Chapter 11: Cuddly Sleeping Arrangements

Goren held Kashira’s nose while he sat with his back against her chest, listening to the horses snort. He hadn’t eaten much since yesterday, except for when he had started snacking while walking during his escape attempt. As a result, he felt almost a little fuzzy and lightheaded with how hungry and thirsty he was now.

So, when Merza, Joyra, and two more arrived with a giant cauldron full of an aromatic stew, a pile of salad, and kegs of drinks, his stomach made a painful groan at him. An improvised table was set up for him, made from a barrel with an extra-large serving platter resting on it. He stood slowly and approached.

“Here’s a stool,” Joyra said with a smile as he set it down in front of the table. “How much salad?” 

Goren wondered how much Kashira had overpaid to have this level of attentive service as the response. He wondered how big her hoard actually was and how much she was spending down with all of this. He didn’t feel up to asking these questions either. “Thanks,” he said as he got them to load up his plate and bowl.

Dinner was a little awkward because Joyra and Merza hovered around them until they had both finished their food. He was hungry enough that he kept eating even after he felt full. His stomach groaned at him when he finally stopped eating. Kashira casually finished everything that was left in the cauldron and on his plate.

It was a relief when she finally said, “Thank you. I feel full; Goren seems full. We are satisfied, and I would like to sleep.”

“Here are some blankets for you,” Merza said with a bright smile as she held them out to Goren.

“Thank you,” he accepted them. 

Kashira heaved a contented sigh and slowly, luxuriously stretched out as they took the dishes away, “Please bring breakfast at around the second hour after the morning sun rises.”

“Of course!” Joyra said, and as soon as the two left, Goren squawked as his peripheral vision filled with a blue-scaled paw almost as wide as he was tall. She curled her paw around him and scooted him toward her side. The tips of her claws resting against his side would be terrifying if she wasn’t so gentle.

“Come sleep next to me,” she said, and when her paw couldn’t reach quite right, her wing came forward to scoop him the rest of the way to her side. Her wing was soft, leathery, and almost thin-feeling. The pressure on him to keep scooting toward her side was still inexorable; she was just so big compared to him. It was also so possessive and insistent that it really made his cheeks warm up. “Wait, wait,” he huffed as she smooshed him with her wing against her side. “I have to put the blanket down, right?” He pushed on her wing with his hands, but it didn’t move.

She made a pleased hum. “I suppose so, but I like to hold you and feel you squirm about it.” She pressed her wing more firmly against him.

“Quit,” he huffed. He braced his back against her side and pushed with both his feet and his hands, and that moved it a little, but then she relaxed. It moved suddenly, and he slid down her side to land on his rear in the straw. He huffed again and decided not to comment to the smug dragon. He put the blanket down to make a barrier between himself and the straw. When he sat on it, he put his back against her scaled side.

She curled around him, her wing resting on her front and back legs and the top of her head, making a barrier between him and the barn. It trapped the heat, which was nice because the barn, though warmer than the outside, was not that warm. He arranged the other blanket over his body, feeling and hearing her breathe behind his back. He could also hear her heartbeat, though not as loudly and intensely as when he slept… well, inside. “Comfortable?”

“Yes. I think. I feel really small.” It was dim, with her wing over his head and her body surrounding him; it blocked what little light came from the magical torches in the barn. He put his hand on her side; her scales were so big that he could put his hand in the middle and have none of his fingers touch the edges. They were all a little different and yet somehow fit together seamlessly. They also felt hard when he pressed on them but perfectly smooth despite the visible edges between scales.

He yawned. Even though he had been sleeping a lot already today, now that he had eaten, he was tired all over again. It felt cozy in the warmth against her side. “Are you taking us to Buetarn in the morning?”

“That has been my intention,” she said back softly. “I want to help any survivors that you wish to help. However, I do not know who is who in your town, so the best chance of finding the people who matter to you is to ask the gnolls. Without me visible, they will approach you and likely start talking to you before realizing that you are collared. By the time they see that, they will already be talking to you and likely to keep doing so. Also, my collar will help to keep you safe from anything they might think to do to you.” 

