Breath of Fresh Air

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Noah smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nice of you to offer. But I couldn't just intrude on you and Jasper like that." He shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I'll grab some of my stuff from home once I get Chaital settled. I can just plunk down anywhere for the night; I'm small, and I'm not partially illegal in Upper Floaten." He clicked his tongue. ". . . But I guess with how small and fragile some of the buildings are up there, and how close together they are, I kind of get it. Chaital would run into everything if we tried to fly around up there."

He finally slid off Chaital's neck and took a few steps away, just to see what she would do.

The dragon opened one eye to check where Noah was and what he was doing. Then she closed her eye again and swished her tail.

Noah nodded. "That's a good sign, I think. She'll at least let me walk around a bit. So maybe she'd be okay on her own for the night?"
 
Lily laughed softly at Noah's description of himself, though she knew what he was trying to articulate through the funny words. It would be difficult for Chaital, finding places to land or take off, in a place that was, somehow, more cramped than Lower Floaten could be.

"She'll be happy here, where there's plenty of space for her to roam and other dragons to spend time with." she thought for a moment as Noah moved away from Chaital, and gave him a little wave closer. "Come sit with me and Fern. They're friends, I just want to make sure she won't be jealous."
 
"Oh! Good idea," Noah agreed. He ambled over to the pair and flopped down in the soft grass, making himself comfortable.

Chaital's eye opener again. This time, she lifted her head a bit, realizing that Noah had moved over to sit with the others. She gave a long yawn and slowly got to her feet. But she didn't show signs of jealousy. Instead, she ambled over to the group, stretched out her head, and licked Infernus' head to see if he was in the mood to be groomed.

"Aww! Dragon kisses!" Noah said, giggling. "That's so cute! Does that mean she likes him?"
 
Lily stayed still, letting Noah get settled and only glancing over when Fern lifted his head to sniff at his hair - coated in dragon spit, no doubt. Chaital, thankfully, seemed perfectly content to let Noah be with other dragons, though she herself wanted to be included in their little hangout. Lily couldn't help but smile when Fern gave a content little rumble, closing his eyes and leaning closer to Chaital in response to the affection.

"It's sorta like cats, I think," she said with a little shrug. "Sometimes dragons get affectionate and want to lay close together, and they do lick each other sometimes. I think they missed each other. They used to see each other a lot here at the Dragonry, before she left. Fern's always been a friendly dragon, so he makes friends with anybody!" Though he was more wary when she was around, she had seen him interact with dragons when he thought she wasn't there, and had been told by workers at the Dragonry that he got on well with anyone that wasn't aggressive.
 
Noah giggled a bit when he felt Infernus' warm breath while the dragon sniffed his hair. ". . . Hey. I know I can't sleep over much, but could I swing by your place to tell Jasper the news? I really want to see his reaction. I bet he's going to lose his shit," he added, laughing.

He reached up and patted Chaital's neck. "I'm glad she's got friends here already. She seems like a dragon that's pretty easy to get along with. Aren't you, Chaital?"

Chaital chirped happily and paused in grooming Infernus to give Noah's hair and cheeks a few more licks, and Noah beamed. ". . . Yup. Super friendly and super drooly. I get the feeling I'll need extra showers living with a dragon. Or lower standards."
 
"Oooh!" Lily couldnt help laughing with Noah at the thought of Jasper's expression once they told him. "That's gonna be funny! I can't wait!" She gave another little laugh, then finally shook her head. "I hope you know that the longer you spend around him, the more lectures you're going to get." He was probably already going to get some sort of 'be careful' speech, already.

Fern gave a happy little chuff and just laid his head against Chaital when she switched to licking at Noah, and Lily grinned at the state of the boy's hair. "I would suggest a hat, but she knows what hats are so she'd probably just take it from you." It was cute, that Chaital wanted to groom him, but not very sanitary. Despite constantly being covered in grease and dirt as he worked, and Naga always chewing on his hair, she was sure Jasper would make faces at that, too.
 
". . . Yeah. That's part of why I won't sleep over a lot," Noah admitted with a chuckle. "But seeing his expression is gonna be worth the lecture in this case."

He laughed when Lily suggested a hat. "I don't mind a few friendly licks. I'm sure it'll come out with soap and water," he said. He leaned back and sighed happily, patting Chaital's neck. "I still can hardly believe this is happening," he murmured. "Chaital is such a beautiful dragon. And she picked me!"

Chaital chuffed back as of in agreement and gave his hair another lick. Then she laid her head down on the ground, spreading her wings out to warm them in the sun. It wasn't often she did so; not unless she felt completely content and safe. And for once, she did. Even the small flock around her picked up on her cue and relaxed further.
 
Lily only shrugged, grinning to herself. "You get used to it after a while. If you get him going long enough it becomes a pleasant background noise."

