Castor

“I feel like this cape is too bright,” Castor grumbled to the small fae perched on his cauldron as his venom green cape billowed out behind him.
“That is the point,” Nightshade mumbled monotonously. Her frills were back and it was clear from her body language that she was upset with him . . . again. “It is to warn other clan members that you are approaching.”
“Is that an insult?” Castor asked, honestly unable to tell.
“No, it is a fact,” Nightshade stated.
The two herbal dragons were enveloped in quiet as they both looked deep into Castor’s cauldron. Some kind of goop was bubbling inside, hissing and growling like a live, dying beast. Nightshade was watching it carefully, her bright yellow eyes analyzing everything. On some unseen cue, her tiny paw reached out and dropped some more ingredients in. Castor was trembling in place, shifting from paw to paw excitedly in a weird, stationary dance.
“Let’s add something else!” Castor piped up excitedly.
“No.”
“Please?” Castor’s tail was now whipping around, catching the bored pearlcatcher’s attention. His whiskers twitched as he debated if he could be able to catch it or not. Would Nightshade noticed if he wiggled a little bit to the right?
“Do not even think about it,” Nightshade scolded, seeing through his actions.
Castor, of course, didn’t listen. His flank wiggled and his pink eyes were pinned to his twitching tail. With an excited growl, Castor launched himself forward but then the unthinkable happened. His tail moved with him! Therefore, Castor was forced to continue his chase. Round and round he went. His paws churned up the dirt and his wings flapped excitedly as more time passed. In the very back of his mind, he was aware of Nightshade yelling at him and the sound of metal hitting the ground.
His chase ended there as his alchemist training kick in. He swiped a paw out, hooking the small female fae around her stomach and yanked her back into his chest. Nightshade was screaming and growling, her venomous fangs snapping together in surprise and just in time, Castor brought the small fae to his chest and wrapped his wings around them both.
Boom!
Green goop exploded everywhere. It covered Castor’s wings, face and body. Only his chest, and by extension Nightshade, was protected. The ruined material burned his scales before rapidly cooling down and sticking to him like sap. Goop stretched and dripped around him but Castor waited to see if the cauldron would explode again. After a few seconds, he deemed it safe and Castor unfolded his wings to let the small fae out.
Nightshade glared at the larger pearlcatcher as she flew up until they were eye-to-eye. Her glare could freeze the hottest fire and Castor felt an embarrassed blush spread over his dark scales. “What did I just say?”
“Oops,” Castor mumbled out. His body twitched out of reflex and he felt something sticking to his flank. Castor turned his head around, ignoring Nightshade’s dark snarl, and saw his long tail glued to his side because of the excessive amount of gloop stuck to him. Castor leaned down and gripped the thin appendage between his teeth carefully. A material not quite a solid or a liquid snapped apart as he tugged his tail free and then turned to his love to proudly display his catch.
“I caught it!” Castor sung out.