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New Alveri Chronicles:

Heliana

By Shalion, Brian, and Goran

Heliana Chapter 1: Leaving Home

The tuna's head popped off with a squelch as I twisted it in my claws. "Really, this is too much fuss over my account." I said as I placed the heavy fish body onto the cutting table and reached for another I had caught earlier that morning.

"Nonsense." said my mother, Myrine, as she hovered over a boiling, dragon-sized cauldron of fish stew. "How long has it been since you last even spoke to your sister, and I mean outside of our Foundation Day dinner visits?"

I didn't answer right away. In truth, I almost hadn't spoken to Iolanta outside of the aforementioned holiday gathering for at least a decade. I was once extremely close with Iolanta when I was very small; out of all of my many siblings, Iolanta had been my favorite. However, it had never been the same the moment she had abandoned us and married that rich, clanless outsider, Sotiris. I began to gut the fish with unnecessary force, raking my claws through the thick flesh of the large fish.

"Well, this trip should help mend things a little..." I said eventually. I let myself fall onto all fours after wiping off the sludge from my claws, my sides shaking more than a little despite my efforts to keep my weight down for flying. I picked up a cleaned tuna in my mouth and carried it over to Mother's cauldron before dropping it in with a wet 'splort.'

My larger mother wrinkled her nose slightly but moved her claw over the steaming surface of the stew, channeling a small amount of her innate dragonfire mana to stir and break up the contents within to cook properly. No matter how many times I tried, I had not got the hang of that myself. For us dragons, using magic often involved some sort of emotional influence, and Mother had always told me that I'd naturally improve at that particular spell on my own once I settled down to start a family.

"That is good that you'll finally spend some quality time with your sister..." she said, though her face was strained. "But do you really need to go so far away?"

I shrugged, padding back over to grab another tuna in my teeth. As I let it drop, I said, "Mother, New Alveri's actually closer than the Helberd Islands." I cocked my head, "And the fifteen-hundred miles would only take me about two and a half days of flying anyways." Really, I didn't get my mother's concern. It was not as if there were another city within a reasonable distance which would be accommodating to dragons.

I looked up as I heard my father's gruff voice from across the kitchen nook in the living space beyond. "Not everyone can sleep on the wing like you can, dear one." I heard him stomp over, the round bulk of his dark azure shoulders and head looking over the big stone island delineating the nook. "It'll probably take you thrice as long to get there, especially with a young dragonet in tow..." He rumbled with a tone of uncertainty in his estimation, and I couldn't blame the old wyrm. It'd been decades since he'd last been in the air...

"Still..." I said, rolling my eyes at Myrine. "...father used to spend longer shifts out at sea all the time."

"But he was over the water, Heliana." my mother protested, as if that explained everything. "New Alveri is so far inland, I doubt you could even smell the sea from there!" Her voice went a bit shrill, and her spell became unsteady, splashing its boiling contents.

"Ow!" I yipped as some burning hot stew landed on my snout. I lapped it up a moment later, even as mother collapsed onto her forelegs to hover over me, licking at my snout.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she clamored as she examined my non-wound. I might not have big, showy scales like other breeds of dragon, but my shark-like hide was tough and resilient nonetheless. It'd take more than a drop of stew to burn me, but mother continued to coo on top of me as if I had just hatched from the egg. I could only take so much before I had to push her soft bulk away.

"Stop it!" I said, half laughing, my claw sinking into my mother's blubbery chest. She fished for a living, which meant she had to have a heavy layer of insulation to protect her from the deep ocean cold. Father was just a little thinner, his job in the ports tended to keep him in the slightly warmer surface waters. Still, both had very round profiles and were over a fifteen-hundred Stone heavier than I was currently. "...I'm alright mother. You don't need to treat me like a hatchling." I hadn't meant to mean more when I had started forming the words, but even when I realized the double meaning with reference to my trip to New Alveri, I decided to go with it.

My mother starred across at me. Despite being so much bigger, we were almost the same height now, my having reached almost my full adult size finally at the age of seventy. Her eyes softened. "You'll always be my little hatchling..." she said warmly and, before I could respond, stuck out her neck to kiss me on the snout again.

I wiped off the saliva on my forearm, smiling chagrined as my mother went back to concentrating on dinner. I wasn't so heartless as to bite back at her honest sentiment. With my father's bulk still looming behind me, I turned to him. "Well, are you going to complain about me going to the city as well?" I cocked my head as he looked off towards a far wall sheepishly to study the glowing sea-lichen cultivated there.

Aniketos smiled slightly, "No, I think you'll find most dragons are a pretty decent bunch overall." Then he frowned, "I just wish I'd been able to take you, rather than that drake."

