A Boy and His Dragonwolf

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym looked back at Tyler once he began to speak, and then gave out a yip in reply. Afterwards he began to tug towards the frozen lake first, jumping on the ice in curiosity. Soon he was slipping and sliding on the end of the leash, letting out yips and barks. And eventually he seemed to get the hang of it, doing a clumsy kind of ice skating. At least until he got near another edge and barked, leaping and diving into the snow head-first like a snow fox, burrowing into it and then popping his head out with a yip.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler kept firm hold of Nym's leash as he jumped and skidded on the frozen lake. His adorable little yips and barks made him chuckle as he did a brief ice skating routine. Well, not really a routine so much as the little pup learning to navigate on the ice. He couldn't hold back his laughter when Nym jumped into a snow bank and emerged with a happy bark at him. He even had a little cap of snow on his head!

"Well it's good to see the cold doesn't bother you," he chuckled as he came up and brushed the snow off the top of his head. He paused to scratch his little ears and smiled down at him. After a little bit he gave a slight tug on the leash. "Okay, I think that's enough exercise. How about we go back to the car and you can try out your new bed when we get home?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had looked up at Tyler as the human came up and brushed the snow off his head, causing the pup to give a sneeze. After that he nuzzled up against the human's hand. He stayed like that until he spoke and said that it was time for them to go. Nym gave a pout and then bowed his head, climbing out and walking next to Tyler back to the car to go home.

 

[Quiet One]

"Don't give me that look," Tyler said to Nym as they headed back to the car. "You got a bunch of exercise demolishing the pet store, and we've been out here for thirty minutes. Plus, I'm cold. I don't have a fur coat like you."

The pup seemed to be quickly cheered up by the ride home, though. He really did love the car. Just wait until summer, he thought to himself. When he can stick his head out the window, he's going to flip. As fun as it may have been for the pup, it was a short drive. He led Nym into the apartment and once inside he took off his coat and undid his leash and collar. He knew he'd need it for going out, but inside - not a lot of use for the collar. He let Nym run around or whatever while he took his own stuff off, then set up his new doggy bed next to the couch. While there, he pulled up his laptop and typed in a Google search: wolves with wings.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had been quite happy once he was in the car, watching the world fly by at a speed faster than he could run. Once they arrived at home and he was stripped of his clothes, he had bounded around and opened his wings to allow them to stretch before he happily laid down in the bed and curled up, closing his eyes.

Tyler would see little more than art made by people until he dot a few pages in, at which point he would see a discussion board based on them. It was started by someone who swore that they had seen a winged wolf a few years ago. There were a few dedicated members, and he could search around for extra information

 

[Quiet One]

Drawing, drawing, clear photoshop, drawing...well, the images filter would be useless. And most of the sites Tyler found were just grounds for posting more of that. Until finally he found a website started by a guy who claimed to have seen one. The very first thing on the page was a video of his alleged first sighting. It was grainy, because as he'd explained it was taken ten years ago, but when Tyler played it he was startled by how similar the big wolf on screen behaved like his little Nym. It was a dark grey instead of his pup's red brown, and bounded past a cluster of trees. When it ran past a small bit of clear land he could see the wings start to spread and something on its head. He looked down at Nym, remembering the little horns he found on his head. Could that be the full-grown version? There was a flapping sound and the next thing he knew the camera was moving and trying to follow a little black dot in the grey sky.

From there he scrolled down, discovering attempted drawings of the real creature, much rougher than the art online. There were forums for what it was, where it came from, and people saying they'd seen something similar. Some posted videos of their own. The last one was from England three years ago, titled "The Beast of Dartmoor?" The video, showing a pure black wolf taking flight from half a football field away, was the only post this person ever made. JudyJA113 formed an account, posted this video, then cancelled their account two months later.

Tyler sat back, drumming his fingers as he tried to think of what to do. Should he join the conversation? Tell them he had one and was currently raising it as a pet? Excite a bunch of people who were possibly nuts. Still, if they were nuts then Tyler was even more nuts, because he actually had one.

"I think I'll wait until after Claire's DNA test," he said to himself. He looked down at Nym and scratched his ears. "These guys would lose their shit if they knew I had you. Wonder if there's a way to ask them questions without drawing too much attention..."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had relaxed on the bed for most of Tyler's exploration of the internet, though his first reaction was the flapping of the wings. His head perked up at the sound, and he looked around with a small churr sound of curiosity. Though then he laid back down. His next reaction came when he heard Tyler speak. With a cocked head, the pup stood up and then flapped his wings, leaping up onto the man's lap. He looked at the computer and yipped, which made the screen glitch a bit.

