Breath of Fresh Air

Soot stepped back a few steps as he was guided backwards, his tail swishing and his muzzle still facing Nel so he could see what he was doing. Then he took a few more steps back when Nel returned with the saddle. Yes, it looked just like the one Chaital was wearing.

The dragon's ears perked forward when Nel announced he was going to shake it, and he licked his lips and stiffened ever so slightly. But instead of the heavy sound of chains and loud yells, all he heard was a fairly soft clinging sound and Nel's gentle breathing. He snorted again and relaxed his posture. It reassured him, the quiet sounds, that this was okay. This was different than before. It wouldn't hurt, and he wouldn't be trapped in the cellar again.

He crept forward and very, very slowly slid the tip of his muzzle under and against the saddle. Even that was softer than expected, and he chirred quietly.

-----

The older man snorted and shook his head at her. "We're barbecuing meat, ya doorknob. Stew was last night," he teased.

Axle blushed partially in embarrassment - truly, he couldn't tell Malia's age - and partially at the way she rose an eyebrow at him. "Ah - " He cleared his throat and turned towards Mr. Jenkins. "What are we helping taste test?"

Grandpa Jenkins finally caught sight of the flower in Axle's hair. He smiled and raised an eyebrow as well. "The fruit I'm cuttin' up fer the side. Eh - nice flower."

"Thank you."
 
Nel gave a soft sigh of relief when Soot relaxed, glad that he wasn't scared. When the dragon came forward to actually touch the saddle so soon, he could have cried again at the dragon's quick progress. It felt like only weeks ago that he had been scared to even take food from a person he could still see.

"We'll take it slow, okay?" He assured softly, looking dutifully up to where Chaital still flew to make sure everything was all right still, then stepped away from the storage building to lay the saddle made mostly of straps on the ground. When it was positioned well enough, he pulled up one side of it so a bit of a channel would show itself beneath the only wide piece of leather on it, where a person would actually sit. "All right. Do you feel all right putting your head there? If you can put your snout through there, I'll do the rest." He would be so gentle. At any sign of distress, he would stop.

***************

"Ah, is that the problem?" Malia laughed at the light banter, just linking her arm loosely through Mr. Jenkins' to walk with him and find what he'd been cutting into pieces, smoothly drawing his attention away from Axle's little adornment. Part of her wanted him to keep it. It was charming.

"Can't tell what's ripe in your old age, or are you just trying to fatten us up?" She prodded, smiling still and giving him a few light pats on the arm before letting go to wash her hands at the sink. "What else can we do? You know I won't barge in without being put to work." She would feel strange if she didn't. Administration was a relatively new sort of work to her; really, she was more used to getting her hands dirty.
 
The dragon laid down on the grass to watch as Nel carefully laid out the saddle, examining its pieces as the young man did so. He thought he remembered sort of how Chaital had gotten the saddle on; maybe he could figure it out, too.

He snorted and got up again to push his snout through, lifting the saddle up and over his horns. At least he tried to. It got stuck halfway and covered one eye.

Soot flared his wings for a few seconds and startled backwards. But then he remembered Nel was there; he could help. He took a few breaths and lowered his head, rumbling and waiting for Nel to fix it.

-----

Mr. Harn couldn't tell whether Malia was trying to distract Mr. Jenkins from his flower or just trying to mess with the older man. Maybe both. He smiled hesitantly when Malia finally headed off to wash her hands, reaching up to adjust his flower again. It did feel rather nice. And it smelled good, and if he picked other flowers, they'd probably match his outfits . . .

"Well, depends how long ya got. I was gonna try an' give Ol' Boulder a scrub today," Grandpa Jenkins explained.
 
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Nel stayed carefully still the moment Soot began to tense, worried about getting smacked with wings but also just about scaring his poor friend. "It's all right, it's all right," he soothed, in a calming tone he had used in their training sessions many times before. "I've got you. I'll get it fixed, just a few more seconds."

He was gentle in taking hold of the strap near Soot's eyes, making sure he could see before very carefully working the saddle past his horns. Once it was past, he paused again to be certain Soot was okay, and finally slid it the rest of the way on until the seat portion laid where it should and the first set of straps settled at the base of the dragon's neck. "Are you still okay?" He asked softly, resting a hand on the side of Soot's neck. "We can take it back off, if you need to. It doesn't have to happen all at once." Everything at Soot's speed. It was all right to go slow.

