In the days following our den grounding, we did take one trip outside. Pop explained they were having a festival, one of the first. There'd technically only been on before, but Pop explained the other dragon agreed to have it again, every year. These types of event had to have a name, therefore festival rolled off my tongue the rest of the hour we waited patiently for them to prepare. Preparation included... donning gold. I didn't entirely see the point, but understood the concept from the way my siblings gasped upon seeing our parents return from the collecting cave.

"You're gold!" May exclaimed, "oh Mum can I have some? Please?"  

Mum laughed, "well, you might be able to wear on of these rings as a bracelet, perhaps a cloak around here will suit you..." her voice trailed off as she led May into the back.

"I don't get it." My spines prickled in annoyance. "What does May want?" 

Pop's talons gripped me gently as he hoisted me onto his shoulder. Something on his face made a noise that sound like rain, only lighter, more gently. 

"Go ahead," he mused.

I sniffed, gold, and something else. The remnants of plants, but it mostly smelled like him, and the much older scent of another dragon. When I reached out to investigate, I was met with small gold circles clinging onto something that felt like leaves and grass but it wasn't alive.

"Cloth," Pop explained. "There will be lots of it at the festival today. Many dragons have been finding such skills and creating new things. One of my friends made this for me as a gift, it shows that I love all dragons who come to me seeking advice." 

"Does it have a name?" I tilted my head at him.

"Perhaps, one day. To answer you question, some of the gifts I've been given, and commissioned, are meant to look appealing when worn on the body."

"That sounds funny."

"It does, doesn't it?" He chuckled, "you may have some too if you wish."

Pop slid a ring off his horn and handed it to me. It had more of the cloth tied loosely around the band. I had no interest in gold, but I did like cloth. I reknitted it around the end of my tail where it met the isosceles.

"Can I have the ring?" Ronan asked Pop.

"If Longtayle doesn't want it."

"I don't, but thank you." I pushed it toward him.

Ronan chirped happily; I assume sliding the ring up his elbow. I was content with the sash on my tail, and waved it around. The fabric crinkled and flapped happily, I purred in contentment.

Pop's gold glittered as we flew through the air. At least that's how May describe it, visually. I thought it was a good word to describe the sound as well. It was a gentle, softer crinkle where all else was the wind wiping past our cheeks. It was cold up here, and unlike the cave, the air was not still, but alive. It tugged at my wingtips and sung for me to open them, to join it, to dance together. The sensation of air rushing under my bones alone made my heart race.

"When are we going to fly ourselves, Pop?" May asked.

"Mm, soon, less then a year away if I'm not mistaken."

That was soon. "How do you know when? We are the only hatchlings our age."

"Skylark lets me know these things." He answered simply, as if it wasn't a rockslide that opened up a whole new cavern of questions. 

"You talk to her?" I gasped.

He laughed, a sound that shook merrily throughout his whole body. "One day, Longtayle. One day."

I guess I was just supposed to be satisfied with that. I wasn't, but Pop definitely wasn't going to say anymore, so I gnawed on what I had. Oh, what a bitter and savory flavor it had.

It wasn't long before Pop began to drop in altitude. We had arrived. May gasped, I realized she was peering over Pop's shoulder at the ground below.

"What it is?" I asked.

"It's a field, like the one Mum would take us to play, but it's so vast," she breathed, "and filled with dragons of all shapes and colors. They've cut the wood from trees and made little cave things. Oh! For selling! Some of them are made from rocks and really do look like caves."

The closer we got, the more sounds reached me and bean to match the descriptions May gave me. I ate it up. Then, oh Skylark, the smells. The must be selling food, certainly nothing I've had before. Smells of different dragons, of pine, and salt, sand, moisture and cold. There was so many, some of which I recognized as dragons that had given pather gifts before.

"Hold on," He warned, as he let gravity take over, and his wings buffeted up around us. I felt his body jerk slightly as his paws hit the ground and with a gentle gallop, we landed. On a large, flat rock, I discovered.

Mum landed beside him, and the air was momentarily filled with happy chirps of other dragons spotted us. We were let off, and gathered together on the landing rock, for the rules of the festival.

"You must stick together, at all costs. Ask your pather or me before you buy something, and listen to Seth," Mum explained.

"I'll make sure we stay together and out of trouble." He promised.

