you like it?” he asked with a sweet voice.
Kiko purred even more and nodded slightly. Yes, I like it. I really like it.
Akira stopped in his movement. “Wait, I have already heard this somewhere…” He thought about something for a minute. “Do you know a girl named Kiko?”
The dragon stepped away. No, I don’t know anyone with this name. I am sorry.
“Oh no, you don’t have to be sorry. I just thought I heard her saying this.”
Say, who is this girl? She felt guilty. She was lying to him without giving him the chance to get an idea about what was going on.
“I don’t really know her myself. I found her on the street in the night and took her to the Inn. But she disappears all the time again. And this morning, Octavia, the innkeeper, told me a monster was in her room. Are you the monster she was talking about?”
Kiko cleared her throat. Well yeah, I would be that monster. But I did not do anything wrong! I did not hurt anyone or break something.
“Nobody blames you. I don’t think you are a bad monster. I like you.”
Thanks… I guess. She went back to him and put her head on his lap again. He started to fondle her head and so they remained in their hug for a few more minutes. Then Akira broke the silence again.
“Listen, I am travelling home tomorrow. Please promise me that you will not hurt or damage anyone in this village, okay?” He said it with such an even voice that she first didn’t believe him. But when he stayed silent, she got terrified.
You’re going away? You’re leaving me? She asked with terror in her voice.
He looked away, embarrassed. “You see… I’ve been here on behalf of my father. He said that I should go and get some contact with new persons. You’ll stay here, won’t you?”
Kiko stalked around him, watching him. I don’t want you to go! You can’t leave me! Please.
He sighed. “I have to go. But, please, promise me that you will stay here until you have done something for me, okay? When you see a girl with very long, red hair and blue eyes, could you tell her that I’ll be coming back? She has to wait for me.”
Of course I’ll do… She stopped and closed her mind from him, so she could think for herself, without him knowing. Did he just say a girl with blue eyes? My eyes are yellow… Does he mean a different girl? So doesn’t he have any interest in me?
“What is wrong?” he asked and stretched out his hand to her, but she turned away her head. “Hey, little dragon, what is wrong with you?”
She connected their thoughts again. What does this girl mean to you? She had a hard time not growling at him.
“Er… well, how should I say this? You’re not going to tell anybody, right? We’re friends, I can trust on you. Right?”
She kept silent, but he could read her answer in her eyes.
“I really like her. She’s very beautiful. And she has a great character.”
Are you in love with her? She dug her claws into the earth and sat down, with her back to him.
He was silent. “I can’t answer this question. I’m not sure for myself.”
The dragon sighed in relief. Then she went back to her friend. Fine. So, what’ll we do now?
Akira shruggedhis shoulders. “I don’t know. What would you like to do?”
All of a sudden her stomach growled. I’ll go hunting. Would you mind waiting here for a few minutes? I’ll do this quick. He nodded and she jumped past the trees. Crawling under the deep hanging branches, she slinked through the forest, until she got wind of a deer. She followed the scent with her sensitive nose. When she reached the meadow, she crouched down and focused. With one powerful jump she reached the animal and bit through its throat. Instantly it flagged and Kiko could slowly rip parts of meat from it. After she finished she licked her bloodied paws and washed her face. When she was sure no blood has remained on her body she jumped back to Akira.

---

He greeted her with open arms. “Is the dragon full now?” he asked with a smile and nestled his head close to hers.
Yes, the dragon is stuffed full. And the dragon feels like sleeping now. Don’t worry, I’ll meet you in the morning before you depart. Is that okay for you?
“Yes, that’s okay for me. Sleep well, my little friend.” He paused for a second. “Do dragons dream?”
Kiko tilted her head a bit to the side. I’m not sure, but I guess they do.
“So, dream something sweet. See you tomorrow.” He walked back to the village, while Kiko crawled into her new cave. Somehow there was already fresh straw in it, so she just had to lay down and close her eyes. Soon she was washed away into the world of dreams. And Akira was right. She did dream something sweet.

