Drips and Drabbles

#TeamUp Challenge

"This was such a stupid idea," Krinn muttered as he walked up the grassy hill towards the looming castle. He was playing a game of Truth or Dare with his friends, a stupid attempt at entertaining themselves during the last week of Sun Up. Sun Up was the season when the sun is eternally up and slowly goes down for six months, never fully setting until the last day and the Sun Down season starts, the complete opposite of Sun Up. Unfortunately, during the game, one idiot dared Moki to steal something from the dragon in the old castle. Moki, not being the most agile of thieves, got caught and Krinn was charged with rescuing her. Krinn picked up his pace, his feet crushed the black blades of grass as he went. He soon made it to a crumbling castle surrounded by a dirty moat. He carefully avoided the holes in the drawbridge and entered the shadowy hall. Large windows that almost reached the floor lined the walls, but were covered in thick burgundy drapes to stifle the sunlight.

"Oh look Moki! Another one of your friends has come to join us! Now we'll have three people for tea!"

Curiously, Krinn stepped into the hall. It was a very odd sight indeed! Moki sat at a table set for afternoon tea, but a massive dragon, wreathed in blue flame, sat across from her holding a teacup with both of its paws.

"Hello! Do not be afraid! We're about to have tea!"

"Moki, what is going on?" Krinn inquired but stayed where he was.

"Don't worry Krinn, he's a vegetarian, he won't hurt you," Moki explained.

"Wait, what?"

"You silly human! She said that I am a vegetarian; I don't eat meat," the dragon clarified, "All dragons used to be vegetarian in the old days." Sensing his confusion the dragon continued, "It was so much more convenient to swoop down, grab a branch off a tree, and carry on. But soon humans discovered this land and we needed a way to control the pests, so one crazy dragon decided that humans were great snacks and our original way of living evaporated. I am now the only dragon left who is pro-life!"

Not knowing how to respond to this, Krinn stood there awkwardly. Finally, He clapped his hands together and plastered on a smile.

"Good for you! Well, it was nice meeting you! I wish we could stay for tea, but we really must get going." He gestured urgently for Moki and began to back away.

"You must have misunderstood me," the dragon said walking between the two, "I may not eat humans, but I do keep prisoners. If you want her, you must win her back."

"Name your challenge." Krinn lifted his chin. He was the game master back at the village. Completely unbeatable.

"I challenge you to a game of...Rock Paper Scissors!"

Krinn choked back a laugh. "Are you serious? You don't even have thumbs!"

"Oh, you're not dueling me. GRAFF!" the dragon bellowed, causing a few rocks to crumble from the wall.

"Yes, Your Giantness?" a small red-haired boy asked lazily, shuffling in through a hallway. He stood in front of the dragon with no fear, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

"I have a competitor for you. A chance to redeem yourself from last time."

Graff slowly turned his head to acknowledge Krinn. His hazel eyes took Krinn in, sizing him up.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He shuffled over to Krinn and stood face to face.

"Wait! I forgot the intense music!" The dragon pressed a button on a recorder and Led Zeppelin's The Immigrant Song filled the air.

"On Shoot?" Krinn asked carefully. It was really awkward to play rock paper scissors with each person playing it differently. Graff didn't answer, but simply brought his hands forward and positioned them in the standard rock position. Krinn took a breath, attempting to get in the zone when he noticed the black pen on Graff's hand. Help me. I have been a slave here for thirteen
years. You'll never win against me so we must find an alternative route.
Distract him and I'll get the girl.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors." Krinn chose paper, as rock is normally everyone's first choice. Graff went straight for scissors. More writing was on his middle and pointer fingers. We exit out the north window, wait for the signal then run like hell. Graff met Krinn's eyes and nodded.

"Rock. Paper. Scis-" Krinn turned and ran with all his might for the door.

"Oi! Get back here!" The thundering footsteps of the dragon shook the walls and drowned out the music. Wait for it. The dragon, being much faster, got closer. Wait for it. The heat from the breath of the dragon seared his skin, its teeth inches away. Now! Krinn dropped into a ball and the dragon, too close to stop, skidded over him. Once the dragon's tail had cleared, he popped back up and bolted back to the hall. Krinn heard an unknown bird call and saw Graff and Moki jump through the north window, shattering the glass. Adjusting course toward the window, Krinn ran at top speed, aiming for the hole made by Graff. Krinn tucked his body into a ball, his arms receiving multiple cuts due to the tight squeeze, and began to descend into the moat below. The air was knocked out of him as he hit the water. Krinn, despite his attempts to doggy paddle, began to sink. He desperately flailed his arms and attempted to scream, but his efforts only produced bubbles. He felt Moki's arms wrap around him and pull him out of the murk.

The sun-dried and warmed their skin as they traveled, finally making it back to the black forest. People wandered around under the canopy of black leaves, walking along the branches from hut to hut up in the trees.

"Hey, Krinn!" someone called out behind them, "Truth or Dare?"