Through the Dragons Eyes part 2

Through the Dragon's Eyes Pt. 2
New Home, New Sweet Home

Crystal

The flight back to my lair takes slightly over ten minutes. If I was trying, I likely could have made it in about half that time, but since I'm carrying someone and I don't feel like exerting myself, I go at a more leisurely pace. The entrance to my lair comes into sight, and I sigh, a smile on my face. Home, sweet home, I guess. I brush aside the hanging vines that partially cover the entrance, and walk inside after landing. My lair is actually made up of five caves that are linked to one large main cave. I have my resting cave, my trophy room (consisting of my loot and anything that I pick up on my adventures), my relaxation room (my books, television, movies, etc.), the dining cave, and the pool. Yes, I do have a natural indoor pool, and an underground hot springs keeps it nice and warm year-round. And in the main cave, I have some large mats to lie on. The girl inside me, apparently noticing we've stopped, starts to kick around again. And although her struggling feels good, I don't want her to be in there any longer than she has to, and my storage stomach squeezes her up into my throat, where I feel her bulge come back up my throat and into my mouth. Her delicious taste comes back up with her, but I gently drop her out of my mouth before my instincts make me swallow her back down.

The first thing that comes out of her mouth is this: "Can I please get a towel and some clothes?" Stupid me, I forgot that when I stored her, she was naked. And I forgot to bring her clothes along. Muttering an apology, I dash first to the pool, grab a towel for her, and throw it out in front of her. She buries herself in it, considering the fact that it's my dragon-sized towel, and I'm a lot larger than she is. While she dries herself off, I go to the trophy room and search for some clothing. A dark red t-shirt with some jeans in what looks to be her size are what I take from the room, and along with some…female undergarments…I bring her the outfit. Nodding thanks, she gratefully puts them on. Once she's all clothed, she asks, "What did you bring me here for, dragon-who-I-still-don't-have-a-name-for?"

"I brought you here because, to put it bluntly, you are delicious. Something with your flavor doesn't come along very often, and if I were to eat you, although it would be far more satisfying at the time, I would then have to wait for something with your flavor to come by again. By keeping you alive, I can still get that flavor whenever I want," I tell her, and sigh. And…, I want to add, for some reason, I think I'll like having your company. But I don't want to try and rush into a friendship. My last friend was…well, I don't want to go into detail. After…that…happened, I didn't really want the same thing to happen again.

"Well, I guess that I don't really have a choice. But if I'm going to have to stay here with you, I'll need to at least know your name," she replies, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I stand up tall and announce, "My name is Crystal. Crystal Enli. I am a proud 15-year-old daughter of two respectable dragons." Sighing, I say, "Well, I was the daughter of two respectable dragons. Anyways, what's your name?"

"Rose," she responds, "Rose Sepla, and I am 14 years old. My dad was a solder in the Acran Wars, and when that ended, he became a lawyer. My mom was a nurse during the same war, and afterwards she became an artist. Well, now that we know the other's name, what do you mean by-"

"Un-uh," I say, cutting her off, "You aren't getting any answers until I get a few from you. Like how did you end up running away from cops?"

"A few well-dressed men, members of a rich gang likely, tried to jump me earlier today. I always keep a blade with me when I go out, mostly because a lot of things can go wrong outside that a blade can get you out of. But anyways, when they jumped me, they made it seem all casual, so the rest of the public wouldn't notice. But one pulled a gun on me, and I stabbed him through the chest… not because I wanted to kill him, but because I feared for my own life. The gang members fled after that, but to the rest of the public, it seemed that I'd just murdered a businessman. Someone called the cops, and I had no choice but to run," Rose explains.

"Why didn't you stay to talk to the cops? Surely they could have found out that he was a gang member." I ask.

"Cops don't take very kindly to murder, even if it was in self-defense. You saw what those cops were carrying; they would have shot first and asked questions later. And unlike you, my outer layer isn't bulletproof. So I ran. I've taken some free-running classes, and I was able to escape without getting shot. I had made my way to the exit to the city, and had started sprinting down the road when the cop cars showed up. That was when I had made my detour into the forest. You know what happened next."

"So, in that sense, I saved your life." I say.

"You were going to end it just as quickly," Rose retorts.

"But I didn't, did I?" I grin. Just then, my stomach grumbles again.
Rose looks around for the source of the sound, and realizing that it's me, asks, "Are you still hungry or something?"

"Well, yes. Don't worry; I'm not going to eat you. I'll be out for a little while, getting something to eat," I start.

"What were you planning on eating?" she asks.

"Whatever food I can find, I guess. Now, while I'm gone, I recommend not running off. I'll track you down, so no point in trying to escape, as well as the fact that it's probably far more dangerous for you out there than in here. The middle cave leads to the library and electronics, and the cave on the far right, if you're facing away from the entrance to my lair, is the pool. Just one thing, try not to get the water on the books or the electronics. It took me a while to collect all this stuff and I would like to have it all in one piece when I get back. Any other questions?" I inquire.

"Yes," she nods, "What if someone else shows up?"

"Just tell them that if you aren't here when Crystal the dragon comes back, I'll track them down and make them pay. They should back off after that. If not, I've got plenty of weapons in the treasure room, which is the one to the left of the library if you're facing it. They're all ready and loaded, so use whatever one you like. If you have to, pull down the switch inside of the door, it'll drop down a thick wall in front of you," I answer. "Now, if that's all, I think that I'll be off."

"One last thing," she calmly says as I turn around to leave. "Can you try to not eat humans while you're hunting?"

"I'll try, but I make no guarantees," I reply, wincing as I regret saying that last bit. Without waiting for her to respond, I run out of the cave and leap off, extending my wings to let me glide. With a few beats of my wings, I set off on my hunt, leaving the girl some time for herself. I only hope she stays there while I'm gone…