Hello, everybody! Chapter 3 is here. I gotta keep this note brief, since I somehow managed to sleep through two alarms and have to be at work in like ten minutes. My dragon recommendation of the week is "The Summer Dragon" by Todd Lockwood. It's a newer book, but it's freaking amazing. Lockwood has done art for the "Dungeons and Dragons" books in the past, and his art is on the cover and on several pages within. Give it a read. It was actually that book that spurred me to start writing a dragon AU. Enjoy!

"Easy, York. Deep breaths," Ruby murmured soothingly as she stood in the rejected fire dragon's stall. She dipped a gloved hand into a jar of smelly ointment and reached toward the creature's left eye.

York snorted loudly, backing away as the scent of the ointment hit him. He wrinkled his snout and tossed his head. "Mell!"

"I know it smells," Ruby said. "But, you need it. You don't want an infection, do you?" She kissed York's brass-colored nose. "I have a nice apple for you if you let me do this."

York's ears flicked and he tilted his head at the mention of food.

Taking the opportunity, Ruby moved in again and rubbed the ointment onto the dragon's bad eye. Holding his head still, she put a new cloth bandage over it and stepped back. "See? That wasn't so bad."

York huffed loudly in disagreement, ears drooping. He stared at Ruby with what had to be the dragon equivalent of a pout. "Food?" he asked pathetically.

Ruby giggled. "You're so dramatic." Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew an apple and fed it to him.

The smell of roasting fruit filled the stall as York took the apple in his mouth, blew a puff of fire, and then swallowed it whole. Of course, the aroma caused the other dragons to rumble and call out for snacks as well.

"See what you started?' Ruby rolled her eyes, patting York's neck before going to Caboose's stall. "Hey, Caboose," she called.

The blue-gray sire was staring very intently at one of the walls of his stall. He blinked two whole times before responding to Ruby's voice, warbling happily when he saw her.

Ruby placed an apple in his feeding bin and gave him a few scratches under his chin. Since he was a sire and not an enhanced elemental dragon, he couldn't speak. He just looked vacantly at her, enjoying the attention.

Both Tex and Church were asleep, Tex still tired from laying her latest clutch, Church exhausted from staying up to make sure his mate was okay.

After making sure the dragons had full troughs of water, Ruby rushed to the front of the stable, where Tempest was waiting. "Hey, girl. Ready for some exercise?"

Tempest tossed her head. "Rrroo! Rrride!"

Ruby grinned. Of course, the dragon had noticed that she was in her riding gear: leather chaps, thick gloves, and sturdy goggles. "Yeah, girl. It's time for a ride. Let me just get your tack."

Next to the stable was a small, metal-plated shed that held Quake and Tempest's saddles, bridles, and other equipment, as well as cleaning and medicinal supplies. Ruby put York's eye ointment away and checked over Tempest's tack to make sure it was still in top condition. Since she polished it every evening, this was more of a formality, but Taiyang had always been very strict about certain things when teaching his daughters about dragon care.

The main lesson was: "It's better to be cautious now than dead later."

Back in the stable, Ruby placed the saddle on the part of Tempest's long neck that joined with her shoulders. Riders always sat in that spot, as it made it easier to fight and see. Learning to not squeeze the creature's neck with their knees was one of the first lessons, taught long before a trainee was ever placed in the saddle. It had taken a long time for Yang and Ruby to master the skill to Taiyang's satisfaction.

Tightening the straps that went behind Tempest's forelegs, Ruby then went to the head and held out the bit for the dragon to see. Tempest, used to being ridden, opened her mouth readily. Ruby knew that, when she got her own dragon, the process of training it to accept a bit would be a long, strenuous one.

Once all the tack was on to her satisfaction, Ruby led an eager Tempest out the large front doors. The morning sun fell in golden waves, reflecting off of the dew and making the wind dragon's light green scales look like pieces of overlapping jade.

