Stupid heat [M'din]

With a strained groan, M'din propped his heavy form up on his elbows, straw hat slipping to the sand beneath him. It was impossible for him to refuse a redfruit, regardless of the ache in his head. He replied, "Oh, yes. I'd love some." As he munched, juice dripping into his beard, the movement of his jaw made him painfully aware of his meat-tenderized face. "Don't worry though. I'm sure Armath wants you to watch me, but I plan on staying right here and not being slapped by a wall of water again in the near future. I was surprised how much that hurt." He rolled the redfruit between his fingers at a different angle, biting it practically to the core.

"Good thing I didn't bring my kids today," M'din chuckled. "That would've been embarrassing." It was a rare day that he could round up all of his progeny for a relaxing jaunt to the lake, but he always strove to spend time with them. The slew of half brothers and sisters got along well and, unfortunately for the rider, had zero problems teaming up with Armath to mock the ever-afflicted M'din. It was something of a running gag that, regardless of their daily activity, their father would be physically damaged in the process. Fortunately, none of M'din's children inherited that entertaining, if dangerous, tendency.

The other brownrider was certainly old enough to be a father several times over, but it did not occur to M'din that K'ton might be one of the many men at Katila did not enjoy discussing their posterity. It was a foreign concept to M'din, who enjoyed children tremendously, whether or not they were his own, and was grateful for the experience of fatherhood at all. He turned to K'ton, curiously asking, "Do you have any kids?" before settling his gaze on his dragon.

Resurfacing with gusto, Armath shook droplets of water from his eye-ridges and snout with a twirl of his head. Not to worry. He turned to Ironth, He's a sturdy creature for all his clumsiness. By tomorrow we'll both have forgotten it happened. He sunk beneath the water, weaving through the lake with the same capable agility he possessed tearing across the sky. Swimming is strange, he told the other brown from underwater. It's like flying without air or wings, and your tail works harder. An idea occurred to him suddenly.

He dove deeper, then vanished between, reappearing a few moments later beside Ironth. It's very chilly being wet between, but you can do it from underwater, he concluded with a shiver. He hadn't meant to scare the flighty dragon with his abrupt experiments, so he asked, Still want to play?