Flames in the Night

"Trust me," he told her, glancing back at her over his shoulder. His eyes shown red, rather than their usual green. He faced the vampire again and charged, bending over to pick a thick stick up off of the ground. He broke the small twigs off, his plan to stake the wretched leech. The vampire caught his hands as they worked to get around him, the two grappling for a minute before the vampire shrank into a bat and flew high.

Alekel shrank out of his clothes and an owl emerged, its feathered wings flapping silently behind the bat. The owl soon caught the small mammal in its talons, the sharp tips ripping into the membrane of the wing and rendering it flightless. Soon, the bat was eaten and the owl flew back to Felicia, perching on the ground near Alek's clothes. The bird looked up at her and hooted, staring at her with its unusual red eyes. The bird moved its head to preen itself and pulled a feather from its wing. Hopping towards her, it left the feather at her feet before going to grab the clothes and fly back to the house.

Alek grew back into a man once he was inside, and quickly closed the door. He sighed, wondering exactly how dumb he could be, to shift in front of a human! They'd surely come after him with pitchforks now. And with all the iron weapons the townsfolk used... He'd surely die like his brother...
 
"What are y-..?" The sight of his now red eyes stopped her.. Weren't they green before?? Before she could ask or even try to remember if they HAD been red or green, Alexander was off and the whole scene happened in a flash. Without even time to react the other... creature.. the had-been bat.. was gone and.. Had he.. the owl.. eaten it? Where did that owl come from? Where was Alexander? Felicia was still trying to comprehend exactly what she had seen by the time the owl landed in front of her, presented her with a feather from his wing and left, Alexander's clothes in its talons. "..." The girl knelt down in silence and picked up the feather gently, making sure not to displace any of the tiny fibers that made up its form.

For minutes, but what felt like hours she stared at the lone feather, before finally turning her golden eyes onto the house behind her. I've always loved nature.. Felt a strange connection and oneness with it.. and here it is playing tricks on me... Surely... no one could actually.. turn into owls?


[]FYI: just a note, I try to put thoughts in color&italics, so she's not actually speaking that, just thinking. I know people do speech and thought differently so I thought I'd let you know just in case XD[]
 
[] It's ompletely fine! :) I had turned my thought color a paler red and italicized it to help distinguish between thought and spoken word. But just italicizing is fine~ []

Pulling his clothes back on, he turned to use his dragon vision to look though the walls towards her figure. He saw her staring in his direction, holding the feather he'd given her. The feather, if used by a person of dragon kin, would lead that person to the feather's owner. The same of a lock of fur, tooth, claw, or any part of the shapeshifter.

Turning his head to look back at his small house, he stepped forward to his bag and began putting clothes into it. I should leave before the townsfolk find out, he thought grimly. Burn down the house. Leave nothing behind. It would be as if I wasn't here at all. Just like before... Truly, he hated moving every few years. Starting life again, just to move a handful of years later. It was a lonely, boring life. He saw no need to keep going, but the smell of dragon kin that had been on Felicia. It gave him some sort of hope, deep inside.
 
Gently, she brushed her fingers over the feather, feeling the soft tickles of the fibers that made up its form. She felt as if she should go to Alexander's house.. if that was his house? Is that where the owl went..? Err... Alexander not the owl... wait was Alexander the owl? Ugh! She was so confused as to what just happened... Had she daydreamed it all? But if she had.. she wouldn't have the feather. There was only one real way to figure all of this out, so she did just that. She headed towards the house, cautiously.
 
Alek glanced over to see her headed his way. She was walking slowly, still stroking the feather. He idly wondered if she was heading towards town, on the opposite side of his house, or she was going to ask him what she'd just seen. If she did ask the latter, what would he tell her? Could he trust her with his two-century old secret? Or would he have to find another land to live in?

Sighing, he ceased putting his clothes in his bag and moved on to pack some items he would need if he were to live as a human. Tools were essential; he couldn't tear a tree down with his tail.

Or maybe he could just live as a dragon. The random annoying adventurer would disturb his sleep, but wouldn't be much of a threat. As long as no one brought iron... The only problem is, everyone had iron now...
 
