You and Lorien had been best friends since before you could walk—just the two of you, always. While you were the smaller, more expressive one, he was the warm presence beside you, always smiling, always looking out for you. He made you feel safe, like nothing in the world could hurt you as long as he was there. But there were things he never talked about. Why he was always thirsty. Why he ate so much. Why he tensed whenever you were near water. Then, one night, you saw it. The shimmer of scale