Ronan nipped at Seth's ankles as they tumbled around the floor. Seth chirped in annoyance, prancing to get away from him until Ronan flipped him over and Seth grunted when he fell against the moss of the floor. Mum was perched on the outcrop, staring over the lake and her chicks playing below, weaving quietly.

Her jewels jingled when she turned to look at us. She and Pop had started wearing matching muzzle-scarves. The gentle scent of honeysuckle followed her as well, atop her head was a flower crown made by May. She'd made them for all of us but I'd eaten mine, whoops.

"Ow!" Seth yelped, followed by furious splashing. "No fair!"

"No burning is allowed, Ronan."

"Aw, c'mon." He puffed, I smelled smoke. "It was just the rocks."

"They're too hot."

"You're too cold."

"Alright fine, if we're cheating then—" Seth leapt forward and bounced off a stalagmite like he'd been thrown, his wings snapped out, and Ronan shrieked before he was overtaken from above. Their fight was continued by splashing.

"You want to see what I'm working on?" Mum asked.

I mrred, and sat down next to the thick blanket laying before her, eagerly running my paws over it. I made out four chicks instantly, and even though they were simplified by string, I recognized the basic shapes from Ronan's carvings.

"It's us!"

"Very good," she purred. "I'm making this one to hang in our den. I think you're pather will be very excited when he gets back."

"Where is he? He wasn't there when I woke up."

"He always leaves early in the mornings to meet with Skylark, usually he returns before you wake."

"Skylark...huh...he's never mentioned it."

"Well," she tilted her head, "it's a very special meeting. He has a very special job. Sometimes it just takes him a long time to put it into words."

"Does he tell you?"

"Yes...but not with words. It's more a feeling. You'll understand when you're older and in love."

"Ugh," I rolled my eyes. "I'm never old enough to do anything."

Mum laughed, "savor it."

"Aha!" Ronan threw his head back and roared.

"Alright get off me," Seth squirmed. "Even the moon knows you've bested me, once again."

Mum had turned to gaze at them. They were nothing more but blurry figures in the dark half of the room to me. When she stopped weaving simply to look, I could feel the affection emanating off her in waves.

"If you boys are bored, you could join your sister in her classes."

"And swim through bat poo? No thanks," Ronan scoffed.

Mum stopped to rest her chin on a lifted paw, "we could go explore the new additions to the Great Hall together, then catch something to eat."

I sat up, "I like that idea."

"Or you could get off the rock and play fight with us," Ronan tail swept into mine.

"You beat me every time, you beat everyone, every time." I frowned. "It's no fun."

Ronan tail flicked back and forth. "Sounds like you just need more practice."

"Hey, let's go exploring with Mum," Seth butt in. "C'mon lads."

"Three to one," I puffed out my chest.

"Oh, my darling fiendish doves," Mum laughed, "If everything must be a competition, we can have a hunting contest afterwards, lets go." 

Dust flies through the air of the Great Hall. The sound bounces of the walls differently now. I can hear more, it's sharper, fuller, and especially comfortable. No more are thee clangs of construction, only polite hub-bub of many dragons lays in it's place. We make slow work as Mum is stopped often to chat.

We followed her up a set of sturdy wooden stairs that trailed along to side of the cavern to a set of heavy doors she pushed open with ease.

"What do you think?" She purred. "This one's all mine."

"Queen Margo!" A voice called out, "I didn't think you'd be joining us this morning?"

"I'm afraid I won't, the boys were getting restless so we're just touring the Hall."

I dragged my wing tip against the polished walls. There were a few shallow carvings of... dragons doing various crafts. Then I ran into a small woven blanket, hanging half finished. It still smelled of Delpaca, the animal where wool came from. I'd never seen one, but I'd heard they had long necks, no scales, and fur that draped off them in long boughs. There was a wheel in the corner where a pile of fur sat in a basket waiting to be turned to thread. 

"I like it." Seth cooed, from his spot in the middle of the room.

