Marie

  Helga and Philip hadn't spoken a word to her and Pia all day. Instead, they only talked to the few nobles in their css. Eventually, Pia had enough. During the break, she pulled Marie behind her and walked towards her two friends, who were standing outside uhe roof with the other students. It was raining a bit.

  "Helga? Philip? We o talk!", she shouted to them.

  Marie became nervous. She suspected that Helga and Philip were mad at her about something, but she didn't know why. Had she upset them? No. Certainly not.

  "About what?" Helga frowned.

  "In private!", added Pia. "Please."

  "All right." Philip took Helga by the hand and the two followed Pia and Marie a bit away from the other students. When they were out of earshot, Pia crossed her arms. "Why are you ign us?"

  "If we ignored you both, we wouldn't be here. With you. You're exaggerating, Pia!" Helga snorted. "Was that all?"

  "No! It wasn't!" Now Pia soo. "You hardly talk to Marie or me. Today you didn't even say hello to us! You didn't want to do group work with us... What's going on?"

  "Did we upset you?", Marie dared to ask the two.

  "No, of course not", Philip replied. "But... We just want to do something with others... Wich..."

  "Which corresponds to our stand! The princess is not there. Who knows if she will e back? Of course, I hope that she es bad is just somewhere on the way, but... You two alone are not the right pany for us. You are the friends of the princess, so we met with you... And yes, I came to like you. But we're not of the same state, don't you uand that?"

  "The princess is not here at the moment, and my parents have written to me in a letter that they wao surround myself more with my peers. Helga's parents probably think the same way", Philip tinued. "We should do more with our own and less with you. That doesn't mean we don't like you or don't sider you friends."

  "We're not mad at either of you", Helga quickly added. "There's just no reason for us to talk to yht now. To meet with you. It was h you, refreshing even, but everything has an end. Oh yes... You might be ied in hearing this: Philip and I have been a couple si night."

  "gratutions!" Pia almost spat out the words. "Then we'll leave you alone from now on."

  Marie was shocked. So that's what they thought of her? Am I nothing in their eyes?

  Helga and Philip returo their new friends with a terse farewell greeting, as if nothing had happened. As if they hadn't just torn Marie's world to pieces.

  "We were heir friends." She looked at Pia sadly. "They only talked to us because of Julia."

  "I'm not surprised. Nobles. My parents always said they looked down on others. When Julia returns, they'll probably crawl back."

  "Are you sure about that?" Marie watched as the group around her former friends ughed.

  "Either that or they try to get Julia into their new group. But they fet that!"

  "What if Julia doesn't e back? If something happeo her?" Marie was very worried. She is my only real friend besides Pia. Why don't the others like me? It was the same among mortals. Mom said they were jealous. First envy and then suddenly I am not a person of a society-befitting status?

  "I don't know." Pia sighed. "Not really. Maybe we just have to accept it?"

  "I don't think I ." I finally had friends... A whole group of friends.

  Marko

  It rolled through the leaves that had fallen down in Leopold's parents' garden. Finally, he was out. As a wolf! He chased the falling leaves and ran bad forth. Finn sat on a pumpkin and watched him ughing. Everything smelled wonderful. The wet leaves, the grass, the earth, and Finn. Finn smelled best. He smelled just right. Marko shot pyfully towards him, braced himself on the pumpkin, and licked his boyfriend's cheek lovingly. Flora had allowed them to go into the garden as long as they promised not to leave. After Marko had begged for it again and again. After all, Julia had also been outside. Flora had been against it at first. Of course, she was. She didn't want to risk the eldest ing up with stupid thoughts, as she called it.

  "Marko!" Finn ughed and wiped his cheek. "I like you too, but that's disgusting!"

  Disgusting? He licked his cheek again. That's what you get for this! No one calls my proofs of love disgusting!

  "Aren't you cold?" Julia came outside. She had ed herself in a b.

  "No", Finn replied, as Marko couldn't speak at the moment. "We wolves aren’t cold so quickly. Especially Marko in his fur."

  "Is that so?" Julia sat dowo Finn, as the pumpkin was big enough, aed Marko's head.

  "You're so soft!", she announced.

  Marko responded with a wet wolf kiss on her cheek. "Marko!", she protested immediately. And while he was at it, he licked Finn's cheek again. Finn also protested.

  "Do you give kisses?" Leopold came around the house. He had been watg everything. Marko growled softly. You won’t get one!

  "Juli?" Leo, the traitor, smiled amused. "Your brother is looting my mother's wardrobe."

  "What?" Julia raised her eyebrows. "Does your mother know that?"

  "She's standio him. He told her that he likes to wear dresses..."

