Between the Keys

   Two teenagers were on a date together...well, it was more of a nature walk. They smiled and laughed as the held hands and skipped through the forest. Everything seemed to being going perfect for them...until they were spotted. Out of nowhere, an animal jumped out from nowhere. It was like nothing either of them had ever saw. It was impossibly big, with what looked like blood-stained horns, jet black dark wings, along with it's completely black scaled body. It's eyes shimmered bloody red and it's fangs grinned wildly, while it moved with lightning speed towards the couple, as they fell to the ground.

    They looked with awe at the hideous creature that was preparing to strike. Somehow they managed to break their paralysis and make a mad dash in the opposite direction. They seemed to be in the clear as they ran for what seemed like hours. But the dragon crashed in front of them, cutting them off from escape. It started to circle them slowly, with it's eyes locked on them the whole time. It barred its teeth and grunted furiously. After circling them for what seemed like hours, out of nowhere it released an ears splitting roar. both the teenagers screamed, as the girl buried her wet face into her boyfriend's chest. The dragon stopped dead in it's tracks for a second, and then started to slowly walk towards them.

    This time, the two teenagers were completely frozen in fear, and were cursed to await their death. The creature stopped and lowered it's head so that its was even with the boy's, and just inches away. It opened it's mouth, and the boy began to sweat and tremble. A sinister voice whispered the word, "run" to him. The boy, even more shocked now that it learned that it could speak English, was spasming out of control. The dragon open it's mouth once more, screaming out "NOW!" this time. The paralysis was once again broken, as the teenagers bolted towards...any place far away from there.

    "Look at them run..." The dragon thought. "Look at them tremble in fear...The cowards. They're lucky I'm such a nice guy. I could've killed them on the spot...weaklings...tremble in fear. I am on top!" He told himself triumphantly.  He was above the humans, and he knew it. They were weak. The weak needed to fall victim to the powerful; it was the way of the world. He learned that the hard way...and so would they. They were lucky that they only had to deal with him! He was one of the smallest dragons in his clan...and even yet he was above the humans! Sure, they didn't do anything to him...but he never asked for all the crap that happened to him. But in the end, he was on top. The human's would have to learn that this was his territory. When he trespassed into more powerful dragon's turf...which was'nt hard, considering how scrawny he compared to the rest of the dragons, he got the same treatment. What made humans any different? He was on top here in the woods...Probably the only place he was on top.

    He heard another human coming, and it was alone, this would be fun.  The dragon creeped up behind the human, and started growling. He waited until the human turned to see what the noise was, and then jumped out of hiding and roared in its face. The human screamed in freight, and began to run. The chase was on. Just like with the last people, this one was completely terrified.

    The young man ran as fast as he could, but the dragon stayed right behind him. He began to pull ahead, but just as soon as he thought he was free, then dragon landed right in front of him. The beast pounced and pinned the human to the ground, it brought its large mouth very close and began to drool. It loosened its claws just enough for the human to free himself, and then started chasing again. The human thought he would  be able to get away this time, and once again, the prey seemed to pull ahead and lose the dragon.

    But just as he relaxed his pace, the dragon cut him off. The dragon circled the boy, as he did with the couple. Slowly and surely he made a the boy shake with fear and anticipation. He let out the biggest roar he could manage, causing the boy to wince, sweat, and shake violently, even more so then the woman a few minutes ago did. The dragon decided that the game had been played enough, now for the final harassment. He crept in closer to the terrified boy and whispered, "Run" once again. The boy was petrified, as were all the humans when they learned he knew English. He took a breathe, and screamed, "NOW!" in the boy's face. The boy was able to move again after the impact of the words, but instead of running, he took a swing at the dragon, landing a blow in the dead-center of his nose.

    The dragon staggered back, stunned by the sudden pain, and the fact that the puny human actually hit him. He could feel the blood gushing out, and with how many times he had his nose broken by other dragons, it really hurt. How could this scrawny human inflict so much pain?" He thought to himself, as he clenched his eyes shut and held his nose. He could feel the pain overcoming him, and no matter how he tried to stop it, it happened. He felt the drops rain from his eyes onto the ground. He opened his eyes in attempt to stop the tears, but to no avail. He did see the child step back, unsure how he had managed to do what he just did. The boy smirked when he saw the dragon crying, confident that he had won.

    "Shut up! It's not funny!" The dragon yelled between sniffles,

    "You...you got what you deserved!" The boy yelled back, a little less confident than before.

    "You're wrong! I'm bigger! I'm stronger! I'm better! I want to be the winner for once! I never win..." The dragon yelled, as he about-faced and ran off in the opposite direction. in no time at all, he was lost in the trees.

    The boy started running away, but he stopped when he thought about what the dragon had said, 'I never win.' and 'I want to be a winner for once!' He had similar thoughts recently, and wondered if the dragon was simply taking his anger and frustration out on anything it could. He had been picked on before, and would do similar things to people smaller then him. For some reason he felt sorry for the dragon and decided to go back and look for it, maybe he could help somehow. He realized that this was a very idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway.

