The storm never broke, each clash of lightning resounded in a near constant rythm well into the evening. As the night set in, the thunder rumbled through the earth. The clash of rocks breaking was the most frightening, even more so the than the ripping and tearing of tree limbs.

The curtained windows of the sacred temple thrashed in the wind, followed by the sounds of wet slaps of rain soaking into the wooden frame. There was a static discharge in the air along with a toxic smell of damp earth. The combination of everyone’s sweat made Junipor have to cover her nose with her fluffy tail. Junipor’s white hair tingled along her scalp, her bushy white tail stung from static discharge.

All the Pharine’s were huddled into tight groups, or hidden underneath the churches seating arrangements. Their natural instinct was to seek shelter in a burrow; lacking that, many were desperate to find shelter close to the floor. The only ones who weren’t cowering in fear were the priestesses garbed in their white robes. The small collection of priestesses sat on their knees at the base of the alter, praying to the goddess for protection. Their prayers weren’t only for themselves, but for the goddess’s as well. For they believed the storm was another sign of the goddess’s struggle to protect her creations from the fallen gods.

Junipor curled up into the Dragons arms; her tail wrapped around her backside to cover over her face, as if by hiding her eyes she could hide from the storm. Her body was trembling but not nearly as frantically as many of the other Pharine’s in the temple. As her body shivered, she could feel the Dragons heat emanating through his padded tunic. His heart beat was calm, steady, and strong. She could feel it against her body, and for some reason that helped her grasp a sense of steadiness.

It was hard to resist the urge not to bury her nose into the thicket of chest hair peeking through the slip of the Dragons shirt. She wanted to rub her cheeks against the slabs of meat that made up his solid chest. His natural musk spurred a rush of excitement, Junipor found it fiercely arousing. In response, her own body oozed with pheromones. Whether or not her scent could attract a Dragon she didn’t know, nor could she control it.

Junipor found the Dragon a pleasing distraction, thinking about letting him remove the shirt from her well rounded shoulders was better than quaking in fear from the weather. Hitecross had its fair share of Pharine males bearing excellent physique, but she had never been this close to such a fine specimen before. His broad chest and firm stomach reminded her of a seasoned warrior, and his almost regal facial features stroked her imagination even farther. His shoulders could carry her easily, and his legs were thick trunks of muscle underneath her buttocks. So much about this Dragon mystified her. He fell asleep while still holding her, a light snore escaped his lips along with a small spatter of drool.

Outside the storm continued wreck its havoc on the town below, the dark clouds folded over the constellations like a grim portent of doom. As the hours passed, Junipor found solace in the Dragons embrace, even with the snoring. Slowly she faded to sleep, although her dreams were ripe with nightmares.

Some Time Later

“No more…boom booms?” Junipor Reigns rubbed the back of her neck as she peered outside. Her back was sore, so too was her neck from nestling alongside the rather handsome Dragon all night. The temples doors were barely cracked open so that those inside could capture a quick glance. Her bright blue eyes had to adjust from the morning sunlight. The smell of morning dew nearly overwhelmed her senses as she peered upward toward the skies. Above, a sparse layer of silver clouds caressed the suns rays as they flouted overhead. A small trickle of water dripped from the temples rooftops and archways, and a fat layer of mud caked the street before the temple.

The storm passed sometime in the early morning, but Junipor had slept through the last of it. “The goddess must be pleased,” Junipor sighed a breath of relief as she pushed open the door to reveal the towns muddy streets. She looked around to find all the other townsfolk eager to get some fresh air. The priestesses offered a prayer of thanks to the one who watches over them all, before accepting a moment of rest. Junipor knew one of the priestesses fondly, although she wasn’t there among them. Her thoughts also drifted toward her sister, and Junipor hoped she had found shelter during the storm.

As the crowd ventured outside, only one had stumbled awkwardly to the doorway. The Dragon’s legs were stiff, and his back was throbbing in pain. Junipor could practically hear his popping joints as he made it within arms reach. She tried to offer a smile, although she felt awkwardly guilty for his pained joints.

Junipor didn’t sleep well, the repeating nightmare of the temple of the Sacred Sands seemed to haunt her. When she awoke however, she felt a surge of relief to find herself still within the Dragons arms. The Dragon on the other hand slept as if he sat under a rock all night, his hips were bruised and his legs were stiff from bearing her weight throughout the storm.

Junipor’s tail swished back and forth as she looked at him, it made it impossible to hide her excitement. “Are you feeling ok?” She asked knowing perfectly well that he wasn’t.

“Me? Oh yeah, perfectly fine,” His foreign accent struggled to speak words clearly through the pain. He jolted as a stab travelled up his spine, yet he tried to charmingly ignore it, “Never better.” It was plain that letting her sleep in his lap all night, while sitting on the solid oak seating, had pained him dearly. “Splendid in fact,” that last remark was almost a high pitched squeal as he tried to walk outside.

Junipor bit her lip, “Are you sure?” Her tail drooped to the floor.

The Dragon’s wings stretched once he was outside, even they seemed crooked. “Of course, just need to stretch out, thats all.”

Junipor watched as the Dragon fully extended his wings and tried to straighten his back. The clouds overhead continued to overshadow the sun, occasionally casting an odd shadow on the town. Their was a light breeze in the air, but Junipor didn’t smell any rain, only the smell of soaking wood and muddied earth surrounded her.

“You know,” Junipor froze for a moment, she found the Dragons gaze so alluring it was hard to look him in the eye, “I know a place where you can loosen up. We have a bathhouse on the edge of town.”

“A bathhouse?” The Dragon looked at her quizzically, “I wasn’t aware the Pharine’s were astute in such architectural engineering.”

She sighed, “We didn’t build it, but we have maintained it for some time.”

“Are you saying you have a bath house left behind by the old empire?” The Dragon gasped in shock.

Junipor had no idea what he meant by the ‘old empire’, the world was covered in the buried remains of older empires. Who knew if the empire he was referring to ever sat foot on the Isle’s of Fear. Regardless, Junipor knew only that the bathhouse was ancient, well built, and fully functioning. She expressed this to him, after which he took her by the arm and begged her to show him where it was.