Unlikely Friend Part 2 of 3

Benjamin groaned with every single step he took as he walked into the gold filled chamber within the massive cave. Of course, he was forced to walk pass his bag that was filled with enough gold to save his friend back in his hometown, Ludrith. The bag's presence, especially so near the cave's exit, served as a constant insult to his capabilities. He could simply grab the bag and run; but he wouldn't make it far. The massive black dragon, Kyra, would quickly stop him.

He had been captured by Kyra 6 days ago, and since then, she has forced him into participating in...games. Benjamin would rather call her 'games' torture, but he didn't have much say in the matter. When Benjamin first met Kyra (which was when he was trying to steal her gold), he challenged her to a chase. If he won, she couldn't eat him; and she would let him keep his bag filled with gold. If she won, she could eat him. Obviously, Benjamin had won, and he was not eaten. However, his challenge proved to be his downfall. 

Apparently, Kyra appreciated the chase and actually enjoyed it (Benjamin didn't since his life was on the line). So, Kyra exploited the technicalities of their deal and said that she never had to let him go. Benjamin would have certainly protested to her manipulation if she weren't eighty feet tall, and have massive claws, and have razor sharp teeth...and could breathe fire. 

And so, Kyra forced Benjamin to participate in these chases for the past 6 days. Kyra's chases typically went like this: she would tell him where Benjamin would need to reach in order to win, give him a head start of usually 10 minutes, and then she would proceed to hunt him. He had narrowly proven victorious in all of the chases so far. Do not be mistaken though, this was not because of his speed but because of his ability to use the thick woodlands to his advantage...and his luck. He had much luck. However, Benjamin's luck was beginning to run out. Kyra was getting use to Benjamin's tricks, and his muscles were getting more sore by the day.

Time was also a enemy to Benjamin for he had to return to his hometown of Ludrith, with the bag of gold, so that he could save his friend. His friend had taken his place in the dungeon and, if he didn't return to Ludrith with the gold in two weeks time, his friend would be executed instead of him. He had been gone for a total of 8 days from the city. He needed time to return to the city which would take a few days in of itself. Benjamin was most certainly running out of time.   

It was late afternoon as Benjamin wearily marched into the cave, exhausted from a chase he had just recently won. His brown hair was soaked with sweat as he walked further into the chamber, only casting glances at the mountains of golden coins and jewels around him. Eventually, he reached the section of the floor of the chamber where had slept the past few days. With a groan, he fell to his knees and then to his stomach, his face pointed towards the ground. He heard Kyra's chuckling. 

"Aw, is the little morsel tuckered out?" Kyra asked with a mocking tone. Benjamin hated it when she called him that.

"No" Benjamin replied with a dreary tone.

"The chase you put up today was fun, much better than any of those deer could ever muster."

"Glad you enjoyed it you overgrown lizard" Benjamin grumbled. Kyra suddenly moved her snout right next to Benjamin's face, her hot breath making contact with his skin.

"What was that morsel?"

"I said I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Benjamin yelped as he sprung to his feet.

"It doesn't take too much scare you does it?" Kyra chuckled.

"No! It's just, well..."

"I'm a dragon?"

"Yeah."

"And why does that scare you?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's obviously a reason why you're scared of dragons, of me. So what is it? Is it our sheer size?" Kyra asked standing on her hind legs to reveal her eighty food height.

"N-no" Benjamin replied. Although her size was intimidating, Benjamin didn't feel that was the soul reason as to why she was so afraid of her. In fact, when he thought about the thing about Kyra that scared him the most, it was...

"Actually, yes it is! I'm afraid you'll crush me!" Benjamin exclaimed with a nervous laugh. 

"No, it's not. You're lying" Kyra growled as she went back to standing on all fours. Benjamin gulped upon seeing that she had detected his lie and, worse, became irritated. 

"Is it our claws?" Kyra asked, showing off the sharp talons of her right claw.

"Uh"

"How about our fire breath?" Kyra asked, as she let a small streak of fire escape her mouth.

"Well, I"

"Is it our sharp teeth?"

Benjamin's face, for the briefest of moments, expressed terror as she was coming closer to the correct conclusion. Kyra noticed it, and a wide grin formed on her snout.

"So, it's my teeth that bother you the most?" Kyra chuckled as she brought her snout closer to Benjamin's face, purposely bringing him closer to the thing he feared. "Now, why would that be the case...morsel?"

"Well, I mean, come on your teeth are longer and sharper than swords!" Benjamin replied, sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead.

"Perhaps I'm being too specific?" Kyra chuckled as she brought her snout even closer to his face until they were only a few inches apart. "Maybe it's something related to my teeth?"

"I...I don't know what your talking about!"

"Hmmm, I think I know a way I find out for sure."

Suddenly, Kyra pounced on him, and Benjamin could only let out a yelp before Kyra's claw had him pinned to the cave floor. With a grin never leaving her snout, Kyra brought her open mouth towards Benjamin's face, ready to feast on human flesh.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" Benjamin shrilled. 

"And there it is" Kyra chuckled. "Tell me, Ben, have I ever tried to eat you?"

"The day we first met."

"Except that day, have I ever tried to eat you?"

"You've been chasing me all over the place for the past several days!"

"So?"

"You're trying to catch me and eat me!"

"Is that what you've been thinking this whole time? If I really wanted to eat you, I wouldn't have stopped chasing you when you reached the safe spot."

"What would you do if I lost?"

"Hmmm, nothing. Of course, I'd probably gloat a little, but that's about it."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why should you not believe me?"

"Because you're a man eating dragon!"

"And you're a lying thief."

"Yeah, well, I've never killed anyone, let alone eat someone!"

