I Have a Dragon

Broken Rider - 23

Rayne was restless. She ached all over, but a nagging instinct told her she needed to move, get gone before Krom hunted her down again. She couldn't leave, though. Her head still throbbed, and memory seemed to come and go sporadically. Her broken arm, while receding from the initial pain, still angrily flashed whenever she jolted it. And then there were her ribs... They were the worst, she decided. Each shallow breath brought pain, until she she was numbed to the point of no longer feeling it. Any deep breaths caused instant regret, and when she coughed, it felt like a knife being stabbed through her side.

Days had never passed so slowly. But pass they did. Bit by bit. 

Calico went fishing, returning unscathed and with food each time, despite Rayne's worry. The little Storm Chaser was worried also, but for a much more real reason. Rayne had not acted like this since the first days on the island. She'd watched from the shadows, curiosity overcoming fear as the girl slept for hours, only waking to cry for water, or whimper names which held nothing for Calico.

Now it was starting to happen again. She was asleep much of the time, longer than humans usually slept, Calico knew. Her brain, intelligent though it was, could not comprehend the body's inescapable craving for sleep when trying to heal. 

So she waited. Curled up, blue eyes fixed on the motionless girl, following each faint movement as her chest rose and fell. Had she been able to hear, she would have carefully listened to the heartbeat as well, but she was deprived of that sense, not truly understanding how much she'd lost. It had been so long ago that her rider's lilting voice grace her ears. So she did the only thing she knew how: she watched. Her tail tucked against her chin, she stayed entirely still for hours, leaving only to eat or drink as she waited. Each time her sister's dark eyes fluttered open, she was there, ready, but unable to truly help. Because dragons didn't keep track of days, she didn't know how many it had been before Rayne painfully, but with utter determination, forced her battered body to move. 

Her survival instinct warned her she'd been lying in the same place too long. She had to get out, go somewhere else where it was safer. Slowly, taking often breaks, she saddled Calico and gathered together her meager belongings. Most everything had been left on the ship, and she had no intention of going back to fetch any of it.

Yet.

Calico was patient and helpful as she could be. With effort, she overrode her Storm Chaser's natural impatience. Together, they managed to be ready in half a day. Rayne frowned. Both pride and disgust were fighting for dominance within her. She'd done pretty well for an injured person, but.... half a day packing? 

Pitiful.

"Come on, Pet." she murmured, limping outside. Her vision faded to white for a moment, and she paused, her good hand involuntarily finding the rough stone wall to steady herself. Then Calico was there, sliding in beside her with comforting warmth. Rayne put her hand on the dragon, leaning on the four-legged cane until they got completely outside. Taking a deep breath, then wincing, she mentally prepared herself. Carefully, she swung a leg over. A little wiggle, and she was in the saddle. Calico held perfectly still. So did Rayne.

"I'm still alive.." she murmured to herself. Calico relaxed as Rayne's fingers stroked her head. Next challenge?

Flying.

*~**~**~*

Rayne lazily blinked, only half awake. Above, poofy clouds hurried by, their white sharply contrasting against the blue sky. The pain was keeping Rayne from sleeping, but she just felt so tired. Under her, Calico's strong body moved rhythmically, settling into a steady flow of hurt for Rayne. She was currently sprawled backwards, trying, and failing, to take a nap. She didn't know how much longer they could keep flying. They needed to land and take a break. It wouldn't do to fly for so long. Calico would get tired. Was she already tired? How long had they been going?

Mind wandering, Rayne suddenly realized she had no idea what she was doing. Why was she flying while in so much pain? What happened? Why did she feel the need to run?

With a little whimper, she managed to sit up. The red and white head before her tilted slightly, checking on her rider. 

"What in Valhalla, Cal...?" Rayne muttered. She stretched her tired brain, searching for answers. As quickly as they'd vanished, they returned. Krom, the beating, the cave, fleeing. She groaned. With a gentle touch, Calico was steered towards the island they were passing. It was little, but it was solid ground, and Rayne felt as though she might throw up if she kept going. Calico exerted every trick she knew for a smooth landing. Rayne staggered off once they were motionless. She made it several steps before carefully collapsing in the sand.

Her side had knives plunging through her ribs; a loud pounding ache in her head ensured she wouldn't be thinking clearly. Her broken arm was the least of her pains at the moment. 

She put a hand up, gingerly running her fingers along the gash just in her hairline. It hurt. Everything hurt. Very carefully, she laid down. Calico edged over, laying down beside her sister. She wrapped her tail around Rayne's feet, not quite touching her. Her body curled around the girl's head. also not quite touching. She heaved a worried sigh. Rayne blinked, exhausted. She shifted to ease up against her dragon, mindful of her injuries.

The clouds overhead still glided past, but the edges blurred together. Gradually, the sky darkened. White clouds merged together with blurry lines, their countenance darkening to match the sky. Despite the darkness, the sun beat down hot, burning against Rayne's bare skin. Even her face felt hot, although she knew she was wearing her mask. The sky and clouds swirled together above, darkening as she slipped away.

Calico would take care of her.

*~*~*~*

The ship was different without Rayne. Sure, she wasn't the most cheerful, outgoing person, but her quiet presence drifting among the crew was sorely missed. Every time a crewman glanced up, only to see empty sky where Calico would have been lazily floating, his face would drop. Despite the pair's quiet, loner tendencies, they were not stand-offish. They mingled with the crew, unlike the rest of the Grimborns. Since gaining favor among the Hunters and sailors, their presence had been missed whenever Krom stationed her at other ships. Now, they suspiciously accepted Krom's sharp, barking replies when they asked where Rayne had gone. On a long mission, he said. Might be gone a few weeks.

Viggo became a little quieter as the days passed, a little more subdued as his father and half brother argued over plans. He wisely watched from the shadows, inputting only when his opinion was demanded. Secretly, he pined away for Rayne. He had gotten extremely attached to his little sister in the short time he'd known her. Now, he had no idea if she was even alive or dead. Calico hadn't come back for his help, so he could only hope she was still alive.

Occasional loud shrieks would sound from below deck. Something pounded the wood, and Viggo knew if would be deafening if he was below. He guessed it was the Quaken they had captured earlier. It was restless and anxious without its mate. Viggo frowned at the deep blue water sliding past.

He had been raised to believe dragons had no feelings. They had tiny brains, and big bodies. Useless. Anytime he'd gazed into the suffering eyes, he had managed to push back the emotion with the fact that dragons didn't feel. 

Then Rayne had flown into his life, with a quick, agile little dragon who was smart as she was pretty. When he stared into the melt-blue eyes and saw her curiousness, he tried to cast it aside with the same excuse, but Rayne backed her dragon. Not only did intelligence shine from the Storm Chaser, she proved it too. As Rayne explained for proof against Viggo's doubts, the wild dragons never 'showed their intelligence' because they didn't know how. If a savage was taken from his culture and thrown into a King's presence, he would appear dumb, simply because he was lost and had no idea what was expected of him. The same would appear for the king tossed into a tribe of wildland people.

Of course, all of Rayne's persuasive teaching was hidden from Krom, Ryker, and the other loyal dragon hunters. The siblings knew it would shake the very core of the dragon hunters if Viggo openly professed his changing beliefs. It would most likely cause a civil war among the hunters. It could turn the tide for the Dragon Riders.

Rayne had drawn Viggo aside a mere week before her "departure". She seriously informed him that despite their father having dicatorship power, many hunters secretly confessed to Rayne that they preferred the quietly cultured Viggo over his swashbuckling half-brother or unpleasantly cold father. 

Viggo shuddered. In a way, the fate of the dragons lay in his hands.