Dragon Tales, Dragon Tales Part 1

Cordayl and Esquimo walk tired and hungry along a lake on a hot, sunny day. Big birds are circling above them, not necessarily vultures but very vulture-like.

Sensing the omen, Esquimo says, "Cordayl, if I die, I want you to eat me alright. I don't want to be nourishment for any baby birds. They don't deserve me."

"Stop being dramatic. You ate 3 days ago. I've gone weeks without food," Cordayl tells him.

"Well, clearly we are built differently," Esquimo continues to complain.

Further into their journey, they see a group of birds picking and pecking at something. Cordayl is focused on what they are poking at. Esquimo has his eyes on the birds.

"Cordayl, you know what we must do, right?" Esquimo ask.

"You want me to throw you at the birds," Cordayl says bluntly.

Esquimo sighs, "Our friendship has truly grown into something beautiful." Esquimo says, jumping and pulling his legs into his chest. Cordayl puts his palm on the soles of Esquimo's feet and propels him forward with a strong push.

Esquimo, blade drawn, quickly cuts through the birds. Heads and feathers smoothly fall off of the flying beast and drop naked around whatever they were picking at.

Esquimo is smiling at his clean kill, but his delight quickly flips when he realizes Cordayl pushed him too hard, leading to him falling into a nearby lake.

Dripping wet, Esquimo walks back to Cordayl. "I need you to remember how to control your strength," he bleakly asks.

Cordayl chuckles. "Look, it's a warrior," Cordayl says, shifting Esquimo's attention.

Esquimo pushes the wet hair out of his face and looks down at the body. Eyes growing wide, he tells Cordayl, "This isn't just a warrior, Cordayl. It's the prince of Playdonia. This is extremely unfortunate," He shakes his head.

"I'm not sure he's dead, though," Cordayl says, continuing to stare at the unconscious body. "He has a few bruises, but the bird's beaks aren't showing that they penetrated his armor."

Esquimo wonders about this. "Hmm, very true. Could he have drowned and washed up over here? That's not it. The lake is too far away for him to have ended up over here. Lad, give him mouth-to-mouth just to be sure," Esquimo instructs Cordayl.

"I'll pass," Cordayl says.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Then, Esquimo kicks the prince in the side of his armor. Esquimo grunts at the self-inflicted pain, but the kick is enough to get a groan out of the prince.

"So he is alive," Cordayl says, grabbing the prince and a bird by the foot and dragging them along.

"I'll get the fire started," Esquimo says, limping away.

As the sun sets, the prince awakens to see Esquimo slowly roasting the three birds over a giant fire. The prince goes to walk and winces in pain as he feels the sting of the injuries from his previous battle.

Finally making it to his feet, the Prince walks towards the fire. Esquimo sees him and greets him.

"Hello there. Ahh, I know you must be hungry. Just wait a little longer. A good meal is cooked slow, not quick," Esquimo tells him.

"Thank you for the kindness, sir. I promise you will be rewarded handsomely for this upon my return," the Prince says, bowing slightly.

"Why thank you, Prince Naja. That is very kind of you. Make sure you thank my friend as well when he gets back," Esquimo says, continuing to turn the birds.

"I will indeed. Stranger, are you a citizen of Playdonia?"

"The name is Esquimo. And no, I am not. I am a citizen of the Youtound Kingdom."

"Oh, I am sorry for your loss. But please know you are more than welcome to find a new home in my home," Prince Naja offers.

"Thank you. My home outside the Youtound kingdom remains intact, but I appreciate your open arms," Esquimo responds.

"The offer still stands. Just knock on my door, and I will have a house built the next day. A month, realistically," The prince admits.

"Glad to hear," Esquimo smiles.

Hearing a rumbling through the bushes, the prince turns to the sound.

"That's probably my friend, Prince Naja. You can let your guard down," Esquimo says, continuing to turn the birds.

Prince Naja relaxes a bit but keeps his eyes on the bushes. His eyes grow broad and dangerous as he sees the Diablo walk out of the woods and right towards them.

