Hearts of dark, Hearts of light
By M. Forandret

Eastern Europe, 10 years ago:

“Now, I expect you all to be on your very best behavior. If there are any disruptions, it’ll be to bed with no supper. Am I understood?”

A large group of children ranging from late teens to barley able to talk all said “Yes Sister Claycuter.” Among the oldest was Tatiana.

She had been living at the St. Mordici’s Orphanage for most of here life, her parents having died in a gas explosion. When she was 7 they gave her the only things left by her them, a book written with strange symbols and a letter. When she read it she learned that her parents were alchemists, and there death was probably an experiment gone wrong. And the book, held all their life’s research. She found out how to read it, and ended up liking it so much she started doing experiments in her room, cutting apples, shaping rocks, healing bugs that had been half-squished. That is, until, Sister Claycuter found out. Oh she broke three rulers over the poor girls knuckles, screamed how she was inviting the devil to here house, how this was a fine way to repay her kindness (as if), and most of all to hand over the book. But Tatiana’s determination was a bit more then Claycuter’s, and she continued her work in secret.

She was getting to the age were soon a person could either leave the Orphanage and make there own way in the world, or stay on as staff. For Tat, the choice was clear, she couldn’t wait to get out of there. But until then, she was stuck here, helping out with whatever fundraiser they had going on. Today, it was a flea market.
….
(A few hours into the day)

“Alright, rotate! All those on brake get to work, vise versa!”

“Finally!” Tat got off from the lemonade stand, pulling her rucksack along with her. She had prepared for this one, her bag was filled with various trinkets she had alchemized. Gutsy, but worth it if she could nab something valuable to pawn for money when she got out. She stopped at a stand filled with dusty bags and boxes. She looked into one bag which appeared full of old bones.

“Excuse me sir, but what is this?”

“That my dear, is a bag of dragon bones, believed to be one of the last to be slayed back in the Middle Ages.”

“May I see one?”

“Certainly.”

She drew a transmutation circle on the bone and placed her thumb on it. To her shock, the mark fizzled and sparked at her touch!

“I’ll take it!”
….

Tat snuck back to her room  with stealth rivaling a ninja. She closed the door and took a look in. What few possessions she had, most were held in boxes, Claycuter kept moving her from room to room every so often to catch her off guard, but Tat was faster and, most likely, smarter than that old crone. She looked over into a mirror on her desk, her long black hair and vivid green eyes were very identifying features. She was generally a bit pale but she wore it well. She swiped the junk off her workspace, but tenderly picked up and placed a picture. It was a boy around the age of 12, who had been her best friend for most of her life. The name Nicolas was written on the back. She crossed over to the other side of the room and rummaged around in her roomies stuff till she found what she was looking for. The chemistry set.

“Stupid old bat.” She poured some of her own powders into flasks of boiling water. With everyone outside now would be the opportune time to do some tests on her real live (well, not so live) dragon bones. She took some of the red mixture, took an eye dropper, and...

(Blip!)

Nothing. Undeterred she took some of the purple mixture and…

(Blip!)

Nothing still. So it went on as she tried every color she had, two colors at once, until she mixed together every color into on flask, and poured to whole thing over all the bones.

“Oh come o…wait. Something’s happening!

The bones started crumbling to dust, leaving behind a red substance, neither liquid, solid, or gas. As this was freed from the bone it gravitated toward the rest, forming a ball. When it was done there was a pile of dust and a substance unknown by sorcery or alchemy alike.

Tat was able to pick up the object, it felt cool, like mist. She could barely speak, she was humbled by it. As it floated in her hands, she felt compelled to swallow it. A peep escaped her lips as Tat fell to the floor, out cold.
….

(fa-TWANG!)

“Ahh!” Tat yelled out in pain, something had hit her hard in the head. She opened her eyes and saw her roommate holding a shovel.

“Out! Get Out dragon!”

“Marie, what are you saying (gasp!) What am I saying?!” The words coming out weren’t English; she’d never heard anything like it before, much less from herself. Apparently that was enough to scare the other girl away, she ran off screaming for Claycuter. Knowing that’d be trouble Tat grabbed her alchemy book and the picture, making for the door. She took a glance at her face in the mirror. All her hair was gone. She was covered with orange scales. She had a snout. And oddly enough there were two cream colored antenna on her head. What we’d know as a dragonite. She put her clawed hands over her face as tears started welling up.

