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“Holy sweet fuck, that hurt.”

I screamed as I smashed my fingers square against the corner of the frame when the socket slipped on the well-worn bolt I’d been working on for the last hour. Wriggling my way out from under the tractor while tearing the loose skin off my fingers with my teeth and dabbing away the fresh crimson pooling with a less-than-sanitary towel. I felt the air pressure in the shop shift as the door opened and quickly closed. There stood my father. Although a few inches shorter than me and about one hundred and fifty pounds lighter, I was the spitting image of him if only visually. “Need to figure out how to hammer an even smaller socket on the bolt head, or figure out another way to get the damn thing broke free. Heat won’t budge it.” I said as he shuffled his feet to the nearest chair and groaning and straining as he lowered himself into the seat before thinking about it for a few seconds. “I’d rather find a different route before accidentally welding the bolt to the frame. Then it really ain’t coming, aghhh”. The pain in his lungs cutting him off before he could finish his statement, “You alright?”

“No, I’m not alright”. He barked, “Figured by now this damn cold would’ve broken”. The pain racked through him with every short breath he could muster. “We could smack a socket on it and get the air hammer. I think Chris bought the tool that clips into the air hammer, and I can turn it with a wrench. Maybe some vibration would help”. Reaching my busted knuckles up to my mouth, cleaning what I could before dipping my hand into my front pocket of my coveralls. Pulling out my phone. I tapped through to find a missed call and a message from the man himself. I pressed his name to start calling him back. Within two rings, he answered. “Alex, how’s it going today?” “Not too bad. Chris could be worse. I’ve seen you called. I also need to borrow your fancy air hammer tool you just bought if that’s alright?” “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll go set it out for you. How’s the old man doing? fighting his “cold” still?” “Yup, still won’t go to the hospital to get checked out. The big baby is worried he might get a shot.” Snapping my eyes over to my dad as I said it, which got me an eye roll and a dismissive wave of the hand. “Is he gonna make it till harvest or do we need to drag him into the truck?” Chris’s bellied laugh coming through the phone as a smile and chuckle emanated from me as well. “It’s not a horrible idea, but he might shoot us if we try it”. I peered back over to him again, and a wide-eyed stare met my eyes, confirming he wouldn’t hesitate. “Did you need something else or just checking up on the stubborn old mule?” “I did, but we can talk later. I’ve got a meeting with someone in a few minutes, and I’d rather talk in person if that’s fine?” “Sounds good. We can talk later. Thanks, Chris. See ya later”. Sliding my phone from my ear and hitting the end call button, I headed for the door to go grab the tool waiting for me.

The rest of the month was various repairs and checking equipment over for the harvest looming closer and closer by the day. The corn plants acted as a living timer, the brown death creeping up their stalks, dropping leaves as everything dried more by the day. Along with the march of time, Dad’s “cold” never got better but didn’t seem to get much worse than it was. Still as grouchy and short-tempered as ever, he didn’t change much besides the speed at which he worked.

Nobody liked climbing into a grain bin to sweep out the bottom of it. Dusty, hot, back-breaking, and miserable was the best way to describe it. I should’ve glued the dust mask to my dad’s face so he couldn’t peel it off when I left to move the semi being filled as it needed. Nobody likes wearing them, especially him, and after the corn stopped flowing into the truck, I went to check on him. Only to find him face down on the floor, barely breathing sharp, raspy breaths. “God damnit, why couldn’t you keep it on?” I muttered to myself, killing the augers before stepping back in, running over to him. “That’s it, you don’t have a choice now. You’re going to the hospital.” Slinging him over my shoulder, I finally realized how much weight he lost in the last few months, a shell of his former muscly build from 60 years of physical labor.

Shortly after our visit to the hospital, harvest was upon us, and Dad was even worse than he was two weeks ago, and with the amount of acres we had to get harvested, spread fertilizer, and till the soil. Two people would not be enough to get all the work done in time before the snow started falling. Thankfully

The few benefits of living in a small farming community started to shine after constant breakdowns and late nights swinging a hammer to get bent metal straight again. The neighbors from fifteen miles away in any direction surprised us and brought any piece of equipment they could to help us get the crop out. I wish I had some way to properly thank each and every one of them with a huge feast but had no free time to cook anything for them or any money to pay them, not like they would’ve taken it anyway. Once the crop was out, most of the neighbors went back to their own stead’s to make repairs and store their equipment until it was ready to be fired up once again in a year’s time. Our closest neighbor stayed around to help me finish cleaning up the combine and everything else we used. Between casual conversation and worries about the future of farming as a whole not turning into one giant corporation. The tasks were fairly lackluster until Chris spoke up as if the idea landed on his head in a fright. “ALEX”! I dropped the pressure washer wand and bounced my head off the tire I was crouched next to. “Yeah”? Rubbing the back of my head trying to numb the pain. “I remembered I need to talk to you about something a few weeks ago, you heard about the new program they’re rolling out at the end of the year”? “Who’s they and why are they rolling it”. I said chucking as the pain faded into a memory. Chris rolled his eyes at the smartass remark. “They’re being your friendly neighborhood government of course”. He said with a highly exaggerated wink. “First off, they’re never friendly, secondly, what are you even talking about”? Perplexed by his sudden shift in topics, I pulled my headphones off, slipping them back into their charging case. “Well, from what I’ve heard, they’re essentially paying young or struggling farmers upwards of a quarter million to train or hire on diversity hires. To quote, “help diversify and grow the farming communities”. Both hands doing heavy air quotes. “Oh yeah?” And diversity would include what exactly?” Are they just pulling the people out of thin air and hoping they don’t get torn apart by us wolves”? He shook his head. “No sir, not people”. Chris added with a smirk. “It would never be that easy. They’re trying to get the snake skins involved in this world”.

My jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Seriously, how the hell is that supposed to help anyone? How is a twenty-foot-long dragon supposed to do fuck all in a tractor or anything else on the farm for that matter?”

“Well, another part you won’t believe is supposedly the government is loaning tractors retrofitted to fit them in the cabs. Basically, older tractors they bought on farm sales had them completely redone inside and out, mechanically and electrically restored to new condition. Minus the original cabs”. Thoughts started buzzing around my head of what I could do with a quarter million dollars. It wouldn’t stretch far, but it sure would take a lot of pressure off our backs. “So essentially, I get new old equipment that I’ll actually be able to fix myself? So am I able to run it myself, or is it made for only the snake skins”?

Chris dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone, scrolling for a few minutes before finding the article he was searching for and turning the phone to me. “They basically made the cabin a lot bigger and had more dragon-friendly controls installed that can be removed if you need to run it. And the seat essentially gets put into the corner of the massive house they strapped to the frame.” We couldn’t help but laugh at the picture with how ridiculous the whole thing looked. Chris continued. “You should get an application and look it over. I emailed the article to you just in case you had more questions.” Desperately trying to think of any objections, I couldn’t come up with one before Chris continued. “They detail a bit more in the application. I heard your neighbor to the north already put in his and has to go in for an interview next week.” Chris slid his phone back into his pocket and wiped his mucky hands on his jeans. “Anyways, you got the rest of this. My wife just texted me and told me

supper is ready and I’m starving.” He said, smacking his rotund belly with a laugh. “Chris, you and I could both skip a few meals, and we…”

Would still look the same”. I couldn’t help but smile and let out a soft chuckle. Chris went to school with my dad and even set the wheels in motion that would become my parents getting married. He was always cheerful and kept a level head when things got difficult. That being said, he was also a huge goofball at times. “Alex, that’s not nice. You know I’ve been working on getting into shape. Can’t you tell”? His arm shot upwards, flexing his biceps while his eyebrows waggled up and down. “Oh yeah, Chris definitely can tell if I only looked at you from the chest up. Otherwise, I’d think the shape you were getting into was a sphere if I looked anywhere else.” I could barely get the words out before I started laughing as he dropped his arm and raised his middle finger at me, pushing me to laugh even harder at him. “Enough of you being a jackass, but seriously, give that application a read. It’s pretty interesting, and they put a lot of time into trying to make it work. On that note, I’m outta here.” “Don’t want you to wither away now. Better get some food. By the way, I really, really appreciate all the help over the last year. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without you.”

“Don’t mention it. You’d do the same thing for me if I needed it. See ya later, Alex. Don’t stay out too late.” I threw my arm to wave him off before diving back into washing, having a lot more to think about than I did before.

The tractor started power-hopping, digging, and scratching for more traction as the tillage tool found the end row compaction from the grain cart running up and down it to the combine, to the trucks, then back again until all the grain was harvested in that field. Flicking the shifter down a click, the tractor lurched before resuming its hunt for grip. Another flick of my finger pulled the lever backwards to lift the tool from the earth. I got halfway turned around before my phone started ringing. Hands occupied, unable to reach my phone before the call went to voicemail. Reversing the order of levers and shifts before poking the button on the side console, turning the auto steer back on while I stretched out to grab my phone off the floor, flipping it over to see a missed call from Mom and a text telling me to call her back as soon as possible. The phone didn’t even get a full ring out after poking the call button before she answered, tears already dripping from the speaker. “Alex, it’s your dad. We are in the hospital after he passed out again, and they’re putting him on a ventilator. He can’t get enough oxygen. They don’t think he’s going to make it through the night. Please come sit with me. I can’t do this alone.” His voice shaking and cracking with despair. “Alright, ma. I’ll get done with this pass and head there as soon as I can.” “Thank you. Your sisters should be here soon as well. Please no fighting when you see them. I don’t want an argument pissing everyone off.” “I love you, Mom. I’ll be on my best behavior, and I’ll be there soon.” “Love you too. Please hurry.” “Great,” I thought out loud, “just what I need those two making me feel even fucking worse about not doing enough. Yet they’re the last one to raise a finger to help.” Peeling off my sweat-stained ball cap to run my fingers through my unkept hair, trying to calm myself before having to face them and not lose my shit once the guilt-tripping started. Looking for anything to distract me I started poking at all the apps on my phone like a game clearing the red notification bubbles hopefully it’ll make me feel better, it never does but no harm in trying it again. Stumbling through apps with half glazed eyes and opening a few snapchats I never planned on responding to my fingers found their way to the email app and finally I was getting around to reading the application Chris sent me a week ago. I opened the link getting redirected to a .gov webpage. The screen filled with big black

letters reading:

