Treasure

Emil by  OuendanCyrus
Sini by  Sini



Sound asleep, the dragon dreamt of catching fish, tapping his toes against the cavern floor. A tongue whisked its way out of his lips, flickering hungrily. And with it his tail swooshed in the backdrop light of the cave. Sini wasn’t expecting any visitors and preferred it that way on this cold quiet night--a warm, unbothered setting. In the center of his curl lay dozens of treasures and tidbits he guarded cautiously. For a second he awoke, then yawned. Then he turned to his other side and fell back asleep. So was the night.

Clutching his map tightly, the young wolf cautiously made his way up the slope at the side of the mountain, it was already dark, the night young and pleasantly watching over the treetops with the occasional sound of owls hooting in the distant. Emil looked up over his map and smiled to himself as he spotted the cave entrance just in front of him, he was surprised at the accuracy of the map, there was no doubt in his mind that he would find unimaginable riches within. And so the lupine carefully stepped inside the cavern and began to slowly follow the tunnel, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

There was sensitivity to his ears. They perked up; he could tell that something was amiss, even in sleep. Sini did not budge. But he shifted a little and uttered a low growl, reverberating across the cavern and into the thin tunnel lines. One paw clutched at the hoard of treasure beneath it. Everything was there. So there was no need to panic and he’d not yet awaken. For a time a routine persisted in this way. Sini slept, and his dreams of fishing with his forepaws into the river by the village continued. There were lots of koi and lots of salmon. And maybe even some trout! And yet there was that eery feeling that footsteps were creeping closer, closer, from the forest in this dream.

Emil heard the growl and paused, unsure what to make of it, having never heard a dragon growl before didn't help either, he thought it might have just been rocks scraping together or falling over outside, maybe it was just a small animal... regardless the wolf decided to be slightly more aware, crouching slightly and moving at a much slower pace, every now and then he would look down at his map just to make sure, even in the dark he could see the inked outlines of the mountain and the forest by the lake, this had to be the right place... the drawing began to become clearer as it became brighter as he walked, the faint light illuminating his view... light? The wolf looked up from his map and had to stop himself from gasping out in surprise; right there, before him, a gigantic mass of black and purple scales... was a dragon deep in slumber, and all around the room... gold, lots and lots of gold, gems scattered everywhere amongst the coins... though it didn't matter anymore... stealing from a dragon was extremely foolish, he had to get out without waking up the beast somehow... In his blind wandering, he had gotten a bit too close to the beast, and could feel the drake's breathing on his fur... get out, Emil, he thought, before it's too late... the wolf took a quiet step back, his fear-filled gaze never once leaving the dragon…

With the one step Emil took, the dragon’s ear twitched, and he grunted. A puff of smoke billowed from his nostrils, purple and unwelcoming. And he swiped at the air with one of his claws. In the dream he imagined himself making the biggest catch of his life, scooping a giant tunafish into his arms. Again he stirred. Now the cave rumbled beneath him. One of his eyes opened. “Hm?” What he saw then was the silhouette of some humanoid standing before him. He shook his head, blinked twice, and groaned out of the sheer dismay of awaking--perhaps being awoken. The treasure beneath him started to tumble and spread out like one large golden puddle over the floor as he stood, shaking his great, black body to life. The form before him was clearly recognizable now: A wolf. A puny, shivering wolf. Smelling of fear. “You’d better not be what I think you are, little one.”

The wolf could only watch in horror as the beast opened its eyes, looking directly at him. Emil trembled, he didn't need to be a genius to know that the dragon was extremely territorial and protective of its hoard, even the voice emanating from that massive muzzle was powerful and sent shivers down the poor wolf's spine. Taking a step back and trembling a little, the wolf stammered, "Ah... H- hello..." stuffing the map away in his pocket and wondering why he was conversing with such a dangerous creature instead of high tailing it the hell out of there.

