FADE IN. EXT. SMALL VILLAGE, NOON. People a milling about in heavy winter coats, doing domestic winter duties. A man is carrying wood up to his house, children are having a snowball fight. It is all very calm and peaceful. A noise something grinding metal is heard from somewhere outside the village. The people look up. The sound gets closer and the ground begins to shudder like the beating of a huge metal heart. The children stop throwing snowballs and a few wander out to see what is making the noise. The walker storms into view kicking up clouds of powdery snow. The man with the wood drops what he was carrying, runs out and pulls back on of the children who had gotten dangerously close to the incoming stormwalker. The walker comes to a grinding halt and ALEK pulls back on the saunters. Stillness ensues as the inhabitants of the village cautiously watch the metal machine. The bottom hatch swings open and DERYN practically falls out, in her attempt to get out.

DERYN

Is there a doctor? We need a doctor!

The villagers looks at her, confused.

DERYN

Oh, right. We're in Austria. Ist ein Arzt hier?

(Is there a doctor here?)

ALEK(climbing out of the hatch supporting NEWKIRK)

Deryn! A little help here?! (Deryn runs to help. When they are

safely on the ground, he turns to the crowd) Wir haben einen

Mann schwer verletzt. Wir brauchen einen Arzt. (We have a

seriously injured man. We need a doctor.)

CUT TO outside a small house. The sun is now setting. DRACO is romping in the snow, while the village children dash around it, tossing snowballs for the dragon the catch in its mouth. DERYN and ALEK are sitting on a makeshift bench of piled up wood, with BOVRIL sitting on the ground. DERYN is uncharacteristically nervously fidgeting. ALEK notices the and places his hand over hers. She looks at him and he sees the raw worry in her eyes.

ALEK

He'll be alright. He survived an exploding Huxley. I think he can take

a few bullets to his legs.

DERYN

You sound sodding insensitive now. The huxley wasn't bad. Newkirk

could bleed out.

ALEK

I mainly saying that on your behalf. Blaming this on yourself won't help

him, Deryn.

DERYN

Who said anything about blaming this on myself?

ALEK

Because I know you. You probably thought you could have stopped the

avalanche.

DERYN(resting her head on ALEK's shoulder)

You turn me pure dead girly, Alek.

ALEK

But a girl who would rampage halfway across a country for revenge.

DERYN scoffs. ALEK draws her in closer and they sit pressed together, sharing each other's warmth. BOVRIL, seeing the two of them sharing a moment, takes that time to leap up onto ALEK's lap and force his way between them.

BOVRIL

Cold.

DERYN

How did you survive? I mean, Newkirk said he looked all over the

barking mountain to find me. But you couldn't have fallen over

the edge.

ALEK(shrugs)

I was pushed into the trees. Newkirk must have been only looking

in the clearing.

DRACO trots happily over to where ALEK and DERYN are sitting. The dragon shakes tis wings, splattering the two of them with snow, and them flops down next to the wood pile.

DERYN

For a beast of war, it seems rather docile.

ALEK(unsure of what he is saying)

Well, I guess the egg must have been damaged in the avalanche.

DERYN(lifting her head to smirk at ALEK)

You sounded like you almost knew what you were talking about

ALEK

Your soulless Darwinism has rubbed off on me.

DERYN laughs and punches ALEK in the shoulder.

DERYN

I thought we were past all that taunting, seeing as you've switched

sides. And you've got it all wrong; it's the Clankers that have no souls.

ALEK(laughing and pulling DERYN into him)

We proved that wrong also.

The doctor walks out his door, and ALEK and DERYN pull apart so fast that ALEK stands up and trips backwards over a log.

ALEK

How is he?

The Doctor motions for the two of them to step inside the house

NEWKIRK is lying unconscious on the bed, wrapped in bandaged.

DOCTOR (in broken English)

Your friend is doing fine. He will be good as new in a few weeks.

DERYN sighs in relief and accidentally leans into ALEK, who embraces her in a one armed hug.

ALEK (whispering in her ear)

I told you everything would be fine.

DERYN

Don't gloat, bum-rag

FADE OUT.

i'm not too pleased with this chapter, but here it is anyway. i did enjoy all the fluff though.

happy readings