Helsha hummed as he hovered over the last row of sproutlings, his upper body supported by the palms of his wings, leaving his arms free to prune the young trees. They would need the extra care, now that he was planning on leaving them unattended for some time.

A roar sounded in the distance, ruining his good mood. It didn't take long for the culprit to land nearby – a young dragon with a rather common shade of green, nothing like his own celadon hide.

«Greetings, elder Helsha-ǂ, my name is Ranoha, and-»

«This had better be important,» Helsha snarled, cutting off the youngling's introduction. The fool's reckless landing had nearly blown over his fragile saplings.

«It is!» Ranoha chirped, seemingly oblivious to the damage he had almost inflicted upon the plants. «The news is that Qnaro found a crafter!»

Helsha blinked. «What…?»

«Shocking, isn't it?» the messenger asked, his head bobbing in excitement. «Xhorhw-ǂ stumbled across the two of them yesterday and made Qnaro tell him everything – apparently that wanderer found her eleven days ago, and he's been learning their speech since!»

Helsha frowned as he processed this information. «Do you know where Qnaro is right now? Does he still have the crafter with him?»

«No one knows, the two of them disappeared after Xhorhw-ǂ left,» Ranoha chuffed, tossing his head in annoyance. «But Qnaro did say that they're going to address everyone at the coming Solstice celebration, so that's where you should go if you want to see the crafter!»

«I see...» Helsha rumbled in thought. «When did you hear about this?»

«Almost two days ago!» The young dragon swiftly replied, wobbling a little.

«Have…you slept since then?» Helsha asked, mildly concerned.

«I have not! I've been too busy being the first to spread the news!»

Helsha resisted the urge to rub his eyes in exasperation. «Your assistance is appreciated, Ranoha,» he begrudgingly admitted. «There's a cave shortly east of here, you can use it to get some sleep if you want.»

«Oh,» Ranoha said, looking quite taken aback. «But I wouldn't want to impose-»

«Flying without sleep is a good way to get yourself killed,» Helsha firmly replied, his tone leaving no room for rebuke. «Go sleep, and come speak to me when you're rested. I'll give you suitable payment when you wake.»

«Oh…er…thank you,» Ranoha awkwardly nodded, clearly afraid of disobeying his suggestion.

Helsha tossed his head as the young dragon left, and he returned his gaze back to the saplings that he'd been pruning. Only now did he notice that one of the thinner branches had been snapped by his visitor's reckless landing. He sighed.

«Qnaro, what have you gotten yourself into?»

«A live crafter?» Nanzo asked, bewildered.

«Yes!» Kharno exclaimed between pants. The amber-yellow dragon had talked without pause for a rather impressive length of time. «Though they actually call themselves 'humans'. Exciting, isn't it?»

Nanzo rumbled unenthusiastically. «I don't know about that. There's just too much we don't know.»

«Well that can't be helped. No one knows anything else about the crafter except Qnaro,» Kharno grumbled, a heavy note of jealousy in her voice.

«Yes…I admit, I never thought he would actually find anything,» Nanzo said, sitting back as he processed this deluge of information. «How many do you think will gather at the Plateau, come solstice?»

«At least five thousand,» Kharno said with absolute certainty. «Or you can call me a lizard.»

Nanzo cocked his head, his eyes slitted in amusement. «Really?»

«...Maybe closer to three thousand,» she amended, eliciting an amused huff from the younger dragon.

«I see. Thank you for the information. I will tell Lakath, of course.»

«Yes, of course,» Kharno nodded. «Speaking of, has anything…interesting happened yet?» she asked, her head tilted in a half-hinting way.

«My circumstances have not changed,» Nanzo said, ignoring the pointed look he received in return.

«Hmph...you're no fun,» Kharno huffed, turning away with a rather offended air. «I need to go now, do be sure to let me know if-»

«Yes, yes, I will,» Nanzo said, waving her off. He closed his eyes as she flapped away, not looking forward to the task that laid before him.

Lakath did not live far from him, only a short trek away. She was more than close enough to have heard Kharno's roar announcing his arrival, and he was unsurprised to find her waiting at her usual place.

Lakath tilted her head at Nanzo's silence, sunlight reflecting off her vibrant orange scales. Just as always, her eyes were directed straight at him, milky and unseeing though they were. «Well? What're you dragging your tail for? Did Kharno have anything interesting to say?»

