Back in the forest, the atmosphere had changed. Dragon unfurled her wings and cast a shadow on Wolf, who stood there panting and growling with his hackles raised.
"Concentrate," Dragon said, her tail flicking excitedly. "Fire isn't just in the claws or the fangs—it's in the blood. And yours has it, although I admit it's strange."
Wolf frowned. "It feels like I have fleas I never asked for."
Paddy, leaning against a tree stump, shouted, "Dragon fleas sound worse than stable flies, please stay away from me."
"Don't worry, honey thief," Wolf growled. He closed his eyes and strained. Nothing happened.
Dragon sighed. "Fire is less stubborn than you. Do you even try? If not, leave it alone. Being a wolf seems hard enough to me. It certainly explains why you're so big."
"That's your big advice? "Leave it alone?"
A branch snapped in the undergrowth. All three froze.
"Are there hunters?" Paddington grumbled, clutching the honeycomb."
"No. Just a hare or something. Can't you smell it?"
"Again," Wolf.
Wolf howled – not in frustration, but out of a certain urge. A warmth welled up in his chest. His mouth opened wide. A small blue spark danced on his claw for a moment before disappearing.
"Aah, great," Padd remarked, "why can't I do that, does it hurt?"
Wolf stared at his paw. "Huh, don't feel a thing.**
"Don't cheer too soon," Dragon warned.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on fire," Wolf muttered, walking toward a shadowy mud puddle. "I need to cool off."
"Wait!" Dragon lunged forward, but Wolf had already stuck both paws in.
The moment he touched the mud, it hissed. Smoke billowed up, and the ground shook like an earthquake. The puddle wasn't water at all—it was thick, stinking goo, bubbling around Wolf's paws.
"Don't relax when you're taking a mud bath!" Dragon roared, grabbing Wolf by the scruff of the neck. "It could be dangerous!"
The warning came too late. The mud stuck to Wolf's fur like tar.
"It's a trap!"
"The work of that old, ugly Hefest," Dragon roared. "He knew you were coming. Are we being followed?"
Wolf tried to keep his head above the muck, but it was hard for him to swim. The "mud" was pulling at him and was heavy as lead. "Help! Stop talking and pull me out, Dragon."
Padd grabbed Wolf's tail and panted. "Why is magic always sticky like honey but not nearly as tasty?"
Dragon slammed her tail into the ground on the earth and roared. The mud lost its grip for a few seconds, enough to pull Wolf out of the stinking mud.
"I told you not to relax and stay focused," she snapped in shock.
Wolf shook himself and tried to roll the dirt out of his fur. "I'm not taking any more hot dips for a while. I was almost dead," he growled.
There was a rustling in the bushes that didn't sound like a hare.
"We're not alone."
Strange figures sprang forth with knives and swords. The tallest said: "Give us the Wolf with the dragon's blood, and you will be fine
"Forget it," said Dragon, as she spat flames.
Wolf bared his teeth, his claws smouldering. "Yes, let's see how you like my fleas."
Paddy groaned as he hid behind Dragon. He had imagined being with his friends very differently. He didn't like all that drama. All he wanted was to relax and eat honey. Was that really so hard to understand?
The rabble attacked.
Wolf's fire burst into flames - uncontrolled, but hot and effective. He scorched the cloak of the first, causing it to fall over. Dragon took two more and held them down with her weight. But the forest that was their home seemed to turn against them. The roots of trees and bushes came up from the ground like lightning, lashing at the three out, tendrils gripped Wolf's paws.
"The forest protects its secrets!" one hissed.
"Such nonsense, then it will hate what I do now," growled Dragon. She took a deep breath and blew a whirlwind of fire that hit not the attackers but the trees.
The old oaks set fire and made a wall between Wolf and the attackers.
"Run!" shouted Dragon, "this will hold those creeps off for a while."
At sunrise, they hid in a bed of ferns.
"You've burned the Forest," said Wolf. "Hefest won't appreciate that."
Dragon swept a smoking twig from her claw. "It will grow back, wait until the fire flowers come. Wolf, you wouldn't have done that, but I had to to save you. You're my friend, and I won't let a bunch of bandits capture you."
"So... what now?" the old bear snorted.
"Let's sleep in the cave first, and then I'll clean my fur and we'll see what the new night brings."
11.5.25
original Dutch - translation google
The title is the prompt and provided by