    The dragon was sitting alone in the woods, wondering why he was always the loser, now even a human got the best of him. 'Why?' he said to himself, 'why'. The human got back to the area where the beast attacked him, and looked around for where it might have went.  The dragon had left a trail though the tree that anyone could follow, so the boy followed it.  It did not take him long to find the still whining dragon at the end of it, he cautiously got closer to the beast, but something made him sneeze.

    "Now what do you want?" The dragon growled. "You've embarrassed me enough today haven't you? Just go away!"

    "You seem to be bothered by something."  The human said.

    "No shit, I'm the biggest loser anywhere. I can't even stand up to a puny human like you, much less the other dragons. Just go away!" Said the dragon.

    "You are not the only one who is bullied, I have been all of my life, as long as I can remember. I came back because you seemed very sad to me, much like I have many times."

    "Are you telling me you actually care about me? Why would you?"

    "I'm not saying that I care about you, or that I 'like' you. I'm just saying that I understand why you tormented me, and that I'm not mad or upset" The boy answered monotonically.

    "I was going to kill you-- and you're not mad?" The dragon asked.

    "You were never going to kill me. Like I said before; I understand you. You wouldn't kill me, you don't have the drive. You've had your fun now...so...maybe you don't have to be so upset now." The boy said in a softer tone, as he started to walk away.

    "Wait!" The dragon called after him, as the boy turned around. "I, I'm sorry..."

    "I know you are- It's ok. Just, don't attack me any more." The boy said, as he continued to walk away.

    A rumbling in the trees started to sound. The boy and the dragon turned around to see what caused the commotion. The rumbling got louder, and the pattern of four feet walking started to be recognizable. Soon enough, a new figure emerged from the forest. Another dragon came into view; much bigger than the one already there. Both the boy and the small dragon looked with fear at the uninvited guest.

    "What do we have here?" The immensely big dragon said. "What's little Addy doing out all by himself?"

    "Shut up, Octavius..." The dragon, "Addy", said.

    "Don't talk back to me!" Octavius screamed, as he slashed across the black dragon's torso, breaking the scales and ripping the flesh. Blood started to drip out and mix with the blood from his face. Octavius followed the trail of nose blood back to the human. He smiled and the human panicked. Octavius looked back towards the bleeding dragon. "Looks like someone already softened you up for me. Really, Adeiy? A human got the best of you. I really am ashamed."

    "He didn't get the best of me, it was a lucky shot." He replied.

    "I told you not to talk back!" He screamed again, this time slashing him harder causing him to fall on the ground. "You'll never learn...You're worthless!" He screamed, as he kicked him in his unprotected head, knocking him out. Octavius then looked at the human and smiled. "Good job showing this loser who's boss. Because of that, I'm gonna let you off with a warning: This is my territory now. Don't come back, unless you want to end up like ol' Addy over there." He said. The boy nodded, as the dragon smiled and walked away, leaving the boy and the unconscious dragon alone.

    The boy looked at the tattered up and beaten down dragon. He know that they both had similar situations; both being the subject to bullies harassment, but it had never gone THIS far for him. He was never beaten to a bloody pulp like "Adeiy" was. He was surprised that the dragon wasn't dead yet, either by the other dragons or his own accord. He thought he understood him, but really he didn't. It was so much worse than he ever imagined. But worst of all, he was hurt...and alone. The boy walked over to the dragon. Although he was a decent size, he wasn't all that heavy. Well, to be able to fly, he would have to be light. He found that he could easily carry the dragon on his back and make the journey to his empty house.

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    The dragon woke up, expecting to be in a grassy forest, but instead under a sheet of fabric and on a long cushion of some sort. He tried to get up and figure out why he was in this alien environment, but his stomach seemed to have some kind of weight on it. He tilted his head to see what the obstruction, only to find that the human that he had tortured had fallen asleep; his head resting on his stomach. His breathing had caught pace after gaining consciousness, causing his stomach to rise and fall at a greater rate. The change in motion had subconsciously alerted the boy and he woke up.

    "Why am I here?" The dragon asked groggily

    "You were hurt...I took you home. Are you ok, Addy?" The boy responded, equally as groggily.

    "Don't call me that!" The dragon scolded, but immediately softened his voice. "My name's Adeipho; Adeiy is what all the jerks call me because they think I'm a baby...And I thought you didn't 'care' about me?" The dragon said bitterly.

    "Me too. But when I saw what was happening to you...I felt so terrible for saying that. No living creature should have to go through that. I thought I understood you, but I really didn't. You have it a lot worse than me...but I told you that I didn't care. I'm so sorry." The boy said sadly.

    "It's ok. I forgive you...?" Adeipho said with an upward inflection, denoting he wanted a name.

    "Dominic, or just Dom. Adeipho...isn't that Greek?"

