In love and Scales

In Love and Scales By: Noelle Noir Laney On a calm and dreary night, life forever changed... My feet touch down on cold and crunching leaves, a chill in the air, surrounded by large trees of… blue? As I look around, I realize I’m in unfamiliar territory, unlike anything I have seen before. Giant trees mangled and unnaturally twisted in hues of blue and lilac, spiked leaves falling all around me. I look to the sky and realize I am no longer at home. Deep grey mottled with light pink and magenta clouds. “I am not in Kansas anymore…” I mutter to myself as the panic sets in. At that very moment a terrifying shrill cry pierces the air at an octave so high I cannot help but to slam my hands to my ears, ducking down to try and make myself as small as possible in hopes to avoid whatever it is that made that sound. Argon I sail through the clouds with my wings spread wide, gliding and soaring with minimal effort. I turn into a barrel roll, enjoying the wind whipping against my scaly face. The suns are setting, and it presents the perfect dewy air that leaves my skin soft and plush. I am so pleased that I cannot help but release a pleasured cry! Opening my maw, I release another call, followed by my noxious flames. Just when I thought this evening could not get any better, I spot something in the curling forest below, possibly a tasty morsel. The unnatural shades drew my attention, prompting my curiosity further. I decided to stray from my flight and find a meadow with sufficient space to land. Better to be in my other form for stealth and agility, don’t want to scare off whatever creature I have stumbled upon before I can sink my fangs into it. Laney By the second shrill cry I was gasping and breathing erratically, mind racing with all the possibilities. Did I see black smoke billowing after that second call? Running through the twisted deep blue tree trunks and hoping the lilac canopy above served enough coverage, I panic as my platinum locks catch on branches and leaves, ripping at my roots. Feeling every rock and twig as they stab at my bare feet, I continue to move forward, driven by fear. My chest burning as I flee, a shadow soars overhead and doubles back sounding too close for comfort. I can hear the flapping of leathery wings as I come to a halt. “s**t, s**t, s**t!” I pant, trying to catch my breath. Calm down! I tell myself as I duck behind a prickly turquoise shrub. Panic will get you nowhere but eaten! I take slow breaths in through my nose and release it through my mouth, trying to stay quiet. I swear I saw a big scaly beast descending into the trees before me. Opalescent scales in shades of baby blue and chartreuse. The ground shook with his arrival. I am failing miserably at quieting my breath, I clasp my hand over my open mouth in hopes that it will quell the anxious wheezing. My back to a tree, I continue to cover my mouth and close my eyes, focused on getting enough oxygen so I will remain conscious. Then I hear it, fallen branches snapping, the echo leading straight to my soul. How did the beast get this close without taking down trees in his massive state? Surely, I am not that far gone in fear that I missed entire trees being smashed and torn through. When I peek through my clenched eyes, I am face to face with something other worldly. I let a squeak slip past my lips as I fall faint under the sweet call of the abyss… Argon I find my morsel easily. It’s rather terrible at keeping quiet. As it lumbers through the curling trees I track its path, along with its scent. Deeply I inhale. Fear, and fresh berries. Interesting… I creep closer as it stumbles to a stop, unable to evade me. I snap twigs underfoot as I curse myself for being so careless, but I cannot stop myself from moving forward, salivating over my newly found nourishment. Once I round the last clump of bark between us, I come to a stop. What I see crouched at the base of that tree is, nothing of this retched rock we inhabit. Long, light fur escapes from the top of the creature’s skull. Rippling waves of white cascade down around thin cloth covered shoulders, leading to a swelling mound that has caught my attention. A female? Females of our species do not have protruding breasts unless they are nursing their young, does she have nursing kish? I cannot see any signs of a youngling near, nor is there one hanging from her wingless back. She remains squatted with her eyes closed tight as I approach without a sound. The closer I get, the more I can see she does not belong here. A small scaleless body, with light peach coloring, decorated with colored designs running the length of her arms and shoulders. She wears small cuts of cloth covering her chest and stomach, with matching bottoms that leave her smooth legs completely bare. Her feet are small and lack claws, with tiny painted nubs that do not appear threatening at all. How does she defend herself? There appears to be no natural weapons protruding from any of her appendages. Looking at her scrunched up face, I try to see if she has hidden fangs, maybe there’s venom with her bite? The more