“I know it doesn’t look like much, but the structure is sound and it's been kept in good repair. My cousin said he checked everything before he moved out two years ago. There’s some supplies in the shed in the back in case anything needs to be fixed, and it’ll take some time to make the place really ours, but it's everything we need for our fresh start.”

  Zera chirped, the bags on her back shifting awkwardly as she pranced in place, eager to explore. I signaled for her to follow me and we approached the cabin. I had to check a few of the flower pots to find the key to the front door. She spent that entire time sniffing around with great curiosity, as she had for most of our hike.

  “Come on, love. Let’s get unpacked and check the place out. There will be plenty of time for exploring later,” I said, pushing the door open. I step in first, but I know she will be close behind. There are too many interesting things inside, and she's never been one to miss an opportunity to spend time inside of a building.

  The academy didn’t like to let the mounts enter any buildings unless absolutely necessary. They barely tolerated me letting Zera sleep inside when she was younger, and that was mostly because I didn't exactly ask permission.

  We weren't in the academy anymore, which meant I got to make the rules. Rule one: drakes are allowed inside, but my room is invitation only.

  I immediately claimed the larger of the two bedrooms as my own, putting Zera’s things in the smaller one for now. With the way she was intently sniffing every inch of the cabin, I had a feeling it would take her a while to decide where she wanted to nest.

  “There’s a shed outside,” I commented, “and we can build you your very own nesting space, if you want.”

  She trilled, dancing with more ease now that the packs weren't weighing her down.

  The bedrooms would need some dusting, but the furniture was sturdy and it took little effort to open the windows. I’d probably need to wash and air out most of the linens. I expected that, though, and brought a bedroll of my own. The washroom had tile surfaces that needed to be wiped down, but the plumbing was intact and the tub could almost fit Zera.

  The trick would be getting the water to be warm enough for her to enter willingly. Thankfully, she didn’t need that kind of bath very often and my cousin mentioned something about a pump and a tub around the shed.

  The study had more books than I expected, which made me happy. There was even a small stack on the table next to the reading chair that had a note on top.

  I hope this place is everything you need it to be. I know it was for me. - James

  “I hope so too, James. I hope so too.”

  I saw myself spending a lot of time in the study, but first things first. Getting this place livable and getting myself unpacked.

  I closed the door to the study behind me and returned to the kitchen, which opened into the living room. The furniture needed dusting and the floor needed sweeping, but a quick glance in the pantry confirmed that we had enough food to last a few days. I’d need to visit the town market for more supplies.

  “Alright, Zera, let's go take a look outside,” I announced. She nearly tripped over the living room rug as she towards me. I rumpled her head scales, chuckling at her antics.

  Part of me had been worried that it would take her a while to adjust, but that vanished as she pranced after me. Once her feet hit the grass she started frolicking, taking little hops in the bright sunlight. I laughed.

  “You don’t have to stay glued to my side. Just stay in the clearing where I can see you.” I barely had the sentence finished when Zera took off, galloping around the clearing a few times before stopping to roll in the grass.

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  She always loved being outside and now she had the chance to just be a kid. No judgement. No outside expectations. Just her having the time of her life while I checked out the garden and shed.

  “The garden is in pretty good shape considering it's gone unattended for a few years,” I commented. “Not going to be the best harvest this year, but once I get it cleaned up we might have enough to store or trade. Until then, we can live off the food James left behind and whatever we can get from the town.”

  Zera did a few summersaults before noticing a few butterflies flitting about. She stared at them for a few heartbeats before giving chase in a perfectly playful manner that warmed my heart. Her natural hunting instincts got some practice at the academy, if not the rigorous training that the others got. I was glad for that. A properly trained war drake could be a lot to handle.

  “We might need to do some hunting, Zera,” I said, raising my voice slightly. She froze, head snapping towards me. “Not right now, but later. Once we get the lay of the land, you and I are going to do some hunting together.”

  She nearly bowled me over in her excitement and somehow we ended up in a wrestling match. Her tail eventually helped her get the upper hand, pulling me off her so she could pin me, licking my hair with her bristly tongue.

  “Okay, okay,” I laughed. “You win. Get off.”

  She stepped back, offering her tail to help me get back on my feet. Plenty of people tried to convince me to dock her tail, saying it was too long and would only cause her problems. Zera proved them all wrong, learning to use it in some clever ways. It was enough to make keeping it well worthwhile, even when she occasionally tripped over it or it tripped someone else.

  “I think you and I are going to be very happy here.” I run my hand down her spine before rubbing her chin. She leans into the touch, a purr forming deep in her chest. “Why don’t we get started with the cleaning, huh?”

  She seemed excited by the suggestion, but that excitement didn't last long. I wasn’t surprised. Drakes don't like cleaning.

  Thankfully, I’ve had plenty of practice working around her tail.

  I started with cleaning my bedroom and the kitchen, dusting the furniture and shaking out any blankets or rags. I kept the front door open so Zera could wander in and out as she pleased. The fresh air also helped improve the smell inside. Once the surfaces were clean, I swept the floors, sending all of the dust and dirt and dead bugs.

  By the time that was done, it was starting to get dark, so I filled a few buckets and carried them to the kitchen. I set them both on the counter so Zera wouldn’t confuse them for her drinking bucket, which was significantly larger and had already been refilled.

  She watched from her corner as I methodically wiped down the counters, then the cabinets. The contents of the cabinets would have to wait for another day. I didn’t have the desire or the energy to get into that without a good night's rest and some coffee.

  Or at least some strong tea, since I'd only managed to locate the tea kettle. My cousin wasn’t a big coffee drinker but he assured me that there was a coffee maker somewhere in the kitchen. It would need to be uncovered and cleaned thoroughly before I could use it.

  “Just another step in building a new life.”

  Zera squawked, curling around her rubber chew-ball. It was her favorite toy and one of the many we’d managed to hide in her bag before leaving. The others were equally malformed and well chewed on.

  Thankfully, with her being a smaller breed of drake, finding toys that she couldn’t destroy wasn’t as difficult as it had been for some of the others I trained. Special ordering supplies like that got pricey fast. With Zera, I just needed to find a town oddball who wasn’t afraid of a challenge.

  “You know, we might need to take it slow when we introduce you to the town,” I explained, tossing the dirty wrap into the mostly clean sink. “There will be a lot of new things for you to get used to, not to mention the fact that the locals may not be super familiar with drakes.”

  She trilled, pawing at the ground. She didn’t mind having to be leashed, so long as she got some treats. I’d make sure to give her plenty of time to run around afterwards. She pawed again and I realized she was probably hungry. I certainly was.

  Delving into my pack, I managed to put together a pretty decent dinner of rations and berries I picked along the way. I had a stash of jerky just for Zera, which I took outside so we could eat on the porch. She dug into her meal with zeal before returning to her exploration of the yard, staying in my line of sight without me having to tell her to.

  I ate much slower, enjoying the quiet and the view. It never got truly quiet at the academy, not that it was perfectly silent here. There were no voices, no shouting, no bells. I didn’t have to worry about being anywhere at any time,

  I closed my eyes, listening to the way the wind blew through the trees, the birdsong, and the little noises Zera kept making as she sniffed around. It needed work, but it would make a good home.