Silence Radio (Otherwise Untitled)
#85 of Short Stories
A dragon and kobold drive into the night, away from something unpleasant.
~ The car rumbled along the road with only minimal tumble, the radio crooning out the calming static that can only be found deep in the night far away from home. Between the kobold and dragon half a dozen lines of dialog and question and discussion hung in the air heavily, squelching away any willpower to tune the radio to a station. Jake suddenly tasted another burst of the bitter cold magic that bubbled up from his chest, reaching behind the seat to snatch a dirty t-shirt to cough into. One hand on the wheel and the other pressing a shirt to his muzzle, he cautiously wheezed out all that he could manage of the magic before tossing the frozen lump of fabric against the back seat to thaw.
~ With the sound of its wet impact, the dragon managed up a declaration and explanation. "I thought they were going to hurt you.", he explained to the kobold in the passenger seat.
~ Randy nodded silently into the moonlight, "They didn't like that I was in their town after dark.", reaching to rest a hand up on the dragon's shoulder and squeeze affectionately. "And my stature seemed to bolster their courage to say so."
~ Jake regarded the glistening line of blood, one drop wide, that was trailing down the steering wheel slowly. "Then I don't feel so bad about breaking that bear's jaw." He lifted a hand away from the wheel to give the knuckles a flexing, "...or that meerkat's ribs..", turning his hand to watch the blood ooze from the abrasions along his knuckles, "...and I'll just assume that the brick wall had ill intentions, before I put the holes in it." His face crumpled into an expression of distress and smiling, as his passions settled enough that he started to feel emotions again.
~ The dragon was crying, frost dribbling from along his jaw. The kobold gave his shoulder another tight squeeze, before volunteering a correction. "Using your breath doesn't make you a monster."
~ Jake's face softened, and his tears seemed to flow with a different tone as he failed to put words to his conceding agreement.