The sun rose up in the sky very slowly as dawn arrived. I sat down on the grass away from the group cross legged, waiting for everyone else to wake up in the morning. I twisted my neck to see over my shoulder that Emily's still sleeping on her side on the ground right where I'd left her. Cora was lying on her back with wings spread nearby. Damon just curled around with his snore came out of his nose and the tip of his long green tail was thumping softly on the dirt. And....Rick was lying on his back too, laying his head with his arms behind it.

They still haven't woken up yet.

I let out a yawn. Well, I just got up since....Thirty minutes ago, so I don't expect anyone else to wake up like me at the same time.

My eyes were still laid right on Rick and a fire was lit up in my chest as anger from last night came. Although, I did feel guilty for getting up and causing a fight with my girl's father, but all the things he said, and seeing his daughter so upset was all fresh in my mind still.

After all, it all happened last night, and it was Cora's first night out here with us as a group.

Not exactly going well for her. Cora seems to have took all of this well, though. After me and Emily came back from the woods and found Damon, Rick, and her waiting for us, Cora came over and comforted my girlfriend. So has Damon, too.

As for Rick....He just stood there. Not showing much emotion.

I wasn't sure if he was feeling guilty or proud of what he did last night. Things really have gotten out of control. And it was just like that fight between me, Mike, and him on the ship. Only ten times worse. God, this was the worst fight I had with the guy. Rick really ticked me off.

All the words he's said about me....Me and Cora....My brother....Emily's mom....My mother. God, they were all uncalled for. And he punched me after that! That was uncalled for, too.

And they were all because he didn't like me being his daughter's boyfriend.

And because of that....Emily was angry and sad at the same time. She said she HATES him.

Well, he should feel guilty for everything. Hell, he should feel guilty for punching a seventeen year old!

Rick, you punched a kid last night!

And that was ME!

You should feel guilty, old man. Not proud.

Cause that would make you a monster, like the monsters we've fought off.

Right now with that anger still welled inside me, I want to literally punch him for making Emily feel so sad.

The image of her crying in my shoulder, and hearing her plead for wanting her mother and wanting to go home swirled around in my brain as well. Gosh....This is the second time I have ever seen Emily that upset in my life. First time was when she was so scared of being in this strange world and all those monsters....Like the wolfir. Now the second time was literally about her father.

I formed a glare at Rick. You should feel guilty, Rick. You should.

After giving that man that angry look, I looked down at my lap and took a deep breath, my moment of anger had went away as I was calming down. No sense in wanting to punch the old man. I don't want to start anything with him anymore. I'm just tired of it. If anyone should punch him, it outa be Emily. I'll just leave her to it.

Don't want to feel guilty for causing another physical fight between us.

I reached into my bag laying beside me, digging around for an apple to chew on since my stomach growled a bit. I grasped one of the several apples that I've packed up since two days ago and held it up to my mouth to take a bite out of it. The apple was sweet to my taste buds and I breathed in deeply through my nose.

When I made a swallow down my throat, a shadow was right over my smaller form. My eyes shot wide open and I immediately jerked my body around a bit to see Damon was right behind me. He showed a grin on his snout, "Morning, Scott." The green drake drawn his muzzle back to make a tongue curled yawn, and shook his horned head and wings afterward.

I giggled. God, he was just quiet. I didn't hear him coming up behind me. A smile formed on my lips as I replied, "Hey Damon, I didn't hear you getting up."

Damon chuckled lightly, "No wonder you look shocked. Did I scare you?"

I shook my head softly, "Nope." I peeked around Damon's scaled form and saw he was the only one awake at the moment. I remarked, "Well, it's just me and you so far."

Damon twisted his neck around to see the others in his sight, "Yep." Then he stretched out his wings and flapped them a bit, looking down at me, "So, since we're the only ones up, can I join you?" He crooned as his yellow eyes caught sight of the apple in my hand, "Eating without me?"

I smiled and held up the apple, "I was getting hungry. Might as well eat while waiting for everyone, including a lazy drake like you, to wake up."

He snaked his nose down close to me and narrowed his eyes, "Don't act like your....Girlfriend, Scott." I held a wrist to my mouth, snickering. He let out a snort through his nose, air blowing at my face and hair, "I'm not lying around all morning like at Rocko's cave. I'm up and going, so no need to call me that."

I gave him a crack, "Right, and you're not whining that you're sore from a battle."

He held up his head and held a tooth filled smirk, "That's right, little dude. I'm not sore from fighting baddies anymore."

I nodded, "Good, cause I don't think Cora would want to hear you whine throughout the whole journey. She wants to SEE the journey, not listen to grown up drakes cry like a hatchling."

