Slime, Snails, and Crocodile Tails

That's what ol' Zeke's made of.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Things To Know:

This is a blog for Zeke from Spyro Reignited, based on my own headcanons for him

This blog is crossover and oc friendly

Mun is from TimeKeeperLindar, who caved and made another rp sideblog for her favorite swamp grandpa

Let's keep it cool and have fun!

[twelvedozenterrors]

Under The Weather

zekethebeastmaker:

Zeke perked some at Sadie's comment, and then he looked over his own handiwork. He nodded, once. "Lil' 'un, you're exactly right," Zeke said, and gently moved the tub so it wasn't directly in the way anymore. "Good on ya for catchin' that. It could have gone badly for anyone tryin' to get through." "Thanks!" Another voice, somewhat creaky and feminine, said, though the speaker was as of yet unseen. "You're quite welcome-" Zeke froze suddenly, eyes wide, stiff as a board. Suddenly a head emerged from the portal- a dragoness with yellow scales and emerald green eyes like a reptile's, that seemed to glow under the wide brim of her pointed hat. Under the brim curled two white horns, and out of the sides of the hat itself four more protruded; all in all, she looked terrifying. The witch grinned, showing off sharp, jagged teeth. "Boo!" Zeke yelped and jumped almost ten feet in the air, clutching his chest as if afraid his heart was going to burst out and make a run for it without him. He landed back down, shaking and breathing heavily. The witch cackled and emerged fully from the portal- more of, she slithered out, somehow, moving on two legs with the same sinuous grace of a venomous serpent. What emerged was a crooked, whip thin figure clothed in a dark green witch's dress. Her yellow and turquoise wings snapped out in the humid swamp air. A crooked broomstick was held in her tail, while a basket hung from the crook of an elbow. "Sssorry, Zeekie," she chuckled through her fangs, "but I couldn't help myself; really, you ought not to be so scareable." Zeke calmed down enough to glare at her. Still, he kept his tone somewhat cordial, despite his shaking. "...'Ello, Zantha. What brings ya down these parts?" "Just here for some slime and snails- and puppy dog tails, you know, the typical grocery list for my sort. And also a little something for my dear Cedric, too. He's writing a fascinating thesis, you know, on how the consistency of certain ingredients can have an effect on the potency of magic poultices-" She seemed to catch movement in the corner of one of those green reptilian eyes, and then with a snap of her neck, they were focused on the hatchlings. Another sharp grin broke out across her face, and she wiggled the crooked claws of one talon at them. "Well heeellooo, little pretties," she cooed, "what are you doing here? Zeke's little helpers, I assume?"

And terrifying she was for little George.

The ailing hatchling was already stressed enough before Zantha burst out of the portal in all of her delightfully witchy glory, every single muscle in her lanky body seemingly incapable of not moving in an uncanny manner.

It was like she simultaneously was but wasn’t a dragon; the sort of thing Mudada might make if he ever got drunk, inexplicably took an interest in woodwork and carved a life-size marionette. The unshapely horror of the night that riddled most toddlers with fear...and utterly enthralled Sadie.

Which would have been the case had Zantha’s timely appearance not awoken something territorial in her.

This was Sadie’s swamp, and she was its witch. Not even that resounding boo put an end to the hatchling’s contemplative, threatening glare; although her body lowered, it was merely to give way for her neck to contort uncomfortably to keep her snout in this...this usurper’s general direction.

George didn’t have the energy to jump or shriek like Zeke - it was already astounding that someone so weathered by the sands of time could even manage such a feat, and what was just a friendly, Zantha-style greeting only pushed him over the edge, eliciting a fearful whimper.

“Who dares approach the Wicked Witch of the Wetlands?!”

Sadie leapt forth, putting her all into psyching out the intruder with an unnatural shuffle, far too tiny to look anything but cute to the witch that towered above her.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke, (once he managed to get his heart started again with a few quick bumps), saw the effect Zantha was having on the little dragons and glared at her.

"Now look what ya've went and did!" He chastised, though he didn't need to; Zantha seemed to feel bad enough about it, already. Clearly, one of these hatchlings was very ill, and her presence had only made things worse.

