Chapter 51

Dragon Tales

RECAP:

"Yep," I replied, popping the 'p'. "Now bend down here." He sighed and did as I asked. Now my mouth was at his ear level, and his head was turned so that he didn't notice my grin. "I love it when you moan my name," I whispered, walking off and leaving a very confused mud boy behind me.

Holly's POV:

"You get up so early," I chided the mud boy that was sitting at my kitchen table. Ugh, he made me feel lazy, and I'm definitely not lazy.

"Always," he smirked. "By the way, I took the liberty of cooking you some breakfast." Needless to say, I felt nervous. I wouldn't trust Arty boiling water let alone cooking an actual breakfast. Well, what doesn't kill me...

"Thanks, it looks great," I smiled. Mmm, and it actually looked great. Pancakes... one of my favorites. "When did you even learn to cook? Last thing I heard, you couldn't even make a sandwich." And as of last night he couldn't cut vegetables...

"Very true," he chuckled. "However, Butler insisted that learning how to cook was a valuable portion of my training." Ah yes, his training. Something else that I had been hearing about. Well, I didn't know who to envy more, Butler or Artemis.

"How's your training been going, by the way?"

"Wonderful, though Butler was not very ecstatic about my lapse while on vacation."

I looked at him for a second. "Lapse?" I smirked. "What lapse? You think you're getting off of your training that easily? Ha, you have got to be kidding me. You're just going to have to get used to a new trainer."

"You, I presume?" he asked managing to infuse both nervousness and scorn into one sentence. Ahh, it took a special person to do something like that. And Arty was nothing if not special.

"The one and only," I grinned. This was going to be fun. Extremely fun... for me anyway.

"And how exactly are you going to do that? I am quite a bit larger than your machinery would allow." Good point, though I'm sure that he had to know that I had an answer for that.

"Not if you go as an elf."

"Of course. I apologize, it must have slipped my mind." Because Arty's memory would allow him to do something like that. Honestly, does he think that I'm a complete amateur?

"Yes of course. That's what happened." I rolled my eyes. He remembered everything. No, he just wanted to get out of doing his training. Lazy.

"So, are those your plans for today?"

"No. There's someone who wants to see you."

"Hopefully, its not a centaur and or a dwarf."

"No," I chuckled. Thankfully it was not. Just the thought of having to deal with either of the two of them today was enough to give me a headache. "Definitely not."

"Very well. Then who are we going to visit?" Yes, as if I was going to just tell him the answer. That sounded a lot like me.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"You always have to be mysterious," he accused.

"You wouldn't like me any other way." I stuck my tongue out at him, knowing that he hated that more than almost anything. Hmm, maybe I do know a lot about Arty. Well, about what bothers him, anyway.

"I'm sure that I'd like you any way that you were." He winked, his eyes shining with repressed laughter. I tried to ignore the flutter in my heart. Did he really mean that?

But outwardly, I just rolled my eyes. "I'm going to go and get dressed, Arty. By the way, I love your outfit today." I must admit that he did look pretty good. He was wearing a pair of dark blue straight-legged jeans matched with a deep green polo shirt, and tan Sperry's. In fact, he even had the traditional Puka shell necklaces that surfer boys love. His long hair was flopping into his face in a way that added to that 'surfer boy modelesque appearance.

I have to admit, this is the opposite of how I imagined he would dress. In my imagination, I would never see him in any type of preppy style. No, he was more of the skinny jeans and a tight t-shirt type of guy. "You picked it. I'm guessing that you wanted to try different types of styles to see what I preferred." And sometimes I wonder if he really was just psychic.

"Yes, actually. Which do you prefer?"

"Must I answer?" he asked in a way that clearly showed that he did not care either way.

"Not now, but later, if you please," I said though we both knew that I meant that he would tell me later.

He nodded warily. I was still chuckling as I went to prepare for the day. Juliet had indeed picked my clothes. She had selected a dark blue pair of short jean shorts. My shirt was a green lacy tank top and a flowing black vest. My necklace was long and shiny, and my shoes were green sandals. Next, I pulled on the coordinating bracelets. Thankfully, there were no earrings, so I was ready to go. "I'm ready," I announced, fluffing my hair out around me.

"Good. Where are we going today?"

"We're going to visit an old friend," I repeated, leading him out of the door.

He, of course, had to pretend like we had never had this discussion before. "Which one? Mulch? Foaly? Trouble?"

