Greetings, my lovelies. We're back with more dragony goodness!

I've decided that, for my dragon recommendations, I'll expand into movies, TV shows, and games. So, my next title will be an animated film called "The Flight of Dragons," a Rankin/Bass movie. It takes place in a time when mankind is just starting to lose faith in magic, and it is decided that a last realm of magic should be created for the dragons and other magical beasts that would otherwise perish in the evolving world. It has wizards, knights, elves, talking wolves, and, of course, dragons! It's a gem of a movie that, unfortunately, is not very well known. You should definitely check it out! I actually have one of the main dragons from that movie, Gorbash, as my Tumblr avatar.

Anyway, enjoy!

The next morning brought the first official day of classes for Beacon's newest Dragon Riders. There was a lot of grumbling and groaning, as several students had been kept up by their newborn partners throughout the night.

Jaune woke up early in the morning to a warm wetness in his sheets. He sat up, groaning when he saw that Twiggy was the cause. And that is why we're not supposed to bring them into the bed, he thought. Breathing a sigh, he picked Twiggy up and carried her out the door and into the shared dragon bathing area.

After running some water into one of the tubs, he placed his dragonet in. Twiggy, unaware that she had done anything wrong, immediately started splashing around in the warm water. When Jaune lathered her scales with soap, she squeaked happily.

Despite his tiredness, Jaune smiled at the sound. "It's okay, girl. We'll just have to get you used to your bed. No more sleeping in mine, okay?"

Twiggy dunked her head in the water, snorted when some of it went in her nose, and flapped her wings, splashing her partner in the face.

Jaune laughed. "You're definitely spirited today. Maybe you'll be able to play with the others after all."

He managed to strip the sheets from his bed by the time the others woke up. When they gave him a shared disapproving look, he sighed. "I know. I won't do it again. She was just really shaken last night."

Pyrrha walked over to Titan's divot. "We may not be allowed to bring them into our beds, but we can try letting Twiggy sleep with one of her siblings until she gets settled." She smiled when her fire dragon let out a yawn and blinked grumpily up at her. "Good morning," she murmured, scratching under his chin.

Ren looked at Ao Guang, who was kicking spastically at the sand in his bed as he dreamed. There was a ring of white around the divot. "He even makes a mess while asleep," Ren sighed.

Nora booped Freya's nose, prompting a polite chirp and a slow opening of the dragonet's green eyes. She giggled. "Why do I have the feeling that our dragons should've been switched?"

Jaune placed Twiggy in her divot and took his sheets and blankets down to the laundry room. As he turned a corner, he nearly ran into Ozpin. When the Dragonmaster raised a brow at him, he started to stammer an explanation. "Uh, sorry sir. My dragon was-"

Ozpin held up a hand. "You are not the first student to try bringing a dragon into your bed, nor will you be the last," he said calmly. "Just know that there is a difference between loving your dragon and spoiling her. You won't be doing her any favors if you continue down the latter path."

Jaune nodded sheepishly. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Ozpin nodded. "I'll have someone change the mattress in your room while you're in class today. Just don't let it happen again." Sipping his coffee, he walked off.

"Thank you, sir!" Jaune called after him. Huh. I wonder he ever let Ragnar sleep in his bed. He tried picturing the Dragonmaster as a kid and the gray earth dragon as a hatchling. It wasn't easy to imagine.

….

"Ready for breakfast, Storm?" Ruby cooed, holding up a piece of raw meat from their fridge. "Think you can handle some meat today?"

Storm sniffed at the scrap of meat, then eagerly snapped it up. Her tail thumped happily, upsetting some of the down feathers in her bed.

Yang, meanwhile, was sitting a foot away from Fang's bed. Her right hand was bleeding from a fresh bite, and she was using her left to toss bits of meat into the air. The fire dragon snatched each one before it could hit the ground, chewing loudly, then opened his mouth and barked demandingly for more.

"You are such a little shit," Yang growled as she tossed him another piece. There was a hint of affection in her voice, however. After seeing the similarities between Fang and Sun's bad-tempered fire dragon, she felt a little better about her chances. We'll figure this out, she thought. One day, you'll be chewing up Grimm instead of me.

Pit was happily eating a mix of fruit and meat from a small bowl that Blake had gotten him. Unlike the younger dragonets, he didn't need his partner to hand-feed him anymore. He occasionally glanced up, watching Blake as she put on her clothes. He wondered why she had started covering her second set of ears with cloth. Didn't that make it harder to hear things?

