His tail slid against the floor softly, as he finished his food, tongue scraping the bottom of the bowl, licking up the cheese melted to the side of the bowl. The eggs had been amazing, but the glorious strips of meat were what his heart was after. He gave a soft chirp again, as he heard footsteps approaching him. He hadn’t even heard the human turn away from him, let alone come back. He eyed the human for a moment, running his tongue over his lips. Rahar’s entire body seemed to vibrate as the human produced another plate of the delicious food, a fresh wave of drool forming, as the human knelt on the slippery floor and set the plate down.

The human scooted the plate closer, speaking in that alien language of his. So soft, and almost melancholy. His tail twitched slightly, eyes gluing themselves to the plate after studying the man’s face. He snorted, and then continued his feast, crunching through the greasy strips of delicious meat. At this point, Rahar didn’t honestly care what the human did, or how close he got. The human had practically saved his life- even if he probably would have survived the entire ordeal without his help, it would have taken weeks to get to where he was now.

Rahar didn’t even care that he was making soft chirping sounds as he ate, like some sort of starved dragonling. After the beating he had taken, he needed all the nutrients he could get. Once fed, Rahar could focus on everything else around him.

After the second plate was cleaned off, and Rahar had been sure to vacuum up even the smallest of crunchy bits, he finally returned his attention to the human. He sat across from him still, sitting cross legged on the slippery floor, apparently unbothered by the feel of it. Rahar sat back, head cocking to the side. Now that he got a closer look at the human, Rahar was able to get a better feel for him. Well fed, out of pain, and fully awake, the dragon prince was able to actually see the human.

He was pale, just a bit shorter than himself in his two-legged form. His sleek black hair was cut in an almost uneven fashion. His bangs were long, nearly covering his eyes. Just the slightest part of the human’s eyebrows showed, though his startling eyes showed every bit of emotion he felt. One was a soft green, the color of soft forest moss; the other was a clear blue, deeper than the sky. He had a mole beneath his right eye, and a pale tint to his skin that almost spoke of a sickly pallor. He was thin, like many humans were, and his clothes were odd. They smelled of a similar fabric like the sheets on the bed he had slept on. Which must have been the human’s bed. Meaning the human had offered Rahar his own bed for the night. Rahar’s heart swelled slightly at the thought. The human had given him much- he could trust this man, he somehow just knew it. To what level, he wasn’t sure, but Rahar was ready to learn more about him.

The human interrupted his inspection with a few soft words, and a hesitant smile on his face. Rahar’s head tilted the other way, giving a few soft blinks. The human bit his bottom lip, seeming to think something over for a moment. There was indecision in his eyes, and Rahar watched for a moment longer, curious about what it is he was mulling over.

When a slender, pale hand lifted, and then lowered again, flopping onto the human’s thigh, Rahar realized what he was thinking. The human wanted to touch him. It was an almost surprising thought for the dragon. Physical contact was important for dragons- letting someone close enough to touch you was a sign of great trust. Even among the humans he had interacted with in the past, it seemed to be the same for them.

Sliding his tongue over his lips again, cleaning up any remaining crumbles or grease, Rahar gave off a questioning sound, and met the human’s eyes. The other male’s eyes seemed to widen, and a soft, embarrassed blush crept across his pale features. Rahar snorted softly, and then nudged aside the empty plate, carefully placing his paw on the slippery floor, crawling closer by just a few inches. His eyes remained glued to the human, watching the emotions flicker plain as day across his face. A startled happiness blossomed in his mismatched eyes, and he shyly lifted his hand once again, and then lowered it closer to Rahar.

Rahar’s nostrils flared, taking in the human’s scent again, from the source. It mingled with the scent of food in the air in a pleasant, relaxed way. He needed to rely on the human until he regained his full strength. In order to grow closer to the human, he would need to learn more about him. And the first step to that, was learning the language he spoke, so they could communicate better.

The human’s hand almost seemed to tremble as he held it out, and Rahar let out a soft huff, closing the distance between them. He pressed his snout into the human’s hand, and closed his eyes. The hand touching his nose was cold- colder than the rest of the human’s body seemed to be. He let off a soft huff of air, and then inhaled the human’s cent again. It was a good scent, one that calmed Rahar in some fashion. Despite the overall softness of the human, Rahar could feel rough calluses on his fingertips.

The human made a soft comforting sound, growing bolder in his touches. The hand slid up his snout, and then down to his jaw, just at the crest of his scales along his neck. He rumbled softly at the human’s gentle touch, and pressed in for more. Dragons were physical creatures, and Rahar enjoyed the touch of the human, despite it being almost too soft. Yes, Rahar could rely on this human.

Coming to a decision, Rahar opened his eyes once again, and stared up at the human. He had a blissful expression on his face, as if this were the happiest point in his life. Rahar shifted slightly, and then pulled away for a brief moment, summoning what little draconic magic he had in his core. He felt the heat rising in his blood, scales rattling slightly, as he prepared himself for the transfer. It would startle to human no doubt, but without doing this, he’d never be able to explain himself, or thank the human for what he had done.

Locking eyes with the human one last time, Rahar opened his mouth, and moved closer once more. He sunk his fangs into the human’s flesh, tasting a trickle of iron. He heard the human yelp in surprise, but the rest of the world as drowned out as fire roared in his veins. It coursed through him, magic thrumming through, as he poured it through their contact- through the human’s blood.

He felt a rush of energy leave him, and released the human’s hand, just as he jerked back, and fell to the slippery floor. Magic coursed between them, and for just a moment, their pulses were in sync. The heat of draconic magic flooded through the human, binding them together. Rahar felt the rush of images and emotions flooding through him- felt the fear and pain both from the human, the shock at being bitten, and a multitude of other emotions and images.

As his magic circulated through the human’s blood, bits of knowledge trickled into his mind. Pictures of the human as a small child, the sky, and mountains. Rahar closed his eyes, scaled bristling slightly, as the information assaulted his mind. As his magic gave them a faint connection, the words that the human shouted began to make sense to him.

But more important than anything else, was the name that flashed into his mind, bright as the harvest moon. Rahar opened his eyes again, seeing the human had backed up across the room in fear of him. Scales rattling, Rahar pulled himself up to all fours, seeing the human turning, and staring in shock at the already healed wounds on his hand. His connection with the human gave him strength- it was likely that he would be able to shift forms to communicate with him, soon.

Eyes bright, Rahar took a step forward, tail swaying behind him.

“Theo….”