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-Jeezus. I can't believe I actually wrote this. 0.0 I guess I was on a Dragonriders of Pern kick a few months ago. Since you guys seem to like my weird little species-change fics, I think I'll post this. Whether or not I post the next chapter is up to you ;) OH! Right. Should probably warn you. MAJOR OOC for the dragons *-* But I'm very fond of my story, and I hope you like it too. :)-
DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN- INUYASHA STYLE
INTRODUCTION:
Queens of Rath
Sango stood watching as the two Queen eggs rocked violently in the hot sands of the Nesting grounds, shifting from foot as the sands burned through her thin slippers. She had been found by Dragonmen on Search for potential riders for the two Queen eggs laid by the dying Rath, and as customary, was waiting for the approval of the hatching Queens.
Casting a nervous glance around her, she allowed herself to look away from the shaking eggs towards the bulk of the old Queen. The golden dragon had long since passed her prime, but had, despite all odds, risen one last time, and produced a clutch oft twenty-two eggs, with an almost unheard of total of two Queens.
She looked over at the other girls collected during the Search. Most clung to their peers in fear, and others were trying to suppress tears. Sango snorted, crying wouldn't make anything better. She had learned that lesson the hard way, many Turns ago. She was snapped from her painful reminiscing as a collective gasp rose from all assembled in the cavern as one of the mottled eggs cracked open, and a small bronze head emerged, many faceted eyes whirling with confusion. He wailed piteously and swung his wedge shaped head back and forth as he surveyed his surroundings.
The boys gathered in front of the dragonet swayed nervously, waiting for the bronze to make a move. With unexpected agility, the small dragon leapt towards one of the boys and in the blink of an eye, snapped his neck.
Sango stepped back, revolted, as the dragonet wailed again, and turned towards the shaking line of boys, the limp body behind him twitching slightly. He stumbled over his own wing and came to rest at the feet of a skinny blonde. The hatchling chirped questioningly, looking hopefully up at the candidate, and the boy raised a shaking hand to tentatively scratch behind an eye ridge. The dragon crooned lovingly and leaned in to the touch, humming softly as the boy broke in to a huge smile.
Tearing her eyes away from the new pair, Sango turned her gaze towards the other eggs, surprised to see that while she had been occupied with the first bronze dragonet, several other dragons had emerged from their shells, and were floundering towards the potential candidates.
Sango hurriedly stepped back as a small green stumbled past her legs towards one of the Queen candidates, pausing by her feet as if waiting for the long-haired brunette to finish her hysterics before butting against her leg impatiently, like a cat waiting for a good petting.
When the last of the mottled eggs had broken open, and the dragonets had all been paired off with a rider, only four girls were left standing in the hot sand in front of the violently rocking Queen eggs.
With a glance towards the other girls, Sango squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, calming herself through sheer force of will. A hush fell over the cavern as one of the golden eggs cracked open, and a slender dragonet emerged, forked tongue snaking in and out of her jaws as she tasted the air. With little visible effort, the young Queen shook off the rest of her shell and headed towards Sango. At the last moment, the dragon turned, and faced the quivering blond next to her, and after a few moments of consideration, whipped her head back and forth as if unsatisfied, and lunged past the girl, ignoring the injuries her sharp claws caused, and moved on the the next candidate. After a few moments, she too, was rejected and bypassed. Sobbing with relief, the girl ran from the chamber, ignoring her wounded friend in her frenzy to escape the small Queen. Watching the girl leave, the small dragon squeaked in confusion, and stumbled to halt before a pretty girl with wide golden eyes. The queen stared at her silently, and then, as if the girl had passed her test, twined around her legs, burbling happily.
Stepping away from the bloodstained sand left by the injured blonde next to her, Sango turned towards the remaining Queen egg, barely cracked, and watched as a head twice as small as that of her sister, emerged from the egg and hung limply, as if the small dragon was too exhausted to continue her escape from the confining egg shell.
Now concerned for the tiny hatchling, Sango stepped towards the egg, firmly ignoring the shocked gasps that came from the crowd behind her, and began to peel away the egg shell, allowing the tired dragonet to slither to the ground. Sango lifted the small head in her hands, and petted the Queen gently, and smiled as the dragon chattered softly, and raised her head to lick Sango on the cheek.