That brought a smile to my lips. "I said 'friend.' You know that Trouble hates you." It seemed somewhat callous to say, but it was true. Arty would rather have honesty than kind coddling.

"Why exactly is that? I don't remember doing anything to him..."

And now I was smiling even more. Of course he wouldn't remeber anything that he had sone. As far as he was concerned, he was perfectly innocent. "It couldn't be kidnaping me... or constantly out maneuvering him or just being a genius in general. Let's be honest, you really have a way of bringing out the very worst in people."

"Perhaps," he smirked. "Genius is known to intimidate people and create enemies."

I rolled my eyes. Of course. "I think that arrogance is much more likely to put people off."

"Mmm," he murmured as we walked down the street, enjoying the early morning warmth.

Finally, we were at our destination. "Police Plaza? Really, Holly. I hardly think that I've done anything to constitute this, have I?"

"Oh shut up!" I giggled, punching him in the arm.

He chuckled and mimed zipping his eyes as I dragged him through the doors to Police Plaza. And of course, we couldn't just walk straight through. No, we just had to crash into one of my least favorite sprites. "Hey baby," Chix grinned. "What are you doing here on vacation anyway? I guess you just couldn't resist the charm of the Chix man."

"What charm, Chix? You wouldn't know charm if it bit you on the butt." True. Too true.

"Ooooh. Biting on the butt. Kinky, Holls. I like that," he winked in a way that he probably thought was sexy. To put it kindly, he was not in any way sexy. Perhaps disgusting. Ugh, guys like Chix. Annoying and obsessive, exactly what I don't need.

Just as I was about to tear him a new one, Artemis stepped up to do it for me in his own way. "First of all, her name is Holly not 'Holls'. Second, I highly doubt that you have the chill to charm any woman let alone one as wonderful as Holly. So, my advice to you is to stop while you're only so far behind. Anymore and you'll have fallen off of the pathetic side of the cliff."

Wow, go Artemis. And apparently I'm wonderful. I wouldn't tell him this, but at the moment he was the greatest person in and under the world. Chix glared at Arty. If looks could kill, then Artemis would be just a pile of radioactive sludge on the floor. "Who's the scrub?" I glanced at Artemis. Ugh, I always forget to create fake names, and I really shouldn't reveal his real name. One, Chix would be scared that he was going to be murdered in his sleep and though it would be funny to have him stress, it would be cruel and I couldn't live with doing that to him. Though if he called me Holls again... no guarantees. And two, I knew that we would be engulfed by Arty's fan club. I know it's selfish, but I wanted him to myself. This was a sort of 'Arty-Holly' reunion vacation, and I didn't want anyone other than our friends ruining it.

Thankfully, Artemis is a genius and is able to think on his feet. "Avian Sprout," he said, going to shake hands with Chix. I could tell that Chix was intimidated by Avian's superior height. None the less, he squeezed Arty's hand as tightly as he possibly could. To his credit, my old friend did not flinch in the least. In fact, it was Chix who was cradling his hands when he pulled away.

"So Holly. What are you doing with him?" Seriously, he does not understand the concept of the word 'no' or 'privacy'. "Are you two together now?"

Artemis took my hand gently and held it. "You don't have to tell him anything about us, Holly," he whispered just loud enough for Chix to hear. Somehow, I doubt that it was an accident. "It's our secret."

"It's none of your business," I reminded the sprite, trying not to grin.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "So, what brings you here today?"

"Oh Avian's never really been here before, so I'm sort of showing him around."

He grumbled. "Hmm. I didn't know we gave guided tours."

"Uh, she does. Just not to you," Artemis grinned. I couldn't help but chuckle. I squeezed his hand, pulled him towards the doors that led to where we wanted to go, and tried not to look`back at the stunned sprite.

As soon as I was sure that we were out of earshot, I dropped his hand. "You can put away your claws now."

"Claws? Really Holly? I'm insulted."

Insulted? I should have been insulted because of his defensive attitude. Like I couldn't take care of myself. "Yeah right, Mr. Bite-Chix's-head-off."

"I would not say that I bit his head off. Rather, I was not going to allow him to talk to you that way." He didn't shrug, but he may as well have. It was very obvious to me and to anyone else that he was completely and totally unrepentant. Well, at least it wasn't something important.

"I know," I sighed. "Thanks for that, but I can take care of myself."

"We've been over this countless times. It is acceptable to need help. Or even to want it."

"So, you want to help me?" I sniggered.

"If you'll let me."

