Friday, January 27, 2012

A Dragon and his Booty...


“One…two…three, six…seven…eight, twelve…twenty-four…”  I paced across the dusty cave floor, comforted by the rhythmic sound of her fellow dragons counting their loot.  There were very few rules when it came to dragons, but, the “A” number one was never come between Dragon and his treasure.

Limbs and lives were lost when a dragons treasure was threatened.

Even now Holt sat counting the treasure that matched his scaly hide — cold hard cash, glittering emeralds, and green M&M’s of every variety. 

“Hey, Holty…how about a sweet for the lovely lady dragon?” Yes, I do call them like I see them, I am damn lovely, but as I expected my request was answered with a puff of nostril smoke and a really hairy eyeball. The look was impressive, but the smoke coming out of that handsome human face was scary as hell.

“Here, Flame…” I reached out and grabbed the hundred he’d peeled off the towering mass of bills. “Go away and leave me alone.”  

I know I should be surprised, a dragon giving away riches rather than a silly piece, or two, of candy, but I was starting to wonder if the candy was being hoarded for someone special.  Ever since arriving in this town, littered with shapeshifters and rumored to have a link to underwater worlds, the males in my group have gotten weirder.  They’d become more introspective and the treasure hording had increased tenfold. 

One would think they smelled their mates on the horizon, or in the deep blue.

Another example of oddness is Ice.  A gorgeous and I do mean drop dead, legs in the air gorgeous, blue dragon on the other side of the cave.  He stood knee deep in precious metals.  Gold, silver, and a wide assortment of other shiny cold bits of wealth surrounded him, but it was the crystal containers and the mixture of baubles that he counted higher and higher.  

“Icicles…I lifted—” Note that I say lifted, see dragons don’t buy anything, we take it because really, whose gonna stop us? “—this awesome smelling perfume yesterday.  It’s ala naturally ingredients and made specifically not to bother asthmatics, so do you have a bottle I can put it into?  A really nice one, hopefully, with a little ball thingy to make it squirt?”

“Back away from the bottles…NOW.” There was death in the eyes that lifted to mine, my death, and all over a silly crystal perfume bottle.  Yet even as I moved away he threw me a bar of silver, which I of course took.  Treasure is treasure and a good dragon never ignores a new piece…no matter how it is obtained.

Besides, I would need all the riches I could get my hands on to win, and keep, the object of my affection.  I turned to the final male of our group, a short, dull brown, and spectacle wearing dragon named Percy. 

Percy was what the human world coined a nerd, but I called him perfect.  He was smart—so smart, sweet, understanding, and tender.  He was also incredibly clueless.

“Hey there, Percy,” I purred in my dragon way, low and grumbly, sex infusing every word. “What’cha doing?”

“Thirty-six, forty-eight…” Like I couldn’t tell as he continued to count his hordes.  More like crap if you asked me, but I tried to not let it faze me.  This would be my mate someday so it would be best for me to get used to seeing comic books, text books and—oh volcanic fires—matchbooks.  What kind of dragon stockpiles matches?  He could breathe fire from his nostrils and he hordes matches.    

I had to also wonder, if the rumors were true and there were more of our kind living beneath the blue, how would Percy manage his treasure?  Books would not survive the sea just as matches could not light under water.  His treasure would forever remain topside, as would her sweet Percy.

This town of Talbot’s Peak, with its shifters, humans and word has it gods, would become her home—unless she could convince her sweetie to change his obsession.

“Percy, my love, how do you feel about diamonds?”

“Sixty, seventy-two, eighty-four…”

***

Friday, January 27th Headline news on the Guts & Butt’s online edition…

Spontaneous combustion, glowing embers or something else starts forest fire on mountain face.  The town would like to thank the Phant family—Ella and her boy’s— for being quick to the site with water.  Few trees were lost, but odd rumblings emanated from a cave close by.  Use caution for daily runs.

~~~

 Thanks to my fellow blog mates for suggesting dragon week!  I always have so much fun playing with my fire-breathing friends!  Have a great weekend!

Serena

9 comments:

Pat C. said...

I swear, the stories have been getting better and better all week long. "Drop dead, legs in the air gorgeous" -- that's what I'm talking about! And hoarding green M&Ms? We all know what those do ...

Aww, a nerdy dragon. With COMIC BOOKS!!!!! If he's got the complete run of the 1960s X-MEN, I'll marry him.

Savanna Kougar said...

Serena, the dragons are here! Yahoo. Talk about aerial protection. It's the Year of the Dragon in Talbot's Peak. Loved your flash.

Pat, now there's a story. Human woman tracks down 1960s X-MEN comics and ends up marrying dragon.

Yep, I have to agree, better and better...

I'm trying to think of a way to describe our Talbot's Peak. This is what I have so far.

The International and Intergalactic Gathering is here... shapeshifters, supernaturals, superheroes, goddesses and gods, and, of course, humans.

But, does that cover fairies, unicorns, and other so-called mythical beings/creatures?

Savanna Kougar said...

Okay, who's going to write the Phant family?

Pat C. said...

Those may come under "supernaturals" or "paranormals." Maybe "mythicals" could be a new category. I'd hate to be a Census taker in that town.

Wait a minute, I WAS a Census taker in 2010. I may have Monday's blog. (What race would a nude purple fairy be? He sure isn't white, black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. "Other"?)

Serena Shay said...

Oh Pat, no doubt Percy has a complete run of the 1960 X-MEN comics...they are his treasure, after all. ;) You may have to go head to head with Flame though, but bring something glittery and you might divert her attention long enough to set the trap. hehe

Yep, green M&M's. I can't wait to get a glimpse of Holt's mate...whispers say she might just be allergic to chocolate or whatever dye they use in the green ones, oh that would be perfect! lol

~Snerk~ purple fairy is definitely an other...the fact that he allows himself to continually be painted by his cousin sees to that!

Serena Shay said...

Thanks Savanna! Love the description of Talbot's Peak, as for all the others in town I like mythicals. :)

Savanna Kougar said...

A census taker would have to watch her/his behind in Talbot's Peak, given many of the residents came to our fair shapeshifter town to escape the system, and to keep themselves safe from THOSE who would want to know about them to harm/kill/use them for experimentation purposes.

Savanna Kougar said...

I'll include mythicals... it's just so cool sounding.

Solara said...

Great banter and flash Serena!