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My name is Sumerki. In Russian it means dusk. I was created by the goddess of time, Chrona. In fact, I'm one of eight dragons created by her. Well, technically twelve. It's a long story alright? I'm not here to drone on about dragons and goddesses. I'm here to share the story of how I met my traveling snac- I mean companion.
So we all know dragons prefer to live in kingdoms. But I didn't have one of my own yet. On my adventures I found a small kingdom populated mostly by humanoid animals. There were a few undeads here and there but most were just odd looking humanoid intelligent animals.
As I walked around and talked to everyone, my hunger grew more and more. Dragons don't like eating intelligent creatures, but I didn't really see many sources of protein just laying around. I think asking for free food is pathetic, so I didn't mention my hunger to anyone that spoke to me.
The people in the kingdom were nice. They seemed a bit surprised to basically see a dinosaur walking around. But I wasn't surprised by it. Every interaction made perfect sense to me until I saw a snowman facing a small river.
I was about to walk past the snowman when I heard,
"Ah! Hello, miss? Would you mind helping me with something? You're new around here right?"
Inside my mind, those words somehow appeared. The sentient snowmen spoke with telepathy. Just like me.
"Hm? Uh. Yes I am. What did you want."
"You see. Since I am only a snowman. I'm affixed to the ground. I've never been anywhere but here. I was thinking… Could you take a piece of me somewhere new? So at least a small part of me could experience a new place in the world?"
Generally, the people in the kingdom were fairly comfortable with strangers. But hearing something like that was definitely still weird.
"That's an odd request. Why are you asking me of all people?"
"There hasn't been a new person here in years. We all live in a very secluded community. You must be only passing through. Right?"
"In a way, yes."
"Then you're my only hope for a new place. Please. It's all I have as a lonely stationary snowman."
What a bizarre man. But… this could give me an opportunity to have a free meal. Who knows? Maybe sentient snowmen have nutritional value.
"A new place hm? Well. I hate to break it to you, but I won't be able to take you very far. You'd melt before I brought you anywhere fun."
"Oh… I shouldn't have been so hopeful."
"There's no need to completely lose hope. Sometimes you just need to lower your expectations."
"What do you mean?"
"My name is Sumerki. As you can see, I'm a dragon. Dragons like me end up traveling a lot. And I have also been to many places. Deserts, Jungles, Cities, Kingdoms. In a way, I could take a piece of you to all of the places I've been."
The snowman's little coal eyes seemed to gleam in interest. So I continued.
"I can do it. If I swallow you."
"Wh…no. I. What?!"
"You seem oddly surprised for someone who asked a complete stranger to take a limb of theirs on a long journey."
"I just. Well! I feel like this is a step too far."
I moved so that my body was behind the snowman, and my head and tail were on either side of him.
"Too far? Too far would be going anywhere else. My idea ensures you visit many places with the time you have. You should know you'll melt eventually. There's nowhere truly new and unheard of that I can take you. Except my body."
"Don't… make it sound that way."
"What way?~"
"That way! You're doing it right now."
"Hmhm~ I can't help it. You're very cute. And I'm fascinated by the idea of seeing you react to me taking a nice little bite out of you."
"I! Uh! Look. I don't think I can just. Let dragons go around eating me."
"I won't eat all of you. Just a piece."
"But-"
"It wouldn't be much different than slowly melting away. Just a bit faster."
"I don't know…"
"If you did it your way, would it definitely work? Do you even know if you'll be able to tell you're in a different place?"
"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."
"If I take a bite of you would you feel it?"
"I'm pretty sure I will."
I curled around the snowman more. Patiently waiting for him to cave.
"Alright. Only to test if I feel it."
I smiled.
"You won't regret it. I promise."
I repositioned until I was facing the snowman's back. Since I was just as curious about his sense of touch, I started by licking him.
"Aaah!~ It! It feels weird!"
How interesting. He does have a sense of touch. What happens if I separate him then?
I opened my mouth and took a sizable bite of his center. Expecting a cry of pain or surprise.
"Ooooohh!~ It feels so sensitive now! Ah! You're so waarrm~"
Using my tongue, I moved the piece of him around my mouth while it quickly melted. The flavor was surprisingly earthy for snow. The snowman suddenly gasped loudly.
"Aaah! Moving down your throat as a liquid feels even stranger!"
While the snow wasn't particularly filling, I somehow got it in my head that my hunger would diminish if I ate more of my new acquaintance. Almost as if asking for permission, I licked the hole I made in him. Slowly and tenderly.
"Wh-what are you doing?" The snowman asked weakly.
"Is it okay if I continue?"
"I… Um. I'm kinda scared."
"Do you think you'll die if I eat more of you?"
"I'm not sure. But for some reason I feel like it's safe."
"Do you want me to?"
"I… uh! I dunno." He almost whispered.
I continued licking him slowly as I pushed him more to let me have my meal.
"Just… one more bite okay?"
So I took another mouthful of snow but something about it felt different. The snowman could feel it too.
"Aaahhhh! W-what did you do?! It feels like needles!"
"What? It hurts all of the sudden?"
