Valentine’s Day

It was bright that day. The sun shone over the cloudless sky as the waves continued to roll in and out. Wolfen was walking home, his hands drooping at his sides as he moved on. Even his yellow and tan tail dragged on the ground behind him.
He had gone out to find his favorite doughnut shop, just to find it closed. Disappointed he had turned and decided to take a different route home. It was Valentine’s Day then, one of Wolfen’s least favorite days. Red and pink heart shaped balloons floated everywhere he looked, stores advertising Valentine’s Day related items hung huge “Sale!” signs almost everywhere as well, but what mainly pervaded his sights were the couples. Walking down the streets he saw many human couples, as well as dragon couples, and the one human/dragon relationship which just made him walk faster. Almost each and every one of them were in each other’s arms, holding hands, staring adoringly at each other as they walked, kissing or something else of the sort. These sights put Wolfen in a disheartened state, especially when an unkind couple noticed him walking alone and started making rude jokes at him.
Wolfen turned down his driveway. His neighbor, and best friend, Erstra was working in his front yard when he saw Wolfen.
Erstra smiled. “Hey Wolfen! Happy Valentine’s day.” Wolfen looked over to him and Erstra was surprised. Wolfen’s normal cheerful smile was a sad frown and his eyes had lost their gleam. Wolfen turned back and continued up to his door, a red heart shaped box sat on the welcome mat, nearly covering it up, outside the large double doors. He picked it up, finding it hot and opened it to reveal a collection of plump, heart shaped hot dogs in it. Under the cover sat Erstra’s, Serin’s, Furore’s and Greed’s signatures, Greed’s standing out over all the others. “Happy Valentine’s day to our favorite pudgy buddy” was written on the inside. Wolfen sighed and closed it, setting it on the wood bench near the door and continued inside, leaving the door unlocked.
Erstra was absolutely astounded, shocked to his core, and at a loss for words, which says a lot since his vocabulary seams nearly infinite, at least to Wolfen it was. In all his time with Wolfen, he had never turned down a hot dog, ever. Even if he was completely immobile he’d eat more if hot dogs were included. Erstra abandoned his outdoor chores and ran back inside to get the others.
The inside of Wolfen’s house was silent as Wolfen walked up the stairs. He had to walk now because his confrontation with Rex a while back had disrupted his general telekinetic, abilities, such as his levitating, rendering them useless unless he actually cast a spell. Finally in his room he looked around and located a small Pikachu doll. He closed the door to his room, locking it, and went to pick it up. He studied it. The plush doll was no taller than his hand, and slightly dirty. Turning it around, he saw that it had two tails, coming from the fact that he had washed it once and the one tail came apart, making two.
“Oh Pikachu,” Wolfen started, a weak smile on his lips, “you’ve always been with me, haven’t you?” The doll sat in his hands, staring back with its unmoving eyes. The doll had been with Wolfen for almost all his life, from when he was a hatchling, to now. Wolfen lost his smile. “You’ve always been my friend, there for me, and… you’ve always… loved me, right?” No response. Wolfen set the doll down and sniffled. Lowering his yellow head he found a vacant corner in his room, bare of any furniture. He sat down, his back against the wall and buried his face in his hands.
And he started to cry.

