"As I mentioned earlier, my Aquana was a water type dragon, but there are many 'types' of dragons."
She nodded her face still pale.
"The most common are water type, earth type, mana type, plant type, and fire type."
"Fire type? Aren't all dragons fire type?" She interjected.
"It's true that all dragons can breathe fire, but fire types have a much bigger set of fire acid and activator glands, this gives them the ability to breathe fire for an extended period of time. Really talented ones can also create what is called 'fire vortex' which is basically a tornado created from fire that can be moved independently from their breath. Fire dragons are usually a shade of red and are known for having spikes on the ends of their tails"
He was glad he'd tried this, color was returning to her face and she looked fascinated.
He continued. "Now, earth type dragons can manipulate stone and sediment. They are usually a shade of brown and are more bulky than other types. This is obviously useful in many ways. Some dragons hurl stones while others create dust storms, some can lift thousands of pebbles in the air and shoot them like projectiles all at once. There are even earth dragons who can move large amounts of dirt creating, embankments, dams, and other earthworks."
She nodded along taking it in. "They seem to have a lot of uses."
"Yes, some people may say they are boring, but I think that's just prejudice because they aren't as elegant and pretty as the other types tend to be. What people miss is that they are the backbone of the Dragon Corps and they have the most practical applications in war and in peace.
Now plant types are interesting, they are usually green and are some of the most delicate dragons in their appearance. Don't let that fool you though they are known for having the sharpest temperment. They are less common but they also have many good uses. In a battle, they can create a field of poisonous plants that can quickly put an army down. There are many different types they can create there was even once a dragon who could create what they called the "Death Flower," which was said to be able to kill anyone who breathed in it's scent. In peace time they can help crops cultivate and having them burn a field the year before a planting will guarantee that the planted crop will thrive and overproduce."
"What about the mana type, what do they do?"
"Mana type can be almost any color, although a dragon's color is usually very reliable in sorting them into classes, some transcend any class and mana is that special class where any dragon who is 'unclassifiable goes."
"Is that what Kilnik is?"
He nodded, "Most likely, he is definitely a unique color. I have no idea what his abilities might be. It will be quite fun as he grows for the two of you to discover the different things he's able to do. I, myself, am curious as well."
She nodded and looked fondly at Kilnik who cooed at her and then hopped off Tate's shoulders to take a turn on the refreshed Aliya's shoulders. The dragonling cuddled up to her and cooed some more. She smiled.
"He said, he's looking forward to it too. He wants to show us how awesome he is."
Tate grinned. "I'm sure he's going to be great, and most importantly that the both of you will be great. You are a team from now on and there are two beings who must perform for the team to work well together."
"Do you think I'm going to be good at...well what do I need to be good at other than riding Kilnik?"
"You will learn how to wield a sword, spear, bow, or dagger both on and off Kilnik's back, close combat, aerial combat, tactics, and more."
"What if I'm no good at any of it?" She asked a little panicky. "That's a lot."
He shrugged. "I'm not worried, we'll have a lot of time and I'm positive you'll at least be good at one thing. It's great to be good at everything but most people end up specializing in one thing and as long as they have the basics in the other aspects that will keep them, their dragon, and their comrades in arms safe."
"Will you teach Kilnik stuff too?"
He shook his head. "There's not much a human can teach a dragon about itself. Once he undergoes his first partial metamorphosis he will start to figure things out by instinct. Later, he will learn a lot by just flying with you on his back. Until he turns three and you are ready to start flying together we will let him explore his abilities on his own."
She nodded and Kilnik purred into her ear. She giggled and Tate smiled, he didn't know what the little dragonling was saying he was just pleased that whatever it was it had put a smile back on Aliya's face.
She looked up at Tate wanting to share the fun when she remembered that Tate couldn't hear him. "Why can only one dragon rider hear a dragon?"
Tate shrugged. "An effect of the bond, I guess. Some dragon riders have tried to talk to dragons that were not theirs in the past but no one has ever done it. I've even heard a story where one man who attempted it ended up passing out when he started bleeding from his eyes, ears, and nose. He would have died if a healer had not intervened. That was a few generations before my time and since then it's been taught as a given that attempting to go outside the blessings of your own bond is dangerous and disrespectful."
She nodded. "There's so much I want to know! How do dragons already know their name before they hatch?"
"That's a mystery as well, most of their time in eggs is a mystery. Take your Kilnik for example he's been in his egg for over eight hundred years..."
"Wait! What? He's over eight hundred years old!" She screeched looking at Kilnik incredulously. The dragonling looked unphased.
"Shhhh," he reminded her, she clapped her hand to her mouth, but her eyes were bugged out comically. "He was in his egg for that long, but their aging is so different from ours that it's difficult to put an age on them. We also don't know anything about their time inside their eggs. All dragonlings know their name when they are hatched, I guess it's instinct, like the instinct that allows a dragonling to hunt immediately or fly as soon as their body is ready. They are just preprogrammed for these things. What they do need help with is learning how to maneuver with a rider on their back and how to behave around humans that aren't their partner."
She looked confused. "Is that a problem people have? I've never seen Kilnik be anything but nice to you."
He nodded. "That's me, he likes me for some reason, and I'm grateful, but you didn't see him threaten a student of mine from the academy. He was clumsy since he'd just hatched but he would have scratched or bitten Lou if he'd gotten any closer to you."
"The Academy, are you upset you had to quit because of me?"
He shook his head. "Don't worry about that kind of stuff, I didn't really enjoy the job and there was someone else who was much better suited for it."
She nodded. "Why were you a teacher then if you didn't like it, why not do something you like?"
He gave her a look. "I can't do the thing I like anymore."
She looked chagrined. "Oh...well is there something else you like to do?"
He shook his head, "No, being a dragon rider was all I knew. I don't have any other interests."
He looked back at her and he felt a little insulted. She was looking at him with so much pity. She reached up and patted him on the upper arm. "Cheer up."