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The hatchling rammed his head against the tough barrier keeping him from... something. What exactly he didn't know. That lack of knowledge didn't make him any less keen to find out. Wings scrambled to expand as the hard shell finally shuddered and cracked. With a faint cry, he tumbled out into the fresh air. This new place was a cold, dark, inhospitable one. Full of unknown dangers and threats. It was better than his cramped confines from earlier though.
Struggling upright, he swung his head this way and that. Large shapes rose all around him almost hiding him entirely from the pale light filtering down from the large disc floating overhead. He stared up at it, mesmerized.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
He squeaked, twirling to face the silky voice head on and overbalancing. Wings flailing at the air, he collapsed in a tangle of limbs to a deep chuckle. He didn’t like that one bit. Not directed at him like that. With as much speed and dignity as he could possibly muster, he hauled himself upright to glower at the… extremely massive teeth inches from his head. His glower faltered.
“You’re an odd one alright.” The strange dragon was hard to make out in detail. His scales sucked in any stray light so that only his white teeth flashed visibly as he spoke. A single, large claw reached out to prod at the hatchling.
Said hatchling hissed. He straightened further, spreading his wings clumsily. The other dragon’s teeth flashed again as he grinned widely, resting his head on the ground in front of the young Noctourne. “I think I’ll keep you.”
Keep? The hatchling tilted his head.
The dragon hummed faintly. “If I just leave you here, something’ll snatch you right up. Not that you’d be much of a meal.” He prodded at the hatchling again, knocking him back on his rear. “My name is Azael.”
“…Azael.” The hatchling sounded out the foreign words carefully, copying the pronunciation the other had used.
“Oh? Very good. Now come along and do try to keep up.” The dragon yawned as he clambered back to his feet. He started off, already starting to disappear among the shadows of the strange new world the hatchling had entered.
He didn’t want to be alone. Tripping over his wings, the hatchling hurried after the larger dragon as he swallowed back a cry. A huge tail swung down out of nowhere to nudge him along.
“How do you like the name Amaros?”
“Amaros.” The mimicry was more confident this time.
“I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine, Amaros.” The dragon flashed another smirk of bared white teeth over his shoulder and Amaros mirrored it back. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on still, but he felt that being with Azael was where he belonged and that was more than enough for now.

The dragon paused to examine the store in front of them. It was a quaint little thing- a cozy one, story building made of wood with translucent sheet serving as windows. A sakura tree dripping with flowers overhung the stone walkway leading up to the sliding door. The dragon counted the few pieces of treasure clutched in its claws before passing along the path, listening to the faint but lingering sound of some sort of stringed instrument.
As it approached the door, the kitsune which had been curled on the small porch lifted its head. It fixed golden eyes on the dragon. It was an intense, knowing gaze. Then it yawned, settling back down to sleep. The dragon continued cautiously past it. The door slid open easily and quietly. The dragon was glad- they would have hated to disturb the young dragon playing some sort of stringed instrument at one end of the room.
The young pearlcatcher’s head was bowed, eyes closed as their claws danced quickly and delicately over the strings. Notes wafted through the air, soft but impossible to miss in their haunting melody of loneliness. It tugged at the listener’s heart and they sniffed.
“What would you like to drink?”
The dragon blinked, rubbing at its eyes. How long had they been standing there, listening to the song. “Oh, um… what’s your cheapest tea?” The other seemed a bit too young to be working in a shop, but it wasn’t the dragon’s place to say anything.
The pearlcatcher’s large golden eyes (oddly reminiscent of the kitsune’s or perhaps vice versa) stared into them, piercing them in a manner that was unsettling. The young dragon’s smile screamed child yet their eyes screamed adult. It was a bit disconcerting. “I think you’ll like our oolong blend. Please take a seat and I’ll be right back,” the child chirped at them.
The dragon settled down carefully on a cushion beside a low table. They’d barely gotten comfortable before the child carefully set a cup and saucer in front of them. She leaned forward, pouring the tea from the pot in a long, steady stream. Then she set the pot down and perched across from the dragon. She waited expectantly. The dragon took a careful sip.
“Oh! This is good.” Whatever oolong tea was, it was exactly to their taste and surprisingly filling. They cradled the cup carefully in their talons.
“So, what brings you here?” The child smiled brightly at them.
“Er… I was thirsty?”
“Hmm. No, it’s more than that. People always come here because they need something in their life.”
The dragon glanced down at the tea. Shouldn’t people come to a tea shop for tea? Though the music had been good as well.
The child leaned across the table to pat their hand. “Don’t worry. Sometimes it takes a while to figure it out. Stay as long as you like. There’s plenty of tea. And don’t worry about the payment- I have a feeling you’re not going to be in need of treasure for long.” She winked at the dragon before skipping off.