Chapter 5
"So are you ever going to show me your dragon form?" Livia asked Dave. It was over a week later and they've been spending every day together.
"Sure, if you want," Dave said. "I didn't realize you wanted to see me in that form."
"Call me curious, as I've never seen a shifter change before even though I know they exist," Livia shrugged.
"You also want to confirm I am what I say I am," Dave said knowingly.
He knew that while Livia trusted him that trust was a new and fragile thing that could be easily broken. It would take his mate time to trust him down to the depths of her soul, but considering she had grown up in foster care and been shuffled from place to place all her life where adults had probably lied to her on a regular basis he couldn't blame her for her trust issues.
"That might be part of the reason, but I also genuinely want to see you in your dragon form. I bet you're as gorgeous in that form just as you are as a human," Livia said blushing at Dave so easily figuring out her reasons for asking.
"I have no problem with showing you my dragon form, but we'll have to go to that room I showed you, the one that had no furniture in it. I'm quite large in that form and I'd knock over and destroy things if I did it here and the furniture is antique," Dave explained. "Perhaps we can even go for a short flight if you like once I show you my dragon form."
"But won't we risk people seeing us, I mean humans," Livia asked trying not to sound too eager. Luckily, being afraid of heights was not one of her fears.
"I am invisible in that form to regular humans that we will be seen by other paranormals," Dave explained. "It's how my species has survived so long and haven't been hunted to extinction. We are an evolution of the original dragons who existed in the dark ages. The originals couldn't shift forms like my species can. Also, the original dragons also weren't invisible when they were in the air."
"That's really fascinating," Livia admitted, "and I'd be happy to take a flight with you, but won't I be visible even if you aren't?"
"I have magic of my own that is nothing like a witches magic," Dave said. "My personal invisibility should extend to you as well since you'll be on my back. I've never had anyone on my back while I'm in my dragon form so you will be the first to get that honor."
"Why do you call it an honor to have me on your back?" Livia asked with a confused expression. "Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to us taking a flight, but why did you call it an honor? It seems an odd word choice."
"It used to be considered quite the honor for a dragon to allow someone to sit on their back and to fly with them," Dave explained. "Of course, this was quite a few centuries ago, long before I was born, as it's pretty rare for a dragon to allow anyone to sit on them nowadays."
"Why would it be considered an honor, though?" Livia wondered.
"Because that would mean you had gained that dragon's trust," Dave explained. "It meant that they trusted you wouldn't betray them by stabbing them in one of their few vulnerable spots when in their bigger form. Dragons are nearly invulnerable, except in a few spots, and one of those is on their neck between two of their armored scales. It wouldn't be that hard for someone with a decent amount of strength to get past the scales and the flesh underneath to stab them deep enough that it killed them instantly.
"It used to be that dragons were hunted centuries ago, because they're scales can be made into armor. Also, a dragon's blood is valuable as a potion ingredient and while most dragons didn't mind donating towards a worthy cause you had to gain their trust first and most people just don't want to take the time to do that, as they'd rather kill the dragon and take the blood that way as it takes far less time and not as much effort."
"Thanks for explaining now I understand why it was considered an honor to be able to ride a dragon," Livia said. "About that demonstration."
"This way," Dave said rising to his feet from where he and Livia were sitting on the same couch together. The room where the couch was was kind of a living room and where the two of them spent a lot of time together.
Dave led the way to the room that Livia had originally seen on her tour, but much like the kitchen they had only stuck their heads in the door. Unlike the living room there wasn't much to see, except a large empty space.
"I know I explained when I give you that tour that I transformed in here sometimes, which is why there is no furniture," Dave said, as they entered the room that like the rest of the house was decorated the walls and floor anyway. The room Dave transformed in was on the second floor, so they had to climb a flight of stairs.
"Why not just transform outside if no one can see you in your dragon form?" Livia asked.
"I do when I want to go for a fly, but sometimes I just feel like transforming, but not flying so I transform here. Besides, humans might not be able to see me in that form, but that's only when I'm in the air, but other paranormals can. Why take the risk of some witch or sorcerer deciding to try to kill me off for my blood or at least wounding me."
"Seems unlikely," Livia said.
"You never know how greedy selfish people will be Livia. Some might be greedy enough to want to make a lot of money off my blood and so try to kill me in order to collect it," Dave said.
"Yeah, but you're going to be way bigger than them and I'm assuming you have natural weapons in that form so you could slaughter them."
"Sure, I have my claws, teeth, flames from my mouth and also my tail, but I can be snuck up on," Dave said. "They could catch me if I was sleeping, for example. It's only sensible to take precautions just in case."
