Chapter: How to Raise Your Dragon
It was a calm afternoon in the Owl House as Eda and Michael were sitting on a couch. The angel was busy sharpening many feather-like knives which are usually hidden in his black wings. Eda didn't pay attention to that as she reading book with her head on her hunband's knees.
"I feel you're staring at me." Eda's voice just broke silence.
"Well, do I have to do it blind?" Michael asked. His eyes never once check the sharpening blade of his weapon as he spoke.
"Don't blame you for stare. But you have this face."
"You've been reading so much lately." He just said, still sharpening the entire edge of the knife. "I wonder why."
"Luz's been bugging me to teach her new spell." Eda flipped the page in her book about wild magic, "And she will be doing this more often. Especially since she learned that trick with mixing glyph and witch magic in one spell. So, I'm trying to figure out how teach her some new glyph."
"And, this has nothing to do with the last call from Lilith?" Michael jokingly asked.
"I'm going teach kid something new. Anything else is just a bonus." Eda hummed, though it was obvious that she didn't really meant a last sentences. And to her astonishment, her husband chuckled.
"What is so funny, flyboy?"
"Well," Michael shrugged as he continued sharpening knife, "I was just thinking of something."
"Care to share with the class?"
"The fact that apprentice of the Owl Lady is girl who loves to study. Your apprentice loves both learning and books, and I'll be willing to bet that she will want to enroll in school as soon as she finds out about Hexside."
"And I'm not going to let her go to place that proclaiming the slogan 'Hocus focus, one track per student'." Eda declared.
Michael chuckled again, knowing that such a comment was standard for his wife. "But you got our son into Hexside?"
She nodded, her smile showing a bit of amusement. "Our Owlet was smart enough not to fall for the one coven nonsense."
"Yeah, he has my smile and perfect reflexes, but he got your worldview. Seriously. I swear the kid gets more and more like you everyday."
Eda smirked at him playfully. "Do you mean more attractive, sweet and devilishly charming?"
"Yes but that boy is also a daredevil who gets into a weekly amount of peril." Michael replied as he leaned down to kiss his wife before Hooty yelled Luz and Jett back and opened his door up.
"Hello son. How has your first mission gone?" Michael asked when the door full opened and the angel noted the croissant in Hooty's mouth.
"Almost the same way our camping in the Peaks of Vuurvlaag." Jett said, reaching into his bag. "I brought you something from Paris."
King who slept on his favorite sun patch, woke up suddenly. "Offerings?" The little demon ran up to the teen. "Give me, give me, give me!"
"A sweets fit for a king." Jett pulled a box from his bag.
King peeked inside the box to find 24 colorful macarons. The teen felt amusement that King's tail immediately wagging at the sight of them.
"I accept your offering." He said with a mouthful of macarons. Jett just smiled, watching the little demon is filling his mouth with too many sweets.
"And this is for you," the teen handed his dad a coffee in The Eiffel Tower pattern flask thermos, and then he gave paris theme glow stick party pack to his mom.
"Now we know who you love more." Eda didn't like the gift, unlike Michael.
Jett smirk at the comment, "Trust me, Ma, you'll love this sticks. Luz said they glow when you bend and shake them."
"Well, then thanks kiddo." Eda tucked pack into her hair, "By the way, where is Luz?"
"Still outside. Preparing to talk." Jett began to make his way to the stairs, avoiding any more questions and any eye contact.
Eda quirks an eyebrow in surprise. "Talk?"
"I got no more clue than you do." Michael said with a shrug. "Oh, hun, you got a runner as well."
The witch looked down and her right hand sneaking away. "Back here!" She got up and leapt across the room and tackled it. She reattach her hand as if it was a lightbulb. Exactly one second before the door opened and Luz come inside, carrying baby dragon in her arms.
"No."
"I haven't even said anything yet." Luz complained.
"I'm sticking with no." Eda retorted, dismissing the statement with a wave.
"But-"
"Luz, you're holding a drake in your hands. It it's obvious that you want kept it." Michael interrupted.
