Firedrake x Sini
Part I

 blazing_maniac AKA Firedrake as Firedrake

 xsini as Sini



It’d been a long day roaming the jungle peninsula and the sun was setting low. Sini was out of breath. He found a quiet place below the jungle vine to lay and shut his eyes. There was a group of tigers he’d been following and thought he caught their scent but it was gone again. Faint enough to have been imagined. The jungle was a dense land of tall, dark-green trees, thick. There was rushing water in the distance from the edge of a mountain. Neon-colored birds took to the sky and fluttered from their branches above him. Then it became silent. So he began to fall into sleep.

Firedrake had been flying around the dense jungle for what felt like hours. Watching the sun drift from one end to the other as he continued looking for at least something decent to call a meal. He ran across multiple snakes and startled endless amount of birds from his shadow but he didn’t feel like chasing them down just to end up only having a snack. There was, however, a large black and purple dragon he flew over but couldn’t catch where it was going or what it was following as the canopy was too dense in that area. He made for a nearby tree and landed at the top, wrapping his tail around to hold himself up as he scanned one last time over the jungle.

“Still nothing… Wonder where that other dragon is? Haven’t seen another dragon in ages. At least one that didn’t want to kill me anyways.” He mumbled to himself he took off in search of an area where he could lay down and get some rest. Tomorrow hopefully he could find something to eat, if not tonight.

For a long time there was only the shuddering of the curare blown by the wind and the rushing water backdropped in the distance in the silence of his sleep. Sini’s left ear twitched, flickering up. He awoke and stared up at the jungle ceiling. Something moved. But it wasn’t the jungle critters or his imagination or the trees but something-- someone-- of interest. The dragon flopped onto his belly and shakily stood, brushing himself of the dirt and leaves on his backside. Then he looked around.

What was that? He wondered.

His head brushed along the jungle vine row and he came out into a less thick clearing where there’d been a rustling. There were no creatures near him. Still that same sound of the wind and the water. But then he heard the cracking of a tree branch and stared up high into the tall trees where he found a blue dragon of white scales gazing down on him.

“Hey! You there! What’s your name?” Sini asked.

Firedrake flew around for a bit before slowing down and coming to a low hover. He caught the scent of the other dragon and made for the trees near a clearing and hung off one of the larger branches. Watching as the sleepy dragon stirred and eventually got up. He shuffled a bit on the branch, readjusting his weight as the dark dragon wandered into the clearing. He miss-stepped and caused the branch to crack loudly beneath him. The other dragon turned and stared at him, his purple eyes still looking tired but his voice was made it sound like he was waking up a bit as he yelled at him.

Firedrake only smiled and jumped down off his perch.

“I may ask you the same thing. But first things first. Why are you here?” He asked and kept a decent distance between him and the dark dragon. Firedrake sat down and awaited an answer. Having grown tired of other hunters thinking they could outsmart him.

“My name’s Sini. I’ve been hunting all day, but I haven’t been able to find any prey.” he frowned. “But I found you. And I haven’t seen any other dragons here in the jungle for, like, ever!” His tail wagged a little.

“Name’s Firedrake and it would seem we’re having the same dilemma. I’ve been through here multiple times and it’s seems like all the good game has up and run off.” He stated and frowned a little. The other dragon was almost as tall as him. Much taller than the others he’d seen over the years but this one seemed… Different. Far more enthusiastic. Well it’s nice not having getting into a fight off the bat, but there was almost something disarming about him. It intrigued and bothered him at the same time. May as well see how he feels about us teaming up and hunting for something… Even the fish had disappeared…

“Say… Since we’re both down on our luck, why don’t we try teaming up and seeing what we can find? Two heads are better than one as they say.” He proposed and walked a little closer to Sini, offering a scaled paw.

“It’s nice to meet’cha, Firedrake,” Sini said, smiling.

He thought about the absence of the creatures in the jungle. All of a sudden they were gone. And not like normally.

“I was wondering about the same thing myself. If I was a jungle animal and I saw two dragons running around, I’d hide too,” he thought aloud. “And I’d like to team-up with you, Firedrake. I don’t know when the last time I talked to a dragon was. Or anyone! So- um. Where do we begin?”