I knew what he meant and for the most part shared his opinion. Oh, I was relatively certain that Sotiris treated my sister well; maybe a bit too well for that matter! However, that did not change the fact that he was an outsider, a city-slick drake, as my father would put it. His blood had not dwelt in these sea caves for thousands of years like ours had, carving the stone one inch at a time by countless dragons. I didn't know whether a dragon like Sotiris even could understand the special connection we had with the land and the sea here, as well as the other Sea Stormer families who had dwelt here long before there had been any cities at all. As well, in my heart, I knew that Iolanta was giving up at least a portion of that same part of herself, which is probably why I had stopped talking to her in the first place.

"You can take me any place that really matters, Father." I said warmly, padding up to give his soft body a tight squeeze. His bulk had a welcoming feel despite its lopsidedness. The big scar on his right shoulder where his wing once sprouted was old, and the flesh was smooth there as there had never been a wing at all. I didn't feel any trepidation at all as I put my paw there to give the old drake a hug; his injury had occurred before I was even born, so I didn't know him any other way than this.

"Oh, so you'd rather get to know the clams and crabs at the bottom of the bay then, Heli?" He said affectionately, and then he raised a fist and pushed lightly into my flank. "You'd better eat more at dinner then, or you'll freeze!"

I pushed him away, unable to fail to notice how thin my own blubber layer was after dieting consistently for the past twenty-odd years or so. I weighed a lot less now than I might have. In fact, I must not have much more now than I had at forty years. "You know I'd rather do the sky patrol with the JP's." I said, lifting my eyebrow at the older drake as I referenced the Junior Preservers which was something like a cross between a youth group and vocation training for harbor security and management.

"I know, I know," sighed father. Suddenly embracing me tightly, he added, "I'm proud of you youngster, really proud, not another Drakka's come as far as you in a long time." Releasing me, he looked concerned. "But that's all over now, you've graduated, so you need to figure out what you want to do with your life."

"Leave her alone, Aniketos." said mother from the kitchen. "She'll do fine. Our daughter is not going to fail at life just because she's a bit indecisive right now."

"Mom!" I drawled. I should have told her that I didn't need her constant support, but really couldn't bring myself to say it aloud.

My father waddled over to his mate and rubbed noses with her. "Of course she's be fine, Seabreeze." he said in a sickeningly sweet tone as I turned my nose away. "But at the same time..." he turned his head, "She could stand to put on a few stone. She's hardly got an inch of blubber on her for starving herself!" And before my mother could respond, the drake reached around, grabbing at my mother's heavy flank and making her squeal in delight, batting at him with snout and claws. I had to look away before my parents started doing anything I'd rather not have lodged into my memory.

Thankfully, this display was broken by a loud series of thuds which resonated through the thick limestone of the cliff.

Aniketos lifted his large, scarred head. "That'll be Iolanta and that city drake."

My mother swatted him with her wing. "Don't call him that while he's here!" she hissed, and my father lowered his head in submission. Laughing silently with a grin, I trotted through the wide tunnels towards the entrance to our family 'manor,' if a small complex of rough-carved caverns could be called such.

I found a trio of Sea Stormers in the antechamber, the sounds of water churning far below resonating in a comfortably familiar way. One was my sister, naturally, who shared many of my features save that she was even more blubber-rich than our mother currently. The odd one out was the drake who was not blue, but rather a pale off-white, like sea salt. Sotiris was even fatter than his mate, which was pushing things, even by Sea Stormer standards. He sported a low-slung belly that hung clear down to between the ankles of his wide-spread legs, giving him limited floor clearance for his wide undercarriage. He also wore an enormous sky blue jewel at his padded breast as he waddled forward, his bulk almost entirely concealing the dragonet behind his wide, bovine flank.

"Heliana!" Sotiris greeted immediately, and I allowed him to embrace me lightly in a neck hug.

"Hello, Sotiris." I answered, smiling as warmly as I could given the circumstance.

"It's good to see you, Sister-in-law," he finished. He then turned to greet my father and mother coming up behind me, though we could hardly have all fit into the antechamber given our bulky selves. I couldn't help but note father's somewhat strained grimace as he went through the motions of greeting his son in law.

As Sotiris squeezed past me, his excessively soft flank pressing against the entire side of my body in the process, however, my observation was interrupted. I found myself suddenly face to face with my sister as she greeted me. "Hello little sister. I'm glad we could see each other again..." said Iolanta, a bit shyly as she ducked her snout, her large neck wattle wobbling heavily under her chin.

"Yes, I'm looking forward with spending time with you again." I answered politely but not whole heartedly. "How can I even start to fix this?" I wondered, but knew I would have to come up with a solution or else I'd be spending my entire 'vacation' in silence.