****************

"Don't you have a grandchild for that?" Malia said with a good natured laugh. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay a while. I'd never hear the end of it if I let you try to do it all yourself." Jasper was young and on most days willing to obey what she told him, but he was also headstrong and fiercely protective of anyone he considered his, to a fault. While she held no fear of his ire, the mother in her saw no reason to upset him. Besides, she wouldn't mind helping her old friend out - Mr. Jenkins and Boulder.
 
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Eventually, the saddle was on and resting gently against Soot's back. He flexed his wings a few times and stretched his legs and tail. He could definitely still move. Yes, this would be fine. He stood up and gently nudged Nel towards the saddle so he could finish putting it on, chirping a few times.

He still gave a slight tremble now and again. It was scary, letting someone so close with something that even had a vague resemblance to chains. But Nel's voice and hands reminded him, over and over again, that he was safe. And soon they would fly together.

-----

Mr. Jenkins shrugged. "Well, if yer offerin'! Ah know Jasper wouldn't mind missin' out on the mud and things just once. An' the meat's gotta take a few hours to smoke yet, so if'n y'all got time - oh! You both have something to change into afterwards? Could get messy."

"I do have a few extra sets of clothes," Mr. Harn said, nodding.

"Aha. Malia, ya wanna borrow some of my old ones? I figure they'll fit ya," Grandpa Jenkins added.

Axle hesitated a moment. "There's, ah - there are also a few women's clothes upstairs that may fit. If you want to borrow them."
 
Nel's touch was gentle but sure, confident without moving too quickly for Soot. He knew the neck strap would likely be the hardest, so in case they needed to stop he started there. "I'm going to tighten this one here," he informed carefully, pulling the strap around without buckling it so Soot could feel where it would sit at the base of his neck, nearest his shoulders. "I won't make it too tight, and if you don't like it just give me a little push, all right?"

He continued that way with each strap, assuring Soot he would be careful and letting him know what would come next every time, and that it was okay if they needed to stop. When the saddle was fully on he gave each strap a gentle test to be sure it wasn't too tight or too loose, and moved back around to Soot's head so he could be seen.

"All done," he said brightly, smiling a little for the dragon and reaching over to give him a gentle stroke under his chin. "You did so well. Does it hurt you at all? Why don't you walk a little and see how it feels?"

***************

"He prefers grease and burning oil," Malia said with a shake of her head, smiling fondly at the thought of Jasper hard at work. She had only seen him a handful of times when he hadn't cleaned himself up first, and he had been so small then. "If you have something you can spare, I suppose it's better than walking all the way back home to change."

When Axle offered women's clothes, she stopped to look at him for a moment, expression shifting gradually into something more serious and less playful. "Will you be all right with that?" She asked carefully, not wanting to push him too far in either direction. She could only guess who the clothing had once belonged to, being in Mr. Jenkin's house. If Axle didn't want to see someone wearing his late wife's clothes, she would understand. It would be no hardship to borrow something from Mr. Jenkins closet and simply wear a belt.
 
Soot hardly needed the warnings after the first belt. He stood patiently while each one was secured, knowing each belt would feel the same. Snug and secure. But not tight. He walked around in a circle, resting out the way the saddle felt against his legs and chest and stomach.

It felt far closer to a blanket than it did to a chain. It was comfortable, and snug.

The dragon chuffed and licked Noah's hair. Then, like he'd seen other dragons do before, he lowered his wing so Nel could use it to climb up. His eyes were confident and relaxed.

----

Axle swallowed a bit, but then he smiled gently and nodded. "Yes, I think so. I don't think she'd mind," he added gently. "Um - if you go upstairs, I think the trunk is in the room on the first door to the left."

Mr. Jenkins patted his shoulder and nodded. "Good on ya, lad. Whyn't you come outside an' help me get the suds and scrubbers ready?"

"Sure. Thanks, Grandpa Jenkins."

And the pair turned to head outside, with Axle giving Malia another smile before turning around again and walking through the door.
 
