"Well, we can't just blunder off into the desert," Bo pointed out, "We have no food or direction, so any progress we make would be meaningless, and I'm not about to get even more lost than I already am,"

"Food won't be a problem," Yvet scoffed, "Dragons are the best hunters,"

"So I'm told," Bo sighed, "But there's not much to hunt, and even less that's your size." He glanced pointedly at her, "anything as big as you is specialised in hiding. And they're damn good at it too! You might be able to take a Vole, but I've only ever seen an empty den,"

"Hiding is for the weak!" Yvet raised her nose in disdain, "The strong fight battles with their head's forward and claws sharpened,"

"Is that a metaphor?"

"A what?"

Bo glanced up at the night sky and sighed. Yvet was really putting a dent in his image of mystical dragons, and he hoped that she was an anomaly rather than the rule. If all dragons were as stuck up as she was, then… well, he would be a little disappointed. But most likely, dragons were like people. Some were remarkable old men with a missing arm, and others whined incessantly about 'unfair fights' - if there even was such a thing.

"Why don't you fly up and search for something to eat?" Bo asked, hoping to get her out of his hair.

She shifted uncomfortably and shook her head, "I don't want to leave you behind," Her body language seemed reserved, even intimidated by the idea of flying.

"I'll be fine," Bo waved his hand dismissively, "I can just go back to sleep while you search for food; how does that sound? My precious-little-underling," He hadn't much cared for the idea of one of them being in charge, but if it was him… well, he wouldn't mind ordering her about, a little.

Yvet tilted her head downwards, not meeting his gaze, "I don't think I could find my way back," she admitted quietly, "my sense of direction is all over the place," Her voice seemed to ring with an uncharacteristic tinge of helplessness.

Bo frowned. He could tell there was something wrong with Yvet, or at least, he thought there might be. Her actions were unpredictable and thoughtless, and she seemed unable to perform basic things that a dragon might, "Just how long were you in that egg?" He asked cautiously.

"… I can't remember…."

"That's not a good sign,"

She looked quite small in that moment. Not in the literal sense, although she was tiny. But rather, in the way she carried herself. Yvet had shrunk down and flattened her wings against her sides, making herself look thoroughly meek in the process.

It was easy to forget that she was only just born, and had come into the world in a less-than-ideal situation. So, Bo reminded himself that - while insufferable, Yvet deserved support. She looked like she needed it, anyway.

He sighed and reached down, tentatively holding his hand out to the little dragon. She looked at it curiously, then back up to Bo. "What do you want? A kiss?"

"NO! I thought that maybe if I gave you a pat, it would help... I don't know; my knowledge on dragons is limited, okay?"

"Give a dragon a pat!?" Yvet scoffed, "we much prefer stroking, especially on the back - where our claws can't reach… or so I'm told," She promptly unfurled her wings slightly, allowing access to her back.

Moving his hand along her spine, Bo felt cool scales scrape against his fingertips. They were soft and sharp simultaneously, as though carved from some sort of flexible stone. He brushed her gently, realising for maybe the first time that this was real.

Bo. Him. Was actually stroking a dragon.

It was everything he'd ever dreamed of and more. If he could only show Ethron what he was doing now, the old man would have to eat his words and then some.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Stop messing around and put a bit of force into it," Yvet reprimanded, "I'm a dragon, not a rodent,"

And then the magic was gone. Sucked away by Yvet's pompous bravado. He did stroke her with more force after that. A lot more. Not that she could complain. She asked for it.

"Well, if you can't fly, I guess we'll have to search for food on our own two," He glanced at Yvet, correcting himself, "four feet,"

"Two will be fine," she announced, climbing up Bo's leg and perching on his shoulder. It seemed she had already decided that this was her spot to roost, something Bo hadn't quite figured out whether he liked yet. On the one hand, a dragon on his shoulder was definitely something to brag about. On the other, it was Yvet.

"Will it now?"

