Breath of Fresh Air

"Pffft, what do you mean fall to my doom?" Noah asked. "Chaital's only a bit taller than a horse, it shouldn't be - " Then his eyes went wide. ". . . Oh. Did you think I meant fly with her with no saddle?! Hell no. Even I'm not that crazy," he assured Jasper. "I was thinking more like riding her like a horse, on the ground, until I get used to things."

He carefully climbed up on Chaital's back, who stood and ambled off at a gentle pace. Noah learned quickly - and partially remembered from his flight with Lily - how to fold his legs back and use them to keep himself in place.

Mr. Jenkins patted Jasper's shoulder. "I wouldn't think that. I was mostly sayin' it fer Noah's sake in case he tried to ride 'im," he explained with a laugh. "Speaking of Ol' Boulder, I'm takin' bets. Who thinks he's gonna be near the house, an' who thinks he's gonna meet us halfway?"
 
"How should I know?" Jasper shrugged at Noah, shaking his head a little but with a small, teasing smile on his face. "Look, for all I know you broke your brain when you fell down here."

He laughed at the idea of Noah trying to climb onto Boulder's back and getting shaken off. "Boulder is a creature of habit. My money's on him meeting us before we get all the way back." Surely he would've gotten tired of waiting and wandered off already.
 
Noah waved a hand and smiled. "Nah. My brain was broken long before I fell down here," he joked.

A short while later, Boulder came ambling up the hill, following the group's scent.

"There's the ol' curmudgeon!" Mr. Jenkins called cheerfully. "How ya been, Boulder?"

The reply poly old dragon let out a hoarse, low rumble in greeting to the group. He was slow. But for Boulder, he was moving at top speed to come meet the group. Well, top speed short of rolling, which he did only in drastic circumstances.

Boulder came up the hill and pressed his muzzle gently against Mr. Jenkins' hand for pets. Then he fell in with the group, leading the way.

"An' there he goes!" Mr. Jenkins said happily. "You didn't have anywhere specific in mind to walk, right, Jasper? Boulder tends to pick his own otherwise."
 
Jasper grinned when he caught sight of Boulder, slowing his walk just a little as the big dragon caught up to them. "Hey, old buddy. Feelin' limber?" It was as fast as he ever moved, Jasper thought, though it had been a while since he'd spent a significant amount of time near him.

"Oh. And he's off." He chuckled and just followed after, letting Boulder set the pace. "Nowhere specific. If we wander far enough, maybe I'll find out where Naga and Nobu went to play." They were probably just taking advantage of time at the Dragonry to frolic in the outdoors. It was where they went when he let them fly out of the house on their own, and they were well known enough for it to not be a problem, so long as they didn't break anything. Jasper was honestly a little glad they'd been gone while he interacted with Soot. Naga would have been nervous, and Nobu too eager to try and play. Neither were a great mix for a larger dragon unfamiliar with others of its kind.
 
"Sounds like a plan to me," Mr. Jenkins said happily. "It's a lovely day out, too. I don't mind a little wanderin'."

"And it'll give me and Chaital plenty of practice!" Noah added happily.

As the group picked up the pace, Chaital focused more intently on making sure Noah didn't fall off. She moved carefully and kept her tail out behind her for balance. And every so often, she would glance over her shoulder at Noah with a worried glance.

Noah gently patted her shoulder and smiled each time. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm safe," he'd murmur.

Eventually the group passed a field of lilacs and other flowers. Pumpkin tumbled out of the field, chirping happily and flapping his wings.

"Oh! There you are, Pumpkin," Noah greeted.

"I don't suppose ya seen Nobu or Naga anywhere?" Mr. Jenkins added, smiling and raising a bushy eyebrow.
 
Jasper was happy enough to just walk without speaking much, only glancing back at Noah every once in a while to make sure he was still there and not falling off. It wasn't very often that he spent so much time out of his workshop and not doing some form of work, paid or otherwise. It was nice, to just relax and stretch his legs a while.