Damon lowly groaned, "Scott, quit being Emily."

I giggled at him, "Sorry. Just trying to lighten up the mood."

"You're not lightening up mine."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Mine is....A little bit." I held a sad look on my face and gazed down to my lap.

Damon tilted his head in concern for me, "You ok?" He curled his wings on his back and moved forward to sit down on his haunches beside me, not taking his eyes off of me.

I replied to his question, "A...A little. I..." I took a deep breath and let it out, "I don't know what to tell you, big dude." I laid the apple on top of my bag and pulled my knees to my chest, holding them by circling my arms around them, "Considering what happened last night, it's such a miracle Emily came back to stay with us."

Damon nodded in agreement, "Yeah....I was really worried about her. The way she ran off like that.....She never did that before."

I let out a guilty sigh as Damon's tail curled around his form, "And it was pretty much because of me."

The green dragon shook his head at that, "No, Scott. It wasn't your fault. It was Rick's. He started it."

I tried to argue with him with narrowed eyes that has guilt in them as well, "But I was the one who got up and started pushing him. I...I didn't let what he said go."

Damon shrugged his forepaw, "How can you just let that go? What he said to you, spitting out things that aren't true, like....You and Cora mating....That's nonsense."

".....I know." The way Rick accused me of that.....That was totally disgusting. I mean, Cora's beautiful, but....NOT THAT BEAUTIFUL! I would never do that. I'm not into Cora. I love Emily. I would never cheat on her.

Never.

Damon put a paw to his chest, voice going through my thoughts, "I've had my share of him spitting things like that toward me."

I made a small hint of a smile, "Well, he only accused you of working with our enemy and plotting to kill us. Not so many things at once."

"Still....Feels like a lot."

I shook my head in disagreement, "Not as much as me." I let out a breath, staring ahead at the trees in the direction we're probably going to head off to today, "I really feel like crap. Hearing all those things from Rick took a toll on me. I wonder how Cora's dealing with that sort of accusation."

Damon replied, "I remember how shocked she was, but I think she'll be alright."

I let out a hiss through my teeth, "But I feel so terrible that Rick was using her to get at me. I mean, how can Rick just come up with something like that?"

The drake shot up his head, "Good question. How did Rick come up with that?"

"Hell if I know. I don't want to know." I sighed, "Guess, it was no wonder his....Wife and him don't talk to each other anymore, let alone HATE each other. Maybe he said a lot of horrible things to her in the past and Hilary still hasn't forgiven him for it."

Damon cocked his head, "You guys mentioned Hilary before....Who is that?"

I answered as I looked to him, "Rick's wife."

"Uh....Wife?"

Oh, that's right, he doesn't know what marriage is. I simply put it as this, "Lets just say....Hilary is Emily's mother and Rick's....Well, ex-mate."

Damon was nodding slowly, getting the picture, "Ohhhhh....I see now." Then Damon made a glare, "Well, I can understand why his mate doesn't like him anymore."

My eyes were drawn at the canopy of the trees near us, "Me too." I laid my legs out in front of me and went on, as a thought popped up, "Rick....Sorta did have a point about her, though."

Damon's eyes were now showing curiosity, "What point was there? Saying that everything you guys went through was all her fault?" He shook his head adamantly, "I don't think that how you guys got involved in the war was Emily's mother's fault. It never was." He waved a paw and his wings rustled on his back, "I've never met her before, but I wouldn't think that about her."

I finally answered him, not meeting his gaze, "The point was.....He was right that all of us wouldn't be on the cruise ship if it wasn't for her. Cause it actually was thanks to her that we were." I was waving my hand around as I explained, finally looking at him, "See, Hilary was the one who'd gotten us on board that ship. Bought tickets for me....Emily and Rick....My brother...." I trailed off as I was thinking about Mike now.

Damon's ears perked up at the mention of my brother, "Y'know, at the night we've met, I did find out that you had a brother and...Never knew what happened to him." He snorted, "Rick really said a lot of terrible things about him as well. Want to tell me what that was all about?"

I let out a breath. I don't feel like I'm in the mood to tell him all about my brother....Maybe later. I said to the drake, "I don't want to get into that right now....Perhaps later. But back to Rick's point. Point is if it wasn't for Hilary, we would never got up on the ship and we wouldn't be here at all.....I wouldn't be talking to you right now." I thumbed to Rick and Emily still asleep, "They wouldn't be here either....Come to think of it, perhaps Cora wouldn't be here, either."

Damon made a statement with a bit of a chuckle in his throat, "....Well, I guess I do see his point about his....Ex-mate. But going off to say that everything that happened to you, your mate-"

I rose a finger and corrected him, "Girlfriend."

