Post by doomsdaylee on Jan 24, 2008 15:39:13 GMT -5
Chapter 5
Rose’esk
Soon enough, eight baby Dragons were born, though one found itself trapped and died inside. This hurt all of the Dragons and Dragoon, but there was happiness at the eight hatchlings, all of them peeping for food, which, of course, She’nen quickly fed to them. She then licked the hatchlings clean. Being too young to complain, they gobbled the mashed fare down, their maws having sharp “beaks” to crush their food, and then began to rough house and play together and they awaited their bath time. Shi’nen went and retrieved Mia. Ki’esk was less uptight now that his children had been born, but still watched her carefully.
Mia smiled, going to the runt of the brood, she carefully picked it up.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” She looked up, scratching the runt’s eye ridges, earning a thrum from the hatchling.
“Why don’t you check, without looking.”
She blinked, looking at the Dragon in her arms. The small Dragon looked back at her with its large blue slitted eyes. She looked at the parents, then back to the young one. Its scales were tan, a muddy color much like her own skin. All of the Dragons were. She held it up, looking at its side.
“How?” she asked, looking at Xavier.
“Let me show you.” He walked to one of the more fierce hatchlings who hissed at him, but not much came out. It went to head butt Xavier, who smiled and caught it’s head. He ran his hand down the Dragon’s spine, feeling the boney column. He then moved his hands to the Dragon’s eye ridges, feeling around that area.
“It’s a boy.” Xavier looked to the parents.
“How did he know that?” Mia asked herself, following his motions on the Dragon she was holding. She felt down its spine, feeling nothing unusual, the same for around it’s eye ridges. The young Dragon thrummed, nuzzling her belly. “There’s nothing.”
“It’s probably a girl then. Check the spine and head for bumps. The early showings of horns and spikes.” He looked at the hatchling he let go. The young male was, even at birth, up to Xavier’s waist. His neck was almost twice as long as it’s body, the showings of a healthy young male.
“A few years ago, he’d have made an excellent stud.” He offered the Dragon his scent, not making any sudden movements, then rubbing his eye ridges.
“Indeed.” Shi’nen looked at his nephew, sizing the young one up. “But those are of bad times.” He smiled, looking to his sister, who was happily playing with one of her young.
“What does he mean?” Mia asked no one in particular, but Shi’nen answered her.
“A tradition that ended a few years ago, Dragons were to be captured and brought to farms where they worked when the Humans wanted, did what the Humans wanted, and bred with who the Humans wanted, fighting for their entertainment, like no more than mere animals, with or without the Dragon’s permission.”
“Like slaves,” Mia whispered.
“Exactly,” She’nen picked up. “Dragoons fixed that, but some of these farms,” she spat the word out like a horrid rotten piece of meat. “Still run, but thankfully under the Dragons’ permissions. Those worms,” she growled. “Too lazy or scared to go out into the wild.” She sighed, and then smiled again. “So, Ki, should we name them?”
Her mate smiled and nodded, looking to his hatchlings.
“I believe, he should be Rin’esk.” He nudged the fierce hatchling near Xavier. “For the god of Dragons and fire, Dai’rin.” Rin’esk snapped lightly at his father, instincts making him attempt to make the Dragon proud. A medium Dragon, not as big as Rin’esk, but a decent size, wobbled over to Xavier, looking at the two-legged Dragon. It reared up on two legs, flapping its thin wings to keep its balance, and fell on Xavier, pushing the young man down under its weight, and happily thrumming. She’nen giggled able to smell that it was a male.
“Let’s name that one Vel’esk. It is a lot like Prince Veln.”
“Y-You would?” Xavier looked up, his last name being used for a Dragon hatchling’s name. “You’re granting me too many honors, great Dragons.”
“Nonsense, Xavier, you are one of us.” Shi’nen smiled.
Mia watched, wondering why all their names ended in esk.
“The runt of the litter should not be named, I believe. She will need to be left behind.”
