~
"What's it like being bonded to a dragon?"
Drekken smiled to himself; Yakov had been walking just behind him for a little while and he had been waiting for a question. Still, he had to think for a moment and he slowed to allow Yakov to catch up properly.
"Probably a lot like you and Malachi," he eventually replied and glanced behind where Malachi was a few not so discrete feet away.
Yakov cocked his head to one side questioningly, but did not ask again. Drekken considered his words carefully and then decided he could kill two birds with one stone.
"Malachi is the most important person in the world to you, you would do anything for him," Drekken did not really ask, he more stated, but then waited.
Yakov nodded earnestly as he had hoped and Drekken responded quickly, "That is how I feel about Miri. She is part of me and I am part of her."
Yakov nodded his understanding again and they fell silent for a few paces. However, there was enquiry in the air, and Drekken wasn't surprised when Yakov struck up again, "So do you share everything?"
The question was asked openly with Yakov's usual lack of inhibitions, but there was something else in his tone that made Drekken glance over again. Yakov had his eyebrows raised in enquiry, which was rather too much of the 'look at me, I asked the question' and so Drekken looked back at Malachi. Drekken had left the two youths to talk together since his exchange with Malachi and now he could see the fruits of that conversation on the colour on Malachi's cheeks.
"Not completely," Drekken replied directly to Malachi, who looked sheepish at what had to have been a primed question and then he returned his attention to Yakov, who still had the over the top expression on his face and added, "but we hide nothing."
"Do you always like the same things?" came the next, even less subtle question and Drekken thought he heard Yakov in that one.
"No," Drekken decided to be honest and since direct was always best with Yakov, he added, "Miri once tried to incinerate one of my lovers."
"Incinerate?" Yakov checked and his eyes widened in concern.
"They came to terms in the end," Drekken shrugged, "and she apologised, but the hair never did grow back."
Yakov put his hand on his head and Drekken didn't have the heart to tell him the hair he was referring to had been much lower down.
"Does she do that a lot, try to incinerate people?" Yakov dug a little more, still looking worried.
"Only if she's really annoyed. She tanned my arse once, couldn't sit down for a week," Drekken laughed, but rubbed his rump in sympathetic memory.
That made Yakov smile, even if it was somewhat nervously and it was Malachi who spoke up next.
"What made you decide to bond?"
There was no simple answer to that and Drekken knew the sound of someone who had thought about it as well. It was not a conversation to be had with his back to Malachi and so Drekken led them all over to a shaded clump of trees and sat down. Malachi and Yakov sunk down opposite him, leaning on each other, and the dragons arranged themselves as they pleased between and around them.
"It was not a quick decision," Drekken began as he cast his mind back centuries. "I knew that if I bonded, it would be a perfect bond."
Malachi looked surprised, but Yakov showed no sign of realising the significance of such a predetermination.
"How did you know?"
"My human mother, Wen, she has a sense for these things," Drekken revealed a secret he hoped his mother would not mind.
"And you still decided to bond?" Malachi revealed he was wiser than his years in recognising the burden of immortality.
Drekken smiled, a little sadly: he had regrets, but not many.
"I didn't go looking for a bond, but when Miri and I met at the Academy, it was instantaneous, we just fitted together. Still, I told her what I knew and we resisted rushing into a bonding. It was so hard," Drekken sighed and shook his head as the turmoil of that time came back to him. "Miri told me her magic would flare every time I came near. In the end, it was bond or go as far away as possible from each other, and we couldn't face that."
"What did it feel like?" Yakov had a wistful expression on his face.
Baby D chose that moment to lift her head out of her sling and Drekken cradled her more closely as he tried to find the words.
"Until her," he nodded down at the little dragon, "I would have said I felt complete."
Yakov looked like he might burst at that admission; Malachi was just thoughtful. It was time to pose his own questions about Malachi's thoughts on bonding and Drekken opened his mouth. However, the pause between speaking was suddenly cut by the crack of wood under pressure and, all thought of conversation was drowned by alarm. Drekken scanned the immediate area, there was no sign of anyone yet, but he knew they had to be close, so, quickly, he stood up and, dragging Malachi and Yakov to their feet, pulled them towards a thicket. Dragons and humans dived behind the cover and Drekken crouched still and watched the direction from which the warning sound had come. What he saw made his heart fall and his magic rise.
Five Feras warriors in full battle armour stalked into view. The helmets were not a good sign, they would have infra-red visors and very shortly, Drekken knew that he and the dragons especially would be glowing for their pursuers.
