The day had started normally, Jhonatan was on his day off and had yet to leave his bed when the screams came.
/Jhony!/
Many young voices called him by that damned nickname as he saw dragon cubs (Technically teens, but still cubs in his eyes) ran to his nest, making him sigh, but not rise from his nest.
/What in the name of the Ancients do you guys want?/ He asked /It's my day off, I want to rest!/
He had been working a lot recently by dealing with Rifts that were way too dangerous for mortals to deal with and convincing some new dragons into joining his pack.
He didn't want to deal with cubs that weren't even his.
/Come on Jhony!/ One of the cubs exclaimed.
/You're gonna like this one!/ Another added.
/Just check out the trends of the Net!/ A third said.
He groned at that.
Of course it was about the Net.
/This is the fourth time this week that you all come to bother me about news in the Net/ He said while burying his face under his wing /And it's only tuesday/
/But this one is diferente!/
/It's about the Dragons In Flesh!/
That made him show his face.
Dragons In Flesh were the new species that appeared recently and there was no dragon that had not heard of them, even Jhonatan, and he only entered the Net once in a while.
Curious, he fetched his cumicator, a crystal tablet that was blue in color, he taped the surface with a claw and it lit up to show something similar to mortals' social media interface, he was quick to search for the trends.
And Ancients, people worked fast.
The whole Net was filled with pictures, videos and comments about Dragons In Flesh, the information being provided by Teaching in the Academy, a well known influencer.
He had to admit, the dragons were beautiful, that one in Teach's last post was the ideal type for many dragons just for the wings, but that wasn't what caught Jhonatan's attention, it was the place.
It looked so much better than the inside of this mountain he lived in, cramped with other dragons and having to deal with the neighbors' children when all he wanted was a nice quiet place to rest his sore body.
It would be so nice if he could stay there for some time…
An idea clicked in his mind after that thought.
He kicked out the cubs from his place and quickly packed some things before leaving with notice he wouldn't be back for some time.
He was about to take a gamble.
***
/Crippled?/
Johann was surprised by that.
/Yeah/ The dragon said /I can't exactly fly with only half of the tail that helps me change directions, glide short distances? Definitely, but fly? Only with a prosthesis/
/That sounds horrible/
It was one of the older dragons who said that as all the dragons gave the Light Fury a look of pity, but said the dragon only scoffed at it.
/Flying means little to me/ He said /I'm proud of being grounded, it made me stronger/
And it was obvious, the Light Fury in front of him was bigger than Melchior, taller and more muscular too, even the wings looked very strong despite his inability to fly.
/When it come to physical strength and endurance/ He said /No one of my species can compete with me/
He then gave a quick look at the side before approaching him with a relaxed, but attentive dementor.
/Hey kid/ He said in a whisper /What about I show you around while everyone discusses their contracts and all that shit? I'm friends with some Tidal dragons that I'm sure you'd love, and I could even show you our second in command since meal time is close, but only if you help me with ny prosthesis/
That sounded appealing, he really wanted to go around and explore on his own, but it's not like he could just leave the group alone without reason, and, if that wasn't enough reason…
"No"
His father came over with Nicholas close by, eyes full of disdain as he gave the Light Fury a hard glare.
"He may not leave the group" he said.
/And who might you?/ The dragon asked with an equal amount of disdain in his voice.
"His father"
"Who lost custody of him"
Duncan came closer, eyes fixated on his father as he put himself between them.
"I had already give him permission to go explore" Said his cousin with overly sweet smile "Maybe he might even find a dragon for himself"
His father gave Duncan a glare before composing himself as whispers started to get loud, showing a taunting smile.
"I'm just worried about a kid wandering around alone" He said "You can't seriously be considering leaving a kid to go with an unknown… dragon… without supervision"
His father spat the word dragon in such a way that made the Light Fury and Gargoyle growl.
Gargoyle had been nothing but gentle and calm all this time, but all eyes were on him the moment he started to growl, a savage look on his face.
But then he sighed, composing himself before sitting properly on the ground and giving a signal to the Light Fury, who nodded and left the place without a word.
/I do not like you/ Stated the Stormcutter.
"The feeling is mutual" Said his father.
/Good/ Gargoyle sneered /But you better watch out with that attitude of yours, you might lose something something precious/
He then turned to Nicholas, bowing at him.
/I wish you luck with such unfitting Rider/ He said /You are always free to go to Guiding Star, she may be of help if you require it/
Then, without warning, Johan and Duncan were swapped from the ground, both thrown on Gargoyle's back, who took off to the sky and left the Academy at the sound of his enraged father.
All he could do was hold himself and help his cousin so he wouldn't fall from the dragon's back.
It was only when they took some distance from the Academy that Gargoyle landed and let them down, meeting the Light Fury, who had just arrived at their landing place, once again.
