The Forgotten Zodiac

Boko blowed a soft breath over her, smiling slightly. "It's all over now. It's okay. We finish the trial," He looked up at the moon, then at the approaching couples. There were a few missing, but most of them made it. They were trickling in, one by one, finding lava stones that they could use. Boko watched them for a long moment, then pushed himself up around Shiya so she could lay against him. "We have the Skydance next..."

"Will you be able to fly?" she asked worriedly, curling her wings around him. She looked up as Mithor picked up Leonen in his mouth, moving to carry him back to the Sacred Plains. Shiya shivered and pressed closer to Boko, looking sad. "Why did he have to act like that?" she asked. "Couldn't he see Nilia loved him...?" She lowered her head sadly, feeling for the other dragon, despite how mean he had been.

"I will. Daddy kept my fake wing safe." Boko nodded. "Don't worry. He'll have to see eventually..." He murmured, then nuzzled her happily. "I don't know...but it doesn't matter. We can talk to Nilia later. For now...we made it," He sighed happily. "We did it, Shiya. We're going to be in the SkyDance!" He was suddenly excited all over again. He wrapped himself up around her, purring loudly.

Shiya smiled and curled closer around him, finally drifting off into sleep, sighing happily. In their sleep, she felt someone pick them up, followed by the motion of being carried along through the air. Then they were nestled by a familiar warmth, followed by the soft hum of Vaira. They were safe and resting up for their final trial.

"Sleep well, little couple," Vuker, who had followed, smiled softly. He looked up at Zephyr and questioned, "They have until just midnight, right? The Skydance is done under moonlight, if my understanding is correct..." He stretched himself out, then shook his scales out, smiling a bit. "They did good, I think."

"They did very well," Zephyr said, closing his eyes softly. "I think they'll do just fine at the Skydance. We'll let them sleep for a while longer, then we'll wake them so they can prepare for the dance. Hopefully, they'll make it out safely." He sighed, then bent his head and nuzzled his son, his crimson eyes faint.

Vuker wagged his tail a bit, almost like a dog. "I'm excited to see the outcome of that. This is monumental, as I'm sure you're aware...this will likely be a key aspect in securing peace between Dragons and Drakelings. Eons of conflict...all coming to a close..." Vuker started to get excited, himself, but he was quick to sober up as he looked at Zephyr. He cleared his throat softly. "Um...if you'd allow, Zephyr, I...I'd like to stay here a bit longer. My father..." He cleared his throat again, trying to avoid allowing his heavy emotions to seep into his voice. "My father has made it clear that he doesn't...want me, even now..." He lashed his tail slowly, then curled it around his front claws and lowered his head in respect. "I don't want to intrude upon your home, Zephyr, but...I've nowhere else to go. A Drakeling young like myself can't...I can't survive on my own. If not for food, then for warmth in the cold winters, and social interaction for sanity..." He trailed off, unable to speak more due to the hot tears sliding down his face as he pondered his father's words again.

'You betrayed your kind, and you betrayed your kin. I've already found another to replace your mother, I have no more attachment to you. We may be at peace with the Dragon kind, but as of this moment, I have no son. Now get out of my sight before I decide to be rid of the evidence.' Those words bit into Vuker's mind like a venomous snake. His father hated him. He really did have nowhere to go but here...

Zephyr bent his head and gently nuzzled the drakeling, murmuring "Shush, Vuker. You are a dear friend to my son, and I and Vaira have grown to love you like our own. Please. Stay. I wouldn't hear of you leaving." He stroked his massive claws down Vuker's back, then said "Lay down and rest, okay? You never have to leave us if you don't want to. Your father was a fool to be rid of you. He lost something grand."

Vuker slowly nodded, looking down and curling up where he was. He looked over at the smaller drakeling and Shiya, then smiled a bit. "Thank you, Zephyr...thank you, so very much." He swallowed hard, smiling a bit. "I was afraid to ask. For some reason, I thought you'd be upset or something...I don't know why I thought that," He chortled a bit, then lowered his head again, still smiling. "I'll be the biggest help I can be. I'll hunt, and...keep watch, and..." He started dozing off, exhausted from a long day.

Zephyr chuckled, gently passing his tongue over the new addition to their little family. "Sleep, Vuker," he crooned softly, curling himself around the little ones, waiting for the time when his son and the little female dragon would wake and take up their new lives.

It wasn’t long in coming.

Soon enough, they were all roused to go outside, where the remaining pairs were gathering under the bright light of the moon. Mithor was waiting there for them, and when they were gathered, he spoke.

"The final task is upon us," he called. "You younglings have proven yourselves through the other trials set before you, and you now have a feeling of whom you would enjoy spending your lives with. But here, under the moon, is where you will truly become one.

"You will both fly up to a marked point, where you will then latch claws and fall, together, in a spinning, dangerous dance. Once the bond has formed, if it does, you will release each other and fly free, now with a power between you that you will never shake. I pray you are ready for it."

Boko was bobbing up and down, all happy and excited like nothing else. His metal wing had been clicked easily into place, and he was ready to go. "We're gonna do it, Shiya," He squealed in excitement. They would all do it at the same time; one of the elders flew up to mark the point. It was rather high, indeed; the elder was far up in the sky, but Boko's spirit was unhindered. His mechanical wing could get him up that far, easy.

"Is everyone ready?" Another of the elders questioned, looking over the groups of couples.

Once they all nodded, Mithor lifted one large wing, keeping it held in the air for a moment before sweeping it down in the signal for them to start.

