Growing Trust

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Draco nudged me with his nose. He whispered, with his breath tickling the fur around my ears, “No matter what, don’t say yes to them. Unless I tell you it’s safe to do so.”

What? With how rude these creatures were, why would I say yes to anything they asked?

One of these creatures narrowed its eyes at me. “So, you are what they call a Pomeranian?”

I was about to answer yes, but thankfully I remembered in time and kept my mouth shut.

Still, I could have sworn that Draco was secretly laughing at me. He said, “Yes, he is a Pomeranian, but that’s none of your business. All I ask is to borrow a place for the night, so that my friend and I can stay there. We will leave in the morning.”

It was strange that, despite all the humiliation and discomfort of this day, Draco’s body was so warm and inviting. He was a hellhound, yes, but perhaps I was thinking of a different kind of warmth.

The creatures looked sullen, but to my amazement, they listened to my hellhound. Maybe he was some well-respected person here. When they left us alone, I was astonished that they didn’t even bother to escort us. But I figured Draco was already familiar with the premises.

We traipsed through this magnificent garden, the flowers around us glittering like jewels. At some point, Draco said, “Those were nimbuses.”

“Nymphs?” I asked, feeling ignorant.

Draco laughed and shook his head. “No, nimbuses, as in the rain clouds. But I see how you could easily confuse them. If we were up above, and if our world were less ravaged, then we might encounter nymphs. I have no fondness for nymphs myself, nor do they towards me.” He paused for a moment. “But nimbuses are the opposite. They live in subterranean places like this one. And they thrive on chaos and destruction.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “How could this garden be a place of chaos and destruction? It’s the most peaceful place I’ve ever been to, and I include where I came from, eons ago!”

Draco shot me an enigmatic smile. “While this is a real garden, it’s not as peaceful as it looks. There are poisonous plants that could kill you if you’re not careful. Don’t eat or drink anything unless I tell you it’s safe. The nimbuses could also put a curse on you, or at least bind you to this garden, if you say yes to any of their questions.”

How ghastly. I grew even more aware of my tiny paws padding on the soft grass. How could something so beautiful be so dangerous? “Are you dangerous?” I blurted out loud without thinking.

Draco was silent for a bit. “That depends on how you define dangerous. I won’t be to you, because I like you and have no wish to hurt you.” It both excited and scared me how easily he could say that he liked me, though it was probably just the platonic sort. He continued, “But for our enemies, they had better watch out.”

Soon after he said that, a huge mansion materialized in front of us, like a mighty apparition. I gaped.

My companion was not so hesitant. He trotted straight to the door and I followed with reluctance.

It looked like a beautiful house, regardless, with cleanly painted walls of light blue. No one was there to open the door for us, but Draco just pushed it open. There were no staff or other creatures here, not that I could see. The plush carpet beneath me was comfortable, but I still felt ill at ease.

“Draco,” I began again. “Is there really no one living here? Are we safe?”

My hellhound darted an amused glance at me. “Most of the inhabitants are invisible.” At my stunned expression, he added, “Don’t worry. You’re with me, so they wouldn’t dare to harm you or even frighten you. They’ll stay out of the way. And all the visible inhabitants are in rooms that you and I won’t concern ourselves with anyway.”

I frowned and stared down at my feet. Yes, I trusted my companion by now, but I hated how I didn’t know anything about our surroundings or what we were getting into.

At long last, Draco led us up a staircase and into a big guestroom. There were large, warm rugs, as well as a luxurious dog bed.

I stammered, “But there’s only one dog bed.”

Draco laughed. “I didn’t take you for the shy type. Besides, the temperature may be fine now, but drafts can blow in and you might get cold. You would be warmer beside me.”

There were also bowls of water and, surprisingly, doggy treats and kibbles. “Do you eat these too?” I asked with bewilderment.

“I can if I want to, though I prefer freshly-hunted meat.”

I grimaced. “I haven’t hunted in ages, so I wouldn’t be able to help you.”

“You’re worrying too much,” the hellhound said. “I’ll be perfectly fine with these kibbles. If I really needed to, I could hunt, but I would rather keep an eye on you while we’re still in this territory.”

Now I had to ask: “You said we would only stay the night and that we’ll set out again in the morning. But where are we off to, then? Do we even have a plan?” A wave of dread washed over me.

Draco still looked so self-assured as he replied, “Again, you’re worrying your adorable fluffy head for no reason. We will get back up to the surface, but we’ll be such a huge distance away from Tobin and my siblings, that we’ll have no fear of them.”

“But can’t your siblings just take the route that we did?” I gawked.

Draco shook his head at this too. “The subterranean ways are…hard to explain. But no two dogs, or any other creatures, would go down that path and exit at the exact same location. I’ll know where we are once we’re back up to the surface, but I can guarantee you that we’d be very far away from them.”

I could breathe more easily after hearing that. Then came my inevitable next question. “So…will we be stuck in this wrecked world forever? No offence, but I came from a much earlier world, where we didn’t have all this famine and ruin for miles on end. Even plants are few and far between here.”

Draco gazed at me with that enigmatic expression I saw earlier. “Do you really want to go back?” His voice was soft but there seemed to be a hint of warning in it.

I glanced away for a bit, fretting. “I’m not exactly built for these places, not in the long run, anyway. Your company has been delightful, but I miss home…” Sadness came upon me, and I wanted to make myself as small as possible.

For a moment, I thought Draco would watch me coldly, or, worse, just turn around and ignore me. For a second, he seemed like he would. But then he lowered his head to nuzzle mine. It felt wonderfully comforting.

I whined when he drew back again. Draco grinned, his debonair composure already back. “We can figure things out one step at a time. You’ll be all right.”

His words were soothing to hear, but still, I couldn’t help but be apprehensive about the journey ahead.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Originally published in The Kraken Lore on Jan 2, 2023