Blood and Fire (closed)

Amrufel ran with all the strength he could still muster. His sharp ears could still hear them in the distance, but he didn't dare look back. At first glance he appeared to be an elf with long hair the color of leaves in the fall. Until one noticed the black claws on his fingers. His slitted yellow eyes. His fangs. Most tellingly, the scaly, batlike wings growing from his back that he typically kept folded and concealed underneath a cloak. But now, one hung uselessly at his side with two holes in the membrane from arrows that had torn through it during his escape. He couldn't fly. He had to run. If he could make it to the treeline, he could elude them.

Another arrow landed in the dirt just ahead of him and he gasped but didn't slow down or stop. It wasn't the first time he'd had to flee for his life. Though this was closest he'd come to being caught in a long time. It likely wouldn't be the last time either. He draconic blood would always mark him and set him apart. The glamors he used to hide his features in public were not fool-proof. Eventually he'd slip up again and have to flee.

A searing pain ripped through his right leg and with a sharp cry he fell to the ground. He looked down and saw an arrow in his thigh. Damn it! He staggered back up and resumed running as another arrow landed in his shoulder. He felt the scrape of the arrowhead hitting bone and set his jaw. The treeline was only a few more yards. He summoned a burst of strength and crossed the grasses into the woods.

Guided only by the moonlight, Amrufel kept running. He tore through underbrush that ripped and tore his clothing. He stumbled through a thorn bush that cut and scratch his flesh and tore one of his sleeves, showing the reptilian fin running along the underside of his arm and the patch of red and orange scales on his bicep and shoulder that blended smoothly with his skin. He crossed a stream, then another, and then a third. He had no idea where he was at this point and after a time he couldn't even begin to estimate he could no longer hear the sounds of his pursuers. But he didn't stop. His heart was pounding as he just kept running even as the sun started coming up and exhaustion began to set in.

At some point, he found himself in a pristine grotto. There was a waterfall and pond of surpassing beauty. A light mist from the waterfall seeped into a nearby fern gully. The light of the dawn caught in the spray and created a rainbow. It was a scene a painter would kill for the chance to capture on canvas. Amrufel's body very nearly gave out as he staggered and collapsed at the edge of the pond. He crawled closer to the edge and began desperately scooping handfuls of water to his mouth, drinking it down as if he had spent the last few days dying of thirst. He choked on a few drops that went down the wrong pipe and when he opened his eyes again, his heart stopped.

He saw in the pond the reflection of another person. He looked up as his vision began to tunnel and saw the figure of an elven maiden, staring at him with wide eyes. "Please..." he begged in a hoarse whisper. "Help me." He tried to crawl closer to her, but only made it a few inches when his body finally gave up and he passed out from exhaustion and blood loss.

Serene crept out into the slowly lightening darkness of the pre-dawn, closing the cabin door quietly behind her. This was always a good time of the morn, the mist still clinging tightly to the still hollows of the forest and meadow, and rolling along the lowlands above the river. Soon the birds would sing. Soon the sun would peek over the distant ridges and a new day would begin. She slipped across the dew covered grass of the clearing and onto the narrow forest path, into the cooler darkness of the shadows. She needed no light to find her way, so often had she walked this path, but she carried a small candle lantern anyway. She would need the light to locate her desired prize later this morn.

In the small woven collecting basket she carried was her white handled knife and some linen cloth to wrap her hoped-for prize in. If she were fortunate enough to find what she sought, she would need to protect them from the sun's morning light to preserve their potency. Her stroll took her down by the gentle stream and she indulged herself in a refreshing wade in the cool water. Kneeling, she soaked her kerchief in the clear water, and brought it to her face, washing and refreshing herself.

She sighed as she reflected on the lonely solitude that was her life. It wasn't so bad to be alone if you could find joy in the simple things, like harvesting the ingredients for her potions this morning. But when the day's activities came to an end, the long lonely nights were almost a torture of a sort. The exceptions were on the nights of the full moon, when she could commune with her Goddess. That was the one time she felt fulfilled as on no other night. She sighed as she realized it was still a week away yet.

********

A faerie ring! She couldn't believe her good fortune at the find. Quickly she counted silently to herself the number of round thick fungus heads that had pushed up through the grass of the meadow overnight; twelve in all, a perfect number. Three times three; and three left over to renew, one for maiden, mother, and crone. Perfect! And the nine she would harvest was also a number sacred to her Goddess. Chanting a sing-song rhyme under her breath, she knelt and began to harvest the plump fungi heads with her white handled knife.