The beast fully rose now, and stared directly down at the wolf with some speculation. “Yes. Hello to you too.” He forced a smirk but rumbled and whipped his tail at the ground, trembling the cave once more. Taking a step toward the wolf, “What do you think you’re doing here, hm?” he asked.

"I..." Emil gulped, knowing to choose his words carefully, lying and then getting caught afterwards would only make things worse for him... it wasn't worth the risk, the last thing he wanted was an angry dragon staring him down in its own home.
"... I was hunting for treasure, sir... but... I didn't know it- I mean, I didn't know the treasure already belonged to you... s-so... I... I was hoping to leave without waking you..." the wolf confessed, "... I... I'm sorry for trespassing..." it was taking enormous effort not to just run, but he had to stand his ground and not aggravate the dragon…

The wolf had explained himself thoroughly, sure, but Sini seemed to have selective hearing; and he didn’t listen to the part about the wolf not knowing it was his treasure. The dragon took another step forward, digging his nails into the ground with a snarl and a huff of flame! “So you want to apologize after the fact, and think you’ll get away with it, huh?” the dragon said. “No. I don’t think sorry is good enough. Come here.” Another step he took.

The poor wolf took a few steps back in reaction to the dragon's advancing on him, so being honest and apologizing wasn't good enough... he knew it wasn't going to be easy, but now the dragon was asking him to step over to him of all things, he might as well be asking him to throw himself off a cliff. Emil shook his head slightly, his vision beginning to blur from the tears that were starting to form in his eyes, surprised at his own bravery and scared for the dragon's reaction at the same time, he spoke up in a terrified tone,
"S-sir... I- I have somewhere I need to be, I... I have to go now..." he stepped back even more, towards the cavern's exit, oh how much he wanted to be outside in the forest right now, far far away from this place, "S-sorry again." he stammered before he turned around and walked out of the room rather swiftly, not wanting to run in case it provoked the dragon, he began to jog down the tunnel... now he ran, now he made his way full speed out of the terrible cave, not even bothering to turn back or listen to see if the dragon pursued him…

It wasn’t a matter of how far the wolf ran before he took off in pursuit; he could sniff the wolf out whenever he wanted. So he spun around, and inspected his hoard, making sure that no single piece was missing from the trophies and gems and human things he’d acquired. After that, he wanted so badly to fall asleep. Dream about the trouts again. The thought of it made his stomach grumble. The thought of the wolf came back to mind. His tongue lapped over his nostrils across his lips and he grinned, then bounded off through the tunnel, the earth quivering with each stroke of the wings.

The mouth of the tunnel came into view, the view of the outside. Emil's heart lifted as he saw the night sky, still undisturbed and pleasant as ever, he ran, almost flew to the cave entrance, throwing himself outside, panting and breathing a sigh of relief, but it was still too early to relax... he had to get out of this area as soon as possible, just in case the dragon decided to give chase. The lupine pulled himself upwards, quickly jogging down the jagged path that lead back to the surface, a couple of times he tripped due to the his pace and the uneven footing, his shins and arms were cut and bruised several times, but he didn't care... it was better than... whatever the dragon was going to do to him if he got caught. Breathless, injured and terrified, Emil began to head for the woods, hoping to lose his pursuer in the trees, if he managed to get to the lake and not see the beast giving chase from there, he would be home free.

The head of the dragon poked from out of the tunnel into the night air. He inhaled and filled his lung, releasing a drawn out sigh. Wandering down the hill he took his time, sniffing ever so often for the subtle traces of the wolf’s scent. It was not hard to locate. Basically an invisible trail of the atmosphere that led directly to the prey. Into the woods he went, brushing through clusters of trees, thick twigs and bushes cracking beneath his steps, his wings. The scent became closer but was still a quarter mile off when he reached a small clearing and stared up at the fat, whole moon. Its tint was yellow.

