Draconis, Chapter 1

It had never really occurred to her that Dragon City's alleyways could be so crowded at mid-day! They're Alleys for Draconis sake, smelling of rotten fruit and about as wide as a single person laying from wall to wall! Even still, in her desperate escape attempt, she had hit a hover-boarder, a chef -causing the tray he was carrying smash up onto his chest- a couple making out, and a red dragon and its rider who were just passing through to bypass traffic.
She and her partner had been given an important task as part of the Dragon Fish. Unfortunately, the belief in failure was growing as their pursuers converged. Her partner activated the Slicker Gear attached to his hips, giving the trail behind them a coat of aqua and the traction of ice. Only a single Black Dragon was caught off guard, causing itself to spiral and crash humorously into the side of a dumpster. She was about to drop another Mist Gear from her belt when her diverted attention sealed both their fates.
Kathryn was the first to face the inevitable. There was a cringing snap, followed by a searing pain upside her skull. Flung straight off her Dragon and into one of the alley's borders, she only had a second before witnessing the fall of her companion. He called out while being struck himself, toppling into the ill-managed tar beneath his talons. She reached for him, a warm, sticky substance mingling with her sweaty, chocolate hair and stinging her eyes. The vision before her vanished first in white, the very life drifting from her skin as if steam.
"Vapur!"
Then, there was nothing but black.

Kathryn couldn't remember what she had been doing, nor how long it had been since the incident occurred. Reality faded back to her like an image from a Polaroid, accompanied with excruciating dizziness. Around her there was a hum that she could only compare to the motor of a hover-truck. Solidifying this claim was the odor of metal and its frozen surface pricking the minuscule patches of bare skin that lay exposed from her suit.
Groaning, the twenty-year-old woman hoisted herself with unstable arms into an unsteady sit. Lifting a hand to the side of her head, she could feel a kind of crust pasted to her skin, crumbling like a autumn leaf as she twirled her hair between her finger -though ever slight pull sent painful shock waves behind her right eye.
Fear struck her far stronger. "Vapur?"
There was no response, for a moment she believed they had been seperated. Kathryn began fumbling through the dark like a schoolgirl who had just lost her glasses. Crawling around on her hands and knees, she focused on her partner's Draconium signal in an attempt to find him. What she assumed was the far back of the transport was where her fingers finally ran over a smooth talon as cold as stone. Excitedly she fondled upwards to examine flush, fish-like scales and a crook that told her this was a foreleg and not a hind. She stroked further and finally found the dome-like head of the nautilus, tossed into a painful angle. Apparently he had not yet awakened from the blow delivered.
Tentatively, she lifted his bulbous crown and sat it upon her lap in a more comfortable position. In a gentile effort to awaken him, Kathryn stroked and pinched the little frills beneath his chin. The ineffective response meant he was deep within himself -those fringes were supersensitive and any kind of contact made him twitch. This worried her. Running a palm down his nose a couple humid snorts warmed her fingers. Well, at least he was alive.
She noticed by this time that her saddle had been removed. There was no question that all her gear had been disposed of as well. They must have taken the item from her! But, why then did they kidnap both her and Vapur? What significants did they have safe being part of the Dragon Fish crew and the carriers of said object? What an interrogation attempt she would make!
Apparently, in her thoughts she had stroked her dragon's chin frills a bit too hard. Vapur twitched his head violently before giving a meek call that sounded similar to whale-song.
"Thank Draconis, you're okay!" Kathryn exclaimed. "Where did they hit you? Does it still hurt?"
"I'm fine. Please-Stop-Pinching," spoke a deep and gentle, male voice in her head.
Kathryn removed her fingers from his chin. "Sorry."
Yes, she could understand him. This woman was one of the very few humans that could hear the speech of Dragons. No one knew why, but most assumed it was because the two had grown up together. They had lived out in the countryside with little-to-no contact with other dragons or humans -safe Kat's parents. So when the family moved to Dragon City two months ago one can only imagine the uproar that was caused. She was drafted into the Dragon Fish Crew only two weeks afterwards. Now, she was beginning to regret accepting the offer.