She had nearly finished when she heard a sound, faint, but one that stood out as not belonging here. It had sounded like a voice, a moan perhaps, or something murmured too quietly to make out. She paused, listening for it to repeat. When it did not, she went back to her work, but couldn't concentrate. She’d just collected the last toadstool when she thought she heard the sound on the wind again. This time, she was sure there was something out there that was out of place. Call it a feeling; call it a hunch, but she had to find out what was making that sound.

She gathered up her basket, carefully covering the toadstools with the damp linen cloth, and made her way back towards the stream. She hadn’t taken half a dozen paces beyond the brush line before she stopped in her tracks as the sight before her brought a cold shiver. There, in the leaf litter from last fall, lay a the body of a young man illuminated by the pale light of dawn, curled on his side. Reflexively, her hand covered her mouth, opened in a silent gasp. She stood that way for only a moment, but time seemed to stand still as her gaze took in the details of the scene before her.

He appeared to be elvish at first, but as she knelt by his still form, she noticed the many bizarre differences that set him apart. Her fingers traced the torn scaly leathery wing tenderly. The arrow wounds were obvious, and she was careful not to jostle them as she rolled him over to examine him for other injuries. The tears in his clothing revealed the scaly patches on his arms. She wondered what manner of man this was. Perhaps he was an elf, but with some affliction in addition to his injuries. Or maybe he was something else entirely.

Closer study of the man’s face showed that he wasn’t like anyone Serene had seen before. She couldn't say for sure whether this man was from the village; not many of the villagers came to venture out this far, unless their need was great. They were simple folk, and superstitious of her mysterious origins. Her father’s contribution to her heritage was to blame for that. His Drow features mixed with those of her Elvish mother left her with a look of eternal mystery and, some would say, sinister appearance.

But if she had her father’s features, she had her mother’s heart. She knew she couldn’t leave this man to die here, though death might have been a mercy. Elvish or not, whatever he was, he needed help, and she would give it. Her Goddess would expect no less of her. Tearing loose a strip of her skirt’s hem, she bound the wounds in the man’s shoulder and thigh after carefully removing the arrows. Then she examined him for further injuries, deciding that the minor cuts and scrapes could wait until she had him safely back in her cabin. She removed her cloak and spread it on the ground beside him, then carefully rolled him onto his back on the fabric.

Steadying herself with a sigh of resolve, she gathered the hood of the cloak in her two fists, and began to drag the body along, the make-shift transport sliding over the forest detritus jostling the man’s body as she went, despite her care to avoid the worst obstacles. Silently, she mouthed a prayer to her Goddess that he would remain unconscious for the long and arduous journey back to her cabin.

Amrufel groaned every time his body hit a rock or obstacle as he was dragged back to the cottage. His damaged wings hung uselessly from his back and the fins on his arms were folded back. He was battered, bruised and bloody. By the time she got him to her home, he was still unconscious. He tossed and turned as she dressed his wounds.

His body was lean and muscular, the latter unusually so far an elf. Even in his unconscious state, the feel of his physique made his strength obvious. His wings were sleek and compact and could be folded against his back, conforming neatly to the contours. Full outstretched however, they had a span of nearly 7 feet. He had patches of scales on his upper arms, shoulders, chest, back and calves. His finger and toe nails were black claws that while sharp were meticulously cared for. If one could get past the slitted eyes and fangs, his face was handsome, but said features gave him a distinctive predatory look.

Despite the fearsome appearance however, he tossed and turned in his sleep like a child. He bled like an elf. He was vulnerable.

He didn't awaken until midday. His eyes slowly blinked open and he rubbed the sleep from them with a groan. His head was pounding, and he recognized the feeling as being dehydration. He had felt it often enough. He could survive longer without water than most people, but that didn't make the thirst any less uncomfortable.

As his senses returned to him he became aware of the fact that he was wearing only his smallclothes and was lying in a bed. Without getting up, he looked around trying to take stock of his surroundings. He felt bandages on his wounds and realized that someone had helped him. It was too soon to panic. He thought back to the vision of the elf maiden he saw at the pond. She had probably been the one who brought him here. The only question now was where she was.

Experimentally he sat up and spotted a table beside the bed with bandages, a bowl with water and a rag, and a goblet. He checked the goblet and found it filled with water, which he greedily gulped down. He wiped his chin and sighed. It might be rude to wander half-naked through the house of someone who had just saved his life, so he decided to sit and wait for her to return. At the very least, he wanted to thank her.

‘He might be a demon of some sort’, Selene thought with a feeling of trepidation in the pit of her stomach. What would happen when he recovered his strength? Would he slay her? Devour her? Was she making a mistake to help him like this?

