Rin

 

 

 

I’m back at the entrance to the dragon’s cave. He stands across from me, his eyes burning with anger, his massive shadow cast over me. A growl emanates from deep within his chest, and I expect that at any moment he’s going to swing down his head and chomp me in half as he did to the tribal man at the pyramid.

Instead he spreads his wings and tilts his head up, and before my eyes he transforms into the man. He stretches his arms, adjusting his body to its new form, and then he closes the distance between us.

My breath is short from disbelief. That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed. I’d suspected that the man and the dragon were linked somehow, but I’d dismissed the notion that they were one in the same. Now that I’ve seen the truth with my own eyes, there’s no denying it. He walks until he is mere inches away, his broad shoulders and sharp facial features towering over me, shimmering like liquid gold in the sunlight. Normally I’d be afraid, intimidated by his commanding presence and bitter demeanor. But right now I’m too stunned to feel anything but awe.

“What are you?” I say, completely dumbfounded.

He ignores my words completely and points toward the valley below, shaking his head side to side. He speaks strange words. His voice is raw with emotion, fast and animalistic. Of course I have no clue what he’s saying, but I get the gist of his message:

Do not run off again.

He doesn’t have to argue with me about that. “Don’t worry,” I say. “I’m not going anywhere else without you.” And I mean it. I’ve had my fill of near-death experiences. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since arriving on this bat-shit crazy world, it’s that my fate is inexorably tied to this dragon-man. Without him, I know I won’t last long. Being on his good side would actually carry quite a few benefits, and I could use a friend right now.

“I promise.” I mean, things could be worse than being stuck with a very sexy, very powerful dragon-man with a big… ahem, heart. He’s saved my life twice now, and besides the thrashing around last night he’s done nothing but treat me with the utmost care. I intend to be guarded around him, but at the same time I’d like to get to know him better. After all, with his great big claws and his ability to fly, he is quite the protector.

I rec out to shake his hand.

He crinkles his forehead as he examines my gesture, but a moment later he takes my hand and pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me and running them all over my back.

“Oh,” I say, startled by his shift in attitude. I thought he was pissed off a minute ago. Apparently he has an affectionate side. I reciprocate his action, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug. He nuzzles my neck with his lips, and for the first time all day, I feel safe again. Then the nuzzling intensifies, and I feel a very hot, very big bulge pressing against my stomach. Maybe I’m not so safe after all.

With a little effort I pry his arms from me, holding up my hands between us.

“I’m happy to see you too.” But now is not the time for any funny business. It then dawns on me that we’ve been intimate but neither of us has made a proper introduction. I pat my chest.

“I’m Rin,” I say. Last night he was able to say hurt, and I’m hoping to establish some sort of rudimentary dialog with him. It seems we are stuck with each other, and being able to communicate will make life a whole lot easier.

“Rin,” he copies. The way he moves his lips when he says it is sort of cute, like a puppy eating peanut butter. Well, maybe more like a giant rhino eating peanut butter. But his pronunciation is spot on. Lucky for both of us I have about the most basic name possible. He repeats my name, gazing at me intently with his burning red eyes, and a smile forms at his lips.

I return the smile. “Yes, good job. It’s actually Erin, but my friends all call me Rin.”

He looks at me funny, silently mimicking the motion of my lips as I spoke, silly peanut-butter-eating look and all.

“Forget all that,” I say, realizing I should probably keep it simple to begin with. I say simply Rin again then tap him on the chest.

“You?”

He pauses for a moment as if searching for the sounds, and then he says, “Targon.”

 

*

 

I’m stunned by how quickly Targon learns. He remembers every single thing that I say, and is able to repeat words back to me at will. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I do remember reading something a long time ago about how dragons are super smart and have excellent memories, but I’m pretty sure that was a work of fiction. Maybe Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. But this isn’t anything like that. This is real, but it still applies.

