FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 5

Lyyreth woke slowly, blinking his eyes and casting the grogginess from them. He was sleeping on his fours, cuddled up next to his brother. We have not rested together like this since we were but hatchlings. He let out a pleased sigh, looking around the golden hay they had spread around to act as a soft place to rest. He closed his eyes for a moment once again, basking in the warmth that his brother provided him. It made him want to lean further against him, and never leave the enticing heat. But...can't do that. He yawned, stretching his maw as wide as he could. He snapped his jaws several times as he stood up onto all fours and gave his body a nice big stretch. He's started with his tail as he shook, his scales clinking together softly. He continued up with his stretch, up his tail, to his flank, to his midsection, his wings, and then finally to his head with a shake. Ahhhh..that feels good. He smiled to himself as he resettled his wings against his back.

"Come on...wake up sleepy scales." He nosed Cordenth gently on the snout, a small tinge of pride swelling up as his brother moved slightly away.

"No..I don't want to get up." Cordenth replied with a snort, his eyes still shut. "You can't make me."

"I certainly can." Lyyreth growled at the challenge, raising his two front limbs and pushing against his brothers shoulder firmly. "Get up..come on!" He jostled his brother again and again until the green dragon opened his yellow eyes and narrowed them.

"Graaaaaah! Have you not heard about not waking a sleeping dragon!" Cordenth snapped his jaws inches from Lyyreth's smiling face.

"That story is for mortals I believe." Lyyreth rose his neck into an S shape, sticking out his pink tongue. "Not for grown dragon dragons waking up their brothers."

"Why get me up anyway?" Cordenth groaned, rolling onto his back and exposing his belly. "I have the coin to pay for the cow we ate." The green dragon wiggled his tail, smacking the brown sack of coins from the night before. It slid across the ground with a slight jingle.

That's more coin than I thought he won...No wonder those dragon hunters were so mad. "Do you intend to just pay the man and leave?"

"Yes!" Cordenth exclaimed, flopping his head down onto the hay. "I have the money to pay, we want to leave. Where is the discussion in this? Everyone wins!"

_ Not me...we need to stay._ "We need to stay here Cordenth..That dragoness...needs our help."

"Oh good gods...don't tell me." Cordenth rose his head to tilt his face to the side. "Your going after her aren't you." the dragon rolled his eyes. "Are you even sure she needs your help? By the sounds of it she is a fairly tough customer."

She was scared....ran away from me..._Lyyreth thought to some groups of hunters he had heard the night before as he flew around the forest looking for her. _Before those magical explosions filled the air._The hunters had spoken about how this dragoness had killed folks in villages, killed adventurers, burned houses, and was the murderer of children's mothers. _But how could she do those things? Those things were reserved for monsters, evil individuals, or maybe even dragons of old....but that dragoness? Lyyreth wrinkled his snout as he remembered her eyes, so full of pain, misery, and fear. He could not fight the feeling that those crimes they listed were false in some fashion. "She does...even if she doesn't want it."

"Are you sure we are not rescuing Lyndis? That line sounds something she would most definitely say." Cordenth flipped onto his fours, and started scratching the top of his green head with one of his onyx wing talons. "So...were rescuing a dragoness...because you had love at first sight?"

"No!" Lyyreth protested. "I honestly just want to help her."

"Than why stay here? We could just fly around looking for her, and not have to go through the trouble of remaining here for even a minute longer." Cordenth groaned, looking to the open barn door, and the golden rays of sunlight that had started to brighten the floor.

That is a good point."She was hiding her scent somehow after she took off. I tried to follow her after, but it was gone. We would need someone to track her now. I figured staying here would give us a base of sorts to work from, and find this dragoness."

"When you speak like that it, it makes it sound logical." Cordenth groaned, wrinkling his own snout. "No..were leaving." the green dragon snatched up the sack with his teeth and quickly made his way out of the barn. His tail lightly smacking Lyyreth on his nose.

"Wait up!" Lyyreth shouted, bounding after his brothers tail. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster with every step on the ground he made with his claws. "Can't we talk more about this? It would be in everyone's best interest if we stayed around!"

"No..it would be good for you." Cordenth grumbled through his teeth. "You just want to meet this dragoness. That is what this is all about...your jealous."

