𝔯𝔲𝔦𝔫𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔵𝔵 𝔞 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔯𝔭

LETO

in the training area ||  inky lazy penguin Hushabye  

Leto’s first task of the day was an impossible one. She stood with one arm folded over her chest and her chin propped against her other palm, surveying the scene before her. It involved a bed of wild flowers, an old oak tree, and a sleeping dragon.

“Aughan,” she began in full voice. She knew it would be futile, but there was no harm in trying. As expected, the dragon did not stir. His massive sides continued rising and falling in the same slow rhythm, not even cracked eyelid. He could have been easily mistaken for a pile of boulders by an innocent passerby. His scales were the color of sand, and his soul blended into the earth just as easily. His young rider, by contrast, was not content with sleeping the day away. She would not allow birds to poop on her head and the ivy to grow over her limbs. She wanted to train.

Plan B involved marching over to his massive head and crouching in front of it. She knocked on the top of his noggin impatiently. His hide was so thick that she could probably dance a jig on top of him and he would continue snoozing. And prodding him through telepathy was no use either. He told her once that he often dreamed of her, so her voice did little to remind him of the real world.

She opted for planting her hands on his ivory tusks and pulling with all her might. “Aughaaaan!”

He woke with a jolt. His reptilian amber eyes flew open, and his enormous frame shuddered. Leto was nearly flung to the ground as he lifted his head.

What is it, little one?  He asked, bewildered. His voice was gravelly in her brain, like the sound of falling rocks.

“We’ll miss training, lazy bones,” she said aloud. Her sharp features screwed into an expression of hyperbolic annoyance. Then she turned with a swish of her hair. “C’mon!”

They were about a hundred yards from the fortress walls, where Leto knew the other dragon riders were beginning their day. It was typical for Aughan to sleep out in the forest where he could hear the crickets and the robins. The practice got them both in trouble at first, because it was safer for everyone in the old fort, but exceptions could be made for Aughan. What creature could possibly pose a threat to him? Arrows simply bounced off his thick hide, and blades could scarcely hurt him either.

As Leto trudged up the path to the training ground, she eventually felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. She did not have to look to know Aughan followed drowsily. When she entered the clearing, her suspicions were confirmed. Several of her fellow riders were gathered in a circle. She identified Hollis, Saena, Alexiares, and Astraxares chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

“Which one of you is getting whooped first today?” she questioned teasingly. She liked to think she won any competition she entered, and dragon training inevitably evolved into a competition on a daily basis. But in reality she won and lost as frequently as anyone else.

TRYS

in the training area ||  inky lazy penguin Hushabye , kiwi cheesecake

Trys woke most days safely encased within the great span of a dragon’s wings. Although she often went to sleep in her own bed, at some point in the night she’d crawl from beneath her covers and seek comfort in the safety of her life-long companion, her bonded dragon Shio. He’d rumble and grumble at her, but he always opened his wings to wrap Trys in a safe, secure cocoon – where nothing could hurt her. Her entire world had been upheaved in such a short time, and while Trys had landed on her feet, there were days were even her foundations quivered.

Not this morning, however. When her eyes flickered open, blinking in the soft light of the sun filtering through the window, she was still wrapped in her blanket, sprawled atop the small bed that had been designated to her upon her arrival and bonding. The other half of the room, which served as a nest for her dragon companion, was noticeably empty. The mass of pillows and soft things that Shio had demanded looked ruffled, like the dragon had been there not too long ago. She had the distinct memory of the great beast being in the room when she drifted off. Shio had, of course, requested she sing him a lullaby. Ever since he’d discovered she could both play the fiddle with a master’s hand, and sing, he’d taken to prodding her at every opportunity to grace him with her music. As she threw the covers away from her and rolled into a sitting position, she reached for the bond that pulsed within her like a second heartbeat.

And there was Shio’s presence, humming like music inside her soul.

Shio?

The dragon answered her without words – a soft, gentle rumble within her mind acknowledging her question.

Where did you run off to?

I thought I’d give the dawn a proper greeting today.

She rolled her eyes.

I saw that.

Hardly. We’re not supposed to leave the compound, anyway. How did you sneak out?

There was an indignant huff on Shio’s half of the bond.

Don’t insult me. Besides, I’ll not be anchored by any but you any time soon. Sylvie and her cohorts know that well.

Trys sighed. Although Shio had a gentle heart, and he was generally peaceful, he wasn’t much for authority. He tended to ignore any order directed his way. He was really only willing to comply with Trys, mostly because she saw him as her equal. They were partners, with neither one's word greater or more weighted than the others.

I’m going to head to the training arena.

Very well. I shall meet you there. With that, she felt Shio withdraw from the bond. It was still there, humming with life, but it was clear that Shio’s attention had turned elsewhere. She huffed to herself, and began to hum and sing a soft song under her breath. It was an old piece she’d heard in Phose as a child, but it had somehow stuck with her.

“Cruel and cold,
Like winds on the sea.
Will you ever
Return to me?
Hear my voice,
Sing with the tide.
My love will never die.

