24

I was asleep when I heard a strange crackling and squeaking sound.

I lifted my horned head and immediately exhaled a jet of flame that separated me and the egg in a circle of fire and looked closer, but there was no one there. Then I lifted my wing and saw... a crack in the egg.

Immediately jumping away from it, I hissed and with a neat swipe of my tail, helped the dragon to crack the shell.

With a hiss and a squeak, the dragon tore the foil from under the shell and tumbled to the floor of the cave, twisting comically as he tried to get up.

I lifted my face to the black dragon and it hissed at me and it froze, wiggling its little face and staring at me with its little eyes. As soon as it saw my suggestive horned snout, its pupils went from vertical to dilated and then back to slits. The newborn dragon hissed happily and somehow staggered towards me, but halfway up it hissed mockingly and blew a puff of smoke from its nostrils until, with a particularly loud sneeze, a small puff of fire erupted from its mouth. His internal flame reactor was waking up.

He poked the dragon with his nose and watched as it rolled over on its back, hissing indignantly. It took it a long time to get back on its feet, so I gently turned it over with my nose, and it stood up, spitting out a small jet of fire, and darted more confidently towards my paws, where it hid, only pulling its curious face out from behind them.

The dragon was black, with still delicate and soft scales, it had a long tail with tubercles where the spikes would grow, and on its head it also had small tubercles where the horns would grow. Its hind legs were also normal, with small but sharp claws. It had no forelegs, but instead had wings that looked like paws with impressive claws. They would be impressive in the future, but for now they were good. It bore a resemblance to Alduin, except that its armour was not of the plate type, but of the scaly type. The dragon would be less protected, but much more agile and faster.

He pulled the baby out from under him and carried it in his mouth to the stone nest he had made when he was hatching it. He pulled the baby out from under him in his mouth and carried it to the stone nest he'd made when he'd hatched it. He was glad to see it, and it immediately snuggled into the flames by his side. It is warm and comfortable now. The little dragon will have to stay in the flames for another month, as its metabolism is not yet fully functional. At least the dragon's flames manifested immediately, clearing the channels in his mouth.

As soon as the baby was asleep, I increased the flames in the nest and flew to the ceiling with a flap of my wings, where part of the wall moved aside to let me down the long cave into the glowing sunlight. The day was in full swing.

I looked around and quickly got out, stretching my wings before taking off. Where he used the Seeking Life call and immediately spotted his prey in the Forbidden Forest.

Flying a short distance, he saw three centaurs grazing goats on a hill.

Sighing that the goats were not wild, I landed not far from the talking centaurs and leisurely flew in their direction.

- Gerwen, look, a dragon! - Suddenly, one of the centaurs spotted me, and all three of them scattered to the side, taking me in their clutches. Clever...

- I won't attack," I said, making the centaurs look even more shocked.

- Anervain, he's talking!

- I can't hear myself, Jerwen," the feathered centaur replied to the raven-haired one.

- And what do you want, dragon? - asked the third, a red centaur.

- I'd like to buy some goats from you," I shrugged my armoured shoulders. You know, it's a bit awkward and damned unaccustomed to using wings as paws. And this weird folding thing doesn't help either. With every movement, the wings tend to open up, and there's a chance that the film on them will tear.

- Why, dragons are bred these days, so instead of stealing, I offered to buy... and what do you need goats for?

- I need them for food," I shrugged and almost spread my wings again. Man, it's annoying, so unaccustomed to using them! I do, as they say, but mostly in theory.

- Hmmm... good. Well, if we don't sell it, you're obviously going to steal the goats, so... three galleons for the goat," the raven centaur said immediately, causing not only me but also his two companions to stare at him in shock. He had exaggerated the price.

- One galleon," I replied.

- Two galleons and fifteen shekels.

- One galleon and one shekel.

Three hours later.

- A galleon and sixteen shekels," I said.

- Two galleons! - A raven-haired centaur.

- I'll buy two goats for that!

- You won't find such a thing! It's a special breed!

- Don't rub it in!

I hovered over this fearless centaur with my toothy mouth, and the centaur swung his spear.

- All right! - Suddenly the raven surrendered. - A galleon and sixteen shekels.

- I muttered as I pulled the inch-thick purse from under my breastplate armour. A word of incantation and the purse is the size of a decent sack of flour, and I shake it lightly, dumping four galleons on the floor. You have to do a lot of tricks when your hands are not wings and paws, not designed for precise action like human hands.

- Keep the change," the raven-haired centaur said immediately, picking up the coins deftly.

A growl escaped my lips at that, and the centaur was out of the way in an instant, bouncing skilfully away.

- Either you sell for a decent price or I'll buy from someone else next time. It makes no difference to me," I muttered.

- Why didn't you tell me you were a wholesaler? - The centaur exhaled happily and handed me back a whole galleon. - It's possible to make a good profit on a single transaction, but it's lost on long-term relationships," the centaur told me, looking at my surprised face. - So for one goat, half a gallon. When do you need another batch?

- In three days. Three goats," I murmured back, still surprised.

- Everything will be in perfect condition! - the raven assured me. And the redhead had already given me two stubborn goats. I had to feed the baby, but I had to go back to the cave, so I had to go back to the cave, and I had to go back to the cave. Gotta feed the baby. Right, dragons grow fast. So I'd have to buy at least one more goat for every new one I bought. Ahh, good thing there's enough money and the clones are doing well. I have a strange feeling of responsibility for the little dragon that never lets go...