Nashi and Scolin had spent a few days in the same spot having no idea where to go or what to do now. Nashi awoke and saw the sun rising over the horizon. She decided it was about time that they moved to a different place and so began to pack things up when Scolin awoke and stretched. Where are we going now? He asked her.
We are going to continue heading east. That's our best bet, away from everything. Nashi explained as she slipped the saddle onto Scolin once more and mounted.
The large dragon yawned one last time before alighting into the air and heading in the direction of the sun. They flew for some hours until the sun was high in the sky and a small lake had appeared before them. Scolin decided to check it out and began his descend.
Nashi saw the water coming into view after Scolin began his descend and smiled. She had longed to find water for a long time, since they were short on supply and she hadn't bathed in weeks. Unfortunately Scolin landed rather hard and Nashi was thrown off his back. "Ouch Scolin!" She called looking over at him.
His scales were a green color as he laughed at her gently. Sorry, he said as he waded into the lake and swam around.
Nashi rolled her eyes and undressed before joining Scolin in the water. This feels so good, she thought to herself as she continued to swim around. Getting out she wrapped up in a blanket to dry off and sat on the edge for a while just watching the water, when she got an idea. Lifting her hand she began to manipulate the water so that there was a giant fountain in the middle of the lake and it sprayed Scolin as he climbed out of the water.
Hey no fair! He called back as he smacked his tail on the water's surface spraying Nashi with a mini tidal wave.
"HEY!" Nashi called as she jumped back in the water and began to hit Scolin with sprays of water and ducked underneath every time he would try and hit her. One time she disappeared underneath the water and began to swim around under the water.
Nashi, you might want to come out we have guests. Scolin warned her.
Nashi instantly surfaced and looked over at Scolin to see Kio and Evyon there. Kio was staring right at her with a smile. "Hey pervert! Want to wait till I get dressed?" She called over to him.
Kio smiled and slid off Evyon's side so that she stood between Kio and Nashi.
Nashi watched closely before getting out and quickly dressing and calling back to Kio. "Okay I'm dressed now."
"I'm glad to hear that," Kio said as he came to stand next to Nashi. "What are you doing all the way over here?"
"Attempting to find someplace to go. I have never been this far before and I don't know where I am going." Nashi answered. "Where are you headed? And where is your crew?"
"Well we were told to disperse and find you so I started heading this way. But I was just going to head to Farthen Dûr." Kio explained to Nashi.
"Oh, I've heard of Farthen Dûr and wanted to go there for a while. Where is it?" Nashi asked.
Kio stood behind her and turned her towards the Hadarac Desert. "Just across the desert and into the mountains is Farthen Dûr. I believe that's where a couple others were going, but they will definitely keep you safe there. Any dragon rider going there, doesn't care about you being a girl, I can tell you that right now." He whispered in her ear.
Nashi was trying to look out across the vast desert, unawares to Kio still holding onto her hips. "I don't see it, but it must be out there somewhere." She said looking over her shoulder at him. She raised an eyebrow as she looked down at his hands finally. "You want to let me go Kio, or… are we just going to stand like this for hours?"
"Oh right… sorry." Kio said letting go of Nashi and coughing he backed up a few paces. "So…" he said feeling embarrassed.
"So Kio, where are we? Obviously you know more than I do." She said spinning around in a circle with no clue.
"Well this lake here is Eldor. If you follow this river all the way south it will lead you to the base of a mountain. On top of which is Farthen Dûr." Kio explained to Nashi pointing down river and keeping his gaze locked away from her. He could still feel the heat in his cheeks from blushing.
Nashi turned around and looked at Kio and smiled at him. "Kio," she said walking up to him. "Don't be so embarrassed," she chuckled gently before poking him playfully. "Come and get me!" She called as she began to run around the lake.
Kio was confused and stunned for a moment before beginning to run after Nashi. "Hey no fair!" He called out as he caught up with her and poked her back. "Ha! Your turn!" He turned and ran the other way.
Nashi turned around and began chasing him this time, but he was faster than she was and she couldn't keep up. "Now who's not fair!" She called out.
Kio seeing that she was slower began to run in slow motion. "Come get me," he said in slow motion.
"Okay, no taunting me!" She said as she caught up with him and this time tackled him into the shallow water. "Ha, got ya!"
"Yeah, I let you get me."
"Who cares!" She said splashing him.
"Oh, now it's on!" He said splashing her back.
Nashi screamed playfully before diving under the water and swimming out into deeper water. As she glanced over her shoulder she saw that Kio was close behind her.
Kio was a bit bigger than she was and so therefore had more power and strength. He caught up with her and placed her arms at her side so she couldn't move. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before Kio leaned forward and gently kissed Nashi.
