Crestcrazy2
🕷spooder lover🕷
Don't feel obligated to read it.
I've been on vacation, and will be for the next few weeks. I have a lot of time on my hands, so I thought I'd tell the story of how Sol and Tobe met. This is part one. I think it hits 2k words, I can't remember, so again, it's chonky compared to most posts, don't feel obligated to read.
I'll be adding more to the story in the next few days ~hopefully~.
It'll be a tiny liddle book
I raked my knife through the coarse netting, releasing cold, slimy fish. Contentment ebbed at the SeaWing’s expression as the dragonet licked up the small, delicate meat. His talon was looking much less inflamed. I leaned against the bars of the dragon’s cage with an air of satisfaction. The SeaWing had been a good patient.
A familiar sound echoed through the lot, and I stood quickly, relieved when I spotted the slender human form gently closing the lot door behind herself, silhouetted in the bright light flooding through the threshold.
I stepped out of the SeaWing’s cage, snatching my backpack as Cersei paced towards me with a grim expression, her straight, black hair brushing her shoulders with every step.
“Hey.” I started, catching her weary gaze. “What’s up?”
I propped my bags up alongside the SeaWing’s cage as I closed the steel door, the click of the lock still echoing through the cage lined lot as Cer stopped beside me, following my gaze to the dragonet’s bandaged talon. She hugged me a moment later, which caught me off guard. I gave her a questioning look when she pulled away, sniffing.
“Dad, uh..” she bit her lip, shaking her head. “He says Roe might go to jail. The SDP’s pushing it. Says they’re tired of Dad bailing her out.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Why wasn’t I surprised? I agreed with the SDP completely.
The previous night, in a drunken stupor, Roe, Cersei’s twin, had been searched on her way out of the bar and was found possessing stolen documents from Level 4. Of course they hadn’t specified who the documents had belonged to or exactly where they had come from- just good ‘ol level 4, the place doctors made monsters and scientists defied the laws of nature.
I cleared my throat, trying to feel natural as I said, “Hey, I’ll tell you, jail is no fun.”
Cersei gave me the exact reaction I had been hoping for, her expression questioning. “You’ve been in jail?”
“Once,” I continued, starting down the hall towards my next patient, “in Monopoly.”
She gave a soft, suppressed laugh, following me as she shook her head, “Aug, I’m serious.”
“I know, I know.” I whispered, draping a confident arm across her shoulders, “Cer, I mean, this isn’t the first stunt she’s pulled. Why not let her learn, right?”
“She has learned something,” Cersei insisted, stopping beside me as I unlocked the SandWing’s cage.
“Yeah?” I started, gently reaching towards the SandWing as the beautiful golden creature approached, sniffing my bag with an expectant air. “Like what?”
“She stopped! For-... for a few months.”
“Stopped, or wasn’t caught? This is some serious stuff, Cer. A fifth offense? Anyone else would be long gone.”
Cersei nodded, her expression forlorn as she leaned against the cage bars. I turned towards the girl, staring into her cold, blue eyes. We were only a year apart, and over the past two months, I had grown to know her well. She was attentive, and kind, forever loyal to her family, putting others before herself. I admired those qualities, and we had spent quite a bit of time together outside of work, where I had grown to know her better. Cersei was always looking out for Roe, her headstrong twin, who jumped into everything without thinking twice. Roe annoyed me, not only because of her foolish decisions, but because she was careless and self centered, her eyes blind to the torment she continually put her family of three through.
My gaze jerked towards the lot door as Yair, my employer, entered the room, his long hair slicked back in a bun, white, stainless dress shirt fresh and ironed.
“August?” Yair glanced down the long, maze-like halls of cages, spotting me and Cersei a moment later. He gave a quick wave, and I stepped out of the SandWing cage with a respectful, “Sir,” as the man approached.
Cersei made no move to oblige her Father’s presence, which surprised me- it was rare to see her hold a grudge.
“I’ll finish up here.” Yair continued, his voice echoing through the lot as he stopped beside the young SeaWing dragonet, and I smiled when he gave a content nod, his experienced eyes reviewing my work. “There’s a produce shipment back in the Truck Yard.”
I glanced at Cersei, who entered the SandWing’s cage, kneeling to pull more meat from my backpack for the gold dragon.
The moment I entered the Truck Yard I knew something was wrong. Trucks spanned the wide garage, their trailers still locked tight- not one engine roared. Several men argued off to my right, their voices progressively growing louder.
To my left sat a small, white cage. It must have come from the labs- Level Four. People surrounded the cage, their voices raised as I passed by, my eyes catching the glint of deep red scales within the white lab cage.
I turned away, spotting a familiar truck ahead, Yair’s logo plastered against the trailer. The driver, a short, sturdy man, leaned against the trailer, his arms folded across his chest.
“Hey,” I started, positioning myself beside the Trucker, confused when he made no move to open the trailer, “what’s, uh.. what’s going on?” I motioned towards the shouting men near the exit.
“Yard’s on strike.” The Trucker shrugged.
I glanced from the man, then back to the exit, watching as several Patrol Guards entered the Yard, weapons in hand. Turning back to the Trucker, I didn’t bother to hide my annoyance. “Why.”