She woke up from the pain when she changed into human. Strangely she still had her clothes on this time. She hurried to the village, straightening her messed up hair. He waited for her on the bench they talked on last night.
“Good night, Kiko. How are you?” he greeted her and stood up.
“I feel great today. I mean… tonight. How was your day?” She asked this question on purpose, wondering how he would explain that to her.
“My day was great. I’ve been out in the forest. The nature around here is so beautiful. I don’t see so many flowers often.”
“How come?”
He looked up at the sky and stepped closer, putting his arms around her waist. “From where I come, there’s only snow. A lot of snow and ice. I live in the snow desert in the land of Phelomena. All year around, the land is covered in cold snow.”
She leaned her head against his chest. “Do you want to tell me something?” she asked, closing her eyes.
He was silent. Then she remembered. Shoot, he doesn’t know that I already know! Me and my big mouth…
“You are right; I have to tell you something. I have to go in the morning. My father is calling me home.”
“But why? I want you to stay with me!” Kiko tried to not use the same words she used as a dragon.
“I have to get something done at home. Could you promise me something?”
“Everything.”
“Wait for me here until I come back. It may take a few weeks, but I’m definitely coming back.”
She sighed. “I promise.”
They went silent again. He led her to the bench and sat down, placing her on his lap. She leaned close to him, breathing slowly in his hair. She loved his sandalwood smell, while he still wondered what she smelled like. He wasn’t sure if she actually had a scent. His fingers crawled over her back.
“Hey Akira, I’ve been wondering something.”
“Hm?”
“How… how does it feel to be in love?” She kept her face in his hair, so he wouldn’t see her turning bright red.
He sighed. “I don’t really know myself. I guess when you’re in love, you want to stay close to the person and always think about him or her.”
She watched the moon wander over the sky.

---

“Why are you asking?”
She slightly shook her head. “I’m just curious. I haven’t been around people very much.”
“Have you noticed that your eyes seem to change color?” He changed the topic quickly.
“They do?” She still watched the moon and the stars, being deep in thought. How could it possible for a dragon to fall in love with a human? Is she even a dragon anymore?
“Yes, they do. When the night is still young and the sky is still a bit red, they’re lighter. And when the moon shines on them, they turn into a silver blue. Without moon they’re deep blue. How can this happen?”
She stopped breathing. Did he just say that she had blue eyes? Was it possible that her eye color changes when her body changes? So he did talk about her earlier this day.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe it is just the light.”
They stared silently into the night. Kiko got nervous. She didn’t like the silence. Nothing was heard in this night, not even a leaf rustled. She looked at the boy. His sooth skin was always very cold, but it comforted her. She wondered how hot her skin felt to him. Slowly she lowered her head and slightly pressed her lips on his cheek. He looked at her, astonished. Then he smiled and his eyes shone lovely.
His head came nearer to hers, slowly and careful. His scent burnt in her nose, making her blood rush. Their lips were only inches away, when she jumped up and turned away from him. Her hands formed claws and she clenched her teeth together. She held her breath so she wouldn’t smell him. Just a second ago she nearly attacked him, without knowing why.
He got to his feet. “What has come over you?” He wanted to go to her, but she growled at him over her shoulder.
“Stay away! I beg you.” With every word she said his scent flooded into her lungs. It was like something was burning inside her, something that made her want to lay in his arms on one hand, but also gave her the urge to rip him apart. She fell on her knees, with her hands on both sides of her head. Akira took another step to her.
“Get away from me!” she cried, tears coming up in her eyes. Her heart wanted so hard to be near him, but her head strictly prohibited the contact. She felt like she was tearing apart, being split into two pieces.
Akira put his hand on her back and she cringed. Without losing a second, she jumped on the next tree, holding balance with her feet. Hunkering down, she stared at her friend.
“I am so sorry, Akira. I… It’s impossible to be near you. Please forgive me.” She started to move, jumping from one tree to another and running over the roofs, making no noise with her bare feet. The air smelled like normal air again and she could take a deep breath. She returned to her cave on the meadow. But the air was full of his scent. So she kept running, deeper and deeper into the forest, until she fell down around midnight. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