Prince Naja quickly jumps in front of Esquimo to defend him. "Esquimo, stay behind me! The Diablo is alive! But not for long," Prince Naja grimaces as he pulls out the knife he keeps on him.

"That's one way to say thank you," Cordayl says, casually walking towards the birds and rubbing a few plants on them for seasoning.

"As if I would ever thank a monstrosity such as yourself. I am thankful for this opportunity to end your life, though," The Prince responds.

"Bold words for a man that was almost bird shit a few hours ago," Cordayl says, not appreciating the hostility.

"Sorry, Prince Naja, Cordayl gets a little testy when he is hungry. But I assure you, after this meal and a good night's rest, his mood will return to normal. So please put the blade away. If I wanted to see you dead, I would have let the birds have you," Esquimo lightly warns him.

Cordayl and Prince Naja stare at each other for a little longer, but eventually, the prince sheaths his knife. "Sorry Esquimo, I just expected of you to travel with better company. Please come get me when the food is ready," Prince Naja says, walking away.

"Of course," Esquimo agrees.

Not even getting to take five steps, Prince Naja frowns, hearing Esquimo shout, "Dinner's ready," and turns right around to eat.

Prince Naja clearly shows his disgust for Cordayl on his face as he eats his meal slowly. Cordayl doesn't even notice as he and Esquimo get their grub on.

Finishing the big birds, Cordayl and Esquimo floss and sit back to digest.

"So what led to your unconsciousness over here, Prince Naja?" Esquimo asks.

"One of my villages has been constantly attacked by a dragon these last few weeks. Several other brave soldiers and I sought to defend them, and we intercepted the dragon in its last attack. After suffering enough casualties, I raced off to finish the dragon alone. Needless to say, I lost our first fight, but I will emerge victorious," Prince Naja boldly claims.

Cordayl finishes drinking his beverage. "So a dragon is feeding, you attack the dragon, dragon whoops you, and now we are here."

"The dragon was attacking the village. We came to defend the civilians." Prince Naja argues.

"Was there any fire damage to any of the buildings?" Cordayl ask.

"No, there was not," Naja answers.

"When the dragon arrived, did it fly over a farm or the village?" Cordayl continues.

"Over a field." Prince Naja grits his teeth. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, I've only read about them in books, but it is said that dragons enjoy eating cows. They also obviously breathe fire, so the fact that there were no burnt-down buildings means the dragon wasn't actually being malicious but instead hunting for an easy meal. I wouldn't doubt that after being attacked by a group of brave soldiers, the beast might have turned hostile, but the way I see it, y'all started it," Cordayl tells him.

"Never knew the Diablo was a dragon expert," Prince Naja shades.

"I'm not, but something tells me that if a dragon wanted to attack you, they would come right at you. And not fly around a field first."

"I care not about what you say. In fact, after I defeat this dragon. You will be next," Prince Naja warns him.

"Yeah, yeah," Cordayl says, getting comfortable and preparing to fall asleep.

Prince Naja grits his teeth in anger. Taking a deep breath, he turns his attention to Esquimo. "I believe we have met for a reason, though, and I can use your help at the moment if you don't mind."

"What is the favor?" Esquimo ask.

"In my previous battle with the dragon, I attacked it in its lair. In my defeat, though, I lost my blade. I would like your assistance in retrieving my weapon and aiding me to slay this beast," Prince Naja asks.

"Well, it's more of Cordayl's decision, as he is the more offensive one of our duo," Esquimo admits.

"Isn't that expected," Prince Naja says through a clenched jaw.

"Well, Cordayl?" Esquimo says, preparing his pipe.

"I'll help him retrieve the sword, but his beef with the dragon is his own," Cordayl answers from under his blanket.

"Thank you." The prince says in a dry tone. "I'm going to rest now. Thank you for the meal, Esquimo." Prince Naja says, standing and leaving the area as Esquimo smokes while staring at the stars.