Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 95: Change [Part 1]

Once again, my head bobbed with Myrkr's every pawstep. Needing to be carried everywhere was demeaning, but Myrkr was frustratingly vigilant. He insisted he slept right beside me with his wing over my back, and if it weren't for my venture through the 'bond' to see his true self, I would've suspected he was tricking me into touchy-feely crap.

I quickly learned that he did it to keep an eye on me, as his wing would feel if I tried to sneak away while he slept. How under the sky Myrkr managed to do that even while asleep baffled me, but he'd already caught me twice. I didn't dare try a third time. 

Still, despite his annoyingly protective behavior, I found myself staring at him a lot. Not creepily or admiringly, just staring. He was my new reason to keep going. Why? Because he wanted me. I'd never had someone actually want me before, but Myrkr was that someone. 

The fact that he was the father of my egg only added to my curiosity. I was drawn to it like any living thing to water. Knowing for sure that my egg existed made that feeling stronger. Why did it affect me so? Why did Myrkr want me? Surely, there was a reason. Everyone had a reason.

"Anari says you like strength."

I blinked out of my thoughts at Myrkr's voice, seeing we were stopped, and Myrkr's eyes were on me. "I... uh... Yeah?"

Ah, what a wordsmith. Simply magnificent. You have me gaping in awe at your greatness, Aurora. Bravo.

Oh, shut up, Caligo. No one asked you.

Still, I felt like I had to explain myself. "Only the strong survive. Weakness gets you laughed at, at best, or dead, at worst."

"Is that why you liked being covered in blood?"

I flinched at that reminder. "It's... c-complicated," I mumbled. I still believed a fierce appearance was a sign of strength, but being covered in blood was... different now. Part of me missed it, while another part was disgusted by it. I got rid of it because I worried it would make Myrkr hate me. With him being my new purpose, I couldn't drive him away because of my appearance. I wasn't sure why it now disgusted me, though.

"Huh." With that, he resumed walking, leaving me confused.

"Why do you ask anyway?" I warbled.

"I'm trying to understand you," he admitted casually.

"Understand me? Why?"

"Because you're my mate. You're different. Usually, you talk a lot more."

Now, I was curious. "I do? About what?"

"Anything. You'd ask questions about things. You'd try to pick and peel away at me to understand how I worked, I guess." He chuckled. "I'm a lot easier to understand than you thought, but you were pretty determined to find some special 'secret' inside me."

I tilted my head. "So, how do you work?"

"The easiest way to make me happy is to see you happy," he hummed. "I love you. You're my whole world. Sure, I have my own dreams... like I wanted to have a kid, but even that still has to do with you. I guess I'm a simple dragon. I like companionship, and you were the best companion I'd ever had."

"Were? I'm not anymore?" I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "You're different now. So, I'm trying to understand you first. We used to tell each other everything, be affectionate, talk a lot, and... uh... honestly, freak out a lot about being parents."

I blinked. I wasn't comfortable with some of that stuff, but I could do one thing for now. It felt very important to me, so I assumed it was important for Myrkr, too. "Speaking of eggs and telling each other everything—"