It had been some time since the golden queen had made her promise to the dragon stallion. Much had happened between then and now, some good things, some bad things. The most notable would be the revelation of true feelings between this little queenly dragon’s bonded mate and the bronze stallion. The dragoness acted like she had known about it all along, but one could never be sure whether that was the truth, or simply the truth as Akaith’s vanity perceived it. Mirage had to smile, just as she had to most other times when she thought about the undeniable love and devotion she held for the great winged stallion. In all her worldly knowledge, she had known that such things like these feelings existed – but she had only known of them, not actually felt their powerful embrace. This love carried her through whatever the next steps were she took, there was a new happiness within her that fuelled her ambitions now.

What could be mistaken for a wayward ray of sunshine was actually the graceful aerial displays of the lithesome golden dragon. She had been tugging at Vikram to fly with her for some time now, though they had shared short flights here and there, she longed to fly with him like this; with Mirage at the forefront of her mind, seeing and feeling the winds as they did. The inky mare stood in the clutches of the ocean, the shallow waves lapping at the still-sensitive burns upon her forelegs, her eyes shut as she embraced the mental caress of her dragon, whose mind seemed to occasionally leap out to the bronze steed as well. They were flying towards her, she could feel, though it was unusual for her to view Helovia from such heights – only snippets from Akaith’s mind had she ever gleamed of the spectacular aerial view of the lands she now called her home, this was something else entirely.

The Endless Blue had been selected as the destination for a variety of reasons; it was naturally, quite fire proof – which was essential for what Akaith was planning on doing with the stallion. Breathing fire was all well and good, but learning to control it was a whole other ball game. Learning the art of maintaining a solid stream of fire for hours at a time, by simultaneously breathing in through one’s nostrils and continually exhaling the scorching breath was an art as much as a science. Using one’s tongue and cheeks to craft the shape of the flame, or engaging one’s diaphragm more efficiently to allow a hotter breath to escape, were all secrets of the trade; secrets she was more than willing to see Vikram master. The golden one was excited as they rounded on the Endless Blue, her own flight growing faster as it descended towards the earth, racing along the dunes to find the dark form of Mirage awaiting them in the shallows.

[ For Vikram – others are welcome to join after a few posts though :-) ]

Akaith’s agile aerodynamic acrobatics saw her glorious golden form flying loops and circles around the dark mare, leathery wings dipping in the ocean that lapped at the mare’s knees, the gentle spray of water received without complaint on this steaming day. With what Akaith was intending to do, Mirage didn’t mind immersing herself wholly in the ocean. Though she was used to heat, she was not fireproof like the dragon, or like most of the hide that covered Vikram. But she knew that both draconic beings would take care in their practise of the heated art or firebreathing around her fragile, equine form.

From afar she felt like she was able to catch his gaze, a smile easily curving the soft contours of her lips as she eyed his energetic and playful manner, feeling the same happiness within her that made her wish she were able to take to the skies and enjoy the experience directly by his side. Akaith chortled from nearby her, purposefully flapping her wings to splash the lingering wants of flight from the maiden, injecting her mind with clear images of flight as her own, not-so-subtle method of comfort. A cherubic chuckle hummed from the mare at her dragon, she was not envious of their flight, not when she was able to enjoy it too.

The resulting waves of his landing lapped at her belly, once again, she didn’t mind, a high-stepping trot summoning her form closer to his, and she took the resulting splashes with equal joy, flinging her own chiselled façade about to ensure ample spray was made. A warm nicker, quieter but just as enthusiastic as the chorus Vikram had sung to her across the ocean, swelled forth from her gullet, conveying all that she felt in his presence. He reached out with his muzzle, she took a step further to feel the rumbles that vibrated behind his chest, tucking herself into that perfect nook beneath his neck and against his chest that she simply; loved.

The golden dragon, however, was swift to divert their attention, trilling commandingly as she landed upon Mirage’s back, making it clear what she was here to do by allowing a long trail of smoke to begin from within her nostrils, before a devious smirk curved her scaled maw and a small puff of flame licked into existence, disappearing into the damp atmosphere merely a handful of inches from its origin. A small laugh pulled Mirage away from her lover’s embrace, though she could have stood there forever and then some more, there would be time for that again soon enough.

The mare, through her bond, as well as the many journeys she had made and stories and lore she had learned, knew of dragonkind, and in part, of firebreathing. She remembered Akaith’s first breath, even recalling the second hand discomfort that the new sensation had stirred. They didn’t know whether he had practised without them, certainly he was able to, they weren’t about to stop him. But it was wise for him to accept Akaith’s help – not that she had given him much option. Just like now, she commanded his attention to be upon her, and Mirage, for the mare was to be her vessel of communication this glorious day.

