Wolfling Part 2
#2 of Wolfling
Part two in the Wolfling's story. And it gets even gooier. In multiple senses of the word :3
_Disclaimer: The following story contains consensual sexual acts between a cub and an adult. If this is not your cup of tea, kindly piss off. _
The silence which followed my first words in three years was almost deafening. For a moment, I feared that with regaining my speech, I had lost my hearing. The dragon looked at me, his emerald eyes wide with shock. "You can speak." His jaw hung open slightly. I giggled a little, startling myself with the sound that accompanied the familiar convulsion. He chuckled at my bewildered face. I glared at him. I didn't know that wolves made sound when they laughed. I always assumed that was one of what he called "the peculiarities of dragons." He only laughed harder. He finally regained control of himself, placing a large claw atop my head. "I'm sorry, wolfling. I did not mean to laugh. You just looked so-" Here, he burst back into laughter, his scaled head tossed back and tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. I sat there, atop my bed, a tiny grey wolf cub of no more than eight summers, legs crossed, leaning forward on my arms to better pout at the large black dragon who was currently clutching his sides from laughter. I had never seen him laugh this much, and that only served to annoy me further. I don't know how I expected him to react, but this was certainly not it.
"I d-dunno what's s-so fu-fu-funny." My face contorted in concentration trying to give the words form. I knew I'd spoken before my three-year silence, at least I think I had. Amnesia tends to make things like that a bit fuzzy. His laughter died for a moment, and his eyes locked with mine. And then he was gone again. I rolled my eyes, conceding defeat. I hopped off the stack of clothes that made my sleeping place and began to walk into the main cave. My thoughts and emotions were too turbulent for company just then. As I reached the doorway, the dragon's laughter subsided. I looked back at him, as doubtfully as I could manage. He stood from the bed and walked over to me.
"I really am sorry, wolfling," he wiped some lingering tears from his eyes before continuing, "We can talk- really talk- about all this later. I'm sure you're still tired. Probably even more than before." I nodded sheepishly. His scaled arms scooped me up gently. I made a brief little sound of protest before it got stuck in my throat. I couldn't speak without prior concentration, apparently. I felt his chest tense under my grasping paws as he suppressed more laughter. I glared up at him. "Sorry, wolfling." His smile was warm and kind. I decided to forgive him. This time. He sat on the bed, laying me gently atop the slightly larger pile that served as my pillow. He tousled my headfur again, and stood to leave. I lay there on my side, legs curled up to my chest and tail draped over my legs. I felt all messed up inside, and I couldn't figure out why. I thought I must be getting sick, with my feverishness and this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling was maddening, really. It seemed like forever that I lay there, but I know it was only moments before I heard his voice from the doorway. "Wolfling?"
"Y-yes?" The words still struggled with me. I saw him leaning against the entryway, his emerald eyes seeming very thoughtful, and then very full of emotion. I almost didn't hear what he said next, but I was so desperate for his words that I caught every syllable and pulled them straight into my heart.
"I love you too, little wolfling." I grinned then, my big goofy one that always made him smile back. All the queasiness left me in that moment, and I felt warm and safe again. I drifted to sleep with those words, so small and yet so incredibly huge, circling round my head.
The next weeks were some of the happiest in my memory. The dragon and I, spending all our days in the library. I could finally ask all the questions that I hadn't deemed worthy of wasting ink to ask. I stumbled over words, but he was always patient and encouraging me to keep trying. Sometimes I'd get frustrated and refuse to speak for the rest of the day, returning to my own little language of gestures and looks. It was more fluid for me, and certainly less aggravating. He taught me more magic, drilling spells into my head until I could recite them backwards without a moment's hesitation. We were taking a break from one such session, when I decided to ask something that had been pestering me for a while.
"What do you think made me able to speak again?" I looked intently at the dragon, my plate of cured meats all but untouched. He looked a bit taken aback.
"I'm... not sure, wolfling. I think you didn't speak for so long because of whatever you saw before you came here. It must have scared you badly, badly enough that you wouldn't even remember it. That kind of fear... it can affect you in strange ways." He looked intently at his plate. He was avoiding eye contact.
"So why did m-my voice come back?" I scowled at my little stutter. I was improving, but it snuck up on me sometimes.
