Dragonbond Chapter 3: Dangerous Lessons, a my little pony fanfic

THIS EPISODE WILL HAVE A BIT MORE DANGER WITH DRAGONBOND HAVING A BIT OF ADVENTURE, AS THE TITLE EXPLAINS. ALSO, A BIT MORE TO ADD TO THE LORE OF DRAGONS IN THIS WORLD, AS EVERY OTHER NEW CHAPTER WILL HAVE A BIT MORE TO ADD. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW ALREADY, I AM A BIG FAN OF DRAGONS. ALTHOUGH, I WISH I COULD FIND A USE A UNDERSTAND A LANGUAGE OF DRAGONS TO USE, BUT I WILL DO WHAT I CAN. ENJOY THE EPISODE.

I do not own mlp.

Dangerous Lessons

Chapter 3

A few years went by and Dragonbond had already turned three since the time he was brought into the clan. He was speaking, but not proper enough to speak normally. Even at the age of three, he was able to understand and speak like a five-year-old. Scalefang was very proud with Dragonbond's progress of learning, even though Dragonbond still called him "Fa-bah" as he was used to calling him by that name. He assumed it was just something Dragonbond liked to call him despite Dragonbond now being able to say his F's properly. It was more of a nickname for Scalefang. He even noticed Dragonbond was now able to stay awake from one morning to the next before having to go to sleep. It was a start, but if he kept at it with his dragon-like diet, he would be able to start eating stones and gems, he would be staying awake for a week by the age of seven. Dragonbond's eating capacity was expanding as well as his range of food he could eat. He was now eating birds that his father would catch for him. He learned to avoid swallowing whole bones so he wouldn't choke. Also, his teeth were grown out and was now able to chew his food to pieces. To make his teeth stronger, Scalefang would grind the bones into a powder form and sprinkle it into his food to make his teeth grow stronger. He would also do the same with any eggs he would find by crushing the egg shells as well. By doing this, his teeth would grow stronger from the bone's and egg shell's nutrients. Dragonbond was also growing a sharp set of fangs apart from his flat set of teeth. This gave him more of a biting grip on whatever he bit into.

Despite the passing of time, the things that hasn't changed about Dragonbond was his spirit of exploration and adventure. He would get into a lot of trouble by either falling in a rodent's hole in the ground, falling into a running stream, climbing up a tree only to get stuck, and getting into fights with his arch enemy turtles. Sometimes Dragonbond would win some fights and the turtles would win others. Dragonbond learned from the first time to watch the place where their heads would hide in. He learned they would hide until they thought he was gone or waited until they could bite onto him if he got too close to the head of the turtle. He now knew their bites were hard to escape from if they ever got a hold of him. He learned of a way to trick them by using the tip of his tail to taunt them with and have them bite on it and leaving their heads exposed for him to bite their necks and then chomp their heads off. With that kind of technique, he had more wins than losses. The losses came when he tried to play with the turtle like a toy. Getting distracted and lowering his guard proving the consequences of losing his focus against his foe. After getting bit in the leg or rump, Dragonbond would get scared and run behind Scalefang before peeking out to see if the turtle had left yet. He would then try to lick the area the turtle bit him like a wounded animal if he could reach that far. He would sit in a small spot of water or mud if his rump was bitten as the cool temperature of the mud or water soothed the pain a bit.

Being his father now, it was very stressful for Scalefang to see his son taking lots of risks, especially fighting turtles in ponds and streams. Scalefang still saw Dragonbond as his small fragile son even though Dragonbond had proven that he was becoming tougher than he looked. Scalefang reckoned it was just his desire to be his overprotective guardian. At least, that is what Scalefang wanted Dragonbond to always see him as. The strong, brave, heroic father that he wanted to be in the eyes of his son. Truth be told, that is exactly how Dragonbond saw him and wished to be just like him by doing all these daring things and tried learning from everything Scalefang did. Whenever he was victorious against a turtle, he would give a small childlike roar to show his dominance. This was one of the proudest moments for Scalefang to see in his son. Especially, when the day would come that Dragonbond would win a battle that meant something to prove his dominance against a worthy opponent. This would also help him develop his small roars. Dragonbond still made foal like shouts when he would attempt to roar like a dragon. Scalefang hoped this would only change by practicing. When Scalefang was more confident in his son's spirit and endurance, he would take his son on small flights while riding on his snout and toss him around on his wings, tail, and arms and then would let him slide down the back of his neck. One would think Dragonbond would be afraid to be tossed around in the air while high above the ground, but he had a strong trust in Scalefang not to drop him as he enjoyed the moment. This was one of Dragonbond's most favorite things to do with his dragon father. The thrill of adrenaline rush coursing through his body as he was tossed around and caught by Scalefang, feeling he could fly when tossed in midair, and was now able to slide down certain parts of Scalefang's limbs; such as the tail, neck, and wings.

The greatest joy Dragonbond felt was flying with his dragon father and dreaming of the day he would fly on his own as he imagined he would perform flying tricks the world has never seen before. Scalefang would only fly high with Dragonbond if he held him in a tight grip between two thumb and index claws so not to let him fall. But Dragonbond still felt as if he was flying on his own as he could open his wings and flap as Scalefang still held him tightly in his claws, but also making sure not to squish him in his grip. After many times with this, Dragonbond developed the sense when to move and turn his wings as his father did as if he was flying on his own. He held out his fore hooves in front of him and tilted his head in the direction they both were turning into. His small wings were open in a gliding position even though his dragon father was still holding onto him. This would give him a better feel for how to fly when the time came for him to fly on his own.

Their bond had grown more to a point where they could do things in sync. This was truly his most beloved activity to do with his dragon father. To fly high in the clouds over the land and sea of his new homeland. Feeling true freedom in the wind and the beauty of the world below that many never take the time to stop and see or many that can't see because they are stuck on the ground. For Scalefang, he couldn't wait until his son was able to fly on his own. Like him taking his first steps on all fours, he would soon take his first flight on his own. But still came the real challenge, when he would have to keep up with other dragon younglings his own age. But that was still a long way off and he had enough time to work on that.

Back on the ground, Dragonbond was fighting another turtle as he would spend most of his time doing. "Fa-bah, I won da tuwtle." Dragonbond said in his childlike way.

He had snapped Scalefang out of his thoughts to notice Dragonbond had brought over another turtle trophy as spoils of war. Scalefang nodded to him. "Be sure to clean it out before using the shell." Scalefang said to Dragonbond in his deep but calm tone of dragon voice.

He always had him eat the turtle and cleaned out the shell before he would set it up as another trophy. His part of the cave had a line of turtle shells as his trophy display. Every fight he won helped him to learn more about parts of the body that made it easy or hard to kill or harm another creature and different ways to disable it from walking or seeing. It was also helping him to sharpen his reflexes. He was becoming quicker to pull back or dodge a strike if the turtle tried to bite him, but Dragonbond could do with a little more learning. He had been bitten before, but not as much.