She stopped at the intersection between the road and the path that lead to his doorway. Should she just forget the confusion she had just seen and go back into the town? Should she knock on his door? But then again.. if she headed into the town, the rumors of witches and the nervous glances at her golden eyes were only getting increasingly accusatory.. She sighed softly and looked at the feather once more before turning down the path only to raise her hand and knock on the door at its end.
 
Alek turned and opened the door slowly. He looked at her, his eyes green again. After a moment, he stepped aside to welcome her into his small house. "I will tell you," were the only words he said before he turned back to packing his tools. His clothes bag was on the floor. "You may sit on the bed or the chair, I do not care which." He thought hard about how he was going to explain this to her.
 
She was startled that he actually opened the door, and was human. She hadn't been sure what to expect, but as she entered the house she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She really didn't know what to say, so instead she remained silent and chose to sit in his chair and simply stared at the ground beneath his feet, unsure of what to ask or say.
 
Alek closed the door and stood there a moment. "It was not my intention for you to see that," he started. "But leeches - vampires - don't give up once they find someone to prey on. If I had let him go, he would have found you eventually." He sat on his bed. "You may speak your mind. Ask all the questions you want to ask. I am at liberty to answer."
 
"V-.. vampires? I-.. I don't understand.. you... he... What happened back there?" Her mind was a figurative clusterfuck of emotions and thoughts and she was struggling to make sense of any of it. She rest her elbows on her knees and her face her in hands, snow-white locks falling out of the hood of her cloak around them.*
 
He decided he should slow down and begin from the beginning. "This world is made up of many more things than just humans. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, mermaids, dragons. All the creatures of lore truly exist." He would let her soak that in before he shared any more. He looked over at her and returned his gaze to the bare floorboards under his feet.
 
"They... they exist..?" She looked up at him and wasn't sure if he was crazy or serious. "I don't understand.. how?... I haven't seen any of these things... And if anyone had it would have been me."
 
"They are born, like any other creature," he said. "And you do know. You were dancing in a trance, singing of dragon lore. Funny you should be singing of such a creature as you passed in front of his house." He looked at her, deciding not to tell her exactly how she might know. Learning of other beings, other intelligent life other than humans, is a big enough blow in itself. Being told you might be one, at least in part, could wait for another day.
 
"I was merely singing.. My mother used to sing that song to me when I was young.." She looked out the window, seemingly not hearing the last part of his statement for a moment, her eyes glazed over as she lost herself in a memory. "His house?" Felicia shook her head. "There is nothing around this town that looks as if a dragon lives there."
 
"Remember this, Miss Felicia. Not everything is as it seems," he said, and his eyes turned red for a moment. "Dragons are classified under shapeshifters. At least most are. The ones who have forgotten how to shift have either faded into their human selves, or have decided to live as a different animal."
 
She jumped just a little as his eyes changed to red. "You're... you're a dragon?? Why would a dragon even WANT to shapeshift?"
 
"Because staying a dragon is more dangerous than being human. Iron is poisonous to us. Every weapon a human makes is made of iron. If they think I am one of their own, they will not attack me. If they see what I truly am, I am as good as dead. It is survival. Believe me, I would rather be flying high above the mountains." He leaned against the wall as he looked up at the ceiling, though he was truly seeing the night sky.
 
Felicia mulled over what Alexander had to say. She had no reason to think that he would tell her the truth, but then again she also had no reason to think he lie.. But the AGAIN what if he was trying to corner her and bring her in as the witch the whole town suspected her of? He DID save my life though... She sighed softly, unsure of where to act from here or what to say, so she simply observed him with her golden eyes, taking in every detail of his figure as if it would tell her what was the truth.
 
He sighed and went into the cabinet where he kept all of his iron tools. "I will show you, then," he said. Hesitating as his hand hovered above the iron handle, he braced himself before he picked it up. He grunted, wincing as the iron burned his skin, and tossed it to her feet. "It is not hot," he said, his other hand gripping his left wrist, as if it would stop the pain. His left palm and fingers were burned as if he'd just picked up fire.
 
She gasped and stood up, backing away from the tool, almost knocking over the chair. Her golden eyes shifted back and forth between the tool and his hand, not believing what she had seen. It certainly wasn't giving off any heat.. "You... you really are a ... a dragon.. Aren't you?"
 
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