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Ai Lin didn't sleep.
She lay motionless on her side of the fire, listening to Leah's steady breathing from the other side of dying embers. Leah slept deeply, worn out by the day, by recovery, by tension, by everything that had passed between them. Curled into a ball, covered with her battered jacket, face relaxed in the glow of smoldering coals.
Between them only a few steps. A warm fire. And an abyss of fear.
The moon stood at its zenith. Its light broke through cracks in the stone shelter wall, painting everything in cold silver tones. Somewhere outside an owl hooted. Wind rustled through leaves.
Ai Lin stared into the darkness of the ceiling and thought.
Leave. Need to leave. Now. While she sleeps.
The thought pulsed in her head for several hours already, from the very moment Leah fell asleep. Each time she prepared to stand, something stopped her. The warmth nearby. The steady breathing.
If I stay, she'll die.
The truth was simple and cruel.
The hunters had become active. During the landslide she'd revealed herself, shown she was here, in these mountains. And now they would hunt. Wouldn't stop until they found her. Until they caught her. Until they killed her.
And they'd kill everyone nearby.
She remembered Sun-Lin at twelve years old. Bright eyes, wide smile. How he'd thrown himself between her and a hunter. How he'd fallen. How he never got up again.
I can't. Can't let that happen again.
Carefully, slowly, she rose. Leah stirred in her sleep, mumbled something, reached for the empty space. Didn't wake.
Ai Lin froze, holding her breath. One second. Two. Three.
Leah quieted again, breathing evened out.
I'm sorry.
She stood silently, like a shadow. Bare feet touched cold stone. Grabbed her bag small, canvas, with spare clothes and a handful of food. Threw on a dark cloak.
Turned around.
Leah lay curled on her side, with an arm stretched toward where Ai Lin had just been. Face relaxed, peaceful. Lips slightly parted. For the first time in many days she looked truly rested.
I love you. Probably from that very moment in the forest, a year ago, when our eyes met. But I can't let you die for me.
And she went out into the night.
***
The first few hours she walked quickly, almost running.
The forest was dark, but Ai Lin knew these trails by heart. Years of living in these mountains, years of wandering every stone, every tree was familiar. The moon illuminated the path with dim silver light, barely breaking through dense crowns.
She zigzagged. Deliberately. Walked through streams so water would wash away her tracks. Backtracked, passing the same way. Climbed rocks, jumping from boulder to boulder so as not to leave prints on the ground. Old tricks grandmother had taught.
If hunters come after you, confuse your trail. Always confuse it.
But this wasn't just precaution against pursuers.
This was protection from the one who would inevitably follow.
The bond pulsed inside quietly, insistently, with warm light impossible to extinguish. The thread between them had existed from that very moment their eyes met a year ago.
Then, in the forest, Ai Lin hadn't understood immediately. Had thought imprinting only worked between dragons. But when she'd returned to grandmother and told her about the wolf, about the rescue, about this strange connection, grandmother had smiled.
"Imprinting doesn't choose by species," she'd said. "Only by soul. For shifters it's natural. But it happens with dragons too. Rarely. I know one story about your great-great-grandmother who found her other half among humans and left with him forever."
Grandmother had looked at her warmly.
"So you've found yours. Hold on to her. Don't let go."
But Ai Lin had let go.
Because love isn't worth a life.
***
She raised the barrier at dawn.
Stopped by a mountain stream, drank cold water. Sat on a flat stone, pressing her knees to her chest. Closed her eyes.
The bond burned inside bright, insistent, pulling back. Come back. She's there. Safe beside her. Beside her is home.
No.
Ai Lin gathered her will, that very dragon power living deep in her soul, and pushed. Not to break the connection. Impossible to break. But she could close it. Could raise a wall.
Magic unfolded inside cold, heavy as stone. The bond went silent. Didn't disappear. Just became quieter. Like a distant fire whose light barely breaks through thick fog.
Leah wouldn't feel emotions. Wouldn't hear thoughts. Only direction. Only that Ai Lin was alive, somewhere there, ahead.
You'll find me anyway. I know. But at least not right away. At least I'll give myself time to think what to do next.
