The Columnar Basalt in Meshgin-shahr, northwest Iran, is a breathtaking sight. The rock formations are like nothing I've ever seen before. Photo by Afrab Group (Mehdi Javid)/IG
2026: Bingie Bingie Point igneous suite, where there are a couple of episodes of felsic and mafic dyking (aplite, dolerite, basalt) into the Devonian Tuross Head tonalite and an associated gabroic diorite.
Author’s note: howdy hi! New story with Chris and a new character of mine, Iggy! Just some fearplay and fluff :) if you like please reblog and comment, it does help!!
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Sweltering heat choked the air. Birds bobbed and weaved through the trees, fairies flitted on the wind, and bugs sang their summer tunes. Every sound felt croaky and out of rasped. Or maybe that was bias. Chris groaned as she swiped fruitlessly at her forehead to dispel any lingering sweat and the brunette locks each drop glued down. Gods above, why did they have to smile so much warmth upon the world today?
Grass and undergrowth crunched beneath her feet as she hurried through the wood. Even the trees looked sagged, wilted and withering under the oppressive sun. Shade was a small reprieve, though the canopy hardly gave enough relief to matter. Chris kept her gaze fixed ahead. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could strip herself of her scrubs and take a long, freezing shower. Maybe make a drink. Something frozen…
Her daydreams of air conditioning were cut short at a sound. A snap. She froze. Years of taking this path home taught her to never ignore a snap of a branch. Especially when said snap sounded like that of a bone. Any branch thick enough to cause a tremble through the ground was immediate cause for concern. The trees had fallen silent, too, thousands of unseen eyes watched the wood as something stalked among them.
Chris’ gaze twisted around. Nothing behind her. Nothing immediately visible, anyway. She felt her stomach twist and drop. Slowly, she continued to move forward, eyes never on one spot. It wasn’t far now…
There, in her left. A rustle. Chris whipped to face it, backing up. Still nothing. Her eyes desperately dug across the treeline. No movement, no sound, nothing but the nearly painful thump of her heart in her throat as she backpedaled. Then what…?
All at once, her body collided into something solid. Fear colder than ice crawled down her skin, so sharp it almost hurt. Her body shuddered as she peeled her eyes from the trees, slowly, dragging them up and over her head. A cool blue gaze met hers, framed by a ghoulishly white snout. Chris darted forwards, hunched, turning to face the creature at her back.
A drake, dragon, something huge and standing and scaled faced her now. He was tall as a young tree, her head reaching only to his torso. Thick arms crossed over his chest. Each was a deep purple, or maybe black, lined with scales and ending in brutish palms. She could see his tail swishing behind him, slow and relaxed. Pointed ears perked-curious. Nonthreatening. Casual. Chris swallowed dryly; it wasn’t enough reason to stop being weary.
“Hello, ah…” she shook her head, realizing she’d been staring. Not wise when dealing with a drake. The human forced her eyes to the treeline, then back to him. “Sorry, you…you startled me,” she brushed off her arms to dispel the rising goosebumps.
He grinned, “I can tell,” the stranger crooned. He stepped forwards. The ground trembled-or maybe she did. Chris shrank back. “Now, what’s a human like you doing out in a heat like this?”, he continued.
Chris shifted. She fidgeted with her scrubs, fingers eager to distract themselves. “I, uh, I work at a clinic not far from here. With mythical folk. I’m a doctor.” As the moments passed, she felt the initial terror melt slightly, allowing her mind the time to examine him. A drake, definitely. Potentially a full dragon in human guise. He was young, even in the dappled light of the trees she could see his scales glitter. Young meant fast. She couldn’t outrun him.
His gaze narrowed. Blue eye swept over her like a fire devouring a home. There was something hungry in that azure blaze. Something curious too, but as soon as it came, it was gone. In its place was a smile of recognition.
“Ah, Christina,” the drake nodded to himself.
Chris opened her mouth, closed it, letting out an inquisitive squeak. How does he…?
“Foalan sends his regards,” the drake leaned left, causing the tree at his side to moan under his weight. “Aidan, too, begrudgingly of course.”
She felt the tension fade. A breath she’d been holding sputtered out of her. That explained the recognition. Maybe the couple sent him her way?
“Yes, I-I’m sorry, I don’t think…I’m not sure they’ve mentioned you,” Chris laughed breathlessly. “Those two know just about every dragon this side of the mountains…”
“Those two have half of the mountain in their territory,” he chuckled. “They’re the oldest here too… Bound they know all the comings and goings of the dragons ‘round here.”
Chris nodded, relaxing a tad more. He knew the pair and seemingly respected them as the region’s elders, all good signs. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name.”
“Ah, sorry-Igneous,” he placed a clawed hand to his chest, a stark darkness against the light of his shirt. His head dipped. “Call me Iggy.”
She dipped her head in kind, hand to her chest. “Nice to put a name to a face,” she smiled. “So, what brings you to this part of the wood? I don’t…know many drakes that frequent human territories…” She looked over his face, head tilting at the whiteness of his snout and upper jaw. A thick, flat snout too… “…especially hybrids.” she added.
