{"sf1_id":611705,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Waiting for Boredom","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":3710,"posted_at":"2013-11-09T14:14:00.000Z","tags":["Dragon","Horse","Human","Story Progression","gopher"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/611705-waiting-for-boredom","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/611705","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=611705\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#18 of Robbin Red\n\nWrote the bare essence of this while in Chicago. Couldn't help myself. Nothing fancy, just one bit to connect to another bit.","content":"\n  Two weeks passed and with it seven changes in\nform for Sybeele. That meant seven new bodies for her husband to run through\ntheir paces. He took it like a man every time. Overall, things had settled down\na bit. They had nearly forgotten about the pirates, and more seriously, little\nPomfrey. Therefore they were rather startled in the middle of their love making\none evening when the little banker suddenly appeared in their bedroom. At first\nit was hard to say who was more alarmed. Then he realized he was back in his\nhome town and dropped to the floor crying.\n Jon-Tom\nwas in the middle of something he very much wanted to stay in the middle of,\nbut his wife pushed him off, dressed herself with a flick of her wrist and\ndropped down next to Pomfrey. \"What is it little one? After two weeks, you can't\nbe terrified of your equals anymore. I sense something more serious.\"\n His\neyes narrowed when he recognized her. He should have been terrified. He wasn't.\n\"You, madam, are a bitch of the highest degree. However, I get the feeling you\nnever meant me any harm. We will discuss this little episode at a later date.\nRight now, I believe we have bigger problems.\"\n Her own\neyes widen at being called a bitch, but she restrained herself. \"What is there\nthat could be worse than me, little one?\" He looked from her to Jon-Tom, who\nwas still lying on the bed sporting an enormous hard-on.\n \"This\ntown nearly came to ruin when this fool of a human drank that brew that turned\nhim into a dragon. But we have a bigger problem. A real dragon! A huge, ugly,\nfire breathing monster! The thing settled on that scrap of sand you left me on\nand began eating those pirates. That didn't bother me in the least.\" He got\nthoughtful for a moment. \"And I'll have you know I resent being classified as\none of them. I may be less than admirable, but I never killed another being in\nmy life. Business is, after all, business and hard to conduct when your client\nis dead.\"\n Sybeele\nwas about to spell him away. Jon-Tom ran interception. \"A dragon? They aren't\nthat common, even in my time.\" Pomfrey's eyes narrowed again. \"Your time?\"\n The\nspellsinger tapped his wife on the shoulder. \"Uh, would you mind getting me\ndressed? It'll be less awkward.\" He was no sooner done speaking when he felt a\ncotton shirt and leather pants against his skin. \"Thanks!\"\n He\nturned to the banker. \"We'll discuss what happened to you at a later date.\nHowever, I'm warning you now that whatever protest you make will be met with\nthe same graciousness you've shown people under your sway. Do I make myself\nclear?\"\n \"Yes\nsir, you do. But my life will be worth nothing, as will all of ours, if that\ndragon heads this way. In all the histories, there has only been mention of one\ndragon, old Maarteel. He was neither a friend nor an enemy. We had a mutual\ncause in those murderous insects. But he had to eat. Do you know what they fed\nhim?\"\n It\nwasn't a trick question, but it didn't have an immediate answer. He supplied\nit. \"They emptied the jail to feed him. Murderers, rapists, burglars; when they\nran out of those they started looking for anyone that didn't make the grade. This\nnew dragon won't have any qualms about eating everyone, without pausing to see\nif they are quality or not. I have no intention of sticking around to see what\nhappens. If you changed into a dragon once, go back and drink more of that\nbrew. Otherwise, we'll never be able to defend ourselves.