"True, though to me, it still seems foolhardy in the extreme to try to kill you, even if you were sleeping at the time, because they'd like to get themselves either gravely injured or killed," Livia said and watched, as Dave moved farther away and begin to rapidly change into his other form. Within minutes, he was at least 7 or 8 times bigger than he was in his human form and when the change was complete a giant lizard like creature was standing where Dave had been.
Livia had never seen a dragon before outside the books and movies anyway and Dave really did look like a giant lizard, one that had fire to call upon in order to defend himself with not to mention his sharp, pointy teeth, claws and tail, which was spiked on the end, Livia noticed, as she studied him. He was also all black, the same color as his hair and let's not forget huge as he was enormous.
Livia came forward to examine him then stepped back when smoke came out of Dave's nostril's just in case he started to spurt a stream of flame. When no flame emerged Livia came closer and examined him some more. She patted Dave's his side, as she did.
"You are magnificent and also huge," Livia told Dave walking to where she was once more standing in front of him.
Dave, seemed to enjoy the compliment if the way he reacted was any indication but finally, Livia stepped back so Dave could change back to his regular appearance.
Dave took the hint for what it was and once Livia was far enough away, he began to change back into his human form, just as swiftly as he had into his dragon form.
"Thank you for the compliment," Dave said once he was back to his human appearance.
"Well, you are magnificent in that form and also huge, so I was only speaking the absolute truth," Livia said blushing. "So when do you want to take me on that flight?"
"After dark is best as I'm harder to see once the sun sets completely, so about 10 o'clock?" Dave suggested very pleased that Livia's reactions to his dragon form. She hadn't been afraid of him just cautious that he would shoot fire at her and Dave thought that was perfectly understandable.
"That sounds fine," Livia said, smiling hugely, as she was looking forward to flying with Dave in a few hours. Livia had a feeling it was going be one of the biggest thrills of her life to be able to fly with Dave on a regular basis. "There are a far fewer people about at that hour, though there will of course be some."
"Which is one reason I usually go for a fly that late when I feel like it when the moon is just a sliver in the sky, as as much harder to see me if I don't go when the moon is nearly full. Humans don't have good night vision for the most part with a few exceptions and as for supernaturals some do, but most don't it all just depends," Dave said. "Transforming and going flying allows me to relieve the tension when I don't have a chance to transform for awhile."
"So you can transform with your clothes on," Livia mentioned, having noticed that Dave hadn't bothered to get undressed before transforming. "They seem to transform with you instead of ripping to shreds to where they have to be replaced."
"Yeah, whatever I'm wearing at the time is engulfed in my aura, which means it transforms when I do. The first couple of times when I transformed back to human when I was young I was totally naked, because I forgot to imagine the clothes I had been wearing. It took me awhile to get the hang of remembering the clothes I had had on when I had transformed into my dragon form."
"That must've been embarrassing to transform back totally naked," Livia snorted in amusement.
"Yeah, it was, since I was really young at the time," Dave said. "My parents were still alive then and my father advised me to always remember to transform with my clothes on and not to imagine myself naked or I'd only embarrass myself if anybody saw me after he finished chuckling at my expense first of course. Apparently, he found me coming back without my clothes on the first few times very amusing. I've always remembered my father's advice when I was a young dragonling. Shall we go back to the living room?"
"Sounds good," Livia agreed, as she took Dave's hand in hers giving it a gentle squeeze and Dave squeezed hers in return.
The two left the room Dave had used to transform in, and Dave made sure he shut the door behind them when they left, and then the two of them headed back for the living room where they had been before Livia had asked to see his dragon form.
~~~Dave and Livia~~~
Several weeks later
"So you never did tell me about how many different types of shifters there are?" Livia said. "I know there are dragon shifters, but what other kind of shifters are there?"
"They're all different kinds of shifters and some are more common than others. Just imagine all the different types of animals in the world and they probably exist as shifters," Dave said.
"Wolves, bears, lions, panthers, tigers, giraffes, chimpanzees, elephants..." Livia listed.
"Yes, to all the above though wolves are certainly the most common," Dave said. "Some shifters are more common in other parts of the world like kangaroos or coyotes for places like Australia."
"What about aquatic shifters?" Livia wondered.
"There used to be shark shifters, but now the water is so contaminated by humans dumping poisons and environmental changes that they are considered extinct," Dave said.
"Seals, whales, octopuses, hippopotamus, squids, sea otters..."
"Octopuses and squids not as far as I know, though I won't say they don't exist, as they might just be very secretive or died out, because of those environmental changes I mentioned," Dave said once was he was sure that his mate was done listing animals from the sea. "As for the others you named seals and otters do exist though not necessarily sea otters anymore."
"But at one point they did exist?" asked Livia.
"Yes, but like with a lot of animals that make their sea home environmental changes being what they are a lot of those have died out or at least are close to doing so. There are still a few around, but I don't believe they exist in any great numbers anymore, a few hundred is about it," Dave said.