DIVERSITY REQUEST FORM FROM THE GOVERNORS OFFICE.

Looking for farms who have suffered heavy financial and hiring difficulties for the last five years. This includes and is not limited to

:

: Farms that haven’t cleared 1.5 million dollars gross income

: Farms that exceed 1500 acres and have less than four employees

:Farms that are in threat of bankruptcy

:Farms that have outdated or high-hour equipment. Examples include machinery with a manufacturing date of 1985 or older, excess of 10,000 operating hours, and difficulty sourcing parts for repairs.

Those meeting at least three of the requirements are eligible to put in a request form. The benefits for those being accepted into the farming diversity program include

:

: 250,000 USD untaxed and no expectation of payment back to the governing body

: Equipment retrofitted to accommodate diversity hires

: 150,000 USD credit to be used to build the hire residency or provide adequate housing for them.

:10,000 USD monthly food benefits for proper nutrition

:50,000 USD tax credit if the hires stay for longer than four years.

Please fill out the form below to see if you qualify. Let’s work together to keep family farms alive and integrate the highly intelligent draconic species we share our wonderful state with. We hope to hear from you soon.

That seems awfully straightforward coming from the government. I’m sure there’s a lot more to come once you finally get accepted into the program. Nothing is ever that simple. The beep of the auto-steer monitor telling me I was near the end rows once again shook me from the other hundred questions I had. Something to chew on at a later date. I saved the email to my favorites before returning my phone to my coverall pocket.

The drive to the hospital only got more nerve-racking as I got closer to it. It was like a lottery number machine when it involved my sisters. Never knew what argument number was going to get picked. The walk up to the building made my feet feel heavier, and the urges to go home sounded better and better with every crunch of my worn-out boots. I finally relented, walking through the sliding doors. Tapping my phone against my thigh as the doors slid closed, it vibrated. One new message from Bailey. My girlfriend off and on for the last 4 years didn’t seem to settle the knot stirring tighter in my gut. She used to be a safe place to come with all my problems, but much like any other 30-year-old male, I put it into a bottle, already spilling past the lid with other unchecked emotions and unresolved disputes I never cared enough to fix or iron out. It also didn’t help much when I got frustrated; I started yelling and directed my anger towards those who didn’t do anything. “Your mom texted me and told me your dad’s in rough shape. Do you need me to come sit with you? I’m on break in 20 minutes, and his room is only a floor up.”

I text back “No, don’t want a repeat of last Christmas. Sisters are either here or will be soon. They’re still pretty salty about it”. Hoping that would be enough to keep her on the floor, she worked in the hospital. “OK. Keep me posted. Love you”. I slid my phone back into my pocket with no intention of responding. Last Christmas, Bailey brought a new dessert over, not realizing both my sisters turned vegan. Not just the “I wanna eat healthier and clean up my diet vegan. More along the lines of “how dare you even look at any animal products, you murderer” type of vegan. Even convinced my parents to sell the rest of the cattle, and the only thing left that actually made us any real money. I still couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of them being raised on the farm and ending up that way. Guess moving to a bigger city and spending all your free time on social media gets you tied into all sorts of things.

The elevator dinged and squeezed those cringe arguments from my brain. The doors slid open, letting me out onto the floor where everyone was waiting for me. Didn’t even make it three steps off the elevator before it started. “Couldn’t even wash your hands or change your clothes?” “Anna, we aren’t doing this, not now. Any other time, I’ll go rounds screaming back and forth, but not today.” “She’s not wrong; you smell horrible.”

“Ashley!” Fingers shot out behind her ear, grabbing on and twisting till the color drained. Good old motherly corrections, which these two could use a lot more of, I thought before walking over to hug my mom. “How is he?” I asked. “They lost his pulse twice already. I told them if he goes again, it’s his time. I can’t see him like this anymore.” Shaky breaths followed along with tears running down her cheeks as they joined the drying ones in her shirt. My sisters joined in with the waterworks as I leaned down to wrap them all up in the biggest hug I could manage. They might drive me absolutely nuts, but they’re still a huge part of my life, and hugging them helped keep my eyes dry even if only for a few more minutes. I let my grip on them loosen before I turned and walked towards Dad, maybe for the last time ever.

