The Crime of Protection

by Gloria Martin

  *****

  Zefelli awoke quickly, sitting straight up in the pitch blackness. He had been sleeping so soundly only moments ago, with a harmonious, angelic voice filling his dreams. Now, the sound of thundering hooves neared as he peered out from around the side of the cavernous wall and squinted his blurry vision into focus, catching a flash of a sterling mare barreling its way to the winding woods, with what appeared to be two young humans on its back. Humans? Daring to stray out this far? Zefelli wondered to himself, as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. And then, his laser-like vision zoomed in on the flaming red hair of one of the girls.

  Zefelli was hidden high above in a cave, where there was no possible way for the girls to catch sight of him. As they were being carried away towards the winding woods, he hoped they were headed towards safety. He could smell their adrenaline-fueled panic that was being drowned out by what must have been their more usual and lovely gardenia female scent. The strawberry-haired maiden was looking back over her shoulder, with her big, doe-like eyes glinting light from Ansuul overhead. Her plush, pink lips were pouting. He had never seen a young, beautiful human look so mournful.

  What happened to them out here? Why did she gaze at Ansuul in what seemed to be such a longing way? And, didn’t she realize that she was supposed to follow orders and go through selection processes, if she ever had real hopes of making it to Ansuul? Zefelli was quite familiar with the humans’ fascination for Ansuul. Honestly? Sometimes, their naive visions of grandeur to exist among his fellow ruthless dragon people and their aggressively progressive, cutthroat society, shrouded in the clouds so far above, hailing as some futuristic nirvana – rather all disgusted him. Perhaps that is why he enjoyed this hidden and isolated spot he had discovered here - a deep cave that was far too high for humans to climb into. He had flown to it in his dragon form some time earlier, to find true peace and quiet from the hectic bustle of Ansuul.

  Zefelli reluctantly realized he needed to get home, too. He slowly rose to his feet, running a hand through his curly brown locks, gazing at the human girl until she disappeared into the rough and tall thickets of the black forest. The sparkly, ginger-haired beauty had truly baffled him, as the memory of the lovely music he had just heard in his dreams here in the cave delightfully returned to his head.

  Zefelli, a young Dragonruu prince, lived a life of riches behind an exclusive, gated, suburban area made up of a cloister of neighboring castles. His resilient family clan had earned royalties from generations back, and he had grown up more privileged than even common Dragonruu, who lived in superior sophistication in compared to humans. But, Zefelli tired of all the parties, traditional royal balls, and social galas that he and other gregarious clans attended to almost nightly, if they so chose to do so. All the female Dragonruu looked like clones of one another; perfectly proportioned size two models with pert breasts, slender legs, and tiny noses. He found himself no longer attracted to them. His eyes even began to wander towards male Dragonruu, which was not taboo in their society; but within his own family, it was indeed. They planned on Zefelli marrying one of his father’s comrades’ socialite daughters, to keep the family name and reputation perfectly polished.

  Zefelli would sometimes go in big groups down to Denbyshire on Fridays through the Tube, melding in with the crowd, but still feeling empty and alone inside. One night, after an evening of mindless partying, he had staggered away from the crowded streets and slipped into the shadows, numbly searching in the dark. He was lost, physically in the moment, and in his life. Where was his life going? He wondered, what if he could choose to do whatever he wanted to do, without massive repercussions? Serenading crickets filled his ears and the cobblestone street had turned to grass beneath his bare feet. He had somehow lost his shoes during the wild party, but the solid earth felt good between his toes; a reprieve from the city streets and the concrete jungle that was Ansuul. He continued to walk farther and farther into the woods, pondering his life in his vapid and hazed state, trying to find himself.