There were other small creatures he tried to fight or hunt. Some of them were snakes and Scalefang had to keep an extra eye out for what Dragonbond tried to hunt. He would mostly go after things he was able to catch up with like mice, fish, lizards, and flightless birds like quails. Dragonbond would occasionally catch a rabbit if he was lucky from hiding in a bush before pouncing on it. Scalefang also had to keep an eye on him when he went fishing. Dragonbond would always stand on a rock over the water and pounce onto a fish to catch it, even though the fish was in deep water or in a strong current that could wash Dragonbond downstream. Scalefang would always be around in case Dragonbond was at risk of drowning. Dragonbond was persistent on catching his prey even if it meant risking deep water. All-in-all, Dragonbond was improving his hunting skills at a young age. One would think it was because it was so far from the instincts of a pony that it was so exciting for him doing something strange and new. Then a fateful day came that would have been the most frightening moment for Scalefang and Dragonbond.

Dragonbond was playing with a boulder ball. He was practicing more than playing with it as he would pounce on it and try to stay on top. He bit and clung to it as much as he could and would leap off before it would roll over and take Dragonbond down and roll over him as well. Scalefang knew it was almost time to eat. Dragonbond had learned to stay inside the cave when Scalefang would leave on his own. He would just play with the many things in the cave his dragon father gave him. Not much from primitive things like logs to chew on, rocks to play with, vines to tangle himself up in for fun, and other small things that he found fun in. This is where it all happened where Dragonbond would have a life changing moment.

He had been playing with his boulder ball by trying to stay on top of it while it rolled around. Dragonbond had accidentally rolled it over to a wall in the cave. The speed of the rolling boulder caused it to slam hard against the wall and getting it stuck into it. Dragonbond grew worried thinking his dragon father would be mad for breaking the wall. He then ran over and tried to take the boulder out hoping he could fix the wall somehow. But when he moved the boulder to try and fix the wall, he saw that the boulder had made a large hole in the wall that looked like it led into a tunnel that went deep behind the cave walls. Letting curiosity get the better of him, Dragonbond walked into the open small path. Inside the floor and walls had gems and different kinds of ore all around the tunnel. The light from the outside sun shone into the tunnel giving light that reflected off the gems all the way down for Dragonbond to see. Dragonbond saw them as something that he could try and eat from looking so bright and colorful like fruit. He began going to bite them out from the wall, but they were stuck tight in the wall to pull out and eat, no matter how hard he tugged on it.

Soon Dragonbond continued his way after spending a while looking at the area. It wasn't long until he found the end where something caught his attention from every other gem and ore still in his path. A type of gem that was unique as it was rare. One that has never been discovered before or was known to exist by creatures. The dragons of this land only thought it was a myth since none could be found. It was a gem made of diamond, but inside the center were traces of ruby that seemed to be fused in the gem. From the light, that traveled down the tunnel from the outside, that gem shined bright casting bright reflecting lights against the tunnel with also bits of red from the fused ruby inside the diamond. Dragonbond walked down to it to nibble a bit on it to taste it. It had a rough lumpy surface, but it seemed well enough to roll. Dragonbond then tried to bite onto it trying to pull it back out, but it was tough to drag it out by pulling and he had no way to grip it with his mouth. He then started to push from behind using his head. Sure enough, it began rolling up and Dragonbond continued to push it forward. Dragonbond took a break at the underground ravine again before continuing. He would spend it, once again, staring up at the glittering gems above as he sat back against the fused gem. He thought maybe his dragon father would build a room in the cave just like it for him to play in late at night. Soon he began moving the gem up the path back to the cave. As he was getting closer, he saw the rays of light from where the exit to the tunnel was. He continued to push the gem up excited to show his dragon father what he had found, but it was there that a rumbling sound was heard

around him.

Dragonbond became frightened about what was happening. Then the tunnel started to shake and dust from the tunnel began to fall. Dragonbond tried pushing harder to get to the exit. Deep underground, there was volcanic activity that was making a small earthquake. It was rare for these to happen, but it only just resulted in small tremors. Just as Dragonbond could see the exit, the tunnel ahead of him caved in sealing the way out and trapping him inside; sealing him in darkness. All the was left was the remnant light the was shining off the gems inside the tunnel, but those wouldn't last for long. Panic and fear filled his heart as he felt his way through the dark before his eyes could adjust to the dim lit tunnel as he made his way to the sealed exit. When he reached the caved in exit, he tried digging as best as he could, but the pressure of the cave-in was too great that he couldn't move any of the stones out of the way. Dragonbond whimpered as he tried to stomp or bite his way through, but nothing helped to even budge one rock.

"Fa-bah!" he cried out whimpering in fear. " Fa-bah help! Fa-bah!" Dragonbond cried repeatedly, but he was met with only distant rumbles from deep below. Scared and alone, Dragonbond went back to the gem he found and curled up against it shaking. It fortunately was giving off some light it had gained from the surface to shine a dim light around him, but not enough to see half a foot ahead. Still curled up, Dragonbond continued to cry out hoping his dragon father would hear him. Dragonbond cried in the darkness of the tunnel that began to look more like a tomb. The only sounds he could hear was silence followed by an occasional distant rumbling from beneath the earth.

Soon Scalefang returned with food for Dragonbond. He had brought some fish and some nuts with a few dead squirrels. He even brought some fruits and vegetables since he had realized Dragonbond had become somewhat of an omnivore. After placing the food down, Scalefang called out to his son. "Dragonbond, time to eat." He called but was not able to hear a reply. "Dragonbond?" he called again.

Scalefang then figured he might have left the cave. He would have been angry to be disobeyed when Dragonbond knew better. But when he sniffed the ground at the cave opening to find out where Dragonbond had ran off to, there was no trace of his scent leading outside. Dragonbond had not left the cave and there was no scent of any intruder either that would come in after him. Scalefang then thought Dragonbond might have been playing hide-and-seek. He could always find him easily but stalled a bit to make Dragonbond think he chose a perfect hiding space to make his dragon father take so long to find him. Scalefang started to sniff out his scent. Although his scent was everywhere, due to Dragonbond always wanting to reexplore the cave, Scalefang searched for the freshest scent. Soon enough, he found it. It was where Dragonbond had been playing with his boulder ball. He followed it until it stopped at the wall where the stone ball was. Now Scalefang was starting to worry. "Dragonbond, where are you? Answer me now." He growled making his son know that this wasn't a game anymore. When there was no reply, Scalefang began to fear for what might have happened. "Dragonbond answer me!" he roared searching the cave.

Dragonbond's ears perked up when he heard his dragon father's roar through the caved in wall. He had been so afraid, that he forgot which way the direction he came from was. Not knowing where to go, he just cried out as much as he could, hoping his dragon father could hear him. "Fa-bah! Fa-bah help!" he cried.

