p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"strongspan style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"A/N: Greetings, all! This is my first post of the summer! Did I update just to see if I could with my phone? Yes, yes I did./span/strong/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;" /p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The next day, after running and exercising, we decided to test the limits of Iceflame and Starfire./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So you can set yourself on cold fire and breathe cold air… anything else?" Herryk wondered./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame growled then turned to a clump of grass and shot a green liquid out of his mouth. The grass dissolved, and the snow around it melted./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"My eyebrows shot up and Herryk said "Well, that's nice to know. Anything else?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame cocked his head, considering for a moment, before turning towards a pile of snow and digging through it for only a moment before pulling out a vole, which he tossed into the air and swallowed./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Um… Nice rodent catching skills?" Herryk said uncertainly./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame snorted, then turned to Starfire. Starfire started pawing through the snow, but it took her a few minutes before she caught anything. She then looked pointedly at Iceflame, who found another vole within five seconds./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""You can see things in the snow?" Herryk guessed. Iceflame made an uncertain noise, then Starfire released a cloud of mist, thick enough that I could barely see my hands in front of me./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk yelped. "You found me… you can see through things?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame flapped his wings, sending the mist swirling away, then looked pointedly at Herryk, me, Starfire, and… the fire?/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Heat," Herryk realized the same time I did. "You see heat."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame made a pleased noise, bobbing his head up and down in an imitation of a nod./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cool. That could come in handy… Let's test your speed, strength, and range."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I raised my eyebrows, impressed. Things like that would never have occurred to me. Though he was only twelve, Herryk seemed to be shaping up to be a natural leader, or a natural battle strategist, or something./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Speed first," my brother continued. "How about… You know, I'm not really sure how to test that."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Have the dragons do it one at a time," I suggested. "Ride on the back of one, see how long it takes the other to fly to, say, the mountain and back. They can work on becoming faster, and we'll see how their speed improves."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk nodded. "Good idea… Iceflame, you go first."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I got up onto Starfire's back and Herryk sat behind me. The dragon took off into the air, though more gently than the previous time as she did not have a saddle on. Iceflame followed a moment later./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Alright, to the mountain and back, fast as you can, but don't tire yourself out too badly," Herryk instructed. "Ready… Go. One zippleback… two zippleback… three zippleback…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Three hundred and twelve zipplebacks later, or five minutes and twelve seconds, Iceflame returned./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Very nice… Your turn, Starfire… just a sec…" my brother muttered. I leaned forward, directing my dragon to the ground again, and the two of us hopped off and onto the Daymare's neck before taking to the air again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Ready… Go. One zippleback… two zippleback… three zippleback…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire sped through the sky, almost becoming invisible as her speed and color made her into a blur. She returned a grand total of one hundred seventy three zipplebacks later./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Wow…" I breathed as she returned and circled around us. Would I ever be a good enough flyer to join her when she reached such a speed?/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Very nice, again, but can you do better?" Herryk wondered. "See, we used to be attacked by a Night Fury. He blended with the sky, and our only indication he was coming was this roaring, almost whining sound, before his targets exploded in a blast of blue fire."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire hovered for a moment, looking at my brother, before turning around and flying upwards. Once she was almost impossibly high, she hung, suspended from the air for a moment, before falling, pulling her wings close to her but not tucking them all the way, like a hunting falcon in a controlled but deadly dive. After a few seconds, we heard the noise- a roaring, almost whining noise that made any Hooligan who heard it scream 'Night Fury- Get down!'/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Suddenly, blue fire shot through the air, and a tree burst into flames as a rush of wind suddenly passed us with a swooping sound. A few seconds later, Starfire was circling us triumphantly. I beamed and my heart swelled as I looked with pride at my friend./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk had a crazed grin on his face. "Yes! Yes! You'll send those Barbarians running!"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame grumbled, and Herryk patted his neck. "Hey, you're amazing too. Don't worry, I wouldn't forget you."