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Pirro had squealed and cried out loudly and gut-wrenchingly as Cyril removed the arrow head. Markus had to hold him down as he flailed and tried to get away from the agony he was being caused. He tried to hush him, to reassure him, yet it didn't help much. He was unsure if he was trying to sooth the infant or himself.

He even had to hold Pirro's mouth closed when he atempted to bite at the lizard's hands that were busy trying to treat him. His squirming was making it difficult and Markus endeavoured his best to still him without crushing him or hurting him more.

Cyril was attempting to be quick yet at the same time gentle with removing the arrow. Finally yanking the offending metal free, he practically threw it to one side before he was pressing a cloth onto the wound to stem the weeping bleeding.

“Hold this, I need to get a few things quickly." Cyril told Markus and he pressed the feline's hand over the cloth as he gave soft coos to Pirro again. Pirro was releasing loud, pining whimpers, looking around at them as if asking why they were tormenting him and what he had done wrong. Cyril quickly rummaged through some of the draws close by, pulling out some things that Markus didn't recognise.

“Ok, on three, pull the cloth away, I will use this to close the wound a bit then use this to cover it." he instructed showing him what he had and was going to use. Markus nodded and together they counted before he pulled the bloody cloth away. Cyril was fast, trying to close the wound as best he could. It wasn't a simple feat and he needed several attempts before he managed to get it mostly closed. He quickly bound it in tight bandages, covering it securely with the cloth that had been covered in a healing poultice.

When he was done, Markus lifted the small dragon to his chest and held him there. Pirro pressed himself close, shivering noticeably and Markus did his best to warm and comfort his small ward. He chirped almost pathetically making Markus hold him a bit closer and gently place a loving, motherly kiss to his head. Cyril pulled what looked like a towel from near the small fire place and handed it to the lion.

“Wrap him in this, I will get you a bottle of warm meat broth to feed him, we were going to give it to Sofia but she will understand, he needs fluids and warmth to ward off shock." he instructed and then rushed off to get the bottle while Markus wrapped the dragon in the warm material. Pirro protested a bit when the bottle was offered for him to drink from but Cyril had an easy fix.

“Just here, bellow the jaw, press here and his maw will open, don't worry it won't hurt him, it just feels uncomfortable." he said as he pressed and Pirro opened his mouth in a chirp only for the nipple of the bottle to be pressed in. He again fussed trying to spit it out but started drinking once broth flowed easily into his mouth. “That's better... make sure he drinks till he is full, it may take half the bottle, it may take all of it."

“Thank you sir," Markus replied with a smile and watched Pirro drink “I... don't know what I would have done if..."

“It was no problem, I am glad to have helped," Cyril dismissed waving his hand as he cleaned up “Whelps are rare and treasured, dragons rarely lay and out of ten eggs, two may hatch."

“I still cant believe he hatched in the first place," Markus told him looking at the small hatchling “As I was growing up I believed his egg was nothing more than a carved hunk of marble on the mantle piece."

“That's no surprise, the eggs are usually bathed in their mothers hot breath and flames before they hatch... did.. something happen?" Cyril asked as he took a seat in his desk chair.

“Well... the house was burned down the night before I left town..." Markus answered sadly “And while I was rummaging for anything that survived I... was accidentally set on fire while carrying the egg..."

“That may have been all it took. So tell me, what do you know about dragons?" the lizard asked with a soft smile. Markus explained everything he had read from the book, even how and where he found it and Cyril chuckled to a lot of the recount as he talked.

“A lot of what the books say is false," Cyril finally said once he finished “The reason for the disparity between wild dragons and tamed in the books is because in the wild they are still largely an unknown. What we do know is they live in colonies, up to ten or twenty adults. They are fiercely territorial and kill anyone who invades in their territory. So that is why there is little to nothing known about them. Another thing we do know is that Sofia is large when comes to their size; they rarely grow as tall as she is. Females tend to be larger than males while males are more colourful, like peacocks although it plays no part in the breeding process."

“What was it you called him before? A whelp?" Markus asked curious and the lizard chuckled and nodded.

“Ah yes, each life stage has a name much as we do as we grow." he responded “When they are freshly born they are whelps. This lasts till they are about one year old when they become drakes. After that they become a dragon like our Sofia, then an elder dragon and finally an elder wyrm. It is rare they live to the last age cycle in the wild."

“What... what can I expect from him? When will Pirro be able to speak?" Markus asked and the lizard chuckled a little once more.