He tried to not laugh so hard, so he wouldn't wake up the others, "Heh heh...GIRLFRIEND. Going off to say that everything that happened to you, your GIRLFRIEND, and her father was Hilary's fault was stupid."

I nodded in agreement, "I agree with you on that. Hilary's a nice woman and a good mother. She wouldn't know about this war in another world and deliberately send us off to it." I shook my head to myself and stated with a glare forming on my face, "Rick really has gone too far. That time he did."

I heard Damon emitting a deep growl in his throat and a glare was made on his scaled face, "He has. I'm tired of him treating you like you're his enemy. Fighting with his daughter. Having an attitude. Not being a good father. I've had it with him myself." He glanced ahead, "You and Emily don't deserve that. And I'm gonna talk to him about it."

My heart leapt to my chest hearing that and I asked, "Wait....Are you serious?"

Damon looked down at me and nodded, "I am."

I shook my head, not having much hope in his plan, "You really think he'll listen to you? Damon, we always try to talk to him, but he's too stubborn to believe any word we tell him."

Damon uncurled his tail off him and it made a swish across the grass, "I know that he doesn't listen well. But I'm sure after watching his daughter crying like that....Like I had. Then I'm sure he'll be feeling guilty. He does love his daughter, that I know, and I will talk to him about his attitude....Once and for all." He lowered his head to me and said, "Scott, Emily loves you more than a friend and Rick never accepted that. Well, I'm putting an end to that. No one shouldn't dictate his daughter and criticize whom she goes and be with. I'm doing this for both of you....Most of all for Emily." He made a glare, showing me that he'll do it for my girlfriend, "I promise."

I stared at him for another moment...Before I smiled at him. He does seem committed into doing it. And...Maybe Rick MIGHT listen to him. I'm not gonna guarantee that he might, but Damon did make a good point. Rick had watched his daughter still sniffing and crying a bit after the both of us came back to the camp. So, maybe Rick's not too proud of what he'd done last night.

Rick....If the dragon talks to you, you'd better listen. Cause, he is pissed at you.

I said after the moment of silence went by, "You really care for Emily....Do you?"

Damon's glare melted away and it was replaced with a smile, "I care about you both." His wing stretched out to point at Cora behind him, "I care about her." His wing angled a bit to point at Rick nearby, "And we'll see how I feel about him later. I did care about him before, but I don't now. We'll see what happens."

I tilted my head and asked, "So....When are you going to talk to him? As soon as he wakes up?"

Damon said, looking ahead now, "I don't know. But I can guarantee you, it'll be SOON."

I nodded at that and joined his gaze, the sun rising up higher in the sky. I hear the birds chirping in the trees. Then about a few minutes later, me and Damon heard something else in the air. Someone else yawning. We both look over our shoulders to see Cora had rolled onto her stomach and she was the one yawning. I smiled at how cute her yawn looked. The short red dragoness got on her paws and made a big stretch across the grass, tail raising in the air. She shook herself, stretched her wings for a moment before folded them against her back. When she caught sight of us boys already awake, I rose my hand in the air and waved. Her face, despite that it looked a little groggy, actually beamed, and she bounded her way past Emily up to us.

The grass rustled beneath her paws as she got up to where we were, standing beside me and the bag, "Just keeping your eyes peeled for us?"

I answered before Damon did, "Not really. We were just sitting here." Looking at her innocent self, brought back memories of last night again. When Rick accused me of....Fucking her behind Emily's back.

Really fucking gross.

I wanted to bring it up and tell her sorry about what happened last night, since I haven't done so yet. But I chose to let that go for now and instead gestured to her, "I can tell that you were sleeping well. Have you....Throughout the whole night?"

Cora nodded, "I have, thanks. Wasn't like it was the first time laying around on the grass, anyways."

Damon grinned at her answer, his tail thumped on the grass, "Good to hear, Cora." He gestured his snout to her, "You look wide awake already."

Corajan giggled at the remark, shrugging her shoulders, "Well, when the day comes, my journey across Avarilan to your home continues, right?" She giddied a bit on her paws, like she can't contain herself, "I'm excited to move on."

I smiled at her eagerness, "Well, I hope you can sleep well in another night if you're that excited."

She waved me off with her paw, "Oh, I'll be fine, silly." She glanced up, her ears listening to the birds in the trees, making her giggle lightly, "They sound excited as me." That's when all of us heard somebody's stomach growling in the air. Cora chuckled and rubbed her stomach with a forepaw, "Getting hungry right now." Then she looked at my bag and saw my apple. She was snaking her jaws slowly to it, hungrily gazing it, "Can I have it?"

