Happy Dragon Tuesday, everyone! This chapter focuses on more human bonding, and a bit of worldbuilding.
Today's dragon recommendation is a short film I saw as a kid called "Merlin and the Dragons." It's an animated work written by Jane Yolen and based on Arthurian legend. Fun fact: The story got one key point wrong. In the original tale of the dragons, the red one, representing the Welsh and Uther Pendragon, kills the white one, which represents the Saxons and Vortigern. In the movie, the roles are reversed. I'm not sure why.
Another fun fact: The white dragon is sometimes called Gwiber, which is Welsh for viper or adder. The red one is called Y Ddraig Goch, which literally translates to "the red dragon" and is also the emblem of the flag of Wales.
Anyway, enjoy!
"So, are you sure you guys will be okay?" Ruby asked for what was probably the hundredth time.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ruby, it's only going to be a few hours. We'll be fine. It's not like you're leaving Storm with a bunch of strangers."
"I know, but…"
Blake walked over and patted Ruby's shoulder. "I know how you feel. When I first got here, Ozpin made me go off on my own and leave Pit with him for a few hours every week. I got nervous, but Pit was always fine by the time I got back. You can trust us."
"I trust you!" Ruby quickly assured her. "I just don't want Storm to miss me too much."
"I doubt Fang will miss me at all," Yang muttered, glancing up from her notes to look at the little fire dragon, who was dozing in his divot, snoring loudly. She glanced at her Scroll, which read two o'clock. Sun had texted asking to meet her in the courtyard at five.
"Yes, he will. You stop that!" Ruby gently punched Yang's arm. "He's gonna be totally jealous that his partner's gonna be off on a date."
Yang lightly shoved Ruby away (which meant causing her to crash into the next bed). "It's not a date. We're just de-stressing from all the fire dragon crap we've been putting up with."
"Yeah, okay," Ruby giggled. Her Scroll buzzed. "Oh, I gotta go." She walked over to Storm's divot. "Okay, Storm. You be good for Weiss and Blake. I promise I'll be back, and I'll bring you a treat. How's that sound?"
Storm purred, her tail thumping as Ruby scratched under her chin.
Ruby stood, sensing her dragon's eyes on her as she walked toward the door. She needs to get used to being separated from you. Just keep going. Once she was on the other side of the door, she hurried down the hallway, rounding a corner just as Storm's first confused bark reached her ears.
That sound alone was almost enough to make her turn back, but she forced herself to keep going. When she got to the courtyard, Nora and Scarlet were already waiting.
"Hey, Ruby!" Nora paused, frowning when she saw Ruby's face. "You okay?"
"Yeah…" Ruby sighed. "Storm tried calling to me when I left. I feel terrible."
"You shouldn't," Scarlet said. "Remember, it's something they need to learn. Your teammates will take good care of her."
"I know." Ruby glanced over her shoulder one more time before forcing a smile. "Okay, Scarlet. Lead the way!"
Scarlet turned on his Scroll. "If this map is right, it should be near that one coffee shop…"
After going down several streets and nearly getting lost a few times, they finally ended up in front of a gigantic store with a huge, adult dragon-sized statue behind each of the two towering windows. The one on the left sported a gold-plated halter, chain cuffs with jewels, and several tail rings. The one on the right had a rainbow saddle blanket and a bridal that had several tassels hanging from it. There were smaller dragon statues bearing accessories, and even human mannequins wearing clothes that matched the larger dragon statues. At the top of the building was a sign saying: "The Vale Boutique: Caters to the fashion-conscious Rider AND Dragon." Beneath was a smaller sign saying: "Please land dragons in the field behind the store."
"It's good that they have a spot for the dragons," Ruby remarked. "A lot of stores just make you order stuff and hope it fits once it ships."
"Yeah. Here, your dragon can actually try stuff on." Nora looked at the windows and giggled. "Okay, I definitely have to get something for Freya."
"Make sure it's not too expensive," Scarlet reminded her. "Remember, hatchlings grow quickly."