“Well you look pretty tired and I’ve been flying about all day so I think we should at least get a little rest for the night. You found a decent den we could use so that will work for the night, and I doubt anything would want to bother two dragons sleeping within close proximity to each other.” Firedrake said and started walking back where Sini had came from, still keeping an eye out for the sounds and movements of the forest.

Sini caught up with the other dragon and paced his walk to an equal speed. “I’m alright with that. I could use a little shut-eye, I ‘spose.”

They walked and entered the thick section of the jungle where the aligned vines drooped down and brushed over their heads as they continued. When they came to a clearing in the center of the thickness, Sini flopped onto the ground and outstretched his limbs and his wings in an exhausted yawn.

“I’m hungry. If only we could find something to eat tonight,” he murmured wistfully. Then he remembered the berries he’d been carrying along with him and pulled them out, two handfuls.

“Hey! I just remembered. I have some blueberries that I picked earlier that we can eat. Here. Try some,” he told Firedrake, offering some berries to the new dragon.

“Oh? Thank you kindly.” He said accepting the berries and looked them over. They were good and non-poisonous thankfully. He almost laughed at how few people knew which berries were good and the others that looked akin to the first but had far more… unpleasant endings.

“Where did you find these anyway? I keep running into cocoa beans…” He asked as he lept onto a low hanging branch.

“Ah, They’re in a lower portion of the jungle, by the seaside. Under a cliff but above the shore. I’ll show you where I found them. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Hmm must have missed them. Hehehe and I’ll show you where I’ve found the cocoa beans but I’m not to sure that I like them bitter. Hopefully tomorrow we can get something good to eat and actually hold us over longer than an hour or so.” He said, laughing a little, but with concern crossing his face, as he felt like nothing was really adding up. What was going on?

“Well, no point in thinking it over to much. Another day, another mystery.” He grumbled under his breath. After tossing the blueberries into his maw and suckling on them for a moment did he return to his new-found friend. “Night Sini and see you early in the morning.” He said and turned a bit on the large branch with his tail draping off both sides and the blade on its end digging slightly into the bark.

“Good night, Firedrake.”

Sini turned to the tree-branch that Firedrake clawed onto and crept from the stump of tree onto the branch as well, resting his head on the bark and curling up into a ball. After a while when he became more comfortable he shifted closer to Firedrake and smiled then finally nodded out.

Firedrake watched through partially opened eyes as Sini climbed up next to him and didn’t protest even as Sini shifted closer still to him. Firedrake hid a smile and pretended to be asleep. He could smell something off in the distance… The smell of burning wood was coming from further up north but he was to tired and quite frankly felt thrilled to have someone beside him. “Think we’ll finally have a good hunt tomorrow.” He whispered but Sini was already asleep. His soft snoring giving him away. Soon after Firedrake nodded out and dreamed of what could be at the end of the smoke trail. Even if whoever made the fire leave early in the morning hours the smell of the smoke would follow them and that could take days to wear off.

When the sun shined again and Sini opened his eyes, there was Firedrake beside him on the tree-branch. Although he was hungry, he was relieved things weren’t the same; that his everyday routine changed, and that the dragon, in fact, was not a part of his dream. The smell of smoke remained faintly in the morning air and Sini sniffed it. Firedrake seemed to be asleep still but he whispered anyway.

“Hey, d’you smell that? There was a fire that came from north in the night…”

He whispered this, mostly to himself. He was pretty sure Firedrake was still out. It was still dark but brightening with each minute; this was dawn. Soon would be the time to begin their hunt and it would prove more successful than yesterday’s. Sini knew this instinctually.

Firedrake opened his eyes slightly and Sini was still there, which was promising and the dawn was breaking through the canopy hanging over-head. He had heard Sini whisper about the fire and was happy that he alone didn’t smell it. After a while he was wondering if he had imagined it. His stomach liked to trick him at times like that, much to Firedrake’s irritation.