Nashi taken aback by this gesture opened her mouth and accidentally breathed in. She began to gasp for air as Kio wrapping his arm around her pulled her to the surface. When Nashi broke through she coughed and spluttered while taking in deep gulps of air. "Don't do that again," she warned between breaths.
"Sorry," Kio said holding her above the water so that she could concentrate on breathing. "I'll warn you next time." He smiled up at her mischievously.
"Oh really… You think there's going to be a next time?" Nashi said looking down at him.
Kio looked at Nashi hopefully. "Don't you want there to be another time?"
"I'll let you know," Nashi replied pushing away from Kio and diving back into the water. By now the sun was setting and Nashi got out of the water to dry off at a small fire that Scolin had put together. Thank you. She told him with a smile as she grabbed a throw and placed it over herself before sitting next to the fire where Kio had joined her.
"So are we planning on leaving for Farthen Dûr in the morning?" She asked Kio.
"Yeah, it will be about a two day fly from here. Then we will be in Farthen Dûr and you won't have to worry about being judged." He explained to her pointing across the vast desert once more.
"I can't wait," she whispered imagining what it must look like. Nashi sat alone after Kio went to sleep next to Evyon. This is going to be so much fun Scolin! She told him, but when he didn't answer she looked over at him.
Scolin was being engulfed in a bright ball of light and it seemed like the moon was shining right on him.
Nashi stared in complete amazement not quite sure what to do. Scolin? She asked, but by the time the ball of light had disappeared a dragon no longer stood before her. Instead a guy was standing before her looking at his hands in confusion.
"Nashi?" He asked walking over to her rather clumsily. "What's happened to me?"
"Scolin, you're… human." She breathed looking at him. He was about 6' 3" and looked to be about 18 years old, with shaggy black hair and his eyes were a yellow color.
"How did this happen?" He asked as he tugged at the clothes that hung around him.
"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with… that has to be it. The eclipse that you were born during, it must allow you to change on the full moon." She said as she shifted her gaze to the bright white moon in the sky. As she looked back at Scolin his eyes had turned to a green color as he sat down next to her.
"This is really cool," Scolin whispered and looked at Nashi.
"We have to tell Kio and Evyon." She said starting to get up.
"No, you can't tell them!" Scolin hissed grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards the ground with enough strength to make her fall and she landed in his lap.
"Scolin, why not? We will have to tell them eventually. We can't just have Kio and Evyon wake up to find you like this." Nashi said looking at him expectantly.
"Nashi, I don't think I will stay like this. I believe this is only temporary." Scolin suspected and looked deep into Nashi's eyes. She looks really cute. Wait, what am I saying, I'm a dragon! He thought to himself.
Nashi looked up into his eyes that had turned a gentle pink. "Scolin, you have never been that color before," she said reaching up and touching his cheek as if to get a better look at his eyes. "Your eyes are so beautiful," she whispered.
Suddenly Scolin leaned down and kissed Nashi gently, but unlike with Kio she didn't pull away. For some reason she felt at ease with Scolin and welcomed the kiss, before wrapping an arm around him and pulling herself closer.
Scolin was so confused by what he was doing right now, that he finally pulled away. "I'm sorry Nashi, I can't."
"Scolin, why not?"
"I love Evyon," he said looking over at the large purple dragon. "Besides you're a human, I'm a dragon. It would never work."
"Scolin, you will turn like this every month, and I love you."
"No, Nashi. It can't work." Scolin said gently pushing her off his lap so that she was sitting next to him again.
"You're just like all men!" She snapped as she stood up. "Tease, tease, tease." She hissed and turned on her heel. "Why can't you just accept it? I have never felt like this towards anyone before. I love you Scolin."
"I can't love you Nashi. It's just not meant to be."
"How do you know that? Don't you think that if the gods let you be like this they had a reason for it." She said spinning to face him. "I love you Scolin, really! Please tell me you love me back!"
"I love you Nashi, but not like this." He said as he got to his feet and walked away. The moon dipped behind the horizon and sky began to lighten. Scolin was engulfed in a large ball of light once more before he was a dragon again.
Nashi sat down and small tears fell from her cheeks. Why can't he understand? She asked herself, when suddenly the love for Scolin disappeared and it was as if nothing ever happened. She couldn't remember anything from that night except sleeping, and neither could Scolin. It was the curse of the night, and it would take over Nashi if she didn't learn to take care of herself.
She fell back asleep only to be woken up by Kio leaning over her. "Wake up," he whispered as he kissed her cheek.
"I thought you were supposed to warn me first," she whispered groggily.