Tempest was trotting at Ruby's side, nearly prancing in her eagerness to fly. "Rrroo! Rrride!"

Ruby laughed at the dragon's enthusiasm. "Okay, Tempest. You need to hold still." She glanced toward the extra barn, wanting to ask Yang to join her. Nah, she thought to herself. She should have some more rest. She'll be sitting vigil with Quake until her egg is ready, after all.

With that decided, she took the dragon to the long, grass runway that was used for takeoff, grabbed the thick leg straps and used them to climb to the saddle. Planting her feet firmly in the stirrups, she patted Tempest's neck. "Tempest, fly."

Tempest snorted, immediately bounding through the grass. Dewdrops flew around her, glistening like jewels as they dampened her long legs. Extending her wings, she leaped into the air and caught the wind beneath them.

Ruby felt herself being rocked back and forth by the dragon's loping gait. This was always the bumpiest part of riding. If one could learn to stay on during takeoff, everything else was said to be easy.

For Ruby, it was also one of the most exciting parts. Feeling the first gusts of wind in her face before she had to put the goggles on, hearing the wings unfurl behind her, and sensing the dragon's excitement were all part of the overall experience.

Then, they were in the air, pushing any other thoughts into the realm of unimportance.

The cold air beat against Ruby's thick jacket as she let Tempest take their familiar route over the forest. She barely needed to use the reins. She had been riding her mother's wind dragon since she was young, and at this point, it felt as if the dragon could almost read her thoughts.

She looked down at the treetops, which shined gold in early sun. There was no sign of Grimm, which didn't surprise her. There weren't any so close to the house. Quake and Tempest's presence made sure of that.

As she rode, she thought about Yang, and how lonely the following year would be with her gone. Of course, she was proud that her sister had been accepted into Beacon Dragonry, and knew that she would follow in her footsteps eventually. Still, Ruby didn't have many people she could hang out with. Besides Yang, the only friends she had were four-legged and scaly. She wasn't complaining, of course, but she wondered what the next year would bring, and then the next.

After that, she'd get her own egg. What would her dragon be like? Would she be as close to it as she was to Tempest? Closer? And would Tempest be okay when she left?

The cold air on her face reminded her to remain alert. Shaking herself, she focused on the pale blue sky above her and the dragon beneath her. Worries of the future could always come later.

…..

The silence in the small room was as thick as frost. Weiss stared intently at the single incubator in the white-walled room. The egg within was perfect: not too round, not too thin, not too big, and not too small. It had been carefully examined for any fractures, bumps, or strange markings. Of course, she expected nothing else. This egg had come from the brood dam Number 7 and the sire Number 12. Both had excellent records with producing strong, healthy dragonets.

Jacques Schnee was crouched down, withdrawing a long syringe with a thick canister from a sterile case. Nearby sat a container of silvery-blue ice Dust.

Normally, a highly-trained representative would handle this process, but Schnee always insisted on injecting the family's ice dragons personally. His father had been the same way, back when the breed had first been perfected.

"Pay attention, Weiss," he murmured, measuring the Dust and carefully pouring it into the canister. "You will be doing this for your children someday."

"Yes, sir," Weiss said, forcing herself to watch her father instead of the gorgeous egg. My dragon is in there, she thought. My dragon!

Sealing the canister, Jacques approached the egg, placing one gloved hand on the side. He closed his eyes, lightly tapping the shell and listening intently. Finally, he found what he was looking for: a slightly hollow sound. When injecting an egg with Dust, one always looked for the hollow, empty space within the egg. Otherwise, there was a risk of piercing the embryo and deforming or killing the dragon with the needle.

Jacques touched the needle tip to the shell, tapped once again to be sure, and slowly plunged it forward, not stopping until the shell was nearly touching the canister. He pressed the button at the end of the device, and a hissing sound signaled the movement of the Dust.

