A Tale of the Shapeshifters

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑿𝑿𝑿𝑰𝑽 - 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆

"A dragon?" Athena shouted, gripping onto her skirts.

"Yes, quiet down." Claudius waved his hand in her direction, although did not turn around. "I'm listening for it."

A blanket of silence laid over the forest. All the animals ceased their noises and the wind stopped blowing. Claudius's ears pricked up; they turned toward the thicket. "Come on," he said. The man bolted off, trudging through the woods as Athena had never seen before. He skipped over boulders like they were tiny pebbles, and swung under branches like they were mere strings. Athena grew out-of-breath while she tried to follow behind him.

"Claudius...." She heaved. "Why didn't—you tell—me that you could run like that?"

"It's the dragon in me, I suppose." He kept running, ducking under the thick brush.

"Yeah, well, I'm half-cat and I still can't go this far this fast!"

Claudius turned his head back to acknowledge her, while still dashing on and keeping the pace. "I'm also not wearing a corset, love."

Athena let out a laugh, which soon turned into a gasp for air. She grasped her stomach and leaned over, tumbling like a drunkard. "Wait, Claudius, I'm gonna turn into Milly. I can't go on like this for much longer."

"No need. We're here." The man in black stood his ground while his head whirled about and about. Leaves picked up beneath his feet, carried by the wind. Right beside his foot was a large dip in the ground. It looked as though a boulder had been pushed away and all that remained was its imprint. Claudius got down on his knees and picked at the hole in the ground. He smelled of it.

"I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit," Athena called out, still breathing like a fish out of water. She sat down on a nearby fallen tree trunk. "You just keep doin' what you're doin', Claudius."

He paid her no mind and instead felt of the print. But then—

"Athena, look out!" Claudius leaped off from his knees, hurtled toward the love of his life, and encased her in his arms. He knocked her off of the tree trunk before a spew of fire hit her face.

When the two got to their feet, an inferno blazed all about them. The trunk Athena had perched on was caught in flames and smoke.

The girl gripped tight onto Claudius's suit. She buried her face into his chest while he petted her hair and scanned the area for the culprit. He made grunting noises, deep rumbles emitting from his chest. Athena felt her fingers vibrating whenever he made the calls.

"Dragon tongue..." she whispered, her silvery eyes tinted with a reflection of the flames. The smoke got to her; she closed her mouth and coughed in her throat.

Beyond the inferno, two deep grunts—although not as deep as Claudius's—sounded. But what they lacked in sound, they made up for in ferocity. The noise of jaws snapping and teeth clashing made its way over the rising smoke.

Athena whimpered and closed her eyes. Claudius forged his hands into her hair, squeezing her the hardest he had ever squeezed anyone. "You're safe," he crooned.

Another round of grunts came, this time becoming a roar. Claudius took hold of Athena, whisking her away bridal-style. She turned and made herself comfortable in his chest. He marched, treading away from the inferno and back to the castle.

But the dragon followed.

Tiny spurts of flame knicked Claudius's heels. He hissed through his teeth and kept on going, not daring to turn back for even a second.

Athena roused. "Claudius... are you—"

"I'm fine, dear. Everything's fine. When you see the castle I want you to run as fast as you can to the doors." He picked up his pace, jogging now.