Soft come the dragons

He neither praised nor rebuked her, instead playfully giving her a hard time. Koontz smiled at his jokes, as ever fond of his sense of humor, partly because it reminded her so much of family. "Maybe I should step up sooner rather than later, so this pack doesn't have a slacker running the ship," she joked wryly in return. Of course, she didn't mean any of that seriously. She was only a yearling and there was so much to learn before she took the crown. Besides, she sincerely doubted Ariston had actually found time to catch as many Z's as he said.

When he began to move, suggesting that they locate a suitable den for herself and Ray, Koontz hesitated a moment and said, "No, wait," and bounded to stand at his shoulder, albeit slightly behind him. "I really need some breakfast before I do anything else," she told him. "I need something to eat... and something to drink, funnily enough," she added, blinking drops of rainwater out of her eyes even as she said it.