Demus: The Prince And The Milkman

Should've Known It Was A Bad Idea

The next morning felt harshly light compared to the soft, quiet darkness of the night before. 

Janus was woken by the panting yelps and chirps of Disquiet running around the clearing, rolling under mossy logs and bush-crowded rocks. The prince stretched, blinking in the early-morning sunlight and squinting at the clearing where he had fallen asleep the night before. 

He felt... damp. When he glanced down, he saw that his clothes were pretty much soaked, though the side he had pressed against a rock to sleep was still warm and mostly dry. Even his hair was wet, he noticed with a small twinge of annoyance. 

Looking around, he realized it had rained the night before-- the quiet scent of thunderstorms was in the air, and the entire forest was dripping with glittering raindrops, the last remnants of the storm collecting in crystal puddles. Lying near the line of trees had its perks, as the tree's leaves had mostly sheltered him from the worst of the rain. 

He groaned, sleepily sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Disi, c' mere," he called to the dragon. 

Flapping his wings in excitement once more and finally fluffing them back, Disi bounded towards Janus to give the prince little licks all around his face and neck. Janus was pushed back onto the ground, startled laughter coming out of his mouth as Disi flung his wings around Janus in an overexcited hug. 

"Buenos dias, Janus," Disi barked happily. "Como estas? Tengo hambre, y tu?" He tilted his head, his ruff flared in happiness. 

Janus rolled over, sleepily pushing the dragon off of him. "I have no idea what you just said," he mumbled, chuckling. He sat back up, pulling at his shirt and readjusting his sleeves, which had rolled up in the night. "You snored again, by the way."

Disi's tongue lolled out of his mouth as he hovered in midair, waiting for Janus to stand up. "Y donde esta?" he asked. "No lo se." He wrinkled his snout, the silvery-purple scales shimmering like layered amethysts in the dawn light. 

Guessing what Disquiet had asked, Janus shook his head. "I have no clue where we are, sorry," he shrugged. "Where could the campsite be?" He glanced over at the dragon, who was now trying to dig up a pale moonflower and eat it. 

They often communicated like this, understanding fragments and bare sentences of each other's language. Mostly they just talked through glances and gestures and could understand each other well through this, being trapped in a tower together for years. Janus had often wished that there was a language translator book in the tower with him, but no matter how often he had asked for one, his pleas had never been answered. 

Disi shook himself out and smiled, baring his fangs at Janus, who grinned in response. "Well, we'd better find our way back, right?" Janus offered, patting his shoulders. Disi nodded, looping onto Janus's neck and curling around his shoulders, his claws gently poking into Janus's shirt. 

"Do you see any... landmarks?" Janus asked cautiously, glancing around, and squinting in the sunlight. A small knot of anxiety had begun to form in his stomach, seeing as even though being lost was a new and exciting experience, he also knew that he was very far away from any of his friends, who he did enjoy being around. 

He also did not want to be stuck in a forest for the rest of his days. He knew this was barely better than being stuck in the tower, where at least he could send letters to his family and always have something to eat. 

The clearing looked much different in the sunlight, Janus noted. The sunflowers had bloomed, full golden-yellow petals bursting with vivid color facing the rising sun. Soft white clouds rolled across the cornflower-blue sky and even the grass looked sunnier in the daylight.