Zeonni Songhaven was in flight, hauling her cargo wagon behind her laden with extra provisions for the fledgling desert township. It was the sort of run she had done before. A group of settlers try to make their mark on the frontier. Not all such attempts succeed, so permanent mail deliveries don't proceed until they've survived for a time. Until then, freelance couriers like Zeonni fulfilled the role.

She was only a couple of days out when a figure walked by the oasis she was resting at. The figure was tall, antlered, and wearing an fur-lined outfit more appropriate for colder climes. Zeonni readied her crossbow, but relaxed when she saw that it was fabled San Cristina, the patron of travelers. Her visit could only bode well.

So Zeonni followed and forgot herself. Hours she trotted and sometimes flew, until San Cristina led her to a rocky outcropping and disappeared. Zeonni was puzzled, then she beheld the outcropping's temporary resident, a desert kite dragon! The creature was easily large enough to be dangerous, even before its firey breath, but it didn't act aggressive. Instead, it seemed lonely. Indeed, it was only a short time before the dragon blew a gentle gout of fire, tinged with lightning as a sign of acceptance. If the creature didn't cause trouble, Zeonni might show her off to the townsfolk-

The townsfolk! Drat it all! She had lost track of time! She could make it back to the wagon without a problem, but now she'd have to take shelter from the approaching windstorm instead of departing before it arrived as was her original plan. Hopefully, the town could miss her for an extra day...

As it turned out, the town needed to miss her for a day. In her absence, they had been raided, their supplies ransacked or ruined, a fate that would likely have befallen her as well had she arrived on time. Instead, her late-arriving wagon turned their doom into a chance to live.

...

Azile, as Zeonni named her, is a kite dragon, a smaller cousin species to imperial dragons like Kuke. Accepting Zeonni as her charge, she guards her and their mobile hoard vigilantly. She's noticed that Zeonni seems to have a talent for adding to it (as it should be) but then Zeonni does the most baffling thing by letting complete strangers take things from their hoard. This has led to Azile's new practice of laying on their hoard whenever it's stationary. Zeonni makes funny angry noises, but Azile to determined to hoard-break her silly pet.

Characters are mine. Art by the always-amazing  TheBlueWazaga, who contributed multiple aspects to Azile's design in her own right.