Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Dragon Ark

The dragoness stood as carefully as she could, mantling her wings to catch anyone who tipped over. She felt the odd tap here and there as people righted themselves, which made her glad she'd thought to do it.
   She turned toward the distant ping in her head. She imagined it was similar to homing pigeons. Part of her, though, wondered if the Big Guy in the Sky was guiding her. It wouldn't be the first time, though it was rarely this direct. She'd learned to trust that still, small voice in the past, and so she trusted it once more.
   The problem was, it didn't tell her how far they had to go. Did they need to look for suitable campsites? When did they start looking? How long was a day here?
   The kin got to know each other as they walked--well, as she walked. She caught snippets of conversation here and there. It passed the time more pleasantly than mindlessly walking in one direction, except where terrain interfered. It sounded like families had been split in the move. Some were half and half, others were a mashup of many kinds of people. Others hadn't found some of their family members at all. She had yet to hear of a single family that was together, and all one kin. Okay, shortening "kinds of people" to "kin" doesn't quite work there, because they're related. What do we call them, though? Kinda wanna ditch races and species, except for animals...
   She didn't know how much of a fresh start they'd have, and how much prejudice and the like would follow them to this new world, but she'd do what she could to put them on even footing.
   Not that she thought she was in charge, or anything. But maybe, just maybe, they'd listen to someone her size. And maybe she could help smooth their journey more than she already was.
   She mentally snorted. "I'm not in charge, I just know what you should be doing" was on a can holder she had, at home. Well, I suppose this is home, now. She'd never had the metaphorical testes to actually bring it anywhere; it just sat on her desk, unused. She hadn't the ego to try for any sort of leadership, or perhaps she simply lacked confidence. Even now, bigger than a house, she didn't consider herself any sort of power player. She was just helping folk out, same as always.
   She looked up to the sky, though it wasn't the crystalline hue she was truly seeing. Is this Your way of getting me to take charge? 'Cause I'm not sure it'll work. I'll give it a go, if Ye want, but You know I'm more of a mom than a boss.
   She walked, and Listened, but the Big Guy wasn't talking.
   Okay, fair, gotta figure it out on our own for a bit. But You'll give us a nudge if we go astray, yeah? Got the feeling this is our second chance, don't wanna mess it up.
   Her form of prayer, informal as it was, would've horrified many a priest, but it worked for her, so she barely gave it a thought.
   A stream interrupted her prayer-chat. The water was the same blue-green as her scales, with some sort of pink stuff floating in it. She didn't know how deep it was.
   The question she asked herself, and the little colony on her back, was "Do we try to ford the stream, or fly over it?"
   She lay down while they discussed, in case anyone had to relieve themselves, or stretch their legs. The grass was interspersed with rocks, and she'd found a place to nestle where the rocks were closer in height to herself. They didn't reach her withers, but it was still less of a climb.
   Roughly a third of the group disembarked, though everyone tried to discuss their options. There was some yelling back and forth, as ideas were presented.
   Some wanted her to walk into the water without anyone on her back, to see how deep it was. The objections to that were two-fold: What if they lost their only dragon because it was too deep? How much time would they lose getting everyone off and back on again?
   Fewer still wanted to be on her back when she crossed, in case they were the ones who got swept away. They wanted to see her cross, and where the waterline was, before they committed to that choice.
   The other option was just as dangerous, they decided. Not many of them were confident they could stay on her back long enough for even a short glide. What if they fell in the water? What if they fell on the rocks?
   The dragoness tried asking Him for help, but she got the impression that this was one of their first tests. She sighed, blowing ripples across the water. I thought as much, but it couldn't hurt to ask.
   In the end, the compromise was reached that she could put one foot in the water, with the kin on her back. The surface wasn't moving fast, but none of them knew what the currents below were like. They reasoned that she would feel the flow, and the depth, at least at the edge. If it was gentle, they could perhaps try another step, and another, and so on.
   "I estimate four to five steps to cross. Does this information change your minds?" She asked, standing once again.
   It did not. If anything, it gave them hope.
   She lightly dipped the toes of her left foot in the water. The current was gentle. Her foot dropped lower, and found the bottom about ankle deep. That would've been over the heads of some of her passengers, so she didn't feel it wise to mention. Her head dipped down, to peer into the water for signs of depth and potential life.
   "I cannot see the bottom. Would you like me to duck my head under and look around? My inner eyelids are designed for such tasks, but it might require another step."
   While she waited for their decision, she sniffed the water, and found no malodors. Her labors had given her thirst, so she cautiously dipped her muzzle into the water and took a surreptitious sip. If the water was poisonous, she didn't want to give the smaller kin ideas.
   The water was pure and clean, at least to her palate.
   "The water seems potable. Should we pause for a while and rest, quench our thirst while decisions are made? If you do not trust it, I understand, but it smells quite nice."
   "Water shouldn't have a smell!" A gargoyle squawked.
   She rumbled happily. "You've never smelled fresh snow, then. That is close to what I smell, but wetter, as you'd expect." She chuckled, which sent little ripples shooting away. She assumed them to be fish, or the equivalent on this planet.
   "Life in the water. Looks small--to me, anyway. Take that as you will."
   Some of the kin who were already bending to drink paused. Her keel rested just in the water, where she'd dropped. She asked them if they truly thought anything would dare attack them, with a dragon in the water. They resumed drinking. Many sniffed it first, as she had. Some pushed their faces directly into the water; others scooped it up with their hands, paws, or hand adjacent digits. The quadrupeds had little choice but to dip their muzzles into the water. Well, except the gryphons, but they found the beaks difficult to manage with paws and water, and... yeah, they drank directly from the stream.
   The dragoness dipped her head for another drink, in full view this time. She rumbled happily. It was just cool enough to soothe the throat, but not painfully cold.