FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was in the early evening, but that didn’t change much, besides the weather of course. The day was very cloudy, with just enough light form the Sun to light up the place, but it was noticeably colder, less…bright and…happy. It was as if the world was having one of its gloomy days, or one with melancholy…or…maybe it’s something else?

Perhaps it was anger?

Hmmm…

No, that would be a raging thunderstorm, a typhoon, a tornado, and earthquake, not just…nothing. Then was it the other pieces that made up the universe’s cortex of negative emotions?

Was it…fear? Fear of what? The future? The unknown? The…mortals that the obscured sky faced down on? It only made sense given that the humans created weapons of mass destruction they could never hope to realize their mistake in creating and that the dragons could forever scar, if not completely destroy the foundation they stood on with their powers. One celestial observer may see it as a fatal error to give such toys and potential to such a set of immature species, but at the same time, just as much as they ruin, they could create. Just as much as they could cause the spilling of tears and cries of anguish, they could just as easily forge smiles, bonds, and laughter.

Yes…such is the constant push and pull of mortality.

But…if both sides of the coin exist, it couldn’t be that either. Then…what could it be?

Apparently, it wasn’t evident, as the animals of the world just went on with their daily lives, subject and trapped within their own ancient programming within their creation. Without the intelligence or creativity of Humanity or Dragonkind, they were left with basic primal instinct, the need to forage, to build a nest or a lodging to hopefully spend their lives on, survive from predators while obtaining resources, whether from the planet they were born or hatched on, or from the other creatures to get the nutrients they themselves can’t create. This was fact that it was to obtain the essential amino acids forever lost to them as they were made to never even so much as comprehend it. From the smallest of arachnids to the heaviest of bears, this was nature’s battleground. It didn’t matter the weather conditions, as you either ate on your food, slept to regain energy, and strived long enough to reproduce, or you end up like the rest…wasted…lost…nothing…gone…forgotten.

It was unfortunate, but perhaps such a primitive mindset was preferred over one always filled with some semblance of selfishness, the lack of identity meaning it was no creature’s fault, it was only nature running its course. Only the most faithful of souls broke themselves from those shackles of self-indulgence, but even then, the ones left behind were strangely…quiet. No chitter chatter or chirping, just…silence.

So, if it wasn’t fear, anger, or even sadness, then what could the weather mean?

There was one other set of creatures that broke the mold, that was different than the rest, the greatest of hunters and the strongest beast of all…dragons.

Their scales could survive the elements and punishment. Their teeth, claws, and raw strength in their limbs terrified even the most desperate of wild cats and dogs. Their powers even made them a threat to other dragons.

And so, the covered sky held a different meaning this day, one not of negativity, but one of neutrality. The feeling it portrayed was…confusion. Why? The celestials must look at one, no, two so insignificant to the world in its entirety, but, like a sacred jigsaw puzzle or the eternal canvas of the night, made up the whole, little but little…

In a cave within this great and seemingly ever-expanding forest, a land of green, hid one of the world’s occupants. This wasn’t a grizzly or a pack of wolves, but instead, a dragon, one of white scales, perfect geometric cones as horns sprouting from behind it skull, the great quadruped legs with three clawed toes, and ginormous wings that made it a master of the sky. Yes, it was a dragon, but not just any one of the wonderous species, but a drake, one who held scales that denoted his place amongst the world, or, in another’s perspective, lack thereof by outsiders, one who had powers one would assume was reserved for only the spectral plane, not in the mortal realm…a ghost dragon.

Even then, such a species wouldn’t be considered special without something to set itself apart from the mindless organic life around him. That something? A name…Sybus was his name. What was he doing?

He was near the entrance of his cavern having just came in, came in with a kill. It was a strong and healthy buck, antlers useless symbols denoting of that as it was lying on the rough stony ground of lifeless grey. The deer, on its left side, had its underside exposed. Why? Because it was dead, life sucked out of it as its eyes were glassy and its mouth was shut, not that it would have much of a use as the drake reduced it to a husk. Now, the drake was feasting on its corpse, blood covering his snout and lower jaws whilst coating his sharpened teeth in deep crimson. Its guts were spilled out with its fur removed, popped open like a balloon as the sanguine substance was drained in the grass before he began diving in.

But…there was something wrong, very wrong. Sybus chewed, almost mechanically and…slower than usual. He just mindlessly tipped his maw into its insides to remove another chunk of venison from its vessel, bones long since removed, but even that was unbelievably sluggish.

Why? Why was he like this? Because…the drake was incredibly deep, deep in contemplation.

Sybus felt…wrong, off. W-Why? It all began when he started munching on another bounty of the hunt, only to realize…it…didn’t taste…right? What? How…why didn’t it taste right? He usually enjoyed eating deer! With the way the inner flesh, still warm with life and a bit of blood, muscle, tenderness, and fat, felt on his flexible tongue, it usually gave him a sense of pleasure! And the satisfaction of snatching another meal was also supposed to be there!

However, that was the problem. It wasn’t. The second he began razing the deceased creature, as he began chewing effortlessly with his fangs and strong power of the draconic bite, it…didn’t…i-it didn’t…it wasn’t tasteful.

The texture felt incorrect. Even the smell didn’t even have the aura it usually had. Just…the sight of red and pinkishness from its organs didn’t give him the need to instantly tear it apart to get a bit of that tasty food. Not even his mouth watered at it, even if dragons have learned some bit of self-control. It wasn’t just reservation, it was…the…lack of interest? No, it was just…his mind was preoccupied as to why it felt so alien to him. Before, the daily ritual was thrilling, if not built on fear since he was exposed in the daylight and open to being hunted down by other dragons who saw him as a creature of horror and chaos in a place of order and safety, but now, it slowly stopped having its charm as he continually tore the meat in his mouth and inevitably swallowed

it.

It quickly came to the point that it lost meaning to him, the reason he went on to consume more of this creature he rightfully claimed for himself only out of necessity as he slowly began to be engulfed by his own thoughts. The simple act of breaking down the deer into little pieces within his jaws then became a way to collect his thoughts, as he couldn’t do anything else but to eat it. Even as he swallowed it, it felt like nothing inside of him, only filling himself with mush as it slowly went into his system, supplying it with energy and holding off the need for more, but it felt like the end of its journey.

Just a waste, a waste.

No. It couldn’t be that…right? Sybus had to hunt. It was the dragon way, but…what…were these thoughts? And…why did he feel…cold? Wasn’t a ghost dragon meant to be used to the chilly climate?

The one with drying blood upon his snout felt the ides of march, the winds of change in the weather patterns. The time of red and orange leaves will be coming to an end soon, and the ground filled with fallen litter will be replaced with pure, white snow, but…it somehow…felt…uncomfortable. Why? This didn’t make any sense. Why? Why, just…why?

Sybus just went on with the motions, just chomping, with sounds of animal tissue being taken and transferred from one body and into another. The being of scales with the color of sugar crystals felt like that, somebody else in his body, not a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, but…something else entirely.

What? He felt…empty? H-He felt…empty? Not physically obviously, but…spiritually? WWhat…? Sybus has never, ever felt this way. He’s never been so…lost, aimless, disordered, and confused. Even the mashed-up insides of the game didn’t have an impact to him, for it was only a time to sort through this with no distractions except for the chomping and smacking of his draconic mouth.

This…hollowness…i-it was…awful. The feeling was all-consuming, no escape. He wanted out, and yet, it sucked him back in. Why? Why was this…a-and to him! W-What did he do? Exist?

No! No…n-no…

B-Bahamut…

W-What is…h-happening…to me?

Was it…a sense of all-engulfing dread? Dread of what? His sins? How could being a ghost dragon be considered a sin in the eyes of Bahamut? Sure, many other dragons would see him as a mistake, a freak of nature meant to be put down, but his creator? No, there had to be a reason why!

However, that reason would come soon long enough.

The last survivor of his race just involuntarily yanked another piece of the deer’s inner body before razing it once more, his thoughts asking questions to the one who created him. Why let this happen, and why all of a sudden? Then the meat…how could such a great thing be reduced to…nothing? What…why? It was all Bahamut’s plan to make him feel this way, but…why?

Each and every snap of the jaws churning the protein into a form suitable for his organs led to him being reminded of…o-of…Shelby…_her _cooking.

The way she seared the meat to a perfect crisp and placed such weird, powdery…delectable, scrumptious, enticing…g-goodness…and then when she was finished with the way she said Humanity controlled fire, she gave it to him first, which in of itself of beyond generous.

Bahamut, it was…amazing. The meat wasn’t raw, and the warmth left from a fresh catch was lost, but Bahamut, just the smell of it made his mouth water profusely. It just melted in his mouth, and what she called spices…oh Bahamut the spices! The meat itself was delicious, but the seasoning made his brain explode with how much he enjoyed it. He never knew his draconic tastebuds could ever be graced with such a thing! Sure, his stomach was a bit upset and grumbly afterwards and it left him a rough time in the woods…b-but he knew he was slowly getting used to it! Besides, the foodstuffs were worth it! They were always supremely delicious! And Shelby?

