Sleeping Dragon i’m not in love so don’t forget it

Niall had to find out more. Why was the rock so warm, where was the heat coming from if not from the sun? He looked down at the stone beneath his paw in both awe and bewilderment and scratch delicately at the floor, as if trying to unearth something fragile. Of course, nothing happened. Dark nails dragged along the rock, clawing up nothing but particles of dust. The wolf sniffed at the dust which clung to his claws, his nostrils flaring for a moment before he inhaled it deeply — as if its scent would hold the key to understanding it all. 

The male suddenly coughed at the repungent sharp, rotten that now burned his nose. Then he gagged, and then he sneezed, spraying the volcanic ash back over the ground where he had originally clawed it up. Niall hunched over, his nose burning and his eyes now watering in response to the smell that was now festering in his throat and nostrils.  

The female's call caught him off guard and he spun around quickly, his hackles raised and his teeth bared to appear more threatening despite the tears which now swelled in his eyes, blurring his vision. He eyed the pale-furred female suspiciously, but his posture softened once she suggested the idea of a hunt. "Depends." Niall replied, half-dismissively. He wasn't really that hungry truthfully. The elk meat currently digesting in his gut would keep him going a few more days. 

"What can you tell me about this place?" He asked, reclining now into a sit as his a single forepaw lifted to wipe at his burning teary eyes.