NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: The ugly duckling
Wade groaned as he stirred awake, the warmth surrounding him making it hard to resist the pull of sleep. He cracked open his eyes, blinking against the dim light filtering through the cavern. A strange, rhythmic thumping sound echoed in his ears, like a heartbeat.
"What the—?" he mumbled, shifting slightly. That's when he realized the source of the warmth was something large and scaly. He blinked again, confusion giving way to dread as he took in his surroundings.
"Wait a second…" He pushed himself up, only to find himself nestled snugly against the rear end of a massive dragon. "Oh no. No, no, no! I did not just wake up in a dragon's butt!"
The dragon shifted slightly, and Wade felt the heat radiating from its body, amplifying his horror. He scrambled backward, desperately trying to escape the uncomfortable embrace of what felt like an oversized, reptilian pillow. "I mean, it's one thing to be mistaken for an egg, but I definitely draw the line at being used as a cushion!"
As he wriggled away, his heart raced. The dragon's tail flicked, and it turned its head to look at him, its enormous eyes filled with curiosity. Wade froze, wide-eyed, staring back at the creature. "Uh, hey there, big girl. How's it going?"
The dragon let out a low rumble that felt like a distant thunder, and Wade took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm not your egg, but it looks like I've accidentally become your cozy little blanket."
Wade sighed, half-laughing, half-panic. "I'm not sure what kind of parenting lessons you missed, but this isn't how you treat a baby!" He pointed an accusatory finger, trying to sound stern despite the absurdity of the situation. "You're supposed to sit on your eggs, not a guy like me!"
As if understanding his words, the dragon tilted its head, and Wade couldn't shake the feeling that it was both amused and confused. "Right, right. I forgot. Dragons don't really follow conventional parenting rules, do they?"
After a moment of staring into the dragon's glittering eyes, he noticed a familiar glimmer of something in the depths of the cavern. It was then that he spotted the remnants of a meal, half-digested fish and other sea creatures littered around the cave. "Ugh, this is definitely not my idea of a breakfast buffet," Wade muttered, grimacing as he wiped a smear of something off his cheek.
"Now, where are we? Why am I in a dragon's—" he paused, glancing back at the creature's posterior, "—glory hole"
Suddenly....a red dragon entered the cave.....he seemed quite shocked by what he saw...
his wife treating a freak creature like her baby ,their 200 years of hardwork egg gone...she looked crazy in his eyes
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Wade stirred awake in a warm, oddly comforting place, only to realize he was nestled against the blue dragon's side. "Ugh, this is not how I pictured my day going," he muttered, wriggling out from beneath her.
As he looked around, he saw the blue and red dragons engaged in a fierce argument. The air crackled with tension as they circled each other, scales shimmering in the dim light. The red dragon roared, a deep, echoing sound that vibrated through the cave, flames flickering from his maw. His eyes blazed with fury, and he pointed his snout aggressively at the blue dragon.
The blue dragon responded with a series of powerful roars, her wings flaring in defiance. She squared her stance, her body coiling like a spring, ready to strike. With each bellow, she flicked her tail, sending splashes of water from the cave pool around her.
The red dragon charged forward, unleashing a torrent of flames that illuminated the cavern. The blue dragon deftly sidestepped the blaze, her body moving gracefully as she countered with her own display of power, snapping her jaws dangerously close to the red dragon's neck.
The two dragons engaged in a fierce ballet of fire and scales, roaring and thrashing as they fought for dominance. The red dragon tried to overpower the blue with sheer force, his massive claws striking down. She dodged and retaliated, her sharp teeth glinting as she nipped at his flank.
Wade watched, caught between awe and fear, as their roars filled the air like thunderclaps. He could feel the intensity of their battle as they leaped and spiraled around each other, a storm of scales and fire. Each roar seemed to convey their frustrations, their desires, their very souls clashing in this primal dance.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Wade saw his opportunity. He slipped away, swimming quietly toward the cave entrance. The battle continued behind him, roars echoing in a chaotic symphony as he navigated the water, leaving the conflict far behind.
Once he was outside...he swam fatster than light!
Days passed as he swam through the ocean, fatigue gnawing at him. The currents pulled him in every direction, but he pressed on, desperate to escape the chaos. Just as exhaustion overwhelmed him, darkness enveloped his mind, and he succumbed to the depths of the sea.