Iolanta then curved her gaze down toward her hip, at the dragonet who had been previously hidden behind Sotiris and had moved to hide behind his mother.

"Chariton," said Iolanta, gently nudging him with her head, "Please come out and say hi to everyone."

The pale blue drakeling poked his head out from behind his mother's generous flank. "Hi." he huffed. I'd seen Chariton before at family dinners but most of the time he had been entirely silent. I couldn't remember ever having had an actual conversation with him.

Cocking my head, I threw caution to the wind. "Well, are you excited to be going to the big city, Chariton?" I said, smiling perhaps too widely. "It's going to be my first time as well."

The dragonet's eyes darted from me, to his mother, to the ground and back in disinterest. "I guess..." he said petulantly, and I quickly identified another possible problem area for the trip ahead of us.

"Well, let's not just keep standing here in the damp, come in, come in!" my father boomed from behind me, finishing his hellos with Sotiris. My not-insubstantial father squeezed his bulk around in as tight a circle as he could manage, his tail pressing into the much fatter drake's chest before ambling back inside. I followed soon after, more easily slipping between my much chunkier family members.

No sooner had our family squeezed their way inside, when Mom immediately paddled over to Chariton, pressing him against her flank as she gathered him up in an enormous wing.

"Chariton!" she squealed excitedly, "Oh I missed you so, so much! My favorite, precious little grandson!" The elder dragoness towered over the dragonet who, despite already seeming to take after his father in terms of physique, was head and shoulders below her height and barely a third of her weight.

"G-grandma!" squealed Chariton, trying and failing to squirm from my mother's heavy embrace, "Y-you're squeezing me too hard!"

"Oh, then that means you're just not big enough yet!" Myrine leaned back from the small drake, extending her wing towards the kitchen were a chorus of aromas were wafting, "And I have something I think you might like! Steamed moray eel just for you!" she indicated a largish bronze platter laying upon the counter. "I know it's your favorite!" she added enthusiastically

Chariton's chubby neck perked up noticeably, the first reaction I'd seen from him so far that was not sullen or whiney. "Th-thanks, Grandma!" he said, his snout already questing in the direction of his favorite snack.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the scene. Mother was always quite protective of all of us, especially in my younger years, but she absolutely doted on her grandchild with a fervor that bordered on obsession. I also felt a little bit ashamed that Mother seemed to know a lot about Chariton's various predilections. It implied that Iolanta and her family had actually come to visit a number of times when I had not been with them, or that she had gone out of her way to visit them. I had not taken the time to do either, and Chariton was already approaching his 45th birthday!

My gaze shifted over to my sister again. She was definitely fatter than the last time I had seen her, especially around the belly. Iolanta had once chosen to keep herself 'slender' like myself, though for different reasons than my own goal of being a high, coastal flyer. Now, apparently, being married to an obese city drake had permitted her to really let go of any sense of calorie restriction. I felt the corner of mouth twitch as I studied her new figure. Unlike my mother, I knew that Iolanta hated fishing, so she did not need the insulation... Or perhaps her belly was a lot more expansive now for a different reason?

I managed to pull her aside for a moment as everyone was still settling down in the main living area, a big rough hewn cavern with walls creeping with our family's long cultivated, softly glowing lichen. "Um... Sister?" I said with a discreet whisper.

"Yes, Heli?" said Iolanta, raising her smooth eyebrow. That was another thing that was different, for all the weight she had clearly put on, her skin was soft and flawless, practically radiant. Certainly, I had a bit too much sea salt crusting my nostrils and areas of my body where the extra skin bunched.

"This might be an... improper question, but..." I hesitated, having second thoughts about just coming out and asking her upfront. But I felt I was committed now, "...are you with child again?" I blurted with a small wince. It honestly would not have been too far out of the ordinary, despite how young she was. Mother had ended up having many children throughout her marriage with father, and there was part of me that wondered whether Iolanta had also decided to take the big family route.

"Oh!" she giggled and was unable to help her round cheeks bouncing, "N-no... not yet Heliana. I've just been eating very well lately..." she turned her head on her thick neck, bunching the soft skin there, seeming to take in just how wide she was; Her head-on profile was roughly circular, and her mate somehow visibly wider than he was tall. She went on with a small, noncommittal sniff. "Though we have been talking about the possibility of adding a sibling for Chariton."

There was a glint in Iolanta's eye, and I thought it might have winked in Sotiris' direction for a brief moment. But then, I heard a grumbling; Father's eyes narrowed slightly as he caught the look that Sotiris returned for my elder sister.

Before he might have said anything, however, there was another interruption by one more figure that just arrived on the landing.