When Pumpkin shot out of the fields, Nobu was not far behind, running after him rather than flying, and made an abrupt course correction when he saw who Pumpkin had found. He made a short, almost squeaky little cry and ran over to tumble into Jasper's feet. Shortly after, Naga followed at a much slower pace, chomping on a large mouthful of flowers as she went.

Jasper heaved a put upon sigh, shoulders slumping as he watched her wander closer but stay well out of arms length as she continued to chew, so as not to have her strange prize taken away. "That's my girl. . ." Small and strange and far too bitey, but his.
 
Mr. Jenkins chuckled and patted Jasper's shoulder. "And what fine children they are," he said genuinely. "You've raised 'em pretty good so far, I gotta say. They're already far better behaved than Boulder."

Boulder snorted indignantly and put his nose up in the air. But he did tilt his head subtly towards the young dragons to enjoy their antics, and the rest of his posture was relaxed.

"They're all so cute," Noah said, giggling as Pumpkin raced around Chaital's feet. Chaital stood patiently in place and relaxed her posture a bit. With her sticking closer to the humans now, the rest of her new flock had began dispersing among the Dragonry. One or two had even begun approaching riders or humans of their own accord. And with her flock beginning to drift, Chaital was grateful Pumpkin had chosen to stay with her and her new human flock.
 
Jasper only sighed again, resting one hand against his forehead and the other in his hip as Naga finished chomping, shedding bits of stem and flower on the ground, and Nobu rolled back to his feet to go and chase after Pumpkin again. "They don't shit on my floors anymore, so that's something." He grumbled, but when Naga wandered over to look up at him from the ground with big, adoring eyes, he reached down to haul her bulk up into his arms anyway - facing her mouth away from him, but still.

"Well," he said with a fond little smile, shaking his head at the way she tipped hers backwards to look at him, "at least working so much means I can still manage to lift them." They, like many other dragons, were very dense for their size, but if he felt like it his constantly working with wood and metal meant he was still strong enough to lift them over his head like he had when they were babies. Even Nobu, who was a bit bulkier and heavier than his adopted sister.

He chuckled helplessly, both at thinking of Mr. Jenkins's reassurance, and Noah's adoration of all the small dragons around. "Call her cute when she eats your shoes next time you visit." His stayed in cabinets that had doors. He'd learned his lesson too many times.
 
"Is that a challenge? I accept," Noah said with a grin, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He leaned forward on Chaital and sighed happily before running a hand down along her spine. "Too bad you're too big for houses, Chaital. You know, if I ever build my own house, I'll make it big enough for you too."

Chaital rumbled appreciatively and craned her neck around to gently nuzzle Noah's cheek.

Boulder, meanwhile, turned the corner of a hill and slowly vanished. Mr. Jenkins nodded. "If you two would prefer not to get yourselves or your dragons muddy, we oughta take a different route home. Boulder just turned to go to his favorite wallowin' hole."
 
Jasper rolled his eyes at Noah but didn't press the issue because he knew it would only make the younger man playfully fight him more. He could relent and say that Naga was endearing, but that was mostly because she was his. If someone else's dragon chewed on his hair, clothes, and any loose belongings they could find, he would probably not take it as well.

Nobu, panting and tired now but still very happy, had stopped chasing Pumpkin and looked at Mr. Jenkins when he mentioned wallowing, then looked expectantly at Jasper who only gave him a deadpan stare. "Not a chance in hell, you tiny demon." Nobu stared at him for a long moment, then finally turned back to Chaital to stand up on his hind legs, touch her with his paw, and give a little whine. Jasper rolled his eyes again, though he was trying very hard not to laugh. "He would like kisses in exchange for not getting to roll in mud. You can thank Lily for that one, Chaital."

She was, really, much too willing to put her face so close to dragons' when they were full of sharp teeth, but she would protest to the ends of the earth that every creature deserved affection no matter how big, ugly, or scary. It was, very likely, needless to say out loud that she gave Nobu and Naga lots of kisses and cuddles when they looked at her sad enough.
 
Luckily, Chaital was delighted to have Nobu approach her again. She leaned her head down slowly with a happy rumble. Then she licked his head and wings, grooming him like a mother dragon might a hatchling.

