Tests and Trials

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

I snapped my head towards the sound of a scream. My spar session with Switch ended abruptly as I followed where the scream came from. It sounded like Mrs.Horn, no it was definitely her. I ran through the woods, and soon saw a winged shadow on the ground in front of me. Obviously Daisy was going to inspect the scream via air. I will protect everyone on my property annoying old dragon ladies included. I ran to the old house that I had inherited, and easily given away. I couldn't smell blood or any foreign scents. My anger and adrenaline had risen to the extremes in the last few moments. I dashed into the kitchen only to see Mrs.Horn and Ava sitting down with fresh coffee and a stop watch.

"My my you won Cora; three minutes and twelve seconds." Ava said as she looked at a stopwatch.

I could practically feel the steam coming out of my ears. I couldn't believe they faked an emergency just to test me. I opened my mouth to yell when I felt Daisy storm past me yelling a sleu of watered down G-rated curses.

"Are you old hag fart face ladies joking me! I was so worried about your darn lives that I flew here so fast that I got bugs on my face!" she stopped momentarily to point at a dead fly on her forehead. "That's not even all! Meadow isn't fast enough to keep up with me, so she is still on her way here. You two scared two False Humans, are still tiring out a baby dragon, and interrupted her spar with Switch!"

Both Ava and Mrs.Horn looked shocked at the small child's outburst, though it was justified.

Both women opened their mouths to begin explaining, but it was my turn.

"You could of hurt Daisy making her rush like that; not to mention this front door has already been replaced a few times you are lucky I didn't smell blood or I wouldn't even have bothered with the door and smashed a hole in the wall! Do you think we live to amuse you?!" I wanted to shout more, but Daisy had already covered most of it, and I can't swear in front of her.

"We just needed to know your response time." Mrs.Horn replied.

My glare shot to her and she stopped talking. She has dealt with my angry side, and that was when we thought I was human.

Ava however hadn't, and simply went on as she pleased. Mabel and Peculiar walked through the door abruptly.

"Mom what did you do? Peculiar dragged me here, and she doesn't seem happy." I looked at Peculiar who was glaring daggers at Ava.

Ava rolled her eyes.

"We were just testing their reaction time."

"and you couldn't have done that without alerting everyone first?" Mabel responded quickly with her voice laced with annoyance.

I wanted to be part of this conversation, but I also didn't want to yell or do anything I would regret, if I was told something I didn't want to hear.

"Honey, if they knew that it was a drill, then they would have been fully prepared and wouldn't have responded as naturally." Ava said as if it was obvious.

"Mom this isn't a school fire drill, this is you messing with a minimum of two dragons, both of which have a small dragon army behind them." Mabel waved her arm towards the window, and I noticed that Valorous, Coruscant, Switch, Vainglorious, Reticent, Blithesome, Callalilly, and Somnolent were all gathered looking confused and concerned. Looks like Rose, Charming, and the Shadow Sights decided not to participate in my false emergency. Mabel continued arguing with her mother. I was simply going to wait quietly trying to simmer my frustration when Ava made a valid point.

"Honey, this wasn't for my entertainment. Look at all of the confused dragons," she jestured to the window at the yard full of dragons, "If this were a real emergency don't you think they should have known what was going on?" Ava told Mabel in a tone of motherly dominance. Ava then turned to me to explain and nag about the situation.

"Ivy, while I respect your dominance," Ava began.

I rolled my eyes at that statement.

"Your leadership skills are lacking. You thought Cora was in trouble, and immediately rushed here, you didn't alert any of the other dragons what was going on. They could feel your anxiety, and came rushing over. Next time it may not be a drill. You have many dragons living here, some breeding, and some very rare. Once word about this place spreads among the dragon ladies and DDP, information is bound to fall into the hands of hunters. If you had rushed here like this, and your dragons rushed with you unaware of what was going on, you could have all been in danger. You need to work more on communicating. "

I stood shocked, mostly because Ava had a made a good point, but more so for the fact that she was right.

