“I don’t think these ropes are sturdy enough,” Oscar squeaked, his voice laced with panic.

  “Oh, you’re fine!” Ruby fluted with a wave of her wing.

  “That arch is not exactly looking too stable, either,” Flynn offered, and the blue dragon above him winced.

  Even though Ruby had wanted Oscar to join their entire group of picnic flyers right away, the blue dragon had insisted that no one else could see him during his first attempts. The fact that he agreed to any of this in the first place was still enough to boggle Flynn’s mind. But then again, the ruby dragon was rather persuasive.

  “We’ve used this spot many times before,” Ruby tried to calm Oscar, her eyes beaming with excitement. “Many of our most skilled flyers rediscovered their love for the skies right where you are standing now.”

  “You sure they had his size? And weight?” Flynn asked skeptically.

  Ruby puffed gracefully.

  “Weight is just a mindset,” the heavy-hipped dragon responded, batting her long eyelashes.

  Flynn raised his eyebrows. “Well, then I guess we’re all good.”

  “Flynn, please,” Oscar begged up above. “Do something!”

  “You are in very capable wings, I can tell.”

  “She is going to kill me,” the blue dragon muttered, finally abandoning his dignity.

  Flynn snorted. “You won’t even feel a fall from that height.”

  “You think I’m going to fall?” Oscar shrieked.

  Flynn shrugged. “Well … yes. I doubt you’ll nail it on the first try.”

  The dragon gulped, distorting his flushed scales.

  “Nonsense,” Ruby chimed in. “You got this, Oscar!”

  She shot him a sharp-toothed smile and nodded encouragingly.

  They were standing at the foot of a small cliff, if it even deserved that name, and were looking up to Oscar. The blue dragon was standing under the massive arch of a ruined castle, a harness strapped around his belly and connected to the ancient marble pillars on both sides with long, bristly ropes. He had insisted on wearing a helmet, and for reasons Flynn didn’t dare to question, the Mythical Ward had one in his size and shape.

  Their little charade had been going on for well over 30 minutes at this point. Oscar was constantly finding new reasons why jumping from the tiny cliff was ill-advised, or why he needed more time to prepare. Meanwhile, Ruby never seemed to get tired of his whining and kept on encouraging him to take that last tiny step.

  Flynn was less patient. He figured someone should just give the large dragon a push, but he knew that would only add to his collection of traumas.

  The blue dragon gasped theatrically, his head swaying.

  “I think … I’m fainting.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” Flynn exclaimed and turned away from the scene.

  The wide Valley of Nessar was glowing gold and orange, and he could hear its gurgling stream in the distance. It was a pretty day, and the shade of a nearby mountain was slowly making way for the glowing carpet of sunshine that already covered most of the lush valley. They had left the Mythical Ward early, for reasons only the crimson dragon understood. She’d jabbered something about updraft and winds, but Flynn seriously doubted those aspects made any difference whatsoever for the split-second fall the blue dragon was about to experience.

  “You’ll enjoy it, trust me,” he heard Ruby’s humming voice behind him, and he couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of it all.

  Some adventure this is, he thought to himself and snorted.

  There was a time when Flynn had envisioned a different life for himself — one involving treasures, monsters, and princesses. His parents had never believed he could make a living from a career like that, and they’d proven to be right. Following their recommendations and what they called best intentions, he’d picked up a job in accounting, despite his heartfelt dislike for math and books - and especially math in books.

  As the years went by, it turned out accounting didn’t like him, either. It was only fair, Flynn had to admit, and the sentiment was mutual.

  He still carried a sword, although it really was more of a decorative piece. He’d picked it up at the closing sale of an old theater in their village. It was a prop, but a mighty good one.

  Not that he’d tell any of this to anyone, of course.

  “One last push, and it will be over before you know it!” Ruby rumbled behind him, and when Flynn glanced over his shoulder, he could indeed see progress.

  Oscar had spread his impressive wings and was already partially leaning over the edge. The horror in his eyes was equally impressive.

  “That’s great form! See, you already know the drill.”

  Flynn rubbed his stubbly chin and watched the blue dragon. He never expected Oscar to actually try to fly on this very day, and instead was already happy with the dragon’s recent exposure to the concept. Now, however, it looked like the Oscar was actually going to do it.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “If this works,” Flynn said to Ruby under his breath, “I will personally clean your talons with a small brush.”

  Ruby’s smile told him that all dragons craved the sensation.

  She turned her attention back to Oscar, who was already beginning to awkwardly flap his wings.

  “That’s exactly it! Now jump!” Ruby roared.

  Oscar lifted his head and focused on the far mountains. Flynn suddenly felt unusually nervous.

  “He’ll be fine, right?” he asked hoarsely, but Ruby didn’t hear him,

  “Go for it! You got this!”

  The blue dragon’s thighs contracted and expanded, and the ledge of the cliffs crumbled under the weight of his shifting body. A gust of air ran down the stone face, shooting a volley of pebbles and dirt at the two spectators below. Thin jets of fire escaped his nostrils and whirled through the air as Oscar yanked back his head and took to the skies with one massive jump.

