The Dragon That Ate the Fire

When a hatchery egg opens, every flame in the brood room goes out. Mara Venn has twenty-three other eggs to keep warm, an older sister who commands the roost, and a small wild dragon that cannot safely be treated like the fire it eats. After scattered blazes strike the village, the trail leads to a high rookery where people have been taking eggs and timber with the best of intentions. Mara’s first field role asks more of her than a daring rescue: she has to notice what still lives there, who needs the wood below, and when to let another person make the call. A grounded fantasy adventure about animal care, hard-won skill, family trust and a mountain community learning what its survival costs. No stats or LitRPG system.