Page 5

5

Lyric

L yrican and I flew from Tsu’s offices and toward the distant forests. Even with Lyrican’s lingering pain, we moved quickly. He was still the fastest dragon in the world.

Technically, I supposed we were running away. When shifted, he had autonomy. He could decline an examination, or to fly. He had free will just as I did as a human.

I knew where we were headed. Back to the roost. It was Lyrican’s favorite place, and I'd admit that roost was in a beautiful, secluded area.

When we reached the nest, built within the bends and angles of one of the lushest trees we could find, we landed gracefully. We had spent years building it, modifying it, and making it strong. It was a flat-ish platform made of woven branches and abandoned logs. It measured thirty by thirty feet. Over time, we had brought things to the nest to make it comfortable. Blankets. Metal food storage boxes. We’d constructed a lean-to like shelter for me when I wanted to take my human shape. The canopy of other trees also protected us from most of the weather, though my dragon did not feel the cold or the heat the way my human skin did.

Lyrican was not only a fast flier, but he was also graceful. He landed smoothly without upsetting any of our collected things. He furled his wings and immediately hunched down into the soft springiness of our roost. He bowed his head and turned his snout beneath one of his wings.

A weariness passed through us. It was as if we had just finished a race and hadn't taken any breaks. I hadn't realized how tired my dragon was. Not just physically, but mentally. He was a sensitive beast, not talkative, seeking peace whenever he could.

It was still light out, but we fell into a deep sleep.

The next thing I knew, we were startled awake by a human screaming. Lyrican swung his head up, crawled over to the edge of our platform and looked down.

At first we saw nothing. Then there was the sound of wings.

Looking up, we saw a huge dragon circling overhead. It didn't look like he had spotted us yet. Suddenly, he went into a deep dive. He crashed through the tops of trees about fifty feet from us.

More screams came from down below.

Lyrican lifted his head and sniffed at the air. Omega. The scent was strong. Was this dragon hunting a human? Out here in the deep dark woods Lyrican called home?

Omega in danger. Hurt. I will defend.

Before I could create any mental response, he jumped off the edge of our roost. I thought he would fly down through the branches toward the omega, who had come into a clearing. We could see him now, running naked through brambles, scared to death.

To my surprise, Lyrican headed in the direction of the big dragon.

Lyrican, what are you doing?

Of course he didn't answer, and I felt as if I was hanging on for dear life as he charged the other dragon who was clearly in a frenzy.

We took the stranger by surprise, catching him with our claws as he dived through the trees.

He whirled around, the whites of his eyes showing, fangs bared. A fireball swept over us but Lyrican’s armor deflected it.

The two of us immediately locked in a tangle of claws, scales and wings.

One moment, my dragon had been fast asleep, and the next moment adrenaline pumped through his system, and we were in a fight.

We turned and turned as we fell through the thick foliage. The ground bumped hard. We landed on our side against one wing.

The other dragon let out a huge roar of anger as he hit. I smelled the omega close by.

Lyrican huffed as he righted himself, backing off. We kept the bigger dragon in view as it took longer to recover. But out of the corner of our eye we saw the human dart behind us. The young man knew instantly that we were now his protector.

The big dragon lunged forward. Lyrican snapped and spit fire, turning to whip his tail toward the other animal as he showered us in flame and embers. It was useless. Fire was not a weapon dragons used on other dragons efficiently.

Lyrican placed himself directly into the fire burst to protect the omega who was hiding behind us. The stranger lunged and we grappled again. Amidst the gnashing of teeth and scraping of claws, I still kept most of my clarity. I wondered why the omega didn't take the opportunity at this moment to shift and fly away. Was he injured?

It didn't matter. Lyrican and I had decided once we heard the omega’s screams that he was now ours to guard. It was pure instinct. As if the omega was ours and we'd already claimed him.

It was a strange feeling to share this instinct, this truth. Omegas were so rare in our country that the only ones we'd ever known were either relatives or the mates of others we were acquainted with.

In the old days, dragons fought to the death over omegas. But these were modern times. We weren't fighting to stake a claim. Simply, this omega was in danger and instinct demanded we defend him.

Lyrican and the interloper were on hind legs now, scratching and biting at more vulnerable areas of the underbelly and joints where scales didn't completely cover the area. Pain ebbed and flowed, but like a distant annoyance that didn't interfere with the mission at hand.

Wings flapped. We rose up through the trees bringing the other dragon with us. With no time to look down to see if the omega was safe, we thrashed through the trees to get to a clearer space. Air fighting was easier for big beasts. But it was also more dangerous. If a wing became damaged or broken, a fall could spell the end.

Soon we were above the treetops. Lyrican let out a fierce roar the likes of which I'd never heard before. He lashed and stabbed with a quickness and strength I'd never known he possessed. The other dragon, though bigger, was more awkward, heavy. He couldn't dodge Lyrican’s speed and precision. He turned his back on us using his tail as his primary force.

Lyrican was too quick to get hit.

