Henry finally arrived at the outside of the ancient temple, the wolf so excited he couldn't stop wagging his tail - this was the find of a lifetime! When he'd first heard of this, he did a lot of research about it online... Finding nothing! This place was completely unknown, and he'd likely be the first person inside in centuries!
Flicking on his Maglite, Henry carefully entered, keeping an eye out for any sort of danger. As old as this place was, it wasn't unheard of for traps to still be working after so long. Still, he was a little distracted, looking around at all the art. It heavily featured dragons, which was always interesting to him - those had been hunted to extinction centuries ago. This must have been old...
A few minutes into his exploration, the wolf started feeling like he was being watched. He knew to disregard that feeling, as it happened every now and then when he was checking out places like this, but something felt different this time. "...Hello?" He called out, looking around to make sure whether he was alone. But, there was no response, and Henry just continued trying to push that feeling to the back of his mind.
20 minutes in, he came to the most interesting thing yet: A pedestal, upon which was a golden figurine depicting a sitting dragon! Now he knew for sure that no one had ever been here! But, he'd seen Indiana Jones, he knew better than to just waltz up and take that. He slowly went up to the pedestal and looked it over for a few minutes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... Prepared to run if he needed to, he grabbed the figurine-
And shuddered as a brief chill came over him. He recoiled, quickly looking around the room to make sure nothing was happening. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be different. Henry sighed in relief, briefly noting he didn't feel watched any more, and picked up the figurine.
"Druv lost hi bo het, grohiik? Daar golt los ni kos vodremtaan."
Henry jumped at that, nearly dropping the figurine on the floor in the process. "W-who's there!?" He rapidly looked around him, but still, nobody was visible. It was like the voice came from everywhere at once, and he didn't understand a word of what it was saying...
"Fahraal zu'u. Zu'u los saan dii drem."
"U-um... I don't know what you're saying...!"
There was a sigh. "Of course I have to use your language... Speak, wolf. Why are you here?"
"O-okay, good, um... I was just exploring, that's all!"
"Yet there you were, about to take my vessel. It's been some time since I spoke with anyone, but I presume common decency has not fallen out of fashion?"
"Your... Vessel?" Henry looked over at the figurine, which was notably less shiny now... "Hang on, at least come out while I'm talking to you!"
"In a way, I have. From one vessel to another."
"...Wait, are you...?"
"Indeed, my spirit has moved into your body. Regrettably."
"Wha- G-get out! I'm not gonna carry you around in me!"
"I don't want this either, but this time, my previous vessel has not survived the process... And I doubt you have the skill to make another."
"Ugh, we're stuck like this then... Well, um... What exactly are you?"
"I am the guardian dragon of this temple of Braghyss the Lifegiver, Cindrog."
"Wait, dragon? No, that must be a title, dragons have been extinct for centuries..."
"...Extinct? You're mistaken, that could never happen."
"It did! Dragon materials were so valuable that people overhunted them way too much!"
"...While I don't believe you, I suppose there is some truth to the value we have. We will put that aside for now. I have revealed who I am, now you will do the same."
"Right, um... My name is Henry, I'm a treasure hunter."
"Quite the odd name... Well, Henry, I suppose I have no choice but to come with you, abandoning my post. As terrible as that feels, I'm looking forward to seeing outside here again after so long."
"Yeah, I'm... Kind of shaken after that. Don't really want to do more exploring right now..." Henry started making his way back outside.
"I should mention, I can perceive through your senses. No need to describe how things look."
"That makes things easier, I guess..."
Henry soon got back outside of the temple, dragon spirit in tow. "It's been far too long... This is quite different from what I remember."
"Yeah, you've probably been in there a long time..."
"Well, we can check. What year is it?"
"It's 2024 right now."
"...I was in the temple for 1171 years..."
"That long!? You... You really are a dragon, aren't you?"
"I am. And even though this is not my body, it feels wondrous to be alive again..."
Henry walked away from the temple, and he could feel the spirit's surprise as the city he lived in came into view. "What is... Th-this is Earth, yes?"
"Things have really changed since you were first put in that temple."
