Louise

  "Why are you so nervous today, darling?", her mother looked at her with pale eyes. She seemed to have aged by years in the st few days.

  "Oh. It's nothing!" Louise was sitting in the main room of her old home. Her mother made tea by the little old firepce. Her father made pottery ptes that he wanted to sell, and Nina painted jugs. Louise wanted to help, but her parents didn't want her to. Her nice, expensive clothes could get dirty.

  In fact, Louise was worried about her brother. She had seen the ruined hut where he had lived. He must have felt more than out of pce in Remy's room. The hut was small, as far as Louise could tell. Gravel and burnt stone y where the hut had once been part of the city wall. Little had been preserved. Without Remy, Lou would be dead now.

  Her parents looked tired. Just like Nina. "Have you heard of Lou?", her father asked suddenly.

  Nina looked at Louise for a moment but then turned her attention back to the colors. Her mother, on the other hand, sighed and shook her head. "Lou... I'm sure he's not alive anymore."

  "Nonsense!", her father muttered, looking at her. "Louise? Did you?"

  "No. The wise men questioned me, but I couldn't tell them anything." Louise didn't feel comfortable lying, but if they asked her family, they weren't allowed to know the truth.

  "He survived the attack only to be kidnapped!" Her mother's voice sounded like she was holding back a few tears. "What if he's dead? Surely he's dead. Dragons! They eat people. Everyone knows that. Even the white ones!"

  "They'll look for him in the mountains!", said Louise quickly. "Maybe he's okay?" Actually, Louise was sure of it. She just hoped they wouldn't find Lou. She feared for his safety. If the dragons allowed them to search their caves.

  "He'd better be dead!", growled Nina suddenly.

  "Nina!" Her mother turned to her indignantly. "Don't say that!"

  Louise blinked in shock. She looked at her father, but he stared grimly at his work.

  "Why?" Louise put the old brush aside. The paint she used had been given to them by the neighbors. Just like the brush. Previously, she had only scratched patterns into the cy with a thin twig. "If he's dead, then the curse is gone! Or isn’t it? Then you can work as a healer again, Mom! Then we'll get out of here!" Nina gred angrily at her mother. "We'd be better off without Lou!"

  Now her mother burst into tears. She hurried out of the room, and their father ran after her. "Honey!", he cried.

  Louise stayed behind with Nina in the main room. Nina snorted and crossed her arms stubbornly. "How can you!", hissed Louise angrily. "Our situation isn’t Lou's fault!"

  "Isn't it?" Enraged, Nina pushed the painted cy aside. Her eyes sparkled angrily. "Everyone calls me ugly! I'm ugly! Isn't that because of Lou's curse? The boy I like doesn't pay attention to me. Instead, he found another girl! Because of Lou, I was born ugly! Our house is broken. We have hardly any food, hardly any fresh water. No money to fix the house. Dad was trying to get jobs as a handyman, now that so much was broken. He didn't have much luck! Few consider hiring the father of a cursed! Out of fear! When Lou is dead, it's all over. Then we'll feel better. Then we will no longer be avoided! Then Dad gets a job."

  Louise could understand her sister's anger, but the words shocked her. Lou is not cursed. "It's not Lou's fault!", she said faintly. "Lou didn't choose his fate. We didn't choose our destinies. We’re not to bme. None of us. And Lou? He is your brother. He's family. Shame on you!"

  "What?" Nina wrinkled her nose. "Why."

  "What you said was cruel." Why couldn't Nina understand that? She wasn't a little kid anymore. He was condemned. Because of a few white spots!

  Harper

  A small fire flickered deep in the cave. Lou was lying on a mat of reeds that Basil had brought and hid under the warm bnket. I sat next to him and stroked his back gently.

  "No!", Lou protested quietly over and over again.

  "Sh. It's all good", I tried to reassure him.

  "No."

  "Sh." By now, I knew a few things about the thin person. Lou liked everything soft. Therefore, I was able to wrap my wings around him. Lou liked animals. He allowed himself to be touched by animals. And dragons passed as such. Even if we dragons were reluctant to be called animals. But it wasn't entirely wrong. That's why Lou had initially allowed me to touch him when I was in dragon form. But now, after a bck dragon had almost devoured him, this was not possible at the moment. The sight of me seemed to remind him of the attack.