Kyra sighed as she released her grip on Benjamin, and he promptly returned to his feet. Both Kyra and Benjamin stared at each other for a moment in silence. Benjamin could tell that she was in deep thought, her yellow eyes dimly glowing in the massive cave. 

"Are you hungry?" Kyra asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"So am I." Benjamin's body noticeably tensed up. "I'm hungry for deer! Relax!" Kyra laughed as she poked him with her tail. 

_____________________________________________________

Benjamin bit into the cooked deer flesh that he held in his hand. It was evening as both Kyra and Benjamin sat around a small fire which was lit through the courtesy of Kyra's fire breath. On the opposite side of the fire where he was sitting was Kyra lying down on her stomach, her yellow reptilian eyes focusing on him. Benjamin remembered clearly how Kyra looked at him the first time they met. She had a predatorily, slightly amused, look; but now she had a more, dare he think it, caring look. Perhaps he had misjudged her? Was she really becoming attached to him after only a few days?

Kyra, with the exception of the forced chases and repeated teasing, had actually treated him well. Benjamin was aware how prisoners were usually treated (he had a few conflicts with the law in the past), and he realized that Kyra had provided more for him than what was the norm, at least, by human standards. He didn't know how dragons treated their prisoners or if they even kept prisoners.

"I'm sorry" Benjamin spoke in the stillness of the evening. He could hear the crickets beginning their nightly chorus.

"For what?" Kyra asked with a slightly surprised look.

"I guess I've been overly scared of you for the past few days."

Kyra had a smile form on her snout as she replied, "You have been; but I can understand. We dragons don't exactly have the best reputation."

"Why do you eat people?"

"Most of humans I've eaten are those that barged into my cave, you being the exception."

"But still, doesn't it feel wrong?"

Kyra was silent for a moment before responding, "They aren't my kind. Besides, most dragons see humans more of a pest than anything else."

"That's for most dragons. What about you?"

Kyra was silent again but then smiled slightly as she replied, "They're clever pests."

"Great, I'm being compared to a bug" Benjamin groaned.

"A smart bug" Kyra chuckled.

"Oh, that's a vast improvement" Benjamin said, dripping with sarcasm. 

The two fell into silence, the sound of the noisy crickets echoing slightly in the cave. When Benjamin finished his meal, he let out a sigh of satisfaction. The two stared at the small fire that crackled frequently. Kyra, with a groan, rolled on to her back and slumped against the cave wall before letting out a yawn, stretching as she did so. Benjamin once again got a clear view of her sharp teeth as she yawned, causing him to cringe slightly upon thinking painful thoughts. 

"I don't know a whole lot about you, Ben" Kyra spoke as her tail gently poked his shoulder. "You mind if I ask you a few things? I don't really drift too far from my cave so I don't know what exactly is going on nowadays."

"You're going to interrogate me?"

"No, not interrogate. Just...curiously question you."

"Question me while I'm forced to stay here. I think that counts as interrogation."

"How about this then? I ask a question, and then you ask a question."

"Sounds like a deal. Then again, you'll probably find some way to manipulate me."

"Only if you let me" Kyra chuckled. She then reached out for Benjamin with her claw, and he yelped as he evaded her grasp. "Relax!" Kyra laughed. 

"You can't just try to grab me like that!" Benjamin barked. "I don't know if you're trying to crush me!"

"Do you want to see me try to crush you?" Kyra asked, her yellow eyes seeming to glow with new intensity. "I guarantee you, you'll be able to tell the difference."

"Alright! Alright! I just...don't like being manhandled, alright?"

Kyra only chuckled as she reached out for him again, this time more slowly. Benjamin had to fight every instinct of self-preservation he had to stand still. She gently grabbed him and placed him on her grey-scaled underbelly. Benjamin sat there, feeling the warm and surprisingly smooth scales underneath him. Like this, Kyra slumped down further so that the length of her body nearly blocked the entrance of the cave, and her neck was propped in such a way that she could easily maintain eye contact with Benjamin. 

"Alright, first question, is the Torvec Kingdom still around?" Kyra asked. 

"The what?"

"Hmm, I guess that answers that. I'm glad their gone. Some of their soldiers tried to kill me when I was younger. "

Benjamin looked at her confused. He had never heard of the Torvec Kingdom. His home city, Ludrith, was within the borders of the Phoenix Empire. With this in mind, Benjamin said, "Alright, my turn. How old are you exactly?"

"Oh, give or take, 700 years."

"What?! You're 700 years old!?"

"Yeah, so? How old are you?"

"13."

"Awww! You're a little hatching!"

"Alright, hold on, I think humans and dragons age differently."

"You're probably right."

"If you were a human, I think you'd be about my age. At least, you sound like it."

"Whatever you say, baby morsel."

Benjamin made an annoyed look which prompted Kyra to chuckle once more. Kyra's chuckling caused her underbelly to rumble which made Benjamin hold on tightly to the scales beneath for fear he may tumble over. "Now, I get ask a question" Benjamin stated.

"You just asked one."

"No, you asked me how old I was. So, that means it comes back to me" Benjamin explained with a smirk. Kyra frowned for a moment before sporting a grin of her own, revealing enough sharp teeth to bring Benjamin's confidence down to a little below average levels.

"Fair enough, ask away."

"Why don't you live with other dragons? My kind likes to live close to each other."

"Dragons prefer to be left alone normally. You see, dragons are powerful enough to defend themselves without relying on their strength in numbers. You humans are so fragile that it's no wonder you clump up together."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, for dragons, having another dragon just in the same general area is seen as competition. But, their are some exceptions. In fact, I was born into a small group of dragons. I..." Kyra's voice trailed off.

"What? What happened?"

