The Dragon Girl | Book 1 |

Chapter 4

Once did the leaves fall before I saw Sam again. We met again while I was leaving the cave with Callisto and Adonis to visit the tree pond. Callisto had grown a substantial amount, and was finally strong enough to leave the cave.

"Come on guys!" I called as I forced myself out of the stiff brambles.

"Artesia!" I heard a familiar voice call.

I turned my head up to see Sam running up to me. Bethany followed closely. I smiled and waved to them.

"Sam, Bethany." I said, nodding to each of them.

Sam smiled brightly at me, while Bethany simply returned my nod.

"H-how are you?" I stuttered awkwardly.

"I'm good!" He said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked politely.

Sam blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, uh Beth wanted to see the cave." He said, gesturing to her.

She nodded. I widened my eyes at him.

"You told someone?" I whispered yelled, pushing him back slightly.

"Of course I did!" He said as if it should have been expected.

My face filled with anger as I stared into his eyes. I heard rustling from behind me, and turned to see Adonis and Callisto climbing out of the brambles. Callisto noticed the newcomers and hissed, pulling his claws out and spreading his wings. Adonis looked at me with concern.

"Artesia, who are these...... Things..." He said, eyeing both of them.

I gulped nervously.

"U-uuuhh this is Sam, and this is Bethany." I said nervously.

"What are they?" He asked.

"Humans. What are you?" Bethany spoke with rude confidence.

"Hybrid, and Callisto here is one of our new dragons." Adonis said proudly.

I smiled and pat Callisto's head. He purred and climbed up my arm to my shoulder. Bethany stepped back slightly. I gave her a confused look.

"Why are you letting it on your shoulder?" She asked nervously.

I shrugged and nuzzled him gently.

"Because we're friends. We were actually going to the tree pond, would you guys like to join us?" I asked.

Sam nodded eagerly, while Bethany just sighed and shrugged. I smiled and gestured for them to follow. I ran off into the forest, letting the faint sound of rushing water guide me. I spotted the huge roots of the oak, and smiled widely. I ran up to it, and grabbed the trunk. I dug my strong nails into the bark and crawled up to the top. I climbed out the edge, and clumsily rolled into a bowl like shaped tree top, which held a small pond. Lily pads floated along the surface of the crystal clear water. The sweet scent of wild flowers filled my nose, sending satisfying shivers up my back. I looked behind me to see Sam, Callisto, and Sam crawling over the top. I raised an eyebrow at them.

"Where's Bethany?" I asked.

Sam looked back over the edge, and laughed. He pointed down the trunk. I walked over to the edge, and looked down. Bethany was slowly crawling up the tree, whining about something to herself.

"Beth, stop being a drama queen and get up here!" He called to her.

"But my tights!" She whined, giving him a furious look.

"Oh relax you have five more pairs!" He told her.

She growled obscurities to herself, and climbed the rest of the way up. She dusted herself off and brushed some hair from her face. She looked at Sam.