The first day here had been an emotional one but it wasn't all bad. Spike made a friend his own age, legitimately his own age since she was a dragon and aged like him. Lava Frost seemed really nice, kind of like a grandfather to all the dragons of his nest. Then there was Garble...
Spike still didn't know what to make of Garble. He most certainly had a temper, but then he had been through a lot... parents died when he was just a foal, then Spike's egg getting inadvertently stolen by well-meaning ponies... still he was a very angry dragon and despite the fact Spike didn't want to be... he was a little scared of him...
It was weird. Spike's worse possible fear had come true... his pony family had abandoned him... but somehow it wasn't as bad as he imagined... he would still see them. They promised to come by each weekend for the entire weekend. Coming by Friday night and leaving Sunday night (after Spike was put to bed.) Spike would still get to see them, they were still family after all, it was just Spike lived with Garble now... his family had grown, not shrunken.
Still, there were things to get used to. Once again, Spike had woken up with animal furs covering him. He reacted much the same way as he had yesterday, only this time he didn't fall out of the bed, when he jumped up screaming, as his bed... had rails. He honestly didn't know what was worse. The fact he was cuddling the severed skin of dead animals, or that he was in a bed designed for literal toddlers.
Still after he calmed down he realized there was a teddy bear in his arms, that he was instinctively hugging for comfort... he just hugged it tighter and crawled out of the bed, made out of a thousand slaughtered bunnies, then looked around.
There was lots of tiny, babyish furniture carved out of stone and painted bright colors draped in a healthy layer of dead animal skins, for a disturbingly comfy cushion. The bright blue walls had fluffy clouds painted on them that glowed with magical white light. It started dim when Spike first woke up, but then got brighter after he got out of bed. Magic nightlight paint that lit up the room when you woke up? That stuff was hard to make. It required Zecora levels of alchemical brewing skills.
It was pretty cool these dragons were so educated in magical crafts they could use it to decorate a child's room. It was absolutely awesome, upon deeper reflection, that this meant Spike was going to be taught these same skills as part of his basic education... kind of sucked he had to wait another 10 years for it but it would happen, eventually, and that’s what was important.
Upon further inspection of the room there were a number of stone toy crates. One of the crates had... a collection of dog toys in it? They were squeaky and obviously meant for chewing... come to think of it he did see a few whelps playing with toys like these at the nursery. He had been a bit too distracted to really give it much thought, what with his talk with Lava Frost and what happened with Horrorcow...
Curiously he stuck the toy in his mouth and chewed on it. It was harder than expected almost like... he blushed. THESE THINGS WERE BUCKING DRAGON TEETHING RINGS!!! How young did Garble think he was!?!
Quickly putting the toy back, Spike fled to another crate and was relieved to see it had more age appropriate toys. Poseable dragon action figures, made of stone. Spike didn't recognize the characters but spied a drawing that looked like one of the figures.
That is when he decided to spend most of his morning climbing up bookshelves and fetching the short stories. The books were made of stone tablets bound together with... leather disturbingly enough. They were picture books, not proper comics, each side of the tablet had a single image that had words carved in at the bottom of it.
They were written in a strange language that Spike had never seen before, but somehow understood perfectly. He knew the meaning to these words better than he did Ponish. They weren't really words at all. Just scratch marks that gave him some kind of weird feeling, "an instinctual impression of what they meant" as Twilight would put it.
The books seemed to be dragon Fairytales, mostly about brave and courageous Dragon warriors who fought off evil Griffin Knights. They often fought alongside various other Draconic creatures. There were tons of creatures, definitely not dragons but most definitely Draconic... he felt some bizarre connection to them too. It wasn't curiosity or even "infatuation" but... instinct. Again it was instinct that made him look at these creatures and connect with them. There was one that kept popping up. Dragons seemed absolutely obsessed with it as the creature was a main character in each of the fairytales. It was some skinny reptile called a... "Kobold"? Spike had never heard of that, yet he knew what the scratches meant... that was seriously freaky.
"Spike it's time to-" Garble blinked as he opened the door and saw Spike sitting on the floor, stone books thrown about the room and one in the whelp's claws.
The dragon toddler looked up from his reading and smiled at Garble. Garble forced himself to smile back... he had been hoping to be the one to introduce the whelp to these stories and possibly read them one at a time when putting the whelp to bed... but by the look of things the Whelp had been up for hours reading the books... another thing Garble missed out on...
"Let's put these away and get ready for the day," Garble tried to keep his voice tough, and not show how much this bothered him... Spike was back now... Garble wasn't supposed to still be missing out on stuff.
