(This is for mewtwocool's adopt contest! I hope you enjoy this! Sorry its a little longer than 750 words, I got a little carried away qwq)

Yellowdew village came into view below him as he angled his wings to land. The tiny town was nestled in the basin of the valley surrounded by a field dotted with tree groves, and he couldn't have been happier to call it home.

Milo landed with a soft crunch of gravel just outside of town square. The markets in the center of town were host to many customers, but it wasn't surprising on a perfect summer day like this one. The fire dragon ducked under a tent canopy as he walked, skirting past an elderly couple and standing aside for a group of dragonets playing chase through the market.

He finally reached the potion shop and leaned on the sturdy board used for a portable counter. "Say, is there any room in your busy schedule for me?" He grinned at the older dragoness inside the tent.

She turned around and scrunched her forehead playfully at him, her jaws occupied with a sack of fresh herbs - rosemary, from the smell. She set the bag down and moved over to him. "Milo, I always have time for you!" She reached over the board to hug him tightly.

"Mom! I can't breathe!" He gasped jokingly and she swatted him with her tail.

Once she had stepped back, she began working with her materials. "How was the morning patrol?" She asked Milo. More of a polite formality than an actual question; the morning patrols were rarely ever different. Still, it was an important duty to keep the village safe, and Milo was more than happy to do it.

"Fine! I saw a small herd of antelope above the western ridge, I'm sure Kiran would be happy to bring his hunting party out there."

"I'm sure he would. I think I saw him talking to J'li by the river."

Milo smiled and nuzzled her shoulder affectionately. "Great, I'll head over there now and let him know."

His mother returned his affections as she kissed his forehead. "I'll see you at the house."

He nodded and jogged away down the crowded path, scanning for the sky dragon. Instead his eyes caught sight of a strange tent he had never seen in the square before. A basket of fresh mangos sat outside and his stomach growled in perfect timing.

He approached the tent and saw a dragoness organizing the shelves. She was humming a tune to herself and stretching to reach a box on the top shelf.

Milo stepped closer inside the tent. "Need any help-"

The dragoness yelped as she jumped in surprise, knocking the box off the shelf. Milo lunged forwards and caught the box before it hit the ground, apologizing profusely for startling her.

The dragoness exhaled shakily and took the box from him. "It's no problem, really." She managed to blurt out in between his rushed apologies. "I'm Callai." She added after a moment, holding out a paw to him.

He took it and bowed his head slightly. "Milo."

She chuckled in embarrassment. "I'm... not from around here, and I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

He tilted his head. "Well, let me welcome you to Yellowdew valley! I'm part of the local guard, so if you need anything, you just let me know ok?"

She smiled gratefully. "Never met a guard who wasn't... uh sorry. No offense."

He furrowed his brows in confusion, but the dragoness had already turned away and began sorting through the contents of the box. He watched her for a moment, the sunlight glittering on her pale pink scales and the soft-looking feathers on her wings. He had never seen another dragon like her. He found himself growing more and more dazzled by her mystery and beauty, but he did have a duty to continue.

"I'll see you around then, Callai?"

She turned and smiled again. "Yes, I think so. See you, Milo."

...

Kwan prodded the fire dragon with their tail. "What's got you so unfocused?"

Milo shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry, just thinking about this dragoness I met after my morning patrol."

"Oooooooo." The nature dragon teased, tapping their talons on the stone floor of the pavilion where the two were supposed to be writing their weekly reports. "Was she cute?"

Milo rolled his eyes and pushed them away. "I wasn't looking." He tried to focus on his empty scroll, twirling the attached ribbon through his talons absentmindedly.

"You totally were." Kwan chuckled. "What's her name, loverboy?"

"Callai. And I really wasn't." Milo flicked his ears playfully. "I have other things to worry about right now."

Kwan shrugged and leaned back against the railing. "I dunno, the valley's been quiet. What else is there to worry about?"

"The river is still empty, and the crops haven't been growing like they should be. Dragons are going to starve if we can't feed them." The fire dragon pointed out.

His partner was silent for a moment. They both knew that the threat of famine was very real, and not even Kwan could find humor in it.

"We'll figure it out. Togra is watching out for us, she always has." They said finally. "In the meantime, you should really watch out for Thanir. Once she finds out your report isn't done, she'll float you down the river!"

"Alright, that's it!" Milo laughed, tackling Kwan out of their seat and beating his wings lightly down on them.

The two laughed and play-fought like they always had since they were dragonets until Kwan twisted their body away and got on top of Milo, pinning him firmly into the soil.

"Alright alright!" Milo laughed, squirming out from underneath the nature dragon. "You win."

"Not surprising, loverboy. Only thing you gotta win is that dragoness's heart!"

Milo laughed and swatted at them one last time, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to town square to think about Callai.