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With a small yawn, the golden-furred fox stretched his paws over his head, and his body gave a few small twitches and waking bends underneath his blanket. During his month-long journey, his wake-up call had been the rising sun, and today was no different as the cresting rays cast their white glow off the sides of his tent. With a few more flicks of his ears and tail, and a fluttering opening to his eyes, he slid his body free of his blanket with a few lazy kicks. He added in a few more stretches to wake up his legs and back before he was ready to crawl his way out of the tent.

He was a party of one, as few others would have the courage to follow him to a dragon’s lair. Even his squire hadn’t been up to the task. Therefore, the fox was forced to sleep right in the middle of his armor, weapons, and valuables, since he didn't want thieves to get easy access to his most important supplies, especially in these far-off and lawless fringes of the Kingdom. It made sleeping a little difficult as he only had a small tent, made for traveling light, so it ended up packed full. The rustling of metal on metal rung out in the morning air as the fox shifted around, crawling his way toward the entrance flap.

Sir Alymer the Valorous didn't just deal with any old problems. He was called upon for only the most intense, the most extreme, and the most unsolvable problems in the Kingdom. But sometimes even he was foiled by something as simple as crawling out of a tent. It took the fox a good few moments to push the armor out of the way as he struggled to open a path. With a few metallic clanks and lazy grunts, he eventually succeeded in creating the space he needed. A soft gasp left his muzzle as it poked out of the flap, and he took a deep breath of the fresh, chilly morning air to chill his lungs. He shivered, but it helped him to wake up before he carefully crawled the rest of the way out of the tent.

His fur fluffed out as another shiver shot through him. He was quick to turn around and reach back inside his tent for something more substantial to wear. His paws searched around for a moment, and with enough digging, he finally pulled out another layer with a victorious huff. He could almost see his breath as he quickly pulled on the garment, which instantly made him feel a bit warmer. He gave one final huff and pushed himself up to his feet, taking a moment to look out towards the mountain peaks just barely visible in the distance. With his target in sight, he said to no one in particular, “I can’t wait to get this over with. I didn’t come prepared for such cold weather, at least not as well as I would’ve liked. Hopefully I don't turn into an icicle before I reach that dragon's cave.”

His horse knickered back as if responding to his words, and that made the fox smile. His horse had been his only companion for the past few days, as the last true town was many miles behind him now. He walked over to give his trusty steed a soft pat on the side. But, as his paw was pulling away from the stallion’s side, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong.

Something was missing. The fox's keen eyes scanned the ground to see if it had simply fallen off during the night. Not seeing anything on the ground or underneath his stallion, his eyes slid towards the spot where he’d stored the rest of his gear the past night. To his horror, he noticed that the blanket he’d used to cover his supplies now only covered a few small lumps of dirt on the ground, clearly a vague attempt to hide the fact that most of his supplies were missing. Gasping and gritting his teeth, he raced over towards the pile, reluctant to see the bad news for himself as he pulled the blanket up. Whoever had done the deed must have been quite the practiced band of thieves to not alert his horse, who normally looked after his supplies like a guard dog. Any small noise and his horse would neigh and nicker up a storm, which was usually enough to scare any creatures off. Either the fox had been dead asleep last night, or these thieves had known exactly what they were doing and kept quiet.

Alymer cursed his luck and let out a few deep shouts into the morning air, but he knew as well as anyone that the thieves, and his stuff, were long gone by this point. He had no hope of retrieving his lost gear. He was many things, but a tracker wasn’t one of them—especially on this hard, rocky soil. As his brain started to come to terms with the fact that his supplies were gone, his mind flashed back to the pouch missing from his stallion’s side. Suddenly, the fox realized just what had been inside that pouch. His tail went stiff and he shivered.

He quickly rushed back towards his horse to confirm that the pouch was nowhere to be found. He looked high and low, in any spot that his horse might have wandered during the night, hoping to find it discarded on the ground. But, after all his frantic searching, he came up with nothing. Somehow, his pouch was gone. He let a heavy cry ring out into the air as he was finally forced to come to terms with it. His secret weapon had been taken from him. The thing that was the reason for his many years of successful service to his king. Of all the things the thieves could have stolen, why would they have taken his coffee beans?

