What Does The Fox Say?

The tangled wall of shrubbery was blasted into pieces, sending splinters flying out like shrapnel and leaves wildly flitting through the air. Through the destroyed plant came a brown blur, leaping through the air with her feet and arms held out in front of her. Lulu hit the ground running, nearly stumbling over but managing to balance herself by pushing against the ground with her arms. Three more, smaller objects came trailing behind her; two balls of fur with legs and one rather elegant looking yellow-green creature. The little pack was flying across the grass fields of the forest they were in, the wind at their back. Then came the weighty roar that shook the very trees and distorted the flow of wind with harsh vibrations. It filled the flighty girl with fear, but she didn't once falter, impetuous with the single goal to escape. The ground was shrouded in darkness for a fraction of a second as an ominous shadow passed overhead and past them. The canopy of the forest was thick, hindering the view of the predator flying above it, but it would not protect the girl for too much longer. This beast—a fearsome dragon—was stronger, faster, and it wanted to devour her whole she knew. Lulu dare didn't look up, for fear it could see the white of her eyes; she just kept running.

Suddenly the forest became dark in the stark contrast of the molten light that erupted in the area in front of her, an inferno consuming a massive expanse of forestry and washing over the vibrant green with unholy fury, turning it into but ash in mere seconds. The tidal wave of fire rapidly expanded toward Lulu, highlighting the terrified wide eyes of the girl for a short moment just before she too a sharp turn away from it, yelping curtly. She nearly stumbled over her three companions—her pet Felli—on the reverse, but thankfully her good grace and their swift responses kept everyone safe. Aerin, the leaf Felli, cried out as wisps of flame licked at her tail, but managed to escape just barely as the wave subsided. Another heart-shaking screech from the dragon was carried out across the lands, obviously frustrated at missing its target. Lulu could hear the heavy flapping of wings from above but she didn't dare look, not even for a moment. She was no longer running on her two legs like a normal human being, but on all fours like a wild animal. The fear in her eyes, the sweat dripping off of her bare skin—she was running off of instinct now, and that instinct was survival.

Then just as if things could not get worse, the canopy above them gave way to a massive weight, shattering with ease and causing Lulu to stumble as she skidded to a stop. A large branch came inches away from taking her head off, but she narrowly dodged it by falling roughly on her back with a thud. Her eyes were forced closed for a moment as a sharp pain jolted through her after crashing, but she regretted ever opening them. She came face to face with the monstrous crimson face of her predator, and its wicked grin as though it knew it caught its prey. Its teeth were more spikes than they could be considered actual teeth, and they could cleave the soft female in two instantly. Lulu, had she the capability to realize it, would finally see that it was not just a normal dragon chasing her, but a great dragon that lumbered over her with overwhelming size. It could end it right here and now, and just lunge forward to take the kill with a bite. But, the arrogant monster considered the pathetic human caught already, and it rather liked its meals cooked... It slowly opened its mouth, one Lulu could fit entirely inside, and revealed the orange glow emanating from the depths of its throat, quickly surging up.

Lulu had a word for this, a spell she could cast, surely. She held her palm up to the mouth of the beast, opening her palm towards it and waited; waited for that word to come to her mind. Nothing did—she just was frozen like this for her last moment, her entire body shaking. Ezi, Ezu, and Aerin all were still and frightened likewise like deer caught in the headlights. The dragon had the little Felli girl cornered, and with one last effort, blew out...

”Fire cannot pierce me! Take me to the sky!” While Lulu may have been staring deeply into the maw of death, she probably would not be able to comprehend the next moment that occurred. A shadow blasted before her at breakneck speeds, colliding with the head of the beast that had opened its mouth to prepare its meal. Unexpectedly, the small shadow toted a large amount of force against the head of the dragon, knocking it to the side and causing it to fall to the side with a bellowing roar. The woman flinched slightly at the noise created by trees, snapped by the sheer weight of the beast colliding with them. Her eyes followed its motion path, and the light would first hit her and show something of a strange sight.

Firstly, Lulu would probably notice the obvious—the pair of wings that had grown out of the woman’s back. The span was definitely as wide as a normal human being was tall, the wings being fully spread out and moving slightly in the wind. Then there was the flesh of the woman’s body that could be easily seen at that point. Underneath what seemed to be some light, Zhilihan armor, her skin itself wasn’t the same. Scales of a deep, ruddy red overlapped each other along the open areas of her body. They didn’t shine as brightly as the scales of other dragons, though that might’ve been because the stranger was standing beneath the shadow of a tree.