I stare, the more curious I feel. I cannot help but get as close as I can. I fold my wings against my spine as I squat down in front of the frightened female. Sensing me, she opens one of her eyes slightly. I see a small smudge of color until her eyes open wide in terror, perfectly round, bright green eyes with a speck of black in the middle stare back into my slitted sapphire ones. She releases a pitiful noise before her eyes roll to the back of her head and she slumps to the side, unconscious. I cannot leave her; it would be a cruel fate to anyone who is unfamiliar with this world. The kinds of things that go bump in the night are not for a soft, unarmored creature like her. Carefully, I arrange her close to my chest, avoiding the sharp edges that form from the scales of my forearms. I keep my claws retracted so I do not pierce her delicate flesh, she whimpers as her head rolls into my chest. I take a step towards the village as I realize that I do not know how the rest of my people will react. Will they accept her with hospitable wings or destroy her with open claws? In my paranoia I decide to take her somewhere secluded until I can figure out where she came from, and how she got here. Will more of her kind arrive? Could this be the beginning of a war? Using helpless females against a tribe of worthy males and slip under our snouts? I must take her away to protect my people just as much as herself. I hold her tight as I unfurl my wings and expand them to carry us. I fly just above the canopy in case we need to duck back into the lilac leaves for cover, though it is creeping into dusk, so that much I am thankful for. The Asaki tribe has scouts that regularly patrol the perimeter, ensuring the villages safety. Hastily we move through the oncoming darkness as the red moon rises, following the rushing river North of the Asaki territory. There are old, abandoned caverns in the mountainside that we can inhabit for the time being. I can easily hunt the surrounding area while taking advantage of the old furnishings left long ago. That will give me plenty of time and space to figure out what to do next. As my eyes adjust to the dark starless skies, I spot the tops of the mountains coming into view, perfect timing considering the alien female has started to stir… Laney Exhaustion is a silent killer. I’ve had the strangest dream… My body feels like I’ve run a marathon, sore and aching. I must have fallen asleep on my window nook again, it’s hard and uncomfortable, but even with my eyes closed, I can tell the lighting is not right. Did I sleep through an entire day? Using maximum effort to open my eyes, I am thrust back to reality. Marbled maroon rock surrounds me, sparkling against the dancing light of a fire in the center of the cave. I’m lying on a raised flat surface, with an old, tattered cloth rolled up for a makeshift pillow. Slowly pushing myself upright, I continue to scan the dark room. There are furnishings carved out of the very rock that I’m trapped in, a small table in one corner with flattop boulders to sit upon, the fire pit has appendages that protrude up and around with notches and surfaces that must be for cooking. Various shelves carved into the walls as well, this was someone’s home. As I get around to the darkest corner, I can feel a presence, something is watching me in the darkness. Glowing sapphire eyes come into focus, pulling me back to the twisted blue forest where I first saw them. Having nowhere to run, I decide to stand my ground. If it can understand me, we will soon see. I stand to my whole five foot, three inches and glower. “Stay back!” I say with as much authority as I can. “Come no closer.” It stops its slow approach, and I can make out the silhouette of its head tilting to the side. Much like my Labrador did when I was a child. I can barely make out their movement in the dusky light, but I know they are shuffling with indecision. Deciding to use their hesitation to my advantage, I continue to speak. “Where am I? How did you get me here?” There is no reply, only more shuffling. A tiny red-light flashes in the creatures’ hand, as I follow its path up towards their head. Hearing a deep breath followed by a grunted hiss, I cringe. My breathing speeds up as they begin their approach once more. “Stop!” I throw my arm up in front of me, I have no place to back into. “I said stop!” It’s no use, I look for anything I can use as a weapon but find nothing. I get into a defensive stance and prepare to fight. However, what I can now see is plainly a male, stops just behind the fire, giving me a full view of what he is. I cannot help but gape at the sight before me. He is certainly not human, covered in light blue and chartreuse scales, with his beautiful dark slitted eyes. He does not have hair, but long scaled cords that touch his shoulders, and no ears! I can see the small device still red lit behind where his ears should be, his face is full of sharp features, the middle of his face slightly more snout-like with slits for a nose. His body is muscular but lean, covered in scars and... wings? He has wings! As