    "Well yeah...that's where we originated. All our names are Greek. The first dragon, Selene, was created by Zeus. She had the power to change a human into a dragon as her mate, and one thing led another and now there's lots of us."

    "Interesting, how are you feeling? You were beat up pretty bad, I cleaned the cuts but I didn't know what else to do."

    "I feel better, thanks for the help." The dragon said. "I must apologize again for harassing you, it's wrong and I should have known better."

    "No problem, I have done similar things when I was frustrated." Dom said. "It's easy to take out your frustration on people who had nothing to do with your problem."

    "I shouldn't have done it, despite what I was being put through." the dragon said with sad look on his muzzle.

    "Don't feel bad," Dom said, patting dragon's back, "No harm done. Now do you want something to eat for breakfast?"

    "What do you have?" Adeipho asked.

    "I have some breakfast sausages and I could make waffles." Dom said as he entered the kitchen.

    As Adeipho watched Dom round the corner, he felt a strange tingle in his scales. It ran throughout his body. He had no idea what was happening.

    "Dom, I think something is wrong with me." Adeipho said, his voice quivering with fear.

    "What is it...AHRR!" yelled Dom from the kitchen, grabbing his right arm.

    When Dom looked to where the pain was located, he found a small gash that he had failed to treat. Adeipho must have nicked him when he pinned Dom to the ground. The flesh around it was rapidly growing paler. Dom stumbled back into the living room to find Adeipho lying on the floor, his body was shaking. A look of pure fear was in the dragon's eyes and the dragon could see it in the human's eyes as well. The flesh on Dom's arms began to become thicker and harder, it began to crack in a pattern. It was a pattern that he recognized immediately because he was looking at something just like it, dragon scales. They were snow white and they began to march up his arm and down towards his hand. As soon as they reached his palm, the flesh thickened in a dense pad and the scales covered the top of his hand. The fingers in the middle fused into one digit and all of his remaining three fingers and thumb were encased in scales with a thick, white, fleshy pads on the bottom. Grey claws grew out of the ends of his fingers, they looked like they could slice right through metal. The scales on his arm grew up on over his shoulder, making their way across his chest. As the scales covered, he could feel the muscles underneath getting bigger and stronger. The shirt he was wearing began to rip and tear as it could not longer handle the mass building up beneath it.
    
    Dom looked over to his dragon friend and saw that he wasn't in a better situation. As Dom was getting bigger, Adeipho was getting smaller. Not by a lot, but he was loosing size. His tail began to shrink to about five feet long. His wings got smaller and neck shortened as well. His hind legs began to lengthen, taking on a more human look while keeping the same digigrade feet. His forelegs began to look more like arms; their muscle mass deceased but they grew longer. His forepaws reshaped into hands. The toes became long fingers and a thumb grew out of the side of the palm. His head narrowed forming an elongated muzzle from his wider draconic face. A sharp pain in his backside brought him back to his changes. A long tail grew out from then seat of his pants, making a very large hole in them. It had the same white scales on the top with light grey underside plates. Dom's arms had finished changing and the muscles bulked up as soon as the scales had finish hardening. His legs cracked as the scales made their way down them, reshaping his joints as they went. They twisted and cracked until they looked just like Adeipho hind legs. His pants ripped right off him and his shoes exploded as his feet turn into three toed, clawed dragon feet. Massive pain in his back cause him to fall over on the floor. Two huge leathery dragon wings grew out of Dom's back, destorying what remained of his shirt. His neck stretched out of the plates and scales covered it. As the white scales covered his head, Dom's skull began to crack and stretch out like it was being pulled forward. He could feel his jaws and nose fuse and stretch out in front of him, becoming a dragon snout. His hair fell out along with his teeth and two shallow sloped horns and sharp fangs grew in to replace them. His eyes burned as the reformed with slit pupils and change to a dark blue iris.
    
    The two of them lay on the floor, wondering what just happened. They both looked at each other, noting every change that each went through. They both were caught between human and dragon.

    "What happened?" Dom asked.

    "It looks like you have turned half dragon." Adei said.

    "And you're half human!" Dom Said, standing and looking at himself and his new friend.

    "I feel different, but not bad." Adei said, as he tried to stand like a human.  He managed it, but just barely. "This is different, I'm not used to standing on only two legs."

    "And I'm not used to having wings" Dom said, "But I like it." He continued as he stood up tried to spread his new wings. This turned out to be a bad idea, one wing extended and hit the wall, putting a hole in the Drywall, the other knocked the TV backwards off the stand. He quick folded them again, trying to avoid breaking anything else.

    "Be careful! Don't hurt yourself before you get to try them out!" Adei chuckled.

    "Yeah..." Dominic said nervously. "But all in all, I like being half dragon. This seems like it could be a lot of fun!" Dom said happily. He looked over to his new friend, who seemed to be sulking. "...Do you like being half human?"