"Awww. That's the cutest thing I've seen in the last five minutes," Noah murmured, his eyes sparkling.

"All right. Off home we go. We'll see ya at home, Boulder!" Mr. Jenkins called.

There was a deep, guttural roar in response.

Mr. Jenkins nodded and started for home. "This is why he sleeps outside. All that damn wallowing in mud pits."

"Plus he's probably too big to fit in the house," Noah pointed out.

". . . An' that."

A short time later, the group arrived home at Mr. Jenkin's place. Noah slid off Chaital's back with a soft groan. "Ow. I'm gonna be so sore tomorrow," he mumbled.
 
Nobu made happy sounds as Chaital groomed him, pushing up into her and holding his wings out for her to shower him in affection as much as she pleased. He was happy as could be to be given love from dragons, just as much as from humans.

"Spoiled baby." Jasper murmured, but fondly, and set Naga gently back down to walk back to Mr. Jenkins' house. When they got there he only chuckled at Noah's groaning. "Saddle sore without a saddle." He prodded. "Do yourself a favor and dont stop moving for a little while. It might hurt a little, but if you let yourself get stiff it'll get worse."
 
Noah nodded. "Good advice. Thanks, Jasper," he said, and he made a few walking laps in a circle.

Mr. Jenkins held the door open for him. While Chaital and Pumpkin made their way to the dragon shelter to rest, the older man glanced towards Jasper. "You got time to join us fer dinner?" he asked. "Or ya gotta head out? I know we've kept ya plenty late past yer work time. It's gonna be stew fer dinner, if that makes any difference."

"Ooh! Stew's always delicious!" Noah said, wandering inside to walk around the table instead of outside.

"Heh. Yer more like yer Lower Floaten family than I think you give yourself credit for," Mr. Jenkins said happily.
 
Nobu and Naga followed Chaital and Pumpkin to the dragon shelter, he in hopes for more play or cuddles, and she more hesitantly seeking out Chaital to know her more. Naga was cautious still, without Infernus around, but adventurous enough - and bolstered by how Chaital treated Nobu - to approach the larger dragon as she settled, and hesitantly came forward to see if Chaital would let her snuggle in close for company while they rested. As much as Jasper could complain about having two little terrors around, he'd only sought out Nobu after he'd already had Naga and realized she was lonely. At home she was independent, but once they were away she liked to have someone at her side.


It was a tough decision. Jasper was normally tied rather firmly to his work, but that was one he got started. Even though he knew he should work on his current projects more, he could practically hear Lily shouting at him to rest for once in his life. Old habits died hard, but he supposed they didn't stand up well to family.

". . . A day away won't kill me." He said finally, after giving it some thought, and just leaned against the wall nearby to watch Noah walk in circles. "Besides, Lily should be back soon, and I'm sure she'll stop by to see if we've left. We should tell her the news." She would want to know about Noah, and his mother, and Pumpkin. "You can ask her to go topside with you when she's back from work, Noah. Just see what she says."
 
"Aw, you're gonna stay for supper? Great!" Noah burst out, making another lap around the table.

Mr. Jenkins was thrilled, too. He nodded and headed for the kitchen's heavy iron pot. "Stew fer four, comin' up."

Noah chuckled. "Nine if you count the scraps we're going to give to the dragons." He turned back to Jasper and nodded. "But yeah, I'll ask Lily when she comes back. Hopefully she'll say yes!"

Outside, Chaital was patiently cleaning dirt and flowers off of Pumpkin and Nobu. Then Naga approached of her own accord. Chaital blinked slowly at her before lowering her head onto the ground. She let out a soft, warm breath and folded her wings to her sides, holding as still as possible while Naga came forward to get used to her scent and space.

Pumpkin wasn't shy about interacting with her, though. He shook off the last of the flowers from his scales and flopped against Chaital's side with a happy sigh.
 
Jasper made a little pff under his breath and shook his head at Noah. "You're gonna spoil 'em. They don't need your help getting fat." Dragons were better at regulating their own diet than cats or dogs so it was near impossible to actually make a dragon overweight, but still. He shouldn't spoil so much, even if Chaital did really deserve it after all she'd been through.