"It's my turn to ask a question" Kyra growled.

"Alright, alright. Sorry."

"What kind of family do you have?"

"None, to be honest. I'm an orphan."

"A what?"

"An orphan, it's someone who's parents are dead; but, in my case, I don't really know if they're dead or not. The master of the orphanage just said that he found me at his doorstep."

"What kind of parents abandon their child?" Kyra asked with disgust in her voice. "We dragons care for our children until they can at least find food for themselves."

"I don't know why they did it" Benjamin replied with a shrug. "But, I don't really care. Now, I get to ask you a question."

"Very well."

"You were talking about how you were born into a group of dragons. Why did you leave them?"

Kyra was silent for a moment, frowning. "It's personal."

"Hey, you technically asked 2 questions. So, you owe me."

"Or I could just bite off you head and be done with it."

"You...could do that, if you wanted."

The two were silent as they stared at each in silence for a moment before Kyra let out a long sigh.

"If I tell you, can you keep it a secret?"

"That's three questions; and yes, I can keep a secret."

Kyra chuckled before returning to a more serious mood. "I left the group because...because...I can't fly."

"What?!"

"I can't fly."

"So, that's why you didn't fly when you've been chasing all this time!"

"Yes."

"But, isn't it like natural instinct for dragons?"

"That's what I thought too, but when I came of age, I was just too scared to jump. You see, my father was the one who raised me; and he became ashamed of me when I couldn't find the courage to fly. I remember all the days that he brought me to the cliff to take off from; but I was too scared."

"So, you're afraid of heights."

"I guess. Anyway, I got sick off being made fun of by the other younglings and putting my father to shame. So, I left; and I shortly found this cave where I've been ever since. As far as dragons go, I'm probably the most pathetic" Kyra sighed. 

Benjamin saw Kyra's sad expression as she dawned on unhappy past memories. Kyra was the one who almost ate him, and she's the one who forcefully made him stay here. And yet, Benjamin felt bad for her. 

"Oh, come on, you're not pathetic" Benjamin assured her. 

"I am."

Benjamin frowned as he thought of a way to cheer her up, which he quickly he found when he glanced around the gold filled cave. 

"You're telling me a pathetic dragon could make a hoard this massive?" 

Kyra looked at the gold and jewels for a moment before responding, "It's not that big."

"It's huge! When we first met, you were sleeping in a mountain of gold!"

"Okay, so I have a huge hoard. It doesn't"

"And you're huge!"

"My height isn't special compared to"

"Forget the other dragons! I think all humans would agree with me in saying that you're not pathetic. I mean, you can do things that us humans can only dream about."

"Like what?" Kyra asked doubtfully.

"Like breathing fire. Do you know how many times I could have used fire breath in my life? A lot."

"Ben, I appreciate what you're trying to do; but dragons and humans have different expectations."

"Yeah, well, I bet you're not a coward like me" Benjamin grumbled. Kyra looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm a coward."

"Ben" Kyra chuckled. "I might not know a lot about humans, but I'm pretty sure most would be scared of me too."

"It's not just that" Benjamin sighed. "Do you want to know why I tried to steal some of your gold in the first place?"

Kyra did not answer, but Benjamin could tell by the interest in her eyes that she did want to hear why.

"I already told you that I was an orphan" Benjamin began. "And most people in my city don't care about orphans. We had to survive on our own. I had to survive on my own. So, I became a thief. I stole from the merchants in the marketplace, and I picked pocket all sorts of people. I was actually got good at it, but I had a few run in's with the town guards. I would always get away from them though, and the town guards were more busy with other matters than some stealing orphan. But, several days ago, I got caught. I remember thinking that I was just going to get a few lashes on the back, but the guards recognized me as the orphan that had been a thorn in their side for years. So, they wanted to execute me. Then, my friend volunteered to take my place instead."

Benjamin let out a weary sigh.

"I knew him since I was little. He wasn't an orphan, but his family was poor. He tried to help me when he could, and he would always try to stop me from doing something bad. I remember him telling me that stealing was going to be the death of me" Benjamin chuckled. "But the guards took him instead, and I just stood there like a dumb idiot. After they already locked him in the dungeon, they told me they would let him go if I got them 200 gold coins in 2 weeks. I heard the rumor that there was a hoard of gold in Devil's Cave and figured that it was my best chance. And so, here I am."

Both Kyra and Benjamin were silent for a moment. Kyra could see that Benjamin was emotionally torn.

"I should have said something. I should have taken my punishment like a man. Instead, I was a coward and let my only friend take my place" Benjamin sniffed as he wiped away a tear that had formed in his eye.

Kyra stared at him, silently. The expression on her face was one of both pity and what appeared to be thoughtfulness, as if forming a plan. The sympathetic expression disappeared and was replaced with an almost cold look.

"So, you're a coward" Kyra said, stating it as if it was a known fact.

"Yeah" Benjamin sighed. He was not used to publicly displaying his emotions, and he was somewhat embarrassed that he did so. However, Benjamin quickly recovered.

"My turn to ask a question."

"Alright."

Kyra was silent for a moment in thought before saying, "There's fewer and fewer deer in the forest nowadays."

Benjamin looked at with a puzzled expression, not knowing where Kyra was going with this.

"I'm a dragon, and I need to eat" Kyra continued. "Humans like to think that if they clump up together, they could protect each other because of their sheer numbers. And, that is somewhat true. That's why dragons don't go after massive cities because of all of their soldiers. But, we aren't afraid to pick on the smaller ones. It's kind of like farming actually" Kyra chuckled. "You ignore a human village for a little while, letting it get bigger, letting more humans settle there. Then, just when they're about to erect massive walls and defenses, you strike. It's a like a feast."

