Green Eyed Dragon

It's a cool fall evening in the mountains of North Carolina. Ella was wondering around trying to find a good place to set up camp for the night. She hates the cold and camping for that matter; but she wanted to prove a point to her parents, that she could take care of herself. They gave her a map, with a specific area marked, and agreed to allow her to stay in the woods for no longer then 5 days.

The spot she finally chose was a small clearing with the right side buffered by tall pines, the left side had a small ridge, and it was only a 5-minute walk to a brook. She was proud of herself; she didn't think she would be able to find a place as nice as this, and there was something about it that made her feel safe.

Her dad made sure she had everything she would need, tent, portable lantern, sleeping bag, lighter to start a fire and a small handgun in case she ran into any wild animals. Half an hour after finding her "campsite" she had her tent, a small fire, and dinner (canned Dinty Moore stew) done.

Ella checked her phone to see if she had any service and, as expected no service. She decided that she would take a few pictures of her campsite so that she could show her parents her camp site.

The only saving grace for this whole trip was that she loved the changing of the colors in the trees and the little baby animals skittering round. She figured tomorrow she would take the small path she found by the brook to see if she could take some unique pictures of leaves, so around midnight she decided she better try and get some sleep.

After eating a fried egg and cheese sandwich with some instant coffee she got her backpack ready, deciding to bring a PB&J for lunch, some snacks, water, and her Ipod. She was ready to see what her little home for the week had in store for her.

She walked the 5-minutes to the brook and turned right on to the path leading up into the mountains. The trees were huge in this area of the forest; she could hear birds chirping, and small squirrels and rabbits playing in the underbrush. She reached the top of a ridge and grabbed her camera to start taking pictures. It was beautiful, the tops of the trees were different greens, golds, reds, and browns, there was even an eagle's nest; and you could just make out three small fluffs rolling around inside. An hour or so after getting to the ridge she started looking around to see if there was a place to eat her lunch out of the cool wind and to her delight there was a cave.

She pulled her flashlight out and before going into the cave called out; "Hello is anyone home?" She waited for a response and when none came she ventured in.

It was a nice medium size cave; there was a small alcove at the front with a few small boulders around a large flat rock, almost like a small eating area. To the left of the alcove was a larger opened area, which had furs along the back wall. She was scared at first that this was someone's home and called out again, "Hello is anyone home?" still no reply. She walked over to the furs and pushed them aside. On the floor was an even larger pile of furs of grays, browns, and reds. She shuddered at the loss of life these poor creatures faced to provide a bed for this person.

As she turned to go she heard a small sound in the back corner of the room. She stood very still because she didn't know what to expect, was there someone or something in there waiting to attack her or was she just imagining it? She knew she had the handgun but unfortunately it was in the backpack, which she left in the alcove. She stood very still waiting, listening but no other sound came. She proceeded to back out of the "fur room" and make her way out of the cave. But before she could take two steps she heard a low growl. She stopped in mid step taking deep calming breaths; her eyes darting left and right not knowing where the growl came from.

She felt warmth coming from behind but didn't want to turn around, she was afraid of what was behind her. Then out of nowhere something was pushing her shoulders forward toward the back of the cave where a fire pit and more furs laid upon the ground. When she got to the furs the pressure went from pushing forward to pushing down, almost like it wanted her to sit on the furs. Since she didn't want whatever this thing was to get aggressive she sat down on the closest pile of furs and the pressure was immediately gone.

Out of nowhere a fire erupted in the fire pit, Ella was really starting to freak out and was just about to say, "Fuck it" and run when a tall man emerged from the shadows. He was around 5"8', muscular build, and had the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen; they were almost like looking at emeralds that had a slight glow behind them. He smiled at her, trying to reassure her that he was not a threat. Ella was not so sure, I mean she just saw a fire start out of nowhere!

Donovan walked toward this beautiful young girl. She had a small figure maybe 5"2', auburn hair with streaks of chestnut, and she smelled of warm honey, lavender, and lilacs. As she watched him walk toward her, her eyes were an alluring shade of hazel with small streaks of gold. You could see the fear but also the wonder and excitement.

Standing in front of her looking down, he was not sure what to say but he wanted her to know that he could never hurt her. He was not sure why he felt drawn to her; he had lived in this cave for over 50 years and has had more than his share of visitors wondering through, but this young woman was the first that has ever drawn his attention. He needed to know more about her.

He swooped down with a bow and said, "Good evening it's so nice of you to join me in my humble abode. My name is Donovan and I would love to invite you to supper."

Ella was not sure how to react to this handsome man bowing in front of her. She knew that she should be afraid and that she should get out of there but there was something about him, a pull that begged to be examined.

She smiled at him and said, "Good evening to you as well, my name is Ella and I am sorry to have disturbed you. I didn't know anyone lived here and I would hate to impose on you, but if you wish I would love to have supper with you. Can I ask (gulp) what is on the menu?"

Donovan laughed at that because he could see the uncertainty on Ella's face and replied, "I have some chicken noodle soup with bread and butter."

Ella took a deep breath and laughed at herself for thinking the worst and agreed that the soup sounded wonderful, a lot better than her PB&J.

