Chapter Two: A Friendship Grows.

Early the very next morning Valek wakes and yawns loudly as he fells something move underneath him. He raises his large black wing to find the human girl still sleeping peacefully. The fact that she is still here is somewhat a surprise and a comfort to Valek as he tickles the girl's nose with his tail, trying to wake her from her peaceful slumber.

"Mh... not yet Mamma, it's not even noon yet..." The girl mumbles, rolling over again to find a better sleeping position.

The girl reminds me of when I was young. Valek softly laughs to himself.

Then an idea that his Mother used to do to him to make him wake up when he was a youngling comes in to his mind. Valek snakes his head around and found one of her ears and smiling evilly as he licks it getting the reaction that he wants. The girl squeals in fright and looks at Valek as he chuckles receiving a deathly glare. This of course makes him laugh even harder than before.

Like my Mother used to say "Works every time." Valek then laughs some more, he was having fun.

"That was not funny." The girl mumbles, putting a lot of emphasis on the word 'not', then she wipes her ear clean. "That was disgusting!"

"That is why it was so funny." Valek chuckles some more. "My Mother used to do that to me to get me up as well."

This time it was the girls turn to laughs then she sighs happily, thankful for the rest that she has gotten.

"My name is Isadora." She smiles brightly as she gets off his leg allowing him to move.

Valek nods, glad that he no longer had to call Isadora a 'human' or 'girl'. As he stretches he scraps the ground with his claws as he senses something that is troubling Isadora, like she is worrying about something. He looks at Isadora trying to figure out what she is thinking but cannot, he was not looking in to her eyes so it was a bit hard to tell.

"What is on your mind Isadora?" Valek asks.

"Do you want me to leave, or can I stay here? I only ask because I have nowhere else to go!" Isadora asks franticly.

Valek can see her holding her hair and guesses that is what she does when she is afraid that something might happen to her. He could also see the truth in her eye that she indeed had nowhere to go, no home, no family and no friends. Valek feels sorry for the young Isadora, again the need to have someone live with him comes to mind, but the question he is asking himself is should he let her?

Valek feels obliged to let her stay, what would his mother say if he said no to someone such as her?

"Please slow down, yes you can stay here, for as long as you like or until you find somewhere where you feel comfortable."

Isadora runs up to Valek and hugs him tightly whispering her 'Thankyous'.

"That is alright; to me it would dishonourable to deny what you ask." Valek reassures her.

"Is there anything you would like me to do around here? Or would I just be in the way...?"

"Well since you are going to live here I think it would be best if you could gather some wood for a fire and I will go and get some food."

Isadora lets Valek go as he stands and she could only stare at the very sight of him. She could see a group of horns upon his crown, nine she thinks set in a form of a crown, pointing back, smaller ones along his jaw line, like teeth for it. She all so saw his wings, they are slightly torn but she guesses not enough to affect his flying ability but they were massive with ivory spikes on the main connection of the wing joints. His scales are pure black and blends in so well with the darkness of the cave there was no point in wondering she never saw him last night because there was nothing to see of him agents all the blackness. She looked at his legs, they were strong and one limb could have been thicker than her torso, but what she found amusing that his front paws looked more like her hands, in that he had four fingers and two thumbs, then his back leg looked as they should be, but what caught her attention where the claws, long and very sharp. Last was his tail, long and as black as the rest of his body, she guesses that it could knock a tree down.

Valek heads towards the mouth of the cave and then turns back to face Isadora finding that she is gawking at him then finds a slight red tinting on her cheeks and smiles. "Stay close to the cave, there are wards in place that will protect you."

Isadora nods as Valek flies off.

For the first time in a long time Isadora felt safe unlike when she was at home... Grinding her teeth, not wanting to bother old ghosts of the past she pushes those memories out of her mind and walks out of the cave to look around.

