Finally a new story, this one is about a young earth dragoness getting her first armor, enjoy.


The Armor

The young Earth Dragoness Hestia was six now Well, technically five, but it was only a week away. That was close enough, right? She knew today was the day though; -- her first armor, her first scales! -- she held a huge sack with her to carry it all. As she headed first to her grandmother's she was so excited she was shaking.

As Hestia went along she looked around her. There were so many people about! Today, there were more than just the Earth Dragons here now that the tournament had entered the last three month phase. This was when most of the other races showed up to watch, the market streets bustling. Up above the canyon lip where the tournament was taking place, she could hear cheering. She’d love to see it, but she was even more excited to be getting her first armor.

Hestia saw a few Wind Dragons keeping to themselves talking so fast she could not keep up but she did not care, first armor, first armor, focus! Hestia thought. She saw a Fire Dragoness with a gem between her horns haggling impatiently with a merchant, with that muscle definition she had to be a competitor or perhaps a viewer wanting to get back to the tournament quickly.

Hestia continued her walk, and upon seeing a Nature Dragon female even Hestia was wide eyed. They were never here and this was actually the first she saw one, the Nature gave a slight snort to Hestia’s wide eyed wonder before going back to arguing with an Earth male who was more than a little done with with the Nature female.

A Water Dragon was here too on Hestia’s path, he was carrying several water skins on his form. She saw three just on this side and he was drinking from a fourth, his frills raised up as he chuckled at the young girl she gave an excited wave to him and she couldn't help blurting out in wild excitement

"Getting my first armor today!!!"

He laughed softly and smiled "That is wonderful news! Go be the biggest sturdiest Earth Dragon out there! Good luck young lady!"

Hestia gleamed as she smiled., "Thank you sir!"

She plodded on, so excited by it all, still looking at all the homes and eyeing the edge of the canyon above, but soon she arrived at her grandmother's home and pulling the sheet aside as she stepped in "Grangran Hessa! I am here for my biggest best armor ever!”

Hessa gave a laughing chuckle as she picked the small girl up and set Hestia on her lap, as she sat down in her rocking chair made of the wood from the Nature Dragon forest's nothing else would hold the weight of an Earth Dragon, nothing made of wood anyway.

Hessa spoke softly "Oh you are huh? Getting so old already, and you still have so many grandmothers to work your way up to! Don't forget your aunts and your cousins too and most importantly your mother! Are you sure you're big enough for it? No one would blame you for waiting a few more years you have plenty of time before your own plate comes in!

Hestia pondered for a moment before shaking her head rapidly "No! I am ready now!"

Hessa smiled "Then I have a little story for you I bet your mommy has told you for your bedtime but I will tell you too!”

Hestia giggled though a slight sigh of childish impatience did rush from her throat "Yes Grangran Hessa"

Hessa spoke "Well when your plate comes in naturally it will grow and grow and grow and if you don't take care of it you'll become a cute little boulder!" she emphasised the word cute with a poke and tickle to her granddaughter’s belly "So you must always maintain and take of your plates if you don't you'll be stuck and need help! So can you handle always cleaning them up and maintaining them just right so you're always ready for battle?"

Hestia nodded rapidly smiling and then looked to her grandmother wide eyed but with a frown on her face as her grandmother tore a single plate armor off of her own shoulder and handed it to the young girl who took it in both hands surprised at its weight "Di..did it hurt?"

Hessa smiled "Only a little now off with you go get the rest from the other ladies tell great grangran Nalos I said hi!"

Hestia nodded quickly giving a hug and a kiss to her grandmother's cheek as she headed out once more, not noticing Hessa rubbing her own shoulder where the plate had been moments ago

Hestia headed along the path once more stepping over a bridge that went over the river through her city, their homes all at the base of a canyon with a plentiful river running through, she continued on the path into the less business part of the city mostly just Earth here talking and going about their day with friends and family alike, she arrived at her great grandmother's home now and she went in just like before.

Hestia once more blurt out in excitement "Great Grangran Nalos and Great Popop Dugesen!"

The older dragons couldn't help but chuckling Nalos nudging Dugesen in the ribs "Seems she's here for her armor today, Is that right kiddo? What are you four now? Fourteen? So hard to tell" she snickered playfully but did adjust some ridiculously thick glasses on her head.

Hestia stamped her foot in playful indignance "Grangran Nalos I am almost six! it is just a week away!! I wanna get my armooooor!!!"

Nalos couldn't help laughing "Okay okay calm down gotta do my story you impatient little thing! You sure you aren't a Wind Dragon in disguise?"

