On the way home, Juniper removed the saddle from Aynir's back and escorted him to the Galewood holding. The entire family kept dragons there, although there weren't many to be kept at the moment. The Galewood's were dwindling, they had not quite recovered from the last great war. Juniper opened the gate. The bonded pair nuzzled for the last time till morning. "I'll see you at sunrise," she cooed, as she slipped away. Entering the holding, Aynir immediately noticed Zephyr -Juniper's father's dragon - he remained low to the ground, hoping not to attract too much attention as he scuttled towards his bed. Fortunately the dim lighting made it easy for him to wander unnoticed. He and Zephyr were not well acquainted and neither was Zephyr the playful type. She had seen her wars and saw no need for games. On his bed, he curled his body in and rested.<br/><br/>Quietly, Juniper entered her home. She had seen the candles flickering from the outside window and assumed her father was home. Unfortunately she was not quiet enough.<br/><br/>"Juniper?" a deep monotone voiced called out.<br/><br/>"Yes, I'm home," she sighed. Yonec -her father- pushed out a chair beside him for her to take. He was in the middle of reading a report and did not look up to greet her. As she neared, he directed her attention to the pot in front of the fire place; stew their housekeeper had made for them. In silence, Juniper took herself a bowl and ate. She did not try to talk, she waited for her father to finish his task.<br/><br/>"I spoke to Gellid today," he said, dropping his report to the table and looking at his daughter for the first time since she arrived. Juniper swallowed hard, a piece of potato lodged in the throat. She hated when her instructor spoke to her father behind her back. "He tells me you're taking a more reckless approach to your training."<br/><br/>"I would describe it more as 'bold'."<br/><br/>"I think the word he used was 'sloppy'," he replied more sternly. Juniper shrugged her shoulders and returned to shoveling the stem into her mouth. The room became quiet, with only the crackle of the fire filling the void. "June," he began, pausing as he saw her wince. Only Bridget called her that name. He noticed the dark circles around her eyes. "...iper, finish up eating and go to bed. Gellid tells me that you'll be doing drills tomorrow." Juniper followed his instructions and went to bed.<br/><br/>In the morning, Juniper rose with the sun. Coming downstairs, Juniper found her father sat in the same spot as the night before being served porridge by their housekeeper. After breakfast, Juniper ran to the Galewood holding. Aynir waited eagerly at the gate, his tail waving as their eyes met.<br/><br/>They began their run. On their route, Juniper asked some of the passers by if they knew where a 'Geir Sanford' lived. Finally an elderly woman answered; "Geir Sanford? Oh, you mean Ocelot's boy. That way." The name rang familiar in her ears, she wondered if Ocelot Sanford was a dragon rider like her father. She followed the directions towards a house made of wood and stone and knocked on the door.