Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 057 - First Flight (Patreon)

Leaping into the air, Pammon beat his wings, creating the lift needed for him to clear the tree tops with the added weight of Kaen.  Over and over, his wings moved air, launching him upward as Kaen’s legs gripped against his neck.  He could feel Kaen’s arms wrapped around his neck and how tight his hands were clasped together.

Open your eyes, you fool!

Kaen realized he had squeezed his eyes shut.  He opened them up, and his breath was lost in the moment of what he saw.

The sun was setting to the west, turning the sky into an artwork of oranges and reds.  The wind rushed by him, and he saw the forest below turn into something mysterious and dark, the shadows from up here gave it an evil look.

Kaen shouted, and Pammon laughed.

I can’t hear what you said.  The wind swept it away.

I could do this forever!

That is my hope.  Now hold on as I turn around.

Kaen’s lifestone was still surging, and as Pammon adjusted his wings and the angle of his body, he gave himself over to it.  His hips shifted to lean against the turn, keeping him upright and less likely to fall off.  His shoulders and arms adjusted their position, keeping him right where he needed to be.

As Pammon banked to the right, Kaen gazed at the forest as it stretched out to the horizon.  The number of trees seemed impossible to believe; making the maps he had seen do no justice for his current view.

This is amazing!  Everything looks so…

Magical?

Yes! Like something from a tale I heard sung by a bard as a kid.  Not even the stories my dad shared with me compare to this!

Is your lifestone doing something right now?  I feel a direction from inside you to me.  Do you feel it?

It is going crazy and acting differently.  I can feel it flowing between us.  When it happens, I let myself go and let it take over.  That is how I am able to stay balanced so easily, and all this seems possible.  Until that moment before you took off, I had no idea where to sit or how to hold, now it seems like second nature.

Neither spoke for a bit as Pammon glided over the trees, having climbed a good quarter mile above them.  The view from here made everything so small, and even the clearing they had flown out of was barely visible from the sky.

Joy, connection, belonging, peace, contentment, and a plethora of other emotions flowed between them both.

Kaen wondered if this was how a bond between a Dragon Rider and their dragon was, why there were so few now.  What had been so bad to cause them to all but disappear?

We need to land…

Is something wrong?

I have a hunch there will be when we return.  Hess is in the clearing, and it appears he is not happy.

Kaen leaned off to the side a little and stared at the ground where he could see the break in the trees under them.

Can you see him that clearly?

Pammon’s body pulsed, and the thrum of his laughter vibrated against Kaen’s backside.

I can count the hairs on his head even when I am much higher.  I won’t mention to you or him the few grey ones he has growing.

Rubbing Pammon’s neck with his right hand, Kaen gripped a scale.

Let’s go down and deal with it.

Pammon started their descent, taking his time and relishing in the moment they still got to experience.  As they banked and came closer to the clearing, Kaen could see Hess looking up at them and shaking a fist.  He didn’t need Pammon’s ability to see that far to know Hess was unhappy with him.

As they approached the ground, a last surge of Kaen’s lifestone roared into Pammon, and he adjusted his wings, slowly down quickly, angling his body and landing at a different angle than he usually did.  The movement kept Kaen in his spot, allowing him to reach the ground without any issues at all.

[ Dragon Riding Skill Acquired ]

[ Dragon Riding Skill Increased x10 ]

What was that?

Kaen couldn’t help but laugh when he was informed of the skill gained by his lifestone.  Even with Hess shouting at the two of them, dashing across the opening, Kaen was amazed at how all this had occured.

I got a skill for dragon riding just now.  My lifestone actually gave me a ten, which is a huge starting point!

I could feel a change in you and me when it happened.

Did you gain a skill?  I mean do dragons gain skills?

I do not….

“WHAT IN THE HOLY MOTHER OF HAIRY DWARF BALLS DO THE TWO OF YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!

Hess’s shouting had cut off Pammon’s message, and Kaen noticed the vein in Hess’s forehead appeared to have a long-lost brother with it at this moment.

“Hess, it’s ok, we…

“IT WAS NOT OK! IT WAS FOOLISH!”

Hess stopped a few feet from Pammon’s snout and gazed furiously at the two of them.

“Get off him right now and come down here!” he shouted as he pointed his finger at the ground.

“Hess, listen!”

“No, you listen!  You could have died! Then what?  Just because you felt you couldn’t wait and needed to try it out?!  Everything I have done! Everything this world has offered you!  You would throw it away?”

Pammon huffed and moved his head to block Hess’s vision from Kaen.

I am getting angry.  I will not let him talk to you like that.

Let me handle it. He is hurt and upset, and worried.  He is only acting like you did when I drank that alcohol, remember?

Frustration and anger that had been seething from Pammon and their bond decreased a little.  Not a ton but enough to let Kaen know he understood Hess’s side a little better.

Swinging a leg over Pammon’s neck, Kaen slid down and landed easily on both feet.  He tapped Pammon on the neck and pushed his head out of the way so he could get to Hess.

“Hess, listen…”

Kaen was cut off as Hess bear-hugged him, squeezing him so tight it made breathing almost impossible.

“You fool,” Hess declared as tears started to flow down his cheeks.  “I was afraid, you idiot!  Afraid you would get hurt or worse!”

Grunting through the pain, Kaen put his arms around Hess as best he could and patted his back.

“I know.  I’m sorry.  We had not meant to do that, but my lifestone made Pammon do it.”

Hess pushed Kaen back and scrunched his face as he looked at Kaen.

“Your lifestone did what?!”

Taking a deep breath, Kaen recovered the air he had lost from that hug and then explained exactly what had happened to Hess.

