Chapter 4: Dragon's Steed

It's been a few months since their encounters. The meeting spot would be the library, where the both of them would sit across each other on the floor while swapping a few tales. Despite their growing friendship, Balqis was still guarding her personal life from him.

Gosha doesn't need to know about things that he fought for: herbivores and carnivores living in peace, was something she had to survive against. It does not mean that she has a certain hatred towards certain species, no, it's what she experienced growing up.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she doesn't want to think about what Gosha would think about her past if she decides to open up. It's not because she doesn't trust him, but she wasn't ready to reveal that side of her just yet. Not when she was looking forward to their meetings in the library.

During that fateful night when she kissed his hand as a gesture of their bond, something changed. She couldn't stop thinking about what she had done and wondered if it was a mistake. A Komodo dragon like Gosha must have someone in his life, right?

Walking up the stairs and climbing all the way to the top where the fictional sections were became a routine for Balqis. She was used to being invisible so long as she could read her books in peace to learn more about the world above the surface. Besides stories, cookbooks and biology books about the beasts were her favourite because it made her feel closer to the animals.

Well, most of them since she tends to avoid large ones the best she could. But Gosha was different despite his sheer size and judging from the bulk, she figured that he's had his fair share of battles. She felt from the heart when she does consider him a friend.

Speaking of friend, Balqis saw a familiar figure coming over to the bookshelves she was sitting at.

Gosha greeted her with a warm smile before sitting on the opposite side. Unlike their first encounter, his sitting posture was more relaxed, even exposing his stomach. From what she learnt from the books, animals who exposed their tummies showed vulnerability and trust. She was honoured that he trusted her enough to exposed himself that way.

She would have done the same, but other animals may not be as reasonable.

"So what are you planning to read?" asked Gosha. He had a small book in his hand, one that had golden font letters to present the title: Venomous Animals and How to Approach Them. She was curious about his book, but held up hers first.

"Just a book about bread," she told him. "I'm just curious about how different towns and places make them. What about yours? It looks interesting."

He blinked, then presented his book. Gosha opened his mouth to say something, but he immediately shut his jaws with one hand near the corner of his maw. She wondered if it was something she had said. However, she took the book gently with a sanitised hand to open the pages. It was full of photographic imagery of venomous animals...

One image particular peaked her interest.

"I know you are venomous, Gosha," she scoots over, their legs almost touching. "You mentioned it before and I'm okay with that. Are you planning to meet some venomous animals to switch your deadly bites?"

This caught Gosha off-guard, when he leaned back against the shelves and gulped. "N-no, nothing like that. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of what I am and why I tend to avoid a lot of places. Not all animals are accepting of Komodo dragons."

There wasn't a hint of sadness in his tone, more like something he accepted. It ached Balqis' heart to know that this kind dragon faced so much. Tenderly, she took his clawed hand in her gloved one. "I'm sorry, Gosha."

Silence between them except the turning pages of books and a few whispers amongst others in the library. Balqis knew after this they would part because she had some things to take care of while Gosha needed to do something to end his day. But before she could stand up, Gosha surprised her by removing her gloved hand to reveal her sun-kissed skin. With utmost care, he placed his palm against hers, noticing the contrast of skin against scales.

It was so soft against his hard-jewelled scales.

"Nice and cool," she murmured, enclosing her hand with his. The human was thankful that she was wearing something that hid her face, because she was blushing on the inside. If this continues, she would have melted on the spot. His reptilian eyes were warm yet intense as he does the same action.

"Soft and smooth with a hint of cinnamon I'm detecting?" he teased, causing Balqis to almost pull the head covering closer to her face. She's been using body lotion and butter to smooth her sensitive skin, not realising that the scent could attract potential beasts. She particularly loved scents that were fruits or something sweet and spicy.

She wanted to use her hand to touch his face, but knew the risk. So close, yet so far...

Balqis looked up at him. "Gosha, what do you work as?"

"A construction worker. It's an honest living and I got some time to spare for the kids. You know you are welcome to follow me anytime. How about you? I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but how does a human make a living when...you know..."

"It's okay," she assured him as they let go of their hands. "It's a valid question. For me, I sell fried bananas and fritters at night while I spend my time here during the day."

"Hmmm...I wouldn't mind trying some of that," Gosha smiled, his forked tongue flickered out. This made her cover her mouth to stifle her giggles. 'How could a big intimidating Komodo dragon be so cute?' Balqis thought to herself but then simmer down.