I drift down his arms I can see sharp protrusions on his forearms, along with clawed hands. With his head almost touching the top of the cave, it’s obvious that he is also over seven feet tall. His loin cloth hangs low on his waist and there is a thick scaled tail trailing behind his legs. I am feeling insecure, as he is also soaking in every detail of my being as I am him. I am now the one doing the shuffling. I decide it's time to do more talking, attempting to keep the panic at bay. “Can you understand me?” His intense stare has me on edge, “I need to find a way home, can you help me?” A single head shake, he’s telling me no. Tears sting my eyes as I think of something more to say, concluding, that I will certainly not be going home today. Maybe not ever. Losing my umph to try and communicate more, I slump onto the hard surface and place my head in my hands. If taking my eyes off him gives him reason to come and harm me, I no longer care. Argon Putting the damned translator device behind my basilar papillae canal was extremely uncomfortable. Incessant ringing ensued until she started talking, then it dissipated until all I could hear was her voice. I find that I like the vibrations coming from her mouth, it is very soothing. It shouldn’t be, I have not yet found out if she is friend or foe. I reach the fire when I realize she is trying to communicate, as I have not been listening to the actual words she speaks. I tuned in in time to hear her ask if I could send her home, I know I cannot. We have ridden our planet of such technology. All that remains are remnants from a time long past, scattered throughout the ruins of this cavern. It is how I found this set of universal translators, shocked that the device still works. Hopeful that the other one does as well so I can give it to her if she’ll let me. The enticing inspection we had going comes to an end when I deny her the help she is asking for. She now sits on the bunk with her head in her hands. I have upset her again. I am not the best when it comes to females, her being of a different species does not aide in my situation either. Instead, I decided to stay where I am and continue my observations. She sure is small, she could be mistaken for a kish if it weren’t for the shape of her body. Her pale skin has different kinds of markings, some black and shaded, some colored. I find that I am intrigued by the flowing fur on the top of her head. It is long, running past her shoulders, almost white, and I want to know what it feels like. It looks soft and pleasant, just like her. She lifts her head through her sobs to peer at me, there’s water coming from her bloodshot eyes, deepening their shade of green. It is then that I recognize the beauty of this creature and how it is affecting me. After all, the Asaki revere our females, and I find myself just wanting to take care of her, make her happy. Trying not to spook her, I quietly take a few steps in her direction. The black specs in her eyes grow, taking the green away with it, I pause. I crouch down in front of her and wait. At this position I am eye level with her upon the bunk. Her platinum locks are hanging down in front of her slouched form, I cautiously reach for the ends. Silk. It is soft like the silk we spin from the arachnids. Taking advantage of her stillness, I raise my arm and run my fingers through her fur from her scalp to the curling bottom, reluctantly withdrawing my hand. She expels a soft sigh. Our eyes stay locked. Her cheeks darken in the firelight as she inhales deeply and sits back, putting distance between us. Laney Pulling away from his soft, cool touch was harder than I anticipated. The zing of electricity was all I could think of while we shared what seemed like a tender moment. Have I lost my mind? Still, I sit back, breath unsteady. How could this dragon-like creature have such an effect on me? I should be terrified, but terror is not what I’m feeling here. Deciding I must be losing myself to some unseen pheromone, I quickly stand and walk past him. I don’t have far to travel as I cannot see in these dark caverns, stopping in the far corner. Slowly, he turns and stands. He certainly is quite the specimen. Not only is it shocking to accept that there is in fact alien life, but this particular one is breathtaking and terrifying all at the same time. He stays by the rock bed, the picture of utter patience. He points to a small table carved from the wall. Upon it sits a carafe and set of two cups. Taking the chance to combat dehydration, I pick one up and give it a sniff. It smells fruity, and sweet. It can’t get much worse than it already is, so I take a drink. Flavor bursts on my tongue and I do not hesitate to down the whole cup. Taking a deep breath, I reach for the carafe to refill my cup with the fermented fruit. Hopefully it has the same effect that wine from home would. By the time I finish my second cup, he has his head tilted to the side with what appears to be amusement. I fill both cups and take a step back with mine in hand, pointing to him and the second cup. He calmly approaches, like