Nanzo clenched his teeth, and relayed to her how Qnaro had somehow managed to find a fabled crafter.

Lakath had, of course, pushed herself up at the first word, her frame trembling with excitement. «The Plateau, you say? Let us go at once!»

«You cannot just-» Nanzo cut himself off, and sighed. «You cannot just rush off to the Plateau-»

«Why not?» she shot back. «What use is practice if I never get to use it?»

«It's dangerous!» Nanzo hissed, exasperated by her obstinate nature. «Kharno thinks there will be at least three thousand in attendance – there's going to be too much noise for you to hear anything!»

Lakath froze, her expression hardening even as hurt flickered in her milky eyes.

«I-» Nanzo let out an explosive sigh, uncertain of how to proceed. «I'm sorry. But something like this has never happened before, and there's no way for us to know what to expect.»

Lakath's face remained a stone mask, but her head lowered almost imperceptibly a few heartbeats later. «It's alright. You do have a good point,» she admitted. «But It also sounds like you have a plan.»

«I have two, though I am sure you will like one more than the other,» Nanzo said, sitting himself down. «First plan: You stay here-»

«I'm not doing that.»

«-while I go to the Plateau, then I come back and tell you what happened,» Nanzo said, ignoring her dismissal of the idea. «The second plan is that we go together, but not directly to the Plateau; instead we stay at a distance, just in case something goes wrong.»

Lakath drew her head back, clearly disliking the idea. «What is the point of wandering around the Plateau if I never get to meet the crafter?»

«The point,» Nanzo sighed, «is that we can talk to the crafter once we know things have settled down.»

«Mmm…» Lakath squinted as she pondered this proposal. The movement of her eyelids were for the sake of communication rather than any personal need, and while it was helpful in that regard, Nanzo couldn't help but find it unnerving at times, even after all the decades that they had known each other. «What if Qnaro disappears again?» she questioned.

«That's not possible. He cannot leave unnoticed with so many others around.»

«...Fine,» Lakath sighed in defeat. «We'll will go with your plan.»

Nanzo blinked, surprised at her acceptance. «...Just like that?»

«What? I can be reasonable too.»

The yellow dragon wisely decided not to comment on that. Instead he asked, «So, when do you want to leave?»

Lakath parted her jaws in a coy smile. «I do need you to guide me, so unless you are very tired then I see* no reason why we can't leave now.»

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

*TL Note: It is grammatically correct Draconic to hear/see/smell/sense concepts. Lakath is going out of her way to make a pun here.

«I suppose you're right,» Nanzo sighed, stoutly ignoring Lakath's attempt to get under his scales.

That didn't stop her from chuffing in amusement, however. Somehow she always found his reaction amusing, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

«We have never practiced flying so far before, so please let me know if you need a break.»

Lakath paused – she had already turned to climb up the mountain. «...I will. Thank you.»

The yellow dragon glanced to the side, shame burning in his core. «Think nothing of it.»

«Hide,» Ungal ordered, the command accompanied by a harsh gesture toward the deepest depths of his cave. «Good. Now stay.» With his orders given, the red dragon swiftly scrubbed himself clean in the nearby river, and only barely made it to the peak of his mountain before his visitor arrived.

«Greetings, Ungal-ǂ, have you heard the news?» Eosmn asked, without waiting for Ungal to return his greeting.

«Greetings, Eosmn-ǂ,» Ungal nodded, taken aback by the green dragon's odd enthusiasm. «And no, I have not – what's going on?»

«Oh!» Eosmn said, sitting down in relief. «I last talked to Esham, and she already heard about it, so I am glad I did not fly here for nothing.» From this ramble he jumped directly into conveying his short but ludicrous message.

«What? Qnaro the wanderer? But how did-» Ungal began to ask, but was swiftly cut off by Eosmn.

«He found her on a small island, but no one knows how she got there,» Eosmn paused, then added, «Oh, and no one knows where they are either, but they say they'll be at the Plateau come Solstice.»

Ungal only stared slack jawed.

«I have told this story five times already, everyone has the same questions,» Eosmn shrugged. «Practically everyone who I've spoken to will be going. I assume you'll be there too?»

«...Yes, of course,» the red dragon said, nodding faintly. «Thank you for telling me this, I know not many live in this area.»

«It is no issue at all,» Eosmn easily replied, and soon left to spread the news. Ungal absently made his way back home, relieved that the messenger wasn't interested in a prolonged conversation.

