Rails of Rain
Author's Note: The first person view changes a few times during this story. While I have written it in a way that should make it easy to tell where it changes, I have also used a visual marker _________ to show where the view changes. Hopefully that helps. Enjoy!
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I awoke to the sight of grey rain pelting the window next to me, while the outside clouds stirred black with heavenly anger. Considering I was so comfortable, I thought for a moment that I was back at home, but a quick look at my surroundings proved I was not. I was still on the train, the train taking me away from my old life. I sighed, depressed. I wanted so much to go back, to be with Jim, Elsa and Reg, but I knew that would never happen. It was too late, by now I was miles and miles away from them.
A flash of lightning brought me out of my musing. There was a storm coming, and a pretty bad one it looked like. I kinda liked lightning storms, they were always fascinating to me. But something else caught my attention; a young dragon kid with gold eyes staring at me curiously as he sat in the seat across from me.
I looked to the young dragon, who tilted his head, as though he was in awe of something. "Hi there," I said, taking a closer look, as it was the first time for me seeing a dragon morph. His facial structure looked to be from a western dragon style than a eastern dragon. His scales were a royal blue color, and a small pair of white horns were just starting to sprout from the back of his head. He wore a dark grey hooded sweater that said 'Yellowstone' on it, as well as a pair of black jeans. His tail came out from behind him to droop of the chair slightly, though it swung slightly as I looked at it. Realizing I was staring, I snapped out the hypnotizing swing, as the little drake giggled in his chair.
"Your eyes are red, were you crying?" he asked innocently. He couldn't have been more than 9 years old by the sound of his voice.
Caught off guard by the question, I sputtered, "N-no I wasn't. It-its just dust."
The dragon giggled again, before cringing as a loud voice called out, "Thomas!? Are you in this car?"
A face of defeat swept over the young dragon's face and he slumped into his chair. He responded to the call, "I'm over here Marcus."
I felt a shadow pass over me and I looked over to find myself under the gaze of yet another dragon. This one looked much older than the young dragon Thomas, and his scales were a near midnight black, except for the underside of his chin and what I could see of his chest, which were a contrasting white color. Unlike the short nubs of horns of his younger counterpart, his horns were far longer and thicker and much more sharp. His body looked like he saw the gym on a regular basis, as it was covered in easily definable muscle, made even more so by the tight shirt and pants he wore, outlining all his muscle.
A cough from the large dragon caused me to catch myself staring at those muscles. As I went red, he laughed. I noticed that his laugh seemed to come from deep inside him, unlike those fake laughs that people give all the time, and it seemed to be contagious too, as Thomas began to giggle as well, and soon even I forgot about my embarrassment. When the big drake stopped laughing he stuck his paw out, "My name is Marcus Hunt human, and this is my little brother Thomas, but you can call him Tommy. I thank you for keeping him out of trouble."
He gave me a big smile, showing way more teeth than necessary. I bull headed my way through the sudden paralysis that gripped my body at that moment, and managed to stand and shake his paw. My hand was engulfed by the larger paw, and I looked up to give a friendly smile. "Damn this guy is huge. He must be at least a foot taller than me. And WOW those are some blue eyes."
Thomas giggled again, "Your staring again. Is this like, your first time seeing a dragon? What kind of farm did you come from?"
Marcus ignored his little brother and instead focused on me with a little smirk before saying, "Well..."
Confused I asked, "Well... what?"
"Well.. do you got a name? I mean I could keep calling you just 'Human' but that sounds racist." he joked.
I withdrew my hand as embarrassment filled my face. "Oh.. sorry. My name is Tristyn Kieas. And no, your brother caused me no problems at all."
Thomas looked visibly relieved, before tensing as his brother turned on him.
"So you thought you could sneak away did you," Marcus said, as he grabbed Thomas and began tickling him mercilessly, "Thought you could escape from your brother's eyes."
