Twist trudged up the trail to the forest spirit’s small shrine. The path seemed longer today. Even longer than it had been yesterday. He huffed quietly, a curl of smoke trailing from his mouth and nasal aperture. The metal bucket he carried clanged quietly with each step, loud in the eerie silence of the forest, and the pack strapped to his back seemed to grow heavier by the minute.

It was obvious he wasn’t wanted here, but Twist was stubborn, and the spirit had a soft-spot for him.

Finally, after far too much time had passed, he reached the simple shrine he’d erected ages ago, when the little acorn he’d planted had started to sprout. Kneeling down, he took the bottled water and soap out of his pack and mixed them in the bucket. He dipped a sponge in the cool water, squeezing it to make the water foam. He soaped the stone slab that served as the shrine’s base, cleaning away any trace of dirt or spent mana. He was thorough. More so than usual. He smiled a little, imaging what Edge might say if he could see him now.

Finally, he sat back on his haunches, spine and shoulders aching faintly. He emptied the bucket and searched through his pack until he found what he was looking for. Pulling it out, he hesitated, his draconic soul uneasy. He turned the geode over in his hands, the agate interior glimmering in the sunlight. Puzzles and games had failed to draw the forest spirit out, so Twist had spent the morning sorting through his treasure room, searching for something that the little spirit might enjoy.

He remained in place for several minutes, drawing his claws over the shiny stones. The texture on his distal phalanges made his mana lines prickle pleasantly, and he had to swallow down a whine when he set it in the center of the slab. With that done, he pulled a small knife from the pack. He studied his forearm, looking for a good place to prick the mana line. He didn’t need a lot of mana, just a little. Finding it, he slipped the tip of the blade between the bones and grimaced. Mana beaded, and he held his arm over the slab, flexing the bone so it could spatter onto the stone.

Then he sat back to wait.

He shut his sockets, listening. The eerie silence of the forest greeted him. As if it was holding its breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice it. “C’mon, darlin’,” he called, “Gotta talk ta ya ‘bout sumthin’.”

The forest held its silence. Twist considered the knife and eyed his arm, but the mana he’d already spilt had been rejected. It sat lifelessly on the stone slab, and the geode looked dull and unappealing at its heart. He clenched his jaw, swallowing down a curse—the forest spirit definitely wouldn’t appreciate it if he started swearing in this place, and he was trying to draw him out, not chase him away. “I know ya c’n hear me, sweetheart. Know ya know ‘m here. Whaddaya hidin’ fer? Jus’ wanna talk. We c’n play a game! Whatever ya wan’, darlin'. Jus’ gotta come out an’ tell me.”

Offering a forest spirit ‘whatever they want’ was generally a bad idea, but he was getting desperate. A soft breeze ruffled the oak trees’ leaves, and his head whipped around, searching. But there was no sign of the spirit and the forest returned to its disconcerting silence. With another huff, he settled into a more comfortable position. “I c’n wait, darlin’.” Smoke drifted from his nasal aperture and from his jaw. He could he patient if it suited him.

Of course, even the patience of a dragon was no match for the patience of a forest spirit. Too soon, the sun had tracked across the sky and sank below the far horizon, and he found himself sitting in the dark. Still waiting. His jaw popped and he stood, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Ya can’t hide away forever,” he told the trees, searching the shadows. “Gotta talk ‘bout this sooner ‘er later. Ya know that, yeah?”

The wind whispered through the grove. He shut his sockets and held his breath, listening. The breeze caressed his features like a benediction, smoothing over his cracked socket and gliding along his jaw. He swallowed. “He’s healed. Ready ta go back ta ‘is home. Ya gotta give ‘im back ‘is voice, darlin'. He can’t leave ‘til he c’n sing again.”

The leaves rustled and he heard his own words echoed back at him. ~CAN’T LEAVE~

He opened his sockets, spinning to search out the forest spirit. “Don’t. Don’ be like that. We ain’t keepin’ ‘im ‘ere. Not if he don’ wanna stay.” But the wind died. He swore but resisted the urge to kick the slab of stone. “This ain’t over,” he told the grove, even as he gathered the things he’d brought and prepared to carry them back down. “We’re talkin’ ‘bout this, whether ya like it or not.” In the distance, he thought he heard a child giggle, and he scowled. Muttering under his breath, he hefted the pack and grabbed the bucket to head back to the house. The geode he left, though the spirit had rejected it. A sacrifice was a sacrifice. 