“Hey, you stubborn mule, I heard you’re not ready to go yet. Must’ve been waiting for me to see you off.” There was no point trying to keep the tears waiting any longer. “You’d be pissed if you knew how you looked right now.” “You’d be like, ‘Get these damn things off me. I’m going home. I got things to do.’” A stuffy tear-soaked chuckle parted my lips as I reached out to grab his calloused hand. “It’s okay, Dad. You can go. I’ve got it from here. I learned from the best. I’ve got a lifetime of ass-chewings from you to remember if I ever fuck up.” Moisture flowed endlessly from my eyes as I squeezed his hand tighter, the breaths getting more shaky the longer I sat next to him. “I’ve got a way to help us out, even if just a little. I know you would hate it, but I hope you can trust me with it one last time.” He used every bit of strength he had left to squeeze my hand as if to tell me he trusted me before the heart monitor stopped fluctuating and held the same note until the nurse walked in to shut it off and slowly started unhooking him from the machines. My pulse started raising to the point it was all I could hear besides my family’s wails in the waiting room creeping in. The stubborn mule who taught me anything I could’ve ever wanted to learn and then some trusted the fifth generation farm to me with a handshake.

A week later, the funeral was had, and I was given the jar of ashes to carry out his last wishes of “being useful one more time as fertilizer.” Tillage was almost wrapped up before I called the neighbors and Mom to the field to give him his final burial. I almost couldn’t see with more tears filling my eyes again as I turned his remains into the first field he ever bought, always to be a part of the ground he cared for all these years.

A few days after my mom and I had a discussion about the future of the farm and what I had in store for it, she was heavily against the FDP (farming diversity program), even with all that it included. She didn’t even want me to go through with the interview to get more information if possible. Since I technically didn’t own the farm, I couldn’t get the legal signature from her to go through with filling out the application. I figured that would be the last I’d ever bring it up for our farm, and we’d miss out on a huge relief package for a little extra work. I couldn’t help but be angry with her, but her position wasn’t hard to understand. A complete stranger not of our race bringing us money we didn’t lend or borrow or work for and fresh equipment on top of it almost sounded like you’re getting involved in the dragon mafia, if that even was a thing. Until one day I was sorting through condolence cards and overdue bills, I found a letter from the governor. Dropping everything else onto the seat of my pickup, I tore the letter open and threw the envelope onto the pile of junk mail destined for the burn pit. My eyes went wide with surprise as I quickly skimmed over the letter.

Dear Dan and Donna Nitra, We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted into the farming diversity program. A representative will be reaching out within the next few days to set up an appointment for your interview. Thank you for taking part in the next big step towards a brighter future.

“You never could sit still and relax, could you, Dad?” A chuckle erupted from me, growing into an audible laugh as I looked over the letter for the third time. “Your wife is going to figure out how to resurrect you and kick your ass since you clearly never talked to her about this.” I didn’t even have time to set the letter down until my phone lit up with an unknown number across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Alex Nitra? Farm manager for Nitra Farms?”

“Yes, that’s me. How can I help you?”

“This is Joslyn with the FDP. I’m calling to schedule your interview and introduce myself since we will be working together for the next four years.”

“You sound a lot more human than I thought you would. You haven’t had a lot of experience around dragons, but you don’t sound like one.”

“That’s because I am human. And by working together, I mean I’m the oversight officer in charge of seeing things go smoothly and your new hire is treated well.” I started to speak again before she broke my train of thought with more words.

“So when would be able to fit a quick ten-minute interview and a meeting into your no doubt busy schedule?” God no, hey, how are you or none of it just straight to the point.

“When’s the soonest you’re available for a time? If it won’t take long, I can be there anytime.”

“Well, sir, how about this evening? We will both be in your area, and we will conduct the interview and meeting on your farm to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

“There’s no waiting list or anything to have a dragon apply or pick the farm they want to go to?”

“No, sir, based on the extensive data we have on your farm you submitted with the application, we have already selected what we believe to be the proper candidate to best fit the needs of you and your farm.” Oh, Mom is going to be fuming at how fast this is moving.

“Do you need the address on where we will be meeting? Because I can do six o’clock, that’ll give me enough time to get cleaned up.”

“I already have the address. It’s the only place on Oak Avenue, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll see ya in a bit.”

I couldn’t believe how much my heart rate increased during that conversation. Am I really going to meet the dragon expected to stay with us for four years tonight? Am I really ready for that? No time like the present to set the sails in motion.

Walking into the kitchen, I was greeted with a neat pile of folded clothes and Bailey standing over a boiling pot of something that smelled absolutely incredible. Kicking off my boots, I tried to be as light as a feather, sneaking up behind her before shooting my arms around her and hoisting her above my shoulders, all while she let out a bloodcurdling scream and hit me with the utensil she was tending the food with. “Bailey, hey, settle down, it’s just me.” I said with a laugh, setting her on the countertop, her face so hot you could fry an egg on it. “One of these times you do that, I’m going to be holding a knife, and I’m not responsible for what happens then.” She said, already grinning, happy to finally see me.