Weiss watched silently. She had seen the Dust injection process several times, of course, but it always fascinated her. The fact that the needle could go in and out without harming the egg or cracking the shell amazed her. Also, the concept that a creature could be changed so drastically and so beautifully with a simple pre-birth injection was simply astounding. It was moments like these that made her truly proud to come from the Schnee family.

"There," Jacques murmured as he finished, carefully withdrawing the needle. He took a small piece of sterile tape and put it over the puncture. Since the egg was still young, the shell would heal in a few days. "Once it has matured, you will both be transferred to Beacon. I trust that you have figured out exactly what to pack."

"Of course, Father," Weiss replied promptly. She had been packing, unpacking, and re-packing for months now.

"Good." Jacques nodded. "You and that dragon will be representing the Schnee family. I know that you will train it well and set a good example to those around you."

"I will." Weiss had heard this speech countless times. She was well practiced at responding quickly and hiding her annoyance at the constant reminders.

Satisfied, her father turned to pack up his equipment. "That will be all, Weiss."

"Thank you, Father," Weiss said, her shoulders slumping a bit. She had hoped that, now at least, she would be given some words of encouragement or congratulations from her father. It looked like that would not be the case.

When she stepped outside, she paused to look at Glacier, who was tethered to a nearby standing post. The large dragon's head was bowed and his blue eyes were fixed on the ground. One of his delicate head fins flicked when Weiss stepped outside, but he didn't move otherwise.

Weiss hesitated before walking over. Even though her father had warned her that Glacier was too temperamental for anyone but him to touch, she had successfully pet the dragon on multiple occasions (when no one was looking). Still feeling a little starved of affection, she found that she desperately wanted a comforting touch, even if it was the dragon's frosty scales.

She stood close to his foreleg and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder. A large, deep blue eye regarded her. It blinked once. Glacier let out a long breath that sounded like a sigh, then turned away.

Feeling eyes on her, Weiss abruptly turned around to see one of the Faunus stable hands looking in her direction. He was an older man with tattered slacks and fox ears. Of course, he immediately lowered his gaze when she noticed. She thought she caught a hint of a smile on his face as he walked away.

She let out a sigh of relief. None of the Faunus would report her. They never dared to approach her father.

Glancing over her shoulder at Glacier, she found herself frowning at the dragon's turned head. For some reason, that quick, forbidden touch had left her feeling more bereft than before.

…

Blake's head bumped repeatedly against the wall of the train car she was sitting in, forcing her to remain alert and guaranteeing that she wouldn't fall asleep. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her satchel, as if subconsciously worried that Adam would appear to snatch it away. Holding it close, it was easy to feel the occasional tap-tapping against the shell.

Please don't hatch early, she silently begged. Please don't hatch early.

If the egg hatched, quietly leaving it at Beacon and disappearing into the night would be out of the question. The hatchling inside would need to bond with someone, since all Dust-injected dragons were made to do so. And, since Blake was the only one around, it would have to bond with her, and her plans of going on the run would come to an abrupt end.

Romantic as the idea was, going into hiding with an infant dragon was next to impossible. Baby dragons needed care, and that required resources (more as the creature grew). With this egg especially, it was completely out of the question. There was no telling what the dragon inside would be, or even if it would survive.

Another frantic tapping rapped against the shell. Blake hugged it closer, humming softly to it, hoping that would somehow help.

You have earth Dust in you. I can tell that much, she thought, looking at the dark green color of the shell. Earth eggs generally were a dark, earthy shade of green, brown, or gray. Wind eggs were usually pale green, yellow, silver, or white. Fire eggs were various shades of red, gold, and orange. Water eggs were always some shade of blue. But, what else do you have?

Elemental dragons were created when a single type of Dust was injected into an egg. According to the law, only one Dust type could be used. Any more could cause the dragon to be unstable, even dangerous. A few years ago, there had been a massive purge of experimental dragon eggs and hatchlings, which eventually led to the Schnee Dust Company gaining exclusive rights over the production of such dragons.

