As the amount of distractions drops on our flight home, the time for second-guessing everything I've done today begins. Should I have done more to get more information on the favor to travel? Could I have asked for something else like weapons for Raya and Lauren? Did I piss off a monstrous being powerful enough to stand against someone as intimidating as Merciferus? Is cannibalism normal for dragons? How come it's still daytime when we've clearly spent more than a day on this outing?

All good questions that aren't doing anything other than making me anxious.

Screw it, we're gonna have a feast when we get home. Everyone needs their spirits raised and I'm tired of all this seriousness.

As we're flying home, Raya decides that seriousness is still on the table with a question, interrupting the peace of the billowing wind.

"Lauren, how come they told us that Skelly is preparing for a siege if they're Mermer's enemies?"

Dang it, that's a reasonable question. It does seem odd, though. The undead of this world need to go back to hanging out at crypts and not doing anything unless disturbed. They're far too active on the geopolitical stage.

In fact, sending out people like Skelly and- Oh crap! We forgot the Shadow Man!

Lauren is talking about how it is unusual and it must mean that the pantheon already knows, but I'm gonna have to interrupt her with the topic of the Shadow Man. Speaking up, I bring up the topic and ask whether we should turn around and fetch him, or if they think he'll be fine. At the very least, I should apologize to him for forgetting him. Climbing onto my snout again, Raya stares into my eyes as she points out another thing.

"You forgot to ask about the shrinking spell, too."

I didn't so much forget as I left it behind. Aside from when someone snuggled me or I could wrap myself around someone, I felt unsafe and I don't like that. In fact, I'm gonna deduct a point from Raya for bringing it up. Although if we do turn around, I should ask about it. If there's still a chance, given that I did just leave without saying goodbye or honoring any sort of customs.

"I doubt it would be possible for even Kira to cast a spell like that, Raya. If it had been an easy spell to learn, you would hear guild members talk about disappearing Dragons as an obvious use for the spell is fitting into crevices. History is rife with Dragons and beasts far stronger than Kira."

"I don't think I would hear about that, Lauren."

Hah, she got you there, Lauren!

It does kinda make me want to try, since it strikes me right in the pride to hear I'm not powerful enough to do it.

For now, we're gonna head home and get some rest, it's been a long day with attacks from a dragon and trying to behave. Only one of those things was fun. Which reminds me...

"Lauren, you should follow Raya's lead next time we fight something big. I don't want either of you to get hurt, and Raya knows best."

"Hiding wouldn't do any good, we need to be ready to help each other."

It's a fair point, and we do need to make sure we don't get complacent and leave someone to fend for themselves.

"At least I didn't get eaten twice."

There's a clear wave of frustration coming from Lauren, and I suspect Raya just hit a vulnerable spot. The sensation of Lauren getting up and stomping over to Raya supports this hypothesis. Lauren takes hold of Raya's head and starts tussling the goblin's hair.

"I didn't get eaten twice!"

"You got eaten by the blue Dragon and then Kira! Admit it!"

Raya is quick to retaliate by tickling Lauren, striking where she's most vulnerable. I'm not sure how safe any of this is, considering we're quite high in the air and there's not THAT much room on my snout. Telling them as much yields uneasy feet as the rumbling of my voice has the two rascals scrambling not to fall.

Rather than settling down, Lauren sits with a leg on either side of my muzzle as their fighting continues. At least they're kinda holding on now. And I'm impressed by how flexible their Kirarmor is, given that they haven't had any problems moving at all.

It doesn't take long before Lauren gives up, surrendering victory to Raya. As they let go of each other, Lauren sprawls out across my muzzle with quite a heavy breath. Raya opts to lie between my eyes, with her arms spread over my brow.

They've both grown quite good at controlling their hair under these windy conditions, and I'm not sure I could manage the same if I had hair.

The sensation of Raya's nails dragging across my scales feels nice as the trip turns into a flight of leisure.

It doesn't take long before Raya breaks the silence as she sits up and looks at Lauren.

"Are you sure we have to do all this dumb mission stuff, Lauren? I think it would be better for us if we just went home to have fun."