Though it had taken him hours to reach the shrine, it only took him twenty minutes to reach the house, which annoyed him further.

Before approaching the house, he took a moment to steady himself. He didn’t want to alarm his lovers, and if he came back breathing smoke and sparks, they’d definitely be alarmed. Shutting his sockets, he took a few deep breaths, forcing his horns and wings to recede. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d lost control of his shape. Draconic features soothed away, he pushed his hands into his pockets and stepped out of the tree line.

A genuine smile found its way to his mouth when he caught sight of Rus and Edge on their balcony, holding each other as they took in the stars. Pup’s moonlight garden had overtaken the grounds, the white flowers and night-blooming plants beautiful in the faint light. Little solar lights were coming alive now, lighting the path to Cash’s pool. He followed along, stepping carefully to avoid the red paving stones. He paused midway, satisfied by the sight before him.

Pup sat on the side of the pool, his feet dangling in the water. His features were lit from below by the pool lights, revealing his soft smile. He bore little resemblance to the skittish, nervous werewolf that Twist had first invited into his home. Like the flowers in his garden, Pup himself had bloomed under their attention. Twist purred now, just seeing him. He swept forward, forgetting to avoid the red stones in his eagerness.

Hearing him, Pup turned and smiled, raising an arm in greeting. “Don’ get up, darlin’.” Twist settled behind him, caging him against his chest and resting his chin on Pup’s shoulder. He was warm and solid and here and everything in Twist thrummed in satisfaction.

Pup just laughed and leaned back against him, reaching up to scratch his coronal suture. “where were you today? i haven’t seen you since breakfast.”

“Oh, ya know. Here an’ there. Where’s Cash?”

As if he heard them, Cash emerged from the underwater cavern the builders had constructed for him. His fins were fully summoned, and Twist leaned forward, hardly daring to breathe. Cash was glorious like this—his magic shimmered with every flick of his tail or twitch of his fins, and the light caught on the gold bands and bangles that wrapped his bones. Graceful as a swan, he surfaced, only his face and ear-fins visible above the water.

Twist was immune to the siren’s song, but he found him mesmerizing all the same.

“Heya, darlin’! How’re—?”

With pinpoint accuracy, Cash spat a stream of water at him, hitting him squarely in the face and leaving Pup (mostly) dry. Twist blinked and sputtered, but when he managed to shake the water out of his sockets, Cash was already diving back down and returning to his lair. Twist sighed. “Well. Guess ‘m glad ‘is aim ain’t affected by ‘is vision.”

Pup sighed. “looks like he’s still mad.”

Twist shrugged. “Yeah. Prob’ly will be fer a while.”

“it’s a nice pool.” He patted Twist’s knee as he said it. “the best.”

It was, too. So much so that the construction crew had given him odd looks as he described what he wanted, and Edge had given it one look before pronouncing it a 'little gaudy' for his tastes. Rus was not so restrained and had asked when they’d be opening the casino to match. Cash, however, had just taken a look at the small waterfall and the stones for sunbathing and sniffed. He showed—brief—interest in the flashes of gold and the precious gems set into the stones themselves, but even these he seemed to dismiss with a huff. It was large enough for him to swim freely, large enough that his fins were finally able to heal fully. Still….

“’S not an ocean,” Twist said quietly, squeezing Pup. Pup leaned against him, turning his head to kiss his cheekbone. Shutting his sockets, Twist sighed and nuzzled into him. “Wanna go inside, darlin’?” He nipped lightly at Pup’s neck, one hand slipping down to squeeze his thigh. “Spend a little quality time t’gether?” Smiling, Pup nodded and stood, turning to take Twist’s hand. For a moment, Twist just looked up at him, appreciating the way the stars haloed his skull. He nuzzled into his hand, and Pup chuckled, scratching along his jawline. “Love ya, sweetheart.”

“i love you too.”

Something inside him eased and he exhaled slowly, a little purr of satisfaction vibrating his bones. “’M glad ya stayed with us. Are ya—? Are ya glad too?” Pup nodded, though a spot of worry creased his brow.