"I think you stopped being scared. Or it could be that using magic consciously triggered some kind of healing mechanism. You certainly slept like you were under a healing spell that day." He smiled ruefully at me, as if that day hadn't clearly been more than a small wolf cub was capable of handling.
"I sup-p-pose that makes sense..." I let the sentence hang there a while, halfheartedly nibbling at my lunch. A large claw tousled my headfur.
"Don't worry over it, wolfling. All that matters is that it's back, and you can speak as much or as little as pleases you." His eyes had a strange feel to them, then. The look seemed familiar somehow, but it looked out of place on his face. Still, he had a point. I pushed it from my mind, focusing more intently on my meal.
That night, I found no solace in sleep. My mind raced with questions. Why had my voice returned? Why did the dragon take me, a strange lone cub of another species in? Why hadn't this bothered me before? Why wouldn't the dragon look me in the eyes when I asked about my voice? It was too much for me to handle. I needed some fresh air. I slipped out of my bed, the stone floor cool against the pads of my feet. I moved quietly to the cave entrance. Only days after I'd regained my voice, I'd asked the dragon if I could explore outside the cave in my free time. He just laughed. "I've never told you that you couldn't come and go as you please, have I?," he'd said. He, of course, had not, but I guess I had assumed that as his ward, I needed his permission. I'm not sure what gave me that idea. I had since discovered several spots that were pleasant to just sit in and think. I went to my favorite of them now, a small copse of trees with a still pool in the middle of it.
The sky was clear that night, the moon and stars reflecting wonderfully off the still surface of the water. There was no stream to the pool, but despite the moderate climate of the mountain, the water level never seemed to change. I figured that this was a place of natural magic, and that kept the pool supplied with water. I certainly felt safe and calm here, perfect for practicing spells that the dragon had taught me. But spellcraft was for the daylight. Now, I just stared into the pool, marveling at how perfectly it reflected the heavens. It was just so... I reached fruitlessly for a word to describe it.
My breath caught a little short then, as a realization came to me. That was why the dragon's expression had seemed so familiar. I must have worn a similar one a thousand times as I watched my reflection in his emerald eyes, struggling uselessly to find the words that I so craved to say. I wondered then if the dragon wasn't missing some part of his voice, too. I stared into the pool, my gaze fixed on the brilliant crescent of moon, wondering what words there were that the dragon could not find.
My musings were cut short by a shadow crossing over the stars. It was too quick to be a cloud, and I scrambled under the nearest tree, searching the sky for whatever it was that seemed so large but could move so fast. I didn't have to search long, as the dark shape landed in front of me. A squeak stuck in my throat. It was a familiar shape, though the eyes that glowed in the darkness had the color of amethyst and the moonlight glinted off scales of ruby. A gravelly voice cut through the quiet of the night.
"A wolf cub? Hmmmm. Hardly adequate for a meal. Still, this is the heart of his territory, so perhaps you aren't completely useless." Those violet eyes fixed on my own, and suddenly all the fear left me. There was malice there, and I knew he wouldn't so much as blink at using his claws, at once familiar and strange to me, to slash me into ribbons, yet I felt no fear. "Where is Orion?"
The question caught me off guard. I cocked my head, confused. I thought a moment, then remembered a book that I had read, just the week before. I looked around a moment, trying to recall what it had said. Spotting my query, I pointed. "There," I said, pointing into the heavens at the warrior constellation. I smiled at the dragon, proud of myself for answering his question so quickly. I was often told that dragons tested the wisdom of those who they met as a judge of character. I was sure that the dragon would be impressed by such a young cub knowing something like this. I was sorely disappointed. A gravelly growl cut the silence, and my smile vanished.
"Do you think that is funny? Do you take me for a fool, whelpling?" His voice boomed in the night. To this day, I have no idea what came over me. I looked him dead in the eye.
"Cub," I said. I was infinitely pleased that I had not stuttered on the word. The look on his face was priceless.
"What?"
"I said, 'Cub.' You called me a whelpling, that's incorrect. Juveniles of my species are referred to as cubs, not whelplings." At this point, I knew I was making him angry. Something in me was enjoying it. I did my best to look as sweet and innocent as was possible, while still refraining from laughter.
