NOVEL FROG Chapter Twenty-Seven
Who knew that keeping a tiny purple dragon in your sight at all times would be so freaking hard? While we had lounged outside in the sun, I’d been on easy mode, and I hadn’t even known it. Now that I was trying to cook dinner, things had gotten harder. The cat was nowhere in sight as the dragon hopped around on the counter, constantly in my way as I tried to get the veggies cut and in the pan.
Fajitas should be an easy meal. The meat was already pre-cut and seasoned. All I had to do was slice peppers and onions, then cook everything. Put it in a tortilla, and boom, a great dinner. Add in a tiny purple dragon that had to smell everything, and in some cases lick it, and, well, things got messy. I finally contained the dragon in a bowl with a piece of meat. She didn't really seem hungry, but the spices distracted her as I tossed the veggies in the hot pan.
As soon as they were done, they went onto a clean plate and the meat went into the hot pan. Steam rose and the spicy scent filled the air. I kept one eye on the dragon as I flipped stripes of meat.
"It looks like you’re doing as I asked," said the cat.
I spun, almost hitting him with the tongs I was using, but I realized who it was quickly enough to stop myself. "Sorry, I'm a little on edge." Quickly, I spun back to the stove and went back to work. "I'm keeping her close."
"Not close enough," mumbled the cat.
The bowl was empty. I glanced over my shoulder to find the purple dragon staring at the cat. Her green eyes were wide, like she hadn't ever seen something so perfect as the black cat. He glared back at her, then looked away. As soon as he did, she took another step forward.
It took everything in me to not laugh as I turned back to the stove, turning down the heat. By the time I set the plate of cooked meat on the island that the cat sat on, the purple dragon was only a few inches away. The cat's tail flicked back and forth, but he hadn't moved.
I grabbed the rest of the stuff for the fajitas and made three. Two for me, and one for the cat. The dragon hadn't been interested in anything but the meat, and she had stuffed herself twice today already. I set the cat’s food down in front of him, and grabbed a stool for myself, joining him. The spicy fajitas made my eyes water a little, but they were good. Something was missing, but I hadn't a clue at what else I should add.
The cat ate like normal, the bites magically vanishing as soon as he bit down. I couldn't watch him, it made my head hurt. Instead, I focused on the tiny dragon getting closer to the cat's tail.
"What are we going to call her?" I asked. "I can't just keep referring to her as Tiny Dragon."
"Why not?" asked the cat. "She won't be staying long term, just until I can figure out where she belongs." He went back to eating.
He had a point, I had to give him that. Still, it felt strange to not give the little dragon a proper name. I mean, she was a literal dragon. I watched as she cautiously approached the cat's tail, her curiosity evident in her eyes. The cat seemed unfazed by her presence, but I couldn't help but wonder what they really thought.
"It wouldn't hurt to give her a temporary name," I said, taking another bite of my fajita. "Just something to use until you discover why she's here."
The cat paused to glare at me. "Names have power."
"I know, you've said that before. After I named Betty." Betty was my espresso machine, and I didn't care what the cat said. They deserved a name, they worked hard each day to keep us caffeinated. As is, I called the cat, Cat. I didn't have anything better to call him, though now I wondered what the cat's name was and why he hadn't told me.
"It can just be temporary," I added.
The cat huffed, his fajita gone. "She's a baby dragon. If you give her a name, it won't be temporary. It will be part of her forever."
"That just means we need to give her a good one."
The cat's mouth opened, but nothing came out as the dragon had grabbed ahold of his tail. His head twisted around to look at the dragon. Their eyes widened again, and the dragon let go of the tail. Then, they slowly took a step backward. "Do you have a name?" asked the cat.
The dragon nodded.
"Can you tell me?"
The dragon shook their head and opened their mouth, but nothing came out but a chirp.
"I don't speak baby dragon," muttered the cat.
"Woah, I thought you couldn't speak to anyone?" I asked. My eyes flickered between the cat and the dragon. "That's why I'm here, right?"
The cat shook his head. "Dragons don't listen to fate’s rules any better than I did."
"How about Indigo?" I asked the tiny dragon. "Just for right now."
The dragon sat back on her rear and stood up, chirping. I glanced at the cat who nodded.
"At least you didn't go with violet," mumbled the cat. He turned and jumped off the end of the island. "Good luck with the dragon," he said over his shoulder as he left.
Indigo chirped as he vanished down the hallway, her tiny wings flapping with excitement.
"Well, I just need to get the kitchen cleaned up and then I'll show you my room. Maybe we can find a book to read before bed." I turned back to the stove, but the pan, along with everything else I used to make dinner, was gone. The dishwasher was slightly ajar and I found them inside. "You know, you could have left them for me."
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my boba tea and held a hand out to Indigo. "Ready to check out my room?" I asked.
Indigo climbed onto my hand and then motioned with their wings to lift them higher. I did, and eventually got that she wanted my shoulder. She carefully climbed onto my right shoulder, and snuggled close to my ear.
I blinked a few times, then headed up the stairs in the hallway to the second floor. The bookshelves here were full of the types of books I liked to read. Now, we just needed to find a book to read while in the tub. I kept away from the spicy fantasy books I had, and started searching for something clean, but fun.
Indigo leaped off my shoulder and glided toward the bookshelf. My heart jumped in my chest, but I didn't try to catch her, and I let out a sigh when she landed on the wood. She scrambled down the shelf, stopping to look at different spines before continuing on. Whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it as she climbed up to the next shelf.
I swallowed hard but let her do it herself. Her tiny little claws dug into the wood without a problem, but they didn't seem to leave a mark behind. Finally, she paused next to one book, tilting her head one way and then the other. Then she gently nudged the book with her snout, before pulling back and shaking her head, moving on. She nudged two more before, on the fourth, she sat back and chirped at me after nudging its spine.
"Okay, we can read that one," I said. Hopefully, it was good.
I pulled the book off the shelf and glanced at the cover. It had a dragon on it. My laughter spilled out over the space.