Of Monsters and Men

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"I twust myself!" Matt protested as she began swirling away in a gust of wind. “Hey! Hey!” His cries went unheard as he stepped toward her, “Hey! You didn’t answer my questions! Hey!” But she was gone, the gust of wind caressing his face, almost as if she had touched him. He shivered a little bit, then noticed the little bag, teetering on the edge of the cliff. He dove at it, catching it just before it fell off the ledge, its weight heavier than should be expected from such a small bag. He cradled the bag in his lap, and then glanced toward the entrance of the cave. “Did you see-?” he began to ask Arianna, but saw she was asleep.

Trust myself. Bollocks. If I need something call her with my heart. Gay. I needed answers and you didn’t give them to me.

…Well at least she had nice tits...

How does one call with their heart anyway? Oh fairy-pixie-elf-angel-profit-oracle-lady-with-the-tits, I’m calling you…


But there was no reply. A breeze maybe, that ruffled his hair. He looked at the bag and settled himself cross-legged on the rock and opened up the bag. She said it held anything he needed. Well, he doubted there would be anything outside of the time frame. Nothing modern, like a piano or a guitar… or a GPS or… or a radio…

Not that things like that could fit in such a bag.

But when he stuck his hand in, the bag felt endless. He pulled out a book. As he flipped through it, he saw it held tips on survival. How to identify edible plants, what to do in case of a snake bite, medicinal herbs, how to dress a rabbit, how to build a fire. He could tell some of it was outdated. Advice of the times. He saw things such as bleeding someone to rid them of fever or illness. No one did that anymore.

Matt set the book aside and dug back into the bag. He pulled out clothes that seemed to fit the fashion of the times. He wrinkled his nose. He would wear such things only when it was necessary. He was happy to find a hat. He might need that sometimes. And there was chainmail. That looked heavy. A knife. Shiny objects that looked as if Arianna might enjoy them. Matt nearly cried with joy when he pulled out an instrument that was very similar to a guitar.

“Ohh~” he crooned, hugging the instrument to his chest. He strummed the strings and made gleeful noises as he found it played very similar to a modern guitar. It sounded much different. But he didn’t care. It was close enough and that was all he needed.

There was food. And that seemed like some Jesus trick, because it seemed to replenish itself as he pulled some bread from the bag and shoved it in his mouth. He hadn’t realized that he was really this hungry. But when he thought about it, he hadn’t really properly eaten in almost three days. When he finished the bread he dove in and found a potato. The potato would be better cooked over a fire. Surely there was some sort of kettle- Matt pushed his head into the bag, searching.

Found it.

Shoes, money of a style he’d never seen before, another book, this one was about dragons. He pulled it out and set it aside. He would save that for later.

What I need is a map.


One appeared right in front of his face.

Oh. Alright.

He pulled that out.

But I don’t know where I am…

A compass appeared.

I don’t… know how to- right… survival book…

He glanced over at the small pile he had made.

He would play with the things later. But right now, the most important thing was to hunt for food for Arianna. He packed the things back in the bag and tied the bag around a belt loop in his trousers. The weight of it tugged a bit at the sides of his trousers, pulling them down on the one side and exposing his prominent hipbone. He tightened his belt to accommodate. The bag was a mystery to him though. It was small but held so much. It had a substantial weight to it, but still not nearly enough to accommodate the items it held.

I think I’ve gone mental.

Matt picked up the sword that he’d laid down on the rock next to him.

“Okay foxes, come at me,” he said out loud, moving his way down the ledge and into the forest area. He hoped the survival book had some hunting tips if he needed it, which he probably would. But stubborn as Matt could be, he wanted to try and see if he could do it on his own, first.
 
Not far from the cave a dead bird lay on the forest floor. Nearby its nest up turned and eggs dumped out. Yoke and shells crushed into the earth and paw marks pressed into the earth. Clearly something had attacked a ground living bird and its nest. The bird and its babies didn’t survive. A fox was close. It was quite now, to quite. Everything was holding its breath as if waiting to see what would happen next. The fox was hunting down its next meal. Somewhere close by it was stalking.
 
Must work on observational skills.

Matt's social skills had always been a bit on the tragic side. He frequently said things without thinking. And had generally lacked the observational skills to pick up someone else's feelings, much to the frustration of his closest friends. However, Matt could be incredibly observational, it was just that it was very selective. Matt had always been quick to pick out security cameras wherever they were and he was frequently caught staring intensely at people dressed in business suits, likely deeming them working for the Man or if they were trust worthy. Dom always told Matt he was being rude, staring like that, but Matt didn't usually answer, too busy making some calculation in his mind.

