"Noble creature?" Kit and Kiara repeated at the same time, exchanging a look. She grinned at the dragon, elbowing him lightly. "Hear that, Kitten?"
He groaned and rolled his eyes heavenward, mumbling, "Why do I put up with you?"
"Because you love me," she responded easily. To the other dragon and rider- she didn't care what he said, she could recognize the beginnings of that kind of bond when she saw it- she said, "Well, if you've decided you can trust us, why don't you let us show you to a place you can stay the night? There's a lodging house that actually has a courtyard big enough for dragons to sleep in." To Ren, she added, "And we can get someone to take a look at the wound in your shoulder."
The gold dragon snorted, surprised, and gave her an appraising look. He thought he'd hidden that rather well. Huh. She was sharper than he'd thought.