Dodge Tanner & the Lesson of the Lake

Dodge should have known better. Was there ever a better epitaph for his tombstone?

Dodge was not a man easily deterred. Years of stubborn resilience had served him well—whether in navigating the treacherous cliffs of Lysia or fending off Tamsin's incessant boasting about her precious Dragonettes.

He had heard enough.

Bonding a Dragonette couldn't be that hard. If anything, it seemed little more than a simple matter of preparation and persistence. Tamsin’s notes outlined their behavior, their elemental quirks, their supposed selectiveness. But Dodge wasn’t aiming for destiny—he was aiming for silence. If he could prove a Dragonette would bond with anyone, perhaps he could put an end to Tamsin’s smug little lectures.

The Foam Dragonette seemed an ideal choice. The notes described their temperament as "spirited but amicable, quick to engage, and generally receptive to forming bonds". At least, that’s what the notes claimed.

Perfect. Easy Peasy!

So, following the more believable pieces of Tamsin’s carefully penned wisdom, Dodge took himself down to the placid waters of Lake Hearth, a bundle of choice offerings tucked under his arm. He laid them out—driftwood polished smooth by the tides, shells that caught the light like pearls, and shimmering stones the color of the evening sea.

Then, he waited.

Ripples in the water caught his eye as a sleek form slid across the sky and sliced into the waters, twisting beneath the surface, darting through reeds with effortless grace. Dodge straightened, grinning. He had expected hours of coaxing, of quiet patience—but no, the Foam Dragonette was already here, already curious, already circling. He smirked at the simplicity, and couldn't wait to rub Tamsin's face in the presence of his new pet pest.

Encouraged, he knelt at the lake’s edge. “Well then,” he murmured, extending his hand. “How about a deal?”

The Dragonette surfaced. Its body shimmered—small, elegant, swirling like the crest of a tide. Dodge could already picture the victorious moment—walking into town with his newly bonded companion curled atop his shoulder. Tamsin would be speechless.

The Dragonette cocked its head, studying him with far too much amusement. But Dodge saw only his wish becoming reality. He couldn't wait and was already practicing his "It was so simple!", speech in his head.

“Alright, then,” he said, extending his hand. “Let’s get this over with. You may bond with me!”, he said imperiously.

The Dragonette cocked its head, chirruped, then, with an elegant flick of its tail, it sent a sharp jet of water straight into Dodge's face.

Spluttering, he wiped his eyes. “Oh, real mature. Don't you dare do tha..... glork!”

Another splash, this time timed precisely for the moment he opened his mouth.

Dodge cursed, shifting back as the Dragonette floated closer, its tiny body shimmering in the morning light. Despite himself, he could almost admire its grace. The notes had mentioned they were inquisitive, perhaps it was testing him, considering the bond…

A sudden sharp tug on his belt shattered that illusion.

Dodge yelped as the Dragonette dove beneath the surface, hauling his trousers down to his knees in one swift, humiliating motion. Wrestling with the arm of water grasping his belt, he stumbled, tripped, and landed with an unceremonious splash.

Laughter, most explicitly not his own, bubbled through the water.

And then, as he sat up, butt in the lake waters, trying to determine if it had just laughed at him, it struck.

Not to bond, not to accept his offer. Instead, the creature surged forward, water folding around his ankles like liquid muscle, dragging Dodge, sputtering, ass sliding across the rocks, into the cold embrace of the lake.

His world turned upside-down.

Dodge kicked, flailed, gasped—but the water wrapped around him like an affectionate, overenthusiastic beast. The Dragonette weaved around his limbs, nudging, teasing, pulling him under only to let him rise, just barely, before tugging him under again.

It was playing with him.

Determined not to let some overgrown guppy get the better of him, Dodge pushed forward, wading deeper, reaching for the creature as it twirled ever just out of grasp. It let him get close, so very close as it seemed to instinctively know exactly how far he could reach, only to dart away at the last moment, leaving him cursing and lunging at nothing but empty slaps of water.

The embarrassingly one sided game continued. Whenever Dodge would consider giving up and leaving, it would move closer, slower, seemingly ready to give in and be caught. Whenever Dodge made a move to grab it, the Dragonette responded with more torment, twisting currents to send him spinning, sending deceptively gentle waves to knock him off balance. Dodge was too proud to admit defeat. But he was also drowning.

When the Dragonette tired of simply teasing him, its actions escalated.

Dodge tried retreating to shore, but the creature was ready. A powerful tug on his ankle sent him sprawling again, choking on lake water, flailing as he struggled back upright. Another wave crashed over him.

Dodge sputtered, miserable, exhausted, soaked to the bone, and sure that, after everything he had accomplished and endured, this wet watery lizard would be his end!

Finally, exhausted and waterlogged, he managed to claw his way back to shore, half-crawling, coughing, and miserable, collapsing onto the muddy shore in defeat.

Behind him, the tiny terror perched at the lake’s edge, watching with undisguised amusement. Yep. That was Definitely laughter.

The water stilled... Gathered... Then shifted.

With masterful flicks of its tail, the drowning Dragonette Demon altered the still surface of the water, as if a painter working a canvas. Reflections danced across it. The surface rippled with magical mirth, playing out scenes of his countless failures to capture it in shimmering, agonizing, clarity. Dodge groaned, watching himself trip, fumble, drown, lose his trousers, all repeated in exaggerated, mocking detail

The Dragonette gave him a parting flick of its tail, sending one last splash straight at his already soaked face as it dipped below the surface of its new happy home.

Fine.

Perhaps Tamsin had a point after all.

And, while Dodge may have failed to gain a bonded Dragonette, Lake Hearth seemed to have gained a new protector. One FAR too capable for its tiny grinning size.