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Merellia
“Why does Skyfall have to be so pushy?” Pidge muttered, instinctively holding her breath as she ducked her head under the water before recalling that the combination of gear and magic would protect her from drowning. “It wasn’t as if there was something important was going on. Why did she have to limit our time yesterday? We barely had enough to duck in and duck out! She’s overbearing and short-tempered.”
“Show a little respect!” Kiuru snapped in an even tone. “She was a queen before you were born. Though dragon is perfect, I’m sure she had her reasoning.” Pidge closed her mouth wisely as the irritated fae shifted around over Gwyn’s head, digging her diminutive claws into his scales ever so slightly. The spiral flinched, but said nothing. Her anger would pass, though it was a rare occasion as it was.
Pidge drifted over to the posted answers from the previous day, sliding between an imposing snapper and a colorful wildclaw. “I was wrong about Charlie.” She muttered quietly. While being proven incorrect embarrassed her after her cockiness the previous day, it effectively knocked her pride down a notch. Kiuru turned her head away with a touch of smugness. She primly gestured for Pidge to go first. The tension between them waxed until at last Pidge stepped forward.
She looked at first contestant, scrutinizing the three options. Then she raised her nose, sniffing at something her companions couldn’t smell. “The last time I ignored my nose, I got the answer wrong.” Then, to herself: “I knew I smelled earth and trees on that coatl. Why did I say wind? Ugh.” She turned to the imperial. “
You smell like metal. Precious metal. You collect brooches.” The imperial raised a front paw, shifting her weight back onto her haunches. She gaze down her nose at the diminutive tundra, as if to say,
how impertinent this young one is. Gwyn also raised an eyebrow ridge at Pidge’s curtness, but said nothing.
Instead, he stretched his neck forward to look at the tundra who stood beside the imperial. “Hello there!” He greeted with a slight **** of the head, glancing thoughtfully between the tundra, who waved cheerfully, and the three choices. Gwyn chuckled a bit, readjusting his coils to slide closer to the dragon. “Well this is just going to be a guessing game I suppose. I can’t imagine you’d be unlikable, so that leaves two.” He thought a moment longer before responding. “
I think you’ve earned the respect of your peers. That’s option three.” The tundra smiled faintly, but otherwise made no suggestion as to whether or not Gwyn was correct. “Your turn, Kiuru.” The spiral said, turning to the fae floating a short distance away.
Kiuru lashed her pale tail before drifting forward to look at the final contestant. Her liquid gold eyes moved over the strong skydancer female. “
I believe the forces of the Tidelord are strong in you. I choose option three as well.” The skydancer looked at her coolly, perhaps with a trace of surprise at how quickly Kiuru had guessed. However, within a moment the look was gone. “We’ll see if I’m right this time, unlike you.” Kiuru glanced pointedly at Pidge.
“Oh, yes, I’m sure that a
light dragon”—those two words Pidge spat with particular scorn—“would have no problem at all being right. After all, you’re supposed to be analytical and logical and cold as a
salamander!” Pidge’s smooth voice rose, attracting the attention of several pearlcatchers nearby. They each raised an eyebrow at the tundra’s blatant insult toward their element of origin. Kiuru was not pleased either.
“You’re one to talk!” Kiuru growled, her normally even tone deepening sharply. “
Ice dragon.”
“Ladies!” Gwyn interrupted, narrowing his blood-toned eyes at the pair. “You need to stop this fighting! It’s the Saturnalia, the time for celebration. A time to be fluid and even-tempered, like the tides.” Both female dragons took a deep breath, looking first away from, then toward the other. Pidge smiled after a hesitation, and Kiuru’s frills lifted in the fae approximation of the same expression. It was Kiuru who first broke the silence.
“He’s right.” She admitted. “This is not the time or place for conflict. It is a festival, after all. A time for dragons of all elements to coexist.” Pidge nodded in agreement, murmuring a quiet apology, which Kiuru promptly returned. “I think we could learn a thing or two from the water dragons.” She admitted meekly. “I suppose we should come back tomorrow as well.”