/I'm sorry for that/ Gargoyle said /But that guy keep giving me bad vibes, if I stayed a minute longer I would have fired at him/
/Better than me/ The Light Fury said /If it wasn't for you sending me away, I'de shoot him good in the head/
Duncan chuckled by his side while fixing his hair and clothes.
"I don't even need to understand them to know they are talking about Edward" He said "A jerk, that's what he is, it's a shame that we're related"
Yeah, Johann could say the same.
/Hey kid/
His eyes turned to the Light Fury, who gave him a little grin.
/Still in the mood for a little exploration?/
That brought a smile to his face.
"Of course!"
It was then that the four of them went in a journey to Stella's house to get Runt's, as the Light Fury introduced himself, prosthesis.
***
After all that fiasco with Dragon Pride's guild master and his bastard son, Aleem had to admit, everything went quite well even though the hot guy left with the boy.
At some point the owner of the place returned with Melchior, another guy that wasn't any less handsome then Gargoyle, both with a few scratches and looking like they were planning murder, but they managed to continue showing the place.
They even met another member of Stella's personal team: Chronos, the Titan Wing Crismon Goreguther.
If the old timers were holding themselves earlier, now they were fully aroused but this big man.
And Greate Ancients, the old man was so sweet that he thought he could get cavities.
He had never felt so warm as did when he saw the giant dragon sharing stories and playing with the young ones who were Aleem students a few months prior.
/And yond's wherefore thee shouldst nev'r approach a raz'rwhip who is't's carrying a cub!" He said /These ladies art fi'rce square'rs yond shall claw thy eyes out!/
It was surprising to see such an accent, as only some really old dragons still had it, but it gave an additional charm to the dragon even though he was saying something rather scary.
"Speaking of Razorwhip…"
He glanced at the woman who owned this whole place, she had a Razorwhip cub attached to her back, it's tail wrapped around her waist and it's head resting on her shoulder.
She didn't look like much, but the more he stayed close to her, the more she felt strange.
The others also felt it, but stayed quiet.
The woman walked towards another woman, a red sheep beastfolk, Yuna, the leader of Razor Wind Guild, a unofficial women's only guild with only a few exceptions.
Aleen was one of these exceptions, being the dragon of said guild master.
"I was informed that your guild is composed mainly of women" She said "Is it right?"
His Tamer nodded, seeming curious, and so was he.
"Would you be willing to make a deal with me and have your guild help me with Razorwhip cubs?" Asked the rancher.
He was very surprised with the suggestion, and he wasn't the only one, many have started to whisper their opinions on the matter.
But his Tamer, always the one with her feet on the ground, was calm.
"What kind of deal are we talking about?" She asked "And helping with dragon cubs? Usually it isn't the parents who do that?"
True, Aleen himself was raised by his and others' parents in their community, and so were many other dragons.
He can't see why it would be different here.
"Male Razorwhips tend to comit infanticide" Said the woman "The only thing that stop them from doing so is the viciousness of the females, who, might I add aren't that good at parenying either"
The air became heavy and Aleen could swear he heard a creaking sound coming from the dragons who turned their heads a hit too fast.
"Explain" Yuna demanded.
"Female Razorwhips are extremely territorial before and after laying their eggs" Said the woman while scratching under the club's chin, making it coo a little "And, because of the males, they became naturally wary of males of any kind, even their own cubs, and their constant wariness refrain them from properly taking care of the cubs they won't attack, so I have to separate them from their eggs right after they are laid to prevent them from getting killed after being born, which bring us the current problem"
She turned her full attention to Yuna.
"The cubs are unable to open their eyes for the first years of their live" She said "So no proper flight unless they have someone to be their eyes, like this"
She whistled and the cub immediately opened its wings and took the woman off the ground effortlessly.
He watched with fascination as she circled around them in the air, inclining her body to indicate the cub where to go and when to stop.
She soon landed again, the cub's wings closing again behind it.
"Although their mothers aren't the best" She said "They associate the smell of females with safety, but I am the only woman in this archipelago who they can fly like that, and there are too many cubs for me to do it alone, so I'm asking for a contract where I let your guild raise the cubs, like a foster home, and bring them back to me when they can fly by themselves, we can discuss what your side of the bargain would be later, but the only thing I want is some help with the cubs"
He himself wanted to say yes.
An unknown number of cubs unable to fly by themselves because they couldn't open their eyes?
What dragon wouldn't want to help? He knows a few female only dens that would be the first ones to accept them, even the males, as their tradition was to let them stay until they found a place or a Tamer for themselves.
But he couldn't speak for Yuna.
She had to come to a resolve herself.
So he looked at her, trying to see if he could predict her response, only for her to say it directly.