A transformation overcame her usually eerie features. Those glowing green eyes softened, and her crooked, sharp figure eased into more gentle slopes and curves as she knelt down. She cooed to the hatchling in the tub, and with a wave of one hand summoned a small ice pack wrapped in a white towel that she placed gently on his head.

"Poor little thing," she said, "you must be George. I'm so sorry I frightened you. I know I look like someone who causes curses, but I didn't mean to make myself one now."

She shook her head shamefully, but the motion caused her to see past the wide brim of her hat, and she tilted it somewhat to see the other now indignant hatchling. She grinned to herself, then winked subtly at George.

She jolted up as if startled by Sadie's proclamation. The dragonness clutched her broomstick closely as if it were a comfort of some sort, and trembled all over. The shuffle was cute to her, but anyone looking on with only her reaction as a guide would have thought it was the most horrifying dance since the monster mash.

"Oh, dear!" She cried, "I'm so s-s-s-sorry, madam Sadie! If I had kn-known these were your lands, I wouldn’t have dreamed of setting foot here! Oh me oh my! Whatever should I do, Zeke?!" She shuddered dramatically, then turned to the Beastmaker, twisting her broomstick between her crooked talons.

Zeke tried to suppress a smile. "Well," he drawled, "all that's lefta do is to beg for mercy. She might feel benevolent, if you're lucky."

Zantha nodded rapidly and turned to Sadie again. "Please, could you find it in you to have a little mercy on a fellow witch?"

It was taking all her power to hold back her smiles and laughter; she hadn't a challenge like that since her and Cedric's wedding. However, she did manage another surreptitious wink in Zeke's direction.

[twelvedozenterrors]

Under The Weather

zekethebeastmaker:

With George’s temperature now under control, Zeke was able to relax a little. The water already seemed to be doing the youngin’ good: he wasn’t nearly as bad off as when Zeke first saw him. Still, a little more treatment may be necessary, just to ensure that he wasn’t going to suffer from heat stroke. Once Sadie came back with the jar, Zeke gave her a nod of approval and gently took the jar from her and patted her on the head.“ Thank you, lil’ un. You’ve been a big help today. I think George here can agree.” Then he unscrewed the lid and scooped out some of the glistening blueish slime inside. It was sticky, and smelled very faintly of mint. This he slathered on George’s forehead and wrists- the result being that the little guy was more slimy than usual, but already much cooler.“ There we go. Now we ought to sit you down by one of them portals to Magic Crafter’s- sometimes a breeze or two comes through there. Sadie, come along, now.” He picked up the tub- hatchling and all- with relative ease, and only mild creaking and cracking in his joints. Fortunately, a portal wasn’t too far off, and a mild walk led them down a winding pathway to one of the portals; Zeke set the tub down near it, and stuck his hand out, testing the air around the portal- besides some crackles of magical energy across his scales, there was also an ever so slight chill, a hint of coolness. Zeke sighed in relief and settled down by the tub, then put a hand on George’s forehead again as a way to monitor his body temperature. But he was so busy with tending to the ill little hatchling, that he didn’t mind the portal, or anyone- or anything- that might have been coming through.

Sadie had been all too glad to relinquish the jar, her first act with her newfound freedom would be to lick her jaws and help rid them of the unpleasant sensation. Life would be so much easier once she was big enough to wield her hands.

And speaking of unpleasant sensations, it was George’s turn to experience them.

Almost every part of his body above water found itself coated in ointment within seconds of Sadie’s return. Both hatchlings shuddered; George from being left a slimy mess and Sadie from watching Zeke slather him with goo.

All said and done, George was just relieved he didn’t have to consume anything. He spun his head to make eye contact with Sadie once Zeke expressed gratitude on his behalf, still not much for conversation in his fatigued state. What little energy he had right now was better spent keeping a tight grip on the rim of the tub while he was being transported.

Sadie followed - or more accurately, lead the way to the portal with how quickly she overtook the other dragons; she was a little too familiar with the location by now.

A glance over her shoulder confirmed Zeke was still far behind, so she reluctantly came trotting back, demanding “Hurry up, it’s cold over there!”

Bratty as she was being (as to be expected from her), she had good intentions - and if she was back to behaving in the manner familiar to those who knew the Wicked Witch of the Wetlands, it meant she knew George was going to be fine.