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"We landed on the ground again, and I walked over to the Day Fury, taking her head in my hands and stroking it. "You're amazing, you know that?" I murmured, and she gently licked my face. "One day… one day, I'm going to ride you when you go that fast. If we train hard enough, I know we can." Starfire purred, her golden eyes wide./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "Alright… next is strength. Can either of you lift… that boulder there?" Herryk wondered. It was about as large as an adult Viking, made of smooth grey stone. Iceflame took flight, then hovered over the rock, gripping it with his back talons and flapping. After a second or so of straining, he lifted the boulder and circled around the valley before placing it down again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Starfire?" Herryk wondered. She flew over to him. The female dragon hovered over the stone for a moment, same as her friend, before grasping it in both her front and back legs. After flapping powerfully for a few seconds, a little longer than Iceflame, she lifted off, and circled around the valley./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, how about… that fallen log?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame flapped over and, after a bit more struggling, lifted it and flew around the valley with it. I couldn't help but smile- the fairly small Daymare flying a giant log in a circle looked pretty funny./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire tried to lift the log, her wings straining as she flapped, but for all her efforts she was unable to lift the log. She landed again, panting lightly and looking frustrated./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Don't worry," I said softly as I rubbed her head. "Daymares are just naturally bigger and stronger. But if we train, you'll be able to lift heavier loads soon." Starfire rumbled deep in her throat and leaned against me, causing me to stumble. "But you're still much stronger than I am," I said laughing./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, Iceflame, try that boulder over there." Herryk continued once we were paying attention again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The spiny dragon was, however, unable to lift the large stone./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Alright, we'll work on this later," Herryk said, still cheerful. "Now, let's see how far you can shoot your various breath weapons… We're going to need a bigger area, preferably one that we're okay with destroying a little."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire nudged me toward her back and I got on, gripping with my legs, and she gently took off, followed by Iceflame and my brother. We glided quickly to the middle of a long clearing a ways away./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk hopped off his dragon and walked to one end of the clearing before walking carefully back, counting his paces./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, twenty paces. Let's see what you can do from here."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame stretched out his neck and let out a burst of acid, which just barely reached the edge of a tree and singed some of its branches and leaves off./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, I'm guessing you can't do that much farther," Herryk muttered to himself before tearing a strip of bark off a nearby tree and jotting down a note on it with our pencil, as we were sadly lacking in paper of any kind. "Try the ice breath now."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"We all stepped back a little as the blue dragon stretched his head forward again and opened his jaws wide. A frigid, icy blast shot out of his mouth, rushing forward and almost looking like fire as the water in the air around it turned to ice, eventually hitting a tree at the end of the clearing with a supercooled mixture of ice, water, and air. Frost covered the abused tree, creeping up its branches, some spreading to the trees nearby./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Awesome," Herryk declared./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I nodded then yelped as the Daymare's tail brushed against my leg. Iceflame whipped it away and gave an apologetic croon, nudging me until I gave him a forgiving scratch around his horns./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What happened?" Herryk wondered. "I didn't think his tail was very sharp…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""No, it was hot. Not enough to burn me, but still hot," I said, checking my leg./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Realization dawned on my brother's face. "He takes all the cold from the rest of his body to get his breath that cool,"{ok, chemistry class hasn't been invented yet, so they don't know he's relocating the heat, not the cold} he said. "Probably with some help from… this." Herryk scratched some pale blue gel from the dragon's jaw. "Like the flammable Nightmare gel, only cold. But how would you activate it? Sparks wouldn't do it, do you get it cold?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame gave an affirmative rumble./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cool. Okay, back up another twenty paces… here," Herryk said. The dragon did so, and again, his icy breath froze the target tree easily./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Another twenty paces?" Herryk wondered. Iceflame tried, but the icy jet of air fell short, dissipating and creating a line of thicker snow on the ground./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Ten paces forward," the Viking suggested. Iceflame did so, and was able to just make the target./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, fifty paces…" Herryk muttered as he noted down the number on his piece of bark. "Do you have a shot limit?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The dragon tilted his head from side to side in an uncertain way./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Probably not for the ice breath," I realized, "because there's nothing he's burning as fuel or anything, just coldness and the gel, which is plentiful enough to coat his whole body. The acid, though…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk turned back to Iceflame. "So, do you have a limited amount of acid you can spray?