"Good." She sighed, content. "Most importantly, have fun, love. Pop and I will be walking around first, before settling on the outcropping over there."

I assumed she was pointing, I guess I'd just have to trust my siblings were paying attention. It was a little overwhelming, I'm glad we were sticking together. This wasn't our cave system; I didn't know where to go and that was... daunting. It wasn't scary quite yet.

"Are we good? Can we go?" Ronan demanded, his tail was flicking against my haunches in his excitement, thought I found it annoying.

"You may."

Ronan shot off like fire from the mouth of our group and Seth went to leash him in. The hovering annoyance bit into me again as I realized I'd be following May's tail all day. No wonder Mum and Pop brought us instead of leaving us grounded in the cave. This was a suitable punishment.

"I'm starving, is anyone else hungry?"  Ronan's nostrils flared as he took in all the smells.

"Yes, I'm sure Mum and Pop won't mind us—"

"What's that?" Ronan asked, abruptly stopping.

A much bigger dragon chuckled at us. "Care for a free sample of spiced caribou, hatchlings?" 

"Yes please, fea." Ronan tongue swiped across his lips.

May's tongue flicked against my shoulder, "here you go, Longtayle."

She had something clasped in her paw. I twig, with a cut of meat sitting atop it. It was hot, as if our new vendor friend had burn it with fire. It seemed a useless gesture, but hat quickly changed when I ate the morsel. Absolutely delicious.

May led me back to the stack of rock where Mum and Pop were basking once I got tired of following them around. Every few minutes Ronan would pop up to give me another free sample he'd sweet-talked his way into getting. I appreciated it.

The rock was warm, and smooth, and I laid down next to my sleeping muther with a small stone in my mouth. Biting into it was fun. She mrred and lifted her head up to watch me.

"Does that taste good?"

"Not really, but I like it," I admitted.

Mum flicked her tail against Pop's flank. "He's getting sulfur cravings, Gideon."

"Oh?" Pop glanced at me. "We'll have to clear out the den of anything flammable."

"Wait, I like eating rocks because I'm going to breathe fire?" I gaped.

"Probably," Mum chirped, as if it was nothing new. "That's not the right rock, however. Sulfur works best, but also phosphorous. When you're not grounded, we'll show you the sulfur caves."

"How do those things even correlate?" I cheeped.

Mum reached out to tap my chest. "Think of it like having a few extra stomachs that turns rock into liquid, then that liquid becomes flammable once it hits the air. I'm not a healer so I don't know the specifics. If you want, I'm sure you could find one here."

My spines tingled with the addition of new knowledge. I couldn't wait to tell my siblings. Especially Ronan, he would be so excited. Skylark, I wish I knew where they were—

"Longtayle!" Ronan came barreling up the rock. "Here you go."

His gift crackled on the stone under my feet when he dropped it. He'd brought me more rocks, wrapped in a drawstring pouch. I picked them up and discovered they were shapes I recognized, a dragon's face, a flower, and something I didn't. Shaped like a log, but tapered on one end and filled with lumps and points.

"This is amazing!" I chirped, "what's this one?"

"Fire," Ronan's front paws tapped the ground. "May saw them and realized how cool it would be for you, so uh, we got them."

"That's what fire looks like?" The question came out a lot higher and softer than I intended and my face grew hot, as I could feel Mum and Pop's gushy stares on the back of my neck. "Thank you, Ronan." 

"Uh huh," he wrapped a wing around my back and started leading me down the outcrop. I replaced my small carvings in the pouch and slid it around my neck. "Now I'm sure you're wondering how you can repay me, excellent question, see there's a stall where May and Seth are waiting for us. The seller is being particularly picky and says she's won't give out free samples. Now I, adorable, and a genius, have tried my best, but it's rough out here and we need you, bud."

"For what? I'm not good at talking other dragons."

"Oh yeah I know," he snorted, "but if you remember correctly, you're my poor, weak, starving, younger brother, born without a sense of sight, never able to do anything on his own, Skylark bless his heart..." He nudged me gently.

"What? I am not—oh," my confusion melted away and I couldn't stop the sly grin from spreading across my face, "you're right, it's all coming back to me."

"Wonderful, I promise it'll be worth it."