“Well, good thing my smoking-hot girlfriend is a nurse; otherwise, I’d be bleeding out on the floor with no help.” I said as I pulled her lips to mine for a few seconds before stepping back.

“Do you remember that program I was thinking about enrolling in until Ma shot it down?”

“Uhhhh, no, you never said anything about it, maybe it was your other girlfriend.” She stated playfully before swatting me with the spoon again, hoping off the counter.

“Really, I could’ve sworn I never got you two mixed up.” A playful smile that almost touched my ears plastered on my face. That got a sigh and a large eye roll from her.

She leaned against the stove as she adjusted her long jet-black hair across her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes staring into mine.

“So what is the program exactly, and why bring it up again? You just said your mom said no.”

“Well, Dad had different ideas, and before he went to the hospital, he enrolled us without her knowledge, and I’m not telling her until tomorrow. Since the interview is tonight.”

Her eyes went wide with realization. “Is this that program where they give you a bunch of money to hire on a dragon? Alex, I really think your mom should be in the interview with you.”

“Well, it’s too late for that because I’m showering and leaving to meet them at the shop in an hour. Since she’s with friends till tomorrow, I figured I’d probably be best not to stress her out anymore than she already has been the last three months.” I didn’t give her a chance to respond before continuing. “Besides, I need another hand, and I’m not asking her to help me with things she won’t be comfortable doing.”

“I’ll quit my job at the hospital and help, inste—“ I cut her off before she could finish. “Absolutely not happening. We might as well separate now because that’s all you and me working together will end with. Plus, are you going to pay me a quarter million dollars to hire you?” It hurt less to tear her ideas apart than it did in the past, but when she couldn’t make up her mind to stay in the relationship, I kinda stopped caring. A part of me still loved her and everything she would do for me, but the relationship was kinda like driving on bad tires; it was only a matter of time before one blew and left us both stranded with nothing left to fix. “Thanks for supper; it smells great. Can’t wait to eat when I get back.” All she could do was turn to hide her face from me as I headed to the shower.

I turned my truck into the driveway with a crunch of gravel as I made my approach to the black SUV already parked next to the shop. Pulling up next to it and putting my truck into park before sliding from the seat. Dressed in a floral Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, and my lace-ups were about as casual as I got. I looked pretty decent but not enough to get overwhelming compliments from anyone I didn’t already know.

“Alex?” A voice rang out as I closed my door.

“Yes, Joslyn?” Reaching a hand out to greet her. She stood about the height of my chin and had the pride of someone who never missed a morning jog. Her bright red hair tied tight against her head in a bun. She was dressed in a very expensive suit as well as some pricey emerald earrings dangling from her lobes.

“It’s great to meet you.” A warm, friendly smile accompanied the handshake.

“Likewise,” I said as I dipped my head towards her.

“So the interview will only take a few minutes before she arrives.”

“She?” I asked, as a look of worry spread across my face.

“Well, that answers the first question I was going to ask. The females, or a dragoness as they prefer to be called, are as strong and, in some cases, stronger than even the males. In almost all cases, they tend to be more intelligent and less temperamental when dealing with high-stress environments as well.”

“Alright, so what other questions do you have?” Curiosity gnawing away at me.

“Have you ever been charged with a crime of any kind or been part of a federal investigation?”

“No.”

“Have you ever abused any animals or livestock?”

“No.”

“Are you short-tempered and unable to resolve conflicts without violence? Whether it be yelling or throwing things?”

“I do a pretty good job at resolving almost all conflicts by talking it out, whether personal or professional.”

“Would you be willing to do whatever it takes to make your diversity hire as comfortable as possible if the need may arise, like comforting them if they feel homesick, become physically ill, or become depressed?” Kind of a personal question, I thought.

“Yes.”

“Have you ever been affiliated with any hate groups against any race, human or otherwise?”

“Nope,” seems an awful lot like they could’ve done a background check on me and seeing if I’d lie my way through this interview.

“Last one.” “Would you defend the diversity hire like you would a human if she was threatened by another human with violence?”

Could I take a human life to protect hers?

“Yes, I would protect them.”

“Great, that concludes the questions. Now, if I could get you to sign this to finalize everything, she should be here very shortly.”

I grabbed the clipboard, reading over the paperwork confirming it was everything I answered in the interview besides a question about having much interaction with the draconic race. Scribbling my name at the bottom of the page, I barely got started on the second signature before I heard large flapping wings hovering overhead with a dust storm getting kicked up. I handed the clipboard back to Joslyn while turning my eyes towards the sky to see a large winged form descending from just above. Joslyn did her best to turn from the dust storm the powerful wings stirred up, whipping my beard every direction it could before my skin kept the hairs from flying away. A loud thud landed in front of me, shaking the ground slightly before the dust cleared.