She nudged the tongue away, and Kagome informed her that she was tired, and would like to be carried to her sleeping chambers. Sango tapped her on the nose, earning a squeak from her new companion. "Don't be so lazy. You need something to eat before you can sleep." With a tired grumble of affirmation, Kagome allowed herself to be scooped up into Sango's arms. With a warm smile, the new Weyrwoman of the Southern Cliffside Weyr turned away from the nesting grounds and disappeared into the throng of waiting dragonriders.
CHAPTER 1:
Dragon Rising, Dragon Falling
(Three years later)
Miroku gave a happy sigh and stretched out his arms into the sky as the warm air ghosted across his face. "Isn't this much better than between Inuyasha?"
The bronze grumbled a reply, and gave a full body shiver, causing Miroku to very nearly lose his grip on the saddle. With a mock frown, Miroku smacked Inuyasha on the neck reprimandingly. "See that? You nearly unseated me you wretched creature! What would you do without me?" Inuyasha replied that without Miroku, he would be basking himself in the warm sunlight outside of the weyr, not blinking in and out of between at his beck and call. Miroku sighed, and scratched the great bronze fondly, causing the dragon to hum and arch his neck slightly, "I'm sure you would be, lazy brute that you are…"
Inuyasha informed him that he, the largest bronze in the weyr, worked harder than all the other dragons combined. And would he please scratch a little further to the left? Rolling his eyes, Miroku laughed and complied. "So what happened to lounging in the sun?"
Hard work earns relaxation, Inuyasha replied testily, And since I have worked very hard today, would you please allow me to eat before I waste away to nothing?
Eying his dragon in amusement, Miroku snickered, "I'm afraid that it would take a lot more than a few days without food to reduce you to nothing."
With a rumbled agreement, Inuyasha turned his neck to watch Miroku dismount, and once he was sure that he was off, he arched his back and launched into the sky, his great bronze wings beating as he propelled himself towards where the herd beasts were kept.
Watching his dragon glide away, Miroku sighed fondly. It had been seven turns since he had Impressed Inuyasha at the clutch of the dying Izayoi, last queen in the old line of the Eastern hold. She had risen, and had been mated by a wild bronze that had appeared before another dragon could catch her. He stayed with another hatchling at the Hold until the Queen had passed, and had then vanished as suddenly as he had arrived.
Inuyasha was the only bronze to survive from the clutch, and had inherited his father's size and strength, easily outweighing all other bronzes at the Western Weyr. From his mother, he had inherited a sleek, wiry frame and wide graceful wings. Many of the other Weyrleaders had often predicted that when the Western Queen, Kikyo, rose, Inuyasha would catch her. Miroku often echoed this to the dragon himself, and he was always met with a positive reply.
Personally, he thought that Inuyasha was quite besotted with the golden Queen, standing guard over her weyr and following her to the feeding grounds. It distracted him during patrols, and made him nervous and jumpy when she wasn't around. The sooner she rose, the better. And it would be soon, he decided. Kikyo was fully grown, and was due to rise any day. Already she was growing restless, and was eating more, causing the bronzes to stay in a nearly constant state of alert, lest she rise on short notice.
A hand clapped down on his shoulder, and he jerked, embarrassed at being caught daydreaming. It was his old mentor, Mushin.
"Dozing off again eh, Miroku?"
He shook his head, "Me? Never."
The old man eyed his pupil suspiciously, "Too many late nights, hm?"
Miroku laughed and shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I was born a ladies man… It's not my fault that they like me." With a wink, Miroku began to saunter away, until the old man caught his hand.
"Wait. Miroku, let me read your palm."
With a weary sigh, Miroku extended his hand for the old man to see, twitching slightly as he ran his fingers over the lines in his palm.
A frown deepened the wrinkles on Mushin's forehead. "Hmm…. Oh dear….. This is not good at all…"
Worried, Miroku retracted his hand. "What is it Mushin? What's wrong?"
Old watery brown eyes met Miroku's blue, and the elder looked away, sighing heavily. "You have…. Only three days to live!"
