Chpater Two.

In the morning, Balth went flying. After flying a high circle around the entire forest, he glided to the base of his waterfall. Balth drank all the water his heart desired, and lay there in the grass for an hour. It was noon when Balthezar heard a faint noise. She had waited till the day after the full moon. He smiled as the sound grew louder. It was Airee’s call. Balthezar scrambled to his feet and leapt into the air, gouging the ground as he did so. He flew toward the ever-growing louder roar, in the direction of Airee’s tree. Halfway to that place, Balth looked down and saw the green one, running and trying to keep up with him. That’s when Balthezar realized: Zurelos didn’t know how to fly. ‘That’s why he claims so much territory,’ thought Balt, ‘he could never own the sky.’ As Balthezar slowly passed Zurelos, he saw the red dragoness. Balth began to pick up her faint smell again, and it made him fly faster. She was crouched by her tree. The blue dragon kept flying faster, and smiled at her gracefullness. When Balthezar came to be half a mile away, she herself took to the skies in a single bound. Balthezar was home free in the race, but he knew he still had to catch her. Higher and higher she flew; her weight and size gave her a much greater advantage over Balth in the sky. He chased Airee for over half an hour, his wings grew more tired every second. They had flown above the clouds now, and the air was thin. Balth was right on top of her when she looked back, and they both knew it was his chance. With one last gigantic push of his wings, Balthezar nestled up besides her. Airee gazed into his eyes with a hint of a smile: he had caught her. Without saying a word, the two dragons closed their wings and embrassed. There was silence between them as they fell forever. The only sound was the mighty air, rushing past them. As the ground neared, Airee opened her wings first. They both veered off, and Airee led Balthezar to her lair. When they had reached the base of her tree, the two dragons both landed heavily. The great flying had taken most of their strength, and they were both silent, panting. The two dragons lay under the shade of Airee’s tree for an hour. When the sun had almost reached the clouds, Airee got up and went to the mouth carved into her tree. The blue dragon followed slowly and silently. He did not know what his mate had in store for him inside. Balth found that the base of the tree actually led to a burrow beneath the tree’s roots. It was a very small den. He found her squatting over logs as she lit a fire in the center of the den. Balth was amazed how easily flame came to her when she was so tired. He sat near the fire as she spoke to him.
“I wanted to show you this place before I buried it. It will not serve as a place for two dragons to dwell.” Balthezar knew she was right. They would have to find another lair to share. “We can sleep here tonight”, she said to him. “If you wish.”
“Anywhere with you is all I desire”, answered Balth. So she walked over to him and nuzzled her head into his chest. He could feel her as she began to purr softly. Balthezar started to purr in harmony with her, and the two dragons became tired. Airee rolled into a ball with Balth surrounding her. The two dragons’ tails intertwined, and they lay so in there and sleep until morning came. The dragons slept late. After waking, Balthezar and Airee worked silently. They filled the tunnel in the base of the tree with rock and dirt. No other would ever see Airee’s old lair. The red dragoness led Balth to a waterfall twenty feet from her tree. It was still some ten miles away from Balth’s waterfall. They dove to its base and landed. Airee dove into the water, and Balthezar followed. Under a rocky ledge, she led him. When they emerged, Balth realized he was within a huge cave. It had been carved by dwarves for the elves, before the two races started warring. There was nothing left of them now, the race of men was all that was left. On one of the banks lay a large amount of treasure. It was Airee’s treasure. She sat between him and the gold and silver. 
“If you like it”, she said to him, “our home can be here.” Balthezar marveled at her for having this place. 
“Its just like home”, Balth said to her softly. They nuzzled again and kissed. Dragon tongue was a new taste for Balthezar, but he loved it more then anything. They kissed again, and he tasted Airee for longer this time. Although Balt had never had his own treasure, he did not linger his eyes on the wealth before him. He found that Airee matered more to him than even the riches of the world now. The kiss seemed to last forever, and Balth smiled as he thought of the new cave concealed by water.  The two dragons immediately went to work on making the new cave suitable for them. Using only his claws, Balth started to dig out another bowl shape to sleep in. While he worked, Airee left to find branches and twigs to make a fire. After bringing what she had found though the water tunnel, she used her power to dry them off, make them warm, and lit a fire. Balthezar was amazed at how slowly it had taken, even for a fire dragon. The smoke vented the same way as Balthezar’s old fire pit. Balth had just finished the nook when the fire was started. He stood back and admired his work. It was just big enough for two. Both tasks had used much strength, and had taken up most of the day. The two dragons cuddled in the space Balth had made for them, and they watched Airee’s fire flow. Airee let Balth nuzzle her and they both began to purr in harmony: Balthezar deeply, and Airee more softly. Soon, Airee’s purr turned into a light snore. He looked over at his sleeping dragoness, put his hand on her face, and kissed her gently goodnight. Airee woke first the next morning. She felt unusually hungry, but she decided not to hunt yet because she had eaten a cow the day before her call. Airee looked up and saw the familiar icicles looming overhead. This was why she didn’t live here. The chills produced by them could be fatal to her. Airee hoped Balth could keep her warm from them. It would be a test for him. She trotted over to the wall near the small pond that led through the entrance tunnel underwater. They would need a dry entrance to get in and out now. Food and wood would spoil if it got too wet, and it would be a hassle to keep draging it though the stream. She began to dig though the thin wall. On the other side was the waterfall. When Balth woke up, he too was hungry. He wanted to help her dig, but she denied him.
