"You're not from around here either…are you?" A deep male voice whispered in hushed tones right in front of her face from the shadows, causing the girl to jump sharply with fright at the unexpected sight before her as she glanced up and around in confusion, wondering what was going on as the voice continued whispering to her softly with soft words of reassurance. "Where are you trying to go? What are you looking for? Do you need someone to take care of you? Can I help you find it? There are many different paths to follow, but it will all lead to the same destination eventually…"
She listened closely to what the mysterious shadow figure was saying to her, hearing the words of wisdom and guidance flowing effortlessly from his mouth with each gentle whisper…words of comfort and warmth, of understanding and sympathy…of peace and serenity as he gently spoke to her soothingly about things that she couldn't see, reminding her of everything that mattered most to her…everything that gave her the strength to endure, and the courage to continue moving forward with her life even when all seemed lost. And when the stranger finished speaking to her gently, she gazed up into his smiling face in wonderment, seeing that there was something special about this man that went far beyond his physical appearance as he gazed warmly at her kindly with kind blue eyes that sparkled brightly in the moonlight as they gazed into hers fondly. She smiled sweetly back at him as the breeze caressed their cheeks gently with a coolness that brought a smile to their faces, feeling a sense of belonging that she hadn't known existed in such a long time as he took hold of her hand tenderly in his own, holding it gently in his palm…and she could feel the magic within her heart begin to awaken slowly with renewed energy as the connection between their two souls strengthened with each passing moment as he pulled her gently close in order to kiss her gently on the cheek.
"Thank you," She told him sincerely as he withdrew slightly from her embrace as they both leaned back onto a nearby boulder that overlooked the valley below, staring out at the starry sky above. "That was exactly what I needed."
He smiled back at her and nodded as he watched her curiously from beneath his hood. "How did you know where to find me?" He wondered curiously as he peered back at her inquisitively as she blinked and grinned back at him shyly.
"I just found your footprints in the snow…"
He chuckled lightly when he saw the puzzled expression appear across her face, shaking his head with amusement as he shook the snow from his cloak as he walked forward until he was standing beside her again.
"They're dragon prints…that's how we communicate with each other in the wintertime…it's our way of keeping track of one another." He explained in simple terms, pulling aside his hood to reveal his golden scales as he glanced up into the clear night sky. "We dragons can travel anywhere that we wish simply by stepping foot upon any type of solid object, whether it's land or water or ice or anything in between…which makes it rather easy for us to keep track of one another whenever it's necessary…"
"So…how does it work…the communication stuff anyway…?" She asked hesitantly as she looked around cautiously with nervous curiosity. "Do you talk in your minds, or…or what?"
He tilted his head to the side in thought for a moment, glancing over toward the small fire burning merrily near the edge of the clearing with a thoughtful look as he recalled the events that had led him there.
"Well…we don't actually speak to one another in the normal sense of the term." He replied quietly as he shrugged. "But the sensation is still very similar as we share emotions and thoughts and feelings with one another through the sensations that course through the air surrounding them. We can also send messages through sound waves and vibrations in the ground if there's something important enough that needs to be communicated urgently, but usually that's saved for dire emergencies when things aren't going as planned." He sighed and shook his head when he remembered the events that had taken place after his recent encounter with the man that he had encountered earlier today when he'd discovered his axe lying in the snow outside. It had been difficult to explain the situation without revealing the truth, and so he had decided that it would be best to remain silent on the matter, knowing that he didn't want any of them getting suspicious as to why he had returned to his home village alone with an injured arm, even if it was just for the time being. "If I've learned one thing since coming to this new world, it's that things tend to get complicated rather quickly when people discover just how far-reaching my abilities truly are…and it doesn't always make things easier for everyone involved when they realize just how much power is actually at their fingertips…especially when there are those amongst us that have yet to fully understand what has been given unto them."
"Sounds like fun times ahead for you then…don't think you'll be able to hide that particular piece of information from anyone anytime soon, do you?" The girl mused as she looked up at him and grinned playfully, causing the man to chuckle and shake his head.
"Not a chance, little one," He laughed as he placed his arms upon his hips and gazed down at her mischievously as she giggled and stuck her tongue out teasingly at him. "There are quite a few of us here in town by now, so hiding it from them won't be nearly as easy as it used to be for me, especially since I can't exactly teleport out of town unnoticed now can I?" He frowned as he noticed the concerned frown upon her face and sighed, reaching out and placing his hand upon her shoulder reassuringly as she looked up in surprise.
"Don't worry…I'll keep your secret safe for you, alright? I promise."
"You really mean that?" She asked hopefully, blinking back tears for the first time in what felt like forever as relief washed over her.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" He questioned as he smiled kindly at her, seeing the joy that was spreading across her features as she hugged him tightly against herself happily. "You've already done more than enough for me and others like myself who have chosen to stay here in this peaceful town of ours, and besides…I'm not sure that anyone would believe me even if I told them the truth anyway…"
"Why would that be?"
The man shrugged and scratched his head as he glanced over at the small wooden sign that hung prominently in the middle of the main street that served as the center point for all roads leading into town, which read:
Welcome to Pleasant Valley,
A Haven for the Lonely and Misunderstood…
"I suppose that most of the people living in this town would consider themselves to be more than human to begin with…so it probably goes without saying that they're going to be skeptical about things like this…even after finding out the truth…if they ever found out the truth…"
He sighed heavily and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he sighed again and lowered his gaze to stare blankly at the ground beneath his feet sadly as he sighed once more and turned to stare back up into her eyes with a wistful expression as they stood gazing silently at one another in silence. He could feel her warm breath upon his cheek as he stared back into her eyes tenderly, feeling like they were meant to meet like this as he finally reached out with his free hand to touch her chin and gently tilt it upwards so that he could gaze tenderly into her eyes once more…and they locked gazes together with a mutual intensity that caused the warmth within his heart to swell with a passion that he hadn't realized was possible.