"Neither of you has to, but I do. It's my duty to act on behalf of Merciferus."

That's true, I don't have to do anything. It's easy to forget that I'm free to do whatever I want, but it could easily lead me into a situation like Raya where I have everything I've ever wanted and then become lost. We still need to figure out something to do about that.

"I kinda have to, otherwise, you'll just get eaten by something again. And Kira needs to be there to get you out of trouble. Isn't that true, Kira?"

It is. Lauren gets into all the trouble, unlike Raya and me. We're responsible and diplomatic in all situations. Oh, that reminds me, I should ask Lauren if she knows where we might find something delicious to bring back for a feast.

She takes the opportunity to point out that we're past the season of gathering, and I guess that makes sense. And I totally thought about fruits and whatnot, and not hunting for some meat.

As she stares into my eyes, she starts to smile before directing us due south. I can't tell whether it's a mischievous smile or one of understanding, but I'm sure she wouldn't lead us astray.

"There's a roaming bear east of the Fortress City of Margwen. If it hasn't been killed yet, it would be worth a good amount of coin, and we could just buy supplies in Margwen after handing in proof."

It sounds like a plan, but I'm not setting foot in that place. From the outside, it looks even more cramped than Oakhold, so it sounds like a miserable time. In fact...

"Okay, but if you're going into Margwen to buy stuff, you're taking Raya to keep you safe. I don't want you to get kidnapped again."

She starts grumbling about how it was one time, as Raya points out that of the two of them, Raya is winning when it comes to getting out of trouble. Which is true.

I still worry that we left Shadow Man behind and it feels like something we should correct, but as I bring it up again, Raya points out that he's probably stronger than any of us. That doesn't sound right, I'm very strong and I'm a great fighter.

"Merciferus is stronger than we are as well, and so is Skelly. Volly is stronger too.”

Raya is bringing up a bunch of people as she looks at me, and I’m pretty sure my eyes are betraying how it annoys me, and she’s enjoying teasing me. As she lets out a small giggle, she pats me and points out that not all fights are about raw strength.

That just sounds like I need to become insurmountably strong. I'm not sure how I would go about doing that, though. I'm not sure how I've gained the strength I have so far either, since I don't feel like I've worked all that much for it. I am not going to say that out loud, since it might cause Lauren to tell me that she told me so.

As my thoughts wander back to the discussion of my parents and how I solve my problems by being a dragon, frustration builds until I get a bonk on the head.

"Kira, stop thinking about annoying stuff. If you need to talk about it, then talk."

Raya is far too intuitive when it comes to my... Dang it, forgot about the mood eyes again... It would be so much easier to remember them if I could see them. She is right, though, I shouldn't just deal with things on my own. Bringing up the topic and that I worry Lauren might be right, Raya throws some wisdom my way again.

"So what? I solve most problems by being small and clever, Lauren solves most problems by being an adventurer and having other adventurers to ask for help. It doesn't matter if you use who you are to solve your problems. Just make sure to also use it to help solve other people's problems. We all have problems, and sometimes a Dragon is how those problems are solved."

That feels true. And it also feels true that this flight is taking too long, so telling the two of them to hold on, I push a bunch of magic into my wings as we speed up. A blanket of clouds still covers the landscape, although everything looks clear and light to me. Having had the contrast of my enhanced sight suppressed makes it pretty obvious how fortunate I am.

Neither Lauren nor Raya seems fazed by the increase in speed as we rush towards this delicious-sounding bear, allowing me not to worry about the air resistance blowing them away.

As the landscape shifts from grasslands to forests and back to grasslands, I slow down as it becomes obvious that I have never been here before. Villages dot the landscape, and roads crisscross the land. Agriculture appears to be the main focus in this area, as fields of grain and vegetables sprawl across the region.

I can tell that a good amount of people live here by the screams of terror and fleeing at my presence. There are even large bells sounding from the nearest villages, becoming a chorus of ringing as villages further away join in.

"What in the hells is going on, Kira?"

"I didn't do anything."

