Dick had gone into the forest near the sanctuary, chasing after Kaido. His second youngest had been chasing a butterfly, and had gone too deep in. The woods had dangerous plants that he didn't know how to recognize.
Dick roared, trying to get an answer from his son. Being a dragon was good when looking for his kid. Kaido was always getting lost, which made him worried. He knew he probably shouldn't worry as much, but he couldn't help it. Dragons or not, they were still his kids.
Dick finally found Kaido, hiding near a bush. Dick grabbed him by the scruff, rumbling softly. He didn't notice the bush scratch his leg. He was too busy worrying about Kaido to think about that. Kaido wasn't fighting against him, which meant that he probably got lost.
Dick carried Kaido back to the cave, laying down and grooming him. The other kids were with Wally, who was teaching them how to hunt. Kaido was healing from a fractured paw, and Dick would be teaching him later.
"You scared me." "Sorry." "It's okay. Did you get lost?" Kaido nodded. "I didn't know where I was. The butterfly flew off." "You were trying to hunt it, weren't you?" Kaido nodded again. "You wanted to keep up with your siblings." "They're going to tease me for not knowing."
"Alright, time for your first lesson. If they start teasing you, just do this." Dick stood up, watching as Kaido stood beside him. "Show me your pounce." "What do I pounce?" "Pounce on the floor. I just want to see your stance."
Kaido did so. "Keep low to the ground. You want to sneak up on them." "Sneak up on who?" Wally asked as he came in. "Pouncing lessons." "Makes sense. So, where'd you run off to." "I got lost." "And I was there to find you." Dick nuzzled Kaido's cheek.
"You're bleeding." Wally noticed, leaning down to sniff at the injury. "It's fine. It's just a scratch." "You should get it checked out." "I'll be fine, Walls. It'll be gone in a couple of days." Dick chuckled.
The others came running up to him. Mina was his oldest, meaning she was the first to hatch. She looked like Wally, and was very feisty. She ran the group as the alpha, and almost always won playfights. Dick hoped whatever poor soul mated with her could handle not being dominant.
Zara was his second oldest. He was the only dragon who could go toe to toe with Mina, and was considered the second alpha. He only ever lost to Mina, and was very rambunctious. He also looked like Wally. He would have no trouble finding a mate.
Kili was his middle. She was very quiet and calm, but she didn't tolerate disrespect. She was one of the most capable hatchlings, one Dick considered the smartest. She always used trickery and a plan to defeat her siblings, but never forced herself to fight. She was the mixed dragon, half of each parent. She would take her mate by surprise.
Kaido was, obviously, his second youngest. He was very reckless, and easily distracted. He was the spitting image of Dick, which made it easy for him to hide. Dick was the one who always found him, usually carrying him back. Despite the fact that he wasn't born last, Kaido was the runt of the clutch. Kaido might have a little trouble finding a mate, but they would be one that could handle him.
Gio was his youngest. She was smart, but she often tried to use the youngest sibling card to get her way. None of them fell for it, which meant she had to work for things. She would probably have the most trouble finding a mate, since she didn't exactly think of others. Dick and Wally had been trying to change that, but they weren't having much progress.
"Why don't we take them to the lava? They'll be able to work off some energy." Dick suggested. "Sounds perfect." Wally smiled, nosing the hatchlings out of the cave. Dick carried Kaido, even when he protested, claiming he could fly. In reality, Kaido was a very uncoordinated flyer. He was working on it, but he still needed work. He was only a few months old.
