The Forgotten Zodiac

Tygan wrapped his arms around the baby drakeling, stroking his head gently. He had a severe soft spot for little kids, and Boko was no exception. The hawk listened gravely to the drakeling's tale while keeping an eye on Flanis, who was carefully tending to Boko's wound. The bat didn't try to drink anymore blood, though Tygan caught him nearly about to drool into the wound just from staring at it.

"It sounds like you have quite the problem, hmm, little one?" the hawk said, patting Boko's snout. "Now, I'd like to know. Why were you a bad boy and why didn't you fight off your attackers?"

Boko sniffed, looking up at his apparent new friend. "B-Boko is drakeling. Mama and Papa are dragons. They took Boko in and raised him 'cuz they killed Boko's parents, but did not kill me. I loveded them...b-but Boko was mad and in time-out because I hurt a rabbit-boy. Boko does not understand, I was trying to protect myself then, but time-outs are bad and lonely and so Boko was mad, and when mama and papa came back, Boko called them murderers and said that they were not Boko's parents. And so they left and Boko left too, and Boko has no more mama or papa to protect me and it is worrisome and Boko is scared and alone, a-and..." He trailed off at that, dropping his head into Tygan's lap, turning it to watch Flanis for a moment before looking back up at Tygan. "I did not fight b-back because papa said it was wrong to hurt people. Boko was put in time out for hurting people. Boko does not understand what to do..."

Tygan was quiet, listening intently to Boko's story, then he spoke. "Hmm. Well, I was taught this at a very young age. This is what I was told, by my own dear parents, whom I still keep in touch with; use your hands for the betterment of others, never to inflinct harm when it is not called for. But when someone raises their hands to you, to hurt you or someone you care about, use your strength to overcome and protect yourself and your friends. Little drakeling, it simply means that when a bad person means to hurt you, you have the right to strike back. But you must be warned; be certain of their intentions. Hear their words and the words of those around you. If your friends are attacking, you must rise with them. When the person inflicts harm, you may protect yourself. It is your right. When you see someone hurting someone else, or they are hurting you, you may hurt them back. This is also your right." He stroked Boko's head, then said "Take Flanis here, for example. If I saw someone hurting him, I would stop them. If someone tried to hurt me and draw blood, I would defend myself. If someone has not drawn your blood and their tone is not that of anger, then all is well. If their tone is of anger, then you must be careful. But when they mean you harm, you may strike back." He patted Boko's head, saying "Do you understand, little one? If you hurt someone when they weren't hurting you, you could make enemies, and those are not good at all."

Boko sat in silence for the longest time, watching Flanis apply bandages to his wound and start picking the arrows from his wing. "Yes...so Boko really was wrong in hurting rabbit-boy. Boko understands..." He said quietly, thinking hard. Finally, he calmed down and stopped crying long enough to say, "But mama and papa are hurt because of Boko's words, a-and Boko is ashamed of himself...I do not think they want me back, ever. S-so...will you be new papa?"

Tygan chuckled and shook his head, then said "That's the funny thing about parents. See, when I was little, I fought with my parents several times, sad as I am to say it. I ran away twice, even, but both times, they welcomed me back with love and affection. Love runs very, very deep. Even if you aren't related. To your parents, you are their baby no matter what happens, for parents are whoever loves you and cares for you." He patted Boko's nose, then said "Are you hungry? We have plenty of fish."

"Mine!" Flanis shrieked at once.

"We have plenty," Tygan repeated sternly. "Don't be greedy, you horder."

"Fish...I like fish," Boko nodded, his stomach growing angrily at the mention of food. "I still do not think I should go back, though. Boko is hurting inside, a-and mama sang the song of pain...I hated hearing that. Boko hates it when mama is sad. And Boko made her sad! And papa, too, papa must be sad...so very upset at stupid Boko's words..." He moved once Flanis was done, curling his body around Tygan with his head still in the hawk's arms. He wrapped himself around his new friend, not squeezing but definitely not wanting him to get up and leave, either.

