by Logan Jacobs
bird took off into the air, but the larger bird hadn’t punished it enough yet.
The huge bird took off after the smaller one and chased it around the
trees. The small bird managed to maneuver itself through the air gracefully
and fit through places that the larger bird had to squeeze through, but the
larger bird was quicker, and he came up on the smaller bird and dug his claws
into his back. The smaller careena let out a screech of pain, and the larger bird shoved him with his mighty legs so he went crashing into the ocean.
The large bird returned to his nest then, and the other birds seemed to
move away from him after they’d seen the damage he could cause. A
moment later, the smaller bird popped his head up out of the water and flew
slowly to the shore where he tended to his injuries.
“Wow,” Asta whispered. “They are fearsome.”
“The hunter I talked to wasn’t kidding,” I agreed with a nod. The birds
themselves were nearly as tall as my hip, and I was sure their wingspan was
even longer, so they would make a fierce enemy for anyone who encountered
one of them.
“My father must have avoided this area,” Kas said, and she looked at
me with wide eyes. “I definitely don’t remember seeing these things on our
trips to the beach.”
“I’d hope he’d avoid this area,” I chuckled quietly. “These things are
obviously dangerous.”
“Do you think it will help the dragons to see them?” Asta asked.
I looked down at the three little dragons between my legs and smiled at
them.
“What did you think?” I asked. “Did that give you some ideas?”
Inger and Blar nodded fervently, but Uffe just kind of tilted his little head at me.
“Hm,” Asta said with a frown. “I don’t think Uffe liked it.”
“His element is earth,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “I guess it would
make sense he wouldn’t be as excited about flying around as Blar and Inger
would be. We’ll try it out when we get home, though.”
“We’re not leaving yet, are we?” Kas questioned, and her lower lip
jutted out into a pout.
“No, not yet,” I promised. “But we can’t go down to the water over
here, it’s too close to the careena. We need to move away from them if you
all want to actually go onto the beach.”
“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Asta asked with a grin, and I
had to laugh.
“Follow me,” I instructed, and I shook my head at the girls’ eagerness
and headed to the right to take us further away from the birds. They were
large enough that we’d still be able to see them from a safe distance, and I
could always sneak the dragons a bit closer while the girls swam if necessary.
I could still hear the squawking of the birds behind us as we walked,
but after a few minutes they sounded far enough away that I felt comfortable
enough to take us back to the tree line. The girls peeked out around me, and
the dragons peered from between my legs. We still had a good view of the tall trees the careena lived in, and I could see them flying around, so I figured
this was a good spot for us to relax a while.
“Alright,” I said with a gesture out to the beach below us. “Go ahead.”
“Yay!” Kas squealed, and she took off down the small hill that led to
the sand below.
Asta was on her heels, and so were Blar and Inger, but Uffe hung back
and walked down slowly with me.
The girls already had their feet in the water by the time I made it to the
sand, and Blar and Inger walked over to sniff at the waves as they crashed
onto the shore.
Blar hopped into the water and splashed around a bit, but Inger put one
front paw in then shook it off and backed up to sit down on the beach.
“You don’t like the water, Inger?” Kas asked, and the little red dragon
shook her head defiantly.
“Blar likes it,” Asta laughed as she watched the little blue reptile swim
around at her feet.
“Uffe,” I said, and I looked down at the little boy twin. “Do you want
to try?”
I quickly took off my boots, then I walked over to the shore with him
and stepped into the water next to Kas. The small waves crashed against my feet and ankles, and the salt water was cold and refreshing as the sun beat
down around us.
“Come on, Uffe,” Kas encouraged as she turned around to look at the
little reptile.
“It’s okay,” I told him with a smile. “If you don’t like it, you can
always sit with your sister.”
The little red dragon looked back at where Inger was laid out on the
sand enjoying the sunshine, then he looked at Blar in the water at our feet.
The little blue dragon shook himself off, then ran over to Uffe and tried to
lead him to the water.
Uffe walked forward hesitantly and stopped where I stood. We waited
a second, and a small wave crashed at our feet and covered my ankles while
it nearly enveloped the little dragon’s entire body.
He didn’t seem to mind, though. Instead, he let out a little squeal of
excitement and pounded his little front feet on the sand.
“I think he likes it,” Kas laughed.
“I think so, too,” I agreed.
“I’m ready to get in,” Asta said, and she took her blade off her hip and
tossed it back toward Inger, who lifted her head to glare at the elf girl before
she laid back down in the sunshine.
“Me, too,” Kas said, and she tossed her sword back as well.
The two women took careful steps into the water, and I watched as the
ocean rose up to their shins first, then their knees, thighs, and finally their
hips.
