The beach is rather calm for the evening. The sun was setting over their backs, casting the water into deeper depths of purples and blues as the light was stolen away. The stars gleamed above them, with less light pollution hiding their radiance. Waves crept up along the sand, soft in their lulling sound that sang such a sweet lullaby to those who heard it.

Normally, Ezyzu would have accepted the call. She was growing tired more early with graduation approaching -- any other time she may head off into her hut to begin readying for bed. But tonight, she was quite content to lean against Khamaith’s broad chest. Each slow, deep breath of her beloved was a grounding reassurance for her. The thuds of her hearts if she thought about it, held her breath and turned her head to the side to hear them. Noises that grounded her in ways she never knew she could have. Khamaith’s head was raised up to feel the gentle wind, eyes closed in that sleepy, blissful state her wonderous girl often fell into. The salt and warmth on the wind seemed to calm her the most -- perhaps a remnant of her hatch site.

Being a candidate, she had dreamed of one day meeting her dragon. She’d stood for clutches, again and again since the moment she had turned 14. Dragons continued to pass her by, one had even scarred her leg up. However, that was fine. They weren’t meant for her, not like Khamaith was.

The gold filled every hollow nook and cranny in her -- completed her in ways that Ezyzu never before had realized she was lacking. While never one to shy away from meeting someone new, she never realized how alone she was until that day at the Southern Boll.

Her eyes had been on other dragons, silly enough of her.
For she could have never dared assume such an amazing girl would have had her sights on her.

Eyelids gently parted, revealing those bright facets that focused purely on her rider. The deep, vibrant blues were occasionally swirled with deep, loving purples -- and held such a warmth in them that stole Ezyzu’s breath. Not the first time, and certainly not the last.

However could I have picked anyone else? The thought is gentle, but with it came the mental wash of warmth. Like standing in the shallows of the ocean as the waves gently played around her knees. A calmness that came purely from Khamaith herself -- for the dragon seemed to pour love and reassurance out of each mental caress, every soft-spoken word. You were mine, and I was always going to be yours. I just had to wait for you to be there. The large dragon shifts, curling her neck around to lay her head down against her rider. Ezyzu’s hands immediately stroked the contours of her face; the softness of her cheeks, the ridges of her eyebrows that branched into her headknobs. Her fingers even traced the gentle swirls that branched off those lovely jeweled eyes, that as she was growing older seemed to become more noticable -- indeed, she didn’t have to turn her head just to see them.

The young woman wants to ask what if she hadn’t come? What if she hadn’t been able to attend? But the mental wash of pure love has her staying her tongue, for she doesn’t want to think about the what ifs. Khamaith was hers, much in the same that she was Khamaith’s.

Graduation was just about a sevenday away, and yet she wonders how the time seemed to have flown by. One minute she was supporting the weight of a lovely queen on the sands, and the next.. Oh, it seemed all a blur now, didn’t it? Classes, first flights, their first threadfall… She barely remembers any of it, just the constant support and love of her partner as they took each step through the past turn together.

Gracefully, I might add. The gold hummed softly, nestling her nose into Ezyzu’s stomach. Her eyes were starting to slowly shutter closed, for her favorite resting place was found once more. It had been since their first night together, where Khamaith had fallen asleep with her head on Ezyzu’s belly. The best pillow a baby dragon could ever hope for was against their rider, after all. No one dances as beautifully as you, and we did our very best through it all -- we all did.

All of them, except…

Well, no clutch can stay whole forever, even with the threat of thread now, could they? It’s a somber thought, but Ezyzu just scratches Khamaith’s eyeridges, leaning against the soft, solid warmth of her beloved. “You did so wonderfully through threadfall.”

I had my best girl looking out for me, I could not fail. Besides a minor score, but it had healed with only the thinnest line of a scar behind. But even with graduation coming, and moving into a proper wing, we will be okay. We have been training for this, I know we can do it.

It’s a solid wall of love and support, one that has Ezyzu nearly wanting to weep as she strokes down Khamaith’s muzzle, smiling as her dragon leans ever-so-gently into her hands. For with Khamaith’s support, she was certain she could do it. That they could do it.

Together.