She thought about it carefully as she struggled with the heavy bucket of clear cold spring water, hauling it up the steep steps carved into the hillside that led up to her cabin. The late afternoon sun beat down on her dark skin unmercifully, even through the leafy canopy above. It seemed all the hotter to her because of the dark skin color she inherited from her father. It was times like this she wished she had more of her mother’s blood in her. She set the bucket down on a step about halfway up, pausing in her labor to sit on the step beside it. Wiping the sweat from her delicate ivory brow with one slate grey hand, she considered her dilemma.

Maybe it was dangerous to help this one. He had so many odd things about him, and someone had shot him with arrows. Maybe that someone knew something important about him that she didn’t. Like the fact that he might be a dangerous hell spawn from the abyss maybe? She shook her head, her cream colored silky hair swaying in the welcome breeze as it framed her oval face. No, she couldn’t believe her goddess would lead him to her if he’d posed a threat. He was hurt too badly to be of much danger to her for a while, she decided. And by the time he got better, she could figure out what to do about him.

And in any case, helping him was more a statement about what kind of being she was; never mind about what he was. He needed her help, so she gave it. It was as simple as that. It made the statement about her that she was the sort to help the downfallen, no matter their appearance. When she thought about it in those terms, it all became clear to her and her mind was eased of its burden of indecision. She whispered a quiet prayer of thankfulness to her goddess for the blessing of peace in her mind and spirit as she stood again and took up her water hauling task.

She carried the bucket into the small bedroom, lifting it to the little table by the bed before she realized that he was awake and watching her silently. The realization came upon her with a sudden shock as her light copper eyes met his disconcerting reptilian gaze. For a moment she trembled in entranced fear, rooted to the spot by that steady stare.

Finding her nerve at last, she tore her gaze away, lowering her eyes demurely. In a soft spoken voice, a little rough from lack of use, she said, “I didn’t realize you were awake. I didn’t expect you to be conscious so soon. You were pretty badly hurt. I got the arrows out and bound your wounds with mustard root poultices. They need to be kept damp so I brought some water. If you don’t mind, I need to check your wounds.”

Amrufel was a bit struck by the exotic woman who walked into the room. She was obviously elven, but her skin was a color he'd never seen before. His first thought was that she appeared to be a dark elf, but no. Her skin was too light and her eyes weren't red. He had heard stories of elven women who had been raped by their cousins below the earth and bearing children permanently marked by the darkness of their fathers. He had never seen one before and in fact suspected that they were probably just apocryphal legends. But then again, he was living proof that legends had some basis in fact.

He nodded to her as she spoke and moved the blanket aside as he laid back for her to check his bandages. "Thank you," he said softly. His voice was a little hoarse from thirst, but still very warm and carried his gratitude. "My name is Amrufel. I... know you must be wondering what I am." This was the difficult part. She had tended his wounds so far with no proof that he was one thing or another. But he was also used to the fear in people's eyes when they either learned or figured out what he was. "I'm... half-dragon. The village a few miles from here, they learned what I was when a hedge wizard dispelled my glamors. I barely managed to escape."

He saw the surprise on her face and held out an open palm. "I promise you will suffer no harm by my hand. I swore an oath of pacifism many years ago. Please, may I have your name? I wish to know the woman to whom I owe my life." Amrufel was a quick healer, but even these wounds would take time to repair. His wings would be useless for weeks at least, months more likely. It would make traveling dangerous. He would need time to recover before he could risk the roads again.

She took a step backwards when he told her what he was. Dragons were unpredictable, and running into one was usually not an experience with a happy ending. This close to him, she could sense his feelings. She took up a gourd ladle and filled the goblet with more spring water, using the task to stall against the necessity of touching him or coming too close. She handed him the goblet before replying. Maybe if he had one of his hands full....well, maybe he could do less mischief that way.

"I'm called Serene. In the common tongue it means 'peaceful'. You promise not to do anything to hurt me?"

She nodded. "The villagers are very superstitious. They fear and hat anything or anyone they don't understand. But you should be safe here. They do not come too close to my part of the forest unless their need is dire."

She slowly approached, unfastening the bandages with gentle care. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him to react to any pain. Examining the healing wounds, she wet the poultices with the sponge before re-applying them. When it came time to examine the tear in his wing, she hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject. Finally with a half abortive gesture, she stretched out a small hand to reach for his wing, her fingertips tracing along the tear so very tenderly.

"I can help with your arrow wounds, but I fear I know very little about dragons, and I don't know what to do about your wing. It doesn't seem to be like normal flesh. Maybe you would feel better with some food? What kind of things do you...uhm" she gulped hard in her throat, "....eat?" Her voice squeaked a little on the last word.

She was afraid of him, naturally. As was everyone else. He closed his eyes and looked away as she dressed his wounds. Even the way she touched him showed she was afraid. A part of him, a very callow and optimistic part, hoped the fact that she had saved him meant she wouldn't care about what he was. But he couldn't expect people to do away with their fears all at once. Dragons had a reputation. And his father in particular had one of the worst before he was slain years ago. People still told stories of the destruction and havoc caused by Firewind, the Scourge of Seboria.