There was just something about youth that made one ah, susceptible, to trick-playing and other foolery. Maybe it was the fact we hadn't grown enough to fly or breathe fire, so our only playground left was other's minds. Maybe we were born with wickedness in our hearts. I've found hatchlings, either way, don't care. 

Ronan switched places with May, and she did a good job keeping a straight face (or at least as far as I could tell, not laughing) when I made sure to stumble over ever loose rock as we shuffled to the stall. Which honestly wasn't hard, I'm surprised I still had most of claws intact.

"Oi, I said no free samples, love." The seller barked. 

"I'm sorry to bother you again, fea, but I just wanted to bring my bother back to your stall." Ronan laid one of his wings delicately across my back. "He was born without sight, fea, he's never seen the sunrise, or the green of the grasses. Not even the fresh dew or a rainbow in the mist of a waterfall."

Alright alright, if anyone going to be laying it on thick about my eyes it's going to me. "Don't bring it up brother, you know how sad it makes me when you talk of such things."

"Oh Ronan!" May cried, joining it, "look what you've done, he's nearly crying!"

"Skylark! Punish me as I deserve it," he gasped, "fea, I thought it might cheer him up to at least get a sniff of your wares, then we won't bother you anymore."

"What is that?" I blinked, genuinely, because what she was selling smelled like food, but nothing I'd ever had before.

"It's fruit love... oh bless your heart. Fine." She let out a long sigh and the sound of crinkling, like dry leaves, came from above. "Here you go, goodness, I've never met a blind dragon as young as you."

The smell was placed directly in front of me and I reached up, missed, then clutch my paws around the package she'd handed me. The crackling sound had come from the leaf-like skin she'd wrapped it in. Saliva pooled in the back of mouth as I sniffed it up.

"Thank you, fea." I cooed, again with no act. "I will remember your kindness."

"I've never seen you so happy." Ronan was grinning as we walked away, I could just hear it.

"Alright, off with the act." I rolled my eyes, and flicked his wing off my back.

"How was it?"

"Humiliating."

"But...?"

"Worth it, with an appropriate bribe," I added. "Thank you again for the carvings, I really can't express how much I love them."

"Aw, no problem," Seth insisted.

We split up the fruit, and munched on it while basking in the sun. It was sweet, and soft, almost overwhelming as first. Our parents were unimpressed by our stunt, but informed us it was called a mango. We collectively decided it our favorite thing. As I licked the juice off my paws, I let my eyes close as I listened to dragons chatting nearby. There were so many, most of them seemed to recognize us and told out parents how cute we were. They loved it but the four of continued to insist that we were not cute, but quite terrifying in fact. Other dragons thought this was funny.

"Hey! Longtayle and Seth." A call distinguished itself from the crowd's buzz, the meek cheep of a hatchling accompanied with the owner's little paw steps.

Wait, two sets of paw steps.

"Tallin!" Seth returned. 

Oh Skylark, I'd forgotten about him. He skidded to a halt as the foot of the outcrop and continued to call out the us. I wished for a moment he couldn't see me, but slunk down to meet him regardless.

"You stood us up!" Tallin puffed. "We waited in the crack until sundown."

"What?" Seth paused, confused.

"Sorry about that, we got grounded." I turned to Seth and the others, "I said we would meet in the Hidden Room and initiate him."

"And that we got grounded," Seth realized.

"Yeah, we're grounded now," Ronan added, "does anyone else want to say it or have we flown the point home?"

"You also said I could bring my friend. This is Hailpip, by the way."

"I'm Sylk and Lore's daughter," the new comer introduced. "It's an honor to meet you four."

Her voice was soft, like the air. She was a western dragon, like us. Her face seemed to ruffle when she moved, I wonder if she had fins or some sort of large crest.  Her steps were light, and the space around her seemed to crackle with unspoken energy.

"I brought you this," Tallin placed an object on the ground in front of us.

"Whoa! Hey Longtayle check it out." Seth tapped my leg, and dropped whatever it was into my paws as I brought it up to face to sniff.

Salt, and age. It was rough, fan shaped, and had small crinkles like a folded dragons' wing.

"It's a sea scale," Tallin explained.

"It's a bone!" I exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" Hailpip chirped, "Tallin doesn't believe me. He thinks it belongs to a plant, like a seed."

"What kind of creature has a bone like this? Huh? How you do you anyway?"

