A Match of Monsters

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Waking up was the most pleasant experience Elain'd had since everything began two weeks ago.

It was warm enough that she couldn't see her breath with every exhale, and the thick woollen blankets were heavy enough that she could feel them pressing down on her chest, in that just not quite heavy enough way to be uncomfortable.

A steady thrum vibrated up from her stomach, where the kit had curled himself up and begun to purr. The tip of his tail swung in the still air with lazy contentment as he flexed and retracted his claws into the layers of wool between them. It took a long moment for Elain to struggle her arms out from under him, but she considered the difficulty well worth it when the sounds he was emitting increased almost to a growl with the simple satisfaction that only animals and small children could truly feel.

She could feel the corners of her lips being involuntary tugged up to form dimples the longer they lay together, barely even wincing when the abused flesh stretched and cracked. Not even the taste of her own blood could destroy her mood at that moment. She fought desperately against full consciousness, stubbornly clinging on to the shadow left by sleep in her mind.

Elain knew that as soon as she opened her eyes wide and let the lingering haze retreat form them, she would have to get out of bed. Have to leave the warmth, the comfort, feel the pain from her wounds, the fear that she would not be able to look after the kit well enough.

That choice was taken away as the door slammed open.

Elain jumped up and out of bed in surprise, crouching down into a defensive stance as the ruffled kit hissed at their intruder and turned around to groom himself like a haughty housecat.

"Yer the new barmaid, aren't ya? Mistress said we got a new one after Nelly left, but she didn't says you was human. I've never met a human before, where are you from, then? I mean, obviously yer come from above land, but it that's from the top of the mountains or the bottoms? Not the undergrounds like we is right now."

Elain just stared unblinkingly as the young dwarf in her doorway ran her mouth a mile a minute. The uncomfortable human bit her bleeding lower lip as she unwound herself and slowly backed up until she was sitting at the edge of the bed. Half formed questions smashed into each other in Elain's head, moving and destroying themselves too quickly for her to grasp.

"Oh golly, its gonna be so fun with a new girl in the bar. Yer gonna like working here, Mistress don't take no nonsense from no one. All us girls are here for each other, we's like a big family." The young dwarf took a deep inhale, preparing herself to continue speaking with more air to fuel her lungs and voice, but the sounds that came out were not did not form more rushed chatter, but instead rather unhuman squeaks.

Elain looked behind her, following the girl's wide gaze to where the kit was kneading his sharp little claws against her pillow. Turning her head back to their unexpected guest, she let a small smile lift her face in amusemet. After spending so much time arroud the kit, some of the awe that surrounded dragons had left her, and watching those around them react so obviously.

"I see that you've noticed my little companion. He's harmless, I assure you." She paused, slowly closing her mouth as she thought on what best to say next. Just keep it simple. "My name is Elain, and I'm from a human village at the base of one of the mountains. I didn't catch your name?"

A deep blush highlighted the dwarf's soft cheeks, her young features filling with embarrassment as she slapped her hands against them and gave a modified gasp. "Oh golly, I'm so sorry! My mama taught me better manners than that, I guess I was just so very excited to meet you that I forgot them. My name's Rowan; like the big trees Papa saw above ground before he knew Mama."