you would with a spooked animal, and drinks from the cup. At least I know it’s not poisoned. His eyes never leave me as he drinks his completely, setting the cup back by the carafe. I can already feel a heaviness settling in the back of my eyes as the languid feeling of alcohol sets in, easing my anxiety. He starts speaking in a low guttural tone in a language I could never decipher. It does not seem to retain any kind of syllables or familiarity to Earth languages. His voice is very deep, he is trying to speak as softly as possible to prevent from scaring me. As I watch his mouth move, I can see his teeth are sharp and serrated, made to tear flesh from bone. I am so distracted by them that I fail to notice he is holding something up for me to look at. Tearing away my gaze, I see that it is another device with the same red light that he placed on his head where his ear should be. He seems to repeat himself and motions to my ear. He wants to put that thing on my head, and I am not sure how I feel about that. Even with the effects of the fermented juice, my breath quickens. Will it hurt? How do I know if it will have any adverse effects on my brain or my functions? Deciding I do not have much of a choice at this point, I take a deep breath, finish my third cup of space wine and take a step towards this scaly hunk and lift my hair up to reveal my ear beneath. Argon Watching my treasure down two cups of the ambrosia I carry in my pack with me is gratifying. I wonder if she knows it will inebriate her if she drinks too much? Perhaps her kind is immune to such beverages? I shouldn’t be calling her my treasure before I find out who and what she is, but I cannot help myself. She pours another but this time fills a cup for me as well. Taking a step back she points and lets me know she is welcoming me to join her, although I do so cautiously. She is so small, and I do not want her to be afraid of me. My eyes do not leave her as I down the ambrosia and return it to the table. Knowing she cannot understand me I speak slow and low while presenting the connecting translator to the one I wear. “Do not fear female, this will allow us to communicate. May I install it? It will sting, but it’s only temporary.” My words did not register because she is staring at my teeth, which are very different from hers. Mine are sharp and deadly, whereas hers are blunt and look as soft as the rest of her. I ponder if she even eats meat at all and what I can do to feed her. Pushing it to the back of my mind for now, I repeat myself and ask her again, nudging the translator the direction of her face. “Can I install this translator? It will only hurt for a moment.” She seems to steel herself with her emotions and chugs the remainder of her drink. Setting the cup with the rest she comes within arms reach of me and turns to lift her beautiful mane up revealing an adorable little round appendage protruding from her head. This must be how she hears, it looks so odd, like a tiny funnel that leads into her skull. Our species doesn’t have an outer rim like that, just a soft spot with a thin membrane that covers the inner workings of our organs. Very carefully I hold the opposite side of her head, my hand dwarfing her small skull, and push the device into the soft skin behind her ear. Instantly, she jerks away covering the spot with her tiny hands as she whimpers from the pain. Fighting my instincts to grab and hold her, I stay perfectly still. “The ringing will stop soon; I am sorry it can be uncomfortable to adjust to.” I wait for her to stop making that heart wrenching noise and give her a moment of peace before I continue. I step forward and take her tiny hand in mine. “Are you ok my treasure? I did not think about the compatibility of the device with your species, tell me I have not damaged you.” Her eyes look like they are going to leak water again, but she looks at me with wonder in her gaze. “No” she whispers, “I think I am okay now.” Relief floods my body and I exhale heavily. Turning away I quickly head for my pack to find her some sort of sustenance until I can safely leave the caverns to hunt. She still has the look of bewilderment on her face when I return with a pouch of dried Versalo meat. As I open the leather pouch, I hold it out to her, offering. “It is Versalo meat, I hope you can eat it with your rounded teeth. I have not had the chance to forage since I found you and we arrived here.” I watch intently as she reaches for it, taking a piece from me. She holds the dried meat to her nose and sniffs, saying it smells like jerky. I had not known what jerky meant, but my translator lets me know it is her word for dried meats. It leaves me feeling hopeful that she can chew and digest it. Laney As I take a bite of the jerky he has given me, I cannot help but let out a small groan. It tastes way better than it looks and reminds me of a spiced teriyaki jerky. I finish the piece I had, and he holds the pouch out again with what I am hoping is a smile on his elongated face. Those sharp teeth are something, and I can’t help but wonder if this is a Hansel and