Coffee was not a common drink around the Kingdom. It had to be imported from the depths of Africa, and even just a small amount of roasted beans would fetch a very high price. The fox was even paid by the king mostly in coffee beans. It had been that way ever since the fox had first gotten a taste for the bizarre liquid many years ago, and now he couldn’t imagine being without it for even a single morning. It was his secret weapon. It was the thing that got him ready for battle and action. He looked forward to it each and every time he got out of bed, and whenever he needed another boost of energy. And now. . . now it was gone.

He tilted his muzzle back, let out a powerful howl, and nearly dropped to his knees. His golden tail thrashed behind him as his paws clenched into tight balls at his side. He couldn’t go on, not without his coffee. Even now he could feel the tiredness lingering inside him. He already missed its strong taste that normally shot him awake. He craved to feel that warm, bubbling brew flowing into his belly. But that was all gone now. All taken by thieves that couldn’t have known just how valuable that pouch was to the fox.

He cursed himself again and again for not hiding it in his tent along with his armor, but he figured it would be safe outside. Few would know what coffee beans were, probably thinking they were just unusual and worthless black beans. He fell onto his knees with a tired, defeated grunt. He wanted to simply sit there forever. The wind blew through him, making him shiver again. Now he didn’t even have something warm to look forward to. A simple tea wouldn’t do it – it never did. He needed beans. Dark, roasted, full-of-life-and-energy beans!

Without them he barely had the energy to get up off the ground, or so he felt after the first rush of adrenaline had left him. His eyelids hung heavy. He struggled to even lift his arms off the ground. He let out a few soft sobs into his paws, but after a moment the fox seemed almost too tired to even cry. However, after the realization of his situation became too much to ignore, he knew that he had other things to worry about. He needed to take stock of his remaining supplies at the very least, then continue his journey. It hurt him to do so, but with a small huff he stood on shaky legs and slowly made his way towards the blanket once more.

He gave off a few more curses after he kicked off the blanket and took stock of the situation. The normal things that thieves would be after were, of course, plundered. Anything made of metal was gone, including his cooking pans and daggers. Worst of all, his coffee cup and grinder had both been taken. The thieves had taken everything they could carry, including most of his food. However, they must have been on foot and could only carry so much, leaving the fox with enough supplies to last at least a week. He had kept his gold and armor in his tent, so that had all been spared, but as he slowly built a fire to make his breakfast, he couldn’t help but shed another tear for the loss of his favorite beverage.

Breakfast just wasn’t the same. His cornmeal tasted bland and boring without that dark and rich kick beside it. He found his paw wandering towards where he usually placed his coffee cup on more than one occasion, only to grasp onto thin air instead. He forcibly finished off the last of his porridge in disgust, and then did his best to kill the small fire in front of him, pretending it was the thieves his boots were stomping out instead of the smoldering logs.

Even before the embers were cold, he could feel a distinct lack of energy inside him. His whole body’s motions were labored and slow as he worked to pack up whatever was left of his supplies. It took him longer and felt even harder than usual despite having much less to pack. Eventually, with a few tired heaves, everything was packed onto his stallion. That simply left one last thing—to put on his armor.

Normally it wouldn’t be that much of a struggle. He was used to wearing the heavy protection, and he’d spent the last month or so of travel almost constantly inside it. But, as he slowly assembled each piece, he could tell that his lack of energy was making things difficult. He was having trouble focusing, and his fingers just didn’t do as they were told, leaving him grunting and smacking his buckles more than a few times in frustration. It was quite a labored process, but eventually he finished with the mundane, but now extra difficult, task.

With a few strong pushes to his legs, he got his body moving, and then with one big heave he climbed into the saddle. He was happy to just sit down and relax for a moment, taking his time to try to focus his tired mind before leading his horse back onto the road.

Traveling without his cup of coffee in the morning left the fox miserable. He was glad there wasn’t anyone else around that he had to pay attention to, because his mind was wandering all day. Even the coming battle with the dragon that had consumed his thoughts over the previous month couldn’t hold his attention. Most of the time he was just barely functioning enough to keep his horse pointed towards the mountain.

