Chapter 3 – The Babysitter Jitters
It did not take long for Linden, Iris, Draco, Lily, and Darky to arrive at Minabe Village. The village appeared as a quiet and peaceful picturesque farming community as it was full of pastures and crops, giving it a very rural atmosphere. Soon, they arrived at a small cottage.
"Here we are, kids," said Linden. "This is our house."
"Wow, this looks like comfortable living," said Draco.
"So, where is Flora?" asked Lily.
"She should still be sleeping at the moment," said Iris. "Though I would appreciate it that you three go easy on her if she starts crying, because believe me, she is surprisingly loud."
"That's just great," muttered Darky.
"Now remember," said Linden. "Flora's feeding time should be about an hour later, and if her bottle is empty, be sure to refill it, but not before warming up the milk."
"Alright, no problem," said Lily.
"Also, if she ever does you-know-what," said Linden. "Be sure to change her you-know-which."
"Yes, I do get what you're saying," said Lily.
"We trust that you'll take good care of our little Flora," said Iris. "See you in the evening."
Linden and Iris spread their wings, and together, they took off into the sky.
"See you later, Uncle Linden and Aunt Iris!" called Lily.
Draco and Darky waited patiently yet unenthusiastically as Lily turned around to face them.
"Guess this place is ours for the time," said Draco.
"That is correct, Draco," said Lily. "Now let's go inside and check on the baby."
Inside the cottage of Linden and Iris, Lily, Draco and Darky noticed that everything was well organised. They entered Flora's room, and there they saw the baby dragoness sleeping calmly in her crib.
"Oh, look at her," fawned Lily. "She is such an adorable little angel."
"Let me have a look," said Draco, and when he saw Flora, he was taken in by her cuteness. "Aw, she really is a lovely baby dragon," he said.
Darky wanted to have a look, but he was too short.
"Right, I think we should let her be for now until she wants something," whispered Lily.
"Good idea," agreed Draco. "Let's watch a bit of TV."
The three dragons were about to relax and watch television, when suddenly, they heard some loud, shrill crying.
"That must be Flora," said Lily. "Draco, you go and check what she wants."
"As you wish," sighed Draco, and he went into where he could see Flora awake screaming through the top of her lungs and letting off tears as she cried. "Hush, Flora," he soothed. "Please stop crying."
"She might be hungry, Draco," said Lily. "I'll go heat the milk in case her bottle is empty."
Draco picked up the bottle, and he could see that it was more than half empty. When Lily finished warming the milk, Draco handed her the bottle so she could refill it, and he passed it over to Flora who started sucking away at it.
"Phew, what a relief," he remarked as he wiped his brow. "Now we can have some peace and quiet."
The dragons thought their troubles with Flora were over, but then they could smell something off. Lily and Draco checked around the house to investigate, but found nothing that was letting off the foul smell. It was not until they checked Flora's room where the smell was stronger, which made them realise what it meant as they almost gagged.
"I guess she must have soiled herself," choked Lily. "We'll have to get some clean diapers."
"But where can they be?" asked Draco as he blocked his snout with his claws.
"How should I know?" grumbled Lily. "This isn't my house! You and Darky start looking for them."
The Pyre Squad were very curious to know why they saw Draco, Lily and Darky without their friends. They could tell that it must have been something important, and they considered that it would provide them the opportunity to cause trouble for them. They searched Minabe Village in the hopes of discovering the three dragons.
"They have got to be around here somewhere," said Ciara.
"I don't know why we even bother going after Draco, Lily and Darky," said Scorcher.
"Yeah," agreed Cronk. "Why can't we just wait until they're together in their group so we can catch all of them?"
"Because, you dopes, if we nab them first, Cynder and the rest will have to come and rescue them," said Ciara. "And when they least expect it, wham! All seven of them will be trapped, and there's no one there save them this time!"
"Oh, I get it," said Scorcher delightfully. "But first we need to think up of a good trap in which they can't get away from easily."
Soon, the Pyre Squad have reached a cottage, and they were just about to continue their search for Draco, Lily, and Darky, when suddenly they heard some noises coming from within.
"No! Get back into the crib!" yelled a voice.
Instantly, the Pyre Squad recognised that the voice belonged to Draco.
"Did you hear that?" asked Ciara.
"Yeah, it's that dino-dragon Draco!" exclaimed Cronk. "And it came from that house over there!"
"Let's go and have a look what those three are up to," said Ciara. "It sounds like that they're in a pickle, which could mean that they'll be easy to catch off guard!"
The Pyre Squad approached the house and peered into one of the windows, where they could see Draco and Lily trying to catch a baby dragon that was flying all around the house.
"So there they are," said Scorcher. "And by the looks of it, they must be babysitting that little dragon."
Cronk just had an idea. "Hey, friends," he said. "I think I have the perfect plan we could be able to catch those do-gooders."
"Well, then," said Ciara. "Why don't you go ahead and tell us what you're formulating inside that miniscule brain of yours."
"The only way we can able to catch those three is through the brat," said Cronk. "If we catch the kid, we can lure them into turning themselves in! Then, when we catch them, the rest of Cynder's group will be ours, and then we can take them all including the baby to Lord Sardius!"
"That's some devious planning you got there, Cronk," said Scorcher. "I'm impressed!"
Cronk grinned. "Why, thank you," he said.
"Now, let's get to work, you boneheads!" declared Ciara.
Draco and Lily frantically pursued Flora as she flew into the living room, laughing excitedly. They had gone through a lot of trouble changing the baby dragon's diaper, and now she was flying around evading their catches.
"Stay where you are, Flora!" panted Draco. "This isn't a game, you know!"
"I'm at the other side, Draco!" called Lily. "Make sure she doesn't get away!"
The two dragons adjusted themselves accordingly as they stood from opposite ends of the living room, trying to get the precise aim to catch Flora. Darky watched anxiously at the scene.
"Get ready on the count of three," called Draco as he fixed his sights on the baby dragon. "One… two… THREE!"
In unison, Draco and Lily leaped forwards with their hands out ready to catch Flora, but at the last moment, the baby dragon dodged them, causing Draco and Lily hit each other's heads. They fell to the ground in a daze. Flora laughed at them and continued her flight, finding the chase a lot of fun.
"I may be a hyperactive and playful dragoness," groaned Lily. "But this is ridiculous!"
"We better try again," said Draco. "Hopefully, she'll tire herself out soon."
However, Flora was anything but tired as she was still full of energy. Darky attempted to help out, but he was too short to reach up high, and Flora was flying very close to the ceiling.
Already the chase had caused the three dragons to make a mess of the cottage as some of the furniture was tipped over, some of the containers in the kitchen have fell to the floor, and several curtains were dropped down. Lily cringed, knowing that she and her friends would be in trouble if Linden and Iris saw their house in such a state.
To make matters worse, the door leading outside was left open. Draco noticed it while he was pursuing Flora.
"Hurry up, Lily!" he urged. "If she continues flying around, it's only a matter of time before she flies outside!"
But it was too late. Lily and Darky leapt as high and quickly as they could, but Flora was too fast for them. She zipped across the living, and to the horror of Draco, Lily, and Darky, flew out the door.
Author's Note: As if the chapter title can't be any more obvious, it's a reference and homage to the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Baby-Sitter Jitters." Gotta love using the Battered Babysitter trope whenever little kids are involved.