//------------------------------// // To Lean On... // Story: Legacy // by Devious Dazzle //------------------------------// “I don't think it'll fit,” Jimmy spoke in a casual if bit apathetic tone. A tattered brown sofa took up most of the hallway space of Tom's new petite apartment building. The sofa a dingy brown color faded from years of neglect with even a few mismatched patches sewn on the back. Indeed it was the Frankenstein of couches, yet Tom had taken a liking to the poor thing. It didn't fit with anything, much like himself. “I can see that, Jimmy!” Tom groaned aloud as his hair frazzled out like a wet dog, he wouldn't have pushed this thing up four flights of stairs if he knew it was a lost cause. “Maybe if we tilt it?” Jimmy lifted the edge upward with a firm tug as he accidentally ripped the armrest off, the sound of torn leather filling the hallway. Tom glared silently his friend giving a lackluster shrug in reply. This day was something out of a comedy of errors, nothing was going as planned yet Jimmy stood at his side the whole way. Both young men burst into laughter from this absolutely horrendous project they joined. Jimmy jumped atop the sofa to rest, his eyes locked on the ceiling, both arms rested behind his head in an attempt at relaxation. “The best-laid plans, eh?” He shifted his eyes towards Tom as dark brunette hair fell over his eyes. “Indeed, thanks for helping but I'll find a way to get it back down,” Tom grumbled in defeat as he kicked the side of the sofa the left leg snapped causing the troublesome object to slant. “You're kicking me out!?” Jimmy gasped in a faux surprise. “I don't want to take up your weekend.” Tom snorted in reply before slouching up against the nearby blue wall. Jimmy hopped up to his feet with a grin. With a large tug he shifted the sofa onto its side, Tom watched his friend reposition the object to try and fit through the door. “If we came this far, it'd be a shame to quit now!” He chuckled out joyously using his strength to lift the sofa nearly above his head. “Dude, it won't…” Tom couldn't help but laugh as the sofa suddenly pushed halfway through the narrow opening. He couldn't believe it, his friend nearly single-handedly solved their little problem. Nearly. “Ha, I knew it!” Jimmy scoffed as he leaned up against the sofa in triumph. “I can't really believe you did that?” Tom walked over with a sheepish gaze. “You're my friend, anytime you need help I'll always be there!” Jimmy wrapped an arm over his buddy's shoulder. “Why?” Tom questioned curiously. “It's the right thing to do, if you don't sacrifice a little for friends. ~ Then friendship wouldn't mean much?” Jimmy clutched the lower half of the sofa in his hands, Tom chuckled with a smile happily taking the high ground. Together both friends pushed the immovable object forward. It began to shift in place quickly becoming wedged between the doorway. Both men did their best to shift, tug, and tilt. Yet no matter the position it had become locked in place, Jimmy burst into laughter nearly toppling over on his side. “I don't think it'll fit,” Tom smirked as he sat down in the hallway. Surrounded by laughter and friendship. The Dragon Fang Woods. Most thought this place was haunted by large scale covered monsters. To Jimmy, though it was just a vast stretch of mist-covered landscapes, Bigfoot would love a place like this to live. Trees towered similar to slumbering giants high into the sky, blotting out the sunlight from ever touching the dew-covered ground below. All types of odd noises echoed throughout the woodlands. Some he could easily identify while others were far more mysterious perhaps even otherworldly. Jimmy wouldn't have traveled out this far if it weren't for his friend, the text he received seemed frantic not Tom's usually calm affair. Parking his old beat-up vehicle he stepped out into the crisp fresh air of the wilderness. He quickly had to double-check that his GPS didn't lead him into some off-map place of no return. Why would Tom choose a place like this to camp? “Hello!?” His voice echoed across the endless void in an eerie fashion straight out of the Twilight Zone. “If you lunge out at me, I'm going to punch you in the throat!” Jimmy cautiously shuffled deeper towards the thick overgrown forest. Seeing no sign of his friend at all, or even traces of his campsite. “I kid you not…” Jimmy could hear the snap of a branch behind him, spinning around in fear he tripped over his own feet. As if in slow motion he plummeted headfirst towards a jagged rock on the ground. Squeezing both eyes shut, tight as could be, he waited for the pain of being impaled through the eye. Yet it never came instead he was somehow levitating in place, a shiver racing down his spine as he could feel a hand clutch his shirt collar tight. “Please don't be a Chupacabra.” He swallowed the massive lump in his throat. “You made it!” A feminine voice chirped before easily spinning the young man around. Jimmy came face to face with a slender blue lizard, eyes widened in complete horror as he burst out into a piercing scream. “ Ahhh!” Ember screamed back in reply watching as her friend bolted off towards his car blindly, only to smack hard into a low hanging branch. With a dull thud, he collapsed onto the ground in a cloud of dust. “Mm-hmm! Truly unfortunate.” Ember placed a dainty claw on her cheek in dismay. Walking over casually she gazed down to her friend on the ground. Popping her lips in deep thought she decided to fling her friend's body over her shoulder, she needed a safe place to explain everything to him. It totally wasn't kidnapping him against his will. Besides what could go wrong? “Crap on a stick!” Ember punched the cave wall of her lair in a full-blown anxiety attack. The Dragoness paced back and forth in a panic. Her eyes were overflowing with uncertainty and absolute terror of her situation. Blowing out a large wave of fire she kicked a large stone on the ground, the sleek volcanic debris ricocheting off the wall and pelting her in the eye. “Mother of dragon tails!” She held to her eye in pain. “What happened!?” Jimmy spoke in a deep haze the world around him spun out of control, his voice softer in tone and a bit tomboyish. The octave range of his voice completely wrong. Jimmy gazed down to notice he was atop a large stone slab, even odder that he was nude and covered in orange scales. The world suddenly slammed on the brakes and became still as the mountain itself. A younger orange Dragoness screamed out in horror through the cave, holding up her thin feminine claws to her tiny upturned muzzle confused. Claws felt her face in a panic, she had a protruded snout and larger shaped eyes, both claws soon clenched her sharp upturned white horns frightened. “I'm a...uhh...duhh…” she swung to her feet stuttering as her long thin tail flung widely to the side and tripped her to the floor with a crash. Her body was much more compacted now as purple spikes lined her head and tail. Sparkling translucent blue eyes soaked in her slender petite curves, the odd twitching of impressive wings on her arched backside making her want to puke. “You're a dragon, but let me explain!” Ember quickly darted to her friend and placed a claw on her shoulder. “What did you do to ARGHHHH!” Jimmy blasted a large wave of orange flames over the shocked blue Dragoness, her vibrant scales charred a dark black shade. “Ow.” Ember coughed out a stream of smoke softly. “My lungs are…” Jimmy blew out a large stream of fire across the wall. “Burning!!” She winced and toppled down on all fours, belching out a smaller collection of bright red fireballs. “Jimmy, please!” Ember whimpered in worry about her friend's health. “Stay away from me….” She coughed in pain dragging her body out of the claustrophobic cave and into the clear air of the mountainside. The blue Dragoness sighed in utter dismay. She just needed to explain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her spirit shattered.