Collapsing into my bed, I nestled into the blankets. Ma had been generous with them. Partly because I was human and felt the cold more, but something told me that even if I were a dragon she would have been drowning my simple room in pretty blankets and pillows.
I was starting to drift off peacefully, thinking about herbs and teas, when the sound of dragons shouting and laughing woke me rather rudely. Groaning, I rolled over and scratched my head. For a moment, I lay there, staring at the ceiling, hoping the noise would ebb. It didn’t sound angry… more jovial and excited.
When the revelry didn't calm down after a few minutes, I clambered out of bed and padded to the door.
Opening the door, I stuck my head out in time to see the dragon in question walking down the hall, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, a matching T-shirt, and an excited grin.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, looking around sleepily.
“Were you snoozing, Ro?” he questioned with a laugh, sidling up to me. “It’s not bedtime yet.”
“You and I both know there are merits to a good afternoon nap.”
“Well, it’s not the afternoon anymore,” he pointed out.
I grimaced. It had been dark out when I opened my eyes. Maybe I was more tired than I thought.
“That still doesn’t explain…” I gestured to the general chaos around us. Even though the hallway was empty, there was no mistaking the noise of people filling the building.
All I could hear was dragons moving through the den—people talking to one another, shouting, laughing—like there was an influx of dragons in the building. The den wasn’t small, by any means, so there had to be a significant increase in the number of dragons on the property.
Griffin spread his arms wide. “It’s flight night, baby,” he declared excitedly.
“Flight night?” I asked dumbly, resisting the urge to yawn.
He nodded enthusiastically. “There’s really good cloud coverage, and there’s pretty much no moonlight, so we have free rein to go higher than we normally do. So, it’s a horde flight night. We are all desperate to spread our wings.”
I knew about horde flights, most places I visited had them, but they were rare. A lot of dragons flew in small groups to avoid being seen by any humans. The North Oak Horde lands were so isolated, deep in woodland, so they had excellent cover.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I replied, crossing my arms, silently cursing that I’d forgotten to grab a sweater. I didn’t see why they had to interrupt my sleep, though.
“Come get some food. We always feast before flights, and Ma goes all out!” He excitedly grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the dining hall.
“Wait, I’m in my pajamas,” I protested, but he didn’t listen, simply barreling on. My tiny human strength was nothing in comparison to an overexcited dragon.
“You’re covered,” he said with a laugh as we made our way down the stairs and entered the dining hall.
A few dragons looked our way as we entered, but most of them returned to their own conversations quickly.
The room was packed. Every square inch of space had someone in it, sitting and eating, talking to one another, laughing. It was filled with an energy I hadn’t witnessed from the horde before. It was a level of excitement and chaos that was almost infectious. Every long table was filled with people tucking into plate after plate of food, covering every available surface.
The smell was phenomenal, and my mouth watered as soon as it hit me.
“Holy fuck, I’ve never seen the den this packed,” I muttered to myself as Griffin grabbed us a seat between a few dragons on one of the benches.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to fly. We’re all excited,” he said, picking up a roll and handing it to me. “Make sure you eat up.”
I gave my friend a pointed look. “I don’t need to eat anywhere near as much as you guys, especially ifyou’regoing on a long flight.”
He shrugged, shoving a roll into his mouthbefore talking around it, his mouth full. “I know, but Ma makes such good food. I don’t want you to miss out on the spread. Once we go out and take some air, you can sleep.”
“You say such generous things.” I sighed dreamily, grabbing a plate. The idea of a few uninterrupted hours of rest was downright blissful.
Before I could even take a proper look at the piles of food in front of me, Griffin was spooning several dishes onto my plate. Rice and beans, sausages, and mashed potatoes.
The smell emanating from my meal was so damn good, I almost forgot I had been about to ask him a question.
“Okay, I’m not completely mad at you for waking me up and dragging me down here.” I laughed, taking a bite of the potatoes and humming with happiness.