In a flash, I picked up that apple and jerked my hand away from her maw. Then I placed my apple in the other hand out of her reach, "No. I'm eating that."

Cora gave me narrowed eyes and huffed, thrashing her tail behind her, "Fine. I wasn't in the mood to eat an apple, anyway." Then she looked to Damon, "Hey Damon, do you want to go hunting with me?"

Damon nodded and then got off his haunches, "Letting me hunt with you is probably a good idea." He made a teasing grin, "At least I'll keep you out of trouble."

She held up her snout in pride, "If there was, I can handle it."

He made a timid look, "Let's hope we don't." He gazed down at me, "Me and Cora will be back later. You and the others just stay here."

I nodded, "We will." Then I looked at Cora. I know that she means truly that she can fight and at least handle herself. But I was still nervous for her. I said to her in concern, "Watch yourself, Cora."

She rolled her eyes at that, while Damon's big frame strode past me and her, "I'll be fine. Just wait here for us." She whirled around, her red tail almost caught the side of my head when she turned around, and she said to the big green drake, "Alright, let's go." Damon nodded in acknowledgement, and the short and tall dragons strode away to the woods. I smiled at those two. Cora's first time hunting with another drake as tall as Rocko. I think those two will make a great hunting team.

That was when Damon's plan to talk to Rick shot up in my head and that brought a glum look in my face.

Well, Damon.....I hope Rick listens to you.

Rick really needs to change his attitude....I can't take it anymore.

*****

Outside, I stood in front of Bajara's cave in the morning. The sun already rose high above the forest by the time I've woken up in Luna's forelimb.

A smile crept upon my face. I loved the feeling of being held by my best friend. But unfortunately I couldn't sleep and lay on the ground anymore. So, I got her limb off of me and snuck away from her. Letting the big girl rest. Bajara was sleeping nearby so I let her sleep as well. No sense in waking up the host and the black dragoness, unless there was danger coming.

But so far, no danger ever since I stood out here.

I puffed out my chest and let out a breath. Then I was starting to think about Luna, and that had me putting my hand upon my chin. Hmm....I was sleeping close to her last night, but I didn't have any dreams about her past.

My brain was putting a lot of thought into what I've dreamed about last night. I remember I was dreaming about mom watching me do archery again. Praising me that I was a good shot as usual, but also showing a very nervous look on herself too. Heh, probably just nervous that I'll hurt myself with one of my own arrows.

But I never had that kind of accident.

I giggled to myself. I think, I remember threatening Scott with a bow and arrow too, by aiming at him....Even though I wasn't gonna shoot at him anyways. I just wanted to scare him. Why? I think it was because I was shooting arrows at a few of his action figures before that day and he was pissed off at me still. When he called me a moron, that was when I pulled my weapon on him, not meaning to literally shoot him, and said 'want to call me that again, cry baby'? Oh god, he screamed and ran off like a little girl.

Mom did grab my ear and demanded that I apologize, or else she would've grounded me by taking my bow away. Knowing that I loved archery so much, I didn't want to lose that privilege. So I did, and that was the end of it.

Heh heh....I love my brother....Even though he was such a baby.

And....I love my mother too.

I looked up at the morning sun, along with a few clouds in the sky. Hey mom....Do you still remember those days? Did you still remember how I was such a good boy back then....Even though I was just a bit of a brat? Hey, I was just a kid, so why wouldn't I be a brat every now and then?

But I was just a brat with a mother. I was just a normal brat who wasn't a troublemaker. One who had a brother, who did love me and trusted me. One who had an uncle, who I actually sometimes think of him as dad and trusted me also.

I hung my head a bit, as the memories of all the stupid things I did came flowing in my mind. You weren't proud that your son was like that.

Then my memories of my heroic deeds I've done so far in Avarilan came around. But....You're probably proud of him now for using his archery skills to help save a cheetah village and save Luna. That brought a smile on my face. I did a lot of bad things before, and I have tried to bring my whole life back together before the cruise....Looking back in comparison to what I've done before and what I've done now in the present....I really have changed. Changed to be a better person in the midst of living without a loving parent.

I turned around a bit and through the low ceilinged entrance of the cave, I can see Luna sill laying on her side from where I'm at. A thought crossed my mind. I still didn't tell Luna a lot about my bad deeds yet. But I'm still kinda working on it.

I guess, even an ex-criminal like me can have a hard time talking about his mistakes.

I WILL tell her....One day. I don't know when me and her will make it to Wingspan, but I'm sure there'll be time before that happens.