As the sun set above the mountain, it shown into his eyes, and a headache started to pound in the back of his head. He did his best to close his eyes or shoot up a paw to block the light, but the sun was constant, and his energy and focus weren’t. Eventually he had all that he could take, and with a gentle huff, he decided to make camp for the night at the base of the mountain. The light was quickly fading, but he barely had the energy to set up his tent, slide off his armor, and build a fire to warm his dinner.

He gave a loud and disappointed grunt as he finally sat down after everything was set up, his tired body drooping forward and barely holding him up. He desperately craved that dark, burning taste against his tongue. He had walked around his desired campsite and picked anything he could throw into some hot water, just to have something strong to taste. A small collection of flowers, grasses, and other things he thought were safe to eat had ended up in a small satchel at his side. He couldn’t help but let out a yawn as he let them brew.

He took a small taste of the liquid once he finally deemed it ready, and just as quickly he was happy to spit it out. With a small shake of his head, he dumped the rest of his cup onto the grass. Coffee it certainly was not. With another tired sigh, he finished off his meal and made his way to bed. The enthusiasm had been leached out of him, and now all he really wanted to do was go back to the castle and get a fresh supply of his favorite beans. The dragon was a secondary concern. As apathy overtook him, he barely even cared enough to secure his remaining supplies.

The fox slept for what felt like ages, yet he didn’t awake refreshed. In fact, his headache had gotten worse. “If they only knew. . . how important those beans were to me. . .” He slowly sat up, rubbing his temple with a small, wincing groan. “And maybe to them as well if the rumored dragon is real,” he added with a fresh groan as he forced himself out of the tent.

Breakfast was yet more disappointment, and as Alymer fought his way into his armor, he couldn’t help but let out a string of evil curses. His fingers trembled as he worked to secure the heavy plates. His head still pounded with every thought. His focus and reflexes were nowhere near where they should have been. . . and yet he had to climb a mountain and deal with a dragon, the most vicious foe of which stories had ever spoken. He should’ve been worried. He should’ve been terrified. But he had no drive for victory or glory. He just wanted a cup of coffee.

With another tired yawn, he stared up at the peak in front of him. It wasn’t a very large mountain. The mountains behind it were far more impressive. But, it was the first large peak coming out from the flat plains in front of it, and it would certainly make a great vantage point for something like a dragon. It would take him a few hours to climb up to a small cave he could see halfway up the mountain. He could be up to the cave and back within the day if he could find the energy inside him to do so. After all, he was Sir Alymer the Valorous! The whole Kingdom was depending on him, and he was right at the beast’s doorstep. There was no way he could back down now, and he had to draw on every last ounce of his strength, even if there was no coffee in his system to help him do so.

With those thoughts pushing him, he started his climb, taking what equipment he needed and leaving the rest back at his camp. His horse would guard what was left, or so he hoped. The trek was easy at first as the mountain sloped upward, but around noon he hit the steepest part. It was hard in his armor, and the fox wished almost constantly that he’d brought a lighter set. His fatigue and lack of focus weren’t helping either. A few times he almost stumbled and fell back down the mountain, only to be saved by a surge of adrenaline which counterered the absence of caffeine. It was a long and arduous journey, but the fox finally made it to the cave’s mouth, sweating and panting. He found a place to sit at the edge to catch his breath.

He reached for his canteen and got a few much-needed gulps of water, although he found it nearly empty. The climb had been more difficult than he thought. He closed his empty canteen and gave his temples another strong rub with his paw, closing his eyes and doing all he could to push his constant headache back. It didn’t work. It hadn’t worked all day. All he could do was give one last grumble into his paw, cursing those thieves for what felt like the thousandth time.

It was at that point that he heard something stir behind him. His tired ears twitched and his adrenaline kicked in, and he shot up onto his feet in one quick motion. He reached behind him and pulled out his sword from the sheath on his back, holding it in front of him as he spun around to face the cave’s darkness. As his eyes began to adjust, he saw a shadow move deep inside the cave. After a few slow and cautious steps forward, the fox began to chase it.

