Flowers and grass smell sickly sweet in person.

     Mum was quiet as she watched us play. May and Ronan were rolling around the field, I'd observed Seth circle a few times just smelling everything. This was our third time out, we'd all climbed onto Mum's back as she flew us down to the foot of the caves, where the grasses grew past our heads. I'd found this quite funny so far, as Ronan liked to try and sneak up on us.

     I always heard him coming.

     "Where's Pop?" I asked.

     "He's doing his job. Normally I'd be there with him, and I will again soon, but for now, you're my job."

      I squinted; the light was a lot brighter out here. That's about all I could tell though. I figured that was the sun, just like from Pop's story.

     "Is Pop the Sun?"

     Mum laughed, "yes darling, he is in a way."

     "Ah, so that's why he can't be here with us."

     She clicked thrice and I stumbled towards her. It had taken a bit to get used to the outside ground, it was different then in the cave, but I liked it. Mum crouched down to brush her nose against my forehead. I liked the way the tips of the grass whistled along her cool scales.

     "Your pather is a very important dragon, Longtayle. I know it doesn't make much sense now," she licked my nose, "but one day it will. He wants to be here, to love you, and watch over you as I do, but there are a lot of other dragons who need that as well."

     She was right, I didn't get it, but I understood that whatever the reason he was away, it was important and he would be back soon.

     "Why don't you go see what Seth's up too?" She suggested, nudging me a few steps forward.

     "Alright," I chirped back, and stepped off into the grass.

      Seth was the biggest of the four of us, only because his legs were so long. He was thin and lithe and tended to move quickly and quietly. That didn't mean I couldn't pick up the slithering sound of him brushing through the grass or the smell of nursery and cave water he left behind. Even more telling, he was noisily scraping through the dirt when I found him.

     "Hey Longtayle," he chirped, "check this out."

     His tale thumped against something in the earth, and when I stretched my neck out to sniff if, I yanked it back immediately. "Ew."

     "I know! It stinks. I think it's a root, like a tree mouth. I don't know which tree though."

     Tree mouth? I grimaced, "It should try eating something else."

     Seth snorted. I realized upon stepping on the root it'd been gnawed on. Seth's breath had the same invasive scent. "You tried to eat it? Does it taste good?"

     "Oh, not at all," I could hear him grinning like scaletick in an overcrowded den. "But it was fun to find. I wonder what the tree looks like."

     There was a gentle breeze that brushed against the crowns of several trees around us. I pressed my muzzle into the dirt surrounding the hole he'd dug and found more of the sharp root smell. There was a trail of it, the root was lying just below the surface. I started to follow it and Seth's spines clicked in refreshed interest.

     "What are you doing?"

     "Finding your tree," I said through dirt.

     "There's no way you can—" the wind changed, he stopped midsentence to take a sharp breath of air through the nose and giggled. "Oh, it's worse than Ronan's breath after breakfast."

     Seth lost it as soon as the wind changed back and resumed to slithering after me through the grass. It grew more pungent as we got closer, I found I no longer had to press my nostrils to the dirt. When we finally arrived to the foot of tree, it was quite overwhelming.

     "Wow," he breathed.

     I realized his face was tilted up. "What does it look like?"

    "It's taller than Pop, and covered in spines."

     "Are we sure it's a tree and not a dragon?" I smirked.

     Seth's tiny hatchling claws scraped against the bark, "no it's a tree—oh man it stinks, let's get out of here."

     We laughed and tumbled as we ran back to Mum. She didn't think it was quite as funny when we came back smelling on stinkroot and she had to clean it off.

     After my sudden bath, I decided to back in the sun with Seth. With every inhale, I could smell what animals had been around us, even other hatchlings that had played here. Then the wind changed and I got a face full of Ronan.

     My head flew up, and I went completely still. Seth went to ask me what I was doing by I slapped my tail against the ground to signal quiet. There was nothing but the wind and the dozing breaths of dragons. I was listening so hard; I was almost surprised when I finally picked on Ronan's heartbeat.

     I jumped towards the sound and flailed my underdeveloped wings awkwardly, paws flung in front of me to catch myself. I let out a baby roar of triumph when they smacked Ronan. He'd unsuccessfully tried to scramble away and let out a startled meep when I pounced.

     He gawked, "how do you do that!"

     "You're not silent." I reminded him, then glanced off the to the side, "neither are you, May."

     "You found me!" She bust out from a pile of leaves, smelling on them as well.

     Ronan pushed against my hindlegs, I yelped, and he slid out from under me when I fell. Then he was on my back, growling and kicking. I rolled over to nip at his legs, but as always when we play fought, he won.

     Mum picked us up by the scruff and we'd all but fallen asleep as she soared back to the cave.

     Another interesting thing about our home, the cave system stretched forever. Standing at the mouth of our den, with our parents help, we could slide down to what Pop called "The Heart Tunnels".

     He let his wing drag against the smooth walls of the rock. "It's called that because this tunnel stretches throughout the entire mountain."