Emil had slowed dramatically in his escape, clutching one arm and walking with a slight limp the wolf would look back every now and then, and to his horror he saw a huge shape in the far distant moving between the trees, he recognized that shape... and it was bad news, why...? why did fate hate him so...? Whimpering in pain and fear from being caught, the wolf got to the ground in the high grass, pulling himself behind a huge tree, hoping that the dragon would pass by him, he was in no shape to make an escape now, and even if he did, there would be the risk of being spotted by the dragon, at least in this state, he could possibly remain undetected, he was well hidden after all... in the dark, low on the ground, obscured by the tree and its shadow, as well as the tall grass around him... all he had to do now was calm his panicked breathing... and wait.

Sini continued to amble. The trees clustered again, and the height of the grass rose nearly to his ankles. He sniffed the air. Little to no sign of the wolf. Some sign of the wolf. Edging his head to the left, his eyes widened and a grin swept across his face, nostrils twitching. The steps like drums pounding over the earth, he crept closer and closer to the tree the wolf lay behind trembling noticeably; the grass shivered all around the wolf. Then before the alert that his steps most likely sent could be of use, he leapt. He landed. One paw dropped securely on his prey, pressing the wolf into the ground. The dragon’s silhouette was dark in the night but a burst of flame ignited and lit his features for one brief second before disappearing once again; and an unamused, monotonous growl ran through the stump of the tree and the spine of his victim. “Did you think you could hide from me? Think you settled your debt by telling me sorry?” The dragon chuckled, almost in pity.

By the time Emil picked up the nearby rumbles it was already too late, the dragon was on him within seconds, pinning him down against the ground. The boy yelped and whimpered in shock as he looked up at the terrifying form of the predator, looming ominously over him. Writhing and struggling under that claw, Emil felt the last of his energy leave him and decided to stop fighting it, he stared at the dragon who seemed intent on getting back at him for his intrusion,
"S-sir... please..." the wolf choked, "I didn't know... please..." tears trickled down the lupine's cheek as he sobbed.

“You didn’t know what?” the dragon barked. He leaned in close, a gush of hot breath rolling over the wolf’s face. He lifted up the paw that held his prey captive but crept closer; now, he bared his teeth. “I suppose you wouldn’t be foolish enough to go running off . . . so I don’t have to hold you down, now, do I?” Still, the beam of his purple eyes and the snarl that followed was enough to keep the prey pinned down alone.

Of course the dragon was right, running now would surely be a one way ticket to the afterlife and would diminish all patience the dragon has with him, not to mention that Emil was clearly in no shape for another escape.
"... that the treasure already belonged to you, sir... please believe me... I would never steal from a d- dragon, sir..."
How did things turn out this wrong? The wolf thought he would be digging up some lost treasure and go home happy, share his findings with his friends and family, and now he's fearing for his life while at the mercy of a vicious predator who would no doubt rip him apart with those razor-sharp fangs, the thought made the poor wolf cry even more, whimpering quietly between his sobbing.

“Is that so?” Sini seemed somewhat convinced but the knowledge did not stir him. “Even if that were true, I don’t recall you knocking on my door, now. Did you?” Slowly he tapped his toes as if awaiting a viable response. “If you’da been polite, instead of barging in on my slumber, maybe you would have deserved my sympathy.” He reached down and clutched over the chest of the wolf, beginning to lift him. Picking him up and raising him to his jaws with the two fangs exposed as a threat. “But you didn’t. No. You gave me quite the rude awakening.”

Emil's eyes widened at the fangs, snapping him out of his crying trance, now genuinely fearing for his life and expecting them to cleave right through him any second, the wolf squirmed a little in the dragon's grasp,
"Pl- please, sir...! D- don't! I'll... I'll do anything...!" he begged, there were plenty of ways to go, and this was not one of the pleasant ones... "Please don't hurt me..." Emil finished weakly.

The dragon stared at him briefly then set the wolf back down in the tall grass. His body circled round; and he turned back for the cavern of his dwelling. Without taking another glance back (since he could smell the scent of the wolf clear as day), he spoke: “Follow me,” ruffling his wings and lowering his shoulders in a dissatisfied strut.

