Rahar’s nostrils flared, eyes popping open as the scent of something wondrous and amazing filtered to his sensitive nose. Immediately and completely awake, he lifted his head with a small chirp, eyes glittering in wonder. The pain of his wounds had faded into a barely noticeable ache. However it had happened, Rahar was glad that his form had grown into this much smaller, more manageable one. His healing speed likely doubled, which meant it would be an even shorter recovery time for the rest of his magic.

Wherever he was had barely a trace of magic around, but there was plenty of nature to draw from- and it seemed unlikely that a demon would find him out here. Especially without their Soul Gem. A satisfied little churr went through him at that thought. He had dealt their army a crippling blow by taking the stone from them. Demons of course had magic on their own- but they no longer had their reservoir to call upon during battle. A devastating power that had the ability to level multiple towns- and then replenish itself on the lives it took. It was a never-ending nightmare.

Sunlight filtered in through a nearby window, and Rahar blinked a few times as he lifted himself from the bed. Testing his wings first, Rahar breathe a little sigh of relief to feel his bones and muscles locking properly. He folded his wings at his back after a good stretch, and then lifted himself from the bed fully. Arching his back, Rahar stretched his tight muscles out, down to his toes and tail. His claws wriggled against the sheets below, their surface still warm against his scales. They were a bit like the sheets he had at home, but also different. He couldn’t feel through his scales very well, but he could see many fabrics woven together.

He caught the human’s scent from the bed, and buried his nose in the fabric briefly, inhaling again. He snorted softly, and then lifted his head. The human had an odd smell. Like wood, metal, and something else. A hint of sugar accompanied it, though Rahar couldn’t quite place what it was. All in all it was a unique scent- but not nearly as enticing as the other scent that once again tickled his senses.

He hopped down from the bed, claws scrabbling against the wooden floor for a moment. He glanced down briefly, making sure he left no scratches on the surface. The floor was made of beautiful wood that had an old smell to it. A dragon’s den was sacred, so he would never cause harm to another’s home- even if they were just a human, and not another dragon. It was just the polite thing to do.

Whatever he was smelling was heavenly. It was a salty, strong scent. Some sort of meat was cooking, and he heard a faint sizzling sound from below. He caught the scent of various other spices and foods cooking, but one smell cut above any other. From what he could tell, it was some sort of pig. All animals held a particular scent to them, especially while cooking, and it was easy enough for a dragon to decipher. But he’s never smelled anything like this. Though he smelled no smoke or fire, food was certainly cooking.

His stomach rumbled loudly, though, pushing away any questioning or thought, until he got hold of whatever smell wafted around him. Normally in a new place he would have taken stock of his surroundings, but the stomach of a dragon was famous for taking over all other senses. And his was desperate to get something to fill it after using so much energy to heal himself. The smell grew stronger as he raced down the wooden steps, the sound of cooking mea growing louder and nearer.

He slid into the room, suddenly unable to find purchase on the slick floor. His claws slid, a startled squawk echoing through the room, as he continued to slide, until he hit the opposite wall hard. He chirped in surprise, as he flopped down to his side, wings flapping, tail floundering as he struggled to right himself.

Momentarily distracted from the delicious smell in the air, Rahar blinked, and glanced down at the oddly slicked floor below him. He clacked his silver nails against the surface, and blinked, head cocking to the side as it made a flat, unnatural sound. Tentatively, he righted himself, placing one paw on the slippery surface. First one paw, and then the other, and then next- until he was on all fours again, and staring down at the floor still. It was unlike any floor he had seen before. Far more slippery than marble, and nothing like the stone floors he was used to.

He felt his scales rattle, though, head snapping up with a hiss when a soft laughter filtered into his hearing again. His tail lashed, huffing through his nostrils, as the human stood before him, a hand covering his mouth to stifle the giggle that threatened to break free. Rahar’s nostrils flared, and he fluttered his wings briefly, before folding them once again at his back. The human had some nerve laughing at him again. Even if the sound was a little infectious….

Rahar’s eyes snapped back to the human, though, when the man turned back to whatever he was doing. Cautious, his tail lifted slightly, nose twitching as he scented the air again. He blinked a few times, taking in the sight of what…seemed to be a kitchen. He smelled all sorts of food nearby, but a quick glance around showed nearly nothing familiar about the way the kitchen was set up. Like the floor, there were shiny, reflective materials that he had never seen before.

His eyes darted from the human as he cooked, to something sleek and black next to him. There was a sink, at least he thought it was a sink- and then something black and metallic next to that. The surface was like obsidian, so shiny he could see his reflection. He chirped softly as the human continued to cook, curious about what the shiny thing was. It was bigger than him, a few times over, but not as tall as the human. But it was thicker. And there were odd lights on it, as well. Some sort of latch that possibly opened the door to whatever it was. Inhaling deeply, Rahar caught the scent of something like soap coming from it. Clean, and crisp, and dangerous to eat. Not tasty at all. He certainly wasn’t catching that godly scent from whatever this was.

Rahar snorted softly, gaze flickering back to the human when his soft voice filtered through the air. He blinked once, eyes widening, as he saw a small white bowl in the man’s hands. A pair of mismatched, warm eyes stared down at him, as the human continued to talk. The amazing scent rose from the bowl, as the human knelt down on the slippery floor, and set it out.

Rahar moved forward, feeling drool starting to pool in his mouth, nose twitching with delight at the scents. There were eggs in the bowl, and some thin, crispy strips of greasy meat. The source of the heavenly smell. He felt some drool trail down his jaw, and huffed, licking his lips quickly. He flickered his gaze once to the humor filled eyes, seeing the human gesture with his hand.

A soft squawk, completely unbefitting of a dragon prince, left his mouth again. He dug down into the food, pulling out one of the strips of friend meat. The grease coated his tongue in an amazing, godly layer of oil. He crunched down on the first piece, and could have sworn he saw the gods ascend onto the worldly plane in his mind. His taste buds burst to life as he savored the taste of the first piece. Rahar’s eyes closed in bliss as his taste buds were assaulted in all the best ways possible. A soft churr sound rumbled through his frame, tail swaying idly behind him as he finished the first piece.

His eyes popped open, staring up into the amused face of the human. Rahar cocked his head to the side, licked his lips again, and then leaned back down to the bowl, and devoured the rest of it. This time, he forgave the human immediately for laughing. The food was delicious, and the human was sharing his bounty with him. All was good with the world, even if he was being mocked.