"Kayda."
"What?" Both adults asked.
"I called her Kayda." Luz explain, looking up at them while petting the baby dragon's head. "She like this name."
"Whatever." Eda said, "You can't keep this dragon."
"Why not?" King asked from his position on the sofa, "We kept Hooty."
"Hooty does security for the house." Eda told him and then looked at dragon. The drake was cute, she had to admit. Yet she wouldn't let Luz keep a walking flamethrower. Sure they thrive off of chaos in the Owl House. But even this place too had a line that could be crossed. And baby dragon that could just accidentally torch her house down... Well its the line.
"Pleeease, Eda!" Luz turned the full power of her puppy dog eyes on Eda, but it didn't seem to have the same effect it always had on her mami Camila.
Eda didn't even hesitate in simply saying, "This face didn't work when you want adopt a Cerberus puppy, won't work now."
"Come on. Let her keep it." King said eagerly pulling on Eda's dress. "This dragon can grow up to frightening creature that will help me conquered the world!"
"The Council of Four told me to take care of her until she grows up... and gets her own cave." Luz told her mentor, ignoring King comment and plans about Kayda. "I'm the first person that she saw after birth. Technically, I'm her mom. You won't tear mother and children apart, right?"
"I've done worse."
"No, you haven't." Michael argued, "You did a lot illegal or improper thing, but nothing like this."
Eda turned to her husband. "And whose side are you on?"
A charming grin curled his lips, "Your, hun. Like always. But, come on, you know as well as I do it Luz will be asking untli you say yes. And Jett probably plan to help her smuggle this dragon - in case convince you will take a few days."
Eda thought about it for a second, Michael was right. Luz won't give up until dragon can stay. And without question, Jett will help her. These kids are persistent. She turned her attention back to her apprentice. Luz was watching the witch expectantly, her eyes lit up with hope.
"Fine. But it's only temporary."
"Thank you!" Luz said with a genuine smile on his face, "I promise you, Kayda won't be any trouble."
At this Kayda sneezed and a burst of flame ball from her mouth, flying across the room and splashing against the far wall, leaving an impressive scorch mark.
"Starting now." Luz said, showing off a slightly nervous smile.
~ Time skip ~
King didn't want to share the sleeping place on Luz's bed with Kayda, so the demon decided that he'd sleep in Jett's room tonight. Which was, frankly, a relief to Luz.
Kayda seemed very a bit restless for last few hours. And King could end up with charred furr, if anything scared a drake during sleep.
Right now the little dragon was standing in the doorway of her room, during her tail waving right and left. Kayda's eyes focused on the teen.
Luz patted on the bed giving her permission to sleep on it.
After hesitating by the new place, sniffing the air and human artifacts, the dragon finally made her way to Luz and jumped into her lap, curling on herself and purring while nudging her hand affectionately.
"I think we should call it a night, it really is quite late." Luz moved drake to sit down on the edge of the bed, and then moved off into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and change into pajamas.
Now lying curled up in a little ball on the bed, Kayda lifted a head yet again at seeing a human girl back to her. Luz smiled while petted Kayda's head, and she lay down next to the dragon.
A few minutes went by and the dragon hasn't slept. Kayda changed the position and squeaked every two minutes. Then Luz figured out a way to help the drake sleep. She petted Kayda's head until she calmed down a little, took a deep breath and began to sing.
My eyes are heavy
Time for sleep
My bed is ready
Time to dream
Hey little Dragon
Time to fall asleep
No fire breathing, no,
Just think of what you dream
So, hush little Dragon
Don't say a word
A new day starts tomorrow
Your dreams are full of hope
Little by little, Luz felt how Kayda's breathing relaxed more.
My eyes are heavy
Time for sleep
My bed is ready
Time to dream
Hey little Dragon
Always believe in yourself
Nothing's more important
Then to find the best friend
So, hush little Dragon
Let's find your star tonight
Until the sun wakes up
The star will be warm and bright...
