A Night of Dreams

Chapter 1:3

"No no, I think this is my dream, guys." Pouncer said.

We all stared at each other for a long moment, confused.

"Well... then who's dream is this?" I asked.

"Mine!" Called an unfamiliar and bold sounding voice.

Suddenly, a giant dragon rose from the darkness in front of us. To give a full description of him would blow up my brain, but, suffice to say, he looked like David Bowie from Labyrinth if he were a dragon, except, somehow, this guy was even more fabulous. His scales were pearlescent with a tinge of violet and streaked with deep navy stripes. He had four enormous, silver wings to match his arching gold horns, whereupon a silvery curly mane was settled between. His tail curled in a double corkscrew and there was a glowing aqua dreamcatcher hung off the end of it. A star hovered over his head, casting an ethereal light over him.

He looked down at us with great interest, his eyes vast pools of mystery. As gorgeous as he was, he was also super intimidating. I naturally took an defensive stance and sidled toward my brother, who looked absolutely terrified.

"Wh-who are you?" Pouncer squeaked, trembling slightly.

The mysterious beast smiled deviously, "My name is Deliram, Lord of Trance. But, you can think of me as the Dragod of Dreams." His voice was bellowing, yet light at the same time. Naturally, his entire presence had a dream-like quality to it, like you could look directly at him but still not be sure if he was really there.

"Ok, I KNOW I didn't take that much sleep medicine!" Dart said.

"No no, I assure you, I am no hallucination. I'm the honest thing, a real Dragod of Desire, Wishes, and Dreams. Don't believe me if you want, but it is reality." He answered in almost a sly tone.

"Ok..." I started, taking an uneasy step forward, "Say you aren't lying, and we're not all just sharing a weird, tripped out dream conjured from Dart's overdose," she gave me a sour look at that line, "How would we know you're telling the truth?"

"I can prove it. As the Dragod of Dreams, I know the wishes and desires of all living things. For instance: Pouncer, you want an iron poll from the blacksmith so you can beat Ruffrunner in the night while he snores."

"What the-?! Hey!" Pouncer yelled defensively.

"Dude, seriously?" I asked, half perplexed, half legitamently offended.

"And, Dart, you want a life-sized doll of your brother so your apartment won't look as lonely at night."

Dart face suddenly erupted into a red blaze, "Sh-shut up!" she muttered.

"And, Ruffrunner-"

"Ok ok ok! We get it! You're telling the truth! Jeez!" I interrupted quickly.

"Ok, so... you're a wish dragod. Why have you brought us here, anyway? You aren't gonna steal our souls, are you?" Pouncer asked worriedly.

"Oh no, not at all. Stealing souls isn't really my shtick." Deliram replied, preening his golden claws as he spoke.

"Then, what do you want from us?" Dart asked suspiciously.

"Well, see, it's not what I WANT, it's what I am giving you."

"Giving... us?" I asked, now really confused. Usually, these god vs. Mortal stories ended with someone losing their soul or gold or any number of other crap.

"Yes."

"What is it you want to give us exactly?"

"Allow me to explain." He sat in a leisurely position, like he was about to tell us a long story, "Every creature that lives has a desire. No matter how big or small, no matter how insignificant, everything wants something they don't have. I know all those desires. Every single one."