more Trish

Trish sat there absentmindedly scratching Oofa's nose, It was getting warmer again and her wings kept sticking. Krill, her friend and fellow  dragon tender, had laughed at her flitting up and down like a drunken hummingbird.   He meant no harm.   They had been together a while now with  Oofa and Sloom and were  well used to each other's minds.  Knowing what they all were thinking was now as natural as flutter drying wings. Sloom's eyes spun in glitter as the green dragon smiled inside Krill's head, then closed in soft rumbling contentment.

Oofa arched his neck to let tiny fingers stroke inner scale roots.

 Warm was fine for Oofa who could sleep in a fire and had several times to Trish's despair when she was supposed to be tending him. The golden dragon shivered suddenly and they were both lost in a quickly disappearing cloud of dragon dust.

Trish brushed her scarf across her face and held in a sneeze. 

"Oofa" she snapped" what did you do that for?" 

The little red eye focussed on her wings and she suddenly understood.

Krill would have to find something else to laugh at.

        

            She looked off into the mountains, absently fingering the dust from her nostrils, flicking balls of it toward Krill. The mountain looked different.   

     One section of it looked like a stone giantess sitting cross legged 

in a long flowing robe. She seemed to be looking down into the valley of memories and concentrating on one particular cave. Trish blinked and then looked again.

 It took a few breaths of concentration and Trish saw her again  this time clearly enough to see grey eyes focussing on her tiny winged body, 

                       zzzzzzzzzzzztt!!!!

      Oofa felt her flinch and glanced up at the distant mountain. Two clicks later they hovered over the grey eyed giant, another click had Krill riding Sloom beside them.  "What in sweet sugarcups is that? and where did she come from?"

Krill was hanging from Sloom's talons by his knees trying to get a closer look.   Sloom's eyes spun as she mind chattered madly with Oofa. 

Trish couldn't focus on all of it but the gist of it was what do we do? along with a lot of in the wind suggestions

    Moments later they were back where they had been, looking at the distant mountain. Trish was not too happy at the quick change. She'd gotten used to the blink of nothing but did not like being dragged back and forth like a doll on a string.

   Oofa sorried to her but not very earnestly. They needed time to think. He'd brought them back to before Trish had seen the mountain maiden. Sloom was as quiet as Trish had ever seen her. Even Krill was at a loss for words, or cautious enough to not use any.

   The valley of memories held many caves.   Occasionally one could almost see emanations slipping out to gaze around before slipping back in quiet satisfaction.   The one cave the grey stone giantess was watching had never changed its dark shadowed appearance in all the turns Trish had tended dragons.   She and Krill had enjoyed reliving a lot of the stored memories in other caves' dancing shadows.   It had been fun to flit through storms and rolling crashing waves.  To be so close to flashing lightning and roaring forest fires.   Oofa had sailed through firestorms with Sloom following so closely she and Krill had been able to shout to each other in wild whirling joy. The valley of memories was full of happier times.   It was also a trap.   Without the dragons to flick them out Krill and Trish would have died happily.

   The giant mountain maiden reappeared before them, this time dressed in Autumnal finery, glistening in a gown of multi colored trees that waved and shimmered in soft cold breezes.   Ooofa and Sloom hovered in calm stillness listening to her whispery thoughts.   Trish caught glimpses of apology and a view of time she'd never considered.   The maiden had been here just yesterday, before the second moon, long before dragons and faeries appeared. 

Even before some humans had wed with faerie to produce elves. The black cave had been there long before the valley held memories.  She disappeared in a slowly rising fog whispering she'd come back tomorrow.

Tomorrow? How long were this lady's days? Trish blinked in awe of this new vision of Time.   Oofa held his head down eye to eye with her and Trish could read his thoughts. "We can time travel little one, but all the traveling we've ever done is no more than a few steps in her world. Why

we could spend a lifetime in an afternoon!"

"Some things aren't meant to be" said Trish.  She thought of the joyous times they'd spent in the valley and shivered at how close they'd been to never.  

Krill stepped close and held her hand.   He too was in awe of this view of time.   "Let's just live Today Trish." he muttered.   " Tomorrow can always wait" 

She stroked in Oofa's neck scales, letting her nails scratch lightly on the skin that could rest in fire.   Oofa's nearest eye glazed and rolled in ecstasy.  "You can do that till Tomorrow" laughed Krill as Sloom stretched in her head to him.   He reached under her chin and scratched beneath the first small scales.   The low hum of contented dragons vibrated Trish's wings. It got darker and Oofa spread his wing over Trish as rain pelted down in big splattering drops.   Both dragons loved the rain. It washed out the dust  that built up from the constant growing as the scales ground together. Trish was not that fond of it. Her wings were so tightly closed they ached, and her wet cold hair did not feel nice on her neck and shoulders.  Oofa's wing closed and cuddled her from the storm. 