He was on autopilot now, pushing almost everything else out of his mind - even the headache that had become unbearable on the climb up. He gave his eyes another moment to adjust before taking a few more cautious but confident steps into the cave. Hearing a few more shuffling noises from deeper inside, he pushed even further into the dark abyss. He was in the heat of the moment now, all his previous troubles forgotten. His gently twitching paws knew what to do as they held the sword in front of him, eager to strike at the first thing that came into range.

He heard more shuffling and saw a vague outline of something moving in the darkness, and again he chased it cautiously, taking a few firm steps forwards. But, the longer his chase took through the twisting depths of the cave, the more he could feel his adrenaline fading. His body had given everything it had on the climb up the mountain, and even now, faced with potential danger and death, he was losing focus. Without anything to fill his reserves back up, the fox felt himself slowing, and soon his breathing became deep and labored as he tried to figure out where the shadow had gone.

It didn’t take him long to find out. As he entered a large opening in the cavernous passageway, a jet of light and heat shot towards him, leaving him little time to react. It singed the edge of his exposed fur, but luckily for him he was just far enough away to be otherwise unscathed. Nevertheless, that sudden blast of light had more of an effect than its creator had probably anticipated, making the fox’s headache surge in intensity. He shouted weakly and nearly dropped his sword as his paw shot up towards his eyes, giving them a strong rub to try and quell the tingling pain deep inside his forehead. It was a reflexive action, and after realizing he was doing it, he quickly opened his eyes and pulled his paw away, trying to get back into his battle stance as quickly as he could. When his mind refocused, he saw a dragon! A real-life, fire-breathing dragon!

The fire from the dragon’s powerful burst had lit a torch on the wall to his side, and in the dull light the fox could see the beast’s head rise up, a powerful smirk on its muzzle. The creature had to be nearly twenty feet high and three times as long, standing on all four legs and looming ominously over the fox’s own smaller frame. The bright green scales covering most of his body contrasted vividly with his bright yellow belly in the weak lighting.

The beast had clearly seen Alymer’s reaction to the flames. With something close to a laugh the dragon shouted, “What’s the matter, oh powerful and valiant knight? Is the heat already too much for you to handle?”

Alymer growled and gritted his teeth as his paws wrapped around the hilt of his sword, waving it threateningly at the dragon as he shouted, “You will only surprise me once, dragon. I have you in my sights now. Your reign of terror ends—”

A short, but still rather obvious, yawn tore his muzzle open and left him gasping for breath.

He raised a paw to block the sight of it from the dragon, and then he shook his head to shake off the sudden tired feeling. The dragon cocked his head to the side, looking just a little confused. The fox tried not to let the yawn stop him. With a strong swing of his sword, Alymer refocused his gaze on the dragon and continued, “Your reign of terror ends now!”

The dragon just stared back at the fox, but soon enough his blank expression turned fierce once again, and he bellowed, “My reign ends when I say it ends! You really think you can defeat me in battle?”

Alymer had to stifle another yawn against his shoulder as he held up his sword in a two-pawed grip, showing it off to the dragon with slower swings than before. “I have defeated many foes in battle,” he said after another brief yawn. “You will be yet another.”

“Well then,” the dragon cackled with a toothy smile. “Prove yourself, warrior!” With that he unleashed another burst of fire from his jaws. He aimed it up at the roof of the cavern instead of near the fox this time. It was more to intimidate the fox and show off his own deadly weapon, but even if it wasn’t directed at Alymer, it still hurt the fox plenty. Another surge of pain shot through his head at the sudden bright light, and the fox felt a weak whimper leak through his lips. The flash of light made him bring his paw up to his eyes and try to rub the burn right out of his skull. With another shake of his muzzle, he tried to get rid of the pain, but now the dragon really began to stare at him strangely.

The fox tried to push on and take that moment of weakness as an advantage, running at the dragon with his sword swinging. But, because of his lack of focus, he stumbled more than he ran towards the beast. The heavy weight of his sword sent him off-balance, and at the same time his foot kicked an exposed rock, making him trip.

The fox’s sudden yelp echoed in the stony halls of the cavern as he fell, followed by the loud and cacophonous clang as his armor hit the stone floor. He managed to keep hold of his sword, although the same could not be said of his pride. He didn’t even bother to try to get up quickly. He didn’t have the energy. Instead, he slowly crawled up onto his knees, and then with a few strained grunts he pushed himself back up to a standing position.