Miroku felt his heart plummet to somewhere south of his knees. "O-only three days? But I have so much to do! So many women to sati-Wait. You'd better not be joking with me," The old man's left eye twitched, "…."
Miroku gasped in outrage, "You are joking with me you old fart! I actually believed you!"
Mushin wiped his eyes with a wrinkled hand, still sniggering to himself. "You always were so gullible…"
The young dragonman fumed as his mentor guffawed at his stupidity. With an impatient cough, he cut him off. "Really Mushin, you didn't come all this way to find me just because you wanted to make fun of me. What is it?"
With a final wheeze of laughter, the old man calmed down. "I'm actually here to warn you."
Miroku eyed Mushin suspiciously, the old man had always liked making fun of him, and this could very well be one of his tricks. "Well spit it out, what's the impending doom?"
Mushin shook his head, "I'm not sure. I've been feeling this unsettling aura in the Weyr for several days, I know that I'm not alone in this, seeing as the dragons are all restless."
Now it was Miroku's turn to laugh. His mentor stared at him in surprise, wondering what was so funny about unsettling auras and nervous dragons.
With an amused glance at Mushin, Miroku waved as he saw Inuyasha rise above the hills, muzzle bloody from feeding. "It's the Queen, Mushin! She's due to rise any day now. Of course the dragons are unsettled. Go back to your wine, and stop worrying!"
He swung himself into the saddle as Inuyasha landed, winked at Mushin, and the next thing he knew, the old man was being buffeted by a blast of icy cold air as the pair winked away into between.
With an offended snort, Mushin waddled back into the confines of the Weyr. "Stop worrying indeed…. Hrmph."
As Inuyasha coasted out of between, Miroku shivered, nose red from the icy cold. "Hey Inuyasha," he tapped the dragon's neck to make sure he paid attention, "Mushin says that he's been feeling an aura. You know anything about that?"
Inuyasha shook his head, and banked left, allowing a smaller brown to glide past. What Mushin says is of no importance to me. He was probably joking with .
Miroku shook his head, "He was, before, but he actually seemed pretty serious about this." Inuyasha snorted. Doubtful.
Running his hand through his dark hair, Miroku grinned. "So no wacky auras?"
No wacky auras. Inuyasha affirmed, coasting over a small lake, causing some drinking herd beasts to scatter in wild panic as his shadow stretched across the small valley. But don't forget about what he said. Despite his love of drink, sometimes the old man has something useful to say. The dragon advised, turning his neck so that he could watch his rider, many faceted golden eyes gleaming in the sun.
"I won't. Besides, we've got more important things to worry about. Right old friend?"
The bronze bobbed his head in agreement. We do. Kaede, the shrimpy blue, reports the Red Star at the top of the Eye Rock.
Miroku nearly choked on air. "Pffth! Already? I thought Thread fall wasn't due for nearly a turn!"
Inuyasha snorted, and informed Miroku that he wasn't a message bearer, and if he wanted to find anything out, he could do it himself. After giving Inuyasha a good smack on the neck, Miroku craned his neck up, so that he could scan the sky.
You won't find anything up there now… The Red Star rises at dawn. Inuyasha looked upwards, eyeing the sky. And I still don't see why you needed to smack me. It was completely unnecessary.
Frowning, Miroku ceased his skywatching and stared ahead as the rock walls of the Western Weyr came into view. "Call it negative reinforcement. I need to know these things, Inuyasha."
The dragon testily replied that if he needed to know these things so badly, why didn't he ask the Weyrleader himself? "Because I'm busy making sure that a certain bottomless pit is fed." Miroku replied, casting a stern glance down at his bronze.
Unabashed, Inuyasha circled down to his preferred sunning ledge, and yawned massively, Couldn't Miroku go and fetch some oil? His hide itched terribly, and he was so tired…..
Miroku childishly stuck his tongue out at his dragon, and headed up to his chambers to fetch the requested oil.
On his way down, Miroku ran into Tsubaki, Weyrwoman of the West. She fell into step beside him, long hair swishing behind her. "So I hear that Kikyo is due to rise soon?"
He nodded, "She is. The bronzes have been edgy for days now, I hope it's soon, Inuyasha's gotten so twitchy that it's hard to ride him."
