Cinder reached into the dirt, grabbed a rock, and Leo flinched when Frikka hit Leo with the shovel, full force, the metal ringing off his scales. “No! This is his fight.”
Ow!Leo buried a snarl.
Hallr forced his own shift as well as Frikka, dwarfing Leo, but Frikka’s energy was so much fiercer than Hallr’s, deadly like a snake.Do not interfere.
The shift of dragons and the sudden fling of a stone from Cinder, drew Ashwin’s attention with a flicker of flame and a snarl.
“Hey, Ass-wind! Leave my papa’s flowers alone!” Cinder stood firm, and Ashwin stared as if debating on eating the boy.
They’re mine! My lifeblossoms! My flowers. Mine!Ashwin snarled and stepped forward, staring Cinder down.
“You sound like a pup that wants someone else’s toy.” Cinder bent down and picked up another rock and lobbed it, bouncing the thing off his neck.
Insolent little fool! I will have you and your Dette siblings in my harem. Come time, you will all be my property.Ashwin spit fire that Cinder took with ease, the stream splitting around him with a wave of immature magic, far more advanced than any of his siblings for one reason alone, völur magic.
“Why would I want some secondhand copper rank cardboard box of a nest?” Cinder grabbed another rock and Leo stood in place, waiting for an opening to surge past Frikka to guard his son.
Do not insult your child. He’s strong enough. Ashwin is dead, he just doesn’t realize it yet.Frikka snarled lowly against Leo as they watched in horror.
I am gold! I am—
“Gold-plated, more like. Say it to my face. Big scawy draggin can’t hold his own against a frickin’ pup!” Cinder lobbed the third rock, aiming for a specific spot on Ashwin’s neck that made him shake his head and roar. “Any Drake that has to say he’s a gold is only there by the skin of his teeth! My da is gold and ten pearl, brokey.”
Ashwin snarled and shook his head madly and swiped out with a claw at the ground before roaring so loud, the windows shook.
Cries from multiple pups came from inside the home as Ashwin finally gave in to Cinder’s taunts and shifted.
“I’ll teach you respect with my bare hands, you disrespectful little—” Ashwin’s eyes twitched and his head shook. His footsteps staggered and it appeared as if his arms didn’t want to cooperate.
“Least I’m not a pervert.” Cinder huffed and stalked off, turning away from Ashwin as he stumbled in place, rage wrenching his face until half of it went slack.
Cinder stomped up to the adults, muttering under his breath as he reached inside the sliding door and picked up a loose shoe.
The three shifted dragons watched with unease as Cinder stomped back over and lobbed a sneaker at Ashwin, smacking him in the face as it lit up with a little flurry of LED lights.
“You little sh—” Ashwin never got to finish the sentence.
He fell onto one knee and collapsed to his side, no comedic timber, no final words or parting wiles. An unfinished swear at a child and the imprint of a size-four sneaker and half a logo on his forehead.
Cinder strode over, took his shoe, and poked at the male’s neck before walking back toward the house, a little nail pinched in his fingers.
The cold, empty look on Cinder’s face was not one that belonged on a child. Let alone Leo’s.
Leo pushed past Frikka, his dragon circling and snatching Cinder into his arms, forcing the pup to shift and cuddle with him.
Frikka and Hallr returned to their skin, and the familiar scrape of the shovel passed them.
“We burying a body?” Hallr sighed.
“No. You’re calling the council. Ashwin is old, and he had a stroke while trying to hype himself up on nestblossom to achieve an unimpressive boner and make a shit attempt at seducing a Dette in the sanctuary.” Frikka huffed. “I will be putting the nestblossoms back to right while Leo and Cinder go over to the Stoor estate and provide emotional support for Viraj. As Ashwin had initially come here to give us the news that Viraj was about to lay, it was an unfortunate bout of greed and excitement when an unmated Drake was exposed to too much nestblossom. Tisk tisk.”
Leo nodded at Frikka and nuzzled Cinder before shifting. “Come on, kid. Let’s go see Uncle Viraj and welcome the new eggs.”
“Can we ride Phyllis?” Cinder shifted and picked up his little silver nail off the ground before taking Leo’s hand.
“Yeah. I think she’d like that.” They walked off and into the house, hand in hand, two creatures of the same cloth. “You’re still grounded, though.”
“Awww…” Cinder pouted. “Wait, for killing Ass-wind?”