    "Yeah, I guess...But I don't feel any stronger, and I really didn't get any benefits from it." He said, as the other halfdragon started to sulk. "No offense to your species...well, former species...but I mean, I was different enough as it was. Now that's there's only two of my kind, I'll really be picked on." He said sadly.

    "You shouldn't think to much of what people think of you" Dom said prophetically. "They'll learn to accept you over time if you're a good person at heart. Don't worry about it; They'll learn to love you"

    "Still, it's going to take forever...the other dragons didn't take kindly to me when I was just like them. Now that I am officially a freak..." Adei said. "No offense"

    "Don't worry, buddy" Dom said, patting his friend on the back, causing him to smile a little. But at that same moment, a garage started to open. Dominic's eyes grew wide, as that could only mean one thing. His parents were home. Usually that wouldn't have been a problem. But he wasn't aloud to have guests in the house when they weren't home. Especially scaly ones. They didn't take kindly to reptiles of any variety, epecially sentient ones. And, unfortunately, his friend fell into that category, along with himself.

    "We have to hide!" Dominic said frantically.

    "What!? Why!?" Adei replied, equally as frantic.

    "My parents are home! They can't see me like this!" He said. He expected Adei to be as worried as he was, but instead he only snickered. "What's so funny about this!?"

    "What's wrong, Dominic? You know, 'You shouldn't think to much of what people think of you.'" Adei quoted. Dominic knew immediately where he had gotten the lines.

    "Shut up and come on!" He said, as he grabbed his claw and started to run towards the stairs.

    "What's the big deal, Dominic? 'They'll learn to accept you over time if you're a good person at heart' I don't see a reason to hide!" Adei said as they ran up the stairs, taking full advantage of the situation.

    "I know what I said!" Dominic said as they entered the bathroom. He stood with his back against the door, as his family didn't believe in locks, even on the bathroom door.

    "Dominic, 'Don't worry about it; They'll learn to love you' It'll be alright" Adeipho said, giving him a sarcastic grin.

    "Shut up!" Dominic said, this time extremely angry. He immediately went full circle, as he slid down the door with his face in his claws. "It's not the same...at least you look somewhat the same...I don't even resemble my human self anymore..." He sniffled.

    "Sure you do! You resemble your human self more than I resemble my dragon self..." Adei said sympathetically and sadly.

    "It still comes down to that I'm a freak...that we're both freaks." He said, still sobbing.

    "Don't worry, Dom...we'll find a way. We'll both get through this." Adei said, while putting a gentle claw sympathetically on his shoulder.

    "But how? I changed my mind. I don't want to be some dragon-freak anymore. I want to be human...I want to be a normal human...I want to be normal. He said; his voice getting softer with every word.

    Adei retreated his hand when he felt a slight energy impulse flow from Dominic. He watched with amazement as the scales on Dominic's arms started to recede, leaving pasty white skin behind. His wicked claws started to recede and reshape, turning into normal human fingernails. His thick claws started to split apart, leaving him with another finger on each, giving him the normal human ten. By this time, Dominic had started to feel what was happening, and lifted his head up to look.

    "Wha- what's happening!?" He shouted, sounding both frightened and delighted.

    "I think you're...changing back?" Adei said, as confused as Dom. The scales had now completely receded on his top limbs, leaving him with two normal, flabby human arms.

    "But how?" Dominic asked, as his chest started to loose the scales and muscle mass.

    "I don't know, but maybe we should not question it. This is what you wanted." Adei said. His nipples had now reappeared, as the muscles and scales on his back had disappeared. The changes went up his face and down his stomach. His head reshaped into a humans, replacing the horns with hair, and regaining a flat human face.

    "I...I guess. It was fun while it lasted...but I wanted to fly and do other dragon stuff. But I also wanted to be human...I don't know what I want anymore." Dom said, as he looked at his six-pack getting erased along with the scales around his stomach.

    "Yeah...um...maybe you should put this on before this gets any further" Adei said, tossing him a towel and shielding his eyes, just in case he was too late.

    "Yeah, good point." Dom said, as he wrapped the towel around his lower body as best he could, even with the tail in the way. But he wouldn't have to worry about that very long. He felt the tail started to push in as his spine shrunk, In no time at all, his tail was gone and all that was left to change were his his legs.

    "Is it safe to look?" Adei asked, as his thighs lost all trace of scales and muscles.

    "Yeah, It's on. And I'm now 100% human!" Dom said happily, as his his feet and upper legs completely converted back into normal human appendages. Just in time, too. He heard his parents and siblings come up stairs calling his name. "Um...I'm in the shower!" Dom shouted back, as he wet his hair quickly to make it seem believable. "Um...go hide in the shower! I'll come back when the coast is clear" He told Adei. Luckily, he had a bath-shower hybrid, meaning his scaly friend could lay down as to avoid casting a shadow. He closed the curtains on his friend, and walked out, still with his towel on.

    "Look who's home, Dominatrix!" His older brother, Dante, shouted, while throwing a few playful punches.

