Reaper-Dragon
"Be safe, Brother! Doth recall to write! And be wary! Mortals may misassume your demeanor for a lich!" Minnie said as she hugged Junior, obviously fretting over him despite her encouraging yet nervous smile.
"Minnie! Mins! I'll be fine," Junior assured, pulling her back with a cocky grin. "Who knows, maybe we can have a Nergal V Dragon spar when I get back."
"Thy best train hard if ye doth not wish me to humiliate ye," Minnie warned with a small grin.
"She does have a few years' head start on you," Mandy reminded, watching the goodbye exchange with a neutral look. "But given who will be training you..."
Junior gave his mother an annoyed look. "If you're not going to tell me why he's a big deal, why bring him up at all?"
Mandy smirked, annoying him more.
"Boy, ya ready or not?" Grim asked impatiently, standing next to a portal he had opened with his scythe.
"Yeah. See ya in a week!" Junior called with a wave as he leaped through the portal, his father sighing before trailing after.
Roughly an hour later, Junior found himself and his father still walking along a mountain range with a path leading up a steady slope, overlooking a wide field of green grass and verdant trees with a blue sky overhead.
The last detail is what got his attention the most.
"So, this is what the sky looks like. It's like Halloween Town, but...different," Junior said idly, looking up at the blue ether and the white clouds.
"Eh, ya see de sky in one morta world, ya've seen dem all," Grim waved off uncaringly.
Junior tilted his head. He normally got along fine with his dad, but ever since they came here, he had been kind of standoffish for some reason.
"So, Mom's world is called Earth. What's this place called?" Junior asked curiously.
"It's gotta lot of names, dependin on where ya be," Grim answered unhelpfully.
"Well, what do YOU call it then?" Junior tried again.
"Dragon-Dunghole," Grim answered flatly.
Junior groaned. "Okay, Dad, stop. Just stop," he said in exasperation.
"What'sa matta, boy? You drop one of your rib bones?" Grim asked, looking back with a raised eyebrow.
"No, but I'd like to know why you're acting like you lost a rib bone up your metaphysical butt," Junior answered pointedly.
"Don't got any idea whatcha talkin abou," Grim said irately.
"Really? Cause I distinctly remember you talking about bringing me to a mortal world one day and showing me some of your favorite reaping spots," Junior reminded, crossing his arms. "And the entire time we've been here, you've barely talked to me at all."
"I'm sorry, did ya want to talk about what nice weather we're havin?" Grim retorted, rolling his sockets.
"Hell's bones, Dad, What Is Wrong?! You're acting like...like..." Junior trailed off, his nonexistent eyes blinking. "Oh."
"Oh, wha, Junior?'" Grim asked testily.
"You're acting like Uncle Nergal is coming to visit," Junior realized slowly. "But Uncle Nergal is Minnie's...Bio-Father, I guess?"
"Ya, I don't particularly like de whelps yer moder fooks on de side," Grim said flatly.
"But Mom's not here," Junior noted, staring intently at Grim. "Dad, are you...worried that Minnie likes Uncle Nergal more than you? That...I'm going to like this dragon-guy more than you?"
Grim's silence was telling.
"Wha de fook, Dad!?" Junior exclaimed, his father's accent slipping out in disbelief. "You think we're going to drop you like a Tartarus potato the moment we get another "Father" we can pick?"
Grim grimaced and looked off to the side.
Junior rubbed his brow. "Well, I'm definitely your son. I was jealous of Minnie, and you're jealous of the Uncles that put us in Mom."
"Lovely phrasing, Junior," Grim said with a snort.
"Yeah, well..." Junior trailed off. "Dad, I love you."
Grim started at that.
"Yes, I love you, Dad. I'm pretty sure I say that once a month. And yeah, I'm excited to meet my new Uncle- and yes, he's just an uncle to me. Why? Because I have Dragon-Powers! And whenever I can finally tug out my scythe powers, I'm going to be begging you to come train me so much you'll wish you had hair to pull out," Junior rambled on.