”Water flows through my lungs!” The female shouted in a powerful voice, staring directly at the beast with sharp purple eyes that changed to a sky blue. The dragon turned its head towards the newcomer, roaring at it with a guttural scream. It was different, this time. Instead of recognizing her as prey, it acknowledged her as an enemy. Getting to its feet, the beast shook off the rubble from its body and took to the sky with another roar. Shouting herself, the woman took off into the air with the wings on her back leaving a powerful gust behind her. She rose up into the sky until she was at equal elevation with the beast. Smoke erupted from its nostrils, and it let out a long, feral growl at her.

”This is your last chance, Beast. Leave now, or I will kill you myself.” If Lulu could see into the Dragon’s eyes, she would see that it was actually considering the offer. The creature looked at the woman, and then back down to the cowering animal-eared girl. If one could read the beast’s mind, they’d probably notice it questioning its decisions. Would it risk death for this one morsel? Or would it simply fly away, hungry but able to live another day? It recognized strength in the woman, and decided that it wasn’t worth it this time. With a snarl the beast turned around in the air, flying off into the distance.

Satisfied, the woman in the sky allowed herself to float down towards the ground and land in front of Lulu, looking over her shoulder at the youth with an almost scary expression.

”I can’t just leave you behind now, can I?” She sighed to herself, the wings, scales and eye color fading away until she looked like any other regular person. What a way to introduce yourself to a new person. Turning around completely and reaching out a hand, she gave a reassuring smile as she helped Lulu up.

”It’s okay, he’s gone now. I’m Ruomei. Here, on your feet.”

She didn't want to witness her final moment; she didn't want to die so young, she realized, as mind-numbingly simple as the revelation was. Yet, she couldn't close her eyes nor look away as she saw into the dragon's mouth—a wide cavern of crimson flesh, walls slick with a syrupy coating of saliva, and of course the rampaging inferno that was erupting up the abyss of the monster's throat, causing the liquid to evaporate before her. She felt warmth growing upon her face, but with a loud cacophony of percussion and smashing and crashing, the space cooled and Lulu couldn't quite comprehend anything but the fact that her field of view was no longer drowning in crimson. Finally, she blinked, dampening the eyes that had been so dried by the intense heat of the fireball. That's when she turned her head and saw it, the dragon in the shape of a human, a woman with the flesh of a drake; she stood with her back to the small girl, her demeanor of might commanding the attention upon her. Wings protruded from her back and flexed out to their full span, further imposing her presence over the area and making her seem larger than she actually was. From the front Lulu could only imagine what she looked like with such a menacing appearance, and yet she only saw from the back of her where the scales beautifully decorated her revealed flesh, lit by the narrow sun beams as they shone through the canopy. It was not even sure if the woman herself saw it, but her scales caught the light and reflected it onto the forest behind her in a strange and magical way, painting gentle rainbows against the lush wilds. Lulu was captivated in an instant, and couldn't bear to turn her gaze away, just as she couldn't before.

The Felli girl's reverie was shattered by a grating shout from the Great Dragon, which was far too large to be obscured by the form of the strange dragon lady between them. It shook off its pain like it was a mere irritation to its durable hide, directing its attention to a true opponent now. It was angry, angry at her for ruining its light snack. It roared furiously in one last attempt to get her to move, but at its best it only caused Lulu to jump in place and shuffle backwards a slight few inches. She felt soft fur brush against her side as the three Felli bunched up to her, equally fearful, but unwilling to leave her side under any circumstance. However, the newcomer did not flinch in the slightest, nor did she budge from her position. Rather, she moved only for herself, taking herself upwards from the secure ground to hover above. Her mystical wings flapped and she maintained a superior height to even the dragon who was still grounded. As she called out to it, Lulu finally could understand what she was saying, as her senses were slowly coming back to her. At the very least the two shared the same language, and thus when it was demanded by her for the dragon to withdraw and leave, the message became clear that this one was here to protect her. A weight lifted from Lulu's chest, causing the quivering of her eyes to cease. She still was terrified that at any moment the Great Dragon could try to charge for her despite everything, but at least someone was here on her side; someone who was very powerful withal. Tension lied in the atmosphere thickly, as the beast was brought pause. It's golden hues focused in on her past her guardian, making her bite her lip anxiously, her animal ears flattening against her head.

And yet, the fact that there were many more, more attainable, meals to catch held true. It growled at Lulu and the dragon lady in spite, before jerking its head away and stamping off. The ground bowed to its mighty weight for a second just before it leapt into the air and caught the wind beneath its wings. Splinters of wood and cascades of dust trailed off of it, leaving a desecrated clearing of fallen timbers in its wake. It departed with heavy beats of its wings, thrumming a low bass in Lulu's chest not because of their volume but because of how she perceived the creature; powerful and outright overwhelming. The two stared in silence until it was truly gone, disappearing over the treeline. Then the woman descended back down to earth, turning her head back to finally acknowledge the presence of Lulu. When the tips of her toes touched the ground, she began to morph—her wings dissipated into nothingness as if they were mere phantasms, while her gorgeous red scales melded into a smooth unbroken layer of skin. Finally, the color reverted to a much more familiar complexion, a peach white shade akin to a human. Lulu caught herself staring wide-eyed, not just at the insanity and danger of the situation she had just come through, but at just how pretty this dark-haired woman had become after returning to normality. She had seen it before through her battle armor when she first laid eyes upon her, but she did not percieve it quite to this degree... it left the girl awestruck.