"Spread out, the trail is still hot, they have to be close. I want the dragons alive, the others: do what you have to," the lead warrior ordered and waved his soldiers in either direction.
It would only take one scan their way and Drekken knew they'd be found, so, with a quick set of hand signals, he indicated to his companions to take one direction while he went the other and then he started to remove Baby D's sling. However, the child clicked at him in alarm and he could feel her fear beginning to form at his urgency. Anymore and she would give them away, so Drekken dropped her back against his chest and, rubbing her belly through the cloth, pulled it over her head. He glanced at Malachi and Yakov, who nodded their understanding to him and then, letting his magic rise, Drekken turned and crept away from his charges.
He kept low, using the shady patches as his cover and aimed for a tree partially behind the Feras leader and the two warriors who were still in sight. Pulling in his magic, he lifted his arm and aimed at his enemy. He did not like ground combat, not having Miri under him made him feel exposed and nervous, but there was no choice but to engage. However, before he could let off a fireball, he heard the ground crunch again behind him and, turning and ducking instinctively, a laser blast slammed into the tree right above his head. He let off a blast of flame in retaliation, but it was not very accurate and his opponent dived away.
Shouts came from several directions then and Drekken took on the role of bait. Hoping to give his friends time to hide, he let off a volley of small fireballs towards the Feras commander and then ran in the opposite direction to his charges. He ran towards sunlight, hoping to pick up as many of the searchers as possible and he heard the breaking of undergrowth from at least two directions as he charged into the clearing ahead. It was bigger than he expected and he cursed at the spread of grasses ahead, but disappearing was not an option, not until Malachi and Yakov had got the little ones away, and so, zigzagging, he started out across the open ground, firing a couple of lines of flames down through the dry meadow behind him to try to distract his pursuers.
However, the distraction was not enough, because Drekken heard the whine of a laser pistol going off and then pain erupted out of his thigh. His leg collapsed under him and he went pitching forward, only a quick twist of his body stopping him from landing on Baby D. He heard her squeal at the sudden descent, but the sling held her safe. The sound of armour crashing through undergrowth behind him meant that Drekken did not have time to consider the pain that was making him see stars, instead, with combat trained stamina, he put one arm over his vulnerable charge, rolled onto his back and aimed his hand at the noise. He froze there, poised to attack, but halted by the fact that a laser was pointing directly at h
is chest and D, who was cradled there.
Drekken was trapped: he knew he couldn't walk, not with the lancing pain in his leg, and he could do nothing but hold his defensive position as his enemy advanced on him. He couldn't see the soldier's face, it was hidden by an armoured mask, but Drekken knew hostility and the stalk of victory when he saw it. He hoped forlornly that the boys had escaped the search party with the other little ones.
"Surrender," the metalicised command came at him.
Drekken didn't move. He still had his enemy in his sights, he could fry the man before the laser ended it, and so he gritted his teeth and grimaced at his adversary. D whimpered and he tightened his hold on her. The Feras soldier's head titled just slightly at his move.
"Relinquish the beast and you may live," the next offer came.
Drekken's blood boiled at the derision he heard there and he flexed reactively, failing to contain a growl. His enemy retrained the laser on him for that and they both came to a second halt, further fixed in their stalemate. Drekken glared at his adversary, hoping the agony spreading out from his thigh was not showing in his face and trying to stop a trembling that was growing in his muscles. He knew he could not hold his position for very long, but he was damned if he was going to go down before his time, every moment could count. Despite his defiance, however, the stance of his enemy told Drekken the man knew he was weakening and was merely waiting for his strength to fail.
"Don't defy me, Draco," the soldier warned.
"Go to hell," Drekken snarled back, or at least he tried to, but his teeth were gritted so hard that only a mass of sound came out and the world span as he expended energy.
Drekken blinked and steadied himself, but he knew his vitals were being monitored from within the Feras' helmet. However, their temporary stalemate was broken not by his failure, but by yells of anger and fear from their left and, recognising Yakov and Malachi's voices, Drekken glanced their way. Both empaths, in the grips of Feras soldiers, were marched towards him and Drekken sagged. As soon as he showed weakness, he found his hand kicked to the side and he was forced to the ground as the same boot came down heavily on his gauntleted wrist and the laser was pushed into his face.
D screamed as, for the first time, a stab of fear ran through Drekken and he realised he could not protect the little dragon. Fire rose in his belly, he could feel the dragon inside and he wanted to rip apart the monster who was terrifying his child. Yet rational thought had not escaped him completely and a weapon pointed between his eyes meant he stilled where he was held. He was then ignored for a moment as the Feras looked over to his compatriots and demanded, "Where are the other hatchlings?"