Vapur pulled his feet beneath him, laying up and twisting his neck from side to side. "They hit my head. Knocked me out." He shifted uncomfortable with a groan, tipping tipping his face now near her. "Does it feel okay?"
She patted his forehead sweetly. "You're fine, hon."
"What about you?" he asked with concern.
"I'm alright. They got me same as you." Kathryn rubbed the gash above her eye, again fiddling with the dried blood clinging to her hair. "Oh well, that's what I get for not paying attention."
"It is in the past. Time to work towards the future."
"Yeah, we have to get out of here. Is there anything in the truck we can use? Any Gear you could Mag?"
The shadows of the trailer retreated as an outline of marine-blue illuminated Vapur's body. Kathryn squinted as the light washed over her body, feeling the energy move her very bones. For a second he could view his magnificent form. A Nautilus, larger than the ones of Dragon City, his scales were of a sky blue, having stripes of blue-violet along his head and back. The wavy frill running down his back and and splitting into a fin at the end of his tail was colored a translucent neon-yellow. The same kind of membrane connected both sets of legs like a flying squirrel.
Seconds later, the blackness returned as the light was reabsorbed into her friend. His Draconium Aura fading with nothing to show for it but a pile of empty, cardboard boxes in one corner.
"No other Draconium sources but you and I."
Kathryn sighed, folding her arms and closing her eyes in thought. "Right then, just you and me."
"So, what do we do now?" She could hear his tail scrape against the surface of the Bed in anticipation.
"We wait till they stop. Then we do things the old fashioned way, like back home."
Though she couldn't see it, Kat could tell her partner was grinning by the gurgling hum he always gave off when pleased.

The only indication that the hover-truck had finally come to a halt was when the hum of the motor died down and gravity seemed to switch off for a second. Being a hover vehicle meant that it 'floated' over the ground, making a smooth ride and effortless stop. From inside the truck bed the occupants could hear the driver and a couple passengers dismount from their seats. It was unknown exactly how long it would take their captors to open the cargo, all they could do was wait for the perfect moment.
Vapur lay crouched at the far back of the hold like a tiger about to leap at its pray. His muscle were as stiff as timber and nerves tightened like rubber-bands. His companion was in the same state of anxiety, laying herself across his spine with arms hugging his glossy neck, and legs almost crossed above his haunches. This was the saddle-less way she rode him back in the country.
Way back before the move, when life was simple, Kathryn really didn't ride her friend as much as was common in Dragon City. Normally, she walked beside him in a form of respect and equality. Of course, -aside from being able to communicate with dragons- this walking and not riding deal had become the subject of controversy in the city. It was annoying to be gawked at for walking Next To a dragon and not On a dragon. It actually got so bad that she finally gave in and got a saddle. But, that had caused some problems as well.
The fact that her saddle had been taken was a real problem. It had cost her a pretty Dractal because it had to be custom made not to have the controlling effect of normal saddles. Most were made so that the 'handles' manipulated the dragon's muscle movements. Feeling offended by the thought of forcing Vapur -the one she considered her closest and dearest friend- into actions not of his own will, Kathryn visiting about ten different gear stores before finally convincing an idiot to just tweak one a bit for her. As such, her saddle didn't control anything about Vapor, his actions or the Gear he wore. The only thing it did was make her and him look like a normal dragon and human pair. It took both about a week to get used to it and actually use it -not necessarily liking it.
In truth, Kathryn preferred the body-to-body contact of laying against Vapor's back rather than that mechanical seat. With little cushioning one's stomach from the dragon's spine, meant that the individual had to learn to move with the dragon or else get badly bruised or even tossed right off. She had leaned to ride this way in their youth, running across the endless plains and forests around their home.
