Nathan was surprised by a chill that skated across his now bare skin. 170 years with a fur coat and now he knew how it felt to be truly cold. He'd actually forgotten the sensation.
As the silence continued to stretch on, Nathan slowly opened his eyes, surprised at how dim everything looked from just moments before.
Fearing the worst, he slowly met the eyes of the dragon in front of him.
Axel couldn't help but comment, [Look at that. 30 whole seconds and we're not dead. Maybe we gave him a heart attack.]
Nathan couldn't stop the red flush that spread across his face. "Shut up, Axel!"
He tried to clear his throat but before he could a deep voice interrupted him. "Y-y-you're a shifter?! A werewolf?!"
Nathan slowly nodded as he tried to figure out the tone used. It didn't sound cruel, just confused and maybe wary. He wasn't sure anymore.
"I…" Instantly, Nathan started coughing, his voice straining from disuse.
Through teary eyes he watched the man he considered a friend quickly stand and rush to the kitchen. Assuming the worst he turned his gaze back towards the fur rug he sat on, upset, thinking that he'd be on his own again. Only seconds passed before a glass of water appeared before his eyes. As Nathan looked up, all he saw on the man's face was concern.
"Here. This might help."
Yup. All Nathan could hear was also concern. Suddenly overjoyed that he hadn't scared off his new friend, Nathan reached for the glass not even considering the fact that he might be able to hold it. Just as his fingers wrapped around the cup, he quickly realized he wouldn't have the strength to support it. Griffin, not noticing, had already let go, causing the glass to slip through Nathan's grip and hit the floor, spilling water everywhere. Thankfully, it hadn't fallen far and managed to not get even a crack.
Panicked, Nathan's scratchy voice quickly exclaimed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's been awhile since I've tried holding anything!" He was on the verge of shedding tears, thinking he'd be kicked out for making a mess.
Griffin was just as quick to reply. "It's okay. I should have realized you might not be able to. I just thought the water might make your throat feel better." As he spoke swiftly, trying to calm the young shifter in front of him, Griffin picked up the glass and, using the blanket wrapped around Nathan, wiped up the water that had splashed over the boy's legs. Realizing he'd nearly exposed the boy completely, Griffin flushed. "Sorry. You kinda threw me for a loop. I wouldn't have even guessed that you were a shifter. I just thought you were a wolf who was used to people."
Hearing his rambling, a small smile tugged at Nathan's lips. "I'm not surprised. From what I've gathered, I'm the last of my kind."
[Damn, I was hoping for something more dramatic. Shouting. Running. Something. But noooo. You get the one dragon whose first thought is that you might want water because you started coughing. And he didn't even get upset when you got his nice rug all wet. How anticlimatic.] Axel droned on in the back of Nathan's mind, obviously he had been hoping for some kind of drama.
"Seriously?! He could have killed us on the spot and you're mad because nothing interesting happened?!"
[Yeah, pretty much.]
"You're unbelievable."
**********
[Well, well, well,] Kael dragged out. [Look who was right about him being a shifter.]
Griffin was still reeling from the revelation. "Uh, yeah. I don't know what to do at this point."
[You could start by offering him something to wear.]
Kael's response suddenly reminded Griffin, again, that the shifter in front of him was naked, a blanket his only covering.
"Shit, uh, do you want a shirt or something?" Griffin blurted out while averting his gaze. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as the boy glanced down at his body, his face turning an even brighter shade of red.
"Um," he coughed, "yes please."
Not waiting another second, Griffin rose to his feet and turned towards his room. Crossing towards his dresser, he pulled out the top drawer, pulling too hard and dropping the drawer and its contents on the floor. "Shit," he breathed.
"Are you okay?" The boy's raspy voice softly called from the main room.
"Yeah," Griffin called back, "my hand just slipped."
[Focus, big guy.] Kael said, smugly. [If you scare the kid he might just run for it.]
"Trust me, I know. That's the last thing I want. I just can't get over how beautiful he is. It's… Unnerving."
Kael burst out laughing. [Ha! Look who fell in love at first glance!]