The Starry Night
The Starry Night
by Kaiionth
The fox shivered slightly as he stepped out of the elevator into the cool night air, the wind cutting easily through his bare fur, a chill settling into his body in a matter of moments. He had decided not to wear any clothes for this outing, largely due to the fact that he had always disliked the feeling of the superfluous cloth covering his fur. Not many hotel patrons were going to be out at this early hour, much less interested in visiting the rooftop heated pool, so the likelihood of running into someone was fairly small, especially on a chilly night such as this.
The rooftop patio area was simple, if elegant, with the raised pool toward the center and a few comfortable looking chairs dispersed in a stylish manner around. The only significant amount of light came from the lights in the depths of the pool itself, which shone through the surface of the water and cast what seemed to be an endless number of moving shapes on the surroundings and on the steam rising from the surface.
Despite the way he hurried to the heated water he was chilled throughout by the time he reached the edge of the steaming pool. Tenderly slipping a paw beneath the surface he arched his body, the fur on his back standing up for a few moments before resting back down again as he became accustomed to the temperature and slid the rest of his slender russet body into the soothing water, the heat from the water slowly starting to seep into him.
After gliding around in the water for a few minutes to take the edge off of the chill he settled in on the ledge of the far side of the pool to soak, his tail twitching and floating idly beside him as his muscles slowly relaxed under the melting influence of the water.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting there with his head resting back on the lip of the tub when he heard the door to the elevator open, making him glance up. There in warmly lit shelter of the elevator stood an anthropomorphic dragon of about six feet in height, the liquid light reflecting from the water moving in dancing patterns over his bare scales. He too had opted to forgo the use of clothing.
For the first time the dragon noticed that he wasn't the only one on the roof. Their gazes met and to the fox it was as though a warmth had suffused his being. A warmth that filled even the places that the water couldn't reach. There was something in the gaze he recognized, a remnant of a remnant of a feeling; almost forgotten. The dragon looked at the area of the pool next to the fox, his eyes asking a silent question, and the fox nodded softly. Words seemed meaningless on a night like this. The dragon slid into the water with a serpentine grace and situated himself next to the fox, also leaning back on the lip of the tub, his eyes wandering over the fox's reclining form. The fox knew that he should have felt uncomfortable under such a gaze, but strangely he did not. The gaze wasn't disdainful or menacing, just warm. There was no shame.
The dragon tentatively reached out and brushed the fox's shoulder, the fox shivering at the soft, gentle contact. Seeing no signs of rejection the dragon slowly let his paw slide down and across the fox's back; the soft scales of his palm gliding over the wet fur. At first the fox just sat there, taking in the sensation of the dragon's touch, then he slid closer, until he was almost touching its finely scaled side.
The dragon smiled a warm smile and slid his arm around the fox's body, drawing him up to his chest, where the fox rest his head and closed his eyes, that new warmth filling his being again. The dragon nuzzled the fox tenderly before laying back on the edge of the pool, one arm around the fox, holding him close, and the other gently rubbing the fox's belly, his paw gliding smoothly over the fur under the surface of the water. The fox's breathing slowed as he fell asleep in the arms of the dragon, who kissed him lightly on the head before gazing up into the starry sky the clouds of steam rising around them and vanishing into the depths of the cosmos.