"Where are you going with this?" Benjamin asked, scared slightly that Kyra just compared his species to crops.

"You said you were from a city and, before I settled in this cave, I took special care to memorize where certain little human villages were. Of course, that was hundreds of years ago, and I'm willing to bet they've grown significantly since I last saw them. So, that brings me to my question." Kyra brought her snout close to Benjamin, her eyes casting a merciless gaze. "What city are you from?"

The question struck Benjamin like an incoming spear impales a careless warrior. He was silent, his eyes widened, and his mind panicking.

"I...I..."

"I could just fly around and attack the first city I see, but I think I want to visit your city specifically" Kyra said with a sinister grin.

"My...my city is, uh, very far away. It would take days...weeks for you to reach it" Benjamin said, sweat beginning to trickle from his forehead.

"Lying to me again? You need to be taught a lesson."

Benjamin was unable to dodge Kyra's claw as she grabbed him and held him above her head. Benjamin watched in horror as she opened her mouth.

"Wait! Wait! Please!"

His pleads for mercy went unheard as she dropped him in her mouth, landing on her tongue. Preventing him from escaping, Kyra snapped her mouth shut, plunging Benjamin into darkness. Her mouth was warm, and Benjamin was practically soaked in saliva. He would have been disgusted if he wasn't so concerned with his imminent death. Benjamin ran on her tongue to her teeth, trying to get as far away as possible from the dark oblivion that was her throat. He tried to find a gap between her lips where he could escape, but he found no such thing.  

"So" Kyra began, her voice surrounding him. "Care to tell me where you city is?"

Benjamin was silent, still panicking as he desperately tried to escape. Kyra tilted her head back slightly which caused Benjamin to slip with a yelp. He fell back onto her tongue before returning to his feet.

"You don't have to tell me where it is, just give me a name" Kyra chuckled. She had to open her mouth slightly in order to pronounce her words, but Benjamin was unable to capitalize on this before she snapped her mouth shut. Kyra's tilted head prevented Benjamin from reaching her front teeth, instead he clung onto the front tip of her reptilian tongue.

Benjamin was panicking. His mind, his instincts of self preservation, was commanding him to tell Kyra of his home city of Ludrith. His heart and conscience, on the other hand, commanded him to keep his mouth shut. If he told her about his city, Ludrith wouldn't stand a chance against her. The city had stone walls and some defense towers, but they would not be strong enough to withstand an attack from a dragon like Kyra. Ludrith only had a few hundred soldiers, and their weapons wouldn't put up much of a fight against a dragon. Everyone in the city would be slaughtered. Every man, woman, and child would be either eaten or killed.

Benjamin never had a family. He only had one close friend. He didn't know anyone else at Ludrith, but he knew that they did not deserve to be eaten alive. He could not let that happen.

He must die so that they can live.

"I can't!" Benjamin screamed, tears beginning to pour from his eyes as he realized that his end was near. "I won't tell you!"

Kyra tilted her head back more which caused Benjamin to slide a few inches down her tongue before he gripped on it for dear life.

"Are you sure?" Kyra asked.

"Yes! Just get it over with!" Benjamin barked, his eyes clenched shut.

He expected Kyra to fling her head back and send him plunging into the dark oblivion of her stomach, sealing his doom. Instead, nothing happened. Benjamin simply clung to her tongue, eyes still shut, and braced for the end. About a minute of silence passed before Benjamin opened his eyes slowly, now beginning to wonder what Kyra was doing.

Suddenly, Kyra opened her mouth and tilted her head forward which sent Benjamin flying out of her mouth. He tumbled onto her underbelly, his head dizzy from the sudden movement. When he recovered his bearings, he looked up at Kyra to find that she had a warm, and surprisingly not mischievous, smile spread across her snout.

"Congratulations, you're not a coward" Kyra said. Benjamin simply stared at her, confused. It was evident that Benjamin's mind was still trying to process what had just happened.

"You...didn't eat me?" Benjamin asked, although it sounded as if he was asking himself rather that her.

"You sound disappointed" Kyra chuckled.

"No!" Benjamin exclaimed. "But, why would you-"

"You believed you were a coward, and I believed otherwise. But, I knew it would be a waste of time to try to convince you by talking to you; so, I tested you instead."

"You could've just said that I was being too hard on myself!"

"But where's the fun in that?" Kyra chuckled. Benjamin looked at her for a moment, actually dawning a small smile of his own, before looking at his ruined clothes. He groaned in disgust as he flung his arms, saliva flying from the sleeves of his shirt.

"Well, there goes my clothes" Benjamin sighed.

Kyra looked at him for a moment before dawning a mischievous grin. "I think I know a way we can fix that."

______________________________________________________

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Benjamin screamed in the night.  

"Oh come on, I thought you weren't a coward!" Kyra laughed. She was walking on her hind legs with Benjamin in her grasp. The more Benjamin struggled, the tighter her grip became; but she made sure not to apply enough force to seriously hurt him.

"You're test only proved I wasn't a coward when it came to being eaten! THIS IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!"

"You're being overly dramatic."

"I'm fine with my clothes! We don't have to do this, really!"

"It's not just your clothes. You're filthy as well."

"How would you know?!"

"You were in my mouth remember? You didn't taste as well as you should have."

Kyra, after walking through the tree line of the forest, came upon a natural, circular pool that was close to 50 feet wide and probably 40 feet deep. It's water was completely clear, and the water bubbled from the natural heat in the hot spring. Kyra had stumbled upon this pool many years ago, and she would occasionally come here to relax. This time, however, she was coming here for a completely different reason. 

Benjamin, gripped firmly in Kyra's grasp, watched in horror as Kyra walked closer to the pool.

