Disclaimer: My Wishing star is pathetic...
Onto the next chapter!
Part Four! Last one and then back to the regular plot line...though this is kinda fun...
Chapter Thirty-Seven
xxx
Thank the Lord for bountiful June hunting.
Kara had fully believed that after recovering from his cold, Draco was deep into the woods hunting with Bowen and Hewe, getting away from the active castle and prying monastery for a few nights.
Which was good since besides being stuck, they had to wait for Draco to literally slim down.
Luckily the muscle mass around Draco's ribs tied into how full his stomach was, wait until the dragon was good and hungry and he'd have more room to flex.
The downside to that was dragons could go a couple of days without eating if they'd had a decent meal.
Draco was fully regretting eating that steer now, it could hold him for a few days pending how much he was doing, and by the looks of things it would take the full three to four days.
...
A low growl disturbed Bowen's conversation with Elaine before she left with Eynron and Geoff for the night, Hewe already sound asleep and settled against Draco's left flank for the night.
"Thanks again, see you tomorrow."
"Sleep well Bowen."
The man returned to Draco, matching the dragon's yawn with his own weary one before easing down next to the dragon's leg, brushing the rain from his forehead. A storm had picked up over the course of the late afternoon and evening, leading into a full night of storms.
Draco didn't meet his gaze, sighing softly and staring out into space, the tense look to his eyes telling Bowen he really didn't want to talk.
The man complied, rolling onto his side and resting his head on his arm, letting the odd echoes of the storm outside drift him to sleep.
xxx
xx
xxx
Seagulls chirping and screeching woke Bowen late the next morning, the sun heating the cave entrance but barely touching the rest of the cavern.
Bowen groaned a bit, flopping ungracefully onto his back, forearm over his eyes. The stone floor hadn't been terrible to sleep on, but the moisture in the air combined with the wind hadn't aided sleep int he chilled cave.
"...No wonder dragons breathe fire...they'd have to heat these dang caves somehow to sleep..."
Speaking of dragons, Bowen glanced over to Draco, eyes narrowing at the pale color tinting the the thinner scales and visible skin, and the dark circles beneath the dull eyes.
"Mornin' Draco."
"Mmm."
Bowen leaned up on an elbow, watching the steady expanding and contracting of the dragon's side.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Dozed until Hewe kicked me in his sleep."
The man winced, mentally noting to have Hewe find a different position if this dragged on to another night.
A stifled yawn choked out of the dragon, rousing Bowen a bit more as he groggily rubbed his eyes clear before pushing himself to his feet, stretching a bit to ease the kinks out of his shoulders.
A shout echoed from the entrance, most likely below the cliff judging by how faint it was.
"Be right back Draco."
"Mhm."
xxx
Eynron's face didn't look too happy as Elaine handed Bowen breakfast, "Any chance he'd move today?"
"I don't know, if he could it's more of whether he'd have the strength to."
The blacksmith scowled, "As bad as a horse in bad mud, wear themselves out to nearly dead, the mud lets them go and they still can't get out!"
Elaine interrupted, "Eynron, go wake my husband and feed him, relieve him of his spot if needed but don't get Draco too upset, remember he won't know what's going on."
The man continued to grumble, but did as bid, Elaine was a forced to be reckoned with if pushed too far, but he mostly listened to her out of concern for the trouble ridden dragon, no good friend of his should be made to suffer...Eynron would as soon as switch places with the dragon than let him be like this. Not that he'd ever say it of course.
"Truly Bowen, how is he?"
"Tired, don't think he slept at all last night." Bowen replied with a shrug, then swore loudly, clutching at a shoulder before begging Elaine's pardon.
"Don't worry, have you met my husband? I've heard worse for very little. Looks like Draco's sore as well."
Bowen nodded, "Who wouldn't be?"
xxx
xx
xxx
The group made no progress the rest of that day, only succeeding in wearing Draco down quicker than the night before and adding to his building aches that were affecting Bowen's aid for the dragon.
Bowen sighed heavily as he settled back onto the stone floor again, frustration refusing to allow his mind to settle.