Giving some of this gift to him? It was…magical.

Also…the cold…it felt…slightly…off. Then it went back to her again. The woman had the best of both worlds. Outside her shelter, the cold, and inside it, warmness. It initially made him uncomfortable, but then…she offered to…turn it down? What…? How could humans do such a thing? Even without that and telling her it was fine, he…he…got…used to it? Why? His scales didn’t tell him to leave and find some cool crevice to squeeze into to capture that lack of heat and now, he…h-he…didn’t…mind it? The mild temperature?

And…a-and…his cave! It felt…it was natural, but…it…h-he was…lonely…

Sure, Shelby was a great friend, but…she was always there for him and always supported him. His friend even began talking long-winded conversations, laughing over outlandish moments in their lives, or just having a simple meal of cooked meat. It didn’t make sense. Why did he have a friend in Shelby, and yet feel so…utterly…ruined? I-In…his body, his heart, and soul?

Nothing made sense.

Bahamut, say something! P-Please!

Nothing, he heard…nothing. Why? Wasn’t he a servant? Didn’t he lay endless praises upon Him? Sure, he did have Shelby save him, and…a-and…give him food…give him shelter…give him words of courage, that he was wanted, that he was to be…_loved…_like anyone else.

Shelby…w-why did she say that to him? Was it…this…feeling…or…lack of it…? Was it because of her? What…w-what had she…done to him? No, she couldn’t have done anything!

She saved him and…and… Sybus…froze.

His eyelids whipped up as his draconic eyes widened to the utmost degree they could without sugar. What venison he had in his mouth slipped out as his maw was agape, plopping on the cold and dead cave floor. He couldn’t have cared less about that.

No.

Her voice.

His heart began racing.

No.

Her voice.

His heart jumped to his throat.

No.

Her…touch.

His heart began pounding in his skull.

No.

Her…warmth.

His body began to not cool, but warm.

No!

Her…face.

The fu-hair, smile, and…

He took his left paw from the stony floor and raised it, placing the soft bottom to his chest to find

out why…why…

No!

Her…h-her…eyes.

He began to breathe faster, his lungs working in overdrive.

No, nononononono no!

Her kindness, her care towards him, like the time he poked his flank on a sharp and sturdy part of a tree in the woods, tearing out a few loose and bloody scales and she…h-healed him, w-with her…b-bandages. W-Wha…

The pit filled his stomach.

No! No…it…i-it…n-no…B-Bahamut…

He…she…h-he…Sybus, the ghost dragon, h-he…

Then…the great bright sapphires began to be filled with worry. Why? Because it hit him, hit him with full force, for the survivor of the ghost dragons realized the truth. His mouth kept opening and closing, as if his brain still wanted him to eat, but he lost his appetite now, all of it. The drake’s breaths were recovering, but his heart remained to pump more and more of his blood into his veins, and, more apparently, his cheek scales.

He…h-he…

No. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be! He…Bahamut…she… It suddenly made sense, everything, all at once.

Bahamut…he…S-Sybus…h-he…did he…l-l…l-love…d-did he…?

It broke him, the impact forcing the air out with each exhale. The large shoulders slumped. Then, it all came together.

He…Sybus…loved her, Shelby, the human, the woman, the savior, the carer, the…friend, the light in the night of sorrows, and the brightness that came with the day.

He…Bahamut…Bahamut did this…and now, the path set before him suddenly made all the logic in the universe. It was a weave in the eternal tapestry, destiny. He had this all happen to Sybus, to get rescued, to eat with, to talk with, to laugh with, to touch, open up to…Shelby. It was all Shelby. Bahamut destined this to happen to him. As to why?

Sybus discovered this for himself immediately upon all of this lack of feeling in his physical body and spirit. Shelby…Shelby was…chosen by Him, chosen to be his…mate.

He loved her, loved her voice, loved her warm and dexterous touch on his scales, loved her beautiful face and her smile, and the way she laughed! Bahamut, the way she laughed! And…her never-ending thoughtfulness for him! How much she cared and cared for his well-being and his thoughts and ideas and his opinions, and…a-and the respect! Sybus…loved her…eyes, the

brown of the great oak, one that was warm and inviting despite feeling different than the humanmade structure that she resided in. They…Bahamut, he loved her.

But…

The massive dragon collapsed on his side, and yet he didn’t try to get himself up as he laid on his left side

He just…stared at his raised paw, the softer bottom of it, and just looked at it…scales of the leg, claws and all. It…he then let his leg go limp and angled his neck to look down at himself.

A…a…dragon? A…ghost dragon…? It was…it was all…acceptance. His life…his fate…Bahamut caused all these events to happen, to have him fall in love with her. That was why he felt this way, felt lost without her, empty without her, hungry without her, c-cold without her, lonely without her, d…d…d-dead without her. The fact that the deer carcass just laid there unfinished was evidence enough. Nothing was the same. Nothing felt right. Everything felt wrong…_without _her. Then…no…he was a beast, a monster! A dragon! One that could crush her, tear to pieces, slice her to ribbons, to…t-to…to keep her warm, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, to protect her, to make her feel wanted, to be loved, to just be a person to talk to, to listen to everything she has to say no matter what, to laugh with her, to lick away her tears, to…hug her, lick her, nuzzle her, kiss her, to…t-to…m…m-m…a…

No. She wouldn’t want to do any of that. Sybus was…h-he was a heathen! A demon! His…his life was changed the moment they both met and that she saved him from dying due to starvation, and he didn’t notice it. Now, he was left with thoughts that left him with…acceptance, acceptance of who he was, who she was, different, and yet, he still cared for her! Yes! In that way!

However, the ghost dragon accepted the truth. The human wasn’t going to love him back, he just knew it.

H-He…s-she…S-Shelby…

I-I…l-love…I-I…l-love…Shelby…

She was a woman. He was a drake. Nothing would work, but…wait, why was he thinking that this could even work?! Blasphemy! Insanity! The dragon world would reject him! B-But…ddidn’t it already do that…b-by having Bahamut choose his race within the wider world of Dragonkind to be despised?! Sybus…had to face reality, it would be a waste, but then he was stuck in the middle like before, always so indecisive and conflicted. Choosing to tell her this poor soul’s feelings was a lost cause since they were different species, and just…sitting like everything would get better was ridiculous!

He…didn’t want to feel like a waste of space, with nobody to…t-to…

Now, he was lost, but now, he had a mission. If he was to lose everything he’s built up with her or die trying, then so be it. However, now, his body, his heart, his soul…t-they were reeling…

B-Bahamut…I-I…

Even the cold cavern floor did nothing to distract him from his bottomless well of thoughts. The one of white scales, pale as a sheet in more ways than one, just…lied there…

It was too much. His thoughts consisted of one thing and of one thing only, a who, a

she…a…a…s-second…h…ha...lf…

Shelby…

Shelby…

S-Shelby…

S-Shel…by…

(…)

The room was manufactured and sterile. The floor was lined with glossy, white ceramic tiles, almost giving it a blinding look, especially in with the lights on inside. However, this place wasn’t empty., no, it wasn’t, for this…was a bathroom. A very light brown door akin to somewhat bleached wood made from the great oak was the only entrance in, although that was shut, its silver curved knob motionless as the whole thing was locked in the doorway. To the left of it was a white sink, its surface slick and shiny, with a silver-lined hole at the bottom of the bowl with a round stopper slightly popped out to allow substances to drain inside it or to pull the pin behind the equally metallic facet with its knobs on its sides, the one on the left for cold water and the one on the left for hot water, denoted by the colors of blue and red on top of them respectively. A plastic bottle of misty hand soap was to the right of the tiny lever for cold water, for one to soak one’s hands in suds to kill the bacteria that may be on them. Above it on the wall was a reflective surface, a mirror, something to allow one to face themselves, either in deep thought or to see one’s own self, likely to get something right in hygienic activities. It protruded slightly from the wall lined with the tiling that was shared by the bathroom floor. This was because, like the door needed to cross into her and to be shut for privacy, it had a hinge on the left side, allowing it to be opened up to reveal some very shallow and thin shelves filled with some medicine and hygienic products created by Humanity, consisting of toothpaste for the toothbrush on the right side of the level part of the sink, female deodorant, vitamins, and painkillers.

Underneath the sink was a rather wide set of drawers and cupboards, the shelves on the left and right, with the two primary doors for the vast majority of the contents inside. The drawers had some more of more…personal items meant for keeping a woman’s look intact, such as a brush and a hairdryer meant to be plugged into a power outlet somewhat above and to the right of the sink among sprays for keeping one’s locks up to date. The cupboards were filled with medical supplies and extra soap, with the life-preserving and pain-reducing medicines and bandages within a box, along with a couple pregnancy tests in case one did or didn’t want the result of acts of intimacy to come to fruition among wrapped small and thin rolls of tissue paper. To the very right of the sink was a white bowl with a prism, like structure behind, holding a specialized pump, with the side of the wooden set of cabinets underneath the crevice meant for washing holding a roll of paper.