What a fighter my beast was. Impressive. I'd always been proud of him, his speed, his stamina. We had made a career of athleticism. But he'd always been so quiet, the more peaceful of the two of us. He'd rarely shown any aggression in his nature except whatever energy was needed to push himself to win our races. Fighting was something I never considered he would also be good at.

Our opponent let out a cry of pain and I saw red ruby drops fly through the air. Lyrican had hit him in a vulnerable spot. Now he was injured.

I wanted to shout our victory. But we hadn't quite won yet.

The bigger dragon was angered even more. His roar echoed through the forest as he shot fireball after fireball in rapid succession directly at us. The tops of the trees sizzled from the aftermath.

Lyrican was not deterred. He kept clawing, positioning his body in the air so that it was underneath the bigger dragon. From there he could deliver more serious blows.

More cries of pain followed. They did not come from us.

Finally, the bigger dragon let out another wild, feral yell and swiftly flew off. Within seconds, he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't trust that he was out of the area. Not yet. But our biggest, most immediate, concern was the omega.

Lyrican shot down through the trees to the clearing. It was empty.

He landed gracefully, flapping his wings, making dirt and leaves fly up. He swung his head back and forth, nostrils flaring, sniffing for that omega scent. There was a feeling deep inside both of us I'd never felt before. A protective longing that clouded our vision. It was all-encompassing, surpassing the altruism of saving another who was in danger. I wanted to see this omega up close. Touch him. Make sure he didn't suffer, that his wounds were not severe. Lyrican shared my every thought.

Together, he and I sniffed the foliage until we found him. It wasn’t difficult.

Lyrican, having no humility, poked his snout right under a bush until he nudged the soft human skin.

The bush emitted a loud squeak. Then human words followed.

“Thank you for chasing Coltan away. Please don’t hurt me.”

His breaths came fast after each word. His voice shook.

Lyrican let out a tiny sound I’d never heard him make. Like a high-pitched groan followed by a quick purr. A warmth passed through us. A sensation of affection.

He took his snout away from the bush and the omega crawled out on his stomach, then stood up, still quivering, body covered in dirt and twigs.

Favoring his left ankle, he began to brush away the debris, revealing a body with almost no hair, narrow at the hips, young and lean. He had shiny black hair, long and trailing in his eyes. From beneath those tangled bangs, two intense blue eyes stared out.

“He wants to kill me,” the omega said, wiping at his face. “He’ll be coming back.”

Lyrican made that strange sound again. I wanted to talk to this young man so badly, but Lyrican didn’t want to shift. He wanted to remain in his form and admire the omega he’d just defended.

“If I shift now and try to get away, he’ll find me for sure. Besides, I’m lost.”

Lyrican didn’t even hesitate. He stretched out his front arm and clasped the omega, gently putting his claws around the vulnerable body, and lifted him up.

The omega gave a startled yell as we flew up into the trees. Lyrican landed in our roost, setting the omega gently down as if to say, You’re safe here.

“Oh, wow. You have a roost.” He was still quivering, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. “Out here? In the middle of nowhere?”

Let me shift. Let me talk to him.

Lyrican sat back, his tail twitching over the side of our platform. He purred softly again. A vocal intonation I never knew he could make. When dragons spoke out loud, calling back and forth to each other while flying, it was more of a whale sound with pitch changes and clicks. This was something altogether new.

Let me shift. I’ll find out where he wants to go, and we can get him there. Get help for him.

Mine. Omega. Ours

Ours? I asked . No. He’s not ours. He’s in need of our help.

“Maybe if you could just drop me at the nearest town, I could find help. I have a restraining order, but Coltan doesn’t care about those, and Colt isn’t going to stop his dragon.”

Lyrican wouldn’t budge. The warm, possessive affection came over us again, like a burn in the blood. He reached out slowly with one arm, claw extended, and touched the omega gently on the cheek.

Lyrican, stop!

“You have to understand. He will kill you if he comes back and finds me here. He’ll probably kill us both. I’m grateful for your help, but I don’t want to put you in any more danger. I’ll just shift now and try to get away myself. If you could point me in the direction of a town?”

This man was in no condition to fly. His skin looked scraped and bruised in dozens of places. He was limping. He was still shivering, despite the heat. I needed to get him wrapped in a blanket in case he was in shock.

If he’s in shock. I can help him. Let me shift and get a blanket over him and some soup into him. Then you can shift back and protect him until he’s well enough to fly.

I had canned foods, bottled water, and a little stove. And coffee. Even while shifted, I still craved coffee. Sometimes I made the fish Lyrican caught into soup, then remained in human form to eat it.

The man rocked sideways, hugging himself.

He’s going to fall down.

Lyrican lifted a paw toward him.

Let me shift!

Lyrican let his foot drop, claws retracting. His head bowed. My own thoughts became clearer. I stepped forward and my dragon form receded.

The omega lifted his head and stared.

“My name is Lyric,” I said. And held out my hand.