The dragons had flown steadily south and west for weeks. For several days they passed over the unbroken flatness of the ocean of grass. The featureless grasslands defied navigation, and they were directed in their flight only by the position of the sun overhead. They flew mostly by day, stopping at night to rest. The dragons would settle themselves in a circle, with eight dragons remaining awake to watch in every direction. Then those dragons who were parents would settle in the middle of the outer ring, with the children in the very center. As the night wore on, the watch was changed several times to allow every dragon a chance to rest. When the sun rose they would get up, form into wings of a dozen or so and be off.

Serali had become thoroughly bored of grass when at last they left the plains. They passed then over the western end of the broken lands. Here the ground was seamed with rifts and pocked with craters. Tiny streams ran at the bottoms of impossibly deep, narrow canyons. But they were over those lands for little more than a single day before they left them. Now they entered a country of rolling hills. Small copses of trees spotted the land here and there. It was not as featureless as the grasslands, but it didn't take Serali long to become just as bored. After more than a week of traveling over this land at last she saw something different. A line formed on the horizon. Serali could see the tiny specks of the lead dragons descending on it. As she herself drew nearer it resolved itself into a river. On the far bank a long line of cliffs rose, dotted here and there with caves. The river itself was full of dragons, laughing and splashing in the cold waters. Serali landed in the river with a splash that threatened to swamp the dragons near her. Kethro, who had followed behind her the whole way as usual, splashed down beside her, drenching her.

Serali laughed and shook her head, sending water flying. "It looks like we've arrived. I wonder what we do now?"

"I think we should find Drevass or Cherval and find out," Kethro replied. Swimming strongly with sweeps of his powerful tail he crossed to the far bank and hauled himself out of the water. Serali followed, moving somewhat more slowly. She had never swum as a dragon before, and the motions were different from those required in human form. Good thing dragons float, she thought, otherwise I might be in trouble.

The bank was crowded with a veritable rainbow of dragons. Serali scanned the crowd looking for familiar faces and not finding any. Turning and looking in the other direction, she still couldn't see Cherval or Drevass, but she did spot Vulcnor and his mate only a few yards off.

"Vulcnor!" She walked over to them, waving.

"Serali! It's good to see you again." He held up the basket. "They are still warm. As soon as we pick out a good spot we'll take them out."

"Pick out a spot?"

"Ah, of course, you've never been on migration before. When we arrive at the winter lands, each dragon can pick a cave. Whoever gets there first gets first choice. But there are many more caves here than are needed, so I'm in no rush."

"So I can just move in wherever I like?"

"Yes. The only cave that's reserved is a particularly large one near the middle of the cliffs that Drevass gets every year."

"Thank you. I'll go take a look around."

"It is I who should be thanking you, Serali. You have saved my hatchlings."

"Anyone would have done the same if they could, Vulcnor."

"But it was you who did."

Serali shrugged.

Vulcnor's mate interrupted them. "Come. I know a place I would like to claim before another does."

He smiled at his mate, and bid Serali farewell. Serali waved goodbye to the pair. Then she set off to inspect the available caves with Kethro trailing behind her.

She located an excellent cave of modest proportions. It consisted of two chambers, the first with a wide entrance and spacious high ceiling, the second much smaller. She had to duck to go through the entrance and Kethro needed to bend almost double to get in. It boasted one remarkable feature that made up for the difficulty of entering. A natural opening in the rock made a window to the outside, and some previous occupant had actually installed a pane of thick wavy glass.

"This is amazing. I've never heard of a dragon making glass."

Kethro stuck his head in the entrance and looked around. "Then you haven't been paying attention," he said with a laugh. "What do you think the light globes in dragon stone are made from? Dragonsmiths crafted every one of them."

"Oh." Serali felt a little foolish. "Dragonsmiths?" she asked.

"Yes. They aren't common, but there are a few. They say the first dragonsmith explored too far and became lost in the deep caves and was found by a group of dwarves. He lived among them for several years and learned their ways. When he returned to the surface he taught as many other dragons as would learn the smithing art. And since then the term has come to be applied to any dragon that crafts things. Of course a dragonsmith doesn't do the kind of work a human smith does. They make books, and a few other functional things, but dragons don't need plows or swords or any of the things that human smiths tend to make. Most of what a dragonsmith makes is decorative."

Serali sighed. "Sometimes I feel like I ought to have stayed with my human parents. There's so much I don't understand."

"You'll learn. You belong with your own kind. You know you weren't really happy with the humans."

"That's not quite true. I was often happy there, I just didn't fell like I belonged. I didn't fit in at Land's End and I didn't fit in with the nobles at Baron City, but I don't really fit in here either."

Kethro shook his head. "That may me merely because you still are not with your own kind. These are plains dragons. Mountain dragons are quite different."

"Perhaps..."