Golden light filtered through the emerald canopy, warming Ellie’s thick, ruby-red scales. Soft moss squished beneath her massive talons with every step she took. Around her, the Whispering Woods lived up to its name, rustling with the gentle secrets of the afternoon breeze.
Charles leaped onto a fallen log ahead of her, his emerald-green wings flaring open. Air currents swirled around his tail, lifting him slightly off the ground with effortless grace. His golden eyes scanned the blue sky above with a look of pure, unadulterated ecstasy.
"Just feel that updraft, Ellie!" Charles cheered, his voice bouncing off the ancient trunks. "It is absolutely magnificent. A perfect fifteen-knot easterly breeze, smelling of wild honey and pine needles. Everything about today is just perfect!"
Ellie chuckled, a low rumble vibrating deep within her chest. Warm, pine-scented smoke puffed lazily from her nostrils, drifting up into the leaves. She shook her head, her ivy-wrapped horns brushing against a low-hanging branch.
"You say that about every single day, Charles," Ellie pointed out, her voice smooth and relaxed. "Yesterday was perfect. The day before that was perfect. I think you just like the sound of your own wings flapping."
Charles turned around, balancing perfectly on the log on one foot. His tail flicked a shower of loose bark into the air, which he promptly caught with a tiny mini-cyclone of air magic. He grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
"But it is!" Charles insisted, bouncing back down to the mossy path beside her. "The world is just waiting to be enjoyed. Look at those flowers! Look at that stream! Everything is sunshine and rainbows, my friend. We are alive, the sun is shining, and there isn't a single cloud in the sky to ruin our flight!"
Ellie rolled her eyes, though a fond smile played at the corners of her snout. She loved her friend's boundless enthusiasm, even if it could be a bit exhausting before noon. Her mind, however, was drifting far away from air currents and sunny weather.
"Sunshine is nice, Charles, but I was thinking about something else," Ellie murmured, her eyes softening as she stared into the dappled shadows of the undergrowth. "Something much smaller. Much softer."
Charles blinked, tilt-shifting his head like a curious bird. "A squirrel? A very fluffy rabbit? Oh, did you find one of those rare glowing mushrooms?"
"No, silly," Ellie said, her tail sweeping a wide arc through the ferns. "I was thinking about babies. Baby dragons, specifically. Tiny, chubby little hatchlings with oversized wings and soft, undeveloped horns."
Just thinking about them made her heart melt into a puddle of warm goo. She couldn't help it; nature dragons were naturally nurturing, but Ellie took it to an entirely different level. There was absolutely nothing in the mortal or immortal realms that she loved more than baby dragons.
"Imagine holding a little clutch of them," Ellie continued, her voice dropping to a dreamy whisper. "They smell like warm milk and burnt sugar. When they get excited, they hiccup tiny sparks that tickle your scales. I want to do a babysitting job so badly, Charles. Just a few days of caring for a sweet, innocent little hatchling."
Charles shuddered, his green wings tucking tightly against his back. "Innocent? Ellie, have you forgotten what hatchlings do to air currents? They sneeze and create localized tornadoes! One time, a fire hatchling sneezed and singed my left wing tip. It took three weeks to grow back properly!"
"They don't mean to," Ellie defended, her golden eyes flashing with maternal protectiveness. "They just need guidance. A gentle touch. Someone to show them how to control their magic with love and patience."
Charles snorted, though he couldn't stay grumpy for long. He leaped onto another rock, scanning the horizon. "Well, you won't find any hatchlings out here in the deep woods. This area is completely deserted. Just us, the trees, and the beautiful, singing wind!"