"Jealous?" Lyyreth puffed up his chest, snorting his displeasure. "I am certainly not _jealous_in the slightest. You may find it hard to believe, but I am actually voting we stay to help her out of the kindness of my heart, and not the feelings of lust."

"No!" Cordenth spotted Jerry walking over towards them from his house. He bounded away from Lyyreth without a word. He finally came to a stop before the farmer who stared at the pair with curiosity as he took a long sip from his off-white mug.

"This should be good." Jerry looked from the pair of dragons to the brown sack, and then back to the brothers. He crossed his arms as his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Were not staying here a second longer." Cordenth dropped the heavy bag of coin right at Jerry's feet with a loud jingling of metal. "There." the green dragon growled quietly. "That should be roughly five times what we owed you for the cow."

"Well...then.." Jerry's eyes focused on the large amount of coin at his feet. "You can leave if you want I suppose." He grumbled, obviously reluctant to have his help get away.

"Brother!" Lyyreth came scrambling over, his eyes growing large. He nudged him softly with with his snout. "Please?"

"Graaaahhh!" Cordenth thrashed his tail, pushing Lyyreth's snout away with a paw. "See what I am dealing with Jerry? The little brother that tugs at my heartstrings?" Cordenth wrinkled his maw, "All because he met a female."

"Ah love at first sight is it now?" Jerry smirked, taking another sip of his morning liquid.

"Nothing like that." Lyyreth quickly turned his snout away from the smirking man. He could feel his heart quicken as his frills no doubt turned a darker shade of green. She was beautiful... "She was scared...and we have to help her." he said, making his point with a tap of his tail on the ground. "There was a bunch of those hunters looking for her, saying all these things about her. Thing is...I saw her, and smelled her fear... I don't think she did those things." Not the monster they were talking about.

"Well I'll leave ya two ta figure it out." Jerry hefted the sack of coin over his shoulder with a grunt. "I'm just a farmer. Isn't my business about what you should do with one of your own."

"Really? You wouldn't offer help to someone who needed it?" Lyyreth snapped his head to stare at the human with narrowed eyes.

"I stopped doing it a long time ago Chippy." Jerry turned away quickly, heading back towards his house.

"What it if was James?" Lyyreth bound after him, matching his steps fairly quickly.

Jerry stopped in his tracks and shot a glare at Lyyreth. "Now that aint fair."

"Course it isn't. Life isn't fair sometimes." Lyyreth snorted. "So we are going to stick around here...If it's alright with you." he ignored the groan that escaped Cordenth's maw, no doubt while he was rolling his eyes in irritation.

"That's fine with me, long as ya pull yer weight." Jerry pointed at the barn. "Ya can o course keep usin the barn ta sleep in." he turned back towards the house, and resumed his casual walk.

That was too easy. "Really? That's it?" Lyyreth lowered his snout and followed him again. "I thought you would need more convincing."

"You weigh alot."

"Well you ruined a speech I had brewing in my head! Where are you even running off to anyway?" he snaked his head closer to the walking man.

"Home..gotta put this somewhere." Jerry patted the sack of coins several times with a smile.

"What did you stop doing long ago?" came Cordenth's voice as he took position on the other side of Jerry with his snout lowered.

"Stuff." the man replied, looking away from the grinning dragon.

"What kinda stuff?"

Jerry slumped his shoulders and sighed. "I'll tell ya later alright?"

"Why not now?" Cordenth moved his snout closer.

"Cause I got dese coins ta put away!" the man jingled the bag of coins he held.

"To where?" Cordenth wrinkled his snout. "Just toss them in a pile and be done with it...You already have the sack." the dragon pointed to the bag with a talon.

"I don't want nobody to steal it, stupid. Now wait here!" Jerry shouted, striding into his house and leaving the dragons sitting outside with their tails wagging in expectation. The human returned several minutes later, clasping his hands together as his eyes went to each dragon in turn.

"So...your saying no one could steal it now?" Cordenth grinned.

"It would be _much_harder to do so now." Jerry waved the dragon off dismissively as he ambled off to where an assortment of sheep and cows were busy grazing away at the viridian field.

"You should get some traps....Or hire some minions to guard it."

"Brother." Lyyreth finally snapped his jaw at the green dragon. "Enough is enough, your starting to annoy even me."

