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“Sea and Sky” by K.C. Shaw (read by Nenekiri Bookwyrm)

Spider hasn’t seen another dragon in years. Then a fledgling dragon arrives with news of terrible events--and she needs his help.

Today’s story is “Sea and Sky” by K.C. Shaw, who writes fantasy and furry fiction and also hosts the nonfiction Strange Animals Podcast. Her latest book, Skyway, is a collection of short stories about a couple of lady airship pirates, available from Mannison Press. You can find more of her stories at kcshaw.net. This story originally appeared in the anthology Black Dragon, White Dragon published by Ricasso Press.

Today’s story will be read for you by Nenekiri Bookwyrm, reminding you to curl up with a good book and be kind to yourself.

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Transcript
Khaki QOD:

You're listening to the voice of dog.

Khaki QOD:

And today's story is sea and sky by Casey shul who writes fantasy and

Khaki QOD:

furry fiction, and also hosts the nonfiction strange animals podcast.

Khaki QOD:

Her latest book Skyway.

Khaki QOD:

Is a collection of short stories, about a couple of lady Asher pirates

Khaki QOD:

available from Madison press.

Khaki QOD:

You can find more of her stories@caseyshore.net.

Khaki QOD:

This story originally appeared in the anthology book, black dragon white dragon.

Khaki QOD:

Published by recast press.

Khaki QOD:

Today's story will be read for you by Nenekiri Bookwyrm.

Khaki QOD:

Reminding you to curl up with a good book and be kind to yourself.

Khaki QOD:

Please enjoy.

Khaki QOD:

Sea and sky by Casey Shaw.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider was fishing.

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When he saw the inland dragon.

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He first noticed her as a bright red moat in the sky, the color of rain clouds.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He banked and hovered over the sea to watch her using the gusting

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winds as expertly as any goal.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It was a few minutes before he was sure it really was a dragon and non-member

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

carried from some far off fire.

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It took the red dragon a long time to approach once she was close enough,

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spider salt, why she was very young, too young to know how to use the

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

buffeting winds to her advantage.

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She struggled forward wings, threat.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider side slipped and let the wind to push him to the cliffs where he landed

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

in the grass and folded his wings.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

A few minutes later, the red dragon landed too much more clumsily

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and sat up on her haunches.

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She was barely old enough to be flying at all.

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Certainly too young, to be honest.

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Her red coloring, which had seemed so bright in the distance was

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tempered up close by a faint blush of pale orange reflected in the paler

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red orange of her wing feathers.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Her ribs showed more than they should.

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And she smelled as though she hadn't washed in some time she looked up at

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him and said, do you have any food?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It's better.

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Had to clear his throat twice before his voice would obey him.

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And then it sounded rusty.

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He hadn't spoken to anyone in years, not even himself.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I'll bring you a fish.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Thank you.

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What are you called spider?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Because your legs are so long.

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She nodded I'm called sunrise.

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The name suited her, but spider was out of the habit of speaking and

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didn't say so he spread his wings and let a gust of wind lift him.

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Then coasted low above the waves.

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When he saw the shadowed shape of a fish just below the surface, he dipped his

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wings and snagged it out of the water.

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The wind gusted harder, bring the first thinking raindrops as the storm

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moved in off the ocean, spider only needed to flap his wings twice buoyed

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by the wind to rise to the top of the cliff where sunrise waited, she shone

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like the sun on water, the only bright thing and a view of sea and sky and

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windswept cliff clifftops, spider dropped the fish in front of her as he lay.

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She pounced on it with both four paws.

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How do I kill it?

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She said staring consternation as it bucked in jerked, spider

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pointed to the fish's belly.

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But it's guts.

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She bit the fish open and gulped, the awful, then stripped back.

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It's tough skin to get at the flesh.

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It's better watched her in amazement.

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He'd never seen an inland dragon up close.

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Certainly not one.