"You had to pick a cave on a cliff didn't you? Can't get a team of horses to try and yank you out."
There wasn't a reply, but Bowen didn't notice, sighing again and covering his eyes with a forearm; Elaine had brought torches up that were too remain lit through the nigh in case Draco managed to shift loose in his sleep, and a large bucket to help cool Draco down when he grew too worked up, the dragon may not be able to eat, but they wouldn't deprive him of water.
Bowen didn't realize the weight of his words until the weary feeling that covered both halves of the heart shifted in embarrassment that overwhelmed the man for a moment.
He grew silent, letting the unknowing half of Draco's heart basically "vent" at his half, flooding his mind with what the dragon wasn't saying.
...tired...
...embarrassed...
...sorry...
...worried...
...tired...
...scared...
...nervous...
...hurts...
...lonely...
Bowen looked over to the dragon, Draco staring off into space again, not even noticing the bright torch light flickering in his eye that should have been making him at least close his inner lid over the eye. The dragon inhaled, the breath shaking noticeably.
"Good Lord Draco-"
"Sorry."
The answer had been fast, like the dragon was trying to make up for something or...please Bowen.
He was downright scared of Bowen leaving him there.
"Why...oh forget it..."
Bowen grabbed his blanket off the floor, wrapping it around his shoulders like a cloak ignoring Draco's attempt at stifling a faint moan as he put out the torchlight by shoving it into the soft dirt outside.
Now Draco couldn't see him, too tired to strain in the pitch black, the dragon sighed heavily, a faint moan lilting the sound.
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"Don't move your head."
If the dragon had been able to see, and not just hear, he'd have seen Bowen groping blindly in the cave until literally tripping on Draco's foreclaws before easing down to lay in between the two forelegs, one of the as a pillow as the man leaned against the dragon's warm chest.
"Damn torch...'s-too bright..." He murmured, tucking the blanket around his shoulders tighter after nudging the makeshift pillow he'd had of his over tunic to tuck under Draco's scraped chin.
The dragon sighed again, settling his head down, neck covering Bowen without crushing the man or his breathing.
"Go to sleep Draco."
A low hum that slid into deep breathing was his answer.
xxx
xx
xxx
Two nights later after Draco's sleepless night, and a low growl that was more of a moan woke Bowen up from a halfway deep slumber.
Draco was still fully unconscious, and at this point with going on three days without food or movement, Bowen couldn't blame him.
The noise repeated itself, fainter this time but it made Draco shift in his sleep and Bowen's own stomach clench, the dragon was starving and would soon be too weak to force himself out of this mess without some serious help.
The dragon at times was just too damn big.
Scales creaked and groaned on their own accord as the dragon shifted and rocked minutely within his limits of his confinement. Bowen vowed silently to give the dragon a bath after he'd eaten for real, the lie to Kara was only good for two more days.
The man stumbled on the deeper gouges Draco kept carving into the rock, Bowen didn't want to know how bad it was on Hewe's side, the farmer loyally staying with Draco besides for the timed reprieves he and Bowen received from Elaine and Eynron at meals.
Bowen followed the line of Draco's neck to where it disappeared into the rock, then his eyes traced around Draco's side, the dragon shifting in his sleep, trying to lean to one side and take the painful weight off his aching stomach.
And Bowen faintly heard Hewe snoring.
xxx
It took Bowen a good half an hour to wake the man without disturbing Draco's needed sleep, but Hewe nearly undid that by shouting happily when he realized he could Bowen faintly.
When Draco moved right, there was just enough of a gap to have a very limited conversation, the conversation muffled and strained but it was enough that after a period of dead silence, Hewe appeared with a sack or lard on Bowen's side.
"How long till he wakes up?"
"Once we start spreading that on? Not long at all."
Hewe thought for a moment, "Try to reach your arm in there, spread it further back in time to his moving, might as well do it when he's not fighting us. Eyrnon and I had a hell of a time when he started."
Bowen nodded, "I know, he was feeling so sick I noticed it."
Hewe winced, "Sorry 'bout that, let's do this quickly, at least until he wakes up."
