FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3

"Never heard of her." Lyyreth turned his head, his frills still the darkest green Infinity had seen them turn yet.

"Really now?" Grozzo raised a ridge, his eyes drifting to the green's claws, his tail, then back to his eyes. "It's not a general occurrence that I'm wrong." The purple dragon swooped in close, narrowing his eyes as he continued to inspect the green dragon with inquisitive eyes.

Lyyreth sneezed, looking to Infinity and giving her a silent plea for help that hung in the air.

She gave an easy shrug, quelling the questions that swirled around her mind. "Never seen her with him.So..."

"Honest there is no relation!" Lyyreth's voice heightened, Grozzo pulling his head back into an S.

The purple dragon shook his head, letting out a harsh snort as he looked from Infinity to Lyyreth. "Very well younglings. I am if anything a pleasurable host. It truly looks like I was mistaken. If you follow me we can retire to my cave and feast." He tilted his head, dipped a wing, and started to fly towards the cave.

Infinity darted after the departing purple, following his swishing tail as silence hung in the air. Lyyreth took wing beside her, his careful beats almost grazing her membranes. He looked over to her, his yellow eyes full of regret. He must have guessed or seen the smoldering flames behind her eyes. What was his final game? Was he here to trick her somehow? Was he just another plan for that dragoness that had cost her her son? She growled in the back of her throat, clenching her claws in and out as she glared intense flames at him.

The green met her gaze, sneezing and shifting his snout away from her with twitching frills and setting his attention to the approaching cavern.

Grozzo landed at the entrance to his cavern, a section cleared away from the uneven stone and jagged edges. The stone was scratched and worn away, clearly from years of use. The ceiling towered above her, at least three times her height with long stalagmites hanging down like sharpened teeth of a dragon's maw. Her ears flicked as the faint sound of dripping water made it to her ears moments after she landed with extended hinds. She touched the ground softly, not disturbing a thing as she folded her wings against her back. Glints of gold and silver caught her eye as sunlight drifted into the cavern, shields of different shapes and colors lined the cavern walls next to ragged tapestries of all flowing colors. The larger dragon swelled up his chest, gesturing to the others to follow with a curl of his tail as he carried himself with a sense of pride.

"Come now..Follow me, don't mind the mess." Grozzo flicked his tail towards a red stain of dried blood on the cavern floor, a human woman in near rags had a cloth in her hands and was scrubbing diligently away at the soiled surface. The blonde haired woman acknowledged them with a quick look up, a surprised eep leaving her lips before her face twisted into one of fear. She duck her head down instantly and went back to scrubbing the stone.

She nodded without words, maintaining the false aura of her happiness. Her lips curled into a smile, reflecting on the purple snout before he returned his attention on leading them further into the cavern. Torches lined the walls at several spaces the size of dragons from head to tail. The bathed the stone in an orange warm glow that brought life to furniture, art, and mounds of gold that littered the floor. With the purple distracted and going on about his vast treasure she shot Lyyreth another look. One that let him know they would be having a talk about his lack of forthcomingness in regards to his mother. She tried to not smirk as his frills drooped.

Grozzo came to a stop when they came to a large portion of the cavern adorned with largened furniture. There was even a large wooden table that was constructed for dragons. The surface was near pristine and polished, the torchlight shining off its surface. The purple dragon eyed the large silverwear plates and goblets that sat empty on the wood. He slunk over, dipping his snout down, and gazing down into the empty cup. His eyes narrowed as he stared down a corridor that led deeper into the network of caverns, a sense of unease radiating off of him as his tail swished back and forth.

"If you two will excuse me..." He growled, dragging a talon across the ground. "I have to go check on my meal. Make sure it is getting prepared, see if I have enough for guests."

"That is fine. We shall remain here and wait your return." She took a seat on her haunches with a sigh, curling her tail around her and tapping it against the ground. Satisfied with her pleasing response the purple dragon gave a pleased rumble before turning round and striding deeper into the cave.

When he was gone from her eyes, and his steps could barely be heard she snapped to Lyyreth. She curled her lips into a snarl, showing her teeth for him to see in the torchlight.

"What are you glaring at me for? Why are you snarling?" Lyyreth shied away as she took a forceful step towards him, tail lashing out behind her. He pulled back his forelimb as she jabbed at him with her snarling snout.

"Why do you think?" Her words struck like blades, the green dragon's frills shiting darker green as she followed him with a growl.

Lyyreth stuttered and listed everything that had happened in the recent hour, eyes darting from her teeth to the cavern. His jaw suddenly froze, relization hitting him like a rock. "Oh...:" His frills drooped as he shied away. "My mother bit."

"Yes your mother bit!" She snapped her teeth, tail lashing.

"I..I saw how you talked about her!" Lyyreth slunk away from her jaw. "And you are very fierce! I was going to tell you! I just didn't know how! I didn't want to be judged for her actions." He lowered his head, his frills fluttering looking more pathetic and scared than a master planner.