I wonder if they had a room for flying practice, or a place to tell stories.

"You're probably the only one. Come loves, I'll let you lead the way now."

"For the record, I liked it," I yawned, "I just think it's a nice place to sleep."

Mum laughed, "you know, sometimes I feel the same way."

"Let's go over here!" Ronan said, before shooting off in that direction.

"That's the market darling—and he's gone." Mum shook her head. "That little rascal."

"What's the market?" I asked.

There were more smells here, all sorts of meats and plants. I could feel the drool starting to pool in the bottom of my mouth.

"It's relatively new. Pop and I wanted there to be a place where dragons could showcase their special talents and trade for them. It brings a little healthy competition to our mountain, don't you think? I meant to ask Ronan if he'd like to try trading for his rocks but alas, he's disappeared like a cloud in the summer."

"Should we go look for him?" Seth stood up a little straighter.

"No, the whole place loops around anyway, we'll run into him after he's burned his willies."

The market was situated in a place where the massive hall tapered down. It was a lot like a festival except for more permanent. Square structures made of wood and stone rose up to touch the ceiling. Most of the stalls were on the second or third floor. Which was no problem, as there were always more stairs.

"Longtayle! Seth!" A happy, familiar voice called out, a fledging came bund up to us, then bowed before our muther.

"Good morning, Kiri." Mum cooed. "Are you helping your pather tend to his stall today?"

She nodded, "would you like to join me? It's fun I swear."

I glanced back at Mum.

She considered it for a moment. "Very well, I'm going to meet Pop and then come back to pick you up for a meal, that's a good hour of two for you to have fun. Keep an eye out for Ronan, love you."

"Love you too," Seth and I replied.

She unfurled her wings, and in two great strokes sent the dust and her flying away.

"Ronan's here too?" Kiri mrred.

"Somewhere," Seth shrugged.

"Wonderful, come come."

Her tall tailfin slithered along the wooden planks as she led us to her pather's stall. I stuck close to Seth to avoid being trampled by the other, bigger dragons bustling around with us. When she stopped in front of a slanted entryway, I found the smell emanating from the enclosure was unfamiliar and tantalizing. My instincts said food and but every logical muscle reeled in confusion.

"It's great, huh?" She was watching our faces. "It's something my family has been working on inventing, my grandpather, our gamall, started it."

I knew our Pop was our gamall, the oldest member of our family, but the other was a new word to me, so I latched onto it. "Grandpather?"

She tilted her head, her fins flopping to one side. "He's my Pop's pather. Strange, most of us have grandparents, I suppose you don't."

"Yeah, weird, what's that smell?" Seth interrupted, wiping the drool from his face.

She beamed, "oh right! We call it hithea. You can help me make some."

There was a fire pit in the back, a dragon was crouched over a bowl resting above it. I could hear the scrape of a stick against the bottom of the metal.

"I'm back Pop!" Kiri chirped, reaching into the pouch around her neck.

Kiri's pather was a wyvern with tall frills like her. I could smell leaves and fish when Kiri's opened her pouch.

"Wonderful," he glowed, "I see Killian gave you a deal for the spice."

"She said it was because I'm so cute."

He snorted, "I should send you on all my errands then. I see you've brought more helpers as well."

I dipped my nose in respect, "I'm Longtayle."

"I'm Seth, we're friends from some of Kiri's classes," Seth explained.

"Oh!" He turned his attention completely away from the bowl. "You're the King's fledglings. I'm honored to have in my humble shop."

"As are we, fea."

He paused, as if the notion struck him, "well gather round. Let me show you what we're cooking up here."

Warm, moist, air collected on my face and I leaned in. It smelled of the spice herb Kiri's had previously had clutched in her paws, only, less potent.

"Hello?" Ronan's voice called from the door frame.

Kiri's spine flap straightened up, "Ronan! I was wondering when you'd show up."