"Kyra! The master of the orphanage wasn't able to make me take a bath! And you're not gonna make me take a bath either!" Benjamin barked defiantly.

"Well, I think you might find me a bit more...persuasive" Kyra chuckled as she stood near the edge of the hot spring. She held Benjamin above the hot spring.

"Kyra, wait! Think of what your'e doing!"

"Cleaning you?"

"A man must never be ashamed of the dirt on his body!" Benjamin exclaimed proudly as he placed a hand on his chest. "A man must always leave the dirt from his daily work on him so that others can see just how much of a man he really is! If you wash me, Kyra, you will remove years and years of hard work! My hard work! All of the other boys in the orphanage will laugh at me because they'll be dirtier than me! They'll think I'm just a little kid who hasn't done anything!"

"Too bad for you" Kyra chuckled before gently tossing Benjamin into the pool. Benjamin fell quite a drop before he impacted the water with a loud splash. He quickly poked his head out from the surface of the water, gasping for air. Benjamin was actually surprised by the pleasantly warm temperature of the water. It reminded him of the heat that Kyra's scaly skin gave off. As Benjamin was struggling to keep his head above water, Kyra got into the pool as well, slumping against the wall of rock underneath the water. She was taller than the pool's depth which allowed most of her upper body to remain above the water. She closed her eyes as she let out a pleasant sigh, and then opened them to find that Benjamin was frantically swimming to the other end of the pool.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kyra asked as her tail, hidden beneath the water, wrapped around Benjamin's ankle like a snake. Benjamin yelped in surprise as Kyra's tail forced him to come back towards her.

"I'm in the water! I'm clean now!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"Not yet you're not."

With Kyra's tail wrapped around his leg, Benjamin was forced to stay only about a dozen yards away from Kyra. He was also unable to evade Kyra's grasp as she reached for him. Benjamin braced himself, expecting to be hoisted into the air, but instead she grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Hey!" Benjamin yelled as Kyra pulled off his shirt. Kyra inspected his shirt for a few seconds, taking note that the shirt was well worn and had clearly seen better days, before submerging it under the water and scrubbing it with the knuckle of her right claw. After a few minutes of scrubbing, she brought the shirt out of the water and inspected it once more. It was still ragged, but a few previous dirt stains had been washed away. Not satisfied, however, Kyra submerged it once more while scrubbing it.

Benjamin watched with a pout on his face. In all honesty, he did actually find the water comfortable; but his manly pride refused to admit that he enjoyed the bath. He thought about how different his favorite, and only, shirt was going to be after Kyra's efforts. All of the dirt that represented his hard work, gone! Benjamin sighed as he floated in the water. If she was washing her shirt, then she was probably going to wash his...his...

Benjamin's cheeks blushed as he desperately tried to free himself from Kyra's tail.

Kyra chuckled as she felt Benjamin trying to free himself from her tail's grip on his ankle. Eventually, she brought his shirt above the water and found it to be much cleaner. Knowing that was probably the best the shirt was going to ever be, she hung it on a branch of a nearby tree to dry. Kyra then turned her attention back to Benjamin who now stared at her with a worried look on his face.

"Thanks Kyra!" Benjamin nervously laughed. "I guess I'm clean now!"

"No." Kyra's yellow eyes drifted downwards. "Not yet, you're not."

"NO!" Benjamin practically shrilled as he clung to his pants. "You can almost eat me, you can get rid of years of hard working dirt, but you can't do this!"

"Oh, come on, what's the big deal?"

"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY PANTS IN FRONT OF A GIRL!"

"I'm not even human!" Kyra laughed. 

"You're still a girl!"

"How about this? You take them off, and I'll look the other way."

Benjamin was silent for a moment, frowning, before he finally said, "Fine, but don't look."

"Alright, alright, I doubt there's anything impressive under there anyway."

"Hey!"

Kyra giggled as she looked away from Benjamin, and her tail released Benjamin's ankle so he could properly remove his pants. Benjamin was tempted to make another frantic dash out of the pool, but he knew that Kyra would capture him easily. She, at that point, may remove his pants herself. With a sigh, Benjamin removed his pants to reveal the black briefs he wore underneath.

"Alright, here" Benjamin said as he held his pants in the air. Kyra's tail wrapped itself around the article of clothing and brought it to Kyra's claw, her eyes still looking away from Benjamin. Benjamin chuckled silently to himself from the usefulness of Kyra's tail. He wondered what it would be like to have a tail himself.

"I'm surprised you didn't run" Kyra chuckled as she washed the pants, similar to what she did with his shirt.

"Surprised or disappointed?" Benjamin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Both" Kyra admitted with a smile.

After 15 minutes or so, Kyra had scrubbed Benjamin's pants to her content and hung them on the same tree she hung Benjamin's shirt. Of course, Benjamin quickly realized that he was left in the hot spring wearing nothing but his briefs. Kyra looked at Benjamin, much to his displeasure.

"Oh, you still have more clothing."'

"NO!"

"Alright, alright" Kyra chuckled. Benjamin quickly felt Kyra's tail wrap around his ankle once more, returning to its firm grip. With a pleasant sigh, Kyra returned to her more relaxed position; and Benjamin, knowing escape was impossible, stood on Kyra's submerged tail.

Ever since his capture, Benjamin had always thought of escaping; but his options were extremely limited. He tried to run away while she went out hunting for deer, but she quickly found him. She explained to him that she had his scent, and she could tell when he got too far from the cave. He then tried to run away while Kyra was asleep, but Kyra's tail would form a circle around him, a wall of scales. He tried to climb over her tail, but she, despite her slumber, felt him and would let out a growl of disapproval. In which case, Benjamin would promptly return to his predetermined sleeping quarters. He was running out of time to return to Ludrith, and he needed to find some way to escape. He felt bad that he needed to abandon Kyra, the dragon that spared his life, but he needed to save his other friend.

