Midday sun had crept over the mountain peak, the light bringing out the rich chocolate tone to Sammy’s hair. Once again he found himself parting it as he leant against cave wall, this time standing out of the cave.

He could see a worn trail lead away to the left, in a counter clockwise direction along the ridge he now stood upon, dusty and hardly travelled. He could guess from the missing pieces of armour, as well as the scorch-shadows of humanoid proportion show that those that did follow this path didn’t return. For a while he was tempted to investigate the small bones and odd skulls, a morbid curiosity that he felt wasn’t best to pursue before dinner.

Breakfast had been an interesting affair; Lady Ivory was adamant in preparing something as she rarely had guests that didn’t want her treasures or her life. He didn’t mind be served the leg of a boar that cooked well enough by her flame. Supposed it made all the more exotic. He didn’t know if it should have tasted like cinnamon, but kept quiet about, and insisted on a small portion to not leave any on his silver plate. Leaving left overs was rude.

For most of the day, he just stood outside sensing the world around him. Sure there were books for him to read, but where to start? The non-fictional tomes were a gold mine of knowledge he could use, but they were dated as he found out. A majority were written in gryphic and Zebrican, as he found out, but evidently involved basic alchemy and smithing. Not that he would be taking up either any time soon.

So he waited outside the mouth of the cave, ignoring the minotaur skull caught in the teeth of stalagmites and stalactites. He just observed and recollected himself. He was in constant need of keeping a logical, sound mind in how to tackle this immense challenge. With his arms folded over he hugged himself to brace against the foreign chill, standing in the light to soak up what little warmth he could.

Sammy could smell the mountain laurel with every fresh breath, cleansing his mind of the cascade of questions. The echoing sonnets of distant birds were carried up the mountain. Whilst the jungles and forests sung to one and other, he regarded the immense variety of greens with stoic intrigue. He was looking for the River Aquillian. He couldn’t see a single sign of picturesque blue or a coursing path of water. He could only assume it was hidden. Perhaps deep within the jungles or behind a hill?

Despite the need he had to avoid worrying too much about his predicament, he was constantly pondering about his next course of action. So far he had been successful, but talking to the dragon was hardly a skilled feat and not having to acquire his own food was a stroke of good luck.

With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose and cocked his head to the left, watching the now skewed mountains.

‘I’m not built for this world,’ he noted with concern, ‘I can’t hunt, I can’t read a map, I’m a first world kid that wouldn’t last a week here.’ Sammy groaned and checked his watch out of habit, finding it to read three O’clock. Having told that it was close to noon, he changed it to being a few minutes after midday, to count for the lost time being informed of the hour.

‘The closest thing to civilisation are Diamond dogs, who are up river. I could just wander along, but I have no idea what I’d encounter. One manticore and I’m dead. I’ll need to be careful about this.’ His nerves were starting to unwind, his concentration no longer on the beautiful surroundings but instead homing in on his problems.

With every passing second the questions fell in line, marching in single file.

‘What’s the point in going to the Diamond Dogs if only the old can learn how to use magic, and little at that?’

Sammy had cancelled out the avian choir offered to him by this strange world. It’s soothing serenade lost to his thoughts. Only the sound of his voice filled his head.

‘How soon can I leave? As eager as I am not to be stuck, am I simply running away from this problem? No, I’m just searching for a solution. I need to keep moving… but I can’t leave unprepared, so what now?’

With a deep breath he missed the enticing scent of crisp mountain air. With the exhale, he could only feel the warmth of his chest escaping through his mouth. The second breathe was cold and chilling.

‘I can’t take too long. Fuck, the longer I’m gone the harder it will be to explain all this! What can I even say about where I went?’

Sammy’s eyes clamped shut and he ignored the bright world beyond, blackness masking his vision.

‘What if this takes months? What they hell am I going to say?!’

He tore a hissing breathe, breathing out hot air through his grinding teeth. His palm shakily rose to comb his short hair, locks slipping between his fingers.

‘I can’t say that I’ve been here. That I was in Equestria. I’ll get chalked off for having either a mental breakdown or for tripping so hard that I vanished for a few months, maybe a year!

