Nusantara: Taming a Dragon ✔

They're here

Caution: bit of a long rant at the start of this chapter, please bear with it~ :3

Soooooo here I am, lovelies, with a new story! This one is based around a Visual Novel that is very near and dear to my heart - Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones, made by the awesome SweetChiel. Though I had started this as a personal passion project, I eventually became her betareader for her second VN - Nusantara: Bermuda Triangle. And working with her has been my utmost pleasure and honor from the very start, because she is one of the loveliest people I have ever met.

Aside from me proofreading the script for her new game, I also shared with her this little homage I tried to pay to the wonderful world she had created on Nusantara Island. Now this has not been an easy project, by far. I started writing it back in July 2016, shortly after she had released the first game. But with life getting in the way and then having to go through my father's passing, I only recently managed to draw this story to a close and have it ready to be shared with all of you.

So, with Chi-Chi's blessing I have decided to make what was initially intended as a gift only for her, into a gift for all of my darling readers - especially for those who have played the first game and, like me, were desperately wishing for a sequel.

But without any further ado, I'll let you enjoy the first chapter and hope that you'll go on this little journey with me. So enjoy, darlings, and don't forget to toss me a little comment to let me know what you think~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤ 

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Gasp!

For a moment only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard in the modestly furnished room, sky-blue eyes staring at the moonlit ceiling; yet in spite of how widened they were, the gaze in them showed an odd mixture of emotion – curiosity, intrigue... fear...

"What the hell?" a soft, feminine voice spoke, almost as a whimper.

By now that dream had been plaguing her for years, so how could it still  unsettle her so deeply? Maybe it was about time to see a psychologist; surely there was some repressed trauma from her early childhood that would cause her to experience the same smothering nightmare. Every. Single. Night.

Always... always that pair of scrutinizing eyes staring at her, set upon a face she could barely discern the features of, framed by what looked to be dark hair – although she could swear that some of the locks were dyed silver... or was that white?

Again she recalled those eyes, staring into her very soul as if they wanted nothing better than to suck all life out of her. And yet she couldn't deny they were beautiful, for all the terror they instilled in her. So mesmerizing, so green, so...

"Reptilian..."

Her own whisper surprised her, mostly because she hadn't consciously settled upon that word. But there was no other way she could think of to describe those eyes, other than they belonged to some kind of reptile. And yet the face they were set upon was remarkably human, even with the frighteningly sharp fangs revealed by a pair of thin lips pulled back in a snarl. Judging by the shape of the nose and other tiny details that she hadn't even known she could  notice on anyone, she could only conclude that it was a man... young... and undeniably handsome in spite of the hard, scalding glare he offered her every night, as though he would have liked nothing better than to skin her alive.

With a heavy sigh she rolled onto her side, facing the open balcony door from where she could see the clear sky and – if she strained her ears a bit – could hear the soothing sound of waves rocking back and forth... back and forth... back and...

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She couldn't even tell when the sea had lulled her back to sleep, and to her fortune the nightmare hadn't returned for the remainder that night. Soon enough the sunrays dancing cheerfully on the hand-woven carpets covering the wooden floor of her abode, and the playful sounds of seagulls and other – more exotic – birds gained her full attention, driving the memory of those cold eyes to the back of her mind.

Upon seeing her rise from the bed, the large African Grey parrot which had been perched on his support in a shadowed corner now perked up and flapped his wings, before squawking and tilting his head at her.

"Morning, Aleera... you sleep good?"

Looking over to the bird as she stood and stretched her spine, the young woman smiled lightly.

"Yes, I slept good. How about you, Tristan?"

"Slept good... want breakfast, please."  he squawked again, pointing a foot at his food bowl.

"Alright, let me take a quick shower first and we'll eat together."

"Tristan wants shower too!"  the parrot eagerly bobbed his head, flapping his wings once more.

"Alright..." she giggled. "Come on."

Holding out her arm so the parrot could climb onto it, she entered the bathroom and set him atop his perch near the mirror where Tristan immediately took to examining himself – almost with a critical eye, as far as she could tell. Leaving him there to enjoy the steam from her shower, she stepped out half an hour later with the large bird on her shoulder, pecking playfully at a fiery strand of her wet hair.

"Silly birdie..." she jested, gingerly bumping her head against him.

"Tristan loves you, baby girl."  he replied, drawing another chuckle from her.

"Yeah, I love you too." Aleera finally replied, gently stroking his head. "How about some breakfast?"

A cheerful mixture between a squawk and a whistle was the parrot's only answer while she moved into the small kitchen. Putting two small bowls on the table she filled one with water and the other with freshly peeled apple slices, mixed with mango and a few cherries. Without needing an invitation, Tristan immediately settled on the table and reached out for a cherry with his foot, before starting to nibble on it.

"Thank you."  he said after a moment, apparently remembering his training.

"You're very welcome."

As per usual, the rest of her breakfast was spent with her attention divided between her own food and watching Tristan as he played with a half-nibbled apple slice.

"Did you know we're getting some new Komodo Dragons today?" she suddenly asked.

It was always fun to talk with Tristan, because more often than not he seemed to actually understand the meaning of what she was saying and was able to carry a conversation.

"Kokodo."  he squawked, eyeing her curiously.

"No. Ko-mo-do..." she repeated, emphasizing each syllable and trying to hold back from laughing.

"Ko... Komodo..."

To ease his uncertainty Aleera nodded and gently brushed a finger across his chest when he pronounced the correct word.

"Good boy. That's it..."

She was just about to continue their conversation when a knock on the front door caught her attention. With Tristan perching onto her shoulder again she went to answer, only to come face to face with the grinning expression of one of her colleagues.

"Come on... they're here!"