Thomas was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his muzzle, "N-n-no, please st-op! I'm sorry! Uncle! Uncle!" Satisfied, Marcus released his brother, who began panting heavily as he recovered.
Marcus flicked his brother's muzzle. "Now go back to our seats and sit down. Aunt Karla is wondering where you are."
Thomas nodded eagerly, happily free from his brothers grasp, before rushing down the train aisle and disappearing through the doors. That's when I noticed the very predatory look Marcus was giving me. I felt a shiver go up my spine, but before I could react, it was too late. Marcus pounced on me and gave me tickle hell.
"This is what you get for hiding my brother from me." he claimed as his paws moved all over, getting all my tickle spots.
I tried to explain, but it all came out as blubbering as a laughed my guts out. "Pl-please Mercy! Mercy!" I cried. Instantly the paws left me, leaving me heaving for air. Then I felt my hair being parted by Marcus's paw, and felt his breath on my forehead. Curious to see what he was doing, I glanced up to find his face in mine, his electric blue eyes staring into my green ones. Our faces were only inches away now, and I began to realize just how awkward the situation had become. Thankfully my stomach bailed me out, as it gave off a painful and loud growl. Marcus snapped back standing straight up, his black scales under eyes turning the barest of reds. I was a little red myself. Had he just tried...
"Err... hey Tristyn, you... interested in getting a bite to eat in the dining car?" It was painfully obvious that Marcus was embarrassed about the previous moment, and was trying to make amends.
I was tempted but then I remembered the meal Elsa had packed for me. Damn... but maybe there was a way around this. Having a dragon for a friend could be nice.
"Marcus, while I'm extremely grateful for your offer, I'm afraid I can't except. You see I already have a meal packed by my aunt," Holding up the large case for him to see, my heart nearly broke to see the look of disappointment on his face, but managed to keep my emotions in control, "But, seeing as she always makes too much for me to take in one go, I would be happy to invite you to eat with me instead. If that's okay of course"
That perked Marcus up, as he smiled and his tail began to swing. I was happy to have been able to make the dragon happy. I didn't know why, but something about him being happy made me happy as well. Picking up the lunch bag, which was quite heavy, I began walking to the observation car, Marcus following behind. The observation car was special, as it had a second deck with a Plexiglas roof that allowed occupants to see out. Seeing how the storm was getting worse, I thought it'd be cool to eat and watch. Plus the observation deck had little light, which would make the light show even better. I looked to Marcus hoping to tell him my idea, but he was gone! A cough brought my attention to the rear of the car. A flash of lighting at that moment illuminated the black dragon seated at the farthest table. I was suddenly concerned, as the images of the previous encounter ran through my head and the fact that being down there meant being farther away from the exit, should anything bad happen. But I realized that I was judging him from his previous actions, and I was disgusted with myself for that. Steeling myself for whatever would happen I walked down the row towards the waiting dragon, determined to have a good time.
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I was relieved when Tristyn didn't decide to change his . I felt so stupid over the stunt I tried to pull on the guy! Like, what the hell was I thinking, trying to kiss him like that! I barely knew him, plus he probably isn't into the whole guy liking guy thing! I cursed my dragon libido for letting something like happen. Still, it was nice of him to invite me to eat with him despite it all. I wouldn't even eat with myself after my actions. He is nice to do something like that, and keeping Tommy company, is so kind. Now that I think about it, for a human, he is pretty buff, and the way his hair falls over those emerald eyes of his, he's so sexy- WOAH! Where did that come from?! Keep calm. Focus... focus.
Tristyn finally got to the table I had chosen for us and sat down opposite from me. I was kinda sad when he did this. I had hoped he would sit next to me. "Let's face it Marcus," I told myself, "Tristyn is straight." I thought., sighing. Darn it, I would have loved to have had him, he looked so hot and cute all at the same time. AARRRGGHHH!! Why do I feel this way!!?? I just met him!