"Gavel and Raker are still looking, Sir," the report came back.
"They're worth 90 hegas a piece, kill those two and get out there looking."
"No!" Drekken reacted instantly, bringing his freehand up to swipe the gun away.
He ignored the ripping pain in his leg and kicked as well and his captor went sprawling. He rolled over, scrabbling towards where Yakov and Malachi were struggling with the lasers being lifted towards them. His damaged leg would not work properly, but he pushed up onto his knees and raised his arm, determined to stop such an atrocity. However, it was not his fireball that exploded on the ground between his friends' attackers, sending all four men sprawling, but one that came flying over his head.
'Stand!' the order sliced through his mind and he recognised Miri.
The presence of his dragon destroyed any stamina Drekken had left and, muscles turning to jelly, he collapsed round onto his back in time to see Miri descending onto the confrontation. She was not alone: his whole squadron were hovering above the clearing and relief flooded through Drekken. The pain was reaching his brain and he had to blink hard to stay focused on his Grey Wing, but he reached out instinctively as Miri landed beside him and dropped his hand onto her nearest foot.
'Hello, My Warrior,' Miri spoke only to him through their contact and he smiled, despite everything that was happening around him.
'Hello, My Dragon,' he replied, the warmth of the greeting pushing the burning away for a moment.
Then Miri's direct presence was gone and Drekken winced when her command, louder than any spoken word came, 'Drop your weapons, or die.'
Drekken was glad when he heard the thud of machinery hitting the grass and, as more of the team landed, fliers leapt off the back of their dragons and closed in on the Feras.
"Two more in the woods," Drekken managed, but he heard his own words slurring, and as he opened his mouth to call out for some of the squadron to go find them, Miri did it for him with, 'Jayce, Luke, go collect.'
He patted her foot in gratitude and then let his eyes slide shut. However, a snort right in his face made him start and he came nose to nose with his dragon.
'Stay with me, Drekken,' Miri ordered, this time for everyone to hear and a body slid down next to him almost immediately.
"We let you out of our sight for a few days, Boss, and you get yourself into shit," MK, their medic identified himself. "The techs are gonna be pissed if you've busted their implants."
Drekken would have grumbled at that, but then MK touched his leg and he flexed involuntarily and grunted as the agony piqued.
"Oh yeah, they're gonna be pissed," was MK's unsympathetic observation, but quickly after that, Drekken felt all sensation disappearing, moving out from the wound site, down to his knee and up to his hip. He sighed in relief and relaxed.
Only as the pain receded did his senses have any room for much else and then he felt Baby D's tiny presence in his mind. Instantly guilty that he had forgotten about his young charge, he reached down and cradled the sling that hid her. She whimpered and her delicate head appeared from under the cloth, eyes blinking with disquiet. Miri drew away a little, giving the infant a chance to lift her head and Drekken watched, suddenly nervous, as dragon met dragon. He completely ignored MK, who was working rapidly on his leg, and held his breath as D slowly looked up. Miri's snout was bigger than the hatchling, but she lowered it slowly back down until she was only a scales' breadth away from the egg-horn on D's nose. Then his dragon surprised Drekken by snorting quite violently at his charge.
D's front legs actually lifted off his chest and Drekken reached to catch her in case she fell onto MK, but he did not have to worry, the little creature flexed back into place and the collection of clicks and chatter she made sounded to him much like a child's chuckle. Bouncing off his chest under her own steam this time, D continued to chatter and bumped her horn with Miri's tough lips. The response from Miri was a mess of emotion that Drekken really didn't understand, it was so rapid, and it left his already addled mind somewhat confused.
'So,' Miri began, just for him once more, 'this is our child.'
Addled his brain might have been, but his thoughts came to a complete halt at that and Drekken stared at his dragon, not sure he had interpreted her thought correctly.
'You think I did not sense it when you bonded with her?' Miri replied to his stunned silence.
Drekken felt his heart speed up and ideas began to form then, none finishing before the next hit him as he tried to take in the implications of what Miri was saying. Miri had never minced her words and the possession in her message was more than clear, but what it meant exactly, Drekken did not know.
"I," he began in words, because his mind would not clear long enough to make sense.
"You need to get to the field hospital, A-SAP" MK interrupted the exchange, patting Drekken on the arm and then speaking into his helmet, "Medi-evac needed at these co-ordinates, three H3's and one D1."