"I'm amusing myself." Cordenth casually placed a claw to his black armored chest. "If you are going to force us to be here, than I am going to amuse myself at every chance I get." He ended the sentence with a snort of air.

"I don't need minions, or traps dragon!" Jerry laughed loudly. "What do you think my house is? A dungeon?"

"Not with that attitude it isn't." Cordenth returned his attention the farmer.

"Now shush your snout and look there." Jerry gestured to the livestock with a wave of his arm. "If ya are going to be staying here, I will need some help herding these critters to the next field over." Jerry pointed from the livestock to a large section of clear grass further away from the animals.

"Get what into the next field?" Lyyreth's eyes scanned the animals gathered before them. His gaze following the fluffy wool, to the multi colored cows. "Do you mean your pets?" he curled his neck into the shape of an S.

"Not pets. Livestock." the man grumbled, "I wouldn't slaughter my pets when I was hungry."

"Was the cow we ate a pet or a livestock? I only ask because she had a blue ribbon around her neck." Cordenth asked in a silvery voice, tilting his head to the side.

"Livestock...although I would not have killed her until she was older." He replied, crossing his arms as he wrinkled his brow.

"So." Lyyreth made sure to get Jerry's attention, turning the conversation away from the cow eating incident. "Which of these livestock do you want moved? The fluffy ones or the horny ones?"

Goblin spittle. Lyyreth cursed himself as he noticed what he said. Nobody noticed though. He looked to his brother, who appeared to be stifling a fit of laughter. His eyes had turned into pleased yellow slits. Double damnt.

"Both." Jerry said flatly, gesturing to the animals with his neck.

This is easy...herding.. Lyyreth sat down, running his claw around his pebbly snout. He was sure he had read about it somewhere within his books. It involves usually those dog creatures I believe. He tapped his tail on the ground as he continued to think.

Cordenth sped passed Lyyreth in a blur of green. With a frightened baa, he picked up a sheep within the his claws. The dragon spread his wings and bounded into the sky, and swiftly brought the terrified creature to the next field and gently set it on the grass. "Like that?" the dragon roared out.

"No!" Jerry shouted back. "Your supposed to herd them! Not scare them half to death!" The man shook his head as if the green dragon was hopeless.

"What is herding them exactly?" Lyyreth wrinkled his nose and admitting defeat. "We have never seen it down before." He imagined how his brother did, but somehow using magic to do it to all of them at once. "It's just moving them right?"

"You..just..kind of.." Jerry stammered, lost for words as Lyyreth looked to him with curiosity. "Aaahhh."the man waved as he started walking towards the livestock in a hurried fashion. He walked behind one of the sheep, and carefully guided it towards the entrance to the second field. Jerry turned around with his arms crossed once again and a smirk on his wrinkled face. "At this rate you two will never be farmers."

"Luckily we don't want be farmers." Lyyreth replied with a smile. "No offense."

Jerry just shrugged and held up his hands. "Your the ones that followed me."

"So if I didn't do it right." Cordenth trotted over to them, looking to the sheep. "How about this?" The green dragon carefully made his way to one of the off-white sheep, and guided it with his tail to the next field. "How about that?" he swung his head to look at Jerry, swelling his chest up.

Jerry nodded slowly. "That works."

"See?" Cordenth strutted back over, his tail swishing happily behind him. "That was easy."

The two dragons worked in tandem to herd the collection of cow and sheep. They would nose them with their snouts, and guide them with their tails if they began to stray. They did this fairly quickly. Until with a final clattering of the wooden gate behind them, the dragons stood proud.

"There." Lyyreth puffed out his chest, giving off a low rumbling purr as he trotted over to Jerry. The man had not moved from the spot he had been standing, and was still watching them stride over with a smirk on his face."

"If I didn't know better, it would look like you had done that before." the old man laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day that dragons would be herding my cows and sheep!"

"So where you always a farmer?" Lyyreth asked, as the question emerged from his brain.

"NO."

"Really now?" the dragon gave a pleased rumble from his throat that sounded like tumbling stones.

"What else needs done to earn out keep?" Cordenth chimed in, "That herding was surprisingly better than I-"

Lyyreth cut off his brother with his wing, unfolding it and separating Jerry from the dragon with his membrane.

