Everyone came out of the bathing pool. They had burn marks on them.
I threw Paddy's tunic over him then Quinn and John. They were able to pull their pants on.
"That dragon sure put up a fight." Shaun said hugging Colleen. "Lizzy and Liam should be here soon."
"They are already."
"Good."
The Councilmen came up last.
"He will be down there for a while." Councilman Antonio said.
"We will not be able to keep him for long." Councilman Klaus said sadly. "He will knock down the cave walls soon."
"We will have to change his eating habits from human heads to something else." Shaun said.
"Good idea. In the morning we will buy some cows from the local farmers." Councilman Klaus told us.
"Yes Sir."
For the next month, we fed a cow a day to him. We let it in through a small opening in the cave wall. At the end of the month Councilmen Klaus and Antonio opened up an exit for him to leave by. He followed Shaun and Paddy out.
When we let him out many of us were up in the air as dragons watching him. The Councils wanted to know where he lived. Paddy came to join me.
The gold eyed dragon flew North. He was near the North Pole when he swooped down to a mountainous region. He folded his wings back and entered a cave.
Paddy and Shaun shifted into albatrosses. They flew into the cave. They were back out a few moments later. They shifted back into dragons as they neared the rest of us.
"Let us go home."
We hurried back to our cave.
After we dressed we went to report to the Councils.
"Shaun, let us know what you found out?" Councilman Klaus asked.
"Yes Sir. We followed the dragon North to the pole. He has a cave there with a brood of three young dragons. The dragon is a 'she.' Sir."
"She was feeding her young."
"Yes Sir. It appears so."
"All right. I would like them monitored. Add them to your patrols Shaun."
"Yes Sir."
The Shifters made it a routine to go North once a day to see what the dragons were up to.
Shaun came back smiling a few weeks later.
"Sir I think we have changed the dragon's eating habits."
"What do you mean?" Councilman Klaus asked curiously.
"She is teaching her young to catch cows."
"Wonderful."
"How old do you think her young are?" Councilwoman Cleo asked.
"A few months at least they are starting to fly."
"We had her for a month, right?"
"Yes Madam." Shaun said curiously.
"Then her mate must have been feeding them while she was gone."
"You are right but we have not seen him yet."
"Something tells me we will soon."
"I think you are right Madam." Shaun nodded.
The Councils retired to their quarters. Everyone went back to their own quarters.
Shaun was clearly upset with himself. "How could I be so blind not to see that she had a mate?" Colleen stood there staring at her husband. "What did I miss?"
"Councilwoman Cleo asked about the dragon's mate today."
"Oh understand now." She nodded. "He did not think of it himself."
I shook my head. "It is all right Kylie. I will calm him down."
"Okay."
I went to my quarters and started the evening meal. Paddy, Quinn and John came in a little while later.
"I stopped in to see Dad. He is very upset." Paddy said.
"Yes I know."
"Why?" Paddy asked giving me a kiss.
"He is upset that he did not think about the dragon's mate." I told him.
"Oh that would do it. Who thought of it?"
"Councilwoman Cleo."
"Yes that would make him feel very incompetent." He said. I nodded.
"That explains why he wants the twenty of us to fly around tomorrow."
"He wants to find her mate."
"Yes."
"Then I better feed tonight." I put their food on the table.
"All right we will go out after we eat." They were done quickly.
"What is the hurry?" I asked.
"It will be dark soon. It is easier to see a dragon in the daylight."
"Good point. Let us go."
Athos and Julian were going out to feed also. We went together. We were hoping that safety in numbers would be all right.
Paddy, Quinn and John watched the skies while we fed.
