*Rakota's POV*

Victorya used a claw to trace a line in the sand. "–and the humans should be able to check all these villages by the end of tomorrow if we leave early in the morning."

"That's as good of a plan as any," Qwest said. "Have the mages tried another finding spell with that arrow yet?"

"No," I replied. "But I'm keeping my senses open in hopes."

We all glanced over to where Brandon and Katerina were scrubbing the pots with handfuls of sedges. They weren't moving very fast after all the bread they ate, and judging by how long it was taking them, the burnt bits stuck to the bottoms weren't cooperating.

The off-key singing in the other direction grew louder, which was another plausible reason for their delay. Most animals were quiet when they buried their droppings, but apparently Randel felt he had to entertain himself. It was an odd habit I hadn't seen another human display, and one I hoped to never encounter again.

I would have tossed Randel into the lake a dozen times by now, although neither Brandon nor Katerina had aggravated me in such a fashion. Brandon was far more courteous and easy-going than the other riders I'd encountered, and it was making me rethink my long-held assumption that all riders were annoying.

Was having a family worth being stuck with a rider?

Humans were a race I had barely tolerated all my years. Could I handle one being around on a daily basis? With the bond, neither dragon nor rider could remain apart for more than a few days without consequences, so it wasn't like I'd be able to just leave her somewhere for extended periods of time.

If her presence became irritating, it was only a temporary inconvenience since humans usually didn't live over a century. Most dragons didn't bother using spells to extend their rider's lifespan since it used a lot of magic and only gave them another century or so.

But a rider would allow me to have a family. I'd always loved Serepha's personality; we'd grown up in the same area and had gone on adventures with each other as fledglings. If I had been asked who I wanted to spend my years with, it would have been her.

She knew I'd started offering flights at the Dragon Landings to see if I could tolerate a rider. Many couldn't. Humans were very different from dragonkin, and the bonding spell couldn't simply be recast with a new individual if it didn't work out. Nor could a bond be undone.

Most dragonesses didn't want to deal with the headache of a rider bond on top of the usual motherhood stresses, so that duty was usually left to their partners. The more I considered it, the more I realized that Katerina hadn't really been a headache so far.

The differences were only made clearer by Randel's singing emanating from behind a clump of bushes. Still, this wasn't a decision to be made lightly, and it might be worthwhile having another chat with Qwest to ensure I was thinking things through sufficiently.

A deep rumble overhead made everyone glance at the dark clouds blocking out the remains of the sunset. A flash of lightning and a sharper crack of thunder announced the storm's arrival.

"You two better hurry up," Diondin called out. "The water isn't a safe place in a lightning storm."

Seconds later, the humans were walking away from the lake, proof that they had been purposely avoiding their companion's bathroom serenade. A few raindrops began falling, leaving tiny ripples on the lake's surface as a warning of the deluge to come.

"Is the shelter on fire?" Katerina asked, craning her neck as she started jogging. I turned my head toward their campsite. I'd seen Randel add a lot of wood before disappearing into the bushes and had assumed all the fire was from the campfire, but now I saw that the wooden shelter behind it was engulfed in flames.

"Randel!" Brandon called out, also sprinting. "What did you do?"

"I'm downwind!" he shouted from the bushes.

The fire dampening spell easily formed in my mind, and the flames on the shelter disappeared, although the charred branches were already crumbling under their own weight. Smoke continued to drift skyward as raindrops sizzled on the still-hot wood. Even as I stood up, part of the shelter collapsed.

"No," Brandon told Randel, slowing down now that the fire was out, "why was Katerina's shelter on fire?"

"Huh? Her shelter? Argh. Give me a minute to pull up my pants."

Katerina ran over and quickly pulled her backpack away from the smoldering ruins. She patted the sides and told Brandon, "It's warm, but at least my backpack is undamaged."

Her shoulders slumped in relief, then she jumped away as the shelter collapsed with muted crackling. More twigs snapped as Randel came out of the forest, still doing up his belt.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Woah, what happened to the lean-to?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Katerina retorted. "It was fine when we left, and there isn't enough time to rebuild something that will keep the rain off me tonight."

Wood in the firepit crackled, and several embers flew to the base of the shelter.

"Some embers must have landed on it," Brandon said, scuffing one out with his shoe. "Why did you add so much wood to the fire?"

"The storm was coming," Randel replied like it should have been obvious. "I didn't think the sparks would fly that far."

"When you pile the wood waist-high, you can't just leave the fire unattended," Brandon told him in exasperation. He glanced up, then said, "It's starting to rain harder. Let's see if we can build something to keep the rain off Katerina."

