Once I found a nice, shady spot to sit, I sat down, signaling for Zera to do the same. She did, waiting mostly patiently for me to put her bowl down so she could eat. I put it on the bench next to me, where she stared at it.

  “Is that a drake?” A young boy asked, peaking around the edge of a building.

  “Yes, it is,” I replied. The boy stepped fully into view, staring at Zera in awe. I braced myself for the slew of questions that typically came with a child meeting their first creature.

  “She’s a forest runner, isn't she? Light, fast, tough as trees.”

  “Yes she is. You know your drakes, I see.”

  “We just learned about them in school,” he admitted, sounding almost sheepish. “I find them interesting, but usually when I see them they’re busy working.”

  “That makes sense, but Zera here is more of a companion than an employee. I work her, sure, but I also raised her and she's basically family,” I explained, scratching her ear ridge affectionately.

  “That’s so cool. Did you train her?”

  “I sure did. She’s clever, loyal, and the best thing that's ever happened to me.” I’d have to be blind to miss the look in the kids eyes as he watched Zera. “You can pet her, if you’d like.”

  “Really?” His eyes went wide and he started moving toward Zera, hand tentatively outstretched. Her eyes locked on him, neck stretching out to give him a few sniffs. He froze, looking at me for some sort of confirmation that what he was doing was in fact, acceptable.

  I reached up and gently grabbed onto her harness. Not because I didn’t trust her to behave herself, but because I knew it would take some of his fear away.

  “She loves it when you scratch under her chin,” I suggested. “The center of her back is a good spot too. She tends to get itchy there and it's not a place she can easily scratch.”

  The boy’s first touches were tentative, but soon he was petting her like a pro. She loved every second of it, behaving like an absolute champ. I couldn’t help but laugh at the trilling noise she started to make when he found the sweet spot in the center of her back.

  My half eaten lunch sat forgotten on the bench as I answered the torrent of questions the boy had about Zera and drakes like her. I dodged some of the questions, leaving out the details of my work with the academy. I didn’t want that to follow me here just yet.

  Thankfully, he was much more interested in the silly stories I had to tell than the politics.

  “Owen,” a woman’s voice called from just out of sight.

  “That’s my mom. I have to go. Thanks for letting me pet your drake.”

  “The pleasure has been all mine.” I smiled, watching the boy scamper off, casting one last look back at Zera and me before he disappeared from view. I waited for a few minutes and when nothing concerning happened, I went back to my lunch.

  Zera whined softly.

  “That was pretty nice, wasn’t it,” I said. “Don’t worry, I am sure you will get plenty of attention once people get used to you. It’s our first time here, after all. Now, eat your bowl.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  She methodically ripped the bowl into little pieces before licking them off the ground one at a time. I shook my head at the drama of it all, giving a friendly wave to the few people who walked past the fountain who seemed to notice us.

  A young couple came to sit on the edge of the fountain, opposite of Zera and I, just as I finished eating my lunch. I stood, stretched, and gave them a wave when I noticed them watching me.

  “Good day,” I said.

  “Good day,” they replied. “Is that a drake?”

  “Indeed she is. Would you like to meet her?”

  ******

  It took a few hours to finish the rest of our errands, though most of that time went to introducing some curious souls to Zera, who loved the attention. All in all, it was a great day, but I think we were both relieved to return home.

  I’d left a pile of tablecloths and blankets on the floor with the goal of washing them eventually. Zera decided they would be the perfect nest for her and promptly fell asleep, nose tucked under her feet.

  “I will never understand why you find that comfortable,” I said. She curled up tighter, letting out some soft snores. I chuckled.

  As she slept, I took my time putting the food in the cold box and the pantry. We now had a variety of meat and some fresh vegetables, along with beans, pasta, and flour. Add that to what we already had that was still good, and we would be set for a few weeks, if not months.

  Once that was taken care of, I arranged the different building and crafting materials in a few empty drawers. We actually ended up finding more than I expected, so I splurged a bit. The cottage had a few holes that needed patching, and it wouldn’t take very long.

  “Internal patching tonight, external patching tomorrow,” I said to myself. “I can get the garden cleaned up while I’m at it. Need to start on the shed at some point…might give it a once over if the weather is nice.”

  Satisfied with my plan, I got to work before I could talk myself out of it. The sooner I got the holes taken care of the better, and I only had so long before the tired caught up with me and I conked out like Zera.

  I took the mixture of putty and plaster, along with the thin but sturdy squares of wood, and made my way around the cottage. Most of the holes were relatively small, so they only needed some of the putty. The larger ones I carefully cut so I could fit the wood into the gap, effectively sealing it from the inside.

  I’d learned the trick early on in my career thanks to living in some less than stellar environments. Being a trainer had given me some financial stability, but it took a while to really establish myself enough to get a spot at the academy.

  Most of my colleagues there had no idea what it was like to be in charge of training the drakes and maintaining the facilities. They'd been born into their positions, more or less. I followed a very different path to secure my spot there.

  “All that work, and here I am, glad to have left it all behind,” I muttered as I patched the hole in the study wall. “Can’t say I regret it, though. I did good work. Made a difference in my own way. And I extend with grace. I earned this new chapter.”

  There was a soft thud as Zera headbutted the door open, aware enough from her nap to be curious about what I was up to.

  “Hey girl. You feel better?”

  She chirped, nuzzling my arm affectionately. I wrapped my arm around the back of her neck, giving her room to duck out of my grasp with ease. Drakes rarely liked being constrained, but Zera had come to accept my form of affection.

  Zera leaned into my half hug for as long as it lasted, then proceeded to follow me around while I finished up my work. Thankfully, most of the patching was already done, so I managed to take care of the last few before she started getting bored.

  “Alright, alright,” I chided gently. “Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up and fix myself a bite to eat. Then you can go hunting, okay?”

  She tossed her head, prancing in place enthusiastically. Zera loved hunting, and living in the woods she had more opportunities to do so than she ever had before. It made it easier for me to keep her fed, and while I trusted her to know how to fend for herself, I preferred knowing she was nearby.

  She resisted the urge to nudge me more than once while I took my time cleaning up after myself. It only took me a few minutes to fix my dinner and a drink. I’d arrived with a hefty stash of tea bags and I knew how to make them last.

  “Go on, Zera. Go get your dinner,” I said, holding the door open. She took off, disappearing into the woods before I had the chance to step outside myself. I sat in the sturdy rocking chair that lived on the porch, settling in to enjoy a quiet evening, with a dinner I fixed myself, and a fresh glass of tea.

  I was living the life I never thought I’d have, and I loved every second of it.