“Great googles you were serious!”

“(Great)” she thought “(SHE’s here. I’ll have to freak out latter.)” Tears still rolling she went to shove her out of the way when the old woman pulled out a revolver.

“(WHAT THE HELL!)” Tat spun around and ran right through the wall. There was a (BANG) And she felt an incredibly sharp pain at the end of what she assumed was her tail. “Gaaa! (Oh God, are nuns even allowed to be packing?!)” She looked up, she busted right into the meet.

“DRAGON!”

Tat ran the gauntlet through the tables, everyone chucking there junk at her, until she ran into the courtyard. Dead end. The entire mob surrounded her as Claycuter came to the front, and cocked her gun.

“NOOOOO!” Tat screamed out in fear and adrenalin, whether it was a sudden enlightenment or just the heat of the moment she didn’t know, but she was aware of the wings on her back. She flapped them as hard as she could, rocketing her in the air.

She panicked when she started hitting clouds and began to plummet, she flapped her wings harder and harder but it only slowed her down. soon she started to hit tree branches and finally made it to the ground, away from the mob. She had landed in a ditch next to a road on the other side of the town. Cut, bruised, and even shot, Tat laid in the ditch letting everything out through her tears.
….

Adamaska was walking home from his job at the factory, one of the few times he had to himself. He treasured the time, his little vacation moving from one slave master to another.

(whimper, whimper)

“Hm?”

(Whimper)

“Hello?” Whatever it was it sounded close. He looked over to the side of the road to where it seemed to be coming from.

“What the!”

The dragonite became aware of his presence, and franticly tried to get up, only to fall flat on its face. Adam slid down next to it, and crouched down next to her.

Tat clenched her eyes and tried to brace herself for the hit that was about to come.

(Pat pat)

“(?)” This guy wasn’t hitting her. He was just patting her head.

“Poor thing, who could have done this to you?”

Tat sighed in relief, somebody who wasn’t trying to kill her, even trying to make her feel better. She didn’t want him to go, whoever he was.

Adam stayed with her there for a while, but knew he had to get home soon. But he couldn’t just leave her here. With some considerable effort, picked her up, and started to carry her. She fell asleep after about a minute on his back.
….

Tat woke up in a dark room, tucked into a bed. She was…surprisingly comfortable. The cool sheets felt nice, she needed a rest after the day she’d had. She got up and searched for a light switch. It was plain, a bed, a dresser and a mirror, but a lot nicer than her old room. She looked at the dresser and saw her book placed on it. She felt a small twinge and picked it up, holding it to her chest. “(Have to be more careful next time.)” She looked over at the mirror. She hadn’t really gotten a good look at herself. She was covered in bandages, but other than that she looked like your average dragonite. Though she still had her emerald eyes. “(On the bright side, you’re finally out of that hell-hole.)” She managed to crack a smile.

(Knock knock)
….

Adam opened the door, holding a loaf of bread on a plate. Tat looked over; it was the same guy who saved her.

“Oh, you’re awake. Uhh, I brought you some food.”

Adam was a little unsure about this, he had no idea what dragons were like. She didn’t look angry or anything, in fact, she was smiling. “Well, I’ll leave you be-ACK!”
Tatiana had come up from behind and grabbed him in a big hug. He flailed for a sec then realized she wasn’t trying to eat him.

“Thank you so much for saving me.” It came out in dragon speak, but the message was clear.

She let him go. “Heh, you’re welcome. Now go on, eat up. You must be hungry.” Adamaska left the room. “Whatever, or whoever this dragon is, she seems nice enough.”

Tat laid back down, smiling. For the first time since she had gotten her book, she felt happy, deep down inside. She had just met this “Adamaska” but felt like she had know him all her life. She felt safe. Then she looked at the bread and realized that her stomachs growl mimicked her own, and tore into it.
….

The next time she woke up, it was less pleasant then the last time; it was the sound of someone screaming a floor down.

“I can’t BELIVE you brought an actual MONSTROSITY into MY HOUSE after EVERYTHING I’VE DONE FOR YOU!”