    "Did you miss us?" His older sister, Laura asked.

    "Yeah. It's good to have you guys back home." He lied. If they weren't home it would have been so much easier to sneak his draconic friend out.

    "Only for about three months, though. Then back to college..." Dante said glumly.

    "Still, it's really good to have you back. I need food, though. BRB" Dom said, fully utilizing his knowledge of internet slang. All of his family members just shook their heads.

    Dominic walked into the kitchen as sighed a breath of relief. That had been really close. A few seconds longer, and who knows what would've happened. Even if he was in the bathroom, his family, especially Dante, would just barge in without any warning. He took an apple out of the basket on the table and took a bite. He stopped halfway through the bite after he heard his sister scream. He completely froze as he heard the distinct echo-y sound a bathroom makes when screamed in. He dropped the apple and ran full-force upstairs, expecting to see a gory scene of both human and half-dragon guts. Instead, he found the most peculiar scene ever. He saw his older brother rolling of the floor laughing, his sister in a towel and completely red faced, both out of rage and embarressment, and a dark-skinned human boy, also wrapped in a towel, who looked very confused and nervous.

    "Do you think this is fucking funny!?" She spat angrily.

    "Um..." Dom stuttered. He really didn't know what to say, he was confused as the seemingly African boy who was being held up by his ear.

    "Getting some naked teenager waiting in the shower is just...!!" She said, as she let him go and stormed off. "Wait 'til I tell Mom!" She said as she ran down the stairs.

    "Duude..." Dante said, still laughing. "That was the sickest prank ever! I didn't think you had it in you! Totally worth the grounding you're gonna get for this!" He said, as he walked off, almost in tears from the hilariousness of the situation.

    That just left the two shape shifters, neither knowing what to say. The silence seemed to last for hours, when finally Adei said something.

    "Ears hurt..." Adei said, rubbing his new human appendages.

    "Yeah they do...but...how are you...?" Dom said, very confused.

    "The same way that you did. I thought about being human. I was think about how much better my life could be if I was human. I wouldn't have to deal with all the harrassment every day, I could actually have a family and friends. I wanted it with all my heart...and tada." He said.

    "So...does that mean that this was only temporary?" Dom said, as a look of concentration came on his face.

    "I guess so..." Adei said. "Even when I tried to transform back into a half dragon after having second thoughts, I couldn't. Once it starts, it can't be stopped. Believe me...It hurt like hell changing into a human. Probably because I've never been human before in my life. It doesn't hurt now, but still...It felt more natural to be a half dragon." He said sadly, missing his old form.

    "Yeah, me too..." Dom said without thinking. He stopped and realized what he had just admitted. "Do I really feel better and more natural as a half-dragon? I've been a human for 17 years, and a half dragon for maybe 5 minutes!" He thought to himself. Dominic never believed in all that "true form" bullshit, but he felt so much more...natural in that other form. And neither of them even knew what caused the transformation! "So now your a human?"

    "No, I'm an elephant!" Adei said sarcastically. "Yes I'm a human! But in the end, I think I'll like it...the family, the love, the affection..."

    "You know, It's not all rainbows and unicorns. I mean, there's so much stuff you have to worry about. School, Rules and laws, reputation..." He said, just to name a few of human's everyday struggles. "Being a dragon would be so much easier, I think. You have as much freedom as you want!" He said.

    "Do you really think so?" Adei said surprised. "It's nothing like that! I mean, There's hunting, loneliness, and if you invade another dragon's territory...well, you've already seen what happens..."

    "Yeah...um...so how was your run-in with my sister?" Dom asked, desperate to change the subject.

    "I just don't get it...Why did she freak out? Dragon's are naked all the time, granted there's nothing exposed...but even when I told her just not to look, and that I didn't look, she didn't listen. And why did your brother congratulate me? It's not like I did anything extraordinary." Adei said, very confused.

    "Believe me, to a human, that is extraordinary." Dom explained.

    "DOMINIC!!" His mother screamed. "Get down here now!"

    "Oh no..." Adei said.

    "Don't worry, I got this covered." Dominic said, as he picked up his cell phone off the table and started to rapidly text. Both of them went down stairs prepared to face the woman's wrath.

    "What did you think you were doing!?" She yelled.

    "Mom! I can explain! The city shut down Andy's water, and he needed to take a bath. You got home earlier than expected, and Laura barged in while he was about to take a bath." Dominic lied.

    "Is that true?" She asked, as "Andy" just nodded. "I need to check this out. What's you parents phone number?"

    "867-5309" Dominic said. His plan worked perfectly. Dom had a friend who runs a sort of "business". For a dollar, he would receive any call from anyone and tell them what they wanted to hear. Now Dominic owed him a dollar.

    "Hello? Is this Andy's father? Ok, I was just wondering if you knew where your son was just now...yes...uhuh...ok...ok, thanks. Sorry for the confusion" Dominic's mother said, and hung up the phone. "You're lucky, mister" She said, as she walked out of the room.