At her question of what to eat, he answered her truthfully. "I'm a vegetarian. Some beans and vegetables would be very appreciated." He looked down at the tears in his wings again. "They'll heal on their own. But it will be months before I can fly again." He sighed. "I'll just have to stay on the move until they recover. If I'm discovered again and can't fly... I'm not sure I'll be so lucky as to run into another healer like yourself."

Serene looked at him with a mixture of uncertainty and relief and a little sympathy. In a quiet voice she said, ‘I’ll bring some food for you. I’ve fruit and nuts gathered from the forest, as well as some potatoes, carrots, and onions. I could make a soup for you.”

Her eyes traveled down his exposed form once again, admiring the unusual physique. With a darting glance to his face, she demurely lowered her eyes. “You can stay here, with me, until you recover. I’ll keep the villagers from you. They don’t like to come around here, because of my heritage. They believe I mean them harm. Only a very few have ever bothered to find out that I mean no one any harm. They only see the way I look….” She gestured vaguely to take in her appearance. “…and they assume I am an evil Drow.” She quickly and adamantly continued, “I am not of course! My mother was Elvish. I can’t help what my father was. I shouldn’t even call him a father, for he did no more than sire me when he took my mother by force. It was she who raised me, and it is her ways I adopt.”

Suddenly shy again, she spoke quietly. “I’m sorry for going on so. I just wanted you to know that I’m not evil. And….I understand a little about what it’s like to have people fear and despise you for what you appear to be.” She gently replaced the covers over him, so careful not to brush his wounds or cause him pain.

As she turned to go, she paused in the doorway, “You are welcome in my home, Amrufel, so long as you are peaceful. You can be safe here.”

His lips parted at her story. It was not unlike his own, though perhaps there was more violence to her conception. His was brought on by deceit. And by the sound of things, she had never met her father. That was something about her that he actually envied. The time he had been forced to spend with his father was a mark of shame in his memories. The day the wyrm died was the day Amrufel first understood what it meant to feel free, even if he would be forever marked by his blood.

"Wait..." he called out to her as she turned to leave. When she looked back at him, their eyes met and he just stared at her a moment. "I... I understand how you feel. My father was Firewind. He came to my mother in the guise of an elf and seduced her. He kept the charade up until the day I was born. He was driven away when he revealed himself, but he came for me after... after my mother died. It's... it's unfair the way the world looks at us." He wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish by telling her this. They both had unhappy pasts, but surely that was no more than a sad coincidence.

"Thank you for your hospitality." He laid back in bed, his eyes never leaving her. "I'll find some way to repay you for this. I promise."

She listened to his tale with quiet attentiveness. Her brow furrowed with thought as he unfolded his origins. It seemed it was an unhappy tale that had affected his life. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him, then wondered if they were really so different as appearances would make it seem.

"There is no need to repay. But if you insist, just start with not devouring me or burning my home." she said with a spark of amusement in her eyes as she turned to leave.

About an hour later later, she returned with the savory soup on a tray. Sitting it carefully on his lap, she waited to see if he could feed himself with his damaged shoulder. It seemed he could use the spoon with his other hand, but the bowl kept sliding around a bit. She sat gently on the side of the bed and held the bowl for him while he ate. As he ate, she spoke softly, telling her own story.

"My mother was taken on a raid while she was gathering herbs for medicine. Usually the Drow would take back any elven females to keep as slaves in their underground kingdom. But for whatever reason, this one didn't. My mother kept her violation secret from the other elves, realizing that she needed the shelter and protection of their village. But there was no hiding the way I looked when I was born. They drove her out, and she ended up here, making this little cabin far away from anyone with her magic. I grew up here, and learned her ways, her magic, and her faith. If our Goddess brought you here, its for a reason."

"Now how do you feel? Do you need to rest?"

Amrufel listened to her story. He almost envied the fact that she had never known her father. If he could go back and change anything, he would have made sure he never fell into the wyrm's clutches. The years he spent being trained as a herald for his father, the devastation and destruction he witnessed, the evils he saw the dragon capable of were a black mark on his memories. How he wished he could erase them all. He took consolation only in the knowledge that he had caused his father's downfall, if indirectly.

He took the bowl and drank down the last of the soup when Serene finished speaking. He didn't want to appear rude but he was starving. He didn't know when he had last eaten, but his gut was clenching with hunger.