"Precocious child! You would dare to correct your elder? I had thought that I might spare you if you were helpful to me, but clearly that will not be the case." His violet eyes glowered at me. There was so much rage there. And then there started the whispering. He was speaking under his breath, but I heard the words loud as if spoken into my ear. Magic. This had just gotten more interesting. Fire flickered to life in his extended claw. A fireball. Neat.
I never even flinched. I didn't move or speak, I just told it to go away. The flame guttered out, as if caught in a strong gust. If his look before had been priceless, this was beyond description. He muttered the words again. Again I banished the flame with a quick flexing of my will. His eyes locked on mine and narrowed. "How are you doing that?"
"Doing what?" I didn't miss a beat. I was thoroughly enjoying this now, my innocent little facade. It was clear that he was not as clever or perceptive as my dragon was. Still, this was a dangerous game. I thought it best to quit while I was ahead. I focused the words of a spell in my mind, the whispering arising from within my own mind, though I never opened my mouth. The crimson dragon tried another spell, this time trying to strike me with raw force. I had just enough time between when it left his hand and when it would have hit me to give it a determined shove elsewhere. The water of the pool rippled as the spell passed over it. My spell complete, I turned and ran back to the cave, leaving the red dragon screaming a long list of words that I'd have to look up later and throwing spells at a perfect illusion of myself.
The dragon, my dragon, was sleeping heavily in his own room off the main chamber. I ran right in, using my full momentum to launch my comparatively tiny form up onto the small hill that he called a bed. I grabbed his arm, shaking it, trying to rouse him. "Hey, you gotta wake up," he wasn't stirring, so I shook harder, "there's another dragon and I kinda-maybe-sorta made him angry." I wasn't getting anywhere with this. Again, I reached for the spells that I had been taught, amplifying my voice. "HEY! C'MON! HOW CAN I BE DEPENDANT ON SUCH A LAZY DRAGON?!" My voice reverberated off the walls of the cave. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't stir. Then there was a groan and his eyes fluttered open.
"Why all the yelling? What's wrong, wolfling?" He sat up quickly at this last, apparently noticing my distress. I spilled out what had happened. When he looked at me blankly, I realized that between the speed with which I'd said it and my now prevalent stutter, he hadn't caught a word. I took a deep breath and repeated myself, taking care to make each word take the proper shape. "Another dragon? That's odd. Don't keep in touch with my family or.... oh, no..." He looked suddenly worried. He grabbed me around the shoulders and looked me in the eye. "Stay here, wolfling. Don't move from this very spot until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?" I nodded emphatically. I had never seen him move so fast. He didn't just run, he flexed his mighty wings to push himself faster out of the cave. I was suddenly alone in a dark room that I was not familiar with. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard an unearthly roar emanate from the mouth of the cave. The silence that followed was the longest of my short life. Thoughts raced through my head. What if he'd been attacked? The red dragon had certainly seemed none too kind. What if he was hurt or in trouble? Why was I still standing here when he might be in danger? That was enough to galvanize me into action. Again I called up my magic. The last thing I wanted was to be seen first.
I dashed out to the mouth of the cave, cloaked in my invisibility. I peeked around the mouth of the cave, being cautious just in case dragons could see through this kind of spell. I saw them facing each other in the moonlight. It didn't look like either of them was injured, though the red dragon seemed very tense and annoyed. I grinned to myself.
"What are you doing here, Sisyphus?" The black dragon broke the silence first. The air seemed suddenly very tense. There was an edge of a growl in my dragon's voice. My grin vanished.
"What I'm always doing when I seek you out, Orion. Trying to get you to come back home." The red dragon seemed pleading almost, his voice full of sadness.
"This is my home now. I have no place among my would-be brothers. I follow a path separate from theirs." The growl was more pronounced, now an audible lurking threat. The red dragon shook his head sadly. Sisyphus, my dragon had called him. I had never heard of a sisyphus, but my dragon seemed to know what he was talking about. The sisyphus raised his head, a more determined look set in his eyes.
"If you will not return willingly, then I will take you by force." Both dragons tensed suddenly, ready to pounce and claw. This didn't look like it was going to be a duel of spells and counter-spells. This looked to be bloody.