“Please, Uncle, calm down, have some brandy…”

“I won’t have you offering me my own brandy!”

Despite this comment there was a distinctive clink and sound of liquid pouring.
“Please, she’s hurt, just let her stay until she’s healed. please Uncle.

“(sigh) Give me your paycheck.”

“…”

“That thing can stay, but once it’s well enough it’s out with her, either by your hand or mine, you understand boy?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now if your royalness doesn’t mind, I think I’ll indulge myself for my generosity. Shine my bowling trophy then you can have the night off.”

She heard the door creak open and slam, but all she could do was stare down at her bed-sheets, the words ringing through her.

“Monstrosity.” She herd Adam coming up the stairs but could barely lift her head to greet him.

“Hey, you hungry at all?”

Her head shook no.

He sat down next to her bed and patted her head again. “Aww now don’t listen to him. That’s just the way he is.” She noticed that even through all this, he still managed to hold a smile. “He can be kinda hard to live with…and he does drink an awful lot…” The smile was starting to break down. He looked up at the dragonite next to him; her face had an expression of horror.

“No, don’t get the wrong idea! He’s never once laid a hand on me ever, promise to God! Then again, he’s never shown any love either…only known what that’s like once.”

Tat put a claw up on the top of his head and ruffled his hair a bit. “I know exactly what it is you’re in.” The two gave each other non-forced smiles.

“Well, I just have to shine his bowling trophy. You should get out of this room for a while. Some of those bandages can probably come off, and we’ve got a TV if you like that.

Tat was happy to here that, there was a new episode of her favorite soap opera tonight.
….

Tatiana was upstairs reading her Alchemy book. She had been here for a couple of weeks, and most of her bandages had come off. But she wasn’t sure if she was happy or not about that. She was glad that she was healing, but the better she got, the closer she came to having to leave. And drunken Uncle aside; she was really starting to like it here. It had gotten to the point were there was a schedule. She’d wake up and go find some berries to eat in the woods. She tried to eat from the kitchen as little as possible; funds were strained enough before the addition of a teenaged dragonite. Besides, nature absolutely came alive to her now, she loved it out there. She’d go back, drunky would show up about mid day then just as quickly leave for the pub, then she’d wait for Adam. He’d show up, shine his uncle’s stupid bowling trophy, and they’d do whatever until Uncle shows up and passes out. She flipped another page when she herd the door creak open. Drunky had already come and gone so that meant…

Adam opened the door and set down his bag. Work at the factory had been terrible that day, they had a new foreman who was strict as nails, all the jokes and laughter that made the day fun were gone, just 6 hours of screwing on peanut jar lids. But his day was about to lighten up.

“5…4…3…2…”

(GLOMP)

“Hi Adam!”

Tat had glided down the steps so fast she pulled her book down to. It had flopped open, and the picture of her friend that she kept in there had fallen out.

“Hello Dragy. Happy to see me?” She set him down and he noticed her book at the foot of the steps. “Hey, you dropped your book.” He picked it up and started to flip through the pages. “You should really be more careful with your thi-” He stopped, as he looked down at the picture. “…Where did you get this old picture of me?”

Tatiana froze while her brain tried to compute what she had just heard.

“It’s even got Nicolas written on the back. I haven’t gone by that name since I was at St. Mordici’s Orphanage. Hey Dragy, you ok?”

Tatiana could only stare, her mouth gaping a bit. She glided over right in front of him and lightly touched his cheek. “It is you.” She spoke softly. Now that she knew, it was clear that it was him, Nicolas from all those years ago. He was even wearing a gold chain around his wrist that she had alchemized years ago. There was a watch face attached to it now, but she recognized the way the metal was warped in the links, clear sign of a rookie. She gently took the book and the picture out of his hands, glided up to her room, laid down and stared at the ceiling for a while.
….

Dear Nicolas,

Thank you for everything. You brought me in, a complete stranger, a big scary dragon at that, and helped me get better. But more so, you gave me a kindness, compaction, and love that I had forgotten existed. All to a stranger. But, the thing is, I wasn’t a stranger. I’m Tat, from all those years ago back at the orphanage. I can’t believe you kept that watch chain all these years. It’s such poor workmanship. I have to leave, there’s no other choice, and I don’t think I could have said goodbye. I’ll be fine, just take care of yourself. I’ll never forget.
                                                                                                        Love,
                                                                                                                 Tatiana
….

