Chapter 14

It didn't take them all night to reach Saoirse's cottage, but it was plenty late. Not only was the going slow because of Tristan, but they took side streets and made sure to stick to the shadows in order to avoid the possibility of meeting up with any street guards.

By the time Sekani and Tristan reached Saoirse's house, most late night activities in the city were over and the streets were deserted. A few compsognathus still lurked about; searching for tasty bits of food that might've been accidently dropped or spilled during the busy day. The swift little saurians darted here and there, chattering to one another in squeaky voices.

At this point Tristan figured the only folks that would be out looking for him would be the street guards, that is, as long as Tiana and Celesta did as he'd signaled them to and kept silent about the whole fight and him being thrown out. Hopefully they hadn't told their mother what had happened yet either. He knew that his sisters would be wondering about him, but surely they knew that Sekani was with him.

Sekani and Tristan made their way to the back door of the cottage which opened directly into the kitchen. Close friends and family always used this door, knowing that Saoirse liked to reserve the front door for business purposes. Sekani thumped his tail against Saoirse's door then waited, impatiently shifting from foot to foot.

Tristan leaned against the door frame for support, exhaustion getting the best of him. By now his left eye was nearly swollen shut, making it even more difficult to see properly and the swelling in his right eye wasn't far behind the other. He kept one arm wrapped over his upper body, trying to get relief from his aching ribs. He wasn't sure if his tired legs would hold him up much longer.

Sekani cast a concerned glance in his direction, then lifted a foot and kicked at the door, his sickle shaped foot claw, scratching the painted wooden surface.

"That's enough." Tristan urged. "Just wait a moment. No need to tear up the door. I don't need the destruction of more personal property added to my list of wrongdoings tonight."

Finally, a flicker of light filtered through a slight gap in one of the window curtains and a moment later they could hear someone shuffling toward the door.

The door creaked open and a tall young man stood there, squinting at them sleepily. His curly black hair was in disarray and his shirt hung crookedly over his shoulders. The grouchy look on his face clearly showed that he'd been woken up, thrown his clothes on, and wasn't happy about the disturbance of his sleep.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this late night city life." The man muttered, fumbling with the ties on the front of his shirt with one hand while holding up a lamp with the other. "This better not be another rogue looking for Saoirse's skills."

Sekani did not recognize this young man who looked older than Tristan, maybe by five years or so. He grunted in frustration. "Shhhasha?" He asked, hoping the young man could tell them where the woman was.

The man lifted the lamp and peered at Sekani. "Yikes, I must be dreaming. A deinonychus…outside of the Rainy Basin. Um…I sure hope he's friendly." He shifted the lamp to see what other oddity might be greeting him.

Tristan, sagging against the doorframe, squinted in the sudden rush of light and turned his head slightly from the glare of the lantern. It took a moment for his vision to adjust after traveling through the darkest streets for the past hour.

The man gave a low whistle. "Wow…" He held the lamp high, his deep blue eyes sweeping over the teenager in the doorway. "It looks like you've been run over by a street taxi then drug behind it for a mile or so…Either that or this deinonychus is to blame."

Sekani snorted in offense at that comment.

"Not a street taxi, not the deinonychus. He's my friend." Tristan explained, slapping an arm out in front of Sekani in an effort to warn the dinosaur not to bother the man standing in front of them.

The man held the door open wide and stepped to the side. "I guess you guys better come on in then." He sounded reluctant, but gestured for them to follow him.

Tristan didn't want to look weak in front of this tall stranger whose deportment exuberated strength and confidence. He resisted Sekani's offer for support and managed to wobble through the doorway and ease himself into a chair at the kitchen table.

Their host immediately busied himself with gathering the kitchen lamps. "I take it you two must be friends of Saoirse's, seeing you used the back door." The man commented, throwing an inquisitive glance in their direction.

"Yes, but where is Saoirse?" Tristan asked, the unhappy surprise at facing a total stranger putting an edge in his tone.

"Well, she's gone to the Forbidden Mountains and she won't be back for several weeks. And before you start asking why so long, she's turned it into a business trip as well as collecting a bunch of herbs to ship back with her." The man explained while he lit the lamps and turned the wicks up. The room now glowed with cheery lantern light.

"What?" Tristan replied in exasperation. "She had to be gone when I needed her the most…Wait a minute. That's right. I met her in the Forbidden Mountains awhile back, but I thought she would've surely been back by now. Hmf. Probably still harvesting valuable resources from the Blue Forest." He mumbled the last words too low for the other guy to catch them.