"NO!" They whirled in my direction, both caught off guard by my sudden outburst. I hardly realized I'd said it myself before I was barreling at the sysiphus. I heard the whispering again, coming from some corner of my mind. I left the ground, launching towards the crimson sysiphus, forgetting entirely that neither of them could see me. Just before I impacted the large scaled chest, I thrust my small paws forward. I felt something snap inside me, like popping a joint that was stiff but now moved more freely. "GO AWAY!" I yelled, a brilliant blue flash emanating from my now suddenly visible paws. The large being rocketed backwards into a tree, impacting with a satisfyingly audible thud. My momentum suddenly reversed, and whatever lift I'd had dissipated, I fell backwards, rolling to a stop at my dragon's feet.
"Wolfling... I told you to stay inside, didn't I?" He looked down at me, shaking his great scaled head. I smiled apologetically up at him.
"I thought he might have hurt you... or you might be in tr-trouble...," I found my feet and hugged him, tears falling down my face, struggling to speak through my sobs, "I-I-I don't w-want you to luh-leave!" The dragon laid a large black claw atop my head.
"I'm not going anywhere, wolfling. Least of all without you." His words were just above a whisper. I looked up at him, locking eyes in that way that had for so long been our primary form of communication. Promise?,_my eyes said. _Promise, his returned. I quieted down a little, the occasional sob still choking itself out. I relinquished my hold on him and wiped the tears from my face, and did my best to smile up at him, though I'm sure my eyes were still watery. I heard a shuffle behind me, and turned to see the crimson sysiphus getting to his feet. I had almost hoped he'd been knocked out. His claws clutched the back of his head, and there was fire in his eyes.
"That HURT you little whelp-"
"Cub." I corrected. If looks could kill, I'd have been dead on the spot. My dragon laughed. The full, deep laugh that seemed so much more common of late. I looked up at him, confused as to what was so amusing.
"Sisyphus," he said, "I don't think I'll be, heh, going with you this time. As you can see, I've acquired a rather protective little cub to care for." His face grew serious, then, the laughter flying from his eyes. "You are welcome to stay the night, I know how far you've flown. But in the morning you had best be on your way." The sisyphus looked defeated, staring down at the ground as my dragon proceeded to lecture him on the rudeness of calling someone from their bed at this hour of the night. I felt a sudden pang of sympathy. A thought occurred to me.
"Where is he gonna sleep?" I asked. My dragon looked at me, an odd little gleam in his eye.
"In your room." He said. I pondered briefly if he was joking, but his voice was serious as could be.
"Then, where am I going to sleep?" There wasn't the slightest chance I'd share a room with that irritable sisyphus.
"In my room." He smirked a little. I think I must have been making a face, because I couldn't think of any other reason for that lopsided grin of his.
My dragon scooped me up, cradling me against his scaled chest. The sisyphus followed us back into the cave proper. "So this whe-," I locked eyes with him, "cub is yours? Since when did you take in strays?" My dragon didn't bother to even pause.
"Leave it for the morning, Sisyphus. I do not need you setting him off again. You're probably tired, aren't you, wolfling?" I nodded sleepily, the warmth emanating from his scales making it very easy to begin dozing off. The sisyphus looked somewhat dejected. Clearly he was used to more attention than this. I felt a bit sorry for him, then. My dragon pointed to my little room off the main cave, turning to the sysiphus and saying, "You can sleep in there. You may join us for breakfast, but after that I want you to leave. It is late, I would advise you to rest now." The sysiphus looked rather put out, as if he was being lectured with every word.
We left him there in the main cave, retreating to the privacy of my dragon's room. When we were out of earshot of the sysiphus, my dragon shifted me in his arms. He held me tightly in a hug, nuzzling against my neck. I felt a bit of dampness, and I realized he was crying. "Do not ever do something like that again, wolfling. If you had been hurt or worse...," He didn't finish the thought. He held me tighter, and I wrapped my little arms around his neck, nuzzling back into him. "I don't know what I'd do without you here, wolfling."
I just nuzzled back, "I'm not going anywhere. Least of all without you." I smiled that I hadn't stuttered on it. I didn't want to get flustered and ruin the mood. I liked feeling this, close this... open with him.