This was the toilet, but there was also something else. At the end of the room was shower and bathtub mashed into one, the longer valley of white ceramic having an iron drain at the end with a facet, the water-dispensing device having a pin on top for either showers when pulled up or a bath when pushed down. The shower head, usually meant to face the piece’s occupant, was filled with holes to spray jets of water, whose temperature was dictated by the familiarly-colored crossshaped fixtures to the sides of the outlet for the fluid. Just above the tub, like the top of a canyon, was all matter of things to scrub oneself. A hand towel for the face, bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and a slippery bar of white soap that has shrunk a little from use. Outside was a set of beige curtains held up by a horizontal tube of metal that went from the one end the other, and, similar to the paper for the toilet, there was one that was more elevated and covered with a long piece of fabric, a towel, meant for drying oneself off.

Now, one may ask the question. What was the point of this room? Why speak about it? That was because it belonged to one person, a human, a woman named Shelby Grant. What was she doing?

To be blunt, it wasn’t pretty. Why? Because she was a mess. The two covers for the toilet were lifted up, and the entire bowl was covered with her head.

She was…vomiting. Her two hands within a light green sweatshirt grabbing both sides of the toilet while on her knees, she expulsed the contents of her stomach into the sterilized water within, staining it with the food she had yet to fully move to her intestines, a sickly red and yellow colored mish mash of liquid and solids impacting into the surface. It was all involuntary, for once she started, she couldn’t stop. Her once supple face burned like the sun scorched her as the woman’s stomach acids incinerated her throat. Her gag reflex heaved another set of internal bile, her eyes watery with a set of blurry vision.

Shelby just kept on throwing up, again and again. She just couldn’t hold herself, for the owner of the household just kept on going until her insides had nothing left to give, her digestive systems emptied of their contents.

She was a complete wreck. Why? The answer…was a lot of things. While Sybus had a sense of…acceptance upon discovering his love for the woman, Shelby took it a completely different way as she went downhill.

She had nobody, no friends, no family nearby, nobody. The impact of her previous relationships had come out to haunt her again. The one with the surname Grant kept her public life completely professional, not wanting to ruin herself and waste more of her life chasing something that didn’t exist. Even in private, her life was a whole lot of nothing. Sure, while it put food on the table and allowed one to escape death and taxes for the time being, it wasn’t anything beyond that. What? Watching dragons was interesting, sure, but that was it. The only thing that was even remotely fascinating were new developments with the integration, but even that didn’t keep her attention forever.

Why? Because of him, Sybus, the ghost dragon she saved. It was just an act of generosity, not because she wanted anything back, and yet, he kept on returning. She initially surmised that he felt like he had a bottomless debt to her like from a bank, but that simply wasn’t true. The human was just doing the right thing, helping another in need. However, she then found out that Sybus was one of the only bright spots in a gloomy grey sky. Sure, he was a nervous wreck at first, but once he revealed to her a couple months ago his life’s struggles, constantly under threat of both Dragonkind and Humanity for what he was, it suddenly made sense. How could one not be cautious? If it was the difference between life and death, she would’ve done the same thing.

It didn’t matter, for dragons were different. They lived for much longer, and without children to carry on their lifeblood and with the ghost dragon race possibly extinct, she would be shaking like she was in a blizzard like Sybus. So, with her vow to help him, it was just simply a case of friendship. She talked, he listened, and vice versa. They laughed and laughed like they were friends for what felt like forever. Like a couple of kids in high school, he was great to be around.

But here was the problem. Sybus…wasn’t that. You only interacted with fellow students, like colleagues in the workforce, because you were with them the whole time…but Sybus? The larger person out the two was like one of those true friends, the ones that you always stayed in touch with, perhaps share a dinner or two, reinforcing such a bond.

But…b-but…Sybus…S-Sybus… Wrong.

Wrongwrongwrongwrong…

She began to…miss…him? Miss the company? Perhaps she hated feeling alone, perhaps she needed to heed the advice of others and get a group going…but no. It felt all wrong, everything was wrong…and Sybus! Why did he keep coming back? Was there a reason? The groundling swore to help him with this terrible situation his species fell into, but…was it…something else?

Shelby, think about it. He is just a friend! Maybe he wanted a voice to hear too! Being alone, hungry, starving, always scared to live another day, afraid of being discovered…

She couldn’t even imagine being in his hide of bone-white scales and forced into his position. He just wanted to be happy! Hell, she wanted him to be happy! She wanted…why did she want him to be happy in her presence? It wasn’t like a friend or a good Samaritan, but was something else entirely.

G-God…what…was it? Her mind was a jumble, with the emotions now just a bunch of bits and bobs with how she somehow failed to compartmentalize and bring everything together. Why did she feel different when he was here? When they spent the night about each other’s experiences in the road we called life, or just munched on some meat she cooked up and stuffed their mouths with vanilla ice cream afterwards?

God, this didn’t make any sense! Why?! Why…?

Oh…oh…no…no.

No, nonononononono…

No…n-no…no, shit, fuck, damnit…no.

Oh…o-oh no! God no!

F-Fuck me!

No! No…n-no…

J-Jesus Christ…

No, it couldn’t…it…c-couldn’t…be…

Shelby already was feeling unlike herself. Before, the sleepwalking huma was just going in through the motions, always going to work, and then eating dinner before settling in and watching T.V, but now, it felt different, more…strange. The screen of bright and flashing images slowly faded into nothing more than noises to make her snore. What? Didn’t it do that before? Yes, but that was mostly due to her hours waning to nothing to begin with. Here, it was because she felt…bored, like her time could be used elsewhere? Wha…h-how else was she to spend her time at night?

And also…dinner! She had so little capacity to just…make a meal for herself, even if it was very hands-off. Of course, she had to in order to live and not be hungry the next morning, but it felt so…alien to her, this feeling…

It was happening for a few weeks now. Sybus was the only thing that gave her any reprieve, the woman silent on the matter, and yet, it was him that stopped this. Why? It came to the point that she resorted to the one thing that was something only a person would resort to when they hit rock bottom…alcohol.

The houseowner had a small collection of her own in one of her garage freezers within an ice box. She had beer, wine, even some whiskey. However, asshe drank them in moderation. even they didn’t feel right going down her throat, with the searing fluids all ending up giving her cheeks some warmth and nothing more, no taste, no satisfaction.

However, she saved the best for things like this, her spiced rum. It was the most expensive, but also the most strong, and so far, it began to dull her mind a bit. The sensitive being was just finished with one of her sessions with it, her mind slightly groggy, but still able to function as if she hadn’t drunken at all for a bit. It just made her numb to the world around her and released some of her worries.

Either way, here, it served as ammunition for her throat to push her guts back up. As she let her body recuperate from strong as hell liquor, she began to ask…questions.

God…

W-Why is this…happening…? W-Why am I…doing this?

Why did she resort to her rum for this? Her human mind needed to find the reasons why! She felt less out of her life as of late without reason. It just lost its impact and luster. Sybus alleviated it, but why? Why did he help with it? It didn’t make any sense!

God, why?

Why was it Sybus, the ghost drake she kept on meeting with? What did he have to do with it? The clothed person thought about it real hard. Shelby felt like she was on autopilot, and yet, just talking with Sybus washed all of that mindlessness away, the…feeling of nothing, and replacing it with…happiness.

W-What…Shelby…Sybus…

Did…d-did I…? Sybus? S-Sybus…? M-Me…? I…

No…no. God no. No…no! Oh God no! No! Damnit! No! Fuck!

_Sybus…I-I…I-I…care…about Sybus…in…i-in that…_way?

No! Impossible!

Nonononononono…

Not again…not again…_not again…no…no…n-ugh…_

It hit her all at once, like someone smacked her in the head with a hammer. She needed to hurl. The alcohol in her system made everything much worse, making her stomach more sensitive. The idea of it was too much. Shelby dashed to her bathroom and promptly released the magma from her insides. To say that she was a complete disaster would be an understatement.

No. She refused to believe it. It…i-it just wasn’t possible, it just wasn’t. She couldn’t be in love with Sybus. Not again could she make herself suffer for anyone again. All the men before asked a lot out of her with dedication, but it quickly degraded and she lost her purity before she realized it was all for nothing, but it was already too late. She saw their true colors, but it didn’t matter, because now, she was left with very little happiness, always adamant on not letting anyone in her life lest she feel the pain of rejection all over again.

And the gossip afterwards? Dear God…

She constantly received messages in her house phone from them, telling her how much of a disappointment she was in their eyes. It was horrific.

‘You mean to tell me that you’re done? Just like that? You’re unreal, you know that? What the hell is the matter with you?’

‘Please call me back. I don’t know why you’re this way, but talk to me, please! All I wanted was to kiss you! Did I do something wrong?’

‘Fucking cunt_. You think you’ll get anywhere without me?’_

‘You won’t get anywhere in life. You’ll just stay by your lonesome forever Shelby. Nobody’ll want you.’

‘You’ll be a nobody_.’_

That’s what she was, a nobody. Shelby Grant was nothing, working a job that paid the bills and put food on the table, but nothing else. He was right, they all were. She’ll never get anywhere in

life.