She stares at me with suspicion, but I really didn't do anything. Everything is not-on-fire, and nobody has been mauled or eaten by me, so I am very much innocent. That doesn't stop her from frowning as she looks around, studying the area.

"Where are we?"

Oh! I know this! I followed the directions perfectly!

"We're south!"

I can tell by Raya's struggle to hold back laughter that she's having a good time, but Lauren looks less than amused by my declaration of our current location.

"Kira, I have never been here before. Those buildings aren't of Immarderen design, and those people aren't humans."

Giving the people a closer look, I suspect she's right. They're fuzzier than humans. Well, fuzzier than most humans. I've known some pretty fuzzy humans. Ooh! This whole place is populated by catfolk!

This might turn out great, and maybe they're less hostile than those dang humans who keep attacking me back home. Granted, the alarms don't make it sound like that's plausible, but I haven't been attacked yet.

Rather than hovering above the roads in a menacing manner, I'm gonna land in that village over there! And giving the buildings a look, they appear to be focused on building up, rather than out, making these villages more densely populated than I first thought.

They seem to be focusing on using wood and creating rope-based pathways between the houses, allowing the folks to traverse the gaps without going to street level. That's clever. And each building has clear marks from catfolk climbing up. They're making great use of the space available by focusing on their innate abilities, but those ropes make it problematic for me to enter the town. I'd get tangled in no time at all. Dang world refusing to standardize dragon accessibility.

So instead of landing in the village, I'm gonna be a good neighbor and land at the outskirts. A good neighbor doesn't cause significant property damage.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

There's a welcoming party arriving just as we touch down, and I'm gonna interpret it as a ceremony to welcome guests and not a bunch of villagers taking up arms to fend off an intruder.

A bunch of folks are gathering at the village entrance and standing at the ready with their weapons in an impressive show of bravery. Each of them is clad in quilted armor and a leather helmet with slits cut for their delightfully adorable ears. They're in danger, alright, in danger of a snuggle! Their fur looks so soft and comfortable, and I just want to pile them all up and make a throne of fuzz!

"Kira, you can't kidnap these people. They aren't wealth to be hoarded."

"I wasn't thinking that!"

I was maybe a little, but I wouldn't do something like that.

"Lauren's right, you were. Your eyes turned violet, green, and shiny. That happens when you want something very badly."

Teaming up and undermined by my mood eyes?! Geez, this is unfair... At least the villagers seem unperturbed by the news of my desire for mass kidnapping. They actually seem unperturbed by our presence. I can't smell any fear coming off them, or any scent at all.

Approaching the front-most person, I give him a good sniff, but all I smell is the metal in his pockets, the weapon by his side, the dust on his armor, and the cured leather of his helmet. There's no body odor at all. How curious.

Taking the opportunity of my lowered head, Raya opts to jump down and goes to greet someone by sticking out her hand for a handshake. A young catboy grasps her outstretched symbol of peace as they smile at each other. She really is the best negotiator we have, as evidenced by the rest of the people here lowering their guard somewhat. They're still on edge, but things seem to calm down.

"How does she do that?"

That's a good question, Lauren, but Raya is magic and it shouldn't be questioned. What should be questioned is why she is now asking me for money.

"Just give me five coins, Kira. I'm gonna show you how to do this talking and business thing!"

Flexing my crop, I regurgitate a small batch of coins, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to limit it to five. With a small splatter, the batch lands on the ground and none of the people here seem to mind at all. There's zero revulsion at the display as Raya starts rummaging through the glob of mucus, digging out a few coins before wiping them on the grass.

With the coins she grabbed sufficiently cleaned, she holds them out to the young guy who grabs one and looks it over. In response, Raya pats her stomach a few times and chomps her teeth, which causes the catboy to perk up and start talking to the surrounding people.

"E rinu beris vesa pi handln, Mimari. [I think they want to trade, Elder.]"

In response, he gets some sort of grumbling as some old guy runs his fingers through his hair. I feel like this world has too many languages, but that's also an unfair complaint, since all the worlds I've been to have had too many languages. All both of them.