"That's not really a great number when you're talking about an entire species," Livia said.
"No, it's not, and they would have to have massive families every single one of them to have a hope of repopulating their species and since no one ever has hundreds of children, they are basically extinct," Dave said.
"That's too bad," Livia said. "I can't help but feel sorry for those species that are nearly extinct just because of environmental changes."
"Yeah, it's a shame, but we can't do anything about it," Dave said. "There are just some species that aren't meant to exist past a certain point, because if they did, the Earth would be more crowded then it is."
The two were silent as they contemplated that, but then Livia said, "You forgot to mention hippopotamuses."
Dave figured that was Livia's way to change the subject so he duly obliged. "Yes hippopotamus shifters do exist, though there mainly on continents like Africa. Some of the shifters species aren't very prolific, which keeps their numbers small."
"That's pretty amazing," Livia said shaking her head. "It's amazing that you've managed to keep all this from that governments around the world."
"You have to remember that we appear human," Dave said. "We basically are human, just with different powers and abilities."
"So what happens if a human discovers a supernatural and then they blab about it and can't keep their mouths shut?" Livia wanted to know.
"If it happens on accident then the witches are called in, ones that are proficient in memory spells," Dave explained simply. "There are such people in every major city around the world. There is a witches council and they have a large selection of such witches to choose from when needed. That witches council is made up of one member from each country."
"That's rather interesting and something that Alifair never got around to explaining," Livia said. "Just hanging out with you I'm learning so much, so thanks for being so patient and understanding with me."
"You don't need to thank me and we've had this discussion," Dave said. "I'm not going to get impatient with you just because you ask me so many questions. Questions are the way someone learns and the fact that you never had a chance to learn any of this, because you were put into foster care system is not your fault. You're still learning what you should've been taught by your mother and perhaps your father."
"I have no idea who my father is or if he was even married to my mother," Livia said. "After all, illegitimate children are born all the time and for all I know I could've been one of those. My father might not even be aware that I exist, since that happens all the time."
"I know and I'm more sorry then I can say, that you never know either one of your parents, that you never had a chance to establish a relationship," Dave said. "As to who your mother was, I might have an answer for you."
"How?" Livia wanted to know, even as she stopped with a bite of her dinner halfway to her mouth, which was hanging open in astonishment.
"I made some inquires," Dave said simply. "Since you know your real last name and it's not one the state gave you for identification purposes it wasn't that hard to ask around."
"You didn't need to do that, but thanks for doing that without being asked. It never occurred to me to ask you or Alifair to see what you could find that out."
"I'm not surprised it didn't, considering you're still finding your way in the paranormal world, even though you known about it for years," Dave said. "In any case, your mother was Lydia Hawthorne and from what I could find out you inherited her seer ability."
"How do you know this Lydia was my mother though?" Livia wanted to know.
She didn't disbelieve what Dave was telling her she was just curious how Dave had found out who her mother was.
"Because while there are other paranormals with the Hawthorne surname, only one family has the ability to see the future and is well known in certain circles. Hawthorne is also a rare surname in the paranormal world, so there are only a few families that bear it," Dave explained. "Your family comes from Chicago originally and that's likely where she grew up."
"Then what was my mother doing in Montréal Canada?" Livia wondered.
"There's no way of knowing since we can't ask her, because she's dead," Dave said.
"Did she have any siblings?" Livia asked.
"No, I'm afraid not. She was an only child, just like you are," Dave said.
"That's too bad," Livia said. "So I guess that means I don't have any aunts and uncles. What about grandparents though?"
"Dead," Dave said simply.
"Well, I guess I understand why no one took me in now. It was because there was no one to give me a home, at least not from my mother's side of the family. I could still have grandparents aunts and uncles on my father's side, but since I have no idea who he is I suppose that's a dead end," Livia said. "I am the last of my family, at least until we start having children, ones that will take your surname, so the Hawthorne one will die out. I don't even know what my original first name was, but at this stage, even if I did know, I would still be Livia since it's the name I've used all my life."
"Still, you would like to know," Dave said in understanding. "It would give you a sense of your roots and where you came from."
"Yeah, I can't help wondering, you know?" Livia said. "What were my parents like just for example? Were they close? Were they going to get married if they weren't already? Was I an accident or planned for? Or was I the result of a one night stand?"
"Lots of questions and while there's nothing wrong with asking questions we probably will never get the answer to most of them," Dave said.
"Yeah, I know, but I can't help being curious," Livia said. "I'm sure every orphan that has ever been created by losing their parents has had similar questions."
"Probably true," Dave chuckled, as he finished his dinner.
The subject was dropped for the rest of dinner as they enjoyed the rest of their food and each other's company.
~~~Dave and Livia~~~