New dragon awaiting challenger

Sirius keeps up the relentless tickling, trying to make it impossible for her to open the slime jar.

She glances over her shoulder at him, then takes the jar, reaches back and smashes it against the ground next to them. Slime spatters over Sirius' side.

Sirius 'acks' as the slime hits him. Giggling madly, he twists away from the slime and falls over onto his side. Both dragons are now on their sides, but Shimmer's body is between Sirius and the spreading slime puddle. He keeps hold of her with one foreleg, but uses the other to try and brush off the slime, forcing him to stop his tickling.

Shimmer pushes Sirius away and rolls to her paws. "I don't give up that easy." She pants.

Sirius laughs. "Me either!" he says, suddenly grappling with Shimmer, pushing her backward to try and get her to step into the slime puddle.

Shimmer manages to sidestep around the puddle and grapples back.

Both dragons go down, rolling on the ground. Sirius again tries to roll them toward the puddle.

Shimmer manages to stand but Sirius' strength pushes them back. Her left hind paw lands inches from the slime puddle, the right is raised just above it, her toes hanging dangerously close.

"Just...a...little bit...farther!" Sirius grins, continuing to push.

Shimmer struggles back, but her hind paw continues to slowly lower towards the slime.

Sirius manages to clench his fore-talons with those of Shimmer, lifting her forelegs up and forcing her to put her weight on her back legs.

Shimmer puts all her weight on her left hind paw to stop her right paw's decent. Her left leg shakes with the effort, but her right paw still hangs above the puddle.

Sensing that he has an advantage, Sirius pushes with his foreclaws, hoping to unbalance Shimmer.

"No, no,no." she manages to bring her tail around and worms it under his left hind paw.

Sirius squirms and giggles, but keeps his forepaws locked with Shimmer's.

Shimmer manages to raise her right hind paw slightly away from the puddle. She stands on the toes of her left hind paw, pushing hard.

Sirius wiggles his hindleg to try and avoid her tail, while continuing to push against Shimmer.

Shimmer continues to jab at his hind paw and manages to raise her right hind paw another inch.

Sirius suddenly grasps her tail-tip in his back talons, and gives her tail a backward yank. At the same moment he releases her foreclaws, hoping to topple her over backward.

Shimmer suddenly finds herself standing bolt upright on one leg, her other leg still hovering over the puddle. She teeters, but doesn't lower her paw or fall.

Sirius is surprised that Shimmer is still upright. He darts a foreclaw forward, giving her belly a quick tickle.

Shimmer giggles shakes but manages to fend off the attack with a foreleg. Her right hind paw drops slightly in the process and her claws scrape the surface of the puddle.

She rolls forward slightly onto her left toes to balance. All of her weight and balance are on her toes. To make things worse, the grass gently tickles her exposed sole, making it harder to balance. The heel of her left hind paw now hangs over the slowly spreading puddle.

Sirius again grapples Shimmer's forepaws with his own, their talons intertwining. He starts exerting pressure, trying to push her toward the left side, where her back foot is precariously close to the puddle.

Her left hind leg begins to shake. She digs her toe claws into the ground to stop herself sliding backwards. She struggles to ignore the grass brushing her vulnerable arch while keeping her right paw raised. "Hopefully he doesn't realize my toes are vulnerable." She thinks. "Enough prising under them with his tail and I'd probably topple."