     The floor was wet under my pads, and smelled strongly of salt. The visiting dragons had spoken of a great mass of water, but I was sure our mountain was nowhere near it. As I was contemplating this, Mum and Pop suddenly stopped, and sat down. I got the feeling they had an idea for us (oh boy).

    "What's going on?" Seth asked.

     "We've... come up with a little game for the four of you," Mum cooed. "This mountain is our home, and you should be as familiar with it as we are."

     "There's a saltwater lake in one of the caverns, and a tunnel connecting you to it," Pop continued. "We're going to fly around to a back entrance, and wait for you in the cavern. There's no danger here, we'll be able to find you if you get lost. There's no such thing as an unfriendly dragon to me and my family."

     "When you meet with us again, I'll show you how to catch fish," Mum finished.

     I heard the distinct sound of Ronan's tail flicking against the ground in excited agitation. "So, we're supposed to find our way in the dark?"

     "I think we're meant to work together," Seth tapped a claw against his chin.

     "Exactly darlings." Mum's voice was full of pride as she shook out her wings. "See you soon."

     "Don't forget to have fun while you're at it."

     Their heavy steps disappeared after they jumped off the lip of the opening, and we four growing hatchlings were left with the fading sounds of wingbeats and the occasional drip of water from the stalactites above.

     "I'm kind of scared," May admitted, "I'm not good at remembering direction, especially not in the dark."

     "That's okay," Ronan chirped. "Neither am I."

     "I am, though." I tilted my head. "I don't even know what 'dark' is."

     Seth gave another curious tap on his chin. "Longtayle, you're obviously going to be our navigator. May, keep a sharp look out for small details I'm sure we'll miss. Ronan, if we encounter other dragons, you'll be best at talking to them...and me..."

     Seth paused, and his chin tapping stopped.

    "We need a leader," May pointed out. "Someone to keep us all together."

     Seth took in a sharp breath, puffed out his chest, and replied with the squeakiest of hatchling voices. "You're right, I'll do that. Longtayle, what's our path?"

     I took a few steps deeper into the rock. The scent of salt was not overwhelming, and there was the slightest draft blowing outward. No wonder it was so cold here.

     "Well, forward obviously," I smirked. "Come on."

     Three sets of paw steps followed mine. I could guess when it got to dark for them to see, from the stumbling and annoyed chirps from bumping into one another. I kept my amusement to myself. The texture of the floor changed; it became a little rougher. I could smell the phosphorus that lined the walls. Our teeth hadn't developed enough to start eating rock...yet. Now the draft changed, and I sensed the space open up as the echoes of our steps traveled farther.

     "There's a fork ahead of us now," I warned, sitting down, and listening carefully. "It goes up to the right, and down to the left."

     "We need to go down," May instructed, almost immediately.

     "How'd you figure that?" Ronan scoffed.

     "The mouth of the cave Mum and Pop left us in was dripping. Which means there was moisture coming from somewhere, and moving in wet clouds. Clouds go up, which means our water is down." She danced on her stubby legs in glee. "Oh! How wonderful is this?"

     "Smart," Seth's admiration was evident in his voice. "Down we go."

     I clicked a few times so they could follow me as we descended. The slope was gradual and I could feel the worn away places where many dragons had walked before. The most recent being a few days earlier. It was a crisp scent, like the crackling of dried leaves.

     "Can you smell the others?"

     "Yeah," Ronan breathed. "We're not alone here. No matter how big this place it."

     The air was wet down here, and much colder. Over our noise, I kept picking up on a faint clicking noise. Every time I stopped to investigate, it disappeared, and I'd had enough of Ronan walking into my rump. It was probably my imagination.

     I didn't need to point out the singing. A dragon song lilted through our corridor, weaving around our stubby paws and down our scales. I felt a shiver run down my spine as we walked closer towards the familiar song, sung by the egg-graced. Memories in our minds, of the time before we entered the world. Our muther's tongue hummed blessing over us. Nothing was safer, or more powerful.

     "Eily, eily, eily, ást og eily," she sang.

     The tunnel was warmer here, and the sound passed above our heads. There was another cavity above us, where a muther was no doubt, preparing a nest. I sensed from the others a feeling of surety. This was the right path.

     "Do you think..." May's voice was quiet, as if hesitant to fill the space once taken by music.

     "What?" Seth asked.

     "Do you think we're the first hatched?" She repeated. "I think Mum and Pop would have taken us to play with other hatchlings, had there been any."

     "You mean like... the first eggs... ever?" Even Ronan seemed dumbstruck by his own question.

     "I think so." I answered. "Pop is older than every dragon I've ever met. Remember the story he told us? He was the first, it makes sense that he should make other firsts as well."

     None of us spoke after that, it was a very big thought to mull over for something as small as we were. It made the mountain seemed very mighty indeed, but not scary. It was like a great dragon had wrapped its wings around us, all around was the scent of dragons living in peace. A conscious colony that we too would find our place in. This was not a challenge, but a massive interconnected family, and I started to understand Pop's long trips away. Perhaps his heart was connected to all the dragons here, like our hearts were connected to his.