It was true. Even though it had only been two weeks, the hatchlings were definitely larger and bulkier than before. They could still be carried, but that wouldn't be so in about a month, when they'd be the size of large dogs. By November, they'd be the size of horses and would have to be moved to the juvenile barns that were in the fields near the freshman dorms. Finally, at the end of the semester, the dragonets would be settled in their permanent stalls in the elemental barns.
"Eh. When Freya outgrows it, we can pass it on to Twiggy. She's still tiny," Nora remarked.
"She's grown a little," Ruby said. "She's about the size the others were when they hatched."
They opened the door and were immediately greeted by the scent of heavily-conditioned air only partially disguising the musk of several dragons. A bunch of people were walking around the shop. Some were alone, some were carrying small hatchlings in their arms, and some were walking larger hatchlings on leashes. None of the dragons looked like elementals, except for one small one, which was being held by another Beacon student.
"Wow!" Ruby immediately gravitated toward a display of dragon treats. "Guys, look! They look like actual cookies and cakes!"
The shelves stretched toward the ceiling, bearing boxes of soft cookies in the shape of stars and frosted with red, yellow, blue, and green frosting. There were larger cupcakes in colors and flavors ranging from green apple to red beef with pink, strawberry-flavored frosting. There were tiny, brightly-colored candies that were made to fit into reinforced rubber toys. Toward the bottom of the shelves were giant cakes, obviously meant for adult dragons, that had swirling designs and personalized messages like "Happy Hatch-day!"
Nora found a table covered in collars of various sizes. Some were small enough even for Twiggy, while others could have circled two or three people. She picked up a small pink one with a pattern of white gems, looked at the price tag, and quickly put it back down again.
Scarlet was ogling some dragon clothes, including a tiny pair of goggles that he thought would look perfect on his googly-eyed little dragonet. There was also a black scarf with flame prints on the end, which would be perfect for Huo, if the material was fireproof.
Eventually, the three gravitated toward the back of the shop, where the more practical items were kept, such as bridals, saddle oil, goggles for riders, and organic dragon food. There were several baubles that could be put on bridals and saddles, of course, and these were mixed in with the oils and bits.
"What are these even for?" Ruby wondered.
"Dragon showing events, mostly," Scarlet replied. "You know the annual Remnant Dragon Festival?"
"Of course I do," Ruby replied. She religiously watched it on TV each year. Last year, when it had been in Vale, her dad had taken her and Yang. It had been the biggest event she could remember. There had been so many people, stands, and, of course, dragons.
"I usually stick with watching the flight contests and team events." She had always imagined what it would be like when she and her dragon were up in the air, showing that they were the best team in all of Remnant.
"Well, there are also showing events, beauty contests, and even costume contests," Scarlet explained. "Some are for brood dragons, while others are for elementals. Riders whose dragons are too young for most of the contests, often enter the juvenile beauty contests." He pointed toward some of the accessories. "These are often used for costume contests or parades."
Nora thought for a moment. "Hm. Where's the next one being held?"
"Mistral," Scarlet replied promptly. "That's where I'm from." He sighed. "It's a pity that I won't be there for it. It's during the beginning of the next semester, so we'll be busy at Beacon."
"Don't Riders from other schools go to the Festival?" Ruby asked.
"Sophomores and older, people who can actually ride their dragons," Scarlet said. "The only freshmen you'll see are natives of whatever country the Festival is being held in."
"In that case," Ruby declared. "We'll have to work really hard so we're picked to go next time!"
They headed for the front of the store, and Ruby immediately noticed something odd: A haughty-looking woman with platinum-blonde hair was talking to one of the sales people. At her side, on a jeweled leash and collar, was a dragon the size of a Labrador. What was strange about it was that, even though it looked like a brood dragon, its eyes were bright purple instead of the normal shades of silver or gray that brood dragons were born with.
