What Love Means
It's not really all that important that I give any back story this this. Suffice to say, this is for someone who has been dear to me for some long time now, though whom I've never had the good fortune to actually meet.... yet. (^_^)
~ Halo McKinnon ~ HDE ~
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What Love Means
The streets shouted and yelled in the night. He wandered, the road's & paths around him known, but not really any more exciting than a cold brick in winter.
He stopped to raise his muzzle to the air, taking a deep breath. Almost gagging on the smell of nearby fast-food, and shaking his head. He trudged forward, aimless in his meanderings, thoughts completely on that which he'd spoken of earlier.
Online, after his regular shift, he'd come home in the dark, to find his heart awaiting him. They talked at length, passing quibs of the day, playing little games here and there, some more.... colourful, than others... but it was rather like each other time they'd spoken. He loved the fox, but neither of them could seem to fathom how that love had grown, despite the distance between the two.
He turned, curling his wings around him for warmth in the chill of the summer eve. The nights seemed to be getting colder oddly quickly these last few weeks. He shrugged. 'Just another thing...' crossed the dragon's mind, his tail hanging limp next to him, over the edge of the bench. He looked out in front of him, the scene of a small wood. Not very large, being right on the outskirts of his hometown, but that didn't matter Those woods seemed peaceful to him. The dragon could sit for hours just staring at the sway of the trees, thinking on life.
Or at least he'd like to. Life didn't usually give time for that, but that's the real world, he was always told. That's just how life is, deal with it, etc. etc.
He sighed. 'Ya.... what a world...'
It wasn't long before he looked at his watch, stood, and wandered back the way he'd come. His head hung low, he didn't notice the bushes behind his bench. Standing just within, cloaked in the black of his clothes & the deepening night, was a figure. It stood, looking after the dragon, a fuzzy tail-tip swaying just under the hem of a long black tenchcoat. Ice blue eyes pierced that darkness, eyeing after the retreating form of his prey. The figure chuckled, turning opposite the dragon, and walking into the shadows of the night.
* * *
His eyes flicked open, right into a shaft of morning sunlight filtering through the window. He stood, sniffing the house. 'Still alone... wonder if they're enjoying themselves...' he walked nude out his room, wandering into the bathroom, and turning the shower on. Within minutes, he'd pulled a t-shirt & jeans out his closet, chucked them onto the bathroom floor, and was letting the cold water flow across his green & red scales, caressing his curves until it finally washed down the drain, carrying his troubles away with the last 24 hour's work.
He dressed, brushed his fangs, and walked to the empty kitchen. He'd been given a choice. It was to either stay behind & "look after the house" or to go with his family on a great quest into the wilderness of the nearby for no better reason than to do something.
As much as the outside could be lovely from time to time, he'd chosen the former, and thus here he was, being rather, completely bored. He thought of looking online for his fox, but then upon seeing the clock (8:05am) he figured that the other would likely still be asleep, dreaming sweet things of the pair of them.
His thoughts drifted further on his distant lover, but were brought to an abrupt halt when he heard the bell ring on his front door. 'Who the--' he walked somewhat nerviously to the door, peering out the side.
He saw nobody.
He opened the door.
And saw nobody.
He turned, and was just about to close the door again, mumbling profanities about young kids and their foolish games, when his eyes fell upon a small envelope on his door-mat.
He picked it up, looking around again, and still failing to see anyone. He turned, closing the door behind him, and also failing to see a black coat disappear around the far corner of his street.
SItting at the kitchen table, he looked over the envelope. There was clearly a letter in it, though not a large one, as the whole things was quite thin. Nonetheless, he stared at it for quite some time, and at the writing on the front. There was no address, no return address, no stamp. Just the envelope... and his name. The text was quite flowery, too. 'Written by a steady paw,' the dragon surmized, his eyes darting the the knife rack on the counter. He chuckled, flicking the envelope open with a claw, and pulling out a small brochure.
He held it to the light, it was for an art expo in the park not far from his house. The dragon's eyes narrowed, as on the side of the brochure, in the same black ink and flowering writing as the envelope, were the words, "Come along, hatchling."
* * *
'Hatchling...' He'd kept the brochure in his pocket each day since he'd got it, but after three days, thought there was little hope of finding the writer.
He was wandering around the stalls of the art expo, not really looking at the stalls, so much as the faces of those around him.
'Hatchling.' the dragon new that nickname. Only one person he knew called him that. But how? He didn't get it. It had been less than a day since he'd spoken to his other half, yet somehow... here was this message, bringing him to an art expo, and putting him quite on edge.
'...... hatchling....' but it couldn't be him.... and if so, why not just knock on the door? Why not just say hello to him right away.
A smile spread over a nearby face. The face was attached to a head, which was in turn attached to a body. Said body was standing in a tree above the expo, looking down upon the shuffling crowd, totally unnoticed... which was just how he wanted it for the moment. He'd seen his prey, but he needed to know that said prey was ready for the hunt to end. So he stood. He watched.
The dragon walked to the edge of the expo, looking out over the opposite side of the small wood he was so fond of. There was a sudden chill wind, and he shivered, wrapping his wings around himself like a leathery cloak. Insinct took him, as he started forward for the trees. He didn't know what it was, but he needed the comfort of those woods. Three days late. He wasn't going to find whom he searched here. Not now. It was too late, as usual.
Within moments, the dragon was enclosed in the small forest. For it's size, it had always had the profound ability to block out almost all external sound once in it's core. Even the art expo, mere yards from the forest edge, could barely be heard once the hatchling had found his way to his favourite rock to sit on.
'...hatchling....' he thought. 'Why? What's the point.....?'
As if to answer his thoughts, a voice spoke from behind him. It was deep, but calm. Very kind, but clearly strong enough. The dragon turned, his green-blue eyes locking on the ice blue of another.
For a moment, the forest was silent. It seemed that even the animal life around the pair had quieted away, to witness this moment.
"... what... what did you say...?" the hatchling asked, his eyes unable or unwilling to look away from the stranger's.
Said stranger simply chuckled, repeating, "Because I wanted to know what your love means to you."
The dragon stepped forward tentatively. ".... you're....? "
The other smiled, lowering the hood on his large black coat, reveiling a smooth furred, young silvercross fox, smiling broadly at the dragon. His eyes blue eyes now shining bright in the dappled light of the forest sun.
He simply said, "Heya, hatchling."
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