When Fia and Viliant strutted down the ramp of the riverboat, the black dragonet no longer lurked like a shadow of the pink one.

"Over here, Viliant," yelled Pako, their closest associate among the crew. His human hand stuck into the air to wave at them. His other hand was preoccupied with holding one corner of a tarp with the other sailors. "Jump!"

Viliant paused with one clawed paw lifted from the boards. At first he was confused what the humans expected from him but, he soon surmised that they wanted him to leap onto their tarp.

Go on, Fia nudged his shoulder. Don't you want the humans to carry you around?

Only because we're still celebrating. The moment we get back on the water, Viliant warned, it's time to be serious again. He suspended his expectations for the time being and flung himself into the air. His wings spread as though he desired to glide, but the breeze whistled past the large rips which remained in the leather-like flaps. Viliant still jumped far enough to fall into the center of the tarp.

The circle of crewmates held the fabric taut enough to support Viliant's weight. The dragonet curled himself in a ball as he lolled around on the tarp. Wait, Fia, Viliant panicked as he relied on not a single human to drop a corner of the blanket. Why'd I go along with this?

Because you're a hero! Fia whistled for him and bounced up and down on the boardwalk.

"Viliant saved Tacuma," Pako bellowed. "Three cheers for Viliant! Hip! Hip!"

"Hurrah!" The rest of the men cheered and whipped their arms upward. This motion caused the center of the blanket to carry upward, launching Viliant along with it.

The shock in Viliant's mind reflected in his wide eyes. "Ah!" he yelped, his body contorting in the air. In spite of his discomfort, Viliant recognized that the human's little game posed no threat to him. The dragonet fell back into the folds of the tarp and bobbed along with his landing.

"Hip! Hip!" Pako shouted again.

"Hurrah!" Once more, the sailors hurled Viliant into the air.

This time, Viliant knew better what to expect. This also helped him enjoy it more. His loose wings draped around his body as he went up. At the peak of his bounce, the wind tugged at the tips of his wings. They stretched above his head as he went back down. Viliant tucked his chin as he landed, and his tail curled in a grin.

Fia shared in the fleeting moment of fun with Viliant. Happiness coursed through her brain by simply watching him and feeling his reaction over telepathy. That looks like fun! But since she worried that she might ruin the moment if she clambered onto the tarp with him, Fia joined in Pako's rallying cry.

"Hip! Hip!"

"Hooray!"

For the third and final cheer, the men tossed Viliant as high into the air as they could make him go. The sunlight glinted off his glossy, black scales. The slitted pupil of his emerald eyes dilated as took in the azure sky. Viliant deliberately spread out his wings and gave them a few flaps. I feel like I'm flying…!

Viliant plopped back into the tarp. He rolled onto his stomach with all four of his legs braced. With his snout upturned to the sky, he waited for the humans to launch him again. Viliant intended to jump with the motion this time and get even higher. He wanted to savor the sensation of air moving beneath his wings, but it seemed as though that would have to wait.

Pako lowered the end of the tarp which he lazily held in one hand. The sailor swept his free hand arm, gesturing for the dragonet to get off.

"Oh." Viliant cleared a rumble out of his throat. I'm not interested in going again, anyway. It's not like I wanted this in the first place. He crawled out of the tarp brusquely. The irritated thrash of his arrow-tipped tail cut a slice into the edge of the tarp.

I'm glad you liked it, Viliant. Fia reclaimed her spot at her best friend's side. She nudged his cheek with her nose. Though he might try to deny it, Viliant could not hide how much he had enjoyed it due to their telepathic link.

The men clapped for Viliant and offered him a bump of their fists. Fia showed Viliant the way to tap the flat of his horns against their knuckles. Gently! she emphasized. Once the excitement around him had died down, the sailors resumed their work in unloading the ship. Viliant's status as a hero excused him from participating in the last toils of the crew.

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While Captain Ulatu oversaw the work, he took an interest in the dragonets. The captain knelt in front of Fia and Viliant to formally thank them again. "Your assistance against the ghost pirarucu was greatly appreciated, Viliant. I can't express how grateful I am that you've saved my daughter." Since Captain Ulatu's voice choked up a bit, he cleared it and stroked his beard. "My crew has also taken a shine to you. Would a permanent position on my ship interest you?" The captain described an increase in pay and other benefits—as in, smoked meats—that Viliant would receive.

He did not listen to his offer of compensation. Viliant shook his head. Though he still struggled to speak Malakan, he managed to say, "No. I travel with Fia."

Captain Ulatu nodded and made no attempts to convince Viliant further. He pushed himself up from his knee, standing up to his full height. "Well then, I suppose this is where we part ways. Fia, I'll connect you with my associates."

