Paku wakes up, looking around the room he was taken to. The battle had taken its toll on him, as he winced, noticing some bandaged wounds on his body. "Ziva..." he calls out weakly, still exhausted from the battle.
The red dragoness looks at Paku with her green eyes. "Paku..." she says, touching his arm gently.
"You're alive... Thank goodness," Paku says, as he sits up slowly, feeling dizzy. "Did we do it?"
"We did... we did it Paku." Ziva smiles, as she looks at Paku.
"Oh boy, I thought you two were goners!" Patch says. "Now I just realize you were lazy."
"Very funny Patch." Paku says sarcastically.
"Anyway, you're going to need to rest, and recover your strength before we return home." Patch says, as he stands up and walks over to Paku. "That's what Elvis said."
"Ellis, not Elvis." the lead ranger says, correcting Patch. "You dragons were not lying. The rangers of Gadiros are forever in your debt." Ellis, the lead ranger, explains.
"Anyways, you dragons need rest. We will help you in any way we can." with that, Ellis leaves the room.
Paku lies down on the bed he was given, cuddling up next to Ziva. "Guess we'll have to heal together huh?"
"Mmm." Ziva says, closing her eyes.
Paku closes his eyes and lets himself relax, letting the healing magic flow through him, taking away the pain of his injuries. He feels better than he has felt since the day of the battle, and falls asleep, Ziva close.
"Love birds." Patch jokes.
"Shut up." Ziva says playfully, not against the idea at all.
Paku wakes up after a while, hearing Ziva's voice. "Hey, how do you feel?"
"I'm good." Paku replies, sitting up and stretching his legs. "How about you?"
"I'm better." Ziva responds. "I'll be back to my former self before long."
"Good. Let's go downstairs, I think there's something important we should know."
Ziva nods, and they leave the room. They walk through the hallway, and see the lead ranger Ellis talking quietly with a man who resembles a royal.
"The dragons Ellis, do you think they can really fix all this?" the jarl asks.
"I am certain of it. They helped the rangers in the battle. If not for them, we would be dead." Ellis replies with confidence.
"So, you say that these dragons are powerful enough to defeat the Horde?" the jarl asks.
"Yes sir. That's why I brought them here." Ellis answers, as the jarl turns to face Ziva and Paku.
"So this must be Ziva and Paku, the two young dragons I have heard so much about." the jarl muses. "I hope our doctors did well with the two of you."
"They did." Ziva says, smiling at the jarl. "Thank you for helping us."
"It was nothing." the jarl replies. "And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk with these dragons privately."
Ellis nods, leaving the room. Ziva and Paku look at the jarl.
"What is it you want to ask us?" Paku questions.
"Can you really defeat the Horde?" the jarl asks. "Ellis always was one for optimism."
"Defeat them? No, we won't be able to defeat them. Not without the help of other dragons." Paku says.
"That combined attack we used in the battle nearly killed us. It took a lot of energy to perform." Ziva explains. "But yes, we will be able to do more once we get stronger."
"Then we'll work on getting stronger." the jarl says. "We have a plan to stop the Horde, but we need your help."
"What is your plan?" Patch asks.
"The goblin and orc horde have attacked this town daily. We could empty it out, and use the area as a trap to lure them in, and once they're inside, we attack and surround them, destroying them for good." the Jarl explains.
"Sounds good. But, after this, we could use any help we could get too." Paku reasons.
"What for?" the jarl questions.
"My friend Naria was taken by pirates to the realm of darkness. If you could spare any help for us to get there and free her, we will be in your debt." Paku says.
"I don't know if we can spare any help, but I will speak with the others. You can stay here until then." the jarl says. "The realm of darkness is dangerous after all."
"I know." Paku says. "But Naria would save me if I were sent there."
"I understand young dragon. For now, I must attend some important meetings about the town."
"Thank you." Paku says. "Do you mind if we take a look around the town? I've never been here before."
"Of course." the jarl says. "Ellis, show our dragon friends around. Make them feel at home."
Ellis comes in, and nods. "Right this way heroes."
Paku, Patch, and Ziva follow Ellis out of the longhouse, and into the town's streets. It was of decent size, a variety of buildings and the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk, something you would see from your typical agricultural town of a medieval era.
"The village of Peatsland." Ellis exclaims. "Home to over two thousand people. The population has dwindled since the war, but it's still a large place."
"Wow." Paku comments. "I thought it would be smaller than this."
"It's a pretty big town compared to most places in Gadiros ." Ellis replies. "One of the only ones still standing too, unfortunately."
As the group walks, Ziva begins to question the ranger Ellis. "What has happened here? In the world, for that matter? We were pretty isolated growing up, and no one ever told us about this reality."
Ellis looks around, as he noticed the young dragons and puma being a little shocked at the gritty reality of a warring nation. "The men of the Molt have gotten more bold. Each day of the last decade they grew more devious, taking more land from the people. They have slaughtered many innocent, and have sent many beings on the brink of extinction."
"That's horrible." Ziva remarks. "Why hasn't anyone stopped them?"
"There are a few who tried, but none of them succeeded. Many of the races have their own problems, and just didn't care enough to help. Man has always been divided and fighting amongst themselves, and by the time we realized the biggest threat wasn't each other, it was too late." Ellis says, leading the trio through the dirt paths filled with carriages.
"As unfortunate as it may be, we're losing this fight. At first I blamed the dragons, for they are the supposed peacekeepers of the world. But I realized, if we had been more keen, and prepared, we could've stopped the evil before it spread." Ellis shakes his head. "I guess all it took was meeting a few good heroes for my outlook to change."
Patch smiles. "Well, if we can make the difference, then maybe we'll finally be remembered for something good."
"That's right." Paku says. "And we'll remember you."
"You better." Ellis laughs.
The group arrive to a local inn, and as they enter, the patrons and turn and see the group. "Bringing visitors Ellis?" asks the barkeep.
"Not just any visitors. Heroes, the three who give us hope, and a chance to be good once more." Ellis tells the patrons, who start to applaud Paku, Patch, and Ziva.
"Heroes!" they repeat.
"We heard you saved the town from the orcs, and killed the ogre." the barkeep says. "For that, we thank you."
"Thank you." Paku says. "What do you serve here?"
"A variety of things young dragon. You name it, we'll get it to you. Its on the house." the barkeep says.
"Wow, this must be how kings feel. One of everything!" Patch laughs.
"Patch!" Paku sighs. "Just some cooked rabbit for my friends."
"Alright. Three freshly cooked rabbits coming up."
Paku sits down, and the barkeep brings out the meal. He also brought out a pitcher of ale. "Enjoy."
"Thanks." Paku says. "This is delicious."
"Cheers," Patch says. "To heroes, and those who need saving."
They drink to that.
"I don't know if dragons should be drinking ale." Ellis comments, but he decides to let them enjoy the moment.
After the group has their lunch, they decide to go check out the rest of the town. The sunny sky brings out the green and vibrant colors of the field town, and for once seems to match the rays of hope the future would bring.