Darian （SPLIT）
The middle one, with the wings that didn’t work as well, wanted him to rub along the edge of her neck and under her chin. The smallest was so cute, he couldn't resist picking her up and snuggling her close to his chest.
“You're gonna get covered in ashes,” Celia warned.
“I don't care,” he said. The longer he held her close, the more whole he felt. It was as if she were the missing piece he'd always needed.
She began vibrating against his chest, and he smiled as he cuddled her closer.
“She is the sweetest thing,” he said.
“Don't tell the other two, but Flame might be my favorite,” Celia admitted.
The male hatchling chirped in protest. What?
Celia gave him a pat on the head. “I like you too, Spark, but Flame snuggles the best.”
Flame chirped, Of course I do.
Darian looked down at the tiny dragon. Was he hearing things?
“You do?” he said to her.
It's because I'm the smallest, she chirped. Darian blinked again.
“What's wrong?” Celia asked. “You look as if you've seen a ghost.”
Darian shook his head. The events of the day must have scrambled his brain. There was no way he was speaking to a dragon.
He set the hatchling down and turned to Celia.
“I want to fix your table before it comes crashing down on top of you.”
The bottom of one leg had been charred completely through, leaving it in danger of tipping over and landing on a baby dragon, or worse, Celia.
No, that wasn't right. Celia would be able to hold the weight of the table, but a baby dragon might get stuck.
But the idea of Celia being hurt seemed rather dire.
“Whatever you want,” Celia said, shaking her head.
Darian pulled out the blocks of wood he had gathered and the small saw that was sticking out of the front of the saddlebag. He picked up the basket, which still held Sod, and set him on the floor. The roly-poly dragon opened his eyes and perked up when he saw Darian.
“Hello,” Darian said, taking the baby dragon and ruffling and shaking him a little in a very gentle way. Something in him said that the earth dragon liked rougher attention than the fire dragons. “I don't suppose you want to help me fix the table, Sod?”
The baby dragon only blinked sleepily at him. Darian laughed, jiggled the baby once more, and turned back to the table.
He was just finishing and stood it up to test how stable it was when Celia approached with two bowls of food in her hand. When had she made that? He must have been so focused on his work that he didn't even notice.
“Would you care for some dinner?” she asked.
Apparently, she had decided that he was worth feeding after all.
“Thank you,” he said as he thumped the surface of her table.
“Safe and sound again. It won't fall on you or a baby dragon, unless they keep trying to singe the legs off it.
But I think maybe we can coat it with something that might help it to not burn.
I'm going to ask my uncles if they have any thoughts tomorrow.
Until then, we'll just have to keep these hatchlings off it.
No more burning, isn't that right, babies?”
He looked down at the fire dragons.
Spark spluttered, As if I would intentionally light something on fire.
You do, Sizzle chirped.
Darian shook his head. Was he hearing things again?
He pulled up a stool and sat down beside Celia, digging into the stew she’d offered him.
It was delicious.
When they were done, she took their bowls and set them to the side, returning to the table with Sod in his basket and her hand in her apron pocket. “I was hoping he would start using his leg more as the day went on,” she said, “but he hasn't. So we'll have to work on it.”
“What are you gonna do?” Darian asked.
“I'm going to splint it first. We'll leave it overnight. It doesn't seem to bother him when I stretch it out, so until he shows that he's in pain, then I’ll just leave it in the splint overnight and take the splint off during the day to give him the opportunity to use it on his own.”
“Do baby dragons sleep through the night?” Darian asked.
“They tend to,” she said. “They're up later than many humans would be, but I don't mind. I don't need a lot of sleep anyway.”
He knew what that was like. “I'm always up far too late. I can't stop thinking about things, and then I want to sleep in, which is less than ideal when I have a job or tasks to go to.”
Celia smirked. “Did you get in trouble for sleeping in?” she asked.
“More than once,” he admitted. “It happens fairly often, if I’m being honest. Sleep is far too appealing. I do my best to wake up, though,” he said. “It just doesn't always work out that way.”
“Perhaps once we’re done, you can help me tire the babies out so they sleep better tonight,” Celia said. “It might wear you out too.”
Darian perked up. Playing with the baby dragons? This day couldn't get any better…except maybe if Celia would smile at him again.
For some reason, that was the best thing that had happened to him all day.