She huddled in warm content ready to wait forever for the rain to stop.  Krill laughed and sponged sap soap all over his body letting the rain rinse him clean.  Sometimes Krill's teasing was too much for Trish to bear.    Not now, she was so warm and cuddled she just drifted off to sleep.

Krill stretched and flutter dried his wings in after rain sunshine.   Sloom rumbled low as Krill quietly studied Trish's sleeping form.  She had folded her ears over her eyes and her head rested on the edge of Oofa's wing.

Krill sat down on his crossed legs and relaxed as his ears folded over his eyes.  Sloom slid down beside him wrapping her wing over him.  Her red eyes closed to slits as her head rested on her fore legs. Green talons sank into soft ground holding them all earthbound. 

They woke to the promise of a sunny day, glancing to find every one awake at the same time. Trish looked down at her soft leather  pointed boots and realized they were almost worn through.  It was time to pay the gnomes another visit.  She peered up   at a tulip tree's topmost leaves

The tiny bud tips were ripe to pick and the elf hat flowers were all in bloom around her. In moments Oofa had her at the gnomes' cavern with her arms wrapped around several full to bursting  cones of flowers.

          Casto appeared frowning to see what had disturbed his slumber.   His expression shot to a widening smile as he saw the flowers filled with bud tips. Supper was instantly on his mind.  Krill and Trish held up their feet as they hovered before him. 

 "I've had them ready for you both for some time.   Since your feet stay the same size it's easy to have them ready."  

They followed him down the winding staircase  to his sales room and exchanged  the bud tips for new boots.  Casto took the old ones for his sister's new baby. 

 "They'll last till he's outgrown them " he said.

He watched them fly up the stairwell and wondered again how they ever wore them out. 

Sloom and Oofa were flying so closely their wings were almost brushing the sides of their tiny riders. They were headed South towards their favorite beach. Suddenly they were swooping down to land on the sand.

They had timed instead of flying the whole trip.   

"I'm cccold' chattered Trish

Oofa sorried her quickly and suggested they both lie down in the sun while he and Sloom got some exercise.  The two dragons shot into the sky together and disappeared.

"What's going on?" asked Trish, looking at Krill.  He sat there laughing at her.

"It's a mating flight Trish.  They need to be alone."

He moved over to sit next to her and carefully put his arm around her under her wings.   His hand rested on her navel as his lips brushed her cheek.   Trish shivered but was no longer cold.  Krill patted her knees and snuggled into her neck. Trish felt herself flushing as she shivered again.  She watched the hair on Krill's neck rise as he stretched to look down the beach. 

"If we were older we'd be lost in mad sex right now Krill" she muttered

             " Yes" smiled Krill, wiggling suggestively. He stroked her hair and fell to sleep. 

An hour later Trish unfolded her ears from her eyes and rose to her feet.   Krill lifted his left ear to watch her.

"Are we done sleeping ?" he asked with a grin.   Trish opened her wings and fluttered up to sit on a sunlit tree branch.   Krill stood and stretched.

Both knees and his back cracked at the same time, and he laughed.   "Mating flights will be more fun when we're older Trish" He said as Trish blushed.

"Patience Krill is a lesson you'll have to learn first"

"Since neither of us is ready yet Trish I 'll wait to learn patience then."  

         He flew up to sit beside her and offered a bite of pemmican cake.  Trish took a small bite and chewed on it slowly. 

It expanded in the juice of her mouth as she carefully swallowed the first taste.   She wanted to ask if it was gnome or elven pemmican but it would be a while before she could talk.  

They both sat chewing and swallowing until the pemmican was small enough to allow speech.  "It's gnome." said Krill  carefully not pronouncing the g so he didn't swallow it too soon, otherwise he'd be burping loudly for days.  Trish chewed on knowing the taste would soon change to dessert.

"It's grass oven cooked Trish." said Krill.

Trish nodded as the taste changed to peppermint pineapple.

          Casto's gram had shown her how she wrapped the individual ovens in wet grass and buried them to wait for the grass to rot and heat them.

Trish picked at the loose bark and rolled a piece up in her fingers.   Krill watched as she put one end in her mouth.

"Are you going to smoke that?" he asked in wonder.

"Never" she answered "But it tastes good after a meal like that!"  Krill rolled one of his own and sucked in the tart flavor.   They sat there watching the woods awaken in the rising sun beams.

