It was a rather gloomy day at the edge of the sea where the Stormborn lived. A thick mist was hanging over the lands, blotting out the sun and making everything rather cold and wet without it actually raining. For Geist it was prime spooking weather, though, and the cub couldn't be happier. His dark pelt and skull-like face were perfect for the dark, grim day and he had already startled a few other lions on his rounds. Currently he was heading to the den of his grandmother who just had a litter of cubs not long ago. He had heard his father saying how they were ready to leave the den and Geist wanted to be the first to greet his new family! Technically they were his aunts and uncles, but he and his siblings would be a few weeks older than them....ah, families were strange things. No matter the official relation, Geist was sure that this group of cubs would be fast friends with his own litter and himself. He was going to start things off right!

When he reached Sebor's den, he found her dozing with a mixed pile of fur beside her. The colors were both dark and light with a few splashes of fire here and there. One curious head poked up and Geist grinned. Good, someone was awake!

"Helloooooooo," he called in quietly, his voice nice and spooky. The cub that had lifted his head didn't seem too scared, though, as he got to his feet and ambled awkwardly over to the other cub. He didn't waste any time in pouncing on Geist, which had the other cub give a little yelp of surprise. No one had ever attacked him before!

"Hey! I was jus' playin'!" he said as he squirmed, the smaller cub grinning down at him. Well...he looked like he was grinning a very toothy grin.

"I am too!" the smiling cub said, flashing his actual teeth in a grin. "I'm Cinàed! Who are you?"

"Geist. I'm your...uh..." What had Tryggr called it? "...nephew? But I wanna be friends!"

"I like friends," Cinàed said earnestly even as he pressed his paws down harder on Geist's chest. "I got a lot in there," he added, nodding back to the den where his six siblings were still sleeping. "But I'm their brother so that doesn't count. I want a nephew friend."

"Good!" Geist said with a little breathy laugh as he finally rolled the younger cub off him so he could breathe. He sure was feisty! Cinàed rolled with the little push and flopped onto his side before swatting at Geist's white paw, a look of surprise on his face.

"Hey! We got the same feet!" he exclaimed, wiggling his own paws at the older male's. Sure enough, they carried the same pattern although Geist only had it on one paw where Cinàed had it on all four. That didn't seem to bother them, though, as they began to compare other markings.

"You have a funny grin!"

"You have teeth too, though! See here, on your chin?"

"I can't see my own face! Oooh, look at your wings!"

"My what?"

The conversation ended with the two cubs running to the small watering hole not far from the den to examine their markings. Geist found he looked exactly like his brother with the exception of his eyes - good, he was a spooky guy and Geist had hoped he looked at least a little like him! - and Cinàed was surprised to find the splotchy wings on his back.

"Whoa...cool," he said quietly before looking at his friend with a genuine grin. "Like a bird!"

"Or a dragon," Geist suggested, still looking at himself in the water as he made faces to try to see which was the most spooky. So far bearing all his teeth and making his eyes really wide seemed to be the best.

"...a what? Dragon?" Cinàed asked, looking at Geist with a tilt to his head. He had never heard of something like that before. "Can you eat a dragon?"

"No!" Geist said with a laugh, looking at the younger cub before realizing Cinàed honestly didn't know what he was talking about. And how could he? He hadn't left the den until now! Golden eyes widened in delight as he realized he could tell his new friend all about dragons and other great stories he had been cooking up.

"Dragons aren't real," he started off with. "My dad told me that. He's...uh...I guess your brother...just way older. Anyway! He's got a dragon marking on his arm. It's like a big lizard with teeth and wings and it can breathe fire!" He had been quite excited to learn about the strange make-believe creature and it seemed Cinàed was as well. His own golden eyes were wide, mouth slightly open in a strange mixture of awe and hilariousness thanks to the permanent, toothy smile.

"Whoa...how big? Like as big as me?"

"Bigger. As big as...as...as that!" Geist said, turning to point to the coast where large, rocky outcroppings were constantly battered by the sea. One of them was quite large and loomed in the mists rather intimidatingly. He was always a little nervous of things he couldn't see that well and with his active imagination those rocks often looked like large, dangerous things that were waiting to pounce. Cinàed, however, looked as if he had seen the most wonderful thing in all of the world.

"Whoa," he said quietly, sitting down to take in the magnitude of it all. "Wings...like a dragon...yeah! Wings like a dragon!"

The sudden excitement startled Geist who was doing a pretty poor job of being the one to spook Cinàed. The younger cub was now running around in circles trying to fly and failing over and over. That didn't stop him from trying, though, and he continued until he collapsed on the ground with a grin on his face.

"A dragon," he said with a happy sigh, closing his eyes in delight. Geist watched for a few minutes before shaking his head, a smile curling his own spooky maw as he walked to his uncle, giving his shoulder a little pat.

"Yup. A dragon. I'm gonna let you enjoy that little bit of information." Cinàed was a bit too rambunctious for Geist right now and he wanted to try to spook some other lions, but he was glad to have met the little cub and enlighten him to the world of make-believe. It was his favorite!

"'kay," Cinàed said with a grin, opening his eyes to swat at Geist's braid. "You'll tell me more about dragons later, right?"

"Sure!" He just had to learn more about the first. Or make things up. That would be fun too!

"Good!"

"Bye, Cinàed. Or should I call you Dragon?" Geist teased as he bounded away, heading back in the direction of the main pride. The adults were easier to surprise than other cubs, it seemed.

"Yeah...you should," Cinàed said quietly as he rolled to his feet, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Cinàed the Dragon."

FIN
WC: 1199