Dragon Dreams

Chapter 27: Parting Ways (2/2)

But learning would have to wait. It was time for the feast, so we returned to the great hall and filed in among the other dragons. I didn't have to sit at the end of the table this time, which was a relief, and the meal passed quickly as I chatted with those around me.

Much like my first night, there was a fire prepared for after the feast. Eysri spoke chants to the beating of drums and asked the ancestors for good fortune. Uldor and the shaman also threw food offerings into the hungry flames, apparently to further please the ancestor spirits. I observed all these happenings with great interest.

In the end, much to my dismay, the whole village took to dancing. I found myself once again jostled around in a circle, just as lost as I had been before. After having my tail stepped on a few too many times, I worked myself free and watched the festivities from a safe distance.

A deliberate pressure near the tip of my tail made me turn around to see Tenaya standing behind me. I raised an eye ridge at her, and she gave me a "let's go" look before slinking off into the shadows outside the clearing. I furtively followed behind her, entering into a thick cluster of trees. The fire behind me threw dancing shafts of light onto some of the trunks at first, but after a few paces, the shadows were complete. I still saw the faint outline of the other dragon up ahead and could follow her scent if my eyes failed.

"Hey," I hissed, and the shape slowed down. "What are you doing?" Tenaya and I hadn't been alone together since our still-secret kiss in the tree. I trotted ahead to close the gap between us as she moved to turn around and face me.

She didn't give me a reply. Rather, I felt the heat of her breath a millisecond before her warm scales touched the tip of my snout. Once again, the kiss aroused a tingly feeling in my whole body. Eyes now closed, I nuzzled her back, slowly and delicately inching my nose up and down against hers. My tongue flicked out almost of its own accord to give her an experimental lick. I was rewarded by meeting her tongue in a caress that made my tail jump and breath catch in my throat.

The meeting of our athkan felt visceral and electric, an arcing spiderweb of shared senses and emotions that joined us in a blinding wave of intimacy. I could feel the coolness as she dug her claws into the soft ground, and she could ride the breathless excitement that swept through my bones.

We finally parted, each wearing equally euphoric smiles. "I...I've been wanting to do that again for a while," Tenaya whispered. "That was even better than last time."

"Mmm, yeah," I hummed. "That was...amazing." Then I shook my head slowly. "But I don't feel right sneaking around like this."

"Perhaps not," she said. "I don't like the secrecy either. But I don't want to complicate things for you, that's all, especially when you're about to leave."

"Well," I hesitated, "I hadn't really had a chance to tell you this, but I plan on coming back here before too long. I'm going to talk about it with my family as soon as I can."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've started to feel like this is where I belong, with others like me." I felt her athka warming up to the idea.

"I'm really happy to hear that," she said. "Even though I've known you for just a short time, it would be awfully hard for me to see you leave and not return."

My heart rose into my throat before I swallowed it back down. "I feel the same way," I breathed, staring into the pale blue eyes that were barely visible in the darkness.

"What are you two doing?" said a cheerful voice behind me.

I whipped around to see Stolvir with a huge grin on his muzzle. He had caught both of us totally by surprise. The large tree next to me had probably blocked Tenaya's view of his approach. I stood in dumb silence and looked back at the lilac dragon, seeing an expression of appalled fury that made her look downright dangerous.