"Hope I'm not too late." said a voice coming down the entry hall.

"Tychon!" said mother, "I'm so happy you could make it!"

"Hello Mother, Father," greeted the young drake stepping in and still dripping with sea water.

"Hello, Tychon," I greeted coolly from the corner where I stood with Iolanta.

"Hey, sis," answered Tychon with a brief, awkward nod, before joining the rest of the table. Unlike Sotiris or my father, Tychon was compact and fit like the athlete that he was; his thin blubber was sleek and packed tightly against his stout frame instead of flabbing out in all directions. Being honest, to be described as 'stout' was about as slender as Sea Stormers got unless they were actually starving.

There had been a time when Tychon and I had been extremely close; we hatched in the same clutch after all. We had done everything together; we swam together, hunted together, even joined the Junior Preservers together. While growing up, Tychon had always been good at stuff in general; he was an outstanding swimmer, an excellent flier, a keen and persistent fisher drake, and good looking to boot! Basically everything that the elders expected out of a young Sea Stormer drake, one they said was on his way to bigger and better things.

I'd spent most of my life trying to keep up with my brother, and I always thought I'd done a decent job at it. Tychon had graduated to the professional services, as everyone always expected that he would, while I hadn't ended up making the cut. Nobody ever said it out loud, but we both suspected that the reason I hadn't made it was because that the Preservers wanted to maintain their male dominated structure, and when it came to selecting me or Tychon, they decided to 'play it safe.' I knew it wasn't his fault or anything, but that had ended up driving our, by that point, already-strained relationship even further apart.

Sitting around the table was a little more of a squeeze than I was used to with the addition of my sister and Sotiris who by themselves took up one entire side of the long table; Chariton was stuck at one corner near Iolanta's jutting flank. Normally there was only six of us here: my parents, myself, my brother Tychon, and our two younger siblings, Eirene and Nikias, who were still barely more than hatchlings. It was fortunate that the younger twins were out at spending the night with my older sister Medeia because their space at the table had been filled - rather more than filled! - by my sister's family.

I helped my mother set the table as my father, Sotiris and the rest settled down. Iolanta was seemingly preoccupied with entertaining the recalcitrant Chariton in spite of the promised treat of moray eel. I knew it was a bit chauvinistic, but I didn't really mind; it was not as though I wouldn't get enough to eat!

As I carried a heaping copper bowl of fish stew over to the table, I heard my father begin to drill into Sotiris who filled up the table across from my father with his exceptionally wide, pale flanks. "So, tell me about your newest ventures." an almost inscrutable grin appeared at the corner of the scarred dragon's mouth, "I'm sure you've been keeping busy."

Despite the almost hostile tone of my father's question, Sotiris behaved as if he were in the home of his best friend, reaching readily for a stone saucer of sea cucumber wine that my mother just placed on the table a moment earlier.

"I have been keeping busy, Old Drake!" he said affectionately. "Damescara never fails to provide new opportunities. In fact, I've been using the profits from the last enchanted goods shipment to dabble in a little investing..."

I barely listened to Sotiris as he began to ramble about some technical details that I was sure went over not only my head by my father's as well. I noticed how the old drake spent more time refilling his saucer than asking Sotiris additional questions.

Eventually I sat down at the table, squeezing myself between Chariton and my mother at the end of the table. I wriggled my nose at Iolanta who had failed to move as all of the dishes mother and I had spent the day cooking were brought out. "Since when does she expect not to pull her own weight?" I thought ungratefully as Mother's and the dragonet's round sides pressed into my leaner ones. Almost immediately, Mother struck up conversation with Iolanta, mostly concerning Chariton and the absent twins; I struggled to keep up with them, both in terms of getting my voice in for a moment and in general interest.

Dinner itself was nothing overly spectacular, fish stew made up the sheer bulk which was needed to fill everyone's ravenous appetites. Mother and I had included a few smaller dishes for flavor. Seaweed salad for something light and to cleanse the palate, fried giant clam was popular, but only available in limited quantity since it was out of season. Salt Mackerel added a burst of salty goodness to any set up, even if you needed a dozen of the tiny fish to make a mouthful. I ate lightly as the meal progressed, thinking mostly of how the trip would go tomorrow morning when I left with Iolanta and Sotiris. "Why is it so hard to just be at ease like them?" I found myself wondering more than once, feeling an uncomfortable distance between myself and the rest of my family.

Unexpectedly, Sotiris interrupted his argument with my father to say, "You've been rather quiet this whole time Tychon." He looked directly at the young drake at the other end of the table across from me who lifted his head from lapping at his wooden cup of soup with a start.

