Sif

Marcus was filthy and very exhausted, he was currently face down in the soft mud on the shore of a pond. Birds were chirping in the tall trees. The wind was driving small waves that would lap up against Marcus, as he was still half submerged in the water. Even with his superhuman stamina, the ordeal he just went through was the same as climbing mount everest.

After training Sif to follow simple commands, like come and sit. He tried out his diving bell. It was a good idea, the only thing was that he had to put all his armor on just to be neutrally buoyant. He had to stuff a couple pieces of dragon bones in his pants for the extra weight, then he was able to walk on the bottom of the lake floor. It took all he had to keep his grip on the egg shell. With all that air, there were several hundred pounds trying to pull him up.

Sif seemed to be just at home in the water than she was on land. He really wasn't sure if she was a she, but she was very cute, so he just made an executive decision. He was by no means an expert on sexing a dragon. She could use her wings in the water just as if she was flying. Making sharp turns, going at great speed, and stopping on a dime, all was possible for her.

So after stuffing his pants with bones and glowing flowers, Marcus and Sif made their way through the underwater cave. Marcus had to be extremely careful not to puncture or tear the shell of the egg. That alone took a great deal of concentration. He also had to keep track of Sif, she would swim around him playing, then shoot off in the distance. There were many times where he lost track of her. All he could do was keep going forward and hope she would come back. She always did, but for some reason he was worried for her.

Finally after around two hours at a steady pace, he saw light coming from the surface. It wasn't very bright, but a huge difference from the pure blackness that he was used to. He walked a little further just to make sure, then let go of the egg shell and swam to the surface. He had to get the bones out of his pants, before he could though. As soon as he made it to shore, he plopped face down in the mud, blowing bubbles.

He didn't pass out, he just needed to rest. Sif was slithering around him, nipping at his armor in a playful manner. She would even jump up and down on his back, driving him further into the mud.

"Just give me a minute, my god. Why don't you go find something to eat huh? You must be just as hungry as I am!" Marcus waved her off, half annoyed, still laying in the mud.

Sif stopped and cocked her head, her big golden eyes blinking. After a while she nudged Marcus, trying to get him to stand. He reluctantly got to his feet. His arms and hands were cramped so badly he could hardly move them. He walked slowly, dragging his feet, and sat under a tall apple tree. It looked like an apple tree, with fruit growing from its branches. The fruit was red like an apple too, with a shiny red skin covering each fruit.

Marcus banged on the trunk of the tree, knocking a few fruits from it. He grabbed one close to him and bit into it. With juice running down his beard, he let out a sigh. It didn't really taste like an apple, it was too sour, more like a lime, but it was the first thing that he'd eaten in more than three days. Sif was right in front of him practically begging, just like a puppy at the kitchen table. Marcus offered an apple to her.

She sniffed it at first, then took it into her mouth and bit down. The apple came flying back out almost immediately. Sif was shaking her head back and forth with furled ridges above her eyes.

"Ahaha. I didn't think you'd like that. A little too sour huh? Don't worry, we can get you some fish or something as soon as my arms feel better ok?" Marcus said while laughing at Sif's reaction.

After resting for another thirty minutes, Marcus had recovered enough to help find some better food. All he had was his armor, amulet, and warhammer. He was lucky he had the holster for it on his back, he wouldn't have been able to hang on to it and the egg shell. Before he and Sif left, he'd have to swim back down and get the bones he took out of his pants. After losing his whole pack and everything inside, he'd need all the funds he could get to replace it. He didn't really complete the mission, so he couldn't claim the reward for that.

"Why am I doing this anyway? You could probably swim faster than any fish. Why aren't you catching your own food?" Marcus asked Sif as they were both standing on the shore, peering into the water at the fish.

He'd found some flint near the shore and used it as a knife. Then crafted a fish spear and was currently trying to hunt some fish. It wasn't going as great as he'd hoped. The fish seemed to be able to predict the future, dodging just in time with every thrust of the spear.

Finally, after countless tries, he caught a large ugly fish. Its face was flat and its eyes were wide set. Its mouth was at the bottom of its face with wide dull teeth, made for eating the underwater vegetation. It was about two feet long and was pretty heavy as well.

