Dragon Matchmaker

Chapter 8

   She leapt up and reached for her sword, but her stomach did a back flip when she realized that it wasn't there, but it was back at camp. She started running for camp, but suddenly, a large weight fell over her back. "Ow! What're you do…?"

   She was cut off by another roar and the sounds of trees falling over. She looked back and saw that it was Aldwin who had fallen on her, but as she tried to stand, she realized he was deliberately pinning her down. "Stay down. It's your necklace. It knows it's near. It senses that it's power is on you."

   She gasped and looked down at where the pendant lay beneath her breasts. "What do we do?"

   "We need to get rid of it!" He reached to take it off, but she shrieked in anger and slapped his hand away.

   "No! It's mine. I'm not letting you get rid of it."

   He cussed and rolled her over, glancing up at where the dragon was swooping again. "Take it off or we both die."

   He reached for it again, but instead of smacking his hand away, she stupidly just pulled the necklace up. His hand missed, but his momentum had it encompassing her breast. She gasped and reared her hand back, smacking him sharply on the side of the face. The force of the slap stung her hand, so she knew it probably burned his face.

   He lurched back and rolled off her, but in doing so, exposed her to the dragon. She looked up and all she saw was the width of its wings as it lowered itself into the trees. It had to be fifty feet from wing tip to wing tip and from nose to tail it had to be only a few feet longer. It's talons reached down for her, but she was yanked away from it, towards the cave. She ran with Aldwin back to the cave, with the sound of the beast's wing beats in her ears. It roared again and she covered her ears as it echoed in her brain. Then everything stopped.

   She looked up and they were in the cave, but all the dragon's noises had stopped. She looked at Aldwin and he was just as confused as she was. They looked out the entry way of the cave and they saw the dragon had landed right outside.

   It dipped its head and looked inside at them, it's pupils wide and the color a gentle creamy white. It snorted and two smoke rings came from its nostrils before it blew a short jet of flame. Kinsey trembled in fear, but she took a deep breath and picked up her sword.

   The dragon's eyes widened, but it didn't leave, it bowed lower and laid on its belly. Aldwin drew his knife and walked towards it. Kinsey followed him and went around the opposite side. The dragon just stayed completely still. It's eyes swiveled towards her and didn't leave her.

   Suddenly, it opened it's mouth as wide as it could, showing its razor sharp teeth towards her. She raised her sword, but then saw something she didn't expect. The wound in its mouth…was gone. In only a matter of two days, it had healed and left no scar. That gave her pause, but she still kept her sword lifted. "Okay, it's time to finish it Aldwin."

   He nodded and got close to it, but it never moved. It merely closed its mouth and stared at her with those large innocent eyes. As Kinsey reared her sword back to stab it in the head, she paused, seeing something in those eyes. They were like the eyes of a child, large and scared, but curious and naive. She sighed and dropped her sword to her side. "Aldwin. If you can do it, you kill it. I can't kill something with those eyes. Especially when it's making it this easy."

  

   Aldwin glanced at her and then at the dragon. The huge creature didn't glance away from her, but it's gaze did drop to her chest. She glanced down and saw the necklace. The dragon suddenly reached forward with his nose and backed her up against the wall, getting close enough that she could feel the heat from its breath. She stumbled and fell, but it kept coming towards her. "No no. No. Back away. I'll kill you if I have to!"

   It just kept coming. She reached for her sword, but before she got her hand on it, the dragon touched its nose to her breasts, right below the pendant. It looked up at her and its eyes shifted to purple, staring deep into her soul with that childish gaze.

   Kinsey looked away from it at Aldwin who was simply staring from off to the side at her and the dragon. She glanced back at the dragon and it gave her a deep rumble in its throat, rubbing its nose against her abdomen. She couldn't stop a giggle from coming from her mouth as its pointed nose tickled down her belly. "Stop. Stop it! That tickles!"

   The dragon pulled back and then reached forward again, sticking out its serpentine tongue and brushed it along her jaw. She grimaced and shoved the dragon away roughly, thinking it would give her a reason to kill it, but it merely snorted and licked her again. She glared at Aldwin who was giggling off to the side. "Stop laughing and help me! Kill it! That's what we came here for."

   Aldwin came over beside her and reached out to the dragon's head. It stopped playing with her and whipped around, snarling at him. It's teeth gleamed in the sunlight from the cave entrance and its eyes suddenly turned flame red. Aldwin pulled back and threw his knife to the side. The dragon still stared at him, raising off its stomach and crawling further into the cave to cover her with its head and neck. All its scales were flexed up and it looked like a dog's hackles when threatened. Aldwin glanced at her and cleared his throat, gesturing to the dragon. "It seems to like you. Call him off and I'll tell you what I think."

   Kinsey shook her head in confusion, but she reached out and placed her hand against the side of its head, not expecting it to work. Despite her doubts, the dragon instantly calmed, it's eyes returning to purple and its scales relaxing, laying down flat. She chuckled in disbelief and then she sat up on her knees, rubbing the dragon between its eyes. "So what's your plan? We seem to have befriended our prey. We can't kill it and we can't just go back saying we did this. What do you suggest?"

   Aldwin sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we can yank a couple scales off and soak them in blood to make it look like we kill him."

 

   Kinsey reached over and pulled at a scale. It didn't budge. "I don't think that's gonna work. Maybe we could…woah!"

   Neither of them expected the creature to suddenly move forward and grab her in its talon, backing out of the cave. Aldwin gasped and ran after them, but it leapt off the ground and pumps  It's wings, not allowing him to catch up. She screamed and fought at the beasts claws, trying to get down and back on the solid ground she now loved so much. She looked down and Aldwin's figure was becoming smaller and smaller, starting at them as the dragon took her who knows where.

   "Aldwin!"

   She screamed his name desperately, knowing that if anyone could get her away from the dragon it would be him since he knew it had her. He wouldn't dare waste time to go get help. Would he? She looked back and she saw his figure dart into the forest, coming in their direction. She smiled in relief.

   He was coming. He may not be a noble Audrey, but he was all she had right now.