Of Monsters and Men

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From Orei's kiss and Orei's touch seemed to flow a relaxing energy that washed sleepiness over Matt. His limbs relaxed in such a way it was almost as if he collapsed in her arms and she lowered him into a bed that was suddenly there. A deep sigh emitted from him as he sunk into the mattress and the pillow. It'd been so long since he'd slept in a bed. Even back home, he'd slept in one so rarely. His eyes closed immediately, and he snuggled into the comfortable softness surrounding him. There were fading thoughts of how it was too much luxury for him but they were distant. He heard a soft scraping sound and cracked his eyes open just enough to see that a privacy screen had been put up. He desired to get up and move it. He didn't want to feel separated from anyone but he was so relaxed that the most movement that occurred was him reaching his arm out toward it. He fell asleep before he could do anything else.

Matt's sleep was deep, dreamless and restful. He hadn't slept so well in ages. Nor had he felt so... cared for. When daylight came, he was woken gently to the happy chirruping of a robin. He lay in the bed for a few moments, confused as to where he was. Finally he remembered the night before. He stretched with a little moan and got up, moving the privacy screen to the side, then, looking at it against his hands, he wrinkled his nose and tossed it into the fire, causing it to roar to life.

He looked over at Arianna, still sleeping restfully. He stepped outside, determined to get something more substantial for her to eat. Then his own stomach growled. He realized it'd been nearly a day since he'd eaten anything, so he sat down, just outside the cave and dug into the bag on his hip, pulling out the bread and scarfing at it.
 
Arianna woke up shortly after he did and came waddling out. Yawning and flexing her wings. "Hello?" she was still very sleepy but tried hard to hide it. "Matt? Was I dreaming or did someone really come into the cave. Was it a boy and a mean woman?" Sitting down next to him she watched him eat.

"It all seemed like a bad dream to me but then it felt so real. Was it real?" Arianna was very childlike for a moment as she spoke. Her tone was sweet but also carried a hint of truth as she looked to him for confirmation. In her gut she felt she knew the answer but she wanted to hear it from him.

"Are you ok?" Looking him over she didn't see anything wrong with him and that made her happy. Flexing her wings out she giggled and looked up at the sky.

"I want to fly so bad." Daydreaming a little she let her mind wonder. A few birds flew by and she watched them in flight wishing it was her.
 
Matt smiled brightly at Arianna, even though his mouth was full of bread. "Mogig!" He swallowed the bread and repeated himself. "Morning. It wasn't a dream..." he replied to her question honestly. "There was a boy. And the woman...You've got her pegged a bit... off. She's not...mean... necessarily... just... misguided... erm... evil... in the take over the world sort of way... I-- she's not weally a bad person... she just...she sucks sometimes."

He sighed, taking another bite of his bread. "I'm fine. I'm always fine. And if I'm not fine, I will be fine, cos that's the way I roll." He gave her a crooked smile. "So let's fly today."
 
"You mean it? Really when?" her wings flapped as she got excited and looked at him. "I think I know how. I can feel it deep down inside me. I close my eyes sometimes and can see myself flying high above everything. I've even seen you riding on my back." Giggling she flapped her wings and kicked up some dirt.

"I can't wait." Jumping up and down she made the ground shake when she landed and then she stopped. "Opps, I best not do that again." A few little pebbles rolled down next to her feet and off the ledge.

"So where did this boy go? What was his name?" as she spoke Arianna started to sniff around and look into the bag that was by Matt.

"Oh what's in here?" Clawing at it she tried to get her head inside it.
 
Arianna's energy and curiosity made Matt smile. She was adorable and childlike and he felt a warmth toward her swelling in his chest. He smiled. "Duncan went home." Or at least I hope he did. She promised he'd get there safe. So far shes always been right.

She sniffed at the bag hanging at his hip. "Oh this? This is a magic bag and it holds everything ever." He opened it wider for her so she could look inside but first he pulled out the dragon book. He would need to sit down and read it a bit before they got started today, so he would know what to do.