“Rath,” Kas called out as she turned around. “Come out, it feels
wonderful!”
The white cloth clung to her hips, and the spray made it even more see
through up top so her breasts were on full display to me. The waves crashed
over Asta as well, and since her back was still turned to me I could see the
fabric cling to her tight round ass and the sharp curve of her back. My blood
pumped quickly through my arteries as I looked out at the two of them, so I
quickly pulled off my tunic and weapons and walked out into the water.
My pants clung to my legs as I walked out into the waves to join the
girls. They giggled and ran over to me, and I enjoyed the feel of their skin
along mine as they pressed themselves up against me.
The waves grew more fearsome then, and we were out far enough in
the water that they covered our whole bodies. Soon, we were all wet, and the
girls were virtually naked since the entirety of them was on display under the
sheer, white material they wore.
They swam away from me playfully, and I chased after them. For a
while, we played in the water while Inger lounged in the sunshine, and Blar
and Uffe played in the waves that crashed on the shore. Soon enough, though,
I was tired and ready to get out, so I walked back onto the shore and stretched
out in the sun next to Inger.
The little dragon opened one eye to look at me with a piercing purple
stare before she closed it again, sighed, and went back to sleep.
My whole body was dripping wet, so
I laid in the sunshine and felt the
heat on my chest as the beads of water ran off me and landed in the sand.
The girls joined me then, and we all laid there breathless and warm
while our bodies dried.
After a few minutes, I sat up and retrieved some water and fruit for us
and handed each of the girls and the dragons a piece to eat. Then we sat
quietly and watched the careena as they fought and hunted from their trees
just down the coastline. I pointed out the different things the birds did to the
little dragons, and they watched with fascination as the birds dipped and
dodged in the air.
While the dragons and I watched the birds, Kas and Asta did some
fishing and managed to catch quite a few fish and some crustaceans for our
dinner.
It was late afternoon before I knew it, so we packed up our things and headed back to the house. The girls, Blar, Uffe, and I were tired from our day
in the water and sun, but Inger strolled along ahead of us, clearly unfazed
since she spent the majority of the day basking in the sun.
Asta’s long white hair was out of the braid she’d had it in earlier, but
the salt water had dried in the strands, so now they hung in ocean-like waves
down her back and swayed back and forth with each step.
Kas walked next to me, and I could smell her usual floral scent mixed
with the salt water from the ocean. Her red lips were slightly chapped from
the water, but it just made them look that much plumper, and when she saw
me looking at her and smiled, I wanted to reach out, pull her over to me, and
press my lips against hers.
Blar and Uffe trudged along just behind me, and I could tell they were
exhausted from their day of play. I was happy they’d had fun, though.
Usually, Blar and Inger played with each other, but today had been a day for
Uffe and Blar to play together. The two were less physical with each other
than Blar was with Inger, but it didn’t matter. They had a good time, and it
was clear they shared a mutual respect and love for one another. I could see
now why Asta said dragons rarely fight. What would they have to fight
about? They were intelligent and social creatures, and they understood how
to interact with one another, so I couldn’t imagine there would be a reason
they’d need to fight against each other.
From what I’d seen with Blar and the twins, and what Asta had
explained about the dragons in her home world, it didn’t seem to me that any
dragons were needlessly violent. This just made the situation with Vinrar
even more terrible, though. That man had managed to turn peaceful creatures
into raging monsters out for revenge, though I couldn’t blame them for their
actions. They’d been provoked for far too long.
I shook my head to get Vinrar out of it. I didn’t want to think about
that bastard any longer.
We reached the house right before darkness set in for the day. The
world was cast in a light orange glow, but it would still be another hour or so
before it was officially dark, which meant we had some time to train.
“Okay,” I said as I set down my weapons and the fruit basket. “Let’s
practice some of the moves we saw today.”
Inger lined up on the grass in front of me, ready to tackle whatever I
threw at her, but her brother and Blar weren’t as prepared.
Blar sighed, then fell over onto his side in a dramatic display of his
lack of desire to participate. Uffe just gave me a sad look, though, and walked
over to his sister.
“We won’t do a whole lot,” I promised them with a laugh, and Blar
glared at me and begrudgingly went to sit with the other two dragons.
“Asta and I will work on dinner,” Kas offered as she grabbed the
basket to put it back in its place.
“No spells this time,” I teased.
“How do you expect me to make it taste good, then?” she laughed.
“Just make some wild black rice,” I told her. “I’ll cook the veggies and
fish after I’m done.”
“Deal,” the blonde chuckled as she and Asta headed back to the house.