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So young, her horns were still scarcely longer than one of his talents.

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Sunrise finished eating just as it began to rain.

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She looked her jaws and said, where'd you live?

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Follow.

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Spider coasted off the cliff, then glanced back to make sure sunrise was following.

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By the time they reached his cave, halfway down the cliff, her feathers

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were spiky with rain and she was flapping frantically to stay aloft spider

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landed on the lip of the cave and moved aside to give her room to land too.

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She stood with her wings, sagging her high to gleaming with rain, shake your wings.

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Spider said and demonstrated how.

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She imitated him, spraying him with water, then followed him deeper into the cave.

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Spider had cleared it of rebel long ago and had brought in armloads of dry

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grasses to make a nest in the back.

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He settled into the nest and was surprised again.

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When sunrise crawled up next to him and snuggled under one

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of his wings, you are nice.

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She said, can I stay with you?

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Where are your parents?

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He asked.

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They're dead.

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They all died.

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All the dragons died.

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She pressed her snout into the hollow.

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Behind his four leg.

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Spider could feel her shivering and he spread his wing over her.

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He didn't ask her any other questions and she didn't speak before long.

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She fell asleep, but spider stayed awake, listening to the rain, into

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the sea, breaking against the cliff.

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Spider woke to find sunrise still curled up next to him, but the cave

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stank of unwashed dragon, he got up and went to the caves mouth for fresh.

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The sun was rising in a rain washed sky, far below spiders cave.

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The tide was out exposing a narrow half moon of sand.

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He was still considering whether he should wait for high tide to make sunrise wash.

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When she joined him.

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Can I have another fish.

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She asked low tide.

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Wasn't the best time to fish.

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It took spider a while to find one big enough to bother catching.

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He brought it to sunrise and left again to find his own.

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When he returned having half eaten, his fish in midair,

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sunrise had already finished hers.

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She picked up the bones and watch spider eat out of the corner of her eye.

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He gave her the last few bites.

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Thank you.

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She said when she had eaten it, I wish I could fly like.

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There was the bones into the sea.

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Spider said he waited until sunrise pushed through remains of the fish

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over the cliff edge, then said, see those goals, goals, wheeled, overhead.

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And if you tussled over the fish bone, sunrise had left on

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the cliff top the night before.

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See how they let the wind go under their wings instead of fighting it.

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Sunrise nodded, try it.

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Hold your wings out.

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Sunrise spread her wings leading forward with her front paws wrapped

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over the edge of the cave mouth.

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Her wings were scruffier and dirtier, even then he thought he

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wondered when she last groomed them.

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He waited, remembering his mother giving him the same lesson long ago.

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Then sunrise said, oh no, I feel how.

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She launched herself from the cave and spider followed closely

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in case he needed to catch her.

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But she glided on the gusting see wins, not particularly well, but certainly

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better than she had flown the night before they flew along the coast for several

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miles before sunrise tired and landed at the water's edge at the mussel bay.

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My feet are sinking.

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Sunrise said she picked up a four-part and examined the wet sand clean.

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Then spring back with a squeal as a wave froth around her legs.

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Wash spider said when you're done, I'll show you how to open

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muscles, water, mussels, shellfish.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

You eat them.

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Go on wash sunrise, weighted into the surf, a short distance

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and crouched down it's cold.

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She said, you'll warm up.

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Once you start to.

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Spider weighted in next to her sunrise, scooped up by Paul full of sand and

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began to scrub without enthusiasm, spider washed too much more quickly than swam

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out into the bay and died for fish.

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When he returned sunrise was playing with a shell using it

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

to make grooves in the sand and laughing when Waterfield the group.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Did you wash your wings?

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Spider said the feathers were still dry.

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Sunrise dropped the shell guiltily induct into the waves.

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She bounded out of the water again, after only a few moments though, and shook

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her wings out, drops, flew, catching the morning, light and flashing rainbows.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It's better.