Raya and the young guy seem to be going for a drawing competition instead of listening to the old guy. The young guy draws a pile and some circles before placing a coin in one of the circles, then he draws a second pile inside the first and lets out a sigh while pointing to some fields. I have no idea what that means, and as I approach to nudge Raya about it, he draws back with some fear in his eyes.

"He says they need to harvest their crops before they can trade anything. Their food worker needs to tally up how much they have before they can decide how much to sell."

Geez, that's a lot of information from some drawings, and why the heck didn't she understand my drawings that easily?! I'm much better than this fuzzy guy at drawing. I don't care that this is some diplomacy nonsense, she gets a puff of smoke. A small one. It doesn't have the intended effect, as she laughs instead of succumbing to the dire effects of such a harsh punishment.

I don't know what calms these people more, Raya laughing or Lauren still lying on my muzzle, not having a care in the world, but they've lowered their weapons as they talk among themselves.

"Lauren, what language are they speaking?"

"I have no idea, Kira. I have never been here before, and I don't know where we are. I have met people like them before, but they spoke the blessed tongue."

Have we tried speaking Lauren's language? I'm not sure. Lauren speaks Raya's language to practice, and Raya doesn't care about Lauren's language, but she did learn it to talk to traders. I just flip between the two and sprinkle in a few words from my old language. Being multilingual is awesome.

In a surprising display, Raya grabs the young guy's arm and holds it out as she opens her mouth over it while growling, and then she draws back and points to the surrounding area as she pulls out her knife and readies it in the direction of the wilderness. In response, the guy starts drawing again, which isn't the reaction I had expected. I would have thought startled or scared would be the reaction at a draconic goblin chomping near your arm, but this guy has some impressive composure.

Looking down at the ground, his drawing turns out crude and lacking detail, unlike mine, and it seems someone else disagrees as he's being pushed out of the way by a catgirl. The two of them start fighting and hissing at each other before an older guy separates them, and the girl starts drawing a fearsome beast.

Judging by the image, it's not a bear. Instead, it appears to be several wolves, which is an excellent way to convince me to go hunting.

A startled sound and a grumbling Lauren alert me to the fact that I may have tipped my head a bit too far as I inspected the drawings and she fell off me, landing on the road. Seeing her there is also a good indicator of what happened, but that's not my fault, she should've held on. The laughing townsfolk clearly agree with me as they help her up.

"Sorry, Lauren."

As I take a moment to be responsible and take accountability for my actions, Lauren smiles at me as she pats my nose.

"I was just surprised. I barely felt the impact thanks to my kirarmor, and these changes brought on by your magic."

She said it! She said Kirarmor! It's canon now! This day is looking a lot brighter by the minute. It even lets me ignore the sensation of someone climbing up my tail. Seeing as Raya is in front of me, I'm confident it isn't her, but it is someone small like her. It doesn't feel harmful, but I'm starting to think that folks need to learn about boundaries.

I'm gonna lie down, but as I take a step to get off the road, a few weapons rise to meet my movement. I get it, but that's rude. And I'm gonna ignore it, since I don't feel like there are any threats here. Settling in on the soft grass by the side of the road, folks appear to calm down again.

Looking back at the climber, it's some kid who seems to be having a lot of fun dancing between the spikes on my back, and the laughter draws the attention of some adults as they start gesturing and shouting. Without speaking the language, I'm pretty confident that they're telling the kid to get down.

In response, the kid turns their rear towards the crowd and puffs the hairs on their tail, which doesn't do much other than earn some more forceful commands. I'm gonna assume it was a rude gesture.

Raya, in her infinite kindness, offers to help out the crowd by climbing on me as she begins helping the child walk further along my body. It doesn't take long before they begin traversing my neck as they walk toward my head. I can't see them anymore, but I can tell that they're closing in on the gap between my horns, and the cheerful laughter from the kid indicates that they're loving every part of this excursion.

Glancing at Lauren, she seems to be paying close attention to the people around us as she wears a furrowed brow. Throwing her a mental message inquiring about her thoughts, she responds in kind.

"They're too accepting, Kira. You're still covered in the blood of another Dragon, and they aren't flinching at all. They don't appear hostile, but any reasonable person would be suspicious of a blood-caked beast capable of destroying them. Especially one with a history like a Dragon."