He chuckled at my repetition of his words. "Such a clever little cub." He tousled my headfur, putting me down atop his hill of a bed. "Rest now, my wolfling." I shook my head. As sleepy as I was, there were things I'd been wanting to say, but didn't know how to approach. My dragon cocked his head, curiosity lighting his emerald eyes.
"C-can I ask you something?" I could feel my face beginning to heat, just thinking about the subject matter I was bringing up.
"You may ask me anything, wolfling, you know that. How are you to learn if you do not ask?" He put a large claw atop my head, and I reached up and took it in my little paws, pulling it down and holding it to my chest. I looked down at his black scales and white talons, contrasting against my grey fur.
"Can m-males mate? With other males, I mean." I didn't look up, afraid that he might be angry with me for asking such a thing. I shouldn't have worried.
"They can, though it works a bit differently than with females. Males don't have the same opening as females do, and that can complicate things a bit." I still refused to look away from my little paws gripping tightly to his claw.
"C-could we? Mate?" I felt the dragon flinch. His whole body tensing for just a moment before he regained his composure. I had been afraid he might react badly. I was so young, after all, why should he want that kind of bond with me?
"You know, wolfling, what that act signifies?" I nodded, my ears so flush with heat that he must have been able to see the scarlet of them even in the darkness. He leaned in, placing his muzzle against my forehead. "That is something you should save for someone special, with whom you will spend the rest of your life."
"B-but, I want to stay here with you. Forever." I nuzzled into his claw. I could feel the heat reaching my eyes. I was starting to cry again. "I don't want anyone else. We're happy here, aren't we? J-just you and me, here, in this cave..."
"You've really thought about this, wolfling?" I nodded. "Then if it is what you want, if you are sure that you can put up with this crotchety old lizard, I will be yours as you are mine." I looked up at him, not believing what I'd heard. He smiled at me warmly. I tackled him, my muzzle finding his. He recoiled a bit, before he began to return my attentions. I broke the kiss, my body feeling flush. "My, you're quite aggressive tonight, aren't you, wolfling?" I just gave my goofiest grin. My head was spinning, this couldn't be real. I didn't want to risk waking up from this dream before I'd accomplished all that I wanted to. I straddled his hips, bringing back memories of that night weeks ago, when my voice had returned to me. I shimmied my hips, my tail once again finding a firm pillar to wrap around. I locked eyes with my dragon, enjoying the pleased growl which emanated from his throat. I nuzzled against his chest, focusing on a spell once more. I gestured subtly with a my paw, and the cloths which separated us whisked across the room. The dragon smiled ruefully. "Very good, wolfling. You're * hiss * improving nicely." I grinned up at him. I needed too much focus to talk, and I had more important things to handle.
I spun around, landing with a little thwap across his hips. He leaned back, anticipating my actions. I began to lick around his shaft, trying to moisten the firm flesh, make it easier to work with my small muzzle. I didn't bother with timid licks, giving it long, sure strokes of my tongue. I felt him tensing with the contact. Suddenly, there was a yank on my tail. I slid back along his chest, now supporting myself with my arms due to the angle. I looked back to see a large black claw clutching my tail, lifting it up. He had a mischievous look on his face. "What are yo-OOOOH." My question was cut short as his tongue snaked its way into my tailhole. It seemed like it wouldn't be pleasant, but it felt so good. I returned my attentions to his throbbing member, my long strokes now laced with little gasps and moans. I was panting hard, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His claws traced along my back and sides, and everywhere he touched, fire shot through my body. His tongue withdrew. I looked back, trying to straighten my head out enough to tell him to keep going. Instead, I felt a different pressure applied to my rear. I moaned as a large talon pushed its way into me. I'd seen those claws cut through stone, but he was so gentle with me. I couldn't continue my ministrations, I just pawed at him a bit, reduced to a fuzzy puddle of gasps and moans and too much sensation. He withdrew his talon, and I looked back at him longingly.