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Took her to the muscle rocks and showed her how to pry the muscles loose.

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He expected her to have trouble opening them, but her blunt, Claus seemed

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to made for the task within minutes.

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She was quicker at it than he was.

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How long ago did your parents die?

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He asked her after a while it was winter, a quarter of a year then.

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No wonder she was thin she was gobbling muscles as fast as you could open.

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What happened?

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She sat back and looked at him, her eyes wide and dark.

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Everyone got sick.

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Everyone in the whole valley, my sister got sick first.

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Then my mama, I helped take care of them.

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I brought water from the river in a skin so they could drink daddy hunted.

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And he got sick too.

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And I tried to hunt instead, but I didn't do very well.

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My aunt gave me some of their food, but then she died and my sister died.

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She wrote her snout was the Sandy Paul.

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My daddy took her body to put it in the woods, but he never came back.

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And then my mama died.

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And when I went to find someone to help me, no one was left.

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I went looking for my daddy, but he was dead.

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There were flies on him.

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Spiders wing feathers.

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Prickled with whore, sunrise poked at the empty mussel shells, scattered around

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her and said, I went into the woods, so I would die there, but I never got sick.

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Why didn't I get sick?

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It's the plague.

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Some dragons don't get it.

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It came through our colony when I was a little older than you

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and I never got sick either.

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Did you have a brother or a sister?

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Dragon's always late two eggs brother.

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Did he die?

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No, not then spider stood up.

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Let's go sit in the sun and groom our wings.

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He flew to the top of the nearest cliff, sunrise followed and settled next to him.

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Are you a real dragon?

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She asked, yes, of course.

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I've never seen a dragon.

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Who's green or not green sunrise wave DePaul at the ocean.

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You are you're the color of the water.

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Spider was pleased, but he didn't know how to say so.

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Room your wings.

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He said, and started to preen his own feathers.

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A few moments later, he glanced up.

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Sunrise was sitting on her haunches, watching him mournfully what's wrong.

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He asked her, I don't know how to grow my wings.

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Mom always did it for me spider side, but moved closer to her and began to

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smooth and straighten her feathers.

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She still had fluffy nestling down between the flight feathers.

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Over the next week there days fell into a rhythm bath, sit Dawn,

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fish, and doze until low tide and another trip to the muscle bay.

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So sunrise could play in the sand and eat mussels or appetite for

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any kind of food was endless.

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Spider ate less than she did, but the food and care were already making a difference.

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She was starting to look properly, baby plump.

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She still claimed she couldn't groom her own way.

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But spider didn't mind doing it for her now that she no longer stank her flying

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skills, improved daily, she slept snuggled close to him in the nest, and he welcomed

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her warmth on the chilly spring nights.

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One night, more than a week after her arrival, she giggled around

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to put her mouth close to spiders, ear membrane, my name's philosophy.

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She whispered and breathly, it had been a very long time since spider

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was trusted with the dragon secret name, he nuzzled Sunrise's jaw and

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said, philosopher, my name is suck.

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You suck you.

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She said solidly and snuggled under his wing.

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Again, he heard her muttering, his name to herself until she fell asleep.

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So she wouldn't forget.

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The knowledge of Sunrise's name and her dependence on him made spider uneasy.

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For the first time he realized she was here to stay.

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No one would come to take her home.

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He wondered frequently over the next few days, what he should do about her.

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He remembered his activities at her age, learning to swim with the

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other young dragons fishing with his brother playing rough and tumble

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games in the wet sand at low tide.

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Always there had been dragons around young ones to play with

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and old ones to watch over them.

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Sunrise had only him and he had long ago forgotten how to.

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It was another week before he decided reluctantly that he needed to find

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her a home among other dragons.

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For a moment, he considered taking her to his old colony, but rejected the idea

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almost immediately too many dragons in his old colony had promised to kill him.

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If he ever returned, he watched the sunrise, chased the retreating

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wave into the sea and sled in mock tear from the next one.

