"Uh…. were the hell am I" I groaned, I was laying on my back rain pouring from a dark void above me, but I could see leafless lifeless braches above my head. I sat up to find myself sitting in a dead forest the trees looked burned and the ground was black with ash. The rain was black and felt like a sludge against my skin. But I was broken from my inspection of this hellish landscape by a deep rasping voice.

"Who dares enter my domain… who dares tread on my lands, in my lands…" I slowly stood looking around for the owner of the voice but found nothing except a slowly encroaching mist. "A… Human?"

The mist swirled and transformed into a black suffocating cloud of malevolence tendrils wrapping around my body to my alarm, I backed up but didn't seem to anywhere. "Here… let me show you secrets… that no man should see… short lives hate surprises…" The clouds and tendrils parted in front of me exposing a grisly image, it was the square of Warfang. The cobblestone covered with blood and bodies, in the center stood a dragon of pure Darkness. I saw myself standing in full armor, blood seeping from holes in the plates and between the plates. My helmet's visor was broken exposing my face, rage filled my green eyes. The dragon cycled me whips of dark energy sparking off its body the blood red eyes never left me as it circled, that's when I noticed the figure of me had no weapons his hands clinched in fists of rage. I saw myself and the dragon exchange words but never heard them as the blackness over came me and felt myself returning to my physical body.

I opened my eyes to find myself laying on what accounted to an oversized pillow, the ceiling above me was carved wood. I went to sit up only to find a certain black dragoness curled around me her head resting on my chest and she was purring softly. I just laid back resting against her shoulder staring at the ceiling as I stroked the side of her head causing her to purr louder. I couldn't help but to drift back to the dream.

'What was that were was I… It felt so real and the image, what does it mean.' but I was broken from my musings by a lick on my cheek. I chuckled and looked to my left to find Ombra smiling at me the tip of her tongue sticking out between her lips in what I thought was very cute face. She pressed her forehead to mine and whispered "Thank you"

"For what?" I asked stroking the frills on her cheek causing her to let out a satisfied murr of pleasure. "For defending me… you could have died, w-why did you do it?" She asked bring her head back to look me in the eye. I let out a weak smile because of the person she reminded me of.

"I use to love a woman… she was the girl of my dreams and the most beautiful women I had ever seen. But one day we were walking through the city, that's w-when… it happened" I took a breath to fight away the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes "a man dressed in all black with a hood that shadowed his face walked out from an alley with a pistol in his hand. he raised it and shot me in the chest once…" I pulled down my collar to show her the scar, Ombra grimaced. "I fell, I was unable to move all I could do was watch as he beat her to death… as he beat the only person I ever loved… her screams still haunt my dreams forever… her blood cover face screaming for help that I couldn't give." I couldn't hold it back any more the tears broke free and I held my head in my hands tears pouring between my fingers. I could faintly hear Ombra croon as she nuzzled my head, She kept telling me it was going to be alright and that it wasn't my fault, and that she would if she truly loved me she had forgiven me and was watching me from the stars above. I merely shook my head but she wouldn't give up she began to lick my cheek and when I tried to push her away she just came back. I finally raised my face to look at her as she had asked repeatedly while licking me on the side of my face.

"She loves you no matter how much you deny it, she will always love you and want you to be happy." With that said she kissed me right on the lips. I was shocked but there was so much care and love in the kiss that I couldn't resist the urge to melt into it. I soon found myself melting into it my hands at the sides of her head and I began to push back to her surprise, but she didn't break it. I felt her tongue brush against my teeth and I parted my mouth to give her entrance which she took quickly, Ombra's forked tongue dancing with mine and she gave out a moan in my mouth before parting . A strand of saliva connecting our mouths as we parted, I looked into her eyes and saw something that I hadn't seen for years since Rose's death. It was love and I loved it even though she wasn't human it was the love that counted, two souls seeking asylum from the world of pain and seeking the protection of love, true love.

She gave me lick on the forehead and stood up smiling "Want some breakfast, before I leave?" I looked at her puzzled "Your leaving?" She smiled at my question "I have to go to work silly, gems don't just grow on trees you know." I smiled and nodded, she nudged me and motioned for me to follow her.

"So what do you do?" I asked as I followed her through the house to the kitchen "I work at the city's orphanage, its become over crowded from the war. So many lost their parents during the war." I was puzzled Sparrow never told me about a war or anything of the sort. "War?"

She had just entered the kitchen when I asked, she turned looking at me puzzled. "You don't know?" I shook my head "I don't come from this world" It was the only explanation for everything because I was on an unknown planet and these creatures had about the technology of the Renaissance age on earth. Their cities looked it to.