"Want more?" As if he had to ask. I almost gave myself whiplash, I nodded so hard. "Turn around." I scrambled to comply, almost losing balance as the dragon sat up. I was back in his lap, straddling him again. I suddenly realized what he was about to do. I placed a paw on his chest, fingers splayed, my signal for him to wait. He paused, his head cocked to the side. I took a deep breath, trying to remember a spell I'd found in an old book behind one of the shelves. This wasn't it's original use, I imagine, but it would work wonderfully. I called it forth, and looked down at my paw, now covered with a thick gel. I reached back, doing my best to cover his girth fully. "Clever cub," he growled. He lifted me up, lowering me gently onto himself. Just before he entered, he locked eyes with me. A silent question. Are you sure? I simply nodded. I wanted this. So very badly. He pushed down on my hips. I gasped, my eyes seeing stars from the sudden stretching. I was reasonably sure that I couldn't take all of him, but I was certainly going to try. He paused a moment, seeing me wince as he pushed in further. I shook my head, bracing myself against his chest and pushing myself down. I shifted my hips forward to get better leverage. The small movement made him press up against something inside me. My legs turned to jelly. I convulsed, lost in a total sensory overload, a series of small squeaks escaping my muzzle. I bucked back against him, wanting more. "Easy wolfling, don't overdo it." His scaled arms wrapped around me and he rolled so that I was on my back and his huge form loomed over me. He placed a claw on my belly, and he began to whisper out a spell. I didn't know what it did, but it felt good. I didn't feel so stretched anymore, and there wasn't any unpleasant pinching sensations any more. Only the good feeling remained. I gasped and whimpered. My eyes found his, pleading. "As you wish, my mate." I smiled dreamily at the term, though it was quickly lost to gasps and moans as he began to thrust into me, a gentle angling of the hips causing him to hit against that spot time and time again. My world narrowed down to almost nothing. It was only him and myself, awash in a sea of sensation. That was all I needed. He set a steady pace, bringing me several times to a point of convulsions and squeaks. He gave a final thrust, and I felt his hips flush against my own. I'd taken all of him! And then he began to twitch inside of me, and my belly felt like it was filling with fire. It was hot, but it made me feel pleasantly full, and each twitch pushed up against that magical little spot. He growled deeply, his eyes screwed shut tight. He bucked against me, trying to push himself in even deeper. This drove me over the edge one last time, and he finally collapsed atop me.
He lifted himself onto his elbows, and kissed me again, deeply. I beamed at him. My head was a haze of pleasant feelings, physical and emotional. My eyes drank him in. Those emerald eyes, full of love and kindness, two brilliant points of light amid a sea of shadowy scales, visible in the darkness only because of their brilliant sheen. I noticed something odd in the reflection of those scales, and looked down to be sure that I was seeing things right. I was a bit startled to see my stomach bloated, apparently quite a bit more full of him than I had thought. He must have noticed my reaction. He nuzzled against my neck. "A spell to help your small frame... accommodate me. I do hope it wasn't entirely selfish." I looked up at him and shook my head smiling. I kissed him again, mostly just because I could. I delighted in the thought. He pulled out of me gently, and I could feel some of his goo oozing out before I tightened back up, locking it safely inside myself. I ran a paw tentatively over my distended stomach, enjoying the feeling of fullness. It looked like I'd just eaten too much food, and it might have looked like normal pudge on someone without my slender frame.
The dragon crawled onto the bed, curling around me. I nuzzled up against his warm scales. My nose wrinkled, no longer distracted by all the other sensations. "We smell funny," I said. The dragon looked down at me, a thoughtful look on his face.
"I suppose you're right, we do. Care to join me for a quick bath before bed?" His smile was warm, and it made me feel warm, like a thick blanket in the heart of winter.
"Yeah, but * umf * you're gonna have to carry me. I don't think my legs are working yet." I looked up at him, and his eyes were laughing. I glared at him.
The next morning, I woke up in that massive bed, alone. I stretched, my young form reaching up towards the cavernous ceiling. My sensitive nose detected a familiar scent wafting through the air, even over the tones of myself and the dragon which still clung to the cloth around me. Waffles. I hopped out of the bed, retrieving my waist cloth from the far side of the room.
In the kitchen, the sysiphus sat at the table on one side of the dragon-sized bench. The silence in the room was palpable. I slid onto the bench opposite the sisyphus, doing my best to grin up at him. He just scowled at me. In the light of day, he looked every bit a dragon. His scales were crimson as ruby, and his eyes the deep violet of amethyst. I couldn't see the difference in species. "What's the difference between a dragon and a sys-sysi-sypha..." I trailed off, giving up on the word before I embarrassed myself further. I looked to my dragon for assistance. He didn't even turn around.