I guess anything is possible now, considering the fact that not even two days ago I was waking up in the dorms, oblivious to the fact that alien dragons existed, and now here I am. I look back over my shoulder at the tall, dark, and handsome Targon. And there he is. His eyes flash at me as we make our way through his lair. I swear sometimes he can read my mind. Or maybe he’s just super attentive to me. I don’t know, but either way, it’s fascinating what he’s capable of.

He’s been following me around while I check out the cave and the many tunnels that snake deep into the mountain. We are close to the volcano, and the ground trembles every now and again, but the caves are sturdy and seem to hold up. I figure they’ve probably been around for a long time. If Targon lives down here it must be safe, so I try not to worry about it. There are all sorts of strange things in here: mysterious winding tunnels and the occasional skeleton. But the craziest thing I’ve come upon so far is his stash.

“Holy Toledo!” I say as I come around a bend in the tunnel. There’s a gleaming pile of gems and gold coins all stacked in the center of a large room. I’m stopped dead in my tracks by the sight. I turn to Targon, my eyes big like saucers. “You’re freakin’ loaded!”

The “room” in the cavern is about the size of a two car garage, and every last inch of the floor is covered in gleaming gold and sparkling gems. With the flickering of the torches it’s like that Disneyland ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, with the overflowing chests of Spanish Doubloons and pearls and swords. On steroids. This guy could give Fort Knox a run for its money.

He sees how shocked I am at the sight of all this wealth and walks over to the pile, digging his hand in. The coins clink and jangle as he searches around, and when he withdraws his hand, he’s holding a golden bracelet studded with cut jewels like I’ve never seen before. It’s very beautiful, elegant and understated despite the flashy gems. It’s something like I’d imagine Cleopatra wearing while she plies the Nile River on her yacht. He turns around and walks back over to me.

“Rin,” he says, pointing at me. He gently grabs my arm and slips the bracelet around my wrist. It’s heavy and cold against my skin, but I have to admit: it looks pretty damn good on me. The red jewels remind me of Targon’s eyes. And it fits well too, but it makes me wonder who made all this stuff. Who pressed the coins? Who cut the gems? Perhaps it was the tribesmen. I start to take it off, intending to give it back to Targon, but he stops me and again says my name.

“A gift?” I ask him.

“Gift. Rin,” he replies. He caresses my cheek and I blush, thankful that the dim torchlight conceals my reaction. I’ve never had a man give me jewelry before. It makes me feel really appreciated. With everything he’s done for me lately I owe him big time. But for now, my stomach is rumbling and I can’t ignore it anymore. I haven’t eaten anything since Egypt and I’m absolutely starving.

I rub my stomach. “Do you have anything to eat around here?”

“Eat?” Targon says.

I pretend I’m holding a chicken leg and bring it to my mouth, biting down. “Eat,” I say again, holding my stomach and making a pained expression. “I’m very hungry.”

There’s a flash of understanding in his eyes, and he takes my hand, leading me to the front section of the cave. “Hungry,” he says.

He signals for me to wait and then walks out onto the landing and transforms. Even though I’ve already see it happen, it still blows my mind. One second he is a man—naked, built, glimmering like his treasure—and the next instant he is a gigantic and fearsome beast. I can practically hear the Game of Thrones theme song in my head. He flaps his wings several times and is about to fly off when I gather my senses and cry out.

“Wait!” I yell, rushing to his side. I don’t want him to leave me right now. I’ve explored the cavern with him and know that it’s probably safe for me to be here—especially if he’s willing to leave without me—but still, after everything that’s happened, I’m afraid not to have him around. What if another dragon comes, or some creatures get up here somehow? There were skeletal remains after all, so obviously it’s not impossible to climb up. My mind races with all the horrible things that could happen, and I clutch at his massive leg, eyes pleading.

“Please let me go with you,” I say. “I’m scared to be alone.”

At first he nudges me aside and makes ready to fly off again. “No,” he says to me. “Danger.” With his big scaly nose he pushes me back toward the cave entrance.

