Going to Town

Finally enough time passed for Theo to wake Carrot and have his own chance at sleep.

Theo nudged Carrot's flank. The unicorn kicked his hind leg in protest, but squinted an eye open.

"Already?" Carrot asked.

Theo fluffed some hay into a rough pillow and placed his pocket watch open and face-up on so Carrot could check the time.

"Just give me twenty minutes."

Carrot whickered in displeasure.

"You're doing all the heavy lifting anyway." Theo squeezed his eyes shut.

"Your mother would kill me." Theo heard Carrot complain and stamp his hoof.

"She'd have gotten the both of us long ago," Theo said before drifting asleep.

***

Theo was nudged awake all too soon.

He groaned as he rolled up and scooped an indignant dragon into his cloak.

Theo smiled as the extra warmth hit him. It was a good thing the little dragon provided much needed heat because the creature was incredibly annoying.

"I don't want to get back on the jostly pony."

The dragon nipped at Theo's fingers.

"We can leave you here. Maybe a friendly cockatrice would like lizard meat."

Carrot snapped his teeth at the dragon.

Carrot was not handling the dragon's irritating tendencies well. Theo suspected the dragon's chatter reminded Carrot too much of himself.

"Lizard meat. You mean-"

Theo scratched under the dragon's chin, causing him to lose his train of thought.

The dragon was almost like having a noble lady's lap dog around except more lizard-y, more fire-y and much more chatty.

"What's your name, dragon?" Theo asked as he mounted Carrot. He had almost addressed the dragon as "little dragon," but that would have resulted in a bloodied finger.

"I am Scourge of the Night, Prince of Shadows, Lord of Darkness-" The dragon said as he puffed his tiny obsidian chest, but he stumbled when Carrot began a canter.

"Okay, but what's your name?" Theo asked again.

The dragon blinked his round eyes.

Carrot whickered, this time in laughter. "The Scourge of the Night doesn't have one."

"Names are for mere mortals."

The dragon snaked his neck around to glare at the back of Carrot's head.

Theo brushed the top of the dragon's head. The dragon chirped with delight.

"I could give you one."

The dragon ducked his head out from under Theo's hand.

"A mortal name might be tolerable."

The dragon's body quivered with excitement.

Carrot snorted, "Don't get your hopes high. You'll end up like me."

"How about Scourge?" Theo asked while ignoring Carrot.

"Scourge."

The dragon hummed.

"You literally just took part of his title. That's not how you name people."

Carrot tossed his head as he leapt over a stream.

"Blackie?" Theo suggested. "Knight Night?"

"Scourge it is." Carrot sighed before muttering what sounded like several inappropriate words about Theo.

"My name is Scourge," The dragon tried out the phrase, flicking his forked tongue as he said each word. "I accept this name, mortal."

"My name is Theo."

"I name you Mortal, mortal."

The dragon continued to happily hum.

Carrot cackled.

Theo shook his head. "This isn't how naming works."

"You gave me a name. I give you a name." The dragon squinted at Theo.

"I already have a name: Theo."

"You are Mortal now, mortal."

***

The ride continued for hours, and Carrot refused any breaks until the level land began to be peppered with small hills.

By the time they stopped for supper, Theo had the dragon tentatively agreeing to call him "Theo."

Theo pulled supplies out of his packs while Carrot grazed.

They had reached an area that had grass still growing, and Carrot was delighted with the fresh food after days of snow, dried plants and old oats.

Taking a small knife, Theo shaved off a sliver of cheese.

"Cheese, Scourge?"

Theo offered the dragon a fingernail sized portion of cheese.

"I feast on the corpses of my enemies, not this 'cheese', Mortal."

The dragon stretched to his full height. It was not impressive.

"I'm afraid we are fresh out of enemy corpses," Theo popped some cheese into his own mouth. "It's cheese or nothing."

Theo placed a small piece of cheese on a leaf in front of Scourge.

The dragon circled the cheese. Sniffed the cheese. Then, Scourge sat in front of it and batted at it with a claw.

"It's pretty good for field rations."

