My Son, My Soldier, My Hero

by That_Random_Pony

We Are One

Tuvek! (Fuck!)

What's hit?!

My wing! Behind us!

Draco pivoted in Nyla's saddle and shot his arm out, firing at a massive stone hurtling towards them. The blast shattered it easily, but the shockwave disrupted Nyla's flight, sending them spiraling towards the ground. Grabbing hold of her crests, Draco gritted his teeth as dozens of energy bolts hit him repeatedly, as well as Nyla. He put his hands together, then roared as he spread them with energy bursting out from the sphere he'd made. Each bolt ricocheted off of the bubble, causing it to flicker and shrink.

We're nearly there! Just... hold it off!

I'm... I'm... running out... of energy!

Reku'un, we can-

A massive beam collided with the bubble, behind Draco, and pierced it without losing velocity. Draco turned as quickly as he could, summoning the insignificant amount of energy he had left. It wouldn't be enough to block the beam, or withstand it, but it was enough to get Nyla clear of its blast radius.

However, he felt her tail tighten around his waist, pull him to her belly, and her body corkscrewed around until her back was facing their attacker. She let out a reverberating shriek as the energy slammed into her, then exploded suddenly. Draco wriggled out from her grasp and flew around to catch her massive form. He strained as their speed made stopping harder and harder. Draco used his last bit of energy to fire from his feet, draining him entirely. It was enough to slow their breakneck fall, but it also meant his Rites would fail him. Sure enough, he could no longer keep himself airborne, and the rocky slope of the mountain greeted him and his partner.

It wasn't as bad as a broken limb, or a punctured lung, but he was completely drained of energy and stamina. His breaths came in short, raspy intakes, and his body refused to move out of its prone position. Draco glanced over to Nyla's slumped form, then followed her spines to the area of impact. Her scales were burned and cracked, along with a torn wing. There was a low groan, just as Nyla moved her claws under her.

Nyla... your wing.

I know... ngh. Are... are you alright?

Aside from hitting the ground at the speed of a chariot... never better.

Nyla gave a throaty chuckle, then groaned as she fully stood. Her wing twitched as she tried stretching it, then quickly folded itself up.

"You aren't reacting quickly enough." Figanti jumped off of his Nera’ak's back and walked over to his nephew. "You both cannot focus on one thing respectively," he said.

His nephew shook his head with a sigh, grunting as he felt a sharp pain in his arm. "You have obstacles at every turn in this course, Uncle," Draco said, grabbing his forearm delicately. "We'll get knocked out of the sky in half our usual time."

Figanti looked down at his nephew, then sighed as he walked over and grabbed his arm. Draco was curious, but he was answered when his bone snapped back into place with a quick jerk of his uncle's hand. He gritted his teeth painfully, and Nyla groaned as she felt the pain in her own limb.

"In the coming battle, you'll both need to be aware of thousands of fighters, soldiers, and carriers. Blasters, projectiles, cannons." Draco grew serious as he listened, his pain nonexistent as he imagined what was to come. "You'll both need to know what is happening around you as it is happening. You cannot have Nyla do one thing while you do another."

Nyla felt awkward, since her partner's uncle was explaining his duty to her to him. "I can't keep up if I try to see what she sees," Draco sighed, running his hand over his face. "We'll only know certain things at a time that way."

Figanti shook his head. "I don't mean physically." Draco and Nyla both looked to him with questioning eyes. "Your connection isn't absolute... you're keeping her out, Reku'un."

The dragoness turned to her partner, who refused to do the same for her.

Reku’un... is that... that can't be true... is it?

He stared at the ground, thinking in a more private manner as Nyla waited for an answer. Figanti kneeled down before placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Do not ponder this here. Go and meditate; it'll help you understand."

It took another minute of thought, but he decided that listening was best. With the weighted feeling of Nyla's eyes on him, Draco stood up and walked away, towards a cliff for him to ease himself. Figanti sighed as he walked to Nyla, touching her torn wing and examining the wound thoroughly.

I'm sorry for being so rough, Nyla.

That's not what you were saying some time ago.

Well I do have to appear intimidating. Were I his father, and my dragon his, you'd have lost this wing undoubtedly.

She groaned as he smeared a cool gel over the slash, which held the two pieces together.

There. After the night, you'll be ready for tomorrow.

Will I ever be ready?

Now don't think that way.

He keeps me out of his thoughts and only allows me to enter as we train, or when he sees fit. Signa aren't that way. They share their mind with their partner. Their whole mind.

He hasn't been taught as a Signa has. You both haven't the bond of any other pair because he has been estranged. You've only just known him this past year.

And yet he refuses to progress.

Nyla... all Nera’ak are wise, even at your age. You are letting your emotion cloud that reason.

She let out a long sigh, folding up her wings and laying herself down on a group of boulders.

Is it so much to ask my eternal partner to try?

...no... but it's a bit much to ask a hatchling to fly.

Figanti patted her stomach gently, then made his way over to where his nephew had went. He sat at the cliffside, staring out into the vast and beautiful land. Sitting beside him, Figanti pulled a small keg of water from his side and drank, offering some to Draco. He took the keg and started to drink, raising an eye at the lack of... no taste. It felt refreshing and cool... but it had certain... tang? No no... bittter... sweet... tart?

"It's water from our world," Figanti laughed, screwing the lid closed. "The fish and creatures aren't like this world. Their bodies add a natural flavor to these waters, and our bodies process it differently. How does it taste?"

Draco thought about all the flavors in his mouth for a moment. "Well... it started strong and tangy, then bitter...ish, and a subtle sweet tart taste," Draco rambled, rubbing his head.

"Hmm... a Gura," Figanti laughed. "Those were enormous serpents. Bigger than a Nera’ak, and about as hard to kill."