Hestia stuck her tongue out "Noooo" she did however sit on a chair once her gran pointed to it and sat down on her own as the child kicked her legs back and forth in excitement

Nalos spoke up as she sat now "You are getting something very special your first armor, something every girl gets, but this is not just a gift it is your bulwark your shield, your armor is not to just make you big and tough it is to protect others, if someone will take a sword to their gut you take it to your plate instead, you are a protector like so many before you. Having your armor is not something to be taken lightly, I hope you understand how important it is?

Hestia once more sat and pondered this time for quite a long time as she was clearly taking these words to heart, she nodded with a smile "I am ready Grangran Nalos"

The old woman smiled so proudly and took the plate from the shoulder opposite Grangran Hessa from before, she handed it to Hestia who quickly placed it in her bag and gave another big hug and a kiss

"I will make all my family proud Great Grangran Nalos!" Hestia started to head out before her grandmother stopped her and handed her a cookie, a gasping squeal uttered as the child ate it in a bite and was given another "Slowly this time on your way darling yeesh!" Nalos giggled patting Hestia’s back to usher her out on her path once more.

Hestia continued further along the path, even more beyond the areas you would normally see anything but Earth Dragons, the dull brown of the buildings, the canyon and the people left her eyes somewhat in a daze desperate to see color, some homes thankfully had plants growing on Window sills or even up the home itself. One such home was her next grandmothers and she stepped in looking about.

Hestia yelled out "Grangran Molaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" the woman yelled from another room a sort of garden to the opposite side of the home Hestia had come from, the child rushed in and gave her great great grandmother a big hug and a kiss on her cheek before she stood looking around "You have such a pretty and colorful garden Grangran Mola!"

Mola chuckled a bit still on her knees as she was taking care of some plants, she held her hand out to her granddaughter "Help me up" the young girl did so grabbing her hand and trying to push her upwards with some effort, the older woman wiped her forehead despite the hat she wore, she took it off and waved the hat at herself to cool down a bit "I really am getting old if this wears me out, what are you doing here little Hestia, armor right?" the child's head was practically a blur she was nodding so fast which the old woman laughed at "You're going to knock your brain loose you keep that up!" Hestia giggled shaking her head now as the old woman sat in a chair in the garden pointing at the ground in front of her, which Hestia quickly sat down onto.

The woman gave a somewhat gruff cough before speaking clearly "So young Hestia you are on your path to get your first armor and as big and mean strong and tough as you think you are, you are but a piece of the armor, the armor of your family every piece of armor every chain is only as strong as its weakest point and you need to be strong. All of us are giving a piece of ourselves for you because we trust you we have faith in you being a good and strong dragoness. Do you think you will be too or are you afraid of that responsibility?

Hestia as with all the times previous sat pondering thinking truly and deeply as a child could about these responsibilities before a smile crept across her mouth "Yes Grangran Mola! I am strong enough I can handle it I will be our bulwark our strength I will be the strongest and the best.

Her grandmother smiled giving a light tap on her nose with a claw "Perfect though maybe a little more humility next time, now take a vegetable and eat it on your way to Gran Meleka's home I am sure you are hungry" As Hestia was looking for a vegetable the woman would pry a large plate from her thigh holding it out for the girl giving a nod as Hestia pointed down to a plant to pull, as she did she would walk back over and snatch up the scale and place it into th bag as well giving a hug to her followed by a kiss to her cheek, they would then go to the river and clean the vegetable and once more Hestia was ushered off, the sound of her crunching away on the vegetable loudly made the old woman smile as she went back to her home.

Hestia left on her way once more to Great great great GranGran Meleka's home, she could hear the chopping of wood long before arrived, and this time she followed the sound moving to the side of the home and giving a wave, Melekas despite being older, missing a few teeth and a horn as well as the edge of her tail was definitely still a fighter even though she did not regrow her missing parts amost at all anymore, scars from battles decades prior still lingered on her body and face, she brought down the axe on the wood and gave a wave to the young girl, one of her eyes was blind and likely to not heal back in fully before she died, she did not seem to care as she snatched up a hammer and brought it down on a sizeable rock "This is what happens when young girls don't take care of their scales little Hestia" the girl’s scales practically stood on end in a bit of shock but then she laughed.

"I know Grangran Meleka!"

The old woman smirked "Oh well good then! well tell me how heavy is that bag now? Pretty heavy?"

Hestia gave yet another nod looking to her shifting it on her shoulder a bit to grip it better "Very heavy"

The old woman smiled as she sat on the stump she had been chopping logs on moments ago "That is the weight and burden of your scales your family your place in this world you are bigger and stronger than most, your natural scales can break a sword and ignore a hammer, your place is fighting for those who can't I don't care if a Wind Dragon was mean to you, if they need help in a fight or for any reason you help them, that is the weight of your burden, to care and fight for all even when you don't want to do so, can you handle that Hestia? You will survive battles your friends will not and you will carry that every day. Your scales will weigh you down but you will be unbeatable, unbreakable can you still handle it little one?"

