Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Dragon Love Above

They reached the ether at the same time. While she was larger, he was faster. Any other dragon besides her Brothers would have struggled to keep up, but he was the largest male in the area. Even Steel would have been a minute or so behind her, but that was due to his heavier build. Pannu was a lean, athletic dragon, more aerodynamic. He was faster, but Steel was likely built for endurance. That was what made him uniquely suited to the City reconnaissance.
   Onnu shook off the comparisons, though she would later question their timing. For now, her focus was on Pannu. They would be separated for two whole weeks, and while it bothered her less than it did him, she was still going to miss her mate. He wouldn't have an adventure to distract him. He'd have their hatchlings, of course, but little assistance with them.
   Why do my thoughts wander so? I should be focused on the task at hand. She nuzzled his neck, in an apology he would neither hear, nor need.
   They didn't often cuddle on forta firma, so she took the opportunity to snuggle into him a bit. If they flapped a bit further out, they wouldn't need to use their wings much at all. They could simply... exist, coiled around each other, without the... slightly uncomfortable effects of gravity. She tugged him further out, until she felt the last of the planet's field of influence.
   This made Pannu nervous.
   "Trust me, we won't go far. I won't lose Tupino, so as long as you don't let go, we'll make it home just fine. I thought we could get some weightless cuddles in, is all."
   He looked back, and Tupino hadn't drifted away yet. It would, eventually, so they would still have to paddle toward it from time to time, but she was right. It was nice to just... float. They weren't close enough to a large sea to swim, so this was the closest they could get.
   After a while, she nuzzled him in sensitive places, to give him the idea that they had to go home soon. Charon wouldn't wait for them. They'd had enough time adrift.
   They found that it was quite fun to explore intimate things without the drag of gravity. They could contort in new, interesting ways; reach things they wouldn't have thought to try reaching. They toyed with a few positions that weren't possible in atmo. Then they realized that they could actually have as much fun as they wanted, without the pressure of falling, because they didn't have to flap much. They could build up to a crescendo, rather than settling for a quickie.
   "This would be really interesting in water," she groaned, neck arched back.
   "Maybe... beach vacation..." he grunted, arched the other way.
   And then they were soaring a new way, teeth clamped down on any sound they might make. They didn't want to attract a Charon. Not until they could safely fly home. Afterwards, they were slightly cross-eyed, which wasn't conducive to safe flight.
   They sagged into a drift that ended up in a yin yang sort of pose. "There's so much space to move around up here," he sighed. "I see why you like it."
   "That's one reason, yes. I feel guilty, wanting to be out of the Hold, but we have to be so careful! It's so nice to just... be. Stretch as far as we like, not think..." She sighed. "But the day grows late, and we have tarried long enough. I think I see Michael already."
   "Who?" His words were slowly becoming clearer.
   "Biggest Charon. Sorry, I'm still rebooting a bit. I think I would like to go to sleep soon."
   They oriented toward the planet, and flapped toward the gravity well with some urgency. The worry was, if you could see a Charon, it could see you, and you didn't want to look vulnerable. Luckily, their movements were strong and sure. They weren't frantic or disorganized enough to trigger a feeding response.
   They spiraled down toward the Hold, one dragon on each end of the spiral. Being heavier, she was lower in the corkscrew than he was, but not by much. She landed first, and scooted to make room for him, while the hatchlings crowded close. They cooed and chirped for attention, which she happily gave them. The Hold might feel cramped to the larger dragons, but their hatchlings always made it feel more like home.
   Steel didn't have any hatchlings to make his Hold feel homey, but that was probably for the best. There were far too many weapons and glass pieces for bumbling youngsters to be underfoot. He would entertain older dragons, perhaps the equivalent of a ten year old humanoid, but toddlers were simply not compatible with his delicate and dangerous crafts.
   Pannu cuddled close to his little family, knowing that it would be one of the last times he would be able to do so, for what felt like forever.
   Their brief time Above did reassure him a little, though. Even though Trey had been to multiple planets, he thought... it was silly, but he thought once they left atmo, they would just... float away. Knowing that their wings worked Above made him feel a bit better about his mate traveling unknown distances through space.
   Onnu was asleep before Charon's Pass. The hatchlings didn't fall asleep until the suction of Michael's feeding pulled them up against their mother's side. Pannu was the last to drift off, even being scale to scale with Onnu.
   They'd completely forgotten about the half-finished domes.