As Donovan was making their bowls he said her name over and over in his head. Just the sound of it was like a song whispering on the wind. This thought reminded him of an old story the elders used to tell about two souls finding one another. He decided that he would tell Ella the story; he was interested to see if she felt the same attraction.

Ella looked comfortable lounging in the furs so he placed a small table between them and the fire. As he set the bowls down he asked if she was interested in hearing an old story that had been past down for centuries. Ella loved to read and hearing a story being told was even more exciting. She smiled and slowly ate her soup as Donovan told his tale.

"This story has been past down from father to son. It's a story of finding ones other half. It's been said that you could go your whole life and never find the one person that makes your heart sing, your breath catch with just one look, a pull to another that is so strong the need to be near is uncontrollable.

We are not common man, we are changelings; at will we can transform from man to dragon. We can live a very long time and can pass as normal humans because we learned to harness our abilities to allow us to fit in to mainstream society as the culture changed over the last few decades. Our need for survival has surpassed our need for separation.

One day a young man was working in a mill grinding wheat into flour when a young woman walked in. She was new to the area and was looking for employment to provide for her elderly grandmother and young brother. The young man couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He watched her every move waiting, hoping that she would look his way. She finished her conversation with the mill owner and walked over to the young man. She was shy and not sure why but she needed to get close to him. She couldn't explain it but the minute she walked into the mill the young man had her attention, the feeling of completeness, happiness and safety were there when he looked at her. She asked if he was almost finished for the day, she was hoping that he would be able to walk her back to her cottage. It was never wise for a young woman to be out alone especially in the evenings, and being raised as a gentleman the young man readily agreed.

He didn't understand the feelings he was feeling but he knew that nothing could happen to this woman. As they talked he felt like he was floating on air, his mind became clear and all he could see was her wrapped in his arms, safe and happy, he had to protect her at all costs. As they walked he learned of the death of her parents to the plague, and how her grandmother and brother were the only family she had left. The young man told her of his family farm and how even though they were well to do he felt the need to provide for those he saw who were less fortunate than them and who were unable to physically provide for themselves and their families.

As the weeks passed the young couple were seen together around town, the attraction, the need to be together grew stronger and one day the young man could not hid his past from her. He talked to his father and told him of all the strange feelings he had since she had come into their town and his father smiled because he knew exactly how he was feeling, it's how he felt about his mother, his soul mate.

The young man got the approval from his father to ask her to be his wife and since there was no elder man in her family he could not ask permission before he talked to her.

He took her to a clearing in the woods, they had a small picnic and watched the clouds float by, both feeling the warmth of the other not wanting anything to change. The woman was hoping he wanted to marry her because she couldn't see her life without him. After they finished eating the man got down on one knee and said, "Before I ask you to be my wife there is one thing that you need to know. If you cannot accept what happens next I completely understand." He took three steps back from her and changed into a magnificent golden dragon. The woman was scared at first but when she looked into his eyes and saw the man that she had grown to love starting back at her she knew that she had found her soul mate, her other half.

She walked over to the golden dragon and placed her hands onto the side of his muzzle and kissed his snout. She smiled at him because she now understood why she was feeling the need to be by his side always, why whenever he looked at her she felt like she couldn't breathe, and just thinking of him brought a smile to her face and her heart skipped a beat, he was magical. In an instant he changed back into his human form and had her wrapped in his arms and they kissed. The kiss was the most intense kiss that they had ever shared because now that she knew what he was the magic flowed from him and into her. She had given herself over to him; body, mind and soul. This connection that had been there all along solidified and intensified. They made love for the first time in that wooded clearing. A few months later they were wed and had children; who had children; who had children. They would tell all the children the story of how they met and how one day if they were lucky their soul mates, their other halves, would come into their lives and they would not be able to explain the need to be beside them, protect them, and love them."

When Donovan finished his story he looked deeply into Ella's eyes and he could feel the pull that he had always heard of, she was his soul mate, but did she feel the connection too?

Ella sat motionless processing the story that was just told. She loved that there was a happy ending and that the young couple ended up together. She could see herself as the girl in the story, and she would love to one day find that type of connection with someone. The pull toward Donovan was scarily intense and she did feel calmer sitting close to him and wouldn't mind having his arms wrapped around her, feeling the warmth of his body close to hers. But again that has nothing to do with the story; that was just a hormonal reaction to a very gorgeous guy.

She could see that Donovan was waiting to hear what she thought and she was having a hard time wrapping her head around the first statement; "this was past down from father to son"; if that was the case then Donovan was a dragon... But that couldn't be possible, yes he was handsome and well spoken and a gentleman, but a dragon, naaaa...

Ella looked into Donovan's eyes and she was almost lost in their fire, she had to shake her head a few times to get her thoughts back in order. She said, "That was a great story, I am happy the couple found each other, not sure why you would call that a family story, I mean dragons are not real they are fairy tales. If dragons were real and they were anything like the man from your story, then sign me up. I'll be the soul mate if it could bring me love, and happiness."

She never expected the reaction that followed.

