//------------------------------//
// Chapter Five, Are Any Dogs Clean? 
// Story: Dancing Flames, Cooling Ember 
// by Tamara Bloodhoof 
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Chapter 5
Are Any Dogs Clean?


My head was throbbing as I woke up. Something about sitting stiffly for over three hours, it gives your back tons of horrible knots. I relished the fact that I could just lay there, my brain in a numb blur. I stretched like a cat, my back making an arch over the cave floor. Ah, popping my joints was a habit I detested, but sometimes it's nice to go ahead and splurge. I need to wake up, but it felt so nice to just lay here. That's when I felt something touch me. Something warm. Something furry. Something alive. I sat up straight, my eyes flying open, and immediately smacking my head into something hard. I could feel the strain on my tear-ducts again. Why did evolution rob dragons of the ability to cry? Sounded really stupid to me.

'Wait, right, something was touching me, but what was it?' I uncrossed my eyes and looked at the intruder. It was right on top of me, towering over my prone form. Was it a dog? Looked like it. Long shaggy hair, black as night. Eyes of red. Wait, it may look like it but dog's aren't bipedal and definitely don't have huge mucking swords strapped to their waists. Wait, how did I know it was a him? 

“THE BUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU MUTT!” I screeched, my voice breaking in shock and disgust. I had fallen asleep and a dog tried to get a home run, well ain't life just grand? He looked surprised that I had woken up, but otherwise seemed perfectly content and decided that now was the perfect time for that last little mad dash to the plate. I panicked, and my hand flailed out. I forgot about my recent acquisition of claws and, I am sorry for all males in existence, but I proceeded to do what would be best described as a banana split.

The diamond dog looked at me, then looked down. It looked as if it had just been caught in the headlights. Was he suffering from shock. I was just about to reach out and try to comfort him when he raised his muzzle up and howled, tears streaming down his face. At this point I reassessed my priorities and started backing away like crazy. I know that I may have hard scales, but that diamond dog was taller than me and one hell of a lot thick...sturdier too. If I could avoid a fight, then all the better for me.

He obviously didn't think that though. After his howl, he glared at me in anger and misery. He was struggling to stand, his left hand cupped around his loss and his right grabbing his sword. He charged, or at least he would have had he not suddenly become bow legged. His sword sliced through the air, traveling straight towards my head. 'Thank god for those kick-boxing classes!' I was only just able to move out of the way, his movements striking me as both odd and erratic, more than likely due to the pain he was suffering. He wasn't disciplined, but he had potential.

We started to dance a waltz of blows, his role the lead for his mad lunging and me acting in turn, dodging his blows. Our dance coursed through the cave, but I was loathe to stop it, for I was having a hard time avoiding him striking me, and a counter attack would likely end with both of us dead or wounded. But our dance wasn't going to get us anywhere, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

'Gemina, please let me move properly. I can barely dodge his attacks, and if I attack one of us is going to either get hurt or die, so please Gemina, just let me move!' I pleaded. I also thought, 'And if we die how will we avenge dad?'

'What's in it for me?'

I sighed. Gemina could be so fickle. I could practically hear her smirking at me. Why did she need to ask for payment when I had already given her such a huge amount of already. 'Fine, I'll give you a hour of freedom.'

'OK then. And you promise to actually give me the time?'

'Yes I promise.'

'Then I'm just gonna sit back and watch then.'

'Fine, just let me move already!'

'Okey-dokey skipper.'

I suddenly felt lighter, as if weights had been ripped off of my body. My arms felt almost buoyant upon the air and my legs seemed like they had recently been thick oak and had suddenly turned into light, springy yew. Oh how good it felt to be unshackled again, to be free. My confidence had suddenly just skyrocketed, and I felt as if the poor mutt should be given a chance to avoid yet more pain.

“I'm sorry, but unless you wish to lose a few ribs stop attacking me.”

“Dragon lady took it away. Took my honour. Dragon lady is going to pay for wronging me.” the dog literally barked at me, still moving in a bandy-legged fashion. His voice was a low growl, rumbling out from his throat, obviously filled with pure unadulterated fury, but filled with even more pain and misery. I almost felt sorry, almost. But......

'To hell with that!' He didn't just say that I wronged him, did he? I, wronged him? He was going to be puking up a lung if he keeps thinking that. Nobody treats me like dirt and then insults me without getting a sound walloping.

