Miriam quietly crept out of her hut. It was embarrassing enough that Charlie's hut was right next to hers. She was thankful that he was not a morning person, while she was. She got her ID card last night when she met up with Dr. Lenom and Charlie. She could enter habitats with it. They gave her a mini-tour of the Romanian Sanctuary.

"Hello, Neel," Miriam greeted as she walked into the habitat.

He snorted angrily at her. Miriam rolled her eyes as she closed the gate to his habitat. Despite his attitude, he scooted closer to her as she walked closer to him.

"I had to give you Sleeping Draught to bring you here or you would have caused a big commotion. Welcome to Romania. I'm sure you'll love it here."

He rolled his eyes and shuffled around, then rolled on his back. A dragon's stomach was their most vulnerable area. When a dragon showed it to a human, it meant they trusted them.

Miriam climbed on top of his front foot and made her way to his belly. She sat on top of his belly and patted it. Neel closed his eyes in comfort as she petted him.

"I'm sure you're hungry. I'll see what I can get you from the breeding farm."

She slowly slid off his belly and onto the ground. Neel huffed and rolled back onto his belly.

"I'll be back. Don't fret."

She scurried back to the gate but stopped walking when she noticed a shadow behind her. She sighed.

"Neel, I cannot let you out. You know that. We need to get you used to this environment before you go flying."

He growled. His left foot scratched against the dirt, creating scratches.

"Growl one more time, and I'll ignore you for a week. If you don't know, a week means seven days."

She slid her ID card and slipped out the open gate before it closed automatically.

"You're good with him."

"Merlin! Charlie, what are you doing?" Miriam asked.

He grinned. "Observing. Never seen a tame Ukrainian Ironbelly before. It's odd."

"You're odd too."

"Yeah, I reckon."