"They certainly have... Look around once you enter, please."
Once Henry got into the city, he did as asked while heading toward home, showing Cindrog everything around. The questions from him were constant, and Henry kept his responses quiet so he wouldn't look weird.
"What are those metal beasts roaming about?"
"They're called cars, people ride around in them instead of... On horses, I guess it would've been around your time."
"It must be quite powerful magic that powers them, self-moving objects are extremely difficult to make."
"It's not actually magic, they use fuel, and that somehow makes them move. I don't really understand how it works."
"If you don't understand it, then how can you be certain it's not magic?"
"I suppose I can't..."
After a while, Henry's stomach growled. "Right, that means... Hunger, I believe. I certainly haven't missed this feeling..."
"I'm kind of jealous you haven't needed to eat all those years... Time for you to see that food's been advancing as well, I'm gonna get us a hotdog."
"Hot dog... Ah, it's made from a hellhound, isn't it? Quite the dangerous meal to acquire..."
"Haha, no, it has nothing to do with those! Honestly, no idea why they're called that, they're made from pig."
"Ugh, why must these names be so confusing?"
After buying the hotdog and taking a bite, Henry could feel Cindrog's delight. "I-is this what food is like now!? This is incredible!"
Henry finished his mouthful before responding. "People always talk about how the food from your time likely wasn't all that good compared to modern food... Guess this proves it, huh?"
"Oh, absolutely it does! I look forward to seeing a lot of different kinds!"
After finishing the hotdog, Cindrog remaining delighted throughout the experience, Henry got to his home. "So, this is where I live. It's not really all that much, but I imagine anything's better than that temple you were in."
"Indeed, I was beginning to lose my mind in there..."
"So, real quick, as much as you're not going to like this, I need to prove to you that dragons aren't a thing any more."
"Right, I still want confirmation on that one way or another."
Henry went to his computer - explaining what it is to Cindrog - and looked up the Wikipedia article on dragons. "It says here that the last dragon died in 1634."
"...And... You're certain this is accurate?"
"I have a book about dragons and it says the same thing, I could get it out for you."
"No, that's fine. I... Need to think, for a while."
The rest of the day, Cindrog was silent, not even asking about things Henry had assumed they would. It was surprisingly normal because of that, despite how the past few hours had gone.
The next day, after Henry woke up, Cindrog finally spoke again. "Good morning, Henry. I've come to terms with what you showed me."
"Right, yeah... Good morning, Cindrog. How are you doing?"
"I've accepted that I am almost certainly the last dragon. As much as I don't want to be, there's nothing to be done, and I won't allow that to consume me."
"Glad you're at least not... Overwhelmed with dread, or something. I'm gonna get breakfast for us, that should help you get your mind off it."
"Oh, good! I think you're right, that will help."
After breakfast, Henry grabbed a small bag of swim gear and started heading outside. "What's that bag you've got? It's different from yesterday."
"Right, I keep forgetting you. I'm gonna head out swimming for a while today, there's a nice lake near here."
"I've never understood swimming... Why would you willingly go somewhere you can't breathe?"
"Honestly, no idea, I just find it fun for some reason. I'll show you, you'll probably end up liking it."
"No, I won't. Even when I was myself, water was unsettling to me, knowing I couldn't use my fire breath on anything down there..."
"It'll be perfectly safe, you don't need to worry!"
"I suppose you do know this new world better than I... Fine. It's not like I have a choice."
"You've got it easier than me, you don't have to be the one to swim."
He continued going for the lake, getting there in about half an hour. It was fairly sizable, maybe 80 or so feet across, and with no one else around. Henry changed out of his normal clothes, putting his swimsuit on... "Ugh, I forgot my goggles..."
And those are...?"
"I have to wear them over my eyes, or I can't see underwater."
"I never had trouble with that, myself. The few times I ended up underwater, I could see just fine."
"Of course you could, but this isn't your body... Ugh, I have to go all the way home and get my goggles..." Henry started going back.
"Hang on a moment. I've been... Working on getting used to your body, and I think I might be able to help. There appears to be quite a perk to being a spirit..."
