Hunter To Lover (MxM)(Male Dragon Shifter X Male Elf/Reader)

Ch. 8 Reunion to Introduction

N/T = New Trade (the one from previous chapters)

I walked around the white clearing as Ugauc and his family shifted, the snow beneath me crunching as I walked. I looked over at them, all dressed in their tunics. It disappointed me that Ugauc now had one because I really enjoyed seeing his muscles every time he shifted—and I could never tire of seeing them.

Udauh spotted me looking at them and slid over. "So... You and Ugauc got busy last night, huh?" She raised her eyebrows twice with a smirk.

I froze in my stride. "You heard?!" I hissed. I thought we had snuck far enough away to 'enjoy ourselves' with no one hearing. I was ready to die.

Udauh burst out laughing. "You two weren't the quietest... Then again, I wandered off to find you... and Mother and Father said they didn't hear anything during the night."

I held my face in my hands, embarrassed. I groaned audibly, and Udauh giggled.

"I won't tell anyone." I looked at her as she placed a hand on her chest. "I promise, little elfling," she smirked again. I crossed my arms, unimpressed.

Ugauc walked over to us. "What have you done to upset my boyfriend?" he asked, exasperated.

Udauh raised her head smugly. "I've done no such thing!" she insisted. Ugauc cocked a brow at me. I looked away.

Ugauc shooed his sister away and stood beside me, placing a wing on my back.

"She heard us last night," I whispered, twirling a lock of my hair sheepishly.

Ugauc chuckled. "Udauh," he sighed, "Always nosey."

I smiled and turned towards the faint outline of the snowy valley filled to the brim with coniferous trees and three Elven villages. I couldn't believe it had been almost two years since I'd left here.

My home.

Ugauc pecked my head. "Are you ready to go down?"

I nodded. "Absolutely."

Ugauc looked back to his family. "We're trusting you all to stay quiet and out of sight. No shifting, no roaring, no growling or snarling and no fire-breathing," he told them sternly. One thing I had noticed about them was that the cold didn't really bother them much. It had for their first hour of being in the snowy northern region, but they quickly adapted to the cold. I, on the other hand, had gotten so used to the warmth of the rainforest and the temperature change was a shock to my system.

Epho and Koro inclined their heads. "Udauh?" Ugauc asked warily.

His sister looked at him with a pouting expression. "You're no fun!" she accused childishly.

Ugauc sighed, exasperated. "Udauh..."

"We'll make sure she doesn't do anything to ruin this meeting," Koro said, touching Ugauc's shoulder. "Go, we'll be fine, and careful."

Ugauc nodded and turned around. "Alright, let's go."

*-*-*-*

I peered around a tree, looking at the village I called home. Every elf was walking around, doing their business, and going about their day. I knew these faces; there were a few I wanted to run up to and ask how they had been.

But I couldn't.

I pulled up the hood of my cloak and got ready to step out into the street.

"Will you be all right?" Ugauc asked, crouched above me in a tree several feet behind me.

I nodded. "As long as I don't draw attention to myself, I'll be fine." I blew him a kiss, and he blew one back.

"Stay safe," he breathed. I smiled and started down the cobbled street.

Not much had changed; there were a few new potted plants on buildings, but business was still booming, even at Fírning's shop—Fírning was my (N/T) mentor two years ago, after I had failed the hunting test.

I strode through the street, keeping to the side with my head down. I focused on my thoughts:

Have they missed me?

Will they be happy to see me?

Are they all right? Has anything befallen them?

What if something has happened, and I wasn't here?

What if they won't want to meet Ugauc's family?

As I was getting worked up, I had bumped into someone, knocking their books, scrolls and some arrows from the quiver to the ground.

I yelped in surprise. "Sorry, didn't see you there." As I helped to pick up the scrolls, books and arrows, I noticed that the someone was in fact two someones. As we bundled up everything, I noticed that one of them wore a pair of boots I had before I left—but that could be anyone, as there were very few shoemakers in our village.

As we stood up, I handed over what I had gathered.

"Thanks," said a male voice, one that I knew.

I looked at their faces. "Eda? Eldrin?" I whispered.

"(Y/N)?" Eldrin asked, smiling.

"What are you doing back here?" Eda hissed. "Did Ugauc abandon you?" she accused, pulling a dagger from her belt as she put away the arrows in the quiver on her back.

"No!" I hissed. "No, nothing like that has happened. But I do need to talk to you all. Are Mama and Papa home?"

Eldrin nodded. "We're just heading back now."

"So what's so important you came back from your fabulous travels to see us?" Eda asked. She glanced at my stomach. "Are you pregnant? Did Ugauc somehow get you pregnant?"

I furrowed my brow as we walked, disturbed. "What? No! That's not even possible. I'm a cisgender male elf—What!" I was so confused by what had come out of her mouth.

Eda burst out into a wild laugh. "I'm joking," she hollered as we neared our home. "But seriously; why are you home?"

*-*-*-*

Our families got on surprisingly well when they met. Our mothers talked a lot about what we did when we were young, our sisters enjoyed sharing similar stories; except these were when they would beat us at fighting or spill our very embarrassing secrets. Eldrin sat with us as we eavesdropped on the groups, paying more attention to what our fathers were talking about; impressive hunts they had and hunting and stalking techniques they had picked up.

But no one ever mentioned a single thing about attacks or massacres or elves or dragons they had killed.

I looked around at them all, talking and getting along; if only every elf and dragon could get along like this. It was a gathering of murmurs and stories around the campfire in the snowy clearing.

Eldrin tapped me on the shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" I asked, turning to him. He seemed nervous, pressing his sleeve-covered hands together.

"Someone's watching us, and I-I'm bound to him," he whispered, fiddling with his covered hands. I tilted my head to him.

"(Y/N)," Ugauc hissed.

"His name is Vostrasz," he continued, "and... he's a dragon... and my soulmate."

I looked to Ugauc. "Was that what you were gonna tell me?" He nodded as I saw a set of glowing yellow eyes come from the surrounding darkness.

Ugauc and I weren't alone.