Introductions Again

"Thank you Bill." Mabel said politely. She had Peculiar in her jacket pocket, along with a heating pack, to keep the tiny dragon warm. I walked out of the camper with a arm full of cleaning supplies.

"If there are that many pee stains in the house I got you, I might just kill you." I walked up to Bill with a scowl on my face. "You lot need potty training." I complained.

"Well your welcome, its not like I am lending you my house or anything." he rolled his eyes.

I crossed my arms and scowled,

"This is not your house anymore, I managed to get you a three bedroom house with real indoor plumbing. If anything you should be thanking my dragons, your house came from their budget." He started grumbling at my comment. He mumbled words of annoyance all the way back to his truck.

"You should learn some manners from that girl; while you're here." he said. He then hit the gas and drove away in his truck; before I could yell any profanities.

I looked over to Mabel.

"Make sure that little heating pack stays hot; that hatchling can't get cold." I said sternly. I walked back into the camper to continue cleaning, and preparing it to raise a hatchling. Firstly I had to clean up all of the man residue that covered the place. Next was to prepare somewhere warm enough for the hatchling. I took the queen mattress our of the upper level of the camper. I replaced it with one of the smaller twin sized mattresses. I got a thermal foil blanket and laid it across the empty floor. This would help keep the hatchling warm, as well as make it easy to clean up after it. I put up three small space heaters, and I created a nest from stones in the river, and filled it with soft dry sand. The large queen sized mattress would stay in the storage area underneath the trailers head, and I left Blithesome's and Reticent's hatchling recordings in one of the cabinets. I would sleep in the bottom bunk on the other side of the trailer. Mabel simply sat back and watched, she came in and sat at the table.

"Hey keep that hatchling out of here until the chemicals air out!" I yelled to her. She gave a panicked face, and ran out of the trailer.

When I was finally done; I came outside to find Blithesome, Reticent, Peculiar, and Mabel all asleep in a pile.

"Okay you two!" I yelled and clapped my hands. I startled the group awake, and none of them knew what I was talking to. I pointed to my Gull Wings. "I need to see if you guys are good enough at fishing to support yourselves and Peculiar for a month." Both of them nodded. Reticent and I walked to the nearby river, Blithesome did her typical attempt to fly, only resulting in her hopping forward. Mabel followed sheepishly behind with Peculiar. "Mouse!" I yelled. Mabel stopped in her tracks "Go back to the camper and warm that hatchling up. The trailer is aired out and heated to hatchling preference." I said pointing my finger back to the trailer. She pouted and turned around. She was many things, and obedient was one of them. She came here to be my babysitter, but ended up being my student. Though I imagine she still calls her dad, even if it is only to talk about herself. "...and Mouse!" I yelled before she got to far. "Call your mom and see how the rest of the clutch is." I said smiling. That seemed to perk her up a bit. She nodded and continued walking.

Both Reticent and Blithesome snuck into the river to show off their fishing skills. I laid my feet in the water observing them. Reticent had come so far than from the day he hatched. He is curious now, and wants to learn about everything that he had missed out on. He was very caring, I am sure Peculiar could back that up. I looked around I looked towards the small creek where Valorous was laying down, though he kept resurfacing his head checking for enemies. I looked to the sky where I could see Coruscant flying, and somewhere in the forest I could hear Somnolent's steady snoring.

Snapping me out of my peaceful trans was a pile of fish dropped on my lap. It was dripping with dragon drool, as it had just been regurgitated from the throats of two dragons "See Mama we both ate four fish and we still caught this many." I heard Reticent say.

"I ate five!" Blithesome yelled excitedly. I looked at my lap where eight fish layed.

"That is amazing guys, but one fish a day should suffice for about two weeks." I said smiling. I took one of the fish and began to walk away "Do what you wish with the spares." I told the dragons in my mind. I walked back to the trailer where Mabel was struggling as the hatchling was squealing in a loud high pitched squeal. "Did your mom teach you nothing?" I asked.

