Star yawned as she strode out of her sea-side cave. She hissed as she stretched forward, before shaking out her furry mane. She took wing and flew to Fire-Hair, it was almost time for the loud ring to echo.

Star's mind drifted off as she flew the short distance to the castle of Clarines. It had been roughly three years since she had met Fire-Hair. In that time she had come to know Snow-Hair, his friends and family, including the one that had tracked Fire-Hair that one time. Star took to calling that one 'Troubling.'

Then Coal had come and after a first territorial hissing match, the two had settled their differences quite smoothly. Often times when the white sun was high in the dark sky, she and Coal took wing and, as Fire-Hair would call it, 'danced.' The sweet liquid Fire-Hair had given him had done wonders, he was now as excellent a flier as he was a builder.

She had to pause mid-flight and the purr in the back of her throat stopped with her, not to mention how her fur instinctually puffed up in a fluffy display most females did when they...

Star's eyes widened as she growled deeply in the back of her throat. Not in fifty lifetimes would she picture that happening. Not even if Fire-Hair, who insisted the pair did a beautiful performance when they 'danced,' approved of the two flying together.

Now that raised a new line of thought thankfully.

Star resumed her flight as she considered why Fire-Hair had not claimed Snow-Hair. Did she not smell his scent when he looked at her? Perhaps she missed his obvious attempts to try to court her? Or was it perchance she didn't hear his heartbeat quicken like that of a trapped prey in her claws?

Star huffed and lazily flipped on her back as she continued to coast through the faint morning light. Humans were such complicated creatures.

She growled and righted her flight when she felt her fur tingle, and stand on end like a bottle brush. Gnashing her teeth together, she flew through a particularly dense cloud and emerged into a rumbling thunder-storm. There was only one place to go now where she could dry out in relative comfort.

Coal had just stoked up a hearty blaze and was drinking more of the sweet Honey-water Healer had made from the weed she now grew in her glass house. A boom of thunder from outside had his spines rattling out of reflex, he turned and moved to shut the entrance away as the winds grew violent and began to blow wind and rain into his abode. Then Star was there and barreling over him.

He got up and shook himself as he clacked his spines in a mixture of aggravation and a half-hearted attempt to shake the cold water off his scales.

Grunting softly, he sealed them inside the cozy dwelling, as the thunder-storm raged on outside.

Turning he found Star curled up on a pile of smooth river stones he had fished out a month into his stay here in Clarines. He had been given work by Ice-Hair's older sibling, Blizzard-One, to help repair old crumbling structures around the kingdom. The people all knew of the dragons, but regularly interacting with one was an entirely different experience for them to adjust to.

Still he built and built, until one day not too long ago. Coal, to his surprise, could feel a gentle tug on one of his spines. Turning his neck, he found several of the younger ones playing along his back. The tug had been when one had slipped and reached out to grab something to steady themselves. At first the adults didn't know what to say to their children running up and down Coal's back, especially after he had already spent much of his day working on buildings for them. But a quick intervention from Healer, and her stating for Coal that he didn't mind or notice the young one's play, saved them from being scolded for bothering the dragon.

Not long after that his mending projects ended, but still Coal often visited the younglings. After all as Blizzard-One had said, buildings would crumble away if they were left unattended. Many a parent would find a happily content dragon all settled in the grass and dozing in the sun as their children played along his back.

Even Blizzard-One for some strange reason had taken to visiting and talking with Coal at length, but not in the traditional sense. Their talking involved playing War Games with miniature figures that Coal was able to manufacture. Blizzard-One admitted to Coal privately that he enjoyed this version of playing out the conflict, not only because it didn't involve sending out actual knights to fight and die, but because he also had rediscovered his competitive spirit he hadn't had since he was a child.

Coal also agreed with Blizzard-One, together the duo had written a booklet of instructions and Coal would always give a new field of 'battle,' in their pit each time he visited.

But Star's visits were more intrusive and usually ended with him in some form of discomfort. He huffed and moved over to his bed of river stones, nosing her side gently, she shifted over and let him settle beside her. This was common for them, when she came to visit they sat by the fire and warmed their chilled scales from the flight, before they discussed what ever it was she came to discuss with him.

He reached up with his other arms and grabbed the bowl of hot Honey-water and set it between them as he settled around her, to share his warmth with her... To share the fire with her, he corrected himself. Certainly not snuggle their body's closer together. No. Certainly not. No, indeed.

Both dragons were unaware that the brunt of the thunders had past and the residents of the nearby castle had just surfaced to inspect the grounds around them, as well as to check on the largest resident and his dwelling.

Shirayuki and Zen had just walked up to the hatch of Coal's hut when Kiki raised her hand to stop them from going any further. Curious, the small group of Zen, Shirayuki, Mitsuhide, and Obi walked over to an open window that Coal had added when he had felt a bout of creativity and had spruced up his hut. It still looked the part of a traditional temple, with the exceptions of a hatch, a large bay window on one side, and other odds and ends he had thrown in due to his boredom.

The four's curiosity piqued even more when Kiki raised a finger to her lips, which curved up in a soft smile.

When Shirayuki looked in, she felt her own face curve up into a smile and warmth flow all over to her toes.

Star sat on Coal's bed of river stones in front of the hearth, while the main occupant laid behind her as a giant cushion, while their tails were innocently twined together just off to the side. She covered her mouth to muffle her giggling at seeing the bowl of what Coal called 'Honey-water,' between them. Occasionally one would lift their head take a swallow or a sip while the other grunted and chittered in their native tongue.

They didn't know what they were discussing, and Shirayuki couldn't hear them through the glass. The way Star's charm worked, she had to share the same room as the one speaking in order for the magics contained within to work. But the subtle affection between the two giants was glaringly obvious to the five humans and, if they were guessing correctly, painfully oblivious to the two reptiles.

Zen tapped Shirayuki's shoulder and motioned for them all to head back to the castle. Obi was the one struggling the most to keep his snickers down as they stole away to a more private room in the castle, to discuss how to help the two titan's realize they loved each other.

Star purred in agreement as Coal swallowed the last of the Honey-water before he settled down to sleep. He chuffed his worries that the two humans wouldn't understand and that their best approach was to first see, then go ahead forward. He yawned and closed his eyes, as he let his muscles slacken and ease, thanks in part to the sweet Honey-water from Healer. His soft snores soon filled the hut's main room, while Star stared into the fire and thought more about what Coal had said.

Nodding to herself at the soundness of the plan she turned as he snorted sharply in his sleep and tightened his tail...

Star's fur puffed again as she jerked her head back and saw the protective way his tail coiled round hers. She wanted to pull it away. She really, really, really wanted to.

Then she found herself settling down beside his face as the fire crackled to embers.

She softly bumped her nose against his cheek before settling to doze away herself to the softening pitter patter of the rains from outside.