Now he looked surprised. “Wow.” Iggy shook his head with a smirk. “Not many humans figure that out…you know your stuff.”
“I study,” she shrugged. I hardly, she grinned at her confirmed suspicion. Curiosity prickled beneath her skin, piqued by the rarity before her. A fire and ice dragon hybrid-a treat of a find. She leaned to one side. He was heavyset for a drake, ice dragons typically were to stand the cold. Explained the skull-like face, too. The sheen of his other scales and thick claws had to be the fire side of his blood. Chris nodded to herself, hands itching for a pen to take notes.
“Yeah…I can tell,” his voice cut through her musing.
Chris averted her gaze. “Sorry! I just-I haven’t met-“
“It’s fine,” he laughed. It was a deep, gentle baritone with some gravel to it, a boulder leisurely tumbling down a hill. “I get that more than you know.”
She nodded, wiping at her brow. It felt dryer than before. Chris frowned. When had she last had water…? At work, had to be. She sighed. “I hate to cut this meeting short, but I’ve gotta get inside,” she straightened, hating how the motion reminded her of the heat. “It’s too hot for me.”
Iggy tilted his head. “Aw, so soon?” He stepped forward, drowning her in a heavy shadow. “Here, let me give ya a lift.” A paw as big as a kitchen chair stretched out to her.
Chris blinked. While the offer was kind… “You’re a little small to be giving me a lift.” She met his gaze. His head tilted again as if he hadn’t considered that.
“I can fix that.” He raised a hand, and before she could protest she heard the words of a spell.
“W-wait I didn’t-!” Chris threw her hands out, onto to feel her head spin. Oh gods. The world seemed to drop away like someone closed curtains over her eyes. Had she not been so disoriented, she would have been terrified. She collapsed forward into a cool and soft surface. Before she could react further, vertigo threw her into another spin as the world dropped away. Like the world’s worst elevator turned roller coaster, she was lifted into the air.
By the time everything stopped spinning and rolling, Chris realized she was cupped against a chest, leaning against Iggy’s shirt. She shook her head to ground herself.
“There, now-which way?”
If his voice had been rumbling before, it was nearly earth-rattling now. It took Chris a moment to register what he’d said.
“Which way…where?” She squeaked, dazed.
“To your place, I said I’d give ya a lift.”
“R…right,” blinking, Chris rubbed her eyes. She glanced around the much smaller treeline until she found a familiar path. “I…um, if you turn around and head that way, down the little path, we should get there…” Quickly, given how tall he was. Longer legs, longer strides.
“Got it,” his voice rumbled behind her.
She squeezed her eyes shot as he turned, keeping herself from getting dizzy again, and opened them once she felt the dip-rocking sensation of him walking. Being carried was a strange sensation-not an unfamiliar one. Almost like riding a very slow horse, save one could lie down. The idea was tempting, admittedly. Iggy was delightfully cold against the heat of the day. She could feel herself finally beating the heat that had plagued her. Still…
“Y’know, I…you didn’t have to shrink me,” Chris mumbled. One of Iggy’s fingers, now nearly as tall has her, twitched.
“Nah, I didn’t, but this is faster anyway.” His hand rose and dropped beneath her as he shrugged. “‘Sides, Aidan and Foalan said you didn’t mind being small.”
Chris felt her face redden. Right. Of course the pair told him that. She glanced up. “They say anything else about me?”
“A few things, actually.” his hand lifted slightly, bringing her more level to his face. Over the bridge of his snout, blue eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. “You don’t mind being eaten, either.”
She shrank back instinctively. Her stomach twisted at the thought. While he wasn’t wrong, being eaten by a complete stranger was always a gamble she was, rightfully, wary to take. Even one that knew the old dragons. As soon as the mischievous look appeared, it softened, and Chris was lowered back down to his chest.
“But I’ll do that later,” Iggy snickered at her back.
“That’s not reassuring,” Chris crossed her arms as she begrudgingly leaned against his chest. In the distance, she could see her house. She felt some relief ease a new tension in her shoulders. “You’re gonna magic me back to my normal size before you leave, right?”
“Hmmm…I could,” his clawed thumb curled inwards, poking at her gently. “But…it’d be more fun to hang around a little longer, I think~.”
She faltered. “And…what does that mean?”
“Foalan and Aidan also said you were a cuddler…”
Chris frowned. She really needed to have a talk with those two about what they told people about her. “I…guess with friends,” she muttered. Despite herself, she let herself lean into Iggy's chest a little more. A nice nap did sound in order… “How long will I be tiny for?”
“Few hours, long enough to get a good nap in.” Iggy’s smooth pace slowed as he approached Chris’s house. Seemed he’d had the same idea as her.
Even from here Chris could see waves of heat over the dark brick. She shifted. Maybe an impromptu cooling cuddle session wouldn’t be too bad… Not like she had much choice.