\"\n Sybeele\nwas ready with a retort, but her husband held up his hand. \"That island is a\nfair ways off. Why do you think that dragon will head here? I think we are\nprepared to handle it regardless, but it may continue on down the coast.\"\n Pomfrey\ndropped to the floor in exhaustion. \"The thing was questioning those it ate,\nbefore it ate them. It wanted to know where the other dragon was. Well, those\nstupid sailors were terrified beyond reason, and were too cowed to properly\ngive directions to the town. I hid, and prayed, and promised to turn over a new\nleaf, and so here I am I guess. But if that thing makes landfall, I won't have\ntime to take a bath, much less make amends.\"\n He\nstarted to sob and instinctively reached for his hanky and was startled to find\nit. He patted himself down. He was back to being dressed in his finery. He\nwiped away the tears. \"Oh, thank you, thank you!\"\n Sybeele\nwas less than gracious. \"Don't thank me. I want this big brute to know that it's\neating a fine, soft, rich, good-for-nothing banker if it comes down to that.\nNow get out!\" \n He\nscampered from their bedroom, and his light footfalls could be heard pattering\ndown the stairs. The door opened, and then slammed shut. She looked at him. \"I\nthink I can handle a simple thing like a dragon. But I wonder how it heard\nabout you? It's not like anyone much leaves here except the fisherman. And for\nthat matter, why is it in this area? Perhaps it's just lonely?'\n Jon-Tom\nremembered Falezemar. He was lonely because he was a socialist. Overall, he was\na good hearted dragon, but in the end, he was still a dragon. And dragons had\nto eat. This one apparently didn't take to finding sustenance in the ocean. A\npity really, considering the size of some of the unintelligent species that\nabounded there. \n \"Lonely?\nDragons are few and far between in my time, much less now. I'm certain it is\nlonely. Maybe you'd better transform me and allow me to investigate. The sooner\nwe get to the bottom of this mystery, the better off we'll be. And yes, I know\nyou have to power to handle it. But if you go using it all the time, you'll\nsoon be as bad as Eve, using it to solve her problems instead of using her\nhead.\"\n His\nwife was prepared to argue. It dawned on her he was correct. If she was going\nto use magic, why not change him into the dragon one more time? It wasn't\nlikely he would come to harm from one of his own. If he did, she would be\nthere, on the fringe, in case the matter got to be too hot to handle. \"Alright\ndear. You'd better step outside. I think my bedroom mood is rather in shambles anyway.\"\n\n They\nwalked downstairs, out into the open air and breathed in the crisp air. He gave\nher a dainty little kiss on the cheek. \"I'll see you in a few hours. I can't\nimagine this will take longer than that to resolve this little problem. If it\ndoes take longer, you'll know, I'm sure.\"\n The\nchange in his body was immediate. Wings sprouted, scales formed, and a furnace\nstoked in his belly. With a spring he launched into the air, reaching the\nclouds within ten wing beats. In another five he was heading back to that\nlittle spit of land sitting in the middle of the ocean. As he flew, he wondered\nat all the trouble and difficulty he was having. He didn't mind; not really,\nbut he had understood that this job was supposed to be perfunctory. Here he was\na dragon again, going to investigate the presence of another dragon who was\neating pirates like hors d'ouerves. He wasn't too worried about the pirates.\nThey were the worst kind of scum, and they were fortunate in not being eaten because\nof his personal morality. Apparently this other dragon had no scruples when it\ncame to lunch.\n When he\ncame within sight of the island, he could see smoke rising. Since there was no\nvolcano, it seemed to confirm the presence of another fire breather. He wasn't\ncertain how he felt about that. It would be the first time he would be pitting\nhimself in an even fight, should it come down to that. It gave him mental goose\nbumps.