But I don’t let up. I grab on tightly, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling his hard and protective scales against my soft skin. It’s such a comfort to feel the rise and fall of his chest, and to know his watchful gaze is over me. “Please,” I beg again. I do my best puppy-dog eyes, just in case he’s having trouble understanding. But his eyes soften and he signals for me to wait. He heads back into the cave for a moment, disappearing down the tunnel. When he returns, he has a black-tipped spear in his clutches. He hands it to me.

“Danger,” he says.

I follow him back out onto the ledge, and a moment later he’s clutching me snuggly in his talons and we shoot up into the air. The cave falls away, and soon we are cutting through the afternoon haze, high above the crags and cliff faces of the mountain. I have an incredible view hanging below him like this, though I have to admit it’s a little disconcerting the way he carries me around. Never in a million years would I think he’d intentionally drop me—after all he’s done for me, it’s clear he would never let anything bad happen to me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still a little frightened. Especially after the experience in the helicopter. I’m extremely leery of heights these days.

Soon we clear the mountain ranges and the ground slopes away even further. We shoot off over a vast area of black volcanic rock that stretches for miles all around. Through cracks in the rock I see red streaks of bubbling lava. Streamers of smoke rise into the air here and there, and the whole area seems to wobble mirage-like from the rising heat. We fly over that for a little while, and then we’re over the jungle. My body tenses as I remember my fight with the ostrich creatures, and chills run up my spine thinking about what else might be in there. I try to relax. I have Targon with me, and we are far outside the reach of any jungle creatures.

I shield my eyes from the sun as I look toward the horizon. The jungle is truly huge, and it crosses my mind that it’s going to be quite a difficult task to find the girls. The only thing I have to go by is the fact we could see the volcano from the helicopter crash sight. Otherwise, they could be anywhere. I’m hoping Targon is willing to help me with my search. If not, I fear I will never see them again. I hope they’ve found a way to stay clear of the tribesmen and are doing okay with food and shelter.

Targon begins to descend, and my breath is taken away at the sight before me. There’s a steep cliff in the jungle, and a huge river pours over the side, creating a broad, steep waterfall that goes on for ages. It reminds me of Niagra Falls, only taller and with jungle on top instead of tourists. There’s a massive lake at the bottom and a fine mist hangs in the air. As we get closer I can see little rainbows in the mist, and beautiful purple flowers dot the otherwise rocky shores.

Targon flares his wings and we land. We are at the base of the waterfall, and a cool breeze blows over me.

“This is perfect,” I say, a huge smile on my face.

But Targon wears a very serious expression. He grasps my spear and jiggles it in my hand, then waves toward the surrounding tree line. We are pretty isolated here. The falls stretch across one side and the lake protects most of the other side. The only ways to get in are by air as we did, or via a narrow peninsula of land that stretches along the shore of the lake. We’re at the end of that peninsula. Targon seems to think it’s safe in any case, so I don’t protest when he gestures toward the jungle and indicates that he is going off to hunt for food.

“Just don’t go too far,” I say. A second later he flies off, disappearing behind a nearby clump of trees.

For a moment I stand perfectly still, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. Coming from behind me is the constant muted roar of the waterfall, and off in the trees I can hear the chirping of birds. Tiny insects flit around where the purple flowers grow, and a warm breeze caresses my cheek. My hair flutters in front of my face so I pull it back, and when I move my hands away, I notice the sun, small and red, beaming its warm rays down onto my skin.

It brings a smile to my face to see such unaltered beauty: not one piece of litter on the ground, nor distant power lines to ruin the view. It is pristine nature unlike anything I’ve ever seen on Earth, and despite the fact that I may be stranded on this planet for good, I am just a small bit happy that at least I get to have this experience.

I shift my focus to the Lake, noting how clear and inviting the water is. It makes me realize how filthy I’ve become over the last twenty four hours. Not only have I not eaten, but I haven’t taken a bath. And for more than a couple reasons, I really need one right now. Targon will be gone for a little bit finding us something to eat, and this seems like the perfect opportunity for a dip. I strip off my clothes, modestly looking side to side before I do so—an old turn of habit I guess, since I’m pretty much the only person on this planet—and slowly walk out in to the cool water.