~~~~~~6 MONTHS LATER~~~~~~~
"Do something little punk! I dare you!" The biggest kid shouted at little TJ. He was surrounded by 4 kids at least 2 grade years over him. Poor little TJ. He simply sat down begging his bullies to stop. I watched from the roof of the school as they picked on him. It was recess for the younger grades. From what i could tell, it was grades 3 through 6. The older kids picking on TJ were defiantly 6th graders.
"Give me your lunch money or ill beat your head in!" One of the bullies yelled at him. TJ started reaching into his pocket and pulled out a few quarters, which he handed to the bully.
"Only 75 cents? This wont even get me chocolate milk!" The kid yelled before throwing it across the playground.
"Alright, I've seen enough." I mumbled before pulling my fathers mask over my head and leaping over the side of the building, 3 stories up. I kept my wings closed until i almost hit the ground. Then i threw them open, keeping me from hurting myself, but also making me sound bigger than i was. I landed behind the biggest kid, whom was the leader. He froze with fear before slowly turning toward me.
"Having fun picking on a kid thats way younger than you?" I asked with a growl, blowing a blue flame from my muzzle to scare the boys. I had no intentions of hurting the kids, merely scaring them.
"Oh my god.....its one of the dragons on TV!" One of the bullies yelled before backing away. Suddenly they all turned and tried running away. On cue, Tyro jumped from a nearby tree to stop there escape. He had his wings flared to pin them in.
"Oh no no no, where ya goin? We were just starting the fun." Tyro growled, his head close to the ground, and smoke pouring from his muzzle. He definantly looked like he was going to kill them, but we both knew he wasn't. I reached a paw toward TJ and pulled him behind my leg.
"You older kids like picking on the little ones? You know what happens to ones like you all?" I asked growling as i grabbed the biggest by his leg and lifting him into the air. He screamed and flailed.
"We eat them." Tyro smiled, licking his chops. I lifted my mask and opened my maw before lowering the kid toward me. I stopped just as his head entered my mouth.
"Ya know, I'm really not that hungry at the moment. I suppose we can save these for later. I mean. We know where there at from there scent. We can always find them again a know." I said dropping the kid on his back.
"Yeah, your right. Lets hope they keep bullying little kids, that way we can find them. If they stop bullying, then we wont be able to find them again." Tyro smiled. I laughed a little, but it was all part of the plan, even though the scent part was false.
"Well, lets go. Well come back for them later." I sighed before picking TJ up by his backpack.
"Oh, and one last thing, TJ is off limits from this point on, GOT IT!" I yelled at the kids. The all shook there heads quickly. One kid had pissed himself, 2 others were crying, and the last was scared completely shitless. With that i grabbed TJ tightly and flew back to the roof of the school, setting him down as we landed. Once i let him go, he ran a few steps away and spun to face me.
"Remember me kid?"
"Oh yeah, your Shadow!" He replied smiling. I laughed as the door to the roof opened, and the principal of the school stepped toward us. She was a nice old lady named MRS, Parkinson. She was about in her mid 50's and had been searching for a way to keep the bullies from picking on TJ again.
"Thanks both of you. I think they've learned this time." She laughed as she placed a hand on TJ's shoulder.
"Anytime ma'am. I promised little TJ here i would help him a while back, so i owed him that." I replied with a smile as TJ hugged my leg.
"So, are you headed back to the reserve?" She asked with a happy smile.
"Chances are, yes ma'am." Tyro replied as TJ let me go.
"Come visit again soon Shadow." He said with a happy tone.
"Of course." I replied before waiving goodbye and taking to the air.
I guess i should explain the last few months, that have taken place.
I woke a week later in a hospital, but not a military one, a civilian hospital. Tyro, Nina, and every other dragon had come forth to the public view in order to save me life. You see, there was no way the doctors of the resistance could help me. My wounds were too severe. So, they took the chance and came to the public view in order to pull the best medical experts around to help save my life. And they all happily agreed. After that week, things began going uphill. We came out about being genetic experiments, and the government, after some serious pushing, finally decided to say it was true. This was a shock to everyone. People didn't know what to expect from fire breathing weapons roaming around there lands. But, none the less, we showed we wanted freedom. To never be used of again. Project Draco was shut down in the first month, and its recruits were allowed to return back to there homes, as dragons. Happily, every recruit was happily accepted into there family again, despite the change. This showed that dragons ad humans could live side by side in harmony.