\n Along\nthe shoreline the palm trees were smoldering, and the undergrowth was scorched\nand blackened. He half expected to see dead bodies strewn around, but then\nremembered that they would not have gone to waste. He glided with his wings\nlocked for about a mile before he found his quarry. It was sleeping in a pile\nof glowing coals, the remains of trees, huts and victims.\n Circling\nfor a few minutes, he took the time to decide how to broach the inevitable\nmeeting between them. The one laying there asleep appeared to mass more than he\ndid. That made him cautious. He chuckled to himself that that was the first\ntime he had entered anything with the slightest trepidation. \"Oh the heck with\nit. It's now or never!\" he muttered. He dropped like a rock, back peddling in\nthe air just before he touched down. Ashes and sparks flew skyward.\n The\nother woke from its slumber. Its head came up, displacing burning bits and\nsmoldering leaves. \"Oh ho! I did smell another of my kind, born on the winds\nthat cross the sea. Strange tho. I thought most of dragon kind be dead or\nworse. The last dragon to inhabit these parts was ole Maarteel. Now he knew how\nto show a girl a good time!\"\n Jon-Tom\nfound the situation had just taken a turn for the worse. Not only was he facing\na larger dragon, he was facing a female one. Roseroar had made a lovely dragon,\nbut this thing was obviously old and more than a bit gnarled. He wouldn't say\nugly exactly, just tired and worn looking. It also didn't help that she had a\nbit of burnt flesh stuck to her lip.\n \"Hello!\nMy name is Jon...Aiden Drake. I'm not originally from these parts.\" \n She\nstood and began circling him, sniffing and mumbling. \"Curiouser and curiouser.\nMethinks you are not what you seem to be, Jon Aiden Drake. Methinks you stink\nof something other than dragon. And I'm no fool. Aiden used to mean fire in\nanother tongue. Drake needs no explanation. My own name is hardly draconian in\nnature.\"\n His\ninterest in her changed. \"I normally go by Jon-Tom. Aiden Drake was a nickname\ngiven to me by the locals after I accidentally turned into a dragon. So yes,\nI'm not a real dragon.\"\n She\nchuckled. \"Not a real dragon. Oh honey pie; you're a real dragon, just not a\nnatural one. Neither am I. Perhaps you've heard of me? Everyone used to know me\nfrom one end of this ocean to the other. Then came the war with the Plated\nFolk.\" She paused for effect. \"My name is Almachtigah. You can call me Alma for\nshort.\"\n Sadly,\nthe name meant nothing to him. He was four hundred years in the past, and on a\ndifferent world. He knew a lot, but he didn't know everything. He had come\nclose once, but it overloaded his brain. Besides, if you knew everything, what\nfun would there be left in life? Well, besides sex.\n He made\na little bow. \"I'm sorry to say I've never heard of you.\" Before she could\nprotest, he held up his hand. \"I'm not from this time, and I'm not from this\nworld. So don't take it personally. There are many things I'm ignorant of.\"\n \"Different\ntime and different world... Let's say I believe you, which I don't. What world\nand what time are you from?\"\n He\nsighed. \"My home world is called Earth. I'm presently some four hundred years\nin the past; my past. From the time I came to this world it's about three\nhundred years in the past, more or less.\"\n She\nsnorted a bit of flame in his direction. \"You seem awfully unsure of yourself.\nCan't you be more accurate?\"\n He\ngrinned. \"Lady, if you ever get yanked from your own world and drawn into\nanother, and then release an all-too-happy-to-meddle goddess who happens to be\nable to time travel; see how well you can keep track of the years. I'm over a\nhundred now, with no end in sight.\"\n Alma\nunfurled her wings. \"OK. For argument's sake I'll believe you. Ain't gonna be\nno harm in doing so. But what's you doin' as a dragon? And what are you when\nyou ain't wearin' scales?\"\n \"Human.\nThat's how I was born, and that's how I hope to die. But life has seen fit to\nthrow me into all sorts of situations, and this present one is just another in\na long line of interesting predicaments.\" \n She\nsnorted again, this time a little hotter. \"Human? Ain't no human's ever had no\npower. Magic was done by the blessed folk. But then, maybe times changed\nthings; who's to tell? I wasn't a dragon until we found out they were effective\nagainst the Plated Folk. It took all me magic to do it, but I managed it.