Hello to my lovely followers and Lo, thank you for your review, I'm glad you enjoyed my first chapter : ) ButterCat, keep reviewing and I will keep writing : )
A very big thank you to my beta reader xfallenangel13x
"Uh, this is... uh..." Joey fumbled with his words stupidly. It took everything he had to not start shaking on the spot. His father's face was twisted in an expression that was between that of rage and confusion.
"A gift, from my father, for allowing me to occupy your barn," Seto's voice cut in from behind Joey, causing him to unintentionally jump.
Still, Matt's eyebrows remained furrowed. "A gift?" he asked, skepticism layered thickly in his voice.
"Did I stutter?" Now it was Seto's turn to look irritated - almost as if someone had just spit in his face. "Yes, a gift. If you'd rather not accept it, then by all means, I will take her with me upon my return to my home." Matt may have been an asshole, but he wasn't a stupid man, and knew when to not to refuse a gift.
"N-Not necessary, Master Kaiba." Joey smirked inwardly at his father's attempt at being polite, or a kiss-ass, depending on which way you looked at it. "Just, what good does a dragon do me if it isn't mine?"
Seto shrugged, his lips curing up in a way that made him seem like he cared less. "That isn't of my concern, but clearly it has taken a liking to your son. Isn't it your intention to have him raise dragons, anyways?"
The way Seto spoke made Joey wonder just how old he was. Seto had a way of talking like an adult; a powerful one, at that. Like everything around him was dirt beneath his feet, and anyone that spoke to him was strictly for amusement purposes. Or just out of plain senselessness. His voice was as cold and smooth as the ice that seemed to color his eyes.
"Joey, raise a dragon?" his father couldn't help but laugh; a rich, mocking sound that made Joey flush with embarrassment. "He couldn't beat a dragon in the face if it were about to eat him, for God's sake! What makes you think he could tame a dragon?" he laughed again, this time for good measure.
Seto looked at him, shrugged again, and walked away, his dragon following along by his side. Joey was desperate to grab him and ask what he was thinking, but he knew now wasn't the time. The consequences of his father finding out about their lie was enough to make him shudder. The mere thought made gooseflesh raise on his arms.
His father leaned down to look at the hatchling that stood at Joey's side, who subconsciously tensed, ready to leap to his reptilian companion's aid, if need be. "She is a beauty..." he admitted in a quiet mutter, but was loud enough for Joey to hear.
"She?" he hadn't caught the reference before, but now he wasn't worried about being thrown halfway across the barn. This small fact led him to listen a bit more intently than before.
"Jesus, boy, have you learned absolutely nothing over the years you've worked with these beasts? Yes, she. See the extra claw on her paws, like a thumb?" Joey leaned forward, and saw what his father was pointing to, before nodding. "It helps them move the eggs."
"Huh." Joey bent down and picked her up, ignoring her sharp talons as they dug into his skin. "So... I can keep her then?"
Matt straightened up and snorted. "Not in my damn house, you can't, and I'm not feeding her either. Or training her, for that matter. If you want to keep her, then you keep her. I'm not having shit to do with her." He brushed past Joey and into the stable. "Oh, and good luck affording stones for her. If I catch your ass anywhere near my room looking for money, you'll regret it. Got it?"
Joey paled and nodded quickly, clutching the dragon tighter to him, as if she would somehow protect him.
"Good." And with that, father left son standing there, with a very hungry baby dragon, clueless on how to get her any food. Looking down at her, Joey sighed and scratched the back of his head, thinking about how he could come up with something for her to eat on such a short notice.
Now that he felt safe, Joey set the dragon on the ground, and began to walk out toward the field where he had buried his other egg a few weeks ago. Glancing down at the dragon next to him, it was hard to believe that such a short amount of time had passed. It felt like a lifetime separated then and now. Along the way through the large meadow, his dragon snapped at a few dragonflies, running off, but quickly scampering back when she realized how far she had strayed away.