Weiss, meanwhile, was opening a bag of partially-frozen fruit and meat. She put some in her hand and held it out, smiling when Specter took each piece and chewed slowly. "You're so well-mannered," she muttered.

Maybe I was overreacting, after all, she thought. Maybe Glacier was just having a bad day when I left. Rusty could have been exaggerating when he said that ice dragons are naturally vicious. I mean, he's only ever cared for Glacier, right?

She wasn't sure how long Rusty had been a stable hand, after all. He might have never met Winter's dragon, Steele, or Willow's dragon, Snowflake. After all, Steele went with Winter when she left home years ago to join the Atlesian Flight Squad. And Snowflake…

Weiss shook herself, pushing the thought to the side. It was generally better to not think about Snowflake.

Ruby noticed Storm starting to scratch at her bed. Quickly, she picked the hatchling up and carried her over to the litter box. After Storm was finished, she got an extra treat. "It shouldn't take too long to train you," Ruby said cheerfully.

"Pit learned to understand the litter box pretty quickly," Blake said. "The others shouldn't have too much trouble."

Weiss looked at the clock, her eyes widening as she stood up. "When's our first class?"

"Nine. Why?"

"It's eight fifty-five!"

After a minute of scrambling, Yang cursing angrily at Fang as she wrestled him into the fireproof bag, and nearly tripping over the hatchlings' beds, Team RWBY rushed down the hallway to their first class.

….

Sage was just finishing clearing the hay in Zircon's bed and replacing it. The little dragonet had wet the bedding during the night. "It's okay. It happens," he muttered, patting the hatchling's head.

Zircon chirped meekly, nuzzling against Sage's large hand, enjoying how soft his scales felt after his morning bath. Still, he felt as if he had done something wrong. He hoped that wasn't the case. He didn't want the big creature to get angry and leave. The big one made him feel safe. Nothing else did.

Neptune picked up Nymph, stroking her under the chin. "Morning, girl. This is just a regular lesson, so I won't have to worry about swimming." He swallowed audibly. "Yet…"

"Nah, man. The elemental lessons start next week," Sun told him, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry. I'm sure she can drag you out of the lake if you fall in. You can't be that heavy."

"Not funny, Sun!" Neptune snapped, causing Nymph to jump a little.

Sun's expression sobered. "Sorry, dude. Just trying to lighten the mood." He patted his friend's shoulder. "Seriously though, I doubt she'd let anything bad happen to you in the water. She already loves you."

Neptune glanced at Sun's hand, then back at Nymph. "That's true." He hugged the little water dragon close. "I love her too. I just think she could've done better."

"Well, they say that being exposed to something you're afraid of is a good way to get over your fear," Scarlet pointed out. "By the end of the semester, you should be totally immune."

He noticed Nimbus pawing at his cape. "What's that, buddy? You wanna play?" He undid his cape and waved it in front of the hatchling's face.

Nimbus squeaked, jumping from his bed and landing on his face. He shook his head, his crossed eyes looking more googly than usual, then pounced forward.

Sun, meanwhile, was petting his growling fire dragon. "Good morning! How's my little badass today?"

CHOMP!

His eye twitched as he felt those fangs sink deep into his wrist. "Feeling frisky, huh? That's good. That's totally fine." He started flicking the dragon's nose. "Come on, pal. Let go." It was already looking like they'd have to pack extra medical supplies for class.

…

The first class of the day was held in a large, open-air classroom. The portly man with the mustache who had spoken to them before the hatching taught it. His name, fittingly, was Professor Peter Port. His fire dragon, an orange creature with a sprinkling of black over her back and snout, was named Pepper. She sat near one of the large windows, watching everything with knowing yellow eyes.

"One of the most important things a Rider can learn is how to communicate with their dragon," he explained. "Without communication, you are simply an unsure person controlling a giant beast who doesn't know what it's doing. Obviously, that is a very deadly combination."

He started pacing around the room. "It has been proven, of course, that the average wild dragon is very intelligent. Our elemental dragons are even more so, to the point where they can learn to speak after a few years." He paused by Ren's desk. "Your dragon is scratching the wood."