Nel smiled when Soot licked his hair, and continued doing so unconsciously as he watched the dragon walking around, endlessly proud of how far he had come and so quickly. But when Soot stopped in front of him and lowered a wing, Nel couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. It wasn't that he had never ridden a dragon before, or never ridden one Soot's size before rather than on Joachim's broad back, but Soot had never flown with a person, as far as Nel knew. 'Breaking in' a dragon new to riding in tandem was a daunting task, and one he didn't take lightly.

"Okay . . ." He said softly, and after a pause for a breath was determined to remain calm and confident, to keep Soot from feeling nervous. "I'll be careful. Can I step on your leg here?" He showed Soot exactly where he would step before climbing up, moving carefully so as not to unsettle the dragon with his weight more than necessary. When he was finally settled in the seat of the saddle, Nel was sure to run a hand gently over Soot's flank to reassure him.

"Let's take a minute on the ground to see what it feels like with me here," he instructed, knowing it could be strange to have him somewhere Soot couldn't see him without craning his neck. "I'll be gentle with you, so you be gentle with me. I trust you." Soot wouldn't do anything to hurt him, not on purpose, and Nel was sure enough in a saddle on his own. Maybe they could manage a short test flight.

"How are your wings?" He asked, guiding the dragon along in testing out the new weight on his back. "Try to walk, and raise your wings slowly up and down. It feels different with me here, doesn't it? Flying will feel different, too. We'll have to be careful while we learn."

***************

Malia was carefully neutral, if not a bit soft as Axle took the short moment to decide if it would really be all right to see Anna's clothes on someone else. "If you're sure," she said gently, and only gave he and Mr. Jenkins a little smile and wave as they walked out.

When they were gone she ventured upstairs to look for the room and trunk that Axle described, feeling oddly privileged at the allowance. From what was inside she very carefully picked out a few simple garments to change into, in earthy colors with short sleeves and very little adornments. It was simple, and of reasonable quality, and she was sure to place everything else gently back inside the trunk before she changed.

After she had put on the borrowed clothes, she tied her hair up where it would be out of the way and followed the others outside. It was easy enough to find them just around the corner at the dragon shelter already.

"What do you think, Boulder, my old friend?" She asked with a little smile, offering the bulky dragon her hand in way of greeting to let him accept or reject her. "You won't mind if I help give you a good scrub, hm?" It was better to give him her attention first, to allow Axle a moment to look at her in her borrowed clothes and work through his feelings about it before she looked at him again. She didn't mind letting him stare for just a minute.
 
It did feel different, with Nel sitting on him. Even when the young man gently stepped up on his leg, there was an immediate shift. With Nel on his back, Soot felt suddenly far more in control. Nel certainly couldn't make him move different directions without his say so, not with the tiny saddle he'd picked. And Nel didn't have a safety harness like Noah.

Soot felt much more compelled to protect him. He walked around the grass gently, constantly checking back to make sure Nel was still sitting on him. He hardly even noticed Nel's weight. What if he fell off? Why didn't he have a safety harness?

*****

The pair had just finished putting out the supplies, and Axle had pulled his shirt off and set it on a nearby tree branch to try and keep it dry. He glanced over from hanging his shirt and stared at Malia. It was surreal, seeing someone else wearing Anna's clothes. He'd been a bit worried Malia would remind him too much of her. But there was no mistaking Malia's fiery eyes and sharper features.

He smiled hesitantly and nodded. "I'm . . . I'm glad they fit," he said softly. "Do you want to start with Boulder's head or back?"
 
Nel was careful in getting himself situated before telling Soot to move around, and he moved easily along with the way the dragon walked around and moved his wings. When Soot looked back at him, Nel would only smile, unsure if something was wrong or if Soot was just asking if it was all right to keep going.

"Does it feel all right?" He asked softly, giving the base of Soot's neck a few reassuring pats. "Do you want me to get down?" He hoped Soot would be comfortable enough to actually nudge at him if he wanted Nel off his back.

***************

Malia glanced over, finally, when Axle spoke, eyes running very quickly from head to toe and back, and for a moment had to pause to compose herself so she wouldn't do more. It wasn't that she hadn't seen her fair share of shirtless men before, but this one was here with no ties to her, her age, attractive, and above all he had been a kind man so far. It made a large difference, and she was glad as she looked over at the water and brushes that she was not one to be flustered very easily.