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The dragon bobbed his head in a nod./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""But it probably depends on how much you spray each time, so no real shot limit," Herryk finished. "Well, I guess if you know your own limits, that's all that matters… Starfire, do you have limits on your mist, gas, and sparks?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire breathed out some cloud, then tilted her head, uncertain, before eating some snow./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Er…" I thought for a moment before snapping my fingers. "I think I got it. Clouds are made of water, but the water has to come from somewhere, so you have to drink water or eat snow, I guess, to breathe out the clouds."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The Day Fury bobbed her head happily./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""But where does she keep it?" Herryk wondered. "Sea dragons that spray water, like scauldrons, have big bellies to store it… I think… I don't really remember."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I shrugged. "Maybe clouds use less water than actual water… What about your other abilities?" I said, turning to Starfire again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire let out a small shot of flame./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well, it would make sense for that to be limited, it is for all other dragons," I mused. "So how is your range?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire turned to the frozen, acid-eaten tree at the end of the clearing, and fired a small shot, snapping off and burning one of its branches./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well, that was fifty paces," Herryk said. "Try… a hundred… here," he called, now from a ways away. The Day Fury flew over, looking a little uncertain as she landed, and sure enough, the blast of blue fire didn't quite make it, fizzling out in the air, the remains falling to the snow where they were quickly extinguished./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Seventy-five paces, then," Herryk said, stepping forward. This time, Starfire's blast hit the tree, finally putting it out of its misery./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay…" Herryk jotted down a note on his piece of bark. "I haven't actually seen a Night Fury super clearly when it fires, but I'm pretty sure I've seen one do it from twice that distance, maybe a little less."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I'm sure she can improve if she practices," I said, laying my hand on the dragon's neck as she flew back over. "Besides, she can change the color of her skin and breathe clouds, which no Night Fury can do. Maybe this balances it out a bit."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire hummed as she nudged me onto her back, and we flew back to the dried-lake valley./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;" /p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The next day, after running and exercising, we decided to test the limits of Iceflame and Starfire./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So you can set yourself on cold fire and breathe cold air… anything else?" Herryk wondered./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame growled then turned to a clump of grass and shot a green liquid out of his mouth. The grass dissolved, and the snow around it melted./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"My eyebrows shot up and Herryk said "Well, that's nice to know. Anything else?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame cocked his head, considering for a moment, before turning towards a pile of snow and digging through it for only a moment before pulling out a vole, which he tossed into the air and swallowed./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Um… Nice rodent catching skills?" Herryk said uncertainly./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame snorted, then turned to Starfire. Starfire started pawing through the snow, but it took her a few minutes before she caught anything. She then looked pointedly at Iceflame, who found another vole within five seconds./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""You can see things in the snow?" Herryk guessed. Iceflame made an uncertain noise, then Starfire released a cloud of mist, thick enough that I could barely see my hands in front of me./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk yelped. "You found me… you can see through things?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame flapped his wings, sending the mist swirling away, then looked pointedly at Herryk, me, Starfire, and… the fire?/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Heat," Herryk realized the same time I did. "You see heat."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame made a pleased noise, bobbing his head up and down in an imitation of a nod./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cool. That could come in handy… Let's test your speed, strength, and range."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I raised my eyebrows, impressed. Things like that would never have occurred to me. Though he was only twelve, Herryk seemed to be shaping up to be a natural leader, or a natural battle strategist, or something./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Speed first," my brother continued. "How about… You know, I'm not really sure how to test that."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Have the dragons do it one at a time," I suggested. "Ride on the back of one, see how long it takes the other to fly to, say, the mountain and back. They can work on becoming faster, and we'll see how their speed improves."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk nodded. "Good idea… Iceflame, you go first."