Useless, useless…

Not only would she not be good for them, but they wouldn’t be good for her. She had nothing to offer, nothing but her personality, which in of itself was already worn down by constant internal battles that were at a standstill when she told herself not to try to seek out a potential partner. It wasn’t going to end up anywhere, so why try? Why bother? The woman was just going to be seen as a joke regardless, always so below them that only her physical beauty provided anything of substantial value.

To her, she just wasn’t worth it, she was never worth it. Nobody would ever want her, and then, she convinced herself that she didn’t want anybody either…so no, it was impossible. Sybus couldn’t love her, and she couldn’t love Sybus, b-but…dragons…dragons were…different.

She didn’t need to see the networks on television to see it. The way that mated drakes and dragonesses rubbed against one another in such a loving fashion, how seriously they took things…

They didn’t see it as a one-time fling, but they meant it, all of it. In fact, their faith in their

Bahamut was so powerful, that breaking such a thing was one of the worst sins imaginable. Dragons were easy to understand in terms of their customs in many ways, but the sheer rigidity meant that they placed a full effort, that they actually cared. Sybus actually cared…c-cared about her!

That was the difference. Men were easy to figure out upon being around them your whole life, but drakes were a different story entirely. Humans always saw it as something they could easily get out of, but dragons? No, they saw their bonded as a soulmate, somebody to care for as a sacred duty and in the name of true love.

No! He couldn’t see her this way, he couldn’t! Just…look at her! She’s a mess! A nothing! What was she to Sybus besides a friend? What could the poor human provide him? It just didn’t make any sense!

That was the big thing. It just didn’t add up. Was it because in terms of the natural laws of the world it physically couldn’t happen, or was her mind so destroyed by her previous failed relationships that she just simply saw it as impossible?

But…b-but…S-Sybus…no, it was unachievable, love was unachievable. Shelby believed she was dumb and stupid, retarded even, believed that she could love him, that he would love her, but no, for love was a dream, the best one anybody could have, and she’d never get it.

Stupid, stupid…

She was a fool, a fool for falling for him, of thinking she fell for him. Worthless…she was worthless. If a man wouldn’t love her, how would a drake care for her in this respect? They were two different species for crying out loud! What would the world think? They would think she’d gone crazy and persecute her for believing in such childish fantasies. Even she knew that such things were sort of looked down on by the general populace. It was just too early since the integration where it could be accepted.

Some people always threw around the phrase, ‘dragon fucker’, as if being in a relationship with one was some sort of thing that got you sent to Hell, and dragons outright forbade it. Sure, they were in a primarily human-based society, slowly making their mark, but many of their traditions followed them. Much of the dragon race would be outright disgusted with it! Sure, the housebound human was very closed off as is, but even she couldn’t deny that!

And…a-and…t-there was the smallest minority of humans who saw it as one of the worst things imaginable, as…a-as…b-be…s…

N-No, stop! Dragons were people! Like them! They could talk, laugh, cry, be scared, and feel pain! And…wait, why was she thinking this? Was it…oh God.

She…s-she…did love Sybus. The torn-down human didn’t care that he was a dragon, just that he was the best person she’d ever met, and it just blossomed into something more…but there lied the big bowl of issues. The dirty-blonde hair-covered mind constantly stabbed at her, thinning and tearing into her soul, always reminding her of everything, that she had nothing. What could she do? Nothing. It wasn’t powerlessness, it was the lack of any good qualities, all within her head, but was it? How else was the body supposed to function?

You want to know what happened? She got depressed, real depressed.

After her spill occupied the toilet, she simply brushed her hair out of her eyes, not that it mattered anyways with how blurry and wonky her eyesight was from the repulsion. The drunken woman stood up from her knees, her black-socked feet twisting to the left with her body to exit, uncaring that her own electrolytes and acidic fluids was still unflushed. It was a slog as she tried to make her way out of the bathroom, her hand absentmindedly on the elongated knob as her mind was a complete mess. Even after a drinking session and letting it all come back up with her supper, her body felt all rubbery.

The mismanaged Shelby Grant weakly pushed down the deep silver with her left hand and pulled it, backing up a bit to let the door slide inwards before releasing it. She then drifted with her covered feet, careful as to not slip on the polished floor, her right hand now on the knob on the other side of the entranceway. Forcing it towards her despite moving away from it, she heard the wood latch itself into place, its duty done for now, the floors transitioning from white laboratory tiles to a navy carpet, and it turned into those ashen squares of ceramic she knew too well.

She saw it, a cubical container of glass holding amber fluid, her rum. Sure, her drinking of it just a bit earlier amplified the bout of vomiting, but now, it didn’t matter, for here and now, the poison was the cure. She nearly slipped on her own kitchen floor, but she remained conscious enough to spread out her legs a bit to maintain some friction, continuing on like it didn’t happen, her movements still rather disjointed. The cap already off and to its side from before, she recklessly snagged the bottle with a sweep of her right hand, head drooping the whole time until she shakily guided the opening under her bangs and to her opening. The glass was a little weighty, but not too much for her as she held it with both of her hands, right one on the neck and her left on the bottom, as she whipped her head up to her ceiling and took a swig.

It scorched her throat, scalding her esophagus with the forbidden solution to her problems, or…excuse for a solution. It settled into her stomach, foreign and wrong, yet wanted and needed by the host, a parasite. After a few gulps, she removed it from her mouth, heaving it with her two hands. Out of the throat came coughs and hacks.

She was so unbelievably fucked up. Even as the spasms stopped, she just felt awful, but it didn’t matter. She had to drink this…had to. The one seeking some relief in the form of internal destruction needed something, anything to make her nervous system less sensitive, to dull her brain from it all, to help her hold back the tears of knowing she’ll never be loved, even when she felt drawn to the ghost drake.

She didn’t want to get drunk or have a hangover, so she’d have to stop herself in a little bit due to the rum’s alcoholic content. Regardless, she wanted to get her mind off of everything, of the men from before, of her never-ending addiction to self-loathing, of…o-of…S-Sy…bus…

She began walking to her lounge chair in front of her T.V., her head just completely out of it, her body and posture akin to a zombie. The worker would have to use some of her vacation days for the rest of the week despite it only being Tuesday. Her supervisor knew she was always on time, professional, and reliable. Everyone would know that coming in like this meant that something was seriously wrong. However, even as she occupied her waning body with a soul filled with the burning lead that was the rum, a voice stilled called out to her, insignificant, but slowly growing, only to be punched deeper into the abyss until she would lose consciousness some way tonight. S-Sybus…

(…)

It was merely Friday, the day that humans would give a sigh of relief that the standard work week was finally over, that they could relax a little bit more for a change, but it held no peace for Shelby or Sybus.

Upon Sybus realizing his feelings for the woman, he became a bit of a nervous wreck. After accepting that Shelby was to be his mate upon discovering his love for her, he…didn’t know what to do. He would have to go to her house as usual to just visit her, but now, the circumstances were completely different. H-How could he possibly act the same way around her? What if she rejects him? Sure, they could still remain friends, and it could just be Bahamut’s plan, but…Sybus had never felt this way about anybody. He wasn’t even interested in the one or two ghost dragonesses he knew when he was younger, right when the dragon race began to massacre them. The fact that this wasn’t to preserve the species meant that it had to be true that she was meant to be his mate, for he loved her, with all of his heart. It was a box that was finally unlocked, but at what cost? His friendship with Shelby?

It could go only one of two ways. Either she accepted him, or not. This was a scary truth left up to chance, but it was a truth nevertheless, and now, he needed to speak with her now. It was very late at night, the stars sparkling as if nothing was happening despite his soul being in shambles and bones shaking for the future, the unknown.

Shelby was arguably in an even worse situation, as even she had to realize that alcohol was but a substitute for actually thinking about this. Her emotional baggage was getting the better of her.

The strong-willed human told herself to remain strong, but even courage had its limits.

Again, she believed she was weak and pathetic, worthless. What was once a person who thrived on being on her own without distractions was at her all-time low. She struggled to eat or drink anything at all, and just lay in bed, constantly sleeping with empty dreams of eternal blackness. She even ran out of ice cream, which both reminded her of Sybus even more and was a sign that she really fell off. Shelby never lost all of her stock on the confection, never, but now, this was one of the only times.

And yet, she didn’t care, for she just didn’t feel like doing anything, at all, not paralyzed with fear like Sybus, but just…depressed, ruined, destroyed. Her will, her strength to the outside world, was a former shell of what it once was. Now she was just a girl fresh out of high school, only to begin crying that she lost her innocence not even a few years later. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she never checked anything besides calling her supervisor that she wasn’t coming for a little while due to a personal emergency.

So, even on this night, at the start of when Sybus could possibly visit her, she just neglected to care. To her, the possibility was certain, even if it was up in the air to the ghost drake. Her body was just sulking, small bags under her eyes and criminally tired upon her sleep patterns being sorely messed up, drifting on and on into her kitchen to perhaps find something to drink upon her throat being as dry as a desert…or…was it the alcohol? Did she even have any in here? Who cared? She couldn’t even process her surroundings either. Her skull was just filled with a puddle of oil and water.