Though he should feel relieved of the dragon's actions, he had no doubt in his mind that he was being brought back to the cave, perhaps the dragon wanted to consume him in his own home, where Emil would know for sure that there would be no one around to save him... he shivered at the thought and nodded a little at the dragon's command, but the dragon had his back turned, so he said a quiet, "Yes, sir..." instead. Emil began to follow the predator and immediately winced as he took a step, his legs were still injured from his hasty escape a few minutes ago, he won't be able to keep up... panicking, the wolf looked up and saw the dragon moving farther away... he didn't want to speak up, too afraid to do so, he didn't want to pile another minor issue onto an already foul-mood dragon... so he decided to keep silent about it and tried to keep up, but failing horribly, "Ouch..." the poor wolf winced as great pain shot up his entire leg.

Some time after they’d departed, the dragon noticed the slack of the wolf. His head turned round and he stopped at a standstill, trembling. About to scold the wolf. Instead, he sighed a spout of purple then said: “I hope you’re not planning on slipping away from me. Are you?" Turning around fully and bringing his attention to the limp in the wolf, he added, “Can you keep up, or should I carry you the way back?”

Beginning to sweat a little from all the pressure, Emil shook his head, trying his best to conceal his injuries and limp, "N- no, sir, I'm fine..." he lied, "Please continue, I'll... keep up. I'm just a bit shook up, that's all..." he was doing a lousy job concealing those cuts and bruises.

The dragon raised his voice, growing impatient. “Come on, then. We haven’t got all night.” He bounded through the woods and kept a pace slow enough for the crippled wolf to keep in his range of vision, should he choose to look back. When they departed from the woods and began to climb the hill toward the cave, he checked again. Made sure that wolf was with him.

Emil nodded, managing to somewhat keep up with the predator, though every step caused him to wince with pain until eventually at the foot the hill a sharp pain upon taking his step caused the young wolf to fall forwards face-first into the ground, "S- sorry!" he yelped, flustered as he tried and failed to get back up, the pain was clearly too much for the poor wolf.

The soft thud came from behind. Sini doubled around and frowned. “Hey!” he shouted in exclamation, nearly growling. Then he caught himself, his throat rasping. And he made his voice calmer, treading toward the wolf. “Hey. You alright there?” he managed to speak. He kneeled and extended an arm and wrapped it over the wolf, picking him up. Gazing down upon him he said, “I’m carrying you the rest of the way back . . . just lie down for a sec,” resting the wolf upon his back against his neck. Onward the dragon pressed.

"Y-yeah, it was just-..." Emil stopped there, unable to invent an excuse up this time, he felt himself picked up and placed on the dragon's back, in a more gentle manner that he would think, "Sorry." the wolf repeated, "I'm useless..." he began to sob gently again, only now noticing how true that was, he never seemed to be able to do anything right, nothing seemed to ever work out for him.

Sini frowned as they neared the mouth of the cave and slowed his pace. “Why’d ya say that?” he asked.

"B- because it's true, sir. Nothing ever works out for me..." said Emil, feeling more miserable than ever, "Are you- ... Are you angry with me?" the wolf asked.

“No, I’m not mad at you.” Sini chuckled. Passing through the tunnel of the cave he felt a sense of dread pass over him. He stooped low in his tread; and a curtain of guilt hung over him unlike with any meal he’d had before. Meal! Even now he shook his head and began to question the terminology, shifting his head and glancing at the wolf for a split second. When they reached the center of the cave, he lay himself down and curled. He mumbled nonsense into the floor from his snout. “. . . Out of all times, why were you out hunting for treasure in the middle of the night, anyway?”

Emil slid gently off the dragon's back and onto the ground of the cavern, back here once more... he was certain that he wasn't going to see the outside world again from this point on... The dragon curled around him, almost in a protective manner.
"I... I've been following the map for a good two hours, sir... and... I like the night... it calms me." he replied.

Sini licked his chops in amusement--realizing later that it was not the right move for the situation--and fiddled with his paws, assessing his actions. He brushed a giant finger against the chest of the wolf, uttered a yawn, exposing the maw behind his jaws, then let his mouth hang open for a while before snapping it shut. “So, how about now, wolf? Are you calm?”

