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Caelum let out a groan as he hopped out of bed and made his way for the window. He didn't have any intentions of sitting around all day and he'd already made it known that he wasn't going to be partaking in his usual duties for the day. Instead, his intentions were to go spend some time with his daughter, Sjal. He threw the window open and perched on the sil, looking down at the bustling town below him. From this high up, everyone kind of looked like ants. He smiled at what he'd built, knowing that it'd been a lot more successful than he could have ever dreamed.
Then, he leapt. He fell through the air and felt his stomach churn as he picked up speed. It was different to fly with natare when compared to falling via gravity. Natare felt more controlled while falling felt more exhilarating. It was a good way to wake up in the morning even if he only allowed himself to fall for a few seconds before letting his magic take over the descent.
He swooped down before hitting the ground, creating a small gust of wind as he did so which blew onto the tops of some of the women's hair. They looked up in shock then waved at him as he flew off. Caelum maneuvered around the buildings as he flew, taking note of the progress of the various construction projects that were littered around the town.
Abraia did not sleep with Caelum every day. Sometimes she felt so ready to give birth that she stayed with the other pregnant women. Today was one such day.
"Go fetch me something to drink" she told one of the women .She was also pregnant, big, tired. They all listened to Abraia. They had to or they would face the dragon's wrath if her own was not enough. Sometimes she felt like they were her slaves though they were technically free to go do whatever.
Abraia leaned against the wall and shouted in anger. The babies in her belly made her ache so. She was not supposed to have the children until spring but she could not see herself lasting that long. She was so large that she barely wanted to get out of bed. She made herself get up and walk because it was what a pregnant woman was supposed to do.
Caelum had told Sjal that she was supposed to be assisting Abraia whenever she was feeling uneasy. He didn't tihnk that she could do much good, but it was important to him that someone was there for her at all times of the day. If anyone tried to harm Abraia then at least she would have some protection.
Sjal, however, didn't think much about this assignment. She liked Abraia enough, probably more than any other women in Paradise, but a teen's patience was limited. Sitting there day in and day out with nothing to do but follow menial orders was not what she'd signed up for. Unfortunately for her, Caelum had been informed of her slacking off.
The chlid had not completely abandoned her duties. She was outside of the building that Abraia was currently in. She had her sword out and she was swinging it at wooden posts that she'd had put into the ground for her to practice on. Caelum hovered in the air when he reached her, examining the girl's form.
"You're swinging way too hard, you're going to dull your blade," he said as he lowered himself.
Sjal paused and looked up at her father. She scowled at him and pointed her sword at him. "I'm better than you at the sword and you know it."
"Probably true," Caelum admitted. He would say that their technique was about equal but the girl had unimaginable flexibility and she was actually fit. That would more than decide a match between the two of them. He could still recognize obvious mistakes, however. "But even I can see you're not going to have a usable sword if you keep going like that. Besides, aren't you supposed to be with your mother?"
"Pfft, she's fine. You think she needs protection in this place? You're crazy. Besides, she's right over there. I could be over there in an instant if I wanted to be."
Abraia saw her dragon and child talking with each other. Neither looked very happy. She took it upon herself to go defuse the situation. She stepped outside and shivered a little. The cold would have shocked her if not for her plentiful body warmth.
Step by step she took. She put a hand on trees as she walked for extra support. She arrived at the scene with a big frown obviously visible on her face.
"You two would not be thinking about fighting would you? I'm supposed to have LOW stress. You two ought to be getting along."
She sat on a tree stump and let out a big heaving sigh. It was uncomfortable and she did not know whether she could get back up even if she wanted to. She wished she could use some useful magic power. Zephry would be nice to be able to push herself around.
"Fighting? No, I wouldn't dream of it," Caelum said with a sigh. Truthfully, he didn't see the point. He wasn't going to win, and he didn't want to accidentaly hurt his daughter. He was much more happy having her learn from someone else.
"Scaredy cat," said Sjal as she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Heh, scared, or maybe just too busy to occupy my time training you," Caelum said back with a sneer.