Tsubaki threw back her head and laughed, white teeth flashing in the sun. "Don't let Kikyo hear you say that, it'll go straight to her head."
Miroku smiled as a soft rumble emanated from somewhere below them. "Speak of the beast…"
The Weyrwoman smiled at him, "She's just hungry. Anyway, we've got some good bronzes out there this year, I'm sure that she'll produce a good clutch."
He winked at her, "The best, I'm sure."
She laughed again, and disappeared down a flight of stairs, hair swishing. When she had first Impressed the young Queen, her hair had been black, but constant exposure to the sun and heat of firestone had bleached it to a white-blonde, creating a lovely harmony with her striking golden eyes. It was bad enough that the bronzes were pining after the Queen, but half the Weyrmen were pining after her rider and the position that her dragon brought. She was too ambitious for Miroku's taste, but if Inuyasha was to catch Kikyo when she rose, it was comforting that his Weyr partner would be attractive.
With a shrug, he continued down to where said bronze was lounging in the sun, an array of fire lizards perched on his back. When he saw Miroku approaching, he shook himself, and the fire lizards scattered, protesting wildly.
"Enough beauty sleep. I've got your oil here."
Inuyasha yawned and stretched leisurely, his long tail lashing through the air. After a few minutes, the dragon padded over to Miroku, and curled himself around his partner, ignoring the loud protests this caused, and covered his companion with a massive wing.
Brushing his hand over the soft membrane covering him, Miroku set the oil down next to his foot and smiled. With a sleepy grumble, Inuyasha informed him that even though he was confined, he was most certainly not excused from oil duty.
With an exasperated laugh, Miroku picked up the oil and began working, rubbing the rag gently in circles on the sensitive wing membrane, and Inuyasha hummed contentedly, wrapping himself tighter around his partner and friend.
Miroku was unpleasantly jolted awake when his erstwhile pillow shot to his feet and rumbled a warning, wings spread wide. Rubbing his bruised head with his hand, Miroku slowly sat up, yawning widely.
"What's the big deal Inuyasha? I never knew that you were an early riser…."
He blinked again, and his sleep-muddled head cleared slightly. "Wait. Is it Thread? Are we needed on patrol?"
Inuyasha swung his massive head around so that he was eye to eye with his rider. It's the Queen you moron! Kikyo will rise today! The bronzes blood their kill, and the fire lizards are excited beyond comprehension.
Miroku dubiously eyed his dragon, "You're trusting fire lizards with this information? And you're positive about this?"
The bronze bobbed his head, and lowered himself down into a crouch so that his rider could mount. Well hurry up then! I don't want to miss the rising, and I need food if I am to catch the Queen.
With a tired grumble, Miroku complied, and no sooner than he had lowered himself onto the saddle, than Inuyasha sprang into the air, heading towards the feeding grounds with eye-watering speed.
Hanging on to the saddle for dear life, Miroku gripped his legs tighter around the bronze. "I'm sure that expending all your energy like this is really going to help you catch the Queen!"
Inuyasha snorted in irritation, but slowed his pace enough so that Miroku could loosen his vice like grip and relax. "Thank you. Now…"
He trailed off as his eyes met the pulsing light of the Red Star, hanging ominously in the foggy morning skies. He shivered, and turned his gaze to his dragon.
"Inuyasha, you're sure that she'll rise today?"
The dragon nodded. Positive.
Miroku sighed and rubbed the forming lump on the back of his head, looking up at the baleful glow of the star suspiciously. "She certainly picked a good day to rise…"
Landing at the feeding grounds, Inuyasha deposited Miroku at a Weyr ledge, and flung himself upon a fat buck, snarling at another bronze as the offending male tried to snatch his kill. He fastened one eye on his rival, and latched on to the neck of the buck and began to blood his kill.
It took seven full grown bucks to satisfy him, and when the Queen awoke, furious and hungry, five bronze heads snapped around to watch the entrance to the Queen weyr.
When Kikyo emerged, she was in a foul temper, and in no mood to be placated. She snarled at the watching bronzes and felled her first buck. She shrilled angrily when Tsubaki prevented her from feeding, and reluctantly fastened her jaws on the neck of the animal, draining the limp form of blood. As the Queen continued to drink, she seemed to glow with an inner radiance.