He remembered there were toys in the bag he was sure would interest her. She would find them, surely and he hoped be able to busy herself with them until he'd done his homework. He had yet to map out the details of the journey they were supposed to be taking and even less filled Arianna in on this adventure that she was to be a huge part of. Not yet.
 
Arianna stock her whole head into the bag. A crunching sound filled the air as she found something to eat inside and started to eat it while still in the bag. Crumbles started sprinkled the ground as more crunching filled the air. Her tail swished with joy as whatever it was, clearly was making her very happy.

"I love this stuff." She told him before taking another loud bite. Plopping down next to him she ate with her head in the bag. It didn't bother her to eat with it on her head. Somehow it fit and it was comical at this point that it moved when she was chewing. It looked like the bag was attacking her snout. It had come to life and was jumping around at the end of her snout. Dancing around trying to punch its way over her head.

"You want some?" she asked him. Another crunch wrinkled the air and she giggled. "Mmmm..." Her tail swished again as she ate. By now she was getting a little bothered and tried to move her head but truth be told she was stuck. Yanking back now a bit harder it was clear that the bag was snug on her head.

"Come nofffe" She grumbled. "noofff..." she said over and over jerking her head. "Yuufff nooff nooffff ." But the bag was on and not coming off. It sounded like she had something in her mouth.
 
Matt couldn't help but watch Arianna in amusement. The bag, no larger than his two fists put together when hanging on his hip seemed to stretch to accommodate her large snout. Magic was strange. Matt started to settle down with his book and had gotten no farther than the chapter title of "Human misconceptions of Dragons" when he got distracted by Arianna. She seemed to be stuck in the bag and he laughed at what was a relatively comical image in front of him. "You need some help there?" he asked her and stood up, approaching her cautiously. He tugged gently at the end of the bag, pulling it out and down to release it's grip on her. It remained caught and he wrapped his hands around to the back of her head, where some of it's fibers were caught in her scales. He loosened them and freed her from the bag.

"What'd you find in there?" he asked, a crooked, amused smile still on his face.

[Ooh ooh ooh. Someone drew a picture of the aliennnn

look look

zetagaga.jpg
]
 
Once the bag was off her head she giggled and stepped back with a snout full of popcorn. It spilled out all over the floor. In her jaws was a massive bucket of popcorn. "Look, look what I found." Her eyes were wide.

"This is good." Chewing on the popcorn and the cardboard tub it came in she was happy as could be. The buttery scent filled the air. Movie theater popcorn here? It had to be a mistake. But then again it was a magical bag. The smell of roast pork also came from her as she chewed away.

"I like that bag." Looking at him she couldn't be happier. Sitting down and then lowering herself into a more seated position she held the tub and stuck her snout into it. "What is this?" she asked Matt. All too happy to eat what she had found even if she didn't know what it was?

"I really like it. Want some?" she asked him as popcorn dribbled from her maw. "When can I fly? I want to fly today." She was thinking all at this point and her thoughts were open. Open so much so that they were roaming free.

"I know! Stop it. Just stop it." Duncan could be heard shouting just down the way. Dropping the pail she jumped up and ran into the cave.

"You... You better stop telling me you want to fly. You can't fly yet ok. You're not big enough so stop it. Just stop it." Holding his head Duncan slumped down near Matt and groaned.

"My head hurts. I can't do this. I cant. I can't sleep or eat. I just cant. My mom says it will pass but when? I heard them before but they left. But they didnt talk all the time. You DO! She is the only one left and I didn't know she was here. Now that I do all I can do is here her. Every time. She won't shut up. Just like before."

Whimpering in the cave Arianna crept out. "Don't whine." He snapped at her. Arianna lowered her head.

"You know what I'm talking about. My mom told me everything last night. They left you here didn't they? They left you behind because you talk too much and you talk to all the humans. You don't know when to stop. You bother everyone." Duncan's eyes were blood shot and he was shaking.

He was in a horrible mood. "Leave me alone. You saved me from that thing fine, just shut up already or you will always be alone." He snapped. Arianna whimpered and ran into the cave crying.

In the cave true crying filled the air and then Duncan groaned holding his head. "Dang it." Sighing hard he went in after her. "I'm sorry… wait come back."