"Mhm."
xxx
xx
xxx
The first thing he noticed when he was roused from sleeping was the dooming urge to throw up, and then after choking back nauseating gags, Draco focused enough to realize just what the hell was going on.
"Hold still Draco, just about done."
The dragon complied, muffling a groan as whatever Bowen was doing continued for a few more moments before the man came into his view.
"Well Bowen, he slept longer than I thought he would."
Draco was a bit shocked but smiled as Hewe patted his neck companionably after wiping his lard covered hands on his tunic, Bowen copying him.
"Bowen..."
"Let's wait until Eynron and Geoff get here Elaine's fetching them."
xxx
Five hours later and Draco was about ready to just let the damn cave collapse on him, at least he'd be out of his misery.
...
Bowen growled, trying to calm his own anger that was building off Draco's.
Yes, Draco had slimmed down enough to move and breathe a tad bit more freely.
No, he couldn't get loose.
Damn
xxx
xx
xxx
The man searching through the port town wasn't easily mislead, or confused, but when attempting to find his elusive daughter...the best captain this side of Africa realized he really needed to stop training his kids so well.
Then it hit him after three days of no sign of her, she wasn't in the port town, she'd be further inland where news from the port would get to her but not link her to anything in case someone was out for them, again.
xxx
xx
xxx
Draco growled deeply, feeling Hewe lean against one flank and Eynron elbow his stomach again as his tail thrashed wildly.
The dragon ignored the rock his tail was hitting and scraping, more interested in getting free.
An exasperated sigh came from Geoff in the roof again, the teen catching his breathe from dashing between the two holes repeatedly.
Draco glanced to Bowen, the man leaning against the stone wall heavily, trying to catch his breath.
"...share strengths and pains...huh, right now all we're sharing is exhaustion and aches..."
The dragon stifled a sigh, feeling Hewe lean off his flank for a moment and Eynron leave his side completely, the blacksmith taking any advantage to stay away from heat due to his living.
He ignored the sound of wings flapping and claws scrambling on rock as he forced himself to stand as much as he could, growling deeply as Hewe shoved off from his flank, Bowen jerking to his feet.
"...Not...staying...here..."
The dragon winced as he tried to force himself back, back claws scrambling to get purchase then strong hips trying to push him backwards.
Draco grunted a little as Drake wedged his shoulder against his chest, pushing as hard as he could.
Drake shouted something against his chest, "Use your wings!"
The two dragons didn't notice Bowen join them, and if Draco had noticed that he would have felt Hewe and Eynron yanking on the spines of his tail as hard as they could.
But then, if Draco had noticed that, he also would have realized when his wings that hadn't moved from lying flat out along his back and tail for so long had snapped open, the major wing joints with the talons bracing themselves against the cavern wall higher up, and in turn moving his lodged shoulders.
Enough for the dragon to pop out backwards with enough force to send the cavern shaking as he collided with the opposite wall.
Bowen had grabbed Draco's foreclaw as he had jerked free, ripping his hands open in several places before ending up sprawled on the dragon's ribs, Hewe no better with Eynron, stuck breathless with Draco's tail over their waists but still able to breathe.
Drake lay panting as hard as Draco was with his neck over his father's, leaning on Draco's heaving chest as both pairs of wings quivered faintly.
"D-drak-ke..."
"Yes father?"
"Thanks, remind me later that I can't ever doubt you."
Bowen couldn't help, he snorted once, trying no too...but he couldn't.
Hewe smirked, pretty sure his close friend and comrade, who was also the king, was going mad. Lying on a dragon's lard smeared ribs, trying to stay balanced lest he fall onto the stone ground, and then burst out laughing helplessly.
The man had to grab at Draco's scraped spines as Draco began chuckling, grimacing past the ache in his lungs that finally were able to breathe fully.
It wasn't long before Geoff and Elaine found them there, every last one of them laughing uncontrollably, most red in the face, Drake and Draco bearing flushed scales.
Just as they managed to settle, Geoff had to state the obvious and send everyone back into laughter.
"Well, that's done!"
Woohoo!
Draco's free!
Whatcha think?