Like the dawning of a new day, the base of trainer lit up in a dazzling while light. As the horizon grew two blackened silhouettes stood at either edge of the opening. Only two? They must have assumed both she and Vapur were still unconscious -or the egomaniacs had some assumption that they could handed a lithe Blue and his Human with out any support. Boy, would they have the shock of their lives!
Both knew when the moment was right when the opening's edge had began revealing the necks of the individual's outside. At that moment there was enough space for the two to slide out, but it also meant they had yet to be viewed from within. This gave the perfect element of surprise.
Vapur bolted for the exit, having to slide at the final length to make the fit. The two outside nearly jumped out of their skins as the giant Blue rocketed between them and into the road. The evening air was refreshing after being locked in a hot and stuffy truck bed for some unknown hours.
However, they had been wrong about one thing, there were indeed more than two stationed to keep them in-check. Vapur zig-zagged through the sentries positioned at uncoordinated intervals behind the transport -apparently unprepared for such an early assault. They were all humans with no dragon-mounts, that wasn't the problem. The trivial portion involved the Mag Tridents they all posed. Vastly different from Mag Staffs, Mag Tridents actually held a Mag charge which could be fired like lightning bolts at an opponent.
But, like the fluent Blue he was, Vapur jumped, weaved, and slid past all opposition. His Human found little problem in conforming back to her younger days, moving and flexing with his body and flowing with his speed. Just like back home.
The plane ahead was not to their knowledge, nothing but a long strip of desolate, dirt road framed by towering wilderness. Kathryn turned back to view where they had come. The humans that had captured them vanished beyond an arch in the path. Apparently they had no dragons to pose any kind of pursuit. That seemed a bit odd, but lucky none-the-less or she didn't complain.
"We're out of their sight. Let's turn into the forest."
"Right."
Preforming the mentioned, Vapur made an ninety-degree turn into the towering pines that stood as if a natural gateway to their escape. Many memories they had of their time of youth resurfaced to guide them in zipping and curving harmlessly through the vast expanse of woodlands. Any other dragon not accustomed to this terrain would find themselves being slapped with branches or flattened against an unexpected uprising off a renegade tree trunk. But for them, it merely brought flashbacks of a more simple and peaceful time.
By the time the dragon had slowed his pace to a trot the timber about them had darkened to pillars of ebony against a canvas of gray-blue, the air chill pricking their skin like miniature needles. Vapur was becoming more relaxed about the extended distance between them and their hunters. He slid to a haul through a clearing of moist, earthen-hued leaves.
Kathryn dismounted, her weight resulting in noisy steps across the forest floor. "I guess we got away, for now." She walked around to her dragon's front, taking inventory. "They've taken our Gear and my saddle." Vapur snorted in response. She reached into the side pockets of her pants and noticed that her wallet was gone. "And they took my money!" She groaned.
"Rather low for the Dragon Eyes."
"You think it might have been another Crew?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I will never understand the reasoning behind some human's logic."
Kathryn glanced up to the sky in thought. High above the horizon of dulled indigo was blotted out by the inky, misshapen arms of the swaying spruces. It seemed as though time had sped its pace. To take a wild guess at the time, eight pm would be about right. There was no question, they would have to make camp for the night.
Camping was another common activity their family had done countless times each summer. But, back then it was a vacation, usually meaning there were still some luxuries of home involved. In this case however, it was the true definition of 'roughing it.'
In thought Kathryn crossed her arms against her chest. "Looks like we'll have to spend the night here."
Even so, her time spent in the country had taught her that the longevity of your life would never be entirely wrapped in the comforting blanket of technology. As such, she had taken a little personal time to learn the basics of surviving the wild with as little benefits as possible. Though, in truth, she had never tested any of what she had learned.
Vapur nodded in agreement. They would have to wait till morning before sifting out any kind of answers as to what had transpired in the last few hours. Using the frill of his tail, he sweep away some dead foliage to provide a bare and dry scrap of earth for their camp. As well, he began digging a small depression and surrounding it with stones, where the fire would be placed.