The barrier required strength. Constant concentration. Like holding a heavy stone sooner or later muscles would tire.
The connection jerked sharply, as if someone pulled the thread from the other side. Not hard. But enough to understand.
Leah woke up.
Ai Lin stopped in the middle of the forest, gasping for air. Pressed her palm to her chest, where the thread between them pulsed.
She knows. She's already coming.
A wave of guilt crashed over her. She imagined how Leah woke alone. How she reached for the empty space. How she understood.
I'm sorry.
But she didn't turn back.
Ran onward.
***
The first day passed in continuous movement.
Ai Lin zigzagged, veered to the side, backtracked. Crossed the river three times. Walked over rocks where no tracks would remain. Climbed a ridge, then descended into the valley on the other side.
And all this time she held the barrier.
Held it firmly, teeth clenched, not letting it weaken for a second. Magic drained her strength. Her head ached with dull, throbbing pain. Temples pulsed. Each step became harder.
But she didn't let go.
***
The second day was worse.
Her body refused to obey. Muscles ached. Legs buckled on every climb. Her head spun from exhaustion and hunger she'd last eaten the evening before her escape, and since then nothing had been in her mouth except water from streams.
The barrier held. But with each hour it became heavier.
Magic was depleting. Concentration slipping. Several times she caught herself as the wall trembled, almost opened, and had to gather her last strength to raise it again.
A little more. Just a bit more. Need to get far enough that she won't find me right away.
But even through the barrier she felt it.
Leah was following.
Wasn't stopping. Wasn't giving up. The thread pulled, called, demanded to come back. And Ai Lin knew through this barrier, Leah felt the same. Pain. Despair. But kept going.
Why are you so stubborn? Why can't you just let go?
But she knew the answer herself.
Because I wouldn't let go. In her place.
By mid-second day she understood it was all pointless.
Ai Lin stopped at the edge of a small clearing. Fell to her knees, gasping for air in ragged gulps. Hands trembled. Her head was splitting. The barrier cracked, barely holding.
She'll come anyway. Whatever I do. Wherever I run.
The bond gives no choice.
She remembered grandmother's stories. About her great-great-grandmother who'd tried to run from her other half. Thought she was protecting him. But he'd followed. For a week. A month. A year. Until she surrendered.
And they lived a long, happy life.
But that was a different era. Then there were no hunters with magical bonds. No ones who killed dragons for profit.
I can't give her that life. It will bring her only death.
Tears rolled down her cheeks hot, salty, unstoppable.
Ai Lin cried for the first time in many years—truly, sobbing, not holding back. Cried from exhaustion, from pain, from that horrifying realization that she loved and couldn't be near. Cried remembering Sun-Lin, her parents, all those she'd lost. Cried imagining how Leah followed her exhausted, depleted, but not giving up.
Why does it hurt so much? Why must love be so painful?
She didn't know how long she sat like that. Maybe an hour. Maybe more.
When the tears ended, she stood on trembling legs. Looked around.
The clearing was quiet, secluded, surrounded by tall trees. A stream gurgled somewhere to the side. A safe place. A good place.
I'll wait here.
She wouldn't run farther. Pointless. Leah would find her anyway.
At least I'll meet her prepared. Feed her. Let her rest.
And then... then I'll tell the truth. The whole truth. And let her decide.
***
She built the fire quickly old skills weren't forgotten. Dry branches, flint, several strikes and a small flame flickered, gradually flaring up. She added thick branches, creating a steady fire.
From her bag she pulled a small copper pot, darkened with age. Went to the stream, filled it with water. Returned, hung the pot over the fire on an improvised tripod of branches.
From her supplies she took vegetables: carrot, potato, a handful of rice, dried herbs. Peeled, chopped, threw into water. Stirred with a spoon, watching water boil, turning into simple but filling soup.
For her. Cooking for Leah.
Because she knew Leah would come. Today. Maybe in an hour. Maybe in two. But she'd come. Exhausted, hungry, at her last breath.
And I want her to eat. At least that.
She sat by the fire, stirring soup, thinking.
About what to say. How to explain. How to confess what she feared most that she loved but couldn't be near.
Tears rose to her throat again.
