A few days later, Theo entered Camp to join in on a conversation between Sky and another dragon. The young adult female was smiling bashfully and shaking her head as Sky pestered her.
“No?” Sky was saying. “Well then, what about Thyme? You know, I’ve noticed Thyme has a pretty nice jaw…”
“What are you talking about?” Theo asked, laughing.
“River!” Sky greeted her. “I was just asking Sage here, who she has her eyes set on. Have you met her yet?”
Theo introduced herself to Sage, who was a light purplish grey with soft eyes.
“So,” Theo said, “please, don’t let me interrupt. Do go on.”
Sky grinned, turning back to Sage. “Well? What do you think? Not Thyme? How about Longspur? He has a beautiful wing span.”
Sage buried her head in her foreclaws with embarrassment and Sky picked up on it.
“That’s it, isn’t it?!” she exclaimed. “Hmm…you and Longspur. I can see you two together.”
“Sttoppp,” Sage’s muffled voice shivered with laughter. “I told you, I’m not interested in anyone.”
“Ah, now you’re just convincing me that I’m right.” Sky nodded with satisfaction.
“What is it we’re talking about?” Cobalt’s signature voice piped up as he poked his head into the conversation.
The laugh died from Sage’s lips. She stared pleadingly at Sky. Don’t tell him, her eyes implored.
Sky caught her gaze with a reassuring grin. “I don’t know what it is you were talking about,” she replied offhandedly, “but our conversation is none of your concern.”
“Aw…” He too grinned. “What do you have against me?”
“You turn everything into gossip!” Sage blurted. She still looked worried that someone would speak up about their previous topic.
Cobalt cocked his head. Theo thought the look in his eye appeared somewhat hurt.
“Hey!” one of his followers defended him. “Don’t say that about him.”
“Heh, heh.” Cobalt tried to lighten the mood, closing his eyes with a fake chuckle. “Not to worry, Thistle-”
“Cobalt,” Wolfe was suddenly there beside him, chest out and shoulders tilted to the side in an attempt to look attractive. “I hear you have a way with females.”
“Ah,” Cobalt stammered, chin quivering. He warily watched her as she curled herself around him. “A-a-actually…I have found someone…” Desperately he whipped his head about, looking at all the dragons around him. Hastily, he picked one of his followers. “Pigeon!” he announced and rushed to her side. “Pigeon is my pairing. I will have no other. N-no other than her.”
Pigeon gasped. “Cobalt!” she delighted. She hugged herself close to him and the corners of his mouth crept shakily upwards into a dubious smile.
“Hmm!” Wolfe’s eyes flicked over the two of them irritably. Pigeon made no notice; she just beamed with her new found pride in having Cobalt as her pairing. Cobalt’s other admirers became mirror images of Wolfe, frowning and offended. Only, they faked smiles at Pigeon when she swiveled her gleeful gaze towards them.
“Let us go, Pairing…” Cobalt stated unnaturally and Pigeon was quick to agree.
Wolfe stalked away as they left. So did the rest of Cobalt’s admirers, muttering to each other.
“Whew,” Sky exhaled, relaxing. “I actually kind of feel bad for Cobalt. Did you see how Wolfe…rubbed up against him?”
“Yes, yes,” Theo excused hurriedly, not appreciating the image created in her head. “Say, um-”
Just then, Sky’s pupils, Chestnut and Plover came skipping forward.
“Sky! Sky!” they yipped. “Take us to the cliffs to fly!”
Sky eyed Theo, thinking. “Sure,” she decided. “And River can come with us.”
“Oh, uh…” Theo scrambled for words. “Thanks, but I’d rather not.”
If there was one thing she dreaded trying, it was flying.
Sky grinned at her. “You can just watch. Come on!” And she got up to go on her way, saying goodbye to Sage, as though Theo had already given in.
Chestnut and Plover bounded up to her, leaping up and squealing, “This way! This way!” as they wrestled her in the right direction.
“Alright, alright,” Theo surrendered, trying not to trip over them as she followed after Sky.
