By the Red Moon Part 4
There was no way this was happening. It just was not possible, Duo told himself.
And yet, there he stood in the middle of a field with two large dragons staring down at him. Both massive in their size, their claws being the size of the teenager and their muscular legs wider than he was, they also had very distinct differences about them.
The dragon on the left, standing closest to Wufei, was varying shades green that went from lighter to darker from its belly up. Two large, crystalline blue eyes blinked down at the new arrival. On the top of its head were two tall horns that rose slightly upward then went straight back as if they were handle bars.
Meanwhile, the other creature by Anna was a mix of blues and purples of darker hues with striking green eyes that peered out like huge emeralds. Instead of horns, a massive crown of scales that took the form of an impressive shield wrapped from one side of the top of its head to the other with small spikes at the end. It reminded Duo of the protective crest a Triceratops wore. [1]
Both of their long necks craned high, their long-snouted heads were tilting back and forth as though they were measuring the braided teenager before them. Occasionally, a plume of white smoke would puff from their large nostrils along with in a deep snort. Finally, they lowered their necks for a closer sniff.
Gasping, Duo reeled back a step when he suddenly had one head sniffing him from the front and the other at the back. "Um, they have been fed, right?" he asked shakily when the green dragon gently nudged him in the ribs with the end of their nose as the other sniffed the back of his head.
Anna rubbed the blue-purple creature's huge leg beside her and chuckled, "Don't worry. They wouldn't harm a human so long as they were not trying to hurt them. And they can smell fear, so relax." Wufei certainly was making no move to hide his own amusement from his face as he watched their stunned guest's reaction.
Tentatively, Duo slowly raised a hand to reach out for the extended muzzle of the green dragon. When he touched the scales that beaked over its lower jaw, he was quite surprised to find how soft they were. And even with that softness, there was no question to their strength against a blade or any other weapon for that matter.
Much to his wonderment, the creature actually melted at the touch, gently pushing against it for more as a cat would. As if jealous, the bluish purple dragon wrapped its own head around to the front for some attention.
Eyes wide, the braided one held out his free hand to lightly rub the bottom of its jaw. Purring deeply in its chest, its green eyes closed in contentment.
Laughing quietly, Duo eased and became more confident in patting them. His laughter grew when that only had the dragons cooing louder until they pulled their heads back. Clearly, they were more than accepting of this new one and lay themselves down as close to the ground beside their riders as they could, necks and heads resting on the ground as well.
Once they did sink their bodies down, it was only then that it was easy to see the leather saddles and large packs linked to them where their necks met their backs.
With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, Duo turned to face the female knight and commented, "You could have warned me that your 'steeds' were actually dragons back in the forest, you know."
Anna snickered, "I do apologize." Absently running a hand over the tall shield around her dragon's head, she grinned, "It was quite selfish us to want to see your reaction, but it could not be helped." Shaking his head in amusement, the braided boy couldn't fault her knowing he would have done the same if he had had the chance.
Wufei gestured to his dragon by resting a hand on the tall horn closest to him and announced, "This is Nataku. She has been my steed for... quite a long time now. Though she can be quite mild-mannered, there are few of her kind that would ever challenge her." A light plume of smoke rose from the creature at the mention of her name.
Raising his free hand to the blue-purple, the swordsman said, "Ingier, there, is one of the newest members to our clan and he has proven to be a great addition as Anna's steed."
The said dragon grunted lightly as though understanding that he was being introduced. Like a young child looking for attention from their mother, he gently turned his head to nuzzle his rider's side. Giggling, the archer just patted the top of his head.
Raising an eyebrow down at him, she added in a slightly chastising way, "He can also be quite the mischievous one if he is not watched, but he minds me." Her mount blinked back up at her innocently, knowing that tone from her all too well.
Straightening himself, Wufei nodded firmly to their guest, "We best leave to see Relena. It will take us over a day's journey to reach Romefeller from here."
Duo swallowed roughly as he eyed the dragons now watching him intently once again. "I... I don't know if I'm ready to try flying on one of them."
A smirk tugging the corner of his mouth, the swordsman shrugged, "I do not suppose that you would rather climb from here." His violet eyes looking up, the braided teenager stared at the steep, jagged cliffs where the waterfalls ran off.
No, of course climbing was out of the question.
"Okay," he finally sighed, his stomach in knots over flying on the back of a dragon. Walking over towards Anna, whom he could tell would be a little easier on him if he should feel the need to cling on a little too tightly. Somehow, he did not think that Wufei would be the type to appreciate such a thing.
As he neared Ingier and the archer, Duo asked hesitantly, "You're sure that he minds you? He won't try any tricks with me while I'm on him, would he?"
