Page 91 of Deadwood
For a being as small as you, yes.
I chuckled. “Always so judgmental.”
A burst of steam hit my back as I climbed the boulders, Vulcan close behind in case I lost my footing. I wouldn’t, but the sentiment still stood.
Once we reached the mouth of the cave, I peered inside, narrowing my eyes against the endless pit of black to be sure the bones dragon hadn’t made it through since we had left.
When no form took shape, I entered, walking a few feet in before turning around to see if Vulcan could fit. He ducked his massive head, bending his neck and curling his body in on itself.
This is not how I wished to spend my day, he huffed, just barely making it through the entrance.
I turned, continuing on my way. “You complain a lot for a dragon.”
You demand a lot for a tiny being, he retorted, trying to lift his neck but only resulting in hitting the rocky ceiling.
Bits of loose debris rained down around me from the impact, but I ignored it. “Commenting a lot on my size today. Feeling a little self-conscious?”
No, but I am a tad hungry.
“If we get stuck in here, I give you full permission to eat me.”
Really?
He sounded too hopeful.
I shot a glare back at him.
“No.”
We walked at a slow pace to accommodate for the awkward position Vulcan was in, and once we reached the spot I remembered seeing the bones dragon last, I held my hand up for him to stop. Claw marks dug into the ground before me, evidence of where the dragon had struggled to get through but had no luck.
Please, do tell what your plan is, Vulcan spoke up, his voice vibrating through my mind.
I stepped to the side, gesturing at the empty space. “Try to get through.”
His bored gaze moved from me to the vast nothingness and back again, all the while I stared at him.
You are serious.
“I am.”
With a sigh, Vulcan moved. I pressed my back up against the wall to give him space to fit. As soon as his nose was near the claw marks, he stopped, but not of his own accord. He shook his head against the impact of whatever his muzzle ran into.
He tried again, shoving his forehead into the invisible wall.
Still, no luck.
“Does it hurt at all? Maybe a burn?”
No. Just a wall like any other.
I stepped around his massive foot, holding my arm out and successfully passing through the barrier. “Can you see it or is it nonexistent to you, too?”
Nothing is there. It only prevents me from passing.
It must be that way for every dragon, then. Much like the barrier over the chasm, preventing their entrance to Amosite.
“Have you experienced anything like this before?” I asked, stepping over the claw marks etched into the ground.