“So…” He started but was interrupted by a large yawn and stretched out a bit. “Ready to go hunting, Sini?” His stomach already growling with anticipation.

Sini blushed by the growl of his stomach next to Firedrake’s. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go get something to eat!” He stood up and shook himself awake, carefully hopping from the tree-branch to the floor of the jungle below.

In a faraway corner of the forest, a band of tigers were standing; five of them lined up in front of a few makeshift tents at the attention of a sixth, their band’s leader, who stood the tallest, at eight and a half feet. His eyes were a bright gold and gleamed in the sun. His body was muscular and a satchel was flung over his right shoulder. The band was equipped with bows and quivers, and each bow was loaded with one arrow already, tipped with cobra venom.

“Listen up,” he began. “We’ve sighted a couple of dragons down south in the jungle. So what? Our normal policy is to avoid them, but, it’s become increasingly harder to do. We can no longer ignore the dragons and allow them to do as they please. They’ve been spotted together.” the tiger sighed.

“What if one of us is ambushed? What if they like it here and decide to make the jungle their home and they go running back to their land, bringing more dragons?”

“That would be bad,” one of the tigers-in-line, aka Mister Obvious, pointed out.

“Yes, it would,” the band leader confirmed. “Our scouts spotted them down south this morning, and chances are, after someone thought if would be a good idea to roast marshmallows, they caught our scent and will be heading north shortly. Just a heads-up. Be prepared.”



Sini and Firedrake made their way north, following the scent of the campfire and soon came upon the outer perimeter of where the scouts had pitched their tents. Lying low and using the brush for cover they made it further still into the camp. Firedrake noticed the bowmen at the ready and the discolorations on the heads of the notched arrows. They’re expecting a hard fight between the two dragons. Firedrake hasn’t seen Sini fight before so he was a little unsure of how well he’d hold himself up but whatever they had on the arrows bugged him.

He let out a quiet sigh and orange crystal started forming plates around his body and avoiding the joints altogether till he had a thin layer covering him from head to toe.

“Hold still real fast.” Firedrake murmured and reached out and touched Sini’s shoulder.

Sini could feel like his scales were growing and thickening at an increased rate and in a moment was also covered in the impromptu armor. Surprisingly it weighed next to nothing and felt more like an extension to his scales. The crystal on both of them quickly dulled into a matt finish so as to hid them better in the dense brush.

“That should help with the arrows but it won’t cover your joints so you can still move.” Firedrake whispered just between the two of them. “I also don’t like that satchel he’s wearing…” Pointing out the leader of the group.

The sound a babbling brook coming from somewhere behind the camp and running along the edge to the right of them suddenly got Firedrake’s attention.

If it’s deep enough I could hide in there or lure them into it and it would be washed up cat for breakfast…

The sudden thought of getting a hairball distracted him for a moment but his stomach was empty and at this point he could use just about anything to fill it.

He glanced over at Sini. Firedrake could only imagine how hungry he was as both of them were trying to suppress their growling bellies from betraying their location. He had hoped that whoever made the fire hadn't noticed them until they were closer, or better yet not at all. He often laughed when he would catch prey while hanging from his tail and the unsuspecting victim walked right underneath him. Just begging for him to snatch them up.

Sini watched the crystal of Firedrake form and evaporate as if it’d become one with his body, quickly, over his hide. It was a light equipment; unbulky but powerful. Sini stared at Firedrake and felt a new confidence and safety against the arrows of the tigers. Not like their venoms would affect him. But they could potentially poison Firedrake if he was struck in the joints where they’d no protection. He remembered this and held Firedrake’s paw momentarily, sharing with the dragon, his own boon. A faint purple shimmered over the other dragon and flashed away.

“You should be safe from the venom-tips now.”

Firedrake nodded in thanks.

So Sini took one look back at Firedrake then advanced to the behind of a tent. He peeked around the corner and there the tigers were, at their posts, monitoring the outer jungle for any movements. Then, quickly, he came around the corner and leaped onto a tiger by the front of the tent whose back was turned away from Sini and the tiger let out a quiet cry. Sini hushed him, his paw over the tiger’s muzzle. The dragon dragged him along the ground back behind the tent and, with the tiger still muffled in his grasp, turned to Firedrake and said:

“Here. You can have the first meal,” and handed the squirming tiger to the blue dragon, grinning.