"Hey!" Cordenth hissed as he grabbed hold of Lyyreth's membrane and tugged it down. "I can always move them back!"

"Ya we can get back to gettin corn.Why are ya not lookin for that dragoness? I mean I could use the help but why aint ya doin that?"

"Because she was hiding her scent somehow with magic." Lyyreth rose his head to look at the forest in the distance. He imagined the black dragoness stalking her way through the underbrush. Her dark grey spines flared out as she flinched at anything that passed by. He thought back to her pain filled eyes, and how they had made him just want to help her. "So if she is nocturnal like other black dragons, she will be out during the night." Lyyreth nodded. "That is when we will need to look for her."

"Sounds like you would need a tracker." Jerry grumbled, waving them over towards the field of corn.

"That would be great! Do you know one?"

"Used to."

See? Everything is working out. Who says good deeds do not reward people? "Wait...Used to? Are they dead?" Lyyreth's frills drooped as he could already see his plan going up in smoke.

"We can talk about it later. First we pick some corn, and then we can go an have lunch."

"Ooooo." Lyyreth gave a pleased croon as he rubbed where his stomach would be. "That does sound delicious."

"What would we be having?" Cordenth asked when they finally came to the red cart, that was already being filled with corn by James. The human gave them both a genuine smile and a friendly wave before going back to picking the ears.

"I don't think my wife made anything for two dragons." He groaned, "Can't ya two go and hunt or something?"

"Well..we could.....Once we know what you're having." Cordenth grinned, snaking his snout towards Jerry's stern face.

"You can find out when it gets done then." the man grumbled, gesturing to his son. "Now help him pick some more corn, and I can come get ya when lunch is ready."

"Hmmpf." Cordenth rolled his eyes before performing the required movements to change size. The large dog sized dragon bounded over towards James, and started helping him by separating the corn carefully from the stalks with his talons. Lyyreth did the same,and joined the pair in their efforts.

Lyyreth wagged his tail as he continued to cut and put away ear after ear of corn. It was once again relaxing to the dragon,and allowed him to focus on the dragoness' black scales and her membranes that looked like the night sky. I have to help her. He thought as he remembered the emerald eyes, and the gruff looking hunters that were after her. Hopefully she is still around tonight when I go looking...and not found by the hunters until then. The time passed quickly after that until the sun hung overhead, and Jerry strode out from his house with a loud voice.

"Lunch is served boys! Come and get some while we still got it!"

Lyyreth bounded beside Cordenth, racing one another as they brushed scales against each other in glee. It was then that his eyes spied something he had missed previously in the day. His brother had made himself slightly bigger than him. "Have you been bigger all day?" he asked with the his next step."

"I figured it was fitting...since I was the older brother." Cordenth turned his snout back quickly to offer Lyyreth a smug smile.

"Don't start this again." Lyyreth narrowed his eyes, picturing himself smacking his brother with his claw.

"Start what?" Cordenth playfully growled, showing off his teeth. "Soft scales?"

"That's it!" Lyyreth leaped onto his brother, and dragged the snarling green dragon to the grass. He nipped at his shoulder and held firm as Cordenth tried to wiggle away. "No you don't!" He nipped his brother again for good measure.

"Let me go!" Cordenth groaned, trying to wiggle and push Lyyreth off.

"Knock it off you two!" Jerry shouted out from his porch. "Or you don't get nothin!"

Lyyreth rolled Cordenth onto his back, pinning his brother to the ground. "There..I..I..I." He sniffed in several times, and felt his tongue lol out of his mouth. In the air he caught the smell of cooked beef. It sent a pleasurable shiver of delight down his spine,and made his mouth water in anticipation. There were other smells mixed in with the meat, alluring smells of spices, and vegetables. However none compared to the tantilizing smell that was Lyyreth's favorite food. "That...smells..good." he licked his lips, but not before a big bead of drool landed right on Cordenth's snout.

"Watch your drool soft scales!" the dragon squirmed, but was unable to free himself from Lyyreh's pin. "Although." Cordenth closed his eyes softly and sniffed the air with a pleased croon."That does smell...delicious"

"Than let's go eat..Blue scar." Lyyreth pushed himself off his brother with a grin, proud that he had won that little wrestle.

