Ruffrunner
I went through the rest of that day feeling like total crap. I woke up so happy and excited that morning, and, now, I wished I could stab a kitten. How could Pouncer, my own brother, say all that stuff? After all we'd been through? I knew Crypto wasn't his favorite dragon in the world, but he could at least pretend to accept him. I can't help it that we share a soul! As I thought that, Crypto placed a paw on my shoulder. I gazed up at him, tears still in my eyes.
It's uncanny sometimes how he can read my mind and always seem to know exactly what I need. I smiled at him.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm ok. Just flustered is all..."
He made a low guttural noise in his throat that indicated worry. I sighed, "Really, I'll be ok. Forget Pouncer anyway! If he wants to run off with some girl and abandon us, then so be it! He just shouldn't come cryin' to me when things inevitably go wrong!"
Crypto gave me this weird look. I couldn't quite discern what it was, but it definitely wasn't agreement. I think it's safe to say he hates it when Pouncer and I fight, and I imagine he was especially broken up about this one. I spent the rest of that day trying to assure him that I was fine, that Pouncer was just being an idiot and would come around. I mean, that's how all our big fights ended in the past.
But, even I was having trouble shaking the words he had said. Had Crypto really come between us that much? Was he really suffering because of us? I tried to shake those thoughts away and chalk it up to just him getting mad, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to worry. That worry followed me well into the night, when Crypto and I returned home. We curled up together in bed like always. I was a bit surprised to see Pouncer wasn't home.
I guessed he was probably still upset and didn't wanna see me. Fine! He could have it his way! If he wanted to be a baby about this whole situation, then he could damn well do it! I didn't need him anyway! And, yet, I had trouble falling asleep that night.
The thing is, before Crypto, Pouncer was all I had. We had been taken from our home by humans before we had any idea what was what. We were all each other could rely on, and, though we fought at times, we never stayed mad at each other for more than a few hours, never a whole day. So, it really worried me that he still wasn't home. I snuggled close to Crypto's cold body.
Even though he's more freezing than a block of ice, I still find comfort in sleeping next to him. It doesn't feel weird, it just feels like I'm sleeping next to a bigger, stronger part of myself. I tried to accept the fact that I was small, that my body was wrong. Being next to Crypto, a literal zombie, kind of helped that. I think Pouncer always thought I didn't care at all, but I did...
I hated that body! I hated that I could never seem to do anything right, that my whole life had been one huge series of misfortunes! I tried to stay positive and strong, make the world believe I didn't care, but the truth is, it constantly ate away at me from the inside. And, moments like that day, when my own brother called me a freak, are what really got to my core. I fell asleep with those thoughts, quivering slightly from agitation at them.
Then, something really, REALLY weird happened...
•••
I awoke in darkness. Well, not total darkness, more like partial darkness. It was weird. I was standing in a black abyss, yet I could see everything perfectly fine. But the weirdest part was that Pouncer was standing there too, and he looked just as confused as I was. And, even weirder than that, that Dart chick was there, too, standing on my other side.
"Dammit, am I really having a dream with you two in it?" I groaned.
"What do you mean you're having a dream?" Dart asked in that snarky tone I already hated, "This is my dream! And you two are in it!"
"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."
"Cool... is there a point to this?" I asked, getting impatient.
Deliram seemed to sense this in me and gave a mocking smile, it was creepy enough to shut me up, "When I first entered this world some couple hundred eons ago, I felt a sort of... pity for certain creatures who couldn't fulfill their desires, no matter what they did. Dreams of reclaiming lost love, or even claiming it in the first place. Crushed aspirations. Broken dreams. See? As the Dragod of Dreams, nothing hurts me more than the destruction of a dream. And, sadly, there are far more devastated than fulfilled ones. So, I decided to lend a bit of a hand. Help some of those lost dreamers achieve their aspirations."
He lifted his claws and, from them, the images of three glowing artifacts. Each had a large, circular gemstone embedded in the center: one ruby, one sapphire, and one emerald. Surrounding each was a sliver of gold that looked like a crescent moon. They were gorgeous pieces, enough to trigger any dragon's treasure-craving instinct. I know mine was being set off! The artifacts floated down to us, casting colored light of red, blue, and green on each of us.
"I created these three artifacts long ago. Throughout history, I have passed them down to trio after trio in hopes of reviving lost dreams. They contain within them special powers that can be used by their wearer when held, think of that as a little bonus feature. But, their main purpose is to grant one, collective wish to all three parties."
"Woah..." Dart mumbled, taking the sapphire artifact in her paws, "So, we can all wish for anything with these?"
"Indeed. So long as it is a unanimous vote. The last holders wished for their offspring to become powerful leaders. Hell, two of them had me donate their stones to their offspring! So generous. But, your wish could be anything: infinite wealth, immortality, an increase in height maybe."