"Thank you for the loan," she said gently, and finally gave him a little smile. "Why don't we start on his back and move outwards from there, you towards his head and I towards his tail, then come back for his wings. We can split the work in half." It would also keep him away from the more dangerous end of the dragon. Boulder was not an aggressive dragon and didn't generally bite, but his tail was powerful and a sudden lash when a person wasn't expecting it could do a great deal of damage. She was used to reading a dragon's body language and listening to her gut when it told her to move, and as one of the people that ran the Dragonry wouldn't have forgiven herself if she let one of its local residents injure someone.
 
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Talking to his person was a little more difficult than Soot thought. He huffed and tilted his head. Then his ear fins perked up, and he walked back towards the shed again. He stuck his head inside and this time had a chance to gently grab the item he was looking for. He pulled a safety harness out, craned his neck around, and tried to hand it to Nel. If Noah needed a harness, then surely Nel did as well.

-----

The way Malia quickly glanced him up and down didn't escape Axle, and it suddenly occurred to him that he was, in fact, not wearing his shirt in front of an attractive woman. He blushed slightly and cleared his throat. Working mostly with leather, and carrying large saddles to and fro, he was very fit, and secretly he began hoping that might work in his favor.

But then it occurred to him that he had no idea whether Malia already had someone in her life. Sure, she didn't have a wedding band, but there was the possibility she was dating someone already. The tricky part would be asking subtly somehow.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan," he agreed at last. He blushed a shade darker when he realized it meant they would be standing closer together at the beginning and the end of the job. He inched carefully towards Boulder's midsection, dunking a sponge into a bucket and beginning to scrub against his scales.

The older dragon rumbled happily and heaved a deep sigh, closing his eyes. It wasn't often he got a scrub. It was a luxury he often looked forward to.
 
Nel frowned when Soot made his way back to the storage building, leaning forward to run a hand gently over his neck to try and get his attention. "Let's not make a mess. . ." He started, and blinked in surprise when Soot pulled his head back out with a bundle of leather in his jaws. ". . . Oh." He held out his hands when Soot tried to give it to him, smiling just a little. "You want me to strap in? I suppose it's not a bad idea." He wasn't a wholly inexperienced rider, but Soot was an inexperienced flyer. It made his heart swell to think the dragon was worried about him.

"Hold on a moment. Let me get down to put this on." He complied easily, given the harness would do nothing to harm or otherwise bother him and it appeared it would make Soot feel better. Once he'd gotten carefully back to the ground, he went about putting it on, even giving the buckles little tugs to be sure they were tight enough as he had for Soot's saddle.

"Now we're both dressed up." He said with a soft laugh, gently touching Soot's wing as he stepped closer and prepared to climb up again. "Let's go slowly still. It may be harder to fly with me up here than you think." When he was settled on Soot's back he was sure to clip the harness into place a little louder than necessary so Soot would know he was safe. "All right, Soot. We can stay on the ground, or we can follow Chaital a little, but don't go too high. It gets harder to breathe in the sky, and you aren't used to it yet." As much as he didn't want Soot to inadvertently harm him, he was really more worried about the dragon.

***************

It was easier not to stare once she had something to focus on. Malia got a bucket and a brush, pouring a bit of water onto Boulder's back and giving his side a pat. "Going up." She warned, and pulled herself easily up onto the big dragon's back to scrub between his wings. "I'll be sure to get all those hard to reach places," she added with a laugh at Boulder's happy rumbles.

Despite the ever present distraction working beside her, she was attentive to Boulder's body language, making sure he liked what they were doing and wasn't going to move too quickly, or wasn't getting upset by any of their movements. The last thing she wanted was for Axle to get himself hurt because he wasn't ready to dodge a wing. Still, she would have been lying if she said she didn't sneak a glance here and there.
 
Once Nel finally caught on, Soot relaxed at once. He settled in the grass and patiently waited while Nel got himself strapped in. And once Nel was back in his saddle and carefully attached, the dragon began spreading his wings again to prepare to take off.

He was careful to heed Nel's warning.

Three thrusts of his wings brought the pair up into the air a little past the tree tops. Soot stayed at that height, gliding for short distances and flapping once or twice when needed. The wind was softer here than it had been near Chaital, and it was easier to breathe. Soot sighed and relaxed, with a shudder that ran through his whole body as though he were shaking off a great weight.

