Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 25

I heard Taureen make an exclamation of surprise and fury at the sight of the sicora in the air vent. He disappeared into his room for a moment before coming out with a radio. "We have a sicora in the air vents of the building where I live. I killed one crawler, but there may be more as well."

"We are en route. Stay in the room as we do a sweep of the building. Let us know if you see it again."

"Affirmative."

He grabbed an empty tray and put it in front of the open air vent before moving a heavy chair to hold it there. He bent over to scoop up my still-hissing form. I barely paid him any attention. There was a sicora in the building. And it was alive. I had a serious problem with both of those details.

I struggled a bit in his hold, wanting to be put back down. Taureen gently pinned me against his chest while stroking my neck and wings in an attempt to calm me down. I dug my claws lightly into his arms to show my level of agitation. He murmured soft words to me while continuing to stroke my scales.

What seemed like hours later, I finally gave up with a sigh and relaxed in his hold. The sicora wasn't about to come back anytime soon. There was also a large group of armed fighters scouring the building to locate it. Even if it did pass by the air vent, I couldn't see it, and there was no way for it to get past the impromptu blockade that Taureen had built.

Taureen continued to hold me in his arms as he sat on the couch. I tried to get out of his hold, but he wasn't having any of it. I ceased my efforts after a bit; the appearance of the sicora and the dead crawler on his floor was not sitting well with him and he was on edge.

I curled up as best I could in his arms, and I could hear his strong and calming heartbeat. He wasn't wearing a shirt and his skin was warm. My wing ached from what I had put it through. I halfway unfolded it in an attempt to ease the painful muscles. It seemed to help.

I rested my head on his arm, and it made a convenient pillow. Taureen maintained his watch with his radio beside him. I knew that he wouldn't sleep the rest of the night. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, leaving him on watch.

*      *      *

I sat on Taureen's shoulder as he walked through yet another building. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing the armor he used while patrolling or on guard, I would have seriously wondered if he was lost.

I chewed on the leash in boredom while keeping an eye on his two companions. I wasn't sure why they were accompanying him. Most city patrols were conducted alone or in pairs, at least from what I had seen from the windowsill. Then again, I have only spent five weeks watching out of the window, so what do I really know?

I had been inside of dozens of buildings as Taureen walked up and down the hallways. I had no clue what he was looking for, and I didn't really see a pattern in his searching either. He seemed to pick buildings at random.

He went up and down various streets. At least I am learning more about the city than I would have ever imagined possible. Sneaking across it will be a breeze now. He never did pass near a park though. That was kind of a let-down, although with all of this walking, I had recognized some landmarks from when the dragonets had first snuck into the city. If I ever got loose, I knew the exact direction that the main park was in.

I had also learned that the sicora in the air vents had been found and killed. They had also found one more crawler, and that was dead as well. The building air vent covers had been replaced so that the latches could not be accidentally undone from the inside by such creatures. So even if I now knew that the latches were inside the air vent, it also meant that the upgrades made it impossible for me to open them.

There goes my half-baked plan of sneaking through the air vents. It wasn't that good of a plan anyway; I probably wouldn't have been able to find the correct exit or I might have ended up lost. Even if I did find a good exit, there was no guarantee that I could manage to get the other cover off.

@valdtrift made this skilled drawing of a crawler. Kudos to him for his hard work!