I don't know why, but I just stopped moving, instinct, pure instinct, telling me to let him hit me. He capitalized upon it instantly. as his sword swung down, his mouth broke into a wide grin, his revenge assured. That smug look changed quickly when his sword hit my scales and literally bounced off, my scales none the worse for wear. As he gazed at his sword in sudden anger and disbelief, I jumped, spinning my foot into his face. It was actually rather comical. My foot connected with his jaw and it pushed him off his feet, sending him spinning into the cave wall.

*Thud, BOOM, whimper*

'Okay, he's out for the count.' No dog I knew of could hit a wall at forty MPH and walk away unscathed. I felt sorry for the dog. He had no clue about what was going on until I had beaten him to a pulp. I wished I could make him feel some relief, somehow remove the pain. I walked over to him, and started muttering, “why did you even try to do that, are you crazy? I'm not even your race and yet you decide to Album Ventus.” My hands flew to my mouth. Latin, again, and really, why the hell did I say white wind? But my hands just flopped to my side as I saw an amazing sight.

Black light, almost like dark purple flames, had wrapped around both his crotch and his snout, and had removed the blood on him. Wait, they had even fixed all the dogs wounds. My jaw was wide in amazement. I had said Latin last time as well. Did this mean...but no, I needed to keep my promise, not stand around gawking at perverted dogs. I took a deep breath and braced myself.

'You get one hour Gemina, then we need to be back here.'

'Fine by me, just let me take over.'

I lost control of my limbs and before I knew what was happening, I had leaped out of the cave yet again.


********************Two Hours Later********************



The dog was just coming too, clutching his head and whining. He looked groggy, and completely confused as to where he was. His gaze was searching through the cave, seeking out some kind of detail that would remind him of why he was here. His eyes squinted into the shadows that I was sitting in, and his eyes dilated in fear. He immediately looked down.

“You may as well forget it, it's lost. The shaft was ripped right off, but otherwise its been patched up. No blood, no wound, just a missing part. Maybe you shouldn't surprise people next time.” I said, my voice cold. “And why were you even going there anyway? Are dragon girls considered exotic or something?”

He was slowly looking up at me, but his look was completely unexpected. It wasn't rage or even fear, but it looked betrayed. “You were asking for it, and then I'm the one who is evil? And why would I want to be with a girl, I don't really like them.”

“How the buck did I ask for it!?” I spluttered. I was expecting him to say one hell of a lot of things, but this had not been one of them.

“I had come into the cave to hunt for gems, but you looked hurt so I was going to wake you up. When I got close however, you arched your back and rubbed yourself against me. I thought you were asking me. You weren't, were you.” he asked, his ears falling flat against his head, almost as if he had been reprimanded.

I was blushing so badly that my face had become a bright shade of violet. 'Oh dear lord no!'

'I told you. I told you. Your pink!'

'This isn't the time Gemina!'

I pulled myself back to reality, and saw the dog sitting on the ground, looking at me as if I had just scolded him. He really did seem like a giant dog. No matter what he thought, he was going to be paying me back for wasting my time.

“You really need to check to see if someone means what you think they do, especially if they are asleep. So, I feel like taking another limb would make us even.” I said, crossing my arms. His eyes became a bit more diluted, but not much changed. I was starting to get pissed off at this dog. I had just wasted over two hours with this dog, hours that I could have spent looking for that griffin.

He looked at me for a second or two and then said, “You really are a girl? Really?”

I had been resisting the urge to kill this dog for over an hour, and now I was starting to regret it. I didn't have time for this. I needed to find those griffins, and this dog was just baggage. Wait, baggage. Maybe I could use him to carry my gear in return for his life. But still.

'Why do I find all the crazies? I could have just found a diamond dog that wanted to make me a slave but no, I have to find the stupid one that wastes my time.'

'Better than having a diamond dog that is stronger than you.'

'True, but it still doesn't help much.'

'Best I got, take it or leave it.' I sighed, shaking my head. Why had it dissolved into this?

“Okay then, I'm going to offer you a deal, and choose wisely. Either you help me find a griffin and rip it's head off, or else I rip yours off and use it as bait for said griffin. I doubt you want the latter, but it is your choice.” I said, removing my ha...claw from my face. I was praying he would answer quickly, and for once fate was kind.

“I'll help scary dragon lady.” he replied almost before I finished speaking. He was looking at the points of my fingers, each one capable of gutting a pig. 

'Guess I look intimidating to most people. Well then, that griffin is going to be treated to all the horrors of Tartarus before I finally let him die.'