"Huh? Well, um... If you have something in mind, I guess we could try it."
"Right... I think I could do it like this..." Henry's vision heavily blurred and his eyes felt sore, and he groaned as he rubbed them... A few seconds later, the soreness was gone, but an unfamiliar feeling was left behind. He opened his eyes again... And quickly noted he could see better than before! "Wait, what? What did you just do?"
"I'm not entirely sure how, but... I've temporarily replaced your eyes with my own." At that, Henry rushed for the water and looked at his reflection - he jumped as he saw his eyes were now a bright yellow, with slit pupils! "Ah! H-holy crap, um... O-okay! Th-this is kind of cool!"
"I might be able to change more at once, once I've had more time... Maybe even return my whole body to this world..."
"W-wait, you mean... You could turn me into a dragon!?" Henry's tail started wagging.
"In theory at least, don't get excited yet, it might not be possible."
"Even the possibility is awesome! Oh, hang on, let me check your eyes real quick." He took a breath and dipped his head into the water... He could see perfectly fine! Henry raised his head again. "I can see underwater!"
"I'm glad it's working properly. And, another thing; you should be able to talk to me just by thinking hard enough. I remember that talking audibly underwater doesn't work well."
"It doesn't, yeah. Well, guess I'm ready then!" Henry hopped into the lake to swim, diving underwater, as much as Cindrog disliked that. "Mmh... Don't like this, don't like this..."
Henry tried out talking in his head. "Hey, I'm not exactly any worse off like this, not like I have fire breath!"
"I suppose that's true... Carry on, maybe I'll eventually feel better."
He swam for about an hour before heading back to shore, and his vision briefly blurred again as his eyes returned to normal. "So, what's the verdict?"
"...Not awful. I don't believe I'll ever like it, but knowing we're no weaker underwater helps."
"Well, that's good enough. Maybe you'll feel better about it over time." Henry got himself dried off, changed back into his regular clothes, and left the lake.
Later in the day, it was getting quite late as Henry showed Cindrog more modern things. They'd even gone out to see a movie, the dragon being fascinated with it the whole way through. "So, the whole thing is like a play, but the actions are sort of... Recorded, then repeated?"
"Yep, and the things in it typically never really happened. Like, that one frog guy didn't really die, for example."
"Ah, I was wondering about that. It seemed so strange to me that someone would sign up for something involving their death."
As Henry started heading home, a bit after sunset, he found himself twitching a little bit every now and then, but thought nothing of it until Cindrog brought something up. "I've figured out something else I can do with your body, by the way."
"Ooh, what have you got this time?"
"This." Henry waved, and quickly realized he himself hadn't chosen to do that. "...Wait, did you just control me?"
"I did. It sounds like you dislike that..."
"I do! Please don't do that unless I say, that really freaked me out!"
"I apologize. I'll remember that."
As the trip home continued, a dark-colored chameleon stepped in front of Henry. "Excuse me, could you spare some change?" Henry hadn't even moved to respond yet before Cindrog spoke in his head. "Something's wrong. Get away from him as nonchalantly as you can."
Not hesitating in believing the being that was far older than he'd ever be, Henry pretended to check through his pockets. "Um... Sorry, got nothing." He carried on as casually as possible... Before he froze up as something cold touched the back of his head. "How about now? Feeling a bit more generous?", the chameleon said.
Fear quickly welled up in the wolf as he realized he was being mugged. He slowly turned around... Sure enough, the chameleon had a gun pointed at him. "I can tell you're afraid of that thing... What is that?"
Henry had to momentarily collect himself to be able to respond, doing so only in his mind. "Th-that's a gun... I-if he shoots me with it, I-I'm gonna die..."
He could feel something spreading across his arms and hands - they were turning draconic, but in the low light, neither he nor the chameleon were able to see it. "Let me help. I may not have my body, but my reflexes are intact."
The chameleon glared at him. "Well? You're not deaf, get the hell on with it."