"Months 2 and 3 led to more reserves being created for dragons who preferred the wild life. There were still dragons who wished to live alongside humanity, and they were happily accepted the way they were. Some dragons even began relationships with humans, showing even further that we could co-exist together. This time period also led to us having the freedom to join them military if we so wished. To some dragons, all they knew was the military life, so the stayed in and active as Tier 1 operatives, with the freedom of fellow Tier 1 humans. We began to come forth as a species, and a race that was happily accepted by the ones who created us. Even though there were many who feared us, we quickly showed them that there was nothing to fear. We had been allowed to work jobs along side humans, join the law enforcement, medical crews, and local guards. Our young was allowed to go to school with human kids and grow with them together, in order to destroy all hate toward one another. Anything humans could do, we dragons could do as well.
In months 4 and 5, our own government was placed. Well, you cold call it a government if you would. Really all it was was a male and female mated pare that spoke for our kind. They would consult the dragon populous on what they wanted, or were interested in, and relay it to the other heads of nations. So we weren't under any government, but we also had choices in what happened.
We thought long and hard about who to pick for our heads, but soon came to our decision. Tyro and Adelind would speak for us, and become the figures for our kind. They happily accepted it, but, they weren't the ones that held our image. Little did i know, Nina and i had become the public image of our race, all because of one little thing we did in the beginning.
"We had just been set free, and Project Draco was shut down. Both humans and dragons were sitting together in an enormous crowd on the presidential lawn. Tyro, Nina, Adelind, and I were on stage along with the president and his committee. We watched as the president signed the disbanding papers. As he finished, both species began cheering loudly. I was thrown onto my back by Nina, who lay on my stomach, her muzzle against mine as we stared at each other. We had wanted this for so long, and now we were free. We were......free. I pulled her into a kiss as everything slowed around us. Our kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity, little did we realize a camera crew had caught our entire show. The picture they decided to go with was the one of Nina on me, our muzzles side by side as we nuzzled one another in utter joy. My eyes were locked with hers and our ears were folded against our heads. The picture was zoomed in so that you could only see our heads and necks. They also blurred everything surrounding us, making us stand out even more.
I could never get enough of that picture. It blew up farther than we expected. Soon, Nina and i were on talk shows, commercials, books, games.....literally everywhere you looked that had something to do with dragons had our faces on it. Honestly......i hated it.
I didn't mind the attention, more so it got annoying after some time. More or less, we held the appearance of our entire species.
The 6th month brought more freedom, as schools were created in each preserve for the dragonets, who's parents wanted them to be taught by our own kind. Unfortunately, i was one of many who wanted dragons teaching my son. Tyro was the same way with his kids, and so was most of our kind. Only a handful if dragonets learned along side humans, which was good, considering almost all of our. Kind was still tense toward humans.
"That was fun don't ya think?" Tyro laughed.
"Oh yeah, you bet." I replied as we entered the red-rock preserve. This preserve was housed in the rocky mountains, perfect for mountain dragons, and arctic dragons due to its mostly cold weather. It was the first preserve to be created after we were freed, and it was a joy to stay here. Only a short fly away from Boston, we could go to town whenever we felt like it. It felt like we finally found our way home.
"Well then, I've got to get home. See ya around tomorrow Shadow." Tyro called as he broke off and dove toward his den in the side of a large hill.
"See ya!" I called as my den came into view. Mine was high up in a mountain. We had spent weeks carving it out to our liking in the limestone, but we managed it fairly well. Grass lined the floors, while the walls and roof were perfectly rounded. With a soft huff, i landed in my den. Nina and Taro were cuddled up watching TV. That was another luxury of finally coming into the open. If we wanted it, it would happen. We managed to get a TV, and simple electrical systems like lights out to our den along with many other dragons who wished for entertainment. I guess we all still liked easy entertainment.
"Dad!" Taro shouted as he jumped up and ran to me. I picked him up and spun him around, laughing as i did so.
"Careful now, don't fall back out of the den." Nina laughed as she stood and walked toward me. She nuzzled me before taking Taro by the scruff of his neck back to the TV, where she lay back down with him. I couldn't help but smile. Taro was a fathers boy, but you wouldn't know it with the way Nina keeps him stuck under her. She was even more protective over him than she had been when he was an egg. Still, i couldn't be happier.
"Stay still sweetie, you need to be cleaned." Nina cooed as she licked his scales.
"But moooooom, you given me like 4 baths today." He yowled rolling onto his back to bat at Nina's head playfully. She growled playfully and the pair began to wrestle playfully.