The man shrugged again. “Sum’in ‘bout pay.”
I blinked. “Your- your pay?” I confirmed, brows raised. He had to be making a pretty penny, especially if he worked for Yair.
“Aye, not ev’yun ‘as et as good as me, son. Got pals ta stick up far.”
I stole another look at the arguing group as the officers pulled people back, guns raised.
“Look, man,” I started, my gaze wandering toward the lab cage, “I’m just here for.. for, uh, produce..”
I could see more dull, red scales through the white bars as people shifted around the lab cage. Maybe it was a SkyWing.
“Nothin’ doin.” The Trucker said with a happy nod.
I suppressed a scowl. Being that I was in no position to threaten on behalf of Yair, I started back towards the exit, giving the loyal Trucker one last, grim nod before turning my back to him.
The patrol guards wouldn’t let me leave.
They were still trying to make sense of the situation, and one of them shoved me back when I tried to offer my ID. So, with a sigh, I moved back against the lab cage, trying to appear as innocent as possible. It wasn't unheard of to get lost in the chaos and unlawfully arrested.
After a moment I glanced down at the lab cage occupant. A mess of red scales greeted me, and I realized there were two dragons.
A SkyWing and a SolarWing.
The SkyWing was dead, and I felt a pang of pity for the creature beside him, who I had also assumed was deceased, but the slowly shuddering movement of his flank said otherwise. I knelt beside the cage, concern flooding through my mind as my eyes flicked over the SolarWing's starved body.
The dragon was next to death, scales clinging to his wide ribcage. Swollen, blunt wounds marred the creature, scales raised and blackened around the open flesh. I surveyed the wounds with a critical eye, frowning at the clamps cutting into the dragon's wings, a muzzle tied tightly against his snout.
The dragon did not move. He did not react as one of the officers slammed a shouting man against the bars of the cage.
I felt my stomach drop, sickened at the barbaric treatment this creature had endured.
Having been in the den for only a month, I had yet to grow accustomed to seeing dragons in such conditions, and it truly pained me to see anything being treated in such a savage manner.
With a gentle touch, I reached out, running my hand down the SolarWing's broad jaw bone, his scales unnaturally cold. A moment later he released a tense, muffled breath, flinching back every so slightly.
This, in a way, was a good sign. It meant he was still coherent enough- alive enough -to feel what was happening.
I glanced up, the loud dispute being brought to a rather necessary end. A moment later the group of Truckers returned to their regular jobs, and the security guards cleared out, obviously satisfied with what little peace they had managed to keep.
I stood, giving the SolarWing one last glance before I turned to the trio of men leaning against the lab cage, speaking in low, disgruntled tones. One of the men had noticed me, and he pushed off the cage bars, walking slowly to my side, his tall black boots echoing through the Yard with each step.
"What do you need, son?" His voice was coarse, and deep.
I offered my hand, and the man took it, his rough, callused fingers rubbing uncomfortably against my skin as he gave one, strong shake before releasing my hand.
"I'm curious," I began, "what do you plan for these dragons?"
The man gave me a critical expression, a questioning look in his old, pale blue eyes. "Bringing 'em for the scales." He gave a quick smile, the tan, sun wrinkled skin around his lips creasing intensely, and I was relieved to realize this was a kind, good natured man. "Why? You want them?"
At this, thousands of possibilities ran through my mind, my gaze wandering back to the SolarWing.
They were going to kill him.
My heart longed to save the beast, but… he was on death's doorstep, so broken, so far gone.
Again, I reflected on my time spent in the Scorpion Den. Yair had hired me for this sort of thing- saving the lives of his injured dragons as they returned from the arena. I had nursed countless creatures back to health- but never anything this far gone. From what I could see, the dragon had a sturdy, wide build, but his body lacked nutriance, scales clung to his terribly starved frame.
Another shattering breath racked the dragon's body.
"Yes." I whispered, my eyes locked on the dull red dragon. "Yes. I want to buy the SolarWing."
The man gave an abrupt, rough chuckle, "Welcome to have him. Doubt I'll make enough to even pay for his transport with those scales,"
It was true. The SolarWing's scales were dull, broken, and bruised.
The man slammed his boot against the cage, grunting when he received no reaction from the red dragon. "Think you can fix him, son?"
I gave a nervous laugh as the man unlocked the cage door, motioning the two other men to his side.
"Yes, sir. I believe I can."
The man stepped into the cage, then glanced back towards me with a grin. "I like your determination, kid." He winked.
amazing! King didn’t speak for a moment, continuing down the cobble street at the same pace and biting the inside of his cheek with his teeth. “I…I don’t really know. Honestly I have no idea how to take care of him, and I never thought I’d adopt a dragonet…a lunarwing dragonet at least. I kinda wanted my first dragonet to be…ya know, mine. I guess…” he replied, an image of Osprey flashed through his mind. He believed the Lunarwing had to be trained and raised strictly, obedient to the Nest leader. But King didn’t want that kind of life for the little ball of bubbly joy that sat on Phoenix’s back. Osprey would trust someone like Rook or Jackdaw to raise him, intelligent and cunning but not loving.
“Im going to keep him for as long as I can at least.” He said, “ until he’s got a good place in the Nest.”
After that though I have lots of time.
