I-1505: Azrinal

A small fire crackled in the hearth of Leonidas’s comfortable cave home. He had never been a fan of ostentatious buildings or grand plazas like those he had served in the past. A nice hole in a mountainside with some ventilation for a fire and a couple of warm blankets were all he really needed to be happy. The dracus sat peacefully beside the fire, a small but sharp knife in one hand and a chunk of birch branch in the other. Each pass of the knife over the wood carved a little more ...

Previous It was two days later when finally Giada came down the ramp from the loft. Milarose had managed to use his magic again to shrink himself and spent long hours talking to the young kainu. Their voices had been low enough that the others hadn't heard what was said, but they were at least sure that Giada hadn't become hysterical again like the first night when they tried to convince him to come down....

Previous They decided to walk back to the barn to give their scraggly manes and tails a chance to dry more before they arrived. And it gave them a few more precious moments together without the interruption of a gaggle of children asking questions and begging for stories to be shared. The silence that stretched between them was comfortable, barriers having been broken down that night so they walked side by...

Previous “Have you travelled much in your life?” Icarus asked as he walked beside Milarose. They had Azrinal with them in a modified sling that rested over Icarus’s back, holding the child securely in place while allowing Milarose to keep his hands free.  “Not as much as you have,” Milarose said with a light chuckle. “I doubt anyone has.” ...

Previous Icarus was blessedly quiet during the flight, but he kept lifting his head, turning it from side to side. It took Milarose a moment to understand what he was doing, and when he figured it out, he felt surprised. The kainu couldn't fly--this was probably the first time he ever had. He was enjoying the feeling of the wind on his face. It seemed so...innocent.  ...

Previous Milarose watched the golden kainu gallop away, kicking up clouds of dust and dirt in his wake. Icarus...what a ridiculous drakiri. He didn't seem to have a bone in his body dedicated to self-preservation.  Shaking his head, Milarose turned and kicked off the ground again into the air, wind whipping his mane back from his face as he flew high into the s...