Ombra still stared at me trying to fathom were I came from and probably to my guess what my world looked like what my civilization was like. "It would be easier for me to show you but I can't, I don't know how I got here." She smiled at me and gave me a look like she knew something I didn't. "There is a way but I'll have to ask my mother after work. But I do have a question, would you like to come to work with me?" she asked with a begging look "Come on the kids would love you." She begged. I thought for a moment, how bad could it be there just kids, I really need to learn to have foresight.

"Ok" I relented Ombra gave a little jump and went to cook breakfast. I sat down at the table and watched her cook, as I watched I couldn't help but think of how much she reminded me of Rose. The way she hummed and the way she was trying to get me do things, and how much she cared about me though she barely knew me. Rose was the same way when we first met, it was in high school, I had gotten in a fight which nearly put me in the hospital. I had a broken arm and a five broken ribs along with a mild concussion. I had gotten it all from protecting a girl I never knew, Rose, some muscle head was trying to come on to her and was getting ruff. Nobody tried to help so I stepped in and got my ass kicked royally, but I put a good dent in him enough for Rose to be able to run away and my friends ended up jumping in. It helps when you have one of the largest guys in the school as a friend for five years. He put the asshole in the hospital and was kind enough to drag me home which was only a half mile from school. I was out of school for a few weeks and everyday Rose would come by to nurse me and brought me that day's home work.

I was brought away from thoughts by the smell of a food, a plated of cooked meat and eggs with peppers. It's good to see food was the same on this world and smelled like mother's cooking. I dug in mumbling praises every now and again through a mouthful of food to Ombra's amusement who kept letting out giggles at my attempts of communication.

I was finished before she was half way done leaning back in my chair with a groan patting my belly, "If you keep cooking like that I'll hurt myself." Ombra laughed at my complement. She finished her food and I picked up my plate along with hers and washed them off in the basin in front of one of the many windows and stacked them in a drying rack. "So you ready to go" I asked, which caused her to laugh and she smiled "Not until you fix your fur." I gave her a puzzled look until I realized she was talking about my hair. Which had needed to be cut but I hadn't gotten the choice before the jump and it was now trying its hardest to become a porcupine incarnate. I tried to smooth it out with my hands and she laughed at my failed attempts to straighten out my hair.

I groaned in exasperation, Ombra smiled and walked up to me with a smirk and licked her paw and began flatting down my hair. "Your hair is going to smell like dragon spit" she said with a chuckle, I rolled my eyes "yeah and all that licking from earlier won't." I said sarcastically and earned myself a big lick across the side of my face. "Oh come on Ombra! You know Sparrow's going to point it out." She giggled and nuzzled my chest "So…". I smirked at her sly smile "Come on let's get going" I said with a smirk.

We left the house and started our way through the city, Ombra walked closely to me which drew a few stares which I met with my own look to their eyes causing them to look away. Hell a few dragons glared at me, jealous much, I couldn't help but give a snicker seeing as I must be a lucky guy by dragon standards. Also by mine Ombra was beautiful and second to none from the looks of the dragonesses that I've seen so far.

Our journey through the town brought us past a section of the market which resembled a Bazaar all most, the market was in tall closed in roofed buildings like those of a bazaar. They sold rugs, food, spices, and trinkets. As we passed by one of the tents outside of the roofed area I saw a piece of jewelry hanging from a stand it was a gorgeous emerald attached a golden chain, sapphires along the sides of the chain. I made a mental note to find a way for me to make some money… gems Ombra had called them earlier.

As we walked Ombra began to tell me about some of the hatchlings at the orphanage, as far as I could tell it sound like one back home. You stay there until you get adopted or until your old enough to live on your own, without a family. I knew more about orphanages than I let on, I was an orphan myself, My mother died in a car crash and my father in a mugging. To say the least I've had a ruff life and I don't feel like talking about it too much in one day.

"Carson?" Ombra asked "Yes?" I looked at her waiting for the question "Can you tell me a little about the world you're from?" I smiled and shook my head "In due time… in due time my dear." She rolled her eyes "Well here we are." She said pointing with her head to the building.

It was a large three story tall building made of white stone in a rectangular design, surrounded by a rot iron fence which one could tell was made with some good craftsmanship. A large male dragon at the entrance nodded to Ombra "Good morning Ombra, who's your friend?" He asked nodding towards me with a questioning look. "He's new to town and is staying with me and wanted to come and see the orphanage." He smiled at me and opened the gate "Hope you gave a good day."

"You too" I responded with a smile. I followed Ombra up to the front of the building, she stopped and looked me in the eye. "Just fare warning they can be a little rowdy and they nibble, but if you want a break from being attacked you can always tell them a story." I smiled, how bad could they be?