"How much longer will they be?" asked Krill

"At least  another day Krill, then we'll be egg tending on Sandy Beach for quite a while, day turning."

"I guess we'll get used to sea food then" said Krill.

"Either that or pemmican" answered Trish.   She folded her ears and wings down tightly.  

           Krill smiled as he thought of the dragons rolling in pounding surf.   It looked like a good Springtime was coming and he loved the taste of chowder.

"Gnomes make good pemmican" He said, now able to pronounce the g again.  "I wonder if goblins do too?"

Trish lifted one ear to see if he was serious.  " I don't think so Krill.   They only eat meat and most of the time raw or rotten. You know gnomes and elves love mushrooms and buds and live in the woods.  Goblins stay in the dark and work with iron."  

Krill shivered, like all faeries he didn't like the feel of iron. Magic and iron don't mix.   Well sometimes they do but only a few wizards know the spells.

Trish started snoring softly, and in moments so did Krill.      

"Do you remember when every one could see us? Now it's just small children and old fruitcakes. Although every once in a while someone watches and laughs.   That man with the horse  knew we were there.

The horse told him.   Cats do that too.  Most of them don't talk to animals and they laugh at their children's tales.   The ghosts don't laugh though." 

Oofa's eyes sparkled as he absentmindedly scratched under his left fore leg Trish shook her ear and Oofa sorried quickly.  Both dragans had shrunk in size and were now ear rings on Trish and Krill's left ears. They were still able to slip through time and take their comrades with them, but were keeping a lower profile in this busier world of man.

It had been Oofa's plan to travel in man's time because they kept their world more interesting, and lived so much faster.They were a lot more advanced now and even had airplanes flying everywhere. Sloom closed her eyes and grumbled.

"Me too!" said Krill and disappeared.

Trish asked Oofa what was going on.  Oofa answered  slowly  "She's ready to lay her eggs.   They've gone to the Beach !"

"Well?" said Trish and just as suddenly she was fluttering down to the sand.   Oofa was full-size again rolling in the surf.  Sloom's head could be seen behind the highest dune as she carefully covered her eggs with hot sand.  Krill was at the high tide mark dragging a pile  of drift wood toward his green dragon.  Trish ran to help him as Oofa spit a fountain of water straight up and rolled beneath it. 

He stepped up onto the sand and sorried to Trish  as she frowned at him.

Quickly shaking himself dry he ran down the high tide line and gathered up enough drift wood for a large fire which he promptly blew on and lit.

As the great ball of sun sank they sat together in the warmth of the roaring fire and Sloom's tongue darted behind Oofa's ear to caress him. 

Krill slid his arm over Trish's shoulders carefully not touching her wings and hugged her as she settled onto the sand.  They awoke before sunrise and took the hot sand from under the fire.  It was time to turn the eggs and they were both new to the task.  Sloom instructed them on every move and they were both extremely careful. "Faster" hummed Sloom " don't let them cool."  Soon all three eggs were turned and covered in fire hot sand. Trish put down her hot scale and held her fingers in her armpits. Krill put his scales down and removed his gloves.  Trish would be wearing hers for the next turning. 

She wanted to sit on a rock with her feet in the sea and watch the clouds change as they sailed by.   The surf was too high for rock sitting, but she spied a clump of dry leaves and sea weed and fluttered over to sit on that.  "You look like a sea duck bobbing around like that" said Krill.

She was in the only spot of calm as waves swirled around her.  It was fun but not what she really wanted.  She flew up to Krill and the two of them hovered high enough to stay dry. 

"Is that giant clam shell  still by the black rock?" asked Krill. 

"You're hungry again?" asked Trish. 

 She knew he wanted chowder and Sloom was always ready to get the ingredients.

"Well it takes us time to cook." said Krill.   

He was gathering an armload of driftwood and walking down to the black rock.  Sloom was already in the water.                                    

"I wonder what she'll bring us this time" said Krill.   "The last time was starfish and it took forever to skin them"

Sloom rose up out of the waves with talons gripping three large flounder and her cavernous jaw full of scallops.

Krill filled the giant clam shell with scallops, and Sloom lit the fire beneath.

The scallops soon opened and Krill's knfe cut the soft white muscles free.

He removed the shells laying the meat on them as the juices began to bubble. He did this several times until all the scallops were done then slid the pot to the side to cool. While he fileted the flounder Trish squeezed bran grass stems dropping white soft handfuls into the bubble hot juice. Krill diced the sea washed filets into the pot and added two pemmican cakes for flavor.   They watched as the mixture curdled  and bubbled into a milky savory soup.   When Krill was satisfied he added all the scallop meats.  In minutes the pot of chowder was cooling on the sand beside the dying fire.

