His chair creaked, two of the wooden legs lifting form the soft deep scarlet carpeting. Smooth lightly dulled forest green scales quietly turned a slightly yellowed page of a large tomb, golden eyes drifting swiftly over the foreign scripture. He pressed the page back down on the other side, careful to lift this talon tips as to not rip the delicate page. Though, it wouldn't matter much even if he did- he had read the story countless times. It was one of his favorites. But it was his duty, as a keeper and protector of such fine literature, to ensure it remained in pristine condition. He jerked his head slightly, tossing stray pieces of blood red hair out of his line of sight. The candles upon the ancient stone walls flickered dimly, taking over for the electric lights now that the great Monochiichii was closed for the night. He loved to read by candle light. It was more natural, easier on the eyes.

His boots were perched by the heel on the large oak table, breaking one of his own rules. His long crimson silken formal robe had been draped over its surface next to his feet, his laptop weighing it down so it didn't slid off onto the floor. His tail tip twitched slightly, the rest of its length wrapped around one of the legs of his chair that remained on the floor. Silently, he flipped another page, brushing back his bangs again. Everything was nice and peaceful, it was only him and the firelight.

Soft foot steps went unnoticed by the librarian, as did the small shadow to his left when its owner paused by a large support pillar. The child nibbled his lips, demon ears tilted down in shyness, tickled by his soft blond hair. His dull crimson pincered tail clicked softly, twirling and twisting as he waited patiently. In his arms was his favorite stuffed toy, clutched tightly, his long fingers worrying the fuzzy fabric. His teal pajamas were large and baggy, and he shivered in the slight chill of the large open room. Still, he went unnoticed by the librarian.

The child swallowed nervously, hugging his toy tighter, "Daddy?"

XaE lifted his head, startled from the text by the familiar voice. He looked to his side, eyes meeting his young sons small form. He placed his index finger in the book as he lightly closed it, his free hand reaching to his hearing aid, increasing the volume that was allowed to pass into his damaged ear canal.

"Yes, Daemonvyaerii?" he replied smoothly, resting his hands and the book in his lap.

The child looked down as his toes, ears vibrating shyly as he mumbled something the librarian, despite turning his volume up, couldn't hear. He removed his feet from the table, returning the all four legs tot he floor. She turned softly, facing the child with his entire body, "Vyaerii, look at me when you speak, please, I did not catch what you mumbled. Repeat it please, preferably louder."

Vyaerii nibbled his lip harder, cheeks turning pink in mild embarrassment. His shyly looked at his father, nervous under the fiery golden gaze that, despite attempting to look comforting and kind, still looked intimidating.

"Could....Could you read me a bedtime thtory?"

XaE's eyebrow inclined, "Could you read me a bedtime story.....and what?"

Vvynq frowned, "Could you read me a bedtime thtory, pleathe?

XaE chuckled silently to himself, something he couldn't help doing every time he heard his son's lisp.  Both it and his chuckles annoyed the child to no end, but there was little to do about either. He was too young for any fixative surgery, and he doubted that any procedures would do any good anyway. He sighed and removed his finger from the book, setting it on the table. The request did not make much sense to him. He knew he didn't know much about children, and even less of how to be a parent. But what good would a story do? What would cause a child to wake an hour after his bed time and seek him out for the odd request?

"Why do you wish for me to read to you?" XaE leaned back into his chair, tail swaying as he folded his hands neatly on his lap again.

Vyaerii looked away and rubbed his ankle with his toes, "Well....I....I can't thleep...."

XaE furrowed his brows in confusion. How could a story help put a child to sleep? If anything, he would think stories would keep them up, hyper them from the tales of wild adventures and magic. He used to read so many books when he himself was a child, he would store a stack under his bed just to read after his bedtime. He wouldn't tuck into his covers until well after the midnight hours. The request made no sense to the librarian. He sighed and shook his head.

"No, go back to bed. Try to count hatchlings or imagine something peaceful to try to get to sleep."