---

The next morning, she had a hard time waking up. Her thoughts twisted in her head and she looked around, confused. She needed more time than in the night to find the way out. It was still very early. She found herself outside the opposite side of the village. Carefully and holding her breath she crawled around the still sleeping houses. On the main path, she found Akira and Octavia. His sight hurt and she listened to their conversation.
“Are you sure you want to do it? She’d be heartbroken if she’d find out.” Kiko could hear the innkeeper’s sorrow over the nearly five hundred meters.
Akira put a bag on his back. “I have to return home at least. What I do afterwards, will be decided then.”
“Have you seen her since yesterday night? I know you went through the village with her.”
“No, after she left me I couldn’t find her. I thought she would come to say goodbye, but I guess I was wrong.”
“So it’s time now. Take care, please. And hurry up to visit us again, we all would be very glad.” Octavia hugged him.
“Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m strongest in the snow. See you!” He went away, out of Kiko’s sight along the path.
Kiko climbed up a tree and jumped along the branches to the path. Utterly quiet she followed Akira for a few miles. He looked around a few times, but didn’t see her. It was good that he walked along the path, where she could follow his scent quite well. She suddenly stopped on a branch and caused some birds to fly up.
Why are you following him? You nearly attacked him last night and decided to just let him go! If he wanted you, he would have stayed here. Let him go! She fought against herself. The human part followed the boy, her wild, dragon half wanted to turn around. But her human sanity won.
In the night, when the boy laid down to rest, Kiko walked deeper into the woods to sleep. It didn’t matter if she’d oversleep. In her dragon body it was easy to catch his scent. Even as human her sense of smell was a lot better, but no match for her animal nose.
The first rays of sun caused her to wake up. The transformation was already over. It didn’t hurt as much as in the beginning and she didn’t wake up from it. Akira was already out of sight, but she was sure that he had followed the path. And so he had done. She found him after some turnings on the path. She started to wonder how long she would have to follow him. He had said that he would be away for a few weeks, so it might take some time, until they reached their destination.

---

They travelled for five days next to each other, without noticing the other, when the first snow covered the grass. It got colder with every day and Akira put on a black cloak, which made him look very mysterious.
Kiko had a hard time since the snow arrived. She didn’t find a lot of animals to hunt and began to get cold in the night, so she had to breathe small flames to keep herself warm. The cold weather didn’t seem to affect Akira. He was used to this climate and lived in it like a fish in water. All the trees had vanished and both the dragon and the human built themselves hollows into the snow during night.
After about a week, a huge stony castle arrived on the horizon. Kiko hid on a hill, covered with snow. Akira stepped into the castle and was welcomed by a lot of soldiers and a woman. She was middle aged and very slim. They led him inside. Kiko got nervous. What should she do now? She couldn’t just run into the castle; there were too many guards on the walls. As if on command, the guards relaxed in their posture and started to chat with each other. Kiko crawled through the cold snow past the huge wooden gate. She reached a broad street which led one time along the walls around the main building. It was full of houses, where people walked in and out. She had to watch her step, since every minute about ten people crossed the plaza she looked at. With a quick burst of speed she crossed the plaza. After the ring of houses came a huge courtyard. Although snow laid high around the castle on the frozen ground, there were flowerbeds all over the yard. Kiko ducked under a berry bush and took a look on the main building. Its footprint was rectangular and four towers reached up to the sky in each corner. On the upper floor several windows had a balcony, so she climbed the wall up to an open window and arrived unseen on its balcony. No one was inside the room.
That’s just perfect. The dragon wanted to take a step forward, when the door suddenly opened. She stalked backwards and laid down flat on the ground. There were steps across the room. A woman began to talk.
“Her majesty is so glad that you’ve returned in full health. Everything is prepared for the grand festival. Are you already nervous?” She opened a wardrobe and took out a suit.
“No, I am not nervous.” Akira answered calmly and put on the suit. Even though she was a dragon, Kiko could hear the blood rush in her ears.
“Would you leave me alone now, Sarah? I need some time for myself.” The door was opened and closed again. She heard steps in direction of the balcony. Then Akira sighed, staring past the castle walls into the snowy landscape.
Kiko hold her breath. If he’d find her now, her hiding during the journey would have been for nothing. Her nose started to tickle when she smelled his skin.
No! Don’t sneeze now… She tried not to breath.
Akira turned away and sat down on the bed. Kiko couldn’t resist and slid her nose around the edge of the opened balcony door. She expected Akira to lay on his back and stare at the ceiling, but she received in shock that he was still sitting upright. He saw her and jumped up.
“Hey! Is that really you? How did you come here? Did you follow me? You’re impressive!” He went to her and took her into his arms. If she would have been able to, she’d have blushed.
I… I am sorry. I didn’t want to follow you. I was just curious. She stuttered.
“No need to be sorry! I am glad you’ve come. Although it means some problems…”
She pulled away from him and jumped onto his bed. What kind of problems?
Without knocking a woman entered the room. Kiko quickly hid under the bed.
“You look great, my son. Nadjeschda can count herself lucky.” The woman who had greeted Akira on his arrival looked happy.
“Mother! Could you knock before entering my room, please?” He looked at his mother, angry.
She stepped to the mirror. “Oh, I am sorry. I know you are old enough now.” She paused. “Are you ready for this evening?”