“yeah. do you think cash will—?” He looked back at the pool, his hand flexing. Twist took it, kissing along the metacarpals. A soft whine started in Pup’s chest, but he swallowed it down. Turning back to Twist, he tugged him upright. “inside?”

“Yeah, darlin’. C’mon. Le’s go.”

He led Pup toward the house, glancing back when they reached the French doors. Cash was watching from the pool, his arms folded on the stony rim and his good socket narrowed. Twist ducked his head and shut the door behind him, trying not to think of that bright, angry eyelight.

-

Pup lay atop Twist, his bones aching pleasantly. Twist’s arms were still around him, still holding him close. He’d nearly begged for Pup to use his cock tonight, and Pup had complied, not fully understanding until the two of them were tied together by his knot. Only then had Twist relaxed against him, his purring loud enough to rattle their bones. So now he snuggled closer and didn’t try to pull away, allowing himself to go boneless atop the dragon and reassure him that he had no intention of leaving even though they were no longer tied together.

It was hardly a chore to stay—Twist was petting along his spine and massaging the base of his skull with just the right amount of pressure. As far as Pup was concerned, he was more than happy to stay here for as long as Edge would let them.

The door cracked open, and Rus peered inside. “oh? what do we have here?” He slipped into the room, and Twist lifted his head.

“Rus! C’mere, sweetheart.”

Humming to himself, Rus surveyed them as he approached, greed and lust sparking in his eyelights. “looks like you two had fun.” He crawled onto the bed, straddling their legs and folding over Pup’s back. Content to stay where he was, Pup only turned his head to look at him, smiling gently. Tail flicking, Rus dipped his head to kiss his scapula.

“we did.” Twist’s purring surged, and he kissed along Pup’s jawbone. Pup sighed and nuzzled into him.

“why didn’t i get an invite?”

“don’t be jealous.”

“hard not to be with you looking like this.” He sighed in satisfaction. “i can taste the afterglow, and let me tell you, it is sweet.” The little kisses he’d planted on Pup’s scapula turned to soft nips. His tongue traced along the bone’s edges, and Pup moaned, arching into him.

“rus—!”

With a little growl, Rus pinned his hands to the mattress and met Twist’s eyelights. “how ‘bout it, twisted? up for another round? we could pin this pretty thing between us, make him scream. you’d like that, right?”

From the doorway, Edge cleared his throat. “Forgive me for interrupting—”

“ah, hell, yes! come here, precious—we can really get this party started.”

“—but dinner is ready. Unless you want to eat it cold.”

“cold is fine!” Rus protested, but Pup was squirming out from under him. “aw, c’mon!” Free from his grip, Pup cupped his jaw and kissed his cheekbone, smiling. Rus glared at him. “traitor.”

Twist sat up and looped his arms around Rus’ waist. “We know better’n ta offend our resident chef, sweetheart. ‘Sides, there’s always dessert, right?” Edge nodded his approval at the remark, scratching Pup’s skull and greeting him with a kiss.

“fine—but i’m holding you to that. you too, edgelord!”

“I agreed to nothing. Besides, someone has to do the dishes.” 

Alone on the bed now, Rus muttered something that sounded like, “i’ll do your dishes,” as if it were a threat. It forced a chuckle from Pup, even as Edge rolled his eyelights.

“If you do, then I might be able to join you for your fun afterward.”

Rus immediately perked up, rushing ahead. “i’ll set the table!”

Edge watched him go, shaking his head. “And I’ll see if Cash is interested in joining us this evening, or if he prefers to eat in the pool. Why don’t you two put on some clothing? Rus is already riled enough—I do not need him trying to finger anyone at the dining room table. Again.”

Pup ducked his head and covered his mouth to hide his smile. Twist looped his arms over his shoulders again, still purring faintly. “Sure thing, darlin’. Thanks fer cookin’.”

“My pleasure, as always.” As he started down the hall, he added, “Spirits know I’m not going to suffer through your attempts again.”

“Hey! I c’n barbecue jus’ fine!”

Never breaking stride, Edge just waved his comment away, dismissive. “Breathing fire on a deer carcass is not ‘barbecue’.”

“It’s cooked, ain’t it?”