XaE watched as Vyaerii looked back at him, looking like a puppy was just run over by a trunk in front of him. He was half expecting the child to ask again or beg, but after the moment it took for him to realize he was serious, he bowed his head, nodding and walked silently off. XaE watched as he disappeared  behind the high bookshelves, scales raising slightly. She shook it off and turn back around, reaching for his book. But his fingers never touched its dull cover. They hovered above the large hardcover, as if they feared being burned. His golden eyes blinked and looked down.

He pulled back his hand, slumping again the back of the chair. His horns tapped loudly against the wood, but he didn't care. He stared at the ceiling, wondering and thinking. His child had looked so very heart broken, yet the reason itself was something that XaE couldn't figure out. The way the bright shimmering hope seemed to dull and pass away, leaving a sad dismal sense of defeat in his innocent blue green eyes yanked on his heart strings, kicking his sensible thoughts in the ass. How his ears drooped listlessly, tail almost dragging made him feel so awful. He felt like his emotions and his sense were waging a bitter and bloody war against one another inside his mind.

And he couldn't figure out why.

It didn't make sense to him.

But, he thought, groaning and closing his eyes, since when did children ever make any sense?

Sighing, he opened his eyes and stood up, pushing his hair in. he left his things on the table as he walked off, weaving between the bookshelves. He didn't think, because he knew he would bitch at himself if he did. He would try to reason with himself. He didn't care. He made so many mistakes before, many he couldn't fix. It was a horrible feeling, one that he didn't want to add to. He didn't want another Experfari or Rayden, for more than one reason.

Golden eyes skimmed over the tiny titles on the spine of the almost insultingly thin books, talons hovering like a snake ready to strike. Silver letters jumped out at him and he snatched the book from its place with a sharp ha! He flipped through is quickly, then snapped it shut and hastened to the back of the huge structure. He descended the steps two at a time, almost tripping as the basement floor met his feet quicker than he anticipated. He opened the door to his personal living space, the smell of sawdust and construction still faint despite it being a good five years since the few extra rooms were added. He walked quietly around the couch and the dining table, back to the white door with a sheet of notebook paper taped to its fibers. He sighed, hand resting on the golden knob.

Why was he such an idiot?

He gently opened the door, calling in softly, "Vyaerii?"

He heard fabric rustle as he peeked in, catching a glimpse of blond hair and horn before a blue blanket was yanked over the child's head in the darkness. The soft light green comforter lay forgotten at the end of the bed, various toys and stuffed animals scattered around the room. XaE had to bite his tongue to refrain from asked why there was such a mess. He grudgingly ignored the items on the floor and stepped inside the room, hand searching the wall for the switch. His talon caught the white plastic and he flipped it up, illuminating the white walls and carpet. Vyaerii shuffled further under the cover, clinging to his toy in a vein attempt to hide from the light.

"Vyaerii, I know you are still awake. Please pull the covers down, I want to talk to you." XaE spoke softly, stepping over a stray toy as he made his way tot he bed.

The child moved under the soft fabric again, tail slipping out the side of the bed, "No. I'm trying to thleep."

XaE huffed silently as he sat down softly on the bed, taking off his reading glasses. He looked at the walls, painted a boring white, finding brightly colored pictures taped to the smooth surface. The scribbles made little sense, and that miffed him a little. He felt he should know what they detailed. Like he was missing something that deciphered them. He'd ask his son letter. He turned back to the child lying motionless to his side.

"Please?"

"...." Vyaerii said nothing, but reluctantly pulled the covers down, revealing his head. He held the fabric tightly, "What do you want?"

XaE grinned softly at the small victory, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. He didn't know what to say. So, he shrugged and looked around, eyes trying to latch onto anything in particular that would keep his mind off how much he was failing so badly.

"I figured my answer didn't make much sense, since  I was already reading anyway." he said awkwardly. Vyaerii blinked at him.

"It wath thtill an anthwer."

"Yeah," XaE lowered his head, a pang of guilt stabbing him in the side. He ignored it and lifted his eyes back to his son, "A wrong one."

Vyaerii looked at him, confusion painted on his features. XaE motioned for him to scoot over as he moved and sat with his back against the headboard, crossing on leg in half Indian style as the other dangled of the side next tot he nightstand. Vyaerii moved his pillow and readjusted himself, trying to give XaE some personal space as always. But his efforts were in vain as his father put an arm around him and pulled him closer, laying the book in his lap.