The trick here was manipulating where he was using his sharper observational skills. If he could just channel them a little bit. He knew he would need them out here. And maybe it was the necessity of the matter that would help make it happen.

He missed the dead bird at first. But the nest he couldn't miss. Once he'd seen it, he prided himself on being able to make the connection that there must be something hunting nearby.

The problem was, he didn't know what to do from here. He knew that some animal was close by but how did he hunt it? His eyes roved over the forest, looking for more signs and movement. At that moment, he saw a branch sway, as if something had walked past it. Bingo.

Caught you, you foxy little wanker.

Matt carefully moved in that direction, trying hard not to step on anything and make noise. This he would need practice at because he was clumsy, and still managed to create a bit of noise, but it was a nice attempt, for him. His noise did, however, attract the attention of the fox and it perked it's head up and looked straight at him, but the movement was still enough for Matt to see exactly where the fox was and they locked gazes.

He would have to move fast now if he wanted to catch the fox, now that it knew he was here. He crashed through the underbrush, rushing the fox with the sword. The fox was gone in an instant, much faster on it's legs than he was.

He'd failed.

Disappointed, Matt sat down on a rock, thinking.

Well you can't expect to get it right the first time you've ever tried, can you?

Sighing, he submitted himself and pulled out the survival book and began flipping through it. He became engrossed in reading it, and before he knew it, an hour had passed. In his silent and quiet time in reading, a deer had approached nearby. He didn't notice it until it was actually only a few feet away from him. He held his breath and froze, afraid to move in case it would run.

Take that, fox. I've got something better anyway.

He vowed he would not fail this time.

The deer was approaching him and before he knew it, it was sniffing at the bag on his hip. Something inside of it must be very attractive to deer. He couldn't believe his luck. He could physically touch this deer. He still didn't dare to breathe, and carefully wrapped his fingers around the sword that lay next to him. If he was fast enough, all he would have to do was slit the deer's throat and and the job would be done. With a yell akin to a warrior, Matt raised the sword and did more than slice the deer's throat, but completely beheaded the thing.

He let out a little squeak as the blood spurted all over him.

Oh my god what'd i just do- i think i just killed a deer!

It took a few moments for the initial shock to wear off, but once it did, he let out a resounding whoop. One that echoed throughout the valley.

He wasn't sure what to do with the deer now. He hadn't gotten so far in the book as to how to deal with the animal once he'd killed it, but it was starting to get dark. Carefully, Matt slid the book back into the little bag. He would deal with undressing the deer when he got back to the cave, he thought. And maybe Arianna didn't even need it to be undressed. The big obstacle would be carrying the deer back. He doubted he had the strength to drag it.

Cut me a break here, lady, help me carry it?

There was a gust of wind that rustled the trees and blew right in Matt's face, blowing his hair straight back and making him close his eyes.

You're a sassy bitch aren't you?

But when Matt turned to pick up the deer, it seemed to have the same sort of spell the little bag on his hip had. The deer still had weight, but the weight was not substantial to what it should actually weigh. Matt was able to drag the carcass easily.

Thanks, lady-with-the-tits.

With that, Matt headed back to the cave, sporting a trophy of blood spattered clothes and a headless carcass. He would definitely need a bath after this.
 
As Matt headed back towards the cave Orei appeared once more just a few paces ahead of him. Smiling at him she nodded once more. “Well done Matt. You have started to prove yourself.” Giggling a little she started to walk closer to him. “My you are a mess. Allow me.”

Without warning both her hands took holds of him. Tenderly she held his shoulders. Just barely since he held the deer she looked into his eyes. Orei smiled and leaned forward ready to kiss him. Closing her eyes she set her lips to his and for the briefest second there was contact and then she slipped right through him.

A rush, a tingle, a feeling of sudden renewal and energy came over him. The softest whisper went thought him. A passing sigh and it was over. A soft breeze followed. Then once again Orei, the one who cared for Matt in such elusive ways, was gone. Matt was now clean and full of energy but he stood alone with his fresh kill and right at the entrance to the cave. He could even hear Arianna slight snoring.