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It wouldn't be wise to leave just yet.

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Not until sunrise regain the weight and strength.

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She had lost spider relaxed and put his decision to leave in the back of his mind.

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Spring progressed and the water warmed, the fishing was good.

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Sunrise became almost adept at snagging fish from the water.

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Although her claws weren't made for it, the way spiders hooked talents were.

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From time to time.

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He remembered his decision though, and it troubled him by mid-summer.

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He knew sunrise was at the peak of health.

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Now gleaming new feathers are replacing the fluff on her wings.

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It was time to go, but there was always tomorrow.

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Today they would explore a new bay or fly out to see, to look for whales

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or simply line the sun and droughts.

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They were lying in the cave mouth one afternoon, waiting for low tide.

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When sunrise rolled over and looked at spider how'd, you

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get that scar on your neck.

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She asked, he had almost forgotten about the scar.

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I was in a fight once a long time ago, sunrise was silent long enough that

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spider nearly drifted back to sleep, but she said, did your call in the all die?

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Spider opened his eyes thoroughly awake.

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No, I left them.

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Why the fight spider said, I fought with my brother and accidentally killed him.

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His friends told me to leave.

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He remembered the argument with his brother words that couldn't

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be taken back words, followed by a vicious slashing fight above the sea.

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And then his brother falling silently and mid blood drops, feathers spiraling after

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him and the waves closing over his head.

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Sunrise stared at him with wide eyes.

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You never went back.

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No, I had to leave.

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I can't live among dragons anymore, except for me.

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Sunrise said she shifted around to lean against him.

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The conversation made him remember how much sunrise needed other dragons.

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He considered seriously this time taking her to his colony.

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Perhaps the old anger had faded and he would be welcoming.

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He thought of his parents, his cousins and aunts and uncles, his friends had,

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they forgotten him, but they'd be glad to see him finally, late one evening,

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when the surf murmured against the cliffs and stars glittered in the sky and the

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sea spider said, we'll leave tomorrow.

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We have to find you a home.

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Sunrise had been lying near him in the cave mouth, half asleep.

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Now she looked up at him and alarm, why can't we stay here?

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You need friends your own age.

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You need someone who can be a mother to you, but there aren't any other dragons.

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She said they all died.

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You didn't die.

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And I'm still alive.

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She watched him the rest of the evening with worried eyes.

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He pretended to fall asleep.

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So she would stop staring.

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But in the morning when Dawn lifted over the cliffs and the breeze began to move

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off, the sea sunrise only seemed excited.

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She chatted as they fished her voice, mostly lost on the wind and

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washed quickly in the mussel bay.

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When are we leaving?

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She asked him, spreading her damp wings out for him to groom soon.

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He said he spent more time than usual preening her feathers, and

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then his, he felt heavy and reluctant as they flew to the fresh water.

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Once the head drunk, spider stretched thoroughly, sunrise mimicked him.

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There was no more putting it off.

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No more tomorrows through treat ahead of them like chased waves.

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It was still early.

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The sky was white with clouds that had blown in overnight.

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The two dragons flew along the coast above cliffs, half crumbled into the sea spider

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remembered his long ago, despair that he would never find a comfortable home.

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A safe cave to shelter him from storms and cold.

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And I stopped for the night.

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He was pleased at sunrise.

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He nearly as fresh as she had that morning.

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They slept in the grass at the top of the cliffs.

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The night was hot and still was scarcely a breath of wind by mid-morning.

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The next day, spider began to recognize the coast below them.

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It's bays and inlets.

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The angle of its cliffs against the sea.

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The cliffs were once again, pocked with caves and topped with wind bent tree.

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They arrived at his old home at noon.

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There were no dragons in sight.

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We're here.

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He called the sunrise.

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His stomach felt as though he'd swallowed a live fish.

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He banked and slid down the breeze to land in the cave.