"I don't underthand....." Vyaerii said, hugging the stuffed toy, ears down. This all felt very awkward to him, to the point he was wondering it his father was feeling okay. He knew the librarian rarely showed emotion or participated in "fatherly" actions. So so confused!

XaE shrugged, breathing in deeply, "Well....Sometimes I can be very stupid."

The child's eyebrow raised, "thomtimth?"

XaE looked down at him through the corner of his eye, "Or a little bit more, I guess..."

Vyaerii giggled, grabbing the book from silver talons and flipping it open to the first page, "Jutht read already."

XaE chuckled, taking the book back, holding it open with his thumb, "Very well, impatient much. This story is called 'The Peasant and the Dragon'."

"You aren't going to, like, make weird voitheth when people talk, are you?" the child looked up at his fathers face, bright eyes almost shining in the light from the night stand. XaE blinked and met his gaze, caught off guard for a moment, "I wasn't planning to. Unless you would want me to...?"

Bright turquoise eyes widened slightly. The child shook his head violently, blonde hair flying around his head, almost burying his pale teal horns, "No, pleathe don't."

XaE chuckled and turned back to the book, "Very well. 'One day, a dragon who was flying back home was caught in a violent storm. The wind howled and the rain came down with such force that even the sturdiest oak trees were uprooted and blown down like straw. Despite his great size, the dragon was buffeted in all directions and in the end he lost his way in the dark. In vain he tried and tried again to rise above the storm, battling with all his strength against the elements, but at last, overcome with weariness, he fell exhausted to the ground.

"While he lay unconscious in the mud, a peasant who lived in a humble shack nearby walked past. On catching sight of the monster, who lay so still that he looked dead, the man, whose name was Lucas, felt sorry for him. He approached the inert body and saw that the dragon was still alive. With the help of his horse he moved the dragon to an outhouse which served as a barn. Then he made the dragon comfortable and cover him with a patched blanket, and ran into the house to ask his wife to prepare some hot food. She was apprehensive." he paused, turning the page.

"'You are mad if you want to give food and shelter to such a beast. You would do better to kill him and then the king will give us a reward for his skin.'

'Quiet, woman,' retorted Lucas. 'The dragon is weak and ill, and it is not right to deny help to the ailing, of whatever race they belong to.'

'Don't be stupid!' exclaimed his wife. 'This creature cares not for right or wrong, nor is he a man. He will eat you the minute he is better.'

Taking no notice of his wife's warning, the peasant devoted himself to feeding and caring for the creature. As a result of his efforts, the dragon soon recovered and thanked the peasant for saving him." He paused yet again, and turned the page. Vyaerii snuggled closer to him, laying his head on his chest. XaE had to admit this felt....nice. It felt like he was finally doing something right.

"'There is nothing to thank me for,' replied the good man. 'We are all creatures deserving of life.'

'Even so, many men in your position would have killed me and sold my skin, which is very valuable.'

'Any man who takes advantage of the fallen must be very evil. Such behavior does not befit a knight', replied the peasant. On hearing her husband's words, the wife, who was listening at the door, began to laugh.

'Look at this fool, giving himself the airs of a knight when he is a pauper!' she exclaimed from her hiding place. 'You won't speak like that when the tax collectors come and take away our horse because we haven't paid our taxes.'

'It is honor not wealth that makes a man a knight,' replied the worthy Lucas in a low voice.

However, the dragon heard the conversation, and, noting the peasant's poverty, offered him a reward for his trouble.

'I could not refuse anything in gold, because the tax collector is coming soon and I have nothing to pay him with. But that is not why I helped you, friend,' said the man.
'I know, but now that I am strong enough to fly home, come to my cave and choose anything you wish.' Lucas climbed fearlessly onto the dragon's back, but his wife begged him not to trust the dragon.

'When you are in the middle of the forest, he will eat you,' she groaned, 'and I will be left alone.'"

"Why would the dragon eat the peathant?"

