Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 056 - The Itch That Needs Scratching (Patreon)

Calm down, Pammon, please. You are killing me right now!

The amount of excitement and anticipation coming from Pammon was overwhelming. It was actually making him jittery. Since mentioning the quest yesterday and their getting to see each other once they were outside the pass, Pammon had been impossible to settle down.

I am calm!

Kaen chuckled and winked at Hess, who knew what Kaen was doing.  They were halfway through the pass, riding the two horses they had and pulling the pack horse behind them.  Sulenda had seemed ok until this morning when they headed off, requiring a few extra kisses from Hess and a promise he would not come back dead.

She had not deemed Kaen’s joke on how Hess would bring himself back if he were dead funny, threatening him with a beating if he let Hess injure himself.

Eventually, they had managed to ride off from the inn, both ready for what awaited them a few days from now.

You say you are calm, but I know you just as well as you know me.  Your heart is racing, and you are flying around in circles.  Go do something useful and scout out the area for a place to camp and meet later.

Pammon grumbled through the bond, frustrated that Kaen did not seem as excited as he should be.

“Any idea when they grow out of the kid stage?” Kaen asked after checking none of the other travelers were close to them.

“I’m still waiting on you to grow out of that stage,” Hess joked as he gave his horse a gentle pat on the neck.  “Some days, you act like a man, and others act like a kid.  I’m just glad lately it's been more adult days than the latter.”

About to open his mouth and ask what actions Hess considered kid ones, Kaen paused and thought through his actions in the last week.  The memory of giving a gold coin away to a crab popped into his head first, making him close his mouth before enduring that conversation again.

“Well, I’m sorry for all the frustration I put you through.  I swear it's like that with my friend sometimes as well.  He can be so serious and focused, and other times acts like a dog who has been shown a bone.  Excited about it and forgetting everything else.”

Laying his head back, Hess laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the pass's stone walls.  They were cut as if a god from heaven had come down with a sword and taken one single swipe, creating a smooth, polished finish and a straight shot through the mountainside.  The dwarves who had been hired had carved out drains that carried the runoff from rains and water that came from the top of the mountain.  The same stone path had been laid here as on the streets, providing safe and smooth travel.

“Remember, he isn’t even a year old yet. Keep that dog and bone illustration in your head.  None of us, not even him, knows where the knowledge he has comes from.  It has to be something they are born with, possibly passed down through birth,” Hess explained.  “He is still young, he is still needy, he is still bonding.  Remember how you, Patrick, and Cale felt and acted once you started working at the quarry.  You three lamented how it wasn’t fair you couldn’t see each other except on the weekends.  When the weekends came, you three spent every waking hour together.  Now, you three would occasionally hang out for a few hours on the weekend, content from the time you spend every day breaking rocks together.”

Pfft.  Blowing a raspberry at Hess, Kaen then let out a long sigh as he shook his head.

“Parenting isn’t easy, is it?”
The echo of Hess’s laughter this time extended further down the pass.  His face was bright red from how hard he was laughing, and the giant horse he was riding on did not appear to appreciate how much he was bouncing in the saddle by the way it moved between steps.

“OH my boy,” Hess cried out as he took a few breaths and wiped a few tears from his eyes with his arm, “you are in for a world of hurt if you ever do have a child.  Your friend is way better behaved than kids are, and this is nothing more than a stage any creature goes through.  When they have a relationship with someone, they want to be with that person.  Just like a dog or cat will sleep in the bed of its person, your friend wants the same thing.  Closeness and a connection.”

Hess stopped speaking for a moment as he adjusted in his saddle before turning his attention back to Kaen.

“You two are connected in a way that seems impossible.  You told me how he lost his mother, hidden away for some reason.  You lost your parents.  You feel each other's pain from that, strengthening your bond.  All he has left is you, so he will guard you with every part of his being.”

Riding his horse in silence, Kaen realized how right Hess was.  He had not appreciated the bond he and Pammon had and, no doubt had hurt Pammon’s feelings by his words.

Found a spot yet?  I can’t wait to see you tonight and get all those spots you need to be scratched!

Joy lept through their bond, and Kaen now had no doubt that Hess was right.

I have so many spots that need good scratching!  I am almost near a spot that might work!

Well, I can’t wait! See you soon!

As a constant stream of contentment and joy washed over him, Kaen smiled, grateful for Pammon and Hess.  Two things he hoped he never took for granted.

“This blasted brush is way worse than I ever remembered,” cursed Hess as he led his horse behind him through the woods.

His horse was easily three feet taller and a lot wider than the horse Kaen had.  Of course, most horses would have died having to carry a man the size of Hess.

“You actually remember being in these woods?”

“Mother… dwarf… half-elf… goblin piss.”

Kaen turned around, trying to figure out why Hess was cursing so much, and when he glanced behind his horse, he found that Hess had somehow found a stink bell.

“Oh man, that smells already,” Kaen announced as the horses started trying to get away from Hess and the smell that was emanating from his foot.