After far too much time for Sadie’s liking, George’s makeshift cooling station finally got set down in front of the archway.

This wasn’t ideal.

While the thought might not have occurred to Zeke, it certainly did to Sadie, who immediately shot him a glare. The tub would prove hazardous if it remained directly in front of the portal, ready to catch travellers off-guard the moment they passed through - and that meant she had a legitimate reason to boss him around.

“We’re not s’posed to put him right at the front,” Sadie chided the ancient dragon, close enough to make George recoil from the volume. “Damon made Ajax trip into the mud like that.”

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke perked some at Sadie's comment, and then he looked over his own handiwork. He nodded, once.

"Lil' 'un, you're exactly right," Zeke said, and gently moved the tub so it wasn't directly in the way anymore. "Good on ya for catchin' that. It could have gone badly for anyone tryin' to get through."

"Thanks!" Another voice, somewhat creaky and feminine, said, though the speaker was as of yet unseen.

"You're quite welcome-" Zeke froze suddenly, eyes wide, stiff as a board.

Suddenly a head emerged from the portal- a dragoness with yellow scales and emerald green eyes like a reptile's, that seemed to glow under the wide brim of her pointed hat. Under the brim curled two white horns, and out of the sides of the hat itself four more protruded; all in all, she looked terrifying.

The witch grinned, showing off sharp, jagged teeth. "Boo!"

Zeke yelped and jumped almost ten feet in the air, clutching his chest as if afraid his heart was going to burst out and make a run for it without him. He landed back down, shaking and breathing heavily. The witch cackled and emerged fully from the portal- more of, she slithered out, somehow, moving on two legs with the same sinuous grace of a venomous serpent. What emerged was a crooked, whip thin figure clothed in a dark green witch's dress. Her yellow and turquoise wings snapped out in the humid swamp air. A crooked broomstick was held in her tail, while a basket hung from the crook of an elbow.

"Sssorry, Zeekie," she chuckled through her fangs, "but I couldn't help myself; really, you ought not to be so scareable."

Zeke calmed down enough to glare at her. Still, he kept his tone somewhat cordial, despite his shaking. "...'Ello, Zantha. What brings ya down these parts?"

"Just here for some slime and snails- and puppy dog tails, you know, the typical grocery list for my sort. And also a little something for my dear Cedric, too. He's writing a fascinating thesis, you know, on how the consistency of certain ingredients can have an effect on the potency of magic poultices-"

She seemed to catch movement in the corner of one of those green reptilian eyes, and then with a snap of her neck, they were focused on the hatchlings. Another sharp grin broke out across her face, and she wiggled the crooked claws of one talon at them.

"Well heeellooo, little pretties," she cooed, "what are you doing here? Zeke's little helpers, I assume?"

[zekethebeastmaker]

Watch out, little gupies are swimming up to say hi

"Little what now? Guppies? Oh, they might want to stay away from the leech beds, then. That could end badly." Rosco would know, as well as Cleetus.

[twelvedozenterrors]

💗 Sadie and Zeke

Normally, any attempt to hug Sadie on Zeke’s part would be met with a swift “Let go, you’re slimy!”

But as fate would have it, she was the one initiating cuddles at the moment. Maybe she was in a bad mood from being refused access to proper Beast Maker equipment for the millionth time, or she was trying a new tactic for sucking up to Zeke in the hopes that it benefit her.

Or she could just be a little kid who wanted a hug.

Either way, Sadie had gotten herself up on the elderly dragon’s back with her arms outspread while he wasn’t paying attention.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke felt something stick to his back- which at the moment was probably the least slimy part of him; Zeke had been sunning himself on a rock after a long swim, and now the slime and muck that usually covered him had dried up. He gave a small start, wings flapping once before stilling. At first, he thought a frog had jumped onto him- but this was too big and not the right consistency to be a frog. Then, after a moment of consternation, it hit him: he had a hatchling on his back.

Well, how precious! Zeke was never one to reject any sort of affection if one of the little ankle-bitters decided to dish it out his way, as rare as it was. So with a long sigh of contentment he settled himself back down on the rock and closed his eyes again- but this time, with a smile.