I'm such a coward. Can't even confess. Ran like a complete fool. Made her run two days following my trail.
All because of me the hunters became active. Because of me Leah's pulled into this danger. Because of me.
I can't protect the one I love. Couldn't protect my family. Won't be able to protect her.
She lowered her face into her palms, fighting tears.
What do I do? How do I...
And then she felt it.
The thread jerked harder than ever. The barrier cracked, barely holding—from the other side came a wave of such sharp, desperate pain it took her breath away.
Leah.
She was close. Very close.
Ai Lin froze, hands clenched into fists. The barrier trembled, ready to collapse.
Let go? Or hold till the end?
She closed her eyes.
And let go.
The barrier collapsed like a fallen wall.
The connection exploded in bright, blinding light, filling every cell of her body. The thread flared between them like fire, and through it emotions surged.
Pain. Despair. Love. Hope.
Leah. I'm here. Come to me.
***
Leah ran, and the world narrowed to one thing.
Step. Breath. Step. Breath.
The bond pulled forward insistent, relentless. But the connection was strange. Muffled. As if between them stood a wall not physical but magical. Deaf, heavy, letting through nothing except the bare fact of existence.
She's there. Alive. Moving.
But there were no emotions. No thoughts. Only this cold, empty sensation: she's there, ahead, to the west.
Why did you close yourself off from me? Why won't you let me reach you?
There was no answer.
Leah tore forward, ignoring pain in worn paws, burning in muscles, hunger twisting her stomach in a tight knot. Nothing mattered. Only this thread. Only the need to reach her, find her, not lose her.
I won't let go. Whatever you do. Wherever you run.
The first day was torture. She ran blindly, following only the deaf call of connection. Climbed ridges, descended into valleys, zigzagged through forests. Several times she lost direction when the wall became especially dense, and had to stop, close her eyes, concentrate on that thin sensation of thread still existing somewhere deep inside.
Ai Lin is there, to the northwest.
Leah ran again.
The second day was worse. Her body refused to obey. Each step came with struggle. The backpack on her back chafed fur under shoulder blades. Her head spun from exhaustion.
But the thread pulled.
Forward. A little more. Ai Lin is there.
By midday she climbed a ridge. Below, in the valley, spread thick fog a milky veil hiding everything.
There. Ai Lin is in that fog.
She descended, plunging into cold dampness. Ran almost blind, trusting only the connection.
And suddenly.
It hit her.
A wave of such sharp, unbearable pain that her paws buckled. Leah collapsed on wet ground, choking. Not her pain. Ai Lin's.
She's crying. Somewhere very close she's crying from hopelessness.
The connection flared bright.
The barrier collapsed.
The thread exploded between them blinding, all-consuming, filling every cell. And through it emotions surged. Pain, love, despair, hope.
Coming. Hold on, Ai Lin, I'm coming.
Leah rose on trembling paws and ran toward the call.
The fog thinned. Smell of smoke. Cooked food. Herbs.
Here.
She burst from white haze and froze at the clearing's edge.
***
In the middle of the clearing, by a small fire, sat Ai Lin.
Back to the forest, bent over a pot. Black hair disheveled, braided in a careless plait. Shoulders shaking.
Crying.
Leah-wolf stood at the clearing's edge, gasping for air in ragged gulps. Each breath burned. Heart pounded. Paws trembled.
Found her. Finally.
A step forward.
A twig cracked.
Ai Lin flinched, whirled around sharply, grabbing a knife.
Their gazes met.
One second. Two. Three.
In those dark eyes splashed tears, shock, fear, and... relief. So sharp, so deep it took her breath away. The knife fell from her fingers.
She was waiting.
Ai Lin, Leah sent mentally. It's me.
Leah transformed.
The transformation rolled in a painful wave. Her exhausted body resisted, bones creaked, muscles tore with crunches. After several agonizing seconds, a naked girl stood in the clearing, trembling from pain and cold.
Swaying. Covered in scratches and bruises. Hair disheveled, tangled with twigs. On her feet, dried blood. Ribs protruded under skin.
Ai Lin didn't look away.
Looked as if seeing her for the first time. In those dark pupils splashed admiration, tenderness, reverence.
