Harper
"Come on, Lou! What is green, and sings at night?" Nour jumped up and down in front of Lou. Vivi, on the other hand, had his knees drawn up and was looking at her expressionlessly. He blinked briefly, then shook his head. My siblings laughed softly and watched the spectacle of a jostling dragon girl. Dad snored softly. But the unpleasant sound that came from deep inside our cave could be heard even here.
"Hm." Vivi shook his head again and frowned. "No."
"Louhou!" The girl tried to play with him, but Vivi wasn't a good playmate. From second to second, the frustration grew. Smiling, I helped. "A grasshopper! Is it my turn now? What's small and annoying?"
"Haha!" Nour stuck her tongue out at me. "You're nasty. Stupid Harper!"
"You haven't said the answer yet", I replied smugly and being one with the world. Vivi sat next to me and watched Nour. How much could he see of her? It had gotten a little darker in the meantime. Dad lit a campfire for Lou.
"You!", cried Ross. "You're small and annoying, Harper!"
"Exactly! You!", agreed Nour.
I shook my head and pulled Vivi closer to me. “Try again."
"Nope!" Nour shook her head too and knelt in front of Lou again. "What do you want to play? If you don't like riddles?"
"Hm." Uncertainly, Lou looked at me.
I frowned. "Don't you know any games?"
"Louise and Nina have always played with pebbles. And with chalk. But I wasn't allowed to play", he whispered. "Remy had bought me a doll. But I don't have that anymore. It may still be in the house."
"You want to play with a doll?" Nour stared at him incredulously. "Aren't you too old for that? When do humans play with dolls? As babies? These are the figures that look like mini-humans, aren't they? I once saw a baby with one when I was flying over the city. Anyway. Unfortunately, I don't have one." A slight flush appeared on her cheeks. "But don't tell my mom, will you? I wasn't allowed to fly over the city! Otherwise, I won't play with you anymore!" She giggled softly. The last sentence was just a joke, but Vivi grimaced.
"Flew over the city?", he muttered. "But..."
"Nour!" Mom warned, looking over at us. She had cleaned her wings, but now she was taking human form. Probably because her dragon voice was too loud for Lou. "Be nice! Or I'll send you home!"
"Yes, yes!" The girl snorted. She scratched her nose for a moment and then grinned mischievously at Lou. "Should I sneak into Remy's house and get the doll? I'm very fast! That's a promise!"
"It's too early for that!", Ross reminded her. "You'd be seen."
"And? What are people supposed to do? Screaming and running away? Dancing around me?" Nour looked at Lou and reached for one of his hands. "Shall I? Then we can", she grimaced briefly, "Then we can play with your doll!"
"Hm." Lou's gaze wandered to me, then he looked back at Nour and shook his head. "No. They have spells that they can use to hurt you. I'm not allowed to play, Nour. Don't ask. Please."
"Huh?!" Annoyed, she let go of his hand and jumped up. "Huh? Who isn't allowed to play?"
"Nour!", I warned. But Nour did not listen. Furious, she stomped her foot lightly on the floor and put her hands on her hips. "Because of the curse? There is no such thing as a curse! Of course, you can play. And people don't do anything to me. I can get your doll in advance! And then we'll play with it if you like. I don't know if I'm good at it, though. I don't usually play with dolls. I prefer riddles. Oh! And brawls. Playing catch. Preferably in the air."
Lou froze up.
"What is it?" Confused, Nour tilted her head. I, on the other hand, quickly put a wing around Lou's shoulders and kissed his hair.
"No, Nour. If you want to go, then later. With all of us. And please, don't talk about the curse, will you?", I begged her earnestly. Nothing came from Lou but a choked sound. Nour blinked and knelt in front of him again.
"What? Is this my fault?" She gestured to Lou, who was clutching my arm and staring in front of him. "Lou? What is it?"
"Sparrow?" Mom rushed over to her and pulled Nour back to her feet. Then she stroked the girl's hair and carefully pushed her away from Lou and me. "It's not your fault. Lou needs a break. Fly home, will you? You've been here for a long time. Ross will pick you up later if your parents allow you to fly into town with them. We've upset people a bit, so you're not allowed to fly alone. Do you hear me? They have spells that can harm us. And Lou doesn't want anything to happen to you. You can get the doll with us later."
"All right. See you later, Lou." Pouting, Nour finally left the cave. Mom looked after her, shaking her head. Then her gaze wandered to Vivi. My Vivi had his head on my shoulder and didn't say anything. "I'll get Lou something to eat." Mom sighed. "We still have some bread. But... Please bring supplies here as well."
Sally and Connie, on the other hand, whispered that they would steal food for Lou if they had to. Fruits, vegetables, sweets...
"Nour", Lou whispered suddenly.
Mom smiled. "She's gone, Honey."
Lou nodded. "I know. It was the solution. Of Harper's riddle. How mean. Nour isn’t annoying. She's... sweet." With each word, Vivi grew quieter. "Harper?"
"Yes?"
"The curse... It's not... real?" A tear slipped down Lou's cheek.
"I can't smell a curse. None of us can", I said cautiously.
Lou nodded. After that, he was silent for a long time.
--- Bonus Art ---