I rolled my eyes. Surely, he could not be serious. He can be so... overly dramatic at times. That had been one of those moments that I was more than capable of handling on my own. "Do you always have to be such a gentleman?"

"Of course. That's the way that I was raised."

We walked of a few more moments that I spent reflecting. "Avian Sprout? Where did that come from?" I blurted randomly as the question occured to me.

"Avian coming from a word meaning bird, and as you know Fowl has the same meaning." Obviously, this was to be thought of as very clever on his part. And, I must admit that it was. "The majority of fairies tend to have plant-based names. The first name was for my own amusement, and The surname was to fit in with the normal standards." Artemis Fowl, normal? No such luck.

"Interesting, but what happens when Chix looks up your information?" As he was sure to do as soon as he returned to his desk and found a spare moment.

"Holly, Holly, Holly. Surely you know by now that I am nothing if not thorough," he chuckled, and I just stared in open mouthed fascination.

"Meaning that you have a fairy identity."

"Of course. I am a genius and an ex-criminal. I have different identities all around and under the world." Of course. It was so like him and at times like this, I should know not to be surprised. Artemis is... Artemis.

"Interesting, and I'm guessing that you uploaded a picture of yourself last night?"

"Naturally," he smirked. Hmm, I was actually beginning to catch onto his schemes, and the way that they worked.

I rolled my eyes. "We're here, but I want you to close your eyes when we go in."

He signed, hating to relinquish that control. "Of course." I smiled as I pulled him through the pneumatic doors.

Artemis's POV:

"We're here, but I want you to close your eyes when we go in."

I sighed. It is so very much like Holly to behave like this. However, I suppose that I am her guest and should try my best to follow her guidelines. "Of course."

I shut my eyes and allowed her to pull me through the doors. As soon as we entered the room, I could detect the tell-tale scent of foliage. Then, something solid and small made a very muted thud as it landed on my head. And at that point, something furry swiped across my face. Needless to say, I quickly opened my eyes to find out what had just attacked me.

Holly's POV:

Artemis's eyes flew wide open. He was staring at the creature that was sitting on his head. "Jay jay," he smiled, taking the lemur off of his head and into his hands. "How are you?"

The lemur nuzzled up to his large friend affectionately. It bad been quite a while since he had seen the human, and he chose to catch up by sniffing every available bit of skin. "Nice to see you too," Artemis smiled, patting Jay jay's mohawked head.

"He missed you," I smiled.

"And I him. It has been too long," he replied. "Though, I am curious about where exactly we are."

"It's a LEP preservation area for magical animals."

"Ah, so I take it that these animals would not do well on the surface or out in the general populace."

"Correct." As always. Artemis seems to know everything just once I would love to really surprise him.

"So, I suppose you're going to take me on my guided tour, after all."

Honestly, there are no surprises when your best friend is a genius. "Yes, I am. Come on and I'll show you creatures that have not been seen by mud men in a very long time."

It was like Jayjay understood what I was saying. He wrapped his little furry body around Artemis and refused to let go. "He can come along," I sighed. "Just watch him. Some of these animals are quite territorial."

The lemur chittered happily and skittered up to Arty's shoulder where he sat comfortably. "Lead the way," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes, but led my two guys through the next set of doors. "Be careful in here. Make sure that you're respectful."

"Of course, Holly," he sounded somewhat offended. After all, as a young gentleman, he was always respectful. "But will you please tell me what is in this room?"

"No," I smiled, mischievously. "I'm going to show you instead." And so I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the forested area. We walked straight through for about ten minutes before coming to the large, black open mouth of a cave. The two of us moved through until we were in the very center. I heard a slight slithering sound. The sound of something dragging itself across dry leaves on the ground. "I know that you're there. You can come out now."

Artemis's POV:

"I know that you're there. You can come out now," Holly called into the darkness of The cave.

I was sure that I heard a slight chuckle. Then, a slithering sound became quite loud as it moved towards us. The echoes from the walls of the cave would suggest that the creature was approaching from directly in front of us. I could see nothing but a slight glint in the air. The glint came closer and closer before just stopping. I felt something large inhale deeply, and flames ran around the edges of the caves, providing light.

With the light, I was able to see everything including the creature in front of creature was the size of a small house hand its scaly skin was blue. It was reptilian, long large and winged with slitted pupils that seemed to stare right into me. " You are a dragon," I stated. Perhaps I should have been surprised, but once one truly delves into the world of fairies, then they accept all to be true and cease to be amazed.

