Claws and Kisses

“Higher, Avel, higher!”

The dragon obliged, and opened his wings a little more to catch the wind. We soared a few feet higher in the air, getting a bird’s eye view of the hills and trees below. The sky was beautiful. It was just after the light of the sun had died, and we were left with bright streaks of pink and orange melting into the blue of the oncoming night.

Usually, I didn’t see Avel until later in the night but Avel had been insistent of me coming out to meet him earlier. He kept grumbling about how my sleep schedule was getting affected with all these late night escapades. After I’d ask him about the last four and a half years of our late night adventures, he’d go quiet before telling me not to think so much. We’d both chuckle and that would be the end of that.

I knew better. Four and a half years of war between the mortals and dragons with no end in sight. I knew the humans were only lasting so long because a couple of rogue dragons had joined our side of the fight. Some felt bad, some had been bribed, and some were simply coming at an angle.

Avel was growing agitated, the last few weeks especially. He thought there was danger lurking around every corner. He would pounce on anything that moved. I had questioned him about it but he had just snarled at me not to worry about it.

The only reason he had let me come flying with him was because guilt had hit him hard yesterday. I had spat in his face that because he was sixteen now and had more responsibilities, he never had any time for a little kid anymore. Which wasn’t entirely untrue. In the last few months, he’d leave for a week or two without any warning or note. The first time he’d done it, I’d thought someone had finally shot him out of the sky and he’d been killed.

None of that seemed to matter right now though. We were so high above the hills that I could only focus on the moon and stars and the wind whipping through my hair. “Higher, Avel! Let’s go higher!”

Little tiger, he drawled with a hint of amusement. So fitting. Your courage is blind and naive, but you still wear it well. Any other child would have wet themselves by now.

I grinned. “Can we do this every night?”

I don’t know how he heard my voice above the roar of the wind but he responded well enough. You know as well as I do that it is too dangerous. I probably shouldn’t have taken you up here in the first place. Also . . . there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you, little tiger. Something you aren’t going to want to hear.

My grin faded as the last of his words rung in my head. “What is it, Avel?”

I have protected you for a long time. He blatantly stated, honesty in his words. I nodded and he continued. But now -

His voice cut off. I frowned, leaning forward on his scaled neck to look at his face. His serpent eyes were glazed over and unfocused. Tilting my head, I tried getting his attention by knocking on his back a few times but he didn’t look. “Avel?”

A moment passed and he still remained unresponsive. I thought that if he didn’t snap out of it soon, we would surely crash and die. And then, right before I was about to break out sobbing, Avel blinked and was back. A deep, irritated growl left his throat. His left wing dipped and we were suddenly turning in another direction.

“Avel?” I questioned again. “Home’s that way . . .”

Change of plans, little tiger. Avel rumbled, flying faster than before. We were now heading north, directly opposite of my village. There has been a problem within my Horde. Right now, I’d rather you be with me. It’s too dangerous to take you back tonight.

My initial reaction was to argue with him but . . . I couldn’t help that I was curious. I’d been begging him for years to let me see his Horde. Everytime he would make up some lame excuse and change the subject. But now I’d have a chance to see all kinds of different dragons! Even though Nanny would be mad in the morning, I could deal with her then. This was too rare a chance to forsake.

So I let Avel fly us for an hour more or so. When he started to descend from the sky, we were not where I’d suspected his Horde would be. For some reason, my mind had concocted palaces made of clouds in the sky. There had been rumors that dragons lived above our heads and that was why we were losing the war. They were able to spy much easier because they were always watching us from the clouds.

Instead, Avel flew us to a great mountain. It was enormous, and rose above the others around it. There was nothing special about it, except for the halo of mist that surrounded the base of the structure and the many crystals that lined the surface of the rock, making the mountain appear as one colossal, glittering jewel.

As we drew closer, I also noticed that there were large openings in the rock. Scattered around the surface were giant holes that led into the heart of the mountain. I opened my mouth to ask Avel what they were, but forgot my questions soon as he dropped lower and started heading for one of the openings.

“Avel, watch out!” I screamed and closed my eyes as Avel swooped in and was about to crash into the rock. There was a whoosh and then . . . nothing. I opened my eyes to see that we were now inside the mountain.

Welcome to my home, Wendy. Avel lifted me off his back with his tail and placed me on the stone ground. Come. I will try to make this as quick as possible.

I look around to find a long stone cavern, only lit by a few oil lanterns that dotted the smooth walls. When I looked back to Avel, he had already transformed into a human and was just finishing shrugging his pants back on. He caught my stare and offered one of his half-smiles to me, holding out a hand.

I grabbed it and let him lead me further into the mountain. The walls were carved with many pretty drawings, showcasing dragons and all their glory. There were some other, more graphic carvings of what looked to be humans but Avel wouldn’t let me linger near those ones too long.

