Cradling the tiny dragon against my chest, I edged toward the cave mouth, where the cliffside dropped away into a dizzying expanse of wind and sky. The stones beneath my boots shifted, sending me skidding toward the ledge—and before I could even shout, the little dragon let out a startled chirp. His wings, still soft and slightly translucent, snapped open on pure instinct. With a wobbling flutter—and a panicked sneeze that sparked a harmless puff of fire—he pushed against the air, just enough to tug my weight backward. It wasn’t flight… not really. More like a determined flapping that slowed my slide and helped me regain my footing. I pressed a hand to the wall, heart hammering, as he looked up at me proudly, as if he had just saved me. “Good job, little guy,” I whispered, and he trilled, nestling into my arm—already acting like my tiny guardian long before he could truly fly.