-----

Axle, too, despite all his attempts to focus on cleaning Boulder, couldn't help sneaking looks at Malia as well. And whenever their eyes accidentally met, he would blush and quickly look away, focusing more intently on whatever he was doing at that moment. But eventually he lost his focus completely when Boulder flopped his tail and knocked a bucket of water over him. He coughed and spluttered, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes and blinking. "Boulder!"

The dragon chuffed and laughed.

"Oh, yeah?" Axle asked, grinning. He filled the bucket up in the nearby trough and splashed it towards the dragon, aiming for his wings. His skin gleamed with droplets of water that all but sparkled in the sun.
 
There were nervous butterflies swirling around in Nel's gut as Soot took his first few steps and began to flap his wings, worry that it would go wrong, that either he or Soot would get hurt or suddenly the harness would be too much for the poor dragon and his progress would be set back by the time it took to land and get it off. But as they lifted into the air Nel began to relax as Soot did, laying himself gently down across the dragon's back to truly be able to feel him, and stroked a hand warmly over his shoulder.

"You're so brave," he said, out loud but mostly to himself, unsure if Soot would even hear him but hoping the dragon could at least feel how proud he was. "You've come so far."

****************

Malia, despite the faint flush that brushed across her cheekbones, was hard pressed not to laugh every time they locked eyes. Like shy schoolchildren, so uncertain about life and feelings that merely a look was enough to send them into embarrassed hysterics. It was refreshing, really, that the man could be so flustered by merely looking at her, like he was very aware of his own state of dress and yet doing nothing to fix it. She found it endearing.

At the same time, his absolute willingness to work with dragons despite not knowing much about being near them counted for several points in his favor.

She laughed from atop Boulder's back when he splashed Axle with water, and again when the man fought back, a playful child in the body of a serious businessman. "Hey!" She cried when his toss splashed across her knee from where she sat, laughing despite the outcry. "I'm sitting here! Don't drag me into your squabble!"
 
Soot chirped happily. He could indeed hear Nel's words, and even more so, he could feel Nel's gentle hand on his shoulder. This was so different from his life before. He never had to go back. And if he was flying with Nel, he knew he would be safe.

A few minutes later, Chaital moved down to fly beside the pair, calling happily.

Soot called back to her.

And Noah stared in shock and delight. "Nel! Soot's letting you ride him?! That's amazing!"

-----

A smirk spread across Axle's face in spite of himself, and he filled the bucket up again and raised his eyebrows. "Don't tempt me," he said with a laugh.

But Boulder wasn't nearly as cautious. He swatted the bucket again and sent it flying straight towards Malia.

"Boulder! You scoundrel!" Axle said, but he was laughing already. "You all right, Malia?"

". . . Ah'm goin' inside. Ain't prepared to go fer a swim," Mr. Jenkins said, grinning and shaking his head. He went back into the building and watched the group from behind the safety of a window.
 
Soot was more relaxed than he had ever been, and it made Nel want to stay where he was, just feeling the dragon's body language as he soared smoothly through the skies. At the sound of Chaital's call, he blinked his eyes open, then finally pushed himself up to sit properly in the saddle, mostly upright but with a forward lean for aerodynamics. He gave Noah a little wave, patting Soot's side to praise him for responding with a proper greeting.

"He saw you," he called back with a smile, "and he wanted to fly!" There was too much space between them for all the things he wanted to say about it. If left unchecked, he was sure he could gush about just how much it meant for hours.

***************

"Don't you dare-" Malia started to chide, a playful but warning look in her eyes, but her reflexes were enough to save her from getting concussed by the flying bucket. At the shift of Boulder's body she was already bringing an arm up to shield herself, and used the brush in her hand to deflect it off to the side with a splutter at the resulting splash of water all down her front and side.

"Boulder!" She scolded, swiping water away from her eyes and hopping easily down from his back to come around where he could see her, expression stern. "You need to be more careful. You could have hurt someone with a toss like that and . . ."

Her voice trailed off when a quick motion at her peripheral drew her eye, and after a second look she was already stepping back away from Boulder to turn and see the dragons flying a distance away, good and black scales overlayed. A hand waved blindly at Axle until she'd found his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, staring with wide eyes at the dark dragon so far away she almost couldn't tell who was atop it. It could only be one person.