Edge gave him a look that conveyed exactly what he thought of that, then disappeared downstairs, on his way to speak to Cash. When he was gone, Pup felt Twist’s grip grow tighter. Pup’s small smile faded and his soul squeezed. He tugged Twist back into the room and grabbed a fresh pair of trousers from the dresser. He swallowed as he pulled on his pants, trying to find his voice.

After they built the pool, Pup had just assumed that Cash would stay with them. It had seemed natural to him, despite the friction between Cash and Rus. But Cash had been so angry when Twist had shown him, so insulted. He shut his sockets, hands clenching in the fabric of the shirt he’d pulled out of the closet.

“Hey, sweetheart. Easy. ‘S alright. Got no need fer those right now. Why doncha put ‘em away?” Gentle fingers pulled his hands back and he inhaled sharply, realizing that his hands had started to shift into claws. Twist didn’t seem to care about the shift—he only seemed concerned about soothing the anxiety that had caused it. Pup shut his sockets and he steadied his breathing, trying to ease the wolfish features away. “There we go. Good job, darlin’. Yer gettin’ better at keepin’ ‘im in, yeah?”

Pup looked up at him, searching his eyelight. “cash wants to leave, doesn’t he?”

Wincing, Twist looked away. “Yeah. Looks like it.” Pup could hear the dry click as he swallowed. “We don’ keep no-one that don’ wanna stay,” he said firmly, as if he was reaffirming the fact. “He wants ta leave, he c’n leave.”

“what about his voice? he can’t go if he can’t sing, can he?” A siren needed their voice—how could he hunt? How could he defend his territory? The others would tear him apart, surely.

Twist nodded sharply, echoing Pup’s thoughts. “Yeah. He needs ‘is voice. ‘M workin’ on it, darlin’. In the meantime….” He sighed, shoulders sagging. “Think we need ta take a little trip. Prove to ‘im we ain’t gonna hold ‘im ‘ere.”

His soul ached and his ribs felt tight. He swallowed, trying to keep his breathing steady. “i don’t…i don’t want him to go.”

Twist shut his sockets, and a soft whine escaped him. His hand automatically caught at his chest, as if he could ease the ache like that. It looked as if someone had stabbed him. “I know, darlin’. Me neither.”

Pup reached out, catching his shoulder, and that was enough—Twist folded around him, holding him in a crushing grip. They didn’t speak. Words would have only gotten in the way.

-

“Heya, precious!”

Shaking his head, Edge didn’t look at Twist as his arms snaked around his waist, his attention focused on the bread dough he was kneading. “There’s beef liver in the fridge for you. The brisket is off limits.” As an afterthought, he added, “Share with Cash. Let me know if he likes it or not; I’m trying to see what else he’ll eat, aside from fish. I’m tired of preparing a separate plate for him every day.” Cooking—or, rather, not cooking—for a dragon and a siren certainly made his life interesting at times.

Twist’s grip tightened briefly, then he exhaled slowly. “Thanks, darlin’, but uh…tha’s not what I came lookin’ for.”

A snarky reply came to mind immediately, but that slow exhale made him pause. He pulled his gloves off, then turned his head and cupped Twist’s mandible. “What is it?”

Unwilling to meet his gaze, Twist looked away, scratching at the back of his neck. “Nuthin’. Jus’…was wonderin’ if ya’d pack a picnic basket fer Pup an’ Cash an’ me.”

Edge raised a brow-bone. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Ta the beach. Tamorrow, I think.”

Frowning, Edge spun in his hold to face him fully. “The beach? Is that wise?” The dragon cocked his head, and Edge elaborated. “You aren’t worried that Cash might…?” He gestured loosely, and Twist exhaled hard.

“’Course ‘m worried. Don’ wan’ ‘im runnin’ off—er swimmin’ off—‘til he’s got ‘is voice back. Hopin’ he’s smarter’n that, though.”

Edge’s brow-bone crept higher. “I thought he was staying. That’s what the pool’s for, isn’t it?”

Twist shut his sockets, shoulders sagging. “We don’ keep people tha’ don’ wanna stay.”

Edge snorted. “I certainly didn’t want to—” Twist looked at him, wounded, and Edge winced. “Of course. That was different. My apologies.” Unconsciously, Edge straightened Twist’s jacket, smoothing away the wrinkles in the fabric. “Are you certain he doesn’t want to stay? Perhaps—”

“Darlin’, don’. Please. Already hurts enough. Gettin’ my hopes up is jus’ mean.”

