Flights of Fancy.
Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.
Chapter Twenty Eight: A dragon's tease.
Gimod woke with a yawn, while the dragon usually would not allow himself to be disturbed this early in the morning, the sun wasn't even ready to put in an appearance as of yet; Gimod knew that he had a few things to care for, one of those things was all ready making itself known by kicks and thumps on his scaly hide, it didn't hurt him, but the turtle's restlessness was a good sign to the runt wyrm. It meant that Mike was feeling too warm and wanted out from under the wing, and away from the dragon's warm body.
Gimod crooned and turned his head as he stood up ever so carefully and raised his wing ' How are you feeling?'
"What were ya trying to do cook me?" Mike asked as he gave a shake of his head, then he licked his lips, "Wait a minute speaking of cooking I'm starving."
The dragon rumbled slightly, ' We will eat later. I will bring back meat after I have cared for our fallen member, before her body starts to turn' Gimod curled his lip slightly. Dragons weren't fussy eaters they would gladly take a pile of rotting carrion as easily as they would take fresh meat from some hapless beast, but Gimod for the most part preferred to take his meat fresh, and found carrion to be rather unappealing, that plus he had learned the hard way that some carrion was baited with poison in hopes of killing off a dragon. Problem was most dragons were too large to be affected by meat that had been treated to dispose of them, however Gimod being a runt had managed to become violently ill from such bait at one time.
Mike shuddered, "Are you trying to make me lose my appetite?" he inquired.
"Like hell, nothin' can make you lose your appetite Mikey, now shut up and let the rest of us sleep" Raph groaned as he rolled over, he blinked his eyes for a moment and then it dawned on the turtle what it was he just said, and he bolted upright into a sitting position "Mike, Mikey you're all right" he cheered aloud as he got up to race towards Mike, grabbing his brother in a headlock and giving him a head rub "We were worried and..." Raph saw Leo stir, and if suddenly realizing he had a reputation to uphold quickly pushed Mike away, "What did ya think ya were doing you numbskull trying to get us all killed with that foolishness of yours?" Raph demanded gruffly, "Just try that again Mike and so help me,your shell and your ass are mine got it! I ought to kill ya myself save us some grief." He muttered.
Mike laughed, "Sure Raph but you couldn't kill me."
"Just try me" Raph threatened.
Mike grinned, "You couldn't kill me Raph. You know it as well as I do."
"I know no such thing!" Raph retorted.
"I'm the baby Raph ya gotta love me!" Mike beamed in his most charming way.
Leo chuckled, "Looks like things are back to normal" He commented as he hugged Mike close, he stepped back and stared Mike in the eye, one hand reaching out to touch his face, " Don't do that to me again!" Leo warned.
Mike knew there was so much more his brother wasn't saying, as attuned as he was to Leo he could easily pick up that which wasn't being said and he could have replied to any or all of it, but instead he kept his answer strictly to what Leo had said, "Now where would the fun be in that Leo?"
Don looked at Mike, "You have your fun we have ours Mike, and I hope you plan on behaving or else..." Don left the sentence dangling.
"Or else what Donny?" Mike pressed eagerly.
"Or else next time you break the VCR, the DVD, your computer games or any of your wonderful toys, you best not come complain to me about it." Don said calmly but with a great deal of sincerity.
Mike's eyes grew round and slightly large at the implied threat that Don would let him go without any form of entertainment, "I'll be good Don" he vowed quickly, however none of his brothers saw Mike cross his fingers behind his carapace, ' Yeah right Don you know as well as I do some persistence on my part along with the pest routine of..how does this work, oops sorry. Hey Donny what happens if I do this, is usually far more then enough incentive for Don to change his mind.' Mike told himself.
Don arched an eye ridge "Don't even think of going that pest route either Mike, you know you are banned from my room and the lab, not just by my orders but on Master Splinter's as well."
Mike huffed as he crossed his arms over his plastron, he'd forgotten about that! It wasn't his fault that he had spilled two chemicals that had caused an obnoxious, almost toxic reaction in all of them when the chemicals had mixed. Not only that but Splinter had set him back to the very basics of that sort of thing, stuff they had all learned years ago as part of their training.
Gimod turned to the back of the cave and picked up the limp form of the catafly, Marina's coat and wings still looked healthy, in fact Gimod was almost certain that he saw the hair ripple ever so slightly as if in a soft breeze, but the dragon knew that was only wishful thinking, in reality it was more likely his own breath blown over the coat that caused the illusion of life. That plus the fact the talons on the end of each finger probably caused some small movement in the hair.