Wolfen had never had anyone to love in his life, other than his friends. He had never experienced what it’s like to love a girl, not even what it’s like to even remotely like one. He has never had a girlfriend; he hasn’t even ever used the word. He has never seen a dragoness that he could deem ‘hot’ because that was not how he thought. It seemed that everyone around him did though.
His heart ached every Valentine’s day. He had a deep reservoir of love, and no one he could truly give it to. While it was true he had the best of friends, he never had anyone he could be more than friends with. This day painfully reminded him of that, even though he seldom thought of this.
Am I too shy? He thought. What am I doing wrong? Is it how I look? Is it what I do? Is it because I use magic? Is it because… I’m afraid? Wolfen sat there questioning himself, his sobs continuing to increase in loudness as his tears flowed from his eyes. He sat there for a long while before bangs erupted on the door to his room.
“Wolfen? Wolfen!” It was Erstra. “Open the door!”
“Is he ok?” Furore was also there.
“How should we know?” Serin’s voice also came from behind the door.
“What’s wrong with him this time?!” Greed announced with a note of annoyance in his voice.
Erstra stopped banging. “I don’t know! Open the door Greed!”
“Fine…”
“NO! Leave me alone!” Wolfen cried from his corner.
Greed staggered back. “It must be big whatever it is.”
“I’ve never heard him talk like that to us…” Serin said.
Furore turned to Erstra. “What’s wrong with him?”
“I don’t know…” Erstra responded.
“Just go away!” Wolfen cried out again before all the group could hear were his rampant sobs of his grief.
“That’s it, we’re coming in!” Greed stated and was about to barge the door when there was a disturbance in the air in front of him. The air shimmered like water before Greed as he stepped back cautiously. “What the…” he started. The shimmering suddenly ceased as a small hole formed, which opened up into a glimmering portal. Through it came Zen.
Zen, the tall silver bodied and white bellied dragon. He stood to match almost all of Greed’s physical traits. He nearly matched his height and he had a belly going on at his waist, and his tail was much lengthier than any of theirs. As with Wolfen, he also had four horns, but one now hung around his neck as it had broken off from its original root. Zen also had black hair that fell to just below his head, and his calm-serious expression gave him a certain air of coolness.
“You?!” Greed yelled, now annoyed.
“Yes.” Zen’s voice was deep and full of wisdom. “Let me talk to him.”
“What? Are you gonna bore him out of his grief with all your metaphorical talk?!”
“If necessary. Now…” Zen turned around to face the locked door.
Greed folded his arms. “The door is locked you know.”
Zen snapped his fingers, the lock clicked. “Not anymore.” Zen opened the door and found Wolfen still crying in the corner. He had reverted to a depressing blue color and the carpet he sat on was now drenched with his tears and spreading. Zen went and put a hand on Wolfen’s shoulders. Wolfen neither stopped crying nor looked up. The others also filed into the room.
“Wolfen… what’s wrong?” Erstra said, his words barely audible even to himself under Wolfen’s cries.
Zen spoke softly, “It is ok Wolfen, we are here.” He stroked his side gently, shushing him as he went. Slowly his crying softened as Zen comforted him. Furore started to approach but a look from Zen made him reconsider and he sat back down on Wolfen’s bed.
When Wolfen’s cries were quiet enough, Erstra asked, “What’s wrong?” Wolfen only sniffled and cried for a while more before saying anything.
“Because… because… because…” Wolfen started to cry again. “Because I can’t have love!!!”
“What do you mean?”
Wolfen sniffled a bit before repressing his cries to try to speak clearly. “All my life, before I met you all… and Zen… no one, other than my mom, has liked me. At the same time… I tried to like them… but they turned me away… I just don’t know why!!!” He started to cry softly into his hands.
“Is that all?” Greed asked inconsiderately. Greed’s comment only made Wolfen scream in sorrow as his tears burst through the flood gates of his eyes, his cries now much louder than before.
“Greed!” Erstra shouted.
“What? So what if he hasn’t found anyone to love yet? He doesn’t have to cry over it.” This is where Zen stood up. He turned to Greed and struck him with a hard blow to his face.
“You have sickened me Greed.” Zen started.
Greed snarled at Zen. “What the hell was that for?! So what if” Zen slapped him across the face with is tail, shutting him up.
“You do not fully know yet the extent of Wolfen’s heart. Because of his heart, he has a great power, a power that surpasses my own, and everyone in here, including you Greed.”
“How does this affect Wolfen though?” Serin asked worriedly.
“His power is a great blessing… and a curse as well.” Zen looked back to the still crying dragon in the corner. “Wolfen himself knows that. Because of it, he thinks that he will never find the one for him. He values other’s more than his own life, his morals and beliefs are great and honorable. But almost everywhere he goes things are not like that when it comes to others. Have you ever noticed that when Wolfen is not around us he is alone?”
Erstra looked at Wolfen. “Yeah…”
“It is because Wolfen is impeccably shy and can’t start a conversation with anyone unless it’s a friend. Wolfen rarely ever thinks about having a relationship that is beyond normal friendship, but this day painfully reminds him that… he may never be able to.”
Furore gasped. “Why Zen?”
“His own power. Evil is balanced with good, and good with evil. Wolfen is a great and powerful good; therefore evil will always follow him wherever he goes. Now tell me honestly and for truly that none of you have ever experienced love for a dragoness.” The gang was silent, Wolfen’s cries the only sound heard. “That feeling, Wolfen has deeply and secretly wanted to feel it, but he never has.”
“Why not?” Erstra asked.
“Because he does not see a dragoness as ‘pretty’ or ‘ugly’. He does not judge based on looks. If he did, it may be easier for him. He wants to know a person personally instead of making judgments. But since he can’t communicate that well, he doesn’t get that chance.”
“Then what can we do for him?” Serin asked, tears now brimming about his own eyes.
Zen closed his eyes and lowered his head. “There is nothing we can do…” Greed was about to speak when Zen cut him off. “This is something that Wolfen must overcome. As friends we can only love him so much and Wolfen can only love us so much as well.” A single tear fell from his eye. “Before us, Wolfen has always been alone, his heart caged from the world. Only his mother had the key… and then he had to leave his mother… just to escape his father.” Zen sat down in front of Wolfen and brought his blue head up from his hands. “Do not worry Wolfen, one day, you will find someone to love.”
Wolfen wept more before jumping into Zen’s arms. Zen hugged him close as Wolfen continued to cry. All his friends could do was watch, each one of them also beginning to break down at the sight. Serin, Furore and Erstra all hugged each other as Greed looked away, he did not want anyone to see him cry as well. Then it came a time when Wolfen’s cries stopped for a moment. They all looked at Wolfen’s miserable face.
“I… love you guys…”
And he continued to cry.







Author’s note.
This story is not completely made up. This includes several elements from my own life. I do not know when I will find love. My family tells me that she is out there for me somewhere, but I am not sure. The way I was raised has opened my eyes to see the hidden evils of the world. Almost everywhere I look, it is there. I have had friends before, but no more than that. Everyone around me has had the experience of loving another of the opposite gender. I have not. I have poured my heart into this story, thank you for listening.
I hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day…





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