"Sysiphus," he offered, focusing on his preparation of the meal.
"Yeah, that one." The sysiphus looked at me with something between disbelief and affront. "What?," I said, "I don't see the difference. Is it just a lineage thing, like with dogs and wolves?"
"No, no, wolfling," my dragon chuckled. "Sysiphus isn't a what, but a who. He's a dragon. It's his name, not his species."
"What's a name?" This concept intrigued me. Was it more specific than a species? My dragon was silent for a moment.
"It's like a book title, but for a being. Every book has a title, which I suppose you could also call the book's name. It helps us differentiate between different people when talking to more than one at once, among other uses." The dragon called Sysiphus shook his head, his jaw slack.
"Does everyone have one?" I'm sure Sysiphus was annoyed with my questions, but I knew my dragon would answer them all.
"Most do, though I imagine in some places they may not bother with them. We don't use them much around here, for example." I thought that last redundant. It was obvious to me, but after a moment I realized he'd said it for Sysiphus's benefit. Something dawned on me.
"D-do you have a name?" I felt a bit of a sinking feeling. I knew the answer before it even left his lips.
"Yes. My name is Orion." I looked at Sisyphus. It finally clicked for him why I'd acted the way I had, I think.
"I am so sorry, S-sisy-sisyphus. I had no idea that you w-weren't looking for the con-conste- the group of stars." I scowled at my stutter becoming prominent in front of the crimson dragon, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I heard my dragon, Orion, I should say, laughing behind me. Sisyphus cradled his head in one claw, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"It's not your fault, cub. You apparently didn't even know what a name was, much less that the old coot here shared the name of a constellation. I'm... sorry for flipping out on you." The words seemed to pain him a little.
"Ooooh, was that an apology, Sisyphus? Careful, your masters might think you're going soft on them." Orion brought plates over, each with a large waffle, steaming hot and lathered with a heavy cream. He placed one in front of each of us, giving my headfur a customary tousle as he did so. Sysiphus glared at him, but Orion just chuckled. Silence filled the room for a bit while we ate.
"So, you going to fill me in on the cub's story?" Sisyphus looked seriously at Orion, who continued to shove great forkfuls of waffle into his maw.
"Not much to tell. Found him near frozen to death in that freak storm a few years back. Asked around the nearby villages, and nobody was missing a cub. I assumed he was traveling with his parents when the storm hit and got separated. I tried to spread the word, but no one ever came asking after him. He doesn't remember anything before that, so it's not like I could look for his home village. There must be a couple hundred wolf settlements on this continent. I took him in, and in return he keeps me company. Gets lonely out here in the boonies." Every sentence was punctuated with a forkful of waffle. I had no idea how he could talk and still eat that quickly. It held its own disturbing fascination.
"I had no idea you were such a softie, Orion. Old age has made you weak, it seems." Sisyphus shook his head, eyes flitting over me, sizing me up. I pretended not to notice and diligently shoveled more waffle into my muzzle. I was pretty hungry after the exertions of the previous night.
"Be sure to tell the blasted council that in your report." Orion smiled ruefully at the other dragon. Sisyphus snorted a bit.
The waffles devoured, Orion and I performed our usual clean up routine, albeit with one more set of dishes. Orion and Sysiphus stood at the mouth of the cave for a bit, talking in whispers. When I tried to move within earshot, Orion gave me a look that I knew better than to argue with. I waited, doing my best not to fidget about, but not wanting to stray too far in case I was needed. Orion waved me over after a while.
"I think you two need to have a talk before Sysiphus leaves." He looked pointedly at me. Apparently one apology wasn't enough. He vanished into his room, presumably shuffling about with some of his papers. I turned to Sisyphus.
"I'm sorry again for the confusion. I had no idea..." I trailed off. Something about his eyes put me on guard. There was malice there, like there had been in the copse.