Ava continued "Not to mention you and Daisy also came running without knowing the situation. There could have been hunters with weapons in here; your scales and skin may be sturdy and hard, but Daisy's body is still as fragile as any human child, even with scales. Neither of you made any attempt to maintain any kind of stealth. Ivy your approach was violent and loud. And Daisy your landing was loud on the roof and through the window, and though you are able, you didn't camouflage yourself either." Ava lectured.

I simply nodded. She was right about everything, I didn't seem to think before I did things. Even knowing how all of this was correct, I was still angry. I stormed out the door, probably looking like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I decided I was going to take my anger out on the cliff and continue making a cave for Reticent's family.

DAISY'S POV

Sissy stormed out the door, but I wasn't sure why. I don't like Mabel's mom, but she was right, I need to be more safer. Sissy taught me that I need to listen and respect grown-ups, so why didn't she? I could suddenly hear Cortelco begin to explain to me.

"She is mostly just angry at herself little one. She also really really hates it when someone points out that she was wrong about things. She just left because she didn't want to accidentally be mean."

I got that, kinda. "Kinda like how I hide when I am angry?" I asked.

I could hear him sigh, he sounded frustrated or maybe he was irritated. "Something like that, but in a grown up way. Because she is a grown-up too."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me and the human dragon ladies couldn't hear Cortelco.

Mabel squated down in front of me,

"Daisy Sweety, do you want to go back to my house so we can learn about how to be dragon ninjas?"

I nodded excitedly. Those were like the two coolest things ever, of course I want to be a dragon ninja. I grabbed her hand with both of mine and tried dragging her out the door. Meadow flew from the window sill, and landed on Mabel's back and shoulders, she pulled at her hair trying to help me.

"We will be the coolest dragon ninjas ever!" Meadow peeped. "but...what is a ninja?" she asked. I just giggled in response. Then Meadow asked another question, "And how can this lady teach us how to be DRAGON ninjas, when she isn't even a dragon?"

I had to ask the same question, as I myself was also confused.

"Wait how are you gonna teach us how to be dragon ninjas if you aren't even a dragon?" I asked Mabel.

"Well the other dragons are going to help you with that part, I am going to help you with the ninja part." Mabel explained.

I guess that made sense.

"What do I gotta learn to be a ninja?" I asked.

Mabel put her finger under her chin and looked up a bit, pretending to think. "Well we have to teach you how to be sneaky so no bad guys will see you coming, and we have to teach you some basic ninja moves obviously." she said all this with a big goofy smile on her face. I knew this was gonna be way more fun than my normal classes with Mabel.

IVY'S POV

"You know I just had to explain to a six year old child why you had a tantrum and stormed off." Cortelco said as he landed by my side.

My head turned to his and I put my hand to my forehead, "please tell me you didn't word it like that."

He snorted before responding, "Yeah I made you sound as grown up as I could. The last thing you need is to lose the respect of a mere hatchling."

I gave a sigh of relief and thanked him, before I continued punching the cliffside. My knuckles were raw, but I was nearly done. It had to be a little bit larger so it could fit both dragons and the eggs. I also made sure to put a divot at the entrance, just in case the eggs decided to roll out of the cave.

Vainglorious came to me and was sweeping the cave of the gravel falling from the walls, with his tail.

"What do you want?" Cortelco asked him rudely.

"Why so harsh Telee? Can't I just come and support my Mama?" Vainglorious responded, with a fake shocked expression.

I smiled, but knew has well, that he wouldn't dirty the feathers he prided himself with, without an ulterior motive.

"So Mama since we are together right now I thought I would share one of my... I mean Daisy's marvelous ideas, with you." Vainglorious began talking.

"Uh-huh then tell me this marvelous idea then." I said with a knowing smirk. Cortelco gave an irritated huff.

"Well I... I mean Daisy thought that it would be wonderful if we got a flock of peacocks to add along with the turkeys on the property." Vainglorious said, obviously trying to suppress his normal pompous tone.

"How do you even know what peacocks are?" I asked him.