"Yes, I am. It's wonderful that you got it right the first time. Though I expect nothing less from the great Artemis Fowl."

I could not help but raise a brow. Apparently I was well known here as well. "Why thank you for the compliment."

"You're quite welcome. As you are, Holly. Though, you could be polite and introduce me."

Apparently, Holly had zoned out. She snapped herself back to the present and gazed around strangely. "Repeat that please?"

The dragon exhaled sharply, her breath, blowing my hair about my face. "Introduce us, please."

"Onyx, this is my best friend, Artemis. Artemis, this is my very close friend, Onyx."

"Nice to meet you, Onyx," I smiled graciously, bowing slightly to her.

"The same to you."

Holly had introduced us, but her eyes went back to being unfocused, and her lips moved slightly as though she was having a conversation with some unseen entity. Needless to say, it was concerning. I stepped over to her and gently placed my hands on her shoulders. "Holly. Wake up Holly!" And she made no response in the slightest. "Holly."

"Flame. Could you please stop that and come out here?" Onyx called, her choice echoing around the cave walls.

As soon as she said that, Holly's eyes became focused again, and her mouth stopped moving mid-word. "Arty, why are your hands on my shoulders?"

I was spared from answering her by the sudden appearance of a second dragon. It was a bright color that seemed to alternate between deep crimson and orange, almost as if he couldn't make up his mind about what color he wanted to be. From snout to the tip of his tail, he was about the size of a fully grown St. Bernard, though he was quite a bit taller. "Holly, you already know Flame. But Artemis, this is my son," And Onyx beamed in the way that only a dragon can.

Flame was not shy in the least. He came right up to me and nuzzled my face very much like one would expect a cat to. "Hello Flame," I said. It was obvious that he was just a child, and I'll admit that I am still not very good at communicating with children. Beckett is living proof of that. "My name is Artemis."

"I know that silly. Holly just told me all about you," the young dragon grinned. His voice tinkling and excited like most children. But there was some under tone that bespoke of someone much older than he appeared to be.

"She did, did she?"

"Of course. We've been talking this whole time."

"I take it that dragons have the ability to mentally communicate with other species?"

"Holly did you no justice. You are much smarter and much less annoying than you described," she chortled. "And to answer your question, yes we are quite able to speak telepathically."

I nodded. I had expected nothing less from a supposedly mythical creature. "Fascinating," I replied.

Flame looked up at me, his yellow eyes shining. I recognized that look from my time with the twins. Obviously, he wanted some attention from me, and I obliged by getting down on my knees and making consistent eye contact like I would have done with Myles. "How old are you, Flame?"

"Seven hundred."

One could not help but fell a bit floored. Obviously, dragons age even more slowly than fairies. "Seven hundred? I don't suppose you know how that translates to human years, do you?"

Flame shook his head, just as I expected him to. After all, very few children truly understand things of that nature. However, Holly spoke up from her corner. "Each one hundred years of a dragons life is equal to one year of human development. So, Flame is around seven years old."

"And I'm twenty-two," Onyx interjected.

Twenty-two, meaning that she hand been alive 2,200 years. Extraordinary. "Are you gonna marry my Auntie Holly?" Flame asked out of the blue.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Holly blushing fiercely, and looking at anything but me. Not that I could blame her. "What an odd question Flame. Holly and I are just friends."

"Can I show you something?" he asked.

I cannot deny that my curiosity was piqued. What would he show me? How good was the quality of what I was about to see? "Yes. You may."

"Thank you. Just relax and look into my eyes."

I did as he asked. His eyes began to glow a bright yellow and I felt as though my feet were slipping out from under me. Suddenly, I was flying. Next thing I knew, I was standing out on a large green lawn. Not too far from where I was standing was a pavilion. There was a tall somewhat lean man wearing a tuxedo and surrounded by others. Obviously this was a wedding and the only question was: where was the bride?"

As if on cue Pachabelle's Canon began. 'Dum-dum-dah-dum, dum-dum-dah-dum. Soon enough the bride appeared. She was a vision in white, her dress hugging her curves perfectly and a long veil draping elegantly down her back. Some part of me really wanted to see her face. To see if it was as beautiful as her body.

It was almost as though she had heard my thoughts. She stopped in the middle of her march and turned for just a split second so that I could see her face. She smiled and winked. I knew those pointed ears anywhere. Holly. This was her wedding.