"...Son, I..." Grim paused and rubbed the back of his skull. "It's jus tha Minnie, she...it be feelin like she be driftin away from me."
"Dad, you ever think it might have something to do with the slimy demon comments towards Uncle?" Junior asked.
"...I love da girl, Junior. And when yer Mom had her, I wanted ta make her a reapa, like you. Like us. But your Mom wanted a Nergal-brat, and reapin her woulda killed the worm," Grim explained with a sigh. "And yeh, I'm going to call her symbiote a worm. It's an asshole, even ta Minnie."
"I...will ask what that means another time," Junior decided. "Also, I don't know what to tell you about the whole thing with Mom wanting a Nergal-kid. But Minnie loves you, Dad. Hell, I could tell that even before Halloween town."
Grim looked down at that, deep in thought.
"Dad, just...after this, go home, hug her. Tell Mom off and go spend a day with Minnie or something. Hell, you're the Grim Reaper. I'm sure there has to be SOMETHING you can teach Minnie that Mom and Uncle Nergal can't."
"...When da fook did you get wise, Kiddo?" Grim asked curiously.
"I think pulling the rib bone out of my own metaphysical butt helped a bit," Junior admitted.
Both skeletons stared at each other for a moment longer before they both burst out into laughter, Grim throwing his head back while Junior held his knees through the laughter.
"Ahhh, dat was good, Boyo. I needed that," Grim said, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eyes.
"Good. Now seriously, where are we going? " Junior asked, glancing at the summit behind Grim. "My Scaly Uncle up there?"
"Sort of," Grim answered, waving Junior to follow him again.
As they went, Junior felt something. Like a tug on his soul…or rather, a tug from his inner dragon. Without prompting, black scales and claws began to form on his right arm. He glanced back and saw his tail was now covered in scales too.
Looking at his claws, he could feel the air growing heavy and warm. Heat and cold didn't hurt him but he could still tell when the temperature changed greatly. "Is this a volcano?"
"Hardly, Junior, hardly," Grim answered as they reached the top of the "volcano" and saw within.
"Wow," Junior said slowly.
There was a massive crater in the mountain, going down deep. Within that crater were the ruined remains of a great city of stone and metal.
And lying upon those ruins was a massive dragon, larger than Castle Grimskull. So large, that over a third of this great city was now crushed beneath the slumbering form. The scales were smooth and dark olive green, the wingspan as wide as it was long, and the horns curved upward like a bull's…or a crown.
From the nostrils came great heat and power, the air shimmering with the searing temperature "...Mom fucked that?" Junior said with wide eyes.
"Dat she did. Granted, he took a more human form for dat," Grim said in displeasure, before looking thoughtful. "Dough-"
"Dad, shut up, I don't need more mental images," Junior said pointedly. "So, how do we wake him up?"
Grim shrugged. "Don't know. Ya got any ideas?"
Junior looked back at the giant beast that sired him. "Yeah, I got something," he decided, sifting his hands to his mouth, one boney and one scaly. "Vopraan vok, nibo vrii!"(Wake up, lazy scales!")
The snoring suddenly stopped. The ground rumbled like a small earthquake as the massive muscles moved. With a snort of smoke from the nostrils, the long neck began to raise that mighty head from its resting place. Ash and debris fell from the body, plummeting onto the ruins below. With a great yawning roar, the dragon sat up and turned its powerful gaze to stare at the two.
"Dinok."(Death)
The dragon's voice was slow and rumbling, like the thunder of a distant storm, drowning out the sounds as he stared at Grim with eyes fearless of Death. Those eyes turned to Junior and he realized they looked like orbs of burning coal, black with smoldering veins of fire and power originating from the pupil.
"Vrii Qeth."(Scaled Bones)
He breathed the words and exhaled a short tendril of fire. His tone was welcoming and warm.
Junior blinked and was suddenly very happy that having a dragon soul came with the instinctive knowledge of Dragon Customs.
