Slowly and gradually, Sam could feel her senses returning to her. The first thing she noticed was the taste of blood. It was dry and bitter, like the remnants of a bad dream. Then she was met by the wind brushing against her body, cold and unforgiving. She tried to move, but she was being restrained; she moved her arm, and it brushed against a cold, rough surface. Most of her body was laying nearly flat against a somewhat vertical surface, held in place by something large and unmoving. The wind began to howl in her ears. She turned her head toward the vertical surface, shielding herself against the frigid assault. Then, she noticed a different sound; a slow, dull, rhythmic thumping, coming from somewhere beneath the freezing surface to which she clung. It was a very familiar sound, a sound she knew all her life, she came to realize. Among all these other sensations, it was warm and welcoming.
She slowly opened her eyes, her vision somewhat pervaded by a yellow light. Colors and shapes then began to flow into focus. The first shape she recognized was that of Tuck, who lay beside her, also being held up against the vertical surface. His eyes were closed, and he did not move; however, Sam could tell he was still alive by how his breath turned to steam as it left his mouth, due to the surrounding temperature. She looked down at what was holding them up. Whatever it was, it was large and white, branching out in a few places, and it gently held them close to the vertical surface as though it were fashioned for that purpose.
She looked out over the white object, and it was then that she noticed that they were traveling at a high speed, hundreds of feet above the ground. The roofs of buildings flew past underneath them. Down below, the streets were empty.
Seeing the city from this perspective jogged her memory. She looked up; Danny's long dragon neck stretched out before him, his eyes turned forward. His arms crossed over in front of him, holding Sam and Tuck against his chest. Finding herself in Danny's presence, Sam moved her free arm, letting it drape over the wrist of the hand that pressed slightly against her back, embracing it for comfort. She lay back against his support, closing her eyes.
She opened them again soon afterwards, feeling a drop in altitude. She looked down again, watching as the ground slowly rose up to meet them. Danny was coming in for a landing in front of a large important-looking building; Sam recognized it as the city courthouse. The front part of the building was designed to resemble a Roman forum, with tall columns supporting a decorated frieze on the front face, leading down to a wide set of stone steps below. She watched as Danny put his feet out before him to land, then after touching down, got down into a kneeling position. His back arched, and he leaned forward, apparently staying in balance using his tail. When he finally became still, Sam was able to notice how ragged and labored his breathing was. She turned to look toward his face.
"Danny... Are you all right?"
He closed his mouth, swallowed, opened his mouth again to breathe, then arched his neck to look at Sam.
"I think so... 'S just... Tired..."
Sam sympathized; from what all had gone on since the last time Danny was able to rest, he should be exhausted. She knew that he was probably really set on getting her and Tuck to the nearest hospital as soon as possible, but still, he shouldn't be so determined that he risk collapsing from overexertion.
"I'm sorry... but... I had to stop..."
"It's OK, Danny... You just rest for a moment. You need it."
Sam was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by a sound in the distance, a sound that resembled muffled firecrackers going off. She looked in the direction of the sound, behind them and near the upper floors of the buildings, but saw nothing. Danny had apparently heard it as well, and he turned his head to look.
He then gave a shout as he felt several miniscule yet painful stabs in his thigh and lower back. Sam could hear the sound of the small missiles riddling his scaly flesh, going right through his uniform as though it offered no resistance. She twisted around to look, grabbing Danny's arm for support as he stumbled forward, reacting to the pain in his leg. She could see several small metal cylinders sticking out of his skin, some with a bit of flourescent pink fur attached to the ends.
"What... Oh, no..."
Danny also spotted the tranquilizer darts that were stabbed into his body. He began to attempt to pull one arm free so that he could reach down and try to remove the darts, but at the same time he feared the risk of accidentally dropping Sam or Tuck. Before he could come to a compromise, however, he began to lose feeling in his leg. The numbness soon spread to his other leg, and soon after that, he had lost all feeling in his tail.
"Guys... I can't... stand up!"
