Sleeping Arrangements

Your feet are cold. Crescent Rose growled. And stop treating me like a teddy bear!

Ruby giggled and tightened her hold on the six-feet-long dragon. "But you're warm and cuddly."

I am not cuddly! Crescent Rose glared. I am a dragon! The world trembles in my wake! All who look upon me fear and despair!

"Yeah, yeah." Ruby yawned. "Now, stop squirming. We've got class tomorrow."

Crescent Rose huffed. I don't know why I put up with you. She draped one wing over Ruby and pulled the human closer. Next winter, I should just let you freeze to death.

"I love you too," Ruby replied.

Don't make me bite you. Crescent Rose nudged Ruby with her snout. And you'd better not drool on me. Otherwise, you're sleeping on the floor, and I get the bed.

X X X

Blake sighed. "Really?"

What? Gambol Shroud yawned and blinked at her lazily from the makeshift hammock she'd created using some shadows. A hammock is comfortable, and have you seen the ground here? I'm not sleeping on it.

Blake eyed their surroundings and grimaced. They were in the middle of a fairly fetid swamp, so sleeping on the ground would be a dubious decision at best. Still, the sight of a twenty-feet-long dragon sleeping in a shadowy hammock was definitely bizarre. Then again… "Is there space in that hammock for me?"

I don't know. Gambol Shroud closed her eyes. People who question the hammock don't get to sleep in it.

"Oh, come on." Blake climbed into the hammock and clambered onto Gambol Shroud's belly. Contrary to common belief, the scales there were not any weaker than elsewhere. "See? Plenty of space."

Never question the hammock again. Gambol Shroud shifted slightly, mindful of her size and weight. For those who mock the hammock shall instead be sleeping in the swamp.

"Fine. The hammock is mighty and awesome. There? That good enough?"

It's a start. Gambol Shroud yawned again. You should also start praising me more. Hmm… begin by acknowledging that I'm not lazy. Instead, I'm efficient.

"…" Blake poked Gambol Shroud. "Don't push your luck."

X X X

Yang shivered as the blizzard closed in around them. "Damn, it's cold."

Over there. Ember Celica pointed to where a rocky overhang offered some shelter from the elements. We can wait for the blizzard to thin out a little before we try to fly out.

Yang nodded. Her dragon would be able to survive flying in the blizzard although navigation would be difficult. But Yang? She'd freeze to death long before they managed to fight their way through it. Even now, just a few minutes after landing, she was so cold that she could barely feel anything except the wind and the cold.

Stay focused. Ember Celica nudged her with her head. Don't let your mind wander.

Yang shook herself. It was the cold getting to her. Quickly, she followed Ember Celica beneath the overhang. The dragon was almost thirty feet long now, so it wasn't easy for her to fit. Indeed, her sheer size meant that no matter how she arranged herself, part of her still protruded into the snow storm.

It's fine. Ember Celica positioned herself to block out as much of the wind and cold as she could before wrapping one claw around Yang and pulling her against her body. I'm a dragon. The cold doesn't bother me, not the way it bothers you.

"I think bothers is an understatement." Yang shivered, but she was already feeling better. As a solar dragon, Ember Celica radiated warmth, and with the dragon's claw wrapped around her, the bitter chill had been reduced to something more manageable. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"

I'm not sure. It could be an hour. It could be ten. Ember Celica took a deep breath, and the warmth around Yang increased. You should get some sleep. I'll wake you up if the blizzard eases.

X X X

Most dragons could do excellent impressions of fireplaces during winter, but Weiss was proud to have a dragon who could do the opposite during summer. Yes, when the summer heat became absolutely unbearable, there was nothing nicer than curling up to Myrtenaster.

"Ah," Weiss sighed contentedly. "This is the life."

The frost dragon was cool to the touch, which meant using her as a pillow or a bed made it far easier to sleep. I'm just glad I can help.

"Don't be upset." Weiss patted her dragon's flank. "I know not being able to keep me warm during winter is aggravating, but you are a frost dragon. It's only natural that you produce cold instead of heat."

Still… Myrtenaster's pride had been hurt when Weiss had been forced to rely on magic or one of the other dragons for warmth during some of their winter missions. Of course, Myrtenaster had been fine. Hot or cold, she was a dragon. Changes in temperature were no problem for her.

"It's fine," Weiss insisted. "And besides, this is your season to shine." She snickered. "I give it ten minutes max before the others show up."

And, sure enough, it wasn't long before the others trooped over. They were all looking the worse for wear as they struggled to deal with the heat and humidity.

"Weiss," Yang said. "We're going to have to borrow your dragon."

"As team leader," Ruby announced. "We're going to have to requisition Myrtenaster for the good of the team."

Blake couldn't even be bothered talking. She just walked over and slumped against Myrtenaster's side before sighing in contentment.

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I do not own RWBY. I'm not making any money off of this either.

Who says a dragon can't come in handy? In all seriousness, though, it says a lot if a dragon is willing to let their guard down around someone. In general, approaching a sleeping dragon is a bad idea. If they don't like you, they'll assume you're a threat, which usually ends with them waking up an eviscerating you. A dragon can also serve as a handy cooking appliance. All you need to do is find a nice, warm patch of sunshine, and you can use your dragon's scales to fry an egg or something. Well, maybe Crescent Rose or Ember Celica. Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud aren't the right types of dragon for that.

Also, if you've enjoyed my fan fiction, you should check out my original fiction. You can find me on Amazon and Audible as L. G. Estrella. I've just recently released The Sheep Dragon, which is a collection of short stories set in The Unconventional Heroes Series. If you enjoy humour, fun, and adventure, check it out.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.