Nicki

Before the two dragons can do anything but rumble in acknowledgement of each other, a third comes barreling towards you. You can't even brace for impact before they crash into Hema, sending both of them tumbling sideways.

"You're it!"

It takes you a moment to realize that they're playing a game of tag, and by the time you do, both are already up and chasing each other, with a gaggle of hatchlings following behind.

“Don’t worry about them. This happens every couple of mornings. Neither of them can stand up to a teary eyed little dragonet.”

The tall ridgeback regards you with a bit of amusement.

“You would think that Hema at least would introduce you, before tumbling off after Spike, but alas, it was not to be. I’m Nicki, since my dear sister likely didn’t bother to say.”

You nod towards her, not really wanting to speak right now, and while she waits for more of a response than that, she doesn’t make note of it out loud.

“Well, I can tell you haven’t eaten, so I can tell you a bit about what me and the others do while you do so. I’d rather you keep up your strength than wallow away due to something so simple as hunger.”

Thankful that it was brought up before your stomach could do it itself, the pair of you trot over to the remaining piles of meat. Or, she trots, you half run. You aren’t really built for it. It doesn’t really matter though, because the constant mentions of food have made you even hungrier than you were at the very beginning of the day, and you can’t wait to dig in.

In that moment, your stomach growls loudly, accentuating the point.

Nicki laughs a bit, a deep rumbling sound. It’s almost soothing. “You really are hungry, aren’t you? We should have figured that you hadn’t had anything to eat.”

She guides you with a wing towards the pile of meat. “Go on. You might no longer be a growing dragon, but even us adults need to have something to sustain us. Have as much as you like.”

Taking that for the permission it is, you tuck in. There’s a surprising variety to the food here, birds and deer and jerky and rabbits all mixed together, and clearly from different places. The way it’s picked over, it looks like some of the eaters I the clan are picky eaters, liking particular things.

You wonder how they managed to get so many different things, before anyone else in the clan was even awake.

The thought doesn’t bother you for very long though, as you fill yourself up. You’ve had worse, in many different clans, and you’re content to eat the left overs of other dragons meals. There’s plenty of meat left, without you having to tuck into the insects to supplement it.

It doesn’t take long for you to get your fill, and you temper your appetite with the knowledge that there is a second meal in the day, from what you have heard, and the fact that the remaining food will still be around somewhere, even if it technically is off limits.

“You’ve had enough?”

You nod, from where you’re extricating a bone from between your jaws.

“Well, I suppose it’s only proper for me to tell you a bit about myself and my siblings. We originally came from a proud plague lair, though I am led to believe that in recent years they have fallen into a bit of disrepair at our original home. We were trained to be fighters from the moment we were deemed old enough to do so, and we have remained as such our entire lives. Perhaps it’s a bit harsh, what we do each day, but it’s what we know.”

She looks off into the distance, where you can see the form of the third of the ridgeback trio flying low above the treetops, chased by several younger dragons. He isn’t flying as fast as he reasonably could.

“It’s better here than the life we could have had at our old home. We left when there was too little space for us, and we very nearly were sent to serve, but the little clan here offered up a good deal for us, and off we went.”

He tail twitches behind you, and she pulls you forwards and away from the pile of food, towards the entrance of the cave.

“There were less than a dozen dragons here when we first arrived, and though many of them have left over the years for different and greener pastures, we have stayed out of a sense of loyalty. Arbor brought us in to help feed a growing clan, but we are more than just that at this stage. Though I doubt any of us three want to have any children of our own, the little hatchlings of the other members are just as much our children as anyone else’s.”

You can spot Hema, just inside the sleeping cave, hiding away from the dragons flying outside. Nicki gently nudges her with a wing to go outside. It seems like an old debate, and it plays out with unspoken words and quick glances, before Hema slouches out.

“If you wish, we would be glad to help you train, though if you are more the mage sort, we are sorely lacking in those abilities. As for right now though, I feel like a nap. You may join me if you wish, or if not, I am sure that you could have some fun in the company of the others.”

You shake your head. You’re plenty well rested from the night before.

“Then I shall bid you a good morning.”

And with that, she leaves you behind, and you turn back towards the entrance to the cave.

Outside, many of the dragons have left the small clearing, though the two guardians who had been sorting through the trinkets were now piling up the remaining food, and pushing it towards a separate cave. Up above, you only spot Hema now, followed by the hatchlings.

“Would you mind terribly if I hid behind interacting with you for a while?”

With a start, you whirl around to spot the last of the three Ridgebacks.