"The Pine Forest shade simply did not highlight my Celeste's eyes the way you promised it would. It did not dry to the color shown on the bottle." The lady held up a large green bottle. "It was most embarrassing when my guests arrived and saw how her paws looked. Simply dreadful. Do find me a color that won't make her look like she was traipsing through a swamp. Perhaps the royal blue I originally wanted."
The saleslady, looking very annoyed, nodded and walked away. The haughty woman turned away, pausing when she saw the three students staring. "I suppose you wish to get a closer look."
Ruby honestly did, though she wasn't thrilled at the prospect of interacting with this snobby lady. She makes Weiss look like the most laid-back person in the world… She walked over, admiring the sheen of the dragon's slate-colored scales. There was a dusting of silvery freckles on its snout that reminded her of Pit. "I've never seen a brood dragon with eyes like this before," she commented.
The lady sniffed loudly. "That's because she's not a brood dragon. My Celeste is a pygmy. One of the first of her kind."
"Pygmy?" Nora asked, tilting her head. "What's that?"
In a bored voice, the woman explained: "For those of us who want to possess a dragon without worrying about their brutish size, the Schnee Dust Company has come up with a way to stunt the growth of common brood dragons by injecting hatchlings with gravity Dust when they reach a certain size. Celeste won't grow to be any bigger than she is now. Isn't that right, my girl?"
The pygmy dragon blinked dully at her owner and yawned.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, that saleslady is taking far too long." Tugging once on the leash in her hand, she led Celeste the pygmy dragon toward the claw polish shelves.
Scarlet watched them go, a frown on her face. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"Me neither," Ruby muttered. "At least the dragon looked healthy."
After browsing for a little while longer, they left. Ruby bought a bag of cookies for Storm and the other dragonets, Nora ended up getting a pink collar that had fake plastic gems, and Scarlet caved and got the tiny goggles.
They spent another hour at the nearby coffee shop, discussing their classes and their dragons. Then, they finally started toward Beacon.
Ruby was a little ashamed when she realized that she hadn't worried much about Storm during those past few hours, but reasoned that that was probably for the best. And she'll love these cookies! I hope she didn't give Blake and Weiss any trouble…
….
Yang gave Fang a pat on the back before she left, and only got a sulky snap in her general direction for her troubles. At least I won't be bleeding when I leave the dorms for once, she thought. "See you guys," she called over her shoulder.
She got to the courtyard and took the opportunity to sit down on one of the benches. She closed her eyes, appreciating that she didn't have to worry about tiny teeth sinking into her arm if she let her mind wander for a few minutes. She didn't open her eyes until she heard footsteps approaching.
"Enjoying the peace and quiet?" Sun asked as he walked over. He was sporting a cheery grin on his face and a series of punctures on his arm.
"Pretty much." Yang eyed his arm. "Huo gave you a love bite on the way out, I take it."
Sun laughed. "Yeah, something like that. I've been trying to bop his nose like Port says to, but that only seems to make him madder."
"They really don't warn you about that kind of thing, do they?" Yang asked as they started toward town. "I mean, when I told Dad I wanted a fire dragon, he was mostly neutral about it."
"Maybe he didn't want to scare you." Sun looked at her. "So, why did you want a fire dragon specifically?"
Yang hesitated, not really wanting to go into detail about Raven at that moment. "Well, I thought it would be best suited for me. My mom's dragon Tempest clicked the most with Ruby. My dad's dragon Quake was cool and would listen to me, but his temperament was a bit slow. I always liked my uncle's water dragon, but he still seemed too laid back. I figured that something a bit more exciting would be more my speed, you know?" She shook her head. "Now, I'm starting to wonder if it'll be too much for me."
"Nah," Sun said, patting her shoulder. "You'll do fine. Remember what Port said. They mellow out over time. We're just gonna have to deal with a few more extra bites and scratches until that point."
"Not all of them, though," Yang reminded him. "You've seen how well-behaved Titan is."
"Well, some people are just lucky." Sun led her around a corner. "Okay, it's right over here."
