The Scarlet Heart

The snow danced along the mountain pass as the knight struggled through the winter landscape. Her armor, as cold as the bodies she had left behind on the battlefield, clinked so as it was just barely audible above the wind, the red and black metal a solemn reminder of her duty to the nation of Surris. Her sword – a massive weapon that, for a normal man or woman, would require both hands to wield – rested easily across her back and, every once in awhile, the wolf would reach a paw up to fondly stroke the hilt, to assure herself that her prized weapon remained with her.

Yet despite the aura of morale that radiated from the tokens of the swordsman's months of ceaseless combat, Ruby could not deny the steady chill creeping in beneath her white fur. It was slow at first, an occasional sting that accompanied a strong breeze; but, as she neared the mountain's peak, the chill became an incessant ring along nearly every inch of her body, a steady plea from her core to find warmth.

The knight flattened her ears and gave a low whine as a stronger wind tore across the cliffs of the winter-stricken world, dropping her head against her chest as a new wave of snow pelted across her muzzle. The falling flakes were undeniably increasing in their persistency, a clear sign that the chill would only increase as a blizzard, famous to the region, set in along the pass.

She smirked as the breeze died away, realizing in irony that, after surviving weeks of deadly enemies and fierce conflict, she was dying to a lifeless enemy.

The wolf's steps quickened, the resolve beneath each step growing as she sought shelter. More than once a yeti had been spotted in the region and, if it came to it, Ruby would be more than happy to fight such a beast – or even a small clan – to take its cave for the night.

Yet, as she delved deeper into the mountains, the armored woman found, to her horror, that she was the only bit of life among the craggy peaks. No yeti dropped down to make a meal from her; no fellow soldiers had found a camp nearby to offer food and warmth. She was very much alone.

The wind picked up again and a low howl split the cliffs as Ruby dropped to her knees, her hands coming up to her face to shake beneath her fading gaze. She grimaced and gave a bark of distaste, truly angry with what amounted to reality itself for giving her such a pitiful end.

Then the wind stopped.

The wolf's ears perked up in confusion as she brought her eyes up from her still quivering wrists. Before her was what amounted to a great curtain, a sheet of silvery leather that forced the wind to leave her in peace. She could still hear the raging breezes of the mountains beyond but, so steadfast was her unexpected shield, that the air itself had no jurisdiction over her shivering form.

Yet, as she gazed at the metallic walls, a realization suddenly dawned on Ruby. She was spared the terrors of the arctic by a pair of wings, leathery membranes that belong to a creature far larger than herself.

With a shiver – not at all derived from the cold – coursing down her spine the knight turned, her frame slowly shifting towards her back. Behind her stood a dragon, a humanoid creature that, from the distinct lack of female anatomy, could only be taken as a male. His approach (or possibly landing) had been covered by both nature and the canine's internal strife alike, allowing him to get within mere feet from the freezing wolf.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing out here all alone?" a deep voice asked, the tone ringing with the youthfulness that still dwelt within the young knight.

"I'm going home." Ruby replied confidently, her hand inching towards the weapon across her back as she spoke.

"And where might home be?"

As he relayed his second question a hand gently came forward, a single, massive finger overpowering the white hound by forcing her arm back to her side. Ruby grimaced under the clear difference in strength between the two but could not deny that she enjoyed the contact; the dragon, after all, seemed to radiate an aura of warmth.

"Over the mountains," she answered mysteriously, keeping her loved ones in secret should the reptile be in search of a meal.

"I see." He said, rubbing his chin in a manner that made him seem esteemed, an intellectual in the body of a monster. At length he continued, turning his bright, golden eyes back towards the woman at his feet.

"What is your name?"

"Ruby," she replied, asking for his in turn.

"In your tongue I am called Argentum." He said with a smile, dropping down to a sitting position as the wind continued to roar around him, angry at the blocking of its path. "It means 'silver one.'" He elaborated, as though the information was to be impressive.

"A very admirable name," Ruby nodded, for the sake of being polite more so than anything. Argentum nodded his thanks.

"It's a long journey over the mountains, wolf." He went on, continuing with the previous subject. "You won't make it, especially not with winter setting in."

