Once the Dragons were old enough, Irene and Belserion had them moved into a room in the Hatchery where other newly hatched Dragons spent their time. Human kids hung around there as well, where they could play with the Dragon hatchlings.
Laxus roamed the room, looking at whatever he was able to see closely. Natsu was rolling around on the ground in the middle of the room with Wendy and Gajeel sitting next to him. Erik hid close to the walls, overwhelmed by the amount of new Dragons he saw, and Sting and Rogue were bounding around, trying to find other Dragons to play tag with.
Other Dragon hatchlings roamed around the room as well, such as a Heavenly Body Dragon with iridescent dark blue scales and a red marking over his right eye named Jellal, as well as Erza, Irene's daughter. The two of them seemed inseparable as they play-wrestled and played tag around the room.
Irene looked around the room, her eyes falling on a couple of groups of kids who sat in various corners. None of them looked happy. "They're new," she commented.
Belserion nodded, "The patrols found them in a ruined village. Looked like a Fire Dragon had attacked and burned the place to the ground. They're lucky to still be alive."
"Poor things…"
"Indeed. Hopefully they can find better lives here."
Erik looked at one of the groups, then slowly made his way over to them. This group had six kids, a pair of brothers named Richard and Wally, a pair of sisters named Sorano and Yukino, a dual colored haired boy named Macbeth, and a black-rooted blond haired boy named Sawyer.
Erik walked over to Macbeth, and the boy looked up. He reached out, running his hand over Erik's head. Sorano and Yukino perked up at the arrival of the Dragon, while Richard held Wally close, fearful of him. However, after seeing the little Poison Dragon bounce around excitedly, they realized he didn't seem to be much of a threat.
Jellal walked over to a second group, followed by Erza. This group had six kids as well. A tall, dark-brown haired boy named Simon and his sister, Kagura, a blonde named Sho, a brown haired girl named Milliana, a small pink haired girl named Meredy, and finally a black haired girl named Ultear.
Milliana looked at Erza, and a small smile appeared on her face. She got up, walking over to the small red Dragon. Erza simultaneously moved closer to the young girl, sniffing curiously. Jellal nudged and nuzzled Simon and Sho, then bounced around, spinning in circles, trying to get the two boys to get up and play with him.
Sho giggled quietly, "I've never seen a baby Dragon before…"
Erik jumped up, and ran off, Macbeth smiled, then stood and followed him. Yukino giggled and followed them as well, which caused her to run into Sting, who squawked, then hopped around Yukino.
Before long, all of the kids were up and running around, except for Simon and Kagura, who both still seemed to be afraid. Their fear was understandable to Belserion. One doesn't forget the destruction of their home easily, nor did they adapt quickly to a new home where everyone around you were complete strangers.
"Well, would you look at that.." Belserion watched. "The hatchlings managed to cheer most of them up."
"Indeed. Sadly, it'll only be temporary," Irene moved closer to him, resting her face against his neck. "If only we could undo what has happened.."
"Sadly, we cannot, but we can make their lives as happy and comfortable as we possibly can," Belserion stated. "That is a promise that I intend to keep. They deserve a happy life." He settled down on his stomach, still watching the kids as Irene settled down next to him.
xXxOxXx
Lucy had to admit that her new favorite thing was watching the Dragons' reactions to seeing snow for the first time.
Natsu ran out in it, jumped five feet into the air, and proceeded to run back inside the house, all while squawking and wailing.
Erik gently poked and prodded at the snow, then let out a cry and tried to shake it off of his talon, then finally climbed onto Lucy's back to get away from it.
Gajeel sniffed at it, then shook his head with an uninterested snort.
Laxus poked at it like Erik had, then went back onto the porch to hide from it.
Sting and Rogue ran out haphazardly. Similarly to Natsu, they jumped up, but they stayed out in it longer than he had before finally deciding that they didn't like it and running back inside.
Wendy ran out, then chirped and flapped her wings wildly. Whether she liked it or not, Lucy couldn't tell. She sounded like she didn't, but she didn't try to run back out like the others. She turned and squawked at Lucy, then hopped and ran around, kicking up the snow.
"I'm guessing you like it, huh?" she grinned at Wendy, walking out to join her. Once Erik realized she was walking into the snow, he quickly jumped off and ran back onto the porch.
Lucy looked around as the rest of Magnolia awoke. Adult Dragons walked through the snow as if it wasn't even there, while younger ones had to push through it.
She grinned. It was a good morning.
xXxOxXx
Natsu made a noise of discomfort as he lay in the nest. The other six Dragons stayed near him, since his body gave off heat that kept them warm despite the cold air of winter.
"I'm worried about them.." Lucy said.
"There's no reason to worry, sweetheart. They're just a little unwell. Dragons always get sick this time of year," Layla assured.
Wendy blinked, sleepily looking up at Lucy and Layla when she heard them talking. She then let out a quiet noise upon determining that she just wasn't awake enough to focus on them, and lowered her head again.
Rogue weakly sat up, looking up at Layla, "Can.. can we have a story..?" he asked quietly, "Like.. the ones you used to tell us..?"
"A story? Hmm," she paused to think, then perked up, "I know just the one."
That grabbed almost everyone's attention. Wendy kept her head low with her eyes closed, while Erik was curled into a tight ball with his head under his wing.