His shaky breathing kept in time with his rapid heartbeat.

‘Years…’

He brought his hands to his face, peaking between his fingers. His anxiety was getting to him, tightening his chest with a sickening grasp.

“I actually think all this would have been easier if I woke up in the Everfree. I’d either be dead by now or hog tied by Apple Jack- wouldn’t mind if she was the human version.” It was an attempt at humour akin to firing a flare in the dark; it brought a warm chuckle and a sense of security for a brief moment, banishing the dark, ever-creeping cruel reality for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

Sammy gasped and turned to face the mouth of the cave. Though startled, he gulped down a breath and hesitantly nodded.

“Peachy,” he replied with a faux-cheerful tone.

Lady Ivory stepped out of the shadows in her smaller form, her crystal white scales shimmering in the light. Her wings caught a polychromatic sheen as they remained wrapped around her form as she strolled over with one golden platter and another of silver.

As was custom, he would get silver, considered a less precious metal here. It was a social tradition amongst her kind that did engage with other species that when in someone else’s home, they don’t get the finest china.

Then again, such meetings were rare.

The succulent scent of roasted meat danced with his olfactory sense, teasing him with phantom tastes. Being five foot ten left him at a slight disadvantage to her seven foot, so when he was offered the crispy brown meat he had to lower the platter from shoulder height. He got an eyeful of what appeared to be a rib platter of sorts, dry and without sauce.

Not that his hungry stomach cared. It never looked a gift horse in the mouth, after all.

“That is a terrible lie,” she said walking toward the ledge. Upon sitting down, she looked over her shoulder and patted the ground next to her. “I could see you fretting, you are not as sound of mind as you claim to be.” Looking between his meal, a forearm’s length of ribs, and her cobalt eyes he found he couldn’t deny the request. He couldn’t deny being caught red handed amidst an anxiety attack.

Sammy walked over and took his seat beside her, putting the platter on his knees. After a moment of pause, he sighed and started to remove a rib.

“Okay you got me,” he started, pointing to himself with the rib, “I’m just trying not to freak out, take everything as it is. It’s kind of how I’ve always been- there are times where I can’t afford to sit still and wait and that’s now.” He offered a shrug and waited for her to take first bite.

“Is it?” she questioned with an arching brow, “Or have you all ways put up a brave front and suffered? There’s a difference between taking everything in your stride and sheltering yourself from the storm. One will get greatly aid you, the other with destroy with your false security.”

“So I ask again, barring the obvious, is something the matter?”

He chewed his lip looking away. The distant fields held his gaze as he contemplated what he had been told. His zealous need to return home had practically made the day a blur, his plotting of getting home treating the whole ordeal as a road trip rather than what it actually was: a journey that might stretch into years.

‘What could I say if I returned? I went missing because… I got lost? No, that’s stupid. I was kidnapped? Urgh, that’s just as equally ridiculous, I couldn’t tell a lie that big nor could I make it convincing.’

Regardless, getting home was his priority. He could minimise his time here by setting off as soon as possible.

With a steeled gaze and a bitter tongue he turned back to her.

“Yes, there is. Today has gone by rather quickly, everything has.” He put his meal down to the side and then combed his short hair to soothe his mind. “I need to find a way home, and I was contemplating going to the dogs but if there’s little for me there, then what’s the point? It would be a waste of my time!” He turned back to the view of the horizon, his head cocked to the left.

“If they have little to no magic then that makes them one of the least ideal places to go, but with it being the closest.” His head rolled to the right. “Alternatively you said it’s the closest, and if they can be friendly then I could ask for a guide to a zebra settlement.” He stopped to chuckle. “Given I’m not used a chew toy of sorts.”

“Ah, so you fear that time is not your ally,” she said in a sagely manner, nodding slowly. “And why is that?”

“Because the longer I’m gone, the harder it will be for to explain my disappearance.” He sighed, massaging his temples. “I can’t say that I was conjured by a magical dragon- I’ll be tossed into a looney bin.”

“Pardon?”

“…Mental institute.”