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Mouth sunrise landed next to him and crowded, close

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to his side, who lives here?

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She whispered my parents.

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He said, well, they used to.

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The stone was smooth from generations of passing feet, but there was

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wind swept debris, underfoot, golf, feathers, sand leaves.

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He sniffed around briefly.

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No sense of dragon clung to the entrance.

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Did you grow up here sunrise period until the cave spider was suddenly acutely home.

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Yes.

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There used to be a bigness and the very back made up a brush and old feathers,

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thousands of feathers from my parents and their parents and their parents.

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May I go in, I'll come with you.

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Spider felt he was Sunrise's age again, returning home to sleep

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through the afternoon's heat with his brother beside him.

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It wasn't until they came to the nest that he realized why

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there was no sense of dragon.

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He flung A-Wing in front of sunrise.

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The nest was still there.

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So we're his parents at first glance in the dim light, they seem to be asleep.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The sea had long ago swept the smell of death from the cave.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Go back.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He said to sunrise, it's not nice.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He hoped she had not seen, but knew from her stunned expression that she

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

had when they were in the caves mouth.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Again, sunrise crouched down with her wings, huddled around

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

her were the only dragons left.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

She whispered spider looked up and down the code.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They were alone.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He put his wings around sunrise.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They must've gone away.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The dragons survived.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The plague will find them.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I don't want to sunrise, press your muzzle under his jaw.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I want to go home.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider hugged her tight for him.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

We'll go home.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Then they flew far into the night.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Both of them eager to put distance between them and the dead only

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

very sick or very injured dragons.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Wouldn't fly far out to sea to die.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Only a colony devastated by plague would leave bodies where they fell.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider wished he had stayed long enough to give his parents to the sea.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They stopped finally long after they were both exhausted.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It was another still night, but spider sense to change coming in.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He groomed sunrises wings and felt her relax.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I did want to meet some dragons.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

My age, she murmured sleepily.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider woke before Dawn troubled.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The waves were slow and heavy.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

A storm was coming.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He noticed sunrise awake.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

We need to beat the storm home, the wind gusted off the

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

sea all morning around noon.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The hard heavy rain fell lashing down without stopping.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider hope to find a cave, any cave at all.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

But the cliffs here were sheer and featureless, the sea

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

froth, and Rorg against them.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The wind buffeted them away from the sea before long, they were far inland.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It frightened spider because he no longer knew where they were.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

But sunrise shouted.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I saw those trees the day I met you, I think we're almost home.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They turned to fly directly into the wind.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It was hard enough for spider sunrise.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Could scarcely make any sense?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They stalled over the band of trees land here, spider called the trees.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Weren't thick enough to give much shelter.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

One had already fallen and the others thrashed as though in agony, the

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

wind keened and whistled through the branches will have to run spiders.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Keep your wings folded tight.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They started through the trees, but a moment later,

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

sunrise stopped and squealed.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It's another dragon hook.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It's another dragon.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The strange dragon was dark red.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

His wings, nearly black.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He was male and his bone colored horns curved back from his head,

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

like the spines of ablate fish.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He was much bigger and heavier than spider expected to build like a

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

bull shark at the moment, though, he looked as wretched as sunrise.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Is the shelter anywhere?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Yes.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Come with us.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They ran blinded by rain.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The wind grabbed at spiders, folded wings.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He led the way glancing back often and was reassured to see if the

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

strange dragon helps sunrise.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

When she stumbled head last, spider heard the roar of the

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

sea against the cliffs moments.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Later, they came to the Cliff's edge.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He stopped and waited for the others to catch up, help her fly.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He told the strange dragon we're almost there.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He launched himself off the cliff, slapping frantically to keep the wind

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

from driving him back again behind him.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The strange dragon did the same clasping, a terrified looking sunrise

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

around the middle with this four paws.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider was certain.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

She wouldn't have been able to make it to the cave.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Otherwise they landed in the cave mouth and scurried inside

