Hot Dips

Dragon grew over the course of a year. Some, like the birthday story, were written for a child, while others reflected everyday life. Since Dragon receives no support, I've decided to give her life elsewhere and will no longer publish the complete stories on Steemit.
At first I considered dedicating all the stories to the birthday child, but as Dragon evolves—and yes, her stories are and will continue to be edited—I've instead chosen to dedicate them to Brother.

"What is this? It’s full of ants," says Dragon, looking in horror at the writhing mass around her toes. "Aren’t there any anteaters here? Yuck."

Brother leans a little closer to the insect-covered mound. "That looks like the carcass of some... animal?"

"Oh, no," said Wolf. "That’s not an animal. "Those ants are constructing something—maybe a mound. It could be that bad weather is coming."

"Or they found something," says Dragon, "but I still don’t like insects. They’re too small and don’t fill the stomach. Let’s continue looking for the tub because my scales are itching like crazy, and that fat goat you found only woke up my rumbling stomach more."

"Still no sign of a bath," Brother complained, who also fancies a hot snack. It was the first time he’d had goat leg, and he hadn’t tasted much of it. That fat goat Wolf was talking about was a big disappointment. He blew a flame over the ants as he passed. If Dragon called something a "dirty dish," she usually had good reason.

"Look," growled Wolf. "Doesn’t this look wonderful?"

They looked delightedly at the bubbling mud bath before them.

"Hip, hip, hooray!" roared Brother as he jumped in and enjoyed the heat. "Oh, Dragon, this is good. Come in too!" The mud splashed all around. Wolf looked unrecognizable and jumped into the pool without saying a word.

"There’s a particular smell," he said as Dragon lowered herself into it. She sniffed and flambéed the surface. "There," she said. "If there’s anything dirty in it, it’s now disinfected. Let’s enjoy. It’s taken us long enough to find this."

In the middle of the mud bath, a large bubble appeared. Brother saw it first and smacked it with his tail.

Slowly, a turtle's head showed. "Leave it, you bunch of rascals. How dare you disturb my peace? Keep your hands off my food."

"Who are you?" Brother asked curiously.

"Turtle. And what are you doing here, you cheeky brat? How dare you take my food?" Turtle quickly grabbed the carcass that was floating next to Brother’s tail.

"That’s where that smell came from," growled Wolf. "Maybe you should eat faster if you don't want company."

Turtle let out a deep groan. "Mind your own business!"

"Just a little longer," said Dragon. "Then we’ll leave again. I’m sorry, Turtle, but I really need a hot dip, and this is the only bath I can fit in."