“I see,” she replied sagely. Sammy turned to her, expecting her to continue but was instead greeted by the sight of her feeding a rib between her lips. Ivory then gracefully whipped it back out, shaving the bone clean of meat in the progress. The white bone was then placed neatly back on her golden platter as her claws came to rest on her stomach.

Gesturing with one hand, she pointed to the landscape, “It is understandable for you to be afraid and overwhelmed by this- where to begin, oh, where to begin? The closest creatures of any sapience are nigh non-magical, and who’s to say they will help at all? No, you’d be safer sitting here with little, old me, spending your remaining years here under my care.”

She blinked before shooting him a quick glance.

“Your kind don’t live for centuries, do they?” His shake of the head earned a prolonged sigh.

“So I guess I’ll be sharing my den for a brief period of time with an exotic male…. typical.” She sighed mockingly, longingly looking towards the sky.

“Who said I was staying?!” he barked, nearly knocking his meal from his lap. “My problem is that I won’t be going home soon enough for my liking!”

“Oh, so time is neither against you nor with you?” she quickly retorted, leaning her face closer to his. “You’re anxious, if you’ll pardon the expression then you’re on edge.” She earned a flash of smirk before his expression fell once more. With her other claw she pointed to various spots in the distance, naming capitals in respectively, “Then go, go to the Drakalin of the minotaurs, where the king resides. Go to Muktal, the Zebrican capital. The Saddle Arabians have their sultan for you to seek council with, and the gryphons have their king.” She turned back to him, a shimmering glint in her eye.

“Beyond that is Equestria,” she said in more hushed tone, “the land your kind had stories of. My advice would be to try there, which I know you will.” She spared a sad smile before turning back to her meal. “You’re scared of being unable to do anything because you know not where to begin, or which nation will yield a way home for you in the quickest time. None of them do, I’m afraid.”

With dejected look he stared into his silver platter, moving the ribs to the side. Beneath the charred flakes of unknown flesh he could make out his hazy outline. Try as he might he couldn’t find his gloomy expression in the reflection. It was a waste of time.

‘Just like anywhere I go for miles, save Equestria and maybe Zebrica. I’m not going home soon.’

There was a moment where that thought drifted through his mind, the darkest cloud of worries amongst the storm. He couldn’t immediately accept this fact, that he’d be too late when he returned home. Still, what she had said had brought a clearing amongst the storm in his mind. Perhaps her words could help it pass; prioritising the challenge of returning home seemed to be better than adding a steadily pouring hourglass to beat.

“So because I can’t get home soon enough, I should only focus on getting home?” He breathed deeply through his nose before exhaling. Looking to the tranquil horizon, Sammy scratched his chin. The frizzling noise stopped when he was answered.

“Would you rather return to racing ahead and be slaughtered by the wilds? No offense, but you seem to lack natural defences; no claws, no scales or chitinous armour, you’ve not shown signs of incredible strength- what do you have that gives you an advantage?” He noticed her shift in tone, from scholarly criticism to innocent suggestion, “Save perhaps your new found talents.”

“No,” he began, calm but with warning, “I am not going to be using magic. Nothing against it, but there are humans that can survive in the wilds without flaming rocks.” He folded his arms and grinned, faltering to rub the back of his head. “Well, they’re the guys who’ve had years of experience,” he muttered.

“Years you’ll no doubt master, these arts of the wilderness can be learned in less than, what, a day? Week? A month or two?” she retorted with sarcasm, reaching for another rib.

“For all you know I could!”

“Can you?”

“No, so I’m going to need a hand.”

“So why not attempt to harness what you can? Why put yourself at a disadvantage?” she inquired with genuine curiosity. It did seem rather foolish not to take advantage of what he now had. He looked to her with a furrowed brow.

“I… I… never mind.” He didn’t want to say he felt less human with this, he didn’t want to say that the struggles of his people made them stronger because they had nothing but their mind to rely on throughout the ages. Beside that point he had to retain some semblance of normality. That odd sensation that… corrupted his arm with heated power was not meant for him to tamper with; surely he’d be no better than her for blindly using magic she had no clue about? Right?