“They’ve been begging me to take them flying for days now,” Sky told Theo, fondly watching the two pupils race ahead. “Plover likes jumping off boulders in front of me just to prove how she’s mastered gliding. Then Chestnut joins in and they have distance contests.” Sky laughed. “I think they’re ready.”
“They are a healthy looking pair…” Theo conveyed absentmindedly, preoccupied with imagining the tall, tall cliffs and jagged rocks below, hidden by monstrous waves that collided with the earth.
“It’s not hard,” Sky assured her, as though reading Theo’s mind. “All you have to do is leap and then your body takes over. You’ll see.”
Theo stopped abruptly. “You said I could just watch!”
“I know,” Sky sighed. “But flying is an important skill to master! Now that you breathe fire, don’t you think you should learn how to fly, too? I’d be right there with you. It’s easy.”
“I’ve heard others say that you’re an exceptional flier, so of course you’d think it’s easy.” Theo sulked, walking onwards.
“Yes, but you could be an even better flier than I! I’m telling you, it’s just that first jump that’s hard.”
Theo turned her head to determine whether she spoke truthfully or not. “Did you hesitate?” she asked.
“Of course!” Sky proclaimed. “Chestnut and Plover are excited right now, but I’ll wager they’ll do a double take before they actually go for it. Watch them.”
. . .
Sky was wrong. The moment the edge of the world came into view, Chestnut and Plover ran and just kept running until they fell out of sight.
Theo gasped and started to rush forward to see if they were alright, but before she could, Plover came soaring upward with Chestnut hot on her tail. The pupils screamed joyfully, spiraling around each other, swooping and escalating. Sky cheered them on from the ground, yelling out things like, “Great dive, Chestnut!” and “Plover, what a perfect turn!”
Theo stared, tensely in awe as they flew through the air like natural born professionals. It was captivating.
She pried her eyes away from the airshow as she realized Sky was talking to her. “What?” she asked.
“Are you reconsidering giving it a try?” Sky repeated, a spark gleaming in her eye.
“I never was considering it!” Theo lied, glancing over as Plover shot past.
Sky gave her a knowing look. “Yes you were,” she pressed playfully.
Theo opened her mouth, then closed it, rethinking her response. “Hasn’t anyone failed before?” she asked finally.
Sky cocked her head. “Failed? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean…” Theo swallowed. “Has anyone ever gotten hurt because they couldn’t fly after all?”
“River,” Sky laughed. “You have a pair of beautiful, flawless wings! The only problem is that you keep telling yourself you can’t do it.”
“Not true,” Theo lied again.
“Then prove me wrong,” Sky challenged. “Come here. Just trust me.”
Theo dammed her excuses deep within her throat and crept closer. As she looked down, her eyes focused in on a sea wyvern an indescribable distance beneath her, flying just above dark, violent waves.
She drew in her breath sharply and pulled away from the dizzying heights. Sky watched her, frowning.
“I knew a dragon like you once,” Sky said, raising her voice over the wind. “He feared falling so much that he couldn’t bear to lift a claw over the edge.”
“Who?” Theo asked. She had to meet this dragon.
“But he still learned how to fly.” Sky ignored Theo’s question. “All he needed was a different tactic.
“See,??
? Sky continued, “that winter, the Lake was almost completely iced over. The ice was thin, but that’s how he needed it. All he had to do was jump out onto it and, the moment it broke out from under him, his wings flung open and he was flying!”
Theo pictured what she said. “I’d do that,” she claimed, thinking it over. “That doesn’t sound bad at all.”
“But that’s not my point,” Sky said. “My point is, he was able to fly even though he was afraid to.”
“Then let me learn his way,” Theo replied.
“But you should learn now,” Sky complained. “And I don’t think the Lake is iced over yet. Can’t you just trust me? Just this once?”
Theo looked her in the eye. “I am not jumping off a cliff.”
“Please, River!” Sky pleaded. “You didn’t want to try wrestling at first but you were great at it! Just give this a chance.”
“No.” Theo turned around to leave, tired of her friend’s relentless nagging.
Chapter 11