"Six D1's," Drekken corrected MK's assessment and, as if to back him up, he heard Malachi and Yakov calling quietly behind him. "We need to find the other five."
Anxiously, Drekken pushed himself up onto his elbows, but then found a snout and a hand pushing him back into a recumbent position.
"Stay still," MK ordered and then looked up.
Miri's attention was
also drawn to the location past the top of Drekken's head and he risked a scold by tipping his crown into the grass and viewing the scene upside down. His anxiety receded when cautiously, several heads appeared between the trees. Renar was, of course, first and it was he who stepped out into the open and began leading the small crocodile of hatchlings over to where Malachi and Yakov were both crouching, holding their arms out. Keril was last: she gave a suspicious sniff of the air and glanced at where the Feras were being held on their knees, helmetless and hands behind their heads. Then Drekken was surprised when, instead of following her brethren to their carers, the little creature stopped and looked at him.
Keril sniffed the air again and observed him with her usual care and then he saw her eyes open wider. The cry that came from her mouth was one of alarm and the hatchling bounded towards him. Similar cries then came from some of the other young ones and suddenly Drekken found his head and shoulders surrounded by small dragons nuzzling at him and mewing worriedly.
"I'm alright," Drekken did his best to reassure the distressed creatures, reaching over his head and stroking them in turn.
"Boss," MK knelt back, arms crossed and lips pursed.
'You are crawling with small fry,' Larak, MK's dragon finished for the pair with something between amusement and disdain.
"We really should never leave him on his own," MK observed to Larak, who was standing a little way off behind him and Drekken laughed as medic and dragon both shook their heads disapprovingly.
Keril was less amused, she let out a snort and stamped her foot, her yellow eyes glaring at the large human and the even larger dragon. No-one needed to be an empath to understand the telling off and MK raised his hands to her.
"Peace, little lady," he offered.
Renar stepped in then, nudged Keril and his shaky little mind-voice told them all, 'Peace.'
"Well done, Renar," Yakov scratched the hatchling leader behind his crest as he knelt down and then Drekken found a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "Are you alright, Drekken?"
"He will be," MK responded confidently for him, so Drekken just covered the worried hand with his own.
'Been collecting more than just a baby then?' Miri asked and she chose not to direct her words just at him.
That caused a lot of laughter from most of the squadron, who, mortifyingly, were all present, since Jayce and Luke were returning with their final two prisoners. Yakov rapidly went a beautiful shade of pink and Drekken felt his own face heat up, but Malachi, who was standing behind Yakov, just smiled, apparently unabashed by what had been so obvious to Miri.
"Yeni Miri, it is an honour to finally meet you, Drekken has told us about you," Malachi greeted formally and bowed his head.
That really didn't help matters and there were wolf whistles from around the clearing, the loudest from Tarel, who had been trying to set him up with her many brothers since she had joined the squadron four years ago. However, Miri, from the way she raised her neck and offered a slight incline of her head in return, was impressed.
'Masters,' Miri paused and Malachi filled in, "Malachi and Yakov," and then Miri continued, 'the honour is mine.'
"Oo, is he going to propose?" Tarel teased, but Miri and Malachi ignored her and Drekken watched as man and dragon finished their exchange with a long look.
The fact that Miri approved made Drekken feel somewhat better about the truly whirlwind way he had become attached to the two empaths. He opened his mouth to try and express some of that sentiment, but he moved just a little too much as the words were forming and a shot of pain the dampener couldn't stop sliced up his leg and chased his thoughts away. He closed his eyes and tensed with a whine. MK's reaction was unsympathetic and he was reminded, "Stay still."
Drekken had to do as he was told, since all his energy was fast draining away and he relaxed under the watchful eye of a dozen dragons, his squadron and his new friends. His senses did not recover from the disorienting stab of pain and everything turned into a blur after that. He felt loss when the dragons were moved away so the medical team could close in and get him onto the transport, but he was comforted by the feel of Miri close by outside the armoured flier and he point blank refused to let the medics remove little D.
During the journey back to the field hospital, Malachi and Yakov were somewhere close by with the babies, but Drekken was surrounded by medics, so he caught only occasional, misty glimpses of their worried faces. When they landed, even those faces went away as he was whisked off to the treatment centre and then the worst happened, they took D away. Drekken complained as the tiny dragon wailed, but he was in no state to fight those who were trying to help him. He resisted with the last of his strength, but then Miri's voice slipped into him mind, 'I will look after her,' and his stamina ran out. Some people spoke to him, some over him, but Drekken lapsed into a half world, and, eventually, an outside influence encouraged him to sleep.