The groom. The guests. I still couldn't make out their faces. And for some reason, I really needed to. It was as if I had a compulsion. I had to see. I had to know. "Your wish is my command," giggled the voice of Flame.

And then my whole point of view changed. Now, I was at the very front watching Holly's movements. I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing a black tuxedo. It didn't take me very long to figure out that I was now the groom. I was marrying Holly.

This time, I glanced around and saw that all of my guests faces belonged to our friends and family. I blinked and the next thing that I knew, Holly was standing right in front of me, and she was beaming as though she had won some sort of prize. A quick glance downwards showed that I was indeed the groom who's face I had been unable to see. I was marrying Holly, and we were very happy to be here.

"Glad that you didn't decide to ditch me at the altar," Holly muttered.

"Perish the thought," I replied. "I do value my life." Holly was about to respond, but Butler interrupted by stepping forward in his usual black suit. He straightened his tie and held a small black book. Obviously, he was the man that was going to marry us. Well, at least that clerical licence was actually useful for once.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life union of Artemis Fowl and Holly Short. I know turn it over to this lovely couple that has chosen to recite their own vows."

And so, Holly cleared her throat gently. "Arty, you've been my best friend, my lover, and even though I didn't notice, my soulmate. It took me forever and a day to realize it, but I love you. I need you in my life and I want you to always be there fore me. Just like I always want to be there for you to make you laugh, to make you smile, and to keep you in line." She winked much to the audiences' amusement. "I guess I'm just saying that I'll never leave you. I love you."

And now it was my turn. The words flowed out of my mouth quickly, and of their own accord. "Holly, you're my best friend, my soulmate, my other half. We all know who I was before I met you. I was a despicable monster. So, it's safe to say that you bring the yin to my yang. The good to my bad. You're the spark that brightens my life. You're the spice that adds passion, love, and true emotion to my life. Holly, you've changed me for the best, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with my one true love with my soulmate. With you."

Butler smiled slightly, and then moved right along. "We thank you for your beautiful vows. Before we go any further, does anyone have any objections speak now or forever hold your peace." No one said a word or attempted to. How could anyone even think to interrupt the beautiful and true love that we were displaying?

"Holly Coral Short. Do you take Artemis Fowl II to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold in richer and poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health to love, honor, and cherish until death do you part?"

Holly looked up into my eyes. Her own were bright and sparkling with barely supressed tears. "I do," she said loudly and clearly.

"Artemis Fowl II. Do you take Holly Coral Short to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in richer and poorer, for better or worse in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish until death do you part?"

I said nothing for a moment as I scanned the audience. I saw my mother, my father, the twins, and each of my friends. Everyone that I cared about in one place at one time. Last, but not least, my eyes landed on the woman in front of me. She was grinning broadly and looking up at me expectantly. Obviously, all of her hopes were riding on this moment. And so were mine. "I do," I said, hearing everyone in the audience exhale a collective sigh of relief.

"Very good. I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Butler announced. Needless to say, we did as expected. We kissed and it was like fire racing up my spine. I took her into my arms an our lips moved together in a complex way. We ignored the titters and the clearing of the throats. Our only thoughts were for each other. Reluctantly, we pulled apart.

"So, I suppose this means that you're stuck with me..." I trailed off.

"Maybe. Maaaaybe not," she winked.

At that point, my vision turned pitch black, and a montage of images flashed in front of me. The first image was the two of us standing in front of Fowl manor and grinning happily.

The next image consisted of me wrapping my arms around Holly's obviously pregnant stomach. Both of our faces were aglow with unbridled joy, glad to be expecting a child that would hopefully be embedded with both of our best traits. The way that one would expect parents to be.

I was hurled forward to yet another image. Holly and I were sitting on a couch that she had obviously picked out. I had my arm around her and she was snuggled close to me. Glancing down at the floor, I saw two children lying on the rug. One was a girl of about four or five. She had thick black hair, pale skin, and bright blue, intelligent eyes. While she was obviously a Fowl, there were also the tell-tale, slightly pointed ears that showed she was also half-fairy. She was our daughter.

Next to her was a boy who was about a year younger than his sister. His skin a deep nut brown like Holly's and his eyes were slanted and hazel like hers. The boy's auburn hair fringe fell into his eyes. His ears were also slightly pointed. He was our son. Hmm, apparently pointed ears were dominant.

The small girl ran from her spot on the floor and jumped into my lap while, her brother launched himself into his mother's lap, but turned to face me. "I love you mommy and daddy," they both said in unison as if they had practiced that. And perhaps they had, but it did not matter, because they were still being truthful about how they felt.