Then my belief for Scott being alive came to me, having me holding my gaze to the sky again. Well, brother....Where could you be at right now?

I want to tell you about all the heroic things I did.

Where are you, Scott? I hope you, Emily, and Rick are ok.

I heard something scrape on the cave floor behind me and I whirled around to see it.

It was Bajara, whose tall, red scaled form towered over me. She had her wings curled before she spoke to me with a smile, "I wondered where you went. Good morning."

I smiled back at the host of the cave, "Fine morning to you too, my favorite host of a cave."

Bajara chuckled warmly and lowered her head down to my level, "Favorite? You're calling me your favorite host?" She bumped her nose against my chest playfully, "What other hosts do you know?"

I slowly shrugged my arms, "Uh....No one else. Just you." Then a thought came, when I just remembered meeting Luna for the first time. While Bajara's red scales were shined down by the sun upon exiting the shadow of the cave to stand out here with me, I found myself letting out a giggle and told her when I pointed at Luna in the small cave, "Oh. Well, there's Luna. She lived in a cave up in that mountain. She's a host."

The dragoness followed my gaze, seeing Luna asleep, "Oh yes." Then asked as she turned her snout to me, "I know I'm your favorite host, but isn't she also your favorite host?"

I playfully let out one word, "Nope."

Her eyes went wide, "What? Why not?"

I made a teasing grin, "Cuz, knowing the first time we both met inside her very own cave, she wasn't being a good host. She scared me to death, remember?"

Bajara was snickering as she held a paw to her muzzle, "Goodness, Mike. I don't think Luna will like hearing that."

I rose a finger and stated, "Right, which is why I'm entrusting YOU to not say a word to her." I gave her a wink.

Bajara giggled and nodded, "I won't. But I still wouldn't say she's not your favorite host."

I playfully waved her off, "So what? She says a lot of things that I don't like hearing."

She rose her face above my level and said with her tail wagged behind her, "I'll bet, little guy." She drew her eyes onto Luna again and stated this, "Given all the things Lunasin's done back then, I hope she doesn't get angry when she hears you say that."

That made my heart skip a beat. Wait...What did she say? Did she just....Call Luna 'Lunasin'? Did she....Know about Luna's past after all?

I asked her this, "What're you talking about?"

Bajara had her eyes down at me, "You don't know?"

I frowned, "Know what? What things are you talking about?"

She made a grin, "Funny. I would think since you two are best friends, you'd know about her past." I tilted my head, getting a bubbling feeling in my chest that I know what she was getting at. Bajara spoke on without hesitation, "She didn't tell you that she did a lot of terrible things in the past as the one and only Dark Storm?"

I let out a small gasp. She did know!

Bajara giggled deeply, "I'll take that gasp meaning that she did tell you about her past."

I pointed a shaking finger at her, "You....You knew her....All along?"

Bajara made a nod, "Right when I laid my eyes on her."

I dropped my hand to the side, my mind still a bit surprised by her words, "God....I....I thought-"

"You thought that I didn't know her at all? Actually, I did. Me and her met before....Twelve years ago."

I gestured to her, "So wait....If you knew the whole time, then how come you-"

"Didn't say anything? Didn't attack? .....Well, I had thought about it, but she....Didn't look like the same Dark Storm as before." Her eyes went back to the cave towards Luna, "I had heard of stories about her. How she wasn't always big and tall, like she is now. How she was just a teenager when it happened. Then about a year after she was defeated by the great Illuminus, she disappeared without a trace and no one never heard of her ever again. I know all about her." She looked back down at me, gesturing her paw to Luna's form in a distance, "I didn't do anything or say anything to her because of how she was treating you....Treating me. She was acting real playful and friendly. You two have became close. There was no way that Dark Storm could ever be that way. I remember seeing her eyes, how they appeared to be full of hate. She didn't have them now. They were full of light." She formed a smile, "That was why I didn't attack her in sight, nor haven't attacked her at all. She cares about you and your safety." She giggled, "Likes to get under your skin, too."

I slowly made a smile, "So....You're not afraid of her....Nor hate her?"

She shook her snout, "No, Mike." She locked eyes on the black dragoness once more, tail flicked behind her, "I can tell she has changed....When she's sleeping, especially with you. She looks peaceful."

I looked to Luna and saw how she twitched her paw in her sleep. I smiled warmly at my friend. Bajara does have a point. You can really tell what that person is in slumber.

Bajara gazed at me and said in a bit of a apologetic tone, "I'm sorry if I didn't bring it up like I was keeping a secret. It's just....I didn't see any point in saying anything about her past. I thought it was best if none of us, including me, brought it up."