«You can come out now," Ungal said, and he sighed as three raptors darted out of his cave, trilling happily at him. «What under the sun am I going to do with you three?»

«Karoth!» Yantha exclaimed. «Crafter!»

Karoth lifted his head, blinking drowsily at his twin brother. «What are you talking about? Slow down, you are speaking even more nonsense than normal.»

«It is not nonsense!» Yantha protested, snapping out his wings so quickly that Karoth was surprised he didn't knock himself over. «Qnaro found a living crafter!»

Karoth blinked, and shot to his feet. «What? Tell me everything!»

Yantha did as he asked, swiftly regurgitating all the information he had received from Mohnwa, who had just dropped by to leave a message.

«Interesting…» Karoth rumbled. «But we still don't know where the crafters live, do we?»

Yantha tossed his head. «No, but I bet Qnaro does.»

«Hmm…but he knows that everyone's going to be looking for him, so a search is probably pointless,» Karoth rumbled.

«Do you think he'll come and visit us before the Solstice?» Yantha asked.

«Possibly,» Karoth rumbled as he tapped a talon against the ground in thought. «He could use a few allies, and he knows that. I say we wait here for a few days, and leave in time to arrive at the Solstice.»

«Sounds like a plan,» Karoth grinned, his joints cracking and popping as he stretched. «So, what shall we do first?»

«Hakra, I have important news!» Rantha gasped, stumbling her landing in her haste.

Hakra snorted before lightly flicking her younger sister between the eyes. «How many times have I told you to stop being so clumsy?» She rumbled, lightly chastising.

Rantha flinched at the blow before ducking her head apologetically. «I'm sorry, but-»

«You're getting too old to be acting like a hatchling, don't you think? You should-»

«Qnaro found a living crafter!» Rantha blurted out, then immediately ducked her head in an abashed manner – at least until her elder sister's eyes widened in surprise, something that she could not remember seeing in recent memory.

«...Explain.»

Rantha swiftly relayed what she had learned from Oughan.

«I see…» Hakra rumbled, a hard look in her eyes. «So the time has finally come.»

«Do you think it's a lie?» Rantha uncertainly asked.

«Doubtful. I have heard no indication of any ties between Qnaro and Xhorhw before, and I cannot sense what either of them have to gain by telling such a ridiculous lie,» she said, drumming her talons against her bed. «Tell me, what do you think about this?»

«It…sounds plausible?» Rantha uncertainly replied. «The path that the information took is relatively direct, and has no clear pattern. It also implicates several significant individuals, which a liar would prefer to avoid.»

«Good,» Hakra nodded. «So you have been listening after all. Now, let's go tell mother the news.»

Vosae, the leader of the Brewer clan, and their mother, slowly raised her head as they stepped into her cave. Moderately frosted scales coated her dusty blue hide, and unhealthy wrinkles ran along every corner of her face.

It pained Rantha to see her mother in such a sorry condition, but she made sure to maintain eye contact, as was polite.

«What is it? Did something happen?» Vosae warily asked as she glanced between the two of them, already sensing that something was off.

«I'm afraid our fears have finally been realized,» Hakra nodded grimly. «Qnaro found a living crafter. They plan on attending the Solstice celebration at the Plateau so they can properly address everyone.»

At first Vosae only sighed, and suddenly appeared far older than she was. «So it's finally happened. Well, tell me everything.»

Hakra gave Rantha a quick nudge, and the dragonet straightened herself before quickly reciting the news she'd just given to her elder sister.

«And that's about it,» Rantha summarized. «Will you be sending elder sister Hakra to investigate?»

«No, I will go myself,» Vosae said, surprising the dragonet. Beside her, Hakra's eyelids narrowed the slightest amount. «There is too much we do not know about crafters. This one being alone is strange…perhaps she's an exile, or perhaps she was separated from the rest of her group, but that's not the most important thing to consider.» She stared expectantly at Rantha, clearly waiting for a response.

«...Something must have changed, else others would have been found by now,» Rantha answered.

«Precisely,» Vosae nodded. «The winds are changing. We must be prepared for more of them, and it is for that reason that I must go myself.»

«But you aren't well!» Rantha cried, before ducking her head in shame.

«This is too important for me to ignore, and others will question my absence. We can't afford to show weakness, especially not now,» Vosae said, sighing tiredly as she rubbed her jaw. «I've always known this day would come, even if I hoped that it would not.»

