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This is my entry to the Dragons Lair This is Me-Challenge revamped because, I liked he original and was happy to have it as somethign I'd done but it needed fixing.

The following situation is based on real life. Names, places and surrounding story have been embellished to protect the innocent.

This is me.

The pub was packed, as on every Saturday night, it was packed from bar to door with happy furs. Every one of them talking and laughing with their friends. Any semblance of organisation had long since faltered now they were all just standing around, one arm resting upon the nearest person, the other arm holding their drink. The large TV in the corner was showing a football match but most people were too busy carousing and talking to bother paying attention.

The eye of attention draws in further into the pub. At the bar stands a dragon, his normally gleaming black scales are dull and battered. Behind him his tail swishes back and forward anxiously and the flame atop it is dull and lifeless, if you were to touch it, you'd swear it was burning cold. The shift has just change and a new barkeeper comes out to serve the dragon. As he sees the barman approaching the dragon goes to take out his Id but the rhino shakes his head.

"No need son, I've been working in bars all my life and I've learned to recognise people who're underage." he smiles exposing his huge flat teeth. "It's the all in the attitude, no matter how much they try, there's still a hint of anxiety, not only that they're often nervous. Always scared of being called out. But you, you're not anxious you're depressed and there's only one cure for that,what's your name and poison son."

For the first time in a while the dragon genuinely smiles, giving the barman a glimpse of gleaming fangs. "The names Sam and I'll have a Whisky, single malt, none of the bourbon crap."

The rhino nods and rummages under the counter for the spirit before measuring out a measure. The sound of the drink being poured is drowned out by the pub's background noise

"Keep the change" says Sam accepting the proffered drink with his right hand, whilst sliding a fiver across the bar.

"No problem" replies the barman. "Hey kid" he says as Sam turns to head back to his table. "Don't you worry it'll work out, it always does."

For the second time in a s many minutes Sam smiles, considering the barman's words as he walks to the table he's sharing with his friends.

While the rest of the bar is a tribute to overenthusiastic alcoholism this small table is a tribute to drunken depression. There are seven other furs of various species sitting around it all engaged in conversation or staring miserably into their drinks. At the centre of the table is a face down plastic card, if one were to flip it over it would read. "Sam Danvers and party exam results celebration.

The atmosphere was meant to be celebratory instead a cloud of sadness hung over the table, like rain hung over the rest of England.

Only only Vector the beagle was unaffected by the dull mood, he was a lone beacon of cheerfulness against the sea of angst and depression.

"Dammit Sam smile"

For the last hour he'd been trying to cheer everyone up without success, now having changed seats he was in a position to attempt to cheer Sam up. "Really man it's not a funeral, and if it was you shouldn't be like this anyway, you should be happy and celebrate that persons life not mourn their loss." He said pulling at one of Sam's long thin ears.

Unlike other anthropomorphic dragons Sam's ears were almost like long antenna stretching a good half foot beyond the back of his head. The doctor had said that it was an evolutionary trait which means that he'd be an excellent flyer. It had also made him an outcast, other dragons viewed him as a freak and he'd struggled to find friends amongst "prey" anthros.

Sam slammed his fist on the table, causing all the glasses to jump slightly. "Vector, fuck off!" he shouted "I don't need cheering up and I don't need you playing with my ears!"

"Woah woah man, sorry just trying to lighten the mood" Vector brought up his paws in a conciliatory gesture.

All his friends knew that when the dragon's tribal markings glowed that it really wasn't good to fuck with him. Sam may not be the strongest dragon but, everyone knew that provoking a dragon so much that they glowed was bad.

"Apology accepted" Sam grunted. He knew he shouldn't be sad or angry he couldn't help it. These people were his friends and had been for a while. Now here they all were about to leave for university where they would hardly see one another again.

It should have been a joyous time, like when they'd hit the nearby town gotten completely smashed and woken up in the remains of what might have been an orgy.

"Come on don't be down remember all the good times we've had." That was one of Vector's most endearing and annoying traits he never gave up. "remember in year eleven when..."

Sam had stopped listening thinking about the good times only made the imminent loss worse. He span his drink idly watching the light shine through the malt, leaving an amber streak on the table beneath. With one elegant movement he lifted the drink to his mouth and downed it in one, as all around him the sound of glasses clinking in fellowship echoed.

Before Sam realised what was happening, blackness welled up around him and then nothing.

"Thud" the sound of dragon head hitting wooden table echoed throughout their cramped corner.

"Ah good you're awake" A male voice spoke, whoever it was it was very familiar to Sam. Too familiar, it was the same voice he heard every day, every time he spoke. The voice was his own.

Sam slowly stood up surprised to find himself free of both hangover and sore limbs

.

In front of him was himself. Or rather a version of himself. While Sam was wearing a black greatcoat, skinny jeans and a shirt his opposite was wearing grey: grey shirt, grey suit grey shoes grey everything. While Sam was black with red markings his opposite was red with blue markings.

"Hello Sam" his reflection said "long time no see."