His head cocked to the right as he reached for his meal.

‘Then again, we, as humans, take advantage of our surroundings, mould them and adapt them to suit our needs. Maybe learning a few tricks wouldn’t hurt. I’d only need things that were absolutely necessary, and starting fires with gemstones in a forest at night could be useful. Dangerous, but useful.’

The thought of making arson and jewel collecting a part of his new hobbies brought smile to his face. His expression evolved into something else as a realisation crept in, not degrading into a false mask but changing into one of genuine gratitude.

“Thank you,” he said, “For helping me back then. I, uh… I was in need of advice. If diamond dogs are the closest and I can gain their trust then I’ll be able to get the help I need. If not, maybe I can safe passage into the zebra lands.” They shared a smile before he shrugged with an apprehensive grin.

“I guess I can wing from there, but thanks.”

“I will help in as many ways as I can,” she muttered as Sammy picked up the rib he had previously put down.

“I can respect that, I’m not forgiving you… but I can see you’re trying.” He took a bite from the oddly tender meat, finding that it had an odd sweetness to it. There was still the strange cinnamon aftertaste. “You know, for something a bit on the dry side this is really pretty good. A bit of honey barbeque on this and it will be spot on,” he complimented, looking to her. “What is it? The same boar we had for breakfast?”

She shook her head and smirked.

“No, it’s left over diamond dog.”

He stopped his merry chewing, slowly turned to look her in the eye whist pale faced. He could only see the glint of mischief in her vibrant blue eyes.

“You’re joking,” he commented light-heartedly, waving her off. He maintained his polite grin. “Right? It’s not another sapient thing, is it?”

Her eyes refocused on the distant mountains, her smirk peeling up to reveal her fangs.

“Okay, joke's over.” He hadn’t earned another response.

It appeared that his cries had fallen on deaf ears.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening rolled on by, but neither were outside to witness the sky glow orange. Ivory, back to her full size was passing through a large tunnel, descending as she continued her journey. Small lights from flickering arcane torches sprung to life and caught the wet sheen along the cavern floor. The floor was complete clear, save for the odd puddle rippling in close proximity to her mighty strides.

A roar of water could be heard bouncing along the cave walls, dulled by distance and noticeably growing louder the longer the trek went on.

“Never seen a dragon’s watering hole before. You know, this would be an even greater experience if I was perched on your head… or you know, outside,” Sammy commented from his seat in her open palm. His glance fell to ground as he peered between her claws. “It can’t be easy for a quadruped to walk on three legs.”

“We live and learn,” she relied with mirth, “And my apologies for not making the trip to my water supply an exciting ordeal.” Sammy grinned as he looked to see Ivory rolling her eyes before cocking an eyebrow in his direction. “And quite frankly I don’t know you well enough to allow you the privilege of placing your backside upon my scalp.”

“I could stand between your horns, if that’s an improvement.”

“It isn’t.”

“So,” he responded, his tone elevating as he shifted the subject, “This is the river that will solve my navigation problems?” He nodded ahead without breaking eye contact, though all it gestured towards was the ever bending wall.

“Maybe. Until you learn to properly read maps, the river will at least drop you off close to settlements, but not all capitals,” she replied, having to move her head to side as a bump appeared in the ceiling.

“Well you could do that for me,” he added, inspecting the tip of her claws. He ran a finger along the smallest claw, which incidentally was the same size as him, and hissing as he cut himself near the top. Ivory giggled as he began to nurse his finger in his mouth, earning herself a playful scowl.

“Careful, I sharpen them every day around this time. A female must look and be at her best at all times, no?” she inquired with an innocent bat of her eyes. He gave a conceding nod, not wanting to argue about how women- or dragonesses- should look after themselves. That was an unwinnable war in his books.

“And we’ve been over this since lunch, I can’t ‘drop you off’- no matter how tempting the promise of such a sight would be- as it would more than likely scare off those whom you seek aid from. Not to mention attract the attention of other dragons, some of which may not take to kindly to us in their territory.” She sighed, shaking her head. He was rather adamant about cutting the time between traveling short with her flying him wherever he needed to go. She had her reasons for declining, some he wasn’t inclined to agree with.

