Lou
"Where did you lose your stone?", asked Ross. "At Remy's house?"
Lou didn't answer him. Instead, he snuggled up to Harper and allowed the dragon to play with his hair.
"And what do you want to do? Ross?", asked Bojan. He sat down next to Harper and Lou, his brow furrowed. "If we go to the city of the people, it will only cause more unrest. They can also turn their spells against us. They've already done it! I don't want to wage war against humans." He glanced at Lou for a moment. "We’ve lived in peace with each other for a long time."
"Peace? Bah! They become greedy and presumptuous! And their little spells? They can't kill us with that!", snorted Ross. "There's got to be more to it than just their little spells for us to die."
"Like a beam, you've fallen on, lucky guy?", grumbled Hallie. "Your poor wings. They are our weakest point!"
"This will heal!" Ross sounded annoyed. Now that he had taken human form, he was bleeding from his back. Curiously, Lou squinted at the dragon's colors. The colors of this family were so similar, whether as a dragon or human, that Lou always had to wait until they spoke to know exactly who it was.
"No. Stay here", he whispered, grabbing one of Harper's hands and squeezing it against him. "I don't want that..." He didn't want any more fights. "Bring me back. I should be dead by now. Then you will have peace and my family will be free."
"What?" Shaken, Harper pulled him closer to him. "Never. We are not going to take you to these CRIMINALS. They're lying, Lou." But Lou let go of Harper's hand and covered his ears. He didn't want to hear anything about lies. What the Wise Men said HAD to be true. Otherwise, Lou's sorrow would have no meaning. The suffering of his family wouldn’t.
Bojan stroked Harper's head and then Lou's. Lou was startled for a moment and reached for Harper's tunic, but the dragon's warm hand felt comfortable. The touch reminded him of his childhood. Of his parents. So he let him. He looked timidly at Harper's father. "You're in trouble because of me", he whispered. "I don't want war!" The mere thought of fighting frightened him. "Not because of me."
"What? No, boy. Not because of you. The Wise have been seeking quarrels with us for a long time." Bojan laughed softly. "Don't worry. We're glad to have you with us."
Lou nodded, though he couldn't imagine anyone being happy for him to be there. After all, he had brought them trouble. The Wise were wise, weren't they? Surely it was only because of him. Because if it wasn't for him... The thought alone shook him too much, and so he clung to what he had been told from an early age: he was cursed. Bad things happened because of him. And only because of him. His sacrifice saved the people.
But deep down, Lou began to doubt. Did the curse really not exist? Were they right? Do the Wise lie? Are they greedy? NO! Lou buried his face on Harper's shoulder and covered his ears again. But that didn't help. He could still hear everything.
"We're sneaking into town as animals!", Max shouted suddenly.
"Yes! That's what we're doing!", Sally agreed. "We'll go to Remy's house and get everything Lou needs!"
"And if people think they can look for trouble, we'll steal some more supplies. We don't have any money anyway. Why do people use this? Silly! You hunt, you exchange, you share. Sometimes." Max growled softly. "We'll get what Lou needs!"
"As if you'd ever exchange!", grumbled Connie. "Or share."
"Children! Make your plans elsewhere!" Hallie snorted in annoyance. "Lou needs rest."
Hallie looked at Lou with concern. He trembled a little and pressed his hands tightly to his ears. His eyes were closed. The loud voices of the dragons disturbed him. The fact that they wanted to help him worried him. Thoughts were circling in Lou's head. If the curse isn't real, then I was about to die for no reason. I want to... I wish it was over. I wish I had never been born... I... I want it to end.
"IS ANYONE HOME?"
Surprised, Lou opened his eyes. He looked at the entrance, but he saw nothing but light, Harper's wings, and the usual colors. He knew the voice. Nour. Narcisse’s little sister.
"You can see us, Nour!", growled Ross. "Come in. What's up?"
The colors that came in were relatively dark. Nour entered the cave in her human form. "You should always ask if someone is there before you enter someone else's cave. That's what you told me, Ross!", she announced sarcastically. "I did as you said."
"Because you burst in here yesterday! In the middle of the night."
"And? I wanted to help. Saving Lou. But Narcisse said no. You could have smuggled me along!"
Lou tugged at Harper's sleeve. "She wanted...?"
"She wanted to help", he confirmed. "But she's too young."
"I still want that!" Nour rushed to them and sat down right in front of Lou and Harper. "Lou? Are you okay? You're a bit dirty..."
Lou nodded.
"Good. So!" Nour jumped back up and turned to Harper's siblings. "I'll come with you! When you get stuff for Lou. I can help with carrying it. And we need wood."
"We have wood. Enough to keep the cave warm at night!", said Hallie. "Thank you. But I think..."
Annoyed, Nour interrupted her: "Not for a campfire. Lou's eyesight is bad. He needs a fence or... What are these things that people attach to their stairs called? To hold onto? So that he doesn't fall. And a real bed! And... People need a lot of things. Honestly, all I know is that they need beds. And stairs. Can't fly. Poor creatures." Her high-pitched voice echoed through the cave.
"Oh! That's a good idea!" Harper kissed Lou's hair. "We’re building a fence around our cave and securing some paths. So that Lou can move around on his own. Nour should help! It's her idea, after all!"
"Ha!", triumphed Nour. "And now I want to hug Lou. He surely needs it... And I was worried! May I? Lou?" She asked, but her tone was more like an order. Harper snorted in annoyance. Lou, on the other hand, nodded in surprise. "Hm." Did he need a hug? Harper was already holding him. But he couldn't think about it any further, because he was hugged stormily. The dragon girl interpreted his 'Hm' as approval. Besides, he had nodded. Of course, that was a permission! "Oh!", exclaimed Lou, all the more surprised. Nour lay on top of him and Harper. "I'm glad you're okay", she murmured. Lou noticed that she sounded sad. He didn't have to think long about the reason:
Narcisse...
"Your brother will come back!", he whispered to her. Nour nodded sadly against his shoulder. "And... Thank you." He threw his arms around her and sighed. Nour needs the hug. Not me. She's the same age as Nina...
