picked at the long weeds that covered the ground.
Looking up, Lainey asked, "Did you hear him …"
"Talk?" Renick finished with a nod.
A smile broke across Lainey's face. "I thought I was losing my mind."
"You already had," Thane jibed.
Lainey looked at him sideways. Renick could not tell if he was joking or not until the corner of Thane's mouth twitched. Lainey flicked her hand in Thane's direction as if to dismiss him.
"He can talk." Renick shook his head. A talking dragon. He remembered lying awake in bed at night listening to the grunts and groans of sleeping dragons and wondering what they meant. Renick could smell the straw of the brooder where he held hatchlings and stared into those intelligent eyes, wondering what was behind them. And now, sitting here in front of him, was a talking dragon. "He can talk."
Lainey closed her mouth and looked at him. Apparently she had been saying something to Thane. "Yes, Renick," she said gently.
"He can talk," Renick repeated.
"Renick, I think you've established that. Now can we please move on?" Thane popped his head up and looked over the log as he spoke.
Renick nodded, but added under his breath, "He can talk," one more time.
"I wonder what his name is." Lainey removed the dragon from the pack and peered into his eyes. "Huh, little guy?" The dragon just cocked his head at her.
A wave of curiosity hit Renick. It was familiar, yet foreign. Like when his brothers told his father's stories. The words were the same, but the voice was different. Renick studied the baby dragon.
Curious, the baby dragon seemed to say in Renick's mind.
"It doesn't understand what you're saying," Thane said.
"Quiet," Renick said. "Do you …" He shrugged. "Do you feel that?"
Lainey nodded. "He's curious."
Thane shook his head. "Seriously, you two have lost it."
"No, she's right. Pay attention and you might be able to feel it too." Renick moved to sit next to Lainey. "Let's try to figure out his name again."
"What's your name?" she asked the dragon. He tilted his head the other way.
Confused.
Thane's brow furrowed.
"Hah! You do feel it!" Lainey pointed an accusing finger at Thane.
Thane closed his eyes. "All right, so I do. Big deal."
Lainey exchanged a look with Renick and rolled her eyes. She focused on the baby dragon again. "Maybe we should try showing him what we mean. I'm Lainey …"
Kind.
Lainey blinked a few times. "Thank you, I think. But I don't understand." She turned the dragon so he was looking at Thane. "And this is Thane. He's not as mean as he looks."
Brave.
"And this is Renick," Lainey said, swiveling the dragon again.
Trusted.
"That's odd," Renick said. "I wonder what he means by kind, brave, and trusted."
"Plyth," the baby dragon hissed.
Thane leaned closer. "Did he just say 'plyth'?" he asked.
"I think so," Lainey said. "Is your name Plyth?"
"Me, Plyth," the dragon repeated.
Renick could not breathe. His heart was pounding faster than it had when they were running. A dozen stories, legends, and bits of lore that his father used to tell him crowded in his mind. They all alluded to the dragons' ability to speak. Up until this moment, Renick had thought them only fables. He had not dared to hope that they might have some truth to them.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Plyth." Lainey smiled and hugged the dragon close to her. "Now I don't have to keep calling you 'little guy' anymore."
"Ask him if he knows who those men were back there," Thane said.
"Ask him yourself." Lainey plopped the dragon into Thane's arms. "You've a mouth, don't you?" She crossed her arms and leaned back against the log.
"Uh, do you know who those men were?" Thane said to Plyth's tail. With a chuckle, Lainey reached out and turned Plyth so he was facing Thane.
Happy.
"I think he still isn't understanding us. Maybe if you pictured one of the men, he'd know what you meant," Renick offered.
Thane gave Renick an annoyed look.
"Here, let me do it," Renick said as he took Plyth. Renick
Looking up, Lainey asked, "Did you hear him …"
"Talk?" Renick finished with a nod.
A smile broke across Lainey's face. "I thought I was losing my mind."
"You already had," Thane jibed.
Lainey looked at him sideways. Renick could not tell if he was joking or not until the corner of Thane's mouth twitched. Lainey flicked her hand in Thane's direction as if to dismiss him.
"He can talk." Renick shook his head. A talking dragon. He remembered lying awake in bed at night listening to the grunts and groans of sleeping dragons and wondering what they meant. Renick could smell the straw of the brooder where he held hatchlings and stared into those intelligent eyes, wondering what was behind them. And now, sitting here in front of him, was a talking dragon. "He can talk."
Lainey closed her mouth and looked at him. Apparently she had been saying something to Thane. "Yes, Renick," she said gently.
"He can talk," Renick repeated.
"Renick, I think you've established that. Now can we please move on?" Thane popped his head up and looked over the log as he spoke.
Renick nodded, but added under his breath, "He can talk," one more time.
"I wonder what his name is." Lainey removed the dragon from the pack and peered into his eyes. "Huh, little guy?" The dragon just cocked his head at her.
A wave of curiosity hit Renick. It was familiar, yet foreign. Like when his brothers told his father's stories. The words were the same, but the voice was different. Renick studied the baby dragon.
Curious, the baby dragon seemed to say in Renick's mind.
"It doesn't understand what you're saying," Thane said.
"Quiet," Renick said. "Do you …" He shrugged. "Do you feel that?"
Lainey nodded. "He's curious."
Thane shook his head. "Seriously, you two have lost it."
"No, she's right. Pay attention and you might be able to feel it too." Renick moved to sit next to Lainey. "Let's try to figure out his name again."
"What's your name?" she asked the dragon. He tilted his head the other way.
Confused.
Thane's brow furrowed.
"Hah! You do feel it!" Lainey pointed an accusing finger at Thane.
Thane closed his eyes. "All right, so I do. Big deal."
Lainey exchanged a look with Renick and rolled her eyes. She focused on the baby dragon again. "Maybe we should try showing him what we mean. I'm Lainey …"
Kind.
Lainey blinked a few times. "Thank you, I think. But I don't understand." She turned the dragon so he was looking at Thane. "And this is Thane. He's not as mean as he looks."
Brave.
"And this is Renick," Lainey said, swiveling the dragon again.
Trusted.
"That's odd," Renick said. "I wonder what he means by kind, brave, and trusted."
"Plyth," the baby dragon hissed.
Thane leaned closer. "Did he just say 'plyth'?" he asked.
"I think so," Lainey said. "Is your name Plyth?"
"Me, Plyth," the dragon repeated.
Renick could not breathe. His heart was pounding faster than it had when they were running. A dozen stories, legends, and bits of lore that his father used to tell him crowded in his mind. They all alluded to the dragons' ability to speak. Up until this moment, Renick had thought them only fables. He had not dared to hope that they might have some truth to them.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Plyth." Lainey smiled and hugged the dragon close to her. "Now I don't have to keep calling you 'little guy' anymore."
"Ask him if he knows who those men were back there," Thane said.
"Ask him yourself." Lainey plopped the dragon into Thane's arms. "You've a mouth, don't you?" She crossed her arms and leaned back against the log.
"Uh, do you know who those men were?" Thane said to Plyth's tail. With a chuckle, Lainey reached out and turned Plyth so he was facing Thane.
Happy.
"I think he still isn't understanding us. Maybe if you pictured one of the men, he'd know what you meant," Renick offered.
Thane gave Renick an annoyed look.
"Here, let me do it," Renick said as he took Plyth. Renick
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