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I got up onto Starfire's back and Herryk sat behind me. The dragon took off into the air, though more gently than the previous time as she did not have a saddle on. Iceflame followed a moment later./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Alright, to the mountain and back, fast as you can, but don't tire yourself out too badly," Herryk instructed. "Ready… Go. One zippleback… two zippleback… three zippleback…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Three hundred and twelve zipplebacks later, or five minutes and twelve seconds, Iceflame returned./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Very nice… Your turn, Starfire… just a sec…" my brother muttered. I leaned forward, directing my dragon to the ground again, and the two of us hopped off and onto the Daymare's neck before taking to the air again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Ready… Go. One zippleback… two zippleback… three zippleback…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire sped through the sky, almost becoming invisible as her speed and color made her into a blur. She returned a grand total of one hundred seventy three zipplebacks later./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Wow…" I breathed as she returned and circled around us. Would I ever be a good enough flyer to join her when she reached such a speed?/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Very nice, again, but can you do better?" Herryk wondered. "See, we used to be attacked by a Night Fury. He blended with the sky, and our only indication he was coming was this roaring, almost whining sound, before his targets exploded in a blast of blue fire."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire hovered for a moment, looking at my brother, before turning around and flying upwards. Once she was almost impossibly high, she hung, suspended from the air for a moment, before falling, pulling her wings close to her but not tucking them all the way, like a hunting falcon in a controlled but deadly dive. After a few seconds, we heard the noise- a roaring, almost whining noise that made any Hooligan who heard it scream 'Night Fury- Get down!'/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Suddenly, blue fire shot through the air, and a tree burst into flames as a rush of wind suddenly passed us with a swooping sound. A few seconds later, Starfire was circling us triumphantly. I beamed and my heart swelled as I looked with pride at my friend./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk had a crazed grin on his face. "Yes! Yes! You'll send those Barbarians running!"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame grumbled, and Herryk patted his neck. "Hey, you're amazing too. Don't worry, I wouldn't forget you."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"We landed on the ground again, and I walked over to the Day Fury, taking her head in my hands and stroking it. "You're amazing, you know that?" I murmured, and she gently licked my face. "One day… one day, I'm going to ride you when you go that fast. If we train hard enough, I know we can." Starfire purred, her golden eyes wide./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "Alright… next is strength. Can either of you lift… that boulder there?" Herryk wondered. It was about as large as an adult Viking, made of smooth grey stone. Iceflame took flight, then hovered over the rock, gripping it with his back talons and flapping. After a second or so of straining, he lifted the boulder and circled around the valley before placing it down again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Starfire?" Herryk wondered. She flew over to him. The female dragon hovered over the stone for a moment, same as her friend, before grasping it in both her front and back legs. After flapping powerfully for a few seconds, a little longer than Iceflame, she lifted off, and circled around the valley./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, how about… that fallen log?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame flapped over and, after a bit more struggling, lifted it and flew around the valley with it. I couldn't help but smile- the fairly small Daymare flying a giant log in a circle looked pretty funny./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire tried to lift the log, her wings straining as she flapped, but for all her efforts she was unable to lift the log. She landed again, panting lightly and looking frustrated./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Don't worry," I said softly as I rubbed her head. "Daymares are just naturally bigger and stronger. But if we train, you'll be able to lift heavier loads soon." Starfire rumbled deep in her throat and leaned against me, causing me to stumble. "But you're still much stronger than I am," I said laughing./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, Iceflame, try that boulder over there." Herryk continued once we were paying attention again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The spiny dragon was, however, unable to lift the large stone./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Alright, we'll work on this later," Herryk said, still cheerful. "Now, let's see how far you can shoot your various breath weapons… We're going to need a bigger area, preferably one that we're okay with destroying a little."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire nudged me toward her back and I got on, gripping with my legs, and she gently took off, followed by Iceflame and my brother. We glided quickly to the middle of a long clearing a ways away./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk hopped off his dragon and walked to one end of the clearing before walking carefully back, counting his paces./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, twenty paces. Let's see what you can do from here."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame stretched out his neck and let out a burst of acid, which just barely reached the edge of a tree and singed some of its branches and leaves off./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, I'm guessing you can't do that much farther," Herryk muttered to himself before tearing a strip of bark off a nearby tree and jotting down a note on it with our pencil, as we were sadly lacking in paper of any kind. "Try the ice breath now."