  "Dear heaven!" Julia ughed and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

  "If I had fabric, I could sew him something", Finn murmured. "Flora is smaller thaer. Her clothes won't suit him..."

  Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Two dark shadows whizzed high above their heads, into the forest.

  "Were those dragons?" Finn blinked. "Here?"

  "It looked like they wao nd nearby!" Leopold looked in the dire in which the two animals had disappeared. "Should we go and check?"

  "But that's dangerous!" Finn shook his head. "They're dragons! No. It's better we stay here. I don't want to end up as dragon fodder!"

  But Marko was seized by curiosity. As fast as his four paws could carry him, he hurried after the dragons.

  Julia

  Leopold and Julia ran after Marko in panic. Finn had stayed by the house because he couldn't run and didn’t want to risk his life. He had quietly pined about Marko's stupidity. It didn't take long for them to find Marko. Hidden behind a rge stone, he observed twe reptiles that had nded a few meters away betweerees. Some trees had been knocked over.

  The dragons looked around. One seemed to be fully grown, a snow-white dragon with feathered wings and scales that shone like mother-of-pearl. Some of the scales on his rge paws were e. The other dragon was smaller. A young dragon, it seemed. The young dragon had a long, pitch-bck body, except for the e scales on his legs, and also on his head, but his feathers were as white as those of the other dragon. Both dragons had small, pointed horns. Only male dragons had these.

  "That’s what we needed", Leopold whispered. "Dragons. Here!"

  He and Julia hid behind the stoogether with Marko. Julia stroked the wolf's fur anxiously. They watched as the older dragon took the younger one under his wing and she air. " they smell us?", murmured Leopold, armed. Marko growled softly.

  Then something ued happehe twons ged shape. The twe reptiles became two humans. A man and a boy. Both had e hair and, to Julia’s surprise, wearing clothes. After all, Marko was naked every time he transformed back.

  The twons moved towards them.

  "We smell you!", said the older man. "e out."

  "Oh no!" Leopold turned pale.

  "e on, kids!" The older dragon smiled, while the younger one seemed to be hiding behind him. Tears shimmered in the boy's eyes. "We won't do anything to you!"

  Marko put on his ears and walked slowly and growling around the stone. Julia and Leopold looked at each other worried and followed him.

  "A werewolf, an elf and... You smell of magic, girl!" The dragon looked at her with amusement. "A little witch? What are three children doing alone in the forest?"

  They did not answer. Julia did not utter a single word. She trembled. Dragons. Dragons that look like humans.

  By now, the dragons were close enough for Julia to see that the elder had e eyes. They looked as if a fire was burning ihem. His pupil was slit. The younger one, who wasn’t much youhan Julia, looked at her curiously. His eyes shone brighter. Yellow. They did not burn, they glowed. Those eyes made her nervous. The younger one seemed more dangerous than the older dragon, who looked at her curiously. How old could he be? As old as Ingried? Or much older? Even dragons stopped aging after a certain point in time.

  "Well. Why did you follow us?", the dragon wao know.

  Marko growled. With his gaze, he fixed the younger dragon, which was hiding behind the ain.

  "We were curious." Julia found her voice. "What are twons doing here?"

  "I was looking for my sister and found my nephew."

  Julia saw the younger dragon tug indignantly at the other's clothes. "Niece!" His voice, or rather, hers?, was barely audible. Now the elder looked surprised at his nephew ... Niece? Julia was fused. "he dragon seemed no less surprised. "But..."

  "Niece!", now the younger dragon's voice was louder. "Not nephew. Uncle."

  "Should we leave you aloh this debate?" Leopold sehe ce to escape.

  "No need!" The elder now pulled his nie front of him and ed his arms around her. "We saw a vilge... Isn't there a ce to find something to eat for us?"

  "What?" Leopold's mouth remained open.

  "Oh. Not you! Or any other person... No. Food! Fruits, vegetables... Whatever. I don't want to draw more attention to us than necessary." The dragon ughed. "My name is Fiete. And this is..." Fiete looked at his niece.

  "Josefine", she murmured, almost sobbing. Her uncle kissed her on the hair.

  "Josefine!" He smiled. "I found her only retly. She was in the s. Alohere he could ... She? She couldn’t stay there. It smelled like a vampire with bad iions everywhere! Surely you don't mind if we apany you?"

  Now Marko and Julia looked at Leopold, whose face etrified. Stunned, he stared at the dragons.

  "If you don't want to eat ahen..." Julia sighed. That's crazy. Dangerous and crazy! "e with us."

  "Wonderful!" Fiete smiled visibly pleased.

  "And you do anyone?" Marko had transformed back. Shameless as always. He stood naked in front of the dragons.

  "Not now." The dragon looked at him with a grin. "And no one from the vilge. I promise. Is that enough for you?"