"There is a very old legend, even long before the time of the humans, about a species of Dragon that, unfortunately, isn't with us anymore," Layla started. "These were the first Dragons to appear on Earthland. However, where they came from is a mystery, but a lot of people believe they came from the stars."
"The stars?" Sting asked, sitting up and leaning against Rogue, only for the two to topple over.
"Careful," Layla gently repositioned them, then continued, "These Dragons were powerful magic wielders. It is widely believed that they were the beings that filled our world with the magic it has today. They were known as the Arcane Dragons."
Natsu and Gajeel leaned closer, invested. Laxus, on the other hand, settled back onto his stomach, but he kept his eyes on Layla. Erik uncoiled himself from his ball, trying to listen to the story.
"It is also widely believed that they also created the other Dragon species, such as all of you," she smiled when they all perked up slightly.
"Wow.. so they're like.. our ancestors, right?" Laxus asked.
"Kind of. Nobody knows how they created the other elements of Dragons, but the theories are always different, depending on who you ask," Layla explained. "They ruled over their creations, helping them to grow and thrive. Everything was peaceful.. until one fateful day.."
"What happened?" Natsu asked, swishing his tail out of the way when Erik tried to bite it, confusing it for his own. The Poison Dragon let out a distressed noise, but when he did find his own tail, he started nibbling on it.
Layla gently removed it from his mouth, "You shouldn't be chewing on your tail, dear.."
Erik let out another noise, kicking at the fabric that made up the nest. He only stopped fussing when Layla offered him a toy, which he happily hugged close to his chest and sank his teeth into.
With that resolved, Layla continued with the story, "While the Dragons they created grew strong and prospered under Arcane guidance, they also grew to hate being under Arcane rule. In fact, many Dragons of different elements believed that they should have been the ones in charge instead. This envy led to a violent battle."
"Oh no.." Lucy murmured.
"This battle resulted in many losses, including the Arcane Dragons themselves," Layla finished sadly.
"The Arcanes died because of their own creations?" Laxus asked.
"How ungrateful! They created these Dragons and taught them everything they knew and helped them grow, and this is how they chose to thank them?" Gajeel ranted.
"Unfortunately, that is how a lot of people think in our world. No matter how much you give them, and how much you help them, they always want more."
"That's so sad…" Wendy murmured.
"It is, but do you know why I told you this story?" Layla asked. "It's because I want you all to grow into Dragons who would make the Arcane Dragons proud."
"We will!" Natsu nodded. "We'll become big and strong and smart, and we'll always be grateful for everything we have!"
"Unlike those mean Dragons!" Sting agreed.
"I'm sure you will, now try to get some sleep. You need it to get better. I can tell you more stories in the morning," Layla said, picking up a sleepy Lucy.
They all nodded, making noises of agreement, then settled down to sleep.
xXxOxXx
"I don't want to sound insensitive, but how can you sleep like that?" Simon asked.
Sho, who was lying against Jellal's stomach, cracked open an eye to look at the older boy, "What do you mean..?" he asked tiredly.
"His scales don't really look all that soft," Simon clarified, "Doesn't it hurt?"
Milliana, who was leaning against Erza as the red Dragon napped in the shade, exclaimed, "Not really!" as she scratched the Dragon's neck. Erza purred in her sleep.
"They're actually quite smooth and kinda soft. Come feel them!" Wally exclaimed, as he scratched Jellal's belly scales. Jellal let out a happy rumble.
"I'll take your word for it, guys.." he smirked, turning away.
Jellal rumbled and warbled quietly as he rolled onto his stomach, only to raise his head curiously when Kagura walked by. She smiled and gently scratched his cheek. He made a happy noise before letting his head rest back on his talons.
"You still don't trust him?" Kagura asked, walking up to her brother.
"It's.. complicated.. I know he's not bad, but every time I look at a Dragon, I just see the one who attacked our home.." Simon admitted.
"I'm sure you'll warm up to them eventually.." Kagura said. "Belserion helped out a lot.. He's a really nice Dragon. Maybe he can help you to get comfortable here too!" she said cheerfully.
"Yeah.. perhaps. I'll think about it," Simon nodded.
xXxOxXx
Natsu walked through the Guildhall, proudly wearing a red mark on his shoulder and a Lacrima necklace around his neck.
Wendy stood next to him, with a Guild mark on her shoulder, with a matching necklace. However, hers was tied on with a sturdy string while his was a metal band that latched in the back.
"We're actual members! This is so exciting!" Wendy flapped her wings.
"And we have our Lacrimas! Now we can go through the barrier and turn into humans, it's so cool!"
"I wonder if the others got theirs yet."
"I'm not too worried about it. They'll have them before the day is over!" he stretched, then twisted his head around, watching older Dragons fly overhead. "I can't wait until we learn how to fly! I'm gonna be the greatest at flying! Fighting too!"
"Fighting?" Wendy asked, taking a moment away from preening her wing to look at him.
"Yeah! Part of being in a Guild is fighting! Mister Macao teaches me all sorts of cool fire spells!" Natsu reared up, flapping his wings excitedly as he shot a burst of flame into the air.
Wendy tilted her head. She didn't quite understand, but she shared in his excitement. Her head crest flared up as she flapped her wings in response.
"We're going to be the best Dragons EVER!"