“What has happened, Avel?” I asked, tugging on his arm.

“Nothing you should concern yourself with, little tiger.” He squeezed my fingers once, trying to ease my discomfort. “I’m going to leave you with some of my most trusted companions. They’ll take care of you while I’m away.”

We rounded the corner and came along another hallway, except this one was lined with numerous doorways and more oil lanterns. And, standing in the middle of the corridor in their human forms, were two dragons. A female and a male. As we drew closer, I realized that I faintly recognized the boy.

“Romeo?” I blurted, stopping abruptly. My memories of him may have faded with time but they were sour nonetheless. He had strangled me for goodness sake!

The dragon flashed his teeth in a lethal smile. Just as Avel had grown, so had Romeo. He was taller and more muscular as his body had developed over the years since I’d last seen him. Yet there was no denying that his unruly personality was still the same. His eyes were immediately drawn to the jewellery that adorned my arms and neck, and an unexpected laugh erupted from his throat. “Hello, Wendy. You look . . . well.”

Avel sent an annoyed growl his way. “Not right now, Romeo.” He then tugged me closer until we were standing closer to the pair. The female dragon was attractive and emmenated a sense of power. Her presence made me want to bow my head and drop to my knees before her. With tan skin and warm black eyes, she would’ve easily been the most attractive girl in my village.

“Hello, Wendy. I am Elora. We have heard much about you.” The woman, even though she looked like a mere teenager, exuded the maturity of someone much older and wiser.

Biting my lip shyly, I stepped out from behind Avel’s formidable form and stuck out my hand for Elora, feeling undeniably timid in her presence. “Pleased to meet you.”

Elora grinned and shook my hand, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as she did so. “She is quite beautiful, Avel.” Her eyes turned from mine to the dragon behind me. “I promise to take care of her while you are gone. Go.”

Avel nodded. Before he turned away, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Please stay with Romeo and Elora. They’ll look after you.”

In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Off to attend more important matters. A sigh accidently escaped my lips as I thought of all the days he had already skipped spending with me. Weren’t friends suppose to hang out and support each other? I felt as if he no longer wanted to be friends. He kept making excuses not to see me but I was starting to think it was just a ploy to avoid me.

“Come, Wendy.” Elora wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders, leading me further down the hall. Romeo trailed after us, whistling a made up tune as we walked. Elora stopped in front of an oak door with dragon script written across the front. She opened the door with the flick of her fingers, and smiled when I gasped.

“How did you do that?” I breathed, looking back and forth between her and the handle.

She laughed, leading me inside the room. “Perks of being a dragon, I suppose.”

The room was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Thick, luscious carpets padded the floors and gauzy, golden curtains fell in ruffles from the ceiling. A bed the size of my room took up the center of the room, drawing my attention to the fluffy blankets and feather pillows. Furniture and lounging areas also dominated the room, dripping in gems and sparkly stones. It was amazing.

Romeo dropped onto one of the couches, swiping a goblet off a side table. “You can stop gaping now, Wendy. It’s not that nice of a bedroom. Mine is obviously better but Elora would never admit it.”

The she-dragon smacked Romeo in the back of the head, frowning at his lack of manners. “Don’t be rude. Wendy is our guest and we will treat her as such.”

He shrugged, taking a leisurely sip out of his cup. I stood and watched their interaction awkwardly by the door. I didn’t want to encroach on Elora’s space, and felt weird about being in a complete stranger’s home. Fortunately, Elora noticed my stance near the entrance and smiled encouragingly at me. “Come here, child. Let’s prepare for bed. Avel mentioned that you would be sleeping here for the night.”

I smiled and nodded, making my way towards her. She returned my beam with one of her own before leading me to her vanity desk. After I’d been sat on her white wooden chair, she picked up a brush and began to run it through my hair. The act was oddly heartwarming. I admired the open affection she was showing me, even if I was unknown to her.

Romeo watched us from across the room, analyzing that situation. He eventually settled on taunting me from afar. “Wendy darling, what lovely jewels you wear. Avel gave them to you, no?”

I dipped my head uncertainty, not knowing what he was trying to get at. Elora stilled behind me. From the mirror before us, I saw her glower darkly at Romeo in warning. He ignored her and kept his attention on me. “Did he ever tell you what jewels such as those mean to dragons like us?”

“Romeo.” Elora hissed, dropping the brush. “Stop it. You’ll only upset her.”

He smirked, and I instantly knew that was his intent. He opened his mouth to respond once more but suddenly paused. His gaze glazed over, as did Elora’s. They stayed as such for a moment, before both of them blinked and shouted at the same time.

“Avel!”