  "Why?" Now Leopold spoke up.

  "It's a long story. So... We're hungry!", the draged, pushing his o Julia. She looked at the girl nervously. Josefine was a bit shorter than her... And seemed just as frightened. Maybe the idea isn't so terrible after all.

  "All right. This way!" Leopold led the way. Julia was sure that the dragons kly where the vilge was and had only asked out of politeness.

  "Oh, yes", said Fiete now. "If someone asks. We are harmless hikers who have lost their way. Nons. I want to avoid trouble. As I said. No unnecessary attention."

  Julia nodded. Her eyes fell again on Josefine, alking beside her. With one hand she g to her uncle's clothes. "Why were you alone?", asked Julia.

  The girl swallowed. It sounded like a suppressed whimper. "Mom died. A vampire was nearby... He was following us... But then my uncle came and took me away."

  "Oh." Julia hadn't expected that. "And you're a girl, though..." She had clearly seen the horns and female dragons had none.

  Josefine wiped a loear from her face. "Even though I'm a boy? You know, oake the form of a human being, I don't feel like a boy anymore. Unfortunately, I 't adjust my body and otherwise, it's right. Mom gave me the name Josef. But if I'm like this, then Josef is nht."

  "That sounds plicated!", said Marko, who was still looking at the twons worriedly. Julia felt the same way.

  "Where are your clothes?", Josefine asked. She was visibly trying not to stare at him. "You're not wearing anything."

  "Because he's a nudist", grumbled Leopold, who had been involved in a versation with Fiete so far. One in which Fiete mainly spoke. He ented on each tree and praised the ndscape. Leopold had only nodded nervously.

  "What?" Marko ughed. "No. I have no clothes when I transform back. Why do you have clothes?"

  "It's part of the transformation! We ge them as we please", Fiete expined. "Magic. Our own. It is different from that of witches. I 't say exactly how we do that. It's just the way it is."

  Soon after, they arrived at Leopold's parents' house. Finn immediately turned pale when he saw the two 'wanderers'. "Are they dragons?", he asked immediately. "They smell like... Fire."

  Fiete winked happily at him. "Keep that to yourself, ok?"

  Finn's gaze wao Marko, who just shrugged his shoulders.

  "Did you find anyone in the forest?" Peter came running around the house. "I saw you from the window!"

  "You're wearing a dress!", announced Marko dryly.

  "And you wear nothing!" Peter stuck out his tongue. He wore a pink dress with fine ruffles on the sleeves. It was a bit too tight for him and only went up to his knees. Uhe dress, he wore the simple trousers he had worn before. "So? Guests?"

  "These are Fiete and Josefine", Julia introduced them. "We found them in the forest! They got lost."

  Fiete looked at Peter with i. "o meet you", he said.

  Peter just frowned. "Found?"

  "Found", Julia repeated.

  Soon after, the twons were sitting in the small living room and got warm tea from Hanno, while Flora reminded Marko and Julia not to leave the garden. After finishing her scolding, she looked at Josephine. "How old are you, honey?" The eyes of the twons made her and her husband clearly nervous, but they tried not to let it show.

  "Fourteen", Josefine replied quietly.

  "And you got lost in the forest?" Hanno sat down on one of the small armchairs. "This is a really bad time to e here. But there's nothing we do about it. Maybe you stay with friends... We have no space."

  "A bad time?", asked Fiete. "Why?"

  "We expect soldiers." Hanno stroked his hair nervously. "Leopold said you were hungry? I'll cook some food. Do you like pumpkin soup?" He went into the kit, humming softly.

  "Yes. Thank you very much." Fiete took a sip of tea and smiled. "The tea is delicious. Soldiers? That doesn't sound good. But don't worry. We don't want to be a burden to anyone."

  "Oh, you don't", Flora quickly objected. "If need be, I'll find a pce here where you sleep. We do that. I'm just worried because... But you don't have to worry about that now."

  "That's very hank you!" Fiete bowed his head in thanks.

  But the lie of the hikers was exposed, while Hanno served the soup. "But you two are not hikers. A few years ago, a dragon visited our vilge. It had the same eyes!" Hanno had reized the dragons by their eyes. But unlike his son, he seemed rexed. "It was a female dragon, in the form of a woman. She had been driven out of the desert and had been injured. We took care of her wounds. Soon after, she flew on to the snd."

  Fiete smiled. "Was it a white dragon? With almost red eyes?"

  Hanno thought for a moment. "I think so, yes. That was... It must have been over fourteen years ago. Leo was still small and didn't know uest was a dragon."

  Tears rolled dowe's cheeks. "That was my older sister. Josefine's mother."

  sasi