A Winter Encounter

Features  Omniderg, today's story raffle winner, and  pokemon7254.

A constant chatter.

You would watch the dragon Mani’s breath fog between the descending snowflakes as he would tread through Alaman Hine Woods in its winter weather. Alaman Hine bore these straight tall trees that speared to the sky. And Alaman Hine was white and still and silent. And only the black-and-blue of the dragon’s scales and plates broke the pattern. For fourteen or fifteen miles he had been on foot. And a new sheet of snow would arrive swiftly and subtly, which would erase his previous steps. Each of the dragon’s wings had accumulated frost. And ice would drip from each in stalactite shapes. Otherwise he’d soar above the ceilings of sequoias and gaze down on them, and not vice-versa.

Physically he couldn’t endure. No longer. Mani became dizzy. Exhausted. Thirsty. Toppling over, Let me take a quick rest, he thought, his skull thunking against the trunk of a tree. Now, flakes of snow fell in slow-mo overhead; and they’d land gently over the shivering dragon’s scales; and as they did, his eyes would slow close. Seconds, minutes, hours, he might have laid there in a curl. Claws, wings, tail, they became stiff.

… Till seconds, minutes, hours―however long it may have been―later when the dragon Nightshade spotted him in the distance from her cave door. There, he was a mere speck of black-and-blue.

“Hello out there?” she called.

Oh no, she thought. The dragon did not stir.

Shade came in her scarf-and-mitts and shook the dragon and shouted, said wake up. Rattled and rattled him with paws ‘round his neck. Finally she sighed. It was inescapable; she would drag him inch by inch along the sheets of snow up the hill. Bring him inside: Bring him into the cave, retrieve a bucket of warm water, dunk his head promptly.

“Woah!” Mani’s opened his eyes. He was alive. “What was that for? Where am I?” He shook his head and spat an H20 stream.

“Are you okay?” Shade frowned. “You’re dehydrated. I think it’d be best if you rest and don’t stand. Here;”

another bucket, she fetched then held to Mani’s lips. He leaned up. Took sips. Leaned down. Sighed and rubbed his belly. Then he said, “I needed that. Thanks!”

“Shade,” she said.

“Shade, I’m Mani.”

Shakily Mani began to rise. Shade helped him up from behind, which to he gave a courteous smile in return. Said she, “Mani, take it easy. Okie?"

“Okay!”

Mani scanned the wave. It was nice. It was homely. A tour of the place was given by Shade who held his paw while guiding him here and there. It relieved her to see his mouth-agape-grin and sparkling eyes. It did not relieve her to see his shivers or chatters, or the frost which still nipped at his wings. He’s held in.

“But you’re still cold,” she whimpered.

“A little,” Mani whispered. Nod nod.

Shade had him dressed in her scarf-and-mitts in a flash. (She thought they looked cute on him: He blinked blankly. He smiled.) With her paws, she rubbed up and over his backside and wings; and they did thaw. A breaths of fogging flame escaped her; now Mani’s shivers lessened. But Mani’s response to the question “How is that?” wasn’t entirely satisfactory. How to help him, how to help ...

He yawned. “Do you mind if I … sleep here tonight?”

“Please do,” Shade said. She escorted the black-and-blue to a bed.

The sheets she wrapped around him in tight knots, leaving him looking like one of those mini croissant dogs prepared as appetizers for parties. Croissant dogs, oh! The comparison astonished her; and she was brooding it as Mani said his thanks; she blinked. She nodded. Climbed into bed beside him. Let one scaly wing enshroud him with the warmth of many burly blankets.

“Mani? You awake?” she said minutes later: It broke the silence.

“I want to sleep but it’s so cold!”

Croissant dogs―oh. She continued to toy the thought. She explained her idea to Mani then blushed to his expression of surprise. Began to retract her statement. However, Mani spoke an approval!, nod-nodding his head. Wriggling energetically. (“It will be really warm,” she told him, “warmer than the blankets.”) Gently she unraveled him from her own doing of coils ‘round him then began pulling on him. Pulling, pulling; and he watched with curious eyes fixed on her as he slipped from the sheets and slipped toward her; and her jaws slipped open; and Mani’s smile crescendoed. He felt her tongue very slowly slide up and slobber his feet. He felt her maw claim his feet. Then it was hind-legs … hind …

The wriggling of Mani was due to the tickling of the tongue beneath his belly. The wriggling of Shade was due to Mani’s wriggling―namely there, beneath her uvula. Giggling from Shade, Mani. She nearly retched but relaxed. Swallowed. Swallowed. Each swallow distanced the plates of her neck, increased the bulge of her neck. Swallow. Swallow. Blankets fell from Mani. Shade gradually transitioned from swollen throat to swollen stomach. She felt euphoria in her sudden fullness. Felt breathless ... salivated … grinned from her jaws widened at a hundred-fifty. Undoubtedly, warmer than the blankets. Undoubtedly, that was a smile that crept over Mani’s face, as the rest of him including chest then neck and head was swallowed; and, being “downed” foot-first meant that he would watch those jaws close and darkness seal over him before he fell finally―

―finally down the gullet, filling the belly of Shade with the entirety of Mani.

I hope he’s doing okay in there. … She bit her lip.

But when she opened her mouth to inquire she was interrupted by a loud snore. She gasped. Looked both ways with the wonder of whence it came. Oh, she realized, imagining Mani there inside, in place of the bulge of her belly as she stared, as if in x-ray. She smiled. …

[Sini's words of wisdom:

See,

there comes a time in every black-and-blue dragon’s life where he/she will endure an arduous journey. But black-and-blue dragons, fear not. That journey will be rewarded with a fulfilling rest in the abode of a loved one. That loved one will be a black-and-purple dragon who needs not endure the arduous journey but be rewarded with the Itis for your enduring. It is the way of us.]