If he was part of the ladies plan he was really good at playing the role. "I don't judge ones actions on those of their parents." She snapped, stomping her claw against the floor. "You should know me better than that now!" She thrashed her tail, smacking aside some gold with a series of clinks as the coins scattered across the stone.

"I..." Lyyreth's head drooped, eyes falling to the floor as his body took on a submissive posture. One that reminded her of her time in the tower. "I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

She snorted, pulling her head back into an S. "When there's something important next time like that...Just tell me!" She hissed. "If we are to be flight mates we need to be honest with one another." She pushed him away with her foreclaw, rolling her eyes. "Now get out of that pose, you look ridiculous."

The green dragon shifted his weight from paw to paw, rising up and letting out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. "Thank you Infinity...I will do as you say."

"Wonderful news!" Grozzo's voice came echoing around the cavern walls. It lingered with joy, and left her senses tingling. "We had extra!"

She rose a brow, nosing as Lyyreth for answers. She wasn't entirely sure what a dragon would be offering two that had stumbled into his territory. Perhaps the green knew more than her on the matter. "What do you think he's going to have? Fish? Cow things? Cheese?"

"If..he's a friend of my mother. His menu could end up being far worse." There was a flicker of hesitation that crossed the green dragon's snout before he parted his maw and stuck out his tongue. "We..may not like the menu."

"We'll deal with whatever food it ends up to be." She scoffed at their concern being ill tasting food.

Lyyreth swung his tail back, gesturing to the blood spot and the huamn still scrubbing away at it.

Oh. She sighed, kneading the stone beneath her talons as Grozzo came back into view. The purple's maw was parted into a smile. He came strutting in, three humans dressed in mere rags being dragged by metal chains behind him

"I thought I was out of meal humans, but look." He curled his neck with a lick of his snout. "We ended up having extra to share."

Her senses tingled as she looked to the fearful faces of the men and woman shivering in place. It took all her effort to give him a smile, sliding over to the table without pause. "Oh how fortunate!

Fock this asshole.

"Uh.." Lyyrerth strode over to her, taking a seat as his eyes settled on the squirming humans as they were dragged over to the table. A moment passed, "I..ate already before coming here. So full, couldn't eat another bite. Even if your offering looks quite..." The green dragon coughed as Grozzo tilted his head to the side. "Appealing."

"And how about you young dragoness? Did you eat as well?"

Ever the diplomat she shook her head softly. "I'm a bit hungry." She ignored Lyyreth's look of surprise that had speard to his snout. She raised a ridge as Grozzo started chuckling, giving the pair a smirk.

"Oh lovely to see. So what brings the lovely couple to my domain? You don't see many black and green dragons together."

Oh my gods.

She shot Lyyreth a glare, one she hoped he understood to keep his snout shut if he knew what was good for him. "Oh us?" She giggled, waving a foreclaw. "We're not a couple, we're just traveling companions."

"Really now?" Grozzo smirked, settling down beside the table. He gave her a tooth filled grin, the light glinting off his pearly whites. "Shame that is. You're such a pretty thing."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lyyreth's frills take on a dark green tint as the dragon shot daggers to Grozzo with is sunflower spheres. She manufactured a fake blush, running her claw along her cheek.

"So what would you two like to drink?" Grozzo pecured a golden bell from his side, holding out and ringing it. The sound clanged and echoed around the stone walls, making her ears twitch before she pinned them to her head.

Summoned by the bell a human came in wheeling a keg. The man was dressed in the same rags of the dinner humans, a grim expression on his face as he came to a stop and settled the keg with a thud. Infinity took a sniff, the sweet smell of berries wafting to her nose. Saliva pooled in her mouth, despite who was offering it. She had never sampled something like this, and the idea intrigued her.

Grozzo waved a claw, eyes trained on the keg. THe wooden barrel rose from the dolly as if lifted by an invisible force. The purple dragon followed the keg with his claw as itIt raised to about the level of the table, then slowly shifted till it settled onto the wood. He shifted his eyes from Lyyreth to her, giving her a smug smile as the keg uncorked itself and tilted to pour into the dragon sized goblets made out of steel. "You two must really try the wine. It is ever so delightful." He grinned as a thin steam lazily rose up from the dark red surface.

She tapped her tail, giving the confident purple dragon a giggle and a smile. "I think I will. It looks very good." She gently shifted to Lyyreth as she felt his tail gently rub up against hers. Her scales twitched, not used to the contact as she tilted her slightly to the side.

"So you said you were traveling around eh? What was it that interested you to do so my dear?" Grozzo's piercing gaze stared deeply into her eyes. They were almost hypnotic the way the light flickered in his darkened pools. She blinked rapidly, shifting her gaze to the ravish surroundings instead.

What was it that Axton said about Rothdell? Why would we want to visit there?

