Fern yawned and stretched his front legs out in front of himself while sticking his rump into the air like a cat. The yellow dragon exhaled through his nostrils as he straightened his back, curving his head up to face the sky while closing his eyes. Sunlight shone on his face, and he soaked in the warmth. The corners of his lips curled upwards, and he let himself fall onto his stomach.
When was the last time he could freely relax without worrying about anything? He had to always be prepared in case the phoenixes took advantage of the dragons’ greatest weakness: inherent laziness. Even though alarm spells could replace nightly watches, they needed to be maintained every once in a while or else they’d fail. Who was in charge of making sure the alarms received their required maintenance? Him. He was in charge of a lot of things, everything the other dragons didn’t want to be in charge of. Now, he was free, and he didn’t have to worry about being killed by phoenixes.
A shadow fell over Fern, dimming the light coming through his eyelids. A frown appeared on his face, and he opened his eyes to see a red dragon staring at him with a hungry gaze. “Uh….” Fern’s brow furrowed as he stared at the dragon. He didn’t recognize her; perhaps she was a refugee living within the phoenixes’ tower that had now been joined with theirs. “Hello.”
The red dragon stared at him, her head slowly moving from side to side to inspect every scale on Fern’s upper half. A shiver ran down the yellow dragon’s spine, and he hunched his shoulders while staring the red dragon in the eyes. Fern cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”
The red dragon gulped, swallowing back what Fern suspected was a mouthful of saliva. “Yes?” the red dragon asked. She blinked twice before putting on a smile she definitely hadn’t practiced on the reflection of a lake’s surface. “Hi, yes. I’m Prika.”
“Hello, Prika,” Fern said. “You can call me Fern. If you have any questions about our roost, please, feel free to ask.” He thought he was done helping people, but who knew more people would need his help? With how disturbed this red dragon was, it wouldn’t be ethical for Fern to leave her by her lonesome; she might mistaken a toxic rock for a meal and eat it for all he knew.
Prika nodded and gulped again. “Are you single?” she asked.
Fern blinked before pointing at himself. “Me?” He tilted his head. “Yes, but why?”
A dumb grin appeared on Prika’s face. She stood on her hindlegs before scanning the rest of the roost. After a bit, she dropped back down and looked at Fern. “Do you know any other single dragons?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Fern furrowed his brow. “Most of the dragons I know are single.”
“Tafel was right,” Prika muttered. There were hot, single dragons everywhere in the tower. A chance had appeared for her to find a mate; all she had to do was not ruin it!
“Excuse me, did you say Tafel?” Fern asked. “Vur’s mate?”
Prika nodded. “You know them too, huh?” she asked before nodding to herself again. “Of course, why wouldn’t you know them? What do you think about them? Good? Bad?”
“Vur did manage to end the conflict between dragons and phoenixes,” Fern said, stroking his chin. If anyone were to receive credit for the yellow dragon’s newfound vacation time, it was Vur. “Tafel helped him too, so … they’re pretty good.”
Prika beamed. “Right?” she asked, not even wondering why the yellow dragon had hesitated. “I’ll have you know I practically raised them. I still remember when Vur was just a little baby.” The red dragon’s eyes lit up. “Are you more or less interested in me after knowing that?”
Fern’s brow furrowed. As expected, there was something wrong with the red dragon. It might’ve been a problem with her head, or she didn’t receive the right nutrients while growing up, or she hadn’t done much socializing with other dragons. Either way, she was a little odd. The yellow dragon scratched his head. If he said he was less interested, then the curious expression on the red dragon’s face would vanish, and if she were unhinged, she’d attack him. If he said he was interested, then he’d be lying. “More interested,” Fern said, the wrinkle on his forehead disappearing.
“Great, great!” Prika said, her eyes lighting up even further. She spread her wings and leapt into the air. Fern, although he was nice enough to answer her questions, well, his scales were too brightly colored. If there were tons of single dragons, then she could afford to be picky! Vur had ended the battle between dragons and phoenixes, garnering himself a good reputation. As someone who had raised him when he was younger, didn’t she deserve to wield his influence to achieve success in love?
Prika flapped her wings and scanned the ground. Her eyes lit up upon seeing an orange dragon, and she landed on the ground beside him. The orange dragon blinked before turning his head to look up at her. “Hi!” Prika said. “I’m Prika! You might know Vur; he’s like my godson. I practically raised him.”
The orange dragon shuddered before fixing his posture. He lowered his head towards the ground, bowing at Prika before offering up a roasted bug leg that came out of his root bracelet. “Please, don’t beat me.”
Prika blinked. “Uh….”
“Please, accept my offering, godmother of Tyrant of the Towers Vur,” the orange dragon said. He cleared his throat before shouting, “Vur’s godmother is here! I can’t make her happy all on my own!”
A dark expression appeared on Prika’s face as rustling sounds rang all throughout the roost. Dozens of dragons came running and flying, bringing an assortment of gifts. Although being treated so well was nice, Prika had a feeling none of the dragons groveling before her were worth making her mate. Vur must’ve beat them pretty bad to make them so desperate to please.