By pure instincts Emil flinched as he was greeted by the sight of the dragon's open maw, a clash of black, pink, and white with strands of saliva splitting as the maw extended open, the lupine whimpered expecting the first large bite to close in on him... except it didn't.
"N-no, sir..." he admitted, wondering if he was being toyed with by the predator.

“Sir,” Sini repeated, shaking his head. “I thought we were past that. But maybe I forgot to tell you my name earlier. It’s Sini.” He leaned closer with his muzzle inches away from pressing against the chest of the wolf, warm moist puffs pounding against the the wolf’s fur from Sini’s nostrils. “And you are? . . .”

The wolf tried to pull back out of fear as the dragon extended his nose towards him, "My name..." he said in a slight daze, momentarily forgetting how this worked, "Oh, I- I'm Emil... nice to m-..." but the wolf fell quiet after that, unable to form coherent thoughts or words.

“Emil,” Sini repeated, smiling. The front row of his choppers were exposed as he patted the wolf’s head gently. “It’s a nice name. Nice name, for someone who barges in on sleeping dragons . . .” he murmured.

Emil's ears twitched, the dragon was clearly still annoyed with him... they sure are creatures that do not easily just forgive and forget.
"P- please forgive me, sir..." the wolf requested, "It- It won't happen again."

“You still have a debt to me,” muttered Sini. His tongue snaked its way out and slurped over the wolf’s head, an ear-curdling gesture. His snout rested completely on the wolf’s chest now, heavy and warm, firm; and yet unforgiving. “You have a debt to me,” he repeated. “Sorry isn’t enough to satisfy me . . . I’m a dragon, with needs bigger than words, after all.” He snickered between his teeth--but gave a kind stare. “I’ll forgive you once you pay up. I don’t suppose you have anything of worth to offer to me? . . .”

Wincing as that tongue across his grey fur, Emil listened to the dragon's demands, his heart sinking as he did... payment? What on earth would a simple wolf like him have that would be of any value to a dragon...? The only item Emil had on his person was the crumpled treasure map he stowed away in a hurry, now useless to him and even more useless to the dragon. The wolf glanced at the mountains of gold around the cavern and then up at the dragon with a terrified and intimidated expression, "I... I d- don't, sir..." he finally admitted, looking down at his damaged legs once more in shame.

Sini lifted a finger and brushed it beneath Emil’s tiny little chin. A chuckle escaped him. Emil had the silly old map, of course. He could take the map from Emil then find some faraway village where the humans would be curious enough to buy it off him, only to run right into his lair. A meal for another time. But that’s not what he wanted, no. He wanted a meal now. Sini grew impatient, underscales rippling from a low rumble of sheer agitation as he now gnashed his teeth. Saliva webs broke and parted and ran over the fur of the wolf, steaming still. Purple eyes seared into the wolf, that never would part, no. “Then what have you to pay me with but yourself?” Sini asked. Failing to suppress his widening grin of incisors.

Just when Emil think that things couldn't get any worse, he was once again proven wrong; the lupine scooted backwards, backing up against the beast's tail and trying to avoid the dragon's probing nose.
"I- I don't understand..." he whimpered, he wasn't even sure what he was doing, perhaps to stall for time? Regardless, he wasn't going to make it.

The tail shoved the wolf back into the arena; there was no escaping. Just sharp teeth and a pendulating uvula. “I think you do understand,” Sini said, bored-looking. “You don’t have anything to pay me with, so I’m just gonna . . .” he paused, leaving the rest for the wolf to figure out with a chuckle. Again the jaws snapped shut. The dragon nudged the wolf with his snout, then turning his head sideways so he’d stare into the wolf with that one purple eye. “I’m not letting you go, you know. You’re mine to keep. Forever.”