This time he answered partially honestly. "Oh well Daisy likes to show me pictures of birds that she thinks are pretty, and she seems to think peacocks are prettier than even me. So she thought maybe we should get some... because they look pretty." he sounded slightly panicked at the end, as if he knew that I would call his bluff at any moment.

"Oh so Daisy thinks their pretty huh?" I asked, although this conversation was obviously built on a lie I was enjoying it very much; I found my anger dissipating.

"Yeah she loves them more than her dragon stuffy." he said with hope in his voice.

"So it has nothing to do with you wanting to decorate your feather nest and prove you are prettier." I said glancing at him with a smirk on my face.

"H-how did you know about my ne... I mean what nest? I don't need a nest I am a strong male dragon, and have no need for a nest. So why would I have one?" Vainglorious stuttered.

Cortelco laughed, "Because this big strong male Fowl Feller wants a cozy bed, and wants to make it pretty." Cortelco mocked.

Vainglorious growled at him, though all of us knew he would lose in any battle.

I laughed whilst I walked over to him. I stroked the feathers on his spine, which caused him to automatically purr.

"I will get a few peacocks, but only if you promise not to eat them." I said sternly.

Vainglorious looked shocked at my one condition.

"You already have turkeys, chickens, and seasonal ducks and geese. If it is Daisy who loves these so much, then we shouldn't kill them." I used his obvious lie against him.

He looked frustrated. I knew he only wanted their plumage, and killing and eating them was an effective method, but he didn't know that the females are unattractive, and that the males drop their beautiful feathers after breeding season.

"Since you say you don't have a nest to decorate, I guess it will be a shame when the birds drop all of their beautiful feathers naturally."

Vainglorious perked up instantly.

"Oh well it is what Daisy wants, we don't want to disappoint her. I'm sure I can find a use for them." his eyes were dancing with happiness.

I scratched under his chin. "Now that that is settled you should go clean up your feathers they are all dirty now." I told him. I didn't have to ask twice, as I knew he took pride in his feathers. He quickly bolted out of the unfinished cave.

"Why did you go along with that lie? I mean what little girl says she wants a peacock? Little girls want puppies or ponies, not peacocks. It wasn't even remotely believable. " Cortelco said.

"Since when do you know about little girl's interests, and do you even know what puppies and ponies are?"

He scowled, "Well not really, but I know they don't ask for peacocks."

"I went along with it because it was fun to watch, and Vainglorious doesn't ask for all that much. Even with that pompous attitude of his, he was never spoiled.

"Well what about Coruscant? She never talks to anyone really, she just sits in that barn." Cortelco asked.

"Telee Coruscant is one of the most polite and kind dragons I have ever met. She probably avoids you because your personalities clash and she doesn't want to anger you. Not to mention, she is an ice dragon and being in that cold barn feels better than being out in the sun." I explained.

Cortelco grumbled a bit, then tried to complain about another dragon. "What about Callalilly? She never does anything, besides pose to hunt Bees. The only time she talks to anyone is when someone is disturbing her hunting."

I sighed again "Telee, her diet and size are the equivalent of you eating half of a single fish every day for your whole life. With that small amount of food in her system, she doesn't have enough energy to be active, and she needs a steady flow of bees to consume. You will have a better chance of conversation at night time. She also has taken quite the shine to Daisy, so she doesn't ignore everyone." I explained.

Cortelco began mumbling, hardly loud enough for me to hear, "Well I get along with the Gull Wings mostly, Valorous isn't too bad, the Shadow Sights can be annoying, but they are okay, I like to make fun of Meadow, but I still like her..." then he suddenly perked up his head as if an idea hit him. "What about Somnolent. He always sleeps, will poison you just enough to make you sick if you try to wake him, and when he is awake he is a grumpy brute." he said.

I paused to think. Everything Cortelco just said was true, but he had his good points, though it seemed that there weren't as many as the other dragons.

"Somnolent may be a bit of a grouch, but when I am sad and need a snuggle he is there. He would also give up his life to protect me or his siblings. Though he might only consider the original eight as his siblings." I explained.