Okay, yeah, that's a fair point. I'm not sure what to do about it, but if they're not attacking, and we've stumbled upon a potential trade partner, then I'm confident that's a win. Although I'm not sure how much trade we can actually do, considering this place is probably quite far away.

As Raya and the kid reach the top of my head, Raya takes the lead as they walk onto my muzzle, and the moment the kid sees my eyes up close, infatuation strikes. Moments before disaster strikes, my nictitating membrane acts to protect my eye from the incoming poke. Good job, extra eyelid! Point to you!

Getting a good look at the finger, it appears this species of cat people has retractable claws like their namesake. That's pretty neat! And dangerous.

The reactions of the crowd could lead to someone being outgasped and fainting as they seem to fluctuate between trying to get the kid to climb down and not doing anything to cause a reaction.

Raya indicates for me to lower my head to the ground as she takes hold of the kid and jumps off, yielding a final joyous scream. The moment the duo hits the ground, two adults rush forward, grabbing the kid as they depart.

With a raised eyebrow, Lauren looks at me for a moment.

"I'm just curious here, Kira, but where did you put it? I don't remember landing anywhere since we left the mountain."

"Put what?"

"The blue Dragon's head. When we left the mountain, you had it, but now you don't. And your counter-question isn't putting me at ease."

Oh crap! She's right, I don't have it! I must have dropped it somewhere... Dang it, I bet that thing was valuable, too.

"Do you think we can find it again?"

Instead of being helpful, she laughs at me... And now she's pointing out that it was valuable, but we have no chance of finding it unless I paid attention to where we flew, which I didn't. If I was paying attention, I would know where it was, Lauren! Geez... Telling her that it isn't funny isn't helping at all...

"It is! You dropped a legendary treasure somewhere out there, and you have no idea where it is. Some unassuming herb gatherer or farmer might stumble upon it and be set for life. Explain to me how that isn't funny."

Now she's just making me want it back even more. I'm not sure where we flew in from and even if we fly north, being off by a few degrees could mean quite a distance after a while, so it's not really feasible to find it again... Stupid, lucky farmer...

I'm gonna go ahead and focus on Raya instead, since she isn't currently laughing at me.

"Do you think we can get a decent trade going with these people, Raya?"

"No, this is nowhere near close to Tuiran, and it would cost too much to transport everything we want. I'm just offering trades because it makes people relax when they think they have something you want to buy, and then you show them you're willing to buy it instead of taking it. It's the same with Lauren offering your help with aggressive animals."

When did Raya study psychology? I knew I could trust her to be clever and considerate.

"And when it isn't dumb adventurers, blessed people are a lot more willing to talk. That's how Tuiran had trade before you showed up, but it has gotten a lot better since."

This all sounds like I don't have to put too much effort into worrying about these people, so that's nice. They haven't done anything to earn my ire, though, so I'm not about to start burning villages. And we do have these dastardly wolves someone mentioned.

Looking at the sky, it does appear that nightfall is approaching, so wolf-hunting might have to wait until tomorrow. Nudging Raya, I ask if they can find lodgings in town, since I don't want them to sleep outside in case it rains.

It's a thing from my old world, since folks here don't have to worry about illness like that, but they deserve to be comfortable and dry. And Raya still has my coins, so she should have no problem paying for a night at an inn.

Judging by the howling in the distance, the wolves appear to have the same hunting hours as back home, which should make them easy to deal with in the morning. For now, I'm gonna wiggle a little to create a groove in the dirt for me to snooze in.

Raya communicates with the young guy again, having singled him out in the crowd with a level of expertise I can't match. I have no idea how she's telling them apart aside from obvious traits like big spots of color, but she seems to be doing it.

It doesn't take long for her to convey that they are looking for shelter, but as they are about to leave, she turns to face me.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay out here with you? You won't get lonely?"

I will, a little.

"Nah, you should experience this. Who knows when we'll be back in a village of catfolk? It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you should enjoy it!"

