Roommates

by Valerie Reyes

  “Why are you here, Rasenth?” a boy, probably no older than fifty, asked. He was a spring chicken as far as Rasenth was concerned, but he was coming here on good faith, and so he would have to conduct himself respectfully.

  “I would like a council with Tazour,” Rasenth replied. The two sentries shot each other a glance, as if asking what they should do in this situation. Rasenth waited a moment, but they seemed flabbergasted. It was quite obvious they weren’t used to having an ice dragon in their midst.

  “If you would like, I will remain here until you can make contact with Tazour and tell him that I request an audience,” Rasenth said. “I would like to speak with him about a trade agreement,” Rasenth said, as he figured that would pique Tazour’s interest.

  “How can we trust you by yourself here?” one of the sentries asked, a bit skeptical of leaving a powerful ice dragon in their territory.

  “Because if I did try to attack, your clan would easily be able to kill me. I’m alone, and your clan has twenty dragons--five of them full grown and one an elder, if I recall. I would have no chance,” Rasenth replied, and his point was duly taken. The two sentries flew off to talk to their elder, and Rasenth sat down on the snow powdered grass and allowed himself to relax and enjoy the cold until the sentries returned.

  “Tazour says you may come, but he doesn’t want you in your dragon form,” the younger of the sentries said the Rasenth, and he simply nodded and continued his approach while the sentires ascended and began circling the skies of their territory.

  Though it was a rather long walk, Rasenth entered the village of the Inferno clan and was lead to the wigwam of Tazour.

  In his wigwam, Tazour was sitting cross legged, his back to the entrance where Rasenth was standing. In front of him was a large branch which he was skillfully carving into an ornate ornament. It was a hobby he had taken up in the last two centuries which allowed him to focus his energy, and to keep his infamous temper under control. Tazour was a creature whos fury was best left sleeping, if one wanted to keep their life.

  Rasenth stood at the entrance until he was invited in, and frowned when he saw there was a fire in the center pit of the dwelling. Too much heat made him feel rather ill, not to mention weakening him. Then again, considering he was a possible enemy, that was in all likelihood done on purpose.

  For the moment, Rasenth pretended not to be bothered by it, but he was somewhat surprised when he saw Tazour facing away from him. He thought it spoke a little to the famed arrogance that Tazour was known for--which was only second to his strength. Still, Rasenth was not going to let himself be stalled by the strange welcome, and so he took his seat across from Tazour after bowing briefly in respect. He allowed Tazour the first word, of course, as it was only right to allow the owner of the dwelling to have the first word. Rasenth was at Tazour’s mercy in a way, though he would endeavor not to show it. A little respect was still very much warranted though.

  As Tazour elegantly swept his carving knife back and forth along the wood, his biceps bulged and retracted. It certainly showed off his powerful arms. Even in human form, Tazour was dangerous. He has a large man, with a well a robust physique, but it showed many of the scars from battle. There were scars running along his arms, his back, and one very prominent one on his face, which he wore proudly.

  Tazour was a dragon of few words, and that was the way he had always operated. He wasn’t one for idle chit chat, and even with another clan leader, he was blunt and straight to the point. Such attitude may have been considered rude, but Tazour was a dragon of war. He was a warrior. Diplomacy was not his strong point, he simply fought to protect his clan and rarely acknowledged negotiations. He was stubborn that way.

  “What do you want, Rasenth?” The chief asked coldly, merely taking a moment from his carving to push back a few strands of brittle red hair from his eyes. His head was shaved at the sides, and his hair was entangled in dreadlocks which ran down to his shoulders. He certainly wasn’t a neat, well kept man, but he did his job well, and that was all that mattered.

  Rasenth was quite the opposite of Tazour, being a tall and lean man. His muscles weren’t nearly as impressive as Tazours, though still refined and toned. His hair was a silky white mane that went halfway down his back, but was typically tied back out of his way in a ponytail. Where Tazour was rough around the edges and clearly a no nonsense chief, Rasenth’s demeanor was much more tamed. He was cold and calculating, to be sure, but if he inspired fear, it was not because of his physique.