  Or, rather, he lunged forward and crossed a distance of about ten feet before his body sank like a stone dropped in water, and he came crashing down the small cliff, pillars in tow. The ground shook when Oscar’s scaly body hit the soft ground, making Flynn’s knees feel like wet noodles. He jumped back when the toppling castle ruins followed the blue reptile's body as a meteor shower of moss-covered brickwork. The falling stones bounced off of Oscar’s hard shell like hail, and soon, the large dragon was shrouded by a cloud of dirt and debris.

  “Oscar! Are you okay?” Flynn coughed, his voice gravelly from all the particles floating through the air.

  “That — was — AWESOME!” Ruby exclaimed, puffing away some of the dust.

  A few long seconds passed as the rumbling of Oscar’s impact slowly subsided.

  Through his growing panic and the haze of debris, Flynn could finally make out the silhouette of Oscar’s large body, then his neck, and finally his face. The dragon looked just as surprised.

  “Oh,” was the first thing to escape Oscar’s mouth.

  “What do you mean, oh?” Flynn gasped, relieved and upset at the same time.

  “I survived,” the dragon rumbled in bewilderment.

  “Of course you did, silly!” Ruby chimed in. “And you did so well!”

  “I did?”

  “You totally nailed it!”

  “But I crashed.”

  “Of course you did. It was your first time, after all.”

  For a second, Oscar looked deeply offended.

  “You said I wouldn’t crash!” he cried out.

  Ruby shot him a cheeky smile. “I only said you’d be fine. And look at you — you are more than fine.”

  The blue dragon considered her words, debris still rolling off his scaly back. After a moment, a soft smile tugged at his leathery lips.

  “Yeah ... I guess I am.”

  “It’s good to meet another dragon,” Oscar admitted as they strode down a wide path leading back to the Mythical Ward.

  “Likewise!” Ruby fluted. “Us dragons gotta stick together.”

  She winked cheekily and puffed a wisp of white smoke.

  Oscar looked pensive all of a sudden.

  “You know, I never took much pride in being a dragon,” he murmured.

  Ruby examined him for a long moment. “Why is that?”

  “Well, all I know about them is related to violence and bloodshed.”

  The crimson dragon nodded. “It is true that our history is full of futile wars and failed attempts at domination. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a better dragon today. You are not our ancestors.”

  “It’s just a lot of history I’d rather not know about.”

  Ruby flapped her wings. “But that’s exactly the reason why you should know all about it! To be better than they were!”

  Oscar looked surprised. “You really think so?”

  “Yes!” she puffed. “Everything you can learn about dragons and their history will help you understand yourself better. And you can use that knowledge to turn yourself into the best dragon you can be.”

  “I guess if you put it like that—”

  “The library of the Mythical Ward has a fantastic section featuring dragon literature!” she continued, not skipping a beat. “You should totally check it out.”

  Her emerald eyes gleamed, her scales shimmering in the warm sunlight.

  “Do all dragons read?” Flynn asked skeptically.

  Ruby chuckled. “Why, of course! We might not act like it, but we are a very cultured species.”

  “We will definitely take a look at those books you mentioned,” Oscar said, seemingly revitalized.

  Flynn rolled his eyes at the prospect of dry literature research.

  The two dragons smiled and continued to shake the earth with their steps. The golden towers of the Mythical Ward shone bright in the distance, and a pleasant breeze ruffled Flynn’s hair.

  “Hey, Ruby?” Oscar asked after a moment.

  “Hm?”

  “I really appreciate you helping me with this.”

  The blue dragon looked like he’d been working up the courage for his words for the past minutes.

  Ruby glanced at him with her emerald eyes and smiled brightly.

  “Oh, think nothing of it! It’s been fun.”

  Oscar hummed, his tail bouncing with every step.

  “Well, maybe next time I’ll actually manage to fly.”

  Ruby horns perked up. “So that means you want to keep at it?”

  Oscar shrugged, his scales rubbing against each other. “It’s like you said — I shouldn’t miss out on the best part about being a dragon.”

  Ruby looked thrilled, and Flynn suddenly felt rather awkward about walking in between them.

  And to make matters worse, they fell silent for a long moment.

  “So, Ruby,” Flynn asked awkwardly after a while. “Why are you a patient at the Mythical Ward, anyway? You seem perfectly normal.”

  The crimson dragon suddenly looked like she’d bitten into something sour. She turned her head away and slowed her pace.

  Flynn quietly cursed himself.

  “Sorry, was that offensive of me to ask?”

  Oscar winced uneasily, and the air suddenly felt stiff despite the breeze.

  “No … no, it wasn’t,” Ruby said after a moment, her voice low and raspy. “But you shouldn’t assume someone’s okay just because they seem like it. Especially not in a place like this.”

  Flynn gulped. He’d made the same mistake — again.

  “Flynn didn’t mean to offend you,” Oscar tried to mend, but Ruby waved her wing.

  “It’s okay, really. Sorry, I’m being silly.”

  The smile was back, but it looked more fragile than before.

  Or maybe, Flynn finally started to see past the facades people seemed to put up around here.