My eyes are heavy
Time for sleep
My bed is ready
Time to dream
Hush little Dragon,
Hush little Dragon,
Hush little Dragon,
Time to dream
Kayda eventually fell asleep cuddled in Luz's side. Despite this, she continued to sing.
The next day, Luz awoke one morning with the bright sun shining is her eyes as usual. Taking a deep breath, she was startled when she found that not only could she not breathe but she also had a weight on her chest.
"Gah!" She yelped as she grabbed whatever was on her face and pulled it away.
The object in her hands let out a startled cry and she quickly realized that it had been Kayda snuggled up on her face.
"Look, I like hugging but you can't sleep on my face." Luz said gently as placed a firm finger on the baby dragon's nose, "I need to breathe, okay?"
Kayda chirped and licked the girl's hand apologetically before a tummy rumble from the girl suprise her. Then almost an identical sound come from the dragon.
"Time to eat." Luz wasn't sure if Kayda understand this but the dragon and hopped off the bed and patted over to the door. "Breakfast for dragon... "Luz took the phone out. "Let's see."
~ Time skip ~
Despite the fact that Luz, Willow and Gus come from different worlds, they were getting along just great. Only sometimes when Luz's friends talk about some 'demon realm things' or when Gus ask her a question like 'is it humans can spit venom?', made Luz look at them with confused.
But this afternoon.
Judging by the look on Gus and Willow's faces, now it was Luz's turn to grow a second head, only this one grew feet, leapt off his shoulder and started dancing an Irish jig on top of the table.
"So, Kayda was hungry." Willow begin slowly, "And you wanted prepare a meal for your dragon." She said, terrified at the Unidentified Eatable Object before her.
"Yes." Luz nodded as her friend picked it up with one experimental hand and held it out before her at a safe distance. Willow didn't say it but this "food" look disgusting, even by Magic Realm standards.
"But why you use this?" Gus saw that across the counter from where he had perched, there was a pile of objects. There were a bowl of sulphur, handful of bag of coal, a mug of powdered gems, dried beetles, a two-liter of something red, a green-yellow root shaped like a duck and a packet of milk chocolate. And few other things, each rather inedible.
"Dragons don't eat any of this?"
"No, they don't."
Luz blinked and looked at her friends. She seemed to be genuinely surprised by that piece of information.
"I should really stop assuming the Boiling Islands works on the same logic as cool fan theories." She looked away sheepishly. "But dragons are meat eaters once they've matured. And Kayda is still a baby. So, I must figure out what to feed her. Can you help me?"
Willow nodded, "Of course we will. But we aren't on Beast Keep track. So we don't know any more than you do, Luz."
"Wait!" Gus couldn't help but grin as a lightbulb went on over his head. "I remember a time, my dad went to La Pyros, did the interview with a local breeder of magic beast, whose dragon found a rare dragon partner and popped out 13 drakes. I think he said a spider-cow milk mixed with Anoki berry is a very good kind of food for young dragons."
"Let's try it!" Luz held a bottle of milk up triumphantly.
"There is a one problem." Willow said, "You can only get these berry in Atmos the City of Angels."
"Isn't that a floating island that kept hidden above the clouds and has change locations every week?" Gus asked. And of course, the answer was affirmative.
"No problem. We have a whole stash of Anoki berry seeds. Michael grind them up into oil for cleaning his wings." Luz hurriedly left the kitchen just to get back after three minutes. A large jar in both hands.
"We can use seeds instead of fruit."
"Seeds are inedible."
"Oh." Luz let out after two moments. "And how long it takes for a berry to grow?"
"One week."
"We can't wait so long. Jett's playing with Kayda but she is hungry and soon she may starts to bite furniture or Hooty. Willow maybe you can.. you know. Help them?"
"But I'm not making any promises it'll work." Willow said as she grab a couple of seeds.
Then she stepped back a few steps. Her eyes glowed green and the seeds in her hand rapidly grew into an expanse of greenery, filled with ripe purple fruits.