"Huh..." Tychon stammered, soup dribbling from his chin and obviously not expecting to be put on the spot. He recovered well though. "I was just thinking that I'm glad that you're taking Heliana along on your trip to New Alveri!" He said nervously, "I know she's been a bit down after things didn't quite work out for her with the Preservers, so I think it will be a good experience for her. That's not to say I wouldn't have liked to come along as well, but I'm scheduled for a patrol in a couple of days so unfortunately I couldn't join you guys."

I fumed where I sat at the other end of the table. "When will that idiot get tired of embarrassing me!?" The thick canvas mat I was sitting on felt especially itchy against my lower tummy and suddenly the stew in front of me was too peppery. I turned my snout away in disgust, avoiding Tychon's eyes as he looked across the long table at me. Commenting now would just draw out the conversation on a topic I did not want to have by any means.

The awkward silence drew itself out over the table, something even Sotiris did not seem able to correct immediately. "Wwwell, we all wish Heliana the best..." Aniketos mumbled at length, everyone's eyes burning on my shoulders.

"I just hope my precious sea-biscuit is safe flying that long way!" My mother put in unnecessarily, and I just hunched my shoulders further.

Now Sotiris strode back into his element, leaning forward so that his overly stuffed chest overflowed onto the table, nearly upsetting his soup cup. "There's nothing to worry about!" he said, pointing his thick, round snout at Myrine, "I've flown the route to New Alveri many times myself. There isn't a safer passage in this world!" Sotiris went on to outline some of the standard security measures employed by the Empire to secure the long land and air route to the capital city. Some of it was indeed interesting, including the clever mix of traditional draconic might with newer magitechnologies, but I quickly found my head again lolling, having nothing interesting myself to add to the conversation. Undoubtedly I would be getting a first-hand experience with the road starting first thing tomorrow.

I lifted my snout back up from my half-filled soup cup when my sister spoke. "There seems to be a number of people missing at the table," said Iolanta despite the fact that between her and her mate's bulk, there would not have been enough room at the table for an egg, let alone another dragon, "Why aren't Pelagios, Medeia, Eirene and Nikeas around? I would have liked to see them too."

"Pelagios couldn't make it, he had to take care of some administrative procedure at the Preservers Headquarters." explained Father, "And Eirene and Nikeas are spending the time with Medeia. Your mother figured their being here would make things a bit cramped." Left unsaid as he eyed Sotiris was that mother was correct, and it was mostly down to the city drake, who had managed once again to split the family.

As the first big serving bowls of fish stew emptied and everyone sated the worst of their appetites, Sotiris and my father launched themselves into another spirited discussion, one which seemed fueled this time by several cups of the surprisingly strong wine Myrine brewed in one of the basements.

"You have a lot of fine words, Sotiris." said Aniketos, lifting his head along with his dangling neck wattle which was half the size of that belonging to the more substantial drake across from him. "And I admit, you have a good understanding of current events, but..." and here he beat his thick chest with his fist. "Do you remember what it means to be a Sea Stormer?"

"Aniketos, dear, please don't, you'll be setting a bad example for Chariton!" My mother put in weakly from the side, but Father waved her away without a second glance, his cheeks warming to a brighter shade of purple.

"No, no, Myrine." he said, voice admittedly clear. His eyes fixed on the pale drake as he went on. "I'm sure Sotiris here is a fine young drake. Ambitious certainly! More ambitious than me." he grumbled, but his voice grew stronger now, "But I have yet to see that he has heart! And for that, my son-in-law, I need to see if you can put that great big gut of yours where your mouth is!" Aniketos stared down his snout at the fatter drake.

Sotiris looked across at him smoothly, though his own white cheeks had grown lividly pink with several large saucers of liquor in him now. "Aniketos, haven't we done this enough? I mean, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment again." he added, feigning reluctance.

"Oh come on, Fatty," snorted Tychon, "You can't fool us."

"Tychon!" my fater snorted, You should join in!!"

"Sorry father, I enjoy a good meal as much as any drake, but the Preservers require that I keep my weight down for flying you know? Besides, I don't plan on making a fool of myself..." said Tychon. First logical thing he's said all dinner, all things considered.

"Ha! We'll see who the fool is! First one who finishes the last of the fish stew is the drake of the evening!" The old harbor bull boomed as he stared cockily at the other drake, and my mother rolled her eyes. This had to be the third or fourth time my father had done this now, though I hadn't honestly been present for most of the occasions.

Sotiris sighed and looked across at Iolanta. "Just humor the old drake." I couldn't help but overhear her whisper into her mate's ear.