XaE bit his lip nervously, unsure of exactly how to respond, "Normal human legends of dragons normally misrepresent them as violent and hungry for human flesh, like horrible creatures that burn down towns and steal royal children for the heck of it. In reality, this is very rarely the case, but humans, as a species, tend to fear what they do not know a lot about. And dragons are one of those things." the child nodded slowly, "But the dragon wouldn't really do that, right? The wife ith jutht aththuming the wotht?"

"Right." He peeled the page up and held it in anticipation of continuing to the next pages.

Vyaerii smiled slightly, "okay. Continue pleathe!"

"The dragon bore the peasant to his cave and there he entertained him for three days. When the time came for him to return home, the animal loaded a huge sack of gold and precious stones on his back as a gift, and carried Lucas back to his shack.

'Come and see me whenever you are hard up,' he said on parting.

Lucas found his wife sad and dressed in mourning, for she believed he was dead. With the dragon's gifts the couple were able to buy a beautiful farm with many animals, but the wife started becoming extravagant, and one day she said to her husband:

'If we had a little more money, we would be able to buy good land and employ others to work on it, and then when we have a son he will be able to be a knight. Why don't you ask the dragon for a little more gold?' Lucas refused, but in the end he gave in and when to see the dragon. The creature thought it was a sound idea, and was delighted to be able to help his friend once more." XaE flipped the page, "But then hardly a year went by and the wife insisted:

'If we could buy a castle and some villages, we would become counts.' Lucas, tired of his wife's nagging, went once more to see the dragon in his cave, and the latter granted his request. The couple received a dukedom. Not long afterward, the wife wanted to go and live at court.

One day, the new duchess saw the queen arriving in her golden carriage, dressed in silks, with silver farthingales, and wearing fabulous jewels.

Her eyes glinting with ambition, she said:

'My good Lucas, it has occurred to me that when we have a son, if there is a war he will have to go the front as an officer, and he might die in combat. It would be much better if we became monarchs so that our son would be in less danger. Your friend the dragon will grant us this wish.'

'Don't talk nonsense,' he replied. His wife cried and entreated him until finally Lucas decided to visit the dragon who greeted him warmly."

XaE once more went silent for a moment as he turned the page with a gentle scrape of the paper. But his golden eyes caught sight the child snuggled into his side, tiny eyelids struggling, and failing, to remain open. His ears tilted downward and his breathing was calm, like peaceful bliss had arrived on the wings of tiny butterflies and was trying to fly away with him. XaE rested his hand tentatively on the book as his eyes traced the odd dark markings on the pale skin. He debated closing the book and leaving the child to drift naturally into slumber. But as he attempted to move to do so, Vyaerii shifted ever so slightly, and tapped the corner of the book.

"Jutht a little bit more pleathe." he mumbled, XaE nodded silently and turned back to the book.

"'Friend,' said the dragon after listening to his story, 'your wife is too ambitious. She will never leave you in peace. She will never have enough and she will always want more, but I have the answer. Come into the cave.'

And the dragon showed his guest into a cozy room where beautiful young women were singing and dancing.

'Now you are my prisoner. These girls will keep you company and will see that your every wish is carried out, for they are my slaves, but you will not be able to leave the cave other than in my company and you will not return to see your wife.'

From then on the good man lived happily with the dragon and the maidens. As for Lucas's wife, she had to dress in mourning, convinced that her husband had finally been devoured by the monster, just as she had predicted from the beginning."

XaE quietly snapped the book shut, and returned his gaze to his son. Vyaerii was still snuggled tightly to his side, long fingers clinging to his shirt in his sleep. His sides rose and fell gently, tail falling limply on the side again. Smiling, he set the book on the table, setting his long since forgotten reading glasses on top of the hard cover. His talons reached for the black turning switch on the lamp, his fingers spazzing awkwardly as he tried to turn it. Eventually, he managed to turn the light off, but the second lamp, on the dresser across the room, was still on. XaE chose to ignore it, instead laying his head back as much as he could with his golden tan horns, closing his own eyes.

He didn't mind being his son's pillow for the night, even if it would give him back cramps the fallowing day. He knew the ache would fade, but the memory and the moment never would.

Because for the first time in all of his two thousand years, he finally felt like a father.

Humans are so selfish.

