Heir of the Dragon

Holes

I was awoken more by the burn of his touch than by his shaking me. The grey early morning light lit up his porcelain features as he bent over me. He had tucked his black curls behind one ear but the other side swung in the morning breeze.

"You awake?" He said in a harsh whisper. He took a step back as I sat up and brushed my tangled mass of hair out of my eyes.

" Yes," I yawned. He glanced at the elf who lay still by the smoking coals.

"Come with me," he said, walking off into the foggy morning. I hurried to my feet and stretched my arms as I stumbled after him. Trotting up beside him, I gave him sidelong glance.

"What is it?" I asked, barely above a whisper. This place was still too quiet. He responded with only a loaded glance and a grim look. We'd come to the swamp again, and as we walked along it, we kept a generous distance from the swaying reeds on it's bank. He plodded on in silence. The only sounds breaking the morning air were our footsteps on the damp ground. I soon recognized familiar knotted trees and realized we were headed back to the cave. When we reached the dark stone mouth, I followed him in and watched him pick up the saddle bags we'd left the morning before. With a dark expression flitting through his golden eyes he handed me both.

"You'll need it," He said, not meeting my eyes. I stood, puzzled for a moment.

"...So will you," I said, the unspoken question obvious in my voice. He cracked a haunting, humorless smile, full of hatred and disgust, but somehow I knew that none of it was meant for me.

"I'll be fine." He growled, and dropped his gaze. I was about to protest, but he winced sharply and the cave suddenly filled with the sound of moving flesh. I immediately dropped the bags and covered my ears, almost overwhelmingly tempted to squeeze my eyes shut, but I resisted. I could feel his blood spike within him, wether with emotion or with the stress of the shift, I couldn't tell. I again watched his body grow and dement, ripping him out of his clothing. Fur sprouted all over him and scales dug themselves out of his back and shoulders. It took only moments, but the sight of his weight falling onto his forearms played across my vision in slow motion. Finally the huge familiar beast stood still before me, the shifting of his bones quiet. When he again opened his burning amber eyes, they were filled with only sadness. He held his enormous head so close... I suddenly had the urge to reach up and touch the scales running down his face, to feel the burn of his skin against mine. His eyes followed my hand as it inched nearer. His blood was so still, and his heart beat in a long slow rhythm. My fingers made contact and then my palm. The burning was almost painful, but somehow immensely satisfying as I ran my fingers down the smooth scales.

"I am sorry you ever had to know me," His guilt ridden voice rang crisply in my head. In shock, I jerked my hand away, and then he was gone, whipping past me and out of the cave, almost knocking me over. Thats it, I thought in sudden realization, he had to be touching me to speak inside my head! I turned to stare after him and almost instantly the euphoria of the moment died off. His absence was suddenly a huge weight that bore down on me. His black figure disappeared into the fog and I couldn't help but acknowledge the feeling of the hole collapsing a little further. He'd just left me all of the food, the clothes, and the provisions...I picked up one bag and dug through it. There was the undecorated dagger, still here, but his sword and other dagger were gone, and he hadn't been wearing them. Of course I knew he didn't really need the protection, but what about food? I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, pushing back the multitude of questions threatening to pull me down. Snatching the other bag off the cave floor, I trudged back towards the sleeping elf.

"The Ghere is gone?" She said as I came up to her through the trees. It sounded like a question but I knew she meant it more as a statement. I nodded stiffly and set down the heavier of the two bags and slumped into a sitting position.