\nProblem was, once the war was over, I couldn't change back, and no wanted to\nhelp poor Alma. Tends to make you bitter. Of course, old Maarteel made life a\nbit more interesting, but even he died in the end. Me, I don't know what I did,\nbut I seem to age much slower. Life gets to be tough when there's no end in\nsight.\" Then she jerked her head in his direction. \"You said that too! How\ncome?\"\n He\nsighed. \"We can discuss that later. How long have you been a dragon?\"\n She\nlooked skyward as she answered. \"Since the war. So I suppose about as long as\nyou've been alive. I'd give about anything to turn back to myself, grow old,\nand die. Of course, a few children would be nice.\" She looked up at him. \"You\nknow, you and I might be able to fix that little problem right now!\"\n He\nbacked up a bit. \"The offer is nice, but I'm committed to another right now.\"\nHe mumbled something she couldn't quite hear.\n \"What\nwas that?\"\n He\nchoked on his own smoke. \"I was saying that I'm married now, and that I have\nmany wives back in my own time. And I really don't need to have dragon cubs\nflying about setting fire to the landscape. I don't think I'd be doing anyone\nany favors. You see, when I'm not a dragon, I happen to be the mayor of\nHobarrow.\"\n Her\neyes narrowed. \"Hobarrow. I didn't realize I was that close to home. I wonder\nif any of the wizard's guild from my time is still alive. I am still hungry\nafter all.\"\n He\nstood up on his back legs, trying to be intimidating. She only laughed. \"Oh sit\ndown, you idiot. I was joking. Do ya think I wouldn't recognize vermin when I\nfound them?\" She was referring to the pirates. \"I have nothing against nobody.\nI knew it was a fool thing to do when I did it, transforming meself, but the\nwarmlanders needed all the help they could get. I just didn't think I'd be\nstuck for the rest of me life. And what a life its been. Spent twenty years at\nGortholem prison as chief executioner. I don't have bad taste, just a taste for\nthe bad I guess.\" She chuckled ruefully.\n During\nall this he had been thinking. \"Alma, would you be willing to change back if you\ncould?\"\n She\nlowered her eyes to glare at him. \"Don't go offering up what you can't deliver\nyou naked ape. Then again, you aren't what you seem to be, so someone or\nsomething is making changes.\" She was silent for a bit. \"You know, now that the\noffer is made, I'm not certain. The things I've done as a dragon are not bad...if\nyou think of me as a dragon. But if I change back, those things will be viewed\nin a whole other light. I'll be trading one misery for another. I'll have to\ndebate with meself for a bit. Would you mind coming back tomorrow?\" He made a\nbow and flew off, back towards the mainland.\n When he\ngot home, his present form drew some excited attention. It was in part due to\nPomfrey, who was running around declaring doom. When Jon-Tom was recognized for\nwho he was, the townsfolk began berating the little gopher. Sybeel stepped\nbetween him and them, turned to her husband, who in a blink reverted back to\nhis normal self. That drew gasps from the crowd. Before they could question\nhim, he blurted out, \"There is another dragon. She is not going to come here\nand cause destruction. I have offered to help her with a problem. At this\nmoment, she is deciding whether or not to take it. So for now, go home. As you\ncan see, I have matters under control.\"\n There\nwas a lot of grumbling, but they did finally disperse, with the exception of\none. Huntchy stood his ground. \"A dragon is nothing to take lightly. Look at\nthe harm you did without even trying! Who is this beast that she would want or\nneed our help?\"\n Jon-Tom\neyed his wife. \"Since you'll be the biggest part of this, what say you walk\nwith us? Huntchy may have some valuable insight into this matter and his\nhistorical knowledge may prove invaluable.\" She shrugged in a what-else-do-I-have-to-do\nmanner and fell in step.