Excerpt:

“Go away, Sky!”

Cara was exasperated.  Skydancer’s playful shove had knocked her halfway across the cobbled floor and made her drop her shovel. As she bent to pick it up, the dragon swung his head to give Cara another nudge.  Cara turned around, raised the shovel, and tapped him briskly on the muzzle.  Skydancer blinked and looked hurt.

“Don’t go looking at me like that,” said Cara.  “How am I supposed to clean out your stall if you keep pushing me?”

Skydancer gave Cara one of his most pathetic looks.  Cara laughed; Sky knew all her weak spots. She couldn’t stay angry with him for long.  She reached out and scratched the green scaly ridge between the golden blaze on the dragon’s forehead and his left eye.  Skydancer closed his great almond eyes and crooned with pleasure.

The dragon arched his back and stretched his forelegs so that his talons rose from the cobbles, falling back with a series of soft clicks as he relaxed.  He half opened his wings, shaking his sails into new folds as his wingtips brushed the stable walls.  Then he settled down again, twitching his long tail, the finlike spade at the end slapping the floor gently as Cara continued her affectionate stroking.

“I know you want to play.”  Cara tried hard to make her voice stern.  “But I have to do my chores first.  I’ve got to finish mucking out the other dragons’ stables and check up on the dragonets.  The longer you keep me here, the longer it’ll take me to do them.”  Cara stopped scratching the dragon and straightened up.  “I’ll come back as soon as I can.  I promise.”

Sky gave a mournful chirrup and slunk over to his sleeping platform.  He padded around in a circle a couple of time, like a huge scaly dog settling in its basket.  Then he curled up with his nose tucked under his tail and gave Cara a self-pitying look.

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