"It smells like a bone," I flicked my tongue out, grinning, "tastes like one too, but it's super old. Definitely belonged to an animal. Consider yourself initiated."

Tallin puffed with pride, however the gears started turning in my head. I glanced back at Mum and Pop atop the outcrop, pricking my ears to pick up on their breaths. They were asleep. I placed the sea scale in my pouch and dropped off the rock under my paws hit earth and succulent grass.

"Come on," I beckoned, letting my tail sweep behind me to clear a path until were on the far side of the monument, in the shade, hidden by shrubs. Five hatchlings followed suit.

In my boredom, I'd discovered the outcrop had and overhang that covered us from above, the ripples in the rock functioned as my shelf. I traced was claws along them until I found a good place to leave the sea scale. Then I leaned back on my haunches, and tried to remember how Pop had started when he told us of Skylark.

"I'm going to tell you a story." I listened to their ear prick up, with poorly hidden satisfaction. "About the creature that used to own this bone." 

My siblings and our new friends sensed they should fall silent. I cleared my throat, and thought of the scale, how it felt, it's shape. I didn't think about shapes much; it was difficult to make one of my own. I suppose it wasn't supposed to be easy.

"This is the tale Merwyrl's bone, a small dragon with an odd shape. You see, he didn't have any wings, only two fanning scales where his would have been. Merwyrl didn't mind, he used this to his advantage, for he was small and bigger fish wanted to eat him. He would close his scale wings around him, and the Big Fish would think he was a rock, and swim right by." 

"How did he lose his scale?" Tallin asked, worried.

I tapped a claw against my chin, "one day, the leader catfish decided he'd had enough prawn and grub. He was tired of eating the same thing every day, even though his servants brought him only the finest. He declared, whoever brings me a food I have not tasted before, shall become my right hand, my closest advisor, and next in line to become leader.

"Those who heard the word thought it would be easy, but leader catfish had a secret, he had wings. He'd flown around the whole world, and this made him so hungry he'd eaten everything in his path before coming to a rest in Merwyrl's bay. He'd tasted everything the earth had to offer; the challenge was impossible. He just wanted his subjects to keep bringing him food."

This earned me a few disgusted chirps, I smiled and kept going.

"When Big Fish heard of the challenge, she thought immediately of Merwyrl. The dragon who escaped all mouths. Surely leader catfish hadn't encounter prey the likes of him. She hunted day and night, each time passing over Merwyrl, thinking him only a rock. Until one day she caught him off guard, and watched him fold into an uneatable rock. She had him this time, and Merwyrl could only wait and stay camouflaged ad she brought him before the leader catfish.

"My lord, she said, I've brought you not only what you have not tasted, but the uneatable. Leader catfish laughed at her.

"You're a fool, big fish, you think I cannot consume a simple pebble?"

"He can't eat Merwyrl! Please don't make it so Longtayle," May gasped.

I laughed, "Wait and see what happens."

The more I spoke the more the words rolled off my tongue, and the easier the shapes came to me in my own mind. I couldn't begin to describe how it set my heart off. I only know I couldn't stop till it was finished. 

"Big fish cowered beneath him. My lord, you speak falsely. This is no pebble. She leaned in close and set Merwyrl down at the foot of his throne. He was practically shaking under the protection of his scale wings." I leaned in close. "Then she whispered, it's a dragon, he wears a disguise. I have seen it with my own eyes. He is like no other thing on this world.

"Leader catfish's eyes widened and a great laugh sprung from his belly as he realized she was right. Well done, he said. Then with one gulp he swallowed Merwyrl whole."

The hatchlings all gasped in unison. My own scales were buzzing with delight, I couldn't believe they actually liked it. It was fun, storytelling, but I didn't know if I was any good.

"What happens next?" Hailpip, the newcomer, demanded. "You have to tell us!"

"Perhaps with less interruptions," I chirped, which earned me laughs all around, "alright, sit down."

"Merwyrl tumbled around in the leader catfish's stomach for three days. Big fish was never given what she was promised, and it wasn't long before Merwyrl saw her floating around in the catfish's stomach as well. For three days, he tumbled, and jostled, and flopped about, unable to fly and escape. That was when Merwyrl discovered something. In the back of leader catfish's stomach, were his wings. He'd swallowed them in his greedy quest to consume, they weren't just any wings. Merwyrl recognized them, because they were his wings.