"I know she needs food on a very very strict schedule, but I also know that she won't eat eggs lunch meat or bread." she said annoyed glaring at me. I then remembered that that was the only food I had brought with me.

"Whoops." I said, while scratching the back of my head. "Leave Peculiar for a moment I am going to show you how to filet a fish properly. After a very quick lesson on preparing fish, Peculiar had her lunch. "Did you read the Gull Wing recordings that I left here?" I asked as I watched the hatchling eat.

"Yes." Mabel said looking exhausted.

"Buck up. If you can't handle one tantrum, you aren't made out for this. Once my hatchlings got so angry after a missed nap and late lunch, that they froze Will and Jasper together." she looked shocked, and worried. I could tell she was genuinely worried.

"Did you call your mom about the rest of the clutch?" I asked. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Yeah all four of the other eggs were Blade Runners." she said.

"Well think of it this way it is fate that you ended up here. If Peculiar had hatched somewhere without other Gull Wings, it would have failed to thrive, and a lot of people wouldn't take a disabled Gull Wing, unless they themselves only had one Gull Wing." I explained. "and I doubt you could find better Gull Wings than mine." I rubbed a hand on her head messing up her already frizzy red hair.

Days went by. The first night sleeping in the camper I realized that sleeping with Mabel near by would be impossible. I have never heard louder snoring from anything in my live, she would also sleep talk, and I was never sure whether it was her asking me for help. I noticed Peculiar slept in the same manner. The sand from her nest was all over the floor. Since then I have been sleeping in the cave behind the waterfall at night. it has a nice little spot to keep a fire going, and the moss covered floor was soft.

I was off on my morning walk barefoot. I checked in with my dragons, then dressed and went to work with the bees, in which Bill forced me to work with. "Ahhhhhhhh!" I heard the scream coming from the area of the trailer. I turned heel and ran, dropping the frame I was pulling honey from. I ripped off the thin rubbery suit so I could run faster. I didn't think about what I could be running into, but if the lives of my dragons and my wannabe dragon lady were at risk I would save them. My chest was heaving by the time I got to the trailer to what I thought would be a maimed Mabel.

Peculiar was on top of Mabel's head, and hissing. Mabel was standing in the doorway of the camper where I saw Callalilly had her frill completely displayed and was doing her best roar at Mabel.

"Mama I found an intruder." I herd Callalilly say.

I smiled at the scene and spoke back to Callalilly.

"She is just a guest, not an intruder. See, she has a dragon too." I said pointing at the tiny dragon on her head. "She must also smell like Blithesome and Reticent. Smell." I said.

Callalilly inched her head closer to sniff the girl. "Yes brother and sister have been with her." she said.

"As I told you Callalilly she is a guest, you may back down.". Callalilly folded her frill down and walked beside me. I stroked her head, and watched Mabel carefully get out of the camper.

"This is Callalilly my Flower Frill." I said, "All of my dragons have been told to protect this place and themselves." I explained.

"Now put Peculiar back in that nest." I commanded. "Without the hot steam of other Gull Wings she will freeze to death out here. A hatchling can't regulate its temperature." I scolded.

Mabel turned around and put Peculiar back in her nest. She came back out moments later.

"Okay Mouse," I said "I think I should introduce you to the other dragons, to avoid these kind of events. It would have been much worse if it was Switch who found you." I explained.

"You have already met Valorous, Blithesome, Reticent, Coruscant, and now Callalilly. You only have three others to meet." I said happily. "Come on this will be a good learning experience for you." I waved my hand for her to follow, and Callalilly pushed the girl forward gently with her tail. "Callalilly followed us through our trek to find the last three dragons. "Somnolent where are you right now? I have a guest to meet you." I asked through my mind.

"I am at the river getting a drink." I heard him in reply.