“He wont be able to speak till he is about two or three years old," he answered with a warm smile “Even then he won't be able to have a decent conversation with you. The intelligence is there, they have a genetic memory when it comes to communication but it takes a while to learn how to speak. As for what you can expect, he will have sudden growth spurts over the next few years. An example is over the space of around a week or two he will grow a foot or so in size, this will continue till he is fully grown. At around nine or ten months old he will be around the size of a small foal. He will be clingy till he is around that size then settle down and behave much like a pet: laying around, following you, seeking attention, guarding the property and so on. He can even be sent out to do hunting for you and will return with a decent catch nine times out of ten."

“During mating season he may get a little... amorous..." he informed him seeing Markus look surprised “I will say that while many chose not to, if you do decide to... reciprocate his approaches... it wouldn't be a first and don't worry about hurting him or yourself if things progress that far. Eggs may even be possible if he is one of those special males that can lay but those eggs have a tiny chance to actually hatch." Markus nodded listening blushing deeply at the change of topic.

He couldn't help but imagine Lord Augustus tending to his dragoness in that way when she was in season. He tried to put it out of his mind and looked to Cyril to continue his explanation. However in the back of his mind he wondered if that would happen with Pirro and somewhere in him he felt a spark of elation at the idea.

“He will be very protective of you, as you have already seen. A lot of the time you may struggle to stop him from trying to get between you and potential harm. He won't be able to blow fire till he is well over a year old and it is around then he will be able to fly. They enjoy laying on fires and hot coals, it cleans their scales and removes the shedding ones. You can use him to pull a cart if you manage to get one, they oddly seem to enjoy doing that especially if you are riding in the cart that they are pulling. Also letting you ride them seems to make them quite happy." They looked down to Pirro when he gave a soft trill and nuzzled close to Markus's chest starting to fall asleep having finished the bottle.

He was no longer shivering thankfully, Markus could tell that he was resting peacefully finally. It relieved him somewhat that the young dragon was at that time, snoozing serenely and no longer in danger. It lifted the weight in his chest that rested heavily on his heart knowing the hatchling he had become so close to was going to be ok now.

“Well, I shall take you to see Lord Augustus, I'm sure he would like to speak with you." Cyril finally said and stood “He is probably in the drawing room or his office, please follow me." Markus nodded and opened the door for him following after him quickly.

They were immediately accosted by Sofia who nosed close to check on the hatchling making Cyril swat her away with a harsh “you will wake him! Back off mother hen!" to which he was rewarded by a nip on the arm as they passed.

They found the stallion in his drawing room being served tea by a human maid. “Ah there you are! Please sit, Mary, some tea for my young guest please." he greeted him, gesturing to the seat opposite as Cyril walked out and the maid nodded then poured a cup of tea for him in a fine porcelain cup. She even gave him a slice of chocolate cake to go with it.

“Thank you Lord... I don't want to be any trouble..." Markus said as he was served and he positioned Pirro gently on his lap.

“Now, now I told you that it is no problem," he replied with a smile and dismissive wave of his hand “I wish to speak to you of what happened to you at Liberian and why the Mayoress would put a price on your head." Markus sighed and nodded deciding to tell him the whole story from when he was young to when he was shot at by the huntsman and ending up with an injured whelp on his lap.

“Why do you think he set the price on your head? You were no longer in the village." the white stallion asked as he sipped his tea watching him curiously and intently, eyes occasionally dipping to watch Pirro when he squirmed and chirped softly as he slept.

“Well.. what happens when a 'first time' doesn't go as planned?" he asked rhetorically “You try again with methods that you are sure will get you the result you want. Ruining me is no longer enough, she wants me dead now..." the stallion was a little surprised at the conviction of his words.

“It seems I must make a personal visit to Libreian." he said almost forlornly.

“Take guards lord, as many as you think the town can do without, she more than likely will not suffer your presence quietly." Markus told him softly looking deep into his cup of tea like he was looking for the meaning of life within its amber depths “She will likely try what she can to remove you from the town at all costs."

“Worry not," The stallion placated him with a smile “I may be a noble, but I am formidable when I need to be and I will have Sofia with me. The question comes however, will you accompany me to the town if the opportunity arises to help prove your case?" Markus blinked looking up from his cup of tea.

“I... I am unsure Lord," he answered “I have no reason to return, I have Pirro to care for now and... I was thinking of possibly making my way to Senforth."

“Senforth? That is some distance away, several days travel by horseback at least and the roads are not safe in that direction. I am surprised you would wish to head to a coastal town such as that. Why not remain where you are? The house can easily be put in your name and I am sure the carpenters will help you with building bigger and more comfortable living arrangements for yourself and Pirro as he grows."

“I...I will think about it, Lord... I am sure it will take you time to prepare to travel, by time you have prepared I will have my answer for you."