"Watcha guys watching?" I asked looking at the TV as i took my mask off my head.
"A documentary about Project Draco." She replied.
"What, another one?" I yawned. Ever since we were set free, there have been hundreds of documentaries about the project. They were interesting to watch, as they reminded me if what we once were. Occasionally i would even see pictures of my father and mother, along with Firedrake, Cira, and Hunter.
"I still cant believe we made it so far." I smiled, laying behind Nina.
"Me either." She replied leaning agains my stomach. We all sat in silence as we watched the documentary play. Memories, both good and bad appeared, so, i tuned most of it out and lay with my eyes closed, simply listening to the story of my life.
"Soon, one team began to stand out more than the rest. They became well known names to many of the other recruits, and soon, there names became the tales of legends. Enter Talon squad, the most deadly dragon team to ever exist." The narrator said.
"Oh my god.......Shadow...." Nina gasped, nudging me hard. I lifted my head to see a picture of my father, My mother, Cira, Firedrake, Tyson, a red dragon called Blitz, and a small team of humans.
"The team consisted of mated pairs Taro, and Faline, and Cira and Firedrake. Taro, was the younger brother of a human member of his team, Sam. Fellow members included Tyson, and Blitz. Unfortunately, we could not locate the names of the other members of the force recon team that often went into combat alongside them." The narrator continued as a video clip began rolling.
"This is one of few videos we have of the team, and some faces have been blurred to hide identities." He said as the clip began rolling.
It started with everybody outside what looked to be a hanger. It appeared to be an off day for the team.
"Taro, the hell are you doing to that meat!?" Tyson yelled at my father, who was sitting on his hind legs at a grill with a large apron on and a huge chiefs hat hanging off one of his horns.
"I don't fucking know!! I never learned how to cook!" He replied turning toward the camera. His apron read out "kiss my shiny scaled ass." I laughed at the apron.
"Can i take this stupid thing off now?" He asked.
"Hell no! You lost the bet, so you gotta wear it while you cook for us." Blitz laughed.
"Wait, are you recording this?" My dad asked.
"Oh yeah." Cira laughed.
"Well then, I THROW MY HANDS UP IN THE AIR SOMETIMES, SINGIN AAAAAAA OOOOOO I CANT COOOK NO!!!" He shouted, singing his version of "Dynamite" by Taio Cruze. As he sang, he stood on his hind legs, his stance wide in order to keep him up. He then began swaying his tail and head from left to right as he sang. Everybody burst into laughter as Firedrake grabbed the camera.
"Hey thats mine!" Cira shouted as firedrake took it.
"Look at that people, that beautiful bodied female." Firedrake laughed as he pointed it at Cira.
"Shadow......" Nina whispered as she saw her mother for the very first time.
"Shes beautiful." She smiled looking down at Taro in her grasp. He was already sleeping soundly.
"Wait, are you talking about me?" My mother asked as she stepped in front of the camera. She the. Flared her wings and struck a few poses to keep Cira off the camera. The pair laughed and the camera was handed back to Cira.
"We need to show our kids this one day." Cira laughed.
"NO DONT DO THAT!" My dad yelped turning toward the camera.
"I don't want my kid seeing me act like a fool." He laughed as he flipped a burger up onto the air ad into the dirty ground.
"Well fuck." He growled. I couldn't help but burst into laughter at his statement, but, this was truly a side of him i never got to see. The clip ended and a man sitting in a chair appeared.
"I remember this. Taro got pissed later and ended up burning all our hamburgers. Little bastard was good at getting revenge." The man laughed.
"So what was going on this day?" The narrator asked.
"Well, Taro lost a bet, and had to cook for his team. Loser had to also wear the apron and hat, while sitting in his hind legs. Needless to say, we quickly stopped this bet. The man laughed as photos began to show. They started from the day they were recruited, and went on until Talon had gone rouge. Nina smiled and turned the TV off, before standing and taking Taro off to his room. He was fast asleep in his mothers embrace as the pair went. She returned in minutes before pushing me onto my back and crawling onto my stomach.
"We did it Shadow, were finally free." She smiled as we touched the tips of our muzzles together.
"Its all because our parents started it. Without there help, we would have never gotten this far." I replied.
"Speaking of which, whens your mom getting here?" She asked.
"Around 5, why?" I asked. She gave me a seductive look and kissed me.
"I think we should have a little time to ourselves, don't you?" She asked. I laughed and rolled her onto my back.
