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

where were the dragons? her mind was consumed by dreams of their arrival, wonderings about the wisdom they might impart. ying rose each morning disappointed to find them not returned, but hopeful for what the next waking might bring.

she pulled away from astaroth with a careful nudge to his cheek. then, she descended down the mountain's side, her eyes wide for any wandering prey.

Niall's coat had not yet fully dried out from his dip in the river rapids, dark strands of honeyed fur clumped together in sharp points beneath his lean physique as he traipsed towards the nearby mountainside. Damp pawprints stained the dirt and rock he moved upon, leaving behind him a ghostly trail that soon evapourated beneath the heat of the sun. 

The male was looking for somewhere to rest. He needed some time to dry out and groom himself, and the mountain seemed as a good a place as any to find somewhere to shelter for a few hours. As he approached it, he hadn't expected the ground beneath his paws to feel so warm. He might have assumed it was just the sun's ray reflecting on the earth's surface, had it not been for the blanket of clouds that had rolled in overhead. No, the warmth was seeping up from beneath him. 

Niall paused in his tracks, a single brow lifting as he looked down in bewilderment at the rock beneath his paws. This place held magic, he was sure of it.

an unfamiliar man. she bristled and stopped, silently watching him examine the volcano's base. astaroth was nearby; ying knew that if things went awry, she had someone to call. the huntress thought quickly through her options before fully descending to ground level.

she kept some distance between them, strategically turning her body so as to hide the swelling of her sides. stranger, ying called, you want a hunt? there were enough bodies of water nearby for a quick fishing trip, if he were interested.

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.

the guardian's hackles lifted from their resting place, a bubbling growl snapping in her throat. she hadn't done anything to offend him; rather, he had wandered into her temporary domain, making him the threat. ying kept these thoughts to herself.

the stranger settled into a seat, but she did not do the same. instead, she lowered her immediate defenses and remained standing, should he make another attempt. nothing, ying replied, this is a volcano. did he know what that meant?

Niall did not hesistate when the female growled back at him. When she moved no closer, he felt comfortable and assured enough to sit in her presence and tend to his eyes, nose and throat which were now burning with the scent of the volcanic ash he had unwittingly inhaled. 

The male's shoulders sagged visibly when the stranger initially offered him no information of use, however his ears pricked up again at the next thing she mentioned. She brushed it off like it was nothing important, not worthy of uttering, but to Niall it was exactly the kind of intel he wanted. "A vol-cane-oh." Niall repeated, testing out the unfamiliar word. He looked around him, gazing up at the mountain looming behind her. "Is that another name for a mountain?" He asked, giving a curious tilt of his head. 

Truthfully he had never encountered a volcano before, hailing from much cooler climates where the only warmth to be found was that of the heat rising from his own body or that of someone else.

probably, ying replied. she knew that there were differences, but mountains and volcanoes did look alike. there is a hole at the top with hot air, she added. there had been something inside of it, too. ying tried to think back, though all she could remember to describe it as was red.

ying looked the male over, noticing his discomfort. what happened? she asked.

It made sense, that the natives to this land might have different names for features which scattered the terrain. So, now Niall know, a volcano was just another word for a mountain — except. The honeyed male's ears pricked up with interest when the female continued, and Niall blinked a little, still trying to fight back the tears swelling in his eyes as he attempted to focus on her face.

Silver eyes widened. A hole, with hot air. Now that was certainly intriguing. "Oh really?" He mused to himself, his gaze blinking up to try and stare at the mountain's peak. "I would like to see it for myself." Niall said, rising slowly into a stand before taking a few steps forwards. He was interested to see if the stranger would offer to accompany him. 

The male's ears flattened as the female questioned what was wrong with him. He swept his tongue awkwardly over his muzzle before replying. "I, uh, sniffed at something I shouldn't have, I suspect." Niall replied, flashing the female an awkward grin. The dirt certainly was potent around the volcano.

something about the stranger was...strange, but ying didn't have the energy to figure out which part of him was most off-putting. she didn't like the idea of taking him up to where she and astaroth had shared their most recent moment of peace, though being around someone trusted did make her more comfortable.

ying thought through the options for a moment, eventually nodding her head for him to follow. someone is up there, she warned, and he knows more about this. she turned over her shoulder as they carefully ascended, making sure he understood the circumstances.