I waved off that apology, "Don't worry about it. Me and Luna thought that somehow you never heard of her. Besides that, we were making ourselves at home." Then my face went a bit grim when I was thinking about what happened to Luna back then, "What happened to Luna, in her own words, it's a long story. But lets just say she was NEVER evil at all. She wasn't the dragon you thought she was. She....Doesn't even want to think about her past."

Bajara lowered her face close to mine, replying with a grin, "I believe you. Lunasin's....A good friend."

I rose my hand and started rubbing her nose, "Thank you, Bajara."

She softly pushed my hand away with her nose and used it to nuzzle my forehead like I was her child, "There's no need to thank me. I'll be the one thanking Luna for not attacking such a sweet, little boy, like you."

I giggled as I said it, "Hey Bajara, if you keep nuzzling me like that, Luna here might get jealous."

Bajara drew her nose away from me, "Jealous, eh?"

I kinda didn't see why I shouldn't say that Luna can get jealous. She didn't restrict me telling anyone about it. It wasn't a big issue anyways. It's not like Luna will get angry. That's when I admitted it, "She sorta was jealous towards you before. But not as much as you'd think. It came out of nowhere when I was talking to you."

Bajara giggled at that, raising her head away from me, "Afraid I'd steal her little friend away? I wouldn't do that. I respect friendships....Especially when they remind me of me and sweet Perdrue."

I shrugged my shoulders, "She doesn't know why it happened, but I wouldn't worry about it anyways. She knows you won't come between us."

She said, "I still respect you both to not do that." Her scaly chest puffed out and she let it out, "Well...." She started to pace further away from her home, "I'm going to go out for a walk and hunt. I'll be back later, ok?"

I nodded, "Alright, me and Luna will be here." I waved my hand as Bajara padded away to the trail in the woods, tail swinging behind her. I let out a breath as I watched her red form move further and further away.

So Bajara knew about Luna the whole time and thought she wasn't evil....Because of me.

Well, this was better than me and Luna would've thought! Lot more easier than convincing Chief Meadow, if you ask me. At least Bajara wasn't like him.

Speaking of Luna, I heard her yawn made an echo in the cavern behind me. I turned fully around and saw Luna was on her stomach and dipped her snout after the yawn, blinking her eyes when she woke up. I smiled at her and jogged back in the cave, the sunlight shined on through the mouth of it behind me, and I was now standing right at her front, her head rose high over mine.

Luna was blinking her groggily eyes still when she spoke through her muzzle, "Hello....Mike." Her maw let out another yawn.

I asked, "Tired still?"

She shook her head, "No....Not anymore."

"You look like it."

A grin was formed on her, "No really. I'm up." Her tail thumped on the cave floor when she asked, "So....How long have you been up? You sorta do have a habit of waking up and sneaking out of my limb right now."

I chuckled, "Not that much. I only snuck away from you one time yesterday morning."

"I wish you don't do that. I like holding you until I wake up."

I gave myself a gesture, "I love sleeping against your scales, but even I have to get up anyways."

Luna playfully shot at me, "And leave me alone? What kind of a friend are ya?"

I rose a teasing brow and put my hands to my waist, "A human who's tired of sleeping by ya, that's who I am."

Then she rolled her eyes, "Then maybe I'm tired of sleeping by YOU."

I gave her a mock expression, "Wait a minute, you said that you like holding me until you wake up!"

She shot up her head smugly, "I changed my mind. I'm tired of holding you now." She was motioning her paw towards me like she was shooing me away, "Go, go sleep by another dragon."

I crossed my arms, "Sure, I'll sleep close to Bajara and watch your jealous side come out." I winked, "What do you think of THAT?"

Luna gave me a teasing grin, "I think I'll find it funny when she's clinging you so tight, as she's probably dreaming about Perdrue." She let out a playful growl as her wings fluttered on her back, "You better hope she doesn't take your clothes off. She'll think you're her furry little mate!"

My face went red and I exclaimed, immediately uncrossing my arms, "Cut that out, you dirty woman!" She tossed back her head and laughed hard. I whined with my mouth closed and said, "On second thought, I'll just go wander in the woods and find a new dragon to sleep close with." That's when I made a devious smirk, "Actually, I already have. She LOVES my company."

Luna formed a curious frown, "She? Who have you been secretly meeting behind my back?"

I rose my brows, "Why?" I giggled and pointed a teasing finger at her, "Feeling a bit of jealously towards her?"

Luna looked at me for a moment with a playful, narrowed look, "....Fine. I'm not tired of holding you now."

I shot my hand back down and held my chin up in pride, "Good, I'm not tired of sleeping by you now, either." Her narrowed look went away and we were both giggling together.