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

the wind had blown rain all the way back, but the nest was dry.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Is it safe here?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The strange dragon asked.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Yes.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I'm spider.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This is sunrise, sunrise huddled beneath his wings.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Shivering hard.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll the strange dragon said he looked toward the cave entrance

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

where rain slashed sideways in the wind, the wind howled, the sea

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

roared and thunder shook the sky.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

But inside the cave, they were sheltered and safe.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This all said, I came looking for other dragons.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I'm glad I found you.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Sunrise peeked out from under spider's wing.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

We've been looking for other dragons too.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

We thought everyone else had died.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Not everyone.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll said the survivors from my colony have moved to a valley

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

about four days flight away.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I've been searching for other survivors ever since the sound of the wind deepened

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

and increased drowning thistles voice sunrise ducked back under spiders wing.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Gradually the pitch of the wind eased the rain slackened sunrise

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

fell asleep against spider's side.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

After a little while longer, this was.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Were there any other survivors from your colony?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I don't know.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider said he hesitated to ashamed to tell fissile about

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

his exile and half afraid.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

The dragon would guess anyway, we couldn't find anyone else alive.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll side.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I've never heard of plague hitting us this badly.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Only seven of our colonies survived out of almost 200.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He stared out the cave entrance, where a gray rain fell into a Gracie.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I've only found about 40 more dragons to join us out of months of searching.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider knew he should fill the listening silence.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This will left for him, but he didn't know what to say.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He held sunrise tightly against his side.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll said, do you suppose it's safe to leave?

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Now I need to get back to my.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

With you both.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Of course, spider thought of leaving the sea forever and living

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

inland among the shadow trees.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He felt a surge of unaccustomed fear at the thought it mixed with shame

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

again at his disgrace, he didn't belong among the dragons, but sunrise did.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

It's still raining.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider got up carefully, so he wouldn't disturb sunrise and went

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

to the cave entrance to look out the sea was choppy and lathered

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

still roaring against the cliffs.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll joint.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

You will come with me.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

You won't, you spider didn't belong in a colony.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He had been sent away except that the dragons who sent him away for

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

most likely all dead, no one cared.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Now, if he lived alone or among the dragons again, spider felt that he was

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

waking for the first time in years, breathing in the cold rainy wind,

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

like his first breath out of the egg.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He was too full of newness to speak.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

This'll sounded irritable.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

If you won't leave at least let me take sunrise.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

She needs a family.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

She did need a family.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider knew, but so did he, he nodded, all right.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Then once the rain stops, we'll go.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I wish you'd come with us.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

You wouldn't be the only Seadragon there.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

You know, we've got five or six other.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider turned to look at him.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He still wasn't sure he could speak.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He thought he must be shining from within.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

He heard sunrise Scrabble out of the nest behind them.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

A moment later, she flung herself at spider.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I want to stay here with you.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Spider wrapped his wings around her.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

I'm going to, we're both going the rain and.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

Sun gleamed on foam web waves on the wet grass.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

At the top of the cliffs, this'll sail from the cave mouth followed

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

closely by sunrise and spider with the wind under their wings.

Nenekiri Bookwyrm:

They turned inland.

Khaki QOD:

This was sea and sky by Casey shul.

Khaki QOD:

Read for you by Nenekiri.

Khaki QOD:

Bookwyrm reminding you to call up with a good book and be kind to yourself.

Khaki QOD:

You can find more stories on the web@thevoice.dog.

Khaki QOD:

Or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Khaki QOD:

Thank you for listening to the voice of dog.

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About the Podcast

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The Voice of Dog
Furry stories to warm the ol' cockles, read by Rob MacWolf and guests. If you have a story that would suit the show, you can get in touch with @VoiceOfDog@meow.social on Mastodon, @voiceofdog.bsky.social on Blue Sky, or @Theodwulf on Telegram.

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Khaki