Almer hadn’t expected that just a light flick of his tail would send the ball flying out of sight.
For a moment, both of them just stared at each other.
Ruan Shu went, “Meow, meow, meow…” Should she maybe go find another one?
Almer’s tail swayed slightly. That vine ball felt a bit too flimsy for him to play with.
So, his gaze shifted to Ruan Shu.
Ruan Shu looked at him with a bewildered, innocent expression, only for the tip of a dragon’s tail to move in close to her face. His eyes shone, practically spelling out, “Come… Let me give you a taste of soaring through the sky.”
Ruan Shu: “…”
Instead of grabbing onto the dragon’s tail, she spun around and made a quick dash in the other direction.
The black dragon spread his wings and took to the sky. After circling once, he swooped down low, and with a swift movement of his claw, he scooped up a tiny, fluffy bundle from the ground.
Ruan Shu: “Meow, meow, meow!!!”
The butler, who had just come out with some afternoon tea snacks, let out a heart-wrenching cry upon witnessing this scene. “Miss!!!”
He even had the outrageous thought of flinging the tray in his hands at His Majesty.
Ruan Shu’s heart pounded wildly in her chest, but after a moment, she calmed down, realizing she was being held gently in the dragon’s claws.
Almer’s claws were enormous; with just one, he completely enveloped her tiny body.
Almer was being extremely careful, cradling her in a secure space within his claw where she could comfortably look out at the scenery below.
Ruan Shu could even move around a bit in his dragon claws.
Her little paws gripped tightly onto the dragon’s claws, as if afraid she might fall.
She looked up. Almer’s dragon form was classic Western dragon: sleek, graceful, every movement exuding elegance, and his black scales gleamed like gemstones in the sunlight.
There was no doubt—this was a very handsome Western dragon.
Noticing the cat’s gaze, Almer lowered his head, his golden eyes meeting her blue ones.
The dragon’s long neck bent down slightly as he nudged her gently with his snout.
“Don’t worry, there’s no danger.”
Almer’s voice seemed to come from all around. Ruan Shu blinked in surprise. “Meow, meow, meow?”
‘Can you even speak human language in this form?’
Almer nodded. Then, carrying her, he soared skyward, bursting through the clouds. Once they reached the skies, his flight smoothed out.
Ruan Shu peeked out from between Almer’s dragon claws, her gaze falling upon the sea of clouds stretching endlessly below them.
Wow!
She had never seen anything like this before. In her awe, she even forgot her fear, her wide eyes round with wonder.
So, this is what clouds look like from up here.
Last time, her big brother had taken her up into the sky, but the height they reached with the flight wings was ultimately limited. There was no way they could have flown above the clouds.
“Meow, meow…”
‘That cloud over there looks like a dog.’
‘We’re so high up; am I going to fall?’
She gripped on a bit tighter.
But that didn’t stop her from admiring the scenery, especially the layers of white clouds that she found so enchanting.
And then Almer flew straight into the clouds.
Clouds weren’t solid objects; from a distance, they looked thick, but up close, she realized they were light and airy, almost like smoke, with a slight dampness to them.
Almer flew with her for a long time before a shadow in the distance loomed closer, accompanied by flashes of lightning.
The black dragon suddenly made an emergency stop mid-air, flapping his wings and turning to flee. “Damn it, here it comes again!”
He had known it—he’d been flying for so long without any bad luck, he’d thought his fortune had changed.
Ruan Shu, still in the dark, was carried downward in a steep dive, and soon, the dragon and the cat landed in a forest.
The rain followed them almost immediately, and Ruan Shu only saw a shadow above her as Almer’s wings spread to shield her from the rain.
“I’ll find a cave to take shelter from the rain.”
With Ruan Shu in his claws, Almer wove through the forest. She looked at him with some concern as the heavy rain poured down on him. Aside from her fur being slightly damp from the clouds, she was completely shielded from the rain.
Luckily, they soon found a cave, and without a second thought, Almer brought Ruan Shu inside.
The cave was pitch black, so Almer tossed some branches he’d gathered along the way into a pile, and with a quick breath, he ignited a small fire. The flames instantly lit up the whole cave.
It had taken him less than a minute to enter the cave and get a fire going—he moved incredibly fast.
Then they found themselves staring face-to-face with the cave’s original occupant—a massive bear.
This wasn’t a star beast but a variant beast.
The bear was as tall as a small mountain, with brown, conical projections on its head and back, as if it were carrying miniature mountains.
Realizing that a dragon had brazenly intruded into its territory, the bear let out a furious roar.
Ruan Shu shivered and covered her ears. The bear, using its immense size to its advantage, charged at them.
At that moment, the only thought in her mind was: Am I even big enough to fit between this bear’s teeth?
Almer, however, remained calm. As soon as the bear lunged at them, he swung his tail like a whip, striking it with such force that the bear was flung across the cave, crashing against the entrance with a loud bang.
Ruan Shu was stunned, and so was the mountain bear.
The bear rose to its feet, growling in anger, and looked as though it was about to attack again.
With a glare that radiated pure killing intent, the black dragon cast his gaze over the bear. His intimidating aura surged forward. “Scram!”
In an instant, the once-enraged mountain bear looked as if it had seen a monster, and it turned and bolted, scampering off in a panic.
Almer, however, showed no remorse for occupying another creature’s territory. He continued burning the discarded debris, muttering disdainfully about how filthy the cave was.
“That bear is so messy.”
Somehow, Almer produced a clean blanket and spread it on the ground, gently placing the little cat on top of it.
He shifted into his human form and sat down on the blanket as well, giving the cat a light poke on the head.
“Were you scared of that bear?”
Ruan Shu: ………
I was scared of you! No wonder her vine ball flew off and never came back. That tail of his was fierce enough to swat a massive bear straight out of the cave!
Almer held the little cat in his arms, squeezing her tiny paws and stroking her fluffy ears. His hands seemed restless, constantly finding something to pet or hold.
Feeling a bit annoyed by his endless fussing, Ruan Shu placed her paw on his hand, trying to push it away.
But the moment her paw touched his fingers, the shameless man grabbed her paw, brought it to his lips, and gave it a little kiss.
Ruan Shu: “!!!”
Dad, there’s a rogue here!
Almer chuckled softly, his fingers scratching her chin. The soft, downy feel of her fur was truly addictive.
“Why are you so tiny, like a little ball of fluff?”
Without warning, he lifted her up by her little armpits, and under her horrified gaze, buried his face into her soft, furry belly, taking a big, exaggerated sniff.
Ruan Shu: “Meow, meow, meow!”
All four of her paws pushed against his face in resistance. Even her own father had never gone this far—yet here was this guy, sniffing her belly!