Based on characters from Fablehaven© by Brandon Mull. The original characters and plot details are my property. No copyright infringement intended.
She stopped as they both stood just outside the door on the porch. She turned and pulled him into a hug. "Raxtus I'm so glad I found you. I was beside myself I was so worried," she said.
Raxtus stood still. He was unsure of what to do he had never felt contact like this with any one while in avatar form. He wasn't familiar with having two arms around him or having arms that could hug back. She was warm, soft and smelled good. His physical reaction to her hug surprised him. He wanted to return the hug so he slowly wrapped his arms around her. With his hands he felt her warmth, the fabric of her shirt, her soft skin and toned muscles and even her bones underneath. Her body pressed against his felt wonderful.
"I've never done this before," he laughed but his mind was racing. He was feeling human emotions. Hormones were flowing through his body. His brain and body were reacting to them. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced as a dragon. Confused, slightly uncomfortable and a little too excited he fell back on his intellect (what there was of it). He knew from the movies he had watched that some touching was okay between friends, some was not. This was okay touching, and it was nice, very nice.
What would it feel like to stay this way for a while? To be immersed in the sensations and emotions of being human. The way Bracken had to do. The way any dragon did when in human form, the way he was now.
Kendra said he looked handsome. He could walk around without being self-conscious. He was thrilled at all the feelings that he was having interacting with Kendra. They were so different from his dragon feelings and emotions. He never stayed in his other avatar form for very long and was so embarrassed the entire time; he never knew how he felt. This was interesting and fun. He felt great for a change.
"Thanks Kendra, I'm glad you found me too. Let's go find someone to help us." He dropped his arms and she did too. He blushed again, which was another intense feeling. His body wanted more of all these new sensations, eating, blushing, hugging. His mind, flush with hormones it had no idea how to cope with, agreed with it. He was enjoying himself.
Raxtus walked off the porch and continued about twenty feet further. With a brilliant flash of light a silvery white dragon appeared where the tall young man had stood. His clothes lay rumpled on the ground at his very large feet.
"I'll be right back," he said as a strange expression flashed in his dragon eyes. He raced into the woods for a few minutes.
Kendra laughed at him, wondering what he was doing. She heard the dragon sigh from nearby and laughed again. Getting rid of more than a few days worth of dragon pee? she wondered, amused. She picked up his clothes and folded them. He would need them when he changed back. She untied the gauze belt thinking he would need to dress fast.
Kendra thought it must be strange to have two distinct and separate bodies. Did they function as one or were they only active when you were in them? She would never know and it was unlikely he could explain it so she could understand.
"I guess I need to learn how to do that as humans do, it might get embarrassing not knowing what to do," he said when he returned.
"I think someone other than me needs to talk to you about that, maybe Seth or Bracken," Kendra laughed, seeing his relief. She knew what he was talking about and just how embarrassing that conversation would be for both of them. "There are things that boys and girls don't… uh… share or talk about."
"I know I have a lot to learn. I never spent any length of time as anything other than a dragon so this should be interesting. I've watched a lot of movies and TV but they don't cover such things," he admitted. He immediately noticed the vast difference the change to his dragon form had on him intellectually, emotionally and physically.
Kendra chuckled. Raxtus watched family movies and old sitcoms with Doren and Newel in the TV shack. He didn't watch anything else, he wasn't interested. Kendra had always thought of him as a young childlike dragon, even younger than the teenage boy he had become.
Kendra loved the way Raxtus' familiar dragon voice sounded. It was rich and multi-toned and so different from his human but very pleasant voice.
"How was the change back into a dragon? Any problems?" she asked still chuckling.
"No real disorientation in changing, it's just very different." The heightened emotions were gone, he thought sadly. He still liked Kendra but it was such a different feeling now. This was very familiar and dull the other was new and exciting.
"Ready?" he asked as he walked on his four feet back toward the cabin. He almost felt clumsy on his clawed feet; suddenly he felt awkward as his dragon ego asserted itself on his mind, his confidence fell and his distaste for his lowly status as the runt dragon reemerged. Only the thought of flying with Kendra kept him from regretting changing his form back into a dragon. He couldn't wait to change back and feel the difference; it was fading already.
"Sure," Kendra said as she stepped toward Raxtus. She pulled her daypack to her front clutching it and his clothes securely against her chest and turned her back to him. She craned her neck to look up at him still smiling as he towered over her. She reached up and Raxtus nuzzled her warm hand, but it wasn't the same her fairy magic didn't warm him. The spell had disconnected him from her and he didn't like it. Being a dragon had never been much fun but sharing the fairy magic with Kendra had brought him happiness, now it was gone.