I looked at the spot I took from, and noticed a purplish spot buried in the snow.
"Do you have a purple center for some reason? That's odd."
"It's starting to feel really hot! Cover it with more snow! I'm scared."
"Okay. I'll do my best."
Unwilling to go into a human form, I used my big paws to re-sculpt the snowman's body. As I moved snow around. I noticed small brown veins distributed throughout his body.
"Do…hhmmm. Have any plants grown around here in a while?"
"What? I don't know. Why?"
"You have vines all over you. Or roots or something. They're not just on the outside or anything. It's like- ahh!"
Suddenly a big portion of the poor snowman's body fell. What was exposed… was too intriguing to leave alone.
"What happened?! What just happened?! I feel smaller! What's going on?"
"Something is wrong…"
Without asking permission I cleaned the snow away from the strange purple center of the snowman's body. He tried to protest but all he could do was annoy me. When I finished my work, I uncovered what looked to be a short mushroom person. Seeing one seemed so out of place. The world I was in only seemed to have common and simplistic fantasy creatures like bedsheet ghosts and cuddly humanoid animals. Finding an unsettling looking faceless mushroom person with many… limbs? Well. It just didn't make all that much sense.
"It… hurts. I can't think."
"Who would be so cruel as to bury you alive in a snowman?"
"What?"
"You're a Pooka aren't you?"
"A what?"
"A mushroom person."
"Oh my god… I am."
"You forgot?"
"It's been so long. I remember waking up several years ago as a snowman. And I thought that's all I ever was. I still don't remember my real name."
"You have amnesia?"
"Yes. It's been long enough that anyone who cared to help me has given up by now. I just don't remember who I was."
"That's bleak. Can I eat the rest of the snow around you if I find you someplace warm and help you… uh. Defrost?"
"Why are you so interested in eating me?!"
"I'm hungry and you taste surprisingly good~ All these… roots I believe, they taste good!"
"Please don't eat anymore of me!"
"Alright. Have fun here then."
So I started to walk away.
"Wait wait! Uhh…Uggh. I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Yeeees?"
"Please. Um. Can you put me on your back first? Then you can eat whatever roots of mine are left in the snow."
"Sure. That sounds fine to me."
Using my claws, I dug the mushroom man out of his snow prison. Then, I took him in my mouth and carefully set him on my back. Using my wings to keep him from falling off made my job pretty easy.
"Thank you." He said awkwardly.
"I may be hungry but I'm not uncivil."
"O…okay."
I happily ate the mushroomy root-...y snow. I'm pretty sure my mushroom friend was still paralyzed. But at the very least he couldn't feel me devouring his old useless body parts once they were separated from him.
"Um. Are you almost done?"
"Yes. Give me a second. Let me juuust…"
I put a bunch of the snow in my mouth and headed off to the nearest place I knew would take in the little mushroom boy.
"So. How old are you?"
"Um… I'm pretty sure I'm seven years old. Why?"
I'll have to assume mushroom men mature quickly.
"How long have you been a snowman?"
"I don't know.”
“Hmmm. How long do mushroom people live?"
"I'm not sure. There's nobody else like me here."
"Do you think you belong here?"
"That's rude."
"You forget it's coming from an eight foot tall non-humanoid."
"Uhhh. Well. Fine. I don't okay? When I was a snowman I kinda felt like I used to fit in more."
"I thought you didn't remember being a mushroom man?"
"I don't. It's just that now that I know who I am, I feel more like an outsider. I stuck out before by talking with telepathy. But now I feel even more odd here."
"If I choose to not stay here, Will… will you come with me?"
"What?!"
"You don't have to. I just hate traveling alone. And we're both looking for a place to belong, right?"
"This isn't a video game."
"Well. Would life be more bearable if it was?"
The mushroom man took a moment to think about that.
"If you're not just trying to eat me, then get back to me about it when I get better."
"Okay."
So, I took the mushroom man to a place that could help him. Before he was taken off my back I asked him his name. He just said Snowman. Before I could ask why, he was rushed off.
I really did end up waiting for him. The nice part is that I found him again when he looked for me himself.
"Sumerki! Hey! I got better."
I turned around to see the little purple mushroom guy trotting up to me.
"Snowman. Are you reconsidering leaving with me?"
"Yeah. If you're still leaving."
"Good."
"Wait! Don't just walk away. You still haven't told me why you wanted to take me."
"I promise it's not because I want to eat you."
At least, it wasn't the only reason. What? It's a good idea to have food in case of emergencies. I'd only eat a little of him.
"Then why?"
"You were just, well. The most interesting to talk to."
"Hm… um. So where are we going?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm not done exploring this world."
"This world? That sounds kinda-"
"You'll figure it out along the way. Are you ready?"
"You wanna leave right now?!"
"I don't usually pack. So yes. I was waiting for you after all."
"Um! Hold on. I'm gonna get stuff for us then."
It would be nice to have someone coming along that prioritized packing. Young traveling dragons aren't usually as materialistic as the older ones. I think Snowman and I will make a good team. Or at the very least, an interesting one.