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"We all stepped back a little as the blue dragon stretched his head forward again and opened his jaws wide. A frigid, icy blast shot out of his mouth, rushing forward and almost looking like fire as the water in the air around it turned to ice, eventually hitting a tree at the end of the clearing with a supercooled mixture of ice, water, and air. Frost covered the abused tree, creeping up its branches, some spreading to the trees nearby./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Awesome," Herryk declared./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I nodded then yelped as the Daymare's tail brushed against my leg. Iceflame whipped it away and gave an apologetic croon, nudging me until I gave him a forgiving scratch around his horns./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What happened?" Herryk wondered. "I didn't think his tail was very sharp…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""No, it was hot. Not enough to burn me, but still hot," I said, checking my leg./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Realization dawned on my brother's face. "He takes all the cold from the rest of his body to get his breath that cool,"{ok, chemistry class hasn't been invented yet, so they don't know he's relocating the heat, not the cold} he said. "Probably with some help from… this." Herryk scratched some pale blue gel from the dragon's jaw. "Like the flammable Nightmare gel, only cold. But how would you activate it? Sparks wouldn't do it, do you get it cold?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Iceflame gave an affirmative rumble./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cool. Okay, back up another twenty paces… here," Herryk said. The dragon did so, and again, his icy breath froze the target tree easily./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Another twenty paces?" Herryk wondered. Iceflame tried, but the icy jet of air fell short, dissipating and creating a line of thicker snow on the ground./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Ten paces forward," the Viking suggested. Iceflame did so, and was able to just make the target./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay, fifty paces…" Herryk muttered as he noted down the number on his piece of bark. "Do you have a shot limit?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The dragon tilted his head from side to side in an uncertain way./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Probably not for the ice breath," I realized, "because there's nothing he's burning as fuel or anything, just coldness and the gel, which is plentiful enough to coat his whole body. The acid, though…"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Herryk turned back to Iceflame. "So, do you have a limited amount of acid you can spray?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The dragon bobbed his head in a nod./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""But it probably depends on how much you spray each time, so no real shot limit," Herryk finished. "Well, I guess if you know your own limits, that's all that matters… Starfire, do you have limits on your mist, gas, and sparks?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire breathed out some cloud, then tilted her head, uncertain, before eating some snow./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Er…" I thought for a moment before snapping my fingers. "I think I got it. Clouds are made of water, but the water has to come from somewhere, so you have to drink water or eat snow, I guess, to breathe out the clouds."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"The Day Fury bobbed her head happily./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""But where does she keep it?" Herryk wondered. "Sea dragons that spray water, like scauldrons, have big bellies to store it… I think… I don't really remember."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"I shrugged. "Maybe clouds use less water than actual water… What about your other abilities?" I said, turning to Starfire again./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire let out a small shot of flame./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well, it would make sense for that to be limited, it is for all other dragons," I mused. "So how is your range?"/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire turned to the frozen, acid-eaten tree at the end of the clearing, and fired a small shot, snapping off and burning one of its branches./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well, that was fifty paces," Herryk said. "Try… a hundred… here," he called, now from a ways away. The Day Fury flew over, looking a little uncertain as she landed, and sure enough, the blast of blue fire didn't quite make it, fizzling out in the air, the remains falling to the snow where they were quickly extinguished./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Seventy-five paces, then," Herryk said, stepping forward. This time, Starfire's blast hit the tree, finally putting it out of its misery./span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Okay…" Herryk jotted down a note on his piece of bark. "I haven't actually seen a Night Fury super clearly when it fires, but I'm pretty sure I've seen one do it from twice that distance, maybe a little less."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I'm sure she can improve if she practices," I said, laying my hand on the dragon's neck as she flew back over. "Besides, she can change the color of her skin and breathe clouds, which no Night Fury can do. Maybe this balances it out a bit."/span/p
p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; line-height: 2;"span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Starfire hummed as she nudged me onto her back, and we flew back to the dried-lake valley./span/p