“Go feed your soul”, she said. “And bring me back something special as well.” Balthezar laughed at her last comment. He left and found himself an elk. He ate to his heart’s content outside the cave, and returned with a small doe for Airee. She had completed the entrance by the time he came back. Airee had incredible speed. She wanted to give him rest today for what he would have to do tomorrow. They flew all day together peacefully, and never stopped. When they returned to their cave, they cuddled into an embrace, and drifted off to sleep together once again. Somehow, they both knew they would always be together. The next morning, Balt crawled out of his side of the alcove, trying not to wake his sleeping beauty. He would go hunt for Breakfast on their combined territory. He marked the entrance to the cave, and then went to all the corners of his and Airee’s land and marked them too. When Airee woke up, she would smell him. He found a small herd of buffalo in a small clearing. He pounced and drove his six-inch long talons into the back of a full-grown male, snapping its back into pieces. It was dead instantly. He ate his fill, but left the best parts for Airee. He picked up the carcass and flew off toward their den. He dove down through the waterfall and came upon the entrance of the cave. He set the carcass down and looked up. He hadn’t noticed that on the rock above was a thick sheet of icicles and crystal. It was beautiful, but now re realized why Airee did not live here. He remembered that Airee was a fire dragon, not an ice dragon, and went to check on her. She was shivering and couldn’t get up from where she lay. Balt quickly made Airee’s fire bigger with the remaining acid in his lungs and told her he would be back with some blankets. He went to his old cave and bundled up all of his firs and pelts. He took them in his claws and again went back to their lair behind the waterfall. He took the bundle and the carcass to Airee. Balthezar spread the furs all over Airee’s body. She opened her eyes and gazed at her mate. He had passed.
When Air had recovered from her cold, Balthezar pushed the remains of the buffalo to her and let her take the first bites. After a few nibbles, she pushed it back toward Balt. He took a small bite and smiled. Everything they had now was shared. The two dragons continued eating together until the food was gone. Although the Buffalo was hardly filling, Airee was glad for the warm meal her mate had given her. She put a paw to her stomach and felt the acids boil inside her. It was time to show Balthezar her powers. Airee blew a red and white flame. It danced out of her lips and turned into a ball in front of Balth. The ball grew bigger as it moved away from her. Balth noticed that the ball of fire was self-contained now. It was not being fed by fire! It was simply a hovering cloud of red, being fed by air from Airee’s snout. The flame ended abruptly as she snorted a final puff of smoke. Balthezar was speechless. He wondered if she had any more secrets…
“I’m not done”, Airee said for him. “I have a small power of wind as well.” She started another flame, but smaller and close to the ground. It became a pillar, flowing from her snout to the floor. She opened her wings, and waved them around the flame. The fiery pillar slowly turned into a mini swirling tornado. It only lasted for a moment however as Airee slowly lost her coordination. But Balthezar was still impressed. He purred deeply in amusement. The red dragon also purred softly. She rested from her demonstration, waiting as to see more of Balthezar’s power of ice. 
“You are very powerful”, Balth said to her. “I would not want to match against you.” 
“You are powerful as well”, she said back. “I saw you the day you fought the green one.” She was whispered now. “I wish to see more.”
“I will show you something special”, he softly said back. Balth closed his eyes and reached for his power. He suddenly became cold, and his light blue scales turned white with frost again. Airee felt cold just watching him. A chill ran thought Balthezar as he opened his mouth and let frosty air slowly spill from his mouth. In minutes, he had an icy mountain before him. Balthezar let go of his power and dug into the ice with his claws. He carved away at the ice, and slowly produced a figure for Airee to marvel at. It was a clear dragon, with every physical feature of Airee. It was a perfect match of her body, down to her every scale. She looked at her tiny self in amazement. 