Scalefang's hearing was now able to pick up the faint call of his son. "Son, where are you?!" Scalefang shouted.

Dragonbond could start to hear where his dragon father's voice was coming from. He felt his way back towards the caved in entrance trying desperately to dig himself out to reach his dragon father. "Fa-bah, in here! Help!" he cried out.

Scalefang started to hear a muffled voice crying out. A normal creature would have not noticed it, but since their dragon kind had to resort to natural instincts instead of magic enhancements, their senses were a lot sharper and highly developed than any other creature. He placed his ear hole to the ground to listen to the source of the voice. He also heard the sound vibrations of something small hitting against stone. He followed the sounds to the place where he had tracked Dragonbond's scent to where the wall had ended. Now looking at the spot again, he realized that there must have been a hole that opened somehow and Dragonbond had tried to explore inside and was now trapped when it caved in. "Dragonbond, where are you?" he called trying to know exactly where he was so he would not to accidentally harm him when he would start digging through to reach him.

"Fa-bah?" Dragonbond said hearing his dragon father respond to him. " Fa-bah!" he continued to stomp on the caved in wall.

"Stay back son." He warned Dragonbond as he was about to dig through. Scalefang estimated the time Dragonbond may have been stuck inside. He was young and small, so that meant he didn't take in as much air as a bigger and older creature. He only hoped there was a lot of room in there to keep in a lot of air for him. He judged the distance of Dragonbond's vibrations and guessed how thick the stone was between him and his son. He had to dig carefully from risking another cave-in that could bury his son alive. He sighed thinking it was too dangerous for Dragonbond to be out on his own outside, now it seemed there were dangers even inside a cave for him as well.

Dragonbond sat back and waited to expect to see his dragon father break through and rescue him. As he waited, he started to hear and feel the ground shaking again. A couple of seconds after, he began to see a light travel through the gems in the tunnel. It was coming back from the other end of the tunnel. Dragonbond thought it might have been a way out and started to rush towards the light hoping it was an exit. He ran down the tunnels, passed the underground ravine, and almost back to where he found the fused gem. As he grew closer, he could feel heat coming from the light and what seemed to be fumes that he could smell. What he saw made fear grip his heart again. He saw that the tremor had cause a crack in the tunnel where lava began to ooze through. He saw the flow begin to rise towards him slowly, so he took off back up the tunnel. When he reached the cave-in, he still saw that his dragon father had still not gotten through yet. He could still smell the burning fumes that rose up from the back of the tunnel. Scalefang was carefully digging at the caved in tunnel, until he heard his son in a panic. "Fa-bah! It hot! Can't breathe!" he heard Dragonbond shout before he started coughing.

Scalefang didn't take long to know what might have happened. A lava flow has found its way into where his son was, and the fumes started to choke him. "Dragonbond don't move, I'm coming!" Scalefang shouted now in a panic. He had no idea how close the lava was to Dragonbond and he knew Dragonbond was not used to something that hot.

Dragonbond pulled the fused gem he found close to him to hide from the growing light and heat that emitted from that lava that was creeping up the tunnel towards him. He coughed more as the fumes got stronger and the ash, from the burning dirt on the ground, was mixed into the air as well. He started coughing and choking on the fumes in the air. His head began to feel heavy and his eyelids were slowly falling over his eyes as he tried to keep them open. The heat and fumes in the air had drained most of his strength to try and move. The lava could now be seen coming around the corner towards him. It was also burning all the air up for Dragonbond to breathe. He then slipped to the ground coughing violently as his vision began to blur. He was gasping for air now as it grew thin and filled with heat and smoke. "Fa… Fa-bah…" he said weakly with short breaths. A single tear rolled down his cheek when his eyes slowly closed. All he could think of was wanting to see his dragon father, one last time.

The lava was now almost close enough that it would soon set the foal on fire, but then the snout of Scalefang broke through the caved tunnel entrance. Sniffing for Dragonbond to locate him, he scooped him up along with the gem, and pulled them into his mouth with his tongue. When he knew he had him, he pulled out from the tunnel and punched into the tunnel to cause a massive cave-in inside the tunnel to prevent the lava from breaking through the wall and from ever breaking through again.

Scalefang quickly raced outside by the stream and under some shade to place Dragonbond under. He paid no mind to the gem that came out with him as he saw his son unmoving and not breathing. Wasting no time, he scooped up cool water to lightly splash down on Dragonbond and drip several drops in his mouth. Scalefang had knew fear before and was able to handle it, but this was completely different. This fear he felt he couldn't control as his son would lay limp and unable to breathe. Dragonbond had been counting on him to save him like any child expected their father to do. He had failed to keep him away from every danger he thought of, but never took account about what could have happened in his own cave that would lead to this. He couldn't fail him now, he wouldn't be able to take this loss. He didn't want to bury what he came to call "his own son", even if he was a pegasus. Scalefang took a talon and gently pressed on his lower torso to try and pump his lungs for air. Scalefang was too big to blow air into even by using a long reed from the stream so he just had to rely on pumping his lungs. He continued to pump his lungs over and over again only to see no reaction of life. Not ever wanting to give up hope for his son, he kept the effort going on the small infant.

Finally, small violent coughing was heard from the foal. Scalefang was greatly relieved seeing his son stirring again. He began to breathe himself realizing he had been holding his own breath. Dragonbond opened his eyes weakly looking up as his vision went from dark blurs to a clear view of his father looking down worried at him. "Fa-bah?" he said in a strained voice. He raised a hoof at Scalefang trying to reach out for him as he struggled to breathe from the coughing and the dryness in his throat. Scalefang would lay Dragonbond on a rock shore where the water was thinly shallow by the stream. From there, Dragonbond could drink the fresh water without having to move that much. Dragonbond would take small licks from the water as he was too weak to take anything more than a small sip.

When Dragonbond was done, Scalefang gently scooped him up and slid him off onto his favorite spot between Scalefang's brows. Dragonbond would lay there looking up into Scalefang's eyes. He slowly and weakly squirmed his way closer to Scalefang's brow and curled up against his dragon father feeling safer, but he still wept from the experience. Scalefang could still hear his son whimpering. He felt he should say something to calm him down. "Things like this happen my son. There is always bound to be trouble in life. That is nothing you should be afraid of or have any reason to fear. I promise, I'll teach you everything you need to know to survive the dangers of this world."