He started picking up the books and putting them back on the shelves. The little whelp got to helping him without a fuss.
###
Breakfast went better then yesterday. Again they were sitting on rocks in front of the lake, with a larger flat rock between them for a table. The food was just waiting for them on the rock when they got in and Spike took it to mean Garble prepared breakfast before getting Spike.
Thankfully Garble hadn't even offered him any fish. Just gave him a bowl of worms around a giant beetle the size of the little dragon's torso... but... Spike was still hesitant to try it. The whelp did try to lap up his water with his tongue like Garble did... but he just ended up pushing the water around the clay bowl and not getting anything in his mouth. Picking up the bowl he tilted it back and slurped at it instead. Garble rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
Spike felt this was a good time to ask, "What's a Kobold?" more as a way to make pleasant conversation over a meal. He and Twilight always did stuff like that. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case with Garble.
Everything in the young Rookie Dragon froze. He could have sworn his own internal flame went out for a second, "How the flying $@&€ could you not know what a Kobold is!?" yeah Garble wanted to teach the boy but-but THAT!?! How was it possible for him to be so ignorant!?
Spike shrank in on himself, clearly frightened. Garble took calming breaths, "A Kobold is a holy servant, given to the Dragons by the god Io, creator of all things Draconic and god of balance," Garble didn't even ask if the Whelp knew who Io is, as he had a sickly feeling he wouldn't like the answer.
Spike tilted his head, showing complete ignorance of all this, "So they're slaves?"
Garble tightened his fist, "That's it! We aren't wasting the day away!" like he planned. "We are going out and exploring the island so that YOU can learn more about dragon culture," he expected an argument, or at least a whine, like any other whelp would have done if they were told they would spend the day getting lectured. Instead-
"REALLY!?!" Spike grinned when he heard the news. "You're going to show me around the island!?!" Spike wiggled excitedly. Then suddenly stopped and blinked in thought, "Don't you have school?"
Garble rolled his eyes, "I'm apprenticing. It's sort of like pony college. I only need to go to school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Normally I would have homework in between but seeing as I skipped yesterday I don't know what it is," He lapped up some more water from his bowl, similar to how a dog would, "I am also excused from tomorrow, since Toothless and his little brother will be moving in with us... unless the Red Death Queen refuses to hand over the Nightfuries. I doubt they would be that stupid though," He picked up a large fish and bit its head off.
Spike's belly turned as he watched his brother chew the poor creature. He tried not to think about it as he slurped up a worm from his own food bowl like a spaghetti noodle.
"Why would she be crazy, not to hoof over the Nightfuries?" Spike asked, mostly to make small talk.
"Claw over, not 'hoof'," Garble immediately corrected, but Spike just rolled his eyes with far too much sass. Garble gave a playful sneer, "If you do that again, with your eyes, I'm going to squeeze lemon juice into them," Spike's eyes widened, but it wasn't from mirth... it was fear... the little whelp actually believed he would do that to him. Garble couldn't keep the growl out of his voice, "Don't be stupid, like I would actually do that," Spike just nodded obediently, and went completely quiet.
Garble sighed and went back to eating his fish. After a few unpleasantly silent moments he decided to answer Spike's question, if only to get the chatty little guy to talk again. He wouldn't shut up during Mating Season, "It would be a direct violation of Draconic trade treaties if the red death refused to hand over the new additions to our nest we were promised. She would be executed and her nest would be split up amongst the other leaders,"
Spike's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
Garble shrugged, "The Dragon Lord and his council of elder's usually make sure nests don't attack each other but a breach in trade is considered an act of war, due to how much we all rely on those resources. To keep order ALL nests are required to act as a unit against the offender. If she goes quietly, which they always do, she will be tried and executed if found guilty. Then the occupants of her nest will be split up and relocated to other nest,"
"How would Lava Frost get the message to the Dragon Lord?" Spike tilted his head, "Wouldn't it take months to send a letter?" without Spike's flame at least.
"Each Elder receives an enchanted crown which lets them talk telepathically to each other from all over the world. Lava Frost got his after he was banished,"
"BANISHED!!!"
Garble rolled his eyes, "I'm sure Lava Frost will tell you that story eventually. For now, eat your beetle, it was Tartarus to catch,"
Spike bit his lip as he looked at the giant beetle, "I... can't eat something with a face,"
Garble rolled his eyes and reached around, ripping the bug's head right off and tossing it into his mouth, "There, problem solved. Now eat up,"
Spike squirmed, looking at the beetle, "No," the word left his mouth before he realized it.