As she raised her bloody muzzle from her fifth kill, a low hum rose in the valley, and the bronzes tensed, waiting for the Queen to make her move.
In a sudden golden movement, Kikyo rose off the ground, wings beating furiously as the five pursuing bronzes leapt up to follow her into the sky. Already Inuyasha was gaining on her, outpacing the other bronzes by nearly a tail-length. Distantly, he heard the other dragons hiss in surprise, and sensed that they halted their pursuit.
He crowed triumphantly and doubled his pace. He dismissed the searing pain in his right wing as a muscle cramp, and fixed his gaze on the golden shapeabove him. Only when he heard Miroku call out a warning did he slow enough to see the deadly falling silver strands around him.
Somewhere far above, the Queen shrieked.
From his ledge outside of the Weyr, Miroku had watched first in anticipation, and then horror as the silver Threads had begun to fall while the Queen led her suitors through the sky.
He had watched as a thread had scored through Inuyasha's wing, and the great bronze had hung in the air for several heart wrenching seconds before wailing in pain as several more Threads ripped through his wings and unable to fly, he had plummeted to the ground as an array of blues and greens had risen up into the air, already flaming at the falling Threads.
One of the other bronzes had risen up to support Inuyasha as he fell, straining under the weight of the larger dragon.
Scrambling down from the cliff side, Miroku raced over to his dragon, feeling the great head for any other Thread scores as the many faceted eyes whirled in amixture of pain and disappointment. I didn't catch her…
Miroku sighed, slowly shaking his head. "No you didn't, but you tried, and you nearly got yourself killed in the process!"
Inuyasha halfway closed an eye, and let out a breath, the gust of air ruffling Miroku's hair. Did I? I hadn't noticed.
Lightly smacking his muzzle, Miroku managed a smile. "Sarcastic to the last eh, Inuyasha?"
The dragon grumbled weakly. You're not getting rid of me for a long while yet.
Miroku gently scratched behind an eye ridge, chuckling softly as Inuyasha hummed quietly.
"Nope. Looks like I'm stuck with you. Bummer, I was hoping to get some peace and quiet this weekend."
Inuyasha closed his eyes, still softly humming. Not a chance. Then, exhausted by the strain of the failed mating flight and the effort of staying awake, the dragon sighed deeply and slipped into unconsciousness.
With a last pat, Miroku turned away from his dragon and watched as the medics streamed out of the Weyr, vats of numbweed and rolls of bandages clutched in their hands. He cornered one of the medics and pinned him with a concerned stare. "How long until he can fly again?"
The man shrugged. "He'll be able to fly by tomorrow, if we're lucky, but he'll be in no shape for patrols or Thread flying for at least two seasons."
Miroku groaned, rubbing his temples with his hand. "Ohhh… It'll drive him insane, not being able to fly patrol.."
The medic nodded. "That's why we're sending you down to the Southern Weyr."
The young Dragonman did a double take. "Y-you're sending us where?!" The medic regarded him in concern, frowning as he lifted a hand to take his temperature.
"To the Southern Weyr, across the ocean. There are grubs down there, so Thread won't be of concern, and by the looks of it, you and the dragon need a rest."
Slumping down to the ground, Miroku nodded weakly. "I think you may be right… But over the ocean? Can Inuyasha manage that in his condition?"
The healer glanced over his shoulder at the slumbering bronze. "A short trip between shouldn't put all that much strain on him. I'll ask the Weyrleader if he can spare a green or two to help you along on the trip."
Miroku nodded again, head spinning wildly. The medic frowned. "Come now, let's get you to your room. You're not doing your dragon any good by catching a cold now. Get some sleep. You've a tiring journey to go on tomorrow."
Guided by the gentle hands of the healer on his shoulders, Miroku managed to stumble up the stairs leading to his room, and after weakly thanking the man, fell on to his bed with a groan, and looked out the window.
He watched as a blue flamed at a clump of falling Thread, and then turned over, eyelids slowly drifting shut. The Southern Weyr, huh…..
With a tired grunt, he pulled a pillow over his head, and fell into a deep dreamless sleep as outside, the battle against the falling menace raged on.