Rut

Three nights before the eclipse party, the catering family would go where the party would be held to set up tables, so they had places to put the food when they brought it. Ruka watched Mora with her fiancé; then, when she was alone, he walked over to her.

"Are you attending or working for the party?" He asked.

"Both me and Devin, my fiancé, were interested in having our wedding here if you would allow that, of course," Mora said with an excited smile.

"How long have you been with him?"

"Honestly, we've been together so long I don't even remember us not being without him."

"It seems like this time around, the memories that were erased were replaced with fake memories of being with that man," the spirit said.

"The same must have happened to her fiancé and his family; a part of their memories were taken and replaced with her," Ruka added.

"Because of the engagement, it'll be more difficult to make her yours."

"When is your wedding?" Ruka asked Mora.

"Well, if you allowed us to have it here, we wanted it to be the night of the eclipse," she answered.

"The night of the eclipse is not optional, but if you could wait a month, then you may use the gardens. Having the ceremony there would be more beautiful them here," Ruka recommended.

"I never thought a King would be good at planning a wedding, didn't your mother plan her's? She also said your father tried but messed up the cake," she said.

"My father was clumsy and not very good at handling something as important as a wedding," Ruka said, smiling as he remembered his parents.

"I've never smiled when remembering my mother and father," he realized.

"Why?" Mora asked.

"Because whenever I do, I just remember how I got them killed."

"There was a war. And they were killed during it, wasn't that how it happened?"

"You didn't do anything," she told him.

"Excuse me."

Ruka walked inside the castle and went to his room; he locked the doors and sat down. He looked up and saw himself in a mirror; his eyes started glowing blue, and scales appeared on his face. He stood up and punched it, shattering the glass.

"She's right, Ruka. It wasn't your fault," the spirit said.

"It's not that. Something's happening inside my body," he told him. Ruka fell to his knee and started shaking in pain. He lifted his shirt to see more scales appear; he took it off and, in the shards of the broken mirror, saw his wings start to come out of his back.

"what the fuck IS HAPPENING TO ME!?"

"Your body is reacting to the eclipse."

"I've gone through the eclipse multiple times. WHY IS IT TRYING TO KILL ME NOW!?"

Ruka was in so much pain he could barely move. He wanted to kill himself so that he could escape it.

"The reason you're reacting is that your rut has started," the spirit explained.

"The fuck is a rut?"

"Animals go into heat during mating their mating season; you haven't had a heat yet, Ruka, so because of that, you have a rut, and for a dragon, a rut is stronger and more painful when not with their mate."

"I've slept with plenty of girls; what the hell do you mean I haven't been in heat?" Ruka asked.

"Being in heat doesn't just mean you want to be with someone; a heat makes you want to be with the person your body and heart desire. The reason you're in a rut is due to you not showing her any love. Just a hug between crushes will help; it won't stop the rut. It will only turn it back to heat, which will make it barer able but still annoying."

"So I just hug her and wait till the eclipse is over," he planned.

"She's in love with Devin."

"So?"

"There are many human stories that talk about true love's kiss and that it breaks any spell."

"They're stories for a reason."

"Would you die if you tried?"

Ruka stayed in his room the entire time up till the night of the eclipse. Ruka stood up and got dressed, and he walked around the castle, even though he had scales on his face. Everyone looked at him in shock, not knowing what to think about what they were seeing. Ruka walked all over until he finally found Thomas.

"Ruka, your dragon-"

"Where's Mora?" He asked as he continued walking.

"She and Devin are serving food at the party," he told his friend.

"The hill where my parents met, take her there."

"Ruka, what the hell-"

"LISTEN!"

"Of course."

Thomas went to the party and found Mora, then took her to Ruka's hill.

"I'll leave you two be," Thomas said as he left.

"I don't understand. Why am I here," she asked.

She looked at Ruka, sitting on a rock, and saw he was obviously in pain.

"Are you ok?" She asked as she kneeled in front of him.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her holding her tight.

"Your highness." She tried pushing him off, but he pulled her back in.

"I need you."

his claws started growing, and she could feel his sharp nails in her back.

"What the hell," she said as she broke free from his grasp.

She looked at him and saw his bright blue eyes and his scales. When the sun covered the moon and darkness of the eclipse covered the kingdom, Ruka's wings sprouted, and Mora was doused in the bright blue light coming from his body.

"What's going on?" She asked nervously.

"Come back to me, Mora," Ruka said as he stood up, holding out his arms.

Mora walked into Ruka's arms without even realizing it. Ruka wrapped his arms around her and placed one of his hands on the back of her head; the palm of his hand started to glow, and as it did, Mora's eyes widened, and everything flooded back into her mind. Mora began to get dizzy and lose feeling in her knees; Ruka sat her down on the rock and walked a few feet away from her, and transformed. He used his tail to help her up and pulled her towards him; Mora smiled and climbed on top of the dragon, then they took off.

"You got her back; how do you feel?" The spirit asked.

Ruka looked up at Mora and watched her reach the clouds; seeing her smile made him happy.

"The pain is gone," he said.

"Your rut may be gone, but your heat will still be there."

"I'll deal with that later."

Ruka flew back to the castle and transformed back after he landed. Then Mora hugged him tight and said, "I'm sorry."

If grammar is off, blame Grammarly