Back

The ferilons and Vanya made camp in the ruins that night. Ruarth finally descended from the sky, finding a good open space to land. The ferilons first stayed away from him, but then as the day wore on their curiosity got the better of their fear. Vanya swore up and down that Ruarth was perfectly safe - they were his friends and he knew it.

"But ... where did you get him? And how? And... why?" Asked Mahno.

"A place called DragonSoul," Vanya replied. "And... I got him in the future."

All the looks on their muzzles were the same and it was a look that Vanya had seen many times before in his travels.

He explained some things about what happened to him after he and the tribe parted.

"I went to Behat, of course you know that. I found some of my old buildings, nothing was intact of course, but it was there. The snow kept me there for another two years, but it was all right. When the summer came I headed down the coast around where Altem used to be, and ran into one of my ... old friends."

The way he said it indicated they were anything but friends, but still, Vanya continued without explanation. "We traveled together for a while, made our way across the ocean." That got a gasp from the tribe. The lake near by was enough to make most of them tired, let alone the idea of something so gigantic as an ocean. "In a boat, Caiva, in a boat..." That clarified, they laughed nervously.

"We went to Neres, where the others had been assembling a ship." He glanced skyward, "a star ship. One that could carry us all away from here. And we did. We left."

"Left... left Zekira? Into what?" Asked BoHam.

"Into space, where the stars are, other worlds." Vanya said. The stars were coming out, now, over the cover of clouds. They all stared at them, and Vanya nodded to himself. "This will sound strange, but ... about six years after we parted, did you see anything in the sky? Do you remember?"

They all looked at one another, and then Mahno slowly nodded. "I remember. There was a very bright star, for days on end. They didn't share my fascination." He thumbed at the others, who made la-de-da motions. "It was... you? Your ship? But you are here. Have you all come back?"

"Oh no, no... I have, others have separately... Ones with dragons. You see," he sighed and settled in, "we traveled for nearly a thousand years before we encountered even one habitable planet..."

That brought The Look back.

"I've traveled back in time, with Ruarth. It's a thing they can do, since they teleport. The dragons of some worlds merely need to know what a place looks like, the stars positions, the time of day, and they can reach it. It was ... a very long journey from where I was, and that was why Ruarth was so hungry."

"You. Traveled through time. Back here." BoHam said. "Why?"

At that, Vanya smiled. "Because I wanted to get you. Bring you out to the stars. Maybe to a new place... We've ... traveled a long long time, my old friends. I only even remembered we'd met because we were looking over all the old records of Zekira and I saw something about ferilon breeding. We have gene samples, but no living ferilons yet. I came back ... for you. And maybe others."

The tribe looked at one another, confused and curious.

"We have a new colony world," Vanya said. "It's called Planet Twenty."

"How very original," CharnBat said.

"I didn't name it," Vanya said. "The Zekirans are there, along with a number of furs like yourselves. Genetically engineered many generations ago, they're starting to do the same things you did: you evolved powers like Zekirans. So are they. Minor ones, like heating and healing, telepathy."

"Now there's something we could use," Mahno said.

"It's handy. Dragons use it, if you're paired with a dragon you can... well, speak through them to someone." Vanya said.

"Wait, wait," NhieuTay shook his head and his ears flopped around, "you are saying that you not only want us to leave our territory - now that we've defended it - and get... dragons... and live on another planet?"

"... Essentially, yes."

"How about we don't?" Said CharnBat. "I like it here."

It was very clear that Vanya was disappointed with this reception. He was quite eager to see them come back with him, but ... perhaps another tactic.

"You could stay here, with the dragons," Vanya said. "They can travel back and forth between the worlds, if you want to visit."

"You're really keen on these things," Thoihra said, looking at Ruarth. The dragon's big wings were strong, meant for quick flight moves and powerful diving. Thoihra could appreciate the build of it.

"I ... am, really," Vanya said. "They won't age if you won't. They won't leave you, won't die unexpectedly unless you take them into battles. Some of them love it, fighting threats on worlds. The dragons of Planet Twenty keep some other people away. It's a privelege to have a bond like Ruarth. Not everyone is good for it."