"Hey, Ben" Kyra spoke, breaking the silence. Her voice was surprisingly emotional, not as if she was about to weep, but definitely serious. 

"Yeah?"

"Are we friends?"

Benjamin was completely caught off guard by the question. His frustration that had developed over the past few days made him want to immediately say no. But, upon further thought, he remembered that Kyra had spared him, fed him, and bathed him (despite his protests). He had no ill will towards Kyra, but were they friends?

"I...I'm not sure. I mean, do you think we're friends?"

"I wouldn't know. Dragons don't usually have friends and, even though I grew up in a group of dragons, I still didn't really have any friends."

"Do you want to be friends?"

Kyra was silent, her yellow eyes appearing to glow with thought. The silence was broken with Kyra yawning.  

"We'll be sleeping here tonight."

______________________________________________

Benjamin slumped against a sleeping Kyra, his clothes still damp from the cleaning they had suffered from hours earlier. The moon and stars shined brightly from the sky, and the breeze rustled the trees. He was slumped against Kyra who was in a curled position on her stomach. Her tail, like all of the previous nights, had curled around him. Benjamin was exhausted, but his restless mind refused him any sleep.

Another day had passed, one less day to return to Ludrith in time to save his friend. He could just beg Kyra to let him go, but the words of the old man that had brought him to Devil's Cave echoed in his mind. Dragons would rather die than give up piece of their treasure horde. As he thought further on the topic, he began to doubt that Kyra would ever let him leave with the gold. And yet, he had trouble imagining her being so hostile after all that they've been through over the past several days.

Benjamin heard Kyra let out a moan in her slumber, moving her body slightly before returning to her soft snoring. What really gained Benjamin's attention, however, was the fact that Kyra's tail moved. Not only did it moved, but it uncurled around him. Kyra's tail then assumed a straight position on the grass. Benjamin stared in front of him, his heart beginning to pick up pace. Freedom was practically welcoming him. Yet, he did not move. For a moment, he actually thought he was dreaming, but a pinch to the arm reassured him that this was indeed real. Benjamin slowly stood up, no longer leaning against Kyra. Benjamin's eyes darted to her face to see if she had felt the lack of his presence against her. Kyra's eyes were still closed, and she was snoring softly.

Benjamin would have preferred not to escape like this. He actually felt guilty about leaving Kyra without even saying goodbye. He was also worried about the fact that it was in the middle of the night, and it was completely dark with the exception of the dim moonlight. However, he knew taht he may never get a chance like this again, and his friend's life depended on him.

He silently moved away from Kyra, his eyes locked onto her face to see if she would suddenly awake from her slumber. He did this until he was a few dozen yards away from her, and he was within the woodlands. With that, he sprinted towards Kyra's cave.

Within 15 minutes, he returned to Kyra's massive cave; and he quickly found his bag of gold leaning against the cavern wall. He did not have time to re-count the bag's contents to see if it contained the necessary 200 gold coins. He grabbed the bag, tied the opening in a firm knot, and then carried it on his back. The bag was a heavy burden, but Benjamin's adrenaline allowed him to move rather quickly despite the bag's weight. He ran into the forest towards the general direction towards Ludrith. He constantly looked over his shoulder to see if Kyra was chasing after him, now realizing his disappearance; but she was no where to be seen.

Benjamin speculated that he had ran into the forest for at least 30 minutes before stopping to get his breath. He leaned against the tree, dropping the bag on the ground. He had done it. He had escaped Kyra. Still, he wanted to travel during the night because he was afraid that Kyra might still be able to catch up to him. She told him she had his scent, and her size would allow to cover ground quickly.

After a brief break, Benjamin picked up the bag and began to walk further into the forest. He froze upon hearing a nearby stick snapping. He spun around, expecting to find Kyra, but he did not see anything. He squinted his eyes as he attempted to see further into the darkness, and he was soon greeted with two shining orbs. Benjamin looked at them, confused, but he soon realized that the orbs were actually the eyes of some animal, the moonlight reflecting against the creature's eyes. Benjamin's eyes adjusted which allowed him to see the face of the animal. 

It was a large, black bear that had some red markings around its eyes; and it let out a deep, menacing growl.

Panic taking hold of him, Benjamin sprinted away from the beast; and the bear charged after him.

_____________________________________

Kyra's eyes flickered open. She always had trouble sleeping. She could fall asleep easily, but she would often wake up in the middle of the night. Was it still night?

Kyra's yellow, reptilian eyes looked upwards, and she was assured that it was still night due to the presence of the dark sky. She let out a long sigh. When she woke up in the middle of the night like this, she would usually change positions, but the knowledge of Benjamin's presence near her prevented her from doing such a thing. If she moved, she would certainly wake him up.

Kyra's concern made her form a puzzled expression on her face. After all, why should she care if she woke up Benjamin?

She was a dragon. Perhaps one of the deadliest creatures to ever walk the lands, the destroyer of armies and kingdoms, the nightmare that haunts even the bravest warrior. And yet, she stopped herself from doing something out of consideration of a single, lowly human. So what if she woke him if she moved? She should move and, if he gave any protest or complaint, growl at him to remind him who's the more powerful one here.

And yet, she did not move. 

Kyra let out another long sigh. She liked Benjamin. She, a dragon, actually liked Benjamin, a human. The thought itself was absolutely strange. But, Kyra wanted to call Benjamin a friend; she enjoyed his company. But she was a dragon! Whoever heard of a dragon being friends with a human!?

