A soft hoot was all the warning they had.

"No! Don't!" Charlie didn't have time to expand upon his warning. The dragon he and his coworkers had been herding back towards the enclosure snapped its head around and exhaled fire at the hapless owl.

The acrid smell of burnt feathers filled the air and the owl screeched in pain and fright, while the dragon-keepers struggled to bring their charge back under control.

"Damn," muttered Charlie under his breath as he examined the remains of the letter the owl had been carrying. "I told Mum not to owl me at work."

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