Together they walked through a short patch of woods and came to a decent-sized stream. Joey leaned over the edge, watching as a few fish swam by, his reflection staring back at him in the water. "Mm'kay, now listen up!" He turned to look at his dragon, who gazed up at him with big, innocent eyes, glowing a warm cerise. "This is called fishin'." He pointed down into the water. "Ya' use ya' claws and reach in, then pull one out and eat it."
The ruby eyes just blinked at him as he spoke, giving Joey feeling of talking to a brick wall. With an exasperated sigh, Joey began to unlace his shoes, kicking them off and stuffing his socks into them, before tossing them away from the stream.
"Okay, watch and learn." He dipped his feet into the frigid water, letting out distressed cries of "ah!" and "eh!" when the freezing liquid stung his bare feet painfully. "Oh God, this sucks! Oh, this really sucks…" All the while, his hatchling watched with interest from the shore. She'd even laid down to observed the so-called 'lesson'.
"Alright… Okay…" Joey tried to settle himself, bringing his attention away from his feet and back down to the water. Standing very still, a few fish curiously swam up to his toes. Joey dove in for the win, only to come up cold, wet, and empty-handed. From the shore, his dragon was now on her feet, screeching happily at the sudden excitement, her body wiggling back and forth. She almost looked amused.
Squinting over at her like it was her fault, Joey clenched his teeth and stood still again, watching as a particularly large fish swam up. Inching his hands closer to the water, the blonde was just about to spring forward, when his dragon jumped off the shore bank and dove right into the water, splashing about happily and successfully scaring off all of the fish.
"Are you crazy!?" he shouted, the dragon stopping immediately and shrinking down into the water, her scaly face apologetic. "Come on, now, I'm tryin' ta' catch you food." His tone was softer as he picked up the dripping dragon and placed her back on the grass. "Now, stay here."
Muttering to himself that the third time is the charm, he went back to the center of the creek and stood, waiting for the fish to come back. Slowly he lowered his hands into the water and then lashed forwards, grappling for the fish. He was surprised when he actually managed to catch it.
The bad news was he was so startled at the alien feeling of strong muscles and scaly, wet skin, that his hand immediately let it go on instinct. Lying face down in the creek, Joey stood on his hands and knees, looking over to his dragon who was still watching, fully engrossed in his every movement.
Frustrated, cold, and defeated, Joey crawled out of the brook and sat next to her on the bank. He stared absently at the water as violent shivers wracked through his body. "Maybe fish isn't the best way ta' go," He muttered, placing a hand on his dragon's back, seeking some sort of comfort.
Rather than nuzzle against him she stood, eyes piercing into the water below her. A dark, smoky outline of a bass seemed to have caught her attention. Without warning, she tucked her wings against her body, aligned her neck with her back and dove into, the water, looking very similar to salamander, or a newt. Her arms were hugged to her sides, while her tail propelled her through the water swiftly. Joey watched as her jaw opened and she snatched the small bass. She then popped out of the moving water, and onto the grass, the fish wriggling madly in her jaws, in attempt to regain its freedom.
"You've gotta' be jokin'!" Joey sighed heavily as she sat down next to him and bit into her meal, abruptly ending all attempts of escape from the creature.
This went on for another half hour or so, the dragon catching and eating her fill. Just as she was finishing her most recent prize - a catfish - the sound of a twig snapping caught Joey's attention. With a glance over his soaked shoulders, he saw Seto and Addis walking up to them through the woodlands.
"Wheeler, did you fall in on accident, or did you decide to go for a swim?" he sneered as Addis left his side to go dip his muzzle into the river for a drink.
Doing his best to ignore him Joey looked down at his dragon, wincing when she bit into it, causing blood to spray across her face. Ah, the flattery of owning a dragon. Gruesome little creatures... His honey eyes left the grotesque sight, and settled instead on the flowing water. Although he wanted to punch Seto in the face (VERY badly, might he add), he did owe him. If it wasn't for him, Joey's father may have... He didn't want to think about what his father might have done to him, or his dragon.