When he got there he saw a small child huddled near the fire crying. A little girl dressed in all brown hugging her knees crying. "Arianna I'm sorry, ok. Please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

"Yes you did." She sniffled and slipped back into her dragon form curling up her back to him.
 
Matt could only stare at Arianna as she munched at popcorn that had apparently materialized in the bag. He'd certainly not seen that in there earlier. She babbled eagerly as he stared on, mouth hanging slightly open. He offered her a smile when she mentioned flying. "I know, we'll get you flying anytime now-" but he he was abruptly cut short by Duncan's voice. The boy seemed irritable and snapped at Arianna.

"Whoa- hey, kid!" But Duncan complained on. "Hey, you little shit!" Matt cried, feeling an overwhelming parental protectiveness toward Arianna. "What's she done, hey? Don't be a brat!" He grabbed Duncan by the arm and his voice lowered his voice and his blue eyes gazed with a sharp intensity into Duncan's. "You never. Ever. Tell someone they can't do something. Ever. You never break someone's beliefs that they're capable of being the best that they can, you hear me? She can fly if she tries hard enough and believes. If I let people talk to me like that, I'd never have gotten to where I am." Matt's grip tightened on Duncan's arm. "And you especially don't tell someone they're going to always be alone. Never!" With this last part, Matt's voice cracked. He stood up straight abruptly, fixing his expression so he appeared emotionless. He let go of Duncan's arm and watched as he went back into the cave to apologize to Arianna. Matt remained at a distance from the cave, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Never before had he felt such overwhelming feelings of protectiveness toward any one being. It was an emotion he wasn't entirely prepared to deal with.
 
"Duncan? Duncan where are you? Please answer me." A woman's soft voice carried on the breeze as she neared the cave. Panting she came towards Matt. "Duncan? Oh hello have you seen a young boy around here. He is about this tall and had on."

She paused again and panted. Catching her breath she collected herself. "Alright where was I? Oh yes. His name is Duncan he ran off this morning in such a rage." Glowing and blushing slightly the woman was shy and kept her distance from Matt. She looked just like Orei.

"Duncan?" she called again looking over towards the cave. Her hair was long and flowed softly about her. Dressed in a warm cloak she seemed to hide her figure from Matt. A bit more reserved that Orei was. "I'm very sorry to have bothered you. I'm sure you have more concerns than my suborn son. He is just like his father. Horrid man he was, I am determined to make sure my son is nothing like him and yet my Duncan is a brut at times."

Letting out a heavy sigh she held her hand to her chest. "Oh what a walk." Duncan gave up trying to talk to Arianna can came out. "Mother?" He turned red and ran towards her.

"What are you doing here?" He took her arm. "No more to the point young man what are you doing here?" She looked at him. "Out here bothering this nice man. Now come on, we are going home."

"You shouldn't have come out here. Not alone and not in your…" Hush!" she cut him off and Duncan looked away.

"Um, I'm sorry Matt. I'm going home now." He started to leave. "Yes you best go. I'll catch up." She told him.

"But..." He tried to protest but after a look he got from her he changed his mind and kept going.

Turning back Matt she smiled. "Have I met you in a dream?"
 
The first thing Matt noticed about this new woman was that she looked exactly like Orei. The second thing he noticed was that she seemed fatigued from her walk. He wondered if she was ill. One thing he had gathered for certain, however was that she was Duncan's mother, yet she seemed different than Orei. He felt unsure if she even was Orei. And if she was, then was Duncan Orei's son? And if that were the case did that make Duncan magical? A perplexed expression had made its way onto Matt's face and he gave his head a shake to slow and focus his thoughts. His mind had gone off on a typical speeding Matt tangent, which generally ended in a runaway train wreck.

Matt suddenly felt very aware of his appearance. He felt as though he were meeting his first true human in this old world, one who was his age, not out to kill him, and not filled with strange auras of magic. He was dressed still in the same modern clothes he'd arrived in nearly a week ago. They were clean...ish. At least Orei had helped him out with that a bit. But considering it was now a few days since then, he was beginning to feel grimy in his own skin. And then there was his hair, the unnatural bright red he'd had it colored at since before coming here. Having no means or real serious need to change it, it hadn't been much concern. Until now. When he finally found himself confronted with someone who might mind that he clearly didn't look like the rest. He figured he ought to take some comfort in the fact that this woman seemed to be Orei, but in his mind already this woman and Orei were two seperate people, despite their physical similarities. He shifted nervously and rubbed at his hairline, causing the hair above his forehead to fluff up and stand on end.