As she thought of her companion, her tail began to curl around where Benjamin should have been; but she did not feel him. She was confused as her tail now began to search the general area by her side, hoping to feel Benjamin there; but she did not feel him. Kyra, now fully awake, turned her head to look at her side to find that Benjamin was gone. She looked at the empty space, her eyes widened in shock. What happened? Was Benjamin alright? Was he kidnapped right under her nose?!

Quickly, she stood on all fours and sniffed the ground earnestly. She quickly detected Benjamin's scent, but there was nothing else. If there no other scent present, than that must mean that Benjamin...

Kyra's eyes, once filled with concern and worry, now shined brightly with anger. Benjamin, the human she considered a friend, abandoned her even after all of the kindness she showed him. 

With a growl that would have unnerved any creature, Kyra ran off into the forest, following Benjamin's scent.

_________________________________________

Benjamin ran with the bear on his heels. The chase had only lasted a few minutes so far, but Benjamin knew that his death was imminent. He dropped the heavy bag of gold for it was slowing him down significantly. Just as he dropped the bag, he spotted a tree that he could climb, which he quickly did. He climbed frantically up the tree until he was fifteen feet in the air. As he looked down from the tree, he quickly realized that the bear was large, standing at seven feet tall while only on all fours! The bear looked up at Benjamin, letting out a growl of what appeared to be annoyance, before standing on its hind legs and leaned against the tree. Benjamin could clearly see the bear's sharp teeth which was more than capable of ripping him to shreds.

He kicked the bear directly in its black nose, which caused the bear to let out a yelp as it fell back on all four legs. The bear, however, would not be so easily dissuaded. The bear began to ram against the tree in order to cause the tree to fall over and leave Benjamin vulnerable. Benjamin, with no where to go, clung to the tree and prayed that the tree would hold. The bear rammed the tree again, and the tree creaked as it bent slightly.

Just as the bear was about to charge again, it stopped and perked its head. Benjamin watched as the bear stared into the dark forests behind it before running off with what sounded like a whimper. Although the bear had run off into the night, Benjamin still clung to the tree. It looked like something spooked the bear, but he wanted to stay in the tree for a minute in order to make sure the bear wasn't tricking him. Slowly, Benjamin climbed down the tree with his eyes focused towards the direction that the bear had run to.

Benjamin's feet reached the grass with a soft crush, and the bear did not make a reappearance. Somewhat relieved, Benjamin quickly walked towards the bag of gold he dropped.

There was a loud crash as large trees were pushed to the ground.

Benjamin spun around to find Kyra, on all fours, looking at him. Benjamin, initially, was happy to see Kyra. After all, what could keep him safe from a bear better than a dragon? But, when Benjamin looked at Kyra's eyes, his heart sank. Kyra's eyes were like crackling fires made of pure rage.

Benjamin sprinted towards the bag, but Kyra pounced on him like a lion. Before he even knew what hit him, Benjamin found himself under Kyra's claws, bearing enough force to keep him pinned to the ground.

"You thought you could sneak away?!" Kyra growled.

Benjamin made no response other than struggling to get free.

"You just wanted the gold. You humans are all the same."

"Don't act like you're a saint!" Benjamin barked back. 

"A what?!"

"A good person! How many people have you killed and eaten?! You were just going to eat me once you got bored of chasing me!"

"I cared about you!" Kyra roared with enough ferocity that small streaks of fire escaped her mouth. "You were the closest thing I've ever had to a friend!"
 
Benjamin was silent, words failing to come out of his mouth.

"I never planned to eat you after our bet! Even if you lost our first chase, I would've let you lived!" Kyra suddenly lifted her claws off of Benjamin, and he began to crawl backwards in order to gain some distance. However, Kyra kept coming closer to him; and Benjamin could go no further when his back hit  large tree. "But not this time. You were scared of me eating you this whole time, well, now it's finally going to happen!"

Kyra brought her opened snout closer to Benjamin; and he simply stared at the her mouth with fear. This was it. He was going to die by a dragon that he began to think of as his friend.

He braced for his end and closed his eyes as he began to weep.

Kyra was caught off guard by the sound of Benjamin crying. She had seen him shed a few tears when he talked about how much of a coward he was, but Benjamin was now crying with much more fear and grief. She closed her mouth and looked at him. He was braced against the tree, his face looking towards the right (away from her), and his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face. Kyra looked at him with two emotions waging a conflict in her heart. A part of her wanted to gently wrap her tail around him and assure him that everything's going to be alright; the other part of her wanted to bite him in half. Eventually, Kyra backed away from Benjamin and sat, looking at Benjamin with a thoughtful frown as she wondered what she should do. 

Benjamin, realizing that he was still alive and not in a dragon's stomach, opened his eyes and looked at Kyra. And so, the two beings, a human and a dragon, stared at each other for several minutes.

"I-I need the gold t-to save my f-friend" Benjamin stuttered as his body trembled in fear. "R-Remember? I have to get back to my city. I'm r-running out of time."

Kyra did not respond but only continued to stare at him with a cold gaze.

"I'm sorry, Kyra. But, I knew you wouldn't let me go with the gold. I know that dragons care about their gold a lot. Please, Kyra, I"

"Go" Kyra interrupted.

"W-what?"

"I said, 'go'" Kyra repeated, this time more aggressively. "Take the gold, and never come back."

"Kyra, I"

"GO! BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!" Kyra roared, her voice echoing through the forest.

Benjamin did just that as he sprinted to the bag, grabbed it, and ran into the forest. Kyra watched as her once friend ran further into the forest. Her enhanced dragon vision allowed to see him in the dark far better than any normal human vision could, but Benjamin was eventually out of sight. Kyra could still smell him, however, as he ran through the forest. Eventually, though, Benjamin was so far that not even Kyra's sense of smell could detect him. 