"What, no back talking from the mutt and his inbred bitch?" Seto threw the insult so casually, it was scandalizing. Without thinking it, nor being fully aware of what he was doing, Joey was on his feet, and Seto was pinned against a nearby tree. The once-soft amber eyes, usually aloof and mischievous, were now fierce, a blaze with rage.
"Shut up!" he yelled, slamming Seto's back into the tree again for good measure. Both of their dragons had stopped, staring intently. Addis' tail was thumping against the ground in a manifestation of his unease. "Don't you dare call her that!"
A grin struck across Seto's face. "What, can't handle the truth, Wheeler?" he jabbed.
Joey let go of Seto and took a step back. "No. What I can't handle are rich moneybags like you, thinking you know everything, insulting whatever has less than you."
"Who said this had anything to do with money?" Seto asked, that damnable grin still on his face.
Joey frowned in confusion, looking back at his dragon. He scowled after a moment. "Just stay the hell away from me, alright?" he spat, before releasing the Kaiba and going to pick up his shoes and his dragon. It was easy, holding her with one arm, now that she was calmer and had a full stomach.
"If I were you, Wheeler, I'd start working with that weakling now, if you want any chance of keeping up with the real dragon tamers," Kaiba jeered loudly, as Joey was walking away, making sure he could still hear him.
"Whatever…." Joey muttered under his breath, making his way out of the trees and back into the meadow. He carried his dragon the entire way, and they were back at the stables before he set her down again. She dug at the gravel near the entrance, then wandered about for a bit, constantly glancing back to make sure Joey was still nearby.
Allowing her some free time, Joey sat with his back to the barn, picking at the grass and twirling a blade between his fingers. It was cold out, but the sun's rays were now hitting him directly, warming his skin that was still bitter cold from the creek. His toes had taken on a nasty shade of blue-purple, so he slid his socks and shoes back on. The boy sat back as he glanced around the field.
As much as he hated to admit it, Seto was right. Even though she was only a day old, there was a lot for his little dragonette to learn. In the next year, she would quadruple in size, have teeth the width of his wrist. She would be able to spit fire hot enough to melt metal, and powerful enough to burn down villages. If there was ever a time for training, it was now, while she was still small and manageable.
Looking from the blade of grass in his hand to his dragon, he squinted against the late afternoon sun that glared in his eyes, watching her jump and frolic after a butterfly. Unable to help himself, a smile flashed across his face, the scene reminding him of his mother, when he was young and she was still alive... "She woulda' loved her…" he murmured solemnly.
A memory came into his mind, one of his mother and him in the kitchen, eating cereal. Joey had been enthusiastically talking with her about owning a dragon one day, determination written across his youthful face. Things had been so different then. So perfect.
His father had been nicer, and his mother was so loving and caring. Serenity was just a baby. Everything seemed so right... The taste of a real family hung in his mouth, though now nothing more than a bittersweet memory.
"Remember, Joey, a name is one of the most important things you can give to your dragon. Only a real dragon owner can name a dragon, and have it not only hear them, but listen to them, as well," she had told him.
Biting on his lip, Joey watched his dragon move around, her sleek black scales gleaming like oil in the sunlight. He began to ponder on what, exactly, he would name the little tyke.
"Kyra…? Hm, no..." He shook his head, and thought some more. "Elodin?" Again he shook his head, plucking another blade of grass from the ground. Midnight? Too common. Shadow? Lame. Ryder? Not bad, but sounded too much like it was from a clichéd movie.
Frustrated he tossed the blade of grass aside and looked back at his dragon. "Ciaran…?" The Gaelic name rolled off his tongue, easy and sweet. A smile caught his lips and he stood up, walking over to separate her from her newfound, fluttering friend. "My Ciaran... What do you think?" he asked, holding her and looking into her eyes.
The hatching snorted and wiggled in his hands, unsure as to why she had been separated from her game. Still holding a fond smile, Joey tucked her under his arm and walked back into the stables to see if he could find a place for her to sleep for the night. He also wanted to leave before Seto came back. He wasn't too sure if he could restrain from punching that pretty face of his.