Oberon
I was completely unprepared for the encounter with the human female. I had never seen anything quite like it before. Although our forms were very humanoid, just as many other creatures throughout the universe tended to be, the unfortunate fact is that I had never seen a human before. She was my first, and I found myself instantly intrigued.
For one thing, she had long, cascading brown hair and it framed her face in such a way that I found myself mesmerized by every detail of her features. From her rosy cheeks and pink lips to her beautiful green eyes, I was immediately drawn in by her incredible energy.
She didn’t look as if she had very much negativity in her heart at all. In fact, she had a battle worn look about her, as if she had survived a great many difficulties in her short lifetime. I had to admit that I found it intriguing, and despite my wariness of the human race, somehow, I found myself trusting her implicitly.
“All right,” she said, after the curious rumble of the wheeled craft came to a stop. I had to admit, I was relieved. The strange, primitive vibrations were starting to make me feel a little bit nauseated. “Home sweet home.”
I waited for her to get out of the vehicle, and she rounded the craft until she came to the door where I was sitting nearest. She opened it for me and offered her hand to help me out.
I hated to admit, in any capacity, that I was too weak to hold my own, but the truth was that my head was still feeling foggy, and the combination of that with my nausea was overwhelming.
I allowed her to help me to my feet, and again, found myself supporting my weight on her delicate shoulder. She didn’t complain, though she once let out a soft, strained groan of effort. When we made it inside, she led me to a small, comfortable room, and allowed me to collapse onto the sofa inside.
“I am going to get out my first aid kit now,” she said to me, standing nervously in the arched doorway separating this room from what appeared to be a kitchen. “Please, don’t try to go anywhere. It will only injure you further.”
It struck me suddenly how strange it was that this human should trust me enough to leave me alone in a room of her home. On my planet, we rarely visited each other’s dwellings, and when we did, unless we were with a crew member or friend that we had trusted for many years, they were not to be left unattended. You couldn’t trust anybody.
I heeded the human’s advice, and remained on the couch. I knew it would only strain my body more to try to put it through something that it cannot handle quite yet. After the crash, it was probably a lucky thing that I had survived at all, there was no sense in pushing it.
“Got it,” the human said cheerfully, returning to the room a few moments later. She had a small white case, and sat down beside me, rifling through it eagerly as she searched for the proper tools to tend to my wounds. I felt suddenly very lucky that I had run into a human such as this, as opposed to the type that I had been cautioned against. Perhaps this wasn’t Earth after all. Maybe I had landed somewhere else.
“This might hurt a little bit, but try not to let it bother you. It’s for your own good.”
I felt no pain as the human began to clean out my wounds and dress them with clean gauze. Well, I assume she was human. She would be human if I had actually landed on Earth as I suspected. If not, she was one of many other humanoid races out in the universe. I would find out soon enough.
But it would seem strange to ask what planet this was. She would probably have me committed to an asylum. Such things were rampant throughout the universe. Because sometimes it could be difficult to become well-adjusted. There were so many factors when it came to mental and emotional development after all, no matter what planet you were from.
“I don’t remember anything,” I said slowly. “But I know that I cannot go to a hospital. It is for the best if I do not attract attention.”
I felt the human staring into my eyes, a strange hint of concern on her face.
“Well, I won’t tell anybody that you’re here. But you know, you really can’t be going anywhere in your condition. Especially if you don’t even know who or where you are.”
“I am Oberon,” I said automatically. I found no reason to hide it. “What may I call you?”
“I’m Jenny,” she said, fixing a kind, sweet smile upon me.
I gazed at her, lost in her gentle features for a moment, and then looked away quickly. Someone like this had no business dealing with the likes of me. I could bring great destruction to this planet. Who was to say what was going to happen should the rest of my crew show up, along with our ship? Only trouble could follow. That was just the way it was.
“You don’t remember anything? You do know your name. I guess that’s good. It’s kind of an unusual name, though. Are you sure that’s what it is?”
“Yes, I know that this is my name. Please do not insult me. But where am I? What is this place?”
“Well, here in the southwest, I suppose things are done a little bit differently. Maybe you aren’t from around here. I know that the United States is a pretty big country.”
I looked up sharply. The United States? And yes, I certainly was in a country that belongs to the earth. The United States made themselves well known throughout the galaxy, and I found myself studying this human, shocked that not only was she an earthling, but an American as well. I had never heard good things about either one, and yet, here she was, opening her home up to help a complete stranger.
“No, I definitely am not from around here,” I said, looking down at my hands. I realized suddenly that I was still naked, and I looked up at the human, smiling. “You probably wouldn’t have any clothing that I could wear, do you?”
Her cheeks reddened attractively, and I stifled a laugh as she looked away.