Inside at the cave warmed by the fire Arianna slept on. The ordeal from the events past drained her beyond belief. With her tail tucked in around her and her wings covering her like a blanket she looked very much like a baby cozy in her bed. For underneath her belly were the furs from past kills and they made for a heavenly bed. Breathing softly she rested. It was so cute and yet so sad to be reminded of how young she was and how hard she had been pushed to protect Matt from the hunter. She had pushed herself and really proven herself but she still had a long way to go.

The fire snapped and popped without an active audience for the cave was silent. Evening was coming and the forest was taming down for the night. Unlike the night before no rain was creeping around ready to pounce. The moon was waiting to take its rightful place high above them. A cool breeze was coming from the not too distant coats reminding him of her words.

Unaware of the length of time that she had been sleeping of the events that had past Arianna slept on. The fire snapped again and hissed as a log shifted and fell in the pit. Still she did not wake. The fire was slowly dying since no one was awake to feel it more wood.
 
Matt held his breath as Orei “kissed” him. A slightly stupid grin spread across his face and his cheeks and nose tinged pink. He stood in place for a while, letting the new energy wash over him. When he looked down at himself he realized that he was clean again.

So I get kisses when I succeed. Nice.

He grinned again then turned peeked in the cave to check on Arianna. She was still sleeping but he noticed the fire was dying. He went inside and added a few more logs to the fire, then went outside and studied the carcass he’d set down. He crouched next to it and pulled out the book again and using Dom’s lighter read how to undress an animal.

It was a good thing that when he set his mind to learn something, he was a fast learner and had a photographic memory. This was the quality that made him such a musical genius. But it only worked when he felt he had a good reason to apply his time and energy to learning something. This was much to his teacher’s annoyance when he’d been in school, because he’d never felt anything there was worth his time. But this was necessary for his and Arianna’s survival. And so now it stuck in his memory well.


Matt found the knife that had been in the bag, and carefully removed the fur and skin of the animal, then extracted the meat from the bones. He then wrapped the entrails in the fur and carried it far off from the cave so it wouldn’t smell and attract unwanted animals. He didn’t know if Arianna ate that stuff, or the bones, but this was what the book said he should do, so that was what he did. He found a small trickling stream and washed up again. When he returned, he took the meat he had piled on slabs of rock and brought them inside to the fire, where he set them on the edges, to allow the rocks to get hot and cook the meat. That way food would be ready for Arianna when she woke up.

Once he’d finished that, he made himself comfortable on the floor of the cave by the fire. Digging back in the bag, he found a blanket which he snuggled up in. He pulled two things out of the bag: the book about dragon’s and the guitar. Both he was eager to use. He also pulled out the map and the compass, knowing that it was important for him to try and locate himself on the map before he could even attempt to move toward Teignmouth. He wished he could have some sort of landmark, or maybe Arianna knew the village name. In the back of his mind he wondered if any of the names of these places remained today. He wondered if there was a Reading and a Leeds and if there was anything there right now?

He set the map and compass aside, deciding to wait until daylight and until Arianna woke to see what she could do to help. He picked up the guitar then, and began fiddling with it, trying to find the marked differences between it and a modern guitar. He found it relatively easy to adjust to and was soon playing out all of his familiar songs, singing along very softly.
 
The smell of food woke Arianna. Flexing her wings and yawning really big she popped her neck and started to looking around. Clawing at her snout and then her eyes one could tell they were still bothering her. One was even watering a bit. Blinking a few times she shook her head and tired hard to make things out in her cave.

“Hello?” She saw something and heard something.

Her eyes adjusted to the light and she tried to see Matt, or at least she hoped it was Matt. He was still fuzzy but she could just see Matt, a figure, someone sitting across from her at the fire.

“Matt?” Leaning forward with a bit of a head tilt she looked closer. “Is that? Is that you?” Her eyes were trying so hard to focus now. “I hope so or Ill bite you.” She was starting to get up. “What’s that noise?”

Shifting she stood up and tucked her wings back after flexing them out and flapping them out a few times. She almost made the fire go out but it didn’t. Her technique was more refined and she managed not to get dirt or dust on the food.

“Matt?” walking around the fire as best she could which was pretty hard one foot stepped in the pit but it was nothing and she felt no pain from the hot embers. The shadowy form was right there. Who was it?