Only five elemental dragons legally existed: fire, earth, water, wind, and ice. The Schnee Dust Company was supposedly experimenting with ways to safely create dragons with lightning and gravity Dust.

Adam, as Blake had found out, was experimenting with every Dust type he could find, regardless of safety. She remembered watching several poor, misshapen hatchlings die at her feet minutes after hatching.

"The White Fang needs an edge," he had explained when she confronted him about it. "We have to make some sacrifices. Regular dragons aren't good enough anymore." He had said this in plain earshot of his mighty fire dragon, Brand.

When Blake pressed the issue, Adam had struck her. It wasn't the first time, but it had definitely been the last. Blake still remembered that moment when Brand started to walk toward her, concern in his golden eyes, only for Adam to smack his nose with his riding crop and send him fleeing back to his stall. That moment, more than anything, had been what solidified her decision. Blake wished that there had been some way to take the poor beast with her when she fled.

For years, Adam had promised Blake her own dragon, but had always found reasons to postpone it. "You're not quite ready." "We weren't able to get one good enough." "Wait for the experimental eggs to be perfected. Then, you'll have one of the strongest beasts here."

So many things became clear during that last encounter with Adam, and Blake was still mentally hitting herself for not seeing it sooner. He hadn't given her an egg because that would have meant giving her power. With a dragon, she would have an ally for life, something that would always be on her side. And, when the dragon grew, she'd have a means of leaving Adam and the White Fang permanently.

The egg shook again, more violently than the last time, and Blake groaned. Please, don't do this to me! she thought, though she had a strong feeling that the stubborn dragonet within wasn't going to heed her prayers, no matter how desperate. She looked out the partly-open door, waiting for an opportunity to jump from the train. If this was going to happen, it would at least happen in a setting where both she and the beast could sit still.

…..

Yang was abruptly awoken when Quake stood up. She yelped, falling backward as her shoulder pillow was suddenly taken away. She blinked dumbly for a minute, and it took a second to recognize the sound of her father's laughter.

"Honestly, when will you and your sister ever learn? Sleep with a dragon is never restful." Taiyang walked over, helping his daughter up.

"I slept just fine," Yang muttered, rubbing her eyes. "If you had waited an hour before coming in, I would've woken up on my own."

"Well, you know how I get during brooding season," Taiyang said, shrugging his shoulders. "So, how are they looking?"

Yang stretched her arms. "They looked fine when I went to bed." She followed her dad over to the large incubator. Just like last night, the eggs were sitting there, smooth and shining. "Still not sure which one I want, though."

"You have a few days before you need to know for sure," Taiyang assured her. "This is an important decision, so it's good that you're thinking so hard about it." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I want you choosing the best egg out of the bunch. Don't worry about my profits this year. I'll be fine."

Yang grinned sheepishly. "Quit reading my mind." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I've decided I want a fire dragon."

Taiyang nodded slowly, not looking surprised at all. "I think that would be a good fit for you. I've seen how well you get along with York."

Yang let out a silent breath of relief. She had been worried about her dad's reaction. She didn't want to bring up more painful memories of her mother than she had to. "I guess we'll need to expand the stable."

"Actually, I was thinking about repurposing the egg barn," Taiyang said. "The incubators can fit easily on one side, and it would be easy to add a bit of extra space. Besides, having another dragon shoved into that stable might stress out the others."

"Well, there's more stone in this building than the other one," Yang noted. "Probably better when dealing with fire, huh?"

Taiyang chuckled. "Exactly." He looked at the eggs for another moment before placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I know I probably said this before, but I'm very proud of you. Being a Dragon Rider isn't easy, but I know you'll be able to handle it." He paused before adding: "I'm sure your mother would also be proud."

Yang smiled. "Thanks, Dad." She wasn't sure whether he was referring to Summer or Raven, but supposed that it didn't really matter in the end.

Well, I'm off. If you want to see weekly Monday updates of this, along with other rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun. As always, praise Monty and peace out!