Disclaimers: These are original characters in an original story that belongs solely to me. I dreamed the whole thing, and believe me, if I can get half of it down on paper I think you're gonna like it. Any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This story will eventually deal with same sex couples, so if this is illegal where you live or it just plain is not your bag, please move on. You may find some bad language, so if it offends you, I apologize.
There was no flash of light; no loud cracking sound. The ground did not shake; nor did a great breeze blow. Simply, one moment there was a dragon, and the next...there was not. In the great beast's place stood a rather small form, which, from a distance, appeared human. However, upon close inspection, the figure was decidedly not human. An observer would be drawn first to the eyes; not unusually large, their slight almond shape not too exaggerated. What one would find most intriguing would be their lack of white; or, rather, their excess of color: a rich, verdant green. The hypnotic orbs were set deeply into a high arching forehead and cheekbones, and above a severely thin nose. The full lips below were tinged a subtle black, and the smooth skin overall seemed to glow faintly silver. Delicate, slightly pointed ears, a small chin, and waist-length straight black hair lent themselves to the otherworldly beauty of the face. A face that looked decidedly worried.
Lyra knelt beside Rhinn and gently brushed the hair away from her face with one slender hand, being careful not to scratch her with the short, black nails. She could now see that Rhinn had a huge bruise extending from her hairline almost to her chin on the right side of her face. Even more concerned, Lyra carefully probed Rhinn's head, finding a very large lump just above her right ear, which was slowly leaking blood. The human-formed dragon closed her eyes and searched her mind for the blue that was her Kaleran. The bright, electric color that had existed in a corner of her mind several hours ago now felt very small and pale; diffused and fading.
With her eyes still closed, Lyra projected herself along this weak path, entering Rhinn's mind and dragging the watery color with her. She searched for the brilliant green she knew would be there, and linked the two colors together. The human/dragon felt the drain immediately. She staggered to her feet, hands flying to her head, concentrating on keeping the colors meshed. Only when she felt she was on the verge of passing out did Lyra allow the colors to separate, snapping herself back into her own mind with enough force to knock her to the ground. She opened her eyes slowly, shook her head slightly, and looked over at her fallen Chosen. Crawling slowly to her side, Lyra looked at Rhinn's face, noticing at once that the bruise had faded to just a black eye. She reached out a shaky hand and felt for the horrible lump, but it was completely gone. Lyra sat back on her heels and looked to the darkening sky with tired relief, not noticing that Rhinn was beginning to stir. Rhinn now knew first-hand the meaning of the phrase, "I feel like I've just been run over by a truck," which she muttered softly under her breath as she slowly opened her eyes. As she raised her hand to cradle her aching head, she glanced up, and her eyes locked on the figure kneeling next to her. What she saw stunned her far more than her fall. The woman was so beautiful...and very naked! Rhinn stared shamelessly at the stranger's full breasts for what seemed like hours, until she noticed the faint white scars that traced across the silvery flesh. She searched the woman's lean body for more marks; and quickly found them. There were four parallel slash marks on her soft stomach; on each upper thigh, five puncture scars- four together, and one opposing; and a thick band of scar tissue encircled each wrist.
Raising her hand to her mouth, she gasped loudly, "Oh, Shit..." In that instant, Lyra looked at Rhinn, and in a moment of panic, flung herself violently away. As she moved, Lyra flung her arms out, flinging dust into Rhinn's eyes and accidentally punching her in the face. As Rhinn was knocked out for the second time that day, Lyra snapped back into her dragon form, almost stepping on her Kaleran in her haste.
She realized the absurdity of her situation as she sat, waiting for the dust to settle; again. Had she been human, Lyra would have shaken her head in disgust. Instead, she was mentally berating herself for having changed in the first place. Of all the stupid things do! She huffed out a breath and went to check on Rhinn. The human was just starting to sit up, holding both hands to her head and moaning pitifully. Lyra carefully sat within touching distance, but was too timid to actually reach out again. Rhinn brushed her hair out of her face and looked up...and up, flinching slightly at the closeness of the very large dragon. Squinting slightly, Rhinn looked at the dragon's face and let out a bark of laughter. Lyra looked positively stricken.
"Don't look so worried, I think I'll live." Rhinn looked down and shook her head slightly, raising her hand to her right cheek.
Lyra drew herself up straight and stared down her nose at the human.
"Of course you'll live; although you might want to try holding on next time." Lyra stood up and walked haughtily to the other side of the clearing, where she laid down, curled herself into a tight ball, and closed her eyes.
Rhinn glanced up as the dragon moved away, but closed her eyes in pain as she probed what she figured was a fairly impressive bruise on the right side of her face. She felt a bit of wetness as she probed her head, and when she looked at her hand she saw blood. She tried and failed to find a source. Shrugging slightly, Rhinn left off her head exploration and began to take stock of the rest of her body. She bent her legs, stretched out her back and neck, and discovered, except for a few aches most likely caused by more bruises, that she was relatively unharmed. Her clothing, on the other hand, was going to need to be replaced. She looked down at the huge holes in her designer jeans, and then at her dirty, but undamaged, generic t-shirt and snorted at the irony.
Lyra watched through slit eyelids as her companion pushed herself slowly to her feet, groaning as she stretched. She was still feeling anxious and, if she was willing to admit it, guilty. Hopefully, Rhinn would either not remember or not believe what she had seen. She raised her head in alarm as Rhinn started to walk away from the clearing.
"Where are you going," she projected, barely keeping the panic out of her voice?
Rhinn spoke without stopping, her voice showing her pain, and a bit of sarcasm.
"I saw a stream right before I "fell off". I need to get cleaned up."
Lyra knew there was nothing dangerous nearby; and yet she was still uneasy about letting Rhinn out of her sight. She half stood, intending to "change" again and follow her Kaleran, when she caught herself. She flopped back down to the ground, sprawling inelegantly. What was wrong with her? She was dominant; she had the control; she had all the power. If she was caught in another moment of weakness that dominance level might shift, and she was not willing to relinquish her upper hand. Filled with new resolve, she stood up again, this time turning away from the direction Rhinn had gone. She searched the edge of the clearing, using her front claws to carry large pieces of wood to it's center. When she had amassed a sizable pile, she drew in a deep breath and let out a blast of fire, at the last moment jerking her head up so that she missed the pile of wood. What was she doing now? What does a dragon need with a campfire? Lyra turned inward, cocking her head at the soft voice she could just make out if she really concentrated. It was emanating from the spot of blue in her mind. Rhinn, apparently, was starting to get cold and was wishing she had a fire. Okay, fine, Lyra could deal with that. She told herself she was just making sure her Kaleran didn't get sick or something. Rhinn wasn't controlling the dragon; just making an unconscious request. Lyra realized that the human had no idea how to shield her thoughts; anything the great beast wanted to know she could just pull from that spot of blue, and Rhinn wouldn't even know. Feeling magnanimous, Lyra lit the fire. Once it was burning well, she gathered more wood and placed it nearby. Remembering the state of the human's clothes, she concentrated on her palms, placing them together and pressing firmly. When she separated her hands, she was holding a pair of coarse brown pants and a soft-looking black shirt. She placed the clothing on the ground for Rhinn to find when she returned. Curling up next to the fire, Lyra had to admit it was a good idea. The heat felt nice as the sun set and the air started to chill. She kept her head turned to the direction Rhinn had gone.