Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Koodles

Many of the kin had looked to her for leadership in the past, and Onnu had done what was necessary, but no more than was asked of her. The mantle sat uncomfortably, they knew. But today, she'd given them a clear path forward. A way to expand without having to rely on caves or trees. They still hadn't figured out how the wild animals avoided being Charon fodder, but they knew that the trees were part of it. They just didn't yet know how.
   So, for the moment, Holds and Hold-like structures were the standard, and she was the only one they knew who could do just that. She hadn't said that small structures were an Elder Dragon exclusive, so they began planning. How many would they need, and how big did they need to be? How close did they need to be? Could they make beds within them, and if so, how would they stay on the ground?
   Onnu didn't know. Ogres were the creative problem-solvers, for just about anything the kin needed. Dragons thought about the larger scale, as it were. It was difficult to imagine how to make shoes, when the feet in question were smaller than a single adult dragon claw. Granted, it was Stan who designed shoes, and he was a gargoyle, but there were many other kin who innovated. The ogres just happened to have the largest percentage of inventors. 
   What Onnu did know was, she had to mentally prepare three infants for a trip over the mountains. The physical aspect was simple. She could easily carry them in one paw. It was getting them to stay in her grasp that she wanted to reinforce.
   "I can try to hold you so you can see the ground, but only if you can stay put. One wrong move, and I'll close my fingers again."
   The hatchlings nodded so hard they fell over.
   "Do you know where the Council meets?" one of the new dragons asked.
   Onnu looked up. "I was going to rely on spiritual guidance, but if you're here to offer, I will happily accept."
   The smaller, green dragoness held out a paw. "Can do! By the way, name's Koodles."
   Onnu's talons barely touched her paw when her jaw dropped open.
   "What?" Koodles asked, head tilted to one side.
   Onnu blinked and shook her paw. "Nothing. Probably a coincidence. I just... I knew someone who used that name on Erdewaz."
   The little green dragon smiled up at her. "Oh, you knew her? She's the one who gave me my name. Well, not intentionally, but she said it, and it was just so fun, I asked if I could keep it."
   Onnu smiled. "What's she go by these days, then?"
   "Kastin. One of the kids called her that, and it was so darned cute, she wasn't mad that I took the one she was using on Erdewaz. Say, do we have a name for the kin that seemed to be native to Tupino?"
   Onnu shrugged. "Not that I know of. Nothing has stuck, to my knowledge. They've tried tupiners, fortupin, but everything is just so close to 'tupin' that it doesn't seem distinct enough."
   Koodles tsked. "We'll have to get our best minds on it. They just look so dignified, they really do need a better name than 'native species', y'know?"
   Onnu nodded. "I've tried a few, before they told me the name of the planet, but yeah, nothing really fits them."
   Tandy was within earshot (which, given the fact that it was two dragons talking, was quite a ways) and wandered over.
   "If it helps, we do appreciate the effort. It's kind of a matter of pride, since the other kin got named so easily. It's weird, I don't know. Just... Fauns don't really look like the ones on Erdewaz, nor do the orcs and gillnecks. And yet, they were named after their equivalents there. That means we're truly unique. I, for one, like that.
   "Also, with this new Hold, I estimate that we can sustain three more generations comfortably. With the beds alone, I mean. If we're talking food and clothing, that'll depend on whether the production ramps up, alongside the population growth. Your ideas for additional Holds and outlying settlements may do just that."
   Onnu inclined her head. "This is good to hear. How go the trade talks with the City dragons?" Here, she looked to both Koodles and Tandy.
   "Oh, I'm done," Koodles said. "That's why I came to check in before I left. Your Amber is really something when she's in Trade Mode!"
   Onnu nodded emphatically.
   Tandy asked for numbers, which the dragoness relayed while she took notes. Onnu took mental notes, as well, and from what she could estimate, Amber had indeed negotiated an even trade. Not that she doubted it, but she would have to learn what she could, before Amber...
   Her eyes tinted slightly bluer. Amber would live for many years; maybe hundreds of years. But she'd just remembered that she would outlive her.
   Koodles, too. And Pannu, Steel, Marla... All of them.
   Stone fell, then, and distracted her from her maudlin musings. Her eyes settled back into electric blue.
   So they still do the emotion thing. Huh. Maybe she's more human... dragon... than angel.
   Onnu's eyes widened a fraction. She was consoling her son, so the smaller dragon wouldn't have seen it, but she still chided herself for reacting at all. Really need to work on that.
   She glanced at Koodles out of the corner of her eye, to see if she heard her thoughts. Nope, one-way door. Phew!
   It made sense, but she didn't know for sure. It was nice to have it confirmed. How would they do their jobs for eternity, if their every coherent thought was broadcast?
   The smaller dragon left when the nearest centaur said she probably ought to, and promised to meet them on the mountain rim in the morning.
   Pannu returned before Sighting, which was given with enough warning that everyone found a niche before Charon's Pass. The little family settled down for the night.