Dragonbond then nuzzled into Scalefang's brow as he began to calm down. Just hearing the voice of his dragon father made him feel at ease. Dragonbond then began to make peaceful moans as he fell asleep on Scalefang even with a few coughs Dragonbond was still making. As for Scalefang, seeing how Dragonbond responded to him just by talking, Scalefang felt a long-lost feeling he hoped he never would feel again. He had hoped that he had buried it along with his past, but here he was having these feelings returning because of this tiny foal. "What have you done to me young one?" Scalefang said partly to himself. Caring for this foal made him feel weak from his stoic headstrong self. The fear he felt when he couldn't find his son and then the fear when he thought he lost him after finding him again. All this weakness because of this foal, but somehow it didn't feel like it was a bad thing. For some reason, to him, it felt like a blessing. The feeling of having something worth more than his own life. He may receive backlash for going soft on this foal, but to him, this foal was giving him a sense of purpose in life once more. To be a father, to raise a new generation with unlimited and unknown possibilities, to be a part of a mystery Draco had planned for this foal. Whatever self-pride and self-reliance Scalefang had for himself, it had been melted away by this foal, his pony son. He now knew the name he had given him had more meaning than he realized. The bond they shared grew into something that made them feel whole. Despite being different species, they became a family. Not by blood or by flesh, but by soul and spirit.

As Scalefang sat on the grass by the stream as nature played Dragonbond its lullaby, a light shined up at him from the grass. It was barely noticeable as it was almost hidden in the grass. But the sun light managed to break through the dense branches of the trees above to reflect its rays onto the fused gem Dragonbond had found. Scalefang was far more than surprised that his son had found one. These gems were said to be only legend since they were so rare to find as they would seem to rest in places that were known as very dangerous parts of the world where none could reach. These gems were only heard of as legends to these dragons but still unknown to the rest of the world. Now his son had proven that they were indeed real. Although, now Scalefang realized that this land was considered a very dangerous place to others since none were welcomed to this land other than members of the dragon clan. Those that did were burned to ash right on the spot or eaten for trespassing. That is, if they were ever able to get through the fog gates that surrounded their massive land. A land that was created by dragons long ago to protect them from many threats. Only the strong were able to get through at the expense of their energy and some casualties. Scalefang picked the gem up to have a closer look at it to see it was made of diamond with pieces of ruby fused inside. A great discovery by his son that he would allow Dragonbond to keep, even if other dragons may challenge to take it from him. Scalefang would accept the challenge only if any would fight him for the gem instead of his son and he was not going to hold back anything if they were intent on taking it from his son. For now, Scalefang held it in his talons to keep it safe as he let his son sleep on his head. Scalefang just relaxed by the stream until Dragonbond was ready to wake up. It would be a while since Dragonbond had a very eventful day.

When he did wake up, he still felt dry in the throat. Scalefang expected this and had a flat stone plate of water for him to drink for when he woke up. There were some herbs mixed in the water that would help heal him. It was close by so Dragonbond wouldn't need to walk over to it. Instead, he would just be lifting his head into the plate. He rested his head onto the plate's edge to the point where his mouth was submerged in the water. That way he would only have to open his mouth to let water in to drink. He would only take small drinks by licking in the water. He still felt a bit weak to drink too much at once with his throat still dry.

As Dragonbond kept drinking water, Scalefang brought out his special gem that he found in the tunnel and placed it right next to him. Seeing his gem, Dragonbond stopped drinking for a while and had enough strength to crawl over and began playing with it by rolling it around like a ball. They were just light pushes to make it roll a few inches, but it was enough to entertain Dragonbond and make him smile and giggle a bit. Scalefang was relieved to see his son happy again and not too traumatized by the near-death experience. It was mostly due to Dragonbond being near his dragon father again knowing he would be safe if he was around. Scalefang hoped this would come to Dragonbond as a lesson and not completely ignore what could be learned from it.

For a moment, Dragonbond stopped playing with his gem and walked over to Scalefang to nuzzle his chest and hug him with his small forelegs just wrapping only a couple feet across Scalefang's chest, but it was enough for Dragonbond. "I wuv you Fa-bah." He said as he would never forget his dragon father coming to his rescue.

Normally, a dragon child never actually would act or would say that out loud this way, but in other forms to look tough. They would say something like "Thank you, father." or "I am grateful, father." It was a basic thing of dragon children to act and talk tough all the time. But to Scalefang, hearing his son say it that way meant a lot more as well as seeing Dragonbond hug him as an affectionate son could to his father. Now he came to a hesitation of returning the same words. His pride demanded he should say what dragons have always said over the centuries, but his heart told him otherwise to swallow his pride and repeat those words back to his beloved son.

Scalefang made his choice despite how hard it was going to be to do it. "I love you too, son." He said pushing aside any shame of speaking those words to his son.

"Hah!" Dragonbond said as a happy reply with a wide smile. He was giving more of an excited sound for a reply than a laugh. He began walking back to play with his gem again.

As he played with it, he began telling Scalefang everything he saw in the tunnel and the small underground ravine full of gems and ore. Despite how some of what he said was hard to understand, Scalefang had the general idea of what he was talking about. After telling the story, he asked Scalefang if the cave could be like the underground ravine, he had spoken about how the light reflecting of the gems to create a spectacle of colorful lights shining all over the cave. Scalefang wasn't one for interior decorating, but by the way Dragonbond's imagination was when he discovered the underground ravine, he didn't think it was too much to ask for and to see where this would go with Dragonbond's creativity. But the job would wait for another day as he would need to find the gems to complete such a task. It was good to know Dragonbond had already found a stash of them close by in their own cave. Scalefang could even show his son some pointers on how to dig and where to be careful on how to dig to avoid cave-ins.

Now Scalefang took his turn to tell Dragonbond about the fabled legend of the fused gems that were thought to have never existed. As they were very extremely rare to find, they were even rumored to be formed by the bodies of legendary dragons after they passed into the next life if they lived lives that impacted the world in a great way. Now many dragons had been placed into legends, but very few throughout dragon history were ever known to create great deeds to impact the world. Some have gone unnoticed since they were the only ones there to witness the great deed. That was how their gems, that were created from their bodies, became lost history of time. But this was when dragons used to protect and watch over the peace and stability of the world as they guided and protected lesser creatures to a prosperous life. Now dragons were all seen as vicious creatures that wanted to burn and destroy everything they saw by the world after they turned to magic for living in a false peace and prosperity. Scalefang then explained how these gems were very special and a real honor to find and keep treating it with high respect and honor of the fallen dragon that created it with its body.

Dragonbond looked at the gem and held it up to Scalefang. "Who dis?" he asked curiously wanting to know who and what the legendary dragon was and did.

There was only one dragon alive who could find that out, but Dragonbond wasn't old enough to learn about this yet with his young mind as it would be too much for him to understand. "You will know when the time comes. For now, take care of that gem until then." Scalefang said.