“What!? You’re going to leave one of your babies for dead!?” Mia shouted, standing up and holding the small female.
“Silence, Human.” Ki’esk growled.
“No! It’s not right! Leaving a helpless baby to die only because she’s too small! You’re disgusting!”
“I said silence! Human! You do not know your place!” He roared, frightening all the hatchlings into peeping franticly for their mother, even Rin’esk.
“Calm yourself, Ki, please.” She nuzzled her mate, trying to calm him.
“Mia, they’re not leaving her for dead. They’re leaving her to a trusted friend or a Human who will take care of her as a pet.” Xavier looked at her.
Mia gulped.
“Bu-But s-still.” She shuddered, afraid of Ki’esk’s anger. “Isn’t she sentient? Can’t she talk and understand?”
“Which is why we leave her before her siblings or her parents get attached. She will be a loved member of a Human family somewhere we hope,” Shi’nen told her.
“Hope!? That’s still not right.” She quieted under Ki’esks glare.
“I’ve seen it done many times, the runts of a clutch are spayed or neutered so they will not grow more than Rin’esk here and that is tops. They are taken care of as well, or in some cases even more than the children.” Xavier told her, petting the Dragon of his namesake.
“And they act as, even at there small size, protectors to their Human family.”
“What if I take her?” Mia asked, looking up.
“What? Never!” Ki’esk snarled, instantly regretting it as the hatchlings started peeping frightened again.
“Shhh, there, there.” Mia held the scared hatchling close, putting the female’s nose under her head, petting her eye ridges. “It’s alright now,” she whispered. Much to everyone’s surprise, the hatchling quieted, its peeping being replaced by gentle, cautious thrumming as she nuzzled Mia’s belly.
“They seem to have an affinity to each other.” She’nen looked at her mate, then her brother and Brood-friend.
“Mia hand feel real good!” Wyrin called, flying in from deeper in the cave. “She seem nice too. Mean, but nice.”
“Wyrin, those are two opposite things.” Shi’nen said with a hint of amusement.
“Well she attack Xavier, but she nice after. So what I say?”
“She attacked Xavier?” Shi’nen blinked, looking at the two, not sure whether to be angry or laugh.
“Well he saw me naked and called me ugly.” A silence came across the cave, Mia soon realized she was talking to a bunch of giant naked lizards . “Umm, never mind. It was, umm.”
“A misunderstanding. I vote she takes the runt.” Xavier supplied. Mia looked to the Dragoon incredulously, surprised at the young mans sudden change of heart.
“I vote too! Mia keep small Dragon!” Wyrin hopped lightly, moving from foot to foot.
“Your vote doesn’t count Wyrin.” Ki’esk told him. “I vote she doesn’t. She will end up killing the runt. She doesn’t know anything.”
“I think she should. She has Xavier to be a ‘God parent’ if you will, in case she messes up.” She’nen mumbled thoughtfully.
“It’s hard to say. Like my sister said, she has Xavier to tutor her, but we don’t know anything about her.” There was silence. “Yes, very well, Mia may take care of the runt, under the condition she keeps close to Xavier at all times, until she learns how to take care of her, and Xavier reports to us monthly about what happens, agreed?”
“Yes,” Xavier nodded.
“Yup,” She’nen nodded smiling.
“Ok,” Mia grinned.
“Very well,” Ki’esk grumbled, not happy about this. She was a runt, but she was HIS runt.
“Than it’s settled, Miatsu Tomani, you walk with the trusts of three broods on your shoulders. Do not break this trust, Miatsu.” Shi’nen looked at her, Mia nodded.
“I promise I will take care of this hatchling. I name her Rose. She feels like a Rose to me.”
“Naming her for color before it even comes in? You must be foolish.” Xaiver smiled and shook his head. Just then the scent of Dragoon blood flooded the cave.
“Prince Xavier, help,” a voice came from the mouth of the cave.