Between practicing magic, searching for herbs, and enjoying each day, Fia and Viliant kept busy.
"The herbs from the jungle we can sell," Diwa began, "but it'll take a long time to save up for your fare, I'm afraid. We'll need to gather things which are considered more valuable in Malakow, from somewhere harder to access."
Fia and Viliant shared a wide-eyed look. While she tried to think of a suitable option, Viliant said darkly, "No." We're not going back there.
Diwa tilted her head out of considerate concern. "I understand your objection, but you have nothing to fear in the badlands. This time you'll have me!" She cast a wily look to the side. "And Sage Rokirith."
That doesn't give me much confidence, Viliant grumbled.
The Sage already helped us once, Fia said. I don't think he'd abandon us anymore.
"Not on my watch," Diwa proclaimed, puffing out her lighter, mint-colored crest surrounded by the green scales of her body. "But if you don't want to come with us, Viliant, you're old enough to stay home by yourself for a couple of days."
A hesitant glance made Viliant's eyes dart between Fia and Diwa each. Fine. I'll come.
"Hooray!" Out of jubilance, Fia tackled Viliant. The dragonets toppled horns over tails until Viliant came out on top. "Ugh," she grunted as he kept her pinned to the ground.
Knock it off, Viliant snapped his fangs close to her glossy eyes. This isn't fun.
Excited as she might be for the trip, Fia admitted to herself, Right. We're not going back to the badlands for fun. This is serious. That very wasteland had been the place of her grave mistake; their return would provide an opportunity to redeem herself.
***
The next time that Sage Rokirith came with food, the dragonets lay at the base of Diwa's tree to eat together. The motherly green dragoness snuggled between Fia and Viliant, a wing draped over each of them and her head lowered to their level. The sage stood before them all.
The delicious smell of blood wafted from the meat at his claws. Sage Rokirith announced, "Fia, hatched of fire, would you grace this meal with your element?"
Today came the feast, promised by Diwa, wherein Fia got to cook for her new friends. The pink dragonette rose to her giddy claws and pranced in front of the meat. The meat, frozen in blackfire, thawed and tenderized under Fia's steady breath of flames. Once finished, she looked up to Sage Rokirith and chimed, "Thanks for the food!"
Though this meal was not as hearty or bountiful as the small alligatoise, Fia and Viliant ate until their bellies were full. Even then, Viliant kept gobbling the meat till his was near bursting. At that point, Diwa joined him to eat, sometimes hissing for him to get away from the few good cuts of meat which remained.
Only Sage Rokirith did not eat. His watchful, crimson eyes passed over the dragonets and dragoness to survey the curtain of jungle vines and leaves. The rest of them felt safe to eat as they pleased without a worry that some bold animal might attempt to steal their food.
So serious…. So vigilant…. Like Viliant, the sage would make a good role model, so thought Fia. She seated herself beside the great gray dragon and adopted an attentive stance.
The slitted, reptilian eye of the sage darted in the side of his head to watch her. You're not wary of me.
A shallow gasp flared in Fia's nostrils. Only she and the sage were privy to this telepathic conversation. N-No, she thought with banal hesitancy in her mind. You're really cool, even cooler than Viliant!
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
A blithe rumble came from Sage Rokirith's chest. I don't take that as a compliment. That wyrm is directionless and destructive. You, on the other scale, I see potential. Fia tilted her nose upward to the giant, adult dragon who paid her little heed in contrast to the thoughts which he shared. What will you do once you make it home?
Fia blinked once, then twice as she thought of her answer. At home, she would have her parents whose doting presence would allow her to continue being a carefree child. I can have fun then, she admitted sheepishly. Real fun. Viliant even promised me: he'd play with me in Carlinoa! He's always kept his promises so far.
Hm. The ramble did nothing to impress Sage Rokirith. His mind started to withdraw from her, leaving her with one last remark. Even after near-death, you are still so naive.
Fia's tail curled around her claws. Wait! I don't mean to be this way. I need to be stronger for my journey. I know that!
The wings of Sage Rokirith lifted crookedly, but they did not express as much emotion as his wicked tail did curl. You cling to the false impression that your journey ends when you make it home. But do you think they're strong enough to protect you, stronger than the clan which produced Viliant?
The shadow dragonet had finished eating at last. He retreated from the corpse of his meal and lay down like one, belly distended. A long sigh of satisfaction he let out. "Ah."
No, Fia thought to herself, horrified. Is the sage saying my clan will lose, even if I warn them? Unable to fathom the notion, Fia shook her head. What else can I do? I just have to get back home—with enough time for the adults to do something.
Diwa was left as the only one still dining. The dragoness looked up to Sage Rokirith with blood dripping from the fangs peeking out from her jowls. "Come eat with me, Roki."
"No, thank you," he replied aloud. Fia would not have understood the language if Viliant reclining was not secretly alert, actively translating in her mind. The sage said, "It would seem that my stomach has become upset after watching a certain wyrm with such poor manners."
One of Viliant's wings flicked in the same way that an ear might twitch. "I heard that!" he started to object, but then he lifted a lazy claw and raked it through the air. "Bah."
Since Sage Rokirith refused to eat despite multiple invitations from Diwa, she picked off the last scraps of edible meat. The total amount of food that she had eaten was not enough for a dragoness, even one of her small size, but the snack would give her more energy to hunt. The sage made it so that Diwa did not have to worry about feeding the dragonets, but rather only herself—and possibly him.
Out of hunger, Sage Rokirith picked the skeleton clean. He lapped at the blood left staining the bones. His jaws split apart the bones not already broken to get at the marrow.
By this time, Viliant had recovered enough to crave dessert. He slunk toward the pile of bones, taking advantage of Sage Rokirith's blind spot. As he neared, he unnecessarily cloaked himself in shadow. Then, Viliant dashed under the sage's wing, stole a bone, and retreated with his prize.
Sage Rokirith roared and thrashed the bladed edge of his tail. The cleaver split some of Viliant's scales, leaving a reddened gouge across his cheek.
"Viliant!" Diwa yelled, panicked, concerned, and angered all in one. "If you wanted a bone, you could have asked."
Viliant's tail curled between his legs. Never had his greed received reprimand. Those who took in the coliseum were always rewarded. Now, he looked for a way to explain away his behavior. Viliant bobbed his head from side to side with the bone filling his mouth. This isn't for me. It's for Fia. Viliant trotted to her and spit out the bone at her feet.
"Ooh! For me?" she said aloud. "Thank you!" As much as she appreciated the dessert, she knew that Viliant had wanted it more. So, she approached the sage and batted her eyes up to him. Once more, she tried the vocal language, saying it telepathically as well in case she mixed up her words. "Can I have bone for Viliant?"
Sage Rokirith did not react at once, blinking back at Fia. "Yes. I suppose since you asked nicely." His thoughts in particular intended to jab at Viliant.
The four dragons enjoyed the marrow, slept in Diwa's treehouse that night, until morning came for them to leave the jungle. Fia squealed as she hopped between Sage Rokirith's horns in the midst of his ascent. His vast wings beat and carried them over the greenish tones of the river and trees. We're flying! Isn't this cool, Viliant?
Yeah, right. Viliant lurched with each one of those wing beats, dangling from Sage Rokirith's claws.
Behind them, Diwa flew in a rocky motion with each bluster of wind. Their airstream evened out once they soared high enough. The dragons made their way back westward towards the mountains, with the morning sun at their back. On this venture, Fia hoped that they would finally have everything needed to pay the dragonets' way home.