When it came to, it was on the site's chatroom, and had Tyler logged in anonymously. There were a few others online, including the person who had made the first sighting. Nym then gave a chirp and curled up again on the man's lap, content he had helped.

 

[Quiet One]

He affectionately pet the pup when he decided to leap onto his lap, but when he yipped and changed the computer screen, Tyler stared down at Nym in quiet amazement. "How did you...?" But with Nym curled up on his lap, it didn't look like he'd get any answers from him. This was definitely something to tell Claire about, though. "Well...thanks."

He started with something simple: how big is one of these things supposedly able to get? If he had to raise Nym for a long time, it'd be nice if he didn't outgrow the apartment. Some of the videos looked like the wolves got fairly large, and some posters online agreed. However, others argued that the perspective was all wrong and they were closer to real wolves. So he tried asking what they ate. He knew bacon and pepperoni, but what else? Well, the chat was heavily divided on this one. Many claimed they were strictly carnivore, while some said they had omnivore tendencies. Still others took it to the extreme, claiming they could eat literally anything, even metal. That one Tyler could probably ignore.

Next he asked how they could fly. He got a lot of variations of "wings, dumbass." So he clarified; he was no physics expert, but the wolf part of these things looked way too heavy to be lifted by its wings. As an answer, he got everything from hollow bones to quantum levitation (whatever that was). His last question was spurred on by Nym: Can they manipulate technology?

What emerged from this simple question was a firestorm of debate. Some adamantly insisted these were just an unidentified animal, and placing supernatural powers with the "dragonwolves" as they were being called was destroying the chance for them to be taken seriously. Others went the opposite way, giving the beasts almost godlike powers. They can breathe fire, they control the weather, they can hit the ground so hard it causes earthquakes...

After more than three hours on this site Tyler was certain of one thing - these people didn't know anything.

"Well, Nym it look like we're on our own," he said to the little pup. He started petting him along his back as he switched the computer over to his Netflix account. "At least we know two things now - apparently you're a dragon-wolf, and you're not alone. Not sure what either of those mean for us."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym murred happily once Tyler finished his chatting and returned his hand to his back. The petting made him happy, his long tail thumping gently against his leg. He did open his eyes and look up at Tyler when he spoke, letting out a soft number of chirps and yips. Whenever he did something like that it seemed as if he was speaking his own language, a rather musical one. Then he stood up and put his front paws on the desk, yipping at the computer. It glitches once more and turned on one of Tyler's favorite movies, the pup now sitting on his hunches and watching it as time passed.

 

[Quiet One]

He smiled at Nym as he chirped and made little barks at him. The pup was so smart that he was obviously saying something. He just didn't speak mythical creature. Then Nym leaned forward and yipped at his computer. It glitched out again and started playing a movie. His jaw dropped and he started at the pup sitting peacefully on his lap in front of him.

"How are you doing that?" Tyler asked. "I get that you can - I've seen that enough to believe it - but HOW?" After a few minutes he sighed, giving up and pulling Nym over to lay in front of him while they watched the movie. "You know what, whatever. Just so long as it doesn't damage my computer."

They laid down together until the movie was over. He hadn't taken anything out to eat, so he and his new roommate would have to settle for leftovers. He'd sliced up some cheap steak into thin slices for sandwiches a few days ago, then gave the meat a light drizzle of Worchester and cooked it with mushrooms and onions. As he reheated it, he took out a bowl for Nym to have the rest. As smart as the dragon-pup was, he wasn't physically capable of eating a sandwich. That did, however, give Tyler an idea. He put the meat, onions, and mushrooms all together in the bowl, then added a couple slices of bread. In a separate bowl, he got some grapes that he had bought on sale, and some Ritz crackers left over from New Years. There. A diverse taste-test of dragon-wolf foods.

"Okay, let's see what all you can eat," he said. He placed the main meat in front of the pup, but before he got to dig in he plucked a grape from the other bowl and offered it to him. "What do you say, little guy? Do you eat fruit?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had very happily laid down with Tyler as the movie played, letting out a few soft chirps and keeping his eyes on the screen. He didn't even try to say anything to Tyler's question about how, as even if the pup understood it himself, Tyler probably wouldn't understand what he was saying.