[twelvedozenterrors]

Under The Weather

zekethebeastmaker:

By the Great Mother Serpent’s spine. Zeke recognized this instantly: he needed to cool down this hatchling, and fast. He nodded.

“That it is. How ‘bout we get you cooled down, hm?”

He turned to Sadie- the only one he could think of to help at the moment, seeing as she had the sense to get him to begin with. He pointed towards the door.

“Sadie, I need you to go on down to my hut and grab a jar for me- a mid-sized blue one wit’ a glass snail shell for a lid. It’s in the potion pantry, bottom shelf. You couldn’t miss it- and hurry, if you’d be so kind.”

He patted George gently on the head. “You stay put for just a bit. I’ll be back.”

Then he was outside, snatching up a spare tub they used for cleaning up the hatchlings after a particularly vigorous day of rough-housing in the mud. He went over to the well nearby, gave it a few generous pumps to fill the tub part-way, then stuck his hand in to test the temperature: cold, straight from the ground. He shook his head with a slight tsk, then breathed a small spurt of flame over it to warm it some, then repeated: hand in, test the temperature- still too cold- warm it again, only a little, stick your hand in again- there! Perfect.

When he came back again the water in the tub was cool- not too cold to shock his system, and yet not warm enough to raise the hatchling’s body temperature any higher. This should help cool him down somewhat, at least until Sadie got back with that bottle. He scooped the hatchling up gingerly and then lowered him into the tub so that he was mostly submerged, though he kept him cradled in his hands for support.

“There you go. Just take it easy for a minute, it’ll pass.”

With Zeke on the case, George could be tended to before his condition had the chance to progress into something serious.

None of the other hatchlings fat or thin were so susceptible to high temperatures, not even Al despite being his fellow pale Beast Maker - but George always seemed to fare much worse with the heat.

Following the turtlelike dragon’s command without argument or delay, Sadie rushed back to his hut in search of the concoction he requested, muttering the description to herself to keep it in mind. George winced in dread - hoo boy…Zeke sounded like he was gonna make him take some medicine.

Even then, he wouldn’t be disobedient and quickly agreed to stay in place while the older dragon ducked outside. “…ok.”

George knew right away that Zeke was planning to submerge him in the tub when he saw him bring it over; this wasn’t the first time that the Beast Makers had to throw him an impromptu pool party this summer. Hopefully he’d also keep up his habit of bouncing back like nothing ever happened once he cooled down.

The first few seconds of being waterlogged proved an immense relief for the hatchling and he let himself relax in Zeke’s hands. “…thank you.” He was still keeping quiet - although considering what was at stake, quiet words were better than none.

While Sadie effortlessly spotted what Zeke wanted once she barged into his house and yanked it out of the pantry, getting it to the nursery wouldn’t be as easy - what was a tiny vial for a grown dragon was something that a quadrupedal hatchling couldn’t hold in their paws without sacrificing the ability to walk, and she was forced to carry the potion in her jaws.

Teeth on glass was not a comfortable feeling, and Sadie spent the journey back grumbling to herself about it. She was slow and cautious; the last thing she needed would be for Bubba or Rosco to see her and assume that her latest attempt at stealing some of Damon’s potions had been successful.

[zekethebeastmaker]

With George's temperature now under control, Zeke was able to relax a little. The water already seemed to be doing the youngin' good: he wasn't nearly as bad off as when Zeke first saw him. Still, a little more treatment may be necessary, just to ensure that he wasn't going to suffer from heat stroke.

Once Sadie came back with the jar, Zeke gave her a nod of approval and gently took the jar from her and patted her on the head.

"Thank you, lil' un. You've been a big help today. I think George here can agree."

Then he unscrewed the lid and scooped out some of the glistening blueish slime inside. It was sticky, and smelled very faintly of mint. This he slathered on George's forehead and wrists- the result being that the little guy was more slimy than usual, but already much cooler.

"There we go. Now we ought to sit you down by one of them portals to Magic Crafter's- sometimes a breeze or two comes through there. Sadie, come along, now."