"You hunted them?" Draco asked, surprised to think of a Loki'irian fishing. With the description of the Gura, however, he could see his uncle trying to take on a massive beast.

"Your father and I, along with our father," he chuckled, taking another sip of the ever changing water. "We would never slay the beasts, they were docile when unprovoked. It was often times a punishment for deviating from the techniques of our father." He chortled at the memory of nearly being swallowed from slipping on the gargantuan tongue. "Oh it was painful... but we managed..."

Draco closed his eyes, letting a cool breeze waft over his face. "Why is this so hard?" he whispered. Figanti looked to him for an elaboration. "These lessons, bonding with Nyla, learning how to control my power. I've always wanted to push myself, but these teachings have always destroyed me. I barely made it through the training with my brothers... and now... this... and we only have a few months."

He waited for his uncle to answer him. There was wisdom from experience in his mind, and he had to have something to say for this situation. Anything to help alleviate his hopelessness.

"These trials aren't made for you to master. They're designed to make you fail."

...

...

...

...

"THEN WHAT'S THE POINT?!"

Suddenly, Figanti shot his fist at him, and he smiled when said jab was stopped abruptly. Draco looked to him with confusion, but ducked when his uncle's leg came up to sideswipe him. He deflected it before using his elbow to drop the other, followed by a quick kick to parry a swing on his right. Draco pushed off on the parry and distanced himself, readying for a sudden spar.

"What enemy are we fighting, Reku'un?"

A beam shot at him, and Draco uppercut it with a glove of his own energy, redirecting it to the sky. "The horde!"

"Exactly." Draco furrowed his brow, the meaning still lost on him. His pondering also gave his uncle a clear shot at his side, which he took. Draco grunted at the shattering blow to his rib, the hit tossing him to the side. "These methods, my insistence and aggression, were used to train Signa to fight others of our kind."

"Why? We should be focusing on the horde," Draco groaned, picking himself up and wiping his mouth of the trickle of blood.

Figanti got into a sparring stance, Draco mimicking in his own form. "If I taught you to hunt Nera’ak, a hokor would be easy game," he pointed out, sending a flurry of punches for Draco to block. "If we had showed you to fight ten of us at once, you could fight three with ease."

Draco swung his leg up, using the force of Figanti's block to hurl his other leg over the side and catch him in the shoulder. He slid aside before stopping himself, grinning as he rushed over to start assaulting him. "Then... this... is to make the fight... easier?!" Draco grunted, blocking and deflecting attacks.

"You must advance your technique," Figanti explained, landing a vicious jab at the center of Draco's chest. "Train for an Alpha, and a soldier becomes a nuisance. Wouldn't you agree?"

With a sharp roundhouse to Figanti's side, and an elbow swinging in the opposite direction to jab his stomach, Draco knocked his uncle off his feet. He held his stance until he heard him laughing, watching him roll over and pick himself up.

"You're learning my style, I see," he chuckled, patting Draco's shoulder. "That's good. But for now, I need you to focus on your training with Nyla. I know this isn't a subtle transition, but she is eager for you to commit." He glanced over to his own partner, who gestured for him to continue. "Our own Nera’ak is our closest friend. Imagine knowing you were destined to be with Ember, and then trying your hardest to make it so... and she was oblivious to the idea."

Draco rubbed his neck as he thought about what he was putting Nyla through. "I... I've never fully opened up to anyone who wasn't Cele- er, Ichima. Ember, as well."

Figanti shrugged his shoulders and moved to the cliff. "Perhaps it's time you tried,' he sighed, taking a slow breath to take in the clear air. "Tonight you will sever your Ina bond to her. And then you will mend it."

"What is that going to accomplish?" Draco questioned. "What... what happens when I break our connection?"

"First, you will no longer hear her. Without the bond, there is nothing keeping your minds together," he began, crossing his arms in front of him. "Second, you'll both feel weaker, exceptionally so. Your powers won't be pooled anymore. And third... this you must pay attention to." He turned from the cliff and walked closer to him, all joking gone from his face. Draco sat up and waited, reciprocating the notion. "Should you sever your connection and not link to her after a time... you will lose her forever."

"...she... she'll die?"

"No. She will be what we call Gaina. She will no longer be able to speak to anyone," Figanti told him, sitting down beside him. "She will have her memories, but even those will deteriorate after some time. There won't be rationale... only instinct."

Nyla shifted on her bed of rocks, waiting to hear her partner's response. The whole thought scared her far more, especially since she wasn't sure if he could connect to her after separating. There were stories of old that used this very method to explain why there were feral dragons on Loki'ir, which often hid in fear of Signa hunters. Would she end up like an animal? Running from the Signa and her own kind? It would be a fruitless effort, and ultimately just prolonging her own end. Dying would be better than never speaking to her kind or to the Signa again. It was a dragon's leash of sanity, knowing another could hear them and understand them. Without it... how long would it take for her to devolve.

"Why am I doing this?" her partner asked, his voice trembling.

"You will go into a fight with her and fight as one, or you will go without her, and see how you fare." Nyla sighed, using her flame to melt the top of the boulders to get comfortable. "This will be a way to keep you from fighting with two voices and getting both of you killed."

Tonight... she would be one with her partner...

...or be silenced forever.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry for being away for so long. Lots of stuff caught me and I couldn't really get around to this. Especially with my smart mind deciding to start a couple other stories before then Seriously, sorry about the delay. But I'm going to be working on a new chapter daily until the end! So I hope I haven't lost you all! Remember, like, fav, comment , and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Comments

[Grahf]

Ember shifted on her bed of rocks

think you meant Nyla

[That_Random_Pony]

6163577 Thank you!