Once Tyler got up and walked off towards the kitchen, Nym inevitably followed him and wagged his tail as he smelled the stuff cooking. He was confused what all he was doing, as the pup couldn't see, but he knew that he would eventually be getting food. And food he did get - though before he could dig into the tasty smelling meat, a grape was held in front of him. He gingerly took it and swallowed it down. And then after that, he ate oddly like a human. A few bites of sandwich, then some grapes, a cracker or two.. he continued until all his food was gone, and then looked up at Tyler with a wagging tail, and then yipped out a thanks.

 

[Quiet One]

He smirked to himself when Nym took the grape in one bite. Guess that answered that. Afterwards, Tyler was sort of amazed at how the pup ate. He ate the meat and bread together, chewed up crackers, then munched on grapes he sent his way. The idea of tossing the grapes into Nym's open mouth came to mind, and he couldn't resist trying it. His little freak of nature sure was talented, and adorable to boot.

When they were both finished he pet the pup's head and got his dishes. He was in the process of washing them when a knock came to his door. It was Claire. She had a bunch of papers struggling to break free of her hand and almost fell into Tyler when he opened the door.

"Yeesh, Claire, where's the fire?" he teased, closing the door behind her. "And no calling? What is it?"

"I got some tests back on Nym's DNA," she explained.

"Already?"

"Well, they weren't testing anything else, and the electrophoresis machine is faster than I thought it was," she told him, as if a six syllable science word just explained everything. "Anyway, I've got the results. They're really weird." She showed them to Tyler, but before he could read the notes on the bottom she pulled away and read for him. "Most of his DNA is canine, but there's some markers the machine couldn't identify. Also, there's segments that resemble lizard DNA. Nothing from birds, it's so weird..."

"You think that's weird? Turns out Nym has super powers," he replied.

She gave him a deadpan glare. "Don't patronize me."

"I'm serious. Watch." He reached down and picked Nym up, carrying him back to the couch. He set the pup down on his lap with Claire sitting next to him. "Okay, Nym: bring up YouTube."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had quite a bit of fun leaping up and getting the grapes out of the air. he'd even done some spins and flips for the enjoyment of both of them. He stayed near Tyler's legs until the door got a knock, at which point he chirped and went to wait by it. Seeing who it was - Claire, he recognized - he began to wave his tail and nuzzle up against her ankles as she spoke with Tyler.

He continued to do that until he was picked up and brought over to the couch. He looked up at Tyler and then chirped, before looking at whatever screen was in front of him. With a yip, he glitched out the screen and brought up the youtube frontpage. With a satisfied murr he nodded and then looked between the humans for his praise.

 

[Quiet One]

Claire's jaw dropped as Tyler just scratched Nym's head, knowing that was what he was waiting for. He laughed and pushed her jaw up to close. She snapped her head over at him, then looked back at the computer, and finally down at Nym.

"H-How?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. He did it earlier when I tried to look stuff up about him, and then again when he accessed my Netflix account. From what I found, apparently he's a Dragon-wolf. There's some bigfoot-style nuts out there who have a forum dedicated to them. They've got video, too, so this little guy's not alone."

"Then he's an animal," Claire concluded. "A natural one, I mean. But still...how did he do that? And he knew what you were saying!"

He continued scratching Nym's head. "I can't pretend to know it. I just know he's really smart, and after some time with him, it doesn't bother me that much. Besides, so long as he's not demolishing pet stores..." At her inquisitive look he blushed, "I bought some stuff to make his stay more comfortable."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym had murred happily at the scratches that he had been wanting, since he had been told to do something and he did it, In that regard he was very much like a dog. He didn't exactly understand what the humans were talking about - DNA and all that. But he knew that Tyler was happy with him, and that was most that he cared about. He crawled up onto Tyler's lap and yawned, curling up and wrapping in his wings and tail to take a little nap.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler smiled and rubbed Nym's back as he curled up for a nap on him. Claire reached over and scratched his ears, too.

"So...what now?" Claire asked in a whisper so as not to wake Nym. "He's a cute little guy, but if he's an unidentified creature we have to report him. A lot of scientists will want to perform tests, especially over this bark trick. He's the only identified one, so they won't hurt him," she added when she saw Tyler's worried look.

He hesitated for a while, then said..."I won't get to keep him?"

Claire frowned and rubbed his back. "Maybe...maybe you can. If you agree to let scientists look after you and him, study him, maybe he can stay with you. It'll be like having your own personal vet for him. You might just have to see them every day."