"He's done it. . ." She breathed, eyes gone wide and a glowing smile starting to spread across her face. "He's done it! He got Soot into the air!" And to think, so little time ago he was just a frail, sickly circle of scales, cowering at every footstep and snapping at every hand that came near. She couldn't believe it.
 
"Aww! I'm glad we could help!" Noah called back. "Good job, Soot!"

Soot chirped again, wagging his tail slightly in the air and holding his head up proudly. He had done well. And he decided he very much liked it here in the Dragonry, where everyone did what they could to help him. He closed his eyes and went into another glide, wings rippling on the wind.

-----

Boulder grunted an apology, although it didn't quite sound like he was exactly sorry, but slowly he turned to look at whatever Malia had seen in the sky.

Axle nearly fainted on the spot until he realized Malia was just trying to get his attention about something. He followed her gaze and dropped the sponge from his hands. "Wh - isn't that Soot? Isn't that the shy dragon you were telling me would barely interact with people?" he stammered. Slowly, his face lit up, too. "He has a rider! That's phenomenal! Do you suppose it's Nel?"
 
Nel gave a delighted little laugh when Soot glided on his own, almost breathless at the sheer relief that he was flying with all the instincts they had been worried he would never have. "You've come so far," he praised, reaching a hand out to very gently run along the top of one wing where he could reach, feeling for the tense muscles there that kept the long appendages locked into the proper position. Soot was doing so well, he almost couldn't believe it.

"Let's try circling back," he suggested after letting Soot relax, pressing down and forward against the handholds of the saddle to gently show that bit of pressure meant he wanted Soot to start angling left. "We can fly for longer, but we shouldn't get too far away." It would be good to practice turning, and test Soot's sense of direction as well. Nel wasn't going to force him to land, but he did want to stay near where it was safe to do so in case the dragon began to tire.

**************

"It has to be him." Malia was too distracted, hardly noticing at all when she gave Axle a little shake, her hand sliding down to curl around his bicep and pull him with her a few more feet away from where Boulder stood, as if just that distance would make their view any clearer. The water dripping from her skin and clothes, as well as her equally drenched, half-clothed companion were long forgotten.

"He's been too timid to fly with other dragons around, let alone someone on his back," she explained, in awe still and so happy she thought she might just jump for joy, if she were anyone younger and less in control. "He was the most poorly treated dragon we've ever been pointed towards before. This is the breakthrough of a lifetime. . . I was so worried he would be afraid for the rest of his life."
 
Soot's ear fins flicked a bit, but eventually he figured out where Nel wanted him to go. He dipped a wing down, and slowly, elegantly, he turned on almost a dime and went back towards the Dragonry. Thankfully he was flying slow enough that there wasn't much impact.

Chaital and Noah watched the move and glanced at each other at the same time, grinning. "Let's do it, Chaital," Noah said, patting her neck. The pair gave Soot plenty of space. Then they tried the same move, only flying at a much faster speed. Noah nearly got flung off. But thankfully, he kept his grip and clung against Chaital's body, whose sharper angles made the turn a breeze for her.

And this time, Axle was so invested in watching Soot fly that he completely forgot about being half naked and drenched. His eyes followed the dragons through the air, and he smiled warmly. "I'm very proud of the both of them. We ought to congratulate Nel, once he's come back from his flight and had a chance to rest." He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Malia. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but most tame dragons tend to lean towards having just one special person, isn't that right? Do you suppose Soot has chosen Nel?"
 
Nel's grip was sure and his instinct in anticipating how Soot would move was accurate enough. He leaned into the turn easily upon seeing Soot's wing began to dip, and trusted the dragon to correct at the proper time. He gave small, guiding pushes against the saddle like a regular rider would, not truly to tell Soot where to go but to let him know that those hand signals correlated with how he was moving already. Even as joyful as he felt, Nel was always thinking of how to help Soot learn.

"Good, good," he praised as they leveled out again, freeing a hand to stroke over Soot's side again. "Very smooth. You were meant for the skies."

"It's quite possible," Malia agreed with a little nod, paying no attention to her own hand lingering around his arm as she followed Soot's flight path with her eyes. "I would have to see them to know. Even if he hasn't, it means so much for him to trust someone enough to let them ride, and to put him in a saddle, no less. Nel has been working with him almost every day since he arrived. I can't imagine how happy he must be." She was proud of the boy she had almost come to think of as her own. He, too, had come far from the first day they'd met.
 
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