"He's so pre'y!"
"Look at those shiny scales of his!"
"An' he's able t'breathe fire, too!"
"Actually, he's not." Nanette, who had woken up an hour past, fixed her gaze upon the throng of little ones crowding around Crimson Flame. The dragon was quite gentle with the children, allowing them stroke his scales despite their rough touch – they didn't know better, after all – in a mass of clustering bodies around him. Head cocked, he surveyed Nanette through slit amber eyes. Through some unknown connection connection Nanette felt his curiosity, questioning and bright, in her mind.
Nanette's skin darkened with pleasure. Running a hand through her thick mop of hair, she stared deeper into those large orbs of his. She wondered when they would be able to converse in words instead of feelings. "But, you know, some day you'll be as smart as I am, if not more. I don't know why Crimson Flame chose me, but it wasn't because I'm smart."
"No, that can't be right -- you're still the smartest person I know!" crowed a little girl around Alden's age.
"I… I don't know about that," said Nanette slowly, indecisive. She looked at Crimson Flame, feeling the odd intensity of his young gaze. Can I talk to him in my mind? she wondered. I know now we have a mental connection, but will he understand me?
"But I can!" came someone's lusty sing-song voice from the horizon, and Nanette turned to see none other than Milda coming up to her. Nanette was embarrassed; she hadn't realized that she'd been saying her words out loud.
But nobody noticed. The little ones were still clamouring around Crimson Flame when the sunbeam-coloured dragon shook them off. Milda came to a stop before Nanette, saluting cheerily. "A good day to you, my mate. Isn't it fun to sit in the sun on this date?"
Nanette looked up at her, not able to resist a smile. Crossing her legs, she adjusted herself more comfortably on the ground and watched as Milda dropped to her knees and stretched her right hand to the dragon, the gedwëy ignasia sparkling on her palm. Slowly, calmly, Crimson Flame came to a halt before her, nuzzling the shining silver ellipse on her skin.
"Well met, skulblaka" Milda chuckled as she pushed Crimson Flame away from her and toward Nanette. "For once, odd as it may seem, I'm skilled in the ancient language." With another peal of laughter, she blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Also, soon or later, Nanette, you're going to have to touch him. That's how you get this – a gedwëy ignasia."
Nanette smiled, unwilling to touch her dragon and suffer the burn that she knew would come along with the silver mark. "I— I don't know," she replied, unsure. Glancing up from her dragon, she blinked. "Milda, I have a question. Before, Crimson Flame was curious, and I felt just a little curious, too. Do we share a mental connection?"
"You do." Milda nodded, oddly solemn. "And, Nanette, if you must know, before long Flame – can I call him that? – will know how to speak to you in words instead of emotions. And for that," she gave one of her characteristic grins, "you need to know how to speak with your mind.
------------------------------------------------
"Everyone's capable of telepathy if they know how to do it."
"I don't understand what you mean." Nanette frowned as she looked at her friends and sister. The trio of little kids merely shrugged among themselves; Jarsha, on his hand, answered her.
"Listen, Nan, this is how it works," he began, bending down onto his knees. "Leastaways, providing that Milda is right., since her explanations are always too complicated" He sent a grin toward the Dragon Rider; playfully, she kicked him in the shoulder before reorganizing herself once more into a cross-legged position. "You need to stretch out your mind—"
"You have a mind, yes?" joked Milda, and Nanette burst out laughing. When Jarsha sent her a reproving look, she merely smiled serenely. "For, you understand, Nanette, one cannot live without a brain. And when their mind is gone from them, then die they shall – or, at any rate, cease to live. With this logic, I deem you in possession of a mind, and quite a good one at that."
"Fine, I understand, but – but how are you supposed to reach out with your mind?" asked Nanette.
"It's easy," replied Milda brightly, tossing her mass of hair with a shake of the head. "Just stretch out your thoughts as far as you can."
"Can I communicate with other animals, too? Maybe even humans?" Nanette quested, crossing her legs as she adjusted her position on the wooden-plank floor of her hut. Angela had long since gone, though – not so strangely, when you thought about it – Solembum was still there, outside the abode with Crimson Flame. Nanette had the unpleasant sensation that they were both listening in on their conversation; she bit her tongue to prevent herself from commenting on the matter.
"Not for a while, if my history lessons have taught me anything." Jarsha paused his narrative to smile. "For the most part, in the beginning Riders could only communicate with their dragons." He cocked his head, giving off the impression that he was listening to something outside. "Shadeslayer was an exception, though; he could do it with his horse early on during his quest."
"So, try it now," finished up Milda, surveying Nanette with those mire-gray eyes of hers. "Go on, try it with Crimson Flame. I don't know if it will work right now, but you can still try."
"I wanna try it, too!" Alden interrupted suddenly, darting over to Nanette and jumping onto her lap. "Come on, Nan! I wanna try thinking to people like talking!"
"Yeah!" Merrick began to hop around after Alden. "Yeah! Aye, Nanette, I wanna try too!"
"You can't," she replied gently, looking at them with dark eyes. Alden looked at her, sadness reflected in his own, then dropped down on the floor and promptly fell asleep. Tears coursed down his face as he promptly fell asleep. Nanette, feeling guilty, turned to Merrick. He, however, seemed to understand, though it was with a shuffle that he went to sit once more beside Tatiana. She looked at him, shrugged apologetically and placed one hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"You can watch as she tries, you know," intervened Milda without hesitation; Merrick and Tatiana both seemed to cheer up considerably. Alden, still dozing, didn't take notice of either, just rolling slightly in his slumber.
"I guess I try now?" Nanette asked nervously. At a nod from Milda, she summoned up her mental power and thought as hard as she could. CRIMSON FLAME! Can you hear me?
Nobodyanswered, though she sensed confusion on the dragon's apart.
Solembum, from where he was standing outside with Crimson Flame, was the one who answered. Aye, you've a lot to learn ahead of you, young Rider. And, he began, jumping from the dragon's scaled backside with the greatest of ease, it hurts my mind as well.
Solembum? Nanette inquired tentatively, lowering her mental voice a bit. Is that you?
Who else? The werecat began, with a dignified walk, to strut luxurious circles around Crimson Flame. Do I resemble anyone else physically or mentally?
No… It's just that I thought you weren't supposed to com-- talk with me.
That was then. This is now. Solembum cocked his head before scurrying to hide behind Crimson Flame. When he emerged seconds later, he now sported the guise of a small, black-haired boy with pointed teeth; the young dragon observed this new form interestedly with an inquisitive snort. Do I still sound like myself?
Yes… Why?
His nose twitched, as if he were calmly wrinkling it in his normal werecat form. With a human boy, though, it looked considerably weirder. No particular reason, he sniffed haughtily.
His form blurred, and Solembum was suddenly standing before Crimson Flame, in feline form once more. Admittedly, though, it was unnecessary – no one, save the dragon, had witnessed this transformation. It was the way of all Riders to communicate with werecats like myself.
Nanette nodded sagely. Solembum was an estranged character, but he seemed funny to her all the same.