  The air felt different in the woods; fresher, and easier to breathe. He heard the sprinkling sound of a distant waterfall and allowed the moon to light his twisted path. His eyes located a dark hole near the top of the rushing waterfall. Almost too drunk to shift form, he managed to fly sideways into the edge of the cave, crashing inside into its thick, rock walls, and everything went entirely black. Was he dead? During the night, a beautiful voice echoed through the cavern, making him dream that he was in the heavens. When he awoke at dawn the next morning, a throbbing headache told him he was still alive, and he sharply snapped to his senses. He had stumbled, in his night wanderings, into what would become his place of solace: an empty cave tucked away into the cliffs of the Outlands, which seemed to hold onto the echoes of the most beautiful singing he had ever heard. From his home city above, the glimmering skyscrapers reflected the rising sun, as well as a wide and spanning view below him of the greenery that was Denbyshire. The whole universe was his, all to himself. He vowed to come back to this place, whenever he felt troubled and needed to reabsorb some true human nature.

  No one ever ventured out this far, so when Zefelli finally lost sight of Arielle, he was determined to know if the beautiful voice he heard in his dreams; tonight, the night he first discovered the cave, and a few other nights as well, belonged to one of the girls making their getaway. Was there perhaps a human girl out there, with a streak of rebellion that matched his own? Whose soul yearned to break free from Dragonruu-ruled Denbyshire, with its oppressive rules and laws? Zefelli knew he had to return home, but it was with a racing and anxious heart. He almost felt ashamed, as he transitioned back into the swooping, fearsome, black-scaled dragon. He looked forward to tomorrow night. It was Twilight Friday again. He planned to find the rebellious redhead again.

  “So lemme get this straight – we ARE going to Denbyshire tonight, but we’re not taking the Tube with everyone else?” Aadall asked Zefelli, as they made their way through the school’s courtyard. Zefelli made a motion with his hand to shush Aadall, not wanting others nearby to hear. He put his strong arm around his best friend’s equally strong back, ushering them away towards the parking lot down the hill. “Yes, I have that secret place to show you that I found a few weeks ago. It’s super quiet, so you know, we can....”, Zefelli squeezed Aadall’s neck, sending small, exciting tremors of pleasure all throughout Aadall’s body. Aadall looked into his handsome friend’s eyes with a knowing smirk, and simply said, “Meet me on my roof, right after Twilight when everyone’s already left, and I’ll bring the booze.” Zefelli patted his friend on the back approvingly. Nothing more needed to be said. He decided to make a stop at the liquor store himself, just in case Aadall forgot their favorite lemon beverage. Zefelli could already feel his smooth, black scales tighten and pulse deep beneath his muscled arms in excitement and anticipation of their daring night ahead.

  Arielle tapped her foot nervously in frustration in the large, empty theatre, as she was being held after class to have a talk with Ms. Hollingway about her absences. Finally, Ms. Hollingway called her over towards the front of the stage, as she adjusted her glasses in preparation to look over paperwork with Arielle.

  “Sweetheart, you’ve missed three practices, so you do know that this means you do not get to go to auditions tonight.” Ms. Hollingway had a somewhat impatient and condescending tone to her voice. She searched Arielle’s face for a response, as Arielle seemed to be uninterested and failed to make eye contact with her. “Arielle, do you understand?” She adjusted her glasses again in agitation and shuffled the papers.

  Arielle finally glanced back over at Ms. Hollingway and responded meekly. “Yes ma’am.” She signed some forms of documentation, but remained quiet, not ever once trying to plead her case in explanation for her absences. Ms. Hollingway studied the young copper-headed beauty, wondering if Arielle really cared about her potential, and bright future ahead that could be in Ansuul.

  “You know, you just have such a gift, Arielle. I don
’t understand why you would waste it away like this,” said Ms. Hollingway.

  Arielle stopped in her tracks and turned to finally look Ms. Hollingway in the eye. “I love to sing, Ms. Hollingway, I truly do. But, I don’t want my whole life to be just about singing. There is more to me as a person than just my voice. There is more to my inner being, and to my hopes and dreams. Because what I truly want – what I truly want is....” Arielle didn’t know how to end her sentence. She suddenly felt like the biggest fool. Ms. Hollingway would never, ever understand. It was clear she already saw Arielle as just a bratty, unappreciative freshman who didn’t like to be told what to do. So, it was hopeless. “I’m sorry,” she managed to choke out, before turning her back to hurry away and avoid any further discussion. She knew she could easily slip away tonight, while her sisters would be busy with auditions and with her parents fussing over them, as they made sure everything was in proper order with hopes of shaking hands and making deals with the sneaky Dragonruu agents.