"Certainly. Your two feet are more than enough for the both of us,"

"I don't suppose you'll be wanting a ride whenever you're the same size as that mountain over there?" Bo asked, gesturing to a massive hill in the distance.

"I don't suppose you'll be wanting a ride when I'm the same size as that mountain over there?" Yvet asked pointedly. "Or had you planned to run underneath me as I soar through the air with unimaginable grace?"

"… Fair point," Bo conceded, "Let's be going then,"

The desert was as vast as it was empty, making for rather dull travel. All they could do was walk and bicker and walk some more. A monotonous routine that saw them arguing like Ethron and Fran.

Bo insisted that Yvet not chew on his clothes, to which she replied that she was teething. Bo wasn't so sure that this was true. Her teeth were razor sharp, and he should know. There were so many he doubted whether any more could fit in her mouth. He suspected she was just trying to annoy him, but when he brought this up – she almost singed his eyebrows off.

Hoping to distract her with some conversation, he changed the topic to something he'd been wondering about.

"So earlier, you were talking about the powers we both get out of this bond," Bo said as he scaled a dune and squinted into the distance, "could you elaborate on that?"

Yvet clambered along Bo's shoulder and set her head on top of his, "Of course, I can elaborate; I just might not get every detail right,"

"That's fine," Bo smiled smugly, "I've read scrolls with half the words missing - in a language I couldn't understand. Suffice to say I can fill in the blanks,"

"How did you read scrolls in a language you couldn't understand?" Yvet asked suspiciously.

"Uhm... With trial and error."

She paused, trying to figure out if such a thing was possible.

"Why don't we get back on topic," Bo said hurriedly.

"Okay..." Yvet bobbed her head, watching him with narrowed eyes, "As I mentioned earlier, we both get benefits from the bond we share. Mine is the ability to turn into a human–"

"You can do that?!" Bo interrupted, his eyes wide, "Wait, why haven't you already done it?"

"Yes - I can transform into a human." Yvet puffed up her chest proudly, "But if I do it now, I'll become a human baby, and you lot are useless until adulthood,"

Bo had to concede that this was true. In general, children were a burden on the tribe until they received their blessing. And even after that, there was a long adaptation period. A period he was in the middle of.

"As for you," Yvet continued, "you get access to my elemental powers, Fire and Wind. And before you ask, I have no idea how that works. That information is missing, along with how I'm supposed to turn into a human, actually... among other things,"

"So you can only turn into a human in theory?"

"And you can only read in theory; what's your point?"

Bo frowned, "That didn't make any sense,"

"You don't make any sense,"

"… I'm starting to see a pattern here,"

Yvet went to copy him, but froze when she realised she couldn't.

"Where are we going, anyway?" She asked, deftly changing the conversation with all the grace and decorum of a turning Oasis.

"My first stop is a Horus plant," Bo explained, "They're pretty hardy, and I've never seen one get damaged by a storm. So, there should still be plenty lying around. Actually, if what you said about them being sent down by gods is true, a lot of weird stuff about the Horus plant starts to make sense,"

"Horus!" Yvet exclaimed, "I knew I'd remember the name of it at some point," she turned to Bo seriously, "that's one of the plants the gods sent down, by the way,"

"What?" Bo frowned, "I just said that,"

"Did you?" Yvet cocked her head to the side, "I wasn't listening,"

Bo groaned, considered dumping Yvet in the sand right then, and decided against it. He was really banking on being a dragon rider, and not the guy who ran underneath his dragon with their bags.

"But why are we searching for a plant to eat?" Yvet asked, "we can't hunt a plant,"

"You can't hunt anything, and I'm hungry," Bo said, rubbing his forehead tiredly, "Ethron always said that hunters should only work on a full stomach; that way, they won't make any stupid mistakes,"

"Who's Ethron?" Yvet asked, "He sounds like a wise man,"

"Well, he isn't," Bo spat.

"But you just quoted him,"

"Shut up."