"Yes, let's go do that....Chippy." Cordenth flipped onto his fours, and playfully nudged Lyyreth with his snout. "Ooooooo!" he exclaimed when they came to the open wooden door of the house. "We have yet to meet your mate!"

"Wife." Jerry corrected him with a grumble.

Lyyreth padded through the door as Jerry led them through the cramped hallway. It reminded the dragon of places he had only seen in books, or paintings. There were places for candles along the wall, spaced apart with pictures of landscapes and various animals. The dragon sniffed the air again, and had to resist the urge to bound ahead and see where it was coming from. Thankfully Jerry was bringing them there rather quickly. He smiled to himself as the man's stomach gave out a loud rumble. Jerry opened the last plain white door at the end of the hall, and waved the two dragons inside with a smile.

The room before them was adorned with pots and pans of all shapes and sizes. They hung from a thin wire from the ceiling, and seperated the large wooden table from the kitchen. On the furthest wall there was a darkened grey stone fireplace with a crackling fire within it. Inside the fire's red-orange embrace there was a pitch black pot, bubbling away and releasing that delightful smell that made Lyyreth shiver in delight once again with his next breath.

"Why hello there." came the sweet voice of an older human female. She was standing at a wooden table with a shining knife held within her fair looking hands. Her green eyes were filled with warmth as she waved to them, and then brushed her raven shoulder length hair from her face. " Jerry had mentioned we had dragon guests." she smiled at them warmly.

"Charmed to meet you." Cordenth replied with a rumble, and dipped into a bow so low his snout practically touched the wooden floor.

"Yes it is nice to meet you as well." Lyyreth smiled up at her, swishing his tail back and forth.

"And this is my wonderful wife, my pride and joy, the light of my life. Jaiden." Jerry walked to her side, and settled his arm around her shoulder.

"Well arn't you just the sweetest thing." Jaiden playfully smacked Jerry on his chest, her cheeks growing a bit red.

"Jaiden, these are.."

"You must be Chippy." the woman smiled, pointing to Lyyreth's horn. "And you must be Blue." She moved her finger swiftly towards Cordenth's blue scarf. "Jerry's been talking all about you, shame ya had to meet by eating old bessie." She turned towards the man and narrowed her eyes. "I did warn him to lock the gate and keep an eye on her. Just practically begging for a pair of hungry poor dragons to eat her."

_ I like her._ Lyyreth nodded. "We do actually regret that."

"Nonsense, you boys were hungry, and Jerry here essentially let her go on a silver platter. He's just lucky you fellas decided to stick around and help around the place."

"It's actually Blue Scar." Cordenth gestured to the scar on his chest as he swelled it out proudly. "Your mate decided to shorten out names, might as well use the entire thing."

"Your shortened their names?" Jaiden turned to Jerry with a curled lip. "What were their real names dear?"

"Something long and unweildy." Jerry looked away from his wives eyes. "So I made it easier on everyone."

"Well that isn't very nice." Jaiden crouched low and looked to the dragons right in their eyes. "So what are your real names? I have never met dragons before."

Lyyreth opened his maw and caught himself. He was about to give her his actual name. Darn her sweetness. "They are actually titles Jaiden. Dragon's only give out their names to good friends, enemies, or loved ones."

"So what are your titles then?"

"My title is the Benevolent Scholar,and that one with the scarf is the Radiant Star."

"Nice to meet you two." Jaiden rose up from the floor with her hands firmly on her waist. "Course if you don't mind.Chippy and Blue Scar are easier to say. Plus they actually sound like names.

"Told you." Jerry chuckled.

"I got this scar from saving a princess." Cordenth added, interrupting the chuckling man. He pointed to his chest with a talon. "Took a harpoon right to the chest." He held up his snout and looked away. "Hardly even wined about it."

Dragons and princesses._Lyyreth laughed internally as he rolled his eyes and made his way towards the dark wooden table,and the six comfortable looking chairs around it. They had tan cushions that looked soft and pleasing to the touch. _Better than those plain wooden things at the inn. Lyyreth wrinkled his snout as he remembered them making his human butt go numb.

"Really? How fascinating." Jaiden replied, her voice filled with disbelief as she carried her way towards the cooking pot.

"It's true!" Cordenth grabbed the scarf and pulled it slightly out, nearly pulling the now oversized cloth off his neck. "She gave me this scarf out of love!" When she just replied with another "mmhm" he stomped his little paw in frustration. Although even Lyyreth had to admit it was more adorable than anything else as his brother frowned.