She was snaking her snout down in front of me and said with her silver eyes locked with mine, "So, how long have you been up?"

I smiled and replied, "Maybe about an hour ago." I thumbed to the entrance of the cave, "Morning looks nice."

Luna's eyes were rolling about as she was trailing them around the area, "Where's Bajara? Did she not come back last night?"

I answered, "She did. Probably while we were sleeping."

"....Must've been a long walk." Her silver colored eyes showed pity, "So....How's she doing? You know...Considering about....Her and Perdrue."

I let out a breath and gave her a confident smile, "Bajara seems fine. Looks better than last night. She already said hello to me, and then walked off to go hunting." I let out a pleasant sigh and started petting her nose, "Right now, it's just me and you alone."

Luna grinned at that, "Well, good. Cause there was one thing you haven't done for me last night."

I playfully rolled my eyes, hand still on her nose, "Perfect. After listening to Bajara's erotic story, I forgot something. What would that be?"

The black scaled dragoness giggled, and my hand fell down to my side as she lowered her head a bit lower, showing me her ears while they were pointing upward, "You were so shocked about her story, you've forgotten to scratch my ear." I looked down and saw her eyes giving me a pleading look, "Can you scratch one of them since I just brought it up? Pleeeaaaaaase?"

I let out a laugh, "You really want my fingers, huh?"

She snorted in a bit of impatience, "Mike, pet your teacher's ear.....NOW."

I rolled up my eyes in playful irritance, "Sure, sensei."

I slowly rose my hand, twiddling my fingers as it was getting closer to one of her flicking ears. Her left one to be precise. Luna was giving me a fond smile as she was getting what she wanted. I did miss a scratching session with her last night, might as well make it up to her. When my fingertips touched her ear, it twitched from them. I giggled at her anticipation from this. Here I go.

I started scratching behind it, not wasting another second of keeping my teacher waiting. Luna's throat made a moan and soon after, she was leaning into my touch like a housecat would when it's enjoying the master's touch. Her claws drummed against the ground, her long black tail flicked on the floor, and her wings relaxed on her back. She let out my name when she slowly closed her eyes, "Mmm.....Mike...."

I smiled at her and very soon the sound of her purring started emitting off her throat. Even those rumbles were being carried across the cave walls. Her form shifted around on her stomach as she was trying to get comfortable on the cave floor. Heh....If mother was doing this, instead of me, I can picture my mother not calling her a lizard, but a cat. A big, oversized cat with scales and wings. My mother would even make a joke about keeping Luna in our house as a housecat!

Well, if Luna was a teenager, that idea would've worked out. But now it won't.

Her tail curled inward, as she was so into my scratching session right now. Her eyes hadn't opened for a second. Not even halfway. Luna said through her purring, "Mike....Don't stop."

I giggled, "I'm not stopping, big girl."

Luna pressed harder against my hand, "Oh, Mike, harder."

Her purr was getting louder and I did what she told, scratching her ear as hard as I could, "You want it hard, huh?"

Through those rumbles in her throat she spoke with her talons from her forepaw scratching at the stone floor a bit, "Oh yes, give it to me. Oh...Oh....Oh...Yes....Right there."

I playfully said to her, "You like that, huh?"

"Oh yes, Mikey. Give it to me."

I know what she just called me, but I just went along with it, "I'll give my big girl anything I'll give her."

Then she let out a loud moan, "Yes....Right there. Hit that spot. Oh, hit that spot!"

"Want me to hit that spot?"

"Yes. Get it, Mike. Get it. Mwaaaah....Get it."

"Want me to stop?"

"No! Keep doing it. Harder, faster, and do not stop!" My laughter mixed in with her purring.

Then that's when we heard a voice interrupting our session, "What are you two doing?" My fingers stopped scratching her ear, and I turned my gaze and saw Bajara standing at the entrance with her head cocked. Well, she came back earlier than I thought. I heard Luna whine as I had stopped scratching her, and she rose her head above me fast to see our friend. Bajara strode deeper in the room towards us, her tail moving behind her and her wings settled forth on her back. When she was close to me and Luna, the red dragoness stopped with a wrinkled face, "Huh....Judging by the way Luna was talking, I thought you two....Were...."

Luna let out a bit of a huff, hearing a growing frustration in her voice by this interruption, "What?"

I frowned at her, "Yeah, what?"

Bajara shifted around on her paws, her eyes showing a bit of embarrassment toward me. She was shaking her head in a timid way, "Ummmm....Nothing."

I remembered the way Luna was moaning for me to not stop petting her ear, and actually caught on of what she was thinking. I asked Bajara with a bit of suspicion in my voice, "You thought we were mating, didn't ya?"

