Xavior
I dropped into bed exhausted from working one of the more prominent were-creature festivals. Many of the various Public Servant headquarters volunteered to help with the event. It was three days of magic, music, and shifters of all kinds.
Most kinds, I should say. Werewolves tended to stay away from large gatherings like that. Greg hadn’t ever volunteered for the festival before, but I had talked him into working a couple of shifts with me. He was pretty good at keeping his amazement in check. It amused me a little to see him so out of his element. The guy really must have grown up pretty sheltered based on some of his reactions.
I closed my eyes thought about Greg, as seemed to be the case more and more these days. I dreamed about my wandering journey when I was younger…. Or so I thought.
The unpaved road in front of me made it easy to put one foot in front of the other. The sun was hot on my red hood. While the pack I wore wasn’t nearly as full as it could be, it felt heavy on my back. I settled down on the side of the road to take a break. I took off my hood and set down my walking stick. I slipped my pack off and dug out an apple, a bit of cheese, and a flask of water.
The moment I took a sip of water, I heard a low growl from behind me. My scales vibrated under my skin, threatening a shift in response to whoever was out there. Was someone actually trying to intimidate me, or was I in their territory? Even so, most sentient animals, shifters, or weres knew well enough not to mess with a dragon.
“You can be polite, or you can continue to growl. It makes no difference to me. Once I’ve finished eating, I’ll be on my way.”
They circled me and continued to make their presence known. When I heard two feet instead of four padded ones draw close, I reached for my walking stick in preparation for violence. They might have had a better chance as the wolf they were under their human-seeming skin if violence was their aim.
“Are you here for long?” A soft, low-toned voice said.
“No. Only passing through. I’m visiting my grandmother.”
“Are you? Is she far from here?”
“Not very far. Another day or so.”
“Why not fly? You have wings don’t you?”
“Walking lets me meet people and learn things. There is a time and place for flying.” They took a few more steps in my direction. I looked behind me and saw a dark-haired head and a pair of dark eyes staring at me.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. Their eyes grew wide. I could smell their anxiety from here and the slight sour smell of desperation. “Come. I’ll share what I have if you sit with me.”
“Too close to the path. Too bright,” they said.
“Oh?” I shrugged. It didn’t bother me to move. I wasn’t scared of them. They barely looked like they could draw breath, let alone start a fight. “In that case, I can move.” I picked up my things and walked a bit deeper into the forest. I didn’t walk directly toward them. I didn’t want to challenge their position, nor did I look them in the eye. I settled under another tree and waited for them to follow.
Slowly, they crept from the shadows and settled in the clearing across from me. It wasn’t overly large, but it was far enough away that neither of us could reach the other without moving first.
“Are you thirsty?” I asked. They looked half-starved and dirty. Their human form had matted, greasy hair on their head and between their legs. They crouched as if they were still in their wolf form.
I held out my flask, but they didn’t move toward me to take it. I motioned to toss it to them. I watched their eyes watch me as I gaged where to throw it. I lobbed the clay flask with its cork in a soft arch toward them. They snatched the flask out of the air without looking at it.
They drank, then realized that the flask was magical and didn’t run out of water, then drank more as if they hadn’t tasted anything so wonderful. “You might want to slow down unless you can tolerate that much water on an empty stomach.”
They slowed and looked at me as they recorked the flask. “Clever item,” they said as they tossed the flask back toward me. I caught it and set it down next to me.
“Useful when traveling. Keeps me from having to follow the streams and rivers.”
“That wouldn’t matter if you flew to where you were going.”
I shrugged. “Probably, but then, the journey is the mystery. It’s the point, not the destination.”
They seemed to settle a bit. They moved to lean against the tree nearest to them, and I heard their stomach rumble from across the clearing. I broke off a chunk of the cheese I had and tossed the handful to them. They caught that and smelled it. At first, they were tentative, as if they weren’t sure it was real. Then they inhaled, and I could see the memories play across their face as they closed their eyes.
“My mate used to make something like this. It has been some time since I had something so pleasant,” They said as they took a bite and savored it.
I didn’t want to ask where their mate was. I realized something must have happened to their mate for them to be alone and in this state.
“What’s your name?” I kept my voice calm. They were more relaxed now that they were eating. They chewed slowly and swallowed.
“Gregor.”
“Xavior,” I replied. I received a nod in acknowledgment. We were quiet for a while. I watched as they finished the hunk of cheese, then drifted off. I was surprised. Most beings would not have done that with someone they barely knew. Or they didn’t care. My concern for them grew as the day shifted to night.
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