Of Monsters and Men

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Matt sighed, feeling a spark of his old impatience rise up. Surprisingly, it was the first time since he'd gotten here that he'd felt it. Impatience was a trait that ran strong in what he had begun to refer to as his 'other life', but here, it hadn't cropped up at all. And even now, it was only a faint blip of impatience. It was nothing he'd likely admit to anyone, but it was probably due to his soft spot for kids. And somehow, Arianna equated a child to him. He was more patient with her than he was with most others.

"You just ate though..." he replied, thinking back to the popcorn she'd gotten into. Then again, popcorn was hardly substantial, even to a human. He couldn't imagine that it would do much for a dragon at all.

"Maybe I need to go hunting again," he murmured. He pulled the map out of his back pocket and set it on the ledge, pressing his hands against it and trying to flatten it out as best he could.

"Okay, this is the map. You study it and understand it, okay? Shall I try and find you some food while you do that?"
 
"Oh Matt look" pressing her snout to the paper she nudged the colors that indicated where the land ended and the sea began. I like that place. Having no way of reading, having not a clue where he was trying to get too what she showed him, happened to be the same place. It wasn't from memory either, it was from her heart.

"I want to go there." Her tail swished and she looked at him all excited. "I can fly you there, let's go. Let's go now." Giggling she flexed her wings out and beat them a few times to get the feeling again.

"I can do it, I can. I don't think you are that heavy. Let me check." Nudging his arm out of the way she tried to work her body under him. Laughing she let her head get under his chest. "Can you climb me?" she asked him as she wobbled trying to get him onto her back having no clue how to take on a passenger.
 
I don't like that place, Matt thought. But that was in my time. Not now. He stumbled as she nudged her nose underneath him, nearly falling on top of her before he realized that she was trying to get him to sit on top of her. He giggled, then hesitantly swung a leg over her long neck and slid back down so his knees hooked over her shoulders. He searched her neck, trying to find a place to get a good grip on her. His fingers grappled around on her scales trying to find something to get a good grip on. Finally he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her neck in a tight hug.

"Oooright, I think I'm on. You ready, kid?"
 
"Yes." She was so excited. Beating her wings she started to walk and then with one great push she jumped up into the air. Arianna gave it everything she had. Breathing just right, her timing had to be perfect for with every breath her wings moved in sync. Closing her eyes she thought to herself. 'Fly' and a moment later they were off the ground. The bits of earth flicked under her claws from the way she left the ground. Her long tail followed her with epic grace. She had done it.

Lock into what she had to do now she tried not to let anything else cloud her mind. 'Fly, me, fly' she was telling herself as they rose above the treetops. Needles fell to the forest floor as her belly knocked the tops of a few over as she climbed over them. Clawing at a few she tried to keep her balance. Wobbling a little with his weight she did pretty good overall.

Panting hard she was getting tired and quickly started to drop like a stone. "I'm… I can't…" Panting and beating her wings with everything she had Arianna couldn't keep them up any more. "Oh no…" Her left wing dipped and they started to fall. She could feel Matt slipping off and they were too high. If he fell now he would die.

Arianna tried to grab his foot. "Matt!" she cried.

Clawing for him mid-air she dove right at him pulled him into a hug seconds before they hit the ground. With him tucked into her protective arms and she curled around him he should be alright. Arianna on the other hand had a snout full of dirt.
 
It was a strange feeling. Matt had never ridden any kind of animal before. Not a horse, much less a dragon. Arianna's flexing muscles rippled under his limbs. Her surface was scaly and rough to the touch, yet the way she moved felt more like liquid. Or at least that was the closest he could come to describing her motion. It wasn't completely unusual for him to be up high, and he didn't particularly have a fear of heights. After all he'd been suspended for long periods of time before for video shoots. Not that that had been a comfortable experience, but that was a different story. But this whole experience was a bit surreal and peculiar. He wasn't entirely sure he knew what to expect. Arianna was lifting up through the trees and for a brief moment, they could see over the tops. Matt immediately began searching for some significant landmarks he could pin on the map, but the moment was truly brief. Arianna seemed to be tiring and dropping fast.

She wasn't dropping smoothly, though. She was dropping more as if she were losing control. "No, breathe! Focus on breathing! Slow-!" Matt attempted to coach her from behind. She listed to the left and he felt his balance completely thrown off. He scrambled for some sort of purchase on her shoulder but his weight seemed to be throwing her off too. He squeaked a little as he felt himself slip from her completely. Before he knew it he was tumbling face first toward the ground, approaching it with terrifying speed. His heart stopped in his chest and be braced himself for what he was sure to be a very painful experience.