Needing no further reassurance. The pale drake leaned over and gave his mammoth belly a firm pat with his claw, jostling the thick blubber there like a walrus'. "Oh very well, challenge accepted once again, you old sea-bull!" he said, blue eyes twinkling over his round cheeks. "What is this now?" he added, tapping the side of his generous hanging neck, "Two out of three, or three out of five?"

My father barked a short laugh, "You're kidding yourself if you think you've won so many times, Land Sprite!" He then turned to mother, his boisterous tone suddenly as meek as a dogfish. "Seabreeze, won't you go get the rest of the stew?"

My mother glared daggers at her mate. She opened her mouth, but I got up right away, surprising the rest of my lumbering family with my speed. "I'll get it..." I said easily and walked towards the kitchen nook with a swish of my finned tail. Responding to my mother's look informing me that she'd rather not humor her tipsy mate, I shrugged. "It won't keep anyways..." I glanced over at my sister's mate, who caught my eye. "And Sotiris needs his strength for the long trip tomorrow, doesn't he?" I said with a half laugh.

Sotiris elbowed my sister, "See? We've got a smart one here." He glanced at Aniketos, "Both of your daughters are brilliant!"

"Don't go getting any ideas, land-lover!!" my father growled even as I hauled the big cauldron over in my teeth and forepaw. It was really heavy, even half full! Sighing as she indulged the two drakes, mother helped me fill either serving bowl from both ends of the table, putting one before each drake as if they were eating cups. Both of the big males adjusted their sizable bulks over the ground as they moved directly across from each other.

"Let's get this nonsense over with." sighed mother.

Tychon spoke up again as he made space for Sotiris and his father to spread out. "Well, at least we don't have to chuck it out over the edge of the cliff..."

"If we did, we'd attract some nicer fish for our garden..." I muttered in response, thinking of the colorful coral garden cultivated just below the waves outside. Admittedly, father did most of the work in maintaining it, so he knew better than most.

My clutch brother gave me a look, but we were interrupted as our father began the proceedings.

"No spitting, and no de-boning. First one to choke loses!" said the dark blue drake, grinning across at Sotiris, who, despite indulging my father did not look bored in the slightest. In fact, he was looking quite a bit livelier now than he had during the actual dinner.

He paused to snuffle his thick snout over the wide, heavy bowl which could probably have equated to two large barrels for a human. His eyes were wide despite the size of his large, wobbly cheeks. "You'd think I'd not need to hear the terms anymore, seeing as I've beat you twice already." he smirked and licked his chops hungrily as if he had not already spent the past two hours gorging along with the rest of us.

"As I said, put that overgrown gut of yours where your mouth is, Sotiris!" my father declared, and with that he shoved his snout directly into the bowl.

"I'm not cleaning up if you puke all over the place, Father." snorted Tychon from the sidelines as Sotiris quickly followed with equal gusto. At the very least, my brother did not seem obliged to follow the other males in their silliness.

All in all, it was over fairly quickly, and though I had intended to wander off to try to spend more time with Iolanta, the entire scene was a little hard to pull my eyes from as the two bulbous drakes grunted and sucked down the thick stew. One might have thought that Sotiris had the clear advantage, but that was only if one was not familiar with my father's own passion for fish; he refused to even look at any meat that had once been connected to a hoof. But tonight, girth won out once again as Sotiris lifted his thick neck from his bowl, the bronze interior shining brightly in the dim lichen light. He leaned back and belched magnificently for effect, even as Aniketos was still lapping at his dregs, his purple cheeks now taking on a slight green tinge.

"Urgh..." My father winced, throwing his bowl down.

Sotiris took a deep breath to steady himself, but when he spoke, his voice was smooth and even. "You know, on second thought, I really don't mind if you keep on challenging me to these contests, after all, Aniketos." He looked up at Myrine, "I really haven't had a better fish stew!"

My mother's face softened even as Iolanta rushed to embrace her triumphant mate, almost falling onto his enormous gut which spread out to the side over the rough stone floor. "Just goes to show what a burly big drake I have as a partner!" she said fondly before batting the thick drake on his snout, "And I'll forgive what you said about my fish stew!"

Sotiris laughed sheepishly as Aniketos finally recovered. "You may have won this time... but... just you wait! Next time! I'll have you passed out on the curb!" he slurred with hazy eyes.

"I'll look forward to it then, dearest father-in-law!" he laughed. Sotiris looked as though he could have easily gone another couple of rounds at least. That was quite a difference from the first time I had seen them go at it, and back then, the plump white drake had been much closer to my father's current weight. I secretly suspected that my father wouldn't again win one of these challenges with the obese Sea Stormer.