Leah bent down, unfastened the wet backpack with trembling fingers. Pulled out crumpled pants and a t-shirt. Pulled them on, trying not to look at the frozen figure by the fire. Her fingers wouldn't obey, tangled in fabric.
When she was dressed and raised her eyes, Ai Lin still watched.
And in that gaze was such open, naked vulnerability.
Leah took a step. Swaying. Another step.
"I can't be without you," her voice broke into a hoarse whisper. "I... know that you..."
Ai Lin turned away sharply and quickly walked toward the trees, disappearing into shadow.
Leah froze.
What? Again?
She felt sharp, icy pain her legs buckled. Leah sank onto an old stump by the fire, feeling the world swim. Covered her face with her hands.
I ran for two days until I wore my paws bloody. Found her. And she's leaving.
Leah clenched her teeth. Closed her eyes, driving the pain back.
Breathe. Maybe she'll come back.
A rustle.
She opened her eyes.
Ai Lin returned, carrying a wooden bucket of water. Approached the fire, silently poured water into two cups. Extended one.
"Ai Lin, I..." Leah jumped to her feet so abruptly she nearly knocked over the stump.
"Now we'll have dinner," Ai Lin said quietly, not raising her eyes. Her voice was even but exhaustion rang in it. "And then we'll talk."
There was no coldness. Only depletion. And something else that sounded almost like a plea.
Give me time. A little more time to gather myself.
Leah slowly nodded, took the cup with trembling fingers, and sat back down.
Drank it in one gulp. Cold water burned her throat but brought relief.
***
They ate dinner in silence.
Simple vegetable soup with rice, carrot, and herbs. Hot, thick, warming from within. Leah ate greedily, not noticing taste. Ai Lin poked at her bowl with a spoon, barely touching the food. Stared into the fire.
Flames licked logs, casting shadows. Night descended like a thick blanket, wrapping the clearing in silence only crackling coals, distant owl hoots, forest rustling.
When the bowls were empty, Ai Lin gathered them, silently rinsed them with water, and set them on a flat stone. Returned to the fire, sat opposite, and froze, staring into flames.
The silence stretched. Heavy. Filled with the unspoken.
Leah broke first.
"I want to tell you," she began quietly, gripping her cup. "About myself. About where I'm from. Why I'm here."
Ai Lin didn't answer but nodded almost imperceptibly.
Leah sighed, choosing words.
"I'm from another place. Very far from here. Called Forks. A small town in America where it rains constantly." She smiled without humor. "Somewhat like these mountains."
She tossed a twig into the fire, watching it flare.
"My father is the tribe's chief. Mother died when I was little. Younger brother, Seth... he's a kind idiot, but I love him." Her voice wavered. "Haven't seen him in over a year."
She fell silent, gathering courage.
"I'm a werewolf. I transform into a wolf. It's hereditary. Passed through the blood of the tribe's protectors. We have a whole pack. We protect people from those who are dangerous."
Ai Lin raised her gaze but said nothing. Just listened.
"When I was sixteen, I met a guy." Leah clenched her teeth, and pain entered her voice. "Sam. He was from the tribe too. We'd known each other since childhood, and then... we fell in love."
Words came harder.
"I thought he was the one. The one I'd spend my life with." She smiled bitterly. "But then he turned into a werewolf. And met my cousin. Emily."
Coals crackled.
"Werewolves have a peculiarity. Imprinting. Instant connection. When you meet that one person, everything inside turns over. Bound forever. Without choice." Her voice broke. "He imprinted on her. And he left me."
Ai Lin flinched.
"He didn't want to." Leah continued, staring into the fire. "Couldn't control it. Imprinting is stronger than anything. But it hurt me so much. I thought I wouldn't survive. Thought I'd never be able to trust again. That my heart was broken forever."
She wiped a tear with the back of her hand.
"For months I thought I'd never find my person. That I'd remain alone. That I'd eternally watch Sam happy with another and remember what it was like to be loved."
She raised her head, meeting the dark gaze.
"And then, a year ago, I met you. As a wolf. In that forest. When hunters held you in chains," her voice trembled. "Our eyes met, and the connection worked. Instantly. Absolutely."
Their gazes locked.
