Cinnabar

The hot sun blazed above the treetops as Cinnabar padded underneath them. His pelt shimmered under the sunlight, his ears perked as the bushes rustled. He gulped, what was in there? Food? A enemy? A small black dragon appeared from the bushes, it's red eyes glaring into his soul.

The small pup growled as the small black dragon appeared, the dragon blinked and tilted it's spiky head. "G-go away!" Cinnabar snapped and began to back up, the dragon followed. Cinnabar soon turned around and fled towards the river, the water lapped at the riverbed and the river fell into sync as it rushed down-stream. But the dragon still followed, soon enough he just accepted it. He had a new dragon pal.

As the sun dipped below the horizon Cinnabar's stomach growled. He was exhausted and hungry from roaming the strange forest for what felt like years. He and his dragon pal sat by the river waiting for a unsuspecting fish, as one passed the black dragon shot out a hooked claw and caught it, killing it. That night Cinnabar didn't go to bed hungry or alone.

The sun rose the next day and Cinnabar and Dhiren, the newly named black dragon had continued their journey. Loud paw steps sounded not to far away, someone or something was approaching rapidly. Cinnabar backed up until he bumped into Dhiren. A black wolf with blue flames and blank white eyes stepped forward, more wolves behind him. "And what do we have here?" The large black wolf snickered.

Another wolf stepped forward. "A stray? Or perhaps a runaway." The black wolf stared at Cinnabar and Dhiren for a moment. "Bring them." He turned tail and whisked away into the messy undergrowth. As they approached a camp more wolves gathered around the clearing. 'Who's pup is that?' 'Where'd he find a pup?' 'A dragon!' Cinnabar backed. "Back away!" Dhiren snorted, smoke rising from his nostrils.

"We found this stray pup.. and his dragon friend." The black wolf answered, he turned to look at Cinnabar. "I am Duisternis Heer, King of this pack." He lifted his head high. Cinnabar nodded. "You'll stay here until we find your pack." He turned around. "But I don't know where I'm from! Or my parents!" Cinnabar shouted, making the king stop dead in his tracks. "So you're an orphan basically? Very well."

"Surma take this little pup and his dragon friend under your care will you? I have important matters to take care of." He strutted off. A Onyx colored wolf stepped forward. "I'm Surma, come with me little ones." She put her tail on Cinnabar and directed him to a den. "I guess since you've got no parents or pack I'll have to take care of you from now on." Surma sighed. "Welcome to the pack little one."

Slowly but surely the two orphans settled into the pack, Cinnabar liked to pull tricks and often got in trouble. The pup dragged some bracken and placed it in some other wolves nests, it was obvious who did it. Cinnabar was the only living pup there at the time, Dhiren often got him out of trouble, scaring off other wolves or predators who'd love to snack on a young pup like Cinnabar.

The two were no longer lost and afraid, they never went to sleep with hungry bellies or slept on the cold floor. They had a pack and others to take care of them, and a wolf who they could call a mother. But where'd Cinnabar come from? Some still wonder, not even the pup knows for a fact. Roaming the forest, lost and afraid is all he knew.

Surma grabbed Cinnabar by the scruff and walked out of camp. "Hey! I can walk myself!" He tried to twist and turn, eventually she dropped him. "Hunting practice, show me your crouch." Cinnabar dropped into a hunters crouch, his tail to high and back arched. Surma placed a paw on his back to steady it, "Lower your tail, keep your back straight. You look like a hissing cat." She pecked. "No I don't!" Cinnabar tried to argue. "Check a mirror." Surma snorted. "Now try and hunt that leaf." She flicked her tail towards the leaf, Cinnabar slowly crawled forward until he sprang out and grabbed it with his claws. "This isn't as fun as real prey catching." He tossed the leaf back and forth. "Can't I hunt real prey?"

"When your older.."

Written by Whitedeath