His name, though noted, isn’t nearly as interesting as the low rumble of his song flowering from within that robust chest; it reminds me of the gentle echoes in the sky, hot thunder as it pulsates across heaven and beyond. Those assuring tones stir an unnamed emotion deep inside me…it brings a faint and unwelcome fervor to pulse upon my face. My foreboding expectations dwindle as his honest expression and towering presence stubbornly chip away at my timidity. Though unbroken deposits of skepticism linger, I ignore the impending doubt for a moment, even as it savagely butts against the roof of my subconscious. “Noah,” lips palpitate, gingerly repeating his response.

Jowls fan apart, the swell of air needed for trade is already prepped and ready to go – but the sound becomes locked in the back of my throat when he asks…who…

Irises flick up, widening as a memory comes snarling from beneath foamy waves…

-----

No amount of cringing or begging the earth to swallow me whole is going to ease the discomfort of what would come…I resentfully push beyond the protective treeline; hanging toward the rear of the crowd and avoiding direct eye-contact. ‘Just stand here,’ mini me growls, wholly horrified at the idea of merging within their mass. These pale hips shift, drawing me to an obedient stop; creamy feathers reassume an overlaid position after readjusting for comfort. Statuesque, I slump into my position as a wall-flower; only the tip of that ink infused tail flicks quietly against quivering heels. Irises linger upon the dirt, forcing the entirety of my frame to visibly slouch -- downcast, not daring a glance across those ahead of me.  

Unnatural heat rises from the metallic locket around my neck. Fingers of power crawl upward…the dragon’s gift awaits, anticipating my needs.

An orphan child, hardly old enough to be without her mom – she moves from within the mass. From the corner of my vision, her narrow frame comes shuffling over. I remain motionless as she slides in beside me; pressing into the shallow darkness created by the absence of light. Within my breast, the heart throbs, pricks of fear smart against the roof of my mind…’no’, it whispers…’go away’...

‘I can’t save you…’

Her warm breath washes against my skin, delicate pinpoints of comfort from a creature that only wanted to be held…protected. I swallow raw terror as it knots in the back of my throat.

One wary pinion hesitantly stretches out; aiming to slide up and over her tiny, malnourished frame. Encasing the child within shadow, but careful to not touch upon her body. “Be still,” I lower my head inward, purposely keeping the hue of my voice scratching under a whisper. She looks up with grey blue eyes that don’t fit her tiny, hollowed skull….

----

Shutters flutter close and distend on the next breath. The haze clears and that memory dissolves, melting from snow into water, “who?” I hear myself repeat, murmured on the exhale of a raw gasp. I didn’t have the vocabulary to explain what those demons actually were - so I settle on a word that inaccurately describes their character and blood thirsty, unnatural desires, “bad,” irises nestle upon the mountain of a man called, Noah, “very bad.”

I couldn’t understand why he was bothering with me – nobody had ever come to my rescue before – why would he? My subconscious hisses, forked with a desire to dig into the real meat of ‘who’ he was, ‘what does he want?’ Brows quiver, furrowing my expression and nourishing a renewed bough of anxiety, “why…” I am nothing but a tumble weed, a trodden flower...a traitor and coward, “are you,” words filter in at a trickle, careful…though…at the end they stumble off a figurative ledge, cracking upon the floor as a quiet whimper slips into my voice, “talking to me?” It seemed incredulous that man of his stature would stoop to converse with a wasting soul…

I had nothing left to give…Unless he planned on screwing a corpse.