"...Do it." In a blur of motion that even Henry himself couldn't quite clock, he'd disarmed the chameleon, their gun clattering to the ground, before he grabbed them and lifted them up by their neck! The chameleon's eyes went wide with fear of their own as they choked, struggling to get out of his grip as it got tighter and tighter-
"D-don't kill him!" Henry partly broke free of Cindrog's control and grabbed the hand that was holding the chameleon, trying to pry it loose. "And why not? He was willing to do the same."
"I-I know, but... There's better ways to deal with this than... This! Things aren't like how they used to be!" There was a hint of confusion on the chameleon's face as Henry seemingly talked to himself.
"We both know this isn't the last time he'll do this. Better to end it now than give him a chance to ruin more lives."
"I don't care, I'm not letting you do this!" Henry did everything he could to shut out Cindrog... And fully regained control, dropping the chameleon, who went to their knees and gasped and coughed a few times. They looked up at him, terrified... And got up and bolted away.
Henry shivered as adrenaline rushed through him, breathing heavily. "I hope you fully realize what you've done by letting him go."
"What, save his life? People don't just kill people! I don't know how the hell things were 1,000 years ago, but they're not like that any more!"
"Things were effective back then! Have you ever heard of thieves or kidnappers around that time? I doubt it, because punishments like that were waiting for them!"
"There's better ways now! And it's not like it was kill or be killed back then either!"
"So what, next time I should just let them kill us? Because I'm terrified of what's going to happen to me if you die!"
"...Is that what this was? You wanted to help just to save yourself?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant, I-"
"Shut up. I'm done talking to you. I'm gonna figure out how to get you out of me and put you back in that temple where you belong."
"H-Henry!" Henry did his best to block out Cindrog's voice as he went back home. After a couple minutes of walking, Cindrog just gave up on it and went quiet.
That night, Henry's dreaming started in a strange way. He was standing in a dark void, with mist covering the ground... Suddenly, the mist all gathered together, forming into the shape of a dragon. Henry had never seen them yet, but he knew right away - this was Cindrog.
"Ugh, go away..."
"Please, just... Give me a chance. I'm sorry about earlier."
"Are you, though?"
"I am! I swear I am! I should have told you I was planning on actually hurting him, and I should have listened when you told me to stop! Please, you're the first person I've met in over a century, and I don't want to be stuck in the body of someone I end up hating!"
Henry sighed as he thought it over... "...Just... Don't hurt someone with my body again, please. At least not without making it clear you're going to."
"Don't worry, I won't forget to tell you!" The mist dragon gave Henry a hug, and he hugged them back, closing his eyes before his typical dreaming started...
A week later, Henry and Cindrog were getting along perfectly well, and the dragon's questions about the modern world were becoming less and less frequent. Then, while relaxing at home one day... "Henry, I believe I'm ready. I think I can make you a dragon now."
"For real!? Oh man, I almost forgot about that! Hang on, I'll go outside so we have room!" Henry dropped what he was doing and ran outside, his tail constantly wagging. "I'm quadrupedal, this'll be easier for you if you get on all fours."
"Okay, yeah!" Henry did as asked, and the changes started. His fur faded away, being replaced with dark blue scales, his arms and legs altered their orientation as they became draconic... And in the last moments of his transformation, he felt weight on his back as he grew a pair of wings! Henry had become the same dragon Cindrog had been so long ago, now double the size of his original form!
"This is awesome!" Henry's voice was different, a near perfect match of the voice Cindrog had always used. He could feel the joy from the dragon spirit, actually crying a little from it. "I-I'm back... C-could I have a few minutes of control, please?"
"Of course, yeah!" Cindrog took over, frolicking in his own body for the first time in a millennium. "I was beginning to f-forget what this was like..." After about 5 minutes, Cindrog looked up at the sky. "Hey, Henry... Do you want to see what it's like to fly?"
"Why wouldn't I!?" Cindrog grinned, got a running start, and launched into the air, quickly gaining height. Soon, the two were hundreds of feet up, soaring through the sky without a care.
At last, a dragon had returned.
![[NMA] Bubble breather](https://va.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5329/5329076_lolboy4_1733254598.aerofly_frog_bubble_noncustom.jpg "[NMA] Bubble breather")