Before me stood a jet-black dragoness with streaks of maroon red circled around her eyelids and the tips of her nostrils like pin-striping. The deep blood-red maroon ran down her sides in two-inch strips. Her wing fingers had the same coloring running the entire length. Her shoulders only came up to mine, making her torso stand about five and a half feet tall while her head sat another three feet above me. Her horns curved upwards slightly from her head before jutting backwards straight as an arrow. My knees would’ve started trembling at the sight of her looking like she just fought a horde of enemies still dripping in their crimson until she spoke in a cheerful delight.

“HIIII!” “My name is Iris Shadetalon. I’m pleased to meet you.” Her voice was nothing what I expected from her stature. Instead of booming deep growls, it was more soft and gentle, brimming with excitement. A paw shot forward for me to shake.

“Well hello there, my name’s Alex. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” I reached out to grab the intimidating, large, sharp claw and shook it. There was so much muscle packed into her digit I never could’ve guessed how much raw strength coursed through the rest of her with how gently the towering dragon shook my hand. Once I let go, she placed the paw back onto the ground once more and titled her head to the side, clearly perplexed by my obvious bewilderment.

“Not much experience around us dragons, I take it?” She said with a soft grin spreading across her thin lips.

“Yes, ma’am. You’d be the first I’ve ever actually spoken to besides a polite head nod to the local delivery flyer.” I said with a warm, friendly smile reserved for strangers I’m still trying to figure out.

“Oh, it’s ma’am now, is it? I’m honored to be thought of so highly!” Her claws coming up to touch her thick collarbone like a rather preppy female would take a compliment accompanied with a toothy grin. Damn, I’ve known her all of three minutes, and she’s already giving me shit. This is going to be a lot more interesting than I first thought. I must’ve been thinking with my face still turned on since she couldn’t help but ask. “What’s so funny?” Her deep purple eyes staring daggers into me, impatiently waiting for a response.

“Barely said our hellos, and you’re already feeding me sarcasm. I can already tell we are going to get along great.” My smile stretching to my ears as I stared back at her.

“Who said I was being sarcastic? Us nesses love to be thought highly of.” Her grin turning into a smile, showing off her fearsome, sharp teeth. My eyes went wide, and I couldn’t stop the blush filling my cheeks even if I wanted to. My only option was to break eye contact and stare off into the grove of trees wrapping around the property. Mmm, yes, those sure are some nice trees. Iris knew she had me all flustered and couldn’t help but let a rumbling laugh escape her maw. I don’t blame her. I’d be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed.

Joslyn sat quietly watching us, content with the fit thus far, and the first time I didn’t see a fake smile painted on her face.

“I suppose I should leave you two alone to get better acquainted before it gets too late.” Joslyn said calmly before reaching out her hand to me. “Alex, thank you for being a part of the FDP and helping move the farming community further into the future. I’ll be reaching out later next week to discuss the delivery of your new equipment.”

“Thanks again for accepting us into it. Can’t wait to see how handy having a dragon around to help will be. See ya later, I’ll be waiting to hear from ya.” With that, she whipped the door open on her SUV, and no more got buckled in before she peeled out of the yard, probably on her way to yet another interview. By the time Joslyn’s vehicle was a trail of dust, a scaled appendage smacked me on the back of the head. I spun around to face Iris, who was settling her wing back against her side, a toothy grin greeting my gaze. I was rubbing the back of my head, and my other hand sprung outwards as if to ask what the hell was that for?

“Since you’re new to my kind and all, I’ll let it slide. But never, and I mean never, refer to me as a “dragon”. My name is Iris, or in a less formal setting, dragoness will suffice.” He smiled, fading into a stern stare, waiting for my acknowledgment.

“Yes, ma’am, I understand your Iris or the dragoness. Now, would the dragoness like to get a tour of the farm?” Halfway through an eye roll, Iris’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas, ready to unwrap all the wonders of her new career.

Between the in-and-outs of small talk, I finally asked Iris the burning question I had.

“What went wrong to turn you towards farming?” She recoiled, appalled I even asked her that.

“I don’t mean what crime did you commit to be sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.” I said with a chuckle. “Farming isn’t what I would consider easy labor or super profitable. Hell, most people would see a job offer for a farmhand and immediately turn it down. I mean some days it’s like hell on earth for multiple days on end.” She turned her head staring off into the flat, bleak distance, thinking carefully, her deep purple eyes darting back and forth pondering what I just asked. After a few minutes, she finally spoke.

“My mother told me stories as a hatchling of a farmer who was rather kind to her when the rest of the world wasn’t. She would keep wolves, bears, and any other predators away from his flock while they were out to pasture.” Her eyes shimmering in the setting sunlight as she retold the stories from her youth.

“In return, the farmer would gift her with leftover meat scraps after meals and butchering the sheep he needed for the year, as well as providing her with shelter in his barn when it wasn’t being used.” Her tone shifted to a more somber intonation.