Smiling warmly, Anna shook her head, "He would never dream of such a thing with you in his care." Just the way that she said that made it perfectly clear that there was nothing to be afraid of.
One deep and calming breath later, the braided youth nodded, "Alright. Let's get going, then." Not needing to be told twice, the knights easily climbed the scaly sides of their steeds up to their saddles where they strapped themselves in with leather thongs.
Much to Duo's relief when he joined Anna, he found there to be plenty of room for him in the seat behind her as well as a second strap. Securing himself in, he nervously bit his lip and reached back to grip the edges of the saddle that he leaned heavily against.
Nataku stretched up on her feet and spread her impressive, webbed wings out to the stretch of nearly a mile wide. With one powerful push from them that left a strong gust in its wake, she and Wufei were air born and swiftly climbing higher.
The sight of it all was both breathtaking and nerve-wracking at the same time for the new-comber. Grinning over her shoulder, Anna asked, "Ready?"
"I really don't have much choice, do I?" Duo called back over both the rushing water and strong downdrafts from Nataku. He was only answered with a smirk before the redhead looked forward and reached down to tap the side of her steed.
A small groan escaping him when Ingier got to his feet, he closed his violet eyes tightly just as he watched the wings at either side of him open. His nails dug into the saddle as his grip became one of iron. The sound of batting from those wide appendages was incredibly loud and the air began to move around almost violently in a swirl at first.
But then, after one more push from those wings, there was a serene calm even with a steady breeze in his face.
Slowly cracking his right eye open in a thin slit, Duo looked around to see that he was still secure in the saddle with Anna's back to him and her hair floating around them. Biting his lip, he fully opened his eyes and looked around, only to gape widely with a gasp as he took in the sights.
What he and his guides rose from was a crater amidst a much more grand and expansive stretch of forests, fields and valleys spotted with large wild flowers.
In the distance to his right, there were white-capped mountains with homes on their its ridges that he could just make out because of the rising smoke from their chimneys. Here and there, grand lakes and rivers appeared in the countryside and shimmered vibrantly.
And the sky was clear of a single cloud, making way that the sun could touch all of the beautiful scenery hundreds of miles below them.
Nataku flew up close beside Ingier and Duo cried excitedly over the wind, "This is incredible!" Carefully removing his hands from the seat, he found that he had no concern of falling out. Taking hold of his whipping braid, he tucked it under his cap and pulled the brim tight over his head again.
Shaking his head as he went back to enjoying the scenery, he laughed, "I've never seen or felt anything like this in my life!"
Wufei smirked, "We are quite fond of the view from up here, as well. I highly doubt that there is anything better in any other existence."
That was certainly something that Duo was not about to argue after his experiences.
From that point on, he just took the time to enjoy the ride.
* * * * * *
After a couple of stops for food and water, the travelers decided to make camp once nightfall came. Finding a round cove of rocks in the side of a mountain, they landed to settle down for the evening. A large fire was built and fresh meat that had been hunted by the dragons was on a spit cooking while the creatures went off to eat their own meal.
The warm flames gave off a red and golden glow that flickered on the walls of stone around the trio. In that more relaxed environment, Duo was amused to observe his guides from his place by the fire and soon picked up on the telltale signs to their relationship.
As they went about setting up the sleeping bags, there was a quiet conversation melded with light laughter and shoulder brushes that lingered. When their eyes met, their smiles shone in them. Thought he'd had never had a significant other in his own life, there was no doubt to the braided teenager that the two knights were more than simply friends or fellow warriors.
It was actually a sweet thing to see.
Later that evening, any doubts to what he thought he saw were cleared when he made out a few soft moans and rustling of their blankets on the opposite side of the fire where they lay. Not every sound was swallowed up by the crackling and snapping of the wood burning as they had no doubt they would be.
The following morning, Duo was the last to wake well after the sun began to rise. Breakfast was cooking on the rejuvenated fire and Wufei was turning the spit as Anna had her back to them while she rolled their blankets up.
Nataku and Ingier were lying down flat on their stomachs, watching their riders go about the morning chores. When he saw the new guest waking, the proclaimed mischievous one moved his head in to take the discarded baseball cap into the end of his mouth.
Instantly alert, Duo sprang from his bed and laughed, "Hey, Ingier, cut it out!" Every time he stretched for the cap that was just out of reach, the amused dragon would just curve his long neck back and forth in a game. Nataku, for her part, just turned her head back and forth to watch the exchange like a tennis match.
Once her steed had given a good run, Anna simply cleared her throat without even looking back at him. Snorting through his nostrils, Ingier lowered his head down enough for his playmate to collect his cap again. Slowly, he curved his neck around to lower his snout close by his rider for approval that came in the form of a light pat.
