Wof: Under a Scarlet Banner

Chapter 17

Sunny and Glory landed next to the waterfall that Peril pointed out. Thousands of gallons of water poured overhead and dropped into the river below, leaving a heavy mist and the soothing sound of water crashing onto the rocks. Sunny reached over her shoulder, with some difficulty due to her draconian anatomy, and picked me up and set me down onto the river bank. It would be a while before Clay, Tsunami, and Peril arrive with Kestrel. I grabbed my canteen from my satchel that managed to stick to me this whole time. I knelt down next to the water and popped open the container. I glanced at the shimmering reflection in the water and finally got a good look at myself for the first time in a month. I took the hood off my head and ruffled through my shaggy, unkept hair, and felt my face to find a bushy beard and mustache.

I looked back at Sunny as I ran my fingers through my facial hair, "Is this why you wanted to name me "Fluffy"?"

"Hmm, oh yeah. Um, sorry."

"No, it's fine. I didn't expect everyone to think I could speak dragon or anything or grow a bread."

Glory looked at me as I washed my face in the river, "All that fur in one spot, but you can't grow it anywhere else. What are you supposed to do in winter?"

"Build shelters, make fireplaces, get some fur coats, huma-scavenger ingenuity is greater than you think. Also, being covered in fur isn't a good look in our case."

"Assuming you looked good in the first place."

"Ouch, well that stings."

Sunny bumped Glory with her snout, "Hey, that's incredibly rude! Anyway, he looks great! Why do you have to be so mean to him?"

Glory chuckled, "I'm not, he's perfectly fine with it, right?"

"Well you may have wounded me, but I'll live," I put my canteen into the water and then drank from it. The cool mountain water was a stark contrast to the tap water back on earth.

"Back on Earth, never thought I'd say those words...well, not seriously."

I took another drink and then turned around as I closed the lid. I looked at Glory as I was doing this and an idea popped into my head. My canteen could carry water, so why not Rainwing venom? I could carry this world's greatest weapon around on my hip. Of course, asking Glory for her magical death spit is probably a awkward thing to ask for, a question that requires some serious convincing. I have to be careful and delicate with my request.

"Hey Glory, could I milk your fangs?"

She obviously didn't think that was amusing at all, but Sunny's confused look was even more priceless.

Glory spoke first, "I know what you are trying to ask for, but did you really have to phrase it like that?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Sunny gave Glory a very confused and concerned look, "What is he talking about?"

Glory smiled, "Oh, I have acidic venom. It was a whole thing. You were lucky to have missed it."

I shuddered jokingly, "I don't think anyone would have wanted to see that."

Glory sighed, "Anyway, fine, come over here,"
She laid on the ground and opened her mouth to reveal her sharp fangs. I stood next to her maw and held my canteen up to her tooth, with the opening directly underneath it. Glory let her venom slowly drip through her fangs, the fang on my side went into the canteen easily with no spillage, while the other left a corrosive puddle where the venom fell. I collected enough venom to be satisfied and carefully closed the lid tight.

Glory stood back up and smacked her mouth a couple times, "Ok, you're not going to do that again."

"If I'm smart, I would."