The place in question was an old-fashioned noodle stall run by a strangely-familiar old man. The two sat down and looked at the menu.
Almost immediately, Yang noticed something that caused her to grin. "The Dynamite Noodle Challenge, huh?"
Sun nodded. "Yeah. If you can eat the whole thing in under ten minutes, you get it and a large ice cream for free."
"You ever try it?"
"Nah. This is actually my first time here. I had to look online to remember where the place even was."
Yang smirked. "Bet I can finish it in five. How about you?"
Sun raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty competitive."
"I mean, if you're too scared, I can just eat it myself."
Before she could say anything else, Sun waved to the old man. "Two Dynamite Challenges, please!"
A few minutes later, two large, steaming bowls of pasta were placed in front of them. The noodles themselves were orange, due to being made with chili powder, and the sauce looked red enough to be toxic. The two grinned at each other, then started to slurp the noodles down.
Almost immediately, Sun felt as if he was being repeatedly punched in the mouth. He whined, trying to chew and swallow as quickly as he could.
Yang felt tears streaming down her cheeks, but she kept going, eyes turning red in the process. When she finished, she slammed her head on the table with a groan. "Ice cream!" she rasped.
Sun whimpered, pushing his half bowl away and gulping at his water. "Why isn't this working?!"
"Water doesn't' help," Yang replied. "Milk works better." She thanked the old man as he put a bowl of ice cream in front of her. She took a few bites before nudging the bowl over to Sun.
"Thank you!" Sun ate a huge spoonful of ice cream, only to grab his skull a moment later. "Crap! Brain freeze! Why is my life nothing but pain?!"
Yang laughed. "I wonder if we should feed this to our dragons," she said jokingly. "Maybe it'd teach them to breathe fire quicker."
Sun snorted. "Nah. It would just make cleaning the litter boxes infinitely worse."
"True."
The two talked for a little while longer. Yang told Sun about growing up in a broodery, and about what it was like to ride Tempest and Quake.
"Dude, you're so lucky!" Sun commented. "You'll be way ahead of everyone else when we start actually riding."
Sun told her about growing up in Vacuo, where underground dragon cage fights were commonplace. He had gone to one as a young teen with some friends. His friends had been fascinated. He had thrown up. He didn't talk to those friends again afterward. He had been all too happy to move to Mistral, which was known for its progressive laws concerning the rights of dragons.
"Technically, Vale is behind Mistral in that respect," Sun pointed out. "It's just that Ozpin is super vocal about dragon rights and is willing to publicly go against the wishes of the CDA. Lionheart is a bit of a wetwipe in comparison. Beacon has a much better track record than Haven. That's why my friends and I chose to come here."
CDA stood for the Council of Dragon Affairs, which ultimately decided what laws to pass concerning dragon breeding, what constitutes as abuse, whether a dragon should be confiscated and put into the cage fights, etc. None of them were Riders, or even former Riders.
The two walked back to the dorms, feeling more relaxed than they had been since their dragons hatched. "Thanks for inviting me, Sun," Yang said. "I really needed a break."
"Same." Sun stretched his arms, letting out a yawn. "Still, I don't regret having Huo. He may be a little jerk, but he's mine."
Yang nodded in agreement. Despite Fang's bad temper, she still couldn't deny that he was her dragon. "I don't regret having Fang, even though he makes it difficult sometimes."
They entered the dorms. "Well, time to see if Neptune and Sage let my little badass burn the place down," Sun laughed. "See you in class, Yang."
"See yah!" Yang called, turning down the hallway leading to her room.
She opened the door to find everyone already asleep. Fang's distinctive snore rang from his divot. She paused by it, looking down at him. His paws were twitching in his sleep. Occasionally, he would growl, letting his white fangs show.
"Sleep well," Yang whispered, her eyes shining fondly. "You little shit."
The next chapter will show how things went with babysitting the dragonets. Just some fun shenanigans before the plot starts getting more real. Not Volume 3 real, though. Promise.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!