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“Nova, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Sharda said. She was lying on her stomach next to Nova, the two of them in a lush valley. Her torso rose, and she gestured around with her paw. “Why is there such a strong ward around the area? It was quite tricky for me to get in.”
“Oh,” Nova said, not lifting his head off his front paws. “Grimmoldesser set that up. He’s protecting his egg.”
Sharda’s eyes nearly fell out of her head. “His what?”
“His egg.”
“That he … found?” Sharda asked. “Does it belong to some sort of rare creature?”
“No, no,” Nova said. “Grimmoldesser found a mate.”
“…What kind of apocalyptic monstrosity did he mate with?”
A small smile appeared on Nova’s face. “A holy dragon,” he said and nodded. “She’s actually quite nice and living in that cave over there.” He pointed at the cliffside across the valley. “But she’s very territorial right now, so you don’t want to enter her residence.”
“A holy dragon? Grimmoldesser?” Sharda tilted her head and blinked three times. “Did he brainwash her? Perhaps he’s holding her parents hostage? Should we save her?”
“No, no.” Nova said and patted Sharda’s back with his wing. “She actually loves him. And she’s not brainwashed. I think. Everyone has someone out there who’ll love them—even someone like Grimmoldesser.”
“I don’t believe it,” Sharda said, shaking her head and shivering. Her wings flapped twice before settling against her sides. “A holy dragon falling in love with Grimmoldesser. Next you’ll be telling me pigs can fly.”
Nova rubbed his chin. “About that…. You haven’t met your great-grandson or great-great-granddaughter yet, have you?”
“My what?”
Nova cupped his paws around his mouth. “Snuffles! Floofykins! Come say hi to Vur’s grandmother.”
Out of a nearby cave, Snuffles came out with a blue phoenix perched on his back. Floofykins followed behind, skipping while flapping her wings. She flew into the air and darted straight for Nova, tackling his snout. Nova chuckled and patted Floofykin’s head with the tip of his claw. “This is Floofykins, Vur’s granddaughter.” He pointed at Snuffles, ignoring Sharda’s frigid expression. “And that’s Snuffles, Vur’s son.”
“My lineage … has been passed down to a pig?” Sharda asked, her voice low.
“Boar,” Nova said. “Snuffles is a boar. You can tell by the way he looks. I was surprised at first too, but once you hang around them, they grow on you.” He smiled and scratched Floofykins back, her eyes closed in bliss. “Look at how cute she is. And other than Prika, they’re the only ones keeping this lonely old dragon company.”
Sharda smiled a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Hello…, Floofy…kins.”
Floofykins waved at Sharda with her front leg. Sharda cleared her throat. “Speaking of grandchildren,” she said, doing her best to make eye contact with Nova while ignoring the blue boar sitting on his snout. “Kaela actually had four children not too long ago. Why don’t you come over to my continent and say hi to them?”
Nova’s eyes lit up. “Oh? I have more grandkids than just Vur? What do they look like? What are their names?”
Sharda beamed. “The oldest is named Alora. She looks exactly like Sera and Kaela did when they were young. She’s a bit brash and a little clumsy, but she’s adorable.” Sharda patted Snuffles’ rump when he walked up to her and gave him an awkward smile. “And then there’s the triplets, Eldest, Bonnie, and Youngest. Alora calls them the annoying trio, and even Kaela and her mate are starting to call them that as well.”
“Wait,” Nova said. “Their names are Eldest and Youngest?”
“That’s right,” Sharda said. “Alora named them.”
Nova raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t Alora just a child? Why would you and Kaela let her name them? No, why would you even keep those names?”
“Do you not like them?” Sharda asked, furrowing her brow. “If you were there to see how excited Alora was about having siblings, you wouldn’t have had the heart to refuse her request to name them as well. She looked so happy and proud.”
“I’m sure that’s fine and dandy and all, but now two of our grandkids are stuck with the names Youngest and Eldest,” Nova said. “Please tell me that Eldest is actually the oldest amongst the three at the very least.”
Sharda rolled her eyes. “Alora’s a child, not stupid,” she said. “Of course she’d name the oldest Eldest.”
“You’re making your favoritism for Alora quite apparent,” Nova said.
“What?” Sharda reared her head back. “Favoritism? I love all my grandchildren quite equally.”
“You didn’t seem to like Snuffles and Floofykins that much,” Nova said, his voice monotonous. Floofykins nodded and wrinkled her snout at Sharda.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sharda said. She glared at Nova. “Are you coming back with me to see your grandchildren or not?”
“Of course, of course,” Nova said. “When should we go? Now?”
“Can I come too?” Prika asked, sticking her head out of her cave. “And you know, I’m single, right? While we’re there, maybe, you could, uh, you know, introduce me to some devilishly handsome dragons who’re perfect but also happen to be single due to circumstances and not a personality defect? That’d be great. I don’t think I’m asking for much.”
“No, you stay home and watch the roost,” Nova said.
“…Seriously?”
“Mhm.”
“But Leila’s here! She’ll kill anyone that even comes close to her egg—I’m definitely not needed,” Prika said. “And Grimmy left behind that weird spell; no one will even show up in the first place. Why don’t you let me come with?” She pouted, and her gaze landed on Snuffles. “Look, even Snuffles got lucky with a mate. Are you really going to let me rot here in my singledom?”
“I don’t see why we can’t take her,” Sharda said. “As long as she doesn’t do anything stupid, it should be fine.”
“That might be asking for a little too much,” Nova said and stroked his chin.
Prika blinked three times. “Excuse me? Hello? I’m right here? Are you really going to call me dumb to my face?”
“You’re not dumb,” Nova said and clicked his tongue. “You’re just very … hormonally driven right now. And hormones can cause you to do stupid things.”
“Your face is hormonally driven,” Prika said. “I maintain a sane and rational mind every single second of every single day. I’m going to follow you two whether you like it or not.”