Garble stiffened and bared his sharp teeth, "Eat your breakfast,"
Everything in Spike wanted to scream, "Yes Sir," but instead he snapped, "No," again.
Spike quickly stood up and, accidentally or intentionally- it didn't matter- knocked his plate off the table. It fell into the lake and was quickly gobbled up by fish. The Whelp's eyes somehow grew even larger. When Garble began to stand the whelp tried to make a break for it. Oh yeah, he knew he was in trouble. The little whelp tried to dash away but Garble was too fast. The Rookie grabbed the Whelp by his tail and lifted him over the table. Sitting back down and adjusting Spike over his lap. Spike had been in this position enough times to know what was about to happen.
"Really," Garble rolled his eyes, "I know whelps are all about testing boundaries, but couldn't you find a better reason than THAT!"
Was Spike doing that? It was just a bug so it's not like it was a big deal to eat it. Before Spike could figure it out for himself he gave out a yelp.
"You're 9, right?" Garble didn't really ask.
Still Spike had to correct, "10,"
Garble blinked, a little shocked Spike would actually admit to being older in this position, and even more shocked at just how small the boy was for his age. Garble had just guessed the Whelp's age based on his smell. It was hard to tell though, because his scent seemed not only malnourished, but masked by ponies.
"Alright," Garble grunted, "Then you got 20 smacks coming your way,"
"What!?" Spike yelped, "No! I meant 5, I'M FIVE!"
Garble smiled in amusement, so the whelp hadn't known why he was asking his age, "Sorry little guy, Dragon whelps get double their age. Try to tough it out. Can you be brave for me?"
Spike gulped and said in a small voice, "y-yeah"
Garble nodded and raised his claw. Then he brought it down with way too much force as the whelp screamed bloody murder. Garble flinched. He's never actually done this before and the last thing he wanted was to seriously hurt the little guy. Yeah he threw a tantrum over nothing, but that wasn't call to get him shrieking like this. Garble swatted the whelp again but he didn't even notice. It took a few more swats to figure out just how hard he should hit but eventually he got into a pattern. Striking the little bottom over and over. Garble's claw was bigger than the Whelp's head, and downright monstrous compared to his bottom. Spike cried and wiggled, but he wasn't acting like he was being tortured despite the intensity of the first smack.
"There," Garble grunted, landing the last smack and sitting the whelp up. The little whelp immediately wrapped his arms around Garble's middle and buried his head into the red dragon's scales.
Garble stiffened, although he should have expected this as even he did it after one of his teacher's laid into him. Garble gulped and at first he just patted the Whelp's head awkwardly. Then he got to rubbing circles on his back like Garble's instructors did for him.
It must have been a good ten minutes before Spike calmed down.
"We don't waste food," Garble did his best too look stern, although he was more put out then he expected from hearing Spike cry. He kept telling himself the little boy deserved it. "Most nests aren't as lucky as us. We can't afford to disgrace ourselves by discarding food like that, even if you don't like it then you trade it to someone else for something you do like... but not without trying it," Garble added to the picky boy, "Understand?"
Spike sniffled, but nodded his head.
"Now," Garble hardened himself, "Since you wasted the special meal I spent an hour trying to catch for you," the little whelp looked down in shame, good, "You will have to share my fish,"
Spike paled, "No," he quickly shook his head.
Garble glared, "You better not need another spanking so soo,"
Spike gulped, "I-I don't," he promised. He didn't think he could handle another spanking. That hurt a lot more than even Blue Blood's occasional tannings.
Garble sliced off a sliver of the fish and brought it up to the whelp, "Try it, if you don't like I'll give you more worms but you better try it,"
Spike sniffled and reached out for the slab of flesh. He gulped as it traded claws. It was slimy and squishy, not even cooked. The little whelp took a deep breath. Garble rolled his eyes at the over dramatics. Then Spike took a hesitant bite... and started crying all over again.
Garble's eyes widened, "What's wrong?"
Spike wept, harder than he had even during his spanking, "It's GOOD!!!" why did it have to be so good? It was the best thing he ever tasted... and that made him feel incredibly guilty.
Garble rolled his eyes, not understanding the reaction at all and dismissing it, "If it's so good, then you better eat up," Spike cried harder but hesitantly picked up one of the smaller fish... and bit into it.
Garble sighed with relief that he had forced the issue himself. If Spike had cried like this in front of the other Whelps, outside a spanking that is, he never would have lived it down. Garble went back to rubbing soothing circles on the Whelp's back as he ate.