She doesn't seem entirely convinced as she gives me a hug before joining the dispersing crowd. They're heading into the village as a group, talking and showering Raya with attention. Everyone aside from Lauren, who seems to stay behind for some reason.

"Kira, you're a terrible liar. You could just be honest and tell her how you feel. She already knows, but by lying, you're putting her in a position of having to choose between listening to your heart or your words."

I don't know how to do that, but I do know that I want my friends to try new things, even if I can't participate.

Before I get a chance to respond, Lauren asks if I want her to stay, and I tell her that I would rather she and Raya keep an eye on each other. I may not want to be alone out here, but I would be far more hurt if either of them got hurt. I'm not sure why it matters so much to me, but it does.

All this feeling my emotions is liable to make me cranky, and I'm not in the mood to be cranky, so we'll just leave it at that.

"Sleep well, you pouting beast."

Am not!

She smiles at me as she gives me a hug before leaving as well. Stupid lack of dragon accessibility.

"Usi er un sisora themar? [Are you a good dragon?]"

Dang these cat people and their lack of body odor! Someone's around here and I can't tell where. Swiveling my head isn't helping me spot the stranger, and I wasn't able to pinpoint the direction of the feminine voice, aside from behind my head.

"E rinu er usi un sisora themar. [I think you are a good dragon.]"

As my search continues, the voice turns into a chuckle.

"Wara er ves nui curiunira ifir? E vesa pi lerunur nuio stet. [Can you take me somewhere new? I want to leave this place.]"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

As I continue my search for the source of the voice, I feel a gentle pressure on my arm and, looking down, it appears that an adult catwoman has taken a seat on me. That's bold.

"Sade er. Er usi un sisora themar. [Told you. You are a good dragon.]"

For some reason, she's smiling up at me with a peaceful expression, as if sitting on a dragon without consent is a normal thing to do. Well, I did want to snuggle up with a cat person, and if she's volunteering, I won't turn her away. Coiling up and spreading a wing over us to create a roof, I settle in and squish her a little with my neck. I was right, her fur is very soft and comfortable.

And she purrs too! That makes two of us!

As the quiet purr of this stranger becomes the dominant sound in the night, my thoughts wander to what to do back home. We've got a decent new industry going and I'm pretty sure Tuiran is gonna be a lot better off going forward, especially if the rest of my people become empowered by my magic. That leaves outside forces and the primary one now is that undead jerk who threatens every human settlement in the vicinity.

I think the best course of action is to just burn his armies and whittle away at his forces until he's rendered harmless. I believe someone mentioned his armies in the south, and we're south now, so it might be west of here. It wouldn't be too much of a detour to scorch some undead troublemakers. I will have to bring it up with Lauren and Raya in the morning.

I'm not sure how the adventurers are doing with their part in ousting the cultists from their midst, but with Turgai on the job, I'm gonna assume they're making progress.

"Hey, Lauren. Do you think we could head west tomorrow and burn some undead armies? We're south now, so west should be south of Tuiran where the undead are, right?"

"I can't deny the logic of that, but it's risky. The locals who fend off the undead armies are not to be trifled with. They might not appreciate a Dragon showing up."

Pfft, they'll warm up to me in no time. In a non-burny way, ideally. And I'm sure they'll appreciate us getting rid of a bunch of undead before winter, especially of the skeletal variety. Probably. I don't know how undead interact with winter, but I suspect that non-frostclaw undead with a lot of flesh would just freeze solid.

"Lauren, do fleshy undead freeze in the winter?"

"Unless they have some sort of affinity for cold, yes. But skeletal undead become sturdier as moisture clings to them, forming a kind of armor. Until it becomes too much and freezes them, too. That being said, undead attacks during winters are often devastating, as a single corpse in the food store can ruin a fort. They often keep multiple stores for that exact reason."

Those undead sure are clever, but can they outsmart a gout of flame? We'll find out! And that also sounds an awful lot like a bucket of water would make a great weapon against the undead. Well, getting a bucket of water to freeze only after you throw it might be an issue, but maybe.

My guest seems to have fallen asleep as the purring has turned into gentle snoring. Another point for the comfort of my scales!