Bajara giggled and said without hesitation, "Uh, yes." She let out a small laugh, "It did sound like Luna was moaning in pleasure. And....And..." She pointed her claw at me, her voice cracked from her snickers, "And....I thought you were giving it to her!" She was laughing some more, slapping her forepaw at the ground repeatedly as me and Luna stared at her all wide eyed.

Oh boy....

The red dragon shook her paw in front of us, composed herself as she took a breath, "Oh, I'm sorry....I couldn't help it."

My eyes weren't wide anymore and I smiled at that, "It's alright." Then I waved my hand at Luna who was slowly standing up on all fours, "We weren't doing anything like that to each other."

Luna shifted around to face our host, "The only thing he was giving me was a good scratching on my ear." Then she narrowed her eyes at Bajara, "You ruined the moment."

Bajara giggled deeply, "I should've known since I heard purring as well." She let out a pleasant sigh as memories appeared to flow behind her eyes, "Perdrue used to scratch behind my ears. Trust me, I'd never gotten tired of it."

Luna grinned, "Neither do I." Then she let out a long stretch across the floor, her front claws clicking at the stone.

Bajara looked down at me, "Heh, since I now see you know how to do that, Mike, I'm having the sudden urge to tell you to scratch behind MY ear. I miss letting someone small like you do that to me."

Luna stopped stretching and intervened with a shake of her head, "Sorry, girl." Then she held up her snout in pride, perking up her ears, "His fingers are only reserved for my ears!"

I rolled my eyes at that, "Oh Luna, give it a rest."

Bajara made a remark that was totally unexpected to Luna, "Oh, I wouldn't ruin that reservation. Considering that you were too terrifying back then to let someone touch your ears. You were missing out."

Luna's eyes went wide and she cocked her head, "What? What are you-"

I explained away, "Oh, I forgot to mention, Luna. Bajara actually knew who you are the whole time."

Luna shot her gaze down at me, "What? She did?" She brought her eyes back on Bajara, a nervous look held in them, "YOU knew who I am?"

Bajara shook her head to calm Luna down, "Do not worry about what I think, Lunasin. I know that you aren't evil and a threat to me. You're still welcome to stay in my cave."

Luna still had that look, "Y-....You're sure?"

Bajara gave her a nod, "I am sure."

Luna paused as she stared at her, and then a moment later she slowly made a nod, "....Ok." She smiled, swishing her tail behind her, "Thank you."

Bajara replied with a small bow, "You're welcome, sweetie."

That was when I was frowning at her, "So, what're you doing back here? I thought you were off hunting."

The red dragoness answered when looking down at me, "I was. But then I decided to come back and ask Luna to join me." I heard Luna's stomach growling near me and Bajara giggled deeply when she pointed a talon at my friend, "I hear you're hungry. So, do you want to join me?"

Luna let out a pleasant sigh and answered, "Sure."

Bajara spoke as she started turning around on us, "Alright, c'mon." With her tail widely swung behind her, Bajara started to stroll outside.

Luna lowered her head to me and whispered, "She actually knew about me. I'm surprised."

I laughed in agreement, "So was I. I couldn't believe it myself." Then I rose and caressed her cheek with my hand, "But hey, at least she's not acting like Chief Meadow."

She rolled up her eyes and let out a sigh, "What a relief." I chuckled and gave her cheek a kiss before she rose her head above my level, padding towards the outside of the cave with me.

The two of us emerged as Bajara stood out in the open waiting for Luna. When Luna did, Bajara went ahead on the trail without a word, ready to go off on the hunt with Luna here. Luna looked down and said to me, "Well, you stay here. I'll be back later, little guy."

I nodded, "Alright, you have fun with Bajara." Then I made a whispery joke, "And don't let your jealous instincts towards Bajara get in the way of your hunt with her."

Luna groaned, "Ha, ha, ha, very funny!" I laughed at her reaction and she growled a bit before her form started trailing after Bajara who was a bit further ahead than her.

Before she would go about several more feet away, I called out to her, "Luna."

She stopped and twisted her neck to look behind her.

"Be careful, ok?"

Luna shot a teasing smile at me and replied, her tail made a flick, "You be careful." She sharply turned her head ahead, held it up in smug and pride, and continued her trek after Bajara with her tail swinging back and forth. I just stood there, grinning at her playful remark. Watching the female dragons stroll off together after Luna finally caught up to our host and they both disappeared from sight.

I took a deep breath and let it out, before my eyes went wide as my stomach growled. Uh oh....

I giggled to myself. Well....Better get to eating something from my bag.