“But Mira-aaaan-da,” Greystone whined. “It’s freezing outside.”
The crimson dragon snorted — as if she’d never been to Court Etiquette and felt the wrath of Madame Harbison, may her soul rest in peace — and settled her head upon her claws, which in turn poked through the thick silk fibers of a hand-woven rug.
“We’re inside,” she pointed out. “In front of the castle’s great hearth, which has a merry fire crackling and popping. In fact, I’ve seen you jump at least once every minute. Isn’t that keeping you warm?”
“But I’m a cat,” he wheedled. “I wouldn’t get startled with the embarrassment of a kitten on a failed hunt if I was in a cozy, warm spot. I’d give it a good death glare and fall back asleep.”
“Your primary form is a snow leopard,” Miranda continued. “Thick fur. Mountain home. Bouncing through snow-covered rocks like your tail were a pogo stick.”
Greystone yawned, showing sharp fangs as his tongue extended. “And here I thought we were friends. What’s a bit of dry air between friends? So warm. Toasty, even. Come on, just a little breather?”
She pulled her head up and hissed at him, stretching her neck until she loomed over his fuzzy blue floor cushion. “You. Are. Flammable!”
***
This week’s prompt was from Cedar Sanderson – what’s a bit of dry air between friends? – and I didn’t quite know what to do with it, as apparently that’s slang I either don’t understand or identify with all too well.
My prompt went to Leigh Kimmel, who’s dealing with the aftermath of forgotten answers. Check out her response (and more! you, too, can play along!) over at More Odds Than Ends. And if you’re enjoying these stories, feel free to leave a comment over at the MOTE site on whether 2024 should keep the prompts coming, or if we shake things up a bit.
