Sionnach (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I can think of a few little ones tha' we all struggled with at tha' stage," Sam murmured with a little chuckle. They made short work of the basic stitching and punching, before Sam took up the leather pieces and carried them away to Yul's wood shop where he could dye them and hang them up to dry.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Schaller." Fiona said, glancing at Sveri as the elder dragon helped her to trap and hold the little dragon. "Now, little one, we're going to get a proper look at you."

She looked over her scales and teeth, checking her eyes and wings for reflexes. Sveri growled and groaned, complaining loudly as she was held still. She looked constantly up at her mother as if to get help from the other elder dragon.

"I feel like she's not meant to be ridden." Fiona said softly as she calmly went about her business. "She's delicate. Much thinner than Rikke was at this age."

 

[KieranSoares]

"That doesn't surprise me with her rough start," Dzana murmured. "It'll take time for her to catch up. Her father was a slender water dragon, so she was always going to be more petite."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Go on. Run free." Fiona said as Schaller released Sveri and the little dragon ran into her mother's arms, burrowing there away from Fiona's gaze. "We'll keep her safe to thrive and decide what she wants to do for herself."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She'll be picking up words soon," Dzana murmured, shifting slightly to fold her arms so Sveri could hide if she liked. "And once that starts, she'll be speaking fluently in a couple of years. I imagine with all of you around, she'll be picking up multiple languages." She glanced toward Schaller then. "And I would like you to teach her German if you insist on hanging around, Gylhyr. She ought to know many languages so no one can hide intentions from her. Make yourself useful."

While Dzana often tried to sound cool and callous about Schaller, it had become clear over time that such comments were actually thinly-veiled dry humor. Schaller seemed to know and smiled lightly. "As if giving you breaks and looking after her while you're busy isn't 'useful' enough."

"You heard me." Dzana huffed in faked indignance as Sveri popped out, forgetting that she was hiding when she noticed a rabbit in the distance. The little dragon took off at top speed and both adults watched as she tried to hide in the tall grass. When the rabbit fled, Sveri pounced clumsily and tumbled, watching her intended target disappear into the woods.

"She'll be flying and hunting soon too. Gods help us," Dzana grumbled, though it was a weak facade over the pride and gladness she felt at seeing Sveri thrive. She was the only child Dzana knew for certain she had left. Any others were long disappeared or killed.

"Gods help all of us with all the young dragons about," Schaller added but gave Fiona a smile knowing it was her work and her Riders who'd made sure there was space for not only the adults but the recent increase in eggs and fledglings. And before long, Invah and Gaiann's would be joining.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You both better watch out. I might think that you like one another." Fiona said with a smile at both dragons. "I better go help Sam. If not, he'll get drawn into help Yul with his newest project and I won't see him for days."

"I promised you that your child would have every advantage that we could give to her. I won't go back on my promises to dragons or humans." Fiona said as she looked up at Dzana. "I mean it with my entire being too."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I have no reason to doubt that sentiment anymore," Dzana assured Fiona with a small nod. "And I will do my best to look after your husband while we are partners and beyond."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona chuckled and left the dragons alone, going to find Sam and save him from whatever task he was being set to by her uncle. Across the village in their ger, Riley woke after a fitful slumber. Andre was curled around her, his chest under her cheek. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"I'm mad at myself." She said softly. "I couldn't find him."

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre's arms settled around her, waking from quiet daydreaming. He'd been awake for a while, comforting her in her sleep. "I don't think that's something anyone can be blamed for, Ri," he murmured in return. "You tried. You were gone a long time."

 

[heartofcourage]

“But it doesn’t mean that I have to accept the outcome. In fact, as soon as I get breakfast, I’m going back out there.” She muttered. “We were close to him but they were just beyond our reach. Maybe I can get lucky this time.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"They have a whole night on you now, Ri. You're not going to catch up if they're headed for Spain or Western Europe," he reminded quietly. "They probably pushed on through the night worried you were on their trail."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then I failed." She said softly. "And that is hard to swallow. I don't like to fail in anything."

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes again, letting Andre try his hardest to comfort her. "It doesn't make this situation any easier."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know... But throwing yourself at a wall won't change that. There are other things to be done and better ways to move forward. They caught us off-guard and we couldn't react fast enough. Now we plan and use our resources. You can bet Kell has his people working on this and once he figures out where we need to go, you'll have a chance to join in the rescue."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley huffed and turned her head to look up at him. "Marth is probably still wrecked today. I pushed him hard. We can either take the drakes and get lost or you can spend all day ravishing me to help me forget."

She gave him a small smile, showing that she wasn't going to wallow in self pity as she nuzzled against her mate and simply existed for a long moment.

As Fiona helped Sam with his new tack, a small group joined them, made up of her most senior riders. An impromptu gathering led to a discussion of what would happen next as Fiona sat beside Sam as he continued to dutifully work on his leather.

"I think my position has always been known. I would burn a city down if I were allowed. However, cooler heads always remind me that this isn't the way that we operate." Fiona said to the others gathered, knowing that some shared her sentiments and others didn't. "If we knew where Tuck was, I would fly in there without hesitation and get him back."

Leaning back, she crossed her arms and considered those that were with her. "I don't want a war. I think that's the last thing that any of us want. My entire married life, we've been at war. My entire life as a mother, we've been at war. Our dragons are tired, we're tired, our resources are stretched thin. And that's what they want. They want us to grow so tired of this that we give up."

She knew the moment when Sam had paused as she said out loud the things that they had only discussed in the dark, away from others and certainly not in front of the other riders.