The evening wound down quickly after that, both Sotiris and my father too turgid and full of fish to do much to participate in conversation. However, I did not have much time to spend with Iolanta either as she clung to her mate in a borderline scandalous manner, stroking his thick, plump chest and sagging neck, whispering into his ear the whole time. She really had no grounds to be that impressed with Sotiris' performance in my opinion. Honestly, her mate was so big at this point, it was hard to believe he was able to move around as easily as he did; and he did walk with admittedly more grace than I would have imagined, given that there was scarcely a foot and a half of clearance between his lower belly and the ground! That left only Chariton really to try to talk to, and he had somehow engaged Tychon in a conversation about some elf musical group I knew nothing about. To my dismay, Chariton seemed to like Tychon a lot, and wasn't shy with him as he apparently was with me.

"Boys!" I shouted in my mind as I sat down, feeling barely able to participate in my own family until the evening drew to a close. After Iolanta assisted Sotiris in hauling himself to his feet, we made an excruciatingly long series of goodbyes with me and Iolanta unable to untangle ourselves from our mother until a good half hour after I had first grabbed my flying satchel and the harness I would be wearing for the trip. Finally I was able to step out into the dark, starry, sea night to turn around and follow Sotiris' and my sister's shadows, bound to spend the rest of the evening at their lair in Damescara proper.

It was dark when we flew in over the glimmering port city of Damescara, so I was not able to take in much of my sister's home, though I had been there on several occasions in the past and was sure that its opulence had only grown with Sotiris' apparent financial success over the past decade. I had eaten about a quarter as much food as my older sister, but I still felt rather heavy as I slipped into the guest chamber, collapsing onto a bed that felt nicer than the one I had at home. At the very least, my time in the Junior Preservers had taught me how to take my rest when I could get it. Though that very realization had me thinking about Tychon's stupid, painful words at dinner, the reminder that my time with the Junior Preservers was now done - they had already been making allowances for me to remain the last five years - and I had failed to get into the actual Preservers for the final time. I laid staring emptily into the ceiling for a long time, my life seeming to stretch out ahead of me, as empty as the pitch dark in the room.

The following morning, I woke late, luxuriating in the comfortable, thick cotton sheets and bedding under me. When I got up, Sotiris and Iolanta were already halfway through a hurried breakfast, which for them seemed to include half a pig and a crate full of fried potatoes.

Sotiris lifted his head, snout half full as he greeted me. "'Was 'undering when 'oo'd show up!" he laughed, spilling just a bit of his breakfast back onto his expensive looking ceramic plate.

"We should leave early. It's a long road to New Alveri." said Iolanta airly, and I seriously doubted that she'd ever had water tossed on her before being literally kicked off the side of a cliff as a wake up call before.

Still, I yawned toothily. "Yeah, yeah..." I murmured sleepily and paused to look around me. "Where's Chari?"

I soon had my answer as a round face poked up from over the top of the table, also chewing with a mouthful of breakfast. He glared at me with a disdainful look before ducking back under the table. I couldn't bring myself to feign even a "good morning" towards him.

Iolanta motioned with her thick tail, oblivious to the moment of tension. "Come, Heli. Let's have some breakfast before we set off."

But I waved her off. "I'm fine, thank you. I ate too much last night and it's easier for me to fly without a lot of food weighing me down."

Sotiris' eyes widened as he swallowed heavily his snoutful of greasy food, as though I had spoken in some obscure ancient language. "Ate too much?" he snorted. "You hardly ate anything at all!"

The pale drake began to shove a platter of breakfast towards me, but Iolanta leaned towards him. She spoke quietly, but I could still make out, "...watching her figure."

"Her what?" Sotiris barked uncomprehendingly, his vast sides jostling with the movement of his body.

Rather than force Iolanta to explain further, I decided to assuage Sotiris by padded up to the counter. Rather than canvas mats around a low table, Sotiris' kitchen came with a higher table and stone platform ringing it one could lean their upper body on; it didn't strike me as a particularly comfortable arrangement and a bit too much like how humanoids sat at a table for my liking. Ignoring this, however, I reached my claw forward and grabbed a big handful of the ripe apples filling a shallow display bowl in the center of the table; from the way Sotiris and Iolanta had been ignoring the fruit, I suspected they were entirely ornamental, but the apples turned out to be sweet enough as I chewed them, cores and all.

"There." I said with a soft finality. "That's all the breakfast I need."

Sotiris examined me closely, seeming to puzzle out my behavior before giving a shrug with his round, rolling shoulder. "Oh well, I tried." He gobbled up the remainder of his plate in one expert motion. "We're all going to be on a diet for a few days now until we get to the city..." he thumped his chest as he suppressed a belch through his nose, for which I was grateful since I had no desire to be splattered with bits of potato or pig fat. "I'd just as soon prepare myself for not being able to eat properly for a long while."

