Trial by Kinship

by Metool Bard

Extra Cargo

"Are you alright, dear?"

Little Strongheart awoke to a soothing voice. The ground below her felt soft and warm, almost as though she was sleeping next to a hearth. When she tried to move, she winced as every muscle in her body felt sore.

"Easy now," said the voice above her. "I still need to heal your wounds before they get back. You really must get some rest."

Little Strongheart's eyes fluttered open, revealing a blurry view of unfamiliar surroundings. When her vision fully recovered, she found that she was resting on the stomach of the great pink dragon, Nova. Nova breathed on her, causing a gentle heat to massage her aching joints.

"Wh-what's going on?" she mumbled. "Th-the last thing I remember is fighting those dragon poachers, and then—"

"Shh~! They're back! Hide behind me!"

Before Little Strongheart could ask any more questions, Nova scooped her up in her claws and hid her from sight. From this new vantage point, Little Strongheart discovered that they were in a cavern full of dragons. All of them wore crystalline chains on their wrists and ankles, and a few of them were wounded. None of them looked particularly happy.

"Here we are, Mr. Moschet. The finest haul we've ever bagged."

Little Strongheart's ear perked up as she heard a familiar voice. From behind the large dragon, she spotted the Diamond Dog poacher Isabelle and her Rock Lobster companion, Pepito. Behind them was a well-dressed griffon with beige fur and sharp blue eyes. He wore a tan vest and pith helmet, and a large knapsack strapped to his back. The knapsack had golden stitching that read "For my husband, Jacques."

"Fine work, fine work," said the griffon, looking over the dragons thoughtfully. "Now then, did anyone see you when you came back?"

"No, sir. You're the only one who knows these are here," said Isabelle. "Isn't that right, Pepito?"

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "¿Tú controló para cerciorarse de que nadie nos vio, hizo tú no?"

"Oh, sí, sí. Yes, I check," said Pepito with a vigorous nod.

"And?"

"I see nothing."

Isabelle smirked. "There you have it, Mr. Moschet. Your secret's safe with us."

"Good, good," said Jacques with a nod. "Now remember, not a word to the snapdragon, alright? I want this to be a surprise."

Pepito tilted his head. "Snap, dragon? These dragons no bite. Not if they know what good for 'em."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Él hablando de su esposa, simulado."

"His wife a dragon?!" Peptio exclaimed, his eyes bugging out.

Jacques palmed his face. "Now why would I hire you to capture dragons if my wife herself was a dragon?!"

"B-but you say—"

"Never mind what I said! Honestly, do they not have sarcasm where you come from?! Is that some sort of alien concept to you?!"

Pepito tapped his chin with his pincer. "Sar-chasm? Oh, you mean like joke! You tell joke!"

"And the dim bulb finally brightens," said Jacques sardonically.

"Ah, sí. I understand now. Is only joke!" Pepito said with a laugh. His smile suddenly faded. "Wait. I no get it."

"Just drop it, Pepito," Isabelle sighed. "Look, don't worry, Mr. Moschet. She won't know a thing as long as we're properly compensated."

"Of course, of course," said Jacques, clearing his throat. "I haven't forgotten that part. I'll just pop on back to our camp, fetch my wife, and then we'll discuss—"

"Jacques! Jacques, are you down here?"

A shrill, raspy voice echoed throughout the corridor. Jacques's face lost all color, and he narrowed his eyes at Isabelle and Pepito.

"I thought you two said no one saw you," he hissed.

"Is true! I see nothing!" Pepito whimpered.

"Jacques, I expect an answer when I call for you!"

Little Strongheart tiptoed past a few dragons, stopping short at a towering row of crystal bars. Just beyond them, she saw a silhouette of some sort of creature wiggling its wave into the room. The silhouette gave way to what appeared to be a giant cobra with smooth, dainty arms. Her tan underbelly was a sharp contrast to her hot pink scales, and she wore what looked like golden earrings on each side of her hood. Her emerald green eyes glared daggers at Jacques, who swallowed.

"O-oh! Maggie! F-fancy seeing you here," he said nervously. "Wh-what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question, Jacques," said the cobra, folding her arms.

"Ah, yes," said Jacques, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "You see, um, I was just, taking a leisurely midnight stroll. Nothing more than that."

"Mmm-hmm," said Maggie with a slow nod. "And for this stroll, you decided to come down here, why?"

"Um, because I felt like it. There's nothing like the smell of a cavern to get the blood flowing, y'know?"

Maggie deadpanned. "Sure, if you fancy getting asphyxiated."

"Uh, ha ha ha! G-good one, my lovely piranha!" Jacques laughed awkwardly. "Y-you never cease to amuse me."

Maggie didn't respond directly, but instead turned her attention to the cage of dragons. "And what are all these?"