  He was afraid of the growling, the sharp teeth, our big heads. But when I took human form, Lou resisted being touched. Unless I used my wings. Soft wings seemed to be a good argument. But now Lou was hiding under the covers. Probably because of the fire. But we couldn't leave him sitting in the dark.

  Currently, all caves were searched for him. From the other dragon riders. Originally, a group of these wise men wanted to come here, but we didn't put up with that. The riders, though? They should search and not find Lou. That was the pn. I therefore tried not to make any noise. The wizards, except Remy, didn't know how deep my parents' cave went into the mountain. They also couldn't see the fire.

  Eventually, their voices made their way through the cave. Ross led them through the corridors. We heard his thunderous footsteps, his massive body. He had not taken on a human form and conscientiously led the wizards through the corridors. But not to the hidden vault in which we found ourselves. The path into this vault was easy to miss. Lou whimpered as he heard the unfamiliar voices. "Sh." Slowly and very carefully, I picked up the skinny boy and pulled him onto my p. "Sh."

  Lou struggled, but I wrapped my arms tighter around him. "Sh. Quiet Lou. They mustn't hear us!", I whispered to him.

  "Mmmmm!", protested Lou.

  "What was that?", someone asked. One of the wizards. Nervously, I forgot to breathe. I pressed a kiss to Lou's hair. Lou froze and didn't make a sound.

  "That? Probably my stomach. I'm hungry!", Ross replied in a thunderous dragon's voice.

  "We're not a snack!", growled another wizard.

  Then the footsteps moved away.

  Relieved, I breathed in. "They're gone", I whispered. "It's all right, Lou."

  "Let me!" Lou's voice was muffled by the bnket.

  "Sorry, it's all good!" But I wouldn't let him go. Not because I wanted to torture Lou. No. Lou's body felt a little too cold. And he trembled. I couldn't bring myself to let him go. Instead, I let my wings appear and wrapped them around us. "You'll be nice and warm in a minute." So deep in the cave, it was too cold for humans. Even with a fire.

  Bnket and fire helped, but now I became painfully aware that neither was enough. Lou really didn't belong in a dragon's den. Not so deep into the mountain. As soon as the search was over, I would be able to bring Lou back to the cave. "Do you want me to take dragon form again?", I asked quietly. "Would you prefer that?"

  Lou, who had noticed the appearance of the wings, cautiously came out from under the covers. He looked at me first, then at my wings. He blinked strainedly. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as he reached out his right hand to the white feathers. Do you want to smile? But Lou didn't smile. But I did. For him. "What do you think?"

  Lou shook his head. "No. It’s fine like this... It's good." When he looked back at me, I noticed that Lou's cheeks were reddish. I grinned. The wings... Of course. And I'm allowed to hug you again.

  "Oh yes?"

  "Yes?" Lou nodded. Trembling, he leaned against me and rested his head on my right shoulder. "Will Remy take me with him?"

  "Do you want that?"

  "I don't know. Perhaps? But..."

  I stroked his back again with one hand. "You're not sure? Vivi?"

  "Nobody wants me in the city. And I can't stay here, can I? And..." He shuddered. "Dragons."

  "You're safe with us. There are only white dragons here. Nice dragons!"

  Lou nodded again.

  "But you're still scared."

  "Sorry?"

  I felt something wet on my shoulder. Lou cried. "All right. It's not your fault. All's well. Maybe I can come with you?"

  Lou sobbed. "Where?"

  "To Remy."

  Maybe that would work. Or would people notice? After all, the food of the humans wasn’t enough for me.

  "Hey, you two!" Sally suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts. Lou flinched and pulled the bnket over his head again. One of his hands lingered in the feathers of my wings.

  I let my wings disappear, immediately Lou protested, and I looked at her. "Are they gone?"

  "Yes. Lou can come to the front cave again." My sister stood before us in her human form. Her hair was just as hazel as mine. Her orange eyes glowed softly. "I carry his mat and everything to the front. You go ahead!"

  sasi