Holly

Hunter

Cerimi jumped at the chance to add a Christmas dragon to her hunt. As soon as Holly was old enough, she took her into the fold, showing her the ways of the clan hunters. She explained that Christmas dragons were special to Karli, as Christmas was her favorite holiday, and that she had promised to look out for Holly on the hunt at Dancer's request. "Mothers, you know how they are. They worry about us no matter how old we get."

Holly had laughed. "Yea, even if they aren't the ones that hatched you, they still worry."

Cerimi had stopped her. "Holly, I hope you realize that it doesn't matter who hatched you. Dancer raised you as her own and to her you are her child. She wouldn't trade you for any other dragon in the world."

"Not even her own child?" Holly seemed skeptical.

Cerimi snorted. "Not even that. You are her first. She is always going to look out for you." Cerimi looked over in Stark's direction as he hovered around Leia in their nest. "My son knows the same is true for him. I will never stop looking out for him."

Holly followed her gaze, smiling. "One of those might be the next clan leader with Karli?"

Cerimi nodded. "Yes. Who knows. If it's a nest of all girls we will just have to wait for the next nest."

"Will Contralto be that patient?"

Cerimi snorted, smoke curling out of her nostrils. "He'll have to be. He can't make the eggs hatch the genders we want."

Holly looked over at Contralto, who was glaring at Stark and Leia thinking no one was paying attention to him. "I think he knows the plan. He has been rather rude to Stark, more so than normal."

Cerimi nodded. "I noticed. I don't want to send them out together anymore but Stark insists on it. He doesn't trust Contralto alone with anyone else. He's afraid that they'll get persuaded by his views."

Holly nodded. She thanked Cerimi for her understanding and kindness and went back to the her fire with Dancer, Christmas, and Comet. Most other dragons didn't know what to make of the Christmas dragons, some avoiding them due to their strangeness. Velpulca joined them at their fire, her strangeness fitting right in with theirs. It felt good to know that other dragons accepted her into the clan, even if Contralto was trying to make everyone feel bad.