Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Scales

The hatchlings became quite popular, as they learned how to manipulate their limbs and wings better. It got to the point that kin began to ask if they could help with small tasks.
   "Do dragons bathe? Could we help with that?"
   Onnu laughed. "We can, as needed, but the more important task is helping them shed excess scales. We haven't found the formula for lotion on Tupino, so their hides dry out as they grow. The new scales push the old ones outward to make room, and if any of those scales are cracked, they fall out. Dry scales are more likely to crack. The problem is, they don't always fall cleanly out. This is where you can, if you wish, assist them."
   Slate perked up. "You mean like this?" They wiggled one of the scales sticking out at an odd angle on Sage's rump.
   Sage squirmed, itched against their hand. Slate removed the loose scale, and Sage sighed happily.
   Onnu laughed again. "Yes, exactly so! Just as cats, dogs, livestock, and horses all enjoyed a rump ruffle, so, too, do young dragons. It dislodges loose scales, just as it dislodged loose fur on Erdewaz."
   Firmen tentatively scratched Wraith's bottom, just above the tail. She made an odd trilling sound and leaned into his hand.
   "Huh, I guess it does work. Makes sense, though. Does that mean you'd like a scritch behind the ears, too?"
   He had to approach her head without blocking her vision, but Wraith most certainly did enjoy being scratched behind her ears.
   Slate was busy "tackle scratching", as it would come to be known, any hatchling who had a need. Now that they knew it was allowed, if not preferred, they were joined by a small mob of kin more than happy to help.
   If anyone couldn't squeeze in, they were assured that the hatchlings would need help shedding for years to come.
   "Does that mean you've been dealing with itches this whole time?" Dragonfriend asked.
   Onnu shook her head. "While I likely do have loose scales, there is so much hide, I would not feel it. You are welcome to check, if it brings you joy."
   And then she and Pannu were swarmed by kin curious enough to approach a full-grown dragon, or who wanted to repay them in some small way. Some kin were both, and that was fine, too.
   There settled a routine of dragon care, quite without their intending it. They hadn't realized that some of the kin weren't really doing anything. Either they were gophers for the craftskin, or they helped raise the younglings in a foster sort of setup. Some were the equivalent of stay at home parents. No matter the reason, they'd been, appropriately enough, itching to find something to do in their downtime.
   They dubbed themselves the dragonscalers. It gave them a sense of purpose they'd been lacking, and it didn't bother the dragons at all, so they considered it a worthwhile endeavor.
   But the kin still fought over who got to groom the hatchlings. They were so cute, everyone wanted a turn getting up close to them. Tandy arranged a rotation schedule, now that they had the emdief. If they weren't scheduled to groom a hatchling, they were more than welcome to tend to their parents.
   While hatchling grooming could be done any time of day they weren't eating or sleeping, anyone who wanted to groom an adult dragon usually waited until they came back from hunting. That was the beauty of having Charon's Pass, versus sunset: the sunslight was more consistent later in the day. Tasks done in the evening didn't need as much artificial light as they did on Erdewaz.
   The kin tended to consult the nearest centaur, to find out whether they had time to undergo such a large task, by the time they returned for the night. Though Onnu and Pannu protested that they didn't need grooming every day, they were still approached every day.
   "You're so big, Onnu ma'am, it would take all of us many days to find even one loose scale," Tan declared.
   "You exaggerate, but the point is taken," the dragoness conceded.
   She did worry, though, that they would gain an elevated station among the kin. There were so many, she hoped that it would simply be another job, but it definitely bore monitoring, to her thinking.
   They were all equals, even the dragons. She would keep reminding them of that, for as long as she lived.
   Except you are not equals, He said, the next time she went Above.
   She ground her teeth in the ether, unwilling to challenge her God, but neither willing to accept His decree.
   :I'm trying so hard to keep them from deifying us!: she agonized.
   Did they deify priests? Pastors? They did not. Frame it so.
   Onnu worried that she would have nubs for teeth, at this rate. How was she supposed to elevate them, without elevating them? She'd worked so hard to get them on even footing! To keep them from being intimidated by them!
   And how would she keep the other dragons humble?
   :Can we find a word like Rabbi? So we know that we are simple teachers?: she asked.
   It filtered into her mind that they already had a word for "bringers of God's Word".
   It was "dragon".