"I didn't even know who you were. Human, beast, spirit. I didn't care. I just knew," her voice became quieter. "You. Only you. Forever."
Leah stood, came closer. Sat beside her, so close their shoulders almost touched.
"I searched for you for a year. The bond pulled west, and I went. Not knowing if I'd find you. Not knowing if you were alive." She turned to her. "I dreamed so long of meeting someone who'd understand. Who wouldn't be scared that I'm not quite human. And I found you."
She extended her hand, carefully touched Ai Lin's fingers.
"But you run."
Ai Lin turned away sharply, covering her eyes. Her shoulders trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks, gleaming in firelight.
"It's dangerous." Her voice sounded broken, barely audible. "They'll hunt me my whole life. Will never stop. They've already hurt you. Again and again they will. You don't understand..."
Ai Lin opened her eyes, and in them splashed such pain it took Leah's breath away.
"I lost my parents and brother when I was six years old." She whispered.
Leah froze.
"Hunters." Ai Lin continued, staring into flames. "They tracked us. Caught everyone. I saw... how they put them in bonds. Heavy iron chains with magic that drained strength. How they tortured them, demanding to say where the other dragons were. Where our lair was."
Her voice trembled harder.
"Father didn't speak. Was silent even when they beat him. Mother too. But my brother..." her voice broke. "Sun-Lin was only twelve. He tried to protect me when one of the hunters reached for me. Shouted, threw himself between us. They hit him so hard he fell and never got up."
Her eyes glistened in firelight.
"Grandmother managed to save me. Tore me from the cage while they were busy. Grabbed me and carried me to the mountains. But I saw everything. Heard their screams." Ai Lin covered her face with her hands, sobbing. "All my life I hear those screams. See how chains bite into their skin. How my brother falls and doesn't get up."
Leah carefully touched her shoulder. Ai Lin flinched but didn't pull away.
"I can't let you go through this." She whispered through tears. "You don't understand. They're merciless. They won't stop. And next time they won't just kill me. They'll kill you too. Just to get to me."
Leah turned her to face her, took both hands in her cold, trembling fingers.
"Listen to me," she said firmly, looking into her eyes. "I know it's dangerous. I know they won't stop. But I searched for you so long. A year I searched for you. Wore my paws bloody running two days on your trail." Her voice became harder. "And I won't let go. Even if..."
Ai Lin sharply raised her free hand, covering Leah's mouth.
"Don't." She whispered, and in her voice was desperate pleading. "Don't dare. Don't dare say that. Don't dare promise to die for me."
Their faces were so close.
So close Leah felt breath on her lips. Saw every tear on her lashes. Every crack in that wall she'd built around her heart for years.
The connection flared between them in bright flame.
And they met halfway.
The kiss was salty from tears, desperate, hungry. Full of that very insane hope that something could still be saved, that not everything was lost. Ai Lin grabbed her t-shirt with both hands, pulling her closer so hard as if afraid she'd disappear. Leah cupped her face, kissing as if it were the last time. And the first. And the only one that mattered in the entire universe.
When they pulled apart, both trembled, gasping for air.
"I'm afraid," Ai Lin whispered, burying her forehead in Leah's shoulder. "So afraid of losing you."
"You won't," Leah answered, kissing the top of her head, breathing in the scent of herbs and rain. "I promise. Won't let it happen."
The fire burned down, turning into smoldering coals pulsing with orange light.
They sat beside each other, pressed together. Ai Lin leaned her head on Leah's shoulder, who embraced her, warming her with her heat. Fingers intertwined.
Leah wiped the last tears from Ai Lin's face, gently ran her thumb across her cheek. She smiled weakly, closing her eyes, and for a moment allowed herself just to breathe. Just to be here, in this embrace.
"Tell me." Leah said quietly after a long silence. "Who you are. What you are. I want to know everything."
Ai Lin was silent, gathering her thoughts.
"I'm a dragon," she finally said. "A real one. I can transform. Fly. Breathe fire if needed."
She smiled tiredly.
"There are almost none of us left. Dragons used to live all over China. Were legends people revered. But then... hunters. They killed us for scales, claws, blood. For the pearl that gives power and immortality." Her voice became bitter. "And yes, it can give power, but it can also take it away."
