House Dragon

Chapter 4 | A Lot has Changed

Juliana held her breath as she looked at her friend. What happened?? How did he turn into a giant, talking, fire-breathing lizard? Her heart was beating so fast, she thought she might still try to turn and run from him. But part of her was too scared to even move.

"It's okay, I promise! I won't do anything." Dane said. He took a small step back, releasing her from the wall with a shy look on his face.

"It's not okay!!" Juliana shouted back, making him flinch. She lowered her voice a little out of guilt. "I mean, how did this happen?!"
She still felt cornered, even though he wasn't pinned her to the wall anymore. She felt her face, checking if his scales may have scratched her, even though they felt surprisingly smooth.

"I—I don't know! But I'm... I'm scared." He said, keeping his massive wings and his long tail tucked close.
"You're scared? I'M scared! Look at you!" She gestured to all of him.
Dane got a hurt look on his face, and he let out an odd sort of whimpering sound, his fawn-like ears pinned back.

Juliana sighed, "I'm sorry. Just... I don't understand. You can't change back?"
"No... I think it's this bracelet. Remember?" He slowly reached out his wrist for her to see, not too fast so he wouldn't spook her, "I've tried taking it off... I tried everything to turn back. But I can't. I don't know what to do.."

She glanced at the bracelet for a moment, then at his face, those big fangs and piercing eyes. Then back at the bracelet.
She cautiously reached out to touch it, letting herself relax a little when he didn't make any movements against her. She tried to pry the metal band off with her fingers, but it was still just as stuck on there.

She looked over his whole body as she tried to think of a solution. She looked at the long horns on his head, the sharp teeth in his mouth, his long forked tongue. It all screamed predator, except for his eyes, which were just the same as they were before—still soft and nervous.
He was still the same person, she realized. She might as well just... Get used to this new change until it goes away.

Her eyes traveled down to his arms. This transformation gave him a lot of muscle definition. She knew that, if it hadn't come with the cost of turning into Rodan's cousin, he would have been ecstatic about this change.
Juliana looked down at the metal cuff again. Nothing worked to get it off.. It was like it had embedded into his skin. Become a part of him.
Clearly there had to be another way to get rid of this curse, aside from removing the bracelet.

She kept "investigating" further down his body, looking at his sharp claws, and then the surprisingly soft scales on his stomach. They were almost like a snake's. She noticed him getting a little fidgety, like he was trying to fight his nerves to let her ease her own curiosity.

She looked a little further down, and then immediately her eyes widened and she looked away, her face turned pink. She didn't get more than a glance of what was down there, but it was all she needed to see. She forgot, he wasn't wearing anything. Everything was hanging out. And from what she saw.. Everything must have gotten much bigger, too. Becoming a dragon must've done a lot for him.

Dane covered himself with his hands immediately after she looked away, him face also impossibly redder than it already was. "I—I'm sorry—I forgot—"

Juliana shook her head, her eyes closed, trying to be respectful. "Sorry... Let's just.. Get some clothes on you."

He stepped out of the way, letting her get to the bedroom. She still eyed him as she walked past, and he clearly felt bad for scaring her.

"I don't know if we have anything big enough..." She said, eyeing him again as he followed her in. "... You might have to wear a blanket until we can either change you back, or get you new clothes."

Dane shuffled on his feet, his big ears still drooping. He clearly wasn't happy with the idea, but it was the best he would get. "Okay."
Juliana picked a blanket from the bed and unfolded it, then turned to him.

"Um, I can put it on myself." Dane said, noticing her beginning to gawk at him again. "So.."
"Oh! Right, my bad." She smiled awkwardly. She handed him the blanket, still cautious of his big talons, even as he took the blanket as gently as he could. "I'll come back in a minute... Careful not to tear that. And try not to set anything on fire, or something.
Dane scratched the back of his scaly neck. "... Sure."

She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, then waited a while.
After a minute, she called, "You done?"
"Yeah. You can come in."

Juliana slowly opened the door, peeking in. Dane was sitting on the edge of the bed with a forlorn look on his face and the blanket draped over his whole body, aside from his head and his tail. He looked like a sad, overgrown caterpillar. He didn't look at her when she came in.

She sat on the bed with him, still not too close. She just looked at him for a moment, and then sighed. "... Look. I know this is.. Scary. It is for me too."
Dane looked into her eyes pleadingly. There were tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Because now you're afraid I'll hurt you."

"No, not like that!" Juliana shook her head. She took a breath, and scooted slightly closer to him to ease his thoughts. "Because I don't know where to go from here."

Dane turned away.

"Well, I know we can fix it. We're gonna figure something out." She paused. "I'll go back to that shop and talk to the people working there, see if they know anything."
She put her hand on his shoulder. "It's just, you know. Really... Weird."

Her hand trailed down his back, and to his tail. He shuddered, ticklish, and wiped tears from his snout.
She pulled the end of his long tail into her lap and felt it curiously. His spines were unexpectedly soft, not sharp or stiff at all. "And, it's almost cool.. You know? You're actually a dragon!"

Dane looked at her again, and a toothy, shy smile spread on his face. "I guess a little bit."

He stuck his wing out of the blanket and wrapped her in a loose hug. "I'm... Im just really glad you're still here for me."