Now that Dragonbond knew this was something he had to be very careful with, he knew he couldn't bring it back to the cave just by rolling it across the dirt. He wanted to bring it without scratching it or getting it dirty. He found a nearby plant with large thick leaves. Perhaps they would be strong enough to wrap around the gem to roll it to the cave without it touching the ground to keep it from dirt and scratches. He then galloped as fast as his short legs would carry him and held the tip of the leaf in his mouth and tried to pull the large leaf off the plant. He pulled and pulled but the leaf seemed to be too fresh to be pulled off no matter how hard he pulled or shook it. Still he didn't relent as he was still too stubborn to quit. Scalefang had taught him well so far by having him play by fighting his talons.

Scalefang wanted to see if he was stubborn with receiving help like he used to as an infant. He had his tail reach over and cut the stem of the leaf and helping Dragonbond pull off the leaf. When Dragonbond saw the tail, he rushed over growling and bit the tail. Of course, his teeth were too small to cause even a pinch of pain to Scalefang. Scalefang then lifted his tail up a bit with Dragonbond still biting down hard enough to dangle and start kicking his legs from the tail with an aggressive look on his face. He could still hear his son growling as he bit the tail and chuckled before placing his tail down. Dragonbond thought he made the tail surrender and roared at it to let it know who the victor was.

Dragonbond got to work by laying the leaf near the gem and rolled it on top of it before beginning to wrap the leaf over the gem. From there, he wrapped a vine around the leaf to keep it from unraveling. Finally, he would begin to roll the gem pushing with his head and head back to the cave. Scalefang followed behind him to make sure nothing would try to take his gem or give him trouble. It was a long way for Dragonbond, but he managed to make it all the way and then rolled the wrapped gem over to a spot near where he and his dragon father would sleep and placed it between some stalagmites to use as a display stand, but he made sure the leaf was kept between the gem and the stalagmites to keep them from scratching it. Scalefang would later find an animal to skin and replace the leaf with the skin to keep it safer from scratching the gem.

From then on, that day, Scalefang would try to start on working on Dragonbond's idea to decorate the cave by placing gems and ore in the wall. Dragonbond would help as well even if it there was little work he could do. But he just wanted to help his dragon father in any way he could. By night, they had finished placing the gems and ores up on the walls and ceiling. Whenever morning came or Scalefang would light a fire at night, the gems and ores would shine and sparkle casting colorful lights all over the cave. Dragonbond would have the most fun at night when Scalefang lit a fire. The lights would move and dance all over the walls and floors from the waving flames. Dragonbond would then chase and try to catch the lights as they moved all around the floor.

Scalefang saw this as another way to sharpen Dragonbond's reflexes and eye coordination. But still many things were ahead for Dragonbond to learn. What troubles they could bring had yet to be revealed.

WELL THIS WAS INTERESTING FOR ME TO DO. I JUST HOPE IT WAS JUST AS INTERESTING FOR YOU ALL TO READ AS WELL. I HOPED YOU LIKED THE PART OF THE FUSED GEM. GIVE A REVIEW OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS CHAPTER IF YOU CAN.

I do not own mop.

With Adventure Follows Danger

Chapter 3

A few years went by and Dragonbond had turned three since the time he was brought into the clan. He was speaking, but not proper enough to speak normally. Even at the age of three, he was speaking like a five-year-old. Scalefang was very proud with Dragonbond's progress of learning, even though Dragonbond still called him "Phaba" by lightly blowing through his lips to make an "F" sound. He even noticed Dragonbond was now able to stay awake from one morning to the next before having to go to sleep. It was a start, but if he kept at it with his dragon-like diet and when he would be able to start eating stones and gems, he would be staying awake for a week by the age of seven. Dragonbond's eating capacity was expanding as well as his range of food he could eat. He was now eating birds that his father would catch for him and learned to avoid swallowing whole bones so he wouldn't choke. Also, his teeth were grown out and was now able to chew his food to pieces. To make his teeth stronger, Scalefang would grind the bones into a powder form and sprinkle it into his food to make his teeth grow more powerful. He would also do the same with any eggs he would find by crushing the egg shells as well. By doing this, his teeth grow stronger from the bone's and egg shell's nutrients. Dragonbond was also growing a sharp set of fangs apart from his flat set of teeth. This gave him more of a biting grip on whatever he bit into.

Despite the passing of time, the things that hasn't changed about Dragonbond was his spirit of exploration and adventure. He would get into a lot of trouble by either falling in a rodent's hole in the ground, falling into a running stream, climbing up a tree only to get stuck, and getting into fights with his arch enemy turtles. Sometimes Dragonbond would win some fights and the turtles would win others. Dragonbond learned from the first time to watch the place where their heads would hide in. He now knew their bites were hard to escape from if they ever got a hold of him. He learned of a way to get trick them by using the tip of his tail to taunt them with and have them bite on it and leaving their heads exposed for him to bite their necks and then chomp their heads off. With that kind of technique, he had more wins than losses. The losses came when he tried to play with the turtle like a toy. After getting bit in the leg or rump, Dragonbond would get scared and run behind Scalefang before peeking out to see if the turtle had left yet. He would then try to lick the area the turtle bit him like a wounded animal if he could reach that far. He would sit in a small spot of water or mud if his rump was bitten as the cool temperature of the mud or water soothed the pain a bit.

Being his father now, it was very stressful for Scalefang to see his son taking lots of risks, especially fighting turtles in ponds and streams. Scalefang still saw Dragonbond as his small fragile son even though Dragonbond had proven that he was becoming tougher than he looked. Scalefang reckoned it was just his desire to be his overprotective guardian. At least, that is what Scalefang wanted Dragonbond to always see him as. The strong, brave, heroic father that he wanted to be in the eyes of his son. Truth be told, that is exactly how Dragonbond saw him and wished to be just like him by doing all these daring things and tried learning from everything Scalefang did. Whenever he was victorious against a turtle, he would give a small childlike roar to show his dominance. This was one of the proudest moments for Scalefang to see in his son. Especially the day when Dragonbond would win a battle that meant something to prove his dominance against a worthy opponent. When Scalefang was more confident in his son's spirit and endurance, he would take his son on small flights while riding on his snout and toss him around on his wings, tail, arms, and neck letting him slide around him. One would think Dragonbond would be afraid to be tossed around in the air while high above the ground, but he had a strong trust in Scalefang not to drop him and enjoyed the moment. This was one of Dragonbond's most favorite things to do with his dragon father. The thrill of adrenaline rush coursing through his body as he was tossed around and caught by Scalefang, feeling he could fly when tossed in midair, and was now able to slide down certain parts of Scalefang's limbs; such as the tail and wings.

The greatest joy Dragonbond felt was flying with his dragon father and dreaming of the day he would fly on his own as he imagined he would do flying tricks the world has never seen before. Scalefang would only fly high with Dragonbond if he held him in a tight grip so not to let him fall. But Dragonbond still felt as if he was doing the flying as he was now able to open his wings and flap as Scalefang still held tight. After many times with this, Dragonbond developed the sense when to move and turn his wings as his father did as if he was flying on his own. He held out his fore hooves in front of him and tilted his head in the direction they both were turning into. His small wings were open in a gliding position even though his dragon father was still holding onto him. This would give him a better feel for how to fly when the time came for him to fly on his own.