He purred and hopped towards her. I think they might have touched muzzles briefly in greeting. I held back a smirk as Seth's shock radiated off him.

"We're making hithea," Kiri explained.

"Oh?" Ronan softened, "brilliant. I've been meaning to bring these lads down here for a sip."

The resulting concoction was a warm drink made from brewing the flavor out of the leaves, to which other things may be added to. After having the boredom steeped out of ourselves, we were finally allowed to take a shallow bowl full and sit on the balcony above the shop, watching dragons and drinking hithea. It was comfortably warm and so was the trace amount of sunshine leaking in from spaces between buildings, I let my heavy eyelids go their way as Seth enthusiastically described every interesting thing he saw a dragon wearing or wielding.

Ronan stuck by Kiri's side the entire time.

Something wasn't right. The drink was delicious but I was tasting something else. It was so palpable I had to set my bowl down.

"Longtayle? Is something wrong with it?"

"No... I..." I rubbed my paws across my forehead. "I have a headache."

Kiri stood up and dashed back inside, returning a moment later with a warm, wet rag she placed on my forehead. "Does that help?"

I nodded.

"You can feel it too." Ronan was staring at me. "Can everyone else?"

Seth and Kiri were silent for a moment.

"Something does feel different." She tilted her head.

"What do you think it is?"

The four of us waited in silence for another to speak. Nobody did. I needed someone to talk, something had to happen to ease the buzzing in my jaw. I couldn't see her. I couldn't even make the blurriest, confused conception of her shape, but something about her glowed. This wasn't even a physical sense; she was just glowing, and for some reason it scared me.

Kiri' stare bore into me, soft as flower petals. "You know, don't you Longtayle?"

The crushing force around my neck and lungs lifted.

"The world is about to change," I breathed, getting a feel for my tongue. "Of course. Here's how it happened. There was once... a bat."

"A bat?" Ronan muttered his breath.

"Those new things from Master Wren's class." Seth whispered back.

"Yes, but she doesn't know it yet," the steam from the hithea wavered in from of my face and I feel a pull in my chest, it feels hot.

"She was born today, as she crawls away from her eggshells and into her muther's embrace. She drinks, and her world is completely changed—" I stopped, there was smoke leaking out of the corners of my mouth.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Seth gasps.

"What did I do?"

Ronan leaned towards me. "Your smoke looked like a bat for a second. Like a young, baby bat."

"I don't know how I did that, or, frankly, if I believe you."

"It doesn't matter, keep telling the story!" Kiri chirped, stomping her feet.

I smiled. "She is for the first time, her own body in her own space. She stretches her leather wings, and feels pure joy. But..."

Kiri leaned in closer. 

"Something... something happens to her." My heavy felt heavy and full of cotton. "Um... I don't... I don't..." my tongue was stiff. "I'm sorry."

"Did she fall?" Seth asked quietly. "That's what it looked like in the smoke."

"Oh, yes I think she did." My nose crinkled up.

Ronan shifted uncomfortably, and started to get up, "I don't like this story."

"It's okay, she fell but... she never hit the ground. Her world changed; the moon rose to catch her, and all of sudden she was flying, souring over the earth faster than any creature ever had before."

Ronan stopped and turned back towards me. "And then what?"

I balked. "Uh, I...don't know."

The three of them still waited expectantly.

"I'm serious guys, I can't think of anything."

"Probably just the headache getting to you, try drinking some more." Seth advised, handing me my bowl back and patting me on head.

"Can't the moon set her gently back on the ground and she rejoins her family?" Ronan's tail flicked back and forth.

"I think she might be stuck there." I frowned, sipping gently from the bowl. It did help slightly. "We've got class again tomorrow; I'll finish the story then."

"It's okay Ronan, mum's going to pick us up soon anyway." Seth reassured him.

Kiri took a long sip from her bowl. "Well, it was nice seeing you guys, thanks for the help. I can't wait to hear the end, Longtayle."

"Yeah," I rubbed my forehead. "Me too."