"Oh please. When you're busy all you're doing is spending a lot of alone time with those women. It's hardly anything important." Sjal rolled her eyes then eyed Abraia. "You really put up with this guy? You couldn't find anyone better?" She couldn't for the life of her figure out why the faelnir had taken a liking to Caelum. She could understand the desire to want to be safe in this little protected colony, but nothing was forcing any of these women to like the dragon.
Abraia was taken aback by the question. She did not like to admit that she liked the power her position gave her. She could lord over the humans here like the elves lorded over her in the past. It was satisfying. Power was not everything but it helped.
"I love your father because he is good. He gave me not only freedom but opportunity. He has upheld every agreement we've ever had. He has taken you in instead of having you sundered or gutted for your organs. He could be so much worse."
Abraia was in no mood to be angry. She kept herself calm, collected, attentive. She did not have her spell book on her but she was not incapable of throwing a shoe if these two did not behave. She had decided what she wanted out of sjal a while ago. She would only be useful if she and her father could fight together.
"You should treat him better. It is only then that you will earn his trust. I want you to become dragon bound one day but for that to happen you have to show that you are ready. He must also be willing to share that power with you."
"Oh? A dragon bound," Caelum said pensively. It wasn't a terrible idea. He wasn't at any risk and doing the process sooner rather than later was ideal. What was the point in bonding to this supposed daughter of his if she simply died?
He continued, "it's risky. I don't know if she has the guts to go through with it."
"Who says I even want to be bound to you?" said Sjal as she stomped her foot. "I'm not going to risk my life unless you have something significant to offer. As far as I can tell, you're good at grist but little else. You aren't graceful in the sky so we couldn't even be dragon and rider." Sjal did pause to think about the positives that Abraia mentioned, but only for a moment. All she could tell was that her dad was favorable to the crafter. The hot headed daughter wasn't convinced that her father was good to everyone and certainly not to herself.
Caelum chuckled, "well I don't know what else you could possibly want from me. This operation here loses money and probably always will. I technically do all of this with the blessing of the aelves so it's not like there's anything to inherit, not as though you're likely to live longer than me anyways. Borrowing the powers of my grist is probably all you're going to get. Be thankful that you're even getting that much. I doubt I will ever allow another child this opportunity."
Abraia saw where both were coming from. Sjal's presence was a questionable one. She wanted a better life which was obvious. At the same time she did not seem keen on taking risks. She did not want to become a mage and was hesitant about dragon binding.
"You will have to make yourself useful. You MUST take risk. It does not have to be as dangerous as magic but there are animals you can seek and flora you can harvest. Let us all go. I am sure we will find something interesting."
She got up with great effort. She did not really want to go anywhere but she did not think she had another choice. She had to make sure these two worked together.
"Let us experiment with rabbits. They will be good practice. I also wish for Cae to test out his seeming on them. If he could fuck like a rabbit or make a woman have many children that would be ideal for our goals here."
Sjal stuck out her tongue in mock disgust. "Is that all you two think about? Efficient breeding? Sex sounds like such a damn chore around you two. I might even swear off it when I come of age."
"Heh, I guess this is an odd conversation to have with a child. We can shy away from specifics – all you need to do is help me acquire one of these rabbits. I think I know the one, anyways. I don't think they're too hard to find either... The problem is probably going to be transporting your mother in her condition."
He looked Abraia up and down. He didn't think she ought to be going anywhere, let alone out into the wilderness. Unless she had other plans. There was a chance that there were even rabbits inside his grove, though he hadn't spent much time on the ground level and hadn't seen them himself.
"Do not worry for me. I have seen the rabbits that I wish for Sjal to hunt. I would do it myself but my condition hinders me. I do not want to use alkahest for spells for something so simple as this. Sjal, dragon, come with me."
Abraia got up with a lot of difficulty. She took several moments to catch her breath. She started walking without warning, pushing herself forwards or else she would never move.
"You do not have any experience with ranged weaponry? I know the dragon does not. And his aim with his breath is not that great."
