Kumav cuddled up next to her dragon who gladly snuggled up around her. Even though he wasn’t exactly warm he could keep the wind from freezing her. The night gleamed around them and the stars brightly twinkled. A medium breeze hit Kumav’s dragon’s coat. She was crying again, and he could hear her.
It had been years since the incident but she still clung on. He knew that if she refused to go home to her village or take shelter in his cave then he’d have to shield her for the night. Luckily, the times weren’t as brutal as they used to be. If needed, the dragon would force Kumav to shelter to protect her. Even though Kumav was clearly in her twenties the dragon still thought of her as his little girl. She had saved him during the hard times and showed him that not all mortals were heartless. He wanted to show her that not all dragons were heartless too. She’d throw a child’s fit if he took her to shelter for protection but in the state she was in, she wouldn’t be able to fight as skilled as she truly was.
Whipping the tears from her eyes, Kumav looked over at her dragon’s eyes. Opening them, he stared at her. Giving a small smile, she stood to walk over to his gleaming red orange eyes.
Running her hand on his snout, Kumav smile. “Maraming salamat.” She whispered.
He had been around her long enough to understand her gesture. Carefully unwinding himself into a bigger circle, her dragon lifted the tip of his tail to touch her hair. Kumav’s eyes watered, in feeling her dragon’s tail she forced a small smile.
If only her dragon could talk. Then the two would have to learn each other’s language, she thought to herself. Touching his tail, Kumav let a tear drop from her eye.
“Maligaya.” She said stepping back to make it easier for her him wrap his tail on her side.
His name was the strong connection between the two. He’d do anything to protect her and he wished he could fix what he knew was wrong. But after all the years of chasing, he knew that she had to let go. Five years had passed and he and her counter part’s wolf had become good friends. However, after the two parted he knew that he would have turn his back on her as her master had done on his friend.
When war had faced them, the two were the head commanders of the army made up of fighters all across the land. The man commanded the troops on land and Kumav was the commander of the skies. There were only a few dragons who associated with the humans. During the war, Maligaya was the only to rise against his own and defend the humans, driving his blood at bay. The dragon knew that the betrayal was necessary for peace. As his dragon tamer, Kumav had a power over Maligaya if she wished, and in other times, when she didn’t wish. However, even without his marks Maligaya would have fought against his own due to the circumstances.
Kumav’s hand moved to Maligaya’s tribal mark that traced is skeleton. This was the mark that appeared on every dragon that fought along the mortals, a powerful burn that surfaced only when the trust was broken between blood. Kumav was his friend, not his master, she didn’t make him do anything. She asked him for favors but she’d always do something in return. That was the same way for the wolf and her ‘master’.
Maligaya didn’t wish upon war but he knew the two would only come together in those time and now that there was no war among them the two never faced each other. Maligaya didn’t understand mortals. The emotions that controlled their actions, the sheer will that threw away reasoning, but the power that came with it all was what amused him.
To him, Kumav was a hero and so was the man that they had fought alongside but the dragon could not fix human emotions, he could only stay with his friend in her time of need. Wrapping her up in his tail, Maligaya wrapped back up in his smaller circle and set his snout under her arm. Kumav gave a sigh and leaned against what he let her. When Maligaya did this, she knew he was ready to sleep for the night and she was to join. Looking up at the stars, Kumav closed her eyes, letting her silent tears fall as she drifted off to sleep.
She was a warrior who had lost her battlefield. After running hopelessly after the man she loved, she had finally settled to these nights where she’d cuddle up with her dragon in the middle of a field or forest. With time, he would come home and eventually, he did. When Maligaya saw his wolf friend he was surprised but the silence nod between the two gave an understand that the mortals had to ‘talk’ their emotions to a settle before returning to their separate lives.
Love was a strong emotion Maligaya came to find. It was what bonded him to Kumav but mostly it was what stopped Kumav from running after that man. In the time of his visit, the wolf and Maligaya circled the town to ensure no danger had befallen on the two heroes. The two had strong auras and having them back at their home only caused more harm than good Luckily, only small enemies appeared in their path. Maligaya and his wolf friend had little to no trouble in protecting the city.
As for Kumav and her friend, the two had spoken. As she returned to Maligaya’s side, he could see the clear statement that she had received. Glancing over at the man, the dragon felt a sense of hostility but knew that the love that bonded him to his friend meant that he would not have the power to rise against him. That next morning, he watched the man leave without Kumav, the man made a waving gesture at the dragon and the dragon gave a small nod more for his wolf friend than the man. Later, Kumav told Maligaya about the talk the two had saying that he was moving to the castle and would only visit a few times a year and whn he did visit it wouldn’t be to see her. Maligaya could feel the hurt in Kumav’s soul but as Kumav and the man turned their backs on each other, the dragon and wolf had to follow beside their companions. Seeing his wolf friend’s reaction made the dragon sigh. Mortals were confusing animals and his wolf friend knew it too. In fact, she had left her pack for the man as well.
To be ‘domesticated’ as the pack called it was taboo but to fight alongside the ‘master’ that she had? Maligaya would have left the pack too. If it was possible. He knew that gender played a role in the pack as well. If he had been a male wolf he would have had to make his own pack and being with a ‘master’ would have been as bad if not worse than leaving his blood dragons.