---

Akira seemed to be embarrassed. “Yes, I am ready. Mother, could you leave me alone now? I need some time to think.”
She stood up. “Of course. But remember: No peeking in Nadjeschda’s room.” She laughed and left the room.
“This kind of problem for example. No one is allowed to know of you.”
Kiko jumped on his bed again and laid her head and her front paws on his lap. I see. Then I will hide so no one finds me. She smiled. He had to laugh.
“Say, do you know how weird it looks when you smile?”
Kiko played the offended. “No , not in a bad way. It’s just that all your teeth are shown and it looks more like you want to eat me.”
She looked at him. “I would never hurt you! Never ever!” She reached her head to him and licked over his cheek.
“Ew! Now I’m all wet!” He laughed.
She licked him again. And now you are even wetter! She burst out into a laugh, too. He looked at her with lovely eyes. She noticed his smell more than ever, but it didn’t make her attack him. She started to wonder. It had happened so fast the last time she couldn’t even remember properly.
Akira poked her. “What is it? You’re thinking about something very hard.”
She twitched, pulled out of her thoughts. Oh, it’s nothing. At least nothing serious. What is this festival they’re all talking about?
He started petting her. She got impatient and nudged him with her nose. Hey, are you ignoring me?
“Excuse me, what? Did you say something?” It was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it, so Kiko let the subject drop.
Shall I hide while you are at this festival?
“Yes, that would be very kind of you. Please stay in this room.” He seemed relieved. His glance strayed around the room. Kiko got angry, without a real reason. She jumped up and pressed her front paws on his shoulders. After two weeks of travelling, she was as big as a Pony and easily held him down.
Hey, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been ignoring me since I’ve been here. She stopped and then grinned. You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?
He stared at her. “What?! How do you know of her?”
You mentioned her the day before you left. You told me that I should tell her to wait. And I did.
“What did she say?”
She said she would wait for you. Maybe.
Akira tried to push her off of him, but she held him in place. “What do you mean by maybe?”
I don’t know. You have to ask her yourself. She grinned again.
“But I can’t! It’ll take two weeks to get back to her and until then she may be gone!”
You said it yourself. She may be gone. But maybe she is nearer than you think.
She got off of him and stalked around him. She could guess his confused thoughts. Would he get now who he was talking to? Or would she have to give him more hints?
Somewhere in the castle, a huge bell rang. Akira jumped up, arranging his suit and straightening his hair.
“I have to go now. Please stay here. I will explain everything afterwards.” He rushed out of the room.

---

Kiko waited a few minutes. Then she climbed down the balcony to the yard in front of the main building. Long pews were set up and facing the outer wall. Akira took place in front of a table in which direction the pews were facing. A lot of people had taken a sit on the benches and were waiting for something.
Suddenly a small orchestra started to play. The huge gate opened and a woman dressed in a beautiful white dress appeared. She was led by a huge man in a black suit. They walked calmly to the table and Akira took her hand. His mother sat in the forefront and smiled at him. They faced an old man who held a book. He started to talk a lot and everyone listened to him.
Then he faced the woman in the dress and asked: “Do you, Nadjeschda of Iljin, take Akira of Phelomena as your groom, respect and love him till Death do you part?”
Kiko understood what was going on. That’s why he had to go away from the village and return here. He wanted to marry another girl. He never loved her. How could she be so naïve to think that he loved her? She was such a stupid dragon.
Slowly she backed away. She had hid under a table, but now snuck around some bushes.
The bride smiled at Akira and answered: “Yes, I do.”
Kiko was on her way to the outer wall when she heard the answer. She growled and hit the stone wall with her paw. She left four parallel scratches in the stone.
The bishop turned to the boy. “Do you, Akira of Phelomena, take Nadjeschda of Iljin as your bride, respect and love her till Death do you part?”
Everyone held his breath, waiting for his answer. He closed his eyes for a second.
“No, I do not.”
The audience gasped. A few men jumped up, shaking their fists. Akira took a deep breath.
“No, I do not take her as a bride. My heart lies somewhere else, and I won’t marry anyone except her. I’ve never loved Nadjeschda. It was decision my parents made. But I will go my own way.”
Kiko froze on the middle of the street. She heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder. Akira ran towards her.
“Go, run! The guards are after me!” They ran next to each other out of the castle, into freedom.

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LOVE this! It's REALLY awesome!

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