Fable 7: The Dog and the Dragon

There once was a dog who lived on dusty streets of an island. He was a dull orange in his fur and the local humans once joked that he was ‘toasted’ by the blistering sun. The dog liked the locals. Some would be cruel or distant towards him, but others would offer him scraps. One man, who stayed in some sort of meat-house, used to offer him bones, sinews and slippery fat from his cuttings. The dog loved that man, the gifts he gave the dog were blissfully cold and always accompanied by a heavy pat on the head.

One day, the dog was doing his rounds, visiting areas with nice humans and begging for scraps, when he saw a strange sight. A lizard up a tree. The dog padded over to the base of the tree and gazed at the new discovery in wonder.

“Go away, hound,” the lizard all but barked at the dog.

“Sorry!” Squeaked the dog, running away with his tail between his legs.

The dog then made his way to his butcher friend and collected the day’s discarded delights. That night, he could not get the miserable lizard out of his head. From the ground, it was impossible to tell what exactly the lizard was.

‘Too many legs for a snake,’ he thought ‘and definitely too big to be a gecko. Hmm, well, that’s me out of ideas! I’ll ask them if they are still there tomorrow.’

To the dog’s surprise, the lizard was indeed there the next day. In the same position, tightly curled around a slim tree. The lizard was a similar size to the canine but curled, like a scaly football.

“Go away, hound,” the lizard’s words were the same as her last.

“Hello there, lizard! I wish to know what you are! What are you?” the dog ignored the lizard's verbal dismissal and spoke with a friendly tone. The lizard growled in response, shuffling a little.

“Hello?” The dog tried again, “Perhaps you didn’t hear me? I would like to kn-“

“I am a creature far too noble to be associated with your type!” The lizard spat.

The dog was heartbroken at the lizard’s exclamation. He walked away with his head bowed. The lizard’s eyes followed his hindquarters slowly until he was out of sight.

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It took two days before the pair met again. The dog was preoccupied with thoughts of a biscuit he had found in a bush when he found his way to the tree again. Up at the top was the lizard. The dog made to walk past slowly, making sure to look extra sad as he did.

He heard the lizard sigh.

“If you must know…” the lizard began, before pausing at the sight of the dog before her. He had leaped up and was facing her with his full attention, tail swishing.

“I am a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

“Yes.”

“A real one?”

“Do I look fake?”

The dog sniffed.

“You don’t smell fake.”

“Go away, nosey dog.” The lizard spoke with a little less harshness in her voice this time. In fact, the dog thought he may have heard a smirk tugging at her lips. but none of that stopped him from scarpering away quickly.

That night, a great storm hit the island. Rain punctured icy spits on the dog’s sensitive nose and the winds whipped the dragon’s back, bending the tree in which she resided. Together, though at different locations, they curled in on themselves and willed the storm to pass.

Eventually, the storm did pass, and the island was left in tatters. Buildings had fallen and boats were washed ashore. The dog didn’t know how long he had been hiding from the storm, but he was very hungry when he emerged. His belly grumbled in discontent as he walked to the butcher, hoping he would get a decent meal.

On his way, the dog saw the dragon in her tree once again. She was quivering.

Silently, the dog passed her and made his way over to the butcher.

“Ah, thought you might not have made it through that storm!” the butcher exclaimed upon seeing the dog.

“Here, I saved you a good cut,” he said, patting the dog on the head and handing him a fat, heavy piece of red meat. The dog salivated and whined happily, wagging his tail so hard it lifted his hind leg up.

Before the succulent juices could persuade him otherwise, the dog made his way back to the tree and left the meat there.

“Here, dragon,”

For the first time, the dragon lifted her head to look at the dog. The dog didn’t think she looked all that… dragon-y but supposed that as he had never seen a dragon before, he couldn’t judge.

“For me?” the dragon sounded shocked. She looked very tired.

“Yes, for you.”

“Why?”

“You need it.”

“I haven’t been kind to you, hound. I have sent you away every time we have met. Why would you bring me this fine meal when you could eat it yourself?”

“You haven’t been kind because you have been struggling. I have never met a dragon before, but I don’t think they hang onto trees day after day.”

The lizard unfurled herself from the tree and began to climb down its bark. She landed next to the dog on the ground. As she did, a sizable wound became visible on her foreleg.

“What happened?” the dog asked, curious.

“Humans happened. Awful creatures that know no kindness!” The dragon hissed.

Instead of replying, the dog nudged the meat toward the lizard with his nose. She chucked it back into her neck with the fervor of starvation.

She licked the juices off of her face and sighed in relief.

“Thank you, dear dog. Please, stay a while and share my shade.”

“You know, a human gave me that meat,” the dog spoke at the same time as the lizard.

“They know no kindness,” the lizard replied, not looking at him.

“Some do.”

Moral: Fear and pride prevent the growth of new relationships.

A/N: Phew! Fable number 7 is here! I really enjoyed writing this one and even had a larger plot in mind when writing it!

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