"I'd like to get up and walk around a little," he said. "My legs are cramping and the open air and sun might do me some good." Despite his injuries, he swing his legs off the bed to the floor. He winced slightly at the pain in his thigh where he had taken an arrow but after walking stiffly in circles around the room for a minute, he got accustomed to it. He would have to limp slightly, but he could get around. "Where are my clothes?"

Serene took the tray away, setting it on the bedside table with the water bucket. She watched as he flipped the covers out of the way and stood somewhat shakily. She wanted to reach out to steady him, but he waved her off, taking a few hobbling steps around the room. He asked for his clothes and she nodded.

"Wait here. I'll get them for you. I washed them in the creek. They may be a little damp still, but I think they are mostly dry." She turned and left the room, coming back in a few moments with the clothes, laying them on the bed beside him. "Will you need help to put them on? Your wounds could tear open still, if you're not careful. I don't think it's a good idea for you to try to do too much too fast. Allow me to help you; there is no shame in needing help."

Reluctantly, Amrufel accepted Serene's help getting dressed. It had been a long time since he had accepted help from anyone. Trusting strangers had always been too dangerous up this point. He patiently waited as she helped him slip on his trousers and boots, but declined the shirt. Slits were cut into the back to allow his wings, but at the moment he wanted to leave the shirt off and not move his wings more than necessary. He still limped a bit, but with Serene's help he made it out the door.

The woodland surroundings of her cottage were beautiful and reminded him of the glen he used to play in as a child. He smiled softly at the memories of happier times with his mother. He still missed her more than a century later. He remembered playing that his differences made him some sort of lost king of misfits and wanderers. His mother would conjure illusions for him to interact with. At one point he made himself a crown out of junk he found around the village. And he always ruled as a just king who stood up to bullies and protected his people. Sadly, the reality back in town was not the same. He wasn't allowed to use his strength or his magic to defend himself. He was so much more powerful than his peers that he could have killed someone easily.

"You have a lovely home," he said at last. "Thank you for letting me stay." He took a minute to wander and look around. "I should be honest with you. My draconic blood does tend to... color... my view of the world. I have a sense of possessiveness that my mother taught me to control when I was young. I have to meditate daily to suppress my desire to lord my strength over others. Dragons, even honorable ones, are very egotistical creatures." At this he hesitated. "I won't steal anything, I promise. I just get distracted from time to time. And as the few women I've been with have found out, I tend to be a bit... *ahem* dominant when I'm aroused."

He looked back at Serene. "I promise I won't be a problem. I just want you to know the reason if I seem to act a little strangely from time to time. I've spent a lifetime learning to control my draconic blood. It's little more than a distraction at this point. Hopefully someday I'll learn to completely suppress it."

Serene stood by to make sure he could stand or walk on his own. Seeing he was having a little pain in his leg, she stepped close and offered her shoulder to lean on. After a few steps around the room, he indicated he was ready to see the rest of the small cabin. She helped him through the door into the outer room. There was only three rooms to the cabin: her bedroom, the main room, and a pantry where her herbs were hung to dry. They went outside, and she stayed with him, careful that he wouldn't lose his balance on the slope of the hill the cabin rested on.

As she listened to him explain about his draconic traits in polite quiet until he was through. A few times her lips curled in the slightest of smiles when something he said amused her. Finally she replied, "Well, I'm glad you were honest with me. But I don't worry much about you stealing anything. What have I that is worth taking, especially by a dragon-man? I have no gold but that of the sunshine. No emeralds save those green leaves that shade my forest. I have the diamonds of the stars on a black velvet night sky, and the sapphire blue that you see when you look up through the trees. You can take none of those things from me, though you can share all of them with me."

"My father's blood in my veins lead me to some ego of my own, though like you, I try to overcome the disadvantages inherited from my him. The drow are sometimes known to be.....capricious, even cruel, some would say. But my Goddess teaches that mercy is the preferred way. It's not so difficult to behave when I'm all alone out here. But now that you're here, I'll have to make more of an effort." She smiled shyly, letting him know she was making a jest.

"If you need time alone for your meditations, I'll understand. You will have the bed for as long as it takes for your wounds to heal. I'll make a place for myself before the hearth."

They walked slowly as they talked, and finally ended up near the little pool at the base of the waterfall form the small creek that traversed the forest. She helped him to sit on a large flat rock by the edge of the water, then knelt by the edge, dipping her hand into the cool water to trickle some refreshing liquid up her arm and over the back of her dusky neck. She sighed in relief, glancing up at him. "You said a wizard dispelled your glamour; do you spend much time among villagers? Could you tell me of the sights you've seen among them? I've never been to the village. Mother raised me out here, all alone. We seldom get anyone visiting from the village."

Amrufel looked at the pool and the waterfall. A small, dark red stain on the grass on the opposite side marked the spot where Serene had found him. Intellectually he knew he couldn't have been out for more than a day or two, but his mind seemed to be trying to create as much distance as possible from the event. It was as if it was already months away.

