Zypheria walked beside her much larger mother, their tails swaying in unison. Just two purple dragons striding through an emerald green meadow crisscrossed by babbling brooks.

“This meadow is our sacred sanctum,” Teradrax told her daughter. “Warded by powerful magics of the elder dragons, no mortal foe may pass through the barrier.”

Zypheria cocked her head in confusion. “Then how’d that child get in?”

There, emerging from the treeline was a boy no older than twelve.

“Prepare for battle!” Teradrax boomed.

“Mother! That boy is no dragon hunter!”

“A human has never ridden upon my back... why?”

Zypheria sighed. “You follow the golden rule: assume all humans desire to subjugate us.”

“Correct.”

“But clearly this child is not our ‘foe’, the barrier let him pass.”

“Keep watch on him,” Teradrax said. “I must check the wards.”

With a mighty flap of her wings, Teradrax was gone, leaving Zypheria and the boy to eye each other warily.

“What’s your name?” Zypheria asked as the boy neared.

“Jacob,” he whispered.

Cold rain began to fall, leaving Jacob soaked and shivering. Zypheria raised her wing high and looked to him expectantly. The lure of shelter overpowered his fear and he scampered beneath.

She gently lowered her wing until it loosely enveloped him, then craned her neck to tuck her own head underneath beside him.

“I’m going to warm you up,” Zypheria said. “Don’t be scared.”

Zypheria summoned the barest flicker of flame from her throat and let it tumble around her mouth.

After a moment’s wariness, Jacob shuffled forward, warming his hands in front of the makeshift furnace. It soothed him for several blissful minutes until a rush of wind, the force of a dragon landing, extinguished it.

“Zypheria!” Teradrax shouted as she tucked her own head beneath her daughter’s wing. “I told you to watch him!”

“I am! Very, very closely.”

Teradrax sighed. “Where are your parents, boy?”

“A-alone,” Jacob whimpered. “I’m all alone.”

Zypheria looked to her mother, eyes pleading.

“Well… erhm,” Teradrax said finally, “not so alone. We are here with you.”

Tentatively, Jacob placed a hand on Teradrax’s snout. “You’re warm too,” he murmured.

“Indeed!” she chuckled. “You’re safe here, child. From the cold, and from the fouler things in this world.”

“Jacob,” Zypheria said. “Do you see those orbs, dancing through the treeline?”

“Uhuh!” Jacob said, transfixed by the glowing light show.

“Those are the spirits of our ancestors, lighting the darkness. Protecting us.”

“Wowwwwww!” On his tiptoes, Jacob peered into the distance. “I wish I could see moreeee!”

After a moment’s silence, Teradrax said, “Tomorrow I'll give you a ride, show you the entire sanctum from above. Would you like that… Jacob?”

“Yes!”

“But only if you’re a good boy and get some sleep! You require rest, child.”

“Okayyyy.”

As Jacob curled up on the grass between two dragon heads, Zypheria couldn’t help grinning at her mother.

“What happened to the golden rule, mother?” she whispered.

Teradrax chuckled. “I suppose all rules must have exceptions.”