Cortelco just looked at me with a blank expression. "So there really is no reason for me to like that guy?" Cortelco said.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess not you personally, but he is family to the rest of us. Who knows he might just dislike you too." I said with a small grin on my face. I turned around and started chipping away at the walls again. A few hours later and I managed to finish the cave. I was too excited, I couldn't wait a moment later to go tell Reticent. I jumped over Cortelco, whom had fallen asleep in front of the new cave. I ran in the direction of where the Wing Gull eggs were laid. I stopped before I could get too close to the eggs, I didn't want to make them hatch. Then I could hear the purring of two adult Gull Wings, and small peeping noises. I had heard those noises enough to know what they were. I ran the rest of the way to see that Rose and Reticent were surrounding three tiny Gull Wings I approached, but heard a growl come from Rose, which instantly stopped when Reticent nuzzled her neck. I continued to approach, much slower this time, trying my best not to scare Rose. I sat down behind Reticent's tail and looked at the hatchlings. The largest was a shade of dark red, one was a dull shade of yellow, obviously these two were females, by seeing their play wrestling and slightly dull colors it was easy to tell. The next I saw was a neon pink color. The pink hatchling was nuzzling Rose's head in a perfect moment of mother son love. I couldn't see a fourth. I looked to where all of the egg shells were scattered, and saw one egg remained unhatched. I felt a sadness, until a nudge from Reticent took me away from my thoughts. He looked at me, then down to his armpit, where I saw a tiny Gull Wing despite the color and demeanor I could tell this hatchling was a girl. She was a beautiful shade of orange, it was a bright enough shade to be mistaken for a male, but was definitely a female. This hatchling and our red hatchling came from the same egg, so we still have four.

"They are absolutely perfect, and so beautiful. Rose I am so happy that you seem like a wonderful mother.

She growled at me "Of course I am." she said angrily. Though she told me that she wasn't interested in them after the eggs were laid, she obviously had fallen in love with the hatchlings. It was obvious that dragons were supposed to raise their own offspring with love. and no help from humans. I was so caught up in the moment that I had almost forgotten why I had come here.

"Oh I came to tell you that your cave is ready." Their heads both popped up and turned to me.

"You are too late, they have already hatched. We can't move them now." Rose snarled, obviously being protective over the baby dragons.

"Rose I know you aren't my biggest fan, but it will be safer in that cave than this small alcove. It is also big enough for you and Reticent to fit, along with your hatchlings. I can carry two with my arms, and each of you can carry one. We can take them to the cave. It must be done quickly though I don't want them to get cold. Rose didn't look pleased but looked to Reticent for advise.

"She raised me and many others, she can help with our hatchlings." Reticent told Rose calmly, but still confidently. She knew she couldn't argue with his reasoning. She looked to me and nodded.

"Just follow my sent finding the cave will be easier that way." I instructed them. Rose grabbed the dark red hatchling gently in her mouth and flew off. Followed quickly by Reticent who had grabbed the yellow hatchling. I was glad that they had grabbed the more active hatchlings. Though the two that were left were now crying from their parents leaving. I picked them up and ran to the cave as quickly as possible. I reached the cave just as Rose and Reticent were landing. They walked into the cave with their hatchlings still in their mouths. I followed behind them. Soon enough they put down the baby dragons, and I put the two I was holding with them. I left without a word, knowing they needed to settle in, and that they would want more family time. I was about to call it a day, and was ready to wrap my raw beaten knuckles, when I remembered the unhatched egg. Maybe if I turned it in to the DDP they will learn the difference between Gull Wing eggs, and that of other eggs. I casually strolled back to the little alcove, I saw the lake below, and admired the view, maybe I can make this alcove deeper and it can also become a habitable cave. I walked into the alcove and picked up the egg. I walked it into my cave and called Mabel to talk about the new dragon family.

ME: Guess what. Rose's and Reticent's eggs hatched today.

MABEL: Oh my goodness what do they look like. There is no way Rose will let me near them.

ME: One of them is neon pink he is the only boy. The other three are girls one is this really dark shade of red, one is a dull yellow color, and the last one is orange.

MABEL: How Orange? Does she look like Reticent?

