Disclaimer: I don't own Jane and the Dragon.

Yeah, I don't really have all that much to say other than life has it's ups and downs, and right now mine's on a roller coaster with loop-de-loops. T_T.

Chapter 10: Protection

It was silent in the barn later that night, and it appeared as though Atwood had not needed to keep watch; Dragon had taken the medicine and gone to sleep without much complaint. But, if you watched for more than a minute, you would see one golden eye flicker open to stealthy check his surroundings before quickly closing.

Once he was sure this time of his solitude, Dragon allowed his eyes to fully open, looking around at the many shelves for a moment. Now came the tougher part; getting up.

The first time was somewhat of a flop, he fell about half-way through standing, but Dragon's obstinate sense of protection [which was now ringing like an alarm bell in his head] refused to let him give up. He had to try again.

The reptile, ignoring everything from the heaviness to the pins-and-needles that ran up his spine, pushed hard on the ground, every ounce of newly-regained energy being put into the task. Once he was sure that his legs wouldn't collapse underneath him, he forced himself into a forward lurch, pushing open the barn door with his head as he plowed on. Right away, his mind processed the fact that by where he was, it would take ages to reach the castle on foot. He would have to fly. His wings unfurled, shaky, but still willing to follow their master's wishes. From there, it was an abrupt but surprisingly easy trip to the air. But the problem was mostly staying up.

Ignoring the waves of burning aching that rolled through the unused muscle, Dragon focused solely on what he had to do. He had to find Jane; he had to figure out what exactly was going on. And it would be over his cold, lifeless corpse if anyone tried to harm his best friend.

"Jane, you do realize that to contradict the testimony of another knight would put your own honesty in question?"

"Yes sir, but this is a matter of Dragon's safety, and it is not a duty that I will shy away from." The squire replied solemnly. Sir Theodore seemed to study her for a moment, as though searching for any possible weakness in her story. But all he could see was determination and truthfulness that no such jest or lie could possible hide in.

"Alright, Jane, I will try to-."

But whatever he was going to attempt, it didn't quite get out into the air, for a loud knock on the door interrupted his thought. The two looked to the door, and almost instantly an unpleasantly familiar voice was heard from behind the wood.

"Sir Theodore! Can I have a word?"

The all-too-familiar voice of Rennard, the head and main conspirator in this mess. Jane immediately realized that utter chaos would ensure if she stayed out in the open a minute longer. Finding sanctuary in an old chest that seemed to fill up one corner of the room, the squire darted into it, the lid opened a crack so she could somewhat see what was going on.

Her camouflage could not have been more timely. As soon as the lid came to a halt, inches from the edge of the wooden frame, the door was pushed wide open, to reveal the very shady-looking figure of Rennard, standing there in the same manner as a lingering nightmare.

"Do you require something, Sir Rennard?" The older knight asked, keeping every bit of his now growing hostility of the other male.

Thankfully, the other knight did not seem to think that anything was out of order, and also didn't appear to notice the fact that the trunk off to the side was partially open.

"Nothing at the moment, sir, but I would like to inform you that we have a new lead on the whereabouts of the beast, at least. The girl we have not yet located directly, but she cannot be too far away."

Jane's huddled form in the trunk stiffened. They knew where Dragon was?

"You see, a few moments ago, a peasant came to us with some very interesting news apparently, he had seen the beast, alive. We will be going out to properly dispose of it shortly."

And then he was gone, leaving his words hanging ominously in the air.

The darkening evening scene was shattered when a large green shape barreled out of the sky, crashing into a patch of underground with a greatly undermined grunt. The squirrels, rabbits, and even one very shell-shocked fox ran for the hills, even though it was very clear that the living projectile was not about to get up.

Dragon was not in the mood for giving in to his quickly failing stamina, and of course tried again.

"Come…on!" Came the hissed growl, limbs trembling with the effort of simply staying standing.

A liability…

Keep going.

A burdening beast…

Don't you dare give up.

Unfit, unworthy, nothing but a failure…

She needed him there. He had to go…she…

But the strain was too much on his sickness-ravaged body, and with a few feeble motions, his eyes closed, breathing slowing down to the point of blissful sleep.

Or what was hoped to be blissful sleep.

Jane ran down the stairs, cursing herself mentally as she recounted exactly what had been said in the last few minutes. They knew where Dragon was? How? And when did they acquire this knowledge? [Dragon didn't make some kind of a disturbance, did he?]

Her soft footsteps suddenly seemed increasingly loud in the quiet. Jane stopped and checked around for anyone coming or anyone possibly noticing her presence.

So far, so good.

It had taken her a few minutes to pull herself out of the cramped confines of the chest, a minute to say in one breath where she was going, and a half a second for Sir Theodore to give her leave, which she eagerly took. The old knight seemed to realize the strong friendship, and gave it it's proper boundaries.

As for now, she seemed to become a stealthy red-haired bullet as she moved about the halls, fixed on one thing that loomed in her mind.

Her friend, and his safety.

To quote Bugs Bunny, 'Ain't I a stinker?' With these cliffhangers?......., ., -_-'.. and now that I feel like an idiot, please review....