Gretel situation. I sure as hell hope not. I take a few more pieces and spend some time looking around to try and avoid the elephant in the room. Or rather the sexy dragon man in the cave. Now that we can openly communicate with each other my mind is spinning with things to say. I just can’t decide what order I would like to start. I work up the courage to speak with him and decide to keep it simple. “What is your name? I am Laney.” He looks to me with that serpents’ gaze and replies, “I am called Argon.” “Where are we Argon? I know that I am very far away from home, but do not know how I came to be here.” “We are on Isle. It is a planet in the iota Draconis solar system. You say you have no recollection of how you arrived here? When I stumbled upon you, I did not see a ship or means of travel. It is very suspicious. Our tribe had ridden Isle of the cruelties that technology brings with it. There are only remnants of what once was. How can I trust that you are not here to start an invasion and pillage what our people have created? As an Asaki it is my duty to protect what is ours. It is why I have brought you here to these old caverns rather than the village. Do I need to protect them from you?” His demeanor is the most intense I have seen yet. I am not sure how to answer, seeing as I have zero knowledge of what happened to me or how I got here. Could I be bait for some kind of intergalactic war? Was I abducted from Earth or was it our government itself that formulated this plan and I’m just the unlucky adversary. I watch Argon cautiously before I run through the last of my memories when I arrived here. Sadly, there are none. The last thing I can recall was going through my nighttime routine of showering, moisturizing, and getting into bed. I cannot remember falling asleep or dreaming. Hell, I didn’t even have to wake up to this nightmare, I was just here! My stress and confusion must be plastered all over my face because his stance softens slightly. Argon approaches me and gently caresses my cheek with the back of his smooth scaled knuckles. “I am sorry if I frightened you. Did someone hurt you? Have you been sent here against your will?” I shakily inhale, the contact sending another zip through my body, does he feel the same when he touches me? “I don’t believe I’ve been hurt physically, but I was certainly placed here against my will. I am not from this planet, or even your solar system. I have no memory of what transpired before I materialized here. I couldn’t tell you if I was on a ship, or if something or someone else was involved. One moment I was in my home on Earth, then the next I was in the blue and purple forest running from a giant beast I heard in the grey skies. It was huge! It reminded me of a folklore creature we call a dragon... I am now fortunate that you found me before it did. He would have swallowed me whole!” Argon I freeze as she talks about the huge beast she saw; she must not have seen the color of my Draco before I landed and shifted. My scales are the same shade as my primary form. I wonder if I should tell her now or later that I am the monster she speaks of. “You find me a beast then? Draco’s, or dragons as you said, are an ancestor of mine.” Even with the dark lighting I can see the color drain from her face. “No, no. I am sorry, I shouldn’t have said it that way. I just...” I watch the realization hit her eyes while she is scrambling to justify her words. “You… Are you telling me YOU are the one I heard in the sky? It cannot be. That dragon, or Draco, was the size of a building. There’s no way it could have been you… Right?” She’s now shuffling on her feet and looks ready to run. Good thing she has no where to run too. At least nowhere she is capable of seeing with her small round eyes, she does not seem to be able to see in the dark. “I am. There was a time when we were just Draco’s, but we have since evolved to have a secondary form, which is what you before you now. However, we use both forms equally. Some prefer to stay a beast as you call it, and some like to be bipedal. We learn as kish how to fully control the change, and how to manage keeping the Draco mind from fully taking over.” “Is kish what you call children?” “Yes, kish means our offspring.” Laney starts to pace as she whispers about baby dragons and something about splitting you in two, whatever that means. I realize that this all might be too much for her, so I figure it may just be best to show her. The caverns have open passageways that lead to the arena where the kish were trained while being monitored and confined to an enclosed area to prevent them from taking off before they were ready for the open sky. I hold my hand out, “Come with me.” She stares at my clawed hand with indecision. I retract my claws in an attempt to look less intimidating. “You will come to no harm with me.” I am surprised when she exhales and slides her hand into mine. I grab a lit torch and we begin our descent into the maze of a time long past. The fire light is more for her comfort than my own, I can see in the dark as well as the light. If I can trust