“It’s beautiful”, Airee whispered.
“as are you”, Balth said back. She walked around it as she eyed it closely. Then Airee suddenly frowned at Balthezar.
“I’m not THAT fat… am I?” she hissed. A bolt of laughter suddenly leapt from Balth. He clapped his snout with his paw and cringed his tail as he tried to hold it back with all his might. He didn’t know what it was that made him laugh so hard. Airee eyed him hotly, but this made Balth worse. As he laughed, he accidentally shot a ball of ice from his nostril. It hit the wall and froze into a mirror surface that Airee could gaze into. She looked at herself and spun around to Balth. She was usually pleased with her form, but this time her scales turned pink as she blushed in embarrassment. 
“Maybe it was something you ate”, Balth yelped, still trying not to laugh. She spun around and glared at him. Balthezar knew she was serious now. He smelled her hate, and he stopped laughing. But it was too late, for Airee was charging at him with full speed. Balth watched as her muscles rippled across her body as she ran. He could not move, caught like a deer before a predator. Airee plowed into her mate, and knocked the male dragon to the ground: a task that would normally be impossible for a female to accomplish. She sat on top of the blue dragon as he lay on his back. Balth was serious now, but she was still mad. Airee snorted black smoke at him, dispite his forgivefullness. She snorted at him smugly.
“You are beutifull to me, Airee”, Balth whispered. She looked away and snorted again. It was not what she wanted to hear, but she backed off Balth. When she looked back at him, Balthezar’s cheecks suddenly bulged out for a quick moment. He took a giant hiccup as a large puff of smoke left his mouth. Airee watched, and slapped her stomach in laughter. Now Balthezar was embarrassed as he rolled on the floor with a grimace face. He was glad the mood had reversed itself between them, but Balthezar’s scales turned pale blue as he blushed. Balth just sat there as he was mocked. Airee could not control her laughter. She rolled and laughed and giggled until she started to snort. When she heard herself, she immediately stopped. Airee felt sorry for Balth, knowing what had happened: Balthezar had tried to start a flame for her, but it was lit too soon, and engulfed his throat and mouth. She lay next to Balthezar now.
“Have you always had poor fire?” She asked.
“Yes”, Balth nodded.
“I can help you”, Airee said softly. “But first, let me give you my mark.” As she finished speaking, she started a small flame from her snout and heated up her biggest claw. When it had turned red hot, she stuck it into Balthezar at the biggest part of his tail. Airee did this twice, and when Balthezar looked at her work, he saw that she had branded the shape of an arrowhead into the base of his tail. Balthezar knew this meant she would always protect him.
“Now turn over onto your back.” She smiled as she said the seductive words. When he had done so, she put her right paw between his chest and his stomach onto his dragon soft spot. Airee was surprised by his trust in her. Not every dragon would let a hand touch his soft spot. Her pawtips grew warmer and warmer, and Balthezar’s belly grew hot also as her claws turned red with heat again. Balthezar’s lungs seemed to be getting smaller. It was getting hard for him to breathe. Suddenly his lungs filled with their own fire as he found a new way to breathe. The blue dragon purred tremendously as the fire grew inside him. His fire would no longer rely on acid from the animals he ate. Airee withdrew her smoldering paw, and Balthezar bowed in great thanks.  He started a small flame in his mouth, and produced a blue fire that streamed from his nostrils. Balth smiled. He knew what to give her in return.
“Give me your tail”, he said. At first, Airee hesitated and tucked her tail under her, and behind a wing. At the face Balth gave her, she gave in and slid the tip of it to him. As Balth reached for his power, he slipped the last six inches of her tail into his mouth. Airee’s eyes grew wider as Balthezar froze the end of her tail. She shivered as the cold feeling ran though her spine. Airee let out a tiny yelp, and to her amazement, a frosty mist emerged from her mouth. She exhaled deeply, and she breathed out frosty air. When Balth let go of her tail, she looked at it longingly for it to warm up. As she watched, the scales that were in Balthezar’s mouth at the tip of her tail turned an icy shade of blue: they were the same color of Balthezar’s scales. Although Airee continued to breathe frost, she did not feel cold. She lit a small flame in her belly to make sure she still had her gift, and purred when she found it again. The two dragons had given each other a small ability of their powers without loosing any of the power they had before. Balth had fire, and Airee could live in the cold. Balthezar gathered the furs and put them into the alcove. He climbed in on top of Airee: she would not be cold tonight, Balthezar assured himself. In fact, Airee would never be cold again. They fell asleep to the sound of each other’s purrs with interlocked tails all thought the night. 

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