"Not long enough" Sam reposted "I have enough trouble in my life without you popping up everywhere offering your advice or even taking control. I know full well that it was you that spilled nearly all my secrets after I nodded off in the cantine.

The red reflection shrugged "So I went a little wild am I not allowed a little revenge after all it was you," his reflection pointed and accusing red claw at Sam "You who royally screwed me over. I went from imaginary friend to second personality to muse. Seriously I'm a psychiatrists field day." The reflection continued before Sam could retort "Look we can argue till the cows come home or we can get on with why you're here."

"Yes why am I here Red." said Sam annoyed by his own consciousness accusing him of screwing it over. Even so he was exceptionally curious about where he was.

Wherever he looked it was just space, empty white space for miles in every direction, the only confirmation that they were somewhere was the feeling of a solid floor beneath his feet.

Red laughed "haven't you guessed yet we're in your mind or rather my part of your mind, my imagination to be precise. I put you to sleep so we could have our little chat. Look the rest of us, Athat's the rest of your creativity and bits of you. are fed up with your moping and depression, You rely on us for everything creative and original you do. That story you're writing now what was it called." Red snapped his fingers as he paced trying to recall the required detail. "Ah yes, Malkin and Lear and we can't do it as your depression is stopping us from helping you."

Now it was Sam's turn to snot derisively "So what is this going to be like some ridiculous parody of a Christmas carol, except in this one no-one marries Marylyn Monroe."

Red frown, his draconic brow bunching up. "Look I found both the book and that episode as boring preachy and bumpkiss as you did, remember I'm you I have all of your memories."

"Even the one with the bus stastion"

"Especially that one, now are you going to come with me or do I give you some bad flashbacks as well as good ones. How about when we were hospitalised with glandular fever or you from eight years ago."

Sam slumped in defeat "all right then ghost of past memories, show me the way."

There was a flash of light and then suddenly Sam and Red were somewhere else. The walls were white and the building had a clinical feel to it. The room they were in was large and filled with chairs like it was a waiting room. Unlike most waiting room's this one was almost empty except for one person. In the corner a small black dragon slept, he had no definitive features, yet Sam instinctively knew it was himself almost fourteen years ago.

He turned angrily to Red "Why am I here, this has nothing to do with my current funk"

tRed waggled a finger "Naughty naughty, I'm in charge so I decide what you need to see, Things you've forgotten. Before we can fix you, you need to remember who you are."

As if on cue three other dragons exited a door at the far side of the waiting room. One was a tall elegant purple dragoness wearing a long white doctors coat. The other two a green dragon and red dragoness Sam recognised instantly as his parents, they were crying.

"well hello sexy" said Sam staring at the doctor.

Red slapped him "No, calm down boy. She isn't what I brought you here for listen."

The three dragons had reached young Sam. His mother had picked him up and was holding him tight.

His father was standing there looking at young Sam with pride in his tearful eyes. "Son" he said "I hope you can hear this, you may not grow up normal but you're still just as precious to us as either of your brothers are. Growing up is going to be hard for you but it doesn't matter you'll have things that others won't.

Red smiled and clicked his fingers and with a flash of blue they vanished off to another memory.

This time Red had brought the two of them to a sports hall. Unlike the waiting room this was packed, groups of up to fifteen furs of various species were gathered around the ten pistes in the hall. On the closest piste to the watchers, a dragon and a Himalayan cat were doing battle with sabres. The dragon was fast but the cat was more experienced with had tidier blade work and was picking off the dragon as he attacked.

Sam turned to Red "This is my first proper fencing tournament, why are we here? I understand the hospital where I was diagnosed. That was to show me that I shouldn't be thinking of my problems as completely bad, like everything they have good points and bad points."

As they watched The Sam who was fencing casually caught the cat's blade on his sword and retaliated, scoring the hit. The beautiful parry repost he'd just pulled off was his third point in a row continuing his fight back, bringing the score back from 5-12 to 9-13 and now 12-14.

"If I told you that would defeat the purpose, you have to remember who you are." said red with a smirk.

As the two observers watched fencing Sam pulled off a beautiful faint attack which the cat was just a little to slow to block, bringing the score to 13-14. Instead of a clang of metal, indicating a clah of swords, there was a light ping, the cat's sword has been broken. As Sam and Red watche, the broken point flashed through the air falling to the floor in front of his mother. The pure bread Himalayan had been getting more and more furious as her son had been losing.

Sam didn't fare so well on the next point. The two fighters closed, Sam executed another perfect parry riposte and nothing happened. With that the cat took advantage of Sam's surprise to score his final hit winning the match.

As Sam watched he saw himself fall to the floor in disbelief at the pin that had fallen out of his sword, that one little thing had lost him the match.

Red looked on in approval, you've got it haven't you. No matter what you never give up if there's a hope in hell of winning. Sam Danvers never gives up "

Red's markings glowed blue and they were off again.

Paper streamers covered the ceiling, tinsel and chains of plastic bells criss crossed shelving and in the corner a real Christmas tree stood decorated to the nines.