Indeed he knew, the wolf gave a soft cry in fear as the dragon all but confirmed his doom, he shook his head in denial as that huge muzzle came closer and closer to his body, "S-stop... don't do this... please... I- I don't want..." he pleaded.

Refusing to listen to Emil’s please, Sini widened his jaws and closed shut around the wolf’s torso, lifting his head into the air. Tasting the wolf’s fur with his buds. Finally, he thought, drooling from the corner of his mouth, clumsily dripping to the floor. He shut his eyes and hummed as his tongue swooshed over his prey. The wolf was pressed against his cheeks and the roof of his mouth, doused with a dozen helpings of dragon saliva. “How about now, wolf?” he echoed himself. “Are you calm now?” He got a kick out of that.

Emil did not struggle as he dragon caught him in its maw, that tongue wrapping around his fur, no doubt getting a good taste of him, perhaps he had already accepted his fate, what he did know that there was no use fighting,
"S-sir... I- I won't fight you anymore, b-but... can you please just let me out for a second...?" he requested.

A brow raised. It wouldn’t hurt to let him out, Sini thought. Not like he’s going anywhere. Decided, he did as the wolf requested and opened his maw, dropping the wolf in a pool of saliva to the floor. The dragon rumbled with impatience, digging his toes into the cavern floor as he stared down his prey. “Yeeees? What is it?”

The young wolf was glad to have his wish granted, he landed gently once more on the floor of the cavern, his fur drenched in a saliva, "It's... it's just..." Emil started, his face burning hot, "I just wanted to... examine your belly... be- before I..." he trailed off, looking at the dragon timidly, unsure if he would be allowed.

“My belly?” Sini wondered if there was some trick. But as far as he could tell, Emil was unarmed and could cause no harm--no question his belly scales were perfect and impenetrable. Considering this he nodded. “It’s an odd request. . . . But it may be your last request . . . and if you’re content, then yes, I’ll let you examine my belly.” Then Sini lay down on the floor and rolled to his side, exposing the great purple underbelly in all its flawlessness.

"Thank you." Emil nodded and shyly approached the dragon's exposed stomach, finding the gesture somewhat amusing, the young wolf extended a paw to the scales until it came into contact, it was a smooth texture and warm to the touch, he could feel slight vibrations through it every now and then too, it calmed him for some reason... this was where he was going to end up... just on the other side of it.
"It's... comfortable..." the wolf said quietly, feeling a slight sense of comfort from this, though he nervously withdrew his hand as the belly growled at him, "S- sorry for making you wait, sir."

A dragon of vanity, he blushed. He wasn’t used to the little ones feeling his belly for the sake of it. But he liked it. “That’s alright,” he mumbled. “I’m in no rush . . . we’ve got the rest of the night, at least, don’t we?” Immediately he wondered what could bring him to say such things. Sure, they had the rest of the night, but he was hungry. He was stalling. He realized this and was stirred, gazing at the wolf with some sympathy.

The wolf bravely approached the dragon's muzzle once more, placing a paw on Sini's cheek, "That's right... I... I'm not afraid anymore, sir. For some reason, I feel more relaxed now..." he admitted, unsure of exactly why he was feeling this way, "It... it won't hurt, will it?" he asked.

“No,” said Sini, shaking his head quickly. “No. It’ll be like you didn’t feel a thing. And it’s warm inside.” He nuzzled the little wolf before opening his mouth again, loosing a stream of warm breath. His tongue coiled over the wolf and pulled him into the mouth. Promptly it closed again. Sini treated his movements more gently now, and carefully tilted his head backward before taking his first gulp.

Entering the predator's maw in a much more relaxed state this time, the little wolf nuzzled his body against the huge tongue as he was brought to the back of the mouth, he did struggle nor fight, he simply laid there with his eyes closed.

The second of Sini’s swallows sent Emil directly toward his belly. The wolf landed with a soft plop in a pool of saliva and an atmosphere of warmth that tightened over him. The dragon patted his belly, admiring it with a smile. Now he hummed and laid his head back over the floor, satisfied by the meal that filled his stomach. It gave a soft gurgle as his tail wagged. The lack of struggles along the way did astonish him so; surprisingly to himself, he even wondered how the littlun was doing. “You alright in there . . . Emil?” he asked, softly.