"That took you hours last time," Randel protested. "We'll get soaked."

I narrowed my eyes in speculation. There really wasn't time for them to rebuild the shelter, not if they were going to stay halfway dry when a downpour was imminent. A hint of magic brushed my senses as Andar started to use a dirt-molding spell, likely to create a shelter since his rider accidently destroyed hers.

But a different idea had already crossed my mind, so I reached out with my own magic to gently block him. The green dragon stopped casting and opened his eyes to regard me for a long moment, then he curled up to wait and see what I was up to. I could also feel Serepha's intent gaze.

I had just been thinking about a bond, so this would be a good test.

"You won't be able to build a shelter in time," I told them in an uninterested tone. "She can sleep under my wing tonight and rebuild the shelter tomorrow."

Katerina looked more dismayed than relieved, but the rain was already starting to come down harder, silencing her protests.

Randel shrugged and began walking toward Andar. "That's much better than spending hours in the rain."

Brandon blinked slowly as his gaze drifted between me and Katerina; he was smart enough to know how rare such an offer was and possibly realized my underlying motives. With a sigh, he told Katerina, "I can help you rebuild the shelter tomorrow. We'd get soaked trying in the middle of a storm."

She made a face but reluctantly nodded and grabbed her backpack.

"You'll want to pick a spot where water won't collect," Diondin murmured, using magic so only I could hear his words. "Drying the grass also helps."

A glance at my feet revealed I was in a slight dip, so I walked closer to him, where the ground was a bit higher. I lay down and swept my tail over the grass as I cast a spell that let me push the raindrops away. I raised my wing and waited for the hesitant human, who kept glancing at Randel and Brandon as if checking what they were doing.

"You can lean against my side or lay on the ground as you choose," I told her, waiting with the patience of a hawk when it knew the mouse had no option but to come closer.

Unease wafted off her as she walked under the shelter of my wing. Now out of the rain, she hesitated, once more glancing at the riders. Diondin was still holding his wing up as Brandon sat down and leaned against the blue scales. The rider gave Katerina a thumbs-up as the wing was slowly lowered over him and rested on the grass.

I lowered my wing slightly to hasten her steps, and she took the hint, coming closer to my side where there was more space. I tilted my head so I could see through the gap between my foreleg and wing as I slowly lowered my wing, creating a small space shielded from the rain and weather.

There was enough room for her to stand, which she did as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Eventually, she looked around and noticed me watching.

She bowed her head. "Thank you."

"Sleep well. The morning will come early." I rested my chin on the ground and mostly closed my eyes, feigning sleep.

When she set her backpack down, she discovered the grass was dry and simply pulled out her sleeping bag. She didn't lean against me, which was probably wise since there was a chance of me shifting in my sleep and injuring her without a rider bond.

I watched the human under my wing settle down for the night. It was a liberty I had never allowed any human, even if they had tried to bribe me during longer trips. It...actually wasn't too bad. It reminded me of the times I had let a nestling curl up against me.

The magedebt had eased a fraction, but the majority remained. I still had a few days before it started impacting my magic, so I could use that time as a serious trial run to see if I could handle keeping track of a human and their needs.

Serepha watched me for a long time and eventually got up and walked over. Without saying anything, she curled up so her back rested against mine. She tucked her head under her wing – something not normally done outside of an aerie or one's own den – a silent way of saying she trusted me to keep her safe while she slept.

I ignored Victorya's smile as I set up a couple rings of wards that would let me know if a human passed through them. It was an additional layer of protection, and a silent promise that I was considering a bond.

The thought of children danced through my mind, and I followed that thought longingly. I'd always wanted a family, and Serepha was definitely making sure I knew she was interested. My hopes and dreams were within my reach, and I was seriously considering a bond at this point. I just lacked a rider whose bond would allow the eggs to hatch.

Katerina was the first human I had been able to tolerate for more than a few hours, and she was quite tempting for several other reasons. She had no close family, which meant there wouldn't be any relatives constantly begging for money or a healing spell. Such stories were far too common, and it could get quite tiresome and annoying. She was still young, so it would be many years before age would become an issue.

She was soft-spoken and didn't seem to have much of a temper. After her earlier comments, I doubted she had any interest in stepping foot in a king's castle, let alone wanting to attend every royal ball like a few of the other riders.

In my mind, a quiet and self-effacing rider was way more preferable than one that tried to be a prideful warrior. Much less hassle and headache. Most like her would never approach a dragon, preferring to remain out of sight and out of mind. It was sheer luck that I had her in my claws at the moment.

Perhaps this opportunity was too good to pass up...