PSL: Dragon Fails

[goldeneyeball]

THREAD LOG
First impressions are important.

Comments

[goldeneyeball]

It's smart to have a back door. It's genius to have several.

<sub>[He tossed his head a little and let himself feel proud before slithering down into the hole to see the state of things.]

[Ah.]

[JW quickly reappears at the entrance and gives his lovely mountainside a sad sigh before zipping the rest of the way out and starting to dig with his snout.]</sub>

Is there anything you can tell me about the war? Is it really just over treasure?

[stabbywheelfeet]

Until it rains, I suppose.

[The assistance is appreciated, as the gold slowly makes his way deeper in.]

A very specific article of treasure. One the Others believe will make them gods. Therefore, all who oppose them must be destroyed, in order to protect it.

You'd think divinity would be less fragile than that.

[goldeneyeball]

You'd think they humans would have it...

_{[After much hard work, the entire entrance of JW's den is gone, revealing heaps of gold and one shiny silver ass. JW lets out a huff and sits up on his haunches.]}

Be my guest, sir.

[stabbywheelfeet]

Humans don't dig as deeply as we do.

[He'll survey the damage mildly, shaking his head, before he slinks into the space. And start digging around to get his offspring free.]

Sorry for the foolishness.

[goldeneyeball]

Eh...it's only treasure.

_{[It wasn't like he went to Dragon Walmart to buy things with it. He just hoarded it. That's what his human folks told him dragons did.]}

It was nice having another dragon to talk to.

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Sooner or later, the golden dragon manages to drag his sullen child out of his hole, giving him one hell of a lecture. One that doesn't seem to pause for breath.]

[While Sideswipe just sort of. Sinks down. Luke a sulking cat.]

[Give or take five whole minutes, the gold turns to JW.]

Are you coming?

[goldeneyeball]

_{[And JW SOAKS UP THAT LECTURE. As cute as Sideswipe is, it makes JW's petty little heart swell to see him finally getting a talking-to that he seems to actually listen to. The golden dragon breaks him out of his daydream and gets a blink or two out of him.]}

Coming? Sorry, I have to start rebuilding before it decides to rain and turn it into mud.

[stabbywheelfeet]

You can't very well stay in this mudpit. With no cover. By the time you rebuild, you'll be washed out.

[Meanwhile, as the lecture turns to JW, Sideswipe decides maaaaaybe now is a good time to slink away. He gets his tail stepped on for his trouble.]

You'll come with us until the rains are over.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[The cliff dragon cocks his head to the side.]}

I appreciate it...really. But I need to stay and get to work. Besides, I don't think your mate likes me very much.

[stabbywheelfeet]

Pfff, he doesn't like anyone.

[That little comment gets the stomped-on-tail squeezed sharply. With claws.]

He's a bit... territorial. At the moment. Understandably so. He'll just have to cope with a temporary addition in payment for his child's lack of manners.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[A weak laugh.]}

Wouldn't that be something. Well. Good luck in the...war.

_{[And he turns to slither back to his hovel and start piling up the dirt and rocks again with his short little forearms.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

[There's a beat of silence. A muttered Oh no, from Sideswipe. Ratchet's weight shifts, and he plants another foot squarely on the end of the noodle-dragon's tail.]

Come along now. That's a good child.

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW's spine straightens out like a rod and his chin hits the ground from the force of the stop. Forgetting himself, he twists around and bares his fangs at the golden.]}

I am not a child!

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Said golden dragon simply stares at him, eyes narrowed a fraction. His partner gives him worse every day when it's time to check the scars for healing.]

Compared to me? You most certainly are. Are you coming? Or shall I resort to incapacitating and dragging you?

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[JW struggles against Ratchett's talons and even flaps his wings in attempts to fly away. He twangs back into place like a reluctant balloon. He doesn't want to use his breath weapon on the dragon that just helped him.]

[This is a problem.]</sub>

I am a grown up dragon! I have my own cave and my own hoard and I could kidnap a princess at any given time if I wanted to!

_{[He's never seen a princess in his life.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

Kidnapped me all right...

[Sideswipe you're not helping, and not earning any sympathy at all.]

[The golden dragon remains unfazed.]

Yes, you're certainly acting as a mature, rational adult. Tantruming this way.

[goldeneyeball]

YOU KIDNAPPED YOURSELF, YOU METALLIC MORON!

_{[JW opts for biting again against the golden's protective scales and gets another toothache for his troubles that lights up the whole side of his muzzle. Giving up, he stops flapping and flops to the earth in a sorry heap.]}

I'm a horrible warrior, you don't want me!

_{[He rolls belly-up.]}

[stabbywheelfeet]

I did not!

[Wow.]

[These children. On one side is an indignantly squawking silver, and on the other is a pathetic flopping noodle. Ratchet just. Slowly looks back and forth between them.]

I'm not CONSCRIPTING you, you fool. You're a GUEST.

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[JW doesn't respond to Sideswipe, he just continues to writhe on the ground and try to make himself look like the worst candidate for war possible.]

[Until what Ratchet says makes its way into his thick skull.]</sub>

A guest?

[stabbywheelfeet]

Yes. Until the rains pass. And your... hill... dries out.

[Sideswipe, meanwhile, huffs, and sucks his neck down into his shoulders as much as possible. Mostly due to having to be dragged home to dad and dad.]

[goldeneyeball]

_{[JW rolls over and stands up again, giving his humble abode a thoughtful look. The rains were serious business. Finally he let out a smoggy sigh.]}

I'll come. Let me get my things.

[stabbywheelfeet]

Good. We'll wait outside.

[Sideswipe gets only another squawk out before he's unceremoniously hauled out of the hole. Protesting to his parent's deaf ears all the while.]

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[With his tail free, JW wanders down into his lair. Then he wanders deeper where he kept more precious things like paper and cloth. He's gone for a while--almost long enough for one to suspect he's slithered off somewhere to one of his many back doors but suddenly his head appears once again.]

[Around his neck is a bundle made of cowhides stitched together and a scrap of colorful cloth that could only be for decoration. It was a human shirt, the arms just long enough to tie around his throat to make a scarf for him.]</sub>

What should I call you?

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Okay, so Ratchet ends up sitting on his child to keep Sideswipe from slinking away -- He's not coming back, the silver was protesting. But Ratchet is determined to make it up to the noodle through the power of hospitality.]

[They both tilt their head in unison at the thing around JW's neck. Like father like son, in that regard.]

Ratchet--

Because that's the first thing he tried to eat when he didn't even have teeth.

[And thus Sideswipe earns the third swat to the head in an hour.]

[goldeneyeball]

<sub>[JW opens his jaws to reply when the exchange between the two takes place and before he knows it, he finds himself chuckling in his throat. He could grow to like this golden dragon. When he wasn't stepping on his tail.]

[With one last look at home, the long dragon spreads his tiny wings and takes off again, circling overhead until the other two take off and lead the way home.]</sub>

I'm James...