"Nomah,"(Uncle) Junior greeted, letting out a short flame as well.
Grim rolled his eyes. "Of course, yer version of wavin hello involves spittin fire."
The massive dragon rose to its feet, the massive wings making a brief gale of wind with a single flap. The dragon was enveloped in a burst of magic light, powerful enough to even make a young reaper go blind for an instant. When he looked again, his new uncle was gone. Junior was about to ask where he had disappeared to, when he heard a thud to his side, prompting him to look over and see the same dragon was now shrunken down to the size of an elephant, landing down near them.
"Uncle, am I? Is that the relationship that was decided on, Death?" the dragon asked neutrally as he strode up to the skeletons.
"Don't preten like you're starvin for kids," Grim said warningly.
Junior looked between the two. "Dad? Are you going to introduce me to my Uncle or what? I'm getting tired of just thinking of him as "The Giant Dragon,"" Junior requested.
Grim scoffed. "Junior, dis be Alkoth, Father of all Dragons."
Junior stared so wide, his eyes would have fallen out. If he had them. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I prefer the title of Prok-Zohiik,(Arch-Sirer) thank you," Alkoth said casually before looking down at the dragon-reaper hybrid. "Grim Reaper Junior. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Even more to see you in the scales," he added, nodding to Junior's draconic limbs.
"Nice to meet you too. Assuming you and Dad don't try to bash each other's heads in," Junior said, looking Alkoth up and down. "Father of All Dragons? So, what, are you a Dragon God?"
"Most gods wished they were me," Alkoth said with a derisive snort of smoke, turning to Grim once more. "Is there anything else, Dinok?"
"Nah, I'd rather not be around yer scaly ass any more dan I hafta," Grim admitted, looking to Junior while leaning down to give him a hug. "Be safe, Boyo. An as much as it pains me ta say it, listen to yer Uncle. Dis be his world, he know it best."
"I will, Dad. I'll see you in a week or two. Have fun with Minnie," Junior said, returning the hug with a smile.
Grim chuckled as he released his son, glaring up at the dragon for a moment. "I find out me boy was eva in real danger, and I be makin an orphan out of every dragon," he warned menacingly.
"I'll hold you to that, Dinok," Alkoth said with his own glare.
With that, Grim nodded curtly, before vanishing as a gust of smoke and ash.
Junior blinked. "That was awesome. Hope I can do that one day," he said before turning to look at his new uncle. "So...Uncle Alkoth?"
"Nephew, or Kravein, I suppose I should call you then," Alkoth remarked.
"Right. Is that...going to be a problem?" Junior asked carefully.
Alkoth shook his head. "He is your father. He raised you, and I respect his right to that title, as long as he respects the right...and the necessity of me training you," Alkoth assured, his scaly maw smiling. "That doesn't mean I'm not glad to meet you."
"Yeah, Mom said you visiting the Underworld would cause problems. I guess you being the Father of All Dragons has something to do with it?" Junior predicted.
"Indeed," Alkoth mused, lowering his head to look Junior over. "Can your wings emerge yet?"
"Hmm? Yeah, one sec," Junior answered, concentrating just slightly to make the limbs of scales and leather emerge from his back.
"Then come, let us take to the skies. I prefer to teach and fly at the same time," Alkoth instructed, flapping his wings and taking to the sky.
Junior didn't have time to question that, flapping his wings to fly after the shrunken-but-still-large dragon. They both rose higher and higher into the clouds until their wings could scrap against the watery fluff.
End of Chapter
Well, there's Junior's father. Alkoth, Father of All Dragons. Mandy aims big. And yeah, Junior being one of the empathic people in the family, gets a read on things a lot easier when his issues with Minnie aren't giving a "rib bone up the metaphysical ass."
Here is where I make a confession: This story is based on a varied asortment of things called CYOAs(not the book series, but kind of similar?) that people make online for fun- I've made several. Alkoth is from one such CYOA. Albiet, I'm making up most of his personality myself.