Moving closer now she had to know. It felt like ages since she had seen Matt, sniffed him and known his scent. Was it him or not. She missed his voice and his touch. Was she dreaming? Creeping steadily towards the figure she wasn’t sure if it was Matt or not. Arianna’s expression was changing as she sniffed and lowered her head. “You don’t smell like my Matt. Ill snap you in half you noise maker you.”
Sniffing harder now she walked over to him and loomed over Matt staring down at him with her big eyes, she was nose to nose now. “Matt?” Arianna paused and sniff one last time before her maw open wide and then stopped. She licked his head and giggled.

“It is you.” Nuzzling into him she dropped down next to him with a thud and curled up, her head resting at his side. Letting out a happy sigh she blinked and clawed at her eyes. “You smell funny and what’s that noise. Did you trap a bird?”
 
Matt stopped playing his guitar as Arianna approached him threateningly. He felt his body pressing against the wall of the cave as she approached. What did she mean he didn't smell the same? He was still him, wasn't he? "Arianna, it's me-" he insisted as she approached him, looming over him.

"Oh god-" he panicked, sinking down as she opened her large maw to bite his head off, he assumed. Just when he thought he was about to meet his end, she licked his head and giggled. Nuzzling him, he nearly toppled over. She curled up next to him.

He sniffed at his wrist again. As far as he knew he smelled like himself why would he smell any differently?

"You should pwobably not claw at your eyes, hey? You'll hurt yourself and then you really won't be able to see..."

He sat up and moved toward the fire, prodding at a hunk of meat with a knife to see if it was done. "I got a deer, actually. I think that ought to be weally filling for you. I cooked it," he babbled, "I don't know if dragon's cook their meat but that's what humans do and I'm not weally sure if thats okay or if you even eat deer but i kinda accidentally beheaded it..." he stabbed the meat on the knife and held it out toward Arianna, offering her a small smile as he did.
 
Arianna looked at him and then to the meat. Sniffing it she made a face. “Why do you kook… khook it?” tripping over the words she sniffed it and then licked the meat and slowly took it. Chewing it once and then chopping it down it was gone in seconds. Her tail swished as she looked at him and wanted more. “Its different. I like to just eat.” Sniffing around for more she blinked as her eyes watered.

It was looking more and more like something was actually in her eyes now that they were in better light. She wasn’t aware of anything being wrong and so she just pawed at her face and shook her head. “I don’t like this Matt.” She blinked as an oversized tear slid down her snout.

“The deer is good and you took off its head? Really, you… you did.” Giggling she was impressed. “I like that, you did so good, that is very very good you will be like me. You chomped off its head.” Licking his head once more she was so happy.
 
"Well I cook it cos... cos if human's eat it raw we get sick," Matt said, stabbing the knife into the other slabs of meat. No point in continuing cooking them if she didn't like them that way. He piled them on a rock and slid the rest of the meat over to her. He would have to remember that. It would save time and energy. Don't worry about cooking the meat unless it was for himself. She seemed proud of him on his earlier hunting adventure. "It was really just an accident, I doubt I'll get that lucky again. So enjoy the meat while you can..." he flashed her a crooked smile.

She was complaining about her eyes again and they seemed to be watering. He put a hand on the end of her nose and carefully pushed her large head down so he could see into her eyes. He didn't know anything about eyes or about dragons but it looked like there was something there. "Erm, does your eye hurt?" she asked.

I don't know what to do... I'm not a doctor... I doubt that book has anything about... I guess I better read that book straight away.

He looked at her eyes again, then stepped back toward the book, then looked at her eyes, and then stepped back toward the book, taking on a rocking motion as he hesitated, unsure if he should leave her to go sit and read or if he should just try to help her now.
 
“No more fire taste?” she licked her chops and inched closer to him and nudged the meat towards the flames. “It’s good cooked human way and you can have some too.” She smiled at him and then rubbed her snout and sighed. Her eyes watered badly now. When she blinked it was like she did a double blink. Another eye lid moved too. A film like lid slipped over her eye and then her normal eye lid slipped down in a single blink only it was something she wasn’t use too.

Pawing at her face she dropped her snout to the ground and clawed at it. “It’s all fuzzy I can’t see right.” Sniffling she looked at him and got up in a huff. “I don’t like this” Frustrated she stood up and started towards the exit. Her wings flapping about as she tripped and walked along the wall for a guide.

“I want to see and sky and I want to fly.” Flapping her wings she felt like she could see for a moment it was a very strange feeling. She stopped and gasped. “Matt! Oh Matt I can start my training now.” She was giddy but also very clumsy and tripped over her own feet and landed with a thud snout first.