"Oh, yes! Th-that was supposed to be a surprise," said Jacques, wringing his talons. "Remember how you said you wanted a pet dragon for our anniversary?"

"That was a week ago, Jacques," said Maggie. "And as I recall, you ended up getting me another wyvern instead, thinking that I wouldn't know the difference."

"They're practically the same thing!" Jacques cried.

"No, they're not," Maggie retorted bluntly. "You're the master hunter here; you should know that. And I don't appreciate you treating me like a fool."

"L-listen, my dear pufferfish, that's all in the past now," said Jacques. "As you can see, I've managed to capture tons of dragons, all for you! Pick whichever one you like best!"

Maggie's demeanor changed. "Y-you really caught these dragons all by yourself, Jacques?"

"But of course! Anything for you," said Jacques with a bow.

Maggie's eyes glistened. "Oh, Jacques. I knew you'd come through for me!" she cheered, hugging Jacques and flicking his cheek with her snake tongue. "Now don't you feel foolish trying to trick me with that wyvern? You could've caught a dragon all this time!"

"W-well, a man of my position doesn't like to brag," said Jacques, puffing out his chest. "So, do you see anything you like?"

"Oh, well. Let's see," Maggie mused. She slithered past Jacques and observed the dragons with a critical eye. She then noticed Isabelle and Pepito standing off to the side and pursed her lips. "Jacques, sweetie? What are these two doing here?"

"I know nothing!" Pepito blurted out.

Jacques blanched. "Wh-what an interesting question! What are they doing here?" he said, flying up to Isabelle. "I-I thought I told you hucksters that we didn't need your business! Did I not make myself clear?! Or are you simply too thick-headed to comprehend what I—"

"Jacques, give it up," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice you talking to those other poachers when we got to our Mustangia estate? You wasted our hard-earned money hiring these rapscallions to capture these dragons because you're too lazy to do it yourself, didn't you?"

"Wh-why Maggie, I'm appalled!" Jacques exclaimed. "I-I would never do something like that! Not to you!"

"I know nothing!" Pepito repeated.

"Oh, shut up!" Jacques roared.

Maggie palmed her face. "Jacques, you are a disgrace. Where's the proud hunter I married? We're not made of money, you know. It would've been much cheaper if you just went out and caught the dragon yourself, but nooooo~. You had to be all sneaky about it because apparently, catching dragons is too tall an order for an esteemed hunter such as yourself."

"Darling, you really don't understand," Jacques growled through gritted teeth. "Dragons are tricky! They're extremely rare!"

"I count at least ten here," said Maggie with a shrug.

"W-well, they're powerful, too! I'd be roasted alive trying to catch one on my own!"

"Funny. You don't seem to be afraid of a wyvern's toxic breath, or a manticore's stinger."

"Th-that's diff—"

"Or a cockatrice's stone gaze, or a cragodile's jaws, or a phoenix's fiery plumage, or..."

"Trust me, my little nest of vipers. A dragon is much more dangerous than any of those combined. I needed professional help from people who do this kind of thing for a living."

Isabelle cleared her throat. "Um, sorry to interrupt this lover's quarrel, but do you want these dragons or not?"

Maggie's mood did a sudden one-eighty once again. "O-oh, yes. Of course," she said. She surveyed the dragons with a critical eye and tapped her chin. "Hmm. How about that pink one?"

Little Strongheart's heart froze as she whipped her head around. Despite her precarious position, Nova seemed remarkably calm through all this.

"Ah, that one's a beauty, isn't she?" said Isabelle with a toothy grin. "I'm willing to bet she's the most powerful one here. She's quite mature, too. Two hundred and fifty years old, by my guess."

"Actually, I'm turning three hundred in a few days," Nova interjected. "Zin always said I looked young for my age."

Isabelle's eye twitched. "Did I say you could talk? Pepito, castigúela."

Pepito gulped. "S-sí, Señora."

He took out a weighted lasso and swung it around. Tossing it through the cage, he snagged Nova's neck and forced her head to the ground. Nova let out a sharp cough, but offered no other resistance. For Little Strongheart, this was the last straw. She leapt out through the bars and snorted angrily.

"Leave her alone!" she bellowed.

All eyes were on her for a moment, and a hush fell over the cave. Maggie was the first to speak.

"Jacques, who's that?" she inquired.

Jacques turned to Isabelle. "Ms. Isabelle, who's that?"

Isabelle turned to Pepito. "¿Pepito, quién es ése?"

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

"You know full well what I just said!" Isabelle howled. "Who is that buffalo?!"

"I-I no know, Señora," said Pepito with a shrug. "Sh-she maybe get caught when we snag dragons."

