Wake the Beast

Chapter Six

Azure watched Alex fly away, pondering his strangeness. Why was he only available during the night? Perhaps because he was as busy as she was, though he certainly seemed to handle it better than she usually did. He hadn't looked tired at all! Meanwhile, Azure was a breath away from dropping to the ground. Her odd jobs had sucked out whatever energy she'd started the day with, and hunting had just about pushed her over the edge.

Amethyst's nest had been the highlight of her day. All she'd had to do was curl around the eggs and watch the entrance to Amethyst's cave! But as soon as the purple dragon returned, work had piled up. This dragon needed that, and that dragon needed this. Sometimes Azure wished she wasn't such a pushover. If she could just grow a spine, she would be able to turn people away. Just a few, but enough to keep herself sane. She couldn't even say no to a mysterious stranger, asking to meet at night!

Enough thinking, she told herself with a sigh. She dragged herself deeper inside her cave, finally flopping into her nest of leaves and moss. Oh, Lord, thank You for this day. I'm sorry for complaining about my duties, I really do like helping everyone whenever I can. Please guide me in all my decisions, especially the one concerning Alex. You know his heart, Lord, and only You can help me decide what to do. Good night. I love You.

•••

"Azure!" someone trilled, cutting through Azure's haze of sleep. "Azure! Wake up, Azure!"

Azure only groaned and shifted her wings, refusing to get up. Maybe she couldn't refuse people, but she sure could ignore them.

"Azure!" the voice called again, a little sterner this time. "If your father was here, he'd be smacking you upside the head right now. In fact, he's probably looking down from heaven this very second, shaking his head in shame! Wake up, for sky's sake!"

"Don' wanna," Azure mumbled, snuggling deeper into a patch of moss. The next thing she knew, she was being rudely smacked upside the head. "Mama!" she howled. "Stop it!"

"Don't wanna!" her mother whined mockingly, smacking Azure with her shining golden tail. Aureate laughed as she nudged Azure again, more gently this time. "Come on, Blue, the sun is shining and Topaz is watching the triplets. Time for a mother-daughter fun day!"

Mother-daughter fun day? Azure perked up immediately, shaking off the last bits of moss and jumping up to join her mother. They hadn't one of those since her siblings had hatched! Which had only been a few months ago, but what had felt like forever. She asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, maybe a long flight through the mountains, an invigorating trot through the forest, and a swim in the lake to start us off..."

"Mom. Really."

Aureate laughed again. "Okay! We're going to the salmon river first."

Azure's jaw opened wide in a delighted, joyful sort of grin. She may have eaten yesterday, not needing another meal for a few more days, but who was she to turn down salmon? The most wonderful snack in the entire world? (And this is why her stomach was the way it was: salmon. Among other things.)

Swimming (or, rather, simply being submerged) in the cool water of a river was another of her favorite activities. Most rivers in Tyree weren't deep enough for a full submersion, since Tyree was small for a country, especially one containing dragons. Aureate merely enjoyed being away from her unruly little triplets for extended periods of time.