"And you think for some reason, that we are?" Asked Caiva's one head. The other added, "we do have our own legs to carry us, you know."

"I've known stranger things to bond a dragon," Vanya muttered and shook his head.

"We'd need to discuss it, of course," Mahno said, tilting his head toward the others, who nodded.

"Well, take whatever time you need," Vanya said, leaning back, "we've got that."

Of course they decided to go and at least investigate the idea of ... dragons.

"They'll have to be somewhat small," Mahno indicated how little they really were.

"You're only about the size of a young teenager - Zekirans like myself are deceptively tall," Vanya said. "But you're right. You'll need littler dragons."

"I don't want a little dragon," Thoihra said, with a vicious smile, "I want a big one. Bigger than yours."

"Almost every dragon is bigger than mine," Vanya said, and Ruarth gave a little annoyed bellow. "Well they are!" He turned and explained about sizes, colors, genders... It all went fairly over their heads. "I can take you now," he said. "If you want. But I'll have to come back. Or I suppose I could find the others, and ask them if they would help."

"We've never met any others," CharnBat said, slightly worried.

"It's all right," Caiva said, protectively. "We're going to have to meet others now. Besides," he grinned, "we're superheroes, we can't be harmed. No one can take our group and split it up."

At that, Vanya made a little cough. "You might consider going to separate places, for breeding purposes..."

"You are always talking about breeding this and breeding that," BoHam said. "What if we don't want them breeding?"

"They'll do it anyway," Vanya laughed. "Ruarth did right under my nose, I didn't even realize it until he told me there were eggs on the sands that were his."

So it was decided that Vanya would fetch some other riders and their dragons, ones who could carry the odd little four-footed people. He left, and the ferilon tribe looked around themselves and tried to figure ways to reclaim their territory once they needed to.

In the middle of the next day, during a heated discussion between Thoihra and Mahno about whether they should remain in the ruins with their dragons or return to the forest land, another great shadow burst through the sky.

It was followed by two others, smaller, and then one that they recognized, Ruarth. But that first one had Thoihra all aquiver: it was gigantic. Black, scaley, and best of all it spit a long gout of flame when it came over head just to make sure that everyone knew they were coming.

"Well if the Steeds had any inclination to return here," BoHam said, "that would certainly convince them otherwise..."

The dragons found a place to land, an area that used to be a park or some monument. Only grasses grew there, it was a good landing spot, surrounded by mostly intact buildings. The big black one was having some trouble fitting in on the turf near her three companions. Ruarth was indeed dwarfed by comparison.

And Vanya was very tame in comparison to two of the other riders. One of them could have been his brother only all pale instead of all dark. Tall and elegant with a huge mane of shaggy silver-brown hair, the rider of the big black female flew down on his own wind power, landing near Vanya and saying something that made the darker man roll his eyes and sigh.

The two other dragons stood with their heads high, though they were completely different from one another - and from the other two. Ruarth was pear-shaped, with a long slender neck and a long tail, smooth back, and rounded wings. The black, whose name was apparently Neres Storm, had ridges and spikey feet and all sorts of texture to her scaley skin, and long antennae that both CharnBat and Thoihra equated to their own. The smaller of the others was a brilliant green-golden shade, a solid build and a short neck, horns, and large thick legs. Her wings were strong, they looked to be narrow and good for gliding. The creature which got off her back ...

"Is that a Zekiran too?" Asked CharnBat, but she knew the answer already, her powers told her so. In fact, her powers told her that all four of the people who rode these dragons were related. The white-skinned wildhaired male was the progenitor of all, while he was clearly the father of the female who dropped down from the beautiful rainbow-chrome dragoness. The green's rider however stood on four paws, had wings, and an almost entirely birdlike head!

The ferilons watched him, and he suddenly realized they were staring at him. "Those are them?" He asked, and Vanya nodded. The 'taur's voice was pleasant, soft, light. He padded up to them and they then realized that if a creature of his size and shape could ride a dragon, they could. The three 'taurs were perhaps as large as his flank. Maybe add a leg. His wings were delicate, insect like, barely solid enough to be seen, let alone carry him. Yet, they seemed to aid him when he jumped from the back of his dragon.

