A Beast of Beauty

#4

Recap:

Scowling, Nova reached for the closest item she could reach, which turned out to be a discarded pistol, and knocking the male out. Grimacing at the pains and aches in her body, she crawled out from under the now unconscious male, and let out a world weary sigh as she recalled the comfort and silence of her own home. She'd happily pay an arm and a leg to be out of this mess right then.

Chapter 4:

Moonlight bathed the silent snowy forested landscape below. Nova clutched her mug of coffee tighter, vainly attempting to keep her fingers warm. Temperatures had dropped to below freezing. It had been a week and a half since she'd been stuck here, and she was slowly going insane. She didn't know the area, so she couldn't simply stroll about as she pleased. A steady stream of snow had buried the cabin and the woods around in a deep coating of snow. The cabin itself was warm and comfortable, but she couldn't stand staying in there any longer. It wasn't in her nature to stay cooped up for too long. She was currently waiting for Hank to show up, and relieve her of this duty. It had been a total of one night since the attack on the cabin and she'd been waiting for the dragon to show up ever since.

After having painstakingly dragged the comatose dragon back up to his room, she'd fashioned makeshift ties from some rope she'd found in the cellar; and tied him to the bed. She didn't want to chase him through the forest again. She knew the rope wouldn't hold back a determined dragon male, but it'd slow him down for sure. How this had ended up becoming her problem, she'd never know.

Nova sipped her drink as she cast an eye over the landscape, wary of any movement or sounds to alert of an attack. Satisfied they were alone in the middle of nowhere, she allowed herself to relax. A low groan reached her ears. A rustle of cloth sounded next. Straining her ears, she searched for any additional heartbeats, but there were only two in the area; her own and her charge's. Her eyes narrowed as she realised that the noise was coming from the bedroom where she'd stashed the comatose man. Letting out a world weary sigh, Nova trudged up the stairs and into the room. The room was almost as cold as the harsh mountain weather outside, how on earth the man hadn't died in the cold was beyond her.

He was tossing and turning on the bed, as though delirious with fever. Nova knew nothing about dragons, save that they could fly and breathe fire. Touching his forehead didn't help either, he was cool to the touch, and displayed no other sign of fever. She wasn't sure if dragons even got fever.

Taking her phone out of her pocket, she dialled up Hank. He answered on the second ring. "Everything okay?"

"Your vegetable is acting strange." Nova sighed.

"Excuse me?" Hank sighed as he realised who she spoke about. "Is he okay?"

"He's tossing and turning," Nova eyed the man in question as he began to groan and mumble incoherently. "And groaning as though he's in pain. I think it's the cold in his room."

"What?" Hank nearly shouted her ear off. "He's moving?"

"You said he'd be motionless for two weeks at the very least. But your man here's looking a little too active."

"Are you sure?" Hank seemed desperate. "Are you sure the cameras aren't distorting the video feed?"

"No I'm sure. I'm in the room myself." She explained. "I even checked for a fever, but he's all clear."

"Y-you're in the room?" Hank let loose a streak of curses, "Get out of there right now!"

"Geez. Relax would you." Nova hurried out of the room and closed the door behind her. "I'm out."