What happened next was too fast for him to comprehend. There was a flurry and a flash and a lot of noise. He felt the jolt of hitting the ground but it was nowhere near as painful as he expected it to be. If anything it left him a little breathless and shaken. He couldn't understand it at first until he realized that he was very very close to Arianna. Somehow she'd managed to grab him and protect him, to soften his landing.

"Are you awright?" he asked finally, tipping his head up to search for her face.
 
Arianna snorted and stream of dirt and dust blasted Matts head and neck. Coughing and slowly rolling over she flopped and got up. "I'm… I'm…yes." Coughing she shook her whole body and sneezed twice.

"Are you ok?" Stepping over to him she started to check him over. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry I got tir… tirhered.dd." Yawning as the last words left her she blinked at him and smiled softly. Dirt and dust covered her once perfectly clean scales.

"I want to fly a... aghinnn..." yawning once more she fought to keep her eyes open. Her wings flexed and folded neatly to her back. Arianna looked like she took a nice dirt bath. The ground around them had a small crater from where they hit and the trees took some damage. Broken branches snapped off in the fall lay around them. Others still dangled up in the trees, tangled in a mess just waiting for the next storm to be set free with help from the wind.

"Can we try... try again soon." Nudging him softly she hoped he would say yes. Arianna looked so tired but was fighting it. Her tummy growled too. It demanded food and made her hiccup.
 
Matt coughed as she snorted dust into his face. "I'm fine," he reassured her. "You caught me. Thanks. Here..." he said, struggling out of her grip and crawling to his feet. "You look really tired. Why don't you go rest and I'll go get some food." He reached out and brushed some of the dirt off of the scales on her face with a tender smile. He patted his hip looking for his bag and found that it had fallen off in all the commotion. Looking around he saw it dangling from a branch above his head. He jumped, trying to reach it, but he was too short. "Or... I will get food," he said, "Once I can get my bow and arrows..." He glanced around again, then moved over to the trunk of the tree, struggling to climb up it.
 
Arianna giggled and padded over to him. "Here Mattie, you two legs too short." She giggled once more as she shoved her head under him and gave him a boost so he could reach the bag. Her large head was a good step-stool when need be. His feet fit perfectly on her head and she tried to hold real still for him. Slowly she lifted her head a little higher for him. Arianna wasn't to strong and couldn't get him too high but wanted to try and help. Her front claws rested on the tree trunk for extra balance. Yawning softly she waited for him to get the bag.

"This better? Oh Matt is their more popped stuff inside there?" her tummy grumbled at the thought of it. It was so good. She could a whole barrel full right now. "I want more of that. It was good and crunchy."
 
Matt blinked, startled at being called "Mattie." He smiled a little and stepped on to her head, reaching the bag easily with her help. He peered inside, checking to see if there was more of the popcorn. It appeared her wish was the bag's command, because a bag appeared and he could smell it's buttery contents, which made his own stomach growl. He pulled the bag out and handed it to her. "I hope that will hold you over until I get back," he said, pulling out the bow and arrows.

With that he disappeared into the woods. Without even realizing it, already he walked softer on his feet and had become slightly more stealthy. He moved ever so slightly more like a hunter. Practice, apparently, could truly make anything perfect, even his clumsiness. Without the proper care, the brightness of his hair had begun to fade and his roots were beginning to come in strong. Though it in no way helped camouflage him, his head was no longer the bright moving target it once had been.

He was also getting better at spotting signs of animals. Tracks, scat and deer beds were becoming obvious to him. It wasn't long before he was able to bring back a fox and a squirrel and two rabbits for Arianna. When he returned to their place, he carried them proudly.
 
While he was gone she was busy eating. In no time the popcorn was gone. When he came back the bucket that the popcorn had been was half eaten too. Bit teeth marks shown where she had ripped bits of it away and remains of it lay about her maw. It was a tiny snack for her but it was better than nothing. Her body was happy to have it. With something in her stomach she dozed off. A little snore escaped her as she rest on the cave floor. She didn't even hear him come back.
 
Seeing that she was asleep, Matt set about preparing the meat for her. He wondered what to do with the pelts, and if there was a way to save them. Surely they might come in handy later. And she had a whole pile of them that she slept on. He would have to look in his book to see how to go about doing that. He left most of the meat raw, since she said that was how she liked it. But for himself, he saved one rabbit and went over to the fire where he began to cook it. While he waited, he pulled out the dragon book again.
 
