<Redline>

I woke up to the alarm of my internal clock waking me up at the usual: 7:00am. It was just something that was ingrained in my body now that I'd gone through several years of Pops' hell weeks and countless more months of straight up training with no time to even think or anything other than food, pain, rest, pain, sleep, and more pain.

An involuntary shudder traveled it's way up my spine, from the tip of my tail to the edge of my shoulder-blades and I lay there in my box, staring at the ceiling--I wasn't going to train today...I didn't even feel like getting up to dress for the day. My door opened slightly and I looked over at it to see nothing there; I looked back at the ceiling and thought about how miserable of a day this was going to be--the door opened slightly more and a flash of purple caught my eye.

I jumped up, grabbing my bow and facing the intruder with an arrow knocked and ready to fire, but it was just revealed to be a curious dragon staring at me: standing in my box, still in my nighties, and with what was probably an intense case of bed-head...

I blinked at him.

He blinked at me.

I blinked at him again, and that's when it hit. I (Streak)ed over to the door and slammed it shut before Sc'the's gaze could peel me apart any further...My ears were burning and it was times like this where I was glad most of my human physiology was overtaken by Beast-Characteristics; I would have had an intensely burning-red face of embarrassment otherwise...

He is just a (Young) Dragon. He doesn't know what he's looking at. You can't blame him for staring at you. You can't blame him for what he doesn't understand. I recited to myself, trying to chase the embarrassment I felt away with excuses even I felt were untrue--There is no reason to otherwise, no reason to doubt his actions with valid reason...

I quickly tore myself out of my Nighties: a matching pair of Pants and a t-shirt with tonnes of Black-Kitties spread through-out the entire surface--It was something I vowed to never reveal to Pops, ever, under any circumstance; Because I said I'd hated them and would never wear them, ever...They were the last extravagantly patterned thing he gave me since...

...It was one of my many regrets in regards of my attitude towards him.

Once I was done I opened the door slowly, cautiously--to see if Sc'the was there still, but with his Invisibility there would be no telling of where he was at any given moment unless you literally ran-into him. I closed the door again and took a breath against my door:

7:10am

This was probably the fastest I've ever gotten dressed and awake, ever...even during Hell Week. Suddenly I was thankful the (Young) Dragon couldn't physically or Telepathically speak to us, as he wouldn't be able to share what he'd seen until he was able to: I just had to find a way to keep him quiet until he left.

...Why did that thought make me sad all the sudden?

I stalked over to the door and looked at the mirror, sure enough my eyes were glistening with the wet-beginnings of tears...and that's when I noticed all of my hair was still in 'crazy mode.' I started to methodically rake my claws through my head, body, arms, and legs until everything looked even and straight. Then I left my room and made my way down to the usual breakfast area, only to find it empty with a steaming mountain of eggs on a lone plate, another plate next to it empty and with a crooked note in the middle of both.

Ah, it seemed he had some early morning business to do...I went over and took a seat, picking up the note and taking a glance at it. The little claw-marks from Sc'the's claws lined the edges of it and made the thing look like a small kitten dragged it around for a while before letting go...If not for the deadly purple drips of venom staining it; it was actually rather adorable:

(Sorry--No picture of this yet, but when I can I'll try to make (or commission) one!)

I apologize for not letting you know ahead of time: Something came up at the Guild, and I was only able to write this and cook breakfast for you both before having to leave again.
--P.S. Sc'the, I will be picking up a Tracking-Band for you afterwards; though, I may not be home until after 14:00.

Ah, so this was why he was peeking into my room...most likely he was curious about this and couldn't read it so he tried to go to me in order to ask about it...hopefully.

There was a little huff of exaggeration from the other end of the counter and I looked up from the note to see Sc'the looking at me, then the note, and back again with his head tilted pointedly. I laughed and motioned to it dismissively, "It's just Pops telling us that he had to deal with Guild Business and couldn't stay to see us for First Meal, and that he'll be getting you your Tracking-Band afterwards before heading home."

I looked at the time again anxiously:

7: 25am

Nyoooh--the suspense of waiting for Foxy and Wolfy to come pick me up was going to kill me! I couldn't help but pick at my eggs with little appetite for them and halfway through the pile I tried pushing the remainder to Sc'the to let him have them, but after looking at me and them a few times: he pushed them back and dropped off the counter.

