It
was another beautiful day out in the woodlands. The sun was shining,
the birds were singing, and in a scenic clearing an unlikely pairing
of two unlikely pairs were once again enjoying each other’s
company. While Mallow napped in the sun, Lily was busy doing one of
her favorite things: watching a dragon eat.
“You
got Rust food from town? You know he can hunt for himself just fine,
right?” Max asked.
“Yeah,
I know. I just thought I’d be nice.” Lily reached into a
weathered shoulder

“It’s
just- how can you live
in a dragon’s stomach, and like
it?” Max asked.
“…I
don’t know, I just think it’s nice,” Lily replied after a
moment of thought.
“You
think a dragon’s stomach is ‘nice’?” he asked in disbelief.
“Mm-hm,”
she answered innocently with a nod.
“But-
but- how? Why?”
he asked. Max had sort of known all this before, but he had never
directly questioned the girl about her arrangement, and her happy,
straightforward replies seemed practicall

“Come
on Rust, we should be able to see it from the top of this hill.”
Rust
snorted unenthusiastically as he followed Max from behind.
“Alright
Lily, it should be right over this hill.”
“Uuuuugh,
why couldn’t we have just flown here?”
“I’ve
been flying all day, my wings are tired.”
“Fine,
but couldn’t I have at least stayed in your belly?”
“You’re
the one who said you didn’t want to go into town slimy.”
Rust
suddenly froze and began to growl as a familiar scent