When she walks out of the cave all she can do is look around in pure wonder as she drinks in the sight before her. Lush green trees, bushes and grass and even bunches of wild flowers were blooming here and there, adding an extra splash of colour. Isadora continues to look around picking up dead branches as she goes, breathing in the fresh air, listing to the sounds of the birds and insects.

Forgetting where she was the sound of a twig snapping and brings Isadora's attention back to earth as she looks around. She knew someone was watching her, was it Valek? No he would make is present know to her, but as soon as the feeling was there it was gone. But what left her wondering was: what was it, who was it?

Shaking her head clear of the thought, thinking of the very worst of what could happen she walks, nearly runs back to Valek's cave finding that he was about to head out again with a worried look. Then he spots Isadora then looks at her with a frown

"I thought I told you to stay close to the cave." He says to her, with more force then he intends startling Isadora.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to look around, and you know learn what is around here..." Isadora whispers, hoping her would not get hurt.

Only just realising that he has made Isadora very upset with his unreasonable outburst he walks over to her and brushes his noise across her cheek, his only way to show that he was sorry.

"No, I'm sorry Isadora, it has been a long time since I have had company and well this learning to live again is somewhat stressful."

Isadora looks up as Valek looks away and strokes is scaly face. She hears him purr and watches him nuzzle her hand, enjoying the contact.

"It's alright Valek; I think I would have said the same in your position." Then Isadora chuckles. "Although I don't think I will go beyond the sight of the cave again."

Valek looks at Isadora alarmed. "What happened?"

"I heard a twig snap and I felt someone watching me and at first I thought it was you then discounted the thought and came back here as quick as I could." Isadora looks towards the forest. "Dose anything get past your wards?"

"Mainly humans and anything that isn't evil." Valek too looks at the forests trying to see what was out there but found nothing.

"Can we go inside now? I feel like I'm being watched." Valek nods and leads her inside.

Then both Valek and Isadora went inside the caves and out of sight but not without being noticed as a scout saw them enter the cave.

A Dragon with Isadora, He thought. The Master will want to know about this. Shortly after this the scout left for his Masters castle.

Sometime later in Valek's Cave...

"I am sorry about the lack of meat Isadora. Usually I go out and hunt further way from the cave but with you hear I thought that a mixture of fruit and berries would do for now." Valek looks apologetic. "And I don't really know what humans eat anyway, I'm sorry."

Isadora looks at the mounds of fruit and her stomach growls. She hasn't seen so much food in her life! The most she has eaten was left over's from the family dinner table and even then it wasn't much. She looks at Valek and smiles and says her thankyous and began to eat but only ate a small amount witch left Valek wondering.

"You know you can eat more if you want to, I can go without food for weeks on end if I must." Then he looks at the fruit with distaste. "I like meat more anyways."

This surprises Isadora. "Really, you mean I can eat as much as I want to?" Valek nods with a look of concern. Then Isadora looks at the food as if to think, what if...? Then a large selection of images pass thought her mind and he pulls her hand away. "No thank you, I have had enough." And then, Isadora's stomach growls again unsatisfied and the urge to eat more kept on nagging her.

"I don't think your stomach has had enough, though. It sounds like it wants more." Valek starts to chuckle.

"Yes well, maybe a few more bites couldn't hurt..." Isadora soon find that she is eating her way through the fruit faster then she thought she was and soon there was no more to eat. So she rests back up to a small pillar sighing happily, her stomach full.

"Take it your full then?" Valek asks.

Isadora nods and opens her eyes and looks over Valek. He was sitting in front of the caves mouth with what was left of the evening sun shining over his form giving him a godly and a deathly look as his red eyes all so blazes.

Here is a myth, a legend. Isadora thinks to herself. And I am here with him!

"Thank you Valek for all you have done for me." Isadora slowly gets up and walks over to him. "Can I sleep up next to you again tonight?"

Valek smiles and nods, and then he gets up to a comfortable position so both he and Isadora can sleep blissfully tonight.

Although little do any of them know that tonight will change both of their lives forever...