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Volearden shifted his eyes to the side to get a better look at Fern. The yellow dragon was sitting in front of a dragon tablet that he had taken out of a root bracelet. Volearden frowned at the yellow dragon’s chuckling, and thanks to the privacy feature on the black monument, he couldn’t even see what Fern was laughing at. “What are you doing?”
“I’m talking to Vur since you’re too chicken to,” Fern said, not taking his eyes off the tablet.
“Oh?” Volearden asked. “Ask him how he feels about phoenixes.”
Fern scratched his head and glanced at Volearden. “Well, you see,” the yellow dragon said, “I already asked him that because I knew you’d want me to. He’s married to a phoenix, so take what you will from that.”
“Married to a phoenix?” Volearden asked, blinking at the yellow dragon. “Was he forced? Do I have great-great-grandchildren? Are they dragons or phoenixes?”
“If you’re so curious, ask him yourself,” Fern said. “As your advisor, I don’t mind talking to people for you in your stead, but I’m not going to be a mouthpiece for you to communicate with your great-grandson.”
Volearden frowned. “What if I raise your pay?”
“No.” Fern shook his head. “But if you give me that rainbow-rabbit tail you were holding onto, I’ll be more than happy to tell Vur how generous you are.”
“You always know how to hit where it hurts,” Volearden said and sighed as his root bracelet flashed amber. A fluffy, rainbow ball of fur appeared on the ground by the dragon’s side. “Take it.”
Fern chuckled to himself as he swept his tail across the floor of the cave, sweeping the rainbow-rabbit tail towards his claw. He snatched it up and placed it against his root bracelet, storing the item with a flash of light. His eyes shifted towards the dragon tablet in front of him, and a second later, he gave Volearden a thumbs-up. “Your great-grandson knows your generosity has no bounds.” The yellow dragon scratched his chin. “Should I tell Vur how awesome you are at making sure phoenixes don’t come back to life after they die?”
“Are you extorting me again?” Volearden asked with a sigh. “Isn’t the rainbow-rabbit tail enough? You know how powerful it is.”
Fern chuckled before readjusting his position. “Alright,” he said. “I won’t tell him anything that’ll influence his wife’s opinion of you, but if they ask around about you, well, maybe you should meet them before their image of you is shattered by someone else.”
Volearden furrowed his brow. He closed his eyes, and after a long pause, he opened them again. They glowed in the dark, revealing a golden light. “Fine,” Volearden said and sat up, dust and other fine materials falling off of his scales as they were disturbed for the first time in a while. “I’ll pay my great-grandson and his wife a visit.”
Fern’s eyes widened as Volearden rolled over, falling off the elevated stone bed, and the yellow dragon scurried away just in time to avoid being squished. “Wait, seriously?” Fern asked as he climbed onto all fours. He retreated backwards out of the cave while staring at Volearden as the old dragon shook himself off like a wet dog. The yellow dragon blinked as a few gemstones embedded in the cave wall glowed, filling the room with an orange lighting. “So, this is what it takes to get you out of bed.”
“Of course,” Volearden said, pushing his feet against the ground. His torso expanded as he took in a deep breath, and the ground rumbled as he exhaled. “If a dragon from Erde—my great-grandson no less—is in a union with a phoenix, then we can use them as a focal point to call a cease-fire.” He shifted his gaze onto Fern. “Let Vur know I’m going to his residence to meet him. It’ll be better than him having to escort a phoenix into our roost.”
Fern glanced at his dragon tablet and did as Volearden said despite the yellow dragon’s previous claim of not being a mouthpiece. “Do you want me to go with you?” Fern asked and tilted his head. “It’s a personal matter, but at the same time, it involves the fate of our roost, so….”
Volearden tapped on his root bracelet, and a set of metal armor appeared over his body, covering every inch of his scales. The armor set was covered in spikes, making the dragon look like an oversized porcupine with wings. It almost seemed as if the armor were covered in a layer of oil that caused it to change color depending on the angle it was viewed. “How do I look?” Volearden asked, his voice rumbling as it echoed off the inside of his armor.
“Are you going to slaughter a tree full of phoenixes, or are you going to visit your great-grandson?” Fern asked. “For the former, you look great. For the latter, I suggest you wear something … friendlier, or you could always be a normal dragon and not wear any clothes at all.”
Volearden frowned, but his face couldn’t be seen from behind his armor. “What if someone attacks me?”
“Once again,” Fern said. “Are you going to battle or paying a family member a visit?”
“Depending on Vur, it could be both,” Volearden said and nodded. “I like being prepared for every circumstance.”
“If you didn’t want to hear my opinion, you shouldn’t have asked how you looked,” Fern said, his expression darkening.
“I did want to hear your opinion,” Volearden said as he stood on his hindlegs and twisted his waist, making sure the armor didn’t pinch any of his scales at its joints, “but I didn’t like what I heard.”
“You’re talking like a phoenix right now,” Fern said and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t use sayings like that,” Volearden said, glaring at Fern as he adjusted his armor around his paws. “We don’t want to make Vur’s wife feel uncomfortable.”
Fern exhaled out a sigh. “I guess that means I’m going with you, huh?”