Book One: Onnu and Pannu

City Tourists

Onnu and Pannu's Hold had always been an eclectic mix of kin trying new things, and it seemed that innovation, in general, would be what they were known for.
   Dragons from the City brought their kin to learn from the holdshire, and to teach what they'd learned, and they were just as likely to land near Capitol Hold as any of the colored Holds. They had not yet found their own source of the cave yeast that made breads rise, so City dragons would oft stop at Capitol Hold for a meal, even if they were not staying all day.
   The name Capitol Hold gave them pause, but Onnu would just shrug and say that it was the capitol of their holdshire. It was not feasible to travel to the central Hold of the City in a day, so her home Hold was the hub of local traffic.
   "So your holdshire has a capitol, which does not have a name besides 'capitol', and the holdshire itself has no name," one dignitary asked, quite scandalized.
   "The Holds will endure," Onnu said with great patience, "and so we do not rush the names of them. The name of the holdshire, and Capitol Hold, will outlive everyone."
   "Except you," he said.
   "Incorrect."
   "But you do not die," he objected.
   "Incorrect. I do not age. I can still be swallowed by a Charon, or outright Smote."
   The City dragon didn't know what to make of that.
   "If there was naught to take down an Elder Dragon, we could grow to be tyrants. There must be checks and balances, as there always have been. Perhaps especially with Elder Dragons, we must remain humble and faithful; and if we were as gods, that would not be so."
   The City dignitary went away thoughtful. He was bringing some of his little kin to Weaver that day, to try and distinguish his Hold's style from the rest of City fashion. The cycle of fashion tired him, but his kin seemed to care, so it was his duty to assist them in their pursuits. He did not expect to have learned something, himself.
   Another dragon brought her kin to Steel, to learn toolcraft, because the City tool crafter was booked solid for a month. They stopped for bread, and exchange of ideas, and she learned that Onnu knew Kastin.
   "My Hold is between Fishing Hold and yours. I shall tell her that if she wishes to visit, she has only to have Koodles bring her to my Hold before the next trip we make down."
   Onnu smiled. "That would be lovely. The only person I even sort of knew from Erdewaz is Pannu, so it would be nice to see a familiar... um... to talk to a familiar person."
   "A person that isn't a romantic partner, you mean?" The dragoness eyed Pannu with open interest. It was clear that she was hoping Onnu would deny it.
   Onnu did not, herself, know whether she had a right to do so. Yes, they had children together, but that had been a purely instinctual thing. A biological need. Did they know each other well enough, now, to form some sort of committed relationship? They were always so busy...
   "Papa?" Sage asked.
   Onnu smiled down at her son. "She said 'partner', but yes, that's who she's talking about."
   The City dragoness smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "My, aren't you a bonny lad? Are these your broodsibs?"
   Onnu suppressed a start. She hadn't caught that particular term, aside from the Charon. She wondered if this dragoness could speak with the Charon, but she couldn't exactly ask.
   Sage patted his siblings with a paw apiece and beamed, totally unaware that he'd burst the adult's bubble quite soundly.
   "They hatched well after the rest, of course," Onnu said, smoothly avoiding the subtext.
   "Oh? Late bloomers, were we?"
   Onnu's teeth clenched, but she managed to say with some civility "I was recovering from the Hundred Little Eggs."
   The dragoness blanched, and suddenly "remembered" that they were supposed to be on their way to Grey Hold. Onnu all but watched her focus shift to the currently single Steel, and it didn't bother her in the least.
   Pannu was blissfully unaware of the whole thing, as he'd been with the hunting party that day. His greeting was no more or less effusive than usual.
   As for Onnu, she pretended not to notice the mating flight out over Grey Hold. She had to replenish her gas bladder, and Steel was free to do as he pleased. She knew darned well that he'd only given her The Look because of hormones. She was quite certain that Amber and Weaver kept him busy enough to forget a moment of weakness.
   She did note, however, the distinct difference between dragons and the other kin, in the relationship department. As far as she knew, they were the only monogamous pair of dragons in the entire area. That was to say that she'd not seen a Hold large enough for two dragons in the City, and she knew that there wasn't one in their holdshire.
   On her way up to Above, she asked her Brothers if there were other mated pairs.
   :A few on Tupino,: Trey said. He still sounded far away.
   :Just me and the missus, far's I know,: Dwayne said with what felt like a shrug.
   :As far as I saw, yes.:
   She didn't know whether to ask, since she was now Above, why that was the case. It just made logical sense to have one dragon per hold, but why were they not monogamous? Sure, there were three females to Steel's one, but that didn't mean that would always be the case. Their hatchlings would grow up, at some point.
   The thought of Marla dating one of her sons was... weird, but kind of sweet... though they didn't know what the age difference would be, by then. They knew that dragons lived a long time, but relative ages were a mystery, as of the moment. Marla might very well travel to the City to find a paramour, rather than wait possibly a hundred years for one of the hatchlings.
   The not knowing was always the hardest, but wasn't that the point of Tupino? To learn all the new things?
   And you, My children, will learn all the things.
   The Elder Dragons shuddered at the reminder of their undying nature.