I Became Part of the Dragon's Hoard

Bery woke up nude and wrapped in a blanket with her beloved. After a steamy night session, the kitten had been able to fall asleep easily. Blinking open her crusty eyes to Valerie was like a dream. Waking up to someone so mesmerizing would likely be hard for the Kanai'n to get used to. Even now, her heart thumped in her chest.

Valerie opened her vibrant red eyes, yawning, and breathing in the daylight. "Good morning, kitten. I hope you slept well."

"It was hard not to sleep well after you…"

Valerie smiled at the Kanai'ns red cheeks. "There is no need for you to be embarrassed. You are delectable."

"Is it not weird for us to do these things while Emary is suffering?"

Valerie kissed Bery on the lips before shaking her head. "There is nothing weird about it. You don't need to stop your enjoyment of life for one person's suffering. Besides, it's better to show how life continues. Her spirits will return to her when she sees the world still moving."

Bery sighed. "You're right. I just want to do something for her."

"Why don't you make her another painting? She clearly likes them, and you like making them."

Bery grinned. Valerie always knows what to say. Is this how it is for someone who lived so long? Is it because she had to go through a lot on her own? I want to know more about this dragon I fell for…

The two of them ended up getting out of bed after some time passed. They bathed together, and Bery dressed herself in a cute white skirt. She now believed in making herself look adorable for her significant other. Back then, she only had herself to dress up for, and quite frankly, there was nothing she enjoyed about seeing herself.

Bery knew that when it came to her looks she was above average, but she never considered using such vain things to impress others. She never thought she'd be standing in front of someone else eagerly, awaiting that girl's compliment.

"You look wonderful. This outfit is only complimented by your gorgeous smile and the way your cute ears wiggle when I say this."

Bery blushed, noticing how her ears moved on their own. Even her tail waved impatiently. She felt seen, and her heart enjoyed the attention.

"You look great also…"

Valerie looked amazing in red, so it was no wonder she would wear it a lot. That along with black were signature colors for the dragoness. If Bery could find more words to levy compliments, then she'd be a bard instead of a paintress.

The kitten looked earnestly into Valerie's warm gaze. "Um, do you have some kind of bard skill?"

Valerie chuckled and grabbed onto Bery's hand. "You are still stuck on the serpent's tongue thing? Don't worry, kitten. I can feel how warm your heart is towards me. There is no need for your words to convince me. If you need for me to sing it as a bard, I will."

Bery's eyes went wide and she waved her hands. "There is no way you can do something like that…" Her voice trailed off into a whisper. "I don't think my heart could take it."

Valerie didn't respond to the musings of her kitten. She preserved the Kanai'ns dignity and pulled her out into the hallway. "Well then, let's go see how your friend is doing. If she's feeling better today, then that could only be a good thing."

Bery nodded, and the two eventually reached the door of the awaiting elf. They knocked, and she opened.

Emary's face bore the exhaustion from a long night without resting. Her eyes held dark rings around them, despite her smiling face at the dinner table.

A wound like this won't heal with a few laughs.

"How are you feeling?" Valerie asked.

"Not too well. Nightmares kept me up most of the night, and I can't shake this guilt."

"Let's take this conversation outside," the dragoness said. "You can breathe easier with sunlight on your skin, and those dark rings aren't going to heal themselves. Besides, I think you and Bery have a lot to catch up on."

Emary nodded and looked towards Bery, forcing herself to smile. "I would like that."

The group walked outside towards the valley. Valerie laid down a long quilt for the trio to sit on, while they listened to the sound of the nearby waterfall splashing down nearby. The small pond at the bottom looked dazzling in the early glow of the morning.

Rays of the sun shone on the moving water, creating a glittering effect on the surface. The sun felt great on Bery's skin, and she relished in it. Her tail coiled around Valerie's instinctively. The Kanai'n stared hungrily at the nearby sandwiches inside of a neat wicker basket.

"Thank you," Emary said, "for bringing me out here."

Bery smiled. "Valerie is an amazing person."

The elf looked towards their linked tails and chuckled. "I can see that the two of you care for each other a lot." Her eyes cast down, and she sighed. "I don't know what I'm meant to do anymore. Should I return back to my homelands?"

Valerie pointed towards the basket. "For now, why don't you enjoy some sandwiches. These could be considered a dragon specialty."

"Dragon specialty?" Emary asked incredulously. She hesitantly picked one of them up and brought it to her nose. "What is this? It smells like kraken."

"That's exactly what it is. Have you ever been to seas of Yonoran? If you think this water looks beautiful right now, then…"

The elf's eyes widened. "You went to the Yonoran seas? Did you meet any of the water elves?"

This time it was Bery who looked incredulously at both of them. "Hold on! Krakens? Yonoran? I can't follow any of this."

Emary took a bite of her sandwich, relishing in the flavor. "This is so nostalgic."

Bery quickly followed her example and sunk into one on her own. The soft breading was like no sandwich she'd ever had before, and the kraken gave it an amazingly distinct flavor that her taste buds relished. She looked towards her dragoness with narrowed eyes.

"You were holding out on me!"

Valerie tapped on Bery's nose with her finger. "I was not holding out on you. Besides, did you already forget what you were asking about?"

Bery pouted. "I did not forget. I still want to know about this place. What is Yonoran?"

Valerie pointed towards the northeast, where the early light of the sun shone. "Not too far away to the northeast, there is a country known as Yonoran. It's one of the earliest known elven countries. Though, to me, it is still just as new as the nature elves over here."

Emary smiled wryly. "I thought I was old. How old are you exactly?"

Valerie glared at the elf. "Someone your age must know the consequences of such questions."

Bery opened her mouth in an attempt to defend the elf, but Emary shook her head.

"You are right. I was wrong. Still, it amazes me that you were able to preserve this kraken meat so well. I've only had it one other time when our country had dealings with them. As you know, we are not exactly on the friendliest terms with Yonoran elves."

Valerie shrugged. "The ongoing conflicts between your races is not surprising. Such are the ways of people."

"And are dragons any different? After all…"

"That guy had no idea what it means to be a dragon. Dragons should be protectors, not destroyers. The only thing he was protecting was his pride."

Bery looked towards Valerie and could discern nothing from her expression. Did she feel bad about having to destroy one of her own?

Yuri decided to make herself heard in that moment. "Administrator, should you not simply ask lady Valerie about these things? It is my calculations that she would be amicable to answer your queries."

The kitten scrunched up her face, shaking her head rapidly. I don't want to harm what we have.

Yuri released a robotic sigh. "Administrator, sometimes inaction is the same as action. By doing nothing, you will make certain outcomes inevitable."

Emary looked worriedly towards Bery. "Is something the matter? I actually don't mind these questions and answers. I can tell that Valerie means well."

"No, it's not that...There is this voice in my head."

Valerie chuckled and wrapped her tail around Bery's waist. "When you phrase it like that, you are bound to make the poor elf even more worried. Just look at her, she thinks that you have multiple personalities right now."

"I do not!" Emary shouted. "I never got that inclination at all from Bery!"

"Hmm, and what inclinations did you have about Bery?"

Emary's face went red. "I never had the same intentions as you! I just wanted her to be happy!"

Valerie smiled towards Bery. "And there you have it. Your friend was looking out for your happiness."