"Well I think so." she giggled and looked up at his fuzzled out form. "I think something has changed and that I can. I really want too. Can I try now? I really want too. I dont know why but when I flap my wings I feel like I can see forever."

As she was having her little fit a gust of wind filled the cave cooling it a bit with a soft sweet breeze. It was Orei no doubt. The book slipped out of the bag and its pages turned rapidly by the sudden gust. It stopped on a page called Flight training. It described all the things a young dragon would experience such as Arianna learning the use of her flight sight and how to get use the use of her eye lids. It was all about senses and timing. Control and balance it was all linked to emotions something that she still needed to learn how to control. It was a refined skill that would take time to learn and it had to come from her handler, Master, or clan.
 
Matt approached the book, seeing that it had been opened to a certain page. He blinked, feeling tired despite the renewed energy that Orei had given him. He tossed Arianna the ball of foil.

"Why don't you play for awhile. I think I'm meant to read this book. And you'll be bored otherwise," he said as he sat down on the blanket again and picked up the book. He hadn't gotten very far into the book at all before he began to read it out loud, some for Arianna's sake.

"It says you have a third eyelid," he started. "When the dwagon reaches a certain age, it's third eyelid becomes mobile- Hey, this weads like a pwoper modern book!" he shrugged.

I guess she doesn't want me getting lost in translation.

"In young dwagons, the movement of the third eyelid is lethargic until the lateral rectus muscle has been strengthened. In adults, it can pwesent itself during illness or extreme exhaustion. The third eyelid wetracts completely with the movement of the wings to ensure pwoper sight when flying. A dragon's visual abilities peak in flight. With pwactice, a dragon can gain these abilities on the gwound for short periods of time."

"Well aren't you just cool, Miss super vision? And you can fly!"

"These abilities do not come without struggle, however. A dwagon must pwactice emotional control and be very aware of their senses and surroundings. Loss of control can cause extreme exhaustion and overuse of abilities. A balance must be found. These abilities are learned over time from a dragon's clan, Master or handler."

...

What was that supposed to mean? Did that make him her handler or worse, Master?

Great. I can't even keep my own emotions under control, how am I supposed to help a dragon?

You've actually been doing very well since being here, Matthew.


Matt pressed his lips together and let his head thunk back against the wall of the cave as he closed his eyes.

Maybe it's cos I've been more focused on her than I have been on myself.

Congrats on that.

 
Blinking her eyes over and over again she was happy to feel something new and was slowly getting used to it. The encounter with the hunter it was triggered all the sudden change. Her desire to protect Matt brought about change and it was all for the better.

The foil he gave her rolled over next to her and she dropped down next to it and picked it up. Slowly and very carefully she started to unwrap it. Arianna sniffed it and licked it, careful not to swallow it. Giggling she folded it up with her claws. She showed excellent skill with her massive claws when she wanted too.

Humming softly she turned the foil around and soon it was flat. Blowing on it she made it float up into the air where it caught the light and made small reflections appear on the ceiling. Looking up she could see tiny flecks of light. Giggling again she watched Matt and then got up puffing air at the foil keeping it aloft as she went towards him. It floated above his head and floated right into his lap.

“Are you ok Matt?” Arianna looked at him and got real close with her large head and big eyes staring right at him. Tilting her head side to side she tried to see if she could make him smile. “Are you hungry? I didn’t eat all the fire human deer meat, you can have some. Would that help?”
 
Matt couldn't help but laugh at the dragon. "You're cute," he said, rubbing her head in the fashion one would if they were ruffling someone's hair, despite the fact that she had none. He leaned over and plucked up a piece of the deer meat and bit into it. It was surprisingly tender and juicy. Cooking it on the rock had made it that way and he inwardly congratulated himself on good cooking, which he was usually not good at at all.

"I'm fine," he assured her, picking up the foil in his lap. He draped the piece over his head and laughed. "I used to think it would protect me fwom the aliens. That's why I had it. I think it's better for you."

"Tomorrow we can twy flying if you want to. Maybe you can go up high and that will help me figure out where we are on the map. We're gonna travel, you and me," he explained.

No matter what the reason for him being here or whatever fear he had of changing the present, it felt good to have an objective and something to work toward. He'd always been a motivated individual and he couldn't stand just sitting around.