Tristyn gave me a slightly concerned look when he heard me sigh, completely unaware of the turmoil within my body. As he set the containers of food on the table he said, "I just realized were going to need some cutlery. I'll go see if I can find some." And he walked out and down the stairs, disappearing from view. I slumped in my seat. Why do I feel this way? I'm a dragon, he's a human. Would that even work? The fact that Tristyn stayed around meant that he wasn't uncomfortable with people like me. Then again, his look appeared to be one of being completely oblivious, so he may have not realized exactly what was happening. Ooh... why did it have to be so hard?Maybe I could ask him... no, I needed to be cautious about this.
I wanted to just throw my fist down in anger over my indecisiveness, but then Tristyn's head popped over the edge.
"Marcus... you here?" he asked, hesitating at the top of the steps.
Even from here, I could see the small bit of nervousness on Tristyn's face. He looked so cute like that. Cursing myself again, I called through the darkness of the car, "Yeah, I'm still here."
I saw the quick smile that came and went, and he approached our table. "Good, I thought you had left. I didn't mean to take so long, but it was a lot harder to find these than I thought." and he sat offering a fork and knife to me.
I took them, giving a gracious smile while saying, "Oh don't worry. You didn't take that long." He must be really nervous. I'm not that scary, am I?
As if he could read my mind he said, "I'm sorry for staring before and my nervousness. Its just that... you're really the... one of the first dragons I've ever met." He said it like he was a horrible person because of that fact.
"It's okay," I said with a chuckle, "You're actually one of the few humans I've ever met too."
His eyes rose when I said that and he smiled, like a weight was lifted because of someone else being in the same boat. My heart soared when I saw that smile, and my tail began to move over my seat in joy. Thankfully Tristyn didn't seem to notice or care, and he began opening the containers, and soon the area was filled with the smells of still freshly warm foods.
Tristyn wasn't kidding about there being a lot. There was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy in one, roast chicken in another, bread rolls, Curry rice, a salad, damn there almost too much. But it appeared that with both our appetites, we managed to whittle it down to near nothing. We didn't bother trying to make conversation, pausing only when a particularly awesome lightning strike broke through the sky. Gathering what little leftovers there were, Tristyn packed the containers away and put them off to the side and moved closer to the window to watch the storm.
While the storm did give a good show, I admit I found my eyes continually drifting towards Tristyn, who continued to look out, seemingly unaware of my staring. Sometimes the lightning flashed in a way that illuminated Tristyn's eyes, making the green in them even more intense. I wanted to get closer to him right then, regardless of the consequences. Just as I was wondering how I would do something like that, fate gave me an opportunity.
Tristyn shivered for a second. It was kinda cool in the observation car, but he had a jacket on so I thought I had imagined it. But when he did it again, I realized that he must be cold. An idea started to form in my head.
"Hey Tristyn," I asked slowly, picking my words carefully, "Are you cold? You can sit by me if you want." I paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, you can see the lightning a lot better from over here."
Tristyn tensed up and for a moment I thought I had blew it, but he relaxed and shrugged his shoulders, "As long as its okay with you" and he began shuffling over to my side.
On the outside I was smiling calmly. Inside I was cheering. Part 1 Complete!!
Soon he was against me, and put his head back so he could look up through the roof. A few moments passed, him looking up, me looking at him, during which we didn't say a word and the sky was lit by some spectacular lightning strikes.
Tristyn shifted next to me. "You were right. The lightning is better from over here." he said in a quiet voice. Then he started to shiver again.
Seizing the opportunity, I said, "Here. Come closer" and draped my arm over his shoulders. He tensed only for a moment, but offered no more resistance and pressed closer to me, before sighing happily, "Warm... nice"
I just barely managed to keep my emotions under control. Tristyn leaned his head onto my shoulder, to which I responded by nuzzling him with the underside of my chin. The storm was forgotten as we just cuddled.