' I will bury Marina and then I will come back with some meat, fish perhaps as I'll be going near the water.' Gimod informed the others, he wondered at the body as it slumped in his hand. Gimod knew enough to know most dead things grew stiff after a time. But then again Cataflys were naturally flexible and light creatures so they might not follow the normal rules that others did. Such things didn't really concern Gimod. He pushed off and left the cave.
Gimod flew back over the mountains towards the place they had first come down at when they had left the Corn meadows, it was there that seemed very similar to Marina's home, and while it wasn't quite her territory it felt fitting to let her body and spirit rest in a place that was connected in some ways to the place she was from. Gimod laid her body down near a large rock and set off to find a nice place to bury the catafly in the meadow. ' Perhaps I ought to have given Demon Wing this task, but Pegasians don't have much to dig with.' Gimod realized.
The dragon took a walk around some of the meadow craning his neck up to look for a nice spot, he could hear the sound of the water rolling up onto the land, the call of some birds overhead who were heading out to fish. There was a cool breeze and the sky was starting to have that warm glow it took on before the sun put in an appearance. It was peaceful, especially with the griffin mountains as the majestic back drop for the scene.
Gimod found a grassy hill, that was covered in bright yellow and blue flowers, he dug his toes into the grass and found soft earth under his feet, meaning easy digging. 'This is good enough I think' Gimod determined then and there. It didn't take long for the dragon to dig a hole about three feet down and two feet wide, which he felt was adequate enough for burying a catafly. By the time the digging was done the sun was starting to climb up and show itself.
Gimod let out a small tendril of smoke, as he turned back to get Marina's body, he neared the rock and he saw the flat patch of meadow grass where her body laid, yet it wasn't there now. Gimod sat back on his haunches, then slowly circled the entire rock but there was not hide nor hair of the catafly. He lowered his nose to the grass and inhaled, picking up the scent of her body, but there was no scent of it going off elsewhere either.
A loud rumble came from the depth of Gimod's throat, he knew without a doubt that Marina had been here. But now she was not!
Gimod let loose an angry roar, 'If some one is playing some sort of game with me they will live to regret it' He vowed to himself, ' She did not get up and fly away and walk off. Some one or something had to have taken her.' Gimod's furrowed his ridges, he could not recall anything entering the meadow, at least nothing that would make off with the corpse of a catafly. The dragon didn't care for games, especially ones played upon himself. He let loose a large burst of flame into the sky and thumped his tail, throwing up a large clump of grass and dirt.
This was beyond ridiculous, bodies didn't just disappear, at least not Catafly bodies, a dragon or a unicorn who had strong magic might disappear on death, not because they just vanished into a void rather a magician or sorceress, or some one of that kind would use such things in their magic potions and spells. But Gimod could not think of any magic that used Catafly or even a part of a catafly. Still mixing up such spells was not the dragons specialty. So it was possible that perhaps some person had taken the Catafly.
Gimod shook his head wondering if he should just hunt for food for everyone or if he should continue looking for the missing Catafly. He silently fumed as he debated his options, and then he decided that he would hunt while searching the meadow, just in case he could find the perpetrator. Besides at this point the dragon was in the right sort of mood to want to rip something up, and fish just wasn't going cut it; No this time, he would have red meat.
Gimod took flight and circled the meadow, while doing so he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but he did spot a herd of Ramda. Ramda were mountain creatures, though they didn't range as high into the mountains as the wooly backs did, they had a horse's body, but with deer like head and antlers, they had deer hooves too making it easier for them to handle the mountain paths, they had a horse tale and mane. Gimod rumbled as he spotted a large buck.
The dragon folded his wings and dived instantly, the herd scrambled breaking for the mountains and possible safety within the rocks and crevasses that could be found in that area. Gimod was expecting that and he moved with the scattering herd. The Buck, he had singled out whirled around bugling loudly, and shaking the antlers on his head, Gimod struck with his head acting as if he was going to bite hard, and the antlers aimed for his gaping mouth. Gimod plunged his hind legs into the Ramda's back end, using his talons to rip the flesh and hide of the animal. The Ramda bleated in pain, and Gimod's mouth came in for a quick kill.
Gimod with his muzzle marred with blood and his tongue flickering, leapt for the air, to make yet another kill, before all the ramda dispersed he didn't bother picking and choosing this time just grabbed whatever he could get, it turned out to be about a three year old male.
Gimod took his second prize and flew towards the first Ramda, but he notice something had all ready moved in on his prey. ' Oh they think the can mess with my food do they? We'll just see about that' Gimod hissed in fury and spat a wad of venom at the hairy lump that was feasting on his ramda.
