novelraw Chapter 120
Chapter 120
As the roast cooked past the twenty-minute mark, the aroma in the aerie grew impossibly rich.
Shh... shhh...
A scraping sound echoed from deeper in the cave. To a dragon's hyper-acute hearing, it was impossibly loud.
Aiden's head snapped up, his gaze lifting from the fire. His crimson eyes stared into the shadows of the nest.
Shh... shhh...
There it was again.
A white draconic form was dragging itself forward, its head and fore-claws scraping against the stone. It pushed itself, one awkward shove at a time, with its powerful hind legs.
Shh... shhh...
Her head and chest scraped forward another inch. Her scaled eyelids remained tightly shut.
Aiden stared. What in the Nine Hells...?
Shh... shhh...
Under Aiden's fixed gaze, the white dragon continued to drag herself, inch by inch, closer to the fire. One more push, and her head would be in the flames.
Her powerful hind legs bunched up for that final shove.
Aiden's long, crimson tail shot out, coiling around the white dragon's waist and lifting her clear off the ground. Her talons scraped uselessly, kicking at empty air.
He stared at the dangling dragon.
Even suspended, her hind legs continued to pump rhythmically, as if she were determined to swim through the air to get to the meat.
This idiot...
His gaze fixed on her round, white head. Her jaws were slack, a massive tongue lolling out, dripping saliva.
This absolute fool.
It gave him the sudden, absurd urge to just drop her. He stared at her head for a solid minute.
Sigh. Interrupting an advancement slumber could be disastrous for her development.
The drool was now a steady stream, and her hind legs were still kicking.
Fine. I'll let it slide. This time.
Aiden glanced at the roast. The outside was golden brown, fat sizzling and dripping into the fire. It looked done, but he knew better. Griffon meat was thick. It needed at least an hour to cook through and absorb the flavors.
Time to turn it.
He used his claws to flip the massive joint, then settled back down to wait.
Nearly an hour later, the aroma in the aerie was intoxicating.
Aiden's eyes flicked to the side, to the creature still dangling from his tail. Her kicking had become more frantic.
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He sighed. It seemed he wasn't getting any peace until she was fed.
His gaze returned to the fire. Yes. It's ready.
His claws easily sliced through the rump, carving off a huge chunk. He caught it in his right talon and held the steaming piece of meat up to the white dragon's snout.
Without even a pause, her jaws snapped open and clamped down.
CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
Aiden looked over. The frantic kicking had stopped. Now, her white tail was starting to wag.
He looked at her round, munching head and rested his other talon on it. Her scales were cool and smooth to the touch.
The moment she finished the meat, the tail-wagging stopped. The hind legs started kicking the air again.
Aiden carved off another piece and fed it to her.
This continued until nearly half the roast was gone. The white dragon's throat pulsed as she swallowed the last bite... and her hind legs immediately started kicking again.
Gods, she's a bottomless pit.
Aiden looked at the carcass. He'd fed her the rump, both legs, and the neck meat.
He sliced off another piece. This one, he didn't offer.
His own jaws opened.
Gulp.
He chewed. A strange, wonderful fragrance filled his mouth. Sweet, spicy, and savory.
An image flashed in his mind: a great tree hung with purple fruit, and a carpet of colorful mushrooms growing beneath it.
Incredible...
The vision vanished as quickly as it came.
He tore off another piece. He chewed. ...Wrong? This tastes... wrong. All bone and skin. He swallowed it, the texture unsatisfying, and tore off another, better piece.
He chewed. Ah. There it is. That rich, familiar, vital flavor.
The roast disappeared quickly.
Aiden's talon reached for another piece, but only scraped the empty spit.
He lowered his head, staring. It was... all gone. A hollow feeling instantly filled his chest.
Sigh. Who knew when he'd find mushrooms like that again.
He patted his bulging stomach. Not completely stuffed, but close. Satisfied.
He glanced to his right. The "aroma" must have faded, because the kicking from the dragon on his tail had finally stopped.
Full belly, time for sleep.
He began to walk deeper into the cave.
He paused, turning his head to look at the pile of griffon entrails on the floor. The organs of a magical beast contained no mana. They were just... garbage. He needed to take out the trash.
His tail unwrapped, placing the white wyrmling down next to Azure.
He stepped forward, and his tail became a red blur, sweeping across the floor.
WHOOSH.
The entire pile of organs flew in a perfect arc, clearing the aerie's ledge and vanishing into the air outside.
There. Trash handled.
He turned, walked over, and curled up next to the two wyrmlings.
He lowered his head to the stone. His nictitating membranes slid shut, followed by his heavy, scaled eyelids.
A moment later, a familiar weight settled onto his back, a familiar cool sensation.
Aiden didn't open his eyes.
Hhhrrr... Hhhrrr... Hhhrrr...
The familiar symphony of sleeping dragons filled the nest.
Down at the base of the cliff.
Shunk.
The stone hoe bit easily into the dark soil. It was soft and damp here, not difficult to work.
Garruk paused, lifting the hoe to look at his progress. A patch of earth, roughly fifteen feet wide and twenty-five feet long, was now tilled. He had also dug rows of small holes, each spaced about three feet apart.
That should be enough. Time to plant.
He set the hoe down and limped toward the pile of chili pepper plants.
WHOOSH!
Garruk's ears twitched. A sound. From above.
He looked up. His green, round pupils glowed faintly in the dim light.
High above, a massive, bloody clump of something was falling.
He recognized it. Entrails!
His pupils contracted in terror.
"If a single one dies..."
"...my sister is very interested to know what you taste like."
The image of the Red Lord's serrated teeth flashed in his mind. He shivered.
He kicked off his good leg, lunging forward. He threw himself over the pile of plants, wrapping his arms around them, and scrambled forward, shielding them with his own body.
SPLAT!
He had barely cleared a single pace when the heavy, wet mass impacted the ground behind him.
He froze, looking down at the plants clutched to his chest. They were safe. Thank the gods.
Only then did Garruk dare to turn and look. The impact had obliterated half of his carefully tilled plot, leaving a shallow, gory crater.
Garruk just... stared.
There was no mystery as to where the offal had come from.
He looked at the mess. He couldn't plant here. He had made another mistake. He had seen the dragon dispose of waste from the cliff, but he hadn't thought... he had forgotten.