"Good grief you are one hungry dragon!" Storm laughed as she watched her new friend gobble up another sea slug. "Easy there Aurum! Don't want a belly ache now do we?" The Razorwhip gave a little bellow of laugher and licked her lips as Storm held out another one of the slimy creatures and carefully took it from her before tossing it up and catching it in her jaws.

It had been a month since Storm had injured herself when rescuing Aurum and the sweet thing had proven to be a good companion, just like Smokey. Only thing was that she never showed her to the village. Everyone had been quite terrified of having a wolf taking care of the flocks since they had been known to steal sheep. But how would they react to a dragon- especially a Razorwhip! living in the woods and hanging around sheep.

'It's not like she's even interested in eating them, she seems to like cuddling them more.' Storm thought to herself, recalling the memory of Aurum snuggling against some of the sheep, the ones who were most calm around her that is. 'Besides, what could I possibly do with her? I don't know how to train a dragon like her!'

Storm sighed and pulled out Eret's latest latter that had arrived that morning. She had been waiting to head out to the fields to read it in peace so neither her family or his would be pestering her with questions, should anything blush worthy come up. She carefully opened it up and was surprised to find a smaller folded piece of paper inside the previous folded one. The words 'read this last' was scribbled on the smaller paper in Eret's messy but readable handwriting. Storm chuckled to herself and began to read the other letter.

Dear Storm, it's been too long since we had written to each other! As you know from my previous letters, the job is going well and guess what? I am now leading my own crew of trappers from our tribe! How great is that? Everyone keeps calling me 'boss' or 'chief' around the fort- did I mention that I practically own the whole thing? My new quarters are huge and the bed is perfect!

Anyways, we actually traveled to this one place to handle a dragon problem and we're paid quite well! We actually get paid a lot of runes, depending on the sort of dragons we catch and trade with the dragon hunters to give to Drago. I actually saw several Skrills on one ship and there was this one female among them who reminded me of you: feisty, headstrong, and a whole mess of sass! Of course we keep her separate from her flock and she's being a bit of a thorn in my side- not that you are a thorn in my side- and she is loud!

Oh and before I forget, I actually asked one of my crew members who likes to draw a lot (especially when he's bored out of his skull, which is almost all the time) to draw you a little something- I nearly threw it out but he insisted you should see it. I really miss you and my family, and I hope to come home at some point to maybe visit and catch up. And even meet that wolf of yours that you and my brother's daughter won't stop writing about.

Honestly I wish you also came along with us, it's outright boring out here! And I miss talking to you as well, I really do. Hope no one has mistreated you while I was gone and I do hope that Finn hasn't managed to woo you (that would be a nightmare is you ask me). But if you have found someone, I hope they're treating you nicely. Take care, try to stay out of trouble and do avoid that bastard that deserves to be eaten by a flock of Terrors.

Sincerely, your best friend who looks even more like his father now- ugh, Eret

Storm was already feeling her mouth hurting from all the smiling she had been doing when reading the letter. She soon unfolded the other letter that was inside the one she was reading and gave a small surprised gasp.

On the paper was a drawing of Eret wearing his favorite vest that used to fit him too big with the owl pin she gave him proudly pinned to the front and a goofy smile on his face. His hair had grown quite a bit more longer and her was even more muscled than the last time she saw him and was sporting a tattoo on his chin, one the villagers would get when they hit the age of twenty. After two years she never really expected him to grow that...handsome.

"Ugh shut up brain!" She hissed, smacking her forehead with her palm and gripping both the letter and drawing tightly in the other hand. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! He's your best friend, we've been over this! Gods I hope he doesn't get the wrong idea when he receives my letter with the drawing his mother insisted on sending too!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Eret! You got a letter!" Eret looked up from sharpening his sword to see Ug holding a folded paper. "It's from the village and a dressed to you!"

"Guess Storm remembered to write after all." He chuckled, standing up to take the letter from his crew members and opened it.

Inside was a drawing of Storm sitting on a rock with a large wolf sitting down next to her. She was holding a young lamb in her arms and feeding it something from a sack as she looked down at it tenderly, the way a mother would look at her child. Her hair was much longer now and braided over one shoulder and had some strand of it on the other side of her head all neatly braided with some beads and three simple lines on her chin. The wolf tooth necklace he had given to her hug around her neck along with two other necklaces.

"Whoa...is this really Storm?" He asked outloud as he shifted the papers and began to read the letter.

Dear Eret, in case you got hit on the head by a Gronckle tail and lost your memory, this is your very best friend Storm. Honestly it's been so long since we last wrote to each other. Things haven't really changed that much in the village except your older brother is going to have another kid- everyone has been praying that it's a boy but I wouldn't be surprised if Karolina popped out a girl instead.

And speaking of marriages, your mother has been mentioning marriage to me a lot and dragging your name into it. Is this all because we were born at the same time, raised under the same two roofs, been best friends forever, switched clothes once in a while just to confuse people- haha I loved that time that I had boy hair just like yours- and such? Is that a reason to have us marry?

Hell anyone who is not Finn is fine with me! Besides I know there are bound to be more girls who are better than me, much prettier and who don't smell like wet wool most of the time. Oh and your mother insisted on having a drawing of how I look now sent to you, I actually look more like my grandmother now- that's what mum says. I at least hope you like it and get a better visual of how I look now.

So I guess that's all I really gotta say to not bore you to death. Smokey really wants to meet you and we all miss you too much. Come home soon in one piece, please? Or try to avoid getting shot in the knee. Or loosing an arm or eye or leg or any necessary body parts.

Sincerely, the only shepherd who doesn't smell like wet wool all day, Storm

Eret bit his lip to keep himself from bursting out in laughter. It had become a habit for them to write something weird before signing off and ending the letter. He looked down at the drawing and traced her face with his finger. Gods how he missed her.

"I hope we can come home soon Storm, I really hope we can come home." He said, folding up the two papers and tucking them up in his vest for safekeeping.