“You sure?” Firedrake whispered. “You caught him first.” Still muffling the squirming tiger.

“You go on and have him. It’s my friendship offering to you,” Sini replied happily.

“If you say so.” Firedrake replied and quickly stuffed the tiger’s face deep into his throat so his pleas for help and terror would fall only into his own and his new host’s.

Firedrake quickly gulped him down and shuddered slightly from the feeling of having a proper meal once again. The tiger was putting up a fight but Firedrake just smushed his stomach to silence the squirming. There would be time for that later he thought, chuckling lightly to himself and Sini.

“You get the next one for sure.” Firedrake said winking at Sini and ducked into the brush. Another tiger was making his round and Firedrake made a quiet tap on a rock next to his leg to grab the new tiger’s attention. It took a few tries but it finally worked as the second tiger rounded the corner, Firedrake grabbed him and wrapped his tail around his helpless victim and kept his mouth shut with close the the end of his tail. Firedrake’s blade a mere inches away from the tiger’s face.

“Your turn.” He said removing the blade and offering the tail-wrapped tiger to Sini, smiling warmly

“Thanks, Fire.”

Sini plucked the encoiled tiger out of the grasp of Firedrake’s tail with his mouth then set the tiger down on the jungle floor by his feet. He let the tiger panic and try to dart away then scooped the tiger back into his presence, like a giant cat toying with its food. He giggled.

“Don’t think you’ll be getting away that easily,” said Sini.

He clutched the tiger, wriggling madly, within his right-claw then lifted the tiger to his maw as it opened wide. A little saliva dripped from it and the dragon’s warm breath came to the tiger’s legs dangling above. Then, the prey was dropped into the maw below and Sini shut his mouth, almost instantly. With a smile on his face a great gulp, the throat bulge of his prey fell from the top of his throat down into his belly. Fighting and convulsing. Sini sighed, relieved. He hadn’t had a meal in days and finally there was something to satisfy the low growl of his stomach. As the tiger kicked and struggled, he rubbed his belly excitedly, letting out a soft belch. Then he stretched out and stood up tall. His energy came back to him and the mood to hunt was born again.

“That hit the spot,” he exclaimed. “Now how about we make things interesting and take care of the remaining four face-to-face?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” He replied grinning devilishly. “I hit ‘em high you hit ‘em low?” He asked looking into Sini’s eyes as they both seemed to have only started satisfying their hunger.

Firedrake set up behind one of the tents and looked ready to leap into the air.

“Ready when you are…” He whispered, the anxiety was growing in his legs as well as his stomach as he picked out one of the tigers standing near the opposite end of the camp.

Sini nodded. “I’m all set!”

Firedrake nodded back and leapt into the air, spinning as he went and letting loose a loud roar. Teeth and claws bearing down upon his intended target. The tiger managed to turn around but only got to scream for a moment as Firedrake came down on him, crashing into the shallow brook.

Sini stretched out his wings and charged full-speed toward a tiger who’d been standing straight ahead. He was sprinting forward and the tiger turned with an expression of surprise but only right before he was pounced on and dropped his bow as he thumped to the ground.

Firedrake had to chase the now water-logged tiger around the brook as the tiger flailed around trying to get his wits about him and get his bow and arrows but they spilled out of his quiver and were now strewn about the place, running down stream or catching on rocks. Firedrake flashed a evil smile and picked up the wet tiger, holding him above his head and dropped the tiger into his awaiting maw. The tiger yelled for the moment he spent airborne but only for a moment as half of the tiger’s torso was gone in an instant as gravity pulled him down and his momentum only making the situation worse. The tiger tried grabbing the sides of Firedrake’s maw but was met with a paw pushing him further and further into the wet tunnel. Firedrake pushed a little more and made for his next target. The last tiger was already drawing back his arrow when Firedrake finally got a glance of him.