No. She instead went to the side of one of the chairs on the longer side of the island, where one is supposed to eat and drink while doing so, but now, it was just a platform to just prop her left elbow on it and grip the side of her face with her hand.

She was just so…tired. What time was it? The fridge said a time in green characters.

2:57 A.M.

What? She was trying to look at the time now? When did she do that outside of work? None. What…w-what the hell happened to her? Even now, she couldn’t describe it. Why…w-why was she even this way? Was she selfish for wanting something in life? The one who drank loneliness just wanted to be cared for with respect, not to be thrown out like a stray sheet of paper, l-like the men from before, but who cared what she wanted? She was just one person out of billions.

Having desires was a fool’s errand, a lost cause, she was a lost cause.

A sigh came out. It didn’t have any weight behind it, and instead was filled with defeat, Shelby Grant was defeated. Just…nothing. The only thing left was for Sybus to laugh at her, to tell her that she was an idiot for loving him, for caring for a dragon when she was just a punching bag compared to the might of Dragonkind. Now, all she had to do was wait for that, forget about it, and then just go back to her job as of nothing happened, for at least her previous experiences would soften the blow upon knowing it didn’t matter.

Why play a game if you knew you were going to lose anyways?

However, something happened that night, something…magical. Shelby didn’t believe in fairy tales, even when the dragons revealed their existence in 2000. However, it would irreversibly change her life forever, more so than meeting Sybus to begin with, which was really saying something.

The depressed woman was just looking at anything while leaning on her joint on the speckled granite, to just pass the time focusing on anything but her life while her vision was a little obscured by her threads of dirty-blond hair until…

She turned her head to the right, for a noise was heard. What? A mouse? Had…she really neglected to take care of her own house? Pitiful.

But no, it wasn’t an animal, but a creature, a ghost dragon, Sybus. He phased through her house and simply began to return to his physical form upon appearing from her wall across her sight, near where her dog’s ashes were.

Oh God.

She even noticed something wrong with him. His legs were…shaking? W-What…w-why? Did…oh…oh God…d-did he get into a fight with another dragon? Wait, no, that couldn’t be right. Her woody orbs didn’t see any deep scratches or bite marks, or scarring from the breath abilities of other dragons. It…no…i-it was a fear thing, but…w-what…was he…afraid of? His head was also down, as if he was ashamed of something or that he was scolded just recently.

Shame? Of…what? Was…he…w-was he about to tell her that…that he had to leave her be? Forever? Her eyes widened a bit. W-What…wait, why was he here…at about three in the morning?

The human unfolded her forearm and pushed both hands from her counter as she began to stand up straight to the side of the chairs to intercept him, to ask him why he was this way and here at this time. He was now in the realm of matter once again, claws clacking on the tiles as he approached her, but he was still a bit of a distance away. However, the drake perked up and lifted his head to face her when she spoke. It was question, but he felt through his powers that it was more so due to confusion and many other emotions his powers caught swirling around in her head.

“S-Sybus? W-What are you doing here so early?”

But…wait…

“E-Early? B-But I thought it was…”, h began, but stopped the line of words, now filled with embarrassment.

However, it only led him to shake his long head and let out a sigh, orbs shut.

No…

That’s right. It was time. He needed to speak with her, to tell her all these things inside of him that he’s kept bottled up. Bahamut, it was torture. Now, not only was he going to release all of his feelings at once, but now, he would face the repercussions of them. He was a horrible drake, one that was truly vile for being this selfish. Love was such a heart-wrenching thing.

However, he opened his eyes and returned his head back to her, but his bright-blue sapphires were glued to the ground, not wanting to see her reaction.

“S-Shelby…”

Bahamut…

Here we go…

“I-I needed to talk to…a-about something.”

W-What? No. God, it was happening. She was going to be told, ‘I can’t stay here anymore’, that the woman wasn’t worth it.

“I-I…_Shelby…I…I…_”

The drake returned his eyes from the ground to face her, to tell her everything, but once his stars of sight met hers, their faces reflected off of them, telling of…nothing, and yet, everything.

They froze up, breath removed as their hearts stopped. Brain activity halted for but a second as if they were statues.

The eyes of blue…saw the beautiful woman with out-of-order hair that had a gold-like sheen, but was rather brown, a cross between blond and a straight-up brown, one who was in a mess. There were no thoughts or ideas, only…nothing and…

The bright face with the…brown eyes…saw a massive figure in white scales, ones that belonged to one who was strong and powerful, and yet, humble and quiet, with white wings bone, ashen breast plates, a long, prehensile tail, a maw, and…a long snout, and above that was…w-was…

W-What…

There were clacks on the floor. The woman stood still.

W-What…was…happening? Why did his body feel so…weightless? W-Was he…? W-Why did his body…burn? Was he…dying? W-Why did his heart…f-feel like…

It happened in a blur. Sybus, like someone ironically possessed his body…h-he…the ghost dragon…walked forwards slowly, and yet…

First, he was a decent distance away, then he was a couple paces away.. Now at a leg’s length,

and…

The blue stars shut closed. He curved his head and opened his maw. The draconic mouth darted once he closed the distance. Shelby was…still…i-it was…j-just…

Sybus…Sybus…S-S-S-Sybus…

H-He…kissed her…on the lips. Once the smaller mouth opened to accept it, her mind fragmented into shreds as her eyes closed a little bit.

It was…messy. His maw barely connected with her own mouth, he kept his tongue in his trap, and his head twisted irregularly. H-He…the surviving member of his race wasn’t experienced, not at all, but…

W-What…?

S-Sybus…?

What, _whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat… W-What…the…f-_fuck?

The kiss was sloppy, unorganized, uncoordinated, alien, but…i-it was…endearing?

She still felt his draconic lips on her own, even if just…kind of was a kiss to begin with. One couldn’t deny how strong and caring they were even though his mouth was lined with teeth.

However, Shelby was a bit shocked that Sybus would…w-wait…w-why would…S-Sybus…?

Could…c-could it…be?

No Shelby. Y-You…h-he…

However, the kiss barely lasted at all. Why? The sky-blue eyes, upon getting half-lidded for a second, suddenly realized what was happening. Like being thrown in a lake, he woke up. The drake’s orbs were wide open and his pupils shrank. All of a sudden, he broke it. With a line of their saliva falling worthlessly to the floor, Sybus backed up away from her, the two breathing heavily as they were without their required oxygen for a little bit.

What…what…Bahamut…what…had he done? W-What…Bahamut, what had he done?!?!

W-Wha…w-what have I…d-done…

No!

_Stupid…stupid…stupid… Horrible ghost drake! _

_Monster! _

_Beast! _

_Heathen! _

_Killer! _

_Murderer! _

_Demon! _

He…no…he…ruined it, ruined everything, his life, his happiness, his hopes, his dreams, his…friendship with Shelby…all gone. All of the trust he had built up and the goodwill that led to the culmination of his feelings just about disappeared like a puff of smoke, all gone in just a few seconds.

They…t-they were right, all of them. The ghost dragons were just selfish and dangerous creatures who had to be put down, to die for the sake of the world. Sybus…h-he…was a mistake. The dragon shouldn’t have ever existed. The accident of a race was a plague…to the world! The one he cared about most…was gone! Now it was going to be replaced with an angry individual, who was going to punch hot metal into his insides without burying him, telling him he deserved it, that he shouldn’t have done this.

W-Wha… w-why?!?! Why did he do it?! His distraught eyes wanted to cry themselves out for doing such a thing. Was…Bahamut…i-it was…likely his primal self, connecting with one he loved with his eyes nose, and powers. Draconic instincts must have took hold of him and made him act on an impulse, like a puppet on a string.

Bahamut…

D-_Damn _these instincts! I…

But now, there was no going back, for what was done is done. At this moment, Sybus would have to face the consequences. The white-scaled predator of nature was now a cornered bunny rabbit, scurrying into a corner, but all for naught as there was nowhere left to hide.

How could he have not controlled himself? Sybus was just useless here. Why? Why…w-why…

“B- Bahamut! I-I’m so sorry! I-I…”

No, there was no such excuse, none. Was…he…damned?

…

Shelby was just…shaken. It just hit her that Sybus, a dragon…kissed, or at least attempted to kiss her.

W-Wha… WHAT?!?!?! Why…d-did…?

Jesus.

The only reason he would kiss her would be if…?

_No. _

_Yes. _

_No. _

_Yes. _

No!

Yes!

NO!!!

YES!!!

Did the dragon…l-l…l-love…her? Yes, he did. No, he couldn’t.

Her eyes went to his afraid ones, his voice breaking her out of her stupor. Did Sybus…really…? Wait…the large figure was turning to the right to escape, likely seeing himself as some sort of evil that needed to be vanquished and didn’t wasn’t to receive judgement, not because he did anything wrong, but because he thought he did something wrong.

No! Wait!

“S-Sybus! Wait!”