You don't even know what's going on do you? Nyo, of course you don't, it's not like you were there when...wait you were there in the cave when I called her weren't you? I watched as the tail, legs and partially visible neck and head trotted away wiggling and waggling.

Was Sc'the laughing at me??
There was no way was he laughing at me...right?

I looked back at my eggs and inspected them dryly, he didn't even accidentally slobber in them for me...

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The next few hours were a tense fail at relaxation: I didn't want to go outside for fear of both of them seeing either me or him--more so seeing him--and just coming over and scaring the living hell out of me just because they could, and that also meant no training; I didn't want to be already exhausted before being driven into my grave with what she had planned for today. Me and him resorted to just rolling a ball of yarn between the both of us several times, getting another ball of yarn when one of them ran out of length to pass around...

It was surprisingly soothing: I didn't know where or how he had gotten the yarn, but I was entirely up for just diving into something that I used to do when I was younger--a time before I resorted to blocking out Pops as I grew up.

9:46am

Two hours flew by in no-time and by the time there was an actual knock on the door we'd have had to have gone through fifty or so giant balls of Yarn. I froze as soon as the sound echoed through the house, but Sc'the--he perked up, ran right over, and opened the door wide.

Foxy and Wolfy, meet Sc'the. Sc'the meet Foxy and Wolfy, my friends...The three of them stared at the other in utter shock, Sc'the probably at the realization of what he'd just done and how stupid it was and the other two because, well, ""Dragon!!""

-----------------------

Ohohoho, today was going to be a good day! A good day indeed.

I'd been waiting for the moment to get one over on Red since meeting her as a child when she first entered the Guild holding Poppa's hand: it was one of the most memorable, most intense moments in the entire history of the Guild. Just seeing him walk through the Guild, at her pace, while glaring fiercely at every patron and adventurer that so happened to glance at her was the most hilarious thing I'd ever seen in my 50 years among the Terrors.

Just being privileged, and trusted, by the old man to help raise and teach her is a moment that I will cherish forever...and as her older brother, it's also the reason I just have to be there to get the clout of being able to hold on over on her for the next few centuries to come...

Foxy had come over to my place nearing 5:00am and had been pleasantly surprised when seeing that I was already up and ready for the day: I hadn't slept at all that night, deciding to go through my Photo-Crystal Album for all of the embarrassing little kitten photos that I was comfortable sharing of her in public. Then I spent the next three hours using a ton of Enchanting Runes and Animation Runes to stitch them to a giant cloak; turning the pictures into live-motion clips show-casing different moments in time with just the three of us.

It was my greatest creation.

I'd just finished wrapping it in a little box to bring along with when she'd knocked on the door, and I was happy and ready to go. She was acting in a similar manner, but with her usual Foxy twist to it: mostly consisting of snickering, giggling, and grinning towards the sky in poor attempts to hide her mischievous plotting behind the scenes of this event.

I couldn't wait to see what she'd had planned for this evening.

Once we got into the Second District's outer area's we easily found Poppa's home and property, stopping at the giant wall surrounding it and verifying out signatures as to not Spontaneously Combust upon entering the grass. Once past that nerve-wracking point we were barely holding ourselves back from full out using out advanced Skills to reach the door and breaking our way in: not only would that up-set Poppa but it would also most likely cause Red to either flee or put a few (Light Arrows) into our knees...I have two words for that: Not Fun.

I'd been shot by those arrows a few times in the past: some more so deserved than others, and the hurt. It was still a surprise that she had such a powerful second-stage ability (first stage being Light Needles), and at such a high level as well. Each arrow took, like, 450 (Health) each and they hurt, like a bag of Snap-Steel Eels not properly (killed) secured. I did not want to feel that again anytime soon, especially since her (Light Arrows) have likely gotten stronger since then.

I could tell that Foxy was also holding back a considerable amount of her Enhanced nerves and Strength as she knocked on the door as gently as possible. It still seemed to echo through the house and there was a moment when we thought we might've been there at the wrong time, or maybe were interrupting Red's morning routine, but it's been two hours so she should have been done with most of it already...

Our worries were pushed down as the door clicked and started swinging open: everything went from slow motion shock, to full blown chaos in the next few seconds; The door swung wide open to reveal a dragon, a (Young) Dragon at that, and the only part that was visible was it's head, wide, purple eyes full of complete shock, the bottoms of it's feet and claws, and the tip-end of it's tail...