"Yes, they were his! Merwyrl realized with a start. Perhaps that was the reason for his odd appendages, perhaps the real one had been stolen long ago by a hungry fish. The wings let him fly like a dragon, but it also gave him the appetite of one, something that would be leader catfish's undoing. Merwyrl's wings reunited with him, the scales fell to the side, and that's when he began to grow.

"Leader catfish's stomach was large, but soon, it could not even contain on dragon, for Merwyrl wouldn't stop growing. When the time finally came, Merwyrl thrashed and the catfish bulged, before splitting down the middle as Merwyrl reared his mighty head. The tyrannous leader was dead, and when Merwyrl stood, he towered above the sea and the land. He stretched out his wings and they touched the rising moon and setting sun, and he flew. When Merwyrl finally landed, he was tired. All the flying and growing had left him exhausted, so he laid down his head, and he slept. The waves mere tickled him, as did the plants and the animals that moved in. The sand built up around him, and collected his shedding scales, sea scales." I paused, and took a deep breath, "and to this day, our hero still sleeps, content as he ever was, and ever will be, his scales spread out across the sea."

For a moment no one breathed.

"Wow," Seth said. 

I tilted my head, "was it good?"

"I loved it," May chirped. "You sound a lot like Pop."

My heart flushed with warmth. I kneaded the moss at my feet, mulling over the embarrassment. "Thank you, I was trying." 

A loud roar broke though the blanketing of our small glade. A parent's call, not one I recognized.  Tallin and Hailpip stood up, answering my question. 

"We have to go," he sighed. "Thank you for the story, Longtayle."

Hailpip hesitated, "I hope to see you again." 

My tail curled around my feet, "me too." 

She cooed in amusement, before bouncing off after Tallin. I listened to her footsteps leave. The absence was almost heavy. I don't what it was about her, but I'm glad we met.

Ronan took the sea scale from it's perch. His paws whispered as he ran them over the rough surface. He seemed deep in contemplation, maybe even disturbed.

"How did you do that with your voice?" He asked.

"Do what?" I tilted my head.

"You make it hard to look away."

I frowned, "I don't understand."

"I think he just told a good story," Seth laughed, holding the shrubs apart for us to walk through.

"Hm," Ronan handed me the sea scale and I placed it back in my pouch.

Mum and Pop had bought us another treat when we returned, and I added a new world to my collection, honey. It stuck to out pads and I was licking off the whole flight back. May insisted on retelling my story to them as well, and my heart swelled when Pop showered me with praise.

Later, as we were being tucked into our nests, he asked if we'd had a good day.

"Yeah," I nodded, reliving the memories, "pather? What does blind mean? One of the stall-owners called me it, she said she'd never met anyone as young as me before."

He paused, "it's a relatively recent word, because more dragons are finding themselves like you, love, without sight. That's what it means."

"Oh," I filed another new word away, "she...took pity on me as well. Ronan expected her too, and she did. I played along because I wanted the mango, but I'm entirely sure I understand why they felt like that."

Pop let out a long, deep sigh, "it is rather confusing isn't it? All dragons are different, born and made. It's strange when another feels sad for you, when you don't."

"Exactly," I circled in my nest, pulling the grass and leaves into a more comfortable cushion. "Tallin seems to feel the same as well."

"Longtayle," Pop laid one of his large paws across my entire head, it was warm, and calloused. "There will be many times when others will feel you're unworthy because of the circumstances of your birth. Many times, they will be wrong, assumptions are very rarely based on truth. However, sometimes it will be more challenging for you than your siblings. I could tell you were uncomfortable with having to follow May around the festival grounds."

I nodded, feeling small.

"Everyone has different challenges, just like we said, you've faced some of yours early. That makes you strong, and part of being strong means acknowledging that some things, we cannot do alone. Your blindness does not make you less of a dragon, and needing help is nothing to be ashamed of, because no dragon is a mountain, none can stand alone."

"They pity me because they can do things I cannot," I realized, the confusion clearing away, "I see now, each of us is different. I can do plenty things my siblings cannot, and we are equals."

Pop didn't answer immediately; I got the feeling he was smiling. "Never forget that."

He nuzzled my forehead, before saying goodnight, I tucked my head underneath my wing and dozed off.