Tygan scratched under Boko's chin, ever-smiling, then made Flanis get the fish out of the bags. They had caught the fish in the river earlier; Flanis would locate them and stun them with his echolocation, then Tygan would snap them up with his sharp beak or claws. Flanis complained the entire time, but he divided up the fish, giving Boko the biggest portion. "Dirty drakeling…" he muttered. "Dastardly dinosaur…"

Tygan sighed heavily, then said "Tell me again why you're such a greedy little bat?"

Flanis stuck his little pointed tongue out at the avon.

The hawk said nothing to that, instead turning his attention to Boko once more. "There you are, eat up," he said, nudging a fish in the drakeling's direction. "It's enough for a snack, at least. And you can stay with us for a little while, I suppose. But a word of warning; it's best to go back sometime. Imagine if you never saw your parents again, and the last thing you said to them was something mean! The guilt would be almost unbearable. And I know it far too well, though not for my parents." He went silent, still scratching under Boko's chin.

Boko snaked forward, snapping up the small fish in his eager jaws. One after another, they disappeared down his throat; he didn't even bother chewing, he just swallowed. When he was done, he got behind Tygan and settled his chin on the hawk's hair, snorting smoke out of his nose. "Thank you. Going back...Boko will think about that. That is scary thought..." He shivered a bit, still feeling a bit cold from his swim and fall, but he wrapped his four wings around Tygan happily regardless. "I am Boko. And you my friend." He squeezed a bit now, his equivalent of a hug, although it was a bit tighter than comfortable.

Tygan stroked down Boko's nose, really scratching between his scales, then looked up as Flanis pulled his glasses off and rubbed them against his shirt. "We can't trustingly take him with us, you know," he said, his voice quiet. "You know what we have to do. Our malicious missions are too disasterously dangerous for him."

"I know," Tygan said, staring sadly at Boko. "But...he's so adorable."

"What you see in small chattering children I will never understand," the bat quipped, flicking his large ears and fluttering his black wings. He then paused and said "Was this about Sheila?"

"No. What makes you think that?" the hawk said, but he didn't meet Flanis' eyes.

Flanis nodded a few times, saying "I had forgetfully forgotten that you had a daughter with her. The harmful heron..."

"Can we not talk about it?" Tygan said, rubbing his face tiredly.

The bat said nothing.

Boko watched in confusion, not knowing what they were talking about. He did understand, however, one thing. "I...I can't come with you? B-but...you are Boko's new papa, you cannot just leave Boko!" He said, panicked, squeezing Tygan tighter, pushing the air out of the hawk's lungs without really meaning to. He started crying again. "Y-you can't..."

Tygan didn't seem fazed much by the tightening coils around him. "Little one, I'm not your father," he said, taking Boko's muzzle into both of his hands and looking him straight in his eyes. "You have loving parents that probably miss you right now. You can't just throw them aside. Didn't they care for you? Didn't they give their lives towards protecting you and feeding you and making sure you were healthy and happy?" He fondled the drakeling's head, saying "In fact...I hear something."

Far off in the distance, way away from their location, a voice was wailing a name.

"Bokoooooo!" Vaira called, her voice faint from the distance. She was searching desperately for her baby. As soon as she had returned, her belly laden with food to feed Boko with, and had found that she hadn't resealed the cave, she had gone into a panic.

"No, no!" Boko yelped, letting go of Tygan and scurrying around until he found a large enough tree, digging down under the roots. His shaped claws easily scraped the soft earth aside until there was enough room for him to shove himself and all of his coils into the gap he made. He peeked out from the gaps between the roots, terrified. "No, no, no...I don't want to go back..."

Tygan frowned, then suddenly stood up and said "You selfish little drakeling."

Silence.