Immediately, they leapt high, arching upwards into the sky, their young wings pumping powerfully as they pulled their owners' bodies up into the clouds. Shiya stayed close to Boko, breathing hard, but her excitement was felt by her future-mate.

Boko flapped his wings, hard and heavy. It was clear he was slower than the others; the other Dragonlings had to wait at the top for him. But when he was there, he found it easy to hover in place. "Ready?" He looked over at Shiya, panting a bit, but clearly very happy. He held out his oversized claws, grinning.

"Ready," she said, extending her own claws towards him, looking breathless and worried, but full of strength and joy. They locked claws, mirroring the movements of the other couples around them, and prepared to dive as one.

Far below, Leonen, who had woken and was being watched by a few older dragons, stared gloomily up into the sky. He sighed, feeling the tender spot on his wing where Boko had squeezed him tightly, then looked up blankly as a small purple shape darted from the trees.

Nilia sidled closer to him, looking nervous. She turned her livid orange eyes up at him, her expression torn. Leonen blinked at her, looking her up and down, and was tempted to ignore her and look back to Shiya.

But for some reason, he didn't.

"...Hi," he said quietly, seeming to truly look at her for the first time.

She smiled, which he found very nice to look at, and whispered "...Hi."

And Leonen didn't look towards the Skydance again.

((Awww~))

The couples fell. A few of them pulled up early; two couples, to be precise. Others waited longer. Boko...Boko felt something...something strange start to blossom in his chest. He had done free-falls before, they were quite fun, but this...this was different somehow. He and Shiya screamed through the sky, plummeting closer and closer to the ground. Finally, Shiya signaled that they should pull up; he moved his claws, attempting to let go of her. He managed to let go with one hand, but his other was stuck fast. He spread his wings, thinking that perhaps they could pull up together.

But with a sickening ripping sound, he heard the soft leather of his fake wing ripping open. He glanced to the side in time to see the false wing fall apart before his eyes. And then he was sent spinning into Shiya, still trying desperately to get his claws loose and away from hers. If she at least could pull up...

Shiya screamed and threw out her wings, trying desperately to pull up, to do something to save them. She did everything but let go of him. She had felt the strange, wonderful surge of power that had linked them, like a bolt of lightening through their hearts, connenting them with an invisible, unbreakable wire. They were bound together now, forever, and she would not leave him, even when they were falling through the sky towards the ground. Instead, as she couldn't slow the fall, she pressed close to Boko, determined that they wouldn't be separated.

A thunderous roar sounded. Zephyr had called sharply, realizing something was wrong.

Boko stared at her, blinking once or twice. He folded his wing for a moment, then curled himself up around her. Tightly, securely. He tucked his chin over her head, then threw his wing out again, twisting their fall until he was underneath her.

"Shiya," He murmured quickly, knowing he didn't have much time. "I love you. I really do," He held on tightly, then opened his mouth again to speak. He didn't get another word out.

The collision was instantaneous, and everything seemed to happen at once. Boko went completely limp, and pain filled Shiya's heart. He was in great pain, and it was obvious to her. But he was alive; perhaps the only thing that had saved them both was the fact that Shiya's wings had still been spread, slowing their descent. By minimal amounts, certainly, but slow enough to avoid death. Boko was still awake, even; but every time Shiya even slightly shifted, he seeemed to make a choking sound, and a fresh wave of pain swept over her.

Shiya threw her head back and screamed loudly, wailing in agony and heartache. She screamed and screamed, seemingly endlessly, until Zephyr had raced over, followed by several others. "Boko!" he shouted in horror, bending his head over his only child, his eyes wide in horror. What had gone wrong? It was so odd...

The dragon king shook his head and called for help, already beginning to bathe his son with his tongue.

((

Gotta go to bed. I posted and I'll see you tomorrow. Hugs and all that good stuff. Have a very happy birthday, Bunny. And see, here's the thing. I think your real present was getting off. It happened literally the days leading up to your birthday. So it really was a gift from Jesus, I think.

-hugs- Happy birthday~ ♥

((-hugglestight- Yes...I think so too.

I still want Jecl to buy me Super Hexagon. xDD))

Boko opened at closed his mouth, trembling slightly. He made several more choking sounds, but it was clear he was trying to speak, at this point. "My...ba-ack..." He managed to utter, only choking more when Vuker gently pried his coils off of Shiya, releasing her from his frozen grip. The slightly larger drakeling flicked his ears, then tore the broken fake wings off of Boko, seeing that they had pierced his scales painfully. He was bleeding badly from that spot, but he was very, very lucky to be alive. Shiya seemed mostly uninjured. Boko had taken the force of the fall upon himself.

Vuker sniffed Boko quickly, picking up what sight could not. "Aside from the new hole in his back, he has four broken ribs, two cracked, and..." His ears drooped. "His back...his spine is practically split in two...oh, Boko, how are you even still awake?"

"Hu...urts..." Boko rasped, hot tears already pooling around his head. "Hurts..."

Zephyr turned sharply at Vaira's screaming wail, watching as she thundered over and shoved her emerald-scaled mate aside, sweeping her tongue over Boko's body again and again. "My baby, my baby!" she cried, nuzzling him and eliciting a moan.

"Vaira, stop!" Zephyr said, biting her ear lightly to make her back up. "You're only hurting him."

Vaira craned her head back, looking quickly between her mate and her child. "Zephyrrrr," she moaned, her gaze begging him to do something.

He carefully bent and picked up Boko, carrying him towards a large divot in the ground. He settled his son inside it and then swept his tongue once around his own mouth, depositing a large gush of healing saliva into the bowl.

Mithor stepped forward and did the same, and they submursed Boko up to his head in the bubbling, steaming stuff.