His legs buckled underneath him as though he had lost total control over them. No longer able to use his tail for balance, his center of gravity rapidly shifted, and he began to fall forward. Quickly, he pulled one arm across his chest, holding Sam and Tuck close against him, then swung his free arm out, straightened the joints, then slammed his hand down against the sidewalk underneath him. Cracks appeared in the concrete, radiating out from underneath his hand.
Sam heard a shrill cry from nearby; Tuck had woke from the pain in his leg, his weight having been suddenly shifted in Danny's embrace.
Danny's lower body lay limp on the ground. Feeling the effects of the drug spreading up his spinal chord, he began to feel an encroaching sense of despair; his arm began to shiver as his strength drained away. His wings fell down against his back, and soon, his arm had become as dead to him as the rest of his limbs.
"Guys... I'm sorry..."
He fell to the side, crashing down on his back on the stone steps of the courthouse. Tuck cried out again as the resulting shock jarred his broken bones. Still held in place against Danny's chest, he and Sam found themselves on top of Danny; his neck curved toward the street, his head resting on its side at the base of the steps. His free arm lay out on the steps, perpendicular to his body, the palm of his clawed hand facing up. Still held down by the weight of his arm, Sam pushed herself up on her arms, her eyes locked on Danny's face.
"...Danny...?"
His eyes were shut, yet his expression was tense; he fought against the effects of the tranquilizer, trying his best to stay conscious. He bared his teeth, as though attempting to frighten it away. However, this was a battle he could not win. Within the space of a few seconds, it was over; his lips slid back over his teeth, his brows unfurrowed, his expression changed to that of quiet placidity. He became eerily still.
"...Danny...?"
He did not respond. Tears began to form in Sam's eyes.
"...Danny!!!"
He remained silent and still.
Sam's subsequent cries for Danny to awaken were suddenly drowned out by the sound of sirens. She and Tuck looked around; they soon found themselves surrounded by just about every type of emergency vehicle the city had control over. Police cars formed a semicircle around Danny, with officers flooding out and taking cover behind their cars. Fire trucks lined the opposite side of the street, firemen climbing out of their vehicles, carrying axes. Military trucks soon filled in any empty space, the soldiers filing out with their weapons, moving into defensive formations. A few military helicopters hovered overhead, the sound of the whirling blades deafening. Anyone with a gun had it aimed at Danny.
Sam and Tuck looked out over the scene that had surrounded them in less than the space of a few minutes. Without having to say a word to each other, both personally agreed that their problems were far from over.
She slowly opened her eyes, her vision somewhat pervaded by a yellow light. Colors and shapes then began to flow into focus. The first shape she recognized was that of Tuck, who lay beside her, also being held up against the vertical surface. His eyes were closed, and he did not move; however, Sam could tell he was still alive by how his breath turned to steam as it left his mouth, due to the surrounding temperature. She looked down at what was holding them up. Whatever it was, it was large and white, branching out in a few places, and it gently held them close to the vertical surface as though it were fashioned for that purpose.
She looked out over the white object, and it was then that she noticed that they were traveling at a high speed, hundreds of feet above the ground. The roofs of buildings flew past underneath them. Down below, the streets were empty.
Seeing the city from this perspective jogged her memory. She looked up; Danny's long dragon neck stretched out before him, his eyes turned forward. His arms crossed over in front of him, holding Sam and Tuck against his chest. Finding herself in Danny's presence, Sam moved her free arm, letting it drape over the wrist of the hand that pressed slightly against her back, embracing it for comfort. She lay back against his support, closing her eyes.
She opened them again soon afterwards, feeling a drop in altitude. She looked down again, watching as the ground slowly rose up to meet them. Danny was coming in for a landing in front of a large important-looking building; Sam recognized it as the city courthouse. The front part of the building was designed to resemble a Roman forum, with tall columns supporting a decorated frieze on the front face, leading down to a wide set of stone steps below. She watched as Danny put his feet out before him to land, then after touching down, got down into a kneeling position. His back arched, and he leaned forward, apparently staying in balance using his tail. When he finally became still, Sam was able to notice how ragged and labored his breathing was. She turned to look toward his face.
