When Dragonets Love

Sitting Still

Cocoa caught up to Daffodil, who looked the dragonet straight in the eye and asked, "did they bother you Cocoa? They didn't hurt you did they? I swear, if the did..."

Daff looked across through the trees in the direction of the rude dragons from earlier. As if trying to slit their throats from where they were flapping in place. "What? Oh, no, no. In fact, they seemed quite dumbfounded by your...colorful language," Cocoa laughed.

Daff grinned charmingly at her and nudged her, "Well, I am a RainWing aren't I? That's us, isn't it? Colorful RainWings, in every aspect. Now, come on!"

The hybrid chuckled along with her, flying by her side, the occasional nudge and wrestle. With her new friend it was like all her exhaustion melted away, there was only one other dragon who could do that and more for her when they were together. But what Cocoa loved most was how Daff made her feel included. The way she had said '...that's us RainWings.' The way she said it, like Cocoa was included in a tribe no one had welcomed her into, no one other than Daff. Honestly, she wasn't even sure if Vine was like that, he implied it, but of course couldn't be caught saying it, at least not when they were near the older RainWings he had to hold his image with.

The two turned a corner and a tall two-story bamboo and mahogany hut came into view. Cocoa gasped at its grandeur. Daff looked on jovially, "I know it's kind of a lot. Az likes nice things, but don't worry I only got lost like 10 times."

There were many openings in the wooden, house letting in the forest air. It was decorated in climbing ivy and dazzling blooms, from vibrant vermillion to pristine purples. Their home was perched in the uppermost branches of an old redwood, branches poking in through the floors. It was shrouded with hanging grey-green moss and lichen and vines that curled along the balconies.

When Daffodil and Cocoa entered the building, a sloth dropped down above them, frightening Cocoa out of her scales. Daff giggled, Hahahahahaha! Come here Cloudy, that's not nice. This is our guest Cocoa, she usually lives down in the NightWing Village, but for now she'll be with us."

"Daff? Is that you—?" A yawning voice asked from the upper level.

A groggy Azalea found her way to the second level on one of the branches peaking through the house. She walked right past Cocoa, not completely seeing her and then found the counter, she touched her way around it and Daff found her. She took her talons in hers and slowly lowered them along a cup of steaming liquid. Az sniffed at it and turned a happy marigold, "Thanks hon."

The sloth slowly inched onto Az's wing as Daff whispered something into her ear. Before she finished Azalea's head perked up and her eyes opened for pretty much the first time in the morning. "Cocoa! Oh, gosh, sorry...that's embarrassing...um welcome! Would you care for some of this hot kaw-ffee, Daff's own waker-upper concoction?" She shoved the cup Daffodil had just handed her toward the dragonet.

"Oh..um," she could smell the beverage from where she was standing and the pungent, bitter, nutty aroma made her a bit woozy. But she could see why it could knock any dragon into their senses. Cocoa tried to quirk a smile, "I think I'll pass..."

Daff smiled, and instead grabbed a slab of some sort of dried brown stuff. She handed the whole thing to Cocoa and said "I heard you like meat, here's some jerky, I got it from one of the NightWings."

The little dragon's eyes lit up, meat! She eagerly grabbed it from Daffodil's claws and started tearing into it. How'd they know I was craving, meat?

She heard a pair of chuckles behind her, Cocoa looked over wide-eyed with food still in her mouth. The mates were giggling together at her hunger and the dragonet blushed dusky rose. Azalea looked over, "oh, darling, don't worry. We just knew you would want meat so bad. We're just happy for you, you look so carefree when you're eating."

They seemed sincere, Cocoa appreciates their concern and care for her, she didn't remember that kind of thing from most others.

The day went by quickly, Cocoa soon discovered that the RainWing looking for her lost sloth, in Vine's story, was one in the same with Azalea and her lost Cloudy. They had a hard, long laugh about that. And later the three spent time playing a game after dinner. The little hybrid found herself becoming more and now comfortable with her new friends, and their residence like a home she had never known. All her worries melted away and before she knew it, it had been weeks since her recovery and Snake's and Vine's plight.