I turned to Mabel,

"First we are going to the river to meet Somnolent, he is a Toxic Snap, he is probably the most deadly dragon here." I said. The girl looked anxious because of my words. "Don't worry Mouse, he will do as his mama asks." I reassured her. When we had finally gotten to the river I could smell which direction Somnolent was, so we headed down stream until we came upon him. He walked up to Mabel and I. "Mouse this is my eldest child, Somnolent." I said to Mabel I looked to Somnolent. "This is our guest Mabel. I am helping her with her own hatchling." I told Somnolent through my mind.

"What kind?" he asked.

"Another Gull Wing, but it is not healthy." I said, knowing my dragon wouldn't know the word disabled.

"Can I touch him?", Mabel asked. I turned to look at Somnolent and he nodded.

"You may, but avoid the lumpy bits on his back, his lumps that will shoot poison are coming in." I explained. She stroked him gently marveling at his long leathery wings. He opened his mouth to show off his poisonous teeth. "Don't think about putting your hand in his mouth." I said, "A bite from him now is a death sentence. There is a lot of poison pulsing through that dragons body." Somnolent did a deep sounding dragon chuckle when Mabel fell back in shock. "You really don't know much about dragons do you Mouse?" I asked her.

"Well only I ever really studied my mom's clutches." she said, slightly embarrassed. Vainglorious came running from further down river before I could start lecturing Mabel on how she should know these things.

"Oh this is Vainglorious." I said. Vainglorious did a slow spin with his head in a bow position. His feathers were changing colors as he spun slowly. "Vainglorious this is Mabel, she is a guest here." I said to him out loud. He dipped his head to her and purred. To him one more guest made one more admirer. Her eyes opened wide at his looks, and for once he had a true admirer. "Oh my gosh look at those feathers they look so smooth, and his skin is soft to, oh look at his..." she went on with compliments, but I stopped listening.

"Alright Mouse it is time you met Switch, Somnolent might be my most deadly dragon, but Switch is definitely the most dangerous. She is territorial, protective of her siblings, very very protective over me, and she is headstrong. So you don't want to be on her bad side." I spoke seriously. We walked out of the woods to Switch's training grounds, where I knew she would be. "Switch pause your training I have a guest for you to meet. She is shy." I said. Switch came running out of the dark training grounds at a high speed (though nowhere close to her max speed). She stopped in front of Mabel and roared loud into her face.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Mabel screamed. Switch and I both rolled on our backs with laughter. I laughed hard and Switch made a chuffing noise, her version of laughter. Mabel collected herself, then started yelling

"Are you serious right now! You built up how dangerous she was, then you pull a prank!" she yelled, her face turning nearly as red as her hair.

"Hey the prank was totally Switch's idea, I didn't know it was going to happen, I am glad it did though." I held my fist out for a knuckle bump, and Switch hit my fist with her tail. I stood up and brushed the grass off of my clothes. "In all seriousness though; if I had not introduced you myself, you would have been attacked. Switch isn't even half grown, and that wasn't even close to her top speed. Luckily I have told my dragons not to kill introduders, through I have said nothing about hurting them." I said, while rubbing the top of Switch's head. "Why your father thought it would be a good idea to put you in such a dangerous position is beyond my knowledge, and it was unsmart of your mother to put an egg in danger, even if it did work out in the end. You may be here to keep an eye on me, but it seems I am the one keeping an eye on you." I said suddenly feeling protective and aggressive of my surroundings. Mabel had been here for days, yet here I was acting like a monologing villian. I noticed Mabel was visibly shaking. I shook my head. "I am sorry I don't know what came over me." I said apologetically.

"Y-your eyes were constricted the whole time, then they turned yellow." she said still obviously scared. "Hmm... yellow eyes and territorial urges and behavior. I will have to make note of this." I said. She looked at me as though I had grown a second head. I suppose it was weird that I went from being normal, to hysterical, to almost demonic, then back to normal within a second; but I wasn't known for being normal.