She extended her left hand in some feign attempt to stop him, and…it worked.

…

W-Wha…? She…the voice, her sweet, sweet voice. It wasn’t lined with venom, but instead…fear? Concern? Even with his powers, his self-loathing overwhelmed his mind too much to get any grip on himself, b-but…Shelby wanted him to…wait? F-For what? To tell him he’s a wretched dragon and ought to be slain? No, she…she walked…closer…

“S-Sybus, y-you…?”

It was a question, but it didn’t feel like it, i-it was…the woman…s-she… His face was locked with hers, and…God.

She pushed her own lips on to his own, his blinds of eyelids flapping straight up and into his crevice as she pushed her mouth into his.

…

S-Sh…S-Shelby…she…?

Bahamut.

His eyes, now once filled with shock and surprise, relaxed as he felt it again…understanding. The draconic orbs of distant stars shut to just…feel. The larger bulk of the frame was originally tense in all of his limbs, but now, he was…soothed, calm.

They kissed. Shelby guided them as she tried with her jaws to latch onto his maw but could only get the very front of it. Still, she felt a lot in that little space, and fully tasted a dragon’s mouth for the first time. It wasn’t cold, but blazingly hot, his maw soft and tender on hers as the rough texture of the scales just around his face gave her grip on this new thing she was experiencing, that she was feeling. She felt draconic saliva intermix with her own, a different stickiness and amount than what she was used to, but…it just felt…right. The woman felt his longer tongue entangle with hers, drawing her in, and yet her own tugged at it to feel her mouth instead. The bumps on it were smoother, slicking it in his electrolytes and enzyme-laden fluid. The muscle easily overwhelmed her and left her intoxicated, and yet, it didn’t take advantage of her. It was…welcoming, caring, considerate. Even if she was kissing a dragon, there was something about it that separated it from the other men from her past.

It wasn’t filled with lust, but…love, genuine love. It was like a waterfall of his heart spilled into her throat as his draconic tongue rolled around hers, introducing her to his cavern of teeth, careful as to let her feel in between and around them, both inside the cage of ice and on the gums. She wrapped her clothed arms around Sybus’ neck, wanting to draw him closer, to hold onto this for longer. S-Shelby’s never kissed anyone in a while and not like this, but…i-it was beautiful, Sybus was beautiful.

…

Sybus…felt the woman’s shorter tongue curl with his own, his appendage feeling all around it, a friend from beyond. The taste buds were bumpier and more textured, allowing him to hold onto it more as he kissed for the second time in his draconic life. Her fluids were bonding with his own, the drake feeling the taste and cohesion it had, her teeth as smooth as pure ivory as his strip effortlessly felt the enamel on the crowns, contrasting with his pikes of a set. It pulled him in despite its lack of length, and, like any good drake, he obliged, tasting all of the epithelia and veins that went under the gums and inner flesh. However, as his tongue pulled her in, he gave it the utmost carefulness he could, like exploring caves for a home. In between her draws into her moist tunnel, his own was treacherous, and as such, he wanted to be careful as he helped her explore it. He felt the sensitive teeth be touched by somebody else, and it felt…Bahamut, it felt amazing. The way it sunk in between the parts where they were stuck to the inner space of his maw was just on a whole other level, the human saliva honey to his mouth as they bonded in this new way.

Sybus got on his rear legs a bit to sit on his haunches as he removed his front ones from the tiles and extended them before pulling his paws into her spine, his wings extending and wrapping themselves around her in a little bit of a cocoon, wanting to savor her and to let her know that she was beautiful. Shelby was beautiful.

They just kept tugging at each other’s mouth, wanting to hold on to this. They just did it, no questions nor answers, for at least now, there was just…do. For Sybus, it was a lost possibility coming to fruition, and for Shelby, it was glimpse of what could be, even if she knew it was all for nothing in the end. It was about two minutes before their lungs strained with the lack of air. Even though they wanted to taste more of each other, nothing lasted forever. The retrieval of their tongues and removing their mouths was slow, as if they wanted to know if this was real or not and wanted to hold on to this likely certainty. A strand of their intermixed saliva stuck to the bottom of their lips as if it was a bridge between worlds that slowly broke as their contact ceased. They both let out an exhale before opening their eyes sluggishly, like waking up from a daydream.

Sybus removed his paws from her back unfortunately and onto the kitchen flooring, even if her frame was something he wanted to hold onto forever, while Shelby returned her arms to her sides, mind still questioning if this was…real, like, real real, not the fake kind.

The two different beings both had a pink tint on their faces, blood rushed a bit from their first real kiss. They were silent as they just stared at one another, human and dragon, woman and drake. Sybus and Shelby…just didn’t know what to say. How could they? Revelations and realizations just popped up into their minds, and they were still recoiling from it…but then came the big question.

Why? Why did Sybus feel this way about Shelby? Why did Shelby feel this way about Sybus?

They…the two didn’t understand, for too much had happened for them to gain any real understanding as to the great question of why. This didn’t make any sense, but this bonding act wasn’t of serendipity, for this was because they had feelings for one another, and as such, acted on them.

Sure, they revealed their love, but…did the other feel the same?

Sybus was the one to break the ice first, his voice more coherent and solid than before, but still filled with…confusion. W-Why did…S-Shelby…?

“You…you…care about me that way?”

The tone in the ghost dragon’s confusion wasn’t a denial, but an inquiry about why she felt this way about him. For the drake, it was obvious, for the thought was about what he was, rather than who he was.

Shelby looked down at herself. She didn’t know what to say to that. It wasn’t about her mind telling her that this all must be a diabolical trick, but a confrontational question. W-Why…did Sybus…?

“I-I…”, she stammered, lost for words, then…a sigh.

It was like tearing a band-aid off, for the once emotionally battered woman had to admit it, admit she was an idiot for having feelings that couldn’t be reciprocated. She closed her eyes and just softly nodded solemnly before opening them back up, but gazing at her glossy floor as if some answers to her stupidity were somehow there, but…

…

What…? Shelby…s-she…loved him? What? How could…she…a dragon?

“B-But…why?”, he asked not out of any damage done, but…just…wanting to comprehend why, for the mind always tries to justify the unknown.

Her eyes went back up and into his own. Those orbs were filled with curiosity and yet, something else entirely, filled with…honesty, honesty with an answer that he thought was true, b-but…

“I-I mean…I-I’m sorry Shelby, b-but…you shouldn’t be with a person like me.”, he said with a shake of his muzzle.

She knew it, she just did. It was because he didn’t truly love her, that he didn’t want to do it. He- “I-I mean…look at me!” W-Wha…w-what?

“H-How could you love me when I’m…this?”, he questioned with a tone of internal-hate, stepping a bit backward and extending his wings while pointing his snout at the rest of his body, chest plates, and all.

N-No…Sybus…

“I-I’m a ghost dragon, a monster! I-I’m…I-I’m a dragon…I can…I…”

“I don’t care.”

W-What…? Sybus returned his bright sapphires to her hazel nuts as she said that. Bahamut, what? W-Wha…w-what did she say?

The one across from him…didn’t…?

“Sybus…I don’t care that you’re a dragon.”

That characteristic warmth returned to his belly upon hearing that.

S-Shelby…B-Bahamut… S-She…?

“You mean you don’t think I’m ugly?”, he tore at himself, for this wasn’t just based on appearance, but also what he represented, what his place in the world was.

No. Sybus wasn’t…w-wait…why would he…ask…? How…what…

“No.”, she stated bluntly.

“Sybus, you’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

“You’re kind and caring, you’re humble and thoughtful of me even if you don’t have to.”

“You…want to talk to me, you…want to ask how I feel…”

“A-And your scales! They…kind of…remind me of diamonds actually, hmmmm…”, she said with a little giggle towards herself as she began to look down with a slight grin on her face as she showered him with compliments before her face went here and there as she went on.

“And your eyes…God, your eyes…”

“They’re, um, really bright. Brighter than the stars I think, I…”

Sybus…was just…still. Shelby…she…didn’t see him as a freak of nature, and…the muddy blonde was revealing to him his true nature to his conscious, telling him of all the good he’s done for this woman. It all meant he was a truly kind soul, and…handsome? His…scales were like…shiny gemstones? Diamonds? Those mythical stones that shined greater than any and was the sign of true dedication, something earth drakes laughed off as nothing? And…his eyes?

Shelby wasn’t afraid of them, but…saw them as…?

I…I…I…I…I…

The larger, draconic heart beat faster and faster almost creaking open the bones that surrounded the cardiac tissue.

The dragon’s human savior…really…s-she r-really…loved him. However, his thought process was broken by her sudden question, one that began the idea that all was not what it seemed. “I…wait, why are you asking me this? I should be asking you why you kissed me!”

It was filled with tension with a slightness of defensiveness, Shelby pointing her right finger at the drake a bit before returning it to her side, frown painted on her face. W-Why…did she…?

“How could you love me?”

