Claws and Kisses

The pair rushed toward the door of the bedroom, having all the intentions to run out and into the hall beyond. Romeo didn’t hesitate to do exactly that, but Elora stopped at the last moment. Her wild eyes met mine as she halted just short of the door to shout back at me. “Stay here, Wendy! We’ll be back soon!”

She was gone before I could respond. I sat rigidly at the vanity, not sure how to react. Avel was . . . in trouble? It seemed an impossibility. He was so strong and powerful that I couldn’t think of anyone being able to hurt him. But if he was somewhere, and there was someone hurting him, what kind of friend would I be if I were to stay and do nothing? Although Elora might be quite upset upon her return to find me missing, I’d be more upset with myself if I didn’t help Avel.

I left the Elora’s bedroom in a hurry, worried that she would suddenly pop out and scold me. However, I entered the hall with no trouble at all. It was deserted. Not a dragon or human in sight.

A shout came from nearby. Alarmed, I crept down the hall, worried that the people hurting Avel were trying to hurt other people. Who would want to hurt Avel though? Sure, he could be stubborn and cold at times but he wasn’t bad.

The screaming grew louder. My steps halted at the sound. There was a red door that stood at the end of the hall, which was slightly ajar. It didn’t take a genius to know that the shouts were coming from there. Fear like no other bubbled in my chest like no other. I took an unintentional step backwards. And then another. I kept going until my back hit a wall, falling flat against the unforgiving wood.

I can’t do it. My breaths were quick and heavy. I can’t go in there.

What could I do for Avel anyway? If he couldn’t stop the people trying to hurt him, what in the world would I be able to do for him? Nothing. I’d just get in the way and maybe even cause him further harm. Mind made up, I tried to move my feet back in the direction of Elora’s bedroom. But . . . I couldn’t. Something in my chest was roaring to stay. To fight for Avel as he would do for me.

His stupid nickname for me came to mind. Little Tiger. I remember what he had said all those years ago. A tiger is a fierce beast who isn’t scared of anything. She wears courage like a second skin.

Courage. It was harder to obtain when facing the unknown. When facing the mysterious of possibilities. Anything could happen if I went in there. And yet . . . if Avel thought I could do it, how could I disappoint him? How could I take his endearment of me and make it untrue?

I wouldn’t.

Nodding to myself, I launched down the hall, trying not to think of what was beyond the red door. The screaming mixed with wails and cries of mercy. The strange thing however was that they didn’t sound animalistic or dragon-like at all. It sounded like - like humans.

At the end of the hall, the red door loomed. All it took was a push before the massive thing swung inwards, revealing the chamber beyond.

It was horrible and nothing like I’d expected. Rows upon rows of humans stood banging on the bars of their cells, which were sectioned in columns down a cavernous, wide stone room. Blood and piss mixed on the floor, emitting an ungodly scent. Crimson stained the walls and ground, making it hard to see the tiles of the floor. A fire in the middle of the chamber was all that lit the room, making it so that the humans faces glowed in a savage, crude way. At my approach, they roared louder, trying their best to get my attention.

I was frozen. My eyes couldn’t process the sight before me. Chained and bound like animals were my people. Did Avel know? Was he trying to save these people from whoever was attacking the Horde?

My feet took me to the nearest cell, which was packed with over a dozen or so people. Hands outstretched. Eyes begging. Begging for more than I could give. I went to the first lady I saw and grabbed her outstretched hand. She cried out in relief or perhaps pain, and kissed my hand cupped in hers.

It was hard to speak and hear over the cries of the others but I tried my best. “Are you hurt? Why are all these people here?”

“Thank you, child, thank you.” The woman wasn’t listening to me. She was too busy crying and kissing my hand. “Thank you, dear girl. Thank you.”

I frowned. “I haven’t done a thing. Now why are you here, Miss?”

“Listen to me, honey.” The woman - dark haired with big blue eyes - squeezed my hand tighter and with a sense of urgency. “There are a set of extra keys that the guards keep in the room next to this one. I need you to go and get them. Please, sweetheart, hurry.”

Shaking my head, I leaned in closer to hear better. “I don’t understand. Who would put you here?”

The woman glanced behind me, searching the door for something. Or someone. “Child, I can’t explain right now. But it’s very important that you go and get those keys now alright? You have to be quick. Hurry, child.”

“Let me go get Avel.” I backed up a step, letting go of her hand. “He will fix this!”