ME: No she is like plain orange like the fruit, but she isn't dull like most females. That isn't the interesting bit though one of the eggs didn't hatch.

MABEL: I thought you said there were only four eggs.

ME: There was. The red hatchling and the orange hatchling are twins. The other egg was a dud.

MABEL: Living healthy twins? That is so so rare.

ME: What should I do with the dud egg though? I was thinking of giving it to the DDP, but thinking about it now the have probably had hundreds of dud eggs over the years.

MABEL: Maybe you should bury it, give it a little grave for what might have been.

ME: But chances are it didn't have a life to begin with. Most dud eggs simply just aren't fertilized.

MABEL: That's true, but what would you name it if you did bury it. like what name would you mark on the grave?

ME: Mabel I'm not gonna bury an unfertilized egg.

MABEL: Yeah but what if. Just humor me, since we don't get to name any more dragons.

ME: Fine I would probably call it... Clementine.

Then I felt something nuzzle the bottom of my chin. The smallest Gull Wing I had ever seen was now clinging to me. It snuggled into me like I was it's true parent. None of my other hatchlings had never been this affectionate. I looked down at the teeny tiny girl I noticed she too was a bright orange color, but she had dull pink mixed in as well making her look like a sunset. It looks like Reticent and Rose have five babies to care for now. she was just a late bloomer, or hatcher. Then I heard Mabel's voice from my still active call.

MABEL: Really Clementine?

As soon as the dragon hatchling heard the name over the phone it peeped, then once again cuddled into me. Did I accidentally name this dragon. I had to test it "C..Clementine?" I said nervously the hatchling looked up and once again peeped at me, this time continually staring at me.

MABEL: Hey are you still there?

I picked up my phone angrily.

ME: I hope you are happy thanks to this stupid theoretical conversation I have now named a dragon hatchling!

MABEL: Wait what..

I hung up not giving her time to finish talking. I got up with the hatchling, and ran down to the cave where Reticent, Rose, and the other hatchlings were sleeping. I knocked on the cave wall. Instantly Reticent and Rose snapped awake ready to protect their brood.

"Just me...and um your other egg hatched." I said and held the tiny dragon in front of me. It peeped and nuzzle my hand. I put her down beside Rose, but she just puffed at it.

"She is too small and smells of you. She isn't my hatchling." Rose said.

The hatchling ran back to me and I picked her up. Reticent looked over, I expected him to be the voice of reason, but he agreed.

"She is too small we can't raise her. She is your hatchling not mine. Now you can leave." Reticent responded before putting his head down to sleep again. Rose just growled at me until I left the cave, with the baby dragon in my arms. I hurried back to my cave so the tiny hatchling wouldn't get cold. I laid down on my back, and Clementine snuggled into my hair, using one of my horns as a headrest. I can't believe this is happening, I named another one, I am an idiot. Well of I had left the egg there she would have frozen to death by now, both of her parents rejected her because she is so small, maybe her tinyness is a disability and I would have to name her anyways. How am I going to take care of this tiny thing anyways? She is too small to eat cut up fish. I will have to blend it, and possibly use a syringe. Just then I remembered that tiny things get cold easier, thinking of newborn babies, small dogs and all of the things that die in the winter. I scooped the dragon into my hand and rushed to Mabel's Cabin. I could tell the baby was already feeling lethargic due to the cold. I ran inside of the cabin, breaking the doorknob that had been locked. I rushed into the elevator to get down to the high tech dragon nursery that Mabel had. As soon as the elevator doors opened I squeezed through and rushed to the heated nest. I put the tiny dragon in it, then took the cover off of the pull out cot and covered her with it. Mabel, and a very sleepy Daisy walked into the nursery.

"Daisy it is way past your bed time you need to go back to bed." I scolded the girl to make sure she didn't notice the situation. Luckily she was too tired to argue, and just got in the elevator to head back to bed.

"I woke her up because you sounded angry over the phone, then broke into my cabin at nine o'clock at night. What is going on?" Mabel half asked, half demanded.

I briefly explained the series of events that led up to me here. This may damper my plans for emergency training.