“A female?” Merrick said with mild surprise and clear distaste in his tone as he frowned down at the elderly male in front of him.

“Yes, my granddaughter. She’s been taught the same way I taught her father and she’ll know some of the more newer practices from going to the healer schools.” as he spoke the old ram turned and began to walk down the worn path, the lord of the keep following him, making sure to keep a slow pace for the older male.

“That’s fine but I do not like the idea of a female as our main healer.” the dragon replied evenly not wanting to tell the kind and loyal ram that the younger males would be up her skirts in no time.

“She’ll be fine, a nice young kind little sheep that everyone will adore.” the ram chuckled as he looked off, imagining the female with a fond smile. The dragon lord watching him hid a wince, a naive little thing that would become a piece of meat to the knights. In the keep they where cut off from females, only the mates and children of knights where allowed in the training keep. And no idiotic youth would go looking up those skirts lest they anger a knight and be humiliated in a duel. But a sweet little sheep with only an elderly grandfather to guard her honor would become their prime target. Sighing he tried to think of a way to respectively forbid the girl from coming to Thane.

“I’ve never asked for much you know,” the old ram said before the dragon could speak.

“But this I do, my years are growing thin and I’d like to have family with me when I pass.” Each word made the lord frown until he was looking deeply annoyed and gave a long low sigh.

“Alright you old grass eater.” came the approval with a light jib as the dragon nodded once and walked off. The draconic knight would have to ask his more noble knights to help look after the girl for the old ram.

A month later Merrick had forgotten that the sheep was coming, her grandfather had never mentioned it again. But when a tiny light pink female with wide eyes and pretty features stepped through the gate he remembered instantly and nearly groaned out loud. Every youth was eyeing her with drool forming in their mouths. Snapping for them to move along and leave her be he walked to the tiny thing with his second in command Pothous joining him.

“Where’s the healer? All I see is eyes, hips, and leg.” he muttered as they approached the petite sheep. The little female was small for her kind and she had soft rosy pink skin with thick grey wavy hair. Her eyes where not too big but they where a sticking blue and it caught attention immediately. She had smooth fine skin and not soft fur like most sheep, a strange feature that would catch eyes. But over all she was fair looking and when she batted her eyelashes he would have all manners of sickness and injuries springing up as an excuse to see her.

“You should have sent word you had arrived, someone could have picked you up from the docks.” The tall intimidating dragon barked out, annoyed with how his squires where going to fawn over her and speaking roughly then he should have. Berating his own tone he knew all he needed was for her to be afraid of him like most females around. A dragon was not common and one of his statue and rough features kept the most boldest females from him.

“If all the knights are as kind spoken as you I’m rather glad I did not bother.” came the reply that made the dragon and bear beside him blink in surprise.

“Now if you two are done ogling me I’d like someone to point me in the direction of the decrepit old goat that had me shipped out to the middle of the sea on a tiny island packed with would be heroes.” as she spoke she looked around and caught sight of her grandfather who also saw her and smiled brightly.

“I’m going to take a his horns and mount them on my wall.” she grumbled as she hefted a sack over her shoulder and walked off from the lord and his second in command without out a backward glance. Her small little stubby tail flicking around in annoyance as she moved.