Tristyn looked up at me and I looked down to him. Our eyes met and locked, my blue to his green, and before I knew it, our faces were scant millimeters apart.
That's when his eyes went wide, as if he just realized what was happening, and he pulled his head away. I managed to stifle the groan of disappointment that formed in my throat, when he said, his voice chocked by emotion, "I'm sorry! I can't!" He refused to meet my face, and the way his shoulders moved and his breaths I could tell he was crying.
Rubbing his side with my arm that was still around his shoulders, I said, "Hey, hey. It's okay. I shouldn't have pushed it."
Tristyn shuddered, and turned to face me, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head. "No, it's not you," he said through huffs of breath, he was really struggling not to break down, "It's me."
When I didn't say anything, he continued, "I've lost two families of very important people within the last few months. The first were my original parents and my sister. They died during the Toxin Disaster, leaving me by myself. I wandered around by myself for weeks afterwards, before I was picked up and placed in a camp for survivors." The words flowed out like his tears, and I pulled Tristyn onto my lap, hugging him to comfort him. "While I was in the camp, I came under the protection of a dog morph named Jim, and moved in with him and his friends a fox named Elsa and a bull named Reggie. Those three became close to me. I began to feel loved again, and those guys became the second family I had."
His tears were starting to slow, and a small smile began to form as he told me about the fun times they had together, working, playing, getting into mischief. "Sadly it wasn't meant to last. Just yesterday I found out that I had been adopted by a family in B.C. and I was forced to say goodbye to the ones I had come to love. They bundled me up and were there to send me off. I miss them so much."
Pressing into me, Tristyn's tears began to flow again. "Everyone I let into my heart winds up getting torn away from me. I'm already on my way to meet my new family and I don't know if I could handle another break in my heart." He looked into my eyes, "I like you Marcus, but I don't think I can do this. It would hurt to much when we have to say goodbye."
He buried his face into my chest as he let his emotions out. I held him close, not letting him go as my protective instincts kicked in. I don't know how much time passed, but eventually the sound of his crying died down. He rose from my chest to stand up in the aisle.
"I guess I've wasted enough of your time... I should be going," he said sadly and began gathering his containers. I growled disapprovingly at him, louder than I meant to, but it was enough that Tristyn stopped what he was doing. I got up as well and grabbing both containers and Tristyn's hand, I lead the way down and out of the train car, back to his seat. Grabbing his bag, I put the containers inside and zipped it back up, before slinging it over my shoulder.
"Marcus, what are you doing?" Tristyn asked.
Pulling him close, I whispered into his ear, "Like hell I'm going to leave you alone after all that! You're coming to sit with me." And before he could protest I began pulling him through the cars, until we came to mine.
Luckily my aunt and little brother were asleep. I don't think Tristyn could handle meeting them after all that had happened. Stashing his bag in a overhead compartment, I pulled him into a chair next to me, and held him close. He didn't resist at all, and he fell against me. Warmed by both the air of the car and my friend next to me, and having a belly full of food, it wasn't long before I fell asleep as the train plowed on through the foothills of the Rockies.
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I awoke to seeing Marcus' head leaning onto mine, his arms around me protectively. I smiled slightly. I wanted to just stay in those arms forever, but sadly, bodily duties called. I slowly untangled myself from Marcus' arms, and gently put his head back against the headrest of his sleep. He grunted once, but he didn't wake up. Satisfied, I made my way down the aisle to the bathroom, while taking a glance out the windows as I passed. While the worst had past, it was now raining heavily and the sky showed no sign of letting up soon, leaving a gloomy feel. Not to mention with the mountains closing in around, it felt almost claustrophobic.
I made it to the washroom before too long and did my business. Washing up, I splashed some water onto my face and as it dripped off I realized that, for the first time in weeks, I hadn't had a nightmare. I wondered if it was because of Marcus' presence. I looked at myself in the little mirror provided. Was I falling in love?