"As villages go, it was quaint but not much to look at." He had traveled far in his lifetime, always seeking out something new, some place where he could live peacefully. Each had their own associated challenges. Cities were easy to lose yourself in, but the larger the city, the more worldly the inhabitants and the more likely he was to be discovered. Smaller towns and villages didn't have that problem, but it was harder to stay anonymous the smaller it got. And anonymity was vital to keeping his nature a secret.

"The hedge wizard who dispelled my glamor noticed a faint aura around me. He never liked me much to begin with, so he dispelled the magic and everyone saw me for what I really am. You can probably imagine how things went from there." It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, though it was his closest brush with death in a long time. If not for Serene, he might not have made it...

Serene fished a cloth from the folds of her dress and wet it in the cool water as she listened to his tale. She brought it to where he sat, sitting down slightly behind him and beginning to sponge the cool wet cloth over his back and shoulders. “I can imagine it did not go well for you, based on the wounds you had when I found you. Well at least you won’t have to worry about that now. You’ll be safe enough here to heal up at least. And after that….”

She paused, unsure of what she was going to say. After that…what? Would he want to stay? Did she want him to? Her little cabin was barely big enough for her by herself. How would it be comfortable for two? She was soon going to find out, she thought, since he will have to stay with her for at least a time. Perhaps by the time he had recovered, they would be used to sharing the close quarters.

“Well, I don’t know what your plans are for when you get better. Perhaps you will be eager to move on to…wherever you were going before this happened?” She grew quiet and contemplative. She had to admit that she was lonely out here all by herself. And even though he didn’t seem to be the most talkative guest, she liked hearing another’s voice for a change.

But it wasn’t like she never got any visitors at all. The denizens of the forest would sometimes come to her for her potions or remedies. Some came frequently enough that she might almost consider them to be friends. Idly, she wondered if she should warn the to stay away while she was hosting a half dragon. Would Amrufel be a danger to them? He had said he would be peaceful and do no harm. Serene tried to remember the lore her mother had taught in the fairy tale stories she'd told to calm her to sleep. Were dragons enemies of centaurs? Of sprites or pixies? She didn't think so, but who could be sure?

She continued the soothing sponge bath with the cool wet cloth, carefully swabbing around the base of his wings. "Amrufel, I must tell you that although I seldom get visitors from the village, sometimes the forest folk come around. You must promise me that you will do no harm to any who come here in peace. Swear it."

At her words, he lapsed into thought. Where would he go after this? There weren't a lot of places left on the map in this region that served his purposes. He hadn't been found out in a long time before now, but his neighbors had been getting suspicious. He didn't particularly relish the thought of going on the run again. But did he have a choice? Was there anywhere he could really stay? He had often wondered if he was doomed to be one of those bastard children the world just didn't want. If his life was simply to be one long story of loneliness. That such a story was darkly poetic was hardly what he would call comforting.

Though Amrufel's thoughts were grim, Serene's touch was soothing. It had been a long, long time since he felt the compassionate touch of another. The last time he had been with a woman was shortly after he had escaped his father after the dragon's death. He had found a prostitute in a large port city who had a fetish for exotic humanoids. It was a night of passion, but he knew better than to kid himself by thinking it was anything more than business to her and release to him. If anything though, the experience just made him feel more alone as he afterward came to the realization that finding any woman who would find his bloodline attractive and would consider a relationship with him would be difficult in the extreme, if not impossible.

"I swear on my mother's grave that no harm will come to you or your guests," he said softly. There was also a note of sadness in his voice. Perhaps she understood. But that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of him. It wasn't that he blamed her. Were their roles reversed, he would be cautious as well. But that didn't mean it wasn't painful to hear even someone who agreed to help him feared what he was capable of. He would always be alone.

"I believe you." she said quietly, thoughtfully. There seemed to be a gentleness in him that appealed to her. It seemed tinged with sadness, but she could understand that. It must be hard for anyone to have no place in the world they could feel at ease. Even she had her little place here in the heart of the forest.

"How are you feeling? You must let me know if you grow weary. I'll help you back up the hill, but I doubt I can carry you. And I don't think it would do your wounds much good if I had to drag you like before."

She had another thought then, and leaned over his shoulder to look in his eyes. "Perhaps you would like to soak in the water? You probably aren't up for a swim just yet, but I could help you undress and get in for a soak. I often come here when it's hot like this, and spend some time in the water to cool off."

