Heart of Water

Chapter 13: A Lull in the Sea

The next few weeks were spent with Summer, Riptide, and Aggro all deciding to teach the other dragons how to swim.

"Are you sure about this, Summer?" Winger asked the sea-foam green Fastfin with an uneasy look on his face. "We're not water dragons."

Summer and Riptide laughed quietly and gave each other a knowing look.

Winger, Cutter, and Burple all looked a bit uneasy at the look that the two Fastfins were giving them.

"What are you two thinking?" Dak asked in an attempt to break the silence. "Is it something crazy?"

Riptide just shrugged and turned to gaze upon the sea.

"Now why would we do that?" Summer asked him with a raised eyebrow. "This is your first time swimming, so Aggro, Riptide, and I will be right here to help you guys."

"Alright then, let's do this!" Cutter agreed, not wanting to look scared.

First they showed them how to swim, then how to hold their breaths longer to dive, though they were nowhere near as skilled as a water dragon. Unfortunately for the dragons, things were about to go horably wrong and as they were swimming, Burple suddenly screamed and took to the air as he flew away.

"What in the name of Nóttu was that all about?" Riptide asked before looking where Burple had been, before paling and screaming herself and joining him in taking to the air.

"Eek! Eels! Eels!" She cried out in alarm as she flew past a stunned Summer, who quickly gave chase, wanting to make sure that her mate was alright.

The others looked and took off as well when they saw the eel that they had seen. Eventually they got to an island away from the eel and planted themselves on the sand, well, everyone except for Dak, who had the smirk of a search brother who found teasing material.

"So, Riptide, tell me..." he said with a teasing grin forming on his face. "I thought Fastfins were't scared of eels, yet both you and Summer are, so does that mean that you two were both eeling me?"

Glaring at him, Summer and Riptide as well as Aggro, who had taken their side, used the coldest waterblast that they could to knock him down before Summer and Riptide took off for the Roost where Summer comforted astill very shaken up Riptide.

"Why did he tease me about my fear?" Riptide asked her mate with fear still written all over her face. "That's just rude and it makes me feel even more embarrassed."

"Because he's a boy, and boys are stupid," Summer said, smiling slightly when it made Riptide giggle. She continued saying jokes and other things like that until Riptide was finally calm.

"Thank you Sum," Riptide said, kissing her mate on the cheek before a frown crossed her face. "Now how to get him back for this."

"Too bad we can't just stick him somewhere and leave him there," Summer muttered with a resigned sigh. "That would surly teach him a thing or two."

"Wait a minute! That's it!" Riptide cried with an evil grin forming on her face. "We can use some Slinkwing goo to do that for us!"

"Do we still have any of the goo?" Summer asked her with a confused look on her face. "And if we do, where is it?"

Riptide nodded her head and motioned with her tail for Summer to follow her.

"Come on Sum, follow me." She said, flying over to a shelf where a jar of the sticky green substance sat high up and away from the clutches of baby dragons.

With that they waited until everyone was asleep before Leyla carried his sleeping form outside where she turned to Riptide and carried him to where Summer supplied a bunch of slinkwing goo, both glad that fastfins aren't as susceptible to the stickiness as they used it to stick the sleeping Dak on the underside of a tree branch.

The next morning everyone was woken up when they heard him scream.

Everyone except for Summer and Riptide leaped about a foot into the air at the sudden surprising awakening.

Aggro paused at the sleep cave entrance and turned back to face the two water dragons. They just smirked and gave her a wink.

"Oh, you guys are horrible!" Aggro giggled, walking over and taking a seat beside Riptide, who yawned and curled into Summer's side.

"Come on Riptide, you gotta get up," Summer nuzzled her mate's neck with a soft purr.

Riptide didn't move.

"Riptide?"

She groaned and opened one eye, staring up at Summer with a tired smile.

"Hm? What is it, Sum?" She asked sleepily, yawning and putting her tail over her eyes. "I don't wanna get up!"

Summer held back an amused laugh as she nuzzled Riptide's cheek. "I know you don't want to Riptide, but it's morning and you need to get up."

Riptide groaned and covered her face with her wings. "Do I have to, Sum?"

Summer crooned softly and kissed the top of Riptide's head. "Yes, yes you do, Riptide. Now come on, it's time for breakfast! And I found your favorite, trout." Summer said with a growing smile as Riptide seemed to perk up at that.

The sky blue Fastfin yawned and slowly stood to her feet. "Okay let's go!" She said, bounding out of the sleep cave with Summer and Aggro close behind her.