  Zefelli was pacing nervously in the shadows of Aadall’s rooftop. He took a swig of their favorite lemon-flavored liqueur, trying to calm his nerves. It was now past Twilight, and the starts had begun to shine. All the Dragonruu who wished to pay a visit to Denbyshire today had already left. Fireworks from a fair down in Denbyshire were already popping up and sputtering away in tiny rainbow colored clouds of smoke as Zefelli watched from his perch, high atop the castle roof that gave a clear view below. As more fireworks popped, they made him jump, making him feel like a moron for being so easily frightened and on edge right now. He just wanted Aadall to hurry up and get here. He took another hasty drink of the liqueur.

  Finally, Aadall’s dark shadow glided onto the roof. “Hey, um, sorry I’m late, man,” he said in a hushed tone, trying to adjust his eyes in the dark as he shifted his backpack full of blankets, alcohol, and snacks onto his other shoulder. Aadall was still secretly hesitant about embarking on this private adventure. Zefelli swayed forward towards him, leaning into Aadall’s taut chest covered by a maroon-colored hoodie, and he grappled his arms around him into a hug, nuzzling him. Aadall quickly stiffened, pushing him back.

  “Whoa, hey, you’ve already been in it, I see,” he said, as he smelled his best friend’s lemon-scented breath and grabbed his arms to steady him. Aadall knew that Zefelli always became so emotional when he drank. Perhaps that is why he did...he yearned to feel real emotion.

  Aadall, too, had recently become curious to experience emotion of his own, and that is how he and Zefelli had quickly bonded in their friendship, and had even taken their friendship to the next level by exploring emotion together in secret, experimental encounters.

  “I think you’re too drunk to fly, Z. Let me shift, and you just ride me,” Aadall said softly and patiently.

  “No! No, ‘cause how do you know where you’re ‘sposed to be going?” Zefelli slurred back at him.

  “Um, because you’ve told me about this special place, like, a thousand times, and how great it is, so just trust me, and hop on with our stuff in a second, okay?” Aadall answered him back, feeling like the adult in the situation. Zefelli grumbled in compliance as he stepped back to watch Aadall shift back into full dragon form.

  Aadall’s naturally tawny-colored hair transformed into scales of orange and brown that matched the swaying autumn leaves of the tall trees that helped conceal their darkened figures on the rooftop. As his hind feet and tail spread out into complete transformation, Zefelli then clumsily managed to hoist himself onto Aadall’s back. Aadall’s dragon body felt almost uncomfortably hot to touch, and quivered in anxiety. Aadall did want to go - especially with the promise of an encounter with Zefelli – but now, he kind of worried if he’d actually be able to find it and get away successfully without being caught by the authorities.

  Zefelli could sense the tension in his body, and reached down and stroked his friend’s reptilian, jeweled skin. “Relax. We’ll find it, I promise,” he said in an almost sing-song voice, as he had leaned too far forward in his drunken state, which forced him to cling to Aadall’s mane.

  Aadall spanned his mighty wings, and pushed off the rooftop, swirling in a torrent of wind, downwards towards Denbyshire that lay below. Aadall, still in a state of anxiety, truly hoped their secret plan was really worth the risk, as he tore through the air at a high rate of speed through the empty sky between the two provinces.

  *****

  Arielle had made her own great escape, which of course went quite unnoticed as her parents and siblings scurried around the house in preparation for tonight’s auditions. After Twilight, she ran and ran through the haunted woods fearlessly, freeing the frustrations in her heart, as she neared her grotto, her happy place at the edge of the two worlds.

  The swaying, tall grass illuminated by Ansuul overhead let her know she had reached her destination. She burst into grateful song, and a rush of her fairy friends gathered round her in an illuminating blue circle. Her powerful voice echoed off the nearby obsidian cliffs, and all of the sudden, a heavy blur fell straight towards her from the sky.

