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“Some pigeon has left its eggs in your backyard,” said Tifa, Vivea’s youngest sister who was visiting for the cold season.
“Good for the pigeon.” Vivea didn’t look up from her cake-baking. “Pass me the sugar will you, please?”
“It’s a very big pigeon,” Tifa said, standing on tip-toes to peer out of the window again.
“I’m sure it is. Tifa, would you be a dear, and please put the sugar back where you got it from?”
Vivea buried her nose deeper into the recipe book. “Sugar and butter…. Yes… done…. Mmm…. Now eggs. Tifa, I need two eggs.”
“Right!” Tifa scrambled down from the window ledge she had climbed onto, and scurried out of the door.
The door banged shut.
“TIFA!” Vivea’s head jerked out from between the pages, but her sister had already gone. She sighed, laying the recipe book face-first, its spine sticking up like a bristling hedgehog. “Fine, clearly I am going to have to make SOMEBODY’s birthday cake all by myself.” She maneuvered towards the cold-box, only to be nearly bowled over by Tifa flying back in through the door.
“Two eggs!” she announced proudly, holding out the front of her skirt so that Vivea could see her prize. “I told you it was a big pigeon!”
Vivea took one look and nearly dropped her mixing bowl. “TIFA, those aren’t pigeon eggs! They’re dragon eggs! Where on earth did you get them from?”
“They were outside. Their mother must have left them there, not me. I didn’t steal them from anybody.” Tifa ducked her head defensively, and was rescued by the timely arrival of two of Vivea’s dragons scrambling in through the open door behind her. Herne was chasing the irresponsible Saritor who was carrying a stolen doorknocker in his mouth.
“SARITOR, what are you DOING?” Mortified, Vivea tried to snatch the doorknocker but missed. Gleefully, the plant dragon fled into the back room with his prize, with the more responsible Herne chasing after him.
Vivea shook her head. “Why me?” Then she looked down at the two eggs, frowning to herself. It was almost a shame Tifa had been the one to find them, because she would be sure to tell the rest of their family, who in turn would…
“Tifa, give me the eggs,” Vivea said.
“No. You /shouted/ at me, Vivea! I’m going to give the dragon eggs to Papa.”
“No.”
“I will! He always likes collecting dragon eggs! I’ll-“
“Hush, Tifa!” Vivea had her hand over her younger sister’s mouth before she could say another word. Then, once Tifa had quietened, she went down on one knee before her little sister, taking her by the shoulders and looking earnestly into her freckled face. “Listen, Tifa. All dragons must be accounted for and registered with the authorities. Rogue eggs like this must be turned in, because they might belong to somebody, and even if they do not, they must be regulated. Those are the rules.”
Tifa pulled a face. “You’re always such a stick-in-the-mud, Vivea. Papa found a black dragon’s egg last year and didn’t tell anyone. He-“
“Tifa! Quiet! Don’t let anyone hear you say that! Listen. I /know/ what everyone else in our family does but that is reason for us to follow them. Rules exist for a reason. They are there so that people don’t take dragons and do illegal things with them.”
“Papa doesn’t do anything illegal,” Tifa said defensively.
Vivea didn’t answer.
But whilst Tifa was distracted trying to think up extra counter-arguments, Vivea plucked the eggs from the front of her skirt and carried them to the kitchen table. “I’m going to look after these for a while, Tifa, and then I’m going to turn them in.”
Tifa’s face screwed up until her cheeks went red. “No! Vivea, they’re MINE! Give them back to me! I’m going to tell Papa! I’m going to tell Raelan, and Yser, and then you’ll be in trouble!”
“Tell them. I don’t care,” Vivea said, hands on her hips, glaring down at her little sister. “But if –they- get in trouble for what they do, remember, I warned you!”
Tifa bunched her fists up and hit her knees. “Not fair, Vivea! You’re so MEAN!”
“Sit down and play with Herne for a while,” Vivea told her. “You’ll feel much better. I need to go out and get some real pigeon eggs for your birthday cake.”
She put the eggs high up out of reach, but what she didn’t count on was Tifa’s innovation, and just what could be accomplished with the help of several of Vivea’s mischievous dragons.

It was a chilly morning, but Quillavee had errands to run. She trudged through the slushy snow, accompanied as usual by her two dragons. Her dark dragon, Spirit, flitted from tree limb to roof edge doing his usual scouting ahead. Whimsy, her blue artsy dragon, was off exploring somewhere, but never far away. Quillavee wondered what trinket Whimsy would come back with this time, to add to her treasure hoard.

A triumphant bugle informed Quillavee that her blue dragon had found a prize. Past experience had taught Quillavee to not ignore the prizes that Whimsy found especially exciting. These particular prizes usually belonged to someone and the owners normally weren’t ready to give them up.

The young wizard looked around trying to determine which direction the sound had come from. Spirit flew back from scouting ahead, hovered over her head a moment and then took off in another direction. Quillavee trotted after the dark dragon until he disappeared around the corner of a building. Quillavee quickened her pace. Spirit came flying back around the corner, flew circles around her, chattering excitedly and then flew back the way he’d come. Quillavee broke into a run, rounded the corner of the building and skidded to a stop.

“Whimsy! What have you done?!”

The blue dragon was hugging a lavender egg and taking short flying hops to bring the egg back. Spirit was still flying back and forth in agitation. A small part of Quill noted that the dark dragon wasn’t flying back and forth between her the blue dragon, but back to a snow bank at the base of a tree.

“Oh no, Whim, you’ve outdone yourself this time.” Quill hurried to the dragon and gently pried the egg from her grasp. "You shouldn't take an egg that belongs to someone else." She was surprised that Whimsy had given up the egg willingly. It usually took some convincing to get a new-found prize away from the dragon. “Where did…” Quillavee’s voice trailed off as Whimsy turned and flew back from where she’d come with the egg.

The egg felt cold in her hands. She wondered if someone had lost it and it had been in the cold too long. She felt sad that whatever life might have been growing in the egg was probably ended. Still, just in case, she tucked the egg into her coat to keep it warm.

Excited squawking brought her attention back to her two dragons. She walked over to the tree where the two dragons had been digging in the snow at its roots. Whimsy, half buried in the snow, backed up while dragging another egg in her talons.

“Oh my!” Quillavee got on her knees and checked the rest of the now around the tree to make sure there were no more hidden eggs. Finding none, she turned to Whimsy and took the white egg from the little dragon. Quillavee tucked it inside her coat to keep it warm with the other one. “Looks like we have another stop to make on our errands today. Come on you two. Next stop, the Registry, to find out where these little guys came from.”