Making his way to the fire, Duo shook his head in amusement and wrung his cap out before packing it away for the time being. Silently watching Wufei put the finishing touches to their meal, he smirked, "So, how long have the two of you been together?"
Her hands freezing in their work of unraveling the last pile of blankets, Anna's head spun back to reveal her wide blue eyes. Also a bit surprised, but the first to recover, Chang smirked, "Very observant. And here I had thought that you would have slept more soundly after the... adventurous day that you had."
There was certainly no point in denying what had happened between them, so Duo appreciated his forthrightness. Modesty certainly did not suit the young swordsman in any way.
With a small smile on his lips, he looked over to his lover and said quietly, "We have been together for... a very long time now." Blushing slightly in the light of the flames, the redhead returned his loving smile.
A long time. He had also used those words to say how long he had known his dragon. But as young as they were, how long ago could that have been?
Mentally, Duo locked that little detail away for further explanation later.
Breakfast was passed around and enjoyed by the ring of the fire pit once all of the gear was packed back onto the massive creatures who had already had their own morning feast. Nataku lay large head between her rider and the braided teenager in a clear hint that should either of them wish to give her attention, she was within reach. Ingier was a bit more bold, resting the end of his nose in Anna's lap.
Swallowing down the last bit of his meal, Duo lowered his plate and stretched his arm out to run his hand over Nataku's head. "Where I came from," he began, his tone wistful and distant, "Dragons only exist in stories. It's still amazing to me that they're actually here."
Her mouth falling in a sad frown, Anna looked down at her steed's head and said quietly, "I... simply cannot imagine a world without dragons." Lightly patting the end of Ingier's nose, she stated, "Humans and dragons in the realm have lived together for as far back as our world started."
Wufei stared into the fire and nodded, "It is a great honor here to be a dragon rider. They become as much family to us as they are our guardians." Glancing over to Nataku, he smirked, "When a dragon is born, they are nurtured by their parents to learn their ways until they grow their full size. Then they choose their rider."
Intrigued, Duo bent his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, questioning, "The dragons choose their rider and not the other way around?"
"There are dragons that choose to fly freely on their own, just as their are people who do not wish to ride them," Anna responded. "Of their own free will, those who wish to be fixed with a saddle find the human that they feel a connection to, regardless of their gender. In a way, it's almost like soul mates."
She giggled when she glanced down to see Ingier's emerald eyes watching her with all interest. Wrapping both arms around his snout in a hug, she grinned, "When they find their rider, they are purely devoted to them as we are in return. From there, training them for riding comes naturally and they wish only to make their human happy."
Lightly sliding his hand over Nataku's neck, Wufei looked to their braided companion and continued, "I have seen dragons that had lost their rider in battle fall into such grief that they give up the will to live and perish soon after. There is nothing more heartbreaking than the sound of their cries when that happens."
Judging by the way Anna swallowed roughly and lowered her head, Duo was certain that she had seen and heard the same in her past as well. To his surprise, a small lump had formed in his own throat and he softly tapped the end of the green dragon's nose with a quiet, "They're pretty amazing creatures."
The knights both brightened again at that and the swordsman nodded firmly, "That they are."
Duo pushed himself onto his feet and brushed a light dusting of dirt from his jeans. Looking out to the mountain ranges that they were heading for, he thought of crossing those massive stretches of stone that went on as far as he could see.
As much as he was enjoying his conversation with his guides, he still had many questions about himself and his arrival to this new realm that he wanted answered.
Turning back to face the knights, he inquired, "How much longer do you think it will be before we meet Relena?"
"Within a few hours. Our dragons made good time yesterday and we are more than half the distance from where we were when we first left," Anna answered while lightly tapping Ingier's nose to make it lift so that she could stand.
Reassured by that news, Duo grinned, "Then, let's get going."
* * * * * *
For the better part of that morning, the lot continued to fly high on through the mountain ranges that they had reached the night before. Any green that was to be found far below appeared in the form of sporadically growing evergreen that rose taller than any Duo had ever known from his world.
Then, Anna stretched her right arm forward and announced, "There it is." Peering over her shoulder, her companion's violet eye widened on the impressive city etched into the side of pristine white mountains hiding amongst the more naturally shaded ranges.
It was a sight to behold from the tall pillars of the colosseum-like homes to the tall castle carved into the peak of the tallest mountain. "Welcome to Romefeller," the archer smiled over her shoulder. "Home of the Gifted." Unable to find his voice, Duo just stared out ahead in amazement.
Their wings shifting, Nataku and Ingier soared them right for the castle that rose high over the rest of the city.
TBC...
[1] Of course I would have an example of this to help with the visual. http://www.cbv.ns.ca/marigold/history/dinosaurs/datafiles/triceratops.html
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