Ren pulled Ao Guang into his lap. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Anyway, a dragon is capable of understanding commands very quickly, as long as one is consistent when teaching them. That is what we will begin today. We will start with one-word orders. Over time, your dragon will begin to grasp our language to a point where you can give complex instructions that they will remember." Port stood in the center of the room. "Is anyone willing to volunteer?"

At that moment, Fang stuck his head out of his bag and sank his teeth into Yang's arm.

"Ow! You little-!"

"Miss Xiao Long, is it?" Port cut in briskly. "Please come forward."

Grumbling quietly, still trying to pry her dragonet's jaws open, Yang walked up to her professor. "Sorry," she muttered, her face bright red. "I'll try to calm him down."

Port chuckled. "That will take some time and several injuries, I'm afraid." He gave Fang a firm bop on the back of the head, causing him to open his jaws. The hatchling growled as Port cradled him. "This is a spirited one. Still, any dragon can be trained with patience and consistency."

"Was Pepper this difficult?" Yang wondered.

"I didn't have quite as many bites, but Pepper's main flaw was that she was so stubborn." Port looked fondly toward the fire dragon. "She refused to listen to me, even though I knew she understood me fully."

Pepper snorted loudly and bobbed her head. "Terrr! Gud!"

"Now, does this fellow have a name yet?"

"Fang," Yang replied with a slight grin.

Port laughed. "Fitting." He placed the dragonet on the ground. "Why don't you try giving him the forward command?"

Yang gave the professor a doubtful look, then knelt on the ground. "Fang, forward."

Fang was crouched in a defensive position, green eyes darting everywhere. He snarled at the sound of Yang's voice.

Yang thought back to what she had learned from her father. Sometimes, tapping the ground was a good way to signal where you wanted a dragon to go. "Fang, forward," she repeated, tapping the ground in front of her.

Fang blinked at the tapping noise, but didn't move. His tail lashed back and forth.

Why isn't this working? Even the newborn brood hatchlings could understand this. She tapped the ground again. "Forward!"

Fang curled up and yawned.

Yang was aware of several eyes on her. Her own eyes flashed red, and she slammed her hand on the ground. "Fang, forward!"

Fang jumped at the sudden noise and lunged toward Yang's hand. He snapped at her wrist, only to be stopped when Port picked him up.

Port stroked the dragonet's back, shaking his head. "Well, you got him to come, but it was due to him wanting to attack you." He handed Fang back. "When training a dragon, you need to be patient. This is especially so with a fire dragon. If both parties are too hotheaded, there will only be trouble."

Yang accepted her dragon, staring shamefully at the ground. "Y-Yes, sir," she mumbled as she returned to her seat.

Ruby touched Yang's shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile.

Port, meanwhile, turned to the rest of the class. "Now, then. Let's see how everyone else does. Spread out and try teaching your hatchling to move forward."

There was some shuffling and muttering as people tried to find a spot in the large space in front of the desks. Then, there was a cacophony of commands and confused dragon voices.

"Come on, Nimbus. Forward," Scarlet encouraged.

Nimbus just tilted his head and blinked, trying to focus on his partner. He spun in a circle, then sat down.

Ren was having trouble getting Ao Guang to sit still long enough for him to step away. Every time he placed the water dragon on the ground, Guang would squeak and jump up to lick his face. "Maybe 'stay' would be a better first command," he muttered.

Weiss was relieved when Specter let her place him on the ground and step away. She knelt in front of him. "Specter, forward."

Specter pawed at the ground, watching Weiss inquisitively.

Jaune, meanwhile, was trying to find a mostly secluded area for Twiggy, who had started trembling in response to the large number of bigger dragons. "Okay, girl. Let's give this a try." He placed her down, holding up a hand when she tried to run back into his arms. "I'm just taking a few steps back."

He moved back and knelt on the ground, keeping his gaze locked on the silver eyes of his dragon. "Okay, Twiggy. Forward."

Twiggy bounded toward him, leaping happily into his arms.

"Good girl!" Jaune praised, though he couldn't help but wonder whether Twiggy had been responding to his command, or had just wanted to be in his arms again. Hm. Maybe I can get her to stay put for a few minutes, then call her forward.

He placed her down again and backed away. She started to run toward him, but he held up a hand. "Stay."

Twiggy squeaked, trying to dart around Jaune's hand, but he kept pushing her back. She barked in confusion, sitting down.

"Stay," Jaune said again, then slowly lowered his hand. Twiggy's front paws shuffled, but she didn't move. After a minute, Jaune tapped the ground. "Forward."