He picked up the tub- hatchling and all- with relative ease, and only mild creaking and cracking in his joints. Fortunately, a portal wasn't too far off, and a mild walk led them down a winding pathway to one of the portals; Zeke set the tub down near it, and stuck his hand out, testing the air around the portal- besides some crackles of magical energy across his scales, there was also an ever so slight chill, a hint of coolness. Zeke sighed in relief and settled down by the tub, then put a hand on George's forehead again as a way to monitor his body temperature.

But he was so busy with tending to the ill little hatchling, that he didn't mind the portal, or anyone- or anything- that might have been coming through.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke, do you get much of a change in scenery around this time of year?

"Not in particular, no. Beastmakers' stays pretty much the same year-round, wit' only a few slight changes. Some trees do change a little, and the weather might get a lil' nippy in the mornin', but overall, pretty much the same."

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke has a bad tendency to go into really gorey, graphic detail when talking about his leeches, snails, slugs, and all sorts of ailments he's had to treat- even when there's kids around. He once told Spyro the story about the time a leech got stuck up his nose and almost ate out his brains. Spyro, fortunately, loves the story and gets Zeke to tell him it every time he sees him, which Zeke gladly does.

[zekethebeastmaker]

After taking a moment to recover from the confusion of his victim unknowingly helping seak his own fate, Frank takes the pillow into his jaws, rears up as far as his hind legs can go and launches his weapon at Zeke with a swift twist of the neck, swinging it so hard that he ended up toppling himself over.

Zeke only heard the surprisingly forceful 'whoosh' of the pillow heading towards him, then felt it smack into his knee. He blinked down at it, then back up at Frank.

"...What in tarnation was that about? Wait...is that ol' Dreamweaver tradition beginnin' to spread across the other realms, too?"

[zekethebeastmaker]

Frank, in his effort to hit Zeke with a pillow, attempts to drag one up with him onto his porch...and doesn’t make much progress.

The steps are a little too steep for him to climb up while he’s carrying something about the same size, but when he climbed up on his own and tried pulling the pillow over, he couldn’t reach it even when he leaned forward as far as he could go.

Zeke was weaving a net in his rocking chair, not unlike how any other grandparent might knit a sweater. When he looked up to see the little hatchling struggling with something, he rose from his seat and put his net-in-progress aside for a moment. Then he cracked out his back and reached over, gently pulling up both the hatchling and his pillow onto his porch.

"There you go, lil' fella," he said, "going to have yourself a nice snooze on my porch?" He chuckled. "Go right on ahead. I'll just keep my weavin' nice and quiet like for ya."

And with that, he turned back to his rocking chair and took his weaving up again, oblivious to the fact that he just hastened his pillowy-soft doom.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke's diet mostly consists of worms, insects, clams, algae, and whatever fish he happens to suck up while he's in the water. His teeth are perfect for cracking open clam shells with ease- he can often be seen floating on his back while enjoying a few nice clams- much like an otter.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Sadie bluntly states “A rhynoc.”

Perhaps it was best that nobody ever informed Zeke of what chaos she’d caused prior to her rescue from the Forgotten Realms.

Zeke again blinked, but at least some of the concern from before began to steadily disappear-some of it. He patted Sadie gently on her little noggin, and though he was confused and more than a little worried that one so young should have had any battle experience right out of the egg, he felt a sort of swell of pride.

"Well, that's mighty fine, then. I say that's quite an accomplishment for one as tiny as you are, and young besides; one less rhynoc in the world ain't so bad."

Still, he should probably keep a closer eye on this one, to keep both her (and perhaps a reasonable portion of the world) safe.

[zekethebeastmaker]

She’s not making it clear whether she’s trying to reassure him about something - or is just being disturbing - but Sadie gently pats Zeke’s snout and whispers “I’ve killed more people than you...”

Zeke blinked a few times, the consternation steadily weighing down his brow until it was quite bent to the shape of concern as the statement registered.

"What...? I haven't killed anybody...WHO DID YOU KILL?!"

One could call him quite concerned now.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke is surprisingly easy to scare. All you have to do is jump out at him and his heart will probably stop for a good few seconds. Around the spooky season the younger dragons tend to be very careful around him for this reason.

Damon on the other hand gets a mask and leaves it in Zeke's window or other conspicuous place where it's sure to scare the living daylights out of him every chance he gets.