Throughout his descent Emil did not move a single muscle, he was exhausted and in a way, he simply just wanted it to end, though he did appreciate the slightly more gentle way that Sini was handling him. The wolf fell into the stomach, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, he wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen next, or how long it would take.
"I'm... I don't know... I can't really see anything." Emil replied as heard the voice from outside through the gurgles and rumblings of the pitch-black interior, he reached out a paw, it came into contact with something soft and moist, it was the walls of the dragon's stomach... he was inside it…

“You don’t need to see anything,” Sini told him. “You’ll be a part of me soon enough . . . that’s all that matters, isn’t it?” Smiling, he curled his tail at his side and lazed there. Even then his eyes began to flutter and close. The meal tired him. A paw came underneath his belly and rubbed the wolf with gratitude. Following it: A soft belch. Sini thought it best to remain calm so that the littlun wouldn’t freak out much. So he lay there, humming to the triumph of his prey. Of being a dragon.

"I'm not sure myself..." Emil replied, "I... I don't know what to think anymore..." the wolf's eyes grew heavy, as if the longer he stayed in there, the more energy was being drawn out of his very being. He closed his eyes, trying to not to think of what was happening to his body, but instead to simply fall asleep.

It may have been only a few minutes. It might have been a couple hours. Though Sini was asleep, he had curled up around the wolf who lay in the center of the coiled dragon, too asleep. Soon he would awake. In the meantime the dragon dreamt pleasant dreams. Some images of fish reoccured until the scene changed, and a particular wolf was the focal point of the midnight reveries. In the dream the wolf whimpered; the wolf squirmed; the wolf was crying. Sini writhed and clutched the actual wolf closely to his belly, snorting at that.

Emil opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness, was he in the afterlife? He was unaware that he was still capable of such actions and thoughts upon dying... He wasn't in the stomach anymore, that much was clear... If he truly was dead, then dying wasn't so bad... but something told him that that was not the case, the wolf reached out his paw weakly in the darkness, coming into contact with the dragon's muzzle.
"... Sini." he called out quietly. Somehow, he knew.

But it’d take more than that to get Sini out of his snoring slumber. Only when he flipped onto his other side and felt around with his paws for the wolf did he realize that the wolf was not there; he panicked. In the dream he cried out. Actually he did cry out. But it wasn’t a whimpery cry, no. It was more like a scared snarl. When he awoke, he opened his eyes and saw nothing, of course. So he snapped his muzzle in each and every direction until it poked into something fluffy that was evidently . . . it was Emil. “Emil!” he whispered excitedly, quickly dropping the cheerful demeanor. “Ehem. Yes. Emil.”

The wolf smiled a little, his hunch confirmed, he was confused but was too tired to ask too much, so he simply said, "I'm not dead..." though he wasn't going to complain if he didn't get an explanation right away.

Sini smiled back. “No, you’re not. I just borrowed a little bit of your energy. That’s all I needed.” The big tongue flickered and slurped the little wolf’s snout. One of the dragon’s paws came from behind and held him close against his underbelly. “Sh, sh, now . . . if you’re to recover it, you’ll need your rest. Go to sleep . . . There’ll be plenty of time to talk in the morning.”

The young lupine obeyed, closing his eyes once more and using what little energy he had to pull himself closer to the predator, his legs no longer hurt, no doubt thanks to the dragon as well. Emil pressed himself against Sini's cheek, whispering softly,
"I... I don't know what to say..." he began, "Please, Sini... please stay here... please don't go anywhere... I want to... be with you."

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here, when you wake up in the morning,” he assured Emil. His wings unfolded over the wolf and his cheek pressed against the wolf’s fur. With a sigh of relief, his eyes began to droop again. Emil was alright. He could rest again. “Good night, Emil,” he said, cradling him in his arms.