The animal sprang into the air and flew at the dragon, it was a small animal about the size of a kitten, green and white colouring and it howled at Gimod " Just what do you think you are doing wyrm trying to steal another of my lives from me? Haven't I died enough since getting messed up with you and the rest of those nitwits? I ought to scratch you for that!"
'Marina? You are alive? But how?' a perplexed dragon wondered.
"One life might be good for a dragon or a unicorn , but we cataflys have more then that you know, and really I wasn't going eat that much of the Ramda and I see you got another so I don't see why you can't share." Marina scolded while flicking her tail in irritation.
'We can share and there will still be food for the toshe.' Gimod assured her, rumbling a bit in pleasure.
XXX
Marina insisted she wasn't up to a long flight so settled herself on Gimod's back for the trip back, Raph was keeping watch and he called to the others "Gimod's back, looks like he brought some food for some of us." He looked at the equines, " Not so sure you lot would want it though."
Symbia shuddered, "I am a vegetarian." She replied with a curled lip as she came forward, "Wait what is, why it's a catafly and it looks like Marina!" Symbia gasped as she saw the catafly fly off Gimod's back.
Marina flew right to Don and settled onto his shoulder's rubbing and bunting her face on his cheek, while tickling her bushy tail near his mouth "Did you miss me?"
Raph rolled his eyes "There goes the peace and quiet." He muttered.
Mike laughed and began to sing some song "The cat came back the very next day, the cat came back. They thought he was a goner but the cat came back he just couldn't stay away."
"Shuddup Mikey or I'll thump ya." Raph threatened.
" I guess it is true that cat's have nine lives." Mike gloated cheerfully.
"Actually nine lives isn't enough for a catafly we have nine hundred and nine lives," Marina boasted.
Shanza snorted and pawed the ground, 'If that is so Marina why didn't you waken before hand?'
Don nodded " By all standards one would think you would have woken at least in the first twenty four hours." He agreed as he spat out cat hair.
Marina craned her head around to stare in Don's eyes " You really want to know?" she purred.
"Well I'm curious about it" Don confessed.
"Curiosity killed the cat, information brought it back" Marina laughed, " If you have a little cat nip I might be willing to settle your curiosity. Catafly's don't give anything for free you know."
"I'll give you a pinch for the info, and a pinch for returning." Don stated.
Marina squeezed her eyes to mere slits, "I suppose that will do," She acknowledged, " Now the truth is, that Catafly's often die, it is true, and sometimes they don't get a chance to come back because some scavenger, low life sort. You know like canines are." Marina sniffed and glanced at the toshe, "Will decide to eat them, but if a catafly's body is left unmolested and it feels the morning sun, and hears the gentle breeze calling, and the smell of fish, or fresh food is carried by the morning winds, then a catafly will wake as if it had only been asleep and start a new life." She concluded.
Demon Wing shook his mane, "That is good to know at least we know what to do if the worst happens for you again."
"Yeah tear her to bits and bury her in the dirt and rocks." Traba barked hopefully.
Marina flicked her tail and gave the toshe a superior look "No wonder cur, like you only have one life, that is a waste as it is."
Traba coiled up ready to spring, but Symbia stepped between them, "Enough we still have a long way to go, and we need to start working together as a team, no matter what our differences are we must keep in mind that the fate of Necron is in our hands." She declared.
' Symbia is right there is more dangers to face and soon, very soon now the wizards will be casting the second spell.' Shanza sighed and shook at the thought, while Demon stepped up to her side, covering her with one wing and nuzzling her affectionately.
Leo nodded, "It is good to be together but we aren't through this yet, and we need to be committed to each other if we are going see this through."
Don stood straight, "We are with you Leo, as well as with Shanza, Demon and Symbia."
"My pack has always served in times of need. We are not going forget our vow now, you know you can trust the word of a toshe." Lobo rolled one eye towards Marina. "For we never make a promise we don't intend to keep."
Gimod craned his head up ' Am I not the first of the honourable wyrms? Have I not helped you even when it pitted me against my own kind?'
Shanza reared and lightly tapped the dragon on his scaly hide, ' I have never regretted taking you in and accepting you in spite of all I was told.'
They turned to Marina who shrugged, "What do you want from me loyalty?" She asked as her eyes grew large and round, " I will be as dependable as I desire until I decide I have enough. Loyalty is a dog's department after all." She retorted sweetly.
Shanza snorted in amusement 'Looks like we are a team until fate steps in, and that is always the way.' She remarked wisely.
TBC