The entire Danvers family of dragons sat in a circle in the centre of the room. The parents embracing each other watched as their children opened presents. Except one young Sam had only opened one present and was already fascinated with it. The young dragon waved the rock hammer around in his hand, twilling it and flicking it as if it were a sabre.

"My first rock hammer" Sam was nearly crying, they saw me examining rocks and got that for me. They had to take it away from me as I kept hammering the house and the limestone in the preservation area."

Red just smiled and clicked his fingers whisking them off again

This time Sam and Red emerged in an open topped corridor, in front of them was a large flight of stair divided in two by a thin metal handrail.

"I know this place, these are the library steps at my old school, why are we here Red?" Sam turned to Red in the faint hope that he might actually get an answer this time.

The stairs normally a bustle of activity were silent except for one noise, the pattering of dragon claws on the cobbled floor.

This was a recent memory, as his hair was the same as it was now, long stretching past his shoulders one part dark blue one part purple.

As the memory Sam ran up the stairs , Sam watched as the head of year stepped out of the staff room directly in his path, in an attempt to slow the speeding dragon.

"Slow down Sam" she said "you could hurt yourself"

young Sam just smiled and with a flap of his wings simply jumped over her. "Gotta keep running Miss. You never know who's catching up"

Before Sam could say anything, Red had already snapped his fingers and they were off again.

Where the last memory had been a light and open area, this new memory Red had brought Sam to was dark and packed with furs. As Sam watched, the stage at the front of the arena lit up as a red haired Lynx bounded on stage from the wings followed four other furs all carrying instruments.

It took Sam less than a second to place this memory, it was the most recent one yet. It was February and Sam had taken his best friend and crush to see their favourite band and Red had brought him back just in time for the encore.

As they stood and watched the band, had dispensed with their pleasantries and had launched into their final song, which also happened to be one of Sam's favourites.

For the first time Sam felt truly grateful to Red for this opportunity to relive some of the best moments of his life. As he watched he saw his past self doing the mosh having a good time.

"You know" Sam said speculatively "I have one regret at this point, I should have used the moment to tell her how I feel or even just to asker her out"

Red didn't say anything. He didn't have to as part of Sam's subconscious he had access to every though memory and desire Sam had ever had. He snapped his fingers and off they went

*****

This time their transport wasn't instant, instead Sam and Red were floating through a white tunnel. As the floated snippets of conversation came through.

"Keep left really it's dark and he'll be drunk. As if it'll work"

"what is this Red, guess the memory? Sam asked his guide

He got no response, neither Red's face or body language offered an answer to Sam's question.

"Fine" Sam huffed "A friend's garden party. The last time we'd been there, one of my friends Theo had fallen off a wall and broken his leg, so we were constantly poking fun at him for it."

As soon as the voice came it went again, a pulsing light against the white of the tunnel walls

"I'm sorry Sam, You're a great friend but I'd rather we remained just friends"

"Tengala, the dragoness I had a crush on in secondary and also my best friend, tuning me down for prom"

Red said nothing, his poker face immaculate.

"You bastard bring back the porn"

"Wales field trip, one of my roommates had a laptop and promised us porn before buggering off" Sam laughed, "he had to sleep outside as we refused to let him back in."

Other memories rapidly flooded in overwhelming Sam with feelings of joy and happiness. Love and determination. Swamping the dam of depression and making it crumble into the sea of positive emotions and all the while the deep sound of a thumping bass guitar played in the background though the musician was invisible.

*****

The setting was unfamiliar to Sam. In front of him visible through a narrow arch was a large red brick building. At its base well tended hedges stretched in every direction. Student's were walking back and fourth, laughing, loving, living.

"Where are we?" he said stumped for the first time

Red grinned "We are no-where, at least no-where that you've been yet. We are in the courtyard of Birmingham university under the clock tower. I brought you here to show you a future. There you are now"

A group of six furs came into view, four guys and two girls. Sam clearly recognised himself walking hand in hand with a beautiful silver dragon whose jade markings sparkled in the midday light. All six of them seemed to be engaged in a large six way conversation.

"Man your ass looks good from this angle"

Sam turned to stare at Red not believing what he'd just heard

Red smiled, "you are too easy."

"Beep Beep." The faint sound of an alarm echoed around the tight confines of the tower

Red swore. "I'd love to stay and chat but you have to go besides it's bad luck to be under the clock when it strikes." With that Red wrapped his arms around Sam in a hug. "Remember stay yourself and be happy you've had lots of good stuff happen to you. See you sexy."

There was a flash and Sam vanished.

*****

Slowly Sam opened his gunky eyes. He was still in the bar, face down of the sticky table. He sighed sticky beer residue was a nightmare to get off scales. He looked up and was greated by the concerned faces of his friends.

"You know what" he said, brushing off their worries "This is the last time we'll ever see each other for a long time, let's make the most of it."

Maybe the barman was right. Perhaps things could work out. For Sam the future was still uncertain only now it looked a little brighter.