“Oh! I completely forgot. Let me go see what I can find for you. I mean, I live here alone, but I guess I might have something stashed away here that would fit you. The people who owned this house before me actually left quite a bit in the attic. I could check.”
I smiled patiently at her, and she disappeared, clearly feeling extremely embarrassed about the entire situation. I could hardly blame her. Even on my planet, this is not something that was considered even remotely appropriate.
It took a little while, but soon, she returned to the living room, victoriously holding out a pair of overalls and a long-sleeved button up shirt. I raised my brow at them, and looked at her skeptically.
She seemed amused by my reluctance to take the garments, and lay them down on the couch beside me. “I know it isn’t exactly fashion central here, but it’s better than nothing, I guess.”
I raised my brow at the implication that the human made. Was she unaffected by the state of my body being exposed like this? That could mean one of two things. Perhaps she was desensitized to such things, or entirely uninterested in them. Or, on the contrary, she was perhaps appreciative. Either way, I found myself wondering just what sort of human I had thrown my lot in with.
Customs on Earth were known to be quite different than they were on my home planet, and I had to conduct myself carefully or risk the consequences of discovery. It was dangerous for dragon shifters to be discovered walking the soil of the earth; at least that was what I had always been led to believe. They were inquisitive people, these humans, but they were also brutal and unkind. They were known to do callous experiments, even on their own kind. Imagine what horrors they might put an alien race through?
“I’m going to leave you alone so you can change. Don’t worry though, we’re going to get you all healed up and then you can pick out your own wardrobe.”
My eyes followed the human out of the room and then I looked at the small pile of clothing she had left bundled on the couch beside me. It was obvious they hadn’t been used in years, but they were still relatively clean. I pulled on the shirt, buttoning it slowly. These designs were so primitive. Everything about this place was technologically at a disadvantage. Down to their clothing.
But I supposed that speaking like this would only serve to make the human suspicious, so I vowed to myself that, if in the presence of a human, I would refuse to say anything more about the outfit or the other strange things I discovered about Earth. It was the least I could to guarantee I would not draw suspicion to myself and my situation. I would have to try to blend in and act as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
When I was finished dressing, I caught my reflection in the large glass case of the grandfather clock, and my eyes followed the pendulum as it swung back and forth. I looked like I belonged on Earth. And that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
When the human came back into the room, she clapped her hand over her mouth, doing her best to stifle her laughter. “On the plus side, they fit,” she said, without revealing the negative side. Of course, I already knew. I had seen myself. I looked ridiculous. Like a novice farmer.
Not only were the overalls just a little bit short, but the shirt did not quite match my body type. My muscles nearly caused the garment to burst at the seams, and it was lucky that it was able to cover as much as it did. But, the important thing was, I was covered where it mattered most, and now, we would be able to continue our lives as if nothing had happened.
Or maybe we would, if I hadn’t just imposed myself upon her and her home like this. I had nowhere to go, and she seemed to follow my train of thought, and took me by the hand gently.
“You should really get some rest, if you aren’t going to see a doctor. That’s really the next step in healing, you know. I have an extra bedroom. If you need, you can use it. At least, until you’re up on your feet again. You don’t look very steady yet.”
I felt a surge of gratitude wash over me, but just as I opened my mouth to express it, she had already started to walk forward, and I followed her deep into the house, down a wide, carpeted hallway. At the end of it, there was a doorway, and inside, was a room with a big comfortable bed in it. It was a far cry from the desert sandbanks that I had found myself buried in, and I looked at her in disbelief.
“Are you sure?” I asked, frowning into the room. How could she possibly allow this? She had no idea who I was, what kind of person I might be. Even though I knew I wouldn’t do anything unethical, I still felt as if I were taking advantage of her innocence in some way.
“I’m sure. Please, just make sure you get some rest so you can start healing. I’ll start some dinner, and then maybe you will get some strength back and that will help you to remember who you are.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking down at my hands. I felt terribly guilty now, having told her I didn’t remember anything about myself. Still, in ways, this was true, I still had a vague idea of my identity and where I came from. It seemed wrong to lie to her. But how would she take the knowledge that I was a dragon shifter? It was likely to cause quite a conflict, and not only that, but it could put me in grave danger. Humans were not to be trusted. That much I knew for certain. Even if they acted like they were kind and compassionate, I had learned that deep within, they were vicious killers.
But these thoughts were driven completely out of my mind as I lay down on the plush, comfortable bed. Before my head even completely hit the pillow, I was already on the verge of passing out. My breath began to come in short, shallow bursts, and I allowed my thoughts to linger on my home planet before I was sucked into the comforting and restorative blanket, of sleep.