Sini slapped the longbow back out of the tiger’s paws when he reached for it across from him on the ground. The tiger stared back into the dragon’s face and gulped when the maw opened and widened above him, blanketing his center then peripheral views. Almost instantly, his head was warm and wet with the salivation and the tiger felt himself be thrown up, into the air. Color came back into view-- but so did the ground, and the dragon below, with his maw extended out far, as he hummed ‘ahhh’, and the gravity brought the tiger back down into the dragon’s mouth. It shut over his head. It shut over his torso. The prey’s two legs and part of his tail were wriggling about in the opened gap of the dragon’s maw, tilted back, as the head of the dragon. He pushed the tiger in with his tongue and held his head back a bit more so that the tiger slid into his esophagus, a bulge beginning. There were whimpers and pleading from his prey inside which he paid no mind two as he smiled with a wide grin and took his gulps. The tiger made its way from the top of Sini’s esophagus into his belly, pleased by the newcomer. It growled in delight, expanding and rounding a tad more.

The newest member of Firedrake’s meal was still a bulge in his throat as he dashed towards the last bowmen. The tiger fired a shot and Firedrake raised his arm, the crystal catching the arrow and holding it in place.

“Didn’t they teach you how to use those things?” He growled at the tiger.

The tiger must not have been listening as he reached for another arrow, notching it into place and drawing it back. Firedrake swung his tail around and cleaved the longbow in two. The tiger froze in fear has his weapon was made useless right before his eyes and the arrow in the dragon’s arm apparently having no effect at all. Firedrake mused to himself.

“Take away their toys and suddenly their useless.” He laughed and pounced onto the tiger.

His second tiger was still bulging in his throat and didn’t waste time adding another to his collection. Firedrake opened his mouth wide and wrapped his tongue around the frozen archer. His breath hot on the tiger’s face seemed to reinvigorate the tiger’s fight but it was too little, too late. Firedrake pulled the tiger into his maw and suckled on him for a bit. Firedrake had his three meals and it was Sini was only on his second. Save the best for last huh?

He finally gulped down the last archer and watched in pleasure as the two bulges met in the middle and made a even bigger bulge in his throat and finally made it to his stomach. With the new guests in tow they tried squirming again but Firedrake didn’t muffle them and instead turned towards Sini to see how he was doing. He only caught glimpses here and there but now he could watch him work. His stomach gurgling and growling in pleasure.

The band leader was backing away from the two dragons, taking slow motions backwards, trembling slightly with each step. The two advanced forward then Sini seemed to take the lead and came closer to the tiger and the tiger gulped. He raised his longbow and fired and arrow at Sini’s chest, but he flung it away with his arm and it bounced uselessly onto the ground. The dragon’s tongue drooped from the gap of his mouth and he grinned, hungrily, his stomach rumbling again.

“Looks like you’re the last one here,” Sini confirmed.

“Wait. Hold on-- no! Get back!” The band leader shouted.

He reached for the quiver that hung on his backside and pulled an arrow from it but when he looked in front of him again, the dragon was staring down inches from his face, unamused. He picked the longbow out of the tiger’s hands, crushing it within his claw and tossing it aside. Then his shadow loomed over the tiger and his nostrils expelled hot purple smoke over his prey and he picked up the tiger with his right-claw, licking him across the face.

“Yum!”

The tiger flinched and wrestled for freedom. “No! Let me go!”

The last of the tigers twiddled over his outstretched maw for a while. The dragon was playing with his prey. Then he lowered the legs of the tiger onto his tongue, tasting the tiger and getting the tiger’s furs soaked. The maw closed around the prey. He-- the band leader-- tried pulling his arms out of the mouth which was now closing upon them but they were tightly locked and squeezed-in. Sini made a slurping sound as the tiger’s remaining head and shoulders disappeared from the outside, like a furry noodle, entering his esophagus and creating a squirmy bulge which made its way to the bottom of Sini’s belly. It hit the bottom with a wet plop and his belly was nicely filled. Sini smiled, flipping backwards onto his backside to the ground, sighing out. Rubbing himself and wagging his tail. He stared up at Firedrake who was standing up and looking down upon him.