"I have to try." The growled determinedly, her eyes flashing with a will that had seen her through much bloodshed. That internal prowess, the strength of mind and of positive resignation, seemed to cause the dragon to stumble back slightly.

"Any particular reason why?" he asked, an eyebrow arching in playfulness. "Do you have a fiancé waiting for you, or maybe a childhood friend?"

"All I have to return to are my parents." The wolf replied, somewhat unnerved and slightly angry at the prying into her personal life. "The point is that I want to get home to start living; I've spent my life in the service of a nation I have yet to experience for myself."

"You won't get to experience it if you're dead." The dragon pointed out.

"It was a chance I was willing to take." Ruby returned evenly.

Under her unwavering desire the dragon sighed, shaking his head to toss a medium mane of black hair about her shoulders. With a gentle flick of his fingers he slipped the canine's sword from its sheath, whisking it away to drop it into a sack he carried at his waist. The move sparked the knight's anger and in her rage she struck out with her gloved fist, the blow clearly as effective as simply sitting among the fallen white flakes.

"Give it back!" Ruby ordered, the demand ringing through the mountains like the voice of a goddess.

"Temper, temper," Argentum cooed, turning his grip back towards the woman to lift her gingerly from the ground. Her squirms made the task difficult but, under the influence of his dexterous fingers, the dragon removed her armor to leave her shivering in the two piece garment worn beneath. The metallic covering followed the precious blade into the pouch at the giant's side.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Ruby roared, once again punching out with her now bare fist. The scales were soft to the touch but, at the same time, retained a hidden element of solidity and invulnerability, causing the blow to do more damage to the wolf's knuckles than to Argentum himself.

"I," the dragon claimed "am making sure you stay alive a little longer."

The knight shifted as the dragon's grip brought her closer to his face, his great golden eyes casting a light down on her that seemed itself a ray of warmth. The gazes of the pair locked for the longest moment and, amid the warmth of Argentum, Ruby seemed to feel something.

Perhaps it was just the heat radiating from the dragon; perhaps it was the firm, comforting grip around her. Something seemed to spark in the wolf's heart, though; for the briefest of moments she almost felt compelled to remain at the dragon's side, to remain in his hand forever.

And then the reptile's mouth opened and Ruby screamed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she demanded as she passed between the giant's teeth, slipping from his grip among a pink, slimy cavern. Quickly she moved to regain her footing only to find the jaws at her back closing, her mind creating a "boom!" like sound as the light ebbed from the prison.

"Let me out!" she demanded, pounding fist after fist against the white wall at her back. As if to deny her request a purr echoed around her, the pleasurable rumble drowning out her demands for release.

The tongue at the floor of the cavern came up to gently tickle at the white wolf's bare feet, causing her to stifle a giggle despite her precarious situation. She slapped away the prying muscle to once again let loose a howl, a cry for release that bordered on a plea.

The tongue snaked forward again, this time encircling her ankle. She growled and once again struck out at it only to find its desire would not be thwarted. The lord of Argentum's maw tugged her away from the entrance to the inescapable cave, drawing her back towards the point of no return. As she watched the progress of her helpless frame with horror Ruby abandoned her demanding tone and pleaded with the dragon, offering him whatever he wanted for one simple price: her life.

Argentum would not listen.

Towards the back of the dragon's mouth the tongue released its grip; though the satisfaction of freedom was short lived. All around her the maw tilted as the hunter raised his head up, siphoning his meal back towards the throat through gravity alone. Another scream echoed through the red world before flesh closed over Ruby, taking her away into the depths of the dragon.

Her entire frame was massaged (in a sense) as she slid deeper, a mere lump in the silver titan's throat. Her squirms were useless, perhaps even comforting to the predator as she neared her destination. At length the jugular fell away to a larger place amid the sea of organs that adorned the internal world of the colossal creature, a cavern slightly larger than the maw far above whose floor was adorned with the shifting liquids of digestive juices.

Sinking to her knees the wolf sank her head down, comforting her tear strewn muzzle in her hands. Around her she felt Argentum move, heard the flapping of his wings as he took to the air. She knew that, at length, she would be nothing more than the energy that allowed him to fly, allowed him to take other innocents away from the lives they deserved to fill his belly.