"How could you ever go on with your life without at least trying to make up with your parents?" the hawk said sternly, crossing his arms and frowning at Boko. "Never once goes by a day where I don't mentally thank my parents for what they've done for me. If you run away, if you leave them now, you'll live the rest of your life without knowing. Without knowing if they would've taken you back or sent you away? Even if they sent you away and said they hated you, then you would be able to move on with that knowledge, rather than live your life not knowing." He stared right down at Boko, his gaze pinning him in place. "I won't make your decision for you, but if you leave your family to mourn for you when you're right here, within distance of them, then you're going the way of your true kind. Let me tell you a tale.

Long ago, dragons and drakelings were the same creature. It was called the draco. Slowly, over time, some of the dracos started to live in caves, hidden in the ground, while others grew to live in the light of day. The light seeped into the above-ground dracos and they took the name dragon. The dark of night seeped into the below-ground dracos and they took the name drakeling. The history of the drakeling is very sad, Boko. They were dark, twisted creatures. And here you are, young enough to be molded into something new and wonderful. A new future for the drakeling is in front of you; you have a chance to destroy the dark past of your kind. You're being raised by noble dragons, in the light of day instead of the cold, harsh underground, where drakeling mothers would abandon their babies at half your age! You have the joy of being raised by beings that love you and want to care for you for hundreds of years to come."

He shook his head. "Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps you would prefer to take to your roots and hide away in the dark, unloving earth."

Boko stared at Tygan, but that stare turned to a glare when he started talking about his kind's history. "Boko knows stories! Boko knows you have that wrong, too! Dragons and Drakelings were divided by a fight over a human baby, and  the goddess offered the good king and his followers a transformation that made them magestic and cursed us others to the ground! That is what happened, we had no choice. Boko knows!" He almost roared, angry again. "B-but Boko also knows...mothers tell dragon babies to stay away from Boko. 'Boko is dangerous', they say. Think Boko is deaf. Drakelings hate dragons and dragons hate drakelings. There is more than just me, you know. Hundreds. They spend days plotting, planning the downfall of the dragons. Steal young, burn sanctuary, kill Naybrin...they do nothing, though. Try to survive.

"Boko...Boko is scared. Mama and Papa...what if they hurt me? Try to get plans? Plot to kill Drakelings? Boko was happy before, they never asked questions, but now they might be mad at Boko. Boko has done very bad, so Boko is not worth keeping alive..." He dropped his claws over his eyes as he cried, confused as ever and terrified out of his wits.

"Then GO TO THEM!" Tygan roared, flinging his wings out and curling his hands at his sides. "If you want to die, then die with assurance! Don't die wondering if things could've been different! Don't die like I will, away from my wife and only daughter who won't so much as think of me! Either die by their claws or die alone, feeling worthless. Because..." His eyes grew distant. "...the older you get, the more it hurts...to wonder...what could've been."

Flanis slowly hopped over to the avon and carefully hugged his leg, feeling the great hawk's sadness. "Tygan..." he said. "Let him do what he wants. What...what does it matter if he leaves?"

"It matters to me," the hawk said, holding his wings tight against his body, and Flanis realized that he was crying. "Because he's too young. Far too young. Why should such a sweet little creature such as him suffer a life of loneliness because of one wayward decision? I don't want to see him become like me. Alone, with no family to his name."

Flanis swallowed, pressing closer to Tygan's leg. "Tygan...don't cry," he whispered, almost horrified. "Please...don't cry..."

Boko watched for a long minute. He seemed either frozen in shock, or something different. Either way, he was snapped out of it by Vaira's voice again. Calling. Boko clawed at the roots covering him, bursting out from under the tree. He started to scurry away, but paused. He turned and pushed his face up against Tygan's chest, closing his eyes. "Okay. I will go. Thank you..." He said quietly before pulling his head away and licking up the hawk's tears before darting away. He paused next to the tree he had dug out, looking back. "If Boko is dead soon...I am happy you are the last one Boko spoke with." He said quietly before flaring his wings and taking off.