"Danny... Are you all right?"
He closed his mouth, swallowed, opened his mouth again to breathe, then arched his neck to look at Sam.
"I think so... 'S just... Tired..."
Sam sympathized; from what all had gone on since the last time Danny was able to rest, he should be exhausted. She knew that he was probably really set on getting her and Tuck to the nearest hospital as soon as possible, but still, he shouldn't be so determined that he risk collapsing from overexertion.
"I'm sorry... but... I had to stop..."
"It's OK, Danny... You just rest for a moment. You need it."
Sam was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by a sound in the distance, a sound that resembled muffled firecrackers going off. She looked in the direction of the sound, behind them and near the upper floors of the buildings, but saw nothing. Danny had apparently heard it as well, and he turned his head to look.
He then gave a shout as he felt several miniscule yet painful stabs in his thigh and lower back. Sam could hear the sound of the small missiles riddling his scaly flesh, going right through his uniform as though it offered no resistance. She twisted around to look, grabbing Danny's arm for support as he stumbled forward, reacting to the pain in his leg. She could see several small metal cylinders sticking out of his skin, some with a bit of flourescent pink fur attached to the ends.
"What... Oh, no..."
Danny also spotted the tranquilizer darts that were stabbed into his body. He began to attempt to pull one arm free so that he could reach down and try to remove the darts, but at the same time he feared the risk of accidentally dropping Sam or Tuck. Before he could come to a compromise, however, he began to lose feeling in his leg. The numbness soon spread to his other leg, and soon after that, he had lost all feeling in his tail.
"Guys... I can't... stand up!"
His legs buckled underneath him as though he had lost total control over them. No longer able to use his tail for balance, his center of gravity rapidly shifted, and he began to fall forward. Quickly, he pulled one arm across his chest, holding Sam and Tuck close against him, then swung his free arm out, straightened the joints, then slammed his hand down against the sidewalk underneath him. Cracks appeared in the concrete, radiating out from underneath his hand.
Sam heard a shrill cry from nearby; Tuck had woke from the pain in his leg, his weight having been suddenly shifted in Danny's embrace.
Danny's lower body lay limp on the ground. Feeling the effects of the drug spreading up his spinal chord, he began to feel an encroaching sense of despair; his arm began to shiver as his strength drained away. His wings fell down against his back, and soon, his arm had become as dead to him as the rest of his limbs.
"Guys... I'm sorry..."
He fell to the side, crashing down on his back on the stone steps of the courthouse. Tuck cried out again as the resulting shock jarred his broken bones. Still held in place against Danny's chest, he and Sam found themselves on top of Danny; his neck curved toward the street, his head resting on its side at the base of the steps. His free arm lay out on the steps, perpendicular to his body, the palm of his clawed hand facing up. Still held down by the weight of his arm, Sam pushed herself up on her arms, her eyes locked on Danny's face.
"...Danny...?"
His eyes were shut, yet his expression was tense; he fought against the effects of the tranquilizer, trying his best to stay conscious. He bared his teeth, as though attempting to frighten it away. However, this was a battle he could not win. Within the space of a few seconds, it was over; his lips slid back over his teeth, his brows unfurrowed, his expression changed to that of quiet placidity. He became eerily still.
"...Danny...?"
He did not respond. Tears began to form in Sam's eyes.
"...Danny!!!"
He remained silent and still.
Sam's subsequent cries for Danny to awaken were suddenly drowned out by the sound of sirens. She and Tuck looked around; they soon found themselves surrounded by just about every type of emergency vehicle the city had control over. Police cars formed a semicircle around Danny, with officers flooding out and taking cover behind their cars. Fire trucks lined the opposite side of the street, firemen climbing out of their vehicles, carrying axes. Military trucks soon filled in any empty space, the soldiers filing out with their weapons, moving into defensive formations. A few military helicopters hovered overhead, the sound of the whirling blades deafening. Anyone with a gun had it aimed at Danny.
Sam and Tuck looked out over the scene that had surrounded them in less than the space of a few minutes. Without having to say a word to each other, both personally agreed that their problems were far from over.