"I'm glad you didn't take on the dreadful dragonfear of most other dragons," she said still looking up at him. He pulled his face away from her hand.
He gently grasped her around the waist, his wings unfolding into the air. He felt her warm body in his grasp wishing that he was hugging her instead of holding her like prey. But they were flying together, he held on to the joy of that thought. Pulling great sweeps of air, they rose from the ground. He arched his neck uncomfortably so he could speak to her without yelling.
"Dad told me once that the dragonfear was a voluntary reflex. I can control it. It wouldn't be fun to suddenly be causing distress," he replied but truthfully, he couldn't feel any new dragon magic at all. It worried him a little.
Raxtus loved flying. He stretched back into a comfortable position and soared through the air feeling the freedom of the wind beneath his wings. He didn't feel awkward now. He felt wonderful but he couldn't wait to feel the way he had felt when he was human. He wanted to get to the house fast and change back. He couldn't share fairy magic with Kendra any more but their relationship had changed, he was her human friend now and that brought him even more happiness.
Being a dragon, at least this dragon, came with a huge load of emotional baggage. He could feel it seeping into every happy thought tainting it. He didn't know if he wanted to change back into a dragon again if this was going to be the feeling. He had spent most of the last few hundred years invisible so he wouldn't have to put up with the contempt, bullying and occasional torture he had endured for centuries from other dragons and they hadn't even know about his pitiful avatar. If it wasn't for the fact that Celebrant was his father, he was sure they would have killed him. Dragons weren't tolerant of weakness and they considered him weak because he was small. Even the joy of flying wasn't worth this other kind of discomfort.
It was only lately since he had met Kendra, Seth and reconnected with Bracken that he had become visible more often, usually only in Fablehaven. He had friends now. With his new avatar, he could just be human like them and stay with his friends.
Kendra always loved flying with Raxtus. It was fun. She felt like she was flying like a bird. His hold on her was firm but not uncomfortable so she felt safe. She had an unobstructed view of everything below. The path she had walked to get to the cabin looked long and dusty. The treetops were just below her feet and the birds scattered as they flew by. Flying was much nicer than walking.
She could tell that Raxtus was in a hurry. He flew straight and fast toward the house, no detours or fancy flying, which was kind of disappointing. She liked it when he was showing off, making flying exciting and better than any roller coaster ride.
It didn't take very long for Kendra to see the huge barn and the main house in the distance. She saw a few fairies as they quickly flew past. They flew over the big barn. She saw the garden then spotted Seth in the pool. He didn't see them though.
As she got closer to the ground she could see Seth swimming across to the other side of the pool. She lost her view of him because they were landing on the other side of the tall hedge.
Kendra's feet hit the ground softly and before she could turn around light flashed from behind her.
Raxtus changed as soon as he had Kendra safely on the ground. Standing naked in the garden, he suddenly realized his oversight.
"Your clothes," she whispered and held them behind her back. "Seth didn't see us fly over."
"Thanks," Raxtus gratefully grabbed the clothes and hurriedly slid into the jeans first and then pulled on the t-shirt. "Maybe not but he saw the flash. I'm dressed," Raxtus said relieved. He could hear Seth's bare feet slapping on the concrete as he rushed to where they were.
She finished turning around and Raxtus was trying unsuccessfully to tie the gauze belt. She quickly took the ends and turned him so he was between her and where Seth would appear. If Seth came around the corner before she finished the knot he wouldn't see what she was doing. She pulled the gauze tight, tied a fast bow and stepped back.
Raxtus smoothed his t-shirt over his jeans again.
Seth came running around the tall hedge dripping wet. "Hey, where did Raxtus go?" Seth asked, looking around the garden, his smile falling from his face. "Who's the dude?" He looked disappointed.
"I'm right here," Raxtus said quietly as he turn toward him and grinned.
Seth stared up at him for a moment. Several emotions played across his face as he turned and gazed across the empty expanse of the lawn.
"Ah, no," he denied the stranger. "Raxtus are you invisible out there and playing tricks on me?" He looked at the empty yard then at Kendra.
She smiled knowingly.
Raxtus shook his head smiling.
"It's really him," she nodded.
"Raxtus?" he said dubiously.
"Yup it's me." He grinned and nodded his head.
"Oh! Man! The spell worked," Seth said smiling suddenly realizing what was going on. "Nice avatar. You look just like a real person."