7

"Kherik! Silvertwister!" you hear your father sternly shout, and the two of you immediately freeze. You turn towards him slowly, dropping your gaze when you see the look on his face.

"What have I told you time and time again?" he asks, and you lazily drag your foot back and forth, watching as dust and dirt take to the air. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." You raise your gaze to meet his.

Your eyes first land upon his dark brown hair, which is clinging to the side of his face, sweat keeping it from moving even an inch. His beard is cut short at the moment. Usually, it was coarse and thick—a fact you know all too well from your days of pulling on it when you were even younger. Then there are the visible wrinkles that appear to overlap at some points. You finally stare into a pair of tired, coffee-brown eyes, and that's what causes you to look away again.

"No playing in the stables," you murmur and glance over at the dragon next to you.

Silvertwister ignores your father's tone, sneaking towards an empty table and scurrying underneath it. When he comes back out, he has a bronze-colored coin in his mouth. With a smile, he trots back to your side, refusing to let go of the valuable, much-needed coin.

"Seems like you still need to teach him some manners," he tells you with a shake of his head, glaring down at the dragon, who doesn't seem to care much.

Now, have you finished spreadin' the hay and plantin' the barley for the fields?" You say nothing, the answer becoming obvious. "I just told you," he begins, but stops short of finishing his sentence. "Go," he sighs, and you quickly turn and walk out of the stables, hearing him mumbling sadly.

You head straight towards the barley bag and drag it across the ground, Silvertwister pushing it from the back. Once you make it to the field, you look at all the areas where the seeds are meant to be planted. Your eyes meet Silvertwister's, the two of you sharing a similar glance.

"I bet I can plant more than you," you shout and immediately run and begin planting the seeds. Silvertwister accepts your challenge and grabs the bag, flying as best as he can away from you. You laugh as you chase after him, all the while continuing to drop seeds in their respective areas. Silvertwister finally lets go of the bag and scoops up seeds in his mouth and claws, awkwardly flying over holes and dropping them inside.

By the time you finish, there are footprints from both species all over the ground. You're probably going to hear about this later, but the job is done, and you had fun. Now you just have to finish scattering the hay.

You walk over to the hay and pick up the rusted pitchfork, finding that it's actually quite heavy and stands much taller than you. You begin to scatter the hay like you were asked, though you do so awkwardly.

Suddenly, a distant horn goes off, its tune familiar. It seems like an old friend that you haven't rested your eyes upon for a long time. You begin to hear the sounds of shouting and screaming and, just barely, a roar. You look over at Silvertwister, who chirps excitedly and prances from side to side, looking at you as if waiting for permission. Without thinking, you drop the pitchfork, and the two of you start towards the old fort that sits peacefully in the distance.

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