W-Wha…Bahamut…w-wha…

“W- WHAT?!?! ”

W-Why? Why did she…a-ask that? Did the one he shared intimacy with…not think that he loved her? H-He kissed her! Twice! And…s-she accepted him! The dragon asked himself why…after all this time and his feelings coming out…why she confronted him when he admitted to wishing to court her! What…how could…however, his worries and fears of rejection were destroyed. The dragon awaited something, anything from Shelby with his gained a shocked and hurtfully confused face, then…Bahamut save him…

“Sybus, I’m a nobody.”, she said, looking off to the right while spread her arms for emphasis before letting them flop to her sides, but it felt like more of a demonstration of some sort of fact that didn’t even make sense.

What? A…no…Bahamut no…she wasn’t…

“I have nothing to give you. No home, no food, no future. I’m…nothing.”, she said, still staring a bit to the right in created lamentation.

Shelby was slowly stepping away. No, no! Bahamut, don’t say that! P-Please…d-don’t say…his…h-his heart…his wings went limp.

“I-I’m a horrible person. I-I’m…selfish. I-I…I-I don’t deserve this…”

The humane mind that tried to reason with everything overwhelmed her. The images of all the people that threw her out like some pathetic waste of organic matter was forcing her to state the obvious, or what she felt was the obvious. She was a terrible person. If all the men before thought she was that, then what else was she supposed to feel otherwise? They called her many things that stabbed at her mental fortitude, and it was cracking underneath all the pressure.

The cocoa eyes in her sockets…w-why did they…? No…

You can’t cry! You have to remain strong! You don’t want the men to be right do you?

You’re a…a moron, an idiot, a retard, a fuckup, a…dumb…_fucking…piece of_ shit_._

How…could her life end up like this? The human, was just a useless, messed up doodle that ended up in the trash bin anyways, so why admit anything else? Nothing, she was nothing.

Nothingnothingnothingnothing…

Her entire being was a twig meant to be stepped on, and promptly forgotten, but that became her reality. She was strong, yet quiet, getting things done, and yet inside, she felt so worthless. How could Sybus love her? She couldn’t hunt like he could, he had a cave of his own, and…n-no future, no kids, just…the pleasure she could offer with her body. That was all she had, her body. She had the ability to speak, to hug and kiss him, but what else? The ghost dragon race was doomed if he chose her anyways. Why…how could anyone love her?

No…he couldn’t…h-he…

…

His heart…it…broke…into several pieces. W-Wha…S-Shelby…? Why…did she say these things about herself? It was like was harming herself with words like she deserved it, but…no!

She shouldn’t feel this way! His friend wasn’t nothing! The one who saved him wasn’t useless!

No! Don’t cry! Shelby! Shel…by…

“N-No, I mean, I…”, she stared at the ground off into nowhere to the drake’s left side, staring out into space as she tried to tell herself that it was all just a dream, flattening her right hand as she whipped it down like she was trying to slap or chop something.

The poor human then held herself with her arms, her hands patting on her shirt just above her breasts, shaking her head in self-inflicted denial. She…she began to backpedal.

“N-No. Y-You’re better off with anyone but me, I-I…you shouldn’t…you can’t love me, I-I…”

“ No! Don’t you ever say those things about yourself! ”, he said it as he jumped over to her in a four-legged hop, instantly closing the distance that Shelby had just begun to build up.

I-It actually startled her a bit and nearly made her jump.

W-Wha…? He stood up straight and demanded it, speaking with conviction. Sybus…? W-What was he talking about?

“Shelby…”

She imitated a stone, unmoving, just…staring at the starbursts in his draconic face like gemstones as he stared at her.

“You the greatest person I’ve ever met, better than any dragon!”

“You’re kind, sweet, caring, and you do all of this for me, even if you don’t have to!”

“You saved me and you didn’t have to!”

“You…you make me feel like I belong here, like I matter, like I’m not a monster.”

W-Wha…

“And…you’re beautiful.” God.

“Bahamut, you’re beautiful.”

W-Wha…wha…she…

“I…like the way you laugh, the way that you smile, the way that you talk to me like I should be here, the way you feel me with your hands.”

“Your…eyes…Bahamut, your eyes…”

“They remind of…home…”

He was home now. However, she just broke his sight as her teeth clenched a bit within her mouth as she slowly processed it, her eyes just filled with silent surprise and shock of…everything. Even as those woody lenses faced his ash-colored chest plates, she just kept on telling herself that there had to be something there, that it was laced with falsehood, that what he was saying was ingenuine, but…

I…

The quietness was uncomfortable.

…

Why was Shelby this way? The one who should be feeling happiness shouldn’t be sad! Bahamut, she shouldn’t feel sad! But…why…did she berate herself? Why did she see herself as a worse beast than even himself that should be put a few feet under? Why? No, he had to see. Ghost dragons couldn’t control or manipulate minds, and probably couldn’t go even close into the deepest of forgotten events, but he pushed his powers to the limit without losing composure. The drake’s gift dove right into her conscious, looking for…memories…

It was covered with a cloud of a mixture of intense emotions. There was anger, confusion, sadness, grief, no…happiness. The dragon of white delved deeper, his mind getting hotter in a short-lived prick to just see just a glimpse. He found it…a memory, and it wasn’t just one, but were several connected ones, ones filled with yelling, screaming, hands beating on a table in anguish, and…tears. Masculine voices shouted at her, laughed at her, or just…gave visions of…just leaving with indifference.

Oh…no…Bahamut no. The…he pieced it together in an instant. Shelby…Grant…her life was filled with misery. It was…i-it was because…those males…t-they…t-they rejected her! She rejected them and they roared back to her in aggression!

The male ghost dragon felt the words as if he just heard them with his ear holes, filled with insults with degrading comments and grudges.

Useless, worthless, dumb, stupid, a woman not even worth saving.

Bahamut smite them. Bahamut smite them! Bahamut smite them!

It wasn’t Shelby, it was those males! They were repulsed by her if she so much as said she wanted out, and when she broke off the courtship, they were angry! They saw her as horrible! Contradicting monsters! And their eyes! They weren’t filled with admiration or respect! They were filled with lust, for something they didn’t deserve, but took anyways, like a forbidden treasure! It was all surface level for them, not her personality, but for the wrong things. He realized she may have been fooled due to her younger age in those memories, but it morphed into something much more sinister as she got older.

He…Shelby…she…this was why she was like this all of a sudden. All those words that made her stomp on the ground with hatred and cry tears of sorrow made her believe that she wasn’t worthy, not worthy of kindness, compassion, and…love. The one he cared about most saw herself as just…nothing, no value or anything special, just…nothing.

All they said to her was false. Why? Because Sybus saw through it all. He waded through all of the emotions and saw Shelby for who she truly was…his soulmate.

He detached his mind from hers. It all happened in but a split second, and yet he got a lifetime’s worth of information.

Sybus…

Shelby…

Her face tilted up as the broken soul gazed up at him, connecting with him through her eyes again. The pale-plated drake gained a sympathetic look, one that was…sad, for he was…hurt…because she was hurt.

“Shelby…”, he called out her name solemnly and with a bit of melancholy.

Sybus understood, and as such, the drake hoped to comfort her, the broken soul she was. He sat on his rump and began to unravel his wings. He slowly lifted and brought his forelegs to her spine before curling them and his wings to bring her closer in a loving embrace, one meant for true lovers. The chocolate eyes just stared at him, her chest full of depressed magma flowing into her ruined heart. Then, he snaked his head over to the right side of her skull in a sort of half-way nuzzle. The one who sought to hug her wasn’t doing it just for that though, for he stopped his snout right above her ear.

He…he became an angel.

“I’m not like them.”, he whispered.

Her…heart…stopped. Sybus…h-he…the woman was…close to letting the floodgates open. She…Sybus…h-he…loved her. The one that she saved rubbed the side of his draconic face against her skin and hair, giving her confirmation of what was true all along.

They loved each other.

After a few rubs, he withdrew his head and began to push it again towards her mouth, eternally cautious and slow. A lot of emotions were spilled this night. Sybus contacted her upper lip with his lower jaw, his tongue asking her permission to enter…she accepted him. The ghost dragon dipped his head down a little as he began to curl his head to the right to kiss her, while Shelby let him begin to initiate it. They both shut their eyes and just let reality leave them for a change.

They began suckling on each other’s mouths, very sluggishly mind you, but it was all for the sake of their newfound relationship and the nature of their lives that brought them here.

Sybus, with his longer mouth, gained purchase on hers, pulling on the softened flesh of her supple lips on the ones bordering his opening in between his strong jaws. He tasted her once again, and this time, it was one where he wanted to hold her, to make her feel better, to…make her happy. His tongue became sticky and glossy with her saliva once again, his flexible muscle against her human one. He involuntarily let her cover his inner mouth with her fluids, for he wanted her, forever and ever, slipping his appendage over her incisors and her molars to become on with her once again, where this held a whole new meaning for the two of them, and, like their second one and unlike the…less successful first, it was glorious.

Shelby truly was a gift from Bahamut himself.