The dragon, by this point, had taken a step back, more out of respect for the fallen knight than fear. He shot another confused glance down at the panting and wobbling. “Are. . . you okay? Do you need a moment to gather yourself or something?”

“I’m fine,” Alymer shot back through gritted teeth, giving his sword another semi-threatening swing in front of him.

“You don’t look it,” the dragon continued, his tone turning from fierce to concerned.

“I don’t need your pity!” the fox snapped back, giving the dragon as firm a glare as his tired eyes could muster. “I will still vanquish you!”

The large beast’s caring voice rang out in the small room as he replied, “You want to take a little rest first? A quick drink of water? A breather, or maybe a nap?”

Alymer growled, spitting out through his clenched jaw, “What I really need is a cup of coffee, but since I don’t have that, I’ll just have to run you through without it!”

The words between them went quiet for a moment, but soon the dragon cocked his head and said, “Did you say coffee?”

“Yeah,” the fox snarled back, taking one more step forward and jabbing his sword’s tip towards the dragon’s looming head. “But no matter. I can smite you without it if I must.”

The dragon looked far from afraid as a smile slowly creeped over his face, making the fox pull back into a defensive stance. He wasn’t sure what the beast had planned, but before the fox could do anything, the dragon’s form began to shift. The once-towering feral dragon of nearly twenty feet shrank and squished, his body twisting and turning as it pulled back in on itself, condensing into a much smaller form. The flickering firelight made it hard to see, but after about thirty seconds, the large beast had ended up nearly the fox’s own size. When the transformation was done, Alymer nearly dropped his sword in surprise

The dragon’s colors and other features remained the same, but now he was standing on two legs only a few dozen feet away from the fox. “Excuse my nudity for a moment,” the dragon said, walking down a side passageway as the fox was left staring in awe. A moment later the dragon returned, his green and yellow scales now covered by a large, dark cloak. “I don’t often have a need for clothing,” he continued, taking a few more steps into the light and towards the stiff fox.

Alymer’s sword was still pointed at him, but the dragon didn’t seem too worried as he crept closer. Nevertheless, the dragon kept himself just out of striking range. “Well, I’m clearly not a threat anymore, am I?” the dragon said, holding up his paws to show that they were empty. “Is the sword really necessary? Especially raised like that?”

Alymer knew it had to be some kind of trick, but at the same time he had no decent way to counter it as he’d never heard of a dragon doing anything like this before. Though, the dragon looked harmless enough, and combined with his friendly tone, it sucked the tension straight out of the fox. Left with no other option against the calm and ‘defenseless’ dragon, Alymer slowly lowered his sword. He did, however, keep a firm hold on it just to be safe.

The dragon extended his paw slowly out as if to shake Alymer’s own in a friendly gesture, making sure not to startle the fox. Alymer wasn’t quite comfortable enough for that though, and all the dragon’s extended paw got was a firm glare and a tightening of his grip on his sword hilt.

The dragon didn’t seem phased by that, pulling back his paw and continuing, “Would it make you any friendlier if I told you I am familiar with your coffee drink?”

That did in fact make the fox perk up, and a new rush of energy shot through his veins at the mere mention of coffee. His ears twitched and swiveled towards the dragon. Although he opened his muzzle to say something, no words came out.

“Not much of a talker, are you?” the dragon added after a moment of silence. “That’s a shame. It does get rather lonely around here, and I could use a good chat. And you were so chatty only a moment ago.”

Alymer did his best to shake off the dragon’s comeback as he finally found the words in his throat. “You know about coffee?” he said with a weak waver to his voice.

The dragon gave a gentle nod, his eyes twinkling at the mention of the beverage. “Oh yes, I know a great deal,” he exclaimed with a wide smile. “Perhaps it’d be best if I showed you.”

The fox’s tail gave a heavy twitch at that news. His mouth already watering for a taste of the long-missed liquid, not even caring at this point if this might be a trap.

“But first,” the dragon said, gesturing with his muzzle at the fox’s sword, “put that thing away please. Dreadful if things really had to come to that.”