    "Andy? the dragon-turned-human asked.

    "Well, 'Adeipho' isn't exactly a human name...well, not any more, anyway. So I improvised. It's close enough right?" Dom said.

    "Yeah, I guess..." Andy said. "So what do you want to do now?"

    "Mom! I'm going out for a little!" Dom yelled, answering his friends question. "I want to test something..." Dom said, as he headed out the door.

    "We should go somewhere private to try this, it would not be good if someone saw change into dragons in the middle of town." Dom said.

    "No shit Sherlock." Andy said, as Dom just grumbled under his breath. "So where are we going?




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    "Well, why are we here?" Andy said curiously.

    "I was thinking about the transformation a little more...I mean, one time is extraordinary in itself. But two!? That's just insane!" Dom said.

    "Yes, I know." Andy said, still not understanding what he was getting at, "But why are we here at this little farm out in the hills?"

    "My girlfriend lives here," said Dom, "She can help us and she can keep a secret."

    "Are you sure about this?" Andy asked, "You didn't even want to tell your own parents."

    "They wouldn't understand. Besides, Whitney is a great girlfriend. I've know her since I was in kindergarten." Dom told him.

    "Oh yeah, trust a girl you met a long time ago and not your own parents." Andy said as he rolled his eyes.

    "Shut up. I know what I'm doing." Dom snapped back as he walked up to the door and gave it a knock.

    "Hello," said a young girl, had to be about 16, with dirty blond hair and freckles as she opened the door, "Oh Dom, it's so good to see you. You can all this way to see little old me."

    "Yeah I did." Dom said as he gave her a hug. "Whitney, I would like you to meet my new friend Andy, Andy this is Whitney."

    "Its a pleasure to meet you." said Andy as he shook her hand.

    "You too." Whitney said as she shook it back.

    "Listen Whitney, we need your help with something." Dom asked.

    "Oh, and what would that be?" she asked right back.

    "Well me and Andy are, umm...It's kind of hard to explain. Can we come in first?" Dom said scratching the back of his head, struggling to find the right words.

   "Oh, of course!" She said, while leading them in and closing the door. "Well go on, spit it out." Whitney said, crossing her arms and tapped her foot.

    "We're dragons." said Andy, completely straight faced.

    "Andy!" Dom yelled.

    "What? You sure were taking your sweet time." he said as he turn away from Dom.

    "You guys are serious?" Whitney said, puzzled by what was just said.

    "Yeah, we're dragons...well, we were." said Dom solemnly.

    "Ha!" Whitney said with a wide smile, "You must have thought you could pull a prank on me just because you knew I love dragons. Well I'm too quick to fall for a story like that."

    "But it's true, we really were dragons..." said Andy.

    "Okay, if you really are dragons, the prove it." she said as she put her hands on her hips.

    "Okay, we will." said Dom.

    "And how are we going to do that?" asked Andy.   

    "Well, I was just thinking, I can kinda understand me transforming back into my original body...but you? You managed to turn into a human, as well! So while I've went in a circle, you went in line..." Dominic said.

    "And...?" Andy said, while nodding. He agreed that it was weird, but still didn't find any relevance in this conversation.

    "Why is it that our situations started the same, but ended differently? Unless, in reality, they didn't actually end. And what is a circle but just a bent line. Also, circles go around forever: ending where they begin and beginning where they end, forever and ever..." Dom tried to explain.

    "Ok, I am completely lost. What are you trying to say?" Andy asked, getting annoyed with Dominic's math jargon.

    "He's done this ever since I've known him, you get used to it after a while." said Whitney.

    "Basically, I'm back where I started: A human. But if it ends where it begins...theoretically, I should be able to transform back into a half-dragon.

    "Do you think it is possible?" Andy asked eagarly

    "Well, let's try it out." Dom said.

    "Wait, what happens when we change, our clothes will get torn up and I am not going through that again with your girl friend." said Andy.

    "Then what do you suggest?" asked Dom.

    "If you boys are quite done straining yourselves, I can get some towels from the bathroom." said Whitney.

    "That will work." said Dom.

    "All right then, I'll just run up stairs and get them." she said as she went back inside to get the towels, "I still think your trying to fool me. But hey, if you want to strip down outside, be my guest."

    "I can't believe I'm actually going to go through with this." Dom said, his face twisted into a frown.

    "Your the one who wanted to try to change, this is how we have to do it." said Andy, "Besides, I'm used to being naked."

    "Well I'm not." Dom said, scowling at his friend.

    "Well then you'd better get used to it because as a dragon, you're nude all the time." Andy said with a smile.

    "Shut up." said Dom as Whitney came back outside, carrying a pair of towels.

    "Here you go nature boys." she said as she handed a blue one to Dom and a red one Andy.

    "Okay, now where are we gonna do this?" asked Dom.

    "If you go behind the barn over there; nobody can see you." said Whitney.