"Get a hold of yourself!" my brain shouted at me, "He's a guy and so are you! Do you really want something like that?!"
I peered deep at myself. Was I gay? Could I be really attracted to Marcus or was it a simple infatuation that would pass? Did Marcus feel the same way or was he simply taking pity on me because of my circumstances?
I slapped myself for thinking Marcus to be that shallow. If anything he was sincere with his feelings. And even if I wasn't gay, I would still like to have Marcus as a friend. I'm not one of those stuck up people who hates gays. Feeling that I had made some headway in sorting out my feelings I left the washroom and walked back to my seat. I was surprised to see Thomas up and talking to an older female dragon, who I assumed was Marcus' and Thomas' Aunt Karla. Seeing me Thomas waved me over and I could hear him say loudly, "Hey Tristyn, come meet my aunt."
I heard the female dragon say, "Hush Thomas! Your brother is still sleeping."
The little dragon's tail curled around him as he was chastised by his aunt. Muttering an apology, his face brightened when I drew close. Shuffling over to make room for me, he motioned for me to sit down next to him. Thomas' aunt was a purple dragoness, with lavender colored eyes and had a pair of silver horns like Marcus' and had a soft, jovial personality. Apparently the boys and their aunt had been off on a trip down at Yellowstone National Park in the States, and were returning to their home in Vancouver. When I told her who I was, she was overjoyed, for Thomas had only talked about "Tristyn this" and "Tristyn that" since he had gotten back last night and she had hoped to meet the person that made he nephew so excited.
She asked me if I had eaten yet. When I told her that I hadn't, she immediately jumped up claiming "That was unacceptable" and telling Thomas to get up she said that I was coming with them for breakfast. I shot a glance towards Marcus' still sleeping form.
Catching my glance, Karla said, "Don't worry about him. He'll not be asleep for much longer and then he will join us. Now come on."
She, along with Thomas, lead me through various cars until we got to the dining car. There a cat-morph dressed in a waiters uniform named Oliver, showed us to a table and helped each one of us into our chairs. I noticed that when he helped me into my seat, his nose crinkled slightly, and a small grin went over his muzzle before he vanished into the rear of the car.
When I told Karla about this, she just laughed and said, "He probably smelled what we've been smelling since we've met you Tristyn."
Curious and slightly concerned, I asked her what she meant.
She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm surprised you can't smell it. You're covered in Marcus' scent."
Moment she said that my face went bright red. My reaction must have been found funny because Thomas began giggling again while Karla just smiled broadly. Thankfully I was spared from further embarrassment by the arrival of the dragon himself. I prayed that the rest of the day would go by without embarrasing moments like this.
Breakfast passed by with no more incidents, though the cat waiter gave me more than enough looks to creep me out. We made our way out of the dining car, cat still grinning at me, and made our way to our seats. There Karla tilted her chair back, telling us that she was going to have a nap, leaving me, Marcus and Thomas discussing things from music, to games, swapping stories, and making jokes. If one were to look and listen, he would think that we had been friends for years instead of having met just yesterday. The hours flew by fast. Lunch came and went. The rain never stopped, instead it seemed to come down even more. And every moment I had Marcus by my side.
Then came an announcement that brought everything to a crashing halt.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the speakers blared, "We are 10 minutes from the city of Vancouver.Our estimated time of Arrival to Vancouver Pacific Central Rail Station is 25 minutes. Please make sure to gather all belongings and prepare to disembark. Thank You!"
What? Already? Each of us did a groan of disappointment. I didn't want this to end!
Soon city buildings started appearing from the distance, and slowly but surely we got closer and closer to the city. Buildings soon surrounded us as the train went deeper into the city. Before we knew it, the train began to slow and pull into the train station. We gathered our things and when the train stopped and the doors opened we left the train.
