It was rare that a creature of Ordinary became violent, but it had happenedbefore.
“There.” She angled the beam onto the shape coming towardus.
I held my breath. Reached for mygun.
The shadows slid around, at first huge, then wide, then long andthen…
A creature paused in the light, right there on the inside of the caveoverhang.
“Is that…?” Jeanbreathed.
I exhaled all in one rush. “Yep.” I put away my flashlight. “It’s adragon.”
“Piggy!” Jean crowed. “Look at all that pink. That little nubby nose, chubby cheeks and pointy ears. And that tail. So curly! That’s a pig, Delaney. A wee little piggy-pig-pig.”
The dragon oinked, its curly tail wagging a mile aminute.
“Jean, I’m not kidding. It’s adragon.”
She tipped her head, considering it. “Are yousure?”
I studied the little monster. It looked like a baby pig, all pink and sweet-faced and adorably sandy from its chubby little legs up to its squishy roundbelly.
It opened its mouth in what could only be described as a darling little smile. But there was a sort of wobbly haze around it, as if looking straight at it caused a slight warping of reality behindit.
Dragons could appear as anything they wanted, any size they wanted. This one, apparently, wanted to be a tinypig.
“It’s a dragon,” I saidagain.
“Aw,” Jean cooed. “Who’s a cute dragon? Is it you, little piggy? Cutey-pootie dragy-wagy?” She knelt. “C’mere, baby. C’mon, piggy-poo, cuddle boo-boo.”
It oinked, absolutely delighted with her. I raised one eyebrow, absolutely suspicious ofit.
Then it ran at us. Well, not at Jean who had her arms wide open ready for some pig-on-police mutualadmiration.
No, it ran atme.
Not good. Not good atall.
“Hold it right there, dragon,” I said in my cop voice. “You know the rules. No violence within the boundary of Ordinary, Oregon. If you want to remain inside Ordinary, you will follow therules.”
The pig slowed to a cute little trot, then stopped at my feet, tipping its face up atme.
Okay, so far, so good. I had itsattention.
“We’ve had a complaint,” I explained. “A man looking for rocks saw you in what I assume is your more natural form? You frightenedhim.”
The little tail wagged faster. The dragon liked getting a scare out of the guy. I tried not tosmile.
“We’ve talked him out of coming back here to get a picture of you because we do not need news of a dragon spreading on the internet. Citizens of Ordinary expect to live here without their supernatural nature being discovered by the world at large. You’ve endangeredthat.
“What I need from you today, is a guarantee that you will take the form of a creature belonging to the natural world if anyone else stumbles upon yourcave.”
“Oink.”
“D’aw...” Jean cooed again. “Look at its little face. You can’t be mad at that little face,Delaney.”
“I’m not mad. But I am serious,” I said to the pig. “We’re going to tell the man that he probably saw a sea lion or a lost cow. If you’d rather stay in piglet form if he comes by again, that’s finetoo.”