  The fairies quickly scattered in fear, and Arielle ducked behind a wide, black tree, just in time. A large dragon moaned in pain as it hit the sharp side of one of the cliffs, causing the ground to shake, and Arielle shake, too. In the crash, Zefelli was flung from Aadall’s back and fell into the woods, right beyond where Arielle was trying to hide. Daring not to breathe as she focused on the ferocious, sprawled-out being flapping its wings and still growling, she felt two beams of light as powerful as flashlights shine onto the back of her trembling, ghostly-white figure. She had been caught, and gasped for air in sheer terror. Zefelli blinked, realizing that he had greatly startled her.

  With his eyes returning to somewhat normal, he hesitantly walked up to fragile human beauty, who was too horrified to move. She continued to stare at the ground, with the male Dragonruu’s perfectly muscular legs in her line of sight. A strange tense warmth emitted from him, but felt somewhat pleasant. Arielle forced herself to take a breath, be brave, and finally look the handsome Dragonruu in the eyes, which still glowed a dim golden color. He grasped her hands.

  “You’re the one,” he said.

  Arielle’s bottom lip trembled in fear. “What?” she said.

  “You ARE. I hear you in my dreams, and I saw you last night out here. You’re the one with the beautiful voice.”

  Arielle managed to smile back at him, then shrug somewhat shyly, feeling most flattered by the seemingly friendly Dragonruu’s shower of compliments. “I guess this wasn’t my secret place after all.”

  Aadall was still a few yards away, rubbing his aching shoulder after he had shifted back into his human form. He was now sizing up the mysterious human girl, assessing if she was some sort of threat, as her melodic singing voice had sent him into a trance, magnetizing his path of travel right towards her. She had porcelain-white skin with flames of red hair hanging down her back. Though her figure was slight, she possessed ample curves, unlike the Dragonruu females. Her soft, light blue cotton dress hugged her full hips and pulled the material taught across her heavy cupped, but perky round breasts.

  At first Aadall was very wary of the ruby-haired siren. How and why was Zefelli so friendly with her? Was he just still a little drunk? But Aadall also felt an instant attraction to the beauty and sauntered over to her in complete allurement. After having just frightened her with his Dragon shifted form, he felt confident to approach the mysterious young human and proudly introduce himself. He placed a strong hand on her delicate shoulder and gently turned her to face away from Zefelli, so he could look into the mesmerizing beauty’s bright blue eyes. “I am Aadall. And that is Zefelli. But, why are you here, young human? Why were you not afraid of Zefelli approaching you?”

  Zefelli became a little uneasy, as he could tell Aadall was suspicious, jealous, and feeling his primal instincts aroused by her beauty – all at the same time. “Aadall, we have found the human who possesses the voice that serenades me i
n my dreams. I know it is her. Her voice even serenaded you! It made you lose complete control, drawing you in, right to her!”

  Zefelli was still talking excitedly and nervously, trying to persuade Aadall to accept her. Aadall folded his arms, finally turning away from his intense gaze on Arielle’s widened eyes, who had still been too terrified to speak. “I thought you brought me here to be with you tonight, Z. You talk me into going on this dangerous trip finally, and the first thing we do is run smack into a human.”

  “I’m sorry, Aadall...I should have told you that I was also on a mission to find the girl to whom the voice belonged, that resonated throughout the cave. As it turns out, you brought us to her. She is different from the other humans. She is more powerful...she makes me feel...love.”

  Aadall spun around in shock, as if Zefelli had spoken complete blasphemy, yet he was most intrigued, as Zefelli had begun to teach him so many of those intimate, romantic-type feelings in their encounters which were helping him begin to understand the powerful – and forbidden – emotion of love.

  Arielle, making a daring move, finally spoke up for herself, placing a tiny hand on Aadall’s rippling, bare back. “I am Arielle, Aadall, and I dream of bringing the Dragonruu and humans together...through love. Let my voice guide us.”

  Aadall felt himself melting beneath her gentle touch and suddenly placed his arms around her slender waist, wanting to pull her close to him. “That is what we secretly dream of, too, Arielle. As you are not like other humans falling for our tricks in the industry, we are not like other Dragonruu. Show us...show us how to love...,” The powerful Dragonruu said the last words in a whisper, as Arielle’s soft lips covered his in a sudden, daring kiss.