Tat folded the latter and placed it on her bed. She took a sack with her book, the picture, and her parent’s letter and went out towards the foot of the mountains.
                                
(A few hours latter)

Adam (or Nicolas, whichever you prefer) opened the door, an equally bad day as before. He braced himself for the impending tackle hug…nothing.

“Hm, Dragy? She’s not sleeping at this hour is she?” He went up to her room to check on her, but when he opened the door he found it quite empty. “Ok, seriously, where’d she go?” He sat down on the bed and noticed a letter, addressed to Nicolas. He opened it and began to read.

(…)

“Oh my God.”

….

Tat had been exercising her wings around the mountain, doing all sorts of aerial acrobatics. She set down by a waterfall and lay down in some grass.

“This is actually pretty fun. Being a dragon’s not so bad.” Still, it would be a while before he could be in a “good mood”, for obvious reasons. She forced her self to think about flying techniques as she started to snooze.

“Tat! Tatiana!”

“(Shoots awake) No way!”

“Tat, where are you!”

“(Forcing her head down) Don’t even look. It has to be this way. Just stay down and he wont see you.”

“Tat, come on, where are you?!”

“Tune it out girl, it wont help.”

“Tat, please!”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t…(WHOOSH!)”

“Oof!”

Tat had grabbed Nicolas in the tackle hug to and all tackle hugs. Tears were flowing down her face, she wasn’t sure if they were happy or sad. Maybe both.

“Stupid stupid stupid this isn’t helping at all.”

“Tatiana! Is that really you then?”

She nodded as she started smiling, it was clear that this was helping.

“Wow, I can’t believe its you, after all these years. Man, those same emerald eyes. You look different though. Did you get a haircut?”

“Oh ha-ha.”

Tatiana held onto him as tight as she could. She didn't realize that her claws were digging into Nic's back. They barely pierced the skin, but its effect was drastic. Color drained from his face, and he began to get tipsy, eventually falling over, asleep.

“What? Nic, what are you doing? Come on; wake up, what’s the matter?”
She started to shake his hair to try to wake him, but started to feel bumps. She looked, to cream colored antenna were growing out of his scalp.

Tat looked down at her claws and saw the bit of blood on the tips. "Oh no. What have I done? He’s turning into a- he’s going to hate me.”

This was it; things had hit an all time low. She’d turned the one person she cared the most into a freak and there was nothing she could do. Nothing but sit and watch. His hair fell out, quickly replaced by orange scales. A snout grew, and the scales continued to move down under his shirt. Wings formed in a burst, followed by claws and finally a tail, the remainder of his cloths being ripped. When it was done, there were two dragonite, on sleeping peacefully and the other quite far from peaceful. Then Nicolas began to stir.

“(Yawn!) Hmm? Hey Tat, why so glum?”

Tat was staring at the ground. She wasn’t crying, but her voice was low and defeated.
“Nicolas, I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Wait, how did you-” It dawned on him that something was amiss. He looked down at his feet, hands and tail, fully aware of the new situation. “Tat, what happened? I feel so…so…free!”

Her head lifted in honest surprise. “Free?”

“Ya…I don’t know how to describe it, like a burden that lifted, like I don’t have a care. No factory, no uncle…NO UNCLE! Tat, did you do this?”

“Well, I think so, bye acci-Oof!”

Nic had grabbed her into a big hug

“You’re the best friend I could ever ask for!”

“Wait” She said. “So you don’t hate me?”

“What, no! I could never hate you Tatiana!”

All depression was washed away as a look of pure joy overwhelmed her.

“Nicolas, I love you.” The words had slipped out before she knew what she was saying. But, she didn’t want to take them back. Nicolas smiled back calmly, expressions a little more subtle.

‘I love you to Tatiana.”

A calm fell over her like she had never felt all her life, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “Will we always be this happy?”

“I think so.”
….

But that was a while ago. As time went on people all around began to have sightings of winged creatures flying around the mountains, first just two, then three, then more! And on occasion, a hiker would disappear, and all they’d find were there clothes. Never any sign of a struggle, just one claw mark in the fabric. What do you think it means?