She chuckled at that, leaning into Fern's side as Chaital relaxed and sighing softly. ". . . I'm glad she likes you," she murmured softly, a hand running gently back and forth over his side. "Losing her rider was . . . harder than I can imagine." Like losing a family member, or a limb. Unbearable, a hole forever left in her heart. "But finding you could be the best thing for her. She has someone else to focus on now. Someone else to keep her company."

It was different than having her flock around. The way a dragon could bond with a human was stronger than anything else Lily had ever encountered. The way they could learn to work together, and to care for each other - she read too many stories, perhaps, but the idea that a rider and their dragon become like one being in the air had always felt right to her. Sometimes, when they had worked hard and had one last leg of the journey to complete, or were pushing back against bad weather, it felt like their hearts beat as one, and they moved together in perfect harmony. She couldn't describe it to anyone that hadn't felt it before.
 
Noah's smile faded, ever so slightly. ". . . She lost her rider?" he asked softly. He didn't know Chaital's story like Lily and Jubilee did. Slowly, he stretched up a hand, rubbing it along Chaital's cheek. "I'm so sorry, girl."

Chaital gave a soft huff and licked his hand.

"I wonder if that's why she chose me," Noah added quietly. He turned his eyes to look at Chaital, and she looked back at him. "My father and I . . . we lost mother a few years ago. Maybe Chaital and I have the same missing piece of our hearts."

The pair were quiet for a moment, reading each other's eyes. Then finally Chaital laid down and closed hers, and Noah smiled again and turned back to Lily. "Yeah. Maybe that's it. So uh . . . who do I pay to let her stay here while we go tell Jasper the good news?"
 
Lily's expression softened at Noah's admission, and she reached over to him to rest a hand gently on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Noah," she murmured quietly, though she knew there were no words that would mean anything, nothing that would make it better. "I'm sure she can feel your hurt. Maybe it's the same as hers."

Maybe they would even heal each other.

After a moment, she let him go and sat back on her own, leaning a bit into Fern's side. "I'm sure they would let her stay for a while without paying. Everyone'll be glad to see her back. It's more the cost of her feed, equipment storage, and medical costs that need to be handled, and that can wait 'til you're settled." The donations from his family would cover it forever, she was sure, but she got the feeling he didn't want everyone knowing who he was. "I can talk to someone for you later, if you want. They're good people here."

No one would rush Noah's journey into becoming a fully responsible dragon rider. All they wanted was for the dragons to be safe, and healthy, and not to put themselves in danger but causing trouble for others.
 
The brunette smiled thinly at her, nodding. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I really appreciate it." Then his expression warmed again. "She would've loved to meet you and Jasper and the dragons, I know it. Well . . . maybe not so much the dragons at first. But they would've grown on her," he admitted with a soft chuckle.

He nodded when Lily described how the payment might go. "I'd appreciate it if you could. Just tell me who to give money to and I can take care of the rest. If everyone's like you and Jubilee, I'll have no trouble making more friends."

Chaital yawned and curled her finned tail around herself with a deep sigh, ready to take a long nap.

"Hm. I should probably let her get some rest, huh?" Noah asked, getting to his feet and patting her neck. "Should we go?"
 
Lily only smiled at Noah's reminiscing about his mother, glad at least that he seemed to be able to think about her in pleasant ways. "Of course. I'll get to someone tomorrow, after work."

When he got to his feet she followed, and gave a little stretch. "We can have a little look around some of the other parts of the Dragonry, if you want. Did you still want to go on another flight with Fern and I?" She wasn't sure if his descent with Chaital had been enough to satisfy his urge to go flying or not, but she was always ready for more. They could even take a little flight away from town if he wanted to.
 
"I'd love that," Noah said with a grin. "Maybe you can give me some pointers for when I get a saddle for Chaital, and maybe I could get a few tips for interacting with dragons around the Dragonry?" he added hopefully. He was like a sponge when it came to information about dragons. Some information, like numbers or English or politics, was hard to remember. But things about dragons were hard to forget.

Chaital had already fallen into a light sleep, her tail twitching a bit back and forth.

Noah hesitated and glanced back at her. ". . . Do you think she'd be worried if she woke up and I was gone?" he asked softly. "Should I maybe wake her up to come with us?"
 
Lily smiled and nodded, happy enough to help out wherever she could. "I'm not really an expert," she admitted, "I've just had Fern for a long time now, so I've gathered relevant knowledge, but please don't expect me to know how to answer the 'why's." She gave a little laugh at that, but she really did mean it. There were a lot of people smarter than her that knew more about dragons, while she mostly worked off of experience and instinct. It was hard to describe things properly when she mostly worked off of feelings rather than fact.

"Hmmm," she tilted her head for a moment, thinking as she looked at Chaital sleeping, and finally gave a shrug. "It can't hurt to wake her and say you'll be back later. If she doesn't want to go, she'll probably just go back to sleeping."
 
Noah chuckled. "Fair enough. I just need enough info to keep me and the dragons safe and in one piece, that's all." He tapped Chaital's shoulder and tilted his head. "Hey, Chaital. I'm going on a tour. You wanna come?"

