Dragon Bait Chapter 4
“” =spoken words
‘’ =thoughts
Chapter 4.
The trail leading down the cliff wall to the valley below was narrow, quite steep and covered with loose rocks ranging from pebbles and fist size stones. The path was far from straight as it could get, almost entirely switchbacks, that quickly wore down what little bit energy Skif’s battered body managed to produce. The near sheer drop over the side constantly pulled his eyes over as he fought to keep his mind on the tiny parlous trail in front of him and not the certain death that lay off to the side, awaiting any miss step. Skif plastered his body against the roughly cut cliff wall as he used his savaged staff to knock some of the larger rocks off the trail, to avoid tripping on them later.
It was extremely slow going. After what had, felt must be two candle marks; he was still able see the enormous mouth of the cliff merely a couple hundred feet above him. That left several thousand feet of trail left to traverse to the safety of solid ground of the valley floor. When he finally made it to one of the few sections of the trail that was somewhat wide enough and relatively flat, Skif decide to take a break before his legs gave out on him. He lowered himself down on to his sore bottom.
“Okay Skif, just rest here. Catch your breath; drink some water. You made so much progress all ready.” Skif told him, lying to himself trying to motivate himself up for another trek. The sun was rising quickly, barring its roasting rays down on the poor boy. His new clothes itched and irritated his sunburned back. The shoes that fit so well early in the cave know made his feet ache that each additional step was slowly becoming increasingly more agony then the last. The voice in his mind kept saying ‘Will never make it in time’ or ‘You are going to fall for sure.’ Skif tried did his best to try to block put it negative contributions.
After drinking most of one of his two water skins, Skif managed to get his legs beneath him and started the next switch back. As he moved, he let him mind wander to anything except the impending doom that awaited him if he should slip. ‘Why did the Dragon help me? He could have easily eaten me yesterday, or even when I dropped the rock on his head, but he had not. He had to know I was trying to escape. I mean he is more than just a beast. I mean he removed my clothes without shedding me to pieces, only a goose egg size bump on to show for it. His claws could have easily torn through my skin. Moreover, he brought me back to his lair. He even gave me light, as if he understood what I wanted. If he capable of such thoughts then he must have known, right?’
‘But if I was breakfast, why didn’t he just eat me when he had the chances? Sir Erik said he didn’t know what happened to the other lord knights. The pile in the cave contained only clothes weapons and gears not a single bone, the cave floor was spotless, and the villagers did say that no one had ever returned. If the dragon didn’t eat them, what did he do with them? The dragon could have easily swallowed all the knights and I whole, but he didn’t, he was kind and helped me… but he trapped the others? Why? Was this just some sick amusement on his part? The fun of tracing terrified prey? No, if that was his goal then why would he have bothered to help me, I would have been more terrorized trying to find my way blindly in the dark. I really don’t understand him at ALLLLHHHHHHHH!!!’
Suddenly the ground beneath his outside foot gave, nearly taking the boy with it as the loose rock chunk smashed its way down over the several other stretches of trail knocking other large chucks off. Skif scrambled to get his footing letting the staff fall from his hand as his fingers grab desperately to the rough surface of the of the cliff wall, while his feet tried to regain their footing. His mind went blank with pure terror; instinct alone drove him to back up the safety of a wider patch of trail. Skif’s ears were full of the pounding noise of his own heartbeat, his finger throb from the effort of maintaining his tight on the security of the wall and little blood cuts on his body that he wasn’t entirely aware of yet. Despite breathing deeply his lungs felt empty.
It took a couple minutes to get his heart and breathing back in control, but he could not stop himself from shaking. His savaged staff was lost to the heaven only knows where, he was only grateful that he didn’t make the journey with it. His bag was still strong across his chest; it took a lot of effort to peel his trembling left hand off the wall, to reach inside for a water skin. Despite his shaking Skif managed to get to most of the cool liquid into his mouth, easing his previously sore throat which wasn’t none too happy about all the heavy breathing going on.
When Skif was finally able to think straight he sent up a silent pray, his mother had taught, to Leesa the Goddess of fate and mercy. Skif might not rely on the gods but he always made sure to thank them for their blessings. “The Gods are very busy controlling the world, so if one takes an interested in you, always remembers to thank them or they may just over look you the next time.” His mother use to say. And though Leesa might be the Goddess of mercy she also was the goddess of mischief, and her follower always walked a tightrope with her blessings.
Next Skif took stoke of his situation. The trail down was now impassable even if he could find the courage to move forward. The trail back up seemed safer but still lead to a sleeping dragon that may or may not decide to have. Skif was trapped more so then before. For lack of a better choice, Skif made himself as comