A/N: Hey guys, welcome back! Hope you've all been doing well. So, a few things before we continue with whatever Nathan is doing:
1: Got some questions about including certain monsters into the harem/or in the story somehow. While I do have the main harem basically decided now, a few side characters still need to be filled in. I'll probably use some of your requests if they fit as we go along.
2. Thanks for the crazy follows and favorites, most I've ever had in such a short amount of time. So you know, thanks for that.
As a small way of saying thank you to you all, I left a link to some sketches of some other characters that are going to be in the story soon down below among other doodles of mine. I can't really draw that well, but I feel like I owe you guys for waiting this long.
Well, that's everything I wanted to go over at the moment. Let's see what Nathan is up to.
Hit the lights.
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The next week came and went.
While it had been kind of awkward between the two of them after that one night's little "incident" at first, things quickly got back to normal. Whatever that was. He'd apologized to Fenra about the whole thing, and she didn't take it too personally. She didn't push him for any specific reason, and they didn't discuss it further. Part of Nathan thought she might of been worried about what was going on with his whole thing, but Fenra was silent. Either she didn't have a clue, or didn't know what to do. Both of those responses Nathan could deal with.
That night hadn't changed how close she wanted to be next to Nathan. In fact, it seemed to increase her clinginess to a different level than before. She loved to be cuddled and petted, although she'd never admit to the extent of how good it felt herself. Probably trying to maintain some semblance of her pride. Her boldness would shine through here, as she would always say what was on her mind and what she wanted. If she wanted Nathan to make them both food, she'd ask for it. If Fenra wanted a pat on the head or a massaging of her fluffy ears, she'd ask for that as well.
She wasn't afraid to get what she wanted, and Nathan really admired that. It's probably why he would always give her what she wanted almost every time. Almost. She'd occasionally for massaging of some more "risque" part of her body. Of course he politely declined. It wasn't long before he'd been covered in her "love bites" all over his body for being a "good boy".
Fenra never slept in her own bed the entirety of her stay so far. She much preferred snuggling up to Nathan as he tried to sleep. He wondered why Fenra didn't like to sleep alone. Maybe she got lonely at night? He didn't ask. It was harmless enough. If Nathan was being honest with himself, he enjoyed whenever the hellspawn nuzzled her cute body close to his.
Things were going pretty well between the two of them, better than he'd ever expected. How had other people she'd stay with in the past had so many issues with her? She was practically harmless. He described Fenra to himself in his mind akin to a Tarantula. Something that looks threatening and dangerous on the outside, but on the inside is nothing but a big softie. She was a breath of fresh air in Nathan's uneventful day to day life. He looked forward to spending time with her everyday after work.
His work schedule hadn't really been affected by the change, although he did arrive at work some days more exhausted than usual. Doug would ask if he'd been getting enough sleep, and he tried to dismiss his concerns. And the questions about his bite marks. His sleeping was about as good as it had always been. Nightmares would come and visit him every so often, and every other night he'd wake up in a fright. Except this time, he wasn't alone. He had Fenra with him. He'd snuggle back up to his hound companion, and he'd fall back to sleep fairly quickly. It felt good, not to be alone anymore. He'd even come up with a nickname for the hellspawn to match her "Pet" nickname for himself. He decided to call her Fuzzy. She liked that.
It was finally the weekend again, and Nathan was relaxing sideways on his couch after a long but packed day at work. It was night time now. They were in their pajamas, Nathan wearing a white t shirt and some black gym shorts. Fenra on the other hand, was wearing nothing but a plain black pair of bra and panties. Nathan had a hard time concealing his obvious hard on.
Fenra, naturally was nuzzled into his chest having a small nap. It was cute, seeing her wrap her large paws wrap around his chest and turn it into a makeshift pillow. Didn't help that her large chest was mushed into his groin. He was just playing some Bloodborne on his PS4, a game he'd been meaning to get back into. He took a moment from playing after returning to the Hunter's Dream to give his hellspawn companion some much desired head pats. Fenra liked those.
He ran his fingers through her wild long black hair, massaging her scalp as he went. He knew he was doing a good job since her heard a soft, cute sigh escape her mouth. Good start. It was time for her long, fluffy ears. He softly held them in his hands, and started to stroke and massage every inch of them. She really liked that. He noticed one of her legs twitching a little. So adorable. She was practically a lapdog. Nathan increased his intensity of his massaging, and the twitching in her leg continued to shake and move wildly. Her tail was whipping around erratically as well, a clear signs whatever he was doing was working wonders for the hound.
Another cute sigh left Fenra's mouth. She moved her face from his chest and gave him a soft, warm kiss on his bandaged cheek. It was healing okay, but it would be awhile before it would close up. She looked into his eyes lovingly and gave him a playful nip on his neck.
"That feels good, Pet. Would you mind scratching my back?"
He gave her a grin and a nod. "Sure thing, Fuzzy. Just lay down again…"
She smiled and nuzzled back into his chest. Nathan moved her hands over to her well sculpted backside, and proceeded to slowly scratch along her features. He softly brushed his nails into her skin and across it, receiving a quiet moan from Fenra.
"Mmmmm...That's nice. Go a little bit lower…" He felt her sharp claws start to prick into his back.
He did as he was commanded. Nathan moved his magic fingers along her back, slowly dragging his nails down her spine. He got another moan from the hound.
"Mmm… Lower…" He felt the claws dig into his back a little. It stung.
Nathan hesitated for a minute. He knew where this was going. But he continued to scratch his nails along her spine. He slowly started to trail down further, his hands practically at the brink of no return. He heard her a more audible moan escape her lips.
She bit into his shirt, and dug her claws deeper into his back. "Just a bit more…"
He was saved by his phone when it vibrated for a second. Thank god.
"Hold on a sec." Nathan said, and pulled his phone out of his pocket, using it as an escape. Fenra groaned in disappointment. Butt massage would have to wait it seemed. He turned his phone onto the lock screen and checked its notifications. He had a Skype notification. It read:
You have received a request from the user, Spyman86 to have a video call.
Of course that was his username. Nathan groaned as well. It must be Crowley wanting to check in on them. Guess that butt massage would really have to wait now.
"Gotta go do something in my office really quick, Fuzzy. I'll finish later." He made an effort to get off the couch but the hound held him in place. Shit.
"Can't it wait, Pet? I was just getting into the mood…"
He sighed. "I wish I could, but this is actually important. It's Crowley."
She finally seemed to get it and sat up, with a pouty face painted on. "Okay then, I'll release you. For a minute."
He got up and stood out of the couch, placing his controller in his dish on the table. "It'll just take a second, don't worry."
She quickly took his spot, taking up all the space on the couch. "Just when I thought I had you, too…"
He gave her a grin. "Lucky me, then."
He made his way back to his office and sat down in his desk chair. He glanced over at the cabinet that held the photo of her for a second, but quickly moved his gaze to his laptop. He opened it up and booted it out of rest mode. The Windows logo and greeting welcomed him as he logged into his account. It took a second for the home menu to show up on the screen.
He brought his courser over to his Skype icon and and clicked it with his touchpad. The program opened and landed on the recent messages tab. He clicked on Crowley's message and agreed to the video call. He made sure his mic and webcam were on.
The call rang for about 3 or 4 times before the spy man finally answered his call. Nathan switched the call over to webcam. All that he saw was most likely Crowley's empty office at first. Crowley wasn't there, though. He instead heard two voices in the background conversing with each other back and forth. He sat there patiently for minute waiting to see if Crowley would turn up. He didn't.
Nathan finally spoke. "Hello? Mister Crowley? You there?"
The voices finally stopped and Nathan heard shuffling in the background. He finally saw a disheveled Crowley stumble into his own chair, looking as if he'd been wrestling with someone, or something.
Crowlely slicked his hair back and sighed in his chair for a second, looking up at his ceiling.
"Crowley?" Nathan called out.
He finally had his attention.
"Oh, sorry!" He quickly regained his posture. "Can you hear me? Is everything good?"
"Yeah, it's good." He gave him a nod. "So…"
Crowley looked around his desk for a second until he pulled out a slip of of paper. "Right. It's time for our first check-in! Yay! Sorry if you hear any noise in the background, it's most likely my Crow-"
He heard a bump, and the sound of wings flapping. Nathan didn't know where it was coming from until he saw a short, slim girl pounce on the back of Crowley's chair from behind, black feathers flying in a bunch of directions.
Crowley yelped in shock and the short girl perched herself above his head, using his shoulders for balance. She placed her feathered hands over Crowley's eyes and swung his head from side to side. The crow finally started to speak. "Crowley, it's feeding time! What are you doing?"
The girl couldn't have looked more than 12. She had short, jet black hair and emerald green eyes. She had a slender, thin frame with a tan complexion, her black feathered wings covering most of her forearms. The crow was wearing a simple, sleeveless black top and blue jean shorts. Her long, ears were pierced with small gold hoop earrings. This must be the "mangy" Crow Crowley mentioned back when they first met.
Crowley peeled the feathered hands off of his eyes to regain his vision. "I'm busy right now, Poe. I'm talking to -"
She continued to swing his head from side to side, playing with his hair and she went. "Talking to who? I see nobody." She poked fun at him in a playful, singsong tone.
Crowley pulled her head over to his computer screen so she could see Nathan. He was face to face with the small crow. "Oooohhhh. I see him now. Hi human! Hey there! I'm Po-Po the Crow! What's your name?"
He gave her a small wave and smile. "I'm Nathan. Nice to meet you. You must be the Crow I've heard about."
She looked into his eyes with her cute large green ones that easily took up most of her face. She teased Crowley in a singsong tune. "Ooooh Crowley, you're telling people about me? It better be good things I hope."
"Nothing you'd be interested in, you silly bird. Get off my head!"
She continued to swing his head from side to side. "Nooope!"
Nathan chuckled a little. "She seems like quite the handful."
Crowley shrugged and chuckled as well. "It's a process. I found her stranded in the rain alone one night, and I decided to take her in myself. She's been with me for a few years now. Anyways, I know what you must be thinking…"
"Where were you when Smith handed Fenra over?" Nathan answered his question for him.
"He was busy playing with Po-Po!" Poe continued to swing his head with glee. "Crowley forgot it was my play day! Silly Crowley, always forgetting to play with me!"
"T-that's a half truth. Had to fill out some dumb paperwork anyway. My bosses weren't to enthused that I approved you. Sorry about that, I hope Smith wasn't too hard on you. She can be a little intense."
"She was alright. Maybe a little rude though. Do you and her know each other?"
Crowley nodded. "Oh yeah, me and her go back years together. We started the program at the same time. Worked on quite a few of the same cases. She eventually decided to move to Japan to continue her work. Left me here all alone. She's one of the agents who was really instrumental in globalizing all of this. Don't take her attitude personally. She really loves what she does. Anyways…"
He looked over his paper with pen in hand. "So, how is it all going? How's Fenra? Everything all good?"
Nathan reflected on everything that had happened in the last week as he answered. "It's been… good. Better than I expected."
"Oh really? No problems to her adjusting?"
Nathan rubbed the cut cheek he had as a reminder. "Um, no. Not at all."
Crowley studied the mark for a second. He seemed fascinated. "Really now…"
"If you don't mind me asking Crowley, what happened to Fenra in those other homes? I'm curious because you and Smith and everyone else seems to think she's dangerous, but I'm not seeing why."
"Oh, yeah. Right." Crowley sat back in his chair. Poe was playing with his hair some more while singing a tune happily. His tone grew somber in a way. "She… she was neglected."
"You mean abused? How?" Nathan grew concerned. How could Fenra have been abused? She would've just beat the tar about of them if she felt so inclined. Fenra wasn't helpless.
"They did things to her. Hit her… hell, sometimes they wouldn't feed her at all. Not all of them did things, but some would. It was a rough time for her. When she'd get kicked out I'd have her stay with me. They were scared of her, kid. And when you're scared, you don't act in your rational mind sometimes."
The thought of Fenra being neglected in any way hurt Nathan. The hound that he knew that was on his couch had been nothing but a kind, and sweet girl.
"That's awful… Did it traumatize her in any way?"
Crowley replied. "She really insecure, believe it or not. Her flirting which I'm sure you've noticed by now, is a defense mechanism. She in particular craves and needs physical contact and touch to feel validated. It's part of her nature."
So that explained Fenra's clinginess. "So, what I can I do to make her feel better?"
Crowley pointed to the area on his neck with a smirk. "Seems to me you're already making good progress, kid."
Nathan felt the bite mark on his neck in response, a little embarrassed. "What these marks? Are they supposed to mean something?"
"A sign of affection, for sure. When a Hellhound finds someone they like or fancy, they'll mark them with those bites. It's a sign that they trust and feel close to you. I'm glad Fenra's finally found someone she likes."
Nathan blushed a little. "You mean she's…"
Crowley nodded with a smile. "Oh yes, she's most likely decided for you to be her mate. So that begs the question… how do you feel about her?"
Nathan didn't know what to think, or to feel. It's true he did feel… something for her. What was it, though? Was it love? No, it couldn't be. It had to just be the sexual attraction, nothing more. Nobody could ever love him for what he really was. He wasn't a good person. Not anymore.
But what if she did actually love him?
Could he honestly be able to return her feelings? It had been so long since he'd… loved someone. Cared for another that deeply.
But what about that night, Nathan? When you two kissed? When she said she loved you? Was that it? Was it real?
No, it couldn't be. He refused to believe it.
"I mean…" Nathan tried to say, but wavered in the confidence in the words he spoke. "She's pretty and all, but I-"
"Sorry kid, didn't mean to lay it on you so thick so quickly. I understand if you don't feel the same way. Liminals tend to fall hard and fast for those they care about. Their nature prevents them from doing otherwise."
"It's just… complicated. I'm not sure how I feel about it, exactly."
Crowley nodded. "I understand, kid. But give it some time and some thought. Who knows? Maybe you'll change your mind."
Nathan pondered it in his mind. "Maybe…"
Maybe he could think it over. Would it be so bad if she did love him? Maybe it might fix some of his problems if he had someone in his life.
"Take her out on a date sometime, kid. Show a lady a good time. See how you feel about her. She'd like that." Crowley finally set the paper aside.
A date? Yeah, maybe that would work. It couldn't hurt to try. It didn't have to mean anything.
"Anyways kid, I wasn't just calling you to ask about Fenra."
"Oh?" Nathan asked. "What else did you need, then?"
Crowley seemed embarrassed. "Well you see, I was wondering if you could handle some… work of mine for me…"
"What kind of work?" Nathan was curious.
"Well you see-" Crowley was interrupted by the cute Poe.
"Crowley's a lazy bum! He just wants to drink and -"
Crowley flicked her forehead and she winced in pain. "Owie! That hurt…"
"As I was saying…" Crowley continued this time uninterrupted. "I need you to go and check on… someone for me."
"Why not get Smith to do it? Surely she's more qualified than me to ask for favors."
Crowley nodded in agreement. "I would ask her but… Smith's busy at the moment. She's dealing with one of her most important cases right now over the phone. Some guy from Japan. Forgot his name."
"Oh." Nathan wasn't sure why that last part was relevant.
"So you're what I got to work with right now, kid. I'm too busy here trying to coordinate other cases." He shook his head and Poe started to giggle happily. "I also have to watch this little one. So how about it?"
It was none of Nathan's business, but he couldn't help but be drawn to the idea of doing work for the spy man. "What exactly do you need done?"
"Glad you asked." Crowley pointed at filing cabinet across the room and Poe flew over to it. She fiddled around for a second and then pulled out a file folder. She flew back over to Crowley and handed him the folder. He gave her a pat on the head and Poe smiled happily. "Thanks."
He opened the folder up and started to read it. "You know the neighborhood close to where you live with all the rich people houses and stuff?"
It took Nathan a minute to remember. "Oh yeah, I remember. It's been awhile since I've been down there." He used to go on rides through the neighborhood years ago with her in the Fall, when all the leaves and trees were about to go away.
"Well, I need you to check in on someone for me. Have you heard of the Peregrine Mansion in particular?"
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't be sure how he remembered it. Nathan never had met any of the people who lived there.
"It's sounds familiar, I guess…"
"I'll give you some background. It's an old house, built a long time ago. Alexander Peregrine passed away in the last few years from old age, and left the entire place to his wife, Claire. She hasn't kept in contact with really any people since then, and were not sure if she's okay or not. We want to check on her and make sure she hasn't… passed on yet."
"So, why are you interested in her then? Can't the cops just do it?" Nathan asked the obvious question.
"I'm getting to that. Apparently some speculation has gone around that a… dragon may have been living with them. Nobody is sure why, or for how long this has been going on."
Nathan was surprised. "A dragon? How has nobody known about this? That's kind of a big deal."
"We don't even know for sure IF there is a dragon. Never been able to know for sure. But if there is one, we need to make sure she's okay, and if Claire's okay as well. Because if she has passed on, that dragon could have be living there alone as we speak. We don't want an incident on our hands, so I'm keeping this on the down low." Crowley sighed and lit up a cigarette with a gold plated flip lighter he produced from his pants pocket. "So what do you say? Can you do me a solid, kid? I'll try and find a way to pay you back somehow, I swear."
Nathan thought it over. If there really is a dragon, the people there could be in serious danger. Hell, he'd be in danger if he went. Why did Nathan care? It's not like he knew the Peregrines, or any of the rich people there. Maybe it was his guilty conscience the prevented him from being selfish.
"Fine, I'll do it. I blame you if I get ripped apart by the imaginary dragon. Or if I have to suffer an offer tea time with a rich old lady."
Crowley grinned and puffed out a plume of cigarette smoke into the air. "You'll be fine, I promise. I'll send you the address and-"
Poe started to cough from the air. "I hate when you smoke, Crowley! It's all icky!"
"Then get off my head, you silly bird."
"No! Po-Po likes this spot!" They started to feud again and ignored Nathan's existence.
"Umm…" Nathan was gonna try to say something but decided that it wasn't necessary. He finally ended the call and sat back in his chair. He received the address to the house in a message from Crowley not long after the call ended. Looks like head had plans for tomorrow.
He looked over at his cabinet and frowned. He felt the itch come over him again, and his hands started to tremble a bit. He pulled out the smokes from his pocket and lit up one of the death-dealing sticks. She never did like it when he smoked back then. He tried to quit so many times, but whenever the itch would come he knew it wouldn't go away until he inhaled the smoke into his lungs. All it would take for him to feel normal again was to just keep doing it.
It didn't help his addiction after the accident. It just made things worse. Instead of just wanting to smoke for the hell of it, he needed to smoke to just calm himself down from stress. Which was very often.
He pulled out his lighter and lit the death stick with the meager flame. He put the filtered end to his lips and held the smoke in his mouth for a moment before blowing it out. The itch was fed, and he felt normal again. The relief washed over him and Nathan closed his eyes as it did so.
He kept on smoking for a few minutes until felt the furry arms of the familiar Hellhound wrap around his neck. He felt a soft kiss planted on his head.
"Hey, Fuzzy."
"I'm tired, Pet. I'm going to bed now. You coming with me?"
"Just finishing this smoke up. I'll be there soon." He felt her arms slowly remove themselves from around his neck.
"Okay Pet, I'll see you in a bit then."
She turned around to leave and Nathan couldn't resist the feeling that he was missing something. His calm demeanor melted away as his depression had set in. He needed it back. Her warmth. He quickly got out of the chair and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. He heard Fenra yelp a little in surprise.
"Is everything okay, darling?" She held his arms together with his. The image of this poor girl depressed and neglected hurt him deeply.
He nuzzled into her neck and took a deep breath. He felt so calm as he held her. He felt so complete. The world seemed to go away in that moment, and all that remained was the two of them. Why did he feel this way? "It's- nothing. Just thanks for checking up on me. It… means a lot."
She turned her head back to his and planted another warm kiss on his cheek. This time though, she held it there, both of their faces so close to each others now, as well as their bodies. He felt his heart to tremble and shake, and his body start to grow hotter and hotter. This felt right. He needed more of this, somehow.
He could have kissed her in return, but he wasn't that bold. That wasn't something he was capable of in that moment. Not yet.
She pulled her face away finally, and looked back into Nathan's dull blue eyes. He used to see her eyes as uncontrolled chaos at first, but as time has gone on, he saw a certain beauty in them. They were like flickering lights that danced across his mind. It was incredible. Nathan couldn't describe her in any other way.
"I'm here for you Nathan… If you need anything, just say so." He felt her fluffy tail brush up against him. "You can trust me…"
He believed her when she said that. It was easy. "I know. You… you go on now. I'll be in there soon."
She turned to face him and nodded. She gave him such a comforting smile, almost like… hers. "See you soon, then."
He nodded slowly in return. "Yeah…"
She finally left him there in the hall alone. He'd never felt so lonely in such a long time then. It hurt. He needed to make it go away. Nathan grabbed the rest of his smokes and went outside and leaned against the wall next to his driveway. He lit up another death stick, this time holding the smoke in way longer than one should. His lungs and throat start to burn. Nathan finally exhaled all the smoke and coughed a little. He looked up at the night sky, and the small stars that peppered it.
He'd used to look at the stars with her when they were younger. On some nights after a date he'd take her to the hills that overlooked their town and they'd spend the night looking. It felt so alien and different to him now. Almost like it was happened in another life.
On one of those nights, he confessed his deepest feelings to her while they were surrounded by stars and blackness. She did the same. He was so happy then.
But she was gone now. She'd been gone for awhile now. She always would be.
Nathan decided he finally had done enough torturing to himself for one night and went back inside. He slowly closed the door behind him and towards the direction of his bedroom. He yawned. Fenra was already on the bed in only her underwear still, watching him carefully as he went. He saw that her ears were furrowed in concern.
"Darling, are you okay? You look so… sad."
Nathan relaxed himself on the side of his bed, and buried the back of his head onto the pillow. "I'll be fine."
"Do you want to talk about it? Can I do-"
"It's fine, don't worry about it. It's just a little thing."
He felt Fenra's warm chest mush into his arm, as she cuddled up close to him. She held his arm to her chest with a sad frown. "I don't like seeing you so sad, Pet. It hurts."
"I'm sorry you have to see it. I can't help it, sometimes."
Fenra played with his hand in her paws. "Can I… "
He knew what she wanted. "Of course."
Nathan felt the hound lean her mouth close to his neck, her breath making his skin tingle. "I want you to feel better..."
She slowly dug her fangs into his neck, reopening the wounds that had been there before. She gnawed slowly, her tongue licking up the blood that spilled out. The wave of pleasure hit him again. It washed over him like a chill, and he breathed out a relaxed sigh. "Ahhh…"
She left another warm kiss softly on his new mark. "How does that feel?"
"Better." Nathan said. "Thank you."
She positioned herself on top of him and laid herself down on his chest, her breasts mushed into his torso. Even through her bra he could feel how soft and warm she was. He felt his hands wrap around her smooth toned waist and held her in place. "Sleep now, my darling. Just relax. I'll make it all go away..."
Nathan got comfortable as Fenra continued to gnaw at his marks. The pleasure waves continued to flood his senses. He felt himself finally start to let go, and the darkness took his body from him once again. Nathan was under her control again.
The hound never left his side the entire night.
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Nathan slept through the night with little incident, all thanks to Fenra. He quickly and quietly left the house in the early morning, taking extra care not to wake his lovely hound companion.
He got into his car and pulled out of his driveway slowly, turning the corner to head down the street. Nathan had not eaten before he left, so he made a quick run to McDonald's (don't judge him) to pick up a Mcmuffin and some orange juice. He wasn't really a usual customer of quick fast food, unless it was Panda Express. Seriously guys, if you haven't been to Panda express yet, you're really missing out. Shameless plug aside, Let's continue.
It took him some time to follow the address that Crowley gave him, but he finally had made the trip over to the entrance into the neighborhood. It wasn't a gated community, so Nathan had no trouble pulling in and driving his way through the streets. The houses here were beautiful, taunting price tags that Nathan knew he'd never be able to afford in his life. That didn't distract from their beauty though.
Nathan made his way over to the last house on the right, that was hidden away by the cover of well planted huge trees all around the property. He had made it. He pulled his car to the side of the road, just to be careful. He pulled his keys out of the car and was about to get out when he stopped.
Nathan heard his stomach growl, and he remembered he still hadn't eaten the fast breakfast he'd picked up earlier. Better get on that. He picked up the warm Mcmuffin and bit into it. The combination of flavors tickled his mouth as he chewed and swallowed. A sigh escaped his mouth, the Mcmuffin was a guilty pleasure of his.
He watched the house as he ate. It was a beautiful, old fashioned three-story structure that easily could have been worth some serious cash. He wondered if the wealthy widow had a pool or some other pricey things in the back. He was washing down a bite of his food with his orange juice when he could've sworn he saw something pass over the roof of the house. He was too far away from the house to make out what it was though. Probably just a bird.
He remembered then what Crowley had said about the Dragon. What would something like that even be doing here? Maybe it might be attracted to whatever treasure could be inside the building. But that's if there even was one there. Enough waiting around, time to see what was going on.
Nathan finished of the food and finally exited his vehicle. Don't worry, he made sure to lock the car. He made his way up the cobblestone path that led to the house. The gate that stood before him was a beautiful, old fashioned metal contraption that seemed to come out of a fairy tale. Come to think of it, the house was very medieval inspired. It was funny to Nathan for a second. He was about to enter this castle (so to speak) and rescue the princess (she was old) and slay the dragon (he was gonna die). Sounds like fun.
The gate creaked quietly as he strode past it, and close behind him. Time to see what this place was all about. He walked up the front steps and made his way to the front door. The door was protected by a gothic door knob. Nice touch, he thought to himself.
He rapped it against the old wooden door, and heard the impact echo on the other side. Creepy.
"Hello? Mrs. Peregrine? Are you there?" Nathan called out.
He heard nothing in return.
"...Is anyone there?"
Nathan thought about giving up, but he decided to try one more thing. He tried the handle to the door. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. That couldn't have been good.
He decided to risk it. "Hello? I'm coming inside now. Uh, you left your door unlocked…"
He closed the door behind him, and stepped into the main foyer. It was massive. If you need a picture to describe it, imagine the mansion from Luigi's Mansion (I know it sounds stupid but Nathan made me say this).
"Mrs. Peregrine? Are you here? Somewhere?" Nathan called out into the massive room, but all he was given was his echo thrown back at him.
"Guess I'll have to search the rooms… All of them."
This was going to take awhile.
One thing Nathan noticed as he went along was that the house was kept very tidy, almost as if someone had been keeping a daily upkeep. She must have had a cleaning staff of some kind. He searched all the rooms he could find. Nathan looked through the multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, living or recreation rooms, gym, the kitchen (which smelled amazing lemme tell ya), and the office. He didn't find a soul. Or any evidence people had been living here. It felt off, it felt wrong.
"Where is everyone?"
He thought about leaving again until remembered he had one last place to check.
The back yard.
Maybe they were having a party outside? Didn't make much sense since Nathan saw no cars near or by the property, but it made him feel better at the idea.
Nathan walked back towards the main hall and went to the large glass screen door. He cupped his hands and looked through the glass. Still nothing. He opened the screen door and slid it behind him.
"Oh wow…" Nathan's mouth was slightly agape.
The back yard was a massive garden. Flowers of all kinds and sizes dotted the landscape in colorful unison. The smell was incredible.
He walked through the garden, listening to the birds chirp and sing as he went along. Nathan hadn't felt this peaceful in a long time. Still no sign of Mrs. Peregrine, or the dragon he was warned about. He found another little cobblestone path the went passed all the garden in a secluded area. Maybe she was there?
"Hello, anybody?"
Still nothing.
He walked up the path, the color and music of the birds now behind him. As he walked up the small path his cheery mood had suddenly changed to a more somber one. He didn't know why.
That's when he saw the clearing with the two graves side by side. Now he knew exactly why.
This was a small memorial of some kind. He stood at the edge of the clearing for a second, reluctant to try and get closer. His morbid curiosity got the better of him though, and he finally stepped into the clearing.
The words on the first grave read like this:
Here lies Sir Alexander Peregrine,
February 16th, 1911 - October 7, 2012
May he continue to protect the secret, even in death.
So Alex was a knight? What kind of knight? How had Claire lived alone for 5 years with no contact from outside people? What secret did he guard?
He turned his gaze to the other one. This didn't feel right. He felt like he was doing something he shouldn't have been.
Here lies Claire Peregrine,
December 4, 1915 - June 19, 2017
A loving wife, and an even more loving teacher.
So that was it, then.
Claire was dead. Had been for a month now it seemed. He felt sorrow for her, a woman he had never known, and never would get to meet.
Nathan decided to pay his respects. It felt like the right thing to do in that moment. He reluctantly spoke a few words.
"I was sent here to make sure you were okay, but it seems like I'm not needed any longer. You've passed on, and left this world to join your husband in eternal happiness. I may never get to know who you two were in life, but from the look of your house I hope you both lived happy lives in your wealth and splendor."
Nathan felt uncomfortable as he continued, almost as if he was being watched. Maybe Claire was there in spirit somehow.
"... I envy you, in a way. You get to see the love of your life again. You can spend each and every moment together for the rest of eternity."
Nathan tried to hold back a few tears.
"I… I don't get to do that. She's gone, but I'm still here. I'm all alone…"
Nathan wiped his eyes with his forearm, and he decided it was finally time to leave the late couple in peace. He'd call up Crowley when he left the house and was on his way home.
Nathan couldn't help but wonder as he walked out of the clearing and down the path.
If Claire was dead, and had been for some time... Why was the door open? Why was the house so clean?
… Who had buried Claire?
Nathan didn't feel safe anymore. He needed to leave. Now.
Nathan started to run now, finally out of the small path and into the garden. He stopped to look behind him.
Nothing was there, but Nathan couldn't help but feel like he wasn't alone.
Nathan then remembered.
The dragon.
He looked up towards the sky and saw a figure blocking out the sun with massive wings and long tail. Nathan couldn't move. The figure quickly shot down towards him, and pinned him to the ground hard with massive scaled feet and claws. The wind was knocked out of him, and Nathan started to cough and gag.
He tried to focus his sight, but wasn't able to do so. He heard a voice finally answer him. It was female.
And it was angry.
"You don't belong here."
Nathan finally was able to see.
The monster that had him pinned to the ground stood over him easily a foot or some taller than him. She had long, white hair that was in a ponytail with her bangs excluded, which went all the way down her back. Her eyes were a haunting yellow, and her irises were that of a primeval lizard. The scales that covered her were an obsidian black, and parts of it covered her cheeks and exposed shoulders. She had massive, well-tended horns on the back of her head.
She wore a sleeveless beige boob window sweater, and a small grey plaid skirt to go with it. Huh.
"Y-You..." Nathan tried to say but continued to cough.
The girl wore small round black spectacles on face as she addressed him. "You are trespassing, human. In a place you shouldn't be."
She looked she was in her late twenties. "You're the dragon…"
Her brow seemed to furrow a little. "You know of me, human? Explain yourself."
"I could if you-"
She pressed her large foot down on his foot. "Answer me."
Nathan coughed again. "I-I was sent here to check on Claire Peregrine… To see if she was okay…"
She pressed down harder. "How do you know her? Explain, human!"
Nathan felt like his ribcage was going to break. "The Program sent me here… They- they hadn't heard from her in so long that they… got worried. People had been reporting sightings of a monster here… You're her, aren't you? The dragon…"
She relented her pressure on his chest a bit. "I… am the dragon, yes… Why are you here? Why did you speak those words at her grave?"
Her foot finally got off of his chest, and Nathan finally was able to sit up. "What… what do you mean?"
She brought him to his feet. Nathan stumbled a little. "You said such sweet things… You said you were alone, and that you envied my mistress. Why?"
Nathan saw a frown appear on her regal and beautiful face. "Because she gets to be happy, with her husband. I can't. Because she's gone."
She placed one of her large back claws on his shoulder. "...You speak as if you've lost someone… you have, haven't you?"
She gave Nathan a sympathetic look in her eyes, understanding the pain that only another could relate to.
"Yes. I have."
"... Were you close?"
Nathan solemnly nodded. "Very."
"So you understand, then. You understand why I'm still here… Why I can't leave." The dragon replied.
"I know. It's hard to let go." Nathan said to the sympathetic girl. "What's your name, if I may ask?"
"My name is Gwynevere. But you, kind human, can call me Gwen. What is your name?" She held out her large hand to shake.
He took the large hand and shook it slowly. "It's Nathan. Nathan Walker. You have a nice name."
She gave a small bow in return. Nice manners. "Thank you. It's... Nice to meet someone who isn't afraid of me. It's been awhile. You have a pretty name as well."
Nathan was taken easily by the dragons sudden switch in demeanor. "Thanks, I guess… How long have you been here, Gwen? Do you live here?"
She gave him a nod. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. As long as you'll join me for some tea. Come."
She motioned to the door and Nathan felt like he had no choice but to follow her. They went back inside the large house, and settled down into the tea room. Gwen folded her wings (Like something Goliath can do if if you've seen the TV show Gargoyles) like a cloak over her sweater.
Nathan watched as she made some tea, humming a tune as she did so. She had a very pretty voice. She had some sort of accent, but Nathan didn't know where to placed. It was very european.
"Here you go, Sir Nathan." She handed him a small tea cup. The cup had to be priceless, and Gwen seemed to handle the sensitive material easily. She was used to using using equipment.
"Um, Sir?" Nathan asked confused.
"Oh pardon me. It's been along time since I've met another man. Did it bother you, milord?"
He shook his head. The girl spoke with an old tongue. "No, it's just odd. I mean I always loved the idea of knights and all but…"
"You don't consider yourself among them, then?"
He shook his head again and sipped his tea. "Not even close. Knights were brave, and sacrificed themselves for their causes. I could never compare to them. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you exactly?"
She put a claw to her lip. "How long has it been now… I guess close to a thousand years now?"
Nathan spat out the sip of his tea and started to cough. "B-but, you don't look to be much older than me…"
Gwen gave a soft smile. "I'll take that as a compliment milord. Dragons don't age nearly as fast as you humans do. We can last for millennia, sometimes even longer than that."
"So how long have you been here, then? With the Peregrines?"
"Not for too long. I'd say only the past 90 years or so."
"That's still a long time."
Gwen gave a cute chuckle. "Sorry, milord. Time seems to pass by so quick for me now."