A man beside the woman pushed her aside to speak to me, his eyes widened in fear and anger. Lots and lots of anger. “You are friend with that thing?”

My confusion was worsening. The way they were all staring at me was as if I’d betrayed them in some horrible way. What had I said wrong? “Please, let me go talk to Avel. He’ll help you, I promise.”

“Your Dragon Lord,” the man spat. “Is the one who put us in here.”

His words travelled like mud through my head. He thought that Avel was the one to put him in here? These people are crazier than I thought. It was absolutely ridiculous to think that Avel of all things would capture these mortals. What reason would he have anyway? Besides, he was friends with me and I was a human. So I politely nodded to the man and took another step backwards. “Well . . . I’ll still go talk to him and see what he has to say.”

The woman had started to cry again, but this time in misery. The man looked close to joining her as he stared at me with hollow eyes. “He’s really got you fooled, huh kid?” He slammed his fist on the bars, glaring at the door behind me. “Okay, listen here. I want you to run, kid. As fast as you can. Get out of this mountain and away from here before he puts you behind bars too.”

“Bars?” I asked, still not understanding.

They all really thought that Avel was the reason behind their chains. How could I explain to them that it must be someone else? Before I could respond again, there was a booming roar from the behind.

“Wendy!”

I whipped around, eyes widened in fear at the terrifying bark. However, I instantly relaxed when I saw that it was just Avel, with Romeo and Elora standing behind him. That was, until I saw his eyes. They were burning. Burning with such intensity that the need to curl up into a ball before him was overwhelming. It was only by some miracle that I managed to stay on my feet.

“Come here, Wendy.” When I didn’t immediately move, his eyes narrowed. “Now!”

Biting my lip, I scurried to where the three of them stood, looking back and forth between Avel and all the cells that lined the room. He didn’t seem surprised to find all the humans there. In fact, he was glaring at the mortals in a knowing, hateful fashion.

When I did reach him, he immediately grabbed my hand and yanked me roughly through the door. A small cry left my lips at the sudden movement. “Avel! You have to help those people! They -”

“Not right now, Wendy.” Avel snarled, cutting me off. He didn’t even glance at me as he turned toward the other two. “Make sure that the last of the rebelling humans are dealt with. I’m taking her home.”

Romeo and Elora nodded. Neither of them looked at me before they were striding away, following Avel’s orders. We began to walk in the other direction, towards back where we first came from. My thoughts ran wild with the new knowledge at hand, not willing to accept what I had just clearly heard. “You . . . you imprisoned those humans?”

Avel didn’t respond. Not until we were at the opening out the mountain and he shifted into his dragon form. I was quickly placed on his back before we were airborne. It’s not for you to think about. You disobeyed my direct orders and saw things that you shouldn’t have. Forget what you think you heard.

His words set me at unease. He wasn’t denying the claims of him being the reason those people were in there. That could only mean . . . “You were the one who hurt my people?”

Enough, Wendy. I am not going to explain myself to a child. His words stung, as was their intent. I fell silent and did not peep another word until we finally reached the forest just beyond my home. He let me off his back, before turning around to shift into his human form. I averted my eyes and only looked back once he was finished.

“You disobeyed me, Wendy.” Avel stated plainly, looking directly into my eyes without any emotion showing in his gaze. “That is not acceptable. You could’ve been hurt.”

I clenched and unclenched my fingers, not sure whether to feel hurt, puzzled, or just mad. The last emotion eventually won out and I couldn’t help shouting my fury towards him. “You’re not my father! Stop acting like it.” I spat at his feet, imitating the man from before. “You just want to put me in a cell. Like the others.”

His glare turned steely. There was a look in his tyrian orbs that I’d never seen before. A type of rage that he had never, ever shown me. But it was as clear as day when he was looking at me like that. And his next words only proved it to be so. “Say your goodbyes to your family tonight. I’m taking you back to my Horde tomorrow night.” He cocked his head Slowly. Dangerously. “Permanently.”

His words shocked me. I took a step backward, knocking into a tree. “N-No. You c-can’t do that. Not to me.”

The dragon before me stepped closer, a cruel smirk on his lips. It was ruthless and everything that I thought he wasn’t. “Yes. I can. And I will.” He twirled a lock of my hair around his finger, jerking it slightly so that my head was forced toward his. “I just hope that you remember you did this to yourself. You obviously can’t take care of yourself anymore so I will have to do it for you. Don’t bother crying, little tiger. You’re under my care now.”

And with those last words, he was gone.