Dragon Kin - Resurrection

Grudges

Standing outside his family home, Cas stared up at the sky that stretched into the distance. A thick layer of snow still coated the earth, but the clouds that delivered them had dissipated enough to allow sunlight through. The rays didn't feel as warm as the blood of his kin brethren, but it was a start.

Folk began emerging from the huts and bunk houses at the first sight of bright daylight, feet both young and old carved tracks through the snow. It was almost as if the whole village had been dormant, hibernating behind warm walls. Now awakened, they set about work, dispelling the sleepy aura of winter by filling the village with the hum of life.

A squeaky giggle caught his attention, Cas turned to find a small baby girl waddling through the snow with a broad grin, stopping every few steps to bounce excitedly and check over her shoulder for her mama. Diya followed, biting her lip, arms extended ready to catch the babe should she stumble. Cas couldn't help but chuckle at the misplaced worry on her brow. She still struggled to accept that her daughter was sturdier than a human child. 

'Goodmorning, Diya,' Cas called, striding forward he scooped the little girl up into his arms, 'and good morning to you Dija.' He tickled beneath her chin and she giggled happily. 

Diya tipped forward into a bow but her movements seemed stiff. The first thing Cas noticed, as she lifted her head, was the deep purple bags beneath her eyes, 'how are you Chief Cas?' she asked breathlessly.

Cas ignored her question, stepping forward quickly to place a hand against her forehead, 'you're a little too warm. . . for a human.' Cas noted, 'come, I'll walk you to Ryke and Tuari's place.'

Diya leaned away quickly, flapping her hands, 'I'm fine, really.' She insisted, turning and tilting her head to hide the obvious weariness on her face, 'Dija is just a bit of a hand full that's all.'

'Then I will look after her for the day,' Cas replied, Diya's head shot up in surprise and Dija wrapped her arms around Cas' neck, snuggling into his warmth, 'but you must get a check up. Dija needs a healthy mama, don't you?' Cas added, directing the question to the little girl as he patted her back and swayed on the spot. Her little body sagged and her eyelids began to drift closed. Cas smiled.  

Diya watched him with her head cocked to the side, and whispered 'you're awfully good with her, Cas.'

Dija squirmed suddenly, trying to fight off the heaviness of her eyes, Cas bounced a little quicker and cooed until she settled again. 'I learned from the best,' he replied softly, a small smile still nestled in the corners of his lips.

'She'd be very proud of you Cas, supporting everyone here must be hard after everything you've been through.'

Cas took a deep steadying breath, 'it's what she'd want and it's the least I can do. Now off you go.' He turned quickly, before Diya could argue, and strode away across the village.

-

When Diya arrived at the Shamans hut, she found the tiny wind dragon curled up on the step, staring into the sky. 'Good morning Priya, are Ryke and Tuari inside?' 

The wind dragon nodded her head slightly but didn't look away from the sky. As Diya raised her arm to knock, a swift wind rushed the door, rattling the wood for a moment before throwing it open with an angry clatter. A loud yelp sounded inside, followed by the flurry of fluttering parchment. 

Diya hurried through the entrance, forcing the door closed as Ryke raced around gathering up his belongings. As the door clicked into place, Diya could have sworn she heard a low sniggering from the doorstep beyond.

Bending down to help Ryke, Diya spoke quietly, 'Priya seems upset. . .' She cast a furtive glance at the door, expecting it to shake or blow open again.

Ryke sighed, returning his work to his desk, 'Priya isn't happy with my progress, Dani's essence is in danger of being absorbed into her own. It is an irreversible scenario.' 

Diya clutched her heart to stop the ache that spread, 'poor Cas,' she moaned, 'I had no idea things were that bad.'

Ryke's shoulders sagged and Diya noticed how pale and drawn his young face looked, had she not known better, she would have thought he too had a hyperactive kin baby sapping all of his energy. 'You look as bad as I feel,' she commented, 'shall we have some tea. Cas told me to rest, but I would be happy for some conversation?'

The young man's face brightened a little, a small smile pulled at the corners of his lips but didn't quiet reach his eyes. He gestured towards a fireplace at the far side of the room, where he moved a hanging kettle over the flames. 

Diya sat, sinking into the pelts of a high backed bench, listening to the water begin to boil in the old cast iron pot. Ryke re-joined her moments later, prepared with two empty mugs and a jar of herbal tea leaves. 

Diya waited until Ryke had poured the tea, before asking the question that had been burning a hole in her head for many weeks, 'is there any news of Bram?'

Ryke hissed, burning himself on the freshly poured drink, 'yes' he replied, taking a moment to recover, flapping his hand in front of his face to blast his burning lip with cold air, 'we have heard rumblings from the desert lands, talk of a dragon in chains that howls 'Kin Slayer' as he topples gladiator arenas.'

Diya's eyes grew wide, shining in the fire light as fear coiled its way into her stomach, 'Bram didn't want to kill Vada, it wasn't him!' She implored, voice a screech, 'what if Aegar kills him?'

Ryke stared pensively into the flames, the light dancing across his stiff expression, 'we are hoping to prevent that,' he murmured, hazarding a sip of his tea, 'Tuari has gone to investigate, we'll know whether there is any truth in these rumours very soon.'

His words didn't make Diya feel at ease. Vada's death still echoed throughout the village, raw and pulsating. Though speculation was that Menos' dark influence was truly to blame, it was Bram's hand that had wielded the blade that ended Vada's life, and the Pyrite clan struggled to see past that.