Tyler scratched the base of Nym's tail as he thought it over. He didn't want to lose the pup. He'd grown fond of the little guy, and didn't want to lose him.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

A few days had passed since Nym and Tyler found each other, and as time passed they had gotten to know a bit more about one another. The pup was content in the home when he had to be, and when Tyler had to go to work. Which was a good thing, as he'd proven that his bark could also unlock doors. One could probably safely assume that he would get more powers as he grew, but for now what he had were all the pup needed.

In one instance Tyler was out taking Nym for a walk, and was crossing the street when some driver wasn't paying attention and nearly hit him. While the guy got out and yelled at Tyler, Nym snarled and started to tear a hole in the side panels of the car. The driver wouldn't notice before he drove away, but Tyler would be able to see the damage done with only the pup's teeth.

 

[Quiet One]

As the days went by, Tyler had gotten used to the little dragon-wolf's presence. They had developed a rhythm; Nym learned to paw at the door whenever he had to go outside, Tyler learned that the pup could eat almost anything, even things normal dogs couldn't. He almost had a heart attack when Nym pulled one of his chocolate puddings out of the fridge and licked it clean. He knew chocolate was bad for dogs - something about them being unable to process the caffeine - but after a few hours the little guy was perfectly fine. It seemed he could eat anything humans could, which made for some interesting snacking moments on the couch.

He was out walking him, the day a little warmer than usual, when a driver nearly flattened them both. He didn't stand for shit like that, and as the man yelled at him, Tyler yelled back. Why should he be sorry when he wasn't the one driving a two-ton death machine and not watching where he was going? When the driver at last drove away, Tyler looked down to find Nym batting at painted strips of metal, one sticking out of his mouth. Looking down the road, he saw the chunks torn out of the car.

"Damn." He looked down at Nym and pet his head. He didn't have to bend as far as he used to. He'd already gotten a little bigger. "Good boy."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym growled and batted at the metal for a while as the driver went away, both taking out some extra tension and finding the sturdy metal a fun plaything. Eventually he stopped and picked up the largest chunk, carried it over to Tyler and laid the trophy down at his feet. His tail waved and he hoped that Tyler would accept his gift.

At the same time he hoped that it would help Tyler calm down a little. He could tell that the human was very tense and nervous, because Claire had told him today that they would be telling someone about Nym today, no ifs or buts about it. In fact that's exactly where they had been going right now, to meet up with Claire and then her 'contact', which also made Nym a bit nervous from sensing Tyler's Anxiety.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler smiled and picked up the scrap of metal. It was the biggest piece, but still small enough for him to tuck away in his backpack. "Thanks. Come on; we've got someone special to talk to."

He continued to walk Nym until they got to the university. It was a wide open campus and people were out and about because of the unseasonably warm weather. Two girls in jackets and sweaters spotted Nym and immediately started smothering him in affection, getting down to his level and petting him, complementing Tyler on how cute he was. He smirked at that and let them pet him until they were finished. Once they were gone he gave the dragon-pup a little scratch under the chin. "You're a real chick magnet, buddy. Why couldn't I have found you during my high school prom?"

As they got to the science building, Tyler scooped Nym up and carried him inside. The pup got even more fawning attention, as well as threats to call campus security for rule violations by people who clearly weren't dog lovers. Remembering Claire's directions, he went upstairs to one of the lecture halls, finding her and the professor she wanted to look at Nym. He had a distinct "I was born in the 70s" vibe to him, a casual appearance with long hair (albeit with a receding hairline), a bit of a gut, and a polo shirt with a design he was pretty sure they stopped making in the 80s. Just enough strangeness to make it clear he wasn't going to backstab them in any way. Also, for Nym's benefit, his fingers smelled like pepperoni when he shook Tyler's hand.

"Hello, Prof. Schneider. Claire's told me a lot about you," he said.

"Like what?"

"Well...that she enjoys your class..." he shrugged. "And I guess that's it. Sorry. I'm not really a science guy."

"That's fine. It's hard to get into my special rank of nerd-dom," the professor joked back. Tyler smiled. He liked this guy. "Now, Claire says you discovered a new species. This little guy?" He pointed to Nym on his table, causing the pup to lick his finger. "I'll be honest, he looks like a typical wolf, with a bit of an unusual coloring."

"I haven't gotten his little coat off. You'll see. Nym," Tyler called the pup to get his attention. Once he had it, he started undoing Nym's coat and getting it off him. "Show him what you got, little buddy."