Blue

King

She entered the tent, all eyes were on her.

"You didn't have to wait on me," she said curtly.

"They wouldn't begin without you," said Bennet. She glanced at them with confusion and then took her place among the group.

"Why didn't you say something about your injury?" Hissed Latimer in her ear, causing her to flinch.

"It wasn't your concern, I was already planning on visiting a healer while we were here," she replied back. He stepped back. While she was grateful for the concern of others, it was strange. She had been so used to her independence and caring for her needs that any semblance of care confused her.

She looked at the foreign bodies in the tent. They all had an otherworldly appearance about them. She assumed they were all like Iris, cats. What an unusual array of people.

"We shall begin," replied a tall man, whose skin tone was the same of Iris'. His eyes the same orange and golden hue. Brother or lover was her main question as Iris also entered the tent after him.

"King Atlas," the leader began.

"Please, I'm no king," Atlas quickly rebutted.

"But you have your mate, surely the ways of your people will be upheld," the man glanced towards Tallulah. She felt the blood drain from her entire body and was acutely away of everyone's eyes, including Atlas'.

"Ladrin!" Iris barked from his side.

"My mistake," he spoke once more. Reylan however, was quick to understand the display.

"What did you mean, cat?" The old man hissed.

"I simply meant that Atlas has found his mate, but she is not by his side," the cat replied calmly. Tallulah eased her stance at these words.

"Because she does not wish it, she fled from me multiple times, but we aren't here for idle banter," Atlas butt in. Tallulah fought the urge to look at him with an incredulous gaze. She could tell that the issue was far from over with their group which made her sick to the stomach just thinking about it.

"Very well, prince Atlas, we are here to offer our aid in your cause. It is as you've feared. Your own soldiers and men gave turned against your leadership and were responsible for the death of your father," she felt the pang of hurt resonate within Atlas at these words. And within herself she raged at Ladrin's implications that Atlas seemed more a boy than a grown man. She took a deep breath, steadying her emotions and thoughts. Her deep sigh earned a glance from Latimer and Reylan.

"The men here grow tired of the Black dragon's rule," piped up someone else within the tent.

"Aye, and they've sided with the evils of our kingdom in search of recompense. The threat has grown outside of what we are capable of holding back. Therefore, Atlas, it is now in your hands to work together, which I-We, are willing to do. Too long have we been enemies without cause," Ladrin gestured to his people that were scattered throughout the tent.

"I agree, I discovered before coming this way, information that my father was working on a peace treaty and he was killed because of it," Atlas replied. She could feel worry ooze from him, but for what she could not discern. She could think of several things that would elicit worry with their topic of conversation but she couldn't assume to know exactly which it was.

Her skin was an itchy mess now and fought the urge to scratch her arms. Was it just her paranoia or was her change officially beginning? She chose to disregard that thought. It was too soon, Iris had said four days.

Too much was being discussed that she did not understand and therefore she just listened. They had begun talk of strategy. Not for war, for they were all tired of war and she with them.

They did discuss plans that did encompass war in the event it came to pass. She hoped it wouldn't. She could and would fight but she wasn't sure if she could kill. It wasn't in her. She knew the people in this tent had killed though and they would do it again. It tugged at her inner self thinking of wasting a life. But it would be lives that would oppose Atlas and by extension her...

She would protect Atlas until her dying breath even though he didn't know who she was. She couldn't say she loved him, that would be too far of a stretch. That idea had long escaped her being, but she would be lying to herself and to anyone if she said she didn't care for him.

She could hardly listen to the conversation anymore as her head was humming and she felt her energy drain from her body so suddenly she had to clench her hands in order to wake herself to alertness. Another glance from Latimer was given and she nodded her okay in return even though she was moments away from sinking to the ground.

"When you leave for Aria once more, we will join you and send words to our people for support," Ladrin said, seeming to conclude the meeting.

"Thank you," Atlas gave a small head bow.

They took that as their leave, and Tallulah greatly inhaled the fresh air that surrounded them as they left the tent. They almost jogged back to their tent in the camp, first light was only hours away meaning they had spent half of the night with the cats. Tallulah still couldn't get over the fact that Iris and Ladrin were in a relationship and so it seemed that her brother and Iris  were too.

She had heard of people taking different lovers throughout their lives, but never had she witnessed it or thought it would be at the same time. She had lived such a sheltered life and it was showing in this instance. And she hadn't taken the time either to marvel at the deep colors of Iris and her kin. Their skin colors had ranged from desert sand to the deep blue, almost black, of the sky. They were utterly beautiful.

On their way back, she asked the group in genuine curiosity, "has a cat ever mated with a dragon?" A sense of unease was felt within the group.

"No, there would be no physical compatibility, our ways of knowing who our mates are would be too complex to replicate in another kind of being. Our scales, or rather our female's scales change color the instant they come in contact with their mate, and Dragons only have one mate," Atlas replied, that much she already knew, but he didn't know that

"Ah, okay,"

"Aye, their loose ways was one thing we've always disagreed with, because it would be seen as horrific if we lay with another woman. It would show that our female was barren and would be a last effort to produce an heir. It could also mean a male has failed to find his mate which is an extremely rare occurrence. Females are rather unfortunate in that regard, they could never bare another's child except their mate, but a male could mate with a human and have offspring. Further on the subject, the dilution of scale coverage comes from the type of dragon you are, those born into war or power will have more coverage than those born into books or serfdom," continued Reylan. Tallulah was intrigued but this notion, she had heard something similar before, but never about the dilution of the scale coverage. Her scales were just as extensive as Atlas' it seemed. But she had never seen him wholly undressed and would die of embarrassment the day she did...maybe.

"I think we all forget, kid, that you're not like us," Reylan spoke once again. How wrong he was. She could laugh at that remark but only shared a glance with Mykel instead.

"Can every dragon shift?" She asked. They were almost at their tent so her question came out a whisper. This time it was Atlas.

"Yes," was his reply. She knew this to be true now, but she would have again laughed at the thought for she could not shift for the first twenty years of her life.

In a silent agreement they all passed out on their cots without changing, for they were all exhausted and the morning would soon come.