"You're amazing!" Luz praised her friend as she grabbed one of coconut-sized and ametyst-hued fruit.
Less than one minute later, she pressed the power button on the monster blender, and within seconds, chunks of fruit and milk blend until smooth.
"Ugh, it smells a little odd"
"My grandma used to always say, 'That's how you know it's healthy'." Gus took a very small swig from the glass jug Luz had put on table, and his face instantly brightened in delight.
"It's delicious," he exclaimed as he taken another sip before Kayda appeared out of nowhere, jumped on him and send them both on the floor as she did, "I'm okay," Gus replied as a glass jug was on his head.
"I think Kayda likes this smoothie too." Willow noticed with a small smile, Kayda give Gus a few licks on his face. Cleaning smoothie for him.
"Look," Luz said, "I love you. I love and I could not be happier to have you in my life. I just want to make sure that you are healthy and clean. All I want is to take care of you. So I'm begging you, Kayda. Let me given you a bath!"
The young drake growled in response. Still sitting on the top of shower curtain rod.
"Oh, c'mon!" Luz whined, "Your bath is ready. And you definitely, definitely need a bath."
Kayda growled again, but it was a little less subdued this time.
"I have a bath toy." Luz squeezed a light up bath toy, but it didn't impress the dragon at all. She sighed and set toy aside, where Kayda promptly burned it with a quick blast.
"Bad dragon!"
Instead of feel sorry, the dragon made a sound that could only be laugh.
But then jumped off of curtain rod and jumped through the open window. Kayda don't fly yet. So just glide to earth like paper airplane.
"Come back!" Luz ordered as nudged open the door and headed downstairs. Then nearly bumped into Jett. He was holding Kayda. And he was covered in the mud and brown feathers.
Luz don't need to ask why. It was Jett turn to clean the house. And because Hooty spent all yesterday afternoon slipping in a mud, well as house demon put it, there are a lot of nooks and crannies inside him that need to be cleaned.
"I think you lost something." Jett hand her a drake.
"Thanks. So, how's it going with Hooty?" Luz asked, squeezing Kayda to make sure dragon won't run away. The movement caused her to let loose another round of loud squawks and chitters of displeasure.
"This would be so much easier if Hooty stopped chase this stupid fly and let me clean him!" Jett just hollered through the window.
"This fly is my destiny!" Informed the voice of Hooty, who kept trying to eat fly, "And if this is my destiny, I do not want to fail."
"You're so lucky I love you, you crazy bird tube." Jett mumbled and began wiping the mud off of himself.
"Maybe you sho-Kayda!" The drake slipped out of Luz's grip and ran to rolled in a ash of fire place. "Bathing Saturday is not going at all as planned." Luz whimpered.
"Definitely," Jett nodded, "But, we're not done yet. Right?"
"We have to do this today. Still. This is like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon." Luz sighed before noticed his facial expression, "You have an idea, haven't you?"
"Oh yes." Jett smirk, making a spell circle materialize with a motion of his finger. From the circle came a pretty weird bottle with dispenser. "You see, my friend. If the dragon or house demon won't go to bath, bath must go to them."
~ Time skip ~
Michael walk next to Eda, his black wings kept twitching of sheer annoyance. "I can't believe you just jabbed the fork in the eye of that guy."
"Don't look at me like that. You were in the store, Mic. You don't know what he said." Eda told her husband.
The angel sighed, "Okay, so what did he say?"
"His exact words were, 'What are you gonna do, jab me?'." Eda let out a snort, then smirked. "So, I did. Anyhow, I don't know why he was upset. He still have a dozen eyes."
"Hun, I'm pretty sure he-" Michael broke off when a loud explosion rocked the ground. Looking up, they saw something like a white cloud slowly extending into the sky. However, upon closer inspection, they realized what it was.
"Soapsud?" He sounded confused.
"Yes." Eda answered as they continued walking back to their home What they saw was totally surprising, but at the same time, it was within expectations.
They couldn't see the Owl House.