After Kaen had stopped talking, Hess had just stood there mulling things over, walking around in small circles with his hands behind his back, staring at the ground.

Do all people do that when they are thinking?

No, but what I just told Hess is something he has never heard of or knows about.  We are dealing with things no one but a dragon rider would have any idea of.  He is trying to weigh everything he knows about lifestones and what I just said.  He has also told me many times that mine is different from his, and he isn’t sure if it's because of you or something else.

Pammon blew a breath of air at Kaen’s face and then poked him on the shoulder with his snout.

It has to be because of me.  We both know I’m special like that.

Kaen started laughing out loud, and Hess turned to see why he was laughing.

“Dragon conversations?”

Nodding yes, Kaen motioned to Pammon.

“He says all this with my lifestone is because of him.  Because he is special.”

Pammon started laughing himself, causing Hess to shake his head and roll his eyes at the two of them.

“This makes it really hard for me to be upset at that stunt you two just pulled,” Hess finally stated, waving his hands in the air.  “You know how I feel about it, but if your lifestone made the two of you do that and you gained a skill like you said you did, then I was wrong.  So please forgive me.”

“You don’t have to ask for forgiveness.  You were worried because you care about me.”

Sighing, Hess nodded as he walked up to Pammon and held his hand out toward him.  Pammon moved his head over and let Hess start scratching the scales, trilling in delight.

“I’m sorry too, Pammon,” Hess said with a smile at the sound of the trilling.  “I know you would never endanger Kaen like that.  Both of us know you are the smarter of the two.”

Pammon laughed, and Kaen playfully slapped him on the neck.

Tell Hess I forgive him, and he is right.  I am smarter.

“Pammon says he forgives you even if you are wrong and says I am smarter.”

Pammon’s wing came forward, catching Kaen on the back and sending him to the ground.  Hess and Pammon both started laughing as Kaen stood up with a grin on his face.

“Ok, maybe he didn’t say that last part.”

“I had no doubts about that,” Hess replied with a wink.

Kaen and Hess ate dinner, both of them leaning against Pammon’s body as he encircled them both.  The fire they had built just a little bit away cast a warm light on the three of them as they relaxed in the darkness of the night, looking up at the sky and the shining stars.  A half moon was out, lending just enough light to see the tree line.

“You have grown,” Hess admitted between bites.  “I will admit I am shocked at how fast it has happened.  How much are you eating now?”

Four to five deer a day, at least now.

Seriously?!

I would gladly eat a cow, but I doubt I could get away with that without causing problems near the city.  It isn’t too bad, though.  There are a few areas with plenty of deer, and I move around so I don’t wipe them out.

“He says four to five deer a day, but he wishes he could eat a cow or two.  He just doesn’t want to cause problems in the city or the farms.”

Hess nodded and smiled as he chewed his apple.

“That proves to you why he is smarter than you,” Hess declared, enjoying the vibration of Pammon’s laughter from that comment as he leaned against him.  “On that note, I think it is time for me to head back to the horses.  I know you two will stay here tonight, so I expect Kaen to be sent back to me in the morning.”

Hess motioned to Kaen to stay seated as he stood up.  He moved over to Pammon, gave his neck a good scratch session, and then patted him.

“Take care of Kaen for me like I know you will.  I know you two are perfect for each other.”

Im not sure how to take what he just said.

Kaen roared in laughter, and Pammon bopped him on his head with his snout.

“He isn’t sure how to take that last comment, but I do.”

Hess nodded and smiled as he walked in the direction of the horses.  Pulling a lightstone from his pouch, he turned it on and walked through the darkness toward the trees.

“Remember, be up at first light!” he called out as he walked away.

Kaen watched Hess walk away, enchanted by the glow of his lightstone as it moved through the trees until it disappeared completely.

You know he still smells.

A snort escaped Kaen, and he nodded.

“I didn’t feel like mentioning that to him after what we had put him through.”

He was hurt because he cares for you deeply.  I know you say he isn’t your father, but I imagine this is how one would act.

A twinge of hurt pierced Kaen’s heart from that statement so badly that he unconsciously put his hand on his chest and rubbed it.

I’m sorry if that upset you. I was just telling you what I have noticed since the day you found me.

“I know,” Kaen replied quietly.  “He is like a father to me.  It feels like I betray my real dad if I call him that though.  I know it doesn’t make sense, and it shouldn’t, but it does.  It's like… if I give him that title, I wonder if I am erasing what my dad means to me?”

Wrapping around Kaen a little tighter, Pammon extended a wing to cover him up some.

I do not think so.  Just because he is not made from you does not mean that he cannot love you.  You have told me many times about what he has done and how he has trained and cared for and shaped you.  I believe that your father picked him not just because he was his friend but because he knew Hess would love you as his own son.

The wind in his lungs seemed to be pulled out, and it took a second before he could take a breath.  He knew Pammon was right.  All those years he had resisted a name or a title because of what it meant, he had ignored just how much it must mean to Hess.

“I’m glad you’re smarter than me,” Kaen joked, trying to lighten the mood.  “I am also glad you aren’t afraid to tell me what I need to hear. I’ll think about it and see if I can let myself call him that.”

Go to sleep. I’m tired, and I know you are too. We can talk tomorrow.  For now, I just want to enjoy the connection I have missed.

Using his hand, Kaen hooked Pammon’s snout and moved his face before his.

“I love you, Pammon.  I’m unsure how to describe the love or what it is, but I am thankful your mother hid you where she did.”

Pammon put his forehead against’s Kaen’s and trilled.

I love you as well.