Donovan pulled her to his chest; the dishes went shattering to the floor. He was running his hands through her hair, enjoying the softness, and taking deep breaths almost like he was memorizing her smell. Ella was getting concerned; she was pressed so tight that she was afraid he would suffocate her. As she pulled away he loosed his grip and smiled down at her. She didn't know what she said or did but the look in his eyes showed happiness and great affection. He took his hands and slowly withdrew them from her hair placing them on either side of her face; he tilted her head up just a little and dropped a single kiss upon her waiting lips. The instant their lips met a fire burned white hot within, the need for more bloomed between them.

Donovan had not transformed in over 50 years and was extremely worried that this instant attraction and strong connection with Ella would cause him to lose control. He could tell she thought that his story was fiction and he was not ready to show her his other self. But the feel of her pressed against his and how with one small kiss fire ran through his veins, he knew without a doubt she was his soul mate and he knew that she felt the same way. He saw the way the gold danced in her eyes as she fought her instinct to give into the temptation that he was offering. She was a very strong woman and he knew how difficult he could be, so he hoped she was up for the challenge.

Ella was in shock, the instant his lips met hers it was as if calmness settled over her mind, her body ignited in fire, and her breath stopped. All of this happened in an instant but was gone as soon as his lips pulled away. She was not sure how she could feel all of those senses at one time and was intrigued; she wondered if he did kiss her again, would she feel the same way. She really enjoyed the feel of his body pressed against her, and the slight tingle that pulsated through her body wherever his hands touched. She knew that she had only a few days before her father was sent to come looking for her and after just the last few hours with this man she didn't know if she could bring herself to leave him, but she was not going to let him know that, well not yet anyway.

Donovan put some distance between them; he needed to get in control of himself. He cleaned up the mess that was made by his rash decision to feel her in his arms. He knew that he probably scared her by doing that but when she said that she would accept him for what he was, even jokingly, it was more then he could take and he needed to feel her in his arms, to know that this beautiful, vivacious, feisty, woman was a reality and not a dream.

With the flick of the wrist the cave transformed and it felt like a real 20th century modern home. He invited her to stay with him for the rest of her trip and she readily agreed. She was not looking forward to staying in a tent in the woods to begin with especially when she could stay in a house and be near this attractive man.

She took him to her campsite and he laughed openly because this was the exact place where he transformed from a dragon all those years ago. She told him how she felt safe as soon as she found this area and he was not surprised, since the magic of his transformation would have left a signature that only his true love would be able to feel. Donovan decided in that moment that she would not be going anywhere, she would become his other half and that clearing would be where he would show her his other self, the dragon who was patiently lying in wait.

Once they returned from the clearing Ella asked Donovan if she could rest, she didn't realize how warn out she was, she figured it was due to the excitement, exhaustion, and nervousness. Donovan gave her his bed and told her that he would make a bed on the floor; he didn't want to leave her alone at night in case she needed something. She smiled at his concern, took his hand and kissed the palm and then placed it to her cheek. In just that small gesture she could feel her body pulling toward him, wanting to feel him pressed against her again. She fought the urge to bring him with her, to snuggle close to his warmth.

She climbed into his bed, pulling the covers up over her head and took a deep cleansing breath, she could smell him, his essence smelled of a warm Christmas evening of pine trees, gingerbread, and a fire, within minutes she was fast asleep.

Donovan waited patiently by the fire to allow Ella some privacy before going into his room. He found her curled into a ball with her face in his blankets. He had to chuckle to himself, she seemed so innocent, and docile, but he remembered the fire in her eyes and was interested in what she is dreaming. He knew that what he was about to do was wrong but she looked so sweet he had to know what she was dreaming.

He wasn't sure if she was a light sleeper so he laid down with his body curled just shy of touching her. He placed his hand on her forehead and took a deep breath. He concentrated on the feel of her in his arms earlier, her smell, and thinking of what their life would be like.

Suddenly he was standing in the middle of an old Victorian home, it appeared to be Christmas time, there was a huge pine tree decorated with sliver, blues, and white, and an angel singing on top. As he wandered through the mingling party goers he couldn't find the one person he longed to see. Just as he was about to leave he turned to look up the long staircase and there just off to the right stood Ella. She was dressed in the most elegant ball gown he had ever seen, and he had been around when these dresses came into style.

She had on a midnight blue dress with jade embroidered dragons across the corset style top and the sleeves hung just off her shoulders, showing off a necklace with a blue dragon surrounded by green emeralds. She was breath taking; her hair was pulled up on top of her head with small curls flowing from a silver tiara. The gown and the necklace with dragons of blue and green were his colors, this caught Donovan off guard because he didn't know how she knew the color he turned into but subconsciously she accepted him as who he was even if she didn't believe it.

He walked up the stairs to her, taking her all in. She was exquisite almost like a china doll, she looked so fragile, and timid, but the minute she looked into his eyes he saw the fire burning brightly. She smiled at him and held out her hand. He took it and kissed the fingers, the palm, and slowly worked his way up her arm. He got to her neck and before continuing looked into her eyes silently asking for permission. She turned her head just to the left and offered her neck to his mouth.