She hoped Sjal would be more talented. The girl was quick, but quick enough to catch a bunny? She did not know. Ths would be a chance to prove the girl's strengths and point out her weaknesses. If she could not do the job with her sword she would have to learn to use another weapon.
Sjal winced when she saw how difficult it was for Abraia to get up. She would have gone over to help but the woman seemed to be able to get there on her own. "Rabbits?" she'd say, "I've seen plenty about. I've never thought about killing one but I suppose I could get the job done." She had not really had to hunt to eat before. She generally avoided being out alone in the forest back home because that was just asking to get killed.
"You're right though. I only have training with my sword. I could learn another weapon, perhaps a bow or even some throwing knives. Never really thought it through, to be honest, but if I'm to go hunting animals like this on a regular basis, perhaps it would be wise to diversify my skillset."
Caelum was taken aback by how willing the girl was to learn new things. If someone had told him to do such things, he probably would have found a way to brute force a solution with grist.
Abraia didn't turn around to speak. She continued walking until they came to a certain tree. She shoved her foot into a hole and some rabbits went running out of another hole.
"Just as I thought. There are some rabbits here. These aren't the exact ones that I want but you can start by chasing those."
It would be easier said than done. The rabbits were quick and knew the hiding spots. It was not long before they were out of sight or in a hole.
"You should practice too, dragon. It is your job to succeed when your daughter fails."
She felt like she was a teacher. She was the worst combatant of the three but she had her head on straight. She had many animals she wanted them to hunt. Even those that had nothing to do with breeding were interesting to Abraia because they had useful hides and bones.
Sjal didn't wait for permission. When she saw the rabbits come out, she sprinted after them. She missed as she dove to catch one, finding that its ability to change directions on a dime a little quicker than expected. The girl was as quick-reflexed as the human body allowed, but she was still human. Something as nimble as a rabbit was still a little too much for her to catch with her hands.
"Hmph, I'll have to use my sword then," she said with a frown. She went after the next one, sprinting after it and drawing at the same time. In a flash, the rabbit was split in two. Sjal carried her momentum to the tree in front of her, running up it a little before jumping to the next tree and running down it. Partly for show, partly because she wanted to get a higher vantage point to look for more rabbits. She spotted one and leapt at it, flipping through the air and twisting as she did so. Her plan was to land and slash at the same time. She almost succeeded too, though the rabbit leapt behind cover just as her blade tickled its fur.
The rabbit leapt, and was almost immediately seared by a beam of light that Caelum haphazardly shot from his mouth. He hadn't intended on killing it, but there wasn't much left of it after it had been hit. He'd almost hit Sjal as well, which in hindsight he probably should have been more careful of. He kind of expected the girl to be able to twist out of the way of that sort of thing.
Abraia sighed. She walked over to the rabbit who had gotten cut in half. She kicked its top half to the side. She walked over to the incinerated rabbit. She crushed the brittle charred bone under her heel.
"Did I not say capture the rabbit? What in the hell is this? The gods are laughing at us right now, I can feel it."
She knew that seeming did not require the animal piece to be alive anymore, only "recently dead" but if she was going to use animals for her smithing then she needed these two to show they could be careful.
"Of the two outcomes, Sjal wins. What if I needed an organ from the rabbit, however? What if they had a special property that was only available if I extracted it properly? You both should have asked for specifics."
She should have given more specifics but she was too grumpy now to accept blame.
Caelum grumbled something incomprehensible in the language of the dragons while Sjal walked over to inspect the dead rabbits. The daughter bent down and looked like she was in deep thought. Caelum was already getting tired of this exercise – surely there was something better he could be doing. But he could see what Abraia was trying to do.
"Look, I'm all for helping but I don't know if I can take much more of this," the dragon said with as much restrained annoyance as he could muster. He lifted off the ground and zoomed off back towards the sequoia before anyone could stop him.
"I guess we both know what he's about to do," Sjal said as she kicked the other half of the rabbit that was dead. "So, what should we do now? Was there actually a rabbit that you wanted me to find? I'm sure I could catch one with my hands, but it would probably require a little more planning than just running after it. Perhaps I could devise some sort of trap, or we could work together!"