As she slept some footsteps could be heard of someone approaching. "Hello?" a soft voice called from the opening. "Psst dragon, are you in there?" It was Duncan and he sounded scared. Holding a lantern he stood there waiting.

"Mr. umm… Sir?" he waited as he called into the cave. Dressed in his sleeping clothes with his boots Duncan looked out of sorts. He wanted to go further into the cave but since the last time he had been there things hadn't gone very well he wasn't sure if he was welcome.

"Umm, hello anyone home. It's me Duncan I umm... I need your help." He called into the cave. Arianna's tail twitched as she sat up and sniffed the air.

"He's back." Her eyes flickered with worry as she looked towards the entrance. "The little two legs is back and he smells funny" Rubbing the end of her snout she pawed it as Duncan called once more.

"Hello?" his voice was near a whimper now.
 
Setting his book down, Matt stood up. Glancing back at Arianna, he could immediately pick up that she was nervous. However, Duncan's tone worried Matt as well. He sounded vulnerable, and while it was something that Matt had yet to realize, he had a soft spot for kids. He wanted to help Duncan. Besides, Duncan wasn't a bad person. He was just... like Matt. Confused. And probably a bit too stubborn for his own good.

"Eat," he told Arianna, sliding his catches towards her. He then approached the entrance of the cave, calling to Duncan. "Hey, kid, what's up? Erm... what's wrong?" he corrected himself, inwardly reminding himself not to use terms that were modern and made no sense at this point in history. As Matt approached Duncan, he noted Duncan's clothing. It appeared he had jumped straight out of bed to come here. "You alright, kid?"
 
Duncan looked up at Matt with a question written all over his face. His nose wrinkled and he gave a stern expression if only for a moment. "I'm not a goat" He mumbled as he tried to hold the lantern steady.

"I came because I can't hear anything anymore." As he spoke the wind kicked up and he had shielded his face with his arm from the dust being blown around. "I wanted to see if the dragon, umm… Arianna I think her name was. If she was alright and if you were still here even. I can't hear anything and well I can't hear her at all. It's as if everything just stopped. It's all gone silent." Letting out a heavy sigh he looked at the ground.

"I never thought I'd miss it." Duncan stepped back a ways from Matt and turned to go. "I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry" Again the wind blew and this time bits of rain hit the ground.

Back in the cave Arianna had eaten what she wanted and was now standing near the caves opening only a few feet from them. Sniffing the air she watched them. "I can't fly now can I?" she asked Matt. She was unaware of the conversation already going on.
 
"Goat?" Matt asked, puzzled. "I didn't call you a goat... I- oh...kid... right... uh, where i'm from it doesn't always mean...goat..." Matt tried to explain. He listened as Duncan explained his predicament. "You mean, you can't hear Arianna?" A question suddenly popped up in Matt's mind. Did he used to hear other dragons too? Were there other dragons nearby? He didn't want to ask that just yet, or bombard Duncan with questions. "Here, why don't you come inside," he said, putting his hand gently on Duncan's shoulder and guiding him in from the wind and the rain. As he guided Duncan into the opening, he addressed Arianna's question. "No, I don't think you want to fly right now. Seems like it's getting a bit stormy."

Matt guided Duncan to sit next to the fire. "So you can't hear Arianna anymore? I wonder why that is..."
 
Duncan went inside and sat near the fire. He was still holding the small lantern with tight within his small fist. It clanged on a few rocks making him jump. Arianna spun around with a jump and eyed him. "What's he going to do to me? Humans hunt me." She snapped at Matt and kept her distance.

It seemed that although she had saved Duncan from the strange woman before, now he was here under different circumstances and she didn't like it. "I want to fly and he made it rain." Pouting Arianna padded off towards the far end of the cave away from the two. Her tail dragged behind her. She was mumbling something and flicked a rock with her claw as she went. Grumbling and mumbling all the way till she found a spot and plunked down with a bored huff.

Hearing the thud Duncan looked up to see Arianna away from them and turned to Matt. "Did I do something wrong? Do I smell? I did wash, I did. Mother made me." Sniffing under his arm Duncan checked.
 
"He's not going to hunt you," Matt sighed to Arianna. "And if he plans on it he'll have to answer to me," he added, turning to give Duncan a stern glare. Not that I'm a huge threat or anything. But no one crosses my friends. "And you smell fine. Dragons have a strong sense of smell," he explained. "They can tell that everyone has a unique smell. Like dogs can. Do you have dogs here? As pets? Anyway... That's what my book says. She's probably saying that cos she's not used to you."