Little Strongheart arched her back and pawed the ground. "I'll teach you to treat these dragons in such a disrespectful manner!"

She let out a war cry as she charged forward. Maggie sighed and raised her hand. A bright blue flash impaired Little Strongheart's vision for a brief second. When her sight returned, time around her seemed to be slowed down to a crawl. Before she could react to anything, a metal staple pinned her front legs to the ground, halting her charge. In that instant, time resumed normal speed.

"I can't trust you to do anything, can I Jacques?" Maggie scolded. "This wouldn't have happened if you just hunted the dragons yourself. Now on top of being a lazy husband, you're also a kidnapper!"

"I'm the kidnapper?!" Jacques exclaimed. "Excuse me, but they're the ones who messed up!"

"I don't appreciate being thrown under the bus, Mr. Moschet," Isabelle snarled, folding her arms. "She was trying to stop us and got caught in the crossfire. There's nothing we can do about it now."

Jacques leered at Isabelle. "So you were caught in the act!"

"Well, you wanted ten dragons by this time tonight, and the Dragon Dance Festival is the second-largest gathering of dragons in the land. How else were we gonna do what you paid us for?!" Isabelle barked back.

Maggie huffed. "I'm going back to bed. Jacques, I expect this matter to be cleared up by the time I wake up, or else."

"B-but dear—"

"Don't but dear me, Jacques. This discussion is over."

"But—"

"Over!"

Without another word, Maggie slithered off, batting Little Strongheart with her tail as she left. Little Strongheart grunted and growled, struggling to pry herself from the staple trap.

"Ugh, that's what I get for marrying a lamia," Jacques grumbled. He then looked down at Little Strongheart and scowled. "Well, we can't let her go; she'll lead her tribe right to us. In fact, they might be coming for us at this very moment."

Pepito gasped. "Señora, we can't let them find hideout! We lose everything!"

"Relax, Pepito," said Isabelle. "We have plenty of resources to deal with those buffalo."

Jacques snorted. "Oh, no. If that's going to cost extra, I'm not letting you do this. I'll have my own servants stall those natives."

Isabelle smiled coyly. "I thought you told us that money was no object as long as your wife was happy."

"That was before she chewed me out for hiring you," Jacques growled.

Isabelle's smile vanished. "You're not planning on stiffing us, are you?"

"N-not at all," said Jacques, hastily clearing his throat. "I'm a fair man. But you will only get what we agreed upon. Fifty thousand gems after my wife has picked out the dragon she wants, and not a second sooner."

"Alright, alright," said Isabelle, raising her paws. "You're the boss, Mr. Moschet."

"And don't you forget it," Jacques huffed. He then marched out after his wife. Isabelle sighed and shook her head.

"No estoy confiando en ese halcón para preservar la seguridad de nuestra guarida," she snarled. "Pepito, informa los hombres del oxbow para prepararse para el combate."

"Sí, Señora," said Pepito with a bow.

With that, he scuttled off into the cave. Isabelle walked over to Little Strongheart and smiled.

"You've got a lot of spunk, chica," she said, stepping down on the staple. "But I'm afraid there's nothing you can do. We worked hard to make this business venture what it is, and you will not be taking it away."

"Y-you won't get away with this," Little Strongheart snarled, fighting agains the pain. "Let me out of here and fight me with honor."

Isabelle scoffed. "Tempting, but I'm afraid it's a bit late. We girls need our beauty sleep, after all." She stepped away from Little Strongheart and yawned. "Good night, my little stowaway. Don't worry, we'll make sure you're well taken care of. You might find it refreshing that we don't believe in killing here. That being said, don't try to test us."

With that, she walked away. Nova sighed.

"I'm grateful that you care enough about us to put yourself at risk like this," she said.

"Any other buffalo would do the same, Ms. Nova," said Little Strongheart proudly. "Don't you worry. One way or another, you won't be sold into slavery. I promise you."

Nova smiled. "Considering how your friends fought to protect us at the festival, I believe you. For now, though, I should probably see to those wounds. Being attacked while under the influence of time-distorting magic must be quite, agonizing."

Little Strongheart's eyes went wide. "Wait, how are you able to heal me? And how did you know that was time-distorting magic?"

"Simple, young one. I am one of the Dragon Magi," said Nova with a wink. "But, don't go telling anyone. I don't want to spook our hosts and cause more trouble."

Little Strongheart took a moment to process this, remembering that Nova called Needles her daughter back at the festival. She then snickered despite herself.

Oh my goodness, she thought. These poachers have no idea what's in store for them...

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

... But he's not a kidnapper if he just captured dragons? They're literally talking to you.

*sigh* Villains.

[ShadowLDrago]

time-distoring

DistorTing.

[Metool Bard]

5805754 Whoop! Thanks again for catching that.