“Okay, I can get that flying to Equestria would be both a risk, to your health as much as mine, and I get that you’re worried about your immense hoard being chipped at,” she scowled at how Sammy had phrased that, “but the diamond dog den? It’s must be what, a few miles away?” He raised both his hands. “I could probably count how many on my fingers, can’t I?”

“A few miles,” she replied, bringing her stiff upper lip with her as her snout shot to the ceiling. “But I would rather not call attention to myself, lest more try to invade my home. But of course, that is of little concern to you if my life is jeopardised and my source of nourishment is mined from beneath me by tunnel digging canines.”

Frowning, he stood up and folded his arms as he spoke.

“I’m sure it must be difficult for you to cook a guy in armour.”

She responded by abruptly shaking her hand, just enough to him to fall onto all fours in her palm.

“Reeaaaaal mature,” he drawled, climbing back onto his feet.

“Being a few thousand years old teaches one to be as such, though I hear it’s supposed to come easy to many of you short lived creatures,” she said sweetly, adding a sly grin. Her expression turned ponderous as she regarded the world in a new light. “My mistake.”

As tempting as it was to automatically blow a raspberry in her direction, he simply scoffed well naturedly and looked towards the front. Finally, he thought, they had arrived.

Lowering her head to avoid a confrontation with a blunted stalactite, Ivory stepped out into what appeared to be a cavern. What light was available came from several large fire pits sparking to life with a white and gold flame, each set a fair distance apart. He could see river merge from the dark with an aqua glow as the fire pits lined the embankment. The thunderous growl of a waterfall pouring into the large cavern from the far left was slightly overwhelming. Opposite, and far to his right, the coursing river migrated further down a tunnel, its body becoming shadowed where the torches could not reach.

Lady Ivory lowered her hand to ground and he immediately stepped off, inspecting the entire ordeal further. The walls had been smoothed, and not just by natural occurrence if the small archways holding torches were any clue. It felt a bahzaar of sorts, following the shape but completely devoid of produce save perhaps a surplus of evenly spaced fire pits and water flowing through an enormous channel. It was once again a testament to how lived in this mountain must have become.

He tried shouting up to Ivory, but he couldn’t even hear the sound of his own voice. Not that she was paying attention, having started to stride towards the river. She lowered her head, and like a knife through the water itself, effortless slid in with surprisingly minimum splash. Her head craned back out, water cascading down her scales and swan-like neck. She began to wade towards the waterfall, looking back to Sammy and nodding towards her intended destination.

He had a fair distance to walk, but he caught up as she stepped into the large shower. Water pelted her sleek form but she paid no mind to it, instead she seemed to enjoy it all the more. A serene smiled sprouted as she exposed her back, catching the water between her wings.

“This is where I collect my drinking water,” she called, her voice on par with the roaring water. He had to shield himself from the torrent of water raining down upon him, raising an arm over his eyes. To his surprise, the water was delightfully warm. “I collect it in larger basins before boiling it, as well as before stepping into here to bathe.”

He tried to call something out, but gave up, instead gesturing between him and waterfall. She blinked, out of confusion and due to the rushing water pelting her horns before reaching her sapphire eyes. She brought a wing over her head, but the waterfall then rolled over it as rainwater would to an umbrella. Moving his arm away, he looked ready to shout his issue. That was when they both noticed her wing ended right above him.

Instinctively he looked up and was met with watery regret.

Caught off-guard, one of the many columns of water decided that it didn’t like the spot he stood on in particular, and fell onto him with as much crushing force as it could muster. He was forced onto his backside by the down pour. He flailed and spluttered before decidedly rolling out from beneath the unrelenting pillar of water. Water sprayed from his mouth as he rejected it vehemently, splayed out on his back as he was still bombarded by the treacherous liquid.

Sopping wet, he propped himself up by his elbows and bore a deadpanned expression directly at the shaking dragoness. She had balled her claw into a fist and was biting the knuckle, her eyes shimmering with restrained delight and amusement. He didn’t let up, slowing, mechanically, turning to stare at her sluggishly retracting wing. Droplets weaved between his patchy facial fuzz, his hair matted and becoming a darker shade.