  “I’ve come for a simple offer to trade. Elk are migrating this season, and I would like to ask permission to hunt some for my tribe, or if you’d prefer I don’t encroach upon your land, then I would buy them directly from your people,” Rasenth said, as it was evident that Tazour’s clan wasn’t a wealthy group of people, though they got along all right on the land. Rasenth assumed that his people would be happy to see a little commerce in their village, or at least that was what Rasenth was counting on.

  "If you can't sustain your tribe, then maybe you best get up go somewhere you can survive. Your starving clan is of no concern to me," Tazour replied, still not even giving Rasenth the grace of looking at him. As far as The Inferno chief was concerned, he looked out for his own dragons, no oneelse’s. If they starved and died, that was their problem, not his. He had no real desire for riches. He felt more pride in having land, and his tribe happy and safe. They had all the food, water and space they needed to thrive, and that was all Tazour cared for.

  “I plan to soon, but circumstances prevent me from leaving right now. If you we could make a deal for just five years, I will leave for a better hunting ground,” Rasenth said. He couldn’t travel with the two new hatchlings just being birthed. Moving around hatchlings was a risky business, as they were quick to fall ill at the slightest exposure to germs, and they were very fragile until their hard scaled could develop, so Rasenth couldn’t move his clan at the present time. “It wouldn’t be any loss to your tribe, and having a treasury wouldn’t hurt,” Rasenth added. He really hoped Tazour wouldn’t deny him such a simple request, seeing as it would be a season of plenty for now, considering the migratory patterns of the elk.

  “Are you forcing me to repeat myself?” Tazour snapped, finally abandoning his carving and standing up. He turned around to face Rasenth, his amber eyes glowing red with the reflection of the fire, and Rasenth would be seeing red if he continued on his quest to push for a trade. “I’m not concerned with your misfortune. The elk will be in our lands; they will not be yours to touch. If you need food, look somewhere else.”

  Rasenth frowned at Tazour’s response, not afraid of Tazour’s temper but certainly not happy to be treated so disrespectfully. “Very well, Tazour,” Rasenth said, rising. He was already planning to somehow get revenge, but at present he knew he should leave. “Thank you for entertaining my request, at the very least.”

  With that said, Rasenth left, walking out of the chief’s wigwam while debating on whether he should freeze the source of the river that ran through Tazour’s land. After all, the spring for the river was in Rasenth’s territory, so he could wage a war of resources if Tazour was going to be unreasonable about agreeing to trade. His thoughts were interrupted, however, as he came across a boy getting water from the very river he was thinking of freezing as he walked back to his own territory. The boy looked familiar, like perhaps he had seen him during one of the negotiations among the Inferno and the Frost tribe, but Rasenth couldn’t place him right away. He was a limber looking omega with a very familiar scent, yet still his name and his standing was a mystery to Rasenth.

  The boy, himself, seemed completely lost in his own little world as he gathered up the water in his barrel. He was tall, and quite lean and toned. His head was shaved at the sides, much like Tavour’s, but it was put into a ponytail with a side fringe towards his right eye. The barrel was pretty much full at this stage, so he picked it up and began walking back to the village. He didn’t even see Rasenth at first. H
e was just walking, minding his own busy, when his clumsy co-ordination kicked in, and he tripped over a large jagged rock. The barrel went flying into the air, and it’s contents tipped out over him, the ground, and even managed to get onto Rasenth.

  The embarrassing incident made the boy panic. He scrambled to his feet, picking up his now empty barrel and looking up at the elder, his eyes filled with guilt and his cheeks as red as lava.

  “I am so, so sorry!” Syrenth squeaked, and he wasn’t too sure what to do. He would have made a fire to help dry the man off, but he didn’t want to make things any worse, so he just waited to be scolded by the elder. The young dragon had no idea who this man was, tribal affairs were not much concern to him most of the time.