His partner however, had left in an attempt to gather eatable food, wood, and the location of a drinkable amount of water for both of them. She knew from books, and from maintaining the gardens around their home, which plants could be consumed with little-to-no side effects. It was still in the beginning of summer, meaning that the choices weren't entirely slim but they weren't abundant just the same. Shallots weren't in season, but they were still edible, red clovers, wild celery and even some grasses could be consumed by both humans and dragons. Fruit and berries would have been a nice treat but there were none around that were noway in season and as such would be more like a self inflicted punishment to eat.
The result of about a fifteen minute walk through the expanse revealed the crown jewel of all finds for those stranded in the wilderness. First there came the unmistakable trickle. Finding its source, however, required a bit more prowess. Even so, the reward was well worth walking in circles for another three five minutes. There at the turn of a small bend sprouted an underground spring, expelling a tiny stream of cool, fresh water down its towering rock face and across an eroded depression of ancient standards. Moving water sources provided both a constant supply of drinkable -and relatively nontoxic- water and a food source -no mater how small. Again, memories of a rural upbringing told that such an area offered insect larva, salamanders, crayfish and other 'delicacies' that had once been just a fun game of catch and release.
After sucking down as much of the liquid as her stomach could hold, Kathryn used the last dimming seconds to search under stones made smooth over centuries of gentle water for any signs of life. The results of such patients were three plump crayfish. Despite the approaching cold the little devils were none to happy about being handled. As such, so they didn't pinch on the walk back, she placed a twig between their claws that they could crush to their hearts content. Crayfish were very single-minded creatures, able to keep to a single task for the rest of their lives if it vexed them. With that, she then headed back to the camp -using the compass set into the back of the glove upon her left hand.
The blue was patiently waited for his humans return. She came stumbling forth through a patch of young trees and exposed roots, nearly scattering all of what she had worked so hard to collect. Vapur helped in sorting everything, really all that needed such was food from timber. The dried stocks, along with some crumbled leaves were placed into the pit. Now all that was needed was to actually start the fire!
Since all her belongings had been stolen, Kathryn had no lighter nor matches. Rubbing two sticks together was possible, but would take forever to produce anything ignitable. Striking a flint would do the trick, but there was no such combustible minerals in the area.
Vapor caught on to the dilemma quickly, attempting to think up a solution himself. Bringing two of his claws over the fire, he struck them in a motion similar to a human snapping their fingers. This proved effective, with a single attempt a viable spark came forth and began its assault on the parched collection that had been gathered for it.
Kathryn smiled, quite pleased. "Hey, how'd you think of that?" she asked while seating herself opposite him upon the rocky soil.
"My talons make sparks when skidding down the streets of the city. Perhaps they would do the same against each other." He seemed almost proud of himself, sensing a grin.
"Not really the same concept. But, it worked, so who's complaining?" Kathryn giggled.
The edible foliage was divided, and the crayfish were skewed above the minuscule flames just beginning to bud. Upon Vapur's curiosity, she explained the general position of the stream where she had located them in. Deep down inside a pang of regret ate at her stomach for the fact that she had no way to bring back any drinking water for him.
They split what could hardly be called a meal between them -though Vapur unwillingly was given the larger portion. In truth his partner wanted to give him her single morsel, but he would have none of it so that argument was dropped.
Night fell heavily and snuffed any remaining warmth. In an effort to retain the little given off by the fire, both escapees huddled close to one another. Kathryn cuddled to the dragon's side While he lay his head next to hers and wrapped his tail close to her body. The high-pitched voices of song-birds no longer tuned, replaced instead by the distant chant of owls. Vociferous insects added their own tune to the more distant growls of some feral carnivorous. The darkness beyond the fire's light shifted like some agitated animal preparing to pounce. The wind lifted a few loose leaf litter and made the diminutive flame dance and sparkle. The atmosphere in its entirety was rather eerie and lonely. But, in truth, neither in any way felt alone.