Alymer hesitated as he considered the dragon’s request. He fought against his instincts as he reached up and slid the sword into the sheath on his back. It’d still be at the ready should he need it, but at this point the dragon had him beaten already, simply with words. He wasn’t thinking about fighting the dragon. All his tired mind could think about was coffee.

“That’s better,” the dragon exclaimed before turning around. His long tail swayed with each step as he began walking into the darkness, and then with a sudden burst of flame from his muzzle, he lit up another torch along the wall. Alymer had to hide his eyes as the bright flash made his head ring. After a second burst of flame for another torch, the fox let out a little yip at the surge of light as he brought his paw to his forehead again. With that noise ringing around the cave, the dragon turned around and gasped at the fox’s state. “Oh. . . I do apologize. I forgot that the fire. . . oh, the bright light. . . the headache. . .” The dragon let each word hang as if he was slowly piecing something together inside his head. Then with one final gasp he said, “I get it! I understand everything now! You haven’t had any coffee for a few days, have you?”

The fox slowly shook his head as he pulled his paw away from his eyes for a final time. “No, not for two days now.”

“Ahh, coffee withdrawal!” the dragon exclaimed. He smiled at the fox and then slowly turned back around to continue leading him into the darkness, trying to keep the fire to a minimum. “Terrible thing, that. Headaches, fatigue, lack of focus and motivation. Whenever I don’t get my supply, I go through the same. It usually leads to a few new stories passing throughout the Kingdom, I’m sure.”

“Your. . . supply?” Alymer said with a small gasp as they walked into another large room, this one already lit by a few burning torches. The moment the air of the room hit his nostrils, the scent of roasted coffee beans smacked him upside the head, and with a deep breath he took it all in, feeling so much better already just from the fumes. “Your supply,” the fox continued dreamily, his body nearly floating as his nose followed the scent towards a small stash of crates and bags in the corner of the room.

The dragon chuckled at that display, at least until Alymer was about to touch the containers. Before he could, the dragon hurried over, pushing his body between the fox and the stash. “You really are desperate, aren’t you?” he said with a good-hearted chuckle. “How do you take your coffee? Black, I assume? Coarse grind? Fine grind?”

“Black?” Alymer said, confused and inattentive. Coffee was so close, yet the dragon was keeping him from it. He wanted to push the dragon out of the way and just dive in, but the last bit of restraint inside him kept him from doing that, knowing it probably wouldn’t end well for him.

The dragon just gave a small and almost disappointed shake of his head. “Straight up, without anything added. Simple, effective, yet only one of many possibilities. I won’t even bother asking the bean’s source. It has to be one of the more common ones. Central African most likely.” Without skipping a beat, he took out a small scoop and dug it into the large bag on the floor. He brought up those roasted beans and tossed them into some kind of can on top of a nearby table. With a few twists of a handle, the fox’s ears picked up the familiar sounds of grinding beans, and soon enough his mouth was watering as he watched the dragon pour the grindings from the can into another contraption.

There was no way Alymer could follow the complicated twisting of glass tubing and alchemical equipment the dragon used next. It was all spread out on a table, a maze of glass and metal. All the fox cared about was that at the end a dark-black liquid poured into a ceramic cup. The sight of the dragon picking up the cup and offering it to him was better than all of his wildest dreams.

The fox’s common sense was screaming at him not to, but the rest of him was already diving forwards. He reached out for the cup with shaky paws, feeling the dragon let go as he got a grip on the ceramic. “Careful,” the dragon said with a smile. “I tend to brew it a bit hotter than others can handle.”

Alymer didn’t care. For coffee, he could deal with the burns to his tongue. He carefully sipped up just a little over the rim of the cup. From the moment that hot liquid touched his taste buds, he could feel his body getting the much-needed jolt of energy it so desperately craved. Despite the burn on his tongue, his eyes closed in pure bliss at the taste. He pushed past the pain as the liquid slid down his throat, wincing a bit as he swallowed. But the heavy rush that shot through him a moment later made the seared throat worth it.

Instead of taking another sip he simply held his nose over the cup, breathing heavily in and out to enjoy the aroma. “Good?” the dragon asked with a smirk.