"I'm sorry." The man said, rubbing the black stubble on his chin. "But you'll have to make do with me, seeing as she left me in charge of the place and the business while she's gone…well, me and Kiko, that is." He added as a dimorphodon flew into the room and perched on one end of the table to see what all the midnight commotion was about.

The man eyed his two guests as if sizing them up and finally grudgingly offered his hand to Tristan and Sekani in the manner of the traditional Dinotopian greeting. "Breathe deep. I'm Weston Alasdair and this is Kiko, my friend and business partner." His voice held a smooth bass tone which almost sounded melodic.

Kiko squawked what sounded like a grumpy hello. Apparently he wasn't too pleased about being disturbed during the night either.

Tristan frowned. Weston Alasdair. Why did that name seem familiar? He looked past the grouchy dimorphodon and looked Weston in the eye. This man was being civil enough, but clearly didn't look too happy about them being there.

Tristan just as grudgingly returned Weston's greeting, only for the sake of trying to establish some thread of trust. "Seek peace. I'm…" He hesitated, suddenly unsure of giving out his name since word might spread through the city to be on the lookout for the egg thief named Tristan Starr. "Call me…Stan and this is Sekani."

Stan was at least close to his real name, although he didn't like using it. He'd been nicknamed that at school when he was younger, but not in a good way. He'd first been called 'Tris,' and teased about it sounding girly, until he'd threatened the teasers that he would knock their teeth out if they ever called him that again. After that the teasers just had to win on giving him a nickname, so they settled on calling him 'Stan who ran,' in reference to the time a young brachiosaurus had sneezed behind him, making a sudden and very loud whooshing sound through it's nostrils, causing him to jump and run for cover beneath a nearby gingko tree.

Weston glanced down at the outstretched hand swathed in the bloodstained rag. He decided to skip the second part of the greeting and quickly dropped his hand back to his side. "So…Stan." He said, with a look that showed that he was clearly suspicious of this young, ragged looking rogue standing before him. "Why didn't you just go to the infirmary before you came here? They're open all hours you know, and you look, well—awful, if I may say so."

Even if this guy claimed to work for Saoirse, Tristan didn't want to be too quick to trust him like he would her. "Well…I uh…I've sort of run into some…trouble and…needed someone…I could trust." He said slowly, choosing his words carefully. It was still bothering him that he couldn't place that vaguely familiar name.

"Trouble?" Weston's eyes narrowed with reproach. "Look, I don't know who you are, Mr. 'call me Stan,' but from my experience, Dolphin Bay Drifters are usually the ones causing trouble around here and I am not about to offer services to any…not while Saoirse's gone anyway." He added as if it were an after thought.

Tristan's patience, which was very short in supply at the moment, snapped. It was the second time he'd been called a Drifter that night and that was one too many.

"Don't insult me!" He said loudly, slamming a fist against the table top. Caught up in his anger and forgetting to be careful, he stood up quickly as he spoke. Pain lanced through his ribs at the sudden movement, causing him to double over, sucking in his breath through his teeth. One hand clutched at his chest and the other fumbled for the chair to steady himself, but in his slightly impaired vision, he only succeeded in knocking it over. The chair fell with a resounding slap against the flagstone floor. Somehow, he managed to grasp the table next, keeping himself from joining the chair on the floor also.

Kiko squawked in alarm and Sekani sprang to Tristan's side. The deinonychus growled, showing his teeth at Weston.

Breathing hard, Tristan gripped the table, concentrating on the pattern in the grain of the wood as he fought to keep the black speckles dancing before his eyes from taking over. The last thing he wanted to do was to look like a weakling and his hasty outburst had gone against him. "Do not insult me." He repeated in a wobbly tone, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I am an honest citizen of Sauropolis and my family is upright and bears a good name here. They own the Sauropolis Star restaurant."

Oops. He realized then that in his angry haste, he'd given out a link to his real name after all. Maybe the other guy wouldn't ever figure it out. Hopefully. Tristan looked toward the deinonychus and shook his head, signaling that he did not want the dinosaur's assistance. He didn't want to appear any weaker than he already had in front of this guy.

Weston didn't appear startled in the least bit at the young man's sudden outburst of temper. In fact, his calm response indicated that he'd encountered irritable characters multiple times before. "Hmmm." Weston drummed his fingers on the table. "Look. Why don't you just simmer down, take a seat, and be civil. Tell me what you're here for and I'll see what I can do for you, but mind you, considering the fact that right now is not normal business hours; the bartering price is going to be higher….a lot higher."

Those were the magic words that helped Tristan make up his mind. "No thanks. I'm sorry we bothered you. We'll just be going on our way then." He shot back. "You couldn't offer me what I need anyway. Saoirse is the one who I need to do business with."