Their bond had grown more to a point where they could do things in sync. This was truly his most beloved activity to do with his dragon father. To fly high in the clouds over the land and sea of his new homeland. Feeling true freedom in the wind and the beauty of the world below that many never take the time to stop and see or many that can't see because they are stuck on the ground. For Scalefang, he couldn't wait until his son was able to fly on his own. Like him taking his first steps on all fours, he would soon take his first flight on his own. But still came the real challenge to keep up with other dragon younglings his own age.

Back on the ground, Dragonbond was fighting another turtle as he would spend most of his time doing. "Phaba, I won da tuwtle." Dragonbond said in his childlike way.

There were other small creatures he tried to fight or hunt. Some of them were snakes and Scalefang had to keep an extra eye out for what Dragonbond tried to hunt. He would mostly go after things he was able to catch up with like mice, fish, lizards, and flightless birds like quails. Dragonbond would occasionally catch a rabbit if he was lucky from hiding in a bush before pouncing on it. Scalefang also had to keep an eye ion him when he went fishing. Dragonbond would always stand on a rock over the water and pounce onto a fish to catch it. Scalefang would always be around incase Dragonbond was at risk of drowning. Dragonbond was persistent on catching his prey even if it meant risking deep water. All-in-all, Dragonbond was improving his hunting skills at a young age. One would think it was because it was so far from the instincts of a pony that it was a thrill for him to do.

Then a fateful day came that would have been the most frightening moment for Scalefang and Dragonbond. Dragonbond was playing with a boulder ball. He was practicing more than playing with it as he would pounce on it and try to stay on top. He bit and clung to it as much as he could and would leap off before it would roll onto him. Scalefang knew it was almost time to eat. Dragonbond had learned to stay inside the cave when Scalefang would leave on his own. He would just play with the many things in the cave his dragon father gave him. Not much from primitive things like logs to chew on, rocks to play with, vines to tangle himself up in for fun and other small things that he found fun in. This is where it all happened where Dragonbond would have a life changing moment.

He persisted with every gem and ore he came across, but each one was just as stuck as the last one. He ventured further down in the tunnel biting every gem in the wall trying to find a loose gem to pull out, but each one was just as stuck as the next one. It wasn't easy to get lost since there was only one way back. Sometimes he came upon a small underground ravine above him as he was at the bottom of it. The ravine above glittered like a night sky, but in different colors of the rare stones that they shone from. There was a lot more space higher in the ravine that the light couldn't reach. Dragonbond stopped to look up at it as the spectacle of the ravine. The faintest of light had also travelled from gem to gem making them all sparkle in the darkness of the ravine above. Dragonbond must have travelled into a mountain near his home cave for this much space in the underground ravine. Dragonbond made a gasp of amazement looking around the underground ravine. This was going to be one of the many things he would remember as a story to tell others. Soon Dragonbond continued his way after spending a while looking at the area. It wasn't long until he found the end where something caught his attention from every other gem and ore still in his path. A type of gem that was unique as it was rare. One that has never been discovered before or was known to exist. It was a gem made of diamond, but inside the center were traces of ruby that seemed to be fused in the gem. From the light, that traveled down the tunnel from the outside, that gem shined bright casting bright reflecting lights against the tunnel with also bits of red from the fused ruby inside the diamond. Dragonbond walked down to it to nibble a bit on it to taste it. It had a rough lumpy surface, but it seemed well enough to roll. Dragonbond then tried to bite onto it trying to pull it back out, but it was tough to drag it out by pulling and he had no way to grip it with his mouth. He then started to push from behind using his head. Sure enough, it began rolling up and Dragonbond continued to push it forward. Dragonbond took a break at the underground ravine again before continuing. He would spend it, once again, staring up at the glittering gems above as he sat back against the fused gem. He thought maybe his dragon father would build a room in the cave just like it for him to play in late at night. Soon he began moving the gem up the path back to the cave. As he was getting closer, he saw the rays of light from where the exit to the tunnel was. He continued to push the gem up excited to show his dragon father what he had found, but it was there that a rumbling sound was heard around him.

Dragonbond became frightened about what was happening. Then the tunnel started to shake and dust from the tunnel began to fall. Dragonbond tried pushing harder to get to the exit. Deep underground, there was volcanic activity that was making a small earthquake. It was rare for these to happen but it only just resulted in small tremors. Just as Dragonbond could see the exit, the tunnel ahead of him caved in sealing the way out and trapping him inside; sealing him in darkness. All the was left was the remnant light the was shining off the gems inside the tunnel, but those wouldn't last for long. Panic and fear filled his heart as he felt his way through the dark before his eyes could adjust to the dim lit tunnel as he made his way to the sealed tunnel out. When he reached the caved in exit, he tried digging as best as he could, but the pressure of the cave-in was too great that he couldn't move stones out of the way. Dragonbond whimpered as he tried to stomp or bite his way through, but nothing helped to even budge one rock.

"Phaba!" he cried out whimpering in fear. "Phaba help! Phaba!" Dragonbond cried repeatedly, but he was met with only distant rumbles from deep below. Scared and alone, Dragonbond went back to the gem he found and curled up against it shaking. It fortunately was giving off some light it had gained from the surface to shine a dim light around him, but not enough to see half a foot ahead. Still curled up, Dragonbond continued to cry out hoping his dragon father would hear him. Dragonbond cried in the darkness of the tunnel that looked more like a tomb. The only sounds he could hear was silence followed by an occasional distant rumbling.

Soon Scalefang returned with food for Dragonbond. He had brought some fish and some nuts with a few dead squirrels. He even brought some fruits and vegetables since he had realized Dragonbond had become somewhat of an omnivore. After placing the food down, Scalefang called out to his son. "Dragonbond, time to eat." He called, but was not able to hear a reply. "Dragonbond?" he called again.

Scalefang then figured he might have left the cave. He would have been angry to be disobeyed when Dragonbond knew better. But when he sniffed the ground at the cave opening to find out where Dragonbond had ran off to, there was no trace of his scent leading outside. Dragonbond had not left the cave and there was no scent of any intruder either that would come in after him. Scalefang then thought Dragonbond might have been playing hide-and-seek. He could always find him easily, but stalled a bit to make Dragonbond think he chose a perfect hiding space to make his dragon father take so long to find him. Scalefang started to sniff out his scent. Although his scent was everywhere, due to Dragonbond always wanting to reexplore the cave, Scalefang searched for the freshest scent. Soon enough, he found it and where Dragonbond had been playing with his boulder ball. He followed it until it stopped at the wall where the stone ball was. Now Scalefang was starting to worry. "Dragonbond, where are you? Answer me now." He growled making his son know that this wasn't a game anymore. When there was no reply, Scalefang began to fear for what might have happened. "Dragonbond answer me!" he roared searching the cave.

