But eventually, they both fell into a comfortable rhythm, and it became obvious that the two of them had spent their entire lives together. Before long, Kalai stopped over-thinking and began anticipating Arrow’s movements to the point where Tauran grew eager to increase the difficulty with some basic ground-level obstacles. But he also knew the value of ending on a good note. Not to mention, all three of them were yawning by the time Arrow crouched once more and Kalai slipped off his back.
“Oh. Ow,” Kalai groaned, grasping the backs of his thighs as he slowly straightened.
Tauran chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “It’ll be worse in the morning.”
Arrow padded over by the nearest wall, spun in a circle, then settled into a tight curl, extending one wing to cover himself.
“Wow, would you look at that.” Kalai angled his chin at Arrow, closing his eyes and burying his head under his wing. “Thank you for this, Tauran. Really.”
“Nothing like learning new things to tire the mind,” Tauran said. “It was no problem. I had fun.”
“Speaking of tiring the mind...” Kalai gazed up at him, eyelids heavy.
Tauran smiled and wrapped an arm around Kalai’s shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”
* * *
The following five days slipped by with barely an idle moment.
While Kalai could schedule his day mostly as he pleased, Tauran’s time was divided between the guard grounds and the archive, and while they both longed to spend more time training Arrow at the tower, bringing the egg with them was impossible, and caring for the egg took precedence.
Not that Kalai would complain. He’d never gotten paid so generously for such relaxed work. Organizing the archive was a pleasant task, and he spent the evenings translating old Sharoani texts by candlelight. He found himself far more intrigued by the documents about riding than he had before. When Tauran had promised him a saddle, Kalai had barely let himself trust the dream of flight. But now that he’d been on Arrow’s back, he could think of little else.
And when he wasn’t thinking about flying, he thought of Tauran.
The night they’d returned from the tower, Kalai had childishly hoped Tauran wouldn’t ask for his clothes back. He hadn’t. The trousers hung low on Kalai’s hips and the shirt sleeves extended a good few inches past his hands, but the soft, worn fabric held Tauran’s scent, had subtly shaped to fit his body. Wearing it filled Kalai’s belly with a tickling delight.
After their heart to heart in the kitchen, Tauran had seemed far more relaxed around him. He was still going slow, considerably more so than Kalai had expected. From their late night talks, Kalai knew Tauran had been far looser with his affections in his youth. And Tauran knew Kalai liked him. Tauran had to be fairly certain Kalai would not reject him. They were practically already together. But Tauran seemed to handle their growing bond with the same attentive seriousness he did caring for the egg. It filled Kalai with joy, made him feel worth courting. Precious. It charged even the faintest of touches with intent. Kalai smiled. He was positively smitten, something he hadn’t allowed himself since he’d gotten his heart broken. But something told him Tauran was worth trusting. Arrow liked him, too. It was obvious.
“So will you, when you meet him,” Kalai said, tapping the tip of a finger against the egg in his lap.
Tap tap.
Kalai froze. He narrowed his eyes, breath stilling in his throat. Did the egg just... tap back?
Kalai tapped it again.
Waited.
Tap... tap tap.
A soft breath escaped him. He bent over the egg and pressed his ear against the shell. Lightly, he rapped his knuckles against it.
The baby shifted inside. Then a distinct click made him raise his head. His heart pounded. Turning the egg, he examined the shell.
“Hey, baby,” he murmured, stroking the surface. He traced the faint ridges. A difference in texture gave him pause, and he tilted the egg on its side. There, near the top, a tiny crack broke the surface. Chills rolled across his body. “Oh gosh. Oh dear,” he whispered. He looked up and around, then back to the egg. He tapped the tiny crack, and this time, there was no mistaking it. The baby dragon inside tapped back, the crack expanding just slightly.
“Okay. Okay. No reason to panic,” Kalai said, not sure if he was talking to himself or the egg. He went over what he knew about hatching dragons. After the