Out bothering this nice man? Matt flushed a bit upon hearing this. How could she know whether he was kind or not? For all she knew he could be a dangerous alien out to murder her son! Matt reasoned this would be the perfectly logical conclusion he would have made if he was a woman stumbling upon a creepy guy with a hair color that didn't exist and funny clothes who probably smelled.

His mind had rambled off again on its train wreck tracks, all the while staring at the woman as if she had a third head. Did she know Duncan could hear Arianna? Could she hear Arianna? He worried for her. She hasn't come out and he was sure se was still crying... No she surely knew about Arianna. Hadn't Duncan said something about his mother reassuring him about hearing dragons? Something about him getting used to it?

And how could Matt know if this woman had met him in a dream. Surely she wasn't actually Orei. And despite the weird bag that hung from his hip he still had trouble believing Orei even existed.

He finally shook himself out of his thoughts finally. "Erm. Hi. I'm Matt. You've dreamed about me? I'm not sure... Maybe I've dreamed about you... Er," he fumbled awkwardly for his words. "Who are you?"
 
The woman looked over her shoulder to make sure that Duncan was gone and let out a heavy sigh then spun around to face Matt. After giving him a smile her eyes closed her arms reached out to her sides, the wind blew softly forcing her cloak open, the dirt was kicked up around them. A slight blur was forced between them and when it cleared the Orei he knew stood before him.

"Hello Matt." She smiled at him and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you had to see me that way. I can take many forms and yes Duncan is my son. I am mortal. I help you in my dream state. See my body there."

She pointed to the sleeping woman resting on the ground near her feet. "Don't worry I'm fine. I rest often these days and have helped you when I could. It's easier when Duncan is off doing what he does best which is his own thing, as you have discovered. He has a way of finding his own way. It is not mine you see. He has chosen a different path. He won't listen and refuses the part of him that was a gift."

A pained expression came to rest upon her face as she spoke. "Duncan can hear Arianna, but refuses to reply to her from within. He can hear other animals too. He is in touch with more than he wishes to be and refuses this. It pains me. He rather force his way with things. He beats things and makes noise. He can create things and apply his love in other ways but he rather make his own music he told me. I don't understand what that means. Perhaps my next child will have a gift as well."

Blushing as her hands came to rest on her abdomen. "My time to help you is limited Matt. In that bag you will find clothes, food, maps and anything else you could think of. Use it well. Promise me that. Promise me that you will guide Arianna and offer her the love she needs. Yes she was left behind."

Looking towards the cave she sighed hard. "I'm sorry Matt but its late and the man willing to raise children that are not his will be looking for me. I will guide you as best I can. Take your time alright." She giggled and looked at him once more.

"May I suggest a change in hair color oh and Arianna can change her form. That will help with travel. She could pass for your daughter very easily. Only trick is to control your emotions and hers. Both of you will be fine. Have fun with it. That is why you are is it not?"

A soft gust of wind came between them the woman that had been sleeping slipped into the form a robin. She chirped at him then hopped twice and took flight.
 
If Matt had been staring at the woman before as if she'd grown a third head, when she transformed into Orei before his eyes he now stared at her as if she had a fourth. Fine. Fine. She was real. Magic was strange and he didn't understand it. But he had to admit, he'd seen it with his own eyes. However, it did make him wonder what had happened to magic in his own era. Had it thinned out of the bloodlines? Or maybe it had sunk into an underground society like in Harry Potter. He thought back on the girls he'd hung out with when the band had first started. They'd been into witchcraft...

When she spoke of Duncan he felt more and more of a connection to the child. They had more in common than they knew and he gave sort of fond smile. "He might come around," he offered. Or he might continue on his own path, doing his own thing. "Just let him figure it out. He'll come to terms with things on his own time, I think. He can come hang out with me whenever he wants." Wait, 'hang out' was a modern term wasn't it? "Er, spend time with me, I mean."

