Post-Apocalypse Paradise

5: Intimacy

Its daily cycle now complete, the glistening sun finally settled itself behind the opposite horizon, bringing a calming, cool breeze with its parting. The dragon temple, its stones brilliant with a demanding presence in the light of the sun, stood quietly now as a fortress of safety and refuge in the darkness.

Among the mountain of stone bricks and black, void windows that dotted the temple's walls, a single window at the peak of the temple shown dimly in the night. It was a small chamber - now a make-shift bedroom for two young dragons.

Cynder allowed herself to collapse to the central rug with a fidgeting stretch, letting her muscles tense and relax one by one until she gave a deep sigh of content. This got a smile and a chuckle from a certain male dragon entering the room just after her.

"Ready for bed already, huh?" Spyro asked, using his head to close the chamber door behind himself.

"Mmm. That's the first time I ever tried cooked fish." Cynder said aloud, her eyes closed, her wings laid out across the decorative rug. "It was really good. And I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to think at first."

"Gotta admit, I feel a little sluggish now, myself." The purple dragon admitted, cracking the joints in his neck as he followed Cynder's lead. "And, I'll take that as a compliment. I'm glad you liked it."

"-Ah!" Cynder let out, just as Spyro's front claw drew to step onto the rug. The purple dragon paused abruptly to stare at her in confusion.

"Once you step on this rug and lay down, understand that you're not getting up again until tomorrow afternoon." Cynder spelled out for him, staring at him with eyes that a spider in her web might give an unsuspecting fly. "Go about your nightly routine now, or forever hold your peace."

"Oh...is that so?" Spyro responded with a freshly lit flame of playfulness. He promptly laid down on his stomach just outside the rug's edge, watching as the dragoness rolled around to better face him, her tail flicking with anticipation.

"Gee, well, I'm not sure, now. Lemme think for a minute." Spyro said, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"You're such a brat." Cynder said with a laugh.

"Hey, you didn't have to give me an ultimatum, you know." The male dragon replied, cocking his head and folding his front claws.

"Perhaps not, but I'm just trying to ensure that my pillow doesn't get up and run away when I'm trying to sleep." The female retorted.

"Well I guess that's the price you pay for liking your pillows to come with legs." Spyro bantered back with a smirk.

"But those are the best kinds, because they can hug me back." Cynder said in a sickeningly sweet voice, matched with a cute grin.

Spyro's smirk was dashed, and his cheeks turned the slightest shade of red. To this, Cynder's grin grew brighter. Clearly, this round went to the female dragon on the rug.

"Alright...you've got me there. I humbly concede." Spyro chuckled in defeat, graciously stepping over the rug's threshold and joining Cynder at the center.

"Mmm...final score of the day: Cynder 2, Spyro 0~" The black dragoness taunted playfully, sticking out her tongue at the purple dragon as he approached.

"Nobody likes a sore winner, Cynder." Spyro mockingly scolded. "I put up with enough of that with Sparx around, thank you."

As the male dragon laid himself against the thick rug, he stretched out his body and unfurled his right wing like an unspoken invitation. The sleek black dragon re-positioned herself, laying her head just under Spyro's chin, her body nested against his. Like a blanket, the extended wing draped and curled itself over and under Cynder's form, effectively securing the two of them in place.