Dragonbond's ears perked up when he heard his dragon father's roar. He had been so afraid, that he forgot which way the direction he came from was. Not knowing where to go, he just cried out as much as he could, hoping his dragon father could hear him. "Phaba! Phaba help!" he cried.

Scalefang's hearing was now able to pick up the faint call of his son. "Son, where are you?!" Scalefang shouted.

Scalefang started to hear a muffled voice crying out. A normal creature would have not noticed it, but since their dragon kind had to resort to natural instincts instead of magic enhancements, their senses were more sharper and highly developed than any other creature. He placed his ear hole to the ground to listen to the source of the voice. He also heard the sound vibrations of something small hitting against stone. He followed the sounds to the place where he had tracked Dragonbond's scent to where the wall had ended. Now looking at the spot again, he realized that there must have been a hole that opened somehow and Dragonbond had tried to explore inside and was now trapped when it caved in. "Dragonbond, where are you?" he called trying to know exactly where he was so not to accidentally harm him when he would start digging through to reach him.

"Phaba?" Dragonbond said hearing his dragon father respond to him. "Phaba!" he continued to stomp on the

"Stay back son." He warned Dragonbond as he was about to dig through. Scalefang estimated the time Dragonbond may have been stuck inside. He was young and small, so that meant he didn't take in as much air as a bigger and older creature. He only hoped there was a lot of room in there to keep in a lot of air for him. He judged the distance of Dragonbond vibrations and guessed how thick the stone was between him and his son. He had to dig carefully from risking another cave in that could bury his son alive. He sighed thinking it was too dangerous for Dragonbond to be out on his own outside, now it seemed there were dangers even inside a cave for him as well.

Dragonbond sat back and waited to expect to see his dragon father break through and rescue him. As he waited, he started to hear and feel the ground shaking again. A couple of seconds after, he began to see a light travel through the gems in the tunnel. It was coming back from the other end of the tunnel. Dragonbond thought it might have been a way out and started to rush towards the light hoping it was an exit. He ran down the tunnels, passed the underground ravine, and almost back to where he found the fused gem. As he grew closer, he could feel heat coming from the light and what seemed to be fumes that he could smell. What he saw made fear grip his heart again. He saw that the tremor had cause a crack in the tunnel where lava began to ooze through. He saw the flow begin to rise towards him slowly, so he took off back up the he reached the cavil-in, he still saw that his dragon father had still not gotten through yet. He could still smell the burning fumes that rose up from the back of the tunnel. Scalefang was carefully digging at the caved in tunnel, until he heard his son in a panic. "Phaba! It hot and can't breathe!" he heard Dragonbond shout before he started coughing.

Scalefang didn't take long to know what might have happened. A lava flow has found its way into where his son was and the fumes started to choke him. "Dragonbond don't move, I'm coming!" Scalefang shouted now in a panic. He had no idea how close the lava was to Dragonbond and he knew Dragonbond was not used to something that hot.

Dragonbond pulled the fused gem he found close to him to hide from the growing light and heat that emitted from that lava that was creeping up the tunnel towards him. He coughed more as the fumes got stronger and the ash from the burning dirt on the ground was mixed into the air as well. He started coughing and choking on the fumes in the air. His head began to feel heavy and his eyelids were slowly falling over his eyes as he tried to keep them open. The heat and fumes in the air had drained most of his strength to try and move. The lava could now be seen coming around the corner towards him. It was also burning all the air up for Dragonbond to breathe. He then slipped to the ground coughing violently as his vision began to blur. He was gasping for air now as it grew thin and filled with heat and smoke. "Pha… Phaba…" he said weakly with short breaths. a single tear rolled down his cheek when his eyes slowly closed.

The lava was now almost close enough that it would soon set the foal on fire, but then the snout of Scalefang broke through the caved tunnel entrance. Sniffing for Dragonbond to locate him, he scooped him up with the gem, and pulled them into his mouth with his tongue. When he knew he had him, he pulled out from the tunnel and punched into the tunnel to cause a massive cave-in inside the tunnel to prevent the lava from breaking through the wall and from ever breaking through again.

Scalefang quickly raced outside by the stream and under some shade to place Dragonbond under. He paid no mind to the gem that came out with him as he saw his son unmoving. Wasting no time, he scooped up cool water to lightly splash down on Dragonbond and drip several drops in his mouth. Scalefang had knew fear before and was able to handle it, but this was completely different. This fear he felt he couldn't control as his son would lay limp and unable to breath. Dragonbond had been counting on him to save him like any child expected their father to do. He had failed to keep him away from every danger he thought of, but never took account about what could have happened in his own cave that would lead to this. He couldn't fail him now, he wouldn't be able to take this loss. He didn't want to bury what he came to call his beloved son, even if he was a pegasus. Scalefang took a talon and gently pressed on his lower torso to try and pump his lungs for air. Scalefang was too big to blow air into even by using a long reed from the stream so he just had to rely on pumping his lungs.

Finally, small violent coughing was heard from the foal. Scalefang was greatly relieved seeing his son stirring again. Dragonbond opened his eyes weakly looking up as his vision went from dark blurs to a clear view of his father looking down worried at him. "Phaba?" he said in a strained voice. He raised a hoof at Scalefang trying to reach out for him as he struggled to breathe from the coughing and the dryness in his throat. Scalefang would lay Dragonbond on a rock shore where the water was thinly shallow by the stream. From there, Dragonbond could drink the fresh water without having to move that much. Dragonbond would take small licks from the water as he was too weak to take any kind of sips.

When Dragonbond was done, Scalefang gently scooped him up and slid him off onto his favorite spot between Scalefang's brows. Dragonbond curled up into his dragon father feeling safer, but he still wept from the experience. Scalefang could still hear his son whimpering. He felt he should say something to calm him down. "Things like this happen my son. There always is bound to be trouble in life. That is nothing you should be afraid of or have any reason to fear. I promise, I'll teach you everything you need to know to survive the dangers of this world."

Dragonbond then nuzzled into Scalefang's brow as he began to calm down. Just hearing the voice of his dragon father made him feel at ease. Dragonbond then began to make peaceful moans as he fell asleep on Scalefang. As for Scalefang, seeing how Dragonbond responded to him just by talking, Scalefang felt a long-lost feeling he hoped he never would feel again. He had hoped that he had buried it along with his past, but here he was having these feelings returning because of this tiny foal. "What have you done to me young one?" Scalefang said partly to himself. Caring for this foal made him feel weak from his stoic headstrong self. The fear he felt when he couldn't find his son and then the fear when he thought he lost him after. All this weakness because of this foal, but somehow it didn't feel like it was a bad thing. For some reason, to him, it felt like a blessing. The feeling of having something worth more than his own life. He may receive backlash for going soft on this foal, but to him, this foal was giving him a sense of purpose in life once more. To be a father, to raise a new generation with unlimited and unknown possibilities, to be a part of a mystery Draco had planned for this foal. Whatever self-pride and self-reliance Scalefang had for himself, it had been melted away by this foal, his pony son. He now knew the name he had given him had more meaning than he realized. The bond they shared grew into something that made them feel whole. Despite being different species, they became a family. Not by blood or by flesh, but by soul and spirit.