"Oh I couldn't, could I?" Weston challenged, crossing his broad chest with well muscled arms. "Did I not mention that Saoirse left me in charge?"

Sekani looked from Tristan to Weston, concerned by the building tension. Tristan had always been intense, which clearly never rubbed well with guys his own age and even though this one looked a bit older than him, apparently it wasn't rubbing well with him either. As Sekani sized up the two, he realized that even if Tristan was at the peak of his health, it was questionable whether he'd come out on the winning side in a tussle with this man. With that build, Weston was clearly the athletic type and Sekani had a feeling that he could put up a decent fight, even against a dinosaur his own size. Maybe he should just grab Tristan and get out before any more trouble started. But Sekani didn't want to drag Tristan around like he did before for fear it would hurt him again. Besides, for some reason, Tristan didn't seem to want his assistance anymore. Finally, Sekani settled with directing another low growl at Weston, just to give him some warning and to try and shave off a little of that man's confidence.

It didn't faze Weston. He unfolded his arms and spread them wide. "Seriously, you guys need to just calm down. Look, I'm Saoirse's cousin. As I said before, I work for her. You can trust me, okay? I apologize about the whole Drifter accusation. You've got to understand where I'm coming from too. If you don't want someone to mistake you for one of those rogues, then you're going to have to do something about that attitude, not to mention your current appearance. Now, listen. I know you weren't expecting a stranger when you came here so I understand that you're a bit tense. We can't change the circumstances so let's just move forward. You both show me some trust and Kiko and I will show you some. Deal?"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment in icy silence. Tristan's gaze drifted down to Weston's hands. The man was asking for a deal, but wasn't holding a hand out to shake on it. Tristan had always been taught to shake on a deal. "If a man can't shake on it, he's most likely cheating you on the bargain." His father had always told him when teaching his son good bartering techniques.

Tristan debated on what to do. Weston was asking for the deal so he should be the one offering to shake on it, but maybe he was simply forgetting bartering etiquette, considering the current situation. This was unusual timing, late in the night, and it was obvious he'd been sound asleep before they'd rudely awakened him by banging on the back door (and scratching it a little too). It was probably a simple slip of the mind. Weston was asking for trust and a fresh start.

When black speckles suddenly returned to his vision, this motivated Tristan to make a decision. He gripped the table tighter and slowly let go of his aching torso in order to hold out his hand toward the young man. "Deal." He grunted.

Weston looked down at the dirty, bandaged, hand and a displeased look crossed his face. But for the sake of the negotiation, he shook Tristan's hand.

Tristan flinched as sharp pains stabbed through his palm, but he was determined to maintain a tough front. He could not keep his eyes from watering slightly though.

Weston quickly let go, frowning a little.

"Now that that's settled, let's discuss what I came here for." Tristan pushed, desperately wanting to appear to be the one in charge. He did not like feeling so inferior in the presence of this man who carried such a dominant demeanor. He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. The adrenaline he'd been going on for the past couple of hours seemed to be fading fast.

Weston made his way around the table to pick up the fallen chair. "I think I could guess and you wouldn't have to waste your strength telling me." He grumbled. "Now sit."

Tristan ignored the command for the moment. There were a few things he needed to get straight before they went any further. "First of all, no one is to know that I was here."

Weston rolled his eyes. "Right. That's what they all say."

Tristan gave the man a confused look. He was about to ask what he meant by that, but the rushing sound in his ears distracted him. It sounded like wind. He glanced around, wondering if a window was left open or something. Seeing the nearest window's curtains were drawn closed and showing no sign of shifting against a breeze, he dismissed the matter and pushed on. "I'm kind of…in trouble."

"That was obvious from the beginning." Weston returned, tersely.

"I need…" Tristan hesitated, gripping the table with both hands now. Suddenly he couldn't seem to think straight. "I need…" He repeated, trying to remember what he was going to say. The sound of wind grew stronger, roaring like a canyon windstorm.

"What you need is to sit down." Weston urged.

"Huh?" Tristan could barely hear the other man above the sound now. Then, as if his legs had a mind of their own, they suddenly decided to buckle beneath him.

As he went down he threw out both arms to steady himself, but one arm whacked the chair Weston had just righted only moments before. As the chair flipped back, the front edge popped up and thumped hard against his already aching ribcage.

He slumped back onto the cold, hard, floor and wrapped both arms around his middle, suddenly wishing the fall would've knocked him out completely. He squeezed his eyes shut as he concentrated, holding his breath, trying not to yell against the pain. A shadow passed over his face and he managed to crack open one eye to see who or what was above him.