Holly smiled and kissed both of their foreheads. "Love you too."

"I love you daddy," she said again, tugging on my sleeve. Obviously, she wanted some attention from me, and I was willing to give it to her.

"I love you too, Artemis," I smiled, ruffling her long hair. Artemis. She had my name. She carried the tradition. "And, of course, I love you too, Julius." Julius. Fitting that we would have named our son after the Commander. I would have wanted nothing else for him. and

They both grinned and threw their arms around me. I hugged the little warm bodies close and it felt good to do so. All of a sudden; everything faded black. I felt nothing no one in my arms , and I...I wanted it back. I missed the small children. My small children. It was like losing a part of myself.

I had expected to crash forward into yet another vision, but I stopped in an area of solid darkness. I blinked once and opened my eyes agin. The room was still dark, but in front of me was the bright red glow of Flame's scales. "What was that?" I asked the small dragon.

"That was a series of possibilities. A glimpse of things that could happen if appropriately acted on," he explained as few seven year olds could. Hmm, perhaps I was not the only genius in the room.

Yet, as a genius, I could not help but feel somewhat skeptical of his explanation. After all, it left some things to be desired. "So, you are saying that you're clairvoyant?"

"Not technically, but it's easy to draw a conclusion from your auras and personalities." he shrugged. "Artemis, can I tell you something?"

As an older brother myself, I could not refuse the urge to listen to everything that he said. "Of course you may Flame."

"You and my Auntie Holly should be together," Flame said sincerely.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we're only friends."

He just rolled his large eyes. "We'd better get back before Auntie starts to worry about you." And with that vision cleared and I was back in the cave, standing next to Holly as if I had never left.

"Welcome back, Arty," she smiled, so much like she had when looking at the children. And I automatically pushed those thoughts back. What I had seen was just a vision created by Flame to implant an idea into my mind.

"Thank you," I muttered. "That was quite the experience."

"Oh really?" Onyx asked, a knowing smile on her face. Obviously, she was well aware of what I had seen.

"What did you see?"

"Nothing more than a short male bonding conversation," I lied. Onyx obviously know that I was lying, but chose to ignore it. Holly looked at me quizzically, and seemed to be about to ask something. Apparently, she also knew that I was lying,but chose not to confront me about it. Not yet anyway.

"Well, Holly, Artemis. I know that you have a lot of other creatures to visit," The older dragon smiled. "We'll allow you to be on your way now."

"Oookay then. See you guys soon," my elfin friend replied, taken aback by her quick dismissal. Thankfully, she did not know what had really happened.

"It was nice to meet you both," I said in a typical gentlemanly fashion. "I hope to see you again someday."

"You can count on it," Onyx winked.

"Bye Auntie Holly. Bye Uncle Arty," Flame grinned. I was shocked. It was easy to see why he would call Holly his aunt. But me? As his uncle? How could he come to see me as family in such a short amount of time? It was some what incredible and left me with a warm feeling in my chest. Almost as warm as what Artemis and Julius had left me with.

Holly smirked as she leaned forward and kissed his scaley forehead. I looked down at the expectant boy and knew that I needed to do something. However, I had never been very good at this sort of thing. Thankfully, the small dragon could sense such things. He approached me and nuzzled my hand with his snout, very much like one would expect a cat to. Finally, he backed away from me and, Holly started us on our way out of the cave.

She casually grabbed my hand, and we continued out of the cave and back into the bright sunlight. The grass was green and thick. The sky was a beautiful blue and hundreds of dragons of varying ages sprawled out enjoying the warmth on their reptilian bodies. "I take it that you know all of these dragons?"

"Of course I do. I visit them all of the time."

"Ahh."

Holly then made it a point to wave to all of them. They all nodded back or gave her some sort of acknowledgment. It was rather obvious that she was well liked here. And everywhere else in Haven. Finally, we approached the door that would lead us to the next domain. "I don't suppose that you'll tell me what's behind this door, will you?"

"You should know better than that," she grinned as she opened the door and pushed Jayjay and I through it.

A/N:

Whoo-hoo! Another Chapter down. Rest assured that I am working on this story quite a bit. Be patient, I haven't abandoned anything, and don't plan on it.

So, yeah, thanks to all of my reviewers and people who added me or this story to favorites. I love you guys. Keep reading and I'll keep writing. Oh and to review. Flames are welcome. They're what keep me warm and toasty at night. ;)

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