"This is Szhraad," Vanya said, "and his dragon is Marantanath." The yellowish green nodded her horned head. "There is Wildstorm, and her father Tresis," the tall pair - the girl had a tail and long ears, as well as markings on her slightly furry skin. "And Keluanya," Vanya introduced the chromed shiny rainbow female, "and Neres Storm." The big black one bellowed, and the ground shook. "Who is louder than she needs to be."

"She says she never gets out," Tresis said with a grin on his thin lips. "I want to show her where I used to live, if you don't mind."

"Don't be too long," Vanya warned. "And try - please - not to get lost."

Tresis made a harrumph, echoed in his dragon, and they left abruptly. The other three relaxed a bit, not just because she was taking up so much space.

As she flew off, great wings beating, everyone could hear the sounds of the terrified Steed herd in the valley. That put smiles back on the ferilon's muzzles.

"That," Vanya said, "is a Glenn bred dragon. Keluanya is from Ryslen, and both of ours are no longer hatching."

"Pity," said BoHam, "Marantanath is very pretty."

"I'm sure we'll find you a place to bond one somewhat like her," Szhraad said. "When Tresis gets back, we'll head to Planet Twenty and then off to wherever."

"He just wants to bring us there to breed," NhieuTay said.

"That is not an entirely bad idea," said Szhraad, and while they watched his head turned from being birdlike to being more... like them. He grew fur on his long thick tail, and his wings shrank down to nubs. He was a ferilon'taur, only he was a Zekiran.

"That is amazing!" CharnBat exclaimed, and slithered up to him eagerly. Caiva wasn't too pleased about that. But then shortly, Tresis and Neres Storm came back.

"You didn't get lost?" Vanya asked.

"No." Tresis said, from the back of the dragon. "But I did greet myself in the Tower."

Vanya groaned, "you're not supposed to-"

"There were no others around, not even the natives, then... I was quite lonely, Vanya. You know that feeling well." Tresis said, in a rather chiding way.

"Wait, you went through time, to head somewhere here on Zekira, and you met yourself doing it?" Caiva said, "that's different."

"It is also very dangerous," Wildstorm reminded her father. "But we're ready, if you are."

Though the dragons were large, it would be difficult to take the 'taurs, so Caiva went with Wildstorm, NhieuTay was assisted onto Marantanath's back, and BoHam took Neres' passenger spot. Thoihra flapped around like a gigantic flitter, but Vanya warned him he couldn't just fly with them - where they were headed, he would get lost immediately. So he flapped down onto Neres' back as well. That left Mahno and CharnBat to go with Vanya. CharnBat snuggled up close, and gave Vanya a grin.

"I bet you think twice about breeding now."

"I've bred with stranger things than you," he replied with his own grin. CharnBat was silent the rest of the trip.

Planet Twenty was a wide open place, a little less forest than the ferilon tribe liked, but then they were only used to it because they hadn't bothered to move anywhere else. The thing that really got to the group - apart from being in the air, they'd never flown before - was that there were people. Lots of them. Of many colors, shapes, sizes and species.

The thing they liked the most, though, was that because of that fact, they weren't looked upon as complete freaks. For the first time they were welcomed into a group, accepted, even with their odd mix of features.

The Zekirans that had already started breeding with the cheetah kin had four-footers, two footers, multiple limbs, spots with wings... They were impressed.

They were hungry. When one of the Zekirans suggested they go to Wildstorm's place for a feast, she sighed and flew off with Keluanya to find something worth cooking.

"Cooking?" NheiuTay asked, "I remember reading about that..."

"You've never tried it?" Vanya asked, during their leisurely stroll toward the big open air homestead that Wildstorm and Cryten lived in. "Thoihra can make fire from his eyes, and you've never tried cooking your food?"

"It seems like such a bother, when we just like eating things raw..." NheiuTay muttered. By the time the group - the Ferilons, Vanya, Szhraad and a number of happy curious Kin and Zekirans - got to the wooden and stone building over the large dragon cave, Keluanya and Wildstorm had returned with some indescribable animal from the plains nearby. It started the tribe's mouths watering, but the feast wasn't going to happen just yet... No. They had to burn the meat, strip the skin from it, rend it from its bones.