“I trust you have a sense of your new fire belly, dearest? Focus upon it, and imagine that it churns with a liquid flame which you must find the energy to stir. Breathe deeply, in through your nostrils, and exhale through your mouth.” The singsong melody of her voice spoke the words with a calm confidence, soothingly walking the steed through the motions Akaith had deemed necessary. The little mare had adjusted her position, inconspicuously positioning herself so that his maw would not be pointed near hers; she had met with fire all to recently and didn’t long for another burn to add to her list.

“Smoke may rise from your nostrils, try not to breathe it back into your lungs or you might cough – which could result in weak, uncontrolled flame that would scorch your tongue with little warning.” The mare shared an amused tone which suggested that she had watched the golden dragon do something similar. A little huff from Akaith prompted her to continue speaking. “Your first flame may hurt, though undoubtedly not as much as what the Sun Lord did to you. Be prepared for that. It will probably always tingle for you, as it does for Akaith, but not unbearably so, once your throat and tongue grow used to it.”

“Take a purposeful breath now, and summon forth the fire within you.”

Emotions were infective, Mirage had learned. The mare felt the resounding delight that rumbled in the steed’s great chest, relishing in his presence, wanting more of his even warmer form, despite the heat. The change within him was subtle, but the mare was also very perceptive, and noted that when she stood in close proximity with him, a pocket of heated air seemed to buffet her. Akaith had similar attributes, though her smaller size obviously meant the effects were smaller also. But having her form curled up on the small of Mirage’s back during winter always gave the mare that extra bit of warmth – she smiled quietly to herself as she imagined spending the next winter curled up beside the great mahogany brute – she quite suddenly she longed to feel more than his heated simply body standing beside her – but she swiftly returned to the present moment with a wistful sigh, ignoring her body’s own cries for particular affections and carnal desires; the time would come.

Dutifully she watched the stallion as he did what he was instructed to do, and smiled at the flame which resulted, silently proud for the stallion. Though it was as strong as one of Akaith’s average flames, it certainly was still a flame, and that was something to be proud of. “Well done.” Warmly her vocals intoned, whickering her encouragement. Akaith too had been watching closely, leaning her scaled head in closer to feel the heat of his fire as he had spewed it forth. She was unreadable, her many faceted eyes whirling slowly through the spectrum of colours as she thought and considered how to instruct him further. He’ll need to make his breathing organ stronger. Mirage knew Akaith meant diaphragm, the great lining of muscle that aided in expanding one’s lung capacity. He will need more than simple breathing exercises. He needs to fly higher, to teach his lungs to hold more fire-gas. Here Mirage thought Akaith meant oxygen, the substance vital not only for life of the biological body but also a flame.

“Now when you next concentrate on your fire belly, think about its heat. And encourage it to be hotter, think about the liquid fire rolling about Helovia’s Heart, fire that is within you now. Engage the muscles of your abdomen, let them stretch and shape your fire belly to encourage the heat within it to grow once again. Fire turns blue when it is at its hottest.” The mare assumed he probably already knew this, but it was by Akaith’s prompting that she spoke in her kind, patient instructor’s manner. The golden queen upon her back arched herself to give a demonstration of the hotter flame her bonded spoke of, the older dragon very well practised in maintaining it for several minutes, and a cooler, yellower flame for many hours if she wanted to. For the sake of the demonstration though, she spouted her flames, which dispersed outwards from Mirage’s side, though the mare could feel the heat even with cool waves lapping at her barrel – she didn’t mind though, having been a vessel for Akaith’s pyrotechnic displays on occasions previous to this one.

The flame that resulted was ringed with blue, some edges flaring yellows and oranges still, but she maintained it for over thirty seconds, cutting it off with a definitive snap of her jaw, as if to reiterate that she was stopping the flame by her own choice, not because she had run out of fire. “The fire within you will certainly feel diminished after this effort, but in time the recovery will be swifter. Try again.” Encouragement glittered behind her golden eyes, love and adoration for the steed evident, though her frame almost suggested she was a wizened old dragon, teaching a youngster his first steps towards being able to claim himself a true dragon. The mare wondered at this thought for a moment, memories of the Goddess of the night and her own dragon commenting on her dragon qualities, the iridescent marking upon her neck shimmering conspicuously under the sun. But then she put that track of thoughts away to reconsider them another time, her attention wholly upon the one who held the key to her heart.