[zekethebeastmaker]

Zeke has his rocking chair on his porch- and next to it, a much tinier replica. It belonged to his daughter when she was tiny, and when she outgrew it, he kept it until his granddaughter could fill it- or any of the other hatchlings that so happen to be paying a visit. Spyro may have sat in it once, too.

[twelvedozenterrors]

Under The Weather

zekethebeastmaker:

Zeke noticed right away that Sadie wasn’t being her usual dramatic self, and that alone almost tipped him over to full-blown panic. Was George alright?- He ignored the pain in his back and hurried as fast as he could, still dripping wet and heading straight for the nursery.

But even then, he knew better than to go bursting in like a tornado on a caffeine high; that could only worsen the situation. Instead he gently opened the door and peeked inside. Upon finding George on the ground his heart clenched. Poor little thing!

Zeke closed the door behind him and pulled the curtains down so that the room was a little darker, and thus, less hot. Then he knelt down, nudging George gently with one of his wings.

“George? You alright? Heat’s not gettin’ to you too much, is it?”

Sadie beat Zeke to the door by a long shot, constantly looking back and forth between the two in her impatience for him to catch up and open it. Inside, everyone but George was fine, though they’d keep their distance from the elderly dragon given the matter at hand.

George himself didn’t lift his head up - or move from his spot at all - instead following Zeke with his squinted eyes as he went to dim the incoming light and make his way towards him. The ailing tot wasn’t any less cognisant than usual and had been breathing at a regular speed; hopefully it meant this wasn’t a case of heatstroke.

Either way, he was in need of some cooling down.

Getting prodded just seemed to irritate George, who responded by mumbling and shuffling further away from Zeke. Once he settled down again he’d confirm “…it’s hot,” albeit rather quietly.

@zekethebeastmaker

[zekethebeastmaker]

By the Great Mother Serpent's spine. Zeke recognized this instantly: he needed to cool down this hatchling, and fast. He nodded.

"That it is. How 'bout we get you cooled down, hm?"

He turned to Sadie- the only one he could think of to help at the moment, seeing as she had the sense to get him to begin with. He pointed towards the door.

"Sadie, I need you to go on down to my hut and grab a jar for me- a mid-sized blue one wit' a glass snail shell for a lid. It's in the potion pantry, bottom shelf. You couldn't miss it- and hurry, if you'd be so kind."

He patted George gently on the head. "You stay put for just a bit. I'll be back."

Then he was outside, snatching up a spare tub they used for cleaning up the hatchlings after a particularly vigorous day of rough-housing in the mud. He went over to the well nearby, gave it a few generous pumps to fill the tub part-way, then stuck his hand in to test the temperature: cold, straight from the ground. He shook his head with a slight tsk, then breathed a small spurt of flame over it to warm it some, then repeated: hand in, test the temperature- still too cold- warm it again, only a little, stick your hand in again- there! Perfect.

When he came back again the water in the tub was cool- not too cold to shock his system, and yet not warm enough to raise the hatchling's body temperature any higher. This should help cool him down somewhat, at least until Sadie got back with that bottle. He scooped the hatchling up gingerly and then lowered him into the tub so that he was mostly submerged, though he kept him cradled in his hands for support.

"There you go. Just take it easy for a minute, it'll pass."

[zekethebeastmaker]

“Excuse me, Mr. Zeke. Do you have any myths and legends in the beast maker realms? I’d very much like to know some for when I’m out exploring the swamps and forests of your home.” Asked a white dragoness who was about Spyro’s age. Her wings and tail had these giant rings in them. She also sported gear similar to someone who travels quite a bit.

Zeke blinked at the young dragoness for a moment, wondering idlely what guild she belonged to- he certainly hadn't seen her around before. The question settled in his ears, and then he relaxed back into his rocking chair. Just a curious youngin', nothing new. He smiled.

"Actually, yes," he said," if you take a good look-see 'round the place, you should notice alot of shrines an' temples- these are dedicated to our patron spirits- those of the Mothers and Fathers of beasts, created by our founder. Also, be weary of the spirits 'round the swamp- some are only mischievous, and might befuddle your path, but there are less friendly ones who will do worse- not to mention the various monsters."

He leaned back in his chair with a chuckle. "If you want to know about 'em all, you better have a day to spare."