She closed her gaping mouth and clenched her eyes shut, shaking herself out of her speechlessness and consequently messing up her bay-brown hair so that her bangs were tossed over the front of her face. She was a mess; dust all over her clothes, several cuts on her skin, her tail lying disheveled behind her, and lingering unease clear in her features. She looked away from the woman as she was addressed, as if searching for something dropped. Her eyes met up with the marble-like ones of her Felli pets, but no that was not quite what she wanted. Her eyes shifted toward the Hearthlet, her magical pouch tied to the waistband of her pants. With trembling fingers she would reach for it and open it up—it looked like it could only hold a few coins in its silken membrane, and yet her arm delved far deeper than what was physically possible. She felt her hand hit plastic, and grasped for the object she wanted, pulling out a small round canteen that was clearly larger than the bag itself. Water sloshed around inside it as she struggled to get the cap off, and then tipped it over against her mouth to sip from it. Thirsty, unbearably thirsty; that's right. As she drank a hand appeared in her field of vision, belonging most assuredly to that woman. Lulu took the canteen away from her lips and looked up at her, slightly calmer than before. With her free hand she grasped the offered one, experiencing for herself the soft skin she predicted her to have, before being pulled to her feet by the strength she also predicted her to wield. She regarded it in silence, nodding weakly in thanks.

The Felli recovered much faster than their owner had, skittering around the two in circles as if they hadn't just been attacked or anything. They mewled and whined energetically, with sounds of 'nyah!' and 'yah!', taking a liking to the woman who declared herself by the name of Ruomei. It was her turn to speak, and her voice came out much weaker than expected. "Th-thanks... Ruomei. My n-name is Lulu..." She took the time to brush her coffee shaded locks out of her face and look at Ruomei properly, amber hues to violet. Her warm smile was really helping the situation out; it calmed her, brought her the strength to quiet her fears. The monster was gone now, no need to worry. She would screw the cap back onto her canteen and then shove it back into the pouch on her side, only to return her focus back to her savior. After a deep breath, she was able to allay her stutters for a much more collected response. She reiterated: "Thank you for saving my life, Ruomei. I..." She stopped again though, for an entirely different reason. This was awkward, because she was left wondering how exactly you could repay someone for saving your life. How was she even supposed to feel?

All there was to Lulu for her to grasp at was her gut instinct, commanding her to do what felt right. So, she simply threw herself into Ruomei's form and wrapped her arms around her waist, much much shorter as she was. It was the biggest hug she had ever given to a person, and it was certainly sweet in nature. It seemed so rightful. Thus, she held her still, securely fastened to the woman as the three Felli serenaded them with squeaks.

It had taken a few seconds, and Ruomei understood that it would be like that for most anyone who viewed this situation as this young one did. She sat there, speechless, wide-eyed. The long hair that she had flowing down her back seemed dishevelled from her movements. Ruomei wasn't sure how to view this girl's expressions. She would have just witnessed something amazing--a human, yet also a dragon. Someone who was able to take the parts of one of those mystical beasts and forge her own body out of them. If the young one got up and ran, then Ruomei would really not be surprised. It wouldn't shock her, and she would not call forth any blame upon this youth. She would simply understand, knowing the amount of fear that ran through the mind of someone when something like this appeared before them. A soft, calm smile crossed over her face and lit up her eyes a little bit--the youngling had produced a canteen from the bag that looked far too small to fit it. It must've been bigger on the inside. Sighing to herself, she watched this fox child drink away from it. She looked like, from the state of her form, that she had been running for quite some time from the monster. It was strange, to be honest. Normally, something this large and powerful wouldn't fight so hard for such a small morsel--even if this morsel had magic of her own. Why would the Dragons be getting desperate? She would have to further look at this. Her free hand went to her mouth, the tip of her thumb going between her lips while she thought.

A moment later, she was shaken out of her stupor--her hand was taken, and she ended up helping pull up the girl who had finally recovered from her state of shock. Ruomei gave a relieved sigh and looked down at this one. She was definitely shorter than Ruomei--though not by much. She was probably quite a lot younger too. "Th-thanks... Ruomei. My n-name is Lulu..." A name was always good. "Lulu..." She faded into silence while Lulu returned the metallic cup from whence it came. She would have to look closely at that pouch; it was an interesting thing. She pulled her own bottle off of her hip and raised it to her lips, drinking slightly and recovering her parched throat. It was a bit stupid trying to hydrate oneself with alcohol, but she would be fine. The bottle went back to her hip, and she heard a voice speak up once more. "Thank you for saving my life, Ruomei. I..." The youth trailed off, and Ruomei was left wondering. Exactly what was this girl thinking? She realized now the implications of her action--in saving her life, she'd left herself with a debt to be repaid, or something like that. She wasn't entirely sure, since she'd never really had the option of interacting with those people she'd saved. She'd usually turn up, destroy the threat and then bugger off, disappearing into obscurity. This time, however, Ruomei really had no idea what to do. She felt quite awkward, to say the least.

