Lou

Lou opened his eyes.

His stomach growled and his mouth felt dry. Confused at first, he blinked. The surroundings were foreign to him. He saw gray, rusty red, and brown. Sunlight and shimmering white surrounded him. Then he remembered. The dragon! Carefully, Lou stroked the scales of the large reptile. They were warm and soft. The dragon snored softly. He was still asleep. Lou carefully scanned the scales and held his head very close to the dragon's body so that he could look at the scales. They aren’t white, he thought surprised. The scales shimmered in the sunlight in the colors of the rainbow. Beautiful.

Normally, Lou could not stand touch. He associated it with fear and pain. Mourning. It felt like an intruder. Strange, too close. But the dragon's scales were soft. Something was reassuring about the closeness to the reptile.

The dragon moved in his sleep and Lou was startled. For a moment he feared that the dragon would crush him, but instead, he just pushed a claw in Lou's direction and stretched out one of his wings. He grazed Lou's legs with his sharp claws. Luckily he only scratched him a little, but didn't hurt him. Still, Lou didn't feel comfortable doing it. Nervously, Lou pulled his legs up. He could literally feel the power of the beast if he could call the dragon that. Carefully, he reached out a hand to one of the wings. He could only see white. It had to be a grand wing. His fingers felt feathers. Soft feathers. "Oh!"

"That's what I should say! It's tickling!" The dragon's body vibrated as he spoke.

"Did I wake you up?" Immediately, Lou withdrew his hand. "Excuse me! I was curious."

The dragon laughed. "Your curiosity tickles."

"Excuse me."

"Are you done exploring? Or should I lay here a little longer?"

"What?" Frightened, Lou shook his head. "No. I shouldn't have done that. That wasn't right."

"But it didn't bother me. You see badly. Then it doesn't matter. Just keep exploring!" Smiling, the gigantic creature nudged him with a soft wing.

"It doesn’t?" Lou frowned. "And what if I could see normally?" The dragon just snorted instead of answering him. Lou sighed. "I still shouldn't done that. My friend Remy always says that dragons aren’t pets, so you shouldn't try to pet them. They often see this as an insult. And it's rude. In general, no one wants to be touched by me. Excuse me."

"Hmm..." Again the dragon moved. He sat up cautiously. "I agree with the first part. We aren’t pets and wanting to pet one is an impudence for most. But it's okay if you're curious." And again, something nudged Lou. But it wasn't the dragon's wing. It was something equally feathered. Confused, Lou leaned forward. He recognized the feathers and a few iridescent scales. "Oops! That's my tail! I've forgotten how tall I am!", grumbled the dragon. The feathers disappeared again. "Well? Do you want me to take you home?"

"How? Can I walk?", asked Lou.

"No. But we can fly."

"What?" Frightened, Lou grabbed the dragon's claw. "What? Fly? Really? Is that possible?"

"Of course." The dragon snorted. "How else could I have brought you here? I carried you. With... My claws..."

Lou felt the smooth claws under his hands. "You didn't hurt me."

"Of course not!" The dragon grumbled. "I was careful. But... I don't know if you can hold yourself on my back... Eh... Would it be okay for you if I held you again?"

Lou felt queasy. "I don't know... I think it's okay..."

"Good! I'm getting up now! Attention! Big, fat dragon is rising!", the dragon announced, laughing.

"Are you fat?", Lou asked.

"No. But bigger and fatter than you!" And then the dragon slowly rose. Lou remained seated and stared at the white scales, which he could barely recognize. He could also only guess the exact size of the dragon. He didn't see much more than white contrasting with the gray and brown of the cave. "By the way, my name is Lou. And you?", he asked nervously.

The dragon did not answer him. Lou frowned. "Was it rude to ask for your name?"

“What? Oh!" The dragon rumbled softly. "I was just... My name is Veit."

Veit. Lou nodded. "The name suits you."

"Do you think so?" The dragon smiled. "Thank you. So then, ready?"

“I guess..."

"Good! I'll reach out one of my claws to you and then lift you up. I'm careful. Don't be afraid!"

Lou nodded and tugged at his rags. Don't worry? That was easier said than done. He trembled a little. Yesterday he wanted to end his life. And now he would fly with a dragon. His most ardent wish came true. He felt something, deep inside him, that was alien to him. He was excited. Tingly. He felt sunny. That's the best way to describe it. The dragon reached for him. Lou was startled. With his fingers, he felt the claws of the dragon. Then Veit slowly lifted him up. Lou's feet dangled above the ground. The feeling was strange, foreign. The dragon went off. Lou flinched as he rose into the air.

Wind blew around his face and ruffled his hair. He didn't know how high up they were. He saw the blue of the sky, gray and brown. The yellow gold of the desert and a few green and blue specks. The river and the meadows around it. What did the world look like when you could see? Truly see? Was it as beautiful as he imagined it to be?

They did not fly for long. When Veit finally landed, Lou felt grass and reeds on his feet and legs. He heard the sound of the river. "We are close to your city. But if I land even closer, there will be an uproar. I'm not allowed to approach humans just like that."

“ You broke the rules?"

"I fished you out of a storm."

"Oh." Lou nodded, embarrassed. "That's right. Where do I have to go to avoid falling into the river?"

"You can't see the river? Not at all?"

"I hear it better than I can see it. The world consists almost entirely of colors. Something has to be close in front of my eyes for me to recognize it. To be able to see the river properly, I'd have to fall into it!", grumbled Lou.

"We'd rather avoid that!", announced Veit. He sounded a bit embarrassed. "Can you distinguish the city from the other colors?"

Lou looked around. "Yes. Up there, right? I think I know where I am!" He pointed to a light beige a bit away from them. It stood out strongly in the sunlight against the gray and brown of the mountains.

"Right. Good. I'll sit here until you reach the city. Just in case."

Lou grimaced. "You want to take care of me?"

"Yes. I'd rather do that!", the dragon admitted. "Please don't run into a storm again."

Lou nodded. But he didn't want to promise. Maybe he would do it again. The sunny, tingling sensation disappeared. "Will we see each other again?" He wanted to talk more with the dragon. Ask him questions. About the mountains. The other dragons. Lou's stomach growled. Maybe his mother had brought him food to his hut? What time was it?

"Maybe? But go now. I have to go back to my family right away. I'm sure you're worried. And you're hungry. You should eat something... I'm sorry. I could only hunt you something."

Lou grimaced. "I can't cook... But... You have family?" Was the dragon married? He sounded... Young...

"Parents and older siblings. Go now! You're hungry! Get something to eat!"

Lou tugged at his clothes. Get? From where? But he didn't say that. Instead, he thanked Veit for his help. He said goodbye and walked cautiously towards the colors of the city. With every step, his knees hurt, reminding him that they were injured.

-----

Hi friends. 

I use a translation program to help me translate my story. (You can find my german original at Wattpad.) And sometimes it does translate something wrong. Like, changing peoples genders, or...

Well... Translating a word wrong. Like in here!

The German word 'Schwanz' can be translated with 'tail' or 'dick'...

*crys* Harper doesn't touch poor Lou with his dingledingle. And his dingdong isn't feathered! XD