The two had left their past lives for these two mortals but they both knew it was worth the cost. However, the cost of an unknown friendship between the two mortals never cleared between the wolf and the dragon. Later, he showed again, this time different, stronger but still, the two ‘talked’, Maligaya and his wolf friend would both have to turn away to try and not defend either mortal.
Maligaya let out a puff of smoke. Slowly opening his eyes, he checked on Kumav to see if she was asleep. Sure enough, she had fallen, dried tears on her face but marked with a smile. As quiet as possible, Maligaya adjusted himself to stretch out his wings. Lifting one foot and then the other, Maligaya stood and faced the direction of his cave.
Hearing a rustle in the grass, Maligaya turned and bared his teeth but soon returned the gesture into a confused and somewhat relaxed look. There, a few feet away was his wolf friend. She bowed and then faced Kumav in curiosity. Apparently, the wolf didn’t not expect her to be with him in the middle of the field, asleep at that.
Looking at his wolf friend he curled his tail into a makeshift crib to allow Kumav to sleep, the fly would only take a minute. Pointing the direction with his snout the wolf followed. With ease, Maligaya flew to his cave. He knew Kumav would be angry in the morning but she should expect the move after all these years of friendship. It was safer in the cave and warmer for a mortal. Lightly setting down his first claw, he followed with the rest, allowing the wolf to enter his den as well. Cuddling up exactly as they had in the field the dragon faced his wolf friend with concern and confusion marked in his eyes.
In her mouth was a box. Maligaya hadn’t noticed it earlier but took the time to look at it. Setting it down, she placed in front of his claw. No handwriting was on it, only a simple wrap of blue and green. He looked at his wolf friend in curiosity.
Glancing over at Kumav, the wolf glanced back over at the dragon for approval. He gave a small nod and she pattered towards her. Setting her wet nose on Kumav’s cheek, she licked the tears off of her face and rubbed her head against her face. Meeting the dragon’s eyes, the wolf looked at the present and then at Kumav.
Again, the dragon gave a small nod. Meeting her nose with his snout the wolf looked down the dragon’s long face. The dragon knew what the wolf wanted and the wolf knew what the dragon wanted but they both knew the two were meant for battle and until the battle came, the two mortals would distance each other.
Looking out at the moon light and stars, the wolf laid next to the dragon for a moment sharing curiosities about their mortal friends. Finally, after some time the wolf stood and nodded a ‘til next time.
As the wolf took off, the dragon stared at the box. He wondered what was inside. Until the morning, he would not have a chance to see but there was one thought he knew was true, the wolf and dragon wanted to see the two together again. What he also knew, was that the man would stay away and Kumav wouldn’t chase him. What rattled the dragon’s brain more than anything was the knowledge of her disappearance effecting the man. If Kumav disappeared the way the man did, heading to a castle, not specific which one, and only appearing at random, the man would look for her in a heartbeat. The sad realization that the dragon and wolf shared was that their two companions would never be their friendly selves even in battle.
—
Feeling the warm sunlight on her face, Kumav slowly opened her eyes. Around her, was Maligaya’s tail and around them was a cave. Kumav sighed, she didn’t understand how Maligaya could take to the skies without waking her up, she was light sleeper. Touching her face she felt an odd substance, not of her tears but of saliva. Shaking her head she looked at Maligaya in amusement. Had he licked away her tears? She shook her head. There was no way, his tongue was rough, she would have felt it.
Looking back at her was Maligay’s red orange eyes. He lifted her and set her near the pool of water so that she could clean herself up. Takin the fresh water to her face, Kumav patted her face dry with the supplies she had left in his cave for the purpose of her sleepovers. Standing to stretch, Kumav turned in surprise to see a box wrapped in Maligaya’s tail.
Kumav gave Maigaya a questioning look and stared at it. Setting it down, and pushing it to her feet, Maligaya stood and then laid down again, this time his snout his snout wasn’t far from the present. Kumav gave a small laugh, Maligaya was doing his best to imitate a wolf she knew well of. Picking up the present, she carefully unwrapped it to find a paw print on the top of the box. Looking in the box, she looked at Maligaya.
“Walâ?” She questioned and the dragon looked at her in confusion as well.
Pressing her hand to the paw print, Kumav sighed. Maliagya didn’t understand why his wolf friend would bring a box of nothing but her print on the top. She couldn’t have wrapped the box herself but her ‘master’ couldn’t have known. He wasn’t the present giving type. Giving her a shrug, the dragon touched his snout to the print and turned away. Maybe nothing was everything in this present. The print was enough to say the wolf cared. Giving Kumav personal space, as he usually did in the morning, Maligaya took to the skies to head to the village where he would give the regular report to the guards allowing them to know where Kumav was. Looking out towards the castle, Maligaya knew a dragon without their rider would be considered a threat. Changing the gesture would be difficult, considering Kumav never left his side but then again, the gesture was necessary. He wondered if the man would understand. Or if the two would ever understand how much of letting their friendship settle to this would only bring despair for them both.
—
Maraming salamat - I thank you (Thanks) Maligaya - Happy Walâ - Nothing
Read part II->
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