Chaital yawned and opened one eye. Then she gently nudged Noah towards Lily, gave a soft huff, and went back to sleep.

"I guess that's a no," Noah said with a laugh. "All right, then! Let's head out. What's the first thing I should know when I'm walking around here?"

Most of Chaital's flock stayed near her. But a tiny orange dragon, barely the size of a cat, scampered after Noah at a safe distance and observed him with glittering green eyes.
 
Lily laughed softly at the way Chaital dismissed him, and just turned to wave him along with her, Fern getting to his feet to follow at their walking pace. "First rule should probably be never to approach sleeping dragons if you're not very familiar to them. They're big, but they can still get startled and if they take a swing at you it might break bones. There aren't any real aggressive dragons here, and if there are they would be isolated away from people, but accidents happen sometimes."

It was why they always had to be careful, until they were very familiar to the dragons that were around. And speaking of dragons around.

"I think we have a friend," she said with a little smile, glancing back at the small dragon that had followed. "Hello, little one. Are you going to walk with us?" Fern was unconcerned, so while he did stop walking he didn't do anything to scare the small dragon away.
 
"That seems fair. I'd probably get spooked too, if I was sleeping and some random person walked up to me," Noah agreed, nodding. "What about dragons who are awake? How can I tell if a dragon is safe to approach or not?"

He was distracted by both Infernus and Lily pausing to talk to someone behind him. He turned just in time to see the little orange dragon duck behind a bush to hide. "Aww! He's even smaller than Nobu," he murmured. He knelt down and clicked his tongue. "C'mere, buddy. Come on. We're not going to hurt you," he crooned.

Slowly, the orange dragon poked his spiky muzzle out again. Then he inched his way forward, sniffing at the group and keeping an especially close eye on Fern's body language. He himself was submissive. He kept his tail curled under him, he made sure not to make eye contact, and he held his wings close to his body.
 
"This is a good example," Lily said with a little shrug, crouching down near Noah but not trying to get any closer or holding out her hand. "He's trying to make himself look real small, so it's safe to say he's pretty nervous. Sometimes, its best to treat them like cats - if you're calm and don't move too fast, eventually they'll come to you if they want to. For bigger dragons, it's sort of the same. If they don't want you near them, they'll make firm eye contact, lift their heads, or even stand up tall to tell you to go away. If they spread their wings, it's best to back away slowly." Whether it meant they were aggressive or just about to take off, it was a good idea to get some distance.

Fern turned completely around to better see the small dragon, movements relaxed and at ease. He was in his home, and there were no threats to him here, especially not this tiny dragon who reminded him of his small friends, Nobu and Naga. To get closer to the small dragon's level, he laid himself gently down with his wings tucked in tight and even lowered his head almost all the way to the ground to invite the little one to come and greet him, a low, friendly sort of rumble in his throat.

"It's okay, little one," Lily said very gently, reaching out to rest a hand on Fern's folded wing. "You can come walk with us if you want to." It was all right to just let the small dragon follow, if that was what he wanted to do. If he didn't want to come forward, they would keep going and leave him be. He would approach them eventually if he felt like it.
 
The tiny dragon seemed fairly at ease with Noah and Lily, but it was Infernus he was most nervous about. Only when the large dragon laid down and lowered his head did he relax. He gave a small squeak and scampered over, politely giving Infernus' snout a sniff. Then he waddled over to Lily and Noah, stretching his neck out to sniff at their clothes.

"Awww! He's so cute!" Noah whispered. He reached out a hand to pet the tiny dragon, running his hand down his spine and giggling when the dragon licked him in return. Then he let out a happy sigh and stood up. "Come on, little pumpkin. You want to come see the stables with me?" he asked.

The dragon squeaked again, sounding a bit like a lamb bleating, and waddled after him at his heels.

"Great! All right, let's go check out the Dragonry," Noah said with a grin. "How big is this place, exactly?"
 
Infernus gave the small dragon a very gentle nuzzle when he came to say hello, and let him greet his human companions before starting to get back up. Lily stayed still and just offered a hand when the small dragon was ready, smiling a little and keeping her voice down so as not to scare him.

"Pumpkin," she repeated with a little giggle. "I like it." She got to her feet when the little one was ready, and started walking at a slightly slower pace so he could keep up more easily. If they'd known him better she might have suggested carrying him, but she would let him get used to them for a little while before she asked that.

"I don't know exactly how long the distance is, but it stretches out pretty far." She gave a little shrug as they walked, shielding her eyes from the light a moment to look towards the horizon. "I think it ends somewhere near the river, down that way. There's space out there for the sheep and cows that feed the dragons to wander far away from them. The founder had a lot of money, I think, and knew dragons would need a lot of land." It was keeping it afloat after he had died that was the problem. Dragons were more resource-intensive than most people imagined.
 
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