Ai Lin squeezed Leah's fingers tighter.
"Now there are so few of us left we can be counted on fingers. We hide. Live as humans. Are afraid to show our true form."
"But you used magic," Leah said quietly. "During the landslide. I saw how quickly wounds healed under your hands."
"I couldn't not help," Ai Lin answered. "People were dying. And you... you were there. The bond screamed, demanding I protect you. I didn't think. Just healed without holding back, and..."
She fell silent.
"And revealed yourself," Leah finished. "The hunters sensed it."
"Yes. Magic leaves a trace. I knew that, but... couldn't stop."
They fell silent, listening to crackling dying coals.
"There's one place," Ai Lin finally said. "A temple. Far in the mountains. Ancient. It takes three days to walk there as humans, maybe four. But if we hurry..."
"We'll get there faster," Leah said.
"There are monks there," Ai Lin continued, and for the first time all evening, weak hope appeared in her voice. "They're not ordinary people. For generations they've served dragons. Worship us as guardian spirits of the mountains. The temple is protected by ancient magic that dragons laid down centuries ago. Hunters can't enter. Can't even approach."
Ai Lin turned, meeting Leah's gaze.
"We'll be safe. At least for a while. At least to rest and think what to do next."
Leah hugged her tighter, pulling her closer.
"Then tomorrow we go there," she said firmly. "Together."
Ai Lin nodded, pressing against her.
"Together."
They tossed the last branches into the fire so it wouldn't go out before morning.
Then lay on spread blankets by the fire. Night became colder, frosty air descending from mountains, chilling to the bone. Ai Lin lay down first, tiredly closing her eyes. Leah lay behind her, embracing her, pressing her back to her chest. Covered them both with a blanket, creating a warm cocoon.
"Tell me about Forks." Ai Lin asked in a sleepy voice, intertwining fingers with hers. "What's it like?"
Leah chuckled into darkness, burying her nose in black hair.
"Wet." Leah began, and in her voice sounded warm nostalgia. "It rains almost every day. Cold, but not like here in the mountains. The ocean is nearby. And forests so dense you can run as a wolf for hours and not meet a single person."
"Sounds beautiful," Ai Lin whispered.
"Boring, actually," Leah laughed. "A small town where everyone knows everyone. But it's home. My family is there. Seth has probably driven Dad crazy with questions about where I disappeared to. He's probably already planning to search for me."
"You miss it," Ai Lin stated.
"Yes," Leah admitted quietly, kissing her on the back of the head, "but you're here. And that matters more than anything in the world."
Ai Lin squeezed her hand tighter, intertwining fingers so firmly as if afraid to let go.
"When it's all over..." she fell silent, ran her finger along Leah's wrist. "Maybe we'll go there? I want to see your home. Your family. The ocean."
"We will." Leah pressed closer, kissing her shoulder. "I'll show you everything. Introduce you to Seth he'll definitely love you. And to Dad. And the whole pack."
"A werewolf pack," Ai Lin chuckled sleepily. "And one dragon. Strange family we'll make."
"The best family," Leah corrected.
Gradually Ai Lin's breathing evened out, became deep and calm. She fell asleep, finally releasing all tension, all fear. Her face relaxed, features became soft, almost childlike in the light of dying coals.
Leah didn't sleep for a long time.
She lay listening to night sounds of the forest rustling leaves, distant owl hoots, gurgling of a stream somewhere to the side. Felt the steady heartbeat under her palm, slow breathing, warmth of the body pressed to her chest.
The connection inside sang.
Warm, bright, filling every cell. For the first time in a year complete, nothing muffling it, nothing severing it. The bond burned between them, weaving souls so tightly it seemed nothing could tear them apart.
Found her. Finally found her.
She pressed closer, breathing in the scent of herbs, rain, and that ancient essence hiding under human skin.
Won't let go. Whatever happens. Whatever hunters come. I'll stay. Will fight. Protect.
You're mine. Forever.
And, lulled by this thought, by the steady breathing of the one sleeping beside her, and the quiet song of connection, she fell into deep, peaceful sleep.
The first peaceful sleep in a very long time.
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