Fight or Flight

Chapter 6

Simon

One week later...

"Hello again!" I called out to the pink dragon sprawled on the hillside and lifted my arm in an awkward wave. It was a bit harder to move my arm, what with all the shirts I was wearing as padding – Enola's preferred method of saying goodbye seemed to be by smacking me in the chest, and while if a dragon hits you once it was something you could blame on the dragon, any sore chests I walked away with today would definitely be my fault – but I managed the greeting.

An annoyed groan came from the dragon, loud enough to be heard even from where I stood at the bottom of the hill. "Just when I was starting to think I was finally rid of you..." She slowly lifted her head and glared at me. "Do you humans ever learn? Must I drop you in the lake, too?"

I plastered a cheerful grin on my face and began walking up the hill. "I appreciate the thought, kind dragon, but I have already bathed once today. And the gift I have brought you would not fare well in the water. I would hate for it to be ruined before you could enjoy it, after Smokey has gone through the trouble of carrying it all this way."

The horse beside me did not seem as interested in approaching the dragon as I was – likely remembering the last time it had encountered her – and he snorted and pulled at the lead in my hand at the sound of his name in an attempt to pull away from the scary dragon. I paused long enough to brush my hand over his side and spoke in a low, soft tone. "Easy, Smokey. It's okay. Enola won't eat you; she was just grumpy the last time."

It had been over a week since the last time I had spoken with Enola, and in that time I had been busy. I had found the herald's lost horse – it had panicked like the noble had suspected, but it had been easy enough to follow the tracks from Enola's lair – and after a bit of calm words, sugar cubes, and apples, I had brought the horse back to Lakeshire with me. The herald had already fled by then, and since I was certain he would report that his horse had died in the encounter, I saw no problems with taking care of the abandoned horse for the time being.

Smokey seemed to enjoy the new arrangements and had been more than happy to tag along with me to the nearby town of Yellowseed to drop off my letters. It was a happy stroke of fortune that the horse preferred to walk beneath me, making the journey a much easier one, and that he walked at an energetic pace that shaved days off my trip. And after a bit of trading and bartering in Yellowseed – mostly for more spices, padded shirts, and the surprisingly expensive supplies a horse required – the horse had been just as happy to carry my purchases on the trip back to Lakeshire.

Well. He had been happy up to the point he had actually seen Enola, at least.

Enola's eyes narrowed at the mention of my gift, and I saw her claws start to dig into the ground beneath her. "Are you trying to bribe me into leaving my home, too? I have no desire for your shiny trinkets, and even less desire to leave."

"Perish the thought! I am grateful for your company, and would be terribly saddened if you decided to leave." I stopped talking as the hill grew steeper. The extra shirts might offer some protection against Enola's tail and wings, but they were uncomfortably warm for any physical activity.

The dragon mumbled as she watched me climb up the hill. "With my luck, you would end up finding me even if I did leave." I wasn't sure if she meant for me to hear that, or if that was just what passed for a whisper for dragons... so I chose to ignore it.

I came to a stop a short distance away from the dragon and leaned against Smokey. The horse dug nervously at the ground with one hoof, still very unhappy at being close to Enola, but he didn't try to pull away. I unbuckled the saddlebag at his side and carefully extracted the small barrel I had bought in town, then held it out towards Enola. "No, as I mentioned earlier, I am hoping to help you stay."