Matt plucked up some of the rabbit that had now gotten overlooked on the fire and was tough and dry. He gnawed at it and then offered Duncan a piece, trying not to make a face.

"Hey?" He asked softly, curious. "Have you ever heard of a city called Teignmouth? Does it exist? Where do you live? Does your town have a name?" What's normal human life like, back here? He wanted to ask but didn't. Are there places untouched by humans? Unexplored and unowned?
 
While Arianna was off pouting Duncan tugged at a piece of rabbit's meat and nibbled. Its toughness didn't seem to bother him at all. Looking over at Matt he tried to smile with thanks. "Um, thank you for this. I didn't finish all my dinner. I was hungry. Will she be alright?" He looked back towards Arianna and stood up to get a better view.

It was if all of Matt's questions fell on deaf ears. He didn't seem to want to answer them or like he was in any hurry to either. Sitting back down a soft sight slipped out of his tired lips. Rubbing his eyes and yawning Duncan looked at Matt once more.

"So what was it you wanted to know about Amber Stone? I've lived here my whole life you know. My mother and me, I mean my father too but well you know what happened to him." Giggling he looked over at Arianna.

"I wonder what he tasted like." Shaking his head at the thought he took up a stick and poked the fire. His eyes were lost in a silent gaze for a bit.

"You know Matt, its lovely here. You should stay both you and the dragon. You don't have to go you know. No reason to march off to Tigermounth, or Tignernhunt?" He was trying to say it right but kept messing it up.

"The sea is cold and damp. No place like being inland and warm. Lakes are good for fishing and away from the bigger beast. They talk too much and battle for space. I still have nightmares. Why I don't know but I do." Rubbing his head and neck then his eyes Duncan looked like he was going to pass out.

Arianna slowly crept back over and sniffed at them. "What are you doing?" She asked Duncan but he didn't reply. He just looked at her and reaches out to pet her. "Will she bite me?" He looked at Matt.

"Why won't you answer me?" she looked at Duncan still. "I'm talking to you." She nearly growled at him.

"Is she mad?" Duncan was looking scared now as he felt her energy change. "Um… Matt?"

"Why won't he talk to me, I'm going to eat him too. I want to fly. I want to fly now. It's not fair." Arianna huffed and snorted. A hint of warm air came from her jaw. It was clear that she was having a mood swing or just being difficult at this point.
 
"Teignmouth, TEEN-mouth." Matt corrected slightly absently as he lost himself in questions. They talked too much and fought for space? Were other dragons really so dangerous? Surely it could explain the fear others had and felt a need to hunt them down... even Duncan's father...

He shuddered, remembering the incident.

"Don't talk about your dad that way... he's still family..." he murmured, then grunted as he stood up. "You should get some sleep, kid. You look dead tired." I'm gonna... i dunno... I'm gonna read that book some more... or play guitar...

Arianna came over, sniffing curiously at Duncan. "Shh, Arianna," he scolded her. "He doesn't understand you. And you're not doing that." For fear of necessarily scaring Duncan, he refused to say that she wanted to eat him. "And. Well. Sometimes you can't get what you want. Sorry."

He moved away from both Arianna and Duncan. And that was when the zeta's voice amplified into his head.

"Hello, Matty. Are you getting irritated with your 'friends'?"

Matt let out a groan. You always pick the worst timing.
 
Arianna watched Matt walk away and sighed hard. He was being difficult she thought but then let him be. He was after all so different for most. Hearing Duncan get up made her wonder what he was doing. She stood there and watched as went towards her bed.

"I'm going to sleep now." He called over to Matt as he curled up on some of the furs and tugged one up over him for a blanket. Arianna was shocked. He just moved in. That little two leg just took her bed. He just went over there and lay down on her bed. He didn't even ask or anything. Huffing she walked towards him.

"You… your… no… its mine." She told him but he could hear her and he was fast asleep. "It's mine." She protested again but he again didn't reply.

"No…" she pouted in almost a whimper. She nudged him with her snout and Duncan moaned softly.

"My bed." She told him. Duncan moaned softly and blinked waking just a little. "Hi dragon." He was groggy and felt no fear in his tired state. He reached out and pet her snout softly. Then is hand dropped down as he went back to sleep.

Arianna was shocked at what just took place and said nothing. He didn't hit her or anything. Blinking she sighed softly lowered to sit next to her bed. Resting her head on some furs near Duncan she watched him sleep.
 
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