...There was a moment of silence as it seemed to realize what it had just done, and the two of us were too shocked to completely understand what was going on. Then the chaos started: Redline, sitting in a large sea of different colored yarn, immediately got up using (Streak) and she pulled he (Young) Dragon out of the way just as Foxy's barriers came into being around the spot he'd been, and the two of them played keep away with the creature for the next few seconds and I realized I should step in. 

I immediately activated (Blood-Travel) and appeared between Foxy and Red plus the (Young) Dragon just as she was about to touch the two in order to separate them. I used (Blood Wall) between both parties, at a strength that it wouldn't break easily, but was still decently transparent enough to see through both sides still.

"Stop! Get a hold of yourself Freija!!" There was a sharp crack as Foxy's Enhanced Claws penetrated the Wall, cracking it with spider-web fractures, but not penetrating further. "I don't know what's going on here, but I can see that Redline is in no danger of this Dragon. Your grudge is against the others...not this one Foxy!" 

Thankfully this seemed to calm her down, and the ghostly blood-lust she emitted faded back as her mind came forth, although still angry, "How do you know she's safe with that creature! It doesn't deserve to stay next to her, it does't deserve to stay with her, It--"  

"Foxy Stop!" Redline cried out, I looked over at her intrigued. Red wasn't usually one to speak out against Foxy like that; usually she just went along with whatever Foxy dragged her into and rarely ever spoke out against doing something. "What happened to you was in no way his fault! Sc'the is the most adorable, innocent creature I have ever met! He doesn't deserve your rage directed at him because of what he is. He's only three days old, so stop acting like this!" 

That made both me and Foxy freeze in shock, this (Young) Dragon was barely three days old? I tried looking around for it, but there was nothing there in Red's arm anymore, nor was it anywhere around her legs or in the same room at all. I couldn't sense it's Life Signature using (Blood Sense)...was that even possible??

"Where did it go?" I asked and Redline looked down for a moment, and then around herself, before looking back at me and shrugging. 

"Until Freija calms down enough for proper introductions I am not going to ask him to reveal himself." Red hummed, going over to a couch off to the side in a living-room and plopped down on it obnoxiously. 

"How do we know that he won't try attacking us since we can't see him?" Foxy growled and I could see Red's tail lashing on the arm-rest, the rest of her hidden from view. 

"He won't do that. Trust me he's actually a lot like you in a way Foxy; I'm sure once you stop having a pointless fit about this, and actually stop to try and get to know him you'll find that you both aren't all that different..." 

"I doubt that--" 

Red interrupted her with an exaggerated yowl, "Were you able to move everything in this place in under three hours, with nothing but a few Skills and your Strength, at my level Foxy?" 

"I'm sure I could have..." 

"Well you didn't. He has, and when I mean everything was moved I mean literally everything." Redline sat up to look at her with a slight grin, "He moved every single vase and Crystal Torch has been taken from their spots and holsters and placed in a single room each upstairs, all the couches had been moved at least ninety degrees in their positions, the pans in the kitchen had all been moved to different areas of the house, every single pillow from every room had been gathered and piled up right here..." She pointed to the space behind the couch she was laying on, "...and there was so much else that happened I don't want to list it all." 

I looked at her radiating happiness and nudged Foxy's side gently, whispering in a manner Red wouldn't hear, "See how much this creature has done for her in our absence...it's been such a long time since we last saw her smiling like that."  I could tell that Foxy was also thinking about the same thing, but she was too stubborn to just drop the subject. 

"Not to mention he tried cooking after seeing Pops do it! Nyahaha." She fell back onto the couch in a hidden fit of laughter, "It was so hilarious to see Pops holding Sc'the over the burned Hog-Hound Carcass and scolding him like a small kit when he tried running away!" I looked at Foxy pointedly and her ears and tail sagged slightly, but all the anger she seemed to have felt towards the (Young) Dragon was replaced with a guilty sorrow I also felt for not being able to share moments like this with Red... 

Foxy grumbled for a moment un-intellectually and huffed in defeat, whispering back, "Fine I'll  give it a chance..." 

"Good." I hummed rubbing her head playfully, "That's all I wanted to hear..."