As Scalefang sat on the grass by the stream as nature played Dragonbond its lullaby, a light shined up at him from the grass. It was barely noticeable as it was almost hidden in the grass. But the sun light managed to break through the dense branches of the trees above to reflect its rays onto the fused gem Dragonbond had found. Scalefang was far more than surprised that his son had found one. These gems were said to be only legend since they were so rare to find as they would seem to rest in places that were known as very dangerous parts of the world where none could reach. These gems were only heard of as legends to these dragons but still unknown to the rest of the world. Now his son had proven that they were indeed real. Although, now Scalefang realized that this land was considered a very dangerous place to others since none were welcomed to this land other than members of the dragon clan. Those that did were burned to ash right on the spot or eaten for trespassing. That is, if they were ever able to get through the fog gates that surrounded their massive land. A land that was created by dragons long ago to protect them from many threats. Only the strong were only able to get through at the expense of their energy and some casualties. Scalefang picked the gem up to have a closer look at it to see it was made of diamond with pieces of ruby fused inside. A great discovery by his son that he would allow Dragonbond to keep, even if other dragons may challenge to take it from him. Scalefang would accept the challenge only if any would fight him for the gem instead of his son and he was not going to hold back anything if they were intent on taking it from his son. For now, Scalefang held it in his talons to keep it safe as he let his son sleep on his head. Scalefang just relaxed by the stream until Dragonbond was ready to wake up. It would be a while since Dragonbond had a very eventful day.

When he did wake up, he still felt dry in the throat. Scalefang expected this and had a flat stone plate of water for him to drink for when he woke up. There were some herbs mixed in the water that would help heal him. It was close by so Dragonbond wouldn't need to walk over to it. Instead, of just lifting his head into the plate. He rested his head onto the plate's edge to the point where his mouth was submerged in the water. That way he would only have to open his mouth to let water in to drink. He would only take small drinks by licking in the water. He still felt a bit weak to drink too much at once with his throat still dry.

As Dragonbond kept drinking water, Scalefang brought out his special gem that he found in the tunnel and placed it right next to him. Seeing his gen, Dragonbond stopped drinking for a while and had enough strength to crawl over and began playing with it by rolling it around like a ball. They were just light pushes to make it roll a few inches, but it was enough to entertain Dragonbond and make him smile and giggle a bit. Scalefang was relieved to see his son happy again and not too traumatized by the near-death experience. It was mostly due to Dragonbond being near his dragon father again knowing he would be safe if he was around. Scalefang hoped this would come to Dragonbond as a lesson and not completely ignore what could be learned from it.

For a moment, Dragonbond stopped playing with his gem and walked over to Scalefang to nuzzle his chest and hug him with his small forelegs just wrapping only a couple feet across Scalefang's chest, but it was enough for Dragonbond. "I wuv you Phaba." He said as he would never forget his dragon father coming to his rescue.

Normally, a dragon child never actually act or say that out loud this way, but in other forms to look tough. They would say something like "Thank you, father." or "I am grateful, father." It was a basic thing of dragon children to act and talk tough all the time. But to Scalefang, hearing his son say it that way meant a lot more as well as seeing Dragonbond hug him as an affectionate son could to his father. Now he came to a hesitation of returning the same words. His pride demanded he should say what dragons have always said over the centuries, but his heart told him otherwise to swallow his pride and repeat those words back to his beloved son.

Scalefang made his choice despite how hard it was going to be to do it. "I love you too, son."

"Hah!" Dragonbond said as a happy reply before walking back to play with his gem again.

As he played with it, he began telling Scalefang everything he saw in the tunnel and the small underground ravine full of gems and ore. Despite how some of what he said was hard to understand, Scalefang had the general idea of what he was talking about. After telling the story, he asked Scalefang if the cave could be like the underground ravine he spoke about had the light reflecting of the gems to create a spectacle of colorful lights shining all over the cave. Scalefang wasn't one for interior decorating, but by the way Dragonbond's imagination was when he discovered the underground ravine, he didn't think it was too much to ask for and to see where this would go with Dragonbond's creativity. But the job would wait for another day as he would need to find the gems to complete such a task. It was good to know Dragonbond had already found a stash of them close by in their own cave. Scalefang could even show his son some pointers on how to dig and where to be careful on how to dig to avoid cave-ins.

Now Scalefang took his turn to tell Dragonbond about the fabled legend of the fused gems that were thought to have never existed. As they were very extremely rare to find. They were even rumored to be formed by the bodies of legendary dragons after they passed into the next life if they lived lives that impacted the world in a great way. Now many dragons had been placed into legends, but very few throughout dragon history were ever known to create great deeds to impact the world. Some have gone unnoticed since they were the only ones there to witness the great deed. That was how their gems, that were created from their bodies, became lost history of time. But this was when dragons used to protect and watch over the peace and stability of the world as they guided and protected lesser creatures to a prosperous life. Now dragons were all seen as vicious creatures that wanted to burn and destroy everything they saw by the world after they turned to magic for living in a false peace and prosperity. Scalefang then explained how these gems were very special and a real honor to find and keep treating it with high respect and honor of the fallen dragon that created it with his body.

Dragonbond looked at the gem and held it up to Scalefang. "Who dis?" he asked curiously wanting to know who and what the legendary dragon was and did.

Dragonbond got to work by laying the leaf near the gem and rolled it on top of it before beginning to wrap the leaf over the gem. From there, he wrapped a vine around the leaf to keep it from unraveling. Finally, he would begin to roll the gem pushing with his head and head back to the cave. Scalefang followed behind him to make sure nothing would try to take his gem or give him trouble. It was a long way for Dragonbond, but he managed to make it all the way and then rolled the wrapped gem over to a spot near where he and his dragon father would sleep and placed it between some stalagmites to use as display stand, but he made sure the leaf was kept between the gem and the stalagmites to keep them from scratching it. Scalefang would later find an animal to skin and replace the leaf with the skin to keep it safer from scratching the gem.

WELL THIS WAS INTERESTING FOR ME TO DO. I JUST HOPE IT WAS JUST AS MUCH FOR YOU ALL TO READ. I HOPED YOU LIKED THE PART OF THE FUSED GEM. GIVE A REVIEW OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS CHAPTER IF YOU CAN.