The building was still in its place, but it was covered completely with white soap sud. Hooty doesn't even greet them. Instead, he's wrapped around the side of the house and leaning through a window, doing something inside.
Eda takes the knob to open the door. The livingroom was full with a white soap sud that covering any surface. Peeking out from the soap were Luz and Jett who held soap covered dragon baby, King who held rubber duck and Hooty try eating soap bubble...
"Hey mom. Hi dad." Jett smiled at his parents when he scrub Hooty's long body, "Just giving Kayda and Hooty here a bath."
"And you're turning the house into a bubble mania while giving them a bath." Eda commented.
Her son grumbled and waved a hand, "So the end justifies any means."
"And we were desperate." Luz's doing what she can to hold Kayda. But soap covered dragon is as slippery as a bucket of eels.
"Kayda stop thaaaaaattttttt- "That was when dragon slipped out of her hands.
Kayda happy roar, hitting the ground running. The drago dashed into the bubbles, Luz not far behind. After running around the room for a while, Kayda was able to jump out the window. Luz opened the door and went after the drake.
"Mud!" Hooty beamed as noticed muddy puddles outside the house.
"HOOTY NO! Back here! Bad Hooty! Bad!" Jett tried to stop a house demon and ran out of the house.
"Should we help them?" Michael asked, his face betraying a range of rather amusing emotions. Beside him, Eda cackled.
"Neah, they got this." She said to him at the sounds of Jett scolding Hooty and Luz trying catch Kayda outside.
Lilith's already familiar with the weird and unexpected during visits in her sister's house. Katrina even tell her that Luz's taking care of baby dragon now. She also know that the dragons're attracted to bright, shiny objects. Yet nothing could have prepared her for the ridiculous situation like this one.
It was a typical family game night in the Owl House. The good-running feud between the children team and the adults team, fun and a little cheating. Anything out of the ordinary.
Everything changed when some items dropped out of Eda's hair during charades.
And when the Owl Lady want to pick up them... Suddenly, a blur of blue-green swooped in and intercept a glimmering key chain. Kayda settled on the arm of couch, flapping wings as she admired her stolen trinket.
"I know it's cool shiny, but it is mine." Eda told the drake.
Looking up at her, the little dragon frowned and hid key chain under her paw. So, Eda reached for her property.
Kayda hissed suddenly at the move of witch hand.
The Owl Lady just hissed back at a dragon.
And very soon the witch and young dragon start something... for lack of a better words, can be called a yelling-hissing contest to assert dominance.
"Edalyn, you are the adult witch." Lilith commented. Unlike Harlow and Michael, she didn't find this situation amusing. "Snap out of it."
"Don't judge what you don't understand!" Eda replied, pausing in her staring at the dragon.
Kayda, meanwhile, gave a hissing sound, scuttling off with a smug look and the glimmering trinket in fangs. But Eda got in her way, making bluish-green drake to stop.
"Give it back to me, lizard. Or I'll get it myself." Eda said with her cautionary tones. Stressing the seriousness of this words by drawing a spell circle.
Kayda didn't listen, her scales wriggle as the drake growled as if to say 'My shiny!'
"Should... should we do something?" Luz gesturing to these two with her hand.
"No, I want to see who wins." King replied while Jett forming a spell circle with one of his hands, which opened up a small "portal" out of which fell a bowl of popcorn.
"I have bets on aunt Eda." Katrina said as she grab a handful of popcorn.
The next 15 minutes were pretty funny. Well, for those who watched Eda and Kayda, anyway.
And no one could not deny that the first game night with the participation of dragon was a special night.
"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" Luz kept saying that as she raced down the halls.
Being part of the Order of Keepers was easy. You were expected to follow fundamental rules, proudly represented the Order, and preform routine training regimes. All members of the Order were expected to work hard and perform the duties. Each team has assigned a mission examiner. A person which tested Keepers skill level, and decided how hight rank of mission might get the team.
That's why it was a sorry day for Luz herself when she realized she have 3 minutes to get to meet with Nova. Examiner of Luz, Jett and Katrina's.