Matt offered her a smile just as she was leaving. He didn't know how to change his hair color here, but it was old color when he'd come here, so it was starting to grow out, and his brunette roots were showing through. Maybe he would just let it grow out and cut the color off. Then again, this was a place where magic clearly existed. If he looked hard enough he'd probably find something in that bag that would take care of it all together.

So Arianna could change her form. She must have been the little girl he'd been seeing as a dream. But the trick was to control his emotions and her own. Well that would be tricky. But thinking back on it, he'd really been doing well here with that. With the exception of that very brief moment with Duncan. He knew as long as he kept himself busy, he would be okay. No talking about his past, which oddly in this time period, was still the future. As long as they avoided that topic, he'd be okay. And as long as the alien didn't pop in and further wreak havoc. There was no guarantee with that, however. And she had threatened to kill Dom... Well she made threats like that before and never followed through. So fingers crossed that was the case again.

And surprisingly enough, he was having fun being here. He hadn't even realized it. But he had been enjoying himself here. Learning to hunt and finding out that he kind of enjoyed it, even if for the solitude and time to think. He liked being out in nature. He liked the outdoor living more than he'd realized and he enjoyed Arianna's company as one might enjoy spending time with their child.

As Orei transformed herself back into a Robin, he turned back into the cave to check on Arianna. "Hey, kid, how about that flying lesson?" he called.
 
A crashing sound came from within the cave and then another as Arianna thrashed around inside grunting and panting she flapped her wings then hissed openly in total frustration. While Matt has been she had gotten herself into a bit of a jam by trying to fly but only managed to get herself stuck. While she had meant well all her efforts to fly stopped short. Looking down at Matt from her small perch her eyes locked onto him.

"I can't do it." In her tone was fear and defeat. Clearly she had climbed the wall since it was all clawed at. Hunks of dirt were dug out and rocks littered the cave floor. Dust still hung in the air telling him this was a recent accent.

"I can't get down." Her tail swished and came around her side as she looked down at him. The ledge wasn't that high up but it was high enough to be intimidating. Had it been a modern building she would be stuck on the 3rd floor. Arianna's other option was to climb back down but the path down was just a crumbling mess now and that didn't look any safer.

With her wings flexing and ready to go she waited. They were up but she rest on her tummy. Scared and unsure of herself she waited. "I can't do it."
 
Oh no... Matt inwardly groaned when he saw the situation that Arianna had gotten herself into. She had gotten upset and scared by what Duncan had said. And now she didn't believe in herself like she had before. Matt released a slow breath, a practice that he truly had to focus on.

"Take a deep breath in, Arianna, and let it out really slowly. Wemember when you could see really well? You could felt like you might be able to fly? Think about that time. Okay take another deep breath."

Matt tried to stay calm, like Orei had said. Control your emotions. He, of all people knew, that if others had their emotions in control, it helped him control his. So he had to keep his emotions under control so it was easier for Arianna. He pulled out the dragon book and rapidly flipped to the section about flying, moving over to the fire so he could see better.

"Arianna, listen to me okay? Just breathe and listen. It says sometimes the first flight is done easiest with the eyes closed."

Then again that was if the dragon was to start flight from the ground, not a ledge...

"Uhm, try closing your eyes and flapping your wings, not fast, but slowly. Put all your strength in to each push of your wings. Flapping fast doesn't do much good. You have to concentrate on each one. And then... and then... okay, you have to breathe out with each flap. So breathe in, nice and deep, and then breathe out, flap. Try that. You can do it. I know you can."
 
Arianna listened to him and then looked down. Her tail swished as her wings beat and she skidded down a little. "NO!" closing her eyes she clung to the ledge.

"I can't. I'll stay here. No." sniffling she kept her eyes closed but her wings kept beating. Ever so softly they moved without her really thinking about it. Over and over they moved and her body started to lift. "No…" she was telling herself. Deep inside she was thinking. 'No I won't fall, I won't fall'.

