A warm Autumn day brings a light mist over the land of Honalee, and from a cave steps a large green dragon, beaming broadly. This weather is his favorite, and he can't help but playfully hop through the grass and leaves. It's just too much fun not to!
His nostrils flare as he picks up a familiar scent, and his eyes widen as he sniffs the air before turning around, grinning excitedly. His best friend, a human named Jackie Paper, is coming over to him! Full of eagerness to spend time with his dear friend, the dragon inhales sharply before roaring out his own name.
"PUFF!"
But something seems wrong with the boy. Sure, he's not as little as he was when they first met, but that was the curse of being an immortal dragon – The boy would age while he would not. But Jackie always seemed to enjoy their time together just as much as Puff did! Why does he seem down today?
"Hey, Jackie!" Puff smiles, ambling over, his heavy, scaly paws quaking the ground. "Everything alright, buddy? Want to go flying with me? Would that cheer you up?"
The boy, now a young teenager, looks up at the large dragon and shakes his head softly. "Not today, Puff…"
"But… But you always love riding on my back!" Puff looks confused, then smiles again. "Ooh! How about we go sailing? We can scare those evil pirates and visit the kingdom and-"
"Puff, please…" Jackie looks down, taking a deep breath, before saying "I can't play with you anymore, Puff."
The dragon's expression falls like a sack of bricks, looking like he just got punched in the gut.
"You… Of course you can, Jackie! Don't say that!"
The teen shakes his head. "No, Puff… I'm too old for you."
"No you're not! I don't care how old you get; I'll always love playing with you!"
Puff's voice quivers softly. He always dreaded the day this day would come, but he had convinced himself his favorite friend wouldn't ever leave him! He just couldn't!
"Please, Jackie! Climb onto my back so I can give you a ride! Please…"
Jackie shakes his head. "Puff, I've found other things now, and they're more fun than these silly kids' games we played. I've joined the track team at school, and-"
"I can help! We can race! Please, Jackie… Please don't leave me…"
"I'm sorry, Puff. I've made friends back home, and they just wouldn't understand. I can't come back here anymore."
The dragon can't believe what he's hearing – Not only the words themselves, but how almost callous the boy sounds. A sniffle escapes him.
"But… We had so much fun together… Remember when we saved the princess together, and… And… Jackie… Please…"
The boy again shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Puff, but I need to go now. I loved what we had, but I have to do what's right for me. And that's letting go of the silly things I did as a kid and growing up."
Puff nearly chokes on his words at this. Tears begin to fall from his eyes as he sadly looks away, muttering "…you never used to think I was 'just a silly thing'…"
Jackie pauses, watching the dragon sniffle and cry from the stinging words. But he eventually turns, starting to walk away. "Goodbye, Puff."
But after only three steps, he trips as something long and green wraps itself around his ankles.
"Ack! What the- Puff?"
The dragon, still tearing up, looks back at the teen with a deeply hurt expression. "I'm not just a silly kid's game, Jackie…"
Puff raises his tail, lifting the boy upside-down in front of him, making him yelp.
"Puff, what are you doing?"
The dragon's eyes narrow almost dangerously. "I loved you, Jackie… And I thought you loved me too… What happened to 'friends forever'?"
He takes a sharp breath, before whispering "How could you do this to me…? How could you just… Throw me away like this…?"
In the dragon's tail, the teen squirms. "Puff, you wouldn't understand. Please let me go; I need to head home."
"No."
Jackie's eyes widen. "What?"
Puff shakes his head. "I said no. I'm not going to let you leave me."
Slowly, he raises his tail higher, moving it over his head. "You're going to stay with me, forever and ever."
The dragon looks up at his former friend, taking a deep breath, before opening his mouth wide.
Jackie tenses in fear as he looks into the gargantuan maw directly below him, seeing past the sharp teeth to the rippling tongue and pulsing gullet, looking ready to swallow.
"Puff, what are you doing?"
Puff closes his mouth with a smirk, speaking in a low tone. "Haven't you ever heard not to cross a dragon? We know how to get our way."
"No, please!" The teen squirms, apparently not considering the great fall it would be back to the ground. "L-Look, I'll come and visit you, okay? Don't eat me!"
The dragon shakes his head. "You broke my trust, Jackie. I don't believe you anymore."
The boy keeps squirming, even as the maw opens once again, dripping with thick saliva. He can only call out "No, Puff, please don't do this!" as he's slowly lowered into the dragon's mouth.
Puff's tail neatly places the teen on his tongue before he closes his mouth, trapping Jackie in slimy, humid darkness. He huffs softly through his nose as he starts licking the human, slurping on him – Evidently quite enjoying his flavor!
"Mhhf… Anyone ever tell you that you taste great, boy?"
From inside his mouth, he faintly hears the teen's voice, sputtering between licks to his face. "Puff- Ack! I'm sorry!"
Coldly, the dragon replies "I'm sure you are." before tilting his head back, letting his prey slide along his tongue toward his throat. Jackie yelps as he slides off the back of that muscle into the snug grip of esophageal muscles, before Puff takes a slow, deep Glllp!
He lets out a contented sigh, raising a paw to the squirming bulge in his neck, feeling Jackie sliding deeper and deeper into his body.
"Mmm, tasty. Could've used some ketchup, though… Ah well."
Puff ambles his way back to his cave with a sigh, no longer feeling like playing. He does pause when he feels his food press against his cardia, before shivering when he hears the faint splash of the boy landing in his stomach fluids. Faint protests continue to sound out, but the dragon pays his former friend no further thought as those sounds are quickly drowned out by the gurgling of his gut.
It doesn't take too much longer for the dragon's powerful stomach to make the boy fall still and melt away, and he lets out a quiet sigh before singing softly to himself as he lies down on his soft bedding.
Puff, the Magic Dragon, lives by the sea
Swallowed down a little brat; committed him to memory
Thought you could abandon friends? I guess you couldn't see
But Puff gets what he wants, you know; now you're a part of me!