"I did, I woke you up first," he said jokingly as he grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet.
"I feel like I didn't sleep at all," she as she stretched.
"Well that's okay, we'll be flying all day, you can probably rest then. Get some water, our breakfast is almost ready." He said handing her a water sack.
Nashi watched Kio walk back over to the fire and continue cooking before she drank some of the water. Scolin and Evyon were sitting by the lake drinking quietly and Nashi smiled at the two. They are so cute together. She thought before joining Kio. "So what's for breakfast?" She asked.
"Eggs," he replied as he handed her breakfast.
"It smells great, thanks," she replied as she took it and quickly ate it. She felt like she hadn't eaten in days. "Thank you so much Kio. This was fantastic."
"Of course," he replied. "What are friends for?" Man, why can't I just say boyfriend. I want to be with Nashi and I know she wants to be with me, but I just can't say it.
Nashi was completely oblivious to Kio's conflict as she stood up and began packing for the travel ahead. "Will we be stopping on the way?"
"Yeah, once a day, around mid-day for lunch, and around moon-high." Kio told her as he put out the fire and began packing as well.
After an hour they were all ready to go and were in the air on their way to Farthen Dûr. Nashi fell asleep on Scolin's back for the first half of the ride when she suddenly was thrown off of his back and landed in Kio's arms.
"Hey, that's not funny," she said to Scolin.
Scolin smiled and thrummed at her before joining Evyon a few paces away.
Nashi shook her head playfully before Kio finally put her down and they enjoyed a nice lunch of deer meat. "I can't wait till I can have something else for meals. Deer is great, but it gets boring after a while." She said after finishing.
"It's okay Nashi, when we reach Farthen Dûr, you can have anything you want to eat. They have just about everything." He explained to her.
"You've been there before? What's it like?"
"It's amazing. There are places for the dragons and riders to sleep separate from the commoners, while there is a great palace. I can't even explain it. It's just so beautiful, you'll have to see it for yourself."
"I can't wait," she said gazing out towards the mountains, which were just visible now. They spent about an hour lying in the sun, which was more than Kio had originally planned, but as long as it meant he got to spend more time with Nashi then he was fine with it.
"It's so hot out here," she finally remarked as she wiped sweat off her brow and grabbed the water flask from Scolin's saddle. "We should probably get going," she said as she touched Scolin only to have her hand burned. "Ouch!" She yelped recoiling her hand.
Kio ran over and looked at her hand. "Oh that's burned alright." He said ripping off a piece of his shirt and after pouring cold water on it he wrapped it up. "You'll have to get that healed in Farthen Dûr, there's nothing more I can do right now. I have never been good at healing." He said.
"Don't worry," she replied knowing that once they started flying all she had to do was concentrate. Which she did and in no time her hand was healed. She left the wrap on, so that Kio didn't make them stop and look at it once more. He was so protective over her all the time and sometimes it annoyed her.
By now night had fallen and they all stopped for some sleep, at which time she took off the wrap and gave it back to Kio. "I'm all better now. Thanks for the help," she said.
"You can't be healed, burns don't heal like that," he said and took her left hand. Amazed by it, he began running his finger across it. "How…"
"Hey, that tickles!" She said trying to pull her hand away.
"Oh it does, does it?" Kio said playfully.
"No, Kio!" She said as she tried to get away, but he had grabbed her around the waist and was tickling her until she fell to the ground. "No fair!" She kept calling out, until he finally stopped. She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "How dare you take advantage of a poor defenseless maiden," she joked.
"psh! Yeah right! You a poor defenseless maiden. I don't think you were even before you had a dragon."
"No, I wasn't actually." She said smiling. "Well I'm extremely exhausted. Good night," she whispered to him, before falling asleep.
He stayed awake a while watching her and placed a blanket over her when she began to shiver. Finally he fell asleep a little ways away with his own blanket.
That night Nashi awoke with a start and saw that once again Scolin was a human. "It's you, you're back." She whispered as she got up and walked over to him.
"Nashi, I can't…" he started but Nashi kissed him anyway. He pushed her away. "Nashi! It's something to do with the moon, it's taking control of you. You need to fight it."
"Why would I want to fight it Scolin? I love you, I would never want to fight love."
Scolin reached up and slapped Nashi and she fell backwards. "Ouch, Scolin! That hurt." She hissed.
"I'm sorry, but you needed it. The moon is taking you over. Don't let it."
"You're right, I'm sorry." She replied with a nod and sat down. I still love you Scolin. I won't give up. Just wait, there will come a time. "So, do you like being a human?"
"It's okay, but kind of weird. I just don't want Evyon to find out. That would be terrible. She wouldn't like me anymore."
"Oh Scolin, I think she'll like you no matter what." Nashi replied to him placing a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, I can tell."
"How?"
"It's a girl thing. We just know when people like each other."
"But we're not people Nashi. We're dragons."
"It's still the same," Nashi replied to Scolin.
"No, it really isn't." Scolin was looking at the moon as it began to set and nudged Nashi. "You should go back to bed," he told her and reluctantly she complied walking over to her blanket and curling back up in the blanket, as Scolin became a dragon once more. Two nights every month he would be like this Nashi assumed and then she went back to sleep.
Nashi awoke the next morning to find Kio making breakfast once more.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," he whispered as he handed her some deer meat.
Rolling her eyes playfully she took the meat and chewed it slowly. "Thank you," she whispered before looking at Scolin and Evyon with a twinkle in her eye. "They look so peaceful together," she told Kio.
"It's cute isn't it?" He replied.
"Yeah," she said as she heard the low thrumming of Scolin.
"Well, we better get going. We will make it to Farthen Dûr by nightfall." Kio said as he packed up put out the fire and mounted Evyon.
Nashi nodded and did the same and one last time they took to the air on their journey to Farthen Dûr. Since they were slightly behind schedule they didn't stop for lunch and flew as the moon began to rise in the sky. Nashi was starting to fall asleep on Scolin's back when Kio pulled her onto Evyon and leaned her against him.
"This way you don't fall off," he whispered to her as he caressed her hair gently.
She leaned back against him and drifted into a gentle sleep.
Nashi was in a clearing all alone. It was the middle of the night and she could barely see around her. Calling out she hoped to find Scolin, but there was no reply. She began to back up when she saw a dark shadow on the other side of the clearing. "Who are you?" She called out reaching for her sword, but there was nothing there.
"Nashi, it's me Lith." He said as he stepped into the moonlight.
"Stay away from me jackass!"
"Nashi, it's okay!" He said reaching his hand out.
"She said back off Lith." Kio's voice came into the picture and he walked between Nashi and Lith. "So leave her alone."
"And what are you going to do about it?" Lith said taking a knife out. "You're just a little weakling."
"I am strong enough to keep you off of her. I know what you want Lith."
"Neither of you know how to properly take care of a woman," a deeper voice said and from the opposite direction of Kio was Ramy. "Besides she still owes me a promise."
Nashi was standing there against a tree on the edge of the clearing watching the scene before her. 'What do I do?' She thought to herself as she cast her gaze between each of them.
"Oh please, we all know that Nashi loves me," a fourth voice said and from Nashi's left side just behind the tree came Scolin in his human form.
"Scolin!" She said leaping into his arms and Scolin kissed her cheek.
"I told you guys stand no chance," he said as he pushed Nashi against the wall and stepped between the three guys and her. The other three were angry now and began advancing on Scolin. "Now, I don't think you want to do that."
"I think we do, Nashi loves me." Lith said.
"I don't think so, she's mine." Ramy stated.
"No, Nashi knows she loves me." Kio said more gentle than the others.
"Then let's bring it." Scolin said as he began towards the other three. He began with kicking Lith in the stomach giving Ramy an uppercut and tripping Kio so that he hit his head on the ground.
Lith was coughing but got back up first and began towards Scolin with his sword raised.
"I don't think so. No cheating." Scolin said and grabbing the blade bent it back towards an through Lith's torso. He fell backwards trying to breath, but his windpipe was cut off.
Next was Kio who smashed into Scolin's stomach with his head and tried to flip him over his shoulder, only for Scolin to grab him around his back and take Kio with him smashing him onto his head.
Last was Ramy who got up massaging his jaw and started to run at Scolin, but a simple clothesline stopped Ramy in his tracks and sent him to the ground.
Now that all three were done Scolin turned back to Nashi and smiled. "I told them they didn't stand a chance," he whispered as he placed his hand above her shoulder against the tree and kissed her gently. Suddenly Scolin stopped as he took a deep breath and was looking up at the tree.
"Scolin, Scolin what's wrong?" Nashi asked worried.
Scolin fell to the ground with blood pouring from his back. While a dark shadow stood behind him looking at Nashi.
Nashi awoke when Kio whispered in her ear. "We're here Nashi." She looked at him and nodded with a smile. That was a really weird dream. I don't understand it at all. She thought to herself as they alighted in the dragon's den and began to walk down towards the city.
"Now Nashi, just for now, don't let anyone know about your dragon rider abilities. There have been times when there was trouble here or spies. We don't need them to know." Kio advised as he placed her gloves over her hands once more. They entered into a great hall and Kio said, "welcome to Farthen Dûr."