Abraia would have shouted after the dragon if she thought he would listen. She scowled at his retreating figure and grinded her heel into the ground.
"He is not one to take this kind of criticism with grace. He is flexible in some areas but apparently this is not one of them. You will have to do, Sjal. I have high expectations for you. There is a rabbit, actually. Bigger and harder to catch than a normal one but killing these small ones will be good practice. I do not know where any of the bigger ones are. My reference book is not very helpful and is devoid of pictures. In the end, I think this experiment of ours is a failure. Let us go inside for a while. I wish to examine my workshop for a bit. I asked for it to be kept clean but I doubt these women know how to properly manage the cleanliness of a forge."
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect him to want to go hunting rabbits anyways. It's kind of backwards though, because he stands the most to gain from helping but... I guess he'd rather go back to his paradise than do real work." Sjal wiped the blood off her blade and sheathed it. Her heart rate was finally calming down after having gone all out.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind spending some time in your workshop. To be honest, smithing has always been an interest of mine. I don't care to make weapons, but I hear smiths know how to maintain and sharpen weapons as well so I'm sure I would pick up on some useful knowledge." Sjal looked at Abraia thoughtfully, then added, "not that I plan on learning much today. I'm happy just letting you rest. You look... big. I wouldn't be surprised if you gave birth any day now."
She didn't mean anything hurtful by it, but being pregnant with twins and barely being able to get up were not symptoms of a woman who could go another season without birthing.
"He will change his tune when we find the Aelbunum. I am sure you have seen one before. Big rabbits. Reproduce like crazy. Perfect. They are large so we need to look for large burrows."
Abraia leaned against a tree as some women passed by.
"Have any of you seen some large rabbits? We hunt for Aelbunum."
They shook their heads.
"I had a feeling that this was not going to be easy. Do you have any ideas?"
She kept walking to the workshop. It was not far away. When she got to it she pushed the door open. It was not locked and was slightly ajar. She hated when people didn't close the door but she did not know who to blame so she kept her temper down.
"Get to sweeping if you want to help. I cannot manage even that much. I will check inventory in the mean time."
Sjal wasn't surprised that the women had no idea what they were talking about. She doubted the women cared to do much thinking at all with the caettle wreath tiaras on their heads. They walked off, excitedly whispering to themselves about getting to their prayer session on time. That left Sjal alone with the crafter.
"Ideas? I suppose we could hunt properly, set traps, something like that. I might have even killed one of these rabbits you're talking about on my journey here. To be honest, my entire trip was an adrenaline filled blur." She let out a deep sigh and waved her hand dismissively, "I'll think of something, I'm sure."
She followed Abraia into the workshop and got to sweeping. She didn't have any problem taking orders from someone who was actually nice to her. She was content on moving the dust into a pile and dumping it out the window. However, as she did so, she spotted a big rabbit burrowing into a hole by a large tree.
"Mother, I see one! I think… it was a big rabbit and it went right under that tree." She climbed out the window and sprinted towards the hole, twirling in the air as she drew her weapon before shoving it into the hole. There was a scared squeaking sound, but Sjal felt no resistance, other than a bit of mud.
"Get out of there you damned rabbits," Sjal shouted as she thrusted her sword at odd angles to try hitting some kind of flesh… but there was nothing. She could hear at least one inside there, but she'd no idea how she would actually get to it.
Abraia had just noted how much iron they had when she heard some noise. She had been focused, intent, tired. She didn't register why her daughter had jumped through the window. Was she slacking off? No that couldn't be it, the floors were clean.
She tiredly stepped to the window to see Sjal thrusting into the ground. That was no way to treat a sword.
"you will dull your blade even further" called Abraia.
She slowly walked out. She envied the girl's energy as she relentlessly tried over and over again. Abraia put two and two together. She must have seen the rabbit.
"There's no point. It is not going to be stupid enough to come out. We must force it out. Go fetch some buckets of water. We will get it to come out yet. If that doesn't work then we will try hot liquid metal. I hope it does not come to that."