Turning back, he found her still shaking, the water seemingly having no effect on her small sniggers that rung out throughout the cavern.

“Go on… let it out… I dare you…” though unheard, she could read his lips. The dam broke, and she unleashed a bout of laughter. Her soft, crystal clear voice combined with the naturally loud nature of her size gave her laugh a harmonic ring… though given it was at his expense it served to amplify his sullen mood.

When her laughter died down, she leaned down towards him, her features contaminated by dying mirth.

‘If she’s trying to look apologetic she’s failing,’ he though, a small smirk starting to form.

“Oh, I’m d-dreadfully sorry about that,” she began, straining to prevent a smile from sprouting, “I fell into habit and forgot the reason why I don’t have many fire pits on the ground this close to my shower.” She licked her lips and tried to put on an innocent look, but with her eyes and features being so large, it was easy for him to see through her façade. “Now, what were you trying to ask me?”

There was a short pause as he removed his jumper, revealing a sapphire shirt of intricate design. It was short sleeved and patterned with fine stitching of filigree that caught the light, but had become soggy and darkened. Whilst rinsing is jumper, she caught sight of him chuckling.

With a half-smile he yelled, “I was going to ask how you expect me to wash myself,” before pointing towards her and adding, “I guess you just fixed that.”

For the rest of the evening, he spent his time drying off by a fire pit, his back to Lady Ivory as she showered. It had taken her five minutes to walk down from the main chamber, and he estimated that it would probably take him between ten to fifteen minutes. All the while he had been inspecting his surroundings and couldn’t help but wonder how long it had taken to bring some semblance of architecture to the surroundings.

It was strangely soothing for him to be drying off. Maybe it was the small moment of mirth he shared with the dragoness, but he was gradually perking up. He was sharing food and a cave with a dragoness, he thought as his inner child bounced off the walls with unsurpassed glee. He was (sort of) in the fantasy land where technicoloured ponies frolicked and played, where the streets were pathed with friendship and shops of sweets!

Then the shadowy figure that stood in the doorway, ‘Reality’, would walk in and inform the child what the world actually consisted of: monsters, isolation, and perhaps the only familiar concept within this planet and his, unachievable goals. Cold, it was, cruel, maybe; Reality was neither in truth, but realism was a reigning regime in Sammy’s mind and it said it was time for his inner child to quiet down whilst he worked on returning home… however long that took.

He wasn’t exactly dry by the time Ivory had decidedly finished, but at least he was warm. Ivory lay onto the embankment, her arms resting between two fire pits as her lower half remained submerged. Sammy stood to her right, his jumper tied around his waist as he stood with his arms crossed.

Upon hearing the sound of wings unfurling, he glanced up to find her forming a shielding dome with her white wings. A gap at the top allowed her head to fit through whilst all the while managing to reduce the roar of the water fall into a distant thunder.

“Feeling any better?” she inquired, sincerely. He was left puzzled for a moment or two before his mind caught up with him.

He nodded, sighing before speaking up, “I suppose, I’ve had my worries washed away for the moment. They’re not gone, mind you, I can’t do anything as of right now and panicking won’t solve anything, but I think I can survive one more night.” He looked himself up and down before firing a scowl in her direction, the smirk betraying any sense of true animosity. “Though it’s likely I’m going to be focusing on how drenched my clothes are before bed.”

Ivory beamed a smile, shimmering fangs catching the light of the fire as her eyes shut.

“Cute, really,” he added, sarcasm causing her to emit a tinkling giggle.

“I said I was sorry,” she added, turning her head to the side in a coy manner. It hardly made a difference to him, she was still in trouble. Though the only method of revenge he could think off was to splash her, an act rendered ineffective when she’s half submerged. Instead, he pretended to take the high road, huffing as his eyes fell back onto fire pit. “Honest…” she added, sickeningly sweet.

“Lies!” he accused, pointing towards her.

