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The early morning sun shone softly upon the tropical island, the warmth of its rays chasing away the chill of the night. The soft crash of waves awoke the villagers nearby, letting them wake slowly and appreciate the beauty. Birdsong began to ring out as the villagers daily routines started, and the distribution of jobs began.
And up top, at the peak of the perfect little island, laid the dragons lair. Open for those to visit and worship, to bask in the glory of their mighty dragons strength. Currently, they sat on their throne, watching their little cookies scurry around with a faint smile. They were doing well, especially considering the carnage that had just happened a mere day before.
“Ananas!” An awfully familiar voice called, beckoning to them as if they were an old friend. The dragons gaze drifted down to the brightly smiling cookie, her pink buns bouncing with every energetic step. She was accompanied by the little dragonling, and carried an odd little bag. The dragon managed to suppress a scoff, already anticipating that she was going to ask something of them.
“Apologies for butting in so early in the morning.” She laughed, “But I need to ask a favor of you.” She grinned. The dragon didn’t suppress their scoff this time, golden eyes rolling at the sheer audacity. Had they not done this little cookie enough of a favor by agreeing to help quell their corrupted kin?
“And why should I heed your ask? Have I not given you enough favors already.” They yawned, wings lazily stretching to soak in the morning light. Hollyberry gave an annoyed chuckle, trying her best not to let her true annoyance show, especially not in front of the little one.
After a moment of calming herself down the ancient readjusted her strategy. “Well, I was only going to ask you to watch Snapdragon.” She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. As she did so, she couldn’t help but feel like Golden Cheese when they were younger, specifically whenever she bartered with a particularly tough salesman.
The golden dragons tail flicked in displeasure, a soft, low rumble that sufficed as a warning echoing through the chamber. “Such a menial task.” They hissed, “Being asked of me?” They leaned back in their throne. “It’s almost laughable.” A large yawn shook their body, completely missing how Hollyberrys fists clenched before she quickly calmed herself again.
After finally accepting the dragon wouldn’t be helping she moved to leave, scooping up the dragonling that was behind her. Said dragonling looked at the larger dragon, bright pink eyes meeting their golden ones as they babbled something. The ancient cookie laughed, assuming it to be further baby babble and completely missing how the golden dragon stiffened. The dragonling stuck out their tongue mockingly before cooing at the clueless cookie.
“I’ll do it.” The golden dragon suddenly snarled.
Hollyberry froze mid step, turning around quickly with a mildly quizzical look before nodding and setting the little one down. The dragon listened (mostly) to the cookie below as she explained what was in the bag she brought, and Snapdragons usual routine. Which was mostly based around them sleeping, eating, and sun basking.
A simple routine, and luckily for the golden dragon, one they didn’t have to put much effort into. And with that, and a promise that she would return in a few hours, Hollyberry left. The two dragons sat in silence, their vibrant eyes locked in a staring contest.
The dragonling toddled over, their little wings giving an occasional flap to keep them upright as they fiddled with the bag. Inside was what one would expect, snacks, a change of clothes, and some toys. Though, one toy in particular stood out to the golden dragon.
A plush Pitaya Dragon, shrunk down and made more appealing to the general public. The golden dragon almost snorted again, maybe they had underestimated their kin’s ferocity. The dragonling looked at them, beaming as if they had just obtained the worlds rarest treasure.
“Baba!” They babbled, tail swishing happily across the stone flooring. The elder dragon tilted their head, an amused smile tugging at the corners of their lips. “Is that so?” Ananas rumbled, “Well, go play with “baba” over there, I have things to do.” They yawned, their tail vaguely gesturing to a sunlit spot in the corner. The dragonling scampered off, the sound of their little claws and wingbeats getting softer as they reached the corner.
Their gaze drifted over to the beach, where they could see cookies cleaning and laughing. Their shoulders relaxed at the sound, a soft smile resting on their lips as the joyous sound reached their ears. They didn’t know how much they missed the sound until it was ripped away from them.
Dragontongue songs began to float through the air as they worked, amplified by a little speaker that magical cookie made when he first arrived. The dragon could hear everyone singing along, much like the night before, though this song was far less somber.
They hummed along to the familiar lyrics, the joyous tune, tail swishing to the beat of the drums. That frail peace was swiftly cut short thanks to a distressed wail from the dragonling. The elder dragon glanced over, watching as the dragonling screamed in distress as they chased after the elder dragons pineaplemur.
Who, had the child’s toy wrapped in its fluffy tail, the plush bouncing with every leap away from the dragonling. Said dragonling desperately chased the plush, cries echoing through the chamber until the elder dragon snatched the toy from the animal and shoved it into the child’s claws.
Their cries quieted to mere sniffles as they buried their face into the fabric, wobbly eyes still threatening to spill tears. A soft, babbled thank you left the dragonlings lips as they hugged the plush so tight the elder dragon thought it might burst from the pressure. The golden dragon lingered, sharp eyes remaining on the little dragon. And, against better judgement, they sat with them, watching as their shaking shoulders started to even out.
“Why is this plush so… important to you?” They asked, already feeling as if they knew the answer. The dragonling gave a few more sniffles before babbling out an answer, one the elder dragon almost missed due to the odd structure. Yet, they nodded anyways.