    "Thanks." he replied as he went around the side of the barn and began to remove his clothes.

    "Yeah, thanks." said Andy as he too went around the barn.

    "No peeking." said Dom as he removed his pants.

    "I'm not going to look." Andy replied, wondering why humans were so preoccupied with clothes.

    "Okay, we're good to go." Dom said as they came back around the barn and into the yard in nothing but a towel.

    "You guys look ridiculous." Whitney said, holding back the laughter. They went back into the house for more privacy.

    "You won't be laughing long." Andy said, as they walking, "Okay Dom, your idea, you go first."    

    "Right, here goes nothing." Dom said as he started to concentrate on changing back to the half dragon form.  He started changing like before, only this time it was faster. His skin started to change, growing paler and scales grew out of his flesh and began to cover it completely. His hands reshaped in his draconic claws, complete with grey claws, and his tail pushed its way out of his spine. His muscles bulked up, his wings grew out, his neck lenthend and his face pushed out into a muzzle. His legs stretched out and reformed into his digigrade legs, forcing him to stand on the balls of his feet. His hair fell out and his two horns grew in. Soon it was over and he was like a dragon again.

    "Wow, you guys weren't kidding, you really are dragons." Whitney said as she watched her boyfriend transform into an anthro dragon.

    "Nice!" Dom said. "I wonder, do you think you could change back to you normal dragon self? If I could change back to a human, you should be able to change back to a dragon."

    "That would be very nice." Adei said, as started trying to change to dragon.  After a few more seconds he started to change again. His muscles seemed to swell a bit and a faint gurgling noise came from his stomach. Black scales started to grow over his skin and a his face began to push out with his horns growing in. With a loud pop, his tail came out. His wings grew out of his back as his feet reformed into a digigrade stance. The problem was that he was now in is half-dragon form, not his full-dragon form like he wanted.

    "What happened? Why didn't I get transformed into my original form?" Adei said, a little depressed.

    "Hmm...that changes things" Dom said, as his friend frowned and looked down. "Don't worry! I think I know the answer. It's not a circle like I originally thought...It's more like a parabola, the vertex being our half dragon form, and the +/- X being our original for-"

    "Enough of the math! Just tell me why it didn't work!" Adei snarled.

    "Well, that confirms it; Dom is a die hard geek. Even turning into such an awesome creature as a dragon and he still finds a way to put math in it." Whitney said, watching her draconic boyfriend crunch numbers in his head.

    "Well, I was trying to explain that because -X and +X are only connected thou-" Dom said, before he his neck was grabbed and he was hoisted in the air a couple inches.

    "Just tell me how to fix it." Adeipho said slowly through clenched fangs.

    "Just...Try...Again" Dom managed to sputter out, as he was gently put down.

    "Why didn't you just say so?" Adei asked, as he started to imagine himself as a dragon again. With a loud snap, his arms reformed into their dragon forelimb counterparts. His tail grew longer, his body stretched back out and he stood on all fours. His face widened out and his wings enlarged to accommodate this larger body for flight. Once again, Adeipho was a full black dragon. "So, let me get this straight. I can change from Dragon to half dragon, half dragon to human, human to half dragon, and half dragon to dragon; but not from human to full dragon or full dragon to human?"

    "Yes, that's right" Dominic said.

    "Why couldn't you just tell me that in the first place!?" Adeipho said annoyed.

    "I don't know...because I'm a nerd, I guess" Dominic said a little saddened.

    "Nerd? What is that?" Adeipho asked.

    "You know...geek, freak, loser..." Dom said, getting more saddened by his own realization of himself.

    "Oh...I've been called a loser many times...but for a loser, Dominic, you really are something special" Adeipho said.

    "He certainly is." said Whitney as she grabbed onto his scaly right arm, "and I've never been so glad to call him my boyfriend." He smiled.

    "Well, there's only one thing left to do" Adei said, smiling evilly.

    "What's that?" Dom and Whitney asked.

    "I changed into human, now you have to change into a dragon!" Adei exclaimed.

    "Adei, not now! I mean, it's just not a good time to do it, and it would be awkward, and stuff," Dom said, thinking of Whitney the whole time.

    "Come on, Dom! I wanna see if it's possible for you to look cuter in your full dragon form than in your anthropomorphic form!" She exclaimed.

    "Anthropomorphic form?" Adei asked curiously, not knowing what the word meant.

    "Yeah, you know...half human, half animal. Anthropomorphic, or just Anthro for short. It's the technical name for your 'half-dragon' form." She explained.

    "And you criticized my math..." Dom said playfully, "And you really want to see me as a full dragon? I'll be nothing like me on the outside..."

    "Sure you will! I bet you'll look cuter than ever! Just hurry up with it!" She shouted.

    "Ok, Ok...but I'm scared, Whitney. Will you hold my hand?" Dom said in a sarcastically frightened manner.

    "This is getting way too mushy" Adei said.