"You read my mind. I purred as i let instinct take over. The night came quickly, and my mother showed up with food, which we prepared and ate happily. We talked, feasted, and rested. My mother had been out most of the day teaching a class of human and dragonets about nature. She was lucky enough to be allowed to do so by the school board. Other than that, she stayed with us almost all the time.
I lay with Nina and Taro, listening to them sleep soundly. With a content smile, i stood and crept out of the room. The material from the documentary had me wishing i knew my father better than i did. With a sigh, i walked to the edge of the den, just inches from the long fall down the mountain. I looked to the stars, remembering how my father would stargaze with me at night. It calmed me down looking into the sky, and made me wonder what else was out there.
"Dad?" Taro whispered as he approached me.
"Yeah son?" I asked.
"I had a nightmare." He stated with a shaky tone.
"Oh no, come on son, come sit with me." I said opening my wing for him to join me. He happily hopped to my side and looked up at the sky with me.
"Um, dad. What are we looking for?" He asked as we looked at the stars.
"I could ask the same question." I replied glancing at him. His eyes glued to the stars. There light reflecting off his eyes as he looked.
"Listen to me son. I dont know what lies after this, but i can tell you this. I will be here for you as long as i can, and i will always be open to you if you need me. Whenever you feel sad, just look to the sky, and let your mind wander. They will speak to you, they will comfort you." I said looking at the sky. I could see out the corner of my eye as he turned his gaze onto me.
"Never back down, never give up. My blood runs through your veins, so i know what you can do, you are powerful, you are smart, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Got it?" I asked looking at him, my eyes stern, but caring. His eyes, one blue, and one gold locked onto mine. He nodded and stood on his hind legs.
"Yes sir!" He said loudly before wobbling.
"Taro....watch out." I warned, but it was too late. He slipped and fell off the edge of the cliff.
"TARO!" I shouted, leaping after him. To my surprise, he through his wings open and began to fly with ease.
"Where did you learn to fly?" I asked going to his side as he made uncoordinated strokes of his wings.
"Wait, people teach you this!?" He yelped. Thats when it hit me. He didn't know how to fly, this was all instinct.
"Look, watch me Taro." I instructed as i showed him how to properly fly. He caught on almost immediately and began to fly toward the wreckage of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"Very good son!" I yelled happily.
"Th....thanks dad!" He yelped back, panting wildly. His wing strokes quickly became irregular again as he tired himself out. I grabbed him before he could fall and cradled him tight against my chest. His back against my stomach, and wings spread wide. The moonlight shone down on us as i flew him around. He always loved flying, even though he couldn't do it well enough himself. Nina and i would take him out for flights almost daily.
"I love you dad." He said rubbing his head against my chest. I smiled and laughed.
"I love you too son. Now, lets get home before your mother kills us." I laughed.
"Yup!" He shouted happily. I looked across the land as we turned back to our den. For once in my entire life, i felt free. The air felt smoother, fresher, and the weight on my shoulders was gone. I smiled as tears of joy fell from my eyes. I don't know what caused them, but i didn't wish to stop them. My father, mother, Hunter, Blitz, Tyson, Ren, Tyro, Adelind, there kids, my son, our entire race was free. We could live in harmony without the fear of being killed the next day. Talon fought for freedom in its early days, and because of those fights, dragons were set free at last. My heart pounded in my chest with a renowned vigor, one that said "i can beat to my own pace once more."
The strings are gone. Puppets we are no more. I landed at the entrance to our den and released Taro who quietly walked off to his room. I turned as he disappeared and stared into the night sky again.
"Your dream is here dad........were free because of your sacrifice........were free because you wanted things to change for us.....for the better." I smiled, grabbing his mask and looking it over. I held it to the sky and looked at it. The mask folded up slightly, causing a small piece of folded paper to fall onto the ground.
"Huh?" I stated grabbing it and opening it. It was a picture of my father and Hunter together at what looked to be a forward operating base. Both were smiling. I smiled and flipped the picture over. My heart stopped and i fell back against the wall, sliding down it so i was sitting on my rear. The words stung deep in my heart. The 3 words that My father and Hunter had stated over and over again to me. The words that cut deeper than any knife I've ever faced. Tears began to fall down my muzzle as i cried in silence at the words. My chest hurt with......joy......happiness.....excitement. I don't know what was making me hurt, but it was a pain i wished to feel. The 3 words i longed to hear them say, just once more. The 3 words i couldn't bear to speak myself as my joyful crying became harder.
"I............WILL..........PROTECT."