The girl nodded quickly looking to her grandmother who scowled at her.

The scarred woman gave the slightest growl "Don't just nod, think THINK, don't agree to everything, sit here, think and decide are you REALLY ready for that?"

Hestia started to nod but stopped and just sat down with the bag as she smiled to her gran being a little quieter to show she was thinking extra hard, the old woman just stared at her arms crossed waiting for an answer, after some time, longer than she had thought on any of the others she stands up proud and tall "I am ready I can take the weight I can be strong enough to carry it!"

The old woman gave a whooping cheer and tore off a large plate scale from her forearm in a sudden and painful motion handing it to the girl "Wait here Hestia but pick sword or maul?"

The girl squeaked in surprise not expecting this "M-Maul!!" The woman laughed "That's my granddaughter" She stepped into her home and stepped out with a small child sized maul, still weighted heavily so much so when she dropped it into the waiting hands of Hestia the child toppled over before laughing in surprise and picking it up "It's so heavy! I love it!"

Gran Meleka kneeled down and hugged her tightly "You will be very strong someday and I am only sad I may not get to see that day, but always know as mean and grouchy as I am I love you little Hestia" the old woman had tears in her ears and Hestia soon followed and hugged her in return, the woman wiped the tears away from both their faces "Now go see the grouchiest gran no more sad shit! is it still at sunset?" Hestia nodded once more before rushing off with maul and bag in hand, carrying one on either shoulder to balance her out a bit.

She was nervous to go to the last her great great great grangran Hinda she was very old, three hundred and twenty to be exact, twenty years past where most would stop she kept going, Hestia went to the old woman's home and knocked on the door frame lightly with the maul not daring enter without being told, the woman spoke up "In now"

Hestia stepped in and before her was GranGran Hinda she had taken on a style some did but not all, she had let a garden grow on her plates rather than in the garden, the woman was tall but hunched, she had a cane made of the trees the Nature Dragons worshipped, it held her up as she pointed it at the girl then pointed at a chair, the woman had vines hanging down from her head and her shoulders sometimes draping over her eyes and only her muzzle poking through, she would move the vines aside to give a firm and stern glare to the young girl who did not say a word just watching her in fearful awe.

Gran Hinda walked in front of the girl and reached out to grab her hand, the old dragons hands were worn and wrinkled covered in calluses but flowers seemed to have buried into her actual flesh too not just the plates, it looked like it hurt but there was no sign of infection nor pain, when the girl looked up the arm she could see vines that had wrapped tightly around the woman's still surprisingly muscled form not seeming to phase her at all the vines not having the strength to cut off the blood or weaken the form, the vines on her head and the shoulders would drag across the ground at her leaning over even slightly though she did not mind, just giving a chortling dry laugh that almost seemed dusty from the wrinkled muzzle.

Hinda spoke firmly her voice carrying more strength than any of the grandmothers Hestia had spoken to so far, like a voice the goddess herself would speak with. "So you want your armor then is that it child?" Hinda scratched her head a horn being exposed it was coated in pink flowers, the other coated in yellow, even a few bugs flying around the flowers to pollinate and do their thing. Hinda stood up fully no hunch at all for a moment as she stretched, her belly showing a bit as the vines were pulled back with her shoulders. her belly plate scales had so many markings a thousand stories told in every little cut mark and chiseled line on the hard scale.

Hinda once more began to wander in front of Hestia who had only given a nod but no words in response to this woman who spoke once more "I think you're too weak you aren't strong enough for this, look at you cower and shiver in front of me, you are weak little Hestia."

Hestia frowned angry even "T-that's not true! You're just a big meany!"

Hinda smirked wheezing a laugh out once more, she suddenly was muzzle to muzzle with the girl, with more speed than this child would have ever expected out of such an old dragon, to the point the girl nearly jumped out of her chair, the woman pulled vines away from her eyes to stare the child down with such bright golden eyes "IS. THAT. SO?" she growled softly at the girl then smirked then frowned most of the emotions the child could pick up on only visible from the woman's curling lips as the rest of her was often hidden away in these vines just hanging over her form hiding her away from the world, Hestia could not deny she was so pretty and so colorful though, so many flowers of so many colors, the green of the vines even wrapped around her legs visible whenever the woman took a step, birds even seemed to flock to her after those bugs but not minding the movements of the woman at all, she was like a walking mountain.

Hinda growled again "Weak maybe you should get out Hestia you are not the mountain they all think you to be, you are just a pebble under foot."
The girl was suddenly in tears speaking in blubbering words "W-what that's not true you're always the mean grangran n-no one likes you at all!"