Shelby kissed him like she meant it. It didn’t matter that he was a different species, just that what she felt was just a fantasy before, was now a reality. It just felt so surreal. Before, she thought that he wasn’t going to receive it in kind, but now that accepted each other, she felt…happy, like…a weight had been lifted. God, it was…beautiful. Even as Shelby drank in his liquids and took a taste of him, her mind still couldn’t get off the fact that he loved her. Yes…h-he…loved her. It wasn’t like all the other men before, but one who felt like…who felt like she knew all along.

She began to pull the more tender flesh right before you went into the cave of ice, but she felt Sybus dragging her with him too, for the dragon having this intimate moment with the human wanted this too. A dragon tasted a human’s mouth on his own, and a human felt the maw of a dragon, likely one of the first to do so. It was just all perfect.

It lasted nearly five minutes of locking their openings with each other before they both broke it, eyes peeling to reveal this new place, one that now felt like theirs. Sybus’ longer tongue was still a bit out as he retracted his maw from the mouth of the woman he loved, and Shelby halted her experienced self from the act that finally felt like it meant something.

Then…eyes of a distant star, a supernova in the great beyond, in the great forever. Eyes of the earth, of comfort and safety, of peace and tranquility, of hopes and dreams. They then drew their heads again, but not for a kiss, but for a nuzzle. The two released the blinds on their orbs again as they just went in to sense the outer flesh of the other, their foreheads contacting in companionship. Shelby felt the white scales rub lovingly on her warm flesh, while Sybus felt the little plates on the side of his face touch the smoothness he began to enjoy, and the thing was, they were just two souls, lost in a tiny fishbowl, only to hop out and into the great ocean, a pair of phoenixes from the ashes, but now, they finally discovered that they truly loved one another.

Such a beautiful revelation this was.

Shelby didn’t talk or do anything when Sybus unwrapped his wings from her back and instead spread them out. Even as they inevitably broke the special moment and they began to see again, the once earthbound being just let him carry her off as he held her to his chest plates, the two ethereal as they floated effortlessly in the air and towards her bedroom, for they were about go to sleep together. They phased through the wall as if it was tissue paper, and Sybus levitated the two onto the blankets upon becoming physical once more, the drake letting the woman go to his right as he began to finally feel this new sensation of this…nest.

It was…soft and comfy, melting into his scales and letting him relax. Not in a bowl shape, but flat. He could get used to this. This felt…like Bahamut’s paradise…she was his paradise on Earth. His head, horns and all, felt the pillow on the end, letting out some air from his snout as he felt it melding to his skull, nearly making him drowsy then and there. However, they were not separate, but embracing from their ghostly flight into this sacred place, the drake’s paws holding her while her dexterous hand and bendable arms brought them close, feeling them on his barrel and spines. His head was above her own, neck extended, while Shelby just let it all happen, for this was the beginning of something new.

Ten minutes passed like it was nothing. She barely cared about the time at all. However, things began to…shift.

“Shelby.”

It was Sybus. He began to pull back all of his limbs, bending his forelegs in a laying position on his left side, facing her straight on. Shelby then began to do the same, propping herself up on her right elbow. As such, the one who held his heart listened.

“Listen…I…”

This was it. This was the big question…but it didn’t matter. Sybus, the once-forgotten ghost dragon was forever happy, and so was she, but there was only one thing to make it better and last for eternity…to make it…official. He looked away to his left in a bit of nervousness, his claws fidgeting as he got his words together. Shelby knew he was courageous without being vulnerable and being hunted down so acting like this meant something big.

“I-I know this is a lot to ask, b-but…”

Y-Yes…this was it, the moment everything would change for the two of them…forever. Those spheres of eternal light faced her with confidence and their blossoming love.

Bahamut bless us…

“W-Will…”

W-What? S-Sybus…?

“Will you…be…my mate?”

She had to resist the urge to gasp. This was life-changing, for this was the equivalent of a marriage amongst dragons, but was more permanent. Dragonkind took it seriously and faithfully. Him just asking her showed he meant it.

And so, with all that they felt with each other, she tried to give the answer with the justice it deserved.

“I…yes.”

Yes. Yes. God yes. Yes! God yes! Yesyesyesyes!

Somebody…loved her! It…it was…

I…I…

Shelby Grant’s spirit was lifted, now warm and tingly inside as her heart broke out of her rib cage upon him professing his dedication to wanting to be with her.

He wanted it. She wanted it. He needed it. She needed it.

However, then came the…rather…awkward part of it. Becoming a dragon’s mate meant…mmeant...

…

S-She…wanted to be with him. S-She…really wanted to be with him! Oh Bahamut! Sybus couldn’t believe it! H-He…h-he chose her as his mate! She chose him as her mate! Praise

Bahamut! This was…oh, there were no such words for it! Such a blessing from his creator!

But…wait…

Hmmmm…

His mind inevitably got stuck to it like a piece of debris in a spider web. T-That meant…oh…oh

Bahamut, he…n-needed to…

However, the same thought that they both had been interrupted by her vocal cords, vibrating that angelic voice once again. “Um…do we have to…y’know…”

No, no, they couldn’t do it.

“No, we can’t.”, he said with a shake of his skull.

What? Why…? What…

“The mating flight must take place during a clear sunset, and with the soul binding done, we must bond…um…physically.”, the once completely pale drake finished with a red shade on his cheek scales, standing out amongst all the boney whiteness around it.

Oh. Okay, a few things. The last bit of the sentence meant only one thing, and the time…a full and unhindered sunset.

“I-I think there’s a clear sunset on Sunday.”

W-What? She…knew that? What…

Hmmmm…

It was probably some human thing he didn’t know about that allowed them to predict such things. As such, he didn’t question it, for now at least, but then there was the elephant in the

room. Sybus…h-he…

“Okay, but I…uh…I’m…new to this…”

Of course he’s never mated before. That’s something only saved for your soulmate, but even he had to admit that being taught at a very young age how the mating process worked and how deathly serious it must be taken could never prepare him for actually…doing it. The only thing the male had was his draconic instincts, but even that might not be able to carry him that far.

“I-It’s okay. It’s…not my first time.”

What? Oh. That’s right. Those males probably mated her, but then threw away the intense feelings like it was nothing, like it wasn’t worth anything but just bodily pleasure…horrible. However, that was the past, for they were living in the present. Still, it was…a bit sad that she was left with a hollow experience with it…until this night, for there would be no more suffering, but pure love. Regardless, that meant that their intuition, his instincts, her experience, and a bit of help from Bahamut would guide them through these murky waters, but…

The member of the spectral dragon race just realized…she was never…scared of it. Shelby…was…courageous, easily the most bravery he’s ever seen in any creature, human or dragon.

She…he…his eyes…they…Why…were they…warm…? Why did his vision blur a bit? He

closed his starry eyes and curved his head like before towards her face, stretching his throat to get to her.

…

Shelby just let it occur again, for she wanted this. This…was the start of her new life, but…was it real? God, was any of it real?

It was on an impulse, she knew it, but she drowned in it anyways. They kissed, melding dragon and human tongues and lips once again, albeit less strength than before and for only about thirty or so seconds. It was…gratitude, a thanks…for everything, towards both the drake and the woman. The epithelial of the flexible tissue entangled themselves once again, another confirmation of their feelings running true and not intent on lowering itself. The softness and warmness that their mouths provided spread throughout their nerves, a draconic once meshing with a human’s. It shouldn’t feel natural, and yet, it did. It was like they were always meant for one another.

However, they didn’t get to make their presence known in the great citadel behind the battlements of teeth, for the kiss didn’t last too long, but that was okay. They had plenty more of bonding to do together. After it broke and they no longer felt their mouths, teeth, gums, and saliva together, Shelby heard…heard a…a…sniffle?

Once they returned their faces to their original position, she saw Sybus with a bit of a frown and he…let out…tears? A dragon, Sybus, was…crying?

“Sybus?”

A wrinkle of his snout and an inhale against and through the nostrils as the salty shimmers of moisture seeped from under his lids, creating a couple thin streams upon the sides of his whitescaled muzzle.

“I-I’m sorry I…”

It was just too much. It finally happened. H-His creator…H-He…Bahamut finally guided him to her, to the one he was meant to love for all of time, and so, with the reason why, everything suddenly fell into place.

B-Bahamut…t-thank you…

“I-I…f-found m-my mate.”

Oh…oh God…it…this…it…was real. With this revelation, Shelby began chewing on her lips as she became misty-eyed too. Her broken heart finally found somebody to love, and one that loved her back. It was real, God, it was real. She couldn’t hold back a whimper as she began to just let the salty tears flow from her ducts.

This…t-this…is r-really…h-happening…

All of her days of suffering were over. The woman and drake both had love now, and they would cherish it. As they both laid their heads down on the pillows and begun the embrace once again,

Sybus praising Bahamut for such a thing, and Shelby crying herself to sleep in his paws as he felt her happiness upon joining in the world of slumber with her. This now felt like a universe of joy as they began their new lives together.

Shelby Grant the human and Sybus and ghost dragon would gladly do the ritual of mating, and then they face the world as one, in the name of all of Humanity and Dragonkind, for that was something that is called true love…