\n \"This\ndragon is real, no doubt about that, but she's about as natural a dragon as am\nI. She's apparently an old wizard or sorceress from the same time as Maarteel\nand the old Plated Folk wars. According to her story, she turned herself into a\ndragon to help fight, and when it was all over, she was unable to change back.  She's been roaming the world since, if I get\nher story correctly. I told her we could help.\"\n The\nhorse was thinking this out. \"There were a number of wizards who put their\nlives on the line for the defense of our survival. There was Kertoy, Mellomin,\nPreebo, and Almachtigah. They all died protecting the warmlanders from the\ninvasion.\"\n Jon-Tom\njumped. \"That last one. Tell me about him!\"\n \"Not\nhim; her. There were very few powerful female wizards, but she was an\nexception. Of course, her very nature was imbued with magic. Stories say she\nresented others who could do magic. Other stories claim the other wizards\nshunned her for her abilities. My family has a story that says she was\nbeautiful and selfless. I think perhaps I even have a painting of her at the house.\nShe had beautiful gray eyes and the longest white hair flowing down her neck.\nBut it was painted after the war and with nothing but a description to go on.\nIt was said she used her magic until it ran out. For the average person, that\nwould be like bleeding out from a wound.\"\n \"Alma...\nWho would have guessed?\" It was Jon-tom mumbling to himself. \n \"Alma?\"\nAsked Sybeele. \"Almchtigah? Are you saying this dragon is a long lost wizard?\nBut that doesn't make any sense. Why would she leave this place if it was her\nhome?\"\n Jon-Tom\ncoughed. \"A dragon has to eat, doesn't it? She could hardly stay and eat her\nfriends and relatives. She left to keep the peace. She even was the executioner\nat some prison place or another.\"\n Huntchy\nlooked green. \"You cannot possibly be talking about the real Almachtigah! She\nwas peaceful, and kind, and would harm no one! She might have turned into the\nappearance of a monster, but she would never have become one.\"\n He\nwould have remarked more, but a gust of wind nearly knocked them over. No\nnatural wind, it was the back draft from dragon wings. In a rather stern voice,\nshe spoke directly to Huntchy. \"Monster? A dragon is no more a monster for\nfollowing its life cycle than you are for following yours. It's true that things\nhave been done I ain't proud of, but I've done me best to alleviate them, if\nyou know what I mean.\"\n Jon-Tom\nwas a bit surprised. \"I thought you wanted a day to think about it! Why are you\nhere already?\" \n \"Well\nape-boy, I'm tired. As it is, I may keep going for centuries longer. I may not\nconsider myself a monster, but I'm tired of surviving in a manner unbefitting\nsomeone of my birth. Your equine friend is rather correct in his remembrance of\nmy former self. That is why when I needed to eat, I ate criminals. I have a low\ntolerance for the evil and twisted and heartless. But they do digest. You'd be\nsurprised the depths you'll stoop to survive.\n Sybeele\nhad been content to listen. She put out a hand and brushed her fingertips down\nthe rough and ragged scales. She stopped and smiled. \"I try not to judge too\nharshly. My husband here has done things he's not proud of, but he saved my\nlife in doing them. I would hope he doesn't feel the need to apologize too much\nfor his actions. There are always going to be bad people out there. Some will\nchange, most will not. It's good to know that there's some good use for those\nof the latter persuasion. As for changing you back; I can do it whenever you're\nready.\"\n The\ndragon could feel a little electricity already running through her body. \"Just\nlike that? No incantations or powders? You must have far greater power than I\never had if you can change me without the proper preparations! If you can do\nit, then waste no time. I'd prefer to be back to meself sooner rather than\nlater!\"\n She had\nhardly spit those words out when she felt the internal wrenching. Her vision\nblurred and when she could see clearly again, it was from a much lower center\nof gravity. She looked from one to another and smiled. The human female smiled\nback, but the two males just gaped. Of them, the horse fainted and fell over. \n"}