" I did save her...on my very scales!"

" I'm sure." she replied with a soft chuckle, her voice sounding like she was speaking to a child rather than a full grown dragon.

"I am not fibbing!"

"Cordenth...let it go." Lyyreth nudged him with his nose as his tail wagged absentmindedly behind him.

"But I EARNED this scar...and this scarf...and shes...shes making fun of me!" Cordenth continued to complain and moan, until he noticed that Jaiden was no longer paying attention and had gone back to preparing lunch.

"What are you making?" Cordenth padded over towards the woman,and placed his snout close to her side.

"Stew." she replied, opening the pot's top and stirling the bubbling concoction with an iron ladle. Steam rose from the stew's surface, increasing the already pleasing scent wafting in the air.

"What kind?' Lyyreth could not help himself from asking as he took a spot pressed up against his brother. He looked up to her with big eyes, and a wagging tail.

"Beef." She smiled, holding in a laugh at his cuteness. "Jerry did not tell me how adorable you two could be."

"It's only because they shrank down to that there size. They usually be bigger than our horses." Jerry called out, as he pulled a chair out from the table and took a seat with a sigh. He did not look up when James and Jeff both entered the room as well, and quickly took a place at the table.

"Ooooo! I love Beef!" Cordenth gave her a pleased trilling noise.

"Do you need any help with the cooking or serving?" Lyyreth asked, tilting his head to the side. He had always wanted to help do those things back in the forest, but his mother's servants had always shoo'd him away. Said it was not his place to be making dinner and such.

"Don't let him help." Whispered Cordenth. "Hes terrible at cooking."

"Hey! I thought I was rather okay!" he protested, and shoved his brother playfully. _I practiced in my cave..._He thought to when he had tried to boil some deer that he had caught. He had dashed in a few spices that he had "borrowed", and let it sit. It may not have been good as when his mother's servants had cooked, but he thought it was fairly okay.

"Well _you_have bad taste." Cordenth stuck his tongue out as he bound onto a chair. The dragon had to catch himself with his tail as he practically fell out of the thing. "Woah...that was close."

"That's because you have to take it slower." Lyyreth carefully climbed onto the chair with a pleased rumble. The cushion was soft and yielding to his claws, and felt rather pleasing when he sat down on it with his haunches. "See." He smiled, placing his two claws on the table gently. "That is how you sit in a chair."

"Why don't you just turn into humans?" Jerry asked, staring at them. "Like ya did with the inn."

_ How did he?_

"How did you know about that?" Cordenth spat out, snapping his snout to glare at the man. "I did not breathe a word to you...unless..." the green dragon averted his gaze to Lyyreth.

"Because they was talking about it earlier." Jerry rolled his eyes. "Not everyday the tables suddenly move, and the door is ripped from its hinges. Not to mention the claw marks and things all over the floor. So I say again, why not be humans and save yourself the trouble right now?"

"Because." Cordenth replied politely. "It does not require conscious effort to remain small." The dragon than wrinkled his nose with a snort. "It however does need concentration to maintain our human shapes.If say I were to sneeze, I would revert back to myself if I lost focus." The dragon gestured to the table and other things around the place. "Imagine that happening, and me knocking over all of this with my body."

"Okay I see yer point now." Jerry folded his arms.

"You can take other shapes?" James asked, his face filling with excitement.

"Well you see..." Cordenth smiled, turning his attention to the eager human and telling him all about dragon shape changing.

Lyyreth just looked to the others as his brother went on and on, until Jaiden brought over a wooden bowl filled with the steaming, delicious smelling stew. She placed it down with a soft thud and a smile. The dragon lowered his snout and took a deep breath of the steam billowing from the surface. His world narrowed to that of the bowl, as he opened his mouth and lowered his tongue. He licked it once, dunking his tongue in deep. "OOOOWWWW!" he retracted his slimy eel as it felt like he had just been seared. "DATS HOT!"

"You have to wait to eat stew there Chippy." Cordenth smiled, thanking Jaiden for the stew as she placed one down in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Jaiden asked, crouching down to Lyyreth and giving him a look of concern. "I didn't know you dragons could even burn your tongues..You know....with all the fire breathing and all."