“You could always take your clothes off.” Caught off guard, his eyes widened but he otherwise remained collected about the comment. It was likely due to the innocent nature of her tone, her voice laced with natural curiosity. Gauging her studious expression left him with more comfort than discomfort. “But seeing as you haven’t already I sense you have your own reasons.”

‘A natural query, I suppose if one does find themselves here then they would have to explain why they need clothes.’

“Save for the little detail that these are the only clothes I have, humans generally keep themselves wrapped up.” He began, extending an arm to turn his palm upward as if the answer was written on it. As he listed his answers his hand continued to gesture, bouncing between points. “We cover ourselves from chest to toe commonly, primarily for modesty but we do have a taste of fashion, though I’m hardly a shining example.” He watched her lean closer to insect his clothes, eyeing the designs on his chest.

“That’s a rather intricate pattern. It’s actually quite nice,” she complimented earning a quizzical stare. Noticing this, she backed her head away, “Is something the matter?”

“I’m surprised you could make it out, must be difficult having such large eyes and me being so small- spotting details has got to be a nightmare.” She shook her head as her reply.

“Actually, dragons have incredible eyesight, and whilst strenuous, I could probably spot a single plant at the bottom of the mountain. Or a ruby.” She rubbed her eyes, blinking before continuing, “Though we use the ability during hunting, otherwise we can damage out eyes.”

“Huh,” he commented intelligently, “the more you know.” He waved her off before pulling on his damp shirt. “Anyway, as you may have guessed my kind isn’t blessed with a fur coat, which can make staying warm a nightmare in certain conditions. Hence, clothing!” he finished dramatically. “One of the many great inventions now ridiculed by fashion companies using them for their own advertisement by stamping their name across an otherwise perfectly good piece of attire.”

“Save for the last part…” she started with a hint of uncertainty, “I can see why a furless species would be in need of clothing.” He cocked an eyebrow as he witnessed the dragoness bring a claw to her chin, looking off into the winged dome with a ponderous expression. It was somehow surreal to witness such a spectacle. “Do you always wear clothes, even when warm? I’m certain that I recall a few minotaurs layered with thick clothing during the winters, but I can’t see them wearing the same attire for summers; if it’s too hot you remove layers of clothing, no?” He nodded before she continued.

“And yet… even when your clothes a soaked you keep them on. If you are trying to get warm then shouldn’t you remove your wet attire?”

“As the first cave man said to the other: I have fire!” he replied, using both hands to gesture towards the fire pit before folding them back to his chest. “Of course I probably paraphrasing, but I don’t think I need to remove my clothes due to the warmth. Besides…” he started, now feeling the twinge of discomfort. He rubbed the back of his head, sucking in a quick deep breath before exhaling.

Once again, a hand uncoiled from his chest as if he was reluctantly handing over this piece of information, “Besides… it’s kind of a taboo for humans to stand around naked in public.” He wasn’t exactly embarrassed by the statement. He had a naturally curious mind, tempered by years of learning the scientific method and the yearning to learn of other cultures. It was simply culture swapping.

Yet, her sprouting sinister smirk made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, almost growing in an attempt to escape her narrowing eyes.

“Really… interesting…” she said slowly and methodically.

“Before you ask, it’s considered common decency and polite, especially in front of the opposite sex, to minimise exposure to certain…assets,” he added, chewing on the final word. “Genitals and breasts are to be kept out of sight.” He paused to bring his finger to his chin as he cocked his head to the right. “Funnily enough, it’s only considered a faux pa if the nipple itself is showing, for females anyhow. Then again there are a ton of skim- why are you looking at me like that?”

His train of thought was cut off when she began regarding him like a meal, Lady Ivory’s cold eyes withholding frozen sadism.

“I’m just storing this information away for the next time you behave in an uncivil manner, or decide to start lobbing my hoard off the mountain face.”

“That…” That was immensely clever, he thought, “Is quite an overreaction,” he said. He almost wilted beneath her gaze before her stare softened to one of mirth. Her grin retracted into a softer smile, her fangs sheathing beneath scaled lips.