The first thing I did was have Inger raise herself from the ground and
hold herself there, and her little red wings flapped delicately as she controlled
the air around her. Blar was next, and he managed to get some lift off, but he
couldn’t hold it as long as Inger could, and he couldn’t get quite as high. It
was still an improvement from the last time he’d tried, though, and I
congratulated him on a job well done.
Uffe was the last to try, and he closed his eyes and flapped his little red
wings fervently, but it was to no avail, and after a minute, he opened one eye
to look at me questioningly.
“It’s alright,” I told him, and I pursed my lips. “It’s okay, though, we’ll
keep trying.”
Once Blar and Inger practiced holding themselves in the air for a
couple of minutes at a time, I had them practice racing each other and going over the top of one another. Inger was a much better flyer than Blar still, but
she played fair, and the two of them worked on their dodging and weaving
skills while I walked over to Uffe, who sat with his little head down as he
stared at the ground.
“Hey,” I said, and I reached under his little chin to lift it so he would
look at me. His purple eyes were full of sadness and disappointment, and I
knew I had to do something to get him his confidence back. “It’s okay. Air is
your sister’s element, and Blar’s practiced flying before. You’re new to this,
and it will take some time, but you have something special that’s all yours.”
The little red dragon perked his head up then and tilted it to the side as
if to ask what was so special about him.
“You can wield earth,” I told him with a smile. “So, how about we try
some of that?”
Uffe smiled, snorted, and stomped his little front feet on the ground so
the earth moved slightly under his claws.
“Whoa,” I chuckled. “Can you bring up a ball of dirt?”
Uffe looked down at the ground for a second, and he closed his eyes to
focus before he lifted the front half of his body high off the ground like a
horse when it rose on its hind legs. He stomped onto the ground then, and a
large ball of compacted dirt rose up into the air and fell to the ground in between us.
“Good job!” I congratulated the little dragon, and I was definitely
impressed by his skills, but he needed something more to add to his dirt balls.
So, I had him bring up a ball again, but this time I told him to hit it
with his tail once it was in the air. Uffe nodded eagerly and tried to do as I’d
said, but he closed his eyes the first time, and he missed the ball. The next
time, though, he put more effort into it, and the ball flew through the air and
nearly hit Inger and Blar as they flew by.
I apologized to the other two dragons, but I was so proud of Uffe I took
a second to give him pets. Still, I felt there could be more, so I instructed him
to practice his fire breath, and once he had a good little flame, I instructed
him to bring up the ball from the ground, light it while it was in the air, then
hit it with h
is tail. It took him a couple of tries, but soon he hit one, and it
flew through the trees in a whiz of yellow and red.
I quickly realized what I’d done and ran into the woods to put the small
fireball out where it landed, but when I came back into the courtyard, Inger
and Blar were crowded around Uffe as they rubbed against him.
“Yes, good job everyone,” I said with a smile. “You can relax now,
we’ll practice more tomorrow.”
Blar looked at me then and fell to the ground as if he were too
exhausted to move.
“Oh, come on,” I laughed. “We only practiced for an hour or so.”
The little dragon rolled his eyes at me before he headed over to the fire
with the girls, and then he and Inger laid down next to the rocks that lined the
fire pit and immediately fell asleep. He hadn’t exactly said it, but I got the
feeling I was only to wake him once dinner was ready.
Uffe walked over to the fire next to me, and his little head was held
high now that he felt accomplished for the day. I’d been worried he would be
discouraged after seeing Blar and his sister fly, but once I’d shown him his
own potential, he did a great job and was particularly proud of himself.
There were still a couple pieces of fruit in the basket Kas had brought
over to the fire, so I grabbed a peach from it quietly as we walked by, then I
took my small knife from my boot and cut Uffe off a slice.
He sat by my feet and ate his treat quietly so as not to wake the other
two, and I smiled about the little secret we shared.
“It looked like they did well,” Kas commented once I’d sat down next
to her.
“They did,” I agreed.
“And you made sure the fire in the woods was put out?” Asta teased.
“Pretty sure,” I chuckled. “How did the rice cooking go?”
“Well… ” Kas said, and she bit her lip.
“You burnt it,” I laughed.
“Only a little at the bottom!” she exclaimed. “Most of it is fine.”
“That’s alright,” I told her with a smile. “A lot of people don’t know
when to pull rice off the fire. It can be tricky. You did well.”
“We cleaned the fish, too,” Asta said, and she pointed to the small
shelf I kept by the fire for utensils and spices and things. There on the top
was a pile of freshly skinned and gutted fish, along with the crustaceans the
girls had caught.