"I'm gonna go see if she's come in for a landing yet." He said, shifting away from the wall to go and let Mr. Jenkins know he'd be back. "You can hang out here, if your legs are still killing you."

Nobu was perfectly happy to be doted on, making small, happy sounds at Chaital almost as if he was chatting to her about their frolic through the fields as she brushed off the evidence. Naga hesitated, shifting her weight back a bit as Chaital came down to her level, but was spurred on by his relaxed attitude. She came forward slowly, cautiously, to get Chaital's scent and give her a little greeting, resting their snouts together for just a moment. Finally, still slow and hesitant, Naga moved over to Chaital's shoulder and curled gradually into a ball in the space between the larger dragon's chest and leg to settle in, as if quietly asking to be allowed to stay. Nobu, upon noticing her settling in, came over to flop against Chaital's leg next to her and shower his housemate dragon with affectionate nuzzles. It made her squawk at him as if in protest, but she rumbled like a purring cat at the same time and was clearly not displeased.
 
Chaital gave a deep, content rumble as the three smaller dragons relaxed against her to rest. She gave each of them a few final licks. Then she curled her neck around them and herself protectively. She let out a long yawn, closed her eyes, and let herself doze off a little.

"I'm not going to give them that much stew," Noah said, laughing. "Just a tiny bit. Enough to taste." He perked up when Jasper mentioned going off to see if Lily was back yet. "I can come with! My legs don't hurt that bad." Especially compared to the day he'd fallen from Upper Floaten. He hurried after Jasper to the door and grinned. "We'll be back later, Grandpa Jenkins!"

"All right. I'll have the stew ready when you all get back," Mr. Jenkins promised warmly.
 
Jasper made skeptical faces at Noah's insistence he wouldn't feed the dragons that much, but didn't say anything else, just shook his head and walked out the door once Mr. Jenkins knew they were going. He glanced back at the dragon shelter as they walked away from it, and something melted inside him at the sight of Chaital curled up around his babies, just like Infernus always did, even though she hardly knew them. He would not admit out loud that it was unbearably cute.

"We should check where the saddles are kept." he said instead, leading the way towards the Dragonry's less residential buildings. "If she's here already, she'll get Infernus squared away before she comes to see us." His care was her responsibility, of course, and she was always sure to put him first, even when she was exhausted herself.
 
"Thanks, Grandpa!" Noah said, waving as the pair headed out. Then he saw Chaital curled up around the other dragons as he stepped outside. He ambled over and leaned against her, gently petting her neck. "Awww. Look at you. Are you keeping everybody warm and safe?"

Chaital chuffed happily and gave Noah's cheek a lick.

"Good girl," Noah told her with a grin. "That's no nice of you." He gave her a final gentle pet, and then followed Jasper towards the stables. "I hope she's not too tired to come eat dinner with us. Grandpa Jenkins probably makes super good stew!"
 
Jasper lingered a moment, only starting to walk again when Noah came back to catch up. "I'm sure it's fine." He said with a little shrug. "This is just a normal day for her." Sometimes she was more tired than others, but even if she was, she was used to pushing through it, too.

Infernus, as it happened, was just coming in for a landing as they got within sight of the storage building, touching down gently enough that Lily hardly moved at all in the saddle, not that Jasper could see much of her beyond the blue dragon's wings. She was already off his back and starting to unbuckle the saddle as they got within shouting distance, and gave them a smile and a wave when she noticed them.

"You're still here!" She said with a grin when they got close enough, even as she worked on getting everything unbuckled and then heaved to pull the heavy leather saddle from Infernus' back.

Jasper stepped forward automatically to catch the other end so it didn't drag her to the ground, though he knew she was used to the routine and wouldn't get knocked down so easily. "Decided to take a day off." He said, walking with her to carry the saddle inside and wondering if Noah would follow or be busy saying hello to Infernus. "Don't be too shocked."

She laughed at the way he'd read her mind and just looked past him at Noah as they walked. "And you haven't scared Noah off. Two miracles in one day."
 
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