"Unless....Does it harm you at all to be in water? I mean, being part dragon and all?" She moved around to sit beside him, idly fingering the cool wet cloth in her dark hands. "You must think I talk too much. The truth is, I almost never have anyone to talk to. You're the first visitor I've had in close to a year. I've said more words to you in the last day than I've spoken in over a month! There just isn't anyone to talk to, so most days i don't say anything at all."

Serene realized she was just chattering and she stopped talking. He surely didn't want to be bothered by all that blathering, she thought. After all, he must have a lot of things on his mind. She slipped off the rock and moved back to the water's edge, kneeling to see her reflection. Her dark skinned face was framed by silky white hair, straight and long and fine. Idly she ran her fingers through it as she gazed at her silvery eyes reflected from the calm surface like twin moons. Suddenly she saw his reflection come up behind her as he stood over her. She smiled at his image in the water's surface, then rose and turned to look up at him, still smiling.

"Did you decide on that soak?"

Amrufel was a bit surprised by how much she said and how quickly. He didn't get to converse with people much for fear of giving away his secret, so he had become accustomed to keeping quiet. Still, Serene seemed so demure. It was unexpected to see her suddenly get so wordy. Her awkwardness was rather endearing though and he smiled a little.

He rose up with his wounded thigh protesting the whole way and limped over to Serene. "A little soak might do me good." Despite more protests from his shoulder, he began to strip down to his smallclothes. With Serene's help, he lowered himself into the water. The cold was bracing at first, but soon the pain numbed under the feeling. He just let himself be enveloped in the gentle flow of the water as he sank in up to his neck.

He looked up at Serene through those golden eye and smiled his thanks. "To answer your question, water doesn't hurt me. I just don't get burned easily from fire." He was tempted to show her what he meant, but he didn't want to scare her. She was afraid of him as it was. The last thing he needed was to show her yet another way that he was potentially dangerous.

Serene helped him off with his clothing, then held his hand as he waded out into water deep enough to sit down in. The hem of her skirts got wet, but it didn't concern her overmuch. She returned to the bank once she was sure he had his footing and wouldn't slip from his injured leg.

She smiled shyly and turned to face away from him, her slender hands coming up under her hair behind her neck to untie the fastening of her dress there. Once loose, the wide neckline opened even more to allow the garment to slip down over her dusky shoulders, just visible peeking out from her silken mane.

She caught the dress as the bodice dropped to her breasts, glancing over her shoulder in one last act of bashfulness. The motion turned her body partly, and Amrufel could watch her form in silhouette as she let the cloth drop away, first exposing her dark skinned breasts, then her flat tummy as the dress caught once again on the flare of her womanly hips before sliding away to pool around her feet all in one motion.

She gracefully stepped out of the puddle of her clothing, totally nude now, and covering her breasts and her mound with her hands, which were not nearly adequate to concealing everything, she turned back towards him, eyes demurely lowered. Though her skin was dark, her body language and posture suggested she would be blushing, her nudity exposed, making her vulnerable.

She slowly waded into the pool, working her way around behind him. As she came closer, he could see the soft, fine white thatch of fur between her thighs just peeking between her fingers. It looked to be as fine and soft as rabbit fur. The bountiful swell of her bosom threatened to spill over the dark forearm and hand that she contained herself with. And the dark bud of her nipple, made turgid by the water temperature, could just be seen peeking between two of her fingers.

She settled down into the water behind him, only then dropping her modest protection and using her hands to scoop some of the cool water up to let it trickle over his back and wings soothingly. She knelt in the water behind him, her breasts and shoulders above the surface, and so close to him that he could probably feel the warmth of her body in contrast to the cool of the water.

"If fire doesn't burn you so easily, I shall put you in charge of tending the fire in my hearth while you recover. It can get rather cool at night here, even if it's hot during the day. And besides, I'll need to cook food and medicines for you." Her voice was sing song and light hearted, soothing and in harmony with the tinkle of splashing water from the falls. It held a note of playfulness as she added, "My healing services are not free. I'll have you working to earn them 'ere you're fully recovered."

At the sight of her nude body, Amrufel swallowed and began to try and relax himself. He would not deny that she was an exotic, ethereal beauty. She was something he had never seen before as a matter of fact. The two of them were great rarities in an uncaring world, but here they were safe... and alone. He heard that little voice in the back of his head. Take her. You want her and if she has any sense, she wants you too. The voice was at once his own and his father's. It was his own mind thinking it, but it originated in his draconic blood. He had to stay calm.

He could feel the warmth of her body through the water as she rinsed his back and wings. Amrufel set his jaw and nodded, only half-listening as he tried to calm his mind. He had promised her she would be safe in his presence. He would not make advances on her. Beneath the water, he could do nothing to stop his growing erection and the dull ache as it throbbed with need.

