D-084: Cove Cottage

In the morning Sabik wakes to the sound of waves and dragon song. Sometimes one of his siblings dumps saltwater over his head, and that's less charming, but the day is young--the opportunities to return the mischief are as endless as the tides. His cottage is perched to catch the sunrise first. Going east, there are similar bays and coves with the cottages of his family. His cottage is first to catch the sun and first to see any ships on the horizon.

 

In the afternoon there is the sound of work; Jinyu and the other dragons hauling in nets full of fish. On particularly good days they might even bring in a whole ship of salvage. The heat becomes oppressive, almost dangerous, but Sabik was born for this. His dragon, Jinyu, is half-fire and half-water. They are made of the sun and the sea.

 

In the evening the sun turns the entire sea molten. The siblings gather for sparring practice. In the shallows they bring up the spears and the nets and turn them to battle. It is for fun and for practicality; the family has teeth as sharp as their dragons, but the steel of their blades needs whetting. Sabik can feel his blood warming as the last of the sun sinks below the horizon. He is a salvager and a sailor and a son, but what he wants to be most is a scimitar--a blade, ready for battle.

 

In the night, the bay fills with the sound of cicadas and night birds. The heat never breaks, but it becomes tolerable, pleasant. The family tends to cluster in one bay or another, and there is the sound of laughter and the smell of wood smoke and roasting meat. The dragons doze in the water and in the hammocks and in laps, on the rare occasion they are small enough. The wind comes in off the water. It feels like home.