I followed her into the building and through the first floor corridors to the end of the hall and took a right in to the second room to the last. Into a large room that reminded me of the barracks from boot camp and my former home. As soon as we came in there was a cry of joy "Miss Ombra's here!"

In the blink of an eye we were sourrounded by twenty dragon, cheetah, and mole kids of varying ages, even a few teens if size was any judge. "She brought a friend too!" A little dragon bounced up and down at my feet, the little guy only came up to my knee. I knelt down, mistake number one, and smiled "What's up there little guy? Miss Ombra brought me to visit while she's here." Mistake number two, Ombra smiled and confirmed that I was visiting for today, fate sealed. The little dragon squealed in joy and tackled me to the stone floor, standing on my chest with his best valiant pose of victory. "Come on Carson let's take them outside to burn off some energy" I nodded at Ombra and she gathered up the little ones in a group, I lifted the little guy off my chest and set him down, as soon as the little guy hit the ground he was off like a bolt of lightning. Seeing as his scales were a bright yellow it was quite accurate as he zoomed off.

I got up and brushed some stray dirt of my uniform and looked around at the room before following, letting the old memories soak in. Some good and some bad but I didn't dwell on them, bolting off after the group.

I found them outside in front of the building, Ombra sitting down watching them play. I took a seat next to her and watched them play, making up games similar when I thought about it to what I use to play. There were a few screams of joy near the gate, which attracted Ombra's attention she laughed "looks like Volteer's here." I saw a tall yellow dragon which seemed to be of a decent age, about a good foot and half above me. The large dragon was instantly surrounded by a group of young ones.

He saw Ombra and began to make his way toward us, but he almost stopped when he noticed me a shocked look crossed his face. But he resumed his walk over having to take small steps so he wouldn't trip over the crowd he had accumulated at his paws. "Hello Miss Ombra, is it okay if I stay a bit?" Ombra nodded "Sure Volteer, but you know it's going to be impossible to get out without telling a story." She said with a chuckle.

Volteer's gaze moved to me, he squinted at me. "yes?" I asked, I seemed to have surprised him with my speech and he blundered with formalities. "I'm sorry for staring… I… I just haven't seen your kind before." I laughed "Of course you haven't, I'm not from this world." The dragon's jaw dropped and he just stared at me, looking me up and down. "Impossible…" he said

I merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow "You think it's impossible." I looked at Ombra "Can we show him too?" I asked wanting to prove this dragon wrong.

Ombra scratched the back of her head with a paw "Uh… Carson… he's a Guardian" I looked at her not seeing what she was trying to get at. "So…" Ombra looked at Volteer and back at me. "If we were to use the pool of visions he would be there he is one of our city's leaders."

I looked at Volteer "Oh…", Volter looked at Ombra "So you're going to get him to use the pool of visions?" Ombra nodded.

Several hours later I found myself climbing up an impossible high set of stairs, Ombra having already flown to the top. I climbed on until I reached the top gasping for air, Ombra was sitting at the top in front of a massive set of doors cleaning her claws. She looked at up to see me and I glared at her and growled "Traitor, you said it was only a few flights of stairs." She just giggled and motioned for me to follow her "Come on!"

I groaned and followed her into the temple and then through the long winding hallways, when we stopped at set of wooden double doors I thought my legs would fall off. She knocked on the doors and a voice boomed from inside. "Enter!" Ombra pushed open the doors and I followed her into the large room a group of dragons sat around a giant pool of water, I spotted Volteer.

"Ah Ombra and Carson is it… thank you for coming." I nodded and looked at the pool. "So can we start because my legs are going to fall off from the walk up here?" I asked, The immense green dragon across the basin from me smirked. Ombra guided me over to the water "Just lay down on this pillow and let your hand rest in the water"

I did as she asked laying down and hang my arm over the edge and my fingers resting in the water. "Whatever you think of we will be able to see, ok?" I nodded and closed my eyes.

I decided I would narrate for them "I come from a massive empire which stretches across many worlds, our cities hold millions at a minim." They gasped in awe as images of cities rolled be before them and different worlds of all sorts of variations. "I am a soldier of the UEC Navy our ships cross between worlds via warp drive tech. I am an ODST I drop from space to the surface of the planet in a metal pod." I let images of my point of view of falling down looking out of the small section of bullet resistant glass. Ombra gasped at what I use to do, I let images of our battle training and some of my fights with insurgents. "Ombra I told you about my past… the women, this is her at home coming dance…" I produced an Image of Rose, her red hair tied up and she was wearing a rose red dress that flowed around her. I cut off the stream of images and sat up "Do you believe me now?" I asked.