It was bad enough when Luz appeared late to this sessions but it was so much worse when she did it on a constant basis. It wasn't her fault though, Kayda has gotten pretty curious lately. And the drake sneaked into every corner of the headquarters of the Order.
Today Kayda decide to sneak into the old armoury. It took Luz three whole hours to find dragon and clean up a mess that Kayda made.
"I'm late! Nova going to k-" Luz turned a corner down a hallway and bumped into somone on her way to training ground.
"You?"
Luz frowned on that voice. Of all the people in this place, she bumped into Andronikos. Racist troll with whom she have a unpleasant history. The Latina don't like him. And a large troll hate her, because he became the laughing stock of the Keeper after their first meet. Specifically, Luz kicked him in the gronk-nuks. What he asked for, anyway. Of course nobody can't stop make fun of that a human teen managed to beat and make Andronikos cry in pain.
"You're still alive, foreigner." Andronikos noted, more to himself than Luz. "I thought your miserable life was finished in the belly of a Lambton Worm long ago."
"Not yet." His words was ultimately ignored as Luz went to head for the other corridor.
Suddenly, Andronikos side-stepped, his eyes locking with Luz's in such a way that she was forced to stop.
"Got some place to be?"
"Yes."
"It's too bad, because I was hoping for a little talk with you."
Luz raised a brow, thrown off by the comment. She and Andronikos had barely talked, he didn't even tolerate her, so it was strange to hear that Andronikos had sought her out.
"Maybe some other time."
"It will be a short conversation, mostly one-sided."
The troll's lips drew up until not only his fangs but also the rest of his teeth were bared, and he, have a wild look in his eyes. Then it occurred to Luz... that she's alone with very dangerous troll who hates her.
Andronikos stretched forth his hand towards Luz...
And then things became a bit comical, if Luz was going to be honest; growling coming from her messenger bag, then she saw her dragon flying through the air, her claws on display.
Kayda, angry, latched onto the troll face and yowled, clawed, and bit until the troll stumbled backwards. Andronikos screaming out in pain, trying threw the dragon from him. Sure Kayda was still a young drake, but her claws and fangs were already sharp like blade of Excalibur.
It took a while, but Andronikos threw dragon off his body. Kayda landed on the floor with hiss.
Andronikos squinted, his gaze flicking briefly to Luz before going back to Kayda.
"You'll regr-" The dragon growled as she burst of flame ball from her mouth, flying a short distance from the creature and hit Andronikos.
The troll is literally made of stone so nothing burned but his clothes. Still he needed a moment... to believe that he had been actually scratched and torched. So this time he really wanted to hurt Kayda and Luz. He made a step toward them.
But... one single cell in his brain told him to let it go.
Andronikos said something that sound like a swear word, stood for a moment, then fast walked in the direction of his office.
Kayda chirped pleased with the effect of her action. She scratch the floor. After this, she decided that she was content with this and returned back to her 'mommy' to rubbed her head against Luz's leg.
Luz carefully picked up the dragon to hold Kayda at eye level and make sure she looking her in the eye. "I know you were protecting me. But you can't set people's clothes on fire or throwing yourself at a others like that."
Kayda seemed to smile at her owner's words, leaning over and licking Luz's cheek happily as a dragon wagged her tail in excitement.
"Okay, we'll pick it up later. Now hurry up before Nova makes us doing laps." Luz smiled when Kayda jumped back to her messenger bag.
Raising a baby dragon maybe is kind of difficult but also nice and a bit fun. And she is happy that Kayda is her dragon.
Author Note: As usual, please leave a review, autor live off them (LOL).
Luz's dragon name is Kayda(not to be confused with Katya). Name suggested by TheFranninator.
And if there's anyone who doesn't know what 'drake' is, well some books call a baby dragon drake. Don't confuse with the 'Drake' Canadian rapper.
In case you are wondering about Luz's lullaby, it is 'Little Blue Dragon' From the Album Little Blue Dragon Lullaby, the best songs to put a baby to sleep.