With the knowledge of her hopeless position dancing about inside her pained mind, Ruby lay back against one wall of the slimy world she had come to know. Closing her eyes she drifted into what she imaged would be her final time in the realm of sleep before the eternal dream enveloped her.

* * * * *

Her eyes remained closed as warmth began to cover her, spreading about her frame alongside the blood in her veins. Ruby smiled beneath the closed lids, comforted by heaven's graces as she lay amid what she could only imagine were the softest of clouds.

Ever so slowly her gaze cracked to life, basking her world once again in light. She frowned as she realized she was looking up at the ceiling of some great cavern, not in the least what she expected the afterlife to be like. She thought, perhaps, that, as a wolf, she had been whisked away to some great den-in-the-sky; she found it stereotypical but nevertheless fitting.

She rose to a sitting position, scratching at an ear as she made to survey her new surroundings. The cavern was bare; but that did not draw her attention. Instead the knight found herself looking up into the caring, compassionate gaze of Argentum.

Immediately Ruby attempted to scoot back, fear enveloping a body she believed untouchable beyond earth. Her movements were cut short, however, as she realized she was sitting in the palm of the reptile's hand, a place where he was not only in control but where escape was far from optional.

"Good morning," came his kindly voice as he bent down, his muzzle gently nuzzling her white coat. The wolf gave a low whimper, her ears flattening at his touch.

The metallic dragon sighed but, seeming unable to help himself, brought his lips against the woman's torso. There was a brief moment of contact in which Argentum bestowed a kiss on the knight, a very ironic scene indeed.

"You tried to kill me." Ruby accused.

"I saved you." Argentum returned.

"You ate me!"

"Would you have survived in the blizzard?" the dragon demanded. Ruby made to respond but, in the brief moment of contemplation that came before her words, the wolf found herself unable to deny the logic.

"You would have died." Argentum returned, his golden eyes peering into the deep red depths of the knight's gaze. "So I took you into a place of safety, a place I knew you would be free from harm: myself."

Silence enveloped the two for a moment as they sat perfectly still, one regarding the other in a new light while he gazed with an almost longing expression at the rescued swordsman. At length the dragon sat Ruby on the floor of his cave, rising to stretch and disappear among the shadows at the back of the cave.

After several moments Argentum returned, his hands full of what appeared to be a massive suit of armor. It was then that the wolf took into account the shift of color: what she had first mistaken for silver scales was, in reality, a finely crafted suit of scale mail made to cover the whole of the great reptile's frame.

The now-dark-green dragon dropped the great suit at the wolf's feet, fishing about in its depths for several seconds before withdrawing his hand. Between his fingers he clasped the pouch that contained the knight's armor and weapon, tossing the leather bag down before her as he himself slipped back on his attire.

"Thank you," Ruby said, confessing her gratitude almost grudgingly as she slipped on the plates that offered her snow colored frame protection. With a friendly though pained smile Argentum stooped down, helping her rearm herself.

"I guess you'll be going now?" he asked, his warm eyes darkening with a pained shadow.

"You… you don't want me to go?" she asked, somewhat surprised. The smile above continued as a gentle claw came forward, brushing away the silvery locks that fell before the beautiful red eyes of the knight.

"I," the dragon said poetically "want you to do whatever makes you happy."

"And I," she returned, matching Argentum's grin with one of far more joy and brightness "want to stay with you."

The words, at least initially, surprised the war veteran; yet as the young girl thought back to her first encounter with the armored dragon she realized that, despite the unusual nature of their meeting, she felt something stir deep within, something that called for Argentum's presence. With that knowledge she leaned forward, this time bestowing a kiss on the giant who had saved her life.

Somewhere beneath the full body armor the titanic being blushed.

"So," Ruby asked, following her newfound friend to the entrance of the cave "where did you get that armor? You almost look like…"

"A knight?" Argentum asked with a smirk, gazing out at the crisp white mountains that surrounded his home. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, turning back to the small form at his feet with a sly gleam in his eye.

"I'd be happy to tell you…" he chuckled "… for another kiss."