. : D R A G O N B O R N : . (a MCSM fanfic)

Chapter 5: Research

Petra lay awake in bed that night for a long while, mind swimming with all she'd learned that day.  Once, there were dragons... and still were.  What if the other's weren't dead either-- just long gone and hidden?  And... the Dragonborn?  She certainly hadn't asked for a baby dragon to imprint on her, but... what if it wasn't an accident?

A tapping came at the window and she sat up quickly.  The dragon peered in from outside, and this time, Petra was hardly surprised.  She got to her feet and went to the window, shoving it open.  "I told you to stay in the woods," she muttered, trying to keep a grumpy tone as the dragon quickly slid inside and hopped up on the bed.  It simply yawned, curling up beside her pillow.  Petra sighed, beginning to realize she could scarcely convince it to leave at this point, and approached, pulling the book out from where she'd hidden it under the bed and laying it in her lap.  This seemed to pique the dragon's interest, and it scooted up to look over her shoulder with a curious queep.

"This is about dragons," she said, flipping it open.  She was greeted by a detailed drawing of a blue and white air dragon, so large that it sprawled across both open pages.  The dragon quirred excitedly, bouncing around, and Petra half-smiled.  "Yes, that's a dragon like you."  She began to thumb through page after page, surprised at the number of different species, until at last she opened on a sketch of an Ender dragon.  The dragon gave a surprised quark and sniffed at the page.

"That's an Ender dragon," Petra said quietly, eyeing the hatchling thoughtfully.  "Just like you..."  She traced the writing on the page.  "It says both you and your eggs can teleport... that explains things..." She looked thoughtful.  "Have you learned to do it on your own yet?"

The dragon tilted its head and looked up at her, blinking.

"I'm guessing no."  She squinted at the page.  "Eggs teleport by reflex-- when touched.  Conscious teleport must be an acquired skill..."  She skimmed through the rest of the page.  "Can spit poison, powerful bite... naturally elusive.  I guess there weren't many Ender dragons even back then... Sounds like you're one of a kind."  She hesitated, and then reached out to the dragon.  It sniffed her hand warily, ducking a little before cautiously allowing her to stroke it.  "You know... you're honestly not so bad.  They say you're really smart, too... but your kind's gotten a bad rap over the years..."  She frowned thoughtfully, flipping to the next page.

"There are some things all dragon variants share," she read quietly aloud.  "And that is communication.  All kinds speak the same language.  Dragons are also capable of learning to speak the human language.  But by far the most important is their ability to communicate mentally."  She raised her eyebrows, looking over at it again.  "Can you communicate mentally?"

The dragon perked its ears, and then laid its head on its paws.  "Quirr..."

"Maybe not yet.  I... guess that would take time to learn."  She turned her attention back to the book.  "It was this skill that made dragon and rider such a powerful pair... a strong mental bond allowed the two to communicate effortlessly, working as one."  She sighed softly.  "That would have been something to see..."

"Quipp!" the dragon chimed in.

"The exact details of how this functions aren't know, nor is the extent of this ability.  However, such mental bonds are a double-edged sword.  Should a bond grow strong enough, severing it could damage both parties involved.  Altair the Bold is said to have gone into a coma and subsequently died after a rogue dragon assaulted him and his companion, severing their bond."  She shuddered a little.  "Yikes.  That's... not good."  She flinched involuntarily and blinked away an unwelcome flash of memory, lightly touching her forehead with one hand.  "Maybe... it's best to stay away from all this... mental stuff."

The dragon lifted its head, giving a questioning quirr.

She hesitated, and then looked down, shaking her head.  "It's... nothing.  Just... something I sometimes wish I could forget..."  She exhaled.  "Let's just keep going."  She flipped ahead to the next section.  "Dragonlings grow quickly, reaching their adult size in just a few months.  Their speech and abilities begin to develop at around a month of age, and by their third month they are able to fly.  Most dragons are purely carnivorous, though some varieties, such as forest and earth dragons, have adapted to feed off plant matter as well."

She looked thoughtfully at the dragon.  "I'm going to have to teach you to hunt, aren't I?  What I get for you at market won't be enough for long..."  She flipped ahead a few pages.  "Dragonlings begin by hunting small creatures like rabbits and chickens, eventually progressing to sheep, pigs, and even cows.  They must learn quickly, in order to be able to sustain themselves as they grow.  Solitary dragons will drive their offspring away once they reach the age of six months, though those in a colony may remain with that colony for life."  She wrinkled her nose.  "Well, there aren't any other dragons around here... but you won't be able to stay close to town.  You'll have to find a territory somewhere where you won't be seen..."

The dragon pinned its ears.  "Quirr..."

"That won't be for a while yet," she assured it.  "You've got a lot of growing to do before that happens..."  She went quiet for a moment, thoughtful.  "Can we make a deal?"

The dragon raised its head, chirping curiously.

"If I let you stay here at night, will you promise to be gone by morning?  Most of the time people stay in their own rooms at night, but they do come around during the day, so you'll have to stay in the woods until things settle down for the night..."

It watched her for a moment, and then bobbed its head up and down with a soft "Quirk quirk!"  Was it an affirmation?  She pondered it for a moment, and decided it was close enough.

"Thank you..."  She exhaled, closing the book.  "Alright, that's enough research for tonight.  We both need our rest... we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."