“We did good today, Firedrake.”

“That we did Sini. That we did.” Firedrake said sitting next to him rubbing his own belly. The tigers still squirming but only maybe Firedrake shudder more from the pleasure of finally having a full stomach.

“We should hunt together more often seeing how this one paid out.” Firedrake proposed and lying down next to his friend. “What do you think?” He was looking into Sini’s closed eyes and couldn’t help but rub the purple dragon’s large gut.

The smaller dragon giggled and rubbed Firedrake’s belly back. “I think that sounds like a plan.”

Firedrake stopped for a moment and stared into the distance.

“Ummm… didn’t the last guy you eat have a satchel on him? Firedrake inquired and looked a tad bit concerned and Sini.

“Oh. He did, didn’t he?”

“We should probably fix that before he pulls something out.” Firedrake claimed and got up on his feet. “Mind saying ‘Ahhh’ for a bit?”

Sini looked unsure. “Uh-- okay,” he said, opening up his maw as wide as possible for the dragon.

“Thank you. Now this may tickle a bit.” Firedrake said and put his snout into your maw and pushed in further. “You ok?” He asked as his eyes were passing into Sini’s esophagus.

“I’ll be alright. Just don’t get stuck in there!”

“Hehehe. I don’t plan on it,” Firedrake said, and pushed himself further in. The outside world became muffled as his ears disappeared from view on the outside and Sini’s steady breathing and heartbeat replaced the noise of the jungle. He pushed on until he made in into Sini’s stomach and to three rather unhappy cats.

“Your own friend turn on you, dragon!?” The band leader shouted at Firedrake’s disembodied head.

“Nah, just forgot something.” With that Firedrake shot his tongue out and quickly removed the satchel from the leader. The large tiger tried to grab onto it but his hands slipped and fell into the folds of Sini’s stomach walls.

“Thank you.” Firedrake said in a sing-song fashion and gently pulled his head out of Sini’s belly with the cries of the tigers following him out.

In a moment or two, Firedrake pulled his head out of Sini’s open maw. “Sorry about that.” Firedrake, said laughing and pulling the satchel out of his mouth. “Wonder what’s in here anyway?” He thought out loud and placed it between the two of them.

The satchel was slathered in drool and stomach acid. Sini decided he’d open it and unlatched the satchel with his claws. Inside it was an olden-shade parchment with markings that looked like hills and squigglies that appeared to be the sea. But along the middle there was a dotted-line that led to an X, somewhere in the hills of… the jungle?

“Check it out, Drake. It’s a treasure map!” Sini exclaimed excitedly.

“Indeed it is, but what could be at the X?” He pointed at it. “Guess there’s only one way to find out huh?” Firedrake was already getting excited about the thought of adventuring forth for unknown treasure troves and what lie in store for them.

“So after we finish up here, wanna head out and find out what this is?” picking up the map gingerly and placing it back in the satchel. “I’ll let you carry it if you’d like.”

Sini nodded. “Okay, I’ll carry the satchel.” He slung the satchel around his shoulder and rested his head next to Firedrake’s belly, lying it back down on the ground sleepily and belching loudly. Then he chuckled. “This meal’s gonna hold me off for quite a while.”

Firedrake laughed heartily and also belched loudly, few of the archer’s quivers shot out from Firedrake’s maw. “Excuse me!” He said, laughing just as hard as before. “This meal was great. I hope we can get more later since I don’t know when we’ll be able to eat so well again.” Firedrake curled a bit and rested his head on top of Sini’s belly.

“I can’t wait till our next large meal.” He said grinning at Sini. “Maybe next time there will be more to share.”

“I’m sure we will. We’re partners-in-crime, out for bigger and better cases, right? The next time around, we’ll have an even more plentiful meal. I’m sure of it!” Sini yawned and smiled at Firedrake who’d lain his head atop his belly. Sini curled up beside the dragon and his eyes began to flicker.

“But for now, I think I’m gonna take a nap…”

“I’m with you there friend…”