Ace and the Dragon

Development

Shorter chapter this time. Enjoy~

Ace had gone to get Ivy to be under his supervision, putting her in the comfy sash again. She woke up, but still seemed sleepy. As Ace stood against the railing, he sent a silent prayer to Ivy's mother, apologizing and saying that he'd take care of her baby and to not worry. The young man looked down at Ivy, who was peeking her head over the side and staring at the surroundings, determined to take care of her.

-x-

Ace sat in his room at his desk doing paperwork, the least enjoyable part of being a commander, with Ivy on the table next to him. Ace had gotten a small, metal bowl and constructed a heater under it for Ivy to sit in to keep warm since Ace was using his hands and couldn't keep her warm just by holding her. He made sure to make it comfortable for her with some fabric.

Plus, she didn't like being left alone on the bed. Ace wondered if she hadn't liked when her mama left her in the cave to go get food. Maybe that was why she was crying when Ace first found her. She was cleaning herself with her tongue, making him think of a cat. At last Ace wouldn't have to bathe her, it seemed.

He was so involved with his task that he almost knocked a whole cup of ink onto the papers in startle from Ivy sneezing. She sniffled afterwards, making a cry. Ace smiled, and then put his hand on her back.

"It was just a sneeze. Everyone has them, every creature on this planet does it. You're okay," Ace said in a soothing voice, stroking her small frame. The dragon sniffled but didn't cry again, just rubbed her head onto Ace's warm hands. He kept them warm most of the time when he was with Ivy, even when he wasn't touching her. "Good girl." And he turned back to his paperwork.

-x-

After an uneventful lunch, Thatch convinced (pestered) Ace to let him play with Ivy in Ace's bedroom. When Ace set Ivy down on the bed and out of the sash, she flopped on her side and squirmed back and forth, rubbing her back on the bed for an itch she couldn't reach in another position.

"She's so damn cute, I want her!" Thatch exclaimed. Ace hit him on the arm, sternly telling the man that Ivy was Ace's. That made Thatch pout but then laugh. He turned to Ivy, who was watching them with her big blue eyes. "Ivy, my name is Thatch. I'm Ace's friend," he said and gestured to Ace behind him.

Like she had earlier that day, Ivy stood up with trembling legs, and walked four steps in Ace's direction, who was sitting on in front of the bed. She flopped over again, tired from just that amount of walking.

"I wonder how long it'll take her to function completely," Thatch said in wonder as Ace pet the little dragon.

"I read once that birds can learn to fly from only a couple days to a month. She kind of reminded me of a bird. Some of the other dragons did as well. The ones that sat in the trees and the ones that dived like predator birds into the grass to pick up prey. She preens her feathers and gets fed mushy meat that seems to be pre chewed if she was still with her mother," Ace finished.

Thatch shrugged. "I guess we'll find out as we go along."

"Yup," Ace agreed. Thatch pulled a small bag out of pocket and showed it to Ace.

"I made treats for her!" the cook said proudly. Ace took the baggy and saw it was different types of mashed up meat. Fish, beef and chicken. There was a film over them. He asked what was on top. "Some herbs that taste good on meat but are all natural so most likely won't be bad for her. I also put a very small pinch of sugar on it. Can I give her some?" Thatch asked. Ace nodded and Thatch set one of each meat in front of Ivy. She sniffed and licked each one experimentally. She clearly thought they were tasty and chowed down quickly. She made a chirp.