“I see.” They hummed, unsure of what to do next, if anything. The two sat there in the silence for a while, letting the sun warm them and the earthbread beneath their claws. The little one’s head snaps to the sound of birdsong, eyes widening at the lovely tune. The elder watched the little one smile, their sharp little teeth glinting as they tried to mimic the songs.
Their rendition was awful, but the birds didn’t seem to mind. The golden dragon let out a soft rumbling chuckle, the dragonling beaming at them as if they had created music itself. “Your renditions awful.” The golden one admitted, watching the little one droop slightly. “But, I suppose someone could teach you.” They grinned, bright teeth shining in the light as the dragonling fired off questions left and right.
The elder placed a claw upon their snout, their amusement melting into annoyance within seconds. They gave a small warning before moving away, and luckily for them, the child listened. Wide eyes watched their every move as they began to instruct how to sing. And, much to the dragons dismay, a new problem quickly arose.
The dragonling didn’t properly know dragontongue.
Which, was somewhat expected, after all no dragon is born with infinite knowledge, most was passed down by the little one’s parents. However, considering the dragonlings guardian, it wouldn’t surprise them if the red dragon had never gotten around to it.
The golden dragon lowered themself again, head tilting as they examined the little one. They must have been about a year old at the very least, old enough to know most dragontongue and some common. Yet they were still using this odd mix.
After some mild inquiring the child eventually revealed their small arsenal of dragontongue words. Most were expected, parent, hunger, thirst, curiosity, danger, and the usual. A few advanced words were tossed in there, ones used for threats and battle, no doubt taught by Pitaya. And, more surprisingly, some wyvern based words as well.
They made a mental note to ask more about the child and their living arrangements. After a moments break, the golden dragon wrote a word in the stone, the earth easily bending to their whim. “Nmoc” the spoke, gesturing for the child to repeat after them. Clumsily, the child repeated the word, the sounds slurring together slightly.
The golden dragon continued to write and speak, showing the dragonling, and even sparing an occasional laugh when they messed up. Eventually the conversation shifted from grammar to tales of the golden dragons kin. And that led to the dragonling sharing stories of the dragon city.
How one of their main guardians, Tarte Tatin was as fierce as a dragon and just as powerful as one too. Which, the golden dragon heavily doubted, no cookie could be as fierce, nor as strong as a dragon. And another story of a supposed “dragon rider” who rode on a wyvern named Buttercream. (Which thankfully explained why the little one knew wyvern)
The elder dragon exchanged their own stories, battles of their youth, cunning victories, and clever bargaining. They basked in the attention given by the little one, even daring to step up their performance by turning the earthbread beneath them into puppets. The dragonling squealed in excitement at the story and a show, tail wriggling excitedly like a little worm.
And as the stories and puppet shows continued, the two of them hardly noticed how the sun began to sink and the joyous laughter of the cookies below began to shift into campfire stories. The stories only came to a stop when the dragonling yawned, eyes drooping as they desperately tried to blink away the inevitability of sleep.
The golden dragon finally noticed that the sky, no longer a brilliant bright blue, had faded to the oranges of dusk and even the dark violets of nightfall. They stalled for a moment, contemplating their options before they scooped up the little one.
They made sure the dragonlings plush was secured within their little arms before journeying deeper into the temple. Soon, they reached their nest, a place bathed in gold and tributes from the years. The chamber was still warm with the heat of the day, the smell of the ocean and pineapple wafting through the air.
“This is just for tonight,” the dragon explained, as if justifying their actions to a half asleep dragonling was necessary. They carefully drew closer, setting the dragonling into the nest. Snapdragon yawned again, bright pink eyes fighting to stay open as they happily snuggled into the warm fabrics and materials of the golden dragons nest.
The elder dragon let out an amused chortle before joining the little one, wings stretching out happily as they nestled in. The lights in the warm chamber dimmed, with the soft sound of cricket chirps creating a perfect backdrop. Sleep tugged at the dragon, dragging them into a comfortable slumber, one filled with dreams of power and youth.
By the time morning came around, the little dragonling was snuggled up next to their auncle, both of their snores echoing through their chamber. Ananas woke first, as they usually did, halfheartedly stretching as their mind wormed its way out of a dream.
The first thing they noticed was, of course, the dragonling snuggled up right next to them, still clinging onto their stuffed Pitaya like a lifeline. The golden dragon huffed, trying to figure out how to leave without waking the little one. Which ended up failing regardless, as the second they shifted a little too far away the little one awoke.
They stretched out lazily, like a cat awoken from a good nap, wings stretching to their full length. Their hot pink eyes slowly blinked open, still blurry from sleep. They smacked their lips a few times, as if they were tasting a rare delicacy made specially for them. Their little claws dug into the nest for a moment longer before half toddling half falling out of the nest.
By the time the little one had eaten, a mix of the leftover snacks from yesterday and some fresh fruit from nearby, Hollyberry was already patiently waiting in the throne room. The dragonling barreled into her arms, babbling on about their day, even though the ancient couldn’t understand them.
The ancient nodded, thanking the golden dragon for watching the little one, and apologized for not picking them up when she promised. The golden dragon merely waved her away, feigning annoyance at the fact they had to babysit at all. Though, as the two left he smiled at the little dragon, giving them a small wave goodbye before they departed