"What are they doing?" Asked CharnBat, "this is idiotic. We're hungry, you know." She tugged at Vanya's silken sleeve.

"I know, but... it's a tradition. When we visit your tribe's home we'll eat your offerings raw or whatever it is you'd like. How's that?"

She seemed somewhat satisfied with that response. When the plates with meat - lightly charred, it still had some blood to it at least - and vegetables (which had been steamed expertly by Cryten) and bread were passed out, the tribe wasn't quite sure what to do. Finally, Thoihra bit into his meat and began nibbling at the tubers. NhieuTay lifted the bread and sniffed at it, before gnawing on it a little.

BoHam however did what she always did with her food. She slobbered a load of acidic mouth juice on her plate, which began dissolving the meat into paste which she then began sucking up with palps.

Needless to say, the Zekirans around the table were horrified. But they were guests, and tradition was that guests did what they did. If they wanted to eat, why didn't they just hunt? Wildstorm leaned over to Vanya and whispered clearly, "Vanya?"

"Yes?" He said, the part of his face not visible to her was smirking.

"You said these ... people... were civilized? Yes?"

"I did, they are."

"Then teach them some table manners, my sweet healer..." She muttered and tried to ignore BoHam's slurping.

When everyone was filled to the gills with excellent food - dissolved, baked, charred or otherwise - someone brought out a flute and started playing it while others danced. The ferilons were bewildered, but they had seen such things in the Zekiran archives.

"This place is so ... different." Caiva said. "I don't know if we can get along here, really."

"Don't worry about it," Vanya said. "You won't have to if you wish. If you go back to Zekira, you'll have dragons to keep your territory safe, and visit here if you wish."

"We would do that," agreed BoHam. "I will."

Late into the night, the Kin and Zekirans and eventually the Tribe played and danced. The tribe did their best to emulate dancing, though they had never done it before. They immitated the ways they would hunt, that went over well with the Kin. Exhausted, everyone slept where they sat, in Wildstorm's big house.

"Well, we can get you to wherever you want to go," Vanya announced, "Cryten and Wildstorm will be taking over from here, they travel the Nexus better than I do."

"Any day, gramps," Cryten laughed. He wasn't really Vanya's grand child, however he was Kalkin's - sort of - and they were the same person in different skins. The semi-cheetah kin helped himself to a branch of grapes, and led the group outside again. Down on the wide plaza of stone and grasses, were a large number of dragons.

"We've asked the dragons to come show off for you," Wildstorm said with a grin, "and of course they came. You already know that my Kel and Cryten's dragon are from Ryslen. And that the Glenn offers many like them -" she waved her hand at Neres Storm and two others of different colors. "I would say walk among them, carefully. The dragons will take you to their home sands, it won't be hard to find good places for you to bond."

They did just that. Walking among the big legs and shifting tails, listening to the rumbling breath and the occasional scrape of claw against stone...

"Well I know I want to find one like her," Thoihra said, still pointing at Neres Storm. "She said the Glenn isn't around any more, but there are a couple places. Where?"

"Midsummer has a number of them, I think?" Someone suggested, and Neres Storm nodded from the far side of the field.

"Then that is where I wish to go." Thoihra said with surity in his voice.

The others milled about, still unsure. Then they began to filter around to one or another. Eventually, they found who they were looking for.

*continued on each page*

*Next!*

NhieuTay

Bonding at: Nidus Ryslen

Dragon: Green Male Zebrastriped Kailyain Winterheart

Mahno

Bonding at: Lantessama Isle

Dragon: Lt Brown Female Sling

CharnBat

Bonding at: The Warren at TrisHath

Dragons: Red Female Vemmel, Green Female Halasca

Thoihra

Bonding at: Midsummer for a Glenn Abandonling

Dragon: Cerulean Blue Air Male Airakogaku

Caiva

Bonding at: Nidus Avengaea for the Copper Minifrenzy

Dragons: Copper Rainbow Female Molraya and Titanium Blue Male Latomir

BoHam

Bonding at: Spring Fling Frenzy at Starburst Weyr

Dragon: Cyan, Tattooed female Karrshirath