With each beat of her wings her body lifted and soon she was airborne. Her tail was the last thing to slip off the ledge. Slowly she floated down and over towards Matt. Just about over his head she opened her eyes and noticed where she was.

"What?" panic set in and she dropped like a stone. Beating her wings in vein not to fall or crush him she gained just enough lift to kept herself aloft for another brief moment before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

Snout first she landed and grunted. Blinking she looked around and whimpered. Had she hurt him? "Matt? Are where are you?"

Looking all over she tried to see him. "Matt?" She thought she missed him. It hadn't even sunk in yet that she had flown she was more worried about Matt and the fact that she might have hurt him.
 
"You did it!" Came Matt's voice from her right, slightly strained. He'd almost managed to get out of the way in time. But he'd still managed to get his lower half pinned under Arianna. "Next time don't flap so fast." He twisted his head to grin at her. "Good job."

He wiggled a bit and got out from under her. She was heavy. But he was tough. And she hadn't dropped that far. "I think we should try that again, outside this time, yeah?" He rushed out of the mouth of the cave, beckoning for her to follow. "Come on! Try again!" He encouraged excitedly. "Maybe you can try with your eyes open this time. Maybe you can use your super vision!"

Maybe you can go high enough to help plot us on a map.

Matt peered up toward the sky, then called to her again.
 
Arianna ran out after him. "But wait, are you ok?" Her wings flapped as she ran and as soon as she was next to him they folded back neatly. In a very short amount of time she was gaining excellent control of them.

"Your ok? Are you sure?" Looking him over with keen eyes she wanted to make sure he wants hurt. Arianna knew very well that she was larger than he was and had to make sure that her weight didn't crush his little head or mash his feet.

After she could tell that he was alright his words sank in and she stopped short. Mid-step she looked at him. "I flew?" Spinning around and then looking back at him. Her tail whipped around. "I flew!" Giggling she was elated.

"I flew…. I flew…" she sang to herself. Half dancing and singing she moved about lost in her merriment. "I flew, I did, I did." Humming and moving her head about she was lost to doing anything else. He had said something else but what was it? Oh well she flew that was all she could think about.

"I flew… la la la… I few… yes I did. La La la "
 
"You did!" Matt said, his voice filling with pride at her accomplishment. "Are you ready to try again? Wait- be right back hang on-" He darted inside the cave and grabbed the dragon book again. He flipped through it trying to be sure that he didn't miss anything of importance. Once he was sure he'd gotten through everything about flying, he set the book down. "Okay," he began to explain, his voice becoming more serious. "I have to tell you something."

He got closer to her. "We have a mission, you and me, okay? I know your cave is where you feel most safe. But I want to help you find your family. I need your help though. I promise that I will keep you safe, but there are somethings I need you to be able to do for me. The first thing is," he paused, digging in the bag hanging on his hip and pulled out the map, slowly getting more and more crumpled every time it was shoved recklessly back into the bag. "This is a map. But I don't know where we are on it. So I need to figure that out. This," he said, jabbing his finger at the paper where he knew Teingnmouth to be, "is where I believe your family is. I know cos it's my home too. The second thing, well, let's not worry about that just yet. Just one thing at a time. You can help me, and yourself, by learning to fly really well. Maybe if you can fly high enough, we can plot ourselves on the map. But don't push yourself too hard. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I don't know anything about flying, but I'm sure it takes practice. So take your time, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Matt stepped back, crumpling the map and shoving it where it was in easy access in his back pocket. His expression was encouraging.
 
Arianna looked at Matt and giggled. "Can I see the map paper again?" she was trying to study it and him at the same time. All his talking and all the information was almost an overload. "I want to fly again. Can I fly now?" Flapping her wings again caused a small dust storm and once more she giggled then started to dance around her tail swinging back and forth as she started to sing once more.

"I flew… I flew… Yes I did. I flew, you saw me. I flew up in the air, la la la." Humming away her wings flapped happily in little beats.

"Matt I'm hungry now." Her stomach growled loudly and echoed in the cave. It scared her and she jumped looking into the cave behind them. "What was that? Was that me?" Looking at her tummy she couldn't believe it.

"No way."
 
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