We all looked at each other in that moment. We were all thinking it. This was our chance to be normal, our only chance! It was too good to be true! It really was too good to be true...
"What's the catch?" I asked bitterly, although I'm sure Pouncer and Dart were thinking the same thing.
"Excuse me?"
"The catch. C'mon, you really think we believe you're just gonna give these things to us for free?"
"Good point, what's in it for you?" Pouncer argued.
Deliram pondered at us for a brief moment. Then, he snapped his claws and the artifacts bursts into nothingness. I instinctively pawed at the empty air in a distressed fashion, upset my lovely treasure was now gone. I noticed Pouncer and Dart doing something similar, so I definitely wasn't just being weird.
"Well, I wouldn't say there is a catch exactly, but you will need to retrieve the actual artifacts on your own. Those were just illusions meant to show you what they looked like."
"Wait, you don't have them?" Dart asked.
"No. They're still with their current owners. It is YOUR duty to retrieve them for yourself, just as they had prior. It doesn't matter how you manage to get them, just so long as they do give them up in some fashion."
"Oh! I get it! It's like one big exchange program! Each generation gives up their artifacts to the next to continue to make their aspirations a reality!" Pouncer explained.
"Precisely!"
"So... who are the current owners now?" Dart asked.
Deliram made the artifacts appear again, but, now, next to an image of their holder, "The green artifact is currently held by Lumie the Luminous Crayfin on Impossible Island, this stone shall go to Pouncer. It contains the power of Sight."
"Kay...?" Pouncer nodded.
"The blue artifact is held by Green Death the Red Death of your home island. It shall go to Dart and contains the power of Speech."
"Wait, isn't she dead?" Dart barked worriedly.
"Like I said, it does not matter how you obtain your artifact. The red artifact goes to Ruffrunner and contains the power of Listening. It is held by Valka's Bewilderbeast within the Dragon Sanctuary."
Another dead dragon I remembered, "Easy!"
"But, beware, you are not the only ones after the artifacts."
"But, if they're clearly meant for us, why would anyone bother?" Dart asked.
"While it is true, I choose each of the successive holders of the artifacts, I cannot control who actually lays claim to them. Many hands have grabbed at them through the centuries. That is why it is your duty to ensure they make it into the right talons and the cycle is upheld."
We were quiet for a few seconds, taking in all that Deliram had said. Finally, Pouncer chimed in, "Hey uh- Mister Deliram sir? Would it be ok if the three of us had a private huddle for a second?"
"I mean, I can read all your minds here, so it'd be kind of useless, but whatever makes you comfortable."
"Cool..."
We got into a little huddle, folding our wings over one another. Deliram just watched in amusement.
"What do you guys think?" I started.
"I don't... really know." Dart said.
"What do you mean you don't know?! This is perfect! We all finally have a chance to be normal! Think about that! All we have to do is grab these stones and wish ourselves bigger! It's simple!"
"Maybe, but... you heard what he said. This could be dangerous."
"I agree." Pouncer said firmly.
I growled at him, "First of all, Dart, you have no room to complain. Your artifact is literally in our backyard."
"In a dead body!" She hissed.
"Still! You clearly have the easiest one, so quit complaining!"
"It's not just me I'm worried about here! We could ALL be facing serious danger here! These aren't just random pieces of gold, they're powerful, god-like artifacts that can make anything happen! Who knows who else is after them!?"
I rolled my eyes. She hissed at that
"Ruff, stop being so immature! She has a point!" Pouncer growled at me.
"I'm not being immature! You two are just being a pair of quivering hatchlings!"
"Shut your mouth, jerk!" Dart roared.
"Make me, hussy!"
"Alright, both of you be quiet!" Pouncer roared, rising out of the huddle and making us both pause, "It's obvious we're pretty split on this. So, let's just try weighing the pros and cons."
"Fine. Pro: We get to be normal dragons after this." I spat.
"Con: We could all die trying to do it." Dart hissed back.
"Pro: We don't have to be clowns anymore."
"Con: I have to sort through the remains of a titan!"
"Pro: Suck it up! I do too!"
"Con: Shut the hell up!"
"Pro: You shut up!"
"Ok stop stop!" Pouncer interrupted.
"Having trouble deciding?" Deliram mused.
"Yeah so stay out of it!" I hissed angrily.
"You know, if you do choose to forfeit your artifacts, I could always just find another three to take them. There are plenty of beings out there who would happily take them."
We paused again, looking at each other. It was a long silence. We all considered our options. Dart then sighed, "Fine. Let's do it. But, don't say I didn't warn you two."
"Is that your final decision?" Deliram asked.
We looked at each other for one brief moment, then faced him and answered together, "Yes."
Deliram smiled, "Perfect!"
Then, with a snap of his claws, the dream world vanished entirely.