As if on command, the other girl collided with Ruomei's body and wrapped her arms around her. She was definitely shorter than Ruomei, so much so that Lulu received a faceful of breasts in the midst of the hug. Ruomei awkwardly attempted to wrap her arms around the body of the other in reply, but found it just a little bit difficult with this face buried into her cleavage. She sighed softly and accepted the hug, before slowly attempting to peel Lulu off of her, face burning a bit from the blush. "I get the feeling that the four of you aren't in the easiest position right now. If I recall correctly, the nearest town is not too far from here--there should be one just on the edge of the forest, it's the one I arrived here from. Shall I accompany you there?" She tilted her head to the side and smiled warmly, trying to make Lulu feel safe enough to at least travel with her to proper safety. She wasn't sure that the Dragon was completely gone just yet. Dragons had long memories, and held grudges.

Soft...

There was a bright flash before the world around her changed; she cracked one eye open to see. It was all grayscale, with not a hue of the rainbow in sight. The edges of her vision were blurred and it was as though she were seeing through a dirty pair of lenses. Her cheek nuzzled against a soft white fabric, no longer the bosom of a stranger, but a plump belly of a different woman. Lulu turned her head northward and focused as hard as she could on the face. It came into focus, revealing the woman to be her mother smiling back down at her. That wavy brown hair and those emerald eyes, with a small upturned nose and tight lips curled into the upside-down arch of a grin. Her expression was loving and inviting, as if saying, ''I will take care of you.'' And yet, as she took a closer look into those beautiful hues, a sense of anguish and anxiety struck her to the core. In this memory—for that is what this was—her mother had held her close with a smile, and that would never change; but, the way that Lulu percieved it could, now that her mind was older and more aware. The smile was fake wasn't it? She was told that she was being kept safe, but in truth she was but a prisoner, sitting in front of the window like a wallflower for the Schäfer family. In this memory... Lulu had smiled back, but this time as she recalled it there was nothing but a sad frown and a silent stare. Whatever small part of her desiring the return to the safety and comfort of her mother's arms was overwhelmed by the much louder voice that knew better. She needed to be strong.

Then the flashback ended, and Lulu discovered herself never having moved. She'd phased out of reality; couldn't tell if the woman she was clinging to had even returned the hug. What she knew was that this was the softest person she'd ever come into contact with, and that still felt rivers of gratitude flowing through her. Eventually there was a pressure on her shoulders pushing her away, which confused the little girl. She held on without realizing that it was Ruomei that was trying to separate them. Lulu's entire demeanor shifted, and she quickly stumbled back as though she'd just heard that the woman had an incredibly contagious and deadly disease. Her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly and squeezed, trying to make them vanish within her stomach but obviously failing. Her eyes looked everywhere except for Ruomei's own pupils, or her chest. She didn't see the tells in Ruomei that showed her as embarrassed, for she was far too worried about her own unease. She honestly did not know why her mind brought up that memory now of all times, and wondered about its significance. Thankfully, Ruomei would speak up to address what to do now that the danger was away, and she was more than happy to take her mind off such stressful thoughts. Producing as good a smile as she possibly could—which came out as more of a somber crooked line—she finally connected sight with her savior and gave a weak nod. After getting chased off of the trail and into a forest by that drake, she was more than agreeable with any plan that took her toward civilization.

She was far too shy to maintain the expression though, as Ruomei's warm look caused her to break eye contact again and make her look towards the ground. The coal black eyes of one of her companions—Ezi—would be awaiting her gaze, perched between her feet as a soft lump of brown fur. This brought a smile back to Lulu once again. That's right, she thought to herself, Ezi is the sympathetic one. Though she probably feels more sorry for me than anything. Her body shook with laughter that was so quiet it could not even be heard over the constant rustling of the forest canopy and swaying of the grass at their feet. Yes, she definitely knew that look, and once the message was recieved the little one would return to frolicking around with the other two. She did not know what she'd do without them honestly, and she's glad she did not have to discover that today. ''Yeah, that sounds... great,'' she admitted, looking back up to her eyes again before quickly shifting back down to the corner of her mouth instead, as a sort of compromise. Only so much bravery at a time now. Then suddenly curiosity, as knew thoughts of significance came to her mind. ''Do you know what the next town is?''