"Why are you here now, then?"
Gwen sipped her tea with the hook of her claw. "Oh, I've been with them since they were young ones. Served them all their lives."
"You were their maid, or something like that?"
"More than that. I was more of a parental figure, to be honest. Master Alex was abandoned as a child. His father perished in the Great War, and his mother left him to his own devices shortly after. I found him alone in the woods one day close to his home, crying to himself all alone. I took him under my wing, and raised him as one of my own."
"What about Claire?" Nathan asked curiously.
"I helped them get together and get married. Such a shy thing, she was. Always so nervous. She was scared of me at first. But after the decades went by, she grew to feel comfortable around me."
"Wow… You outlived your own surrogate child. I can't imagine what that's like." Nathan felt such empathy towards the lonely dragon. No wonder she still lingered here.
Gwen sighed with a frown. "I've lived a long life. I've met, loved, and watched many friends die as the years passed. It always hurts to lose another one, but that's life, young one."
"Then… What's next for you now? What are your plans?"
"I don't know, milord… I think I'll just stay here to keep vigil over their graves. I don't think I can leave them alone. When you lose someone you love, you can't help but feel like a piece of you died with them."
Nathan felt a tear or two well in his eyes. He knew how exactly she felt. "I understand. I don't blame you…"
"Who have you lost, young one? I can see such deep sorrow in your eyes." He felt an affectionate hand from the dragon pet his arm.
"Someone important to me. Someone I don't want to live without. I don't like remembering it. It hurts."
"Did you love her?"
"Yes. More than even myself."
"What was her name?"
Nathan shook his head. "Sorry, I don't feel comfortable talking about it. I-I can't."
Her voice soothed him. "It's alright, young one. I understand. Another time, then."
She was like him, in a way. She understood what it felt like. How much it hurt.
The thought of Gwen being alone bothered him. Such a sweet and loving person didn't deserve to suffer and grieve in solitude.
"Why are you here, milord?"
"Like I said before, I was sent by the Program. I was told that if I found you and that if Claire was dead… I was supposed to take you in."
Gwen sighed. "I guess it's finally time, then. I knew this couldn't last forever. Can I… just have a few seconds to say goodbye, and pack my things?"
"Of course. Take as long as you need."
She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, milord. You are kind."
Nathan and the dragon finished the rest of their tea, and he went back outside to the front of the house. Now was a good time to call Crowley.
He pulled out his smartphone, and dialed the spy man's number. It took him a few rings before picking up.
"Hey, Nathan! What's up, how did it-"
"She dead, Crowley." Nathan said into the device.
It was a second before he heard his voice again. It was grim. "... How long has it been?"
"About a month, now. It's been taken care of, though. Her body's been buried and everything."
"By who?" Crowley asked.
"Your dragon. Apparently those reports weren't all fairy tales after all."
"No shit…" Crowley said in amazement. "So she's been there all this time, alone…"
"Sir," Nathan continued. "What am I supposed to do with her? I'm not leaving this girl alone here by herself."
"Well, I didn't expect this to be the outcome… I guess you'll just have to take her with you back to your place until I can send someone over. I'm sorry. I didn't expect this. You gonna be okay, kid?"
Nathan nodded. "I'll be fine. Just make sure this house is taken care of."
He hung up the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. Fuck.
Nathan pulled out a cigarette and started to smoke. How was he going to explain this to Fenra? How would she react? Guess he'd just have to bear it. Nathan knew he couldn't leave the girl alone here though. It just wasn't an option.
He stepped on the cigarette and stubbed it out. It took a few minutes before the dragon flew her way over to him, easily lifting multiple suitcases as she went.
"Thank you. For letting me say goodbye. It means a lot."
"No problem. Let me help you with your bags."
Nathan and Gwen loaded up the trunk of his car, and Nathan opened the door for her to get in. She gave him a small bow and got into the passenger seat. As he started up the car, he notice Gwen's eyes never left the window of the car. She took one last look at the house, and Nathan finally pulled away.
If Nathan had gone back to the graves, he would've seen a bouquet of flowers, and a small handwritten note that read this:
To the two that I cherish the most in this life and in the next,
Thank you. For everything.
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A/N: Sorry this took so long for to come out. While trying to write this chapter all week, it was incredibly difficult. I was really depressed, and I didn't think I could do it. But you nice comments made me feel like I owed it to you to push through. Another big thank you to all who are following this and favoriting. Without you, I don't know if I could do this.
Hope you all enjoy Gwen, I really am fond of her, and I hope you will be too.
As always, remember to favorite and follow to keep up on this expanding narrative. And if you feel so inclined, please leave a review down below and let me know what you think.
keep your friends close and your monsters closer.
I'll see you all real soon.
Next chapter should be in about a week. Actually no, it might not be. This week I will be primarily playing the Destiny 2 Beta on PS4. If any of you guys are on PS4 and have access to the beta as well, add me on PSN and maybe we call play together and chat. I'd love to get to know you all if I could.
PSN: FyrusKasai
imgur link to my drawings: /a/CldtP