"Man, you've got to breathe." Weston said calmly as he knelt down beside him. Sekani was on the other side of Tristan, pacing back and forth in agitation.

Tristan managed to let go, gasping in short and fast breaths.

"Well that's a start. Now control it. Slow, deep, breaths." Weston pried at Tristan's arms, trying to break his hold around his middle. "You're in no position to keep being so stubborn. Now let go and let me take a look."

Kiko flew over by Weston's side, ready to assist. When Weston managed to push Tristan's arms away, Kiko hovered above the young man, grabbing his shirt, vest and all, in his clawed feet, and pulled it up.
"You…know what…to do?" Tristan managed to ask between gasps.

"Most likely." Weston replied.

Sekani stopped pacing and watched intently. He could see the first sign of bruising spreading across his young human friend's left side, streaking up toward his chest. He looked up at Weston, trying to read the expression on the man's face.

"Hitting the chair shouldn't have done that much damage. How long ago did this happen?" Weston asked, pointing to the bruises. His voice remained calm, but his black brows were drawn together and Sekani couldn't tell if it was from concentration, or concern.

The deinonychus searched his limited vocabulary, trying to figure out what words to use. He grunted, unable to come up with anything.

Tristan was still gasping. "I can't—I can't." He choked. "I can't breathe…deep…like you said. Hurts…too much."

"Just take it slow. Also, do me a favor and hold still." Weston said. He pressed his fingers against the young man's bruised side.

"Owwww!"

"Well you're finding enough breath to howl like a Dire Wolf." Weston groused. He seemed to have no mercy as he moved his hands along Tristan's bruised ribcage, prodding and poking. "Now tell me when and how this happened."

"Um…" Was all Tristan managed to say. His willpower was draining rapidly. This guy acted like he had the skills of a Healer and knew what he was doing. At least he really hoped so. The man could be just torturing him a little for a bit of revenge, too—revenge for waking him up in the middle of the night and giving him trouble.

"Listen, you should've sought out help a lot sooner." Weston went on, since he wasn't getting an answer out of Tristan. "The swelling could've been kept down and then it wouldn't be as difficult for me to do this, not to mention you wouldn't be hurting quite this bad as well." He frowned as he plucked a small shard of glass from Tristan's shirt and held it up. "Man, is that a piece of glass? What have you been involved in?"

Kiko carefully took it from Weston and dropped it into a nearby waste bin.

"You trying to…kill…me?" Tristan said through clenched teeth.

Weston sighed as he pulled the boy's tattered shirt back down. "Really? Can't you tell by now that I'm trying to help you? I think I know why you came here, looking for Saoirse's services, but you should've just went on over to the infirmary instead."

"If I had wanted…to go there…I would've." Tristan argued.

"Great eruptions! You're difficult." Weston grumbled. "Now listen closely. Your raptor friend here—what was his name—Sekani, that's right. Sekani and I are going to help you back up and from this point forward you do exactly what I say and no more arguing, understand?"

"I—I—" Tristan stammered.

"Good. I'm glad we have that understanding." Weston said quickly. "Because Kiko and I have an understanding too. One snap of my fingers and he knows that I want him to show you what a nice hard, sharp, beak he has. Yup. He's got one powerful peck."

"Just don't take me to…the infirmary." Tristan said, taking a risk. "That's all I ask."

"Fine. I won't, but you have to put up with my services instead…and my price."

"And what's that?"

"I've got plenty of time to decide." Weston replied, smirking slightly.

"But—"

"No arguing, remember?" Weston interrupted. "Now quit talking and save your breath before you pass out and make things really difficult for me." He hooked a hand under Tristan's shoulder and motioned for Sekani to do the same.

"I can manage…on my own." Tristan said, stubbornly trying to resist.

"Nope." Weston replied. "At this point, if you fall again, you could damage yourself seriously. Now shut up. I don't want to hear another word out of you unless I ask you a question."

Weston nodded toward the deinonychus, signaling that he was ready. "Slow. Very slow." He said. Together they lifted and Tristan struggled to make his legs work. Once they got him to his feet, Tristan heard the rush of wind again and this time there wasn't just black speckles dancing before his eyes. A wall of solid darkness greeted him.

Weston seemed prepared for this and quickly threw his other arm out, catching Tristan as he slumped forward. Sekani grunted in surprise, and helped to hold the unconscious teenager up.

Weston groaned in frustration as he and Kiko exchanged knowing glances, accepting the fact that neither of them were going to get much more sleep that night, if any at all.