    "Really, you think?" Whitney said to him, while she turned back to Dom. "Don't worry, Dominic, I can do better than holding your hand." She said, as she wrapped he body tightly around the half-dragon, embracing him in a bear hug. Dominic smiled, and concentrated on being a full dragon.

    Dom, at first, couldn't feel any difference. He just kept thinking of what it would be like to be a full dragon. He began to think that it wasn't going to work. But just as that though began to cross his mind, a strange feeling in his guts told him something was going to happen. He felt a strangle tingle in his tail. It grew and grew, until that feeling was all over his body. Then, with a violent snap, he fell on all fours. His arms seem to twist and the muscles in them reformed to bear the weight of his upper body. His thumbs receded into his palms and his remaining three fingers began to increase in size till they looked more like toes then fingers. His arms finished changing into forelegs. He could feel his neck get even longer, becoming more serpent like. His face widened out a little, but it was still a long, narrow face by dragon standards. His muscles structure increased in mass, bulking him up all long his body. His body was also getting bigger. He went from about twelve feet long from snout to tail to about eighteen feet long from snout to tail. His wings increased in size and he grew little claw tips and the ends of the wings' fingers. A spike ridge grew out of his spine and a sharp, spade like blade grew out of the end of his tail. With a few minor pops, his changes stopped. Dom just looked over his full-dragon body. He had done it, he was a full-dragon.      

    "Well...how do I look?" Dom said shyly once he noticed the changes stop.

    "Your...beautiful!" She exclaimed, as she hugged him harder, her arms now around his neck. "You're cuter than I ever could've imagined!" She exclaimed.

    "Hey, what about me?" Adeipho asked, feeling left out.

    "Oh, of course! You're very handsome as well, Andy!" She exclaimed, but continued to hang from Dominic's neck.

    "Thank you. I try. And it's Adeipho. Call me Adeipho or Adei when I'm in this form." Adeipho chuckled.

    "Ok, I'll remember that." She chucked.

    "So, if it's ok, can I go back to my 'afro' form?" Dom asked, obviously not remembering the word

    "It's..." She tried to say, but couldn't contain her laughter. She tried again, laughing hysterically between each word. "It's...called...anthro...not...afro!"

    "I prefer to just call it 'half-dragon' form, anyway...so can I change?" Dom asked.

    "I guess...sure!" She said, still laughing from the slip of the tongue.

    "Thanks," Dom said, as he started to change. His back legs started to reform, allowing him to stand upright, and his body shrunk somewhat. In no time at all, he was back to the form he felt most comfortable in. He looked over to see that Adeipho had also changed back to his anthro form. Dom raised the scales above his eye, where his eyebrow would've been.

    "I feel better in this form...I know I shouldn't, but I do." Adei said.

    "I felt the same way about my human form," Dom said, causing Whitney to give him a worried glance. "Don't worry, I'm not losing my mind. If you want, I can switch to my human form."

    "No, it's ok. I'll love you no matter what form your in. I'll always love you" She said affectionately.

    "I love you, too!" Dom said, as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the lips. "Now, it's getting late. Maybe we should go to sleep." He said, still holding her in his arms.

    "It is about full sun!" Adei said, which earned him two confused looks. "The sun is directly over head...hence full sun." He explained.

    "I think he's trying to say that it's noon." She said.

    "No time for sleep, Dom" Adeipho said.

    "Hey, I stayed up all night tending to all of your wounds and watching over you to make sure you didn't die!" Dominic said, pointing a scaled claw towards his friend.

    "You did that for him, baby? That's so sweet!" Whitney said, hugging him tighter.

    "He didn't do a very good job though...I woke up and found him fast asleep, using me as a pillow!" Adeipho fought back.

    "I rested my head for two seconds! Then you woke up, I made you breakfast, and this happened!" Dom said, referencing his body.

    "Bullcrap! I woke up and you were sound asleep, Like you had been sleeping for hours!" Adeipho fought back.

    "Was not!" Shouted Dominic.
    
    "Was too!" Answered Adei.

    "Grrr." They both growled at each other, and proceeded to get locked in a stare down.

    "Calm down, boys" Whitney said, knowing that the two were friends and the fight wouldn't result in anything more than it already was. "Lets just go upstairs to the guestroom. My parents won't be home for another 3 days, so you guys will be safe." She said, as she detached from Dominic and walked up the stair case, leaving both the half-dragons still staring daggers at each other. After hearing the guest room's door open and close, Dominic broke the spell and started to walk up after Whitney.

    "Wait!" Adeipho said anxiously and with a much lighter tone, causing Dominic, who was already halfway up the stairs, to turn around. "I...I never got a chance to thank you for watching over me. I really do appreciate it. If you hadn't done that; taken me in, healing my wounds, being the first to treat me like person...I would've--"

    "Don't worry about it." Dominic said with a much softer voice, cutting him off. "Now come on, my friend. You're not alone any more." Adeipho smiled, and walked up stairs after him.