“The nearest townspeople despised my mother, blaming her for disappearing livestock and unexplained disappearances of humans from the town. The farmer pleaded with them, trying to make them hear reason, but they blamed him for helping her. Finally, one day, the townspeople had enough and tried to chase my mother off the farm in the middle of the night by lighting the barn on fire as well as the house to seemingly send a message, not realizing the farmer was inside asleep and my mother was off in a distant pasture tending to the flock.” I pretty much knew where the rest of the story was headed but continued to give her my full attention as she spoke.

“My mother arrived the next morning to find the entire farmstead burnt to the ground. She stuck around frantically digging through the rubble of the house, hoping the farmer wasn’t inside. Only to find his charred corpse as the townsfolk showed back up, armed this time with weapons instead of fire. Of course, they blamed the dragoness. The reason didn’t matter; the fire-breathing dragon burned everything to the ground and feasted on his livestock. Most of us can’t even breathe fire, but it didn’t matter. The hurt in her voice made it hard to swallow the words she said.

“Eventually, she moved farther north, hiding out wherever she could as far away from humans as she could. Meeting a drake and then hatching me into the world. The joy she had of her memories of being a part of the farm and the compassion the man showed towards all living things always made me happy when she talked about it.” Iris started to perk up a little more once she finished the recollection of the story.

“I’m shocked that after your mother’s experience with that, you still decided this was the career for you.”

“Well, unbeknownst to my mother, that was an isolated situation of hate towards our kind. The rest of the world had already started employing us and making changes to fit us into society. Most of the people in my studies were very friendly and excited to talk to me. The others were polite but never tried to start a friendship with me, which is understandable; dragons aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.” She said with a smile as we continued our walk around the farm, the sun setting lower behind the horizon, painting the sky a deep blazing orange.

“One of my favorite parts of the countryside is the magnificent sunsets and a night sky full of stars. You don’t get to really appreciate the beauty of it in a large city.” Her eyes shimmering with unbridled joy brought a smirk to my lips. “Iris’s attention wasn’t held by the amber sky for long before she held a questioning gaze at the giant building that sat vacant for the last three years. She didn’t even have to ask before I spoke.

“Used to have cattle in there before my sisters moved to the cities and decided that it was cruel and convinced my parents we needed to sell.” Spinning on my heels and pointing at the other vacant building.

“That was our calving barn. We birthed in the winter so having a building to get the calves warmed up before bracing the cold was the best thing we ever did.” Her face twisted into pure confusion by what I just said.

“Where were your sisters raised on the farm?”

“Yup.” Her expression became even more confused.

“S-so why did they all of a sudden have a change of heart?”

“Beats me. I’ve argued about it till I was blue in the face and I’m just as confused about it as you are.”

“So were you at a university up until now or did you work anywhere else before this?” Iris turned her attention back to me.

“No. I took most of the classes online besides the stuff I need to be in attendance for. Otherwise I had a pretty mundane job to pay the bills, nothing crazy.” Another playful grin started to creep across my lips.

“You know as far as cover stories go, yours is pretty decent. I’d get specific with your “previous work history.” People around here like the specifics, but it won’t fool them.” My smirk stretching to my ears as I locked eyes with her frozen in her tracks.

“I- I don’t understand. You don’t believe me? Did I say something wrong?”

“Iris, I’m messing with you. There’s nothing wrong with anything you told me. You’re pretty adorable with the retelling of your childhood dreams, and the fact that you chased them despite all the setbacks you’ll face ahead in this line of work.” I made sure to give her a reassuring look as we made it back to my pickup.

“Awwww, you think I’m adorable? That’s so sweet of you.” A large toothy grin running across her thin lips got my cheeks burning hot once more. I shrugged.

“I’d be lying if I said you weren’t the prettiest dragoness I’d ever seen.” I wasn’t aware that her black could become a shade darker, but she proved me wrong as her snout did just that with eyes that seemed to sparkle with the admiration.

“Don’t get too full of yourself. I ain’t seen many of your kind, so one might just knock you out of first place.” I said with a wink.

“Oooo, Alex. Now that’s just cold. Us nesses take our compliments very seriously. You can’t just take it away so soon after giving one to me.” She said coyly.

“Just keeping you on your toes—err, talons. Keeps things exciting and entertaining around here.” I said with a laugh. Iris’s stern expression couldn’t be less entertained.

“Find something else to tease me about. Otherwise, I might have to knock some sense into you again.” Eyes burning holes through me trying to convey how serious she really was.

“Fair enough. I’ll figure out what buttons I can poke and which ones are off-limits. Got four years to figure it out after all.” With that, I stuck my hand forward to shake her talon.

“Well, Iris Shadetalon, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you better, and I wish we could talk more, but my girlfriend has supper at home for me, and I’m getting pretty hungry.” I said with a chortle.