Immediately, Twiggy rushed over and hopped into his lap.

"Good girl!" Jaune kissed her snout. "Who's my smart girl?"

Twiggy wriggled excitedly in his arms, licking his face.

Jaune laughed. "Okay. Let's try putting you a little further away." He took a few steps forward and placed Twiggy down, holding up his hand. "Stay." He walked away, then turned around, kneeling. "Stay," he repeated, smiling when the hatchling didn't move. He tapped the ground. "Forward."

Twiggy took a step forward. Then, something large barreled over to her, knocking her to the side.

Cardin's brown earth dragon was standing over Twiggy, green eyes narrowed, mouth wide open. Just as Jaune ran over and picked up his partner, a blur of orange shot by his feet, nearly causing him to trip. In an instant, Titan was clawing angrily at the larger earth dragon, barking and hissing.

Pyrrha quickly approached and picked up Titan, who snarled and snapped at her face. "Stop that!" she said firmly. "Twiggy's okay now. Calm down." Under her breath, she added: "If you wanted to bite Cardin, however, I certainly wouldn't stop you.."

Jaune heard, and flashed her a tiny smile before glaring at Cardin. "Think you could control your dragon a little better?"

Cardin huffed. "Think you can teach that lizard to fight for itself?"

"I think someone's jealous that Jaune's dragon is so much smarter than his," Nora chirped, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Why, you little-!" Cardin moved toward Nora, nearly stepping on his dragon in the process and prompting a warning snarl from Freya.

At that moment, a hand grasped his shoulder. "Mister Winchester, take your dragon and go out into the hall. We'll talk after class," Port said firmly.

Cardin picked up his dragon, holding it in one arm as he stomped toward the door. He shot Jaune a menacing glare over his shoulder as he went.

Jaune flinched when the door closed. "Why do I have the feeling that he's gonna hold a grudge?" he muttered.

Port cleared his throat. "Everyone, get back to work." He gave Jaune an appraising look. "And Miss Valkyrie wasn't wrong. Your dragon shows some promise. Make sure to keep at it."

Jaune nodded, stroking Twiggy's back as she continued to shake. "I'll try, sir."

Unfortunately, Twiggy was very determined to remain on her partner's hoodie, and no amount of coaxing could get her to move. Eventually, he sat down in the corner, petting her gently. He was joined by Sage.

Jaune nodded in greeting. "Hey. Your dragon had enough?"

Sage grimaced. "He hasn't even started." There was a lump under the left side of his open shirt, where Zircon was curled up beneath one of the wing tattoos. He smiled kindly at Jaune. "I'm Sage, by the way, and this is Zircon. We were watching when your little one hatched. I think it's admirable that you're willing to give her a chance."

Jaune hugged Twiggy. "Thanks. I already worry so much about her, though. I know she needs to get used to other dragons, but she keeps getting attacked by bullies like Cardin and his team. I had to take her out of the pen yesterday, because their dragons were ganging up on her."

"That's awful." Sage looked at Zircon. "Would she like to meet Zircon? He'd probably be more scared of her than she'd be of him."

"Okay." Jaune scooted over to get a look at Zircon's striped form. "Skittish little guy, huh?" He gently pried Twiggy's claws from his hoodie. "Hey, Twiggy. Want to meet a new friend?"

Twiggy whimpered, looking hesitantly in Zircon's direction.

Zircon yelped when Sage pulled him out from under his shirt. He tilted his head when he saw Twiggy, letting out a quieter squeak.

Slowly, the two earth dragons moved closer and sniffed at each other's snouts. Zircon's wings stopped shaking and Twiggy's tail wagged.

Both Jaune and Sage let out audible sighs of relief as their dragons got acquainted. Both were thinking similar thoughts: Maybe there's hope for this little earth dragon after all.

By the time class ended, Zircon and Twiggy had started gently playing with each other, and even allowed their partners to try the forward command a few times. Jaune joined his team as they went into the hallway, feeling totally elated.

He almost didn't notice Cardin's threatening glare or the low growl of the brown earth dragon as he walked by.

I really enjoy creating parallel situations with some of the characters using their dragons, such as having Titan be super protective of Twiggy, Fang's aggression, and having Twiggy be physically weak, but much smarter than the other dragonets. I also love how this fic is allowing me to have characters that haven't even talked to each other in the show interact in this setting. You'll see more of that later.

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!