He reached up and touched the blue collar resting against his neck. The memory of the gnolls howling came back to him, and he felt his stomach tighten. “Maybe we should practice communicating over long distances so that I can know… well, if something happens, I know you can hear?”

Kashira made a soft rumbling, thrumming sound. It was big, but it was a reassuring noise. “I am confident in the collar’s capabilities, and I am equally confident that the spell that will activate when someone touches you will keep you safe.” She adjusted her wing so that she could turn into herself enough to nuzzle him. “Even so, I would like you to feel confident in it as well yourself. We can certainly test it first.” 

“Thank you.” He patted her muzzle as it rubbed gently against him. Tiredness caught up to him; physical and emotional warmth soothed him, so he slipped into sleep.  

Kashira smiled as his paw went from stroking her nose to just resting against it. How cute; he fell asleep while petting me. She carefully tilted her head to help lower his hand down by his side and not wake him. Then, even more carefully, she pinched the corner of the blanket between her lips and lifted it to cover most of him up.

I wonder how I am going to transport you anywhere tomorrow? She thoroughly doubted she could get a saddle from anywhere on such short notice, and it was a longer flight. I will probably just have to hoard him for the flight. If I do that, I will need to let him out before Buetarn because who will take a dragon-spit-soggy jayune seriously? She grinned to herself a little about that thought. She sobered as she thought, They may not take him seriously up until they realize he belongs to a dragon in any case.

She pondered it; building a bath would get him clean, but not dry. I suppose I could ask that kitsune girl for a spell.

She felt a tightness in her chest. She shouldn’t assume negative things of all kitsunes, but that one in particular reminded her of one she didn’t want to remember. Her neck itched. She pushed herself to get back on task. Ciara the kitsune was able to use magic to dry him easily. If she would store a spell in something, I could use it. Maybe even the Exotic Exchange makes things already that help to clean or dry people. That would be the best option, perhaps.

She knew that if it really came to it, she could just send a soggy bunny into Buetarn. It was going to be well into the evening when they arrived, so maybe the gnolls wouldn’t notice too much. As long as his poor cute ears don’t frostbite in the cold because of the wet, she fretted. She would definitely ask the staff in the morning to see if they could fetch her a few things.

On the other hand, the flight there could be used to at least show him that the speaking feature of the collar works well. Or it should work well; it will be good to test it. She held in a chuckle as Goren began to snore in the cutest way, but disturbed himself with the noise. He adjusted in his sleep against her side, and relaxed into deeper breaths.

She curled more in on herself, and she couldn’t help but grin as Goren made a sleepy-grumpy noise about her small movements in his sleep. She held still until he relaxed against her again. It was a matter of almost insane luck that he wandered to me in that snowstorm. I adore him so much already. He is being so practical and patient with almost everything. She thought again about all the loss that he had experienced up to this point and how well he was keeping everything together. I hope that there is something in Buetarn for him. She was afraid of the pain it might cause to confirm how extensive the losses might really be. But at the same time, if they never went at all, she felt like it would haunt him. If there was a family member right now that he wanted to save, that they could have reached, but they never went? It would be its own tragedy.

Kashira thought about the Seeing Slates that were now at every gate into this city, and her chest tightened with something like resentment. The whole organization justified itself on keeping the strong accountable for what they could do to the weak by documenting it. However, Buetarn had no Exchange; everything that happened in that town was only of interest to them, except that they could update records. No accountability for maurauding and starving gnolls, and the whole world is their merchandise.

The bitterness grew more and more intense until Goren started to droop down her side. He was seated, but he drifted down until he was just lying against her on the blanket.

She fixed the blanket as she felt better all at once. He was adorable this relaxed. This is cozy. I like it also. Whatever happens, I will be here for him.