"What is wrong with humans, anyways?"
He heard her question and blinked as she broke the eye contact and looked away, biting her lower lip as she blushed bashfully and tried to brush off her embarrassment as he raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Did you say something?" He murmured softly as his eyes drifted downward to the curve of her pert little nose and delicate jawline as they regarded one another with longing affectionate expressions, causing a soft blush to rise up from her chest and travel rapidly throughout her body in response to the intense feelings that he was awakening inside of her again as their gazes remained connected as they gazed tenderly at one another as if in trance as she bit her bottom lip as she glanced back at him shyly.
"It's nothing…" She answered quietly, avoiding his eyes as she shifted nervously on her feet and fidgeted awkwardly with her hands as she glanced down at the ground before her. "Nothing at all…just wondering aloud…nothing more." She added weakly, unable to conceal her nervousness as she looked back at him in hope that he wasn't angry at her for bringing the topic up as he smiled kindly at her as he stepped closer to her as she backed slowly away in surprise. But she didn't seem to notice as he stopped abruptly in front of her and wrapped his arms lovingly around her slender waist from behind before lifting her up gently with gentle strength as she gasped softly in shock at his sudden actions.
"Is there something else bothering you?" He whispered seductively as his lips brushed against her ear gently, sending shivers racing through her entire body as she trembled gently under his strong embrace, feeling the heat of his hot breath upon her skin as she moaned softly and closed her eyes tightly with anticipation of his next movements, feeling her pulse pounding wildly within her ears as she struggled helplessly against his firm grip as she breathed heavily through her parted lips.
His warm hands slid sensually down her sides and cupped her rear possessively from behind as he kissed along her neck gently, sending pleasant chills dancing down her spine and causing goosebumps to form upon her flesh, leaving her trembling lightly as he held onto her firmly with both hands as she moaned deeply and began panting lustfully, her heartbeat accelerating rapidly as she arched backwards slightly into his arms.
"Tell me." His deep husky voice rumbled in her ear as his hands slipped down her hips and squeezed her buttocks possessively, causing her to gasp audibly in pleasure as he lifted her effortlessly from the ground and cradled her against himself as he carried her further into the forest with a smile of pure bliss upon his handsome face, causing her knees to tremble as he continued to kiss against her neck passionately with growing excitement…until suddenly his lips met hers with a passionate eagerness that made her moan pleasurably beneath his heated touch as he swept her up into the air with him with surprising ease…and set her down gently upon a large rock that jutted out into the river with a loud splash that echoed loudly through the surrounding woods…
She screamed out in terror when she found herself falling towards the hard surface of the stone as she frantically clawed at the air in desperation, desperately trying to pull herself back towards his arms when he caught hold of one of her wrists and pinned it above her head forcefully, pressing his own wrist to the other one for support as she whimpered and squirmed underneath him fearfully in response to his forceful demeanor, writhing and moaning pitifully as she begged for mercy, but he only smirked wickedly at the sight of her struggling beneath him in obvious desire for him to continue despite the fact that she was clearly terrified beyond words.
"Please…" She cried out desperately. "Let me go please…you're hurting me!"
He pulled away for a brief moment and pressed his palm against the nape of her neck firmly to stop her as she thrashed and bucked uncontrollably below him, hissing in frustration as her struggles became more frantic and desperate as his palm burned hotly against her smooth flesh in response to her desperate attempts to escape his grasp as her cries rose up high in pitch with rising panic as he released her and pushed her gently downwards with his free hand, causing her to fall upon the rough cold surface of the stone as she gasped in surprise, clutching weakly to the edge of the rock with her hands as she lay flat upon her stomach upon the cool damp surface as she looked up fearfully into his furious gaze. He gripped his burning hand tightly against his thigh as he glared down angrily and took in the sight of the pathetic scene before him as she looked up with pleading eyes and attempted to beg for forgiveness as tears of shame spilled down her cheeks and pooled at the edge of her chin as she sobbed softly, looking up at him helplessly.
"Please don't hurt me anymore…" She pleaded tearfully as she clung to the edge of the rock desperately as the tears streamed down her face freely, making his heart break in two as he knelt down beside her and reached out for her as she jerked back reflexively and tried to get away from his touch, crying out in despair and terror as her face turned pale and she flinched back in fright as the tears poured forth in earnest now, streaming down her face freely as the grief welled up from the depths of her soul and threatened to drown her as his dark emerald green eyes bore into her frightened blue ones pleadingly. "I-I'm s-sorry…" She choked out in a shaky whisper.
"S-Sorry?!" He growled menacingly as his anger flared dangerously bright within his darkened irises, threatening to burn through the very fabric of reality itself. "Are you crazy?! Don't you realize how much danger you put yourself in by doing something so incredibly stupid?" He snarled harshly as the rage that had been building within him since he'd found out what she'd done surged forward as she cowered back and clutched the rock tightly in an attempt to remain upright, shaking violently as she looked up at him fearfully as the tears flowed freely from her eyes, streaming down her pale freckled cheeks in an unstoppable torrent of emotion as the pain in his heart tore through the core of his being, shredding through his insides and threatening to devour everything that he was…
And just like that…he went completely insane.