He pulled the guitar back in his lap. "This is called a guitar. It makes music, see?" he said, strumming a few chords. "Back home I'm in a band. That's what it's called if a group of people make music together. We play it for others then. It's fun. Music is really important to me," he explained. "What's important to you?"
 
Arianna thought for a moment. “Well?” Her expression was almost as if she was a little confused by what he said about a band. “I think food? I think. Is that right?” giggling she watched him play with the noise thing in his lap. It was odd but she understood that he was odd as most human creatures where. They did things that made noise and moved in funny ways. Arianna wasn’t grasping what he was asking but she was trying to talk to him. She wanted to be right even if she didn’t understand the question. In her mind being with was her life now, what more was there?

Settling into a cozy position next to him she just watched him and yawned. Once in a while she her claw would find its way to her eye and she would paw at her eyes. Grunting in frustration her tail would thump and then she would settle.

“Where did you come from?” she asked him softly. Her claws folded one over the other as she rested and watched him. It was rather lady like of her as well as a means to keep herself from pawing at her face all the time.

“Are there more like you that understand me?” Her wings flexed and shifted as she spoke getting excited. “Do you have offspring? I know most two legged huuu... humoans do.” She struggled with the words and yawned.
 
"There is no wight of wrong answer for what is important to you. It's different for everyone," Matt said, playing a playful melody on his guitar. He didn't notice her confusion, so engrossed in his playing that he was.

"I come from thin air, technically," he said, glancing over at her. "Don't scratch your eye. I come from another time. I'm not from this era. So to anyone who might have been standing when I arrived, I came from thin air. I come from the year 2012. The future."

A place where dragons don't exist

He played a bit more, lost in thought for a few moments. "I don't know if I'm the only one who can understand you and I don't know why I can understand you. We've hardly run into any other humans so I've not got anything to go off of except that hunter," he shrugged, then answered her last question quietly, "I don't have any children."

but I want some...someday... If I make it out of this thing alive...
 
As he spoke she giggled and stopped clawing at her eyes. After a while they stopped bothering her and she simply watched the fire. It was warm and comforting just like being around him. It was great that he had come into her life. Everything before had seemed so empty and cold. Waking up one day and being all one was so horrible. No one to talk to, no one to hunt with and worst of all no one around to just keep her company.

Arianna thought about all these things herself and without her knowing a small female child appeared in across the fire. She looked to be about 6 or 7 years old. She wore a brown dress with a darker brown top under it and small black boots. Her hair was short and cut in all different ways as if it was chopped off in a violent manor. Sniffling she looked into the fire.

“I wasn’t always alone. I never was mean or bad. I wasn’t. They did love me. They did and then I got sent away. I had no choice. I was bad.” Crying softly the little girl lowered her head into her tiny hands and cried. Arianna had since dozed off at this point.

The fire snapped and a log shifted falling to one side with a thud and the cave flickered with less light as the fire almost went out. The low light made the little girl vanish and Arianna woke up with a jolt.

“What? I didn’t mean too.” She looked around with alarm and backed up from him as if she was having a bad dream. Hugging herself she looked around as she sat up. “Um… Matt can you play me… can you playyhy an anotherrre... soongn...” her voice trembled.
 
A comfortable silence settled over the man and the dragon and Matt watched the shadows flicker and change across the walls of the cave as the light from the fire danced and dimmed as time went on. At least Matt thought it had been a comfortable silence. But there was a noise and when Matt glanced over he saw that Arianna had fallen into what appeared to be a troubled sleep. Something moved on the other side of the fire and Matt whipped his head around to see what it was. He squinted into the low light, not seeing at first the small child. The little girl began to speak and as she spoke she became brighter, as if she was stepping closer to the light, only she didn't appear to be physically moving forward. Matt found himself leaning towards her. Getting to his feet. Reaching towards her.

He frowned. The little girl sounded like Arianna. Matt was just about to say something to the little girl when the fire snapped and a log crashed into the coals, dimming the glow in the cave. The girl vanished, almost as if she were a projection or a ghost. He froze in confusion, and for a brief moment tears burned under his eyelids and he blinked them back, turning to look at Arianna, who seemed frightened. Was she afraid of the little girl? Matt didn't understand. That little girl was no hunter. But where'd she gone?

"Did you- did you see that-? A little girl?"

He was beginning to wonder now. Had he only imagined the child there? That sounded crazy. But his entire situation was crazy. Anything was possible now.