She didn't want to let their ruse fall apart, so she gave the purple dragon a sweet giggle. One she hoped would disarm any suspicions of her delay. "Oh you know." She waved a claw. "All that magical business in Rothdell, seeing new people, new places. I simply would love to experience all the little fluffy creatures of the world and adopt them all!"

"So you would like to hoard fluffy animals?" The purple dragon chuckled, holding his goblet up and swishing the contents within. "I've heard of stranger things to grace a dragon's hoard. I tell you there was this golden fellow, all he did was horde sweets of all kinds. I can see the appeal of course in sugar confections, but it rather lacks the grandeur that I enjoy."

"I like animals." She snorted, rolling her eyes. "It makes me happy."

"Of course sweety. I had no intention in saying what you liked was wrong."

Sweety?

She bit her scaly lip, remembering the act she was playing for him. "I also wanted to try their pastries, floating ships, and go on adventures for lost treasures."

"Floating ships?" The purple dragon raised a scaly ridge, his eyes lingering on Lyyreth who was silently nodding along with Infinity's words. "Fascinating destination spots you two have picked. Any sights that you two are interested in?"

"I wanted to visit one of the magical colleges or two. I am rather fascinated in the way the mortal's cast their magics. Perhaps make do with a few scrolls, learn some new magic while we explore the vast desert."

"Oh yes, the deserts of Rothdell." The purple dragon sighed, eyes falling to a large orange and white tapestry that hung on the far wall. It had the picture of a black roaring lion in the center of the checked decoration. "I remember the pleasing heats. You simply have to find a large rock, spread your wings and just bask in the blistfull heat as it tickles your scales and just makes you feel oh so wonderful. Like the sun was writing a love letter with it's rays, just for you."

Infinity rumbled, already picturing the warm rays filling her up with such pleasing heat. It sounded absolutely wonderful, especially the way the purple's scales seemed to shiver. The memories must have been really strong to bring about such a reaction. "It will be on my list of things to do then I suppose. Lots to do and see on our adventure."

"Indeed." The purple dragon cleared his throat, holding up his goblet in his scaled claw. "A toast then." Grozzo flicked his claws, the two other goblets sliding across the table towards them. The liquid sloshing inside the goblets, but didn't spill a drop. "To meeting new friends."

Lyyreth grabbed at his goblet with his scaled claw, raising the container to his nostrils and letting the steam lick and caress his scales. He gave it a single sniff as Grozzo rose his goblet to his mouth and drank down the wine with loud audible gulps. Lyyreth's tail suddenly shivered as the green dragon's face scrunched up. He sneezed, the goblet falling from his grasp and crashing to the stone with a clang. The liquid rushed out to spill every which way, forming a pond of red on the grey stone. "Oh damn't sorry."

"No problems my boy." Grozzo laughed as Infinity rose her own goblet to her own lips.

She sipped the drink, copying the purple and gulping down the sweet tasting liquid. It tickled at her tongue, her scales feeling as though they were brushed by a warm breeze. Her tail wiggled and she let out a gasp as her spines extended and flared out on their own. She set the goblet down with a clink as the after taste took hold. It was rather tart, making her drag her tongue along her fangs in disgust. It was then she noticed the room began to spin. The shapes around her began to bleed together into one another forming a great tapestry of smeared colors. She stumbled backwards, shaking her head as her senses dulled. Thoughts came slowly as she tried to focus on a spell.

Perhaps an invisibility spell, something to..Something to.

She couldn't finish the thought, head growing all tingly as she heard a shout of pain. She saw the blurred image of Lyyreth slammed against the table, a purple blob holding him down.

"NOW TELL ME WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Grozzo roared, his voice deep, booming, and terrifying. Her ears pinned to the back of her head as the world spun around her.

"T...Travelers." Lyyreth wheezed, writhing beneath the purple blobs grip. "That's all!"

"Lyyreth!" She shouted, but it came out more raspy and desperate than she intended. She tried to leap at the pair, but tripped and slammed her head on the ground.

"FOOL. I KNOW WHEN I'M BEING LIED TO. AND WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE MY DAUGHTER?" The purple blob rose Lyyreth a few inches before slamming his head onto the table with a sickening crack, the green letting out a pitiful pain filled moan. "TELL ME WHELP!"

Her limbs shook as she rose, teeth bared and snarling. She wobbled, taking a step and collapsing on herself as all her limbs felt weak. Lyyreth needed her, she couldn't let him down.

What...is this...Why?

She groaned, struggling to push herself up but failing with a thump.

"Such a shame." The purple sighed, slamming Lyyreth against the table one more time. "You were such a pretty dragoness. So unfortunate that we find ourselves in this position. Perhaps in time you will be mine."

"Get...mounted." She spat out, blackness creeping in on the edges of her vision. She blinked, trying to give the purple blob her best angry glare one final act before she would succumb to whatever had its hold on her. The small tints of black consumed her vision, and Infinity felt unconsciousness embrace her.