"Oh, you don't need to apologize, little cub. You'll be very sorry soon enough. Once the council finds out that Orion is sheltering a wolf cub, a magic user, no less, they'll come down on him. And I'll be there to watch them drag you from him, kicking and screaming." His grin was wide and condescending. I felt anger begin to build in my chest. "You may have gotten a lucky punch in yesterday, 'wolfling', but you don't have the experience or the power to take me in a fair fight. I wonder what Orion will scream as they carry you away? I wonder how little he actually cares for you that he hasn't even given you a proper name-" Sysiphus flew backwards into the wall of the cave. I hadn't even realized I'd cast the spell. I felt fire coursing through my veins. I'd never been so angry. "Why you little.... I'll kill you." He inhaled deeply, a gout of flame erupting from his maw. I held up one arm, the flames dissipating before they so much as singed my fur. "As expected from a caster trained by a dragon." What he didn't expect, apparently, was the fireball from the other hand catching him full in the face. He stumbled backwards, landing on his backside.
I loomed over him. I must have been floating a good three feet off the ground, wind pulled around me in a vicious spiral. Fire gathered into my outstretched palms. I looked down into his violet eyes, suddenly wide with fear. I saw myself reflected: A grey wolf cub, cloaked in wind and flame, two points of vivid red glowing like embers set in my face. I thought this should bother me, but if it scared him, so be it. He barely rolled to the side as I scorched the cave floor where he had been.
"Wolfling!" I heard the word, but it didn't register in my brain.
"You've come into my home, you disrupt my peace, and now you threaten to take away the only home, the only happiness, I've ever known. You are despicable. Lower than low. Your threats are meaningless, because you will never live to see them fulfilled. That is not a threat, Sysiphus. That is a promise." The voice was not my own, though it came from my lips. It was like the unearthly roar I'd heard the night before shaped into words. It felt powerful, and it clearly affected the red dragon scampering before me. I readied my flames, reflecting briefly on the irony of bringing harm to a dragon with fire. A dark shape obscured my target. No matter, I thought, there is fire enough for the both of them.
"Wolfling!" The word gave me pause. Something bothered me about that dark shape.
"Orion?" This time it was my own voice. He nodded. I let the spells go. I fell to the ground, tears quickly forming in my eyes. I'd almost done the very thing I was condemning Sysiphus for threatening. "W-what just happened?" He scooped me up quickly, holding me to his warm scales as I dissolved into tears. This was becoming a bad habit.
Orion turned to Sisyphus. "Go. Now. You've done enough damage, don't you think, whelpling?" He looked as if that last word had been a physical slap across the face.
"The council will hear about this, Orion. I won't forgive this." He did his best to look defiant, but under the glare of Orion, that can be remarkably difficult.
"Yes, please be sure to tell them about how a lone wolf cub overpowered you, countered all of your spells, and left you groveling on the floor of a cave. I'm sure they'll praise you for your honesty." Orion didn't wait for a reply, gesturing sharply with his free claw, sending Sysiphus rocketing out of the mouth of the cave. "Are you okay, wolfling?"
"H-he s-said that you didn't c-care enough to g-give me a name..." I clung to him, my dragon, my solace and my comfort. My Orion.
"That little... I should go beat him senseless myself." I shook my head violently. I didn't ever want to see him again. Orion was still here, and he cared enough to hold me, and that was all I needed. My tears ceased. Orion was looking at the scorch marks on the floor thoughtfully. "Would you like a name, wolfling? Something you can call yourself?" I looked at him, a bit incredulous. I nodded. "How about Sirius?"
"The d-dog star?" I knew it was a star in the constellation of canis major. I thought it an odd choice for a wolf. Orion just smiled at me.
"They only call it that because of the constellation. The name itself means something different. It means 'glowing' or," he gestured to the marks on the floor, a wry smile on his face, "it also means 'scorcher'." I smiled. It was perfect. I began to giggle a little bit. "I didn't think it was that funny..." I just grinned up at him.
"Hello, Orion. I'm Sirius." He smiled then, too. He put me down and extended a claw, which soon encased my diminutive paw, giving a gentle shake.
"Hello, Sirius, it's a pleasure to meet you." We both laughed. It was a silly thing, but we'd had a stressful morning and it felt good to laugh. We spent all that day, and many that followed, in the library. Learning and laughing together. Our nights were shared in just the one room, as I couldn't sleep well without his presence any more. Just as Orion and Sirius dwelt near each other in the heavens, so too did we who shared their names live on earth. And like the stars in the sky, we were beyond the reach of any who tried to capture us.