Black Sapphire | Xaden Riorson | S/H

XIV

・・・　・・・　・・・

     I rub my eye as I stand beside Tairn. Violet and Andarna seem to be having a stressful time as the General doesn't stop staring her down. She's always been like this. It's the exact expression she'd level across the river when the sun would start setting and Violet and I were still running about in the woods. She's a harsh lady who doesn't like me one bit, so I'm sure she's not all too pleased that Violet and I standing beside each other.
     She could be mad about a lot of things. The fact that Violet bonded a feathertail, or the fact that I'm standing right next to her with the second biggest dragon on the continent, or the fact that I'm stealing whatever spotlight Violet could have by not only bonding with Tairn, but bonding two dragons, one of which is also a feathertail.
     I sigh and sit down on the grass, then lay down.

     "Do you spit, Fior?" I ask as I turn my head against the smooth dirt. She tilts her head completely sideways. "Like, saliva. Drool."
     "I could try!"
     "What could you possibly want slobber for?" Tairn grumbles. There's a drawn edge to his voice so I'm assuming he's not all too happy.
     "I want to wash my hair. I'd rather dragon spit than blood."
     "It will melt you."
     "Boo." He gruffs at me and Fior's head swivels back upright, then she gets up to chitter with her sister. I look over at the rumble that shakes the ground, then fling myself up.
     A dragon even bigger than Tairn stands before him, releasing a low grunt.
     "Is that..."
     "Codagh." General Melgren's Codagh, the largest dragon on the continent. There's no debate on which is larger, but seeing Codagh next to Tairn really reminds me that Tairn is only second in scale compared to the hundreds of dragons in Navarre.
     His wings are slightly outstretched, confirming the dominance thing, revealing all the patchy holes and tight scars across them. Tairn grumbles back and I'm sure I'm the subject.
     "You are," Fior says with a chipper tone. Tairn steps forward to match Codagh's, shielding me from view.
     "Stay close to the wingleader until we return," his voice huffs in my head.
     "Xaden..?" I question out loud with a low grumble of my own. Violet turns towards me as the two feathers begin bouncing off. Their steps are perfectly in sync, and if they weren't different colors, I don't know that I'd be able to tell them apart.
     "You heard me."

     I look across the field, seeing Xaden with his arms crossed heavily over his chest and a glare leveled Tairn's way.
     "Go on without me," I tell Violet quickly. She gives me a soft smile as I start toward Xaden. The dragons form a line and begin to take off toward the ridgeline, periodically casting out the moon as they pass overhead, but I keep my eyes on Xaden. As the last dragon flies off, all the rest of the first-years gather in the center of the field I'm glad I just left.
     "Why don't you fight like that on the mats?" My expression immediately falls as he asks and I shake her head a bit.
     I don't answer, just step around him and begin inside. I want to wash my hair first and foremost. Hopefully my whole body. I can hear him walking after me but I don't mind it. Whatever he wants, I suppose.