Edge looked past his shoulder, as if he could see out to the pool, through the kitchen wall and out the French doors. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

They stood in silence for a moment, Edge holding his hand loosely. “You said the three of you will be going to the beach tomorrow?”

“Tha’s the plan,” he said with a sigh, “Give ‘im a chance to stretch ‘is fins.” He swallowed. “Prove to ‘im we ain’t tryna keep ‘im if he don’ wanna be kept.”

Edge nodded, thinking. “Perhaps I can pack more than a picnic basket….” Twist cocked his head, and Edge smiled slightly. “I might not be able to join you in the afternoon, but we can load some firewood into the SUV and roast marshmallows once the sun goes down. And Rus might want to—” He grunted, smiling when the dragon crushed him to his chest, even if it did force all the air from his thoracic cavity.

Twist nuzzled against him, purring softly. “Yer so good ta us, darlin’. What would we do without ya?”

“Starve, probably.”

Twist snickered, hugging him tight. “Love ya.”

“Yes, yes, I love you too, you overgrown lizard. Now get out of my kitchen so I can work.”

“Jus’ a little longer?”

Edge sighed, as if put-upon by the request. But he leaned into the hug, holding the dragon tightly. “If you must.”  

----

All of them can be killed by extreme physical damage or damage to their souls, so I’m not necessarily going to list that out every time. But, yeah, decapitation or destroying their souls are pretty solid ways to kill any of these guys. None of these guys can regenerate or regrow limbs that have been lost, though I would never bring that into the story. (Forest Pap is the exception to this. This boy is as close to truly immortal as we’ll get in my lore.)

Edge can starve to death. It’s an extremely slow process, and he’d eventually calcify in place before dusting completely. He can’t drown, though, and he can’t die of exposure–temperature extremes, by and large, don’t affect him, unless we get down to something approaching absolute 0 or temperatures hot enough for cremation. It’s possible for him to “bleed out”, but very difficult–a fast infusion of mana would be enough to revive him. Poisons aren’t really something he needs to worry about. 

Pup is more vulnerable. Wolfsbane is definitely a danger for him, as is any other kind of toxic plant. (He’s no more sensitive to them than any mortal, but his wolf will sometimes eat things it shouldn’t.) He needs to breathe, so anything that prevents him from doing so–being underwater, being in a vacuum, etc–could kill him. Bleeding out is a real danger for him. He can starve as well, but it won’t take as long as it would for Edge–a month without food, or a week without water, and his prospects are pretty grim. He’s not especially resistant to temperature extremes, though; exposure is a risk for him.

Twist has really deep mana wells, so bleeding out would be very, very unlikely, though still possible. Extreme cold would eventually kill him, but it would take a while. His “inner fire” would fade with increased exposure, and he’d die. He cannot die by fire, though. This boy is fire-proof. His dam was a poison-breath, so he’s pretty well immune to poisons. (A good thing, too, considering he was brought up by a forest spirit in a forest. Forest spirits don’t really know the difference between “poisonous” and “edible” plants. It’s all good to them.) He can drown, and deep water is somewhat frightening for him. Starvation or dehydration are ways to kill him as well.

Rus cannot starve or die of dehydration, but the former will weaken him severely. He can drown. He can be weakened or harmed by poison, but not killed–some sex or mana and he’s fine again. He’s pretty resilient, actually. He’s about the same as Edge when it comes to temperature extremes–he can be cremated and he can freeze to death, but only at extreme temperatures. He can heal from almost anything without leaving a scar behind as long as he gets an infusion of mana before he bleeds out. 

Cash can die of starvation, but he’ll only die of dehydration if he’s out of the water for long periods of time (meaning he has to drink water if he’s not living in it; if he’s in the water, then he’s fine). He’s extremely sensitive to high heat, though. He’s a cold water boy, and hot temperatures are a fast way to knock him on his ass. Especially hot water–this boy takes cold baths/showers exclusively. Summer heat is not his friend. He can’t survive for long periods in fresh water. He can maybe spend a bit of time there, but he can’t live in it. Chlorinated water will fuck him up really good, as would polluted water. Poisons are a danger for him, but he obviously can’t drown.