"Then I'll send you some when we go to the kindergarten. I'm sure the kids would love them too after playtime."

The both of them exchanged smiles before they continued their little book discussion. It was enjoyable as this could be a mini book club and a new change in their routines. What they don't realised was how close their bodies were to leaning against each other.

...

At night, near where the former Black Market used to be, Balqis had donned a disguise to avoid any carnivores from pursuing her. An advice she was told from her mother before she sets off on her own was to put patchouli oil on her wrists and neck to mask her scent.

It was also useful to stop the overwhelming scent of deep fried oil.

Most of the bananas were bought from the market at a low price and if they were overripe, then the prices would be low. She peeled and sliced them lengthways before dipping them in her homemade batter. All of the frying will be in the wok that was powered by a single gas stove.

Both herbivores and carnivores loved the smell, and they would buy a dozen. So, money wasn't an issue for the human, but her safety was.

While she was busy frying a new batch after the previous customer bought the entire stock, a tall figure approached her with something on their shoulder.

"Hello," she greeted them through her disguise. "Would you like some fried bananas?"

"Sure. Half a dozen will do," the figure, a male from the sound of his voice told her. Getting a closer look from what she was doing, he was a dark brown horse with ebony black mane. He was sporting a white tank top with black trousers and matching shoes. On his shoulder, it was a cute rat with a scar over his face.

"What about your friend on your shoulder?" she asked as she scoops up the fried bananas to be placed on a paper towel to wipe out excess oil. The rat's whiskers twitched with amusement. "I'll take a few off of him. Don'cha worry about me."

Balqis nodded and then packed the fried bananas in a paperboy. "Do you want some honey drizzle in it or shredded cheese?"

The stallion chuckled and exchanged glances with his rat buddy. "Maybe half plain while the other with cheese. Corne here is a cheese connoisseur."

When she gave them their order, the horse told Corne to go back with the fried bananas, leaving him alone with her. Needless to say, Balqis was nervous since she was told that horses have the strongest legs of any herbivores around. He had paid for the food, but the young woman was reluctant to leave her stand to put money in her empty box.

"You don't belong here."

The statement caught her off-guard and it caused Balqis to look up at the stallion in the eye. It was a risk since staring right into the eyes of a horse would mean challenging him into a fight or worse. "I'm...sorry?"

"If you have any respect for anyone or Gosha," the horse stated with an emphasised snort, "you would leave and not come back. Why risk your life coming above grounds? Nothing special about your kind and if you decided to pursue him, I will step in."

"You know Gosha?"

He lets out a laugh before grabbing her arm harshly. Balqis tried to wriggle out, but his grip was firm. Another problem was that he had done that over the stall, so her body was halfway from where she stood. "He never told you about me? Oh, this wouldn't be a repeat of the last time. That monster used to be my partner. We were supposed to protect this world together..."

A sadness in his tone but was masked by frustration. Shaking his head, he glared at her. "I know your kind live underground for a reason. I don't expect a 24/7 Baby Machine to understand."

Her eyes widened at the label he had called her. She wrenched her arm free and glared back. "W-what did you just call me? How do you know about my friendship with him?"

"Friends?" the stallion coughed in disbelief. "I can see that there's more than just friends between the both of you. Did you know back in the days, humans were part of our history. No one knew except the canines, but there's a good reason for it. Can't imagine how your kind survive considering your senses are basically useless and you don't have anything noteworthy that most carnivores and herbivores have. No matter, how many have you had?"

Balqis' heart was racing with fear. He was not the type of horse that were gently or calm like the ones she had met. "How...many?"

"You must have different beasts going at you before meeting Gosha. I know once a year a new one pops out and yet it's a miracle you can survive. If one could withstand an offspring from and elephant or a shrew, then it shouldn't be a problem with you. How many beasts have lined up just to empty themselves inside of you?"

She immediately clutched her stomach with her free hand and wanted to avert her gaze. "I-"

He grabbed her face and ripped out the scarf that wrapped her head to reveal her face. He leaned forward to whisper harsh words that echoed in her mind:

"Act and survive all you want. But remember that by the end of the day, you are nothing more than a whore."

Damn, straight from the horses mouth! Don't worry, I like to take things slow and things will get spicy very soon~