Hinda could not help another chortle watching her "Oh? I am mean? I am a mean grangran? You really think so? Why don't you stand up to me then if I am such a villain? Come now, you have a maul don't you take a swing at me!!!" she snapped her jaw at the girl who cringed but thought for a moment she was told to and dropped the bag and charged with the maul, taking a swing which the old woman stopped in her hand "Good!"

The old woman suddenly placed a kiss upon the child's forehead, which seemed to shock Hestia into a stunned silence, this gran had never done something like this and in the same moment the temperment from the gran changed entirely as she chuckled out yet again

"There little Hestia that is what I wanted, you have no idea the pain it has given me to be so mean to you all this time"

Hestia was so utterly confused she fell onto her backside looking up at the woman not sure she entirely understood this sudden change of behaviour from what she had always known.

The old woman rested on her cane looking down on Hestia "You can be the strongest dragon in this land or the next the biggest meanest sturdiest toughest dragon around but that means if you don't have strength inside, strength of heart, and the strength to stand up to the villains you find no matter who they are, family, friend, enemy, you stand up for yourself you stand up for those who can't and you stand up against every. single. bully that you ever run into"

Hestia was floored "S-so you're not a mean grangran?"


Hinda could not help laughing again which broke into a dry cough as she shook her head the vines shaking with the movements of her head "No not at all I love all my children but they need to understand fighting a villain so I played villain, you should have seen when I was younger I had an arena set up!" She snickered a bit pointing to a pair of shears "Go grab those"

Hestia was still somewhat stunned but went over grabbing the shears and handed them to the ancient dragon who lifted the vines reaching in and snipping a few around a specific plate scale, she then tore it off with some effort, the scale that covered her heart she handed it to the girl who was pulled down to the ground flat on her face by its weight, it weight even more than the maul!, she looked though and noticed there were plants on this plate.

Hinda chuckled "Protect your heart with my scales I know it will serve you well.”

Hestia sat up barely lifting the scale "It has baby plants on it too does that mean I will grow like you?"

Hinda smiled nodding "Yes if you want, now give your gran her first hug from you.

Hestia ran over dropping the scale to hug her grans legs, disapearing into the vines as she then stepped back "T-thank you Greatest GranGran Hinda!!!! I will grow the prettiest vines and flowers on me just like you!"

Hinda smiled "You make an old woman proud, now off with you get the rest of your scales!"

Hestia squeaked with happiness grabbing up the big scale, it covered her entire chest and it had only been half that on her gran, she stuck it in the bag with the rest and with some effort hefted it up over her shoulder and the maul over the other, she went off now to get the rest of her scales from her aunts and cousins, with their many stories and lessons as well but soon she was heading back home with a bag of scales she could no longer carry only drag along the ground after her, towards home for her last scale from her mother.

Finally at sunset Hestia had returned home she saw so many outside her home, along with chairs, tables and a feast on all of it, all of them female waving to her in greetings, as she went inside dragging the sack and maul behind her, her Mother Erethes stood in front of her, along with everyone inside and outside the house she saw every female she had just finished visiting to get their scales, her mother looked down on her lovingly.

Erethes spoke softly but lovingly "I could not be more proud of you today Hestia this is your journey so many scales, your first weapon, and so many new stories and lessons in your body and mind you have earned your last scale. But first a final story"

She picked up the exhausted girl and hefted her into her arms "Those stories about the boulders are cute things but..." she carried her daughter outside, some would follow to see the child and some would stay inside eating, and enjoying the gathering of family. "That mountain you see? The one in the distance our river flows from, that is where our Goddess rests, one day our goddess just a dragoness like us decided to go meditate, she left on her own to find the answers of why we are here? What is our purpose? She meditated for hours, then days, and onto weeks, and months, followed by years, decades, centuries, who knows how long but one day her scales grew and grew and grew, and she grew so much she became our holy mountain the life giver to our city.

Hestia looked on in wonder, as Erethas set her back down and then kneeled down to the ground herself Hinda moving up behind to hold onto the scale guard over the back of Erethes' neck "I give to you Hestia my shikoro scale, to protect you from any coward that would attack you from behind.

Hinda pulled the scale from Erethes’ neck with a roar of pain from the woman but soon she sat back up smiling to her daughter, both of them beaming with pride as Hinda gave the scale to her granddaughter, Hestia hugged her mother tight kissing her cheek as she had done with so many others of her family today. “Thank you mommy!!!!” she did look with some concern but her mother gave a dismissive wave as she stood and spoke “Now we have our party and our fun! By the end of the night we will all have finished putting the scales together for the armor, YOUR armor my dear Hestia you family welcomes you!” The entire crowd of her family relatives cheered.