"Looks like we're both having fish tonight huh?" Marcus said with a smile. He didn't want to eat too many of those apple fruits. He'd end up having to use the bathroom way too much, and he did not want that, not without any toilet paper.

Before he could even take the fish off the end of the spear, Sif had struck out and bit onto the struggling fish. In two large bites and a couple shakes of her head, the fish disappeared into her stomach. Marcus just stood there with his mouth open, staring.

"Why'd you do that? Didn't even let me get it off the spear. You could hurt yourself you know. Slow down a little will ya?" Marcus lectured Sif.

Sif just had her head raised up, staring at him with expectant golden eyes. She was cooing happily, Marcus could almost see a smile. Marcus pat her on the head, she pressed her head back against his palm.

"It's ok, I'll just get another one. You probably are hungry huh? Although it might take me a little while to get some more." Marcus said while patting her head with a grin.

Sif just continued cooing, flapping her wings gently. When Marcus was done petting her, he returned his attention to the pond. He'd have to move to another spot, the fish had all swam away after the last one he speared. He made his way a little further down the bank, with Sif happily following behind him, cooing the whole way.

............…..

It was getting dark out, the sun was behind the mountaintop to his west. When he'd entered the ruins, that mountain was to his east. So at least he had an idea of where to go once he started heading back to town. He was currently trying to get a fire lit. Sif was watching him curiously at his side, scrutinizing every move he made. He found some dead moss and some dead branches as well, perfect for starting a fire. He was using the flint and his steel warhammer, trying to make some sparks. The sparks would fly, but nothing he did could get the tinder to catch.

"You don't happen to know any magic do you Sif?" Marcus said as he fell back onto his butt. He was tired of trying, it'd been an hour. He had two fish he wanted to cook, but it looked like he'd have to eat some sushi. He just hoped they didn't have any parasites, that's the last thing he needed was a tapeworm.

Marcus was sitting on his butt, petting Sif. Sif was still staring intently at the Stack of wood and tinder. He closed his eyes, enjoying the cool soft sensation. He lifted his hand and went in for another pat, but Sif wasn't there. Marcus opened his eyes to see where she had gone. He saw her nosing around the tinder, slithering around inspecting it. She stopped and pressed her snout into the tinder.

Marcus leaned forward, watching intently. Soon a bright blue arc came off of her nose, striking the moss and causing a small flame to sprout into existence. The flame lasted only a few seconds, Marcus didn't react fast enough to get it going.

"Can you do that again Sif?" Marcus asked, petting her head.

Sif cooed, enjoying the touch. She then pulled away and soon another blue arc jumped into the wood, causing another flame to appear. Marcus hurriedly fed the tiny flame, ensuring that it wouldn't go out again. In just a minute, Marcus had a large campfire, heating and lighting the area. He placed the gutted fish on a stick and stuck it into the ground, over the fire.

"Thanks a bunch. It's almost like you can understand me isn't it. Can you understand what I'm saying?" Marcus asked her, once again petting her on the head.

Sif just cocked her head, batting her large eyes. Marcus shook his head.

"I guess not huh. You're still super smart though."

"Tomorrow we'll make our way back to Jakarta, ok? We probably have to go over the mountain, so it'll be a little bit of a hike." He told Sif while he was adjusting the fish.

He looked over to her, she was just staring into the fire, its light reflecting off her eyes. She was watching the wood pop and crackle as it burned. That was the first time that she had seen fire, just like a person staring into the flames thinking no thoughts, she was doing the same.

After a few minutes, Marcus had taken the fish off the fire and started to eat. Sif had eaten four other fish after the first he'd caught, so she wasn't hungry at the moment. The fish had a good flavor, and the flesh was soft and flaky. He wished he had caught more of them, but had to make due. After he'd finished his meal, he tapped Sif on the head.

"It's time to go to sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow, I want to get an early start, ok?" Marcus told her as he stretched out by the fire.

After Marcus had laid down, Sif slithered her way over to him. She coiled her large body over top of his. Marcus smiled as he felt the weight on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her neck, if serpents have necks, and drifted off to sleep.