    They sat on their heels with mouths watering from the smell rising from the giant clam shell. Sloom sat beside her buried eggs humming in sweet content.  Oofa's red eyes closed as his tongue fondled Sloom's left ear lobe.

     Trish shook and fluttered her wings then folded them tightly against  her back. As her ears folded over her closed eyes she wondered when they'd be having company.  Both she and Krill had been there when their dragons had hatched and bonded with them.  The three eggs would be ready to hatch  next month and three faeries would be chosen and brought to join with them.

The chowder lasted long enough for even Krill to want something else to eat. They were both expecting three faeries to bond with the baby dragons when they hatched so were not surprised when three forms fluttered down to the sand.  They were surprised by one of the three.

   Two were red haired faeries dressed in green that looked like brother and sister twins.   The other was an older opulently graceful fairy godmother.  They were all pushed aside as the dragons rushed to embrace her.

              "Are you ok? 

Has it been so awful? 

Time will help. 

We are here if you need us.

What can we do? " 

         Trish. Krill and the twins hovered above them wondering what was going on.

             

 "I came to bond with another" said the godmother.  Tears poured from her eyes. "It's so unbearably lonely without him.  We've been together for ever. I almost went with him"  She stood there, somehow smaller than before, her arms tightly wrapped around herself.  Oofa's red eye was almost touching her cheek as he murmured softly.

"They should hatch tonight or tomorrow godmother.   We'll have them next to the fire waiting 

"  Oofa's eyes focussed on Trish. She nodded to Krill and they both swept down to unearth the eggs and line them up before the roaring fire.  The faeries kept back  from the hot fire. Behind them stood the fairy godmother and the two dragons.  Either one of them were capable of sitting on the fire, but they both sat with the godmother between them waiting patiently. 

   Sean felt the sand move beneath his soft leather boots as his weight shifted.   He reached to hold Sheila's hand.   She clutched it gratefully.   Everything was happening so fast.   They were going to be dragon tenders.   They were about to bond with their very own dragons.   Just yesterday Harry the Hairy had asked them what they wanted to be when chosen.   Had he known?  Leprechauns always know before anybody! Did one of the eggs just move?

            The two largest eggs started to rock then a claw broke through on both to tear a hole as the hatchlings crawled out.   The twins stepped forward calling names that rang in their ears.   "Tani" said Sean "Rani" said Sheila as they hugged each other and pulled off the shiny wet shell skin clinging to soft new scales.

           The four of them backed away from the rest and whispered together like old friends at a reunion.  Sheila couldn't take her eyes or hands from Rani,  Tani was just as lost speeching with Sean,

    Oofa and Sloom studied the remaining smaller egg with misgiving.   It was not rocking.   It sat there where Trish had placed it showing no signs of life at all.  The god mother slowly rose to her feet and approached  to lay her hands on it.  

" Wake up Allo It's time to live with me."  The egg snapped open to reveal an all white dragon sucking on his tail. His eyes opened;   A small voice said "Winifred  it's a pleasure to meet you. You look just as I envisioned  you would, beautiful and blue eyed."  The godmother dropped to her knees then tenderly removed handfuls of wet shellskin.  Allo shivered in joyous satisfaction purring loudly.

           In a few days the twins' dragons doubled in size twice, and not without pain. The twins spent all their time rinsing them in saltwater and seaweed oil.  They would both soon be full sized dragons with all the abilities of Sloom and Oofa. Allo on the other hand was something of a mystery.   He was the first white dragon and his vision and knowledge of life was  above most of the faery world.   This was totally due to his bonding with Winifred.   Every thought,every emotion every experience she had ever had was now his.

Allo grew slowly sucking down brangrass stew and enjoying loving fingers that knew where to scratch before itching began.   Winifred was her old self again.  Soon they would be gone.  The twins back to their land of leprechauns, and the faery godmother back to her royal duties,  but not alone, never alone again.

Reviews

[Zeek4]

What an imaginative piece of fiction. You created an entire world here starting with a blank piece of paper an impressive ability. I like the bits of humor..."star fish are hard to skin." Thanks for taking me to a different world.

[An Ordinary Woman]

I knew this was special right from the start. Sneezing and picking noses isn't ordinary everyday stuff for dragons and fairies, you understand. A delight to read, Donald.
I'm so very glad to read one of your stories again. Perfect.
I love it!