As Zovah was dragged to the point of flying behind the playing dragon’s, her delighted laughter could be heard singing though the flowers and trees of the surrounding countryside. As the pack slowed and Zovah found herself tumbling quickly back toward the ground, she landed on the back of Tobias quite unceremoniously.
Pulling her skirts down and making sure all her parts were in their intended locale, Zovah proceed to restore order amongst the herd.
“Tobias thank you for allowing me to tumble onto you graceful back. Crispin, dive bombing and startling your elders is impolite which you already know. Now, then shall we resume our walk and head toward home and afternoon tea?” Zovah’s voice was firm but loving. She slipped from Tobias, momentarily lost between the graceful wing and his body before her feet hit the ground below.
There was a general whispering of agreement and Tobias resumed his position at the head of the herd. Crispin landed on Myrtle's back and promptly fell asleep. Crispin’s all white body was a distinct contrast from Myrtle's coloration.
Crispin was a the most mischievous of all the dragons in Zovah’s charge, a curious mix of cat and dragon from some long ago pairing. Crispin was the last offspring of his parents and was young at just over a hundred years old. He had retained all of the playfulness of his mother while being graced with the ability of the most agile fight Zovah has ever witnessed in a dragon. He was the prankster of the lot, never failing to pull the leg of one of the older dragons any chance he could.
Zovah let the her pick their path home, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She was lost in thought about how best to preserve the memories and stories of the dragons she shared her life with. There was the persistent image of the fire-breathing dragon that burned down villages and destroyed the lives of people everywhere they were found. Zovah’s favorite misconception about dragons in the stories told by people around campfires and to small children at bedtime, was that every dragon was guarding a treasure hoard that contained vast amounts of wealth.
Zovah knew differently. Admittedly, while Buttercup and Norman had explored the vast world together there were fire breathing dragons destroying villages. But what people failed to comprehend is that the dragons only ever attacked human villages in response to an attack on one of their settlements or young. Dragons, even when Norman had been a very small child, were very rare. They were a vanishing civilization and they mostly wanted to be left in peace.
Zovah had spent her life taking care of the dragons and listening to their tales. Not once had she ever heard of a dragon wish for riches or whisper about their vast hoard of wealth hidden somewhere. Zovah knew that dragons valued family above all else and she was so blessed to be considered part of their family.
Tobias tugged a little harder on his lead, rousing Zovah from her thoughts. He had picked up the pace, eager to settle down for a nap. He charged right into the village and headed straight for home. Zovah, as usual, said a silent prayer of thanks that she had no close neighbors as Tobias charged for home.
Arriving home, she threw open the gate and undid each lead as the dragons waited patiently for their turn. They each received a cuddle and all knew to nose around her pockets to find their treat. Myrtle was last today, her steps slow and methodical. Zovah petted her pale orange head and told her how proud she was of her.
Myrtle was old, well over a thousand years old and as much as she loved her afternoon walk, she was always tired when they returned home. Myrtle butted her head against Zovah’s hip, searching in vain for one more cookie. Zovah sighed, laughed and gave the old girl one last cookie. “After all,” Zovah thought to herself, “if I were Myrtle’s age I’d want extra cookies too.”
Just as Myrtle climbed onto her sunny bed, high up off the ground and settled herself onto her large, soft, hot pink bed she heard a knock on the front door. “How odd,” Myrtle thought to herself as her eyes fluttered close and she fell fast asleep.
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