Theo popped more cheese into his mouth.

The dragon nudged the cheese with his snout before suddenly snapping it up. He chewed open-mouthed, gnashing the cheese with his needle-like teeth.

Scourge swallowed with a satisfied rumble.

"More cheese, Mortal." Scourge licked his chops.

Theo groaned. "I hear the capitalization in your voice, Scourge."

"I want cheese Mortal Theo."

The dragon inclined his head.

"Now you're just using it as a first name." Theo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Then, he gave up and passed Scourge the cheese.

"Carrot, Mortal and Scourge," the unicorn whinnied, looking up from his meal of grass. "What a fine trio we make."

Theo shook his head and gave the dragon another small slice of cheese. It was the last of his daily rations.

Theo scowled at Carrot, jealous that the unicorn had an unlimited feast of grass. Theo plucked a stalk of grass and contemplated trying to eat it.

He did. It tasted gross. He spit it out.

All too soon it was time to continue the journey. It would take at least another week of riding to make it back to Dullahan.

Theo longed for a night in an inn on an actual bed, but there were almost certainly posters of him circulating the surrounding areas by now.

After a month or two, things would probably settle, but he should lie low for a while.

At least, that's what he thought until two days later when the trio started to travel on an actual road.

Nailed to road sign at an intersection was a poster of villain "Neo" drawn wearing a gaudy, over-decorated suit.

Layers of lace dripped from his sleeves. The coat was so embroidered that Theo doubted anyone could move in it.

The worst part was the face.

"Neo" had huge doe eyes and long eye lashes. His cheek bones were high and looked so sharp, Theo wondered how they didn't split the skin. His nose was narrow, almost like a rat snout, and his excessively full lips were fixed in a smirk.

"I think we're safe going to town," Carrot said as he switched his gaze between the poster and Theo.

The unicorn tapped the poster with his horn. "I don't think you own mother could have recognized you from that."

Theo shook his head. Marie would probably have been the one to provide his description.

"I don't know whether I should be relieved or not. Do you think this is how Marie saw me?"

"If she did, it might be time to rethink your amorous attitude," Carrot said.

"I am not-"

Scourge poked his head out of Theo's cloak. He squinted at the poster. "Is this the Earth art?"

"No," Carrot and Theo said in unison.

"The eyes are remarkably similar Mortal…Neo," Scourge said. "I thought your name was Mortal Theo."

"It is. Theo, I mean. Not Mortal Theo,"

Theo sighed.

Then, he turned to Carrot. "Do you think this means Marie didn't even remember my name right?"

"Maybe the artist just misheard her when she said your name. The two names are very similar."

Carrot butted Theo's arm with his nose.

Theo weakly nodded.

"C'mon. Do you really want a completely accurate wanted poster?"

Carrot nipped at Theo's cloak.

"No," Theo grumbled as he climbed back onto Carrot's back. "We might as well stop in Piederfort for the night."

With a happy whinny, Carrot started to gallop with a renewed energy.

"Gourmet oats. Apples. Real hay!" The unicorn chanted his favorite foods as he ran.

"Hay!" Scourge chirped along happily.

"Do you even know what hay is?" Theo asked the dragon.

Scourge had clambered on to the top of Carrot's head and was wedged between the unicorn's ears.

Scourge glowered at Theo. "Hay is…delicious…"

"Hay is dried grass."

Scourge's mouth hung open. "Dried grass?"

The little dragon leaned over Carrot's head and stared at the grass. "This stuff?" His voice squeaked more than normal.

"Real hay can hardly be compared to this stuff. It is a carefully selected blend of the finest grass sun dried with care."

Carrot shook his head, causing Scourge to slide around.

"The hay back in the flat lands was sun dried, too," Theo said.

"It's hardly the same you uncultured warlock." Carrot huffed.

"Whatever makes you happy, Carrot."

Theo chuckled and patted Carrot's neck. The corners of his lips turned up as he thought about the soft bed and a warm meal that would be waiting for him in town.

It would be so nice to have one night to rest and recover.