“Ah yes, it is getting pretty late. We’ve been chatting over two hours now.” Her front foreleg twisting to check her tablet strapped to the powerful appendage. So is there an official start time you want me here, or do you want to— WAIT! I almost forgot!! I still need your phone number.” Tapping through her tablet, she landed on the contacts, thrusting her arm out for me to enter my information. She sent me a text to confirm everything was right.

“Got it. I’ll text you in the morning. I’m usually moving around 7 am it’s nothing crazy tomorrow just after season maintenance on the ripper.” She nodded with haste, excited to see what tomorrow had in store before crouching her rippling hind legs and launching herself into the sky.

Well, here goes nothing. Still unsure of how Mom will take Dad’s final wishes. I hope it’s not too big of an adjustment.

Stepping into the house, I was greeted with a rather pissed-off female staring holes through me.

“I thought it was supposed to be quick, yet here you are two hours later.” No doubt she was upset with me.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to meet her tonight. It was kind of nice getting to learn more about the dragoness that’ll be working with me for the next four years.”

“Oh my god, why did you not tell me about any of this? Did you even want anyone to know about you signing a four-year contract to hire a fucking dragon!?”

“Does she even know what she’s doing? How do you know she won’t start stealing things and kidnapping livestock from other farms? Do you even trust this, or are you that thick-headed? You haven’t even thought that far ahead? Your dad hasn’t even been gone two months, and you’ve just said “fuck it, I’ll do whatever I want”. What would he say if he was here?” Words spilled from her lips like hot acid, pure frustration pushing it out of her.

“First off, Bailey, this was a thought I had. I didn’t even fill out the paperwork for this to be set in motion. I don’t own the farm and never claimed I did, so you can quit with that bs.” My anger started welling up inside me as I struggled to keep a lid on it.

“Second, you clearly didn’t listen earlier before I left when I said this was my dad’s idea, and he filled out all the paperwork. I know it’s going to be tough for Mom, but we need help, and this is the easiest way to do it.”

My hands started shaking as I tried my hardest to keep my anger bottled up.

“Since she’s not here to defend herself, I will. I don’t ever see her doing anything stupid like what you accused her of doing. I don’t think she would drag herself through university seeking her dream job just as a way to steal belongings and livestock. She could’ve skipped all of that and gone straight to thievery.” Her rebuttal ripped the lid off the anger bottle and threw it at my face.

“Barely met her, and you’re defending her like you’ve known her your whole life. When did you become a tail chaser?” I slammed my fist against the table, causing her to jump as I shot my finger into her face.

“Don’t ever fucking call me a tail chaser ever again! I don’t need a fucking reason to defend anyone, human or not. You’re the piece of shit for just assuming the worst about someone I’m sticking my neck out for. Call it coping or whatever you want to, but I’m sticking by my decision.” My blood was boiling at the woman I thought meant the world to me. A state I swore I would never get to.

“Now you have two choices. You can either stay here and we work through it, or you can pack your shit and disappear like you normally do when shit gets tough. Normally, shit getting tough means money troubles, but that’s solved, and for some reason, instead of being happy about it, you’re throwing a fit. On second thought, you can pack your shit after work tomorrow. I don’t want you in my house anymore!” I sat down at the kitchen table and pulled my phone from my front pocket, scrolling through it aimlessly as Bailey gathered various things she needed for the night before opening the front door.

“I hope you know this isn’t over. We aren’t done with this conversation.” She added.

“This conversation is done and over with contracts already signed, and you clearly aren’t getting over it anytime soon. Oh, and if you show up here again after getting your things tomorrow, the cops will be called, and they can sort this out.” She mumbled something under her breath as she slammed the door and stormed off to her car. What the fuck did I just do? I thought, reaching into the fridge, grabbing a can out of the six-pack, hesitating before closing the door just to grab the rest of the six-pack, and headed back outside to clear my head.

Looking at my phone to check the time, it was already 11 p.m. Reality hit me that I was going to have to deal with what just transpired until tomorrow morning when I can finally call my best friend, Jacob, to help me sort through this whirlwind of emotions and experiences I had all day. I flicked through recent messages trying to find anyone else I could rant to that would still be awake. My scrolling came up blank once I ended up back at the top of the list. One name caught my attention. I hesitated for a few seconds wondering if I should bother her, but I said “screw it” and entered the chat.

“Hey, Iris, are you still awake?” A few seconds later, the bubbles filled the chat, and she messaged back.

“Yeah, what’s up? Getting started early on work?” 😉

“Nah, I’m not that eager. I just needed someone to rant to if you’re not busy and wanted to swing by.”

“Sure!! I’ll be there soon.”

“See ya soon.”

Well, she’s getting a crash course into my personal life a lot sooner than I thought she would. I sat back in the porch swing, taking a long drink of the beer, chilling my hand, and staring off into the shimmering night sky, awaiting my new scaly coworker’s arrival.