Marcus' and Thomas kind of gave me this look of sadness at having to say goodbye. I wasn't too thrilled either. But it had to be done. That's when I got an idea. Thomas had mentioned during our conversation that he liked card games and lo and behold, his favorite game was also my favorite. Pulling the box of cards Jim got me, I rummaged through them until I found a nice thick booster pack.
Handing it to Thomas I said, "Here Thomas. These are for you. Use em' to destroy your opponents good okay?"
Thomas looked at me hesitantly, then to his brother who nodded and motioned for him to take them, before he slowly took the cards from hand. What happened next surprised me. Thomas wrapped his arms around me in a hug to which I returned the hug fully. That kid was strong I tell ya!
We separated and I looked to Marcus, suddenly feeling embarrassed that I had nothing I could really give him. But he found something else instead. He wrapped his arms around me and I to him and just held each other close. He nuzzled the top of my head and all my cares flew out my head. Dammit, it just felt right to be there, regardless of the looks people might be giving us.
Sadly, we had separate from one another, for the time had come for us to go our separate ways. The two dragons headed off to follow their aunt who was heading for the doors. I waved for a bit before they disappeared out the doors of the station, before slumping into a nearby bench and putting my head in my hands while I tried to quell the storm of emotion inside. And so I waited... and waited... and waited.
The sky began to grow dark. I began to wonder if the family that had adopted me even knew I was coming. Maybe the evil Commander Okami didn't tell them I was coming. Knowing her, it wasn't to hard to go that far. Sadistic fat know-it-all bitc-
"Excuse me," a voice said, snapping me out of my rage thinking. I looked up to find a Orca-morph standing in front of me. He was the exact same height and build as Marcus, but unlike Marcus he had green eyes like me. They weren't emerald green like mine though, they were more of a evergreen tree type of green. Being an Orca, he had a black and white pattern on his body, his back being black while his front was a solid white with the two mixing here and there. He was wearing a blue rain jacket and jeans that looked quite damp, probably because of all the rain. He had a tail probably about as long as his arm with a tail fin- I think its called a fluke- that hugged the ground behind him. Unlike when I looked at Marcus, though, I didn't stare at the new guy but just gave him a quick look over. He appeared to be quite nervous.
"Are you... I mean, Is your name Tristyn Kieas?" the guy sounded like he was about to crack under some unknown pressure.
Looking up to his face I said, "Yes that is my name. Can I help you with something?"
The Orca's face brightened, but he still remained nervous as he spoke, "Well... I... uh, you see. My name is Leo Carver and... well... I'm your new brother."
He took out some papers and handed them to me. Proof that he was who he said he was. My eyes widened. So this is my new family, Orcas eh? Should make for an interesting time. I stood and shook his hand.
"Well then. Its a double pleasure to meet you Leo," I said smiling.
Leo seemed much more relaxed now that he told me who he was.
"I'm sorry I took so long, but we only got the call you were coming in an hour ago," he said as he reached to help me with my bag, "We weren't really expecting you until next week."
I almost stopped him from touching my bag, but then I realized that he was just trying to be helpful so I made no further move, instead saying, "Don't worry about it. I wasn't waiting that long."
We started making for the doors, making idle shatter on the way. I found that we both seemed to have this awkward air around us. Following him outside, he led me to a parking area a couple blocks away, during which I got drenched by the heavy rain. He opened a door of a black 2014 Ford truck, and putting my bag in the back, motioned for me to get in the front passenger seat.
I did so as he climb into the drivers seat and started the truck. Pulling out of the parking lot and pulling onto the road, Leo said, "We have a little ways to go yet. We live in West Vancouver. It'a a nice place and I think you'll like it Tristyn."
"Yeah..." I said quietly, "I guess I'll find out for sure when I get there" . My mind was admittedly elsewhere than on the conversation. Instead a certain dragon was filling my head and thoughts.
"Will I ever see Marcus again?" I sighed as I looked out the window, the rain steadily falling against the glass as the truck made its way through the dark water soaked streets of Vancouver.