Serene continued to gently wash his back, expanding her attentions gradually. Cool water trickled down his shoulders and arms, followed by her dusky hands. Her fingers trailed over his skin, lightly touching the scaled areas with a mixture of curiosity and wonder. She brought water to his head, letting a double handful trickle over his hair, then again, wetting it thoroughly before beginning to carefully massage his scalp. Her fingers slid through his hair, combing and separating the strands.

"I imagine it gets pretty uncomfortable in that bed, especially when it's hot like this. But then maybe the heat doesn't bother you so much?"

She continued her careful ablutions, heedless of the effect it was having on him. Her slender hands reached around to his chest, spreading the cool of the water, and the heat of her touch. As she leaned forward to reach, the stiffened tips of her nipples pressed against his back, just between his wings. Pushed by the mass of her softer breast tissue, they squished against his hard muscles.

Down over tight abdominals her hands moved, below the water, moving back upwards along his ribs, then down again, caressing, washing, exploring. She felt something bobbing in the water brush the back of her hand, and curious, reached for it. Her fingers felt out the shape of his rigid shaft before she realized what she was holding.

"Oh my! I seem to have caused you some discomfort. I'm sorry. I never meant to bring you distress." Her words washed warmly over his ear as she let go of his length. "Perhaps I should give you some time alone?"

The touch of her hands was setting his mind on fire. It had been so long since he was with a woman. And she was very beautiful. The voice in his head would not stay silent. Visions flashed across his mind's eye of Serene laying in the grass, pinned beneath him as he fucked her until she screamed his name in orgasmic release. He was young, handsome, virile and powerful. There was no reason for her not to want him.

When her fingers wrapped around his shaft, his breath rushed in through his nose in a sharp gasp. His eyes flew open and he stared ahead with a frightening intensity. He was secretly thankful that she couldn't see his face, lest she be afraid of the fire he knew was in his eyes.

Reflexively, his hand sliced through the water and grasped her wrist as she released him. Though he didn't hurt her, his grip was like steel. Even in his weakened state, he had a strength beyond that of most mortal men. The fins on his arms rose up and the muscles in his back, arms and shoulders tensed. He wanted so badly to drag her hand back and wrap those slender fingers around his cock.

A part of him realized what he was thinking. He heard his father's voice in his head, remembering his father describing to him the pleasure of raping a woman and hearing her cry while knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him. A rush of horror and shame overcame Amrufel and he released Serene's hand while springing away from her. He quickly crossed to the other side of the small pool and looked over at the woman who had saved his life with shame. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I have no right to touch you."

He would leave as soon as he was able. He swore to her that he wouldn't hurt her, and he had very nearly broken that promise already. Tears stung his eyes as the voices of everyone who had ever called him a monster rang in his ears.

Serene gasped in startled alarm as his iron grip caught her wrist. She tried to pull away, but his strength was too great. It was more the contact she feared than his strength, for the contact opened her senses to him.

In a flash his feelings flooded her mind. She felt his fiery need, felt the horror and the shame. She felt the fear and disgust he quickly tamped down just before he broke away, splashing to the other side of the pool. The rush of feelings and the sudden disconnection left her gasping, her silvery eyes wide, staring at him as she fell back flat on her bottom in the pool. The water was just deep enough to float her dusky breasts, and her silky cream colored hair stuck to the upper slopes of those dark swells.

She was still gasping with the shock of it, her mouth silently working in little 'O's when he spoke, breathless and husky with his intensity. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I have no right to touch you."

Serene just stared at him. She saw the tears wet his eyes, and she felt sorry. It had been her fault. She had aroused him. It was a poor way to treat her patient and houseguest. "No, Amrufel. It was my own fault. I didn't realize the effect my touch would have on you. I should have..." She trailed off lamely, unsure of what she should have done or not done. She didn't mean to arouse him, but now that it had happened, she wasn't entirely regretful.

"Uhm, perhaps we should head back to the cabin, if you're ready."

How could she think it was her fault? She was only trying to help him. He was the one who just seconds ago had contemplated raping her. How could she still look at him? He just stood there staring at her as his erection wilted. His shame was greater than the sight of her beautiful body before him. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked at last. "I should be able to control myself." His voice cracked to his embarrassment.

He climbed out of the pool and stood in a ray of light to let the sun dry his body. It would be better if he left. She had been so nice to him and he already almost hurt her. And she wasn't even angry with him! What had he done to deserve someone like that in his life? All he had ever done was run away to avoid being killed or hurting others. Soon this would be just one more place he would leave, never to return. The thought wrenched at his heart. The first person in ages to show him any real kindness and he had to leave because of who... what he was.

Amrufel finally turned to Serene, regret and sadness all over his handsome features. "Perhaps it would be better if I left... took my chances on the road even with my wounds. I don't want to hurt you."