«But…things aren't guaranteed to be bad, are they?» Rantha hesitantly asked. «We know the crafters to be small but extremely capable artisans, but…other than that, no one actually knows much about them, right?»

«You're not wrong,» Vosae answered. «There is precious little known about those creatures, and I hold no ill will towards them, but their existence alone is a threat unlike any other we've ever faced.»

«But life is a series of trades, isn't that what you said?» Rantha asked, not understanding her mother's rationale. Privately, she wondered how much her lack of sleep was affecting her mind. «They might be better at making things than us, but surely we could trade in a way that benefits us both?»

«That is the natural assumption to make, yes…but I've had a long time to ponder the implications of their existence, and unfortunately I've only come to one conclusion,» Vosae said, her eyes hardening. «Do you remember what I told you about supply and demand?»

«Of course,» Rantha replied. «It's the core principle of trade. In order for something to have value, it must be desired. Thus, controlling the supply allows you to you control the value.»

«Exactly,» Vosae warily nodded. «The crafter vessel is only one facet of their capabilities. They surely have other, far more sophisticated constructs that we know nothing of. We may have only found the crafter vessel about a hundred and fifty years ago, but it's possible that they've advanced even further in that time.»

«And they naturally have complete control over their supply,» Rantha finished. «But is this really a problem? We can always rely on what we already have, can't we?»

«...I don't know,» her mother quietly replied. There was a foreign note of dread in her voice that deeply unsettled Rantha. «Even in the best case scenario, I fear that we will eventually become completely reliant upon them, and that gives them immense power over us. It may take ten years, or even a hundred, but I don't see how such a future could possibly be avoided.»

«We…might be able to learn from the crafters. Make better things ourselves?» Rantha suggested.

Vosae snorted in disdain, making Rantha feel very foolish. «What reason would they have to do that? No, they would not give up that advantage, and that means things will only get worse for us. Why would anyone spend days and months honing their craft if those produced by crafters will always be immensely superior?»

«But…artisans take pride in their work, so they won't completely stop, would they?»

«Of course not,» Vosae, tossing her head. «But removing the value of their work can only reduce the incentive to improve themselves. People may act independently, but they are still products of their environment. The easier something is to do, the more it will be done. This is the reason why I made our clan into the shipping fulcrum of the south – to incentivize trade and production, so that we might close the gap between the crafters and ourselves…of course, I'm not sure how much effect that actually had, but either way it's not enough. Perhaps I am only paranoid, but these beings are far beyond us in ability. I-» she abruptly winced as a low hiss of pain slid past her clenched teeth.

«Is it hurting again? Should I gather more numbweed?» Hakra swiftly asked, while Rantha tensed in alarm. Her mother rarely allowed herself to be affected by pain, but it was getting harder and harder for her to hide despite her best efforts.

«No, I don't need it,» Vosae growled, her eyelids sliding open as the pain subsided to a manageable level." «Remember what I taught you. Always prepare for the worst. It is always easier to prevent than it is to repair. We don't know what these beings are capable of, but we must be prudent.»

«But…what does that mean?» Rantha asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. «What are we going to do?»

«The rest of the crafters have yet to learn the location of our land. That means there's still time to keep it that way.»

«So…you want to kill the crafter that Qnaro found?» Rantha asked, her eyes widening in horror.

«I don't see any other choice,» Vosae grimly rumbled. «They're simply too dangerous, and so we must prevent them from learning of our existence. By any means necessary.»

«Do you agree with what mother said?» Rantha asked, after the two of them left Vosae's cave.

«We've discussed it at length for many years,» Hakra deeply rumbled. «I believe our conclusion is infalliable, but…»

«But what?» Rantha pressed.

«I'm not sure if this is the right path to take,» Hakra quietly admitted. «But our mother's foresight has not failed us before, not once in all her centuries of leadership.»

«I see…» Rantha murmured.

«Do you have any doubts?» Hakra asked, without an ounce of hostility.

«It's just…mother doesn't seem like herself recently. The pain and the lack of sleep is getting to her, I think.»

«Hrrm. You're not wrong,» Hakra sighed. «She wasn't so…harsh, before, but I believe her reasoning to be sound. She may be ill, but I still trust her judgement more than my own. Now, let's go gather the others – we have an announcement to make.»

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