Over waves and deep in the blue,
I will give up my heart for you.
Ten long years, I’ll wait to go by.
My love will never die.

Come, my love, be one with the sea
Rule with me for eternity
Drown all dreams so mercilessly
And leave their souls to me.

Play the song you sang long ago
And wherever the storm may blow
You will find the key to my heart
We’ll never be apart.

Wild and strong, you can’t be contained.
Never bound nor ever chained.
Wounds you caused with never mend.
And you will never end.

Cruel and cold,
Like winds on the sea.
Will you ever
Return to me?
Hear my voice,
Sing with the tide.
Our love will never die.”

I like that one, Shio said, and it was then that Trys realized she’d been sending the song down the bond as well. Remember to sing to me another time. Play that strange device of yours as well.

As you wish. I will see you soon.

Dressed in her combat leathers, Trys went to leave her room. She opened the door – and was promptly nearly flattened by a dragon rushing through the halls. She blinked, and realized it was Gherkin, the dragon bonded to Peren. The human half of the pair was close behind. She smiled at him as she stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. “Good morning,” she greeted. She glanced at Gherkin, who was waiting a short distance down the hall. “Someone is certainly excited this morning. I should remember that being bowled over by a dragon is a real hazard here.” She turned back to Peren. “I was just heading to the training area. Would you like to join me?”

Several of the others are there. Scoria, Aughan, Vortigern and Ilaria. And their riders, of course.

“Shio says several of the others are already there. I’m headed that way.” She offered him one more smile, and then turned and headed in the direction of the training arena.

They’re going on and on about some sort of game.

A game?

Anavlok claims that it is some form of training. I’m hard-pressed to believe him.

Have they seen you yet?

Of course not.

I’ll be right there. Listen to the instructions, will you?

Such a monumental task for my enormous intellect.

She rolled her eyes again. When she finally made it to the training arena, she heard the end of Anavlok’s instructions. “I’m here,” she breathed, jogging up to the group. “Shio’s around here somewhere. Who’s team am I on?”

Trys' Song

TRYS

in the training area ||  inky lazy penguin Hushabye , kiwi cheesecake , ℊℓоω

Trys let her dark blue gaze dance across those who’d gathered for the impromptu game – Alex, Anavlok, Hollis, Seana, and Leto, as well as Trys herself, Peren, and their respective dragons. Only Shio was missing, but Trys had the sense that he was nearby. Instinctively, she reached out for the bond, and was comforted to know it was still there, humming with each beat of her heart. Her attention was drawn as Gherkin, Peren’s Flame Dragon, lumbered towards a particularly sunny spot in the training arena and laid down, making herself comfortable – exactly like a giant house-cat. The corner of her mouth curled up into a soft smile of amusement. And, like a giant house-cat, it looked like Gherkin had decided that her presence wasn’t necessary for the game. She instead seemed to prefer sunbathing.

<Can’t blame her,> Shio murmured in the bond. It certainly sounds more interesting. Trys rolled her eyes at him, casting her gaze to the sky above. She thought she saw a shadow pass through the clouds that could have been Shio, but she wasn’t sure.

“Gherkin wants to sit this one out,” Peren said. Trys cast him an amused look, before turning back to the rest of the gathering, watching as the teams formed. Two versus two, it seemed, which meant that Trys and Shio weren’t needed for this round. She couldn’t help the brief flicker of relief that flashed through her. She wasn’t much for combat; in fact, she was quite terrible at it. The only weapon she’d managed to use rather well was a bow, and while she could hold her own in hand-to-hand combat, her style was more of a defensive maneuver, blocking and redirecting until her opponent tired out. She was far better suited to diplomacy – and so was Shio.

<Looks like we get to sit this one out as well,> she told her dragon. She felt his rumble of approval and glanced upwards, watching as he came in for a landing.

Shio approached the training arena like a star, streaking through the air in a red-gold-gray blur. At the last moment, just before he reached the top of the trees, he snapped open his massive wings, fanning them out to their full span. This motion caused him to drop out of the dive rapidly, swinging his tail downward and his head upward. He spread the feather crest on the back of his skull, and although he likely would’ve thundered his arrival with a bugling roar, he remained silent, instead slamming to the ground just beside Trys with enough force that she felt the rumbling earth beneath her feet.

He kept his wings fanned for a moment, drawing out the dramatic effect, before he let out an indignant huff. He let the crest on his skull settle and he tucked his wings in, leaning forward to use his wings as arms, like all Wind Dragons did. While they were graceful in the air, Wind Dragons were a bit… less on the ground. The use of wing-arms made their gait a bit ungainly. Still, Shio managed to make the motion seem elegant as he moved towards a sunny spot, taking Gherkin’s lead.

“Shio and I are happy to watch the first round,” Trys told Anavlok. She gave him a kind smile. “Don’t worry about us.” She glanced at Peren. “Or Peren and I can practice some combat moves on our own.” She shrugged. “Either is fine with me.”

<I much prefer to watch this supposed game,> Shio rumbled.

<So would I, but we’re trying to make a good impression here, Shio.>

<You’re terrible at combat.> Trys shot him a frown and sighed.

<Yeah, I know.>