  Rasenth didn’t even know how to react when he was drenched in the water at first, but seeing Syrenth’s reaction and how upset he was, Rasenth just laughed. “Don’t worry about me. You’re going to freeze if you don’t dry off, though,” Rasenth said, taking off his jacket, then using his powers to freeze all the water on it and then slap the thin layer of ice off so it was at least pretty much dry. Being an ice dragon, he didn’t mind being soaked in the freezing weather, but he doubted that Syrenth was very comfortable. Rasenth always was happy to help the younger dragons, even if he was cold with most everyone else.

  “I’ll be fine. It doesn’t take me long to warm back up,” Syrenth replied, smiling up at the elder, and feeling relieved he wasn’t going to be told off for this. He certainly was a meek one, but that was to be expected considering his status. Not to mention, Rasenth could only imagine that his father certainly wouldn’t have been happy to hear he was soaking people. Granted, when the young dragon watched Rasenth freeze the water and brush it away, he was honestly taken aback by it. He didn’t have much contact with any of the ice dragons, so he hadn’t really been given the opportunity to witness their powers.

  “You’re an ice dragon?” He asked, a little shocked by the discovery. Syrenth knew he sensed something a bit off about the energy around Rasenth, though he could have chalked that up to his being an alpha more than anything else. Even with this knowledge though, he wouldn’t be driving the man out. The relationships between the two clans were rocky at best, but Syrenth rarely took heed of such things. He wasn’t interested in politics. He would much rather have some fun, and finding out more about another dragon kind was fascinating for him.

  “Yes. We are neighbors, after all. I’m a bit hurt you don’t recognize me. I come to visit your father often enough. Perhaps he’s never particularly happy to see me, but I do come to visit,” Rasenth replied. “I’ll introduce myself, though. My name is Rasenth, leader of the Frost clan.”

  “You’re the… the leader? Oh right... okay... oh…” Syrenth stuttered slightly. He had just soaked the leader of the Frost clan. Really? He felt even more embarrassed. The dragons of the stars must be pulling at his tail right now, because he had some awful luck.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Oh wow. I don’t really pay much attention at my father’s meetings. Umm… Hi, I’m ah… Syrenth, but, you can call me Sy.”

  “It’s nice to finally get to talk to you, Sy. I’ve seen you around often enough,” Rasenth replied. “I unfortunately just had a less than satisfactory meeting with you father, so I apologize in advance for the mood he’s probably in.”

  “Well, your timing certainly hasn’t been great. Father is never in a good mood this time of year,” Syrenth replied, a little more calmly this time. “It’s usually best to stay away from him, at least until the next season.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to spare in regards to what I needed from your father, but he wasn’t the most sympathetic. Typical, I suppose,” Rasenth replied, but considering how readily Syrenth was speaking with him, Rasenth thought maybe he could bypass Tazour using his son. That would be risky, but not totally out of the question.

  “Father will be like that for the next few weeks, but after that you might be able to talk to him. Maybe. I know everyone is keeping their distance at the moment. It’s for the best,” Syrenth suggested, as he knew what his father could be like. It was coming up to his mother’s anniversary, so Tazour normally kept himself to himself to shield his mourning. It was wise not to get on his bad side, as he was the most unpredictable at this time.

  “I don’t know if I have a few weeks honestly,” Rasenth replied. “My clan has new hatchlings, but not enough food to go around at the moment. I’m more than a little upset at the woman who bore the children when she realized we didn’t have the most food to begin with, but what’s done is done. Now, I just need to find a source of food to sustain everyone, however your father seemed less than interested when I proposed trading with him,” Rasenth said, hoping that this might pull at Syrenth’s heart strings a bit. He seemed like a very well intentioned soul, so there was a chance.

  “Oh, that’s terrible!” Syrenth answered, as it did tug on his emotions quite a bit. Their tribe had never faced such a problem, not since the great blizzard sixty years ago. Syrenth didn’t want to allow hatchlings to die of hunger. There was plenty of food to spare down here, especially with the elk coming soon. They would have enough to feed well over five times their current number.