“There were none of these damn things in the woods when I was here!  I didn’t see it because of this damn horse fighting me about coming through here!”

Kaen froze and looked around the part of the woods they were in.  Sure enough, there were a few other stink bells along the ground and near the base of the trees.  Their green pods blended with the grown-up foliage and plants they traveled through.  The horses and their sensitive noses had known they were walking towards and through them, causing them to resist the path they were led.

“This stuff smells worse than goblin piss!” bellowed Hess as he let his horse start backing up on its own, trusting it to put its feet where it needed to.  “We need to get out of this unless we want to stink for a week!”

Kaen’s horse was not acting as badly as Hess’s horse had until the moment Hess popped one of the bells.  Their name was given from the shape of the pod after it was busted open.  Now it was struggling against the reigns he was holding.

“Shhhh… its ok,” he said gently, reaching out and gently patting the horse's nose.

Letting the reigns go, the horse quickly moved through the patch they were standing in, dodging the little plants with amazing finesse.

Chuckling to himself, Kaen followed the path the horse had taken and was soon clear of the area and the trouble it presented.

When Hess made it over to them, Kaen saw the vein on his forehead throbbing.  It was so active it almost appeared it was doing a dance by itself.

“This boot will stink for days,” Hess huffed as he held his horse, who was fighting being close to him.

“It’s my fault. I was in such a hurry to get to Pammon I didn’t watch where we were going.  I’ll make sure to be more attentive.”

A grunt came from Hess, yet he said nothing more, and Kaen didn’t press it.  It would be a while before Hess came down from how was acting right now.

You are so close I can feel it!  I can also smell Hess like you said I would…

It took a lot of effort for Kaen not to laugh at that announcement.  He knew Pammon was close.  Hess was keeping the horses tied up a quarter of a mile away from the clearing Pammon had found.  In the woods were two small open areas close to each other, and only a little over an hour of trudging through the woods to get to them from the road.

When Kaen got his horse tied off, he sprinted toward Pammon.

Hess had told him he would bring dinner, knowing Kaen would spend the night with his dragon.

“I know it feels weird when I say this, but it is like I can feel the scratches through our bond,” Kaen declared as he slowly scratched between a few of Pammons scales on his neck.  “It’s like when you feel it, I somehow feel it.  Is this the way it is supposed to be?”

Pammon snorted and bent his neck to look at Kaen’s face.

Huffing in Kaen’s face, Pammon quickly licked from ear to ear across his head, leaving a trail of slobber dripping down his face.

“Ung, that’s nasty!” Kaen shouted, wiping his face with his arm and spitting out the saliva that had gotten into it.

Nope, I didn’t feel that at all.  Pammon started a low thrum that Kaen recognized as his laugh.

“That was so disgusting.  Why would you do that?”

No matter how much Kaen wanted to be angry with Pammon, he believed it was funny even though he was on the bad end of that trade.

I have no idea how all this works.  I somehow know fragments of some things and have no idea about others.  Perhaps when you can ride on me and we search out another Dragon Rider they will tell us.

Removing the last of Pammon’s spit from his face, Kaen stood up and reached around’s Pammon’s neck pretending to wrestle with him.

“You know, if I could hold on, I would let you fly me know, but Hess said he will work on a harness.  You can ask him tonight if you want.”

I will.  Like being away from you, I need to fly with you on my back.  It’s one of those things I know… or just feel.

“Soon, that will happen.  For now, I am just content to be here with you.

With Kaen holding onto his neck, Pammon jerked up off the ground, lifting Kaen easily and dangling him from his neck.  Pammon shook his neck a little, letting his low thrum reverberate through his body as he tried to playfully toss Kaen off.  After several small attempts and no luck, Pammon stood on his haunches, lifting Kaen a good seven feet off the ground.

“Pammon!” Kaen shouted as he glanced down.  “What are you doing!”

I won’t drop you. Just hold on. I know you are strong enough to.

“Wait, what are…”

Pammon started walking backward in a waddle, his low thrum was so loud Kaen could feel his chest vibrating from it.

This is good practice in case you fall, right?

Realizing Pammon was messing with him, Kaen lifted his leg, got a foothold on Pammon’s shoulder, and slowly shifted himself till he was behind Pammon’s neck, ready for what he somehow knew Pammon would do.

When Kaen's feet were set perfectly on the ridge of his shoulder, and he had a solid grip around his neck, Pammon dropped to all fours and began picking up speed as he moved around the clearing.  Kaen somehow knew where to slide his legs and feet as Pammon began moving.  At this moment, he found the perfect spot on Pammon's neck.  The other day he had struggled to sit comfortably, but now he found a groove made just for him.

This moment was different.

The connection they both felt at this very moment as Pammon ran around the small clearing made their hearts pound faster.

It’s happening!

As if Pammon had willed it, his lifestone surged, and it seemed to flood both of them through the connection they shared.  They both knew what to do next.

It’s time!  Hold on!