As he had been warned, Ihfosa's presence at Tris Hath raised a few eyebrows - but not nearly as many as could have been. He enjoyed the attention to a point, but wished that some of the humans would just control their urges to pat his head or scratch him behind the ears.

It just wasn't proper.

The bugling of the dragons all around alerted everyone, and Ihfosa felt a distinct charge in the mental air.

Two hatchlings shot from their shells, one green and one blue. They tumbled about, scattering sand and shell fragments everywhere. The green found someone to play with, while the blue...

He'd started to wander, watching as the other eggs were shaking and showing signs of breaking open. He almost hadn't even gone over to the candidates, but the dam of this clutch wouldn't have him sitting his whole life in front of his nest siblings.

He'd gone as far as Ihfosa and sat down, but was still watching the hatchings.

There was a burning, strange sensation in Ihfosa's mind. "Would you mind getting off my foot, Irrasis?" He asked, finding this little blue fascinating and funny at the same time. The dragonet looked up and said 'mrrp?' but then zipped away out of his reach when Ihfosa meant to carry him to the food.

"All right, You're the one who misses his meal."

The dragonet gave off a pretty purring sound and turned around as more eggs broke up. He seemed was intent on watching the rest of the hatching. Not that Ihfosa minded, he was very curious about this behavior.

A pretty yellow hatched, but Irrasis didn't budge. She paired off with a girl, and two more blues broke out of their eggs. Their mother had to encourage them like their first-hatched blue brother, to head off to the candidates.

One of them chirped loudly and bowled his brother Irrasis over, and they tumbled around talking to each other in their strange little cheeps and squawks. Ihfosa knew something else: "His name is Sianar," he said.

It didn't look as though they really cared if he knew or not. They were now together. They went off to find food - Ihfosa had to catch up.

When the uppity blues had first learned to fly, Ihfosa thought he would finally get the chance to watch them hunt by themselves, instead of having to do it for them.

Hah. No such luck. Sianar was the burlier and scrappier of the pair, while his clutch brother Irrasis was smarter and quieter. They both seemed to want to make Ihfosa's life impossibly hard.

We want to climb, said Sianar.

And we want to glide down to the lake, after we climb.

"You've got wings," Ihfosa said gruffly. The pair of blues circled him endlessly, their golden markings glimmering in the noon day sun.

We do! And we use them. But if we don't make ourselves stronger, we'll never stand a chance of mating.

"Mating?" Ihfosa said, suddenly remembering why he'd been sent there at all. "Oh - well, then..."

Perhaps it was best. They would try climbing. Their forelimbs were quite strong anyway, and Ihfosa thought they looked just like bats as they clung on to the cliffside over the lake.

He didn't have to worry about them falling, of course. If they would take each other off the cliff in doing, that might attract some attention from the medical wing. But luckily Ihfosa's blue pair managed to keep themselves intact as they climbed to the top of the cliff.

As they soared down to the lake, Ihfosa sprinted to their side. He felt a strange tingling, since he remembered his mission was to bond and to return to the Plateau.

"You remember how to get from place to place," Ihfosa stated to the two blues, who patiently chewed on their fish. "And now I need you to take me back to my home. It'll be a long trip. A really long trip."

We are up for it, said Irrasis.

I will enjoy this! Sianar spread his wings. Irrasis will carry you, I will scout. If that is all right with you?

"Of course it is!" Laughed Ihfosa.

They headed home.

**

( It's 2023 and I finally found the giveaway info for this lovely addition that was made in 2007 by JessD of Malnev, art by Unyko )

Their trip back home was a little interrupted for some strange reason. They'd stopped moving at Malnev - a world that bore similarities to Planet Twenty, though the dragon that approached this trio was apparently from yet another world before this. Or at least, her ancestors were. She was as sleek as could be, and could look either of the blue Hathians in the eye even as mature as they were now.

"I am Issayel," she announced, her voice was smooth as silk just like the texture of her coat. "I would like to go where you are headed, if I might? You seem well suited to a place I could fit in."

The pair of males circled her but not in an aggressive way, more that they were both quite confused. Why had they arrived here, was it her doing? Either way, now it would be Sianar helping transport this wingless dragon while Irrasis continued to carry Ihfosa home.

And they all did fit right in, on the Plateau! The dragons were varied and healthy among the Tribe, and it seemed that Issayel delighted in having quite a few dragons, people, pets, and guards around her. She wasn't the largest of the dragons, though some said if she had wings she very well could be! She'd laugh that off, "I prefer to prowl the ground, thank you!"

.Back to Ihfosa's page.