“I would never do such a thing out of pure malicious intention, nor do I desire to disrobe you any time soon,” she said as she brought a claw to her heart, “I’m rather offended that you believe that a lady such as I wish to see you squirm, even after you threw one of my prized possessions out the door.”

His eyes narrowed as he marched up to her, or at least, close enough to reach out a touch her large snout if he wished.

“Humans don’t go around naked and especially don’t want to in front of females in public because it has sexual implications… seeing as males and females don’t have covers or whatever.”

There was pregnant pause after she made an ‘oh’ face, realisation striking her as she studied him once more.

“All your males are circumcised? They have their sheathes remov- oh, you actually mean that you are born without one?”

“Yes,” he instantly retorted. He would rather not define what circumcism meant where he came from. The conversation had already taken an odd turn. “So to conclude,” he swiftly added, counting on his fingers, “We wear clothes primarily for warmth, secondarily for the sake of modesty, and tertiary to show how much we earn. The more stylish and extravagant, the more notes stuffed into a person pocket.” He chose to ignore the nagging feeling to mention human nudists, despite wanting to explain as much as he honestly could.

Sometimes it was simply better to keep his mouth shut.

“Okay so I might be over simplifying but that’ the general gist.”

He folded his arms and quickly turned to face the fire pit, focusing on the magical burning white orb that didn’t touch the bottom of the small basin. It was an odd spectacle, but had slowly started to lose its awe factor. In turn, this meant that when Lady Ivory craned her head around to face him from opposite fire pit, she immediately caught his attention.

“Oh you are just going to love the natives around here,” she said before tittering, “I know what pants are, and few species wear them… many societies being nudists and all.”

He couldn’t keep eye contact as a flash flood of images poisoned his mind. He burrowed his brow and groaned, banishing the mental pictures with by massaging the bridge of his nose.

“Perhaps I should start collecting clothing to make things more comfortable for you, no?” she asked with a teasing smile. After a quick grumble from him, Ivory chuckled before sobering. “Well, I appreciate the gesture, seeing as in this realm clothing is commonly a luxury, and even though yours is more for protection, most would either see it as a sign of trying to up your status or as a sign of respect. I, myself, sit with the latter.”

She leaned back, pulling her head away and withdrawing her wings. The effect was immediate as the enclosure of warmth was swiped away by cooler temperatures. The dulled cacophony of the waterfall returned with a roar. Sammy moved closer to the flame pit, but had is attention stolen by the large claw landing beside him. He looked up to her.

“Thanks for the talk,” she said, her voice clearly heard.

“No problem,” he yelled back to little effect, “Are we leaving?!” he added, cupping his hands around his mouth. She nodded and Sammy leaped into her palm and stood in the centre. Moments later it was brought a full storey off the ground as she departed from the water. Lady Ivory made her way to the exit, water pouring off her shimmering form. She paused before the tunnel, looking down on him as he gazed up.

“Feeling better?” she inquired once more.

Sammy looked to his soaked trainers, tightening the soggy knot of his jumper around his waist as his head slid to the left. He hadn’t actually gotten any closer to figuring out how he was going to get to the diamond dogs, much less how he was going to convince them to aid him. On top of that, the surreal world he found himself in attacked his mind every time he looked at his host, the one responsible for tearing him from home. To finally top it all off, he was only partially dry and would likely be damp for the rest of the night.

Looking back up to her, his head switched to the right, a half-smile sprouting.

“Much better, thank you,” he said. Knowing he hadn’t been heard he simply gave a gracious bow before nodding, earning a pleasant smile from the dragoness. He couldn’t ignore that she had kept him somewhat stable, the semi-pleasant conversation about clothing was a decent distraction as he acclimatised. It wouldn’t last long. He knew it. By tomorrow, his second day, he’d likely still be harbingering a flicker resentment at what she had done. The following days after, though, he had to wonder if it would be worth keeping this anger as he gaze up to the pleasant dragoness.

For now he could be pleasant. For now he wouldn’t let the ‘accident’ get the better of him.

Not yet anyhow.

‘At least she’s trying to help.’ Was all he could think on the subject. And for the next few days that followed.