Dragon’s Best Friend

By Cynthia Wilfert

“Now, see here!” Rex glared down at the little black dog sinking its teeth into his toe. “If anyone in this family should be devouring enemies, it’s me.”

The dog craned its neck to peer at the dragon. There was a moment of blessed silence. But then… “Woof! Woof-woof! Woo-oo-oof!”

Rex sighed and sat back on his haunches, lifting his ears as far as possible without taking flight. Nothing so small should have been able to produce such a piercing sound. It must have been audible from miles away.

Albert ran and scooped the dog into his arms. The yowling ceased. “Sorry, Rex. Princess is just excited. She’s coming with us!”

The boy seemed surprisingly chipper considering the day held his dreaded appointment. Albert was a delicate child, prone to illness and bouts of anxiety. He rarely left the estate grounds. When he did leave, the family traveled with Rex rather than by carriage. Albert felt more secure with the dragon. He’d always run to Rex when he was upset, finding comfort in the shelter of his wings.

Lately, however, the dog had become Albert’s constant companion. Rex eyed Princess warily as Albert wrestled her into an odd contraption of cords and buckles. “See, she has a harness like yours! We’ll hook onto you together.”

Rex leaned down to see what indeed resembled a miniature version of his own flying harness. The dog tensed. When Rex’s snout drew too close, her lip peeled back in a snarl.

“Princess,” Duchess Elizabeth chided as she joined them.

Albert looked to his mother. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t like Rex.”

“She doesn’t know him yet. She should spend more time with him.”

Rex wasn’t sure his ears or toes would appreciate that. He held his tongue, however, when Elizabeth cast him a sharp glance. He flattened onto his belly. As Albert climbed aboard, Elizabeth caressed Rex’s cheek and spoke close to his ear. “She helps keep him calm. You are still his greatest protector, but Princess can go places you cannot, like the doctor’s office. You’re allies.” She stepped back to meet his eye, then smiled and added in a whisper, “No need for jealousy.”

He snorted as she went to join Albert. A great dragon, jealous of a dinky little dog? Preposterous.

Once his passengers were settled, Rex took off. The flight did not silence Princess. She barked at a flock of geese, then at another dragon in the distance. Rex could hear Albert’s laughter on the wind.

They touched down in a field outside the medical complex, and Albert walked away with one hand in his mother’s, the other wrapped around Princess’s leash. Rex lay down and set his chin on his forelegs with a sigh.

He sulked for some time before he heard that too-familiar barking. He’d been right; the horrendous sound was audible over great distances.

And it did not taper off, instead increasing in volume and intensity. Rex frowned and sat up, tilting his head. The barking grew more frantic until it morphed into an outright howl.

Rex had launched himself over the complex before he quite knew what he was doing.

He followed Princess’s call to a covered walkway linking buildings. With little deliberation, he unfurled his talons, grasped the metal canopy, and yanked. It popped off like a cork from a bottle. He discarded it atop a nearby fountain and took in the scene below.

Two men held Albert, tugging him towards the opposite door. The boy was crying. Was this a kidnapping?

They turned to gape up at Rex. Princess left off the howling to get a strong grip on one man’s pant leg. His partner abandoned him, releasing Albert and dashing for the door. Rex reached down to give the runner a little flick. The man flew into the wall and collapsed, unconscious.

The other panicked, kicking the dog. Princess let out a pained yelp. Albert wailed. Rex roared and moved in, jaws open.

“Treomen Reckenweald!”

Despite frequent use when he’d engaged in the king’s service during the wars, Rex had not heard his proper name in ages. When he’d retired to the companionship of the duke’s family, it had proven too difficult for children’s tongues. Hearing it now gave him pause.

He swung his head to face the duchess, the still-conscious dog-kicking offender dangling by the coat from Rex’s teeth. The fellow made such a ruckus that Rex had to put him down, caging him in with his talons, so he could hear what Elizabeth was saying.

“They work here! They were taking him for his tests!” She rushed over to gather Albert in her arms, turning a glare on the bespectacled man cowering behind her in the doorframe. “Clearly they lost my very specific requests for his treatment.”

“Oh,” said Rex. He’d heard that tone before; heads would roll without need for Rex to do the rolling. Reluctantly, he released his prisoner.

Thus, evening found Albert sheltered against Rex’s side with Princess in his lap, the three of them piled together upon the lawn.

Rex considered the situation. No one had been irreparably damaged; Princess was only a bit bruised. The medical staff would reconsider their handling of patients. Albert had been shaken, but he’d enjoyed Rex’s handiwork. He’d also been buoyed by Princess’s newly allowed presence.

Rex reevaluated the dog. She tended toward overzealous but clearly understood their role as family protectors. She was too small to be much physical threat, but her voice could be a powerful asset if properly directed.

Rex craned his neck at an awkward angle to look at her. “I suppose that we could work together. You’ll need training.”

“Woo-oo-oof!” Princess tried to nip at his snout.

Rex jerked back. “First lesson: discerning friend from foe.”

Princess barked again, but Albert giggled. Rex sighed. Adding the dog to the fold was probably worth the aggravation. But oh, the noise…

That night as he slept, Rex dreamed of dragon-sized earplugs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cynthia Wilfert is a graphic designer by day. She enjoys photography, nature and animals, especially her beloved, spoiled dachshund. She named him Pippin, after the hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. She has enjoyed a life-long love of stories that progressed from Nancy Drew to classics like The Chronicles of Narnia and an eclectic mix of newer tales. With a particular fondness for mysteries and fantasy, she’s now sharing some stories of her own.

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