"Great!" Fia trod after the captain who led them to the other side of the port.

His daughter came along with them, holding onto Captain Ulatu's hand. The smiling, admiring, brown eyes of Tacuma rested on Viliant. "I was hoping you'd keep working for my papa," she said. Tacuma stuck out her tongue at him.

Viliant growled back.

"What is it?" Captain Ulatu turned around, alarmed that the dragonets would get aggressive with his daughter after everything that had happened.

Fia snapped at Viliant in hopes that would cover for them. Don't growl. That's not what you do, in a situation like that!

Huh? Viliant shot a skeptical glare at Fia.

Captain Ulatu shrugged off the dragonets' discord, assuming they bickered over telepathy. When he refocused on the directions through the city, Tacuma giggled at the dragonets.

This only served to irk Viliant more. You can't expect me to stand here while that ungrateful brat sniggers at us! If I saved her life, I can take it away—

No! Fia stopped his dark train of thought. Just do this. The tip of her forked tongue poked out of her mouth. Fia stuck out her tongue at Tacuma in return. You need to do it too. Humans stick out their tongues to assert dominance. Fia had to restrain her own giggles to mask her lie over telepathy.

With his lower lids narrowed out of spite, Viliant flicked his tongue out of his mouth and held it there. Am I telling her she smells bad?

Yeah, that's it! Fia goaded him. You just put Tacuma back in her place.

"Hmph," Viliant grunted. He slurped his tongue back into its proper place between his fangs. Humans are weird.

The children's antics made the walk to their destination pass quickly. The river delta spread around the city of Arucaway with a major channel that cut through its center. The south end of the city had its harbor open up to the ocean where even bigger ships waited for them.

The pace of Fia's steps slowed. The shadow of the ships' sails cast a sense of dread over the pink dragonette. She slunk under Viliant's wing for comfort. Those look like the same type of ship that took me away from home. Her aquamarine eyes wavered at the memory.

I see. Viliant glared at the ships. Even though he knew that Diwa did her best to set them on a safe journey and he did not expect Captain Ulatu to betray them now, he would never trust humans. The black dragonet straightened his neck and puffed out his chest to make himself look like more of a threat. With a flex of his wings, Viliant kept Fia safely underneath.

"Good morning to you, Mawsig," Captain Ulatu called to a man with a broad, feathered cap.

The older man of colorful attire spun on the heel of his boot. "Aye, Ulatu!" Mawsig said. "What a surprise to see you in Arucaway again! Has the ghost pirarucu stopped haunting your path?"

"Nay, but I hired a strong shadow dragon to guard the ship," Captain Ulatu stepped aside to show off Viliant. Their previous captain praised his performance, advertising his skills to the potential captain of their next ship. "Viliant alerted us as soon as the wretched fish appeared and helped us take it down. He even saved my daughter's life!"

"What happened to Tacuma? Is she alright?" Captain Mawsig bent at the hip and placed his hands on his knees, peering more closely at Tacuma.

"I'm fine," she piped up, "thanks to Viliant!"

"He's looking for work that'll take him south. A strong, compact, shadow dragon could prove quite useful to you. I hear some ships get wrecked on the Wraith Isle on your course."

Captain Mawsig nodded along. His demeanor darkened while his eyelids became hooded, reminiscing on the Wraith Isle.

"However," Captain Ulatu continued, "Viliant will only work for you if you take along this little, pink dragonette. She has the money to pay as a passenger, but I have to warn you about this one." Captain Ulatu leaned closer as he whispered, "She's a fire dragon and a powerful one at that. When the ghost pirarucu attacked, she was quite… zealous in her attempts to boil it in the river."

"Ah. I see." Captain Mawsig's eyes darted back to his ship. The last shreds of his interest seemed to get blustered away with a gust of wind. The salty seabreeze teased at Fia's flared nostrils.

The dragonette did not understand why the humans belittled her contributions on the night of the ghost pirarucu's attack. "I helped!" she insisted. "My fire burnt its scales. We wouldn't have killed the fish without me!"

Captain Mawsig raised his chin and brows, despite his narrowed eyes, as he peered down at Fia. "How much are you paying?"

Fia flinched. The remainder of her coins jingled in the small satchel tucked beneath her wing. Without a recount, she stated the amount from memory.

The hefty sum softened Captain Mawsig's sharp cheekbones with a smile. "I'll take on these clients, but only if the pink one wears a muzzle."

Fia tilted her head to the side. Her right wing drooped against the deck in the same direction. "A… muzzle?" she repeated the strange word which she did not know in the Malakan language. Fia wished that humans had telepathy, so she could understand what he meant. She needed to find out what a muzzle was before she could agree to the new captain's terms.