A Pet for the Dragons

197.

ZORGE

1 year later...

I glared at Ivret as he pretended to be suddenly interested in the ship's control panel. I ground my teeth out loud, fuming. No, my blood was boiling. Literally.

Today was the hottest day of our journey so far. The sun showed us no mercy. Living in the Arctic for so long had significantly lowered my tolerance for the sun. I was sweating through my scales. It felt like my scales were going to melt off my body soon. I had never sweated this much in my entire life. I was sweating through places I didn't know one could sweat from. This was making me increasingly irritated.

To make it worse, Ivret knowingly ate the last cup of ice cream left in the fridge. There was no more ice cream left. There was some ice, but it wasn't as good as the dessert that Arika referred to as the ice cream.

I was sure that there was no ice cream left, even though Arika had lied earlier about it. She was currently in the kitchen trying to make me a new batch of ice cream, but it wouldn't stay for long until and unless I dealt with the ice cream thief first.

"What's so interesting here?" I asked, nearing him as Ivret pretended to read the labels on some buttons.

"Hmmm... I was wondering what this red button does," Ivret wondered out loud. I wanted to come up with a snappy comeback, but the heat had made my brain stop working. All I could think of was unleashing myself completely on him and making him regret taking my ice cream.

I let out a wild growl, unable to hold myself back. My claws were out, ready to shred him into pieces. Ivret gave me a side eye but pretended that he didn't hear it and took a step away from me.

"Zorge!" Arika warned me from downstairs in the kitchen. This was one of the drawbacks of her ship. She could hear us anywhere. I couldn't threaten Ivret for anything without her interfering in our matters.

"Since when did you develop an interest in such things. I thought you were the kind to sniff fish," I said.

"Well, I just thought it'd be best that we knew more about the ship. We can't rely on Arika and Radrox all the time for maintenance," Ivret returned innocently. I glared at him, wanting nothing more than to smash his face into the control panel of the ship and use his horns to steer the ship.

"I see," I muttered, nearing him. I could sense that Ivret knew precisely what I was planning to do with him. He was anxious, which he should be.

He ate my ice cream after all.

"Why don't you come down to the engine room with me since you're so eager to learn about maintenance?" I baited. I wasn't expecting him to fall for it, but he did. This was the reason why I considered him the stupidest of all. "The engine is the main part of the ship. It is what makes the ship work," I pretended to be an expert on engines and ships as I led Ivret down to the cargo unit (which was close to the engine room), where I'd be able to deal with him without Arika's interference.

As soon as I got Ivret to the very bottom of the ship, I lunged at him. Ivret had sensed my intention by now, so he fought back while I tried to punch him.

"You two would be sleeping with the fishes if you don't take this elsewhere," Radrox growled at us, appearing from the engine room. I hadn't realised that he was down here, doing maintenance.

"He ate my ice cream," I yelled, slamming Ivret against the wall, but he somehow managed to slip through my hands. I screamed in frustration and went after him immediately.

"No, I didn't," Ivret yelled back, trying to make his way to the ladder that brought us down, but I lunged at him, pinning him down before he could make his escape.

"You liar! I will kill you and make ice cream out of your blood. Only that will quench my thirst now!" I tried to punch him, but he always found a way to block it. Instead, he managed to punch me in the throat. This was making me increasingly enraged. How was he able to slip through my hands so easily?

Either he had gotten faster, or I was lacking in my training. Or maybe both. I didn't like this at all.

I roared and was about to smash his head when my brother pulled me back. Ivret laughed triumphantly and tried to flee, but he was knocked out immediately by Radrox.

"Thanks for that. Now put me down and—"

"If you wish to act like a child, then you'd be dealt like one," Radrox growled as he dragged me towards the cargo unit that often acted as a cell. I rolled my eyes and tried to manoeuvre out of his hold, but he quickly reminded me that I was no match for his strength.

"Are you really going to treat your own brother this way?" I wailed, but all I got was a grunt from him. I could sense his deep annoyance, which we kept adding to daily. I knew we were nearing his threshold. "I swear this is the last time."

"You always say that," Radrox growled, and I wasn't surprised that he didn't believe me. If anything, my words seemed to have annoyed him even more. Not that I was blaming him. Ivret had been getting on my nerves since the day we started our journey, and I had significantly fewer chances to deal with him without any interference.

"I mean it this time, brother. Let me go! Would you really do this to me? Side with that idiot so that you could teach me a lesson? Is this how you betray me?!" I tried to reason with him, but if anything, it made him even more annoyed.

"I'll deal with him too," he told me before locking me with the cargo.

"What's all that about? Where are the— WHAT HAPPENED TO IVRET!?" I heard Arika's voice down the hall.

"Arika! Save me!"

"What's going on?" She asked, her tone authoritative.

"As usual. These two have been causing trouble over stupid shit. I'm so done with them. I'll toss them in the sea any day now if they keep this up. Ivret will be fine." Radrox replied, not as annoyed as before but still pissed at us.

I sensed Arika's confusion clearing before it was replaced with mild amusement.

"Seriously, Zorge? All this over some ice cream? Grow the fuck up," Arika shot at me while I heard them hauling unconscious Ivret up the narrow ladders.

"Not that shit again," Radrox cursed.

"I made a fresh batch of ice cream just for you, Zorge. All you had to do was act right,"

"You know I am innocent, Arika. Ivret started it by stealing my ice cream!"

"On that thought, I've been down here doing maintenance since morning. I think I deserve a cold treat," Radrox suggested.

"YOU WON'T DARE!" I screamed in my cell while the two went upstairs laughing. I will avenge this. I definitely will. 

~

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