He could see that Arianna seemed very distressed though, and he sat back down with the guitar, trying to play a soothing lullaby like melody for her. He kept glancing at the fire as he played though, wondering if the little girl would appear in the flickering light again.
 
As he played Arianna soon feel back to sleep and the fire once again warmed the cave. Her tail curled about her side and her wings seemed to almost cover them both now. It was late and the moon high in the night sky. Lost in time is might seem that the two were meant to be here and now in this impossible situation. Both so lost and yet found in the strangest way with each other. At least in that there was some hope.

Matts playing filled the cave with a lovely tune that calmed Arianna and gave her sweet dreams. Breathing softly her chest moved with a steady flow of inhalations and exhalations. No snoring or shifting. She was at peace and her mind clear. A soft giggle whispered in the air and once more a little girl was seen in the cave. This time she came running around the far corner in what seemed to be light coming in from the caves entrance.

It was night and this was impossible. Another giggle and the child ran with a ghostly air. No sound other than the giggle. Holding a floppy dead fox in her arms the child set it down and pet it. “I got it all by myself” Giggling again the little girl ran off and the light dimmed. Arianna was dreaming.
 
Matt could tell that the music seemed to calm Arianna and as she drifted he leaned up against her, the rhythm of her breathing relaxing to him as well. He felt himself relaxing and as he did, the little girl came back. She was like a vision, a ghost, fading in and out of sight and her voice, drifting like an echo. She would appear from nowhere and disappear into oblivion. Matt was unsure if he was dreaming or not. He was getting sleepy now. He would ask Arianna if maybe the cave was haunted. Maybe she'd seen this little girl before too. Matt's playing began to slow as he began to drift to sleep. Finally he stopped, his fingers only resting on the strings. The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep was the little girl holding up a dead fox. He squinted, wondering why it seemed familiar to him, before he drifted to sleep completely.

He dreamed of the little girl, however. He dreamed of holding her hand, walking with her around a carnival, buying her ice cream and carrying her on his shoulders. There was someone else there too, with them, but that person didn't have a face. Someone Matt's age. And they were kind of like a family. The dream faded from there and he was on stage for the next part. It was him and Chris and Dom. It felt like the Glastonbury gig. Everything was going very well. But then the drums cut out. Matt turned to look for Dom but he wasn't there.

He shifted in his sleep then, and whimpered a little.

The gig turned from Glastonbury to Teignmouth. Arianna was there, in the crowd. And he took comfort in her presence. But the crowd, the crowd was scattering. Afraid of Arianna. There was mass chaos and Arianna was confused by what was going on. She'd come to watch Matt, why was everything going wrong? In the dream, Arianna was scared. People in the dream people, in their fear of her, tried to hurt her and she breathed fire.

Matt's manager came out from backstage. He was angry. Where did Dom go? Was that his dragon? How could he be so foolish to allow a dragon into a concert?! Look what was happening!

"She's just a baby! She's my friend! Let her be!"

But in the dream, Arianna was captured and caged. And Dom was gone.

You did something to the future. Dragons exist now and people are afraid. What you did to the future, it made Dom disappear.

His sleep was restless.
 
Arianna picked up on his vibe and woke up. Worried about him she nudged him and sniffed his ear to wake him. “Matt?” Sniffing at him again she looked him over and hoped he was ok. Concern for him came natural now and it grew with each passing moment. “Matt wake up.” She snapped at him and stood up with attitude.

Stepping back from him she looked out and saw the early signs of morning. “Matt?” her tone was now more of a whine. “Umm… I’ll be right back.” She licked his head and darted out of the cave. Even the most basic needs had to be taken care and soon enough she was on her way home

While she was gone she had found a fallen sapling and yanked off a branch. Yanking it up the hill with some effort she was anything but graceful. The poor little tree left a trail of leaves as she backed her way up towards the cave dragging the thing in her strong jaws. After licking at some of the sap that stuck to her teeth and maw she made a face. It wasn’t the best tasting stuff in the word. Tugging a little more she got it to the opening and dropped it. Happy with her work she stopped and broke off one thin twig that looked like it would be fun to chew on.

Taking it with her into the cave she started to chew on it. Her teeth made quick work of the layers getting right down to the smooth surface below. It was fun for her and since she was bored and didn’t know what else to be doing she chewed and soon a thing stick was formed it was very similar to a drumstick.
 
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