n

n

nFeeling mentally paralyzed at his behavior, Maya had to grab the corner of the desk to balance herself from falling over. Her mouth fell open as she gazed him with embarrassment.

"I— When I saw you with a frown on your face and the skin bunching around your eyes, I thought you were pained. There is so much work piled on you at the moment. So I got up and came to soothe you.

"

n

"Pain? What pain? I wasn't in any pain,

" Daryn denied her baseless accusation.

"And next time don't do that,

" he said sternly. All he wanted was to erase that picture from his mind. It would haunt him occasionally. Last night he couldn't sleep well because he dreamt of her getting lost in the rains.

nMaya flinched. Her hands clenched into fists and she pursed her lips.

"I am sorry,

" she replied and turned to go back to sit on the couch. Daryn Silver was a prize catch. He was so wealthy that even if he treated her like that, it wasn't an issue. Once she was married to him, she would be the Queen of the most powerful Pack and wife of the richest man in the continent. She eyed him from the corner of the room. According to her sources, he didn't have any other girl in his life. However, if anyone came, she would gouge her eyes. A smile spread on her lips thinking that. She had to hurry up with her plans and ask him to mate with her or mark her. She picked up a glass of water and gulped it down. Then in a honeyed voice said,

"When you are ready to leave, let me know. It is very important that we attend the fundraiser event by Dr. Brody as a couple. Gayle specially asked me to take you there.

"

n

"Yes,

" came a monotonous reply. He went back to his numbers on the computer.

n---

nWinter had come and the ground was covered with a thin layer of snow.

nIt was afternoon and Dawn was sitting by the windowsill of her bedroom looking at the beautiful scenery outside. Her hand would carelessly go to the anklet. She would finger it just for the comfort.

nThe winter trees lined the meadow. Completely stripped of the last of the golden leaves, they stood stark and looked as if an artist had sketched them with charcoal against the backdrop of snow. The branches that were flourishing with green, golden, yellow and red leaves were now covered with flaky crystals of ice.

nThe sound of the creek that flowed nearby stopped as its waters now flowed under the thin sheet of ice. Dawn looked beyond that, towards the Falshire Forests. It had been three months since her dragon had become a piece of jewelry on her and all she wanted was to bring him back to life and let it grow, even if that meant that she had to part with him.

nShe looked at her computer with a sigh. She had to submit an assignment to a company that showed excellent results within the first year of inception. She had chosen the software company

"The Mink Corporation

", which was owned by The Silver House. It had shown promising results and its concept had become very popular.

nHer shoulders slumped remembering that her assignment was due within five days. There was a lot to do, but at the same time she was torn between taking her pet to the mystical lands, or completing the assignment. Eventually she called Arawn.

n

"I need your assistance,

" she said and explained her predicament.

nLaying food for Cole on the dining table, so that he wouldn't have to find it when he came back from school, Dawn rode to the Falshire Forests with the centaur with a big box that contained chopped meat. And as soon as she reached the threshold, she jumped down from his back. Immediately she felt the spikes pricking her skin and the dragon uncoiled. It fell on the thin layer of snow that had covered the grass. Dawn leaned next to it, picked it up and wrapped it in her red muffler. She gave it the flesh pieces to eat. The dragon gobbled them.

nAs Arawn watched it, he said,

"You cannot leave him in the Falshire Forests all alone. How will it fend for itself?

"

n

"I know,

" she replied sadly.

"But he isn't growing and I am afraid that I am impeding its development. The week it was with me when Cole had gone out, it grew almost half a centimeter tall. So I have to leave it here.

" The little beast nibbled on the piece of flesh as Dawn turned her head around to find a place where she could leave it safely.

"Is there a cave around here?

" she asked as the dragon climbed on her for more warmth. She picked it close to her chest and walked back to Arawn.

n

"There are plenty, but all of them are inhabited by creatures of this land. It won't be able to sustain even a day considering its size.

"

nDawn climbed on his back.

"Lets just look for something where I can leave it safely.

"

nArawn sighed deeply. Where would they find an abode for the tiny beast in this wilderness? Added to that, it was winter.

"I would suggest that you keep it with you through the winter and leave it during summers.

"

nDawn shook her head.

"It's going to be the same situation,

" she said as her words dragged.

nWhen they entered the thick forests, she noticed that there was a thin sheet of ice over the lake and all the trees were naked. Gloom came over her about her pet's safety. She was in two minds now whether to really leave it or not.

"Let's go back,

" she whispered.

nArawn turned and broke into a trot. It was pretty cold. Since it was already evening, he had to hurry up to reach home before the nightfall.

nAll at once Dawn shrieked,

"Stop Arawn!

"

nArawn braked his speed.

nDawn pointed to the side and said,

"Look at that!

"

nArawn's eyes followed her hand and his eyes bulged. On the side was standing a beautiful tree with dark green leaves whose color was almost turning ink blue. Roots and branches hung beneath it intertwined with each other.

n

"That's Whispering Eoben,

" said Arawn.

"It grows rarely in the forest.

" Arawn turned towards it with a fluttery feeling his belly. The last he had seen it growing was some eight hundred years ago. Although he was the Gatekeeper but the Falshire Forests mystified him every now and then. A tree with dense foliage in the harsh winters was surely strange.

nDawn jumped off him and took her dragon to the tree.

"This is the perfect place,

" she said and set to work. After collecting a few sturdy logs from the side, she created a simple tree house on the most interior part of the tree. However, as soon as the house was made, it's ceiling crumbled. She was aghast and stared at her undone work with bitterness. The dragon who was playing around the legs of centaur became still seeing the logs falling down one after the other. Dawn was about to descend the tree when she noticed that the branches shifted magically and covered the roof of the tree house intricately. She could hear them whispering while they entwined.

nShe didn't judge what just happened. Happily she brought her pet to the tree house and after covering its floor with her scarf, she put it inside. She opened her jacket and covered it.

"Stay here, okay?

" she instructed it. The blue eyes stopped blinking.

nThe remaining meat chunks were spread inside.

"Don't venture out. I will come in the next two days and get more food.

"

nThe dragon bobbed its body up and down. Thinking that it had understood her, she left. The tree formed a mesh around the makeshift house protecting it from all sides as if encircling it in its womb.

nDawn left with an anxious mind.

n

"Don't worry, he will be fine,

" Arawn assured.

n