Wine Woods

11. Hum of the Grasses

A year later~

Alfred looked up at the sun, feeling the wind blow around his body. Without thinking, his fire wrapped around his body, the blue flickering through the wind. 

He looked down slowly, smiling when he saw Ohio, the baby sleeping on his lap. The baby was so young, so fragile. Tennessee and Kentucky sat beside him, Kentucky eating her dried meat and Tennessee trying to stick grass in her mouth.

Delaware ran behind him, being chased by an energetic Columbia. It was soft. Overhead, the cries of the Thunderbird, named Thunder for appropriateness, called for the dragons. Well, really mimicked for the dragons, he made the same sound Ivan did when he was calling them.

Once again, a few flew down, Thunder going to hide because he was a jackass like that. Alfred almost wanted to tell him to stop messing with the dragons before deciding it was for the best, even though it confused Nesrin when it happened.

"Delaware! Penn!" he called, the kids running out from the woods, "York! Hampshire! Jersey!"

"What mama?" Hampshire said, tilting her head.

"Dragons," he replied, Ivan walking over with a tree over his shoulder. Alfred was pleased by how he was shirtless, but ignored it for now, handing him his baby with a few words and a kiss.

"Mama, what are we doing?" Pennsylvania asked as Delaware giggled happily.

"Dragon riding lesson!" he exclaimed, pumping both fists in the air.

"Ooh~" most of the children said, besides Hampshire. Alfred noticed and smiled at her, beckoning her forward as Karmesin laid down beside him. Hampshire walked over slowly, her eyes downcast and fearful. Gently, Alfred guided her hand to the dragons head, a deep rubble coming from the beast as Hampshire let out a nervous laugh.

"He won't eat you," he said, Karmesin looking at him timidly, "he likes you too much."

"Yay..." Hampshire replied.

"Now, up," Alfred called to her as she looked at him with wide eyes, "I wasn't planning on having you just touch him."

"Okay mom," Hampshire replied, pushing herself up on shaky arms. Alfred moved her back between Karmesin's wing joints, letting her shift until she got comfortable.

"Grab onto his skin," Alfred instructed, pulling on the stretchy scales. Karmesin moved the way he moved the little flap. Hampshire copied him, grabbing on tightly, "now say 'up', and 'down' when you want to come back down."

"Okay..." she said, "up."

Slowly, the dragon stretched his wings, jumping into the air and doing a few lazy circles. It didn't take long for Hampshire to calm her nerves.

"Delaware, jump up and grab Karmesin's tail, then climb on behind your sister. Karmesin, start flying a little faster," Alfred ordered, his oldest running behind the dragon, chasing it in circles. Every time he tried to grab onto his tail he missed, "Delaware, try running ahead of his tail so when he moves you can grab it."

So Delaware did as he was told, grabbing onto Karmesin's strong tail. The dragon didn't try to whip the six-year-old off, letting him climb up and walk along his back to his sister, sitting down behind her on his knees.

"Hampshire, tell him to come down."

"Down," Hampshire said weakly, Delaware about to interrupted before he held his tongue.

"Stronger."

"Down!" Hampshire yelled, Karmesin flinching like he had been struck before landing quickly. Both children let out an 'oof' as all the air was knocked from their body with how hard they landed.

"Hampshire, I said stronger, not meaner," Alfred sighed, passing a glance to his one-year-olds to make sure they were okay before looking back at the two, "Karmesin didn't like that you yelled at him."

"Oh..." Hampshire said, petting Karmesin's neck, "sorry Karmesin."

The dragon nuzzled into her face, proving to her that it was okay.

"York, your turn to ride," Alfred said, the two kids slipping off the dragon, "Pennsylvania, you run."

"Okay mama," the two both said, York getting up on the white and red striped dragon. Karmesin stretched like a cat before York ordered him up, Pennsylvania following under him before she, with ease, grabbed onto his tail. The walking on his back part was difficult for her though, she had issues with balance. She fell off his back twice, Alfred encouraging her to try again. She did it on the third time, sitting behind York.

Then York accidentally twisted the neck skin.

Karmesin was not opposed to going right for no reason even though the obvious thing was just to keep going left and continuing in a circle.

He didn't stay right, either. York panicked and did some more skin twisting, telling him to go up and do a flip. Once again, he was not opposed.

The two kids screamed as they were dropped, Alfred looking on with mild disappointment as Ivan's scarf came to life, wrapping around their ankles and holding them a few inches above the ground.

"So, York," Alfred said, giving a look that was both a warning and a promise, "why'd you do that?"

"I didn't realize what I was doing!"

"You almost got me killed!" Pennsylvania exclaimed, her face going red from being upside down.

"Sorry!" York replied quickly, knowing that his sister would lock him in his room from the outside no matter how much mom told her not too.

Alfred sighed, passing a glance to Ivan, who shrugged, "hands up."

The kids did, and Ivan let their ankles go. Pennsylvania, who had no balance, immediate came out of the handstand, but York just stayed there.

Alfred whistled Karmesin down from where he was flying overhead, giving him a few stern words.

"Jersey," Alfred called, the last triplet standing there, staring. She rarely ever smiled anymore, and he knew she was developing a personality that was very harsh on the outside. He didn't mind, she could be how she wanted. He was just extra sure to remind her that he loved her a lot.

"Who will chase?"

"You," Alfred replied, "since your the most comfortable on a dragon, I want you to fly him over the house to the barn, and back here."

"Yes mom," she said, Alfred nodding for Karmesin to start flying. She was fast when she wanted to be, in short bursts of speed- but she did something that none of the other kids did. She waited under Karmesin's path, jumping up as he passed over her and walking easily along his back. Then, she started steering. Her siblings cheered her on, besides York who looked a little spiteful (Alfred would have to talk to him about that later), and she went over the house and barn with ease, landing with a precision that said she knew the dragon and the sky well.

"You did great Jersey!" Delaware yelled, "I hope someday I can get as good as you!"

"I hope you do, it's not that hard."

"Than what's the secret?" York asked as Alfred hid a smile. He knew his daughter well, and he was awake when she didn't know he was. Jersey didn't say anything.

"Get to know the dragon well. Become friends."

"But it's Uncle Gilbert's dragon?" Hampshire asked, confused.

"Dragons have big hearts, like mom," Jersey tried to explain, slipping down while Alfred pulled a face and Ivan tried to hold in a laugh. Ohio started whining and Alfred immediately grabbed him, pulling his shirt down while Jersey attempted to describe forming a friendship with a dragon.

Ivan went over to his one-year-old's, making sure they were okay before giving them kisses, holding them for a bit and sitting on the ground. Rhode ran over and got a kiss on the forehead, before the tiny state laid down in the dirt.

"Mom!" Vermont exclaimed, "Maryland's stuck in the lake!"

Alfred shook his head fondly, going to rescue his child from the lake for the fourteenth time today. And, for the thirteenth time today, Mississippi had already gotten her out before he got there. Yay.