“The best I’ve ever had,” Alymer responded absentmindedly.

It took a few moments for the fox to finally get over that first rush, giving the dragon plenty of time to make his own cup of coffee. They took seats side by side at a nearby table, with the dragon having to sit on an old crate as he didn’t have need for a second seat. By that point the fox was able to carefully sip at his slightly cooled brew. The dragon happily slurped away next to him, seeming content to be taking a coffee break even at this time of the day.

The two were silent for a while as each enjoyed their own cup. Before long a little conversation started to spring up between them, and Alymer began to tell the story of how he ended up at the dragon’s lair.

“So bandits stole your coffee, huh?” Maven, which turned out to be the dragon’s name, remarked with a small chuckle when Alymer ducked his head at the question. “And you still were going to face down a fearsome dragon? Well, I suppose the stories they say about you are true then.”

Alymer nodded with a smile as he took another careful sip, feeling himself relax as the familiar sensations started to soothe his body back into normalcy. The coffee was doing exactly what it was supposed to, leaving him feeling warm and comfortable inside. His headache was fading, his alertness was building, and his mood was improving with each sip. “I guess the stories got at least one of us right.”

“Oh, I’m every bit as fearsome as they come,” Maven joked with a smile. “When I want to be, at least. But I take what I need, usually from natural sources, and try to leave the people alone. That is, unless I want their attention.”

That caused the fox’s eyebrow to rise and his tail to sway a little behind him. “Oh really? Well, you got it!” He smirked as he gently tapped against the side of his coffee cup.

“The truth is I was waiting for you,” Maven continued after another small sip. “I’ve actually been thinking of moving my territory across the ocean. The coffee-growing weather there is lovely, and there are far fewer people to bother. I just needed a reason to go. And, let’s just say that if a knight came all the way here to slay the dragon, that would be a perfect reason to have to leave.”

“But,” Alymer said, “if I did that then you’d be dead. You wouldn’t have to worry about moving.”

Maven burst out laughing, letting his chuckles linger awhile before catching his breath. “Oh, you people. . . how little you know of the world. No offense of course, but it still humors me.”

“None taken?” Alymer responded, slightly confused, although not one to argue with the same dragon who saved him from his lack of coffee.

“Ahh, but there are ways,” Maven continued with a smile. He left it at that as he dove in for another sip, and then after a moment of silence he continued, “If you need some kind of trophy from a slain dragon, I’d be more than happy to provide. A horn of some kind, perhaps? That’s the most common.”

“Sure,” Alymer said with a nod. “You can do that?”

“With ease,” he replied. “It’ll take me a few weeks to move all my things, but I can guarantee this will be the last you’ll see of me around here. That is, unless I decide to come back for a vacation sometime. Maybe I’ll bring you a present from the new country, since you’ve made this whole process easier than I ever thought it would be.”

“It’s you who’ve made it easy,” Alymer said, raising his cup in the air and offering a toast.

Maven bowed his head and let his own mug clank against the fox’s before pulling back and taking another sip. “To making the process easy for both of us.” The dragon paused and let out a deep breath before continuing. “Oh, and as a final gift of goodwill, I know where those bandits’ hideout and storeroom is. I’m sure they haven’t even touched your coffee beans. Such a waste. I figured you could stop by on your way back and give them what they’ve got coming. I’ll even toss in a few of my special blends of coffee for your trip, just so you have the energy to dispatch them.”

“You read my mind,” Alymer said with a wide smirk and another gentle sip from his quickly emptying cup. “Trust me. Those bandits will see the full fury of a fox who hasn’t had his coffee for a few days.”

“Quite the scary sight indeed, I know,” Maven added, bursting out into another hearty chuckle even as he tried to keep his voice steady. That made the fox blush and he shoved his muzzle down into his cup, trying to hide it for just a moment. Eventually, though, he couldn’t help but join in for a shared chuckle between the quickly growing friends.

All it had taken was a cup of coffee for the fox to slay the dragon plaguing the countryside, but he was the only one who needed to know it. Let those songs and stories ring about his valor and bravery. He had everything he needed right there in his paw. A warm cup of the best beverage one could dream of: coffee.