The Ether-Knight's Lessons

6

.^^ Forest Dragon Baby ^^

— Idun —

The pounding on the door was near-desperate, and so I decided to answer it calmly.

"WHAT?!?" I swung the door open, and caught Eliza's fist before she knocked on me, instead of the door.

She blinked. "Oh! You look... okay?"

"Sorry about that. Apparently, there's a hidden section to that place, and I wandered into it. Took a trip through time. Syral fished me out." I explained basically.

Her expression cleared. "Ahhhh, yep. Happens all the time. You have to be careful of the Ancient Places. The teachers say no one 3rd year or below is allowed in, but the Places decide who enters, not the teachers, or even Archie, which must annoy him constantly." She patted the doorframe when it sagged dejectedly.

"Yes, well, did you manage to get a Familiar?" I asked, trying to keep the door mostly shut, which the sagging doorframe was making difficult.

Her bright expression dropped a degree. "No, I didn't... I made a few friends in the aviary, but they all said I smelled too much like Fire to be of any use to them..."

"Fire, Huh?" I hummed, and opened my door. "Come check out my new wards. But be very quiet, alright? They're asleep." I cautioned.

She gave me a confused glance, but walked into my room, before freezing. "This looks like... the twins, our roommates, they raise baby Pegasi without mother's... this looks like theirs! Are you raising-!!!"

I covered her mouth when her voice raised. "No. Calm down. I've got something much better than winged horses. I've got Dragons." I smirked at the look on her face, and led her over to the babies carefully.

She went totally silent without my help, when she saw the babies, and knelt next to them, keeping a sidelong eye on Green, who was coiled up next to them cautiously.

"Green, this is Eliza, my roommate. May she pet the babies?" I asked quietly.

She blinked once, then darted at Eliza, wrapping around her arm, and then surprised me by carefully pulling the terrified girl's arm over to the pile of newborn dragons.

"I think that's a yes. Be careful, though." I said softly.

Eliza nodded, and touched one of the dragons' tails, gasping when it jerked awake, and scrambled off its siblings, into her lap.

"I take it that's a good thing?" I asked Green.

"A successful Pact. Though the terms are rather simple, for now, just mutual affection... tell her to take care of him, or I'll inject temporal venom into her bloodstream, and watch her body be sent to random places in the cosmos... one piece at a time." Her tone was matter of fact, despite the savage death threat, but a piece of it made me pause.

"Wait... she can't understand you?"

"Very few can, from my understanding of this place. This language is of Dragons, not men. Your bloodline is a bit strange, but as it has always been, languages pass on through blood. Now translate." She hissed softly.

I shrugged and told Eliza what the little snake had said.

She blinked. "That- she's a Zed?!? I thought they moved in pairs?"

Taiga reached his nose down from the trees silently, and scented her hair. "She smells of intrigue, not fear. Interesting."

"Oh! And hello, sir! Oh, the questions I could ask you about the Dragons! Is it true that they once enslaved mankind?" She asked giddily.