The higher we rise the harder we fall.
Non-accepting of things that are different.
Uncaring of those who suffer.
Unseeing of what is blatantly obvious.
Unfeeling, unaffected.
Unknowing as our black hole deepens.
This wrought and twisted world we have
Where we cook our young to death
because there is no value for another's life.


Humans are so non-accepting.
We value only ourselves,
all others are wrong.
My view is right!
And yours is wrong!
Tell me, oh wise human,
What is so wrong about unisex love
if both people are forever happy?
Is that not what love is supposed to be about?
We should be sentient enough
to know how to value other's opinions.


Humans are so uncaring.
We ignore the truth,
and blame those less fortunate.
While millionaires and movie stars
wrangle away at our sanity.
I do not care about Twilight or Harry Potter.
I do not care about this hairdo or that dress.
I want to know the status of Japan
and what I could do to help.
I do not search for porn and celebrities,
I search for pictures from faraway places.
Let me see you give a damn about what's "in"
after you've seen someone lose everything they ever had.


Humans are so blind.
We thirst for black gold
and risk our world's health to get it.
Was one disaster not enough?
Tell me, oh all-knowing human,
what will happen if we drill again
and we mess up again and again?
The oceans bear our scars.
The land our waste.
Pollution shackles the earth.
But we needn't care.
A planets a planet.
We could always move to Mars.
I'm happy to burst your bubble,
but there is no Planet B.
This is earth,
This is our only home.
And yet we treat is with such discare.
She cries and struggles.
But she still loves us anyway.
Because that's what a mother is supposed to do.


Humans are so stupid.
I've said the reasons much before.
We think ourselves so smart
just because we can do many things.
We think we are superior.
Let me see a cat build an iphone.
But oh, foolish human,
the smarter this race becomes
the dumber is seems to get
Greed gluttony and lust
are not the ways to go.
The only way forward is backward.
So we can relearn all the lessons lost.
So we can experience what is truly life.


Enough is enough!
Listen now, listen!
Please stop all this foul play,
Please see!
For eons, we have been blind
For years we have not been fair.
For generations we have been stupid.

For those who cannot accept,
just hiding it will not make it go away.
The harder you chain it
the more it struggles.
You cannot change people
just because their preference is illegal.

For those who do not care,
You must have ice water in your veins.
Children die slow painful deaths
while you are wondering if your butt is fat.
Let me tell you, it is.
at least, compared to the living skeleton
you could be aiding.

For those who are blind,
Think twice about not recycling.
Very soon the ground beneath your feet
will be nothing but trash.
The forests are disappearing.
Wonderful creatures are dying.
Our mother is crying.
Please tell me, why do you hurt your mother so?
Has she not been good to you?
Remember the Earth breaths too.
But soon it will not.

Open your eyes,
you human.
Shut that mouth and silence those fingers.
Do not even attempt to say I am wrong.
If you do, go back and read it again.
Go read of children murders.
Go see the damages done.
Wipe your mind clean.
Let the words sink deep.
These things happen every
single
day.
In your city.
In your town.
In your backyard.
Think it over carefully.
Do you still think I am wrong?

Open your eyes,
you human.
Open them wide and see.
Every person you have ever know has a life
just like yours.
Our lives grind and bump against each other
as the ever turning gears in a clock.
That is blood lubricating these gears.
That is bone that holds the structure up.
A bottomless bit of death is below.
When a gear breaks it falls down there.
All gears will break eventually.

Open your eyes,
you uncaring,
unaccepting,
unknowing
human.

We don't have to time in our lives
to dawdle on stupid crap.
Years pass us by.
More death is wrought.

Yet we still do not see what horrible corrupt creatures we are.

It is time,
you human
That you need to start careing.
You need to start acceping.
You need to start knowing.
Then and only then,
will we live in harmony.
Were everything is fair and just
and our brains aren't mush.
Then and only then,
will children never die.
Will wars be never fought.
and evil nonexistent.

Go ahead, call me an opportunist.
Call me a dreamer.
A fool.
An idiot.
Call me whatever you like.
But the only reason why this idea seems so impossible

Is because humans are so unwilling to make it true.

Humans are so selfish.