     I think the others knew it as well.

     We marched on. We took another downward path, following the salt smell with Seth's wisdom. Ronan moved a mighty boulder off of our path by himself. May kept track of the smallest details, and kept our hearts light with jest. I never stopped leading the way.

     "We're very close." I slowed, "can you see anything?"

     "There's a massive archway ahead of us, and light coming from within. Not firelight, it's softer, and blue." Seth informed. "It smells of moisture and salt, I think we've found it."

     He was right. As we stepped under the archway, a massive cavern opened ahead of us. May gasped, and I took in the chortling of many dragons, in a space so large I couldn't head the end of it. There were splashes, waves, shrills of delight and chatter. I didn't know how to count so many other dragons.

     "Seth, Ronan, May, Longtayle." Our pather's voice boomed among the rest of them.

     I took a few steps forward, as my brothers rushed past me. They splashed into the water, I guess Pop was across the saltwater we'd been looking for. May waited, and her tail whisked against my forelegs.

     "Follow me."

     We waded across a shallow divide and up onto a slick rock. The scratches from my claws said crystal. Sitting on top of the massive outcrop were our parents. It felt like Mum's purrs were audible back in the tunnels. Pop laughed, filling the cavern with the pride of his hatchlings. It was a noisy kind of elation, despite the four of us being unable to speak from the rush of it all. Then Pop let out a roar, I could feel the heat from the burst of flame that left his lips from here.

     "My fellow dragons," he started, and the entire cave went silent.

     I could feel a pair of eyes on me for every single scale on my body. My tail was quivering with the anticipation of what pather was going to say, and how the vastness our people would react. Was he going to announce our presence? Our accomplishments? Could I have done better?

     "Today, my hatchlings tasted independence for the first time, and succeeded." His tail swept round to curl around us gently. "Though they did not need to in order to prove themselves to me, my beloved hatchlings have shown courage, teamwork, and a healthy sense of curiosity. I hope you are as proud of them as I am."

     I didn't need to see Pop's face to sense the amount of love emanating off him. I puffed out my chest, and stood taller. This wasn't a small exercise we'd been sent on; it was a test. Something happened when we crossed the threshold, under those arches.

     "Can you feel the change?" Mum asked.

     "Yes," when Seth answered, he was speaking for all of us.

     "It's maturity, dear" she cooed. "You are growing into yourselves, and your names."

     "Are we doing good?" May's voice trembled.

     Pop laughed "listen to our pride and tell me what you think."

     The cavern vibrated with the celebratory roars of the pride. Standing on the ledge in the center of it all, well, even my wingtips now shook with excitement. As the waves of acceptance rolled over me, I could believe even the mountain's heart beat passionately with the love of dragons who lived within it. My kind, my people, my place. This truly was, where I belonged.

     We celebrated, as today was also the day we turned one year old. I learned how to swim. Ronan was proud of himself for being able to hold his breath the longest, until mum explained through her amusement how to use our gills and second lungs. The feeling of water traveling through a different throat was weird, but not unpleasant.

     "The other pools have tunnels that go underwater and lead to the ocean." Mum sighed in content, watching my siblings flap their gills about in each other's faces. "There's so many, we haven't even explored them all, but they're so dark and long that only dragons can use them."

     I was curled up along the rocky bank, squeezing the smooth pebbles between my pads. Running about with the others had me dizzy as a bee and very lost after a few minutes. This was much nicer. The pebbles were weathered by water and waves. The cold soothed my tired paws and cheek. With the calming buzz of other happy dragons all around, I thought I might drift off.

     "Junip told me just the other day she and her mate fancied going to live in the ocean. I gave her my blessing," Pop replied.

     Mum let out a soft giggle. "Oh? I can't say I enjoy sea food that much."

     Pop laughed with her. As a dragon who's only had fish once or twice, I resented that. Pop said the big dragons lived out at sea, big enough that when they curled up to take a nap, grass grew off their scales and animals started to move in. I saw the point and made sure to keep the complaining on low next time I had a bath.

     Then I heard the ticking again. A soft thump, thump, thump. My ear pricked up in surprise, I had definitely not imagined that. It felt like it was coming from below me, from deeper into the earth. Pop must have watched me startle. He leaned in next to me, and I could feel his hot breath.

     "You can hear it?" He asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

     "Hear what?"

     "The heartbeat of the mountain," he explained, in a whisper just loud enough for Mum to lift her head up from the ground in eavesdrop.

     I felt a chill run down my spine. "It's alive?"

     Pop nodded, "the whole earth is alive my son, if you listen closely, you can hear the stories of pebbles and insects, of mere grains of sand and wisps of cloud."

     My eye widened, and for a few moments we lay there without speaking, the subtle thump, thump, thump, of the mountain pounding beneath my paws and heart.