"No need to worry about that on my account." I said and reached beside me to pat my still full-sized flank. I visited Damescara fairly often and other dragon breeds beside Sea Stormers lived here as well. I knew that we looked quite different by comparison, even myself with my constant food restriction was quite a bit rounder than, say, your common brown or bronze dragon. The white drake in front of me would have been mountainous by their standards...

Iolanta leaned into Sotiris' thick flank, not having to move much at all as their sides already were pressing firmly together. "I've heard that Heliana here can stay up in the air for days on end. I doubt we will have to worry about her dropping out of the sky, Sweetpuff."

Sotiris snorted in amusement as he let himself drop from the counter, leaving his dirty plate aside undoubtedly for the staff to clean up later. He moved to wash himself in the deep kitchen basin, his ample belly pushing himself aways back from the stone faucet.

"She is an athlete, after all." He said amicably and then turned his thick head around as much as he could to look at me with one beady eye. "I'm sure we could learn a thing or two from her along the way." And even as he was still washing his snout and paws, Sotiris moved his thick tail, catching the dragonet who was still hanging out below the counter, "And you'd do well to pay attention, Chariton! It's about time you start thinking about the kinds of things you want to do in life."

The dragonet squawked indignantly, pushing his father's heavy tail aside. I cringed as my sister went immediately to coddle him, grasping her son between her foreclaws as if he were half his age. "He still has plenty of time to decide on what he'd like to do!" she said as she squeezed the dragonet, who, though he was still quite small compared to an adult, was still more than a third as large as his parent now. I quickly decided that this was something I ought to try to talk to Iolanta about while I had a chance, assuming that was, that I could mend our frayed relationship a bit first.

Sotiris only sighed and dropped to the ground, paws and muzzle dripping water. We both had to wait until Chariton began to squirm in my sister's grip before she released her son. The blubbery white drake moved to retrieve a heavy, but finely crafted pack that had already been set beside the front door to the mansion, a towering dragon-sized door sporting no less than twelve brass hinges. "Ahem, well, we'd best be off before we waste anymore daylight..."

Chariton waddled forward, grabbing his own child-sized pack, "Hmph..." he snorted. "Don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about this. It's just a little flying." Despite his combative tone, he still waited for his father to make the first move in leading the rest of us out onto the lavish courtyard that surrounded the mansion. It might have been my imagination, but it did seem bigger than the last time I had been here, but I had no time to examine my brother-in-law's estate before I followed him off a convenient drop ledge constructed from the steep hill on which the mansion had been built. The drop allowed for a convenient way to gather speed needed for flight which might otherwise be awkward for my untrained and large-bodied family members. Even with the techniques I'd learned from the Junior Preservers, take offs and landings tended to be more difficult for the heavy Sea Stormer frame, compared to other breeds.

But once in the air, at least, I felt more in my element, my huge wing span extending from the sides of my body, almost twice as much wing as any other dragon breed I knew about. I held myself up easily on the brisk swells of coastal air, following Sotiris at first and then quickly guiding everyone into a nearby thermal to gain altitude.

I had expected the enormous Sea Stormer to be clumsy in the air due to his unnecessary bulk, but Sotiris surprised me with his natural grace. Come to think of it, he really did move much more naturally even on the ground than I could really account for seeing how much larger he was than even the deepest diving dragon needed to be. My sister was almost embarrassingly clumsy by comparison, though she did seem to spend an inordinate amount of time coaching Chariton in our small flock.

We began to circle, the warm air carrying us skyward in a rush. Below, Sotiris' estate quickly shrank into a miniature model, the hilly wealthy estates overlooking a riot of twisting streets further below towards the port city. The great Dalmeoth river flowed through the city, spreading out into a many-fingered delta, though each of the small islands was heavily developed now with a pattern of crisscrossing bridges. The waters of the harbor were filled with sails and boats both large and small and varying extremely in complexity. Wooden junks wallowed next to three-masted galleons which themselves were dwarfed by state of the art copper and glass yachts powered almost exclusively by magic. The crescent shaped city bustled with life, the air filled with dragons also as people moved about in the streets. It seemed crowded to me, one of the reasons I had preferred lone patrol work in the JP's. But to hear Sotiris tell his stories of the city of ten-thousand dragons that was New Alveri, the whole of Damescara itself seemed little more than a backwater...

I wasn't... completely sure I was prepared for that, if I was being honest with myself.

When we had reached a sufficient height, Sotiris peeled off, forming the spearhead of our formation, and I fell in behind, letting him lead us in the correct direction inland and away from the comforting sound of the sea which resonated even up here.