  “I know father won’t help but maybe I could get you an elk or a moose or something. I can’t strike a deal with you, I don’t have that sort of authority, but I’m sure I could probably grab one or two for you. At least that could help for now,” Syrenth suggested, as he couldn’t in good consciousness allow others to go hungry. Even if the ice dragons were a completely different tribe, they were still dragons, and Syrenth would be happy to give them aid, so long as his father doesn’t find out.

  “That would be very kind of you, and as long as you take care not to let your father find out, I would very much appreciate the help,” Rasenth replied, glad that his scheme worked. However, it was still rather cold out, and Syrenth was still soaked, so he figured it was best to get going. “Well, I’m going to tell everyone the good news. In the meantime, you should go inside near a fire so you aren’t too cold,” Rasenth urged, and then he was on his way back to tell the tribe what he’d accomplished so far.

  “Wait!” Syrenth called, as he wanted to know the details of their secret little mission, just so he knew when to act, otherwise Rasenth wouldn’t get the extra food. It wasn’t like Tazour would allow Rasenth access to the village for awhile.

  “When do you want me to bring the food? Where should I meet you?” He asked, as he needed to be prepared. The thought of a warm fire was definitely tempting, but he wanted to be sure of his task before he set out on it.

  “You don’t know where our caves are, boy?” Rasenth asked, surprised that Syrenth was that ignorant of the geography. Then again he was a lucky dragon in the sense that there had never been any war between the fire and ice dragons of the area during his lifetime, and really never any major war in the fjord since the ice dragons were chased out. Given that, it wasn’t really completely necessary for different tribes to know where to find one another for anything other than diplomacy, which was clearly something that Syrenth wasn’t too interested in.

  “Just go up north to the mountains whenever you can sneak away from your father. I’ll tell the sentry to be on the lookout and guide you to our caves. It’s easy for newcomers to get lost,” Rasent replied.

  “Thank you, Rasenth. Have a safe journey,” Syrenth spoke softly, bowing his head in respect and as a farewell gesture, then went back to getting his water and bringing it back to the village for his father. He felt rather happy about that unexpected meeting and he couldn’t wait to see the elder dragon again. Syrenth just felt good to be useful.

  Rasenth just waved goodbye to Syrenth and then turned into his dragon form to get home faster, and then he put Lyshara on guard duty for the night watch while he made a modest fire in an unused cave for Syrenth’s comfort, then just waited for Syrenth to come.

  Chapter 3

  As Tazour was
busy building his ornament, it was relatively easy for Syrenth to sneak away from his homeland. He told his dad he wanted to fly around the forest, and Tazour just told him to be back before sunrise. So, with permission given, Syrenth took off in his dragon form. He was a young dragon, barely over one hundred, but he was very quick on his feet and in the air. He flew to their hunting grounds, watching as the elk slept soundly. They didn’t even see hear him coming.

  Syrenth swooped down from the clouds and nabbed two adolescent elks. With them in his claws, he shot back up into the sky, and flew off to the north, keeping a good altitude so that the sentries didn’t catch him leaving the borders.

  The young dragon managed to meet with the sentries in good time, and he was guided to the cave where Rasenth lay. It was cold though, very cold, so Syrenth was quick to move forward to the small fire and lie down beside it, soaking up it’s heat and relaxing.

  “I’ve got your elks,” He said, a little hesitant as he was a bit tired. That was a long flight for him, as he had never travelled across their borders, and the winds were unfavourable for an inferno, but he managed it nonetheless.

  Lyshara was a bit surprised to see that the young Inferno dragon was sitting next to the fire. She honestly wanted him off of their territory right away, but seeing as he was feeding them it would be overlooked. So she simply took the elk to the hatchlings and their mother, the only ones that really couldn’t hunt. Now that everyone wasn’t hunting for three mouths that weren’t contributing, hunger wouldn’t be as much of an issue. However, she still wouldn’t be too accepting of Syrenth, especially if he stayed long.

  Rasenth, on the other hand, was happy to see Syrenth, and he put a woven blanket around Syrenth and then took a seat a few feet away from the fire. “I’m very happy that you did this for us. That will feed the babies and their mother, and be a nice snack for the kids at that,” Rasenth replied. “I really can’t thank you too much for your generosity in the matter.”