"We don't breade fire." Lyyreth replied, wrinkling his snout as his jumbled words. Damn you hot liquid. "But tank you....I jus burned my tongue."

"You sound weird." Cordenth chuckled, blowing off his own bowl and starting to eat. Slurping sounds filled the air as the others began to eat, giving their thanks to the cook.

Lyyreth resumed his eating of the stew after giving it several deep breaths to cool it. He delighted in the taste of the beef mixed with potatoes and other various spices. He wiggled his tail as the delightful taste sent shivers down his spine and made him unfold and refold his frills lining his neck. "So..how did you meet" he asked, looking up to Jaiden and Jerry, who were eating the stew in silence.

"Well..I moved to town and met her." Jerry replied, turning his head towards his mate and smiling at her warmly.

"Moved to?" Lyyreth cocked his head. "Most farmers I read inherited their farms from their family. Your telling me you simply moved here?" He gave a inquisitive rumble from his throat as he resettled his smaller wings against his back.

"The previous owner didn't have any sons or daughters, so he went and gave it to me."

"Gave it to you?' Cordenth snorted, giving the man a look of disbelief. "Why did they do that? Did you give them your sunny disposition to look forward to?"

"Yes actually." Jerry grinned, taking a spoonful of stew and shoving it into his mouth.

"I don't believe you." the dragon replied, to a small collection of giggles from the others.

"Well...I was different when i was younger."

"So come on." Cordenth put his snout on the table and flicked his tail weakly. "Tell us what you did before you were a farmer!"

"Hmmph..Well.. I used to be an adventurer." he replied gruffly between bites of stew.

"No way." Lyyreth bursted out. "You? An adventurer?" he felt the excitement building in his chest as he flicked his tail absentmindedly.

"This is why I don't tell people." Jerry groaned, placing his palm to his face.

"Too late now you wrinkled bastard! The beans have been spilled!" Cordenth exclaimed, his voice filling with the very same excitement that was pounding in Lyyreth's chest.

"So what did you do?" Lyyreth cut his brother off, who frowned at him.

"I used to be a ranger." Jerry held up his hand, "I was honestly a glorified scout."

"Like MERLIA!" Cordenth shouted in excitement. "Did you have a bow? Or an animal friend you tamed? Why did you stop?"

"Lost a lot of my friends...Lost my first wife." Jerry replied softly.

"Oh." Cordenth replied, his voice lowering as his frills drooped. "What was she like?"

"She was a bitch." Jerry wiped his eye.

"Excuse me?" Cordenth cocked his head. "I must have heard you wrong."

"No you heard right. She was a one of them wolven."

"So she was actually a bitch." Cordenth wrinkled his snout. "I got it now. Still sorry I brought it up."

"It's fine." Jerry grumbled as Jaiden started to rub his back. "Thank you love." he gave her a quick kiss before turning back towards the dragons. "Bout time I talked bout it anyway."

"What happened?" Lyyreth asked softly, his voice but a whisper. He felt terrible that it never occurred to him that adventurers die along the way. He just assumed they were always too tough or something to just go up and die.

"We were hunting for some lost ruins out in the countryside. Me and the other ranger friends of mine went in first..." Jerry gulped as he grabbed his wife's hand and caressed it softly. "They never saw the traps."

"I know the feeling." sighed Cordenth as he lowered his head. "I hit a trap in the first temple I went into. Luckily it wasn't an explosion or anything. It was just some large rock golems."

"So..you could track things?' Lyyreth asked after several minutes of silence. "Like if something was hiding their scent?"

"Yes..I figure I could...been a long time though." Jerry grumbled. "Why, what do you have in mind in that horned head of yours?"

"Than I propose a trade." Lyyreth held his head up as he sat straight in his chair. "You help us find this black dragoness, and in exchange my brother and I stay here on the farm and help you out as long as we stay."

"Fine." Jerry sighed, "There is always more work to do anyway. You two will no doubt be useful." he chuckled. "Look at me, employing dragons now." Jerry shook his head as his chuckle turned into laughter.

"So do we have a deal?" Lyyreth held out his claw awkwardly. It was something he had read about in his books. He just hoped that he was doing it correctly.

"Deal." Jerry grabbed his claw firmly, and gave it a shake.