He somehow managed to fly steadily at first; but long before he saw Vaira, his torn wing started aching to the point where it wouldn't be moved. He crashed into a tall tree, letting out a dismayed cry of pain. He crawled to the top of the tree, searching the skies for Vaira. He was still scared, but Tygan had assured him that it was better to die assured of his worthlessness. Well...that's what Boko had gotten from it, anyways. So when Vaira cried out again, terrified that she may never see her baby Drakeling again, Boko replied with his own cry of fear and pain.

Vaira, tears pouring down her cheeks as she searched desperately for her baby, jerked her head up so fast at his cry that she nearly hurt herself. She lunged after the cry, arching down out of the air and landing so hard that she stumbled and crashed to her side. She lurched up and quickly located Boko. "Boko!" she shouted upon seeing him. She raced over and brought her mouth down over him in what he surely must have thought was a killing move, but it wasn't. She pulled him carefully out of the tree and put him into her paws, nuzzling him over and over. "Boko, oh my baby, where have you been? Why did you run away? Oh, I was so afraid that I had lost you!" she cried, licking him so gently and lovingly. "My baby , my baby..."

Watching quietly from a distance, Tygan and Flanis flared their wings and turned away, flying off. Tygan had his head low, his arms crossed over his chest, and Flanis made sure to fly near him. "That was good, wasn't it, Tygan?" the little black bat said, peering at his friend.

Tygan didn't say anything for a while, then he quietly said "Yes. It was." He sighed.

Flanis bit his lip, then carefully flew over Tygan and suddenly closed his wings, dropping down belly-first onto the hawk's back and shoulders. Tygan just kept flying steadily. Flanis wrapped his arms around Tygan's shoulders and said "I'm still here, Tygan."

The hawk sighed, then said "I know, my little friend..."

They flew off, both lost in their own thoughts, but assured that they weren't alone.

Boko cried and cried, his fear melting away. Vaira didn't want him dead. She didn't want to torture him for information or anything of the sort. "Mama!" He wailed, pressing up against her paws and rubbing himself against her. "I-I ran be-because I was scared...I thought you would...you would kill me...so I ran! I ran away, as far away as I could, but I met this nice man and he told me that I would be better off if I was killed by you than anyone else, s-so..." He sniffed, looking up at her sadly. "I-I'm sorry, mama...I'm sorry..." He ducked his head low, still afraid that he would be punished further.

((One post for now. Can't access cBox. -goes to class- Wheee~))

"No, no!" Vaira said, pausing from her licking of him to push her muzzle close against his. "I would never kill you! Why would you ever think that? No good mother would ever willingly take a claw to her baby. You're my son, Boko, no matter what you look like or if we’re related by blood. Blood means nothing if the love overpowers it, and I love you." She closed her eyes, feeling tears drip down her cheeks as she nuzzled him. "If anything happened to you, I would die,” she said, running her tongue down his back again. "I can't live without you."

((nwn -hugs-))

((Physics: having the force to push your GPA level down since the beginning of time! Woo! xD Not really. I got a lot of those questions right on the entrance quiz, which was really just a 'how does your brain work' thing. I have an off period for now, so text me, woman!

Also, this is great, 'cuz if Tygan and Flanis show up in the future, Boko will attack them with nuzzles and licks and snarl at anyone who tries to attack. xDD))

"I'm still sorry..." Boko said quietly, licking up one of her tears as he tried to help her feel better. "Mama, I need to...to say sorry to papa, too. Is he mad at me?" He trembled at the thought, then flinched as his stomach growled. He smelled the food in her pouch; the fish had been good, but it hadn't been much. Pain made him all the hungrier, and his side and wing hurt like nothing else. Boko remembered the healing properties dragon saliva had; he turned his head and chewed through the bandages, revealing the scaleless strip on his side. "Mommy, bad people hurt Boko...I had to go over a waterfall to get away."