And so, a familiar feeling crept onto the dragon. 

Kyra was once again alone. 

____________________________________________________

Benjamin walked along with dirt road with a sigh. He had been walking for hours, and his legs ached from the journey. It was still night, although Benjamin began to think it was early in the morning. Nonetheless, he continued to walk, the image of Kyra's anger constantly pressing into his thoughts. 

Suddenly, a shadowy figure sprung from the trees and onto the dirt road.

"Who goes there?!" a man, the unknown person, called out. Benjamin could not see the man, but he saw that some small blue light was coming from the top of his staff.

"Uh, just someone trying to get back home" Benjamin responded, scared that the man may be a robber.

"That makes two of us!" the man laughed as he walked closer to Benjamin, allowing him to see the man more clearly. The man wore a dark purple cloak and had to be at least 19 years of age. He had a staff, which still had the small light shining from the top of it, and messy black hair. "Except, I don't really have a home" the man chuckled. "What's your name stranger?"

"Benjamin."

"My name is James Proxnolvich!" James said with pride. "However, you may call me James the Powerful Wizard!"

"You're a wizard?" That would explain the strange light that was emitted from his staff.

"Well, technically, I'm an apprentice; but my master kicked me out months ago. Kept complaining about me blowing stuff up!" James laughed.

"Uh huh" Benjamin said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Hey, you look tired. How long have you been walking?"

"Hours."

"Well, my camp is a little ways off the road if you want to rest the night."

"If you're alright with me staying" Benjamin yawned. 

"Sure! Come on."

After several minutes of walking into the woods, they eventually arrived at Jame's camp. The camp was unimpressive, only having one small tent and a small fireplace that had been recently snuffed out. 

"You're lucky I had to take a leak in the middle of the night" James chuckled. 

"I guess so" Benjamin sighed as he sat on the ground, his legs grateful from the reprieve of their work. Benjam set the bag of gold right beside him. 

"Sheesh, what are you carrying in there? That thing looks heavy!"

"A lot of stuff" Benjamin responded. 

"I bet."

"So, you're really a wizard?"

"Yep! I know approximately 1347 spells!"

"Wow!" Benjamin exclaimed, amazed. "That must really come in handy."

"Well, yeah, but the thing is that I can only perform, eh, 3 of them. 4 of them on good days." Benjamin laughed. "Hey, it's a lot harder than it looks!"

"I'm sure!" Benjamin laughed. 

Suddenly, a small orange orb flew out of the tent and came close towards James. It looked like a small ball of fire, and it repeatedly circled James. 

"Is that one of your 3 spells?" Benjamin asked with a chuckle.

"Uh, no. I stole this from my master's school when I was kicked out."

"What is it?"

"It's a Phoenix Watch. Basically, it acts as a warning whenever a dragon or some other fire being get's close to you. It's actually quite interesting. You have to give it a drop of your blood, and it will always warn you."

"Really? How does it do that?"

"Well, when a dragon or firing being get's close, it begins to circle around you."

"Like it's doing now?"

"Yep, like it's doing..." James's voice trailed off as his eyes widened in fear. "There's-there's a dragon nearby!"

Before Benjamin could offer a rebuttal, a large creature lunged from the trees. James yelped and shot a blue beam of energy from his staff. The beam made contact with the creature, but it simply bounced off of it. Benjamin watched as the creature pounced onto James, keeping him down with one claw. Then the creature looked Benjamin.

It had yellow, reptilian eyes.

"K-Kyra?" Benjamin asked, understandably afraid. 

"Hi, Ben" Kyra greeted with a meek smile. Indeed, it was Kyra; her initial attack was so quick that Benjamin failed to recognize her immediately. 

"What are you"

"Look, Ben" Kyra sighed. "I'm sorry for scaring you back there. I just...got angry."

Benjamin looked at her for a moment in silence, surprised to see her again. However, Benjamin soon showed a smile of his own.

"Have you been following me all this time?" Benjamin asked with a chuckle.

"Well, first I just followed you to make sure you got out of my territory alright. Then, I thought I'd just follow you for a little bit on the roads since there are bandits around. And then, I, well, you know."

"But what about all of your gold?"

"It's just gold, and I can't exactly buy anything with it can I?" Kyra chuckled. "Besides, I'm not going to let you die after all of the effort I put into keeping you alive."

"Thanks, Kyra. I appreciate it."

"So, are we still friends?"

"Yeah, we're still friends."

With that, both Benjamin and Kyra looked at each other with smiles on their faces and warm feelings in their heart.

"Uh, hello?! I'm still down here!" James yelled from underneath Kyra's claw.

"You can let him go, Kyra."

"He's a wizard" Kyra growled. "They always have clever tricks up their sleeves."

"Kyra."

"Fine" Kyra sighed as she released James. He promptly returned to his feet, wiping off the dust and dirt from his cloak.

"Huh, a dragon being friends with a human. Never heard of that" James said.

"If you have a problem with that, I can just put you out of your misery" Kyra said as she grinned, revealing her sharp teeth.

"No! I'm perfectly fine with that!" James yelped.

"Sorry about all of this James" Benjamin apologized.

"It's alright. I've never seen a dragon personally before anyway."

"So, you're headed to Ludrith?" Kyra asked Benjamin.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know that?"

"I told you I took careful note of where all the growing human settlements were. When you got further down the road, I was able to guess where you were headed."

"Wait, are guys headed to Ludrith?" James asked.

"Yeah, why?" Benjamin responded.

"The city's under siege by the Tarks!"

"Tarks?!"

THE END