“He’s so happy with his family home.” Farloft watched Rugarth with Ralgarth playing on the ledge outside their cave. He heaved a big sigh.
“You miss your family,” Mesanth said. “It’s only natural.” She draped a wing over Farloft’s shoulders. She knew that their visitor had become very attached to the clan leader. “Will you be going home soon?”
“There is no need for him to hurry off,” Trisk spoke up from her perch over their head in the apple tree. “We’ve only just returned home. You should rest up.” She addressed Farloft craning her neck to see him below in the grass.
“I do miss my family. Most likely they have given up looking for me by now.” He shook his head when he imagined what his parents must have gone through over the last few months. Many times he had wished he could send them a message, but there was no way. “I should leave soon.”
Mesanth leaned in closer. “Don’t go,” she whispered. “Stay here with us.” Her wing exerted pressure over his back as she hugged him close. “I will miss you if you go.”
Farloft turned his head in order to look into her eyes. This dragoness had tended him when he was injured, fed him when he couldn’t feed himself, traveled with him and guided him in the ways of this new land. They had shared meals and slept together to keep each other warm, and though they had not mated, he felt a closeness to this young dragon unlike any other dragon at home in his own colony.
There was no doubt he would be jumping back home. He could not desert his clan or leave his family wondering what happened to him. But… he so wished he could take Mesanth with him. In his private moments, in the wee hours of the morning, when she lay beside him breathing softly, he dreamed as all young males dreamed of establishing a clan. He pictured her by his side, as his mate, their hatchlings scattered around them as Rugarth’s were now.
But, he would never be able to take Mesanth home. Her clan was not his. They did not possess the powerful magic to make the jumps, no more than he possessed their magic to bring their dreams and nightmares to life.
He could go back home, tell his family of his travels and then return here to live with Mesanth in her land, on her world. He shook his head. It was not what he had in mind for his future. There was no place on the world other than the wall to live safely with the dragons, and Rugarth was the clan leader here. Farloft wanted to be the founder of a clan of his own. He wanted to be the father to many other than his own hatchlings, as Rugarth was to his people here. As his own father was to their clan back home.
Farloft placed his cheek against Mesanth’s and churred softly in her ear. She was, and would always be, his first love, but he had to go home. He had put off returning too long.
“I need to go do something,” Farloft said softly. “Will you wait for me here? I’ll be right back.”
Mesanth nodded her head.
“Stay with her, Trisk.” Farloft rose to his feet and leapt into the air.
When he returned, he was carrying the small green velvet bag he had carried secretly all the way home from the last Isle on the Ryland chain. He had meant to give it to her that night, but the time had not been right, and then there was the surprise of the nursery and its hatchlings. After that, there was all the excitement of coming home, and then time and opportunity had slipped by him like the wind in a steep dive.
Now, he sat before her with his paw extended hoping it pleased her as much as she delighted him. “I traded for this in the Ryland. Trisk helped me pick it out.”
“That’s not true,” Trisk objected from her perch above. “Farloft saw it first and had to have it for you.”
Farloft looked up at his tiny blue friend. “But, Trisk struck the deal with the merchant.”
“He had to give up all his stone shards, and give the merchant’s son a dragon ride.” Trisk voice tinkled in laughter.
Mesanth slipped the bracelet out of its bag. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it. No male had ever given her a treasure before. She looked up into Farloft’s golden eyes.
“You like it?” he asked with anticipation. “I know it is a human’s bracelet, but Trisk and I thought you could wear it as a horn ornament.”
A tear came to Mesanth’s eye. She held the dazzler out to Farloft. “Will you put it on?”
Farloft took it and slipped it over Mesanth’s right horn. The feather hung down on the outside edge and glinted in the sun as she moved her head.
“How does it look?” she asked.
“Stunning,” Trisk said with admiration.
“Beautiful.” Farloft leaned forward and nuzzled Mesanth gently under her right ear. “It’s perfect.”
All the dragons were gathered on the ledges of the wall. The Nal were either with their dragon partners or in the valley below shading their eyes from the morning sun as they watched Farloft gain more and more altitude in order to make the dive and the jump back to his home and family.
He had said his goodbyes. He told them all he would come back. He had spent the last week studying the terrain around the wall and the wall itself. He knew he could picture it perfectly in his mind. He had every intention of returning at least for a visit one day.
He thought about Rugarth and his family as he pumped his wings. Farloft wanted to see the younglings grown. He thought about accompanying the dragons on another trading mission, of seeing Tempith again and meeting her young.
His mind hopped to Trisk and how much he would miss her gentle touch on his shoulder, her calming hum, and her sweet ways.
When he turned to make the dive, he imagined he could see Pier and Olar far below standing side by side, hand in hand. He would miss their joining and the birth of their young.
His eyes teared, not from the wind of his acceleration as he dove toward the ground, but because he saw in his mind’s eye Mesanth standing beside Kennoith crying as he leapt off the ledge and headed skyward to make the jump home.
He was leaving Mesanth behind without any hope of ever seeing her again unless he returned to live here… away from this family… his world… in this world… Her world.
He felt the air rushing by his wings and he settled his thoughts for the jump. He pictured the peak he and his father were set to jump to the morning he left. He envisioned its snowy whitecap. He breathed in deeply and then released a burst of dragon fire…
One moment he was in a strange land where dragons and humans had adopted him…
The next moment… He was home…
“You miss your family,” Mesanth said. “It’s only natural.” She draped a wing over Farloft’s shoulders. She knew that their visitor had become very attached to the clan leader. “Will you be going home soon?”
“There is no need for him to hurry off,” Trisk spoke up from her perch over their head in the apple tree. “We’ve only just returned home. You should rest up.” She addressed Farloft craning her neck to see him below in the grass.
“I do miss my family. Most likely they have given up looking for me by now.” He shook his head when he imagined what his parents must have gone through over the last few months. Many times he had wished he could send them a message, but there was no way. “I should leave soon.”
Mesanth leaned in closer. “Don’t go,” she whispered. “Stay here with us.” Her wing exerted pressure over his back as she hugged him close. “I will miss you if you go.”
Farloft turned his head in order to look into her eyes. This dragoness had tended him when he was injured, fed him when he couldn’t feed himself, traveled with him and guided him in the ways of this new land. They had shared meals and slept together to keep each other warm, and though they had not mated, he felt a closeness to this young dragon unlike any other dragon at home in his own colony.
There was no doubt he would be jumping back home. He could not desert his clan or leave his family wondering what happened to him. But… he so wished he could take Mesanth with him. In his private moments, in the wee hours of the morning, when she lay beside him breathing softly, he dreamed as all young males dreamed of establishing a clan. He pictured her by his side, as his mate, their hatchlings scattered around them as Rugarth’s were now.
But, he would never be able to take Mesanth home. Her clan was not his. They did not possess the powerful magic to make the jumps, no more than he possessed their magic to bring their dreams and nightmares to life.
He could go back home, tell his family of his travels and then return here to live with Mesanth in her land, on her world. He shook his head. It was not what he had in mind for his future. There was no place on the world other than the wall to live safely with the dragons, and Rugarth was the clan leader here. Farloft wanted to be the founder of a clan of his own. He wanted to be the father to many other than his own hatchlings, as Rugarth was to his people here. As his own father was to their clan back home.
Farloft placed his cheek against Mesanth’s and churred softly in her ear. She was, and would always be, his first love, but he had to go home. He had put off returning too long.
“I need to go do something,” Farloft said softly. “Will you wait for me here? I’ll be right back.”
Mesanth nodded her head.
“Stay with her, Trisk.” Farloft rose to his feet and leapt into the air.
When he returned, he was carrying the small green velvet bag he had carried secretly all the way home from the last Isle on the Ryland chain. He had meant to give it to her that night, but the time had not been right, and then there was the surprise of the nursery and its hatchlings. After that, there was all the excitement of coming home, and then time and opportunity had slipped by him like the wind in a steep dive.
Now, he sat before her with his paw extended hoping it pleased her as much as she delighted him. “I traded for this in the Ryland. Trisk helped me pick it out.”
“That’s not true,” Trisk objected from her perch above. “Farloft saw it first and had to have it for you.”
Farloft looked up at his tiny blue friend. “But, Trisk struck the deal with the merchant.”
“He had to give up all his stone shards, and give the merchant’s son a dragon ride.” Trisk voice tinkled in laughter.
Mesanth slipped the bracelet out of its bag. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it. No male had ever given her a treasure before. She looked up into Farloft’s golden eyes.
“You like it?” he asked with anticipation. “I know it is a human’s bracelet, but Trisk and I thought you could wear it as a horn ornament.”
A tear came to Mesanth’s eye. She held the dazzler out to Farloft. “Will you put it on?”
Farloft took it and slipped it over Mesanth’s right horn. The feather hung down on the outside edge and glinted in the sun as she moved her head.
“How does it look?” she asked.
“Stunning,” Trisk said with admiration.
“Beautiful.” Farloft leaned forward and nuzzled Mesanth gently under her right ear. “It’s perfect.”
*****
All the dragons were gathered on the ledges of the wall. The Nal were either with their dragon partners or in the valley below shading their eyes from the morning sun as they watched Farloft gain more and more altitude in order to make the dive and the jump back to his home and family.
He had said his goodbyes. He told them all he would come back. He had spent the last week studying the terrain around the wall and the wall itself. He knew he could picture it perfectly in his mind. He had every intention of returning at least for a visit one day.
He thought about Rugarth and his family as he pumped his wings. Farloft wanted to see the younglings grown. He thought about accompanying the dragons on another trading mission, of seeing Tempith again and meeting her young.
His mind hopped to Trisk and how much he would miss her gentle touch on his shoulder, her calming hum, and her sweet ways.
When he turned to make the dive, he imagined he could see Pier and Olar far below standing side by side, hand in hand. He would miss their joining and the birth of their young.
His eyes teared, not from the wind of his acceleration as he dove toward the ground, but because he saw in his mind’s eye Mesanth standing beside Kennoith crying as he leapt off the ledge and headed skyward to make the jump home.
He was leaving Mesanth behind without any hope of ever seeing her again unless he returned to live here… away from this family… his world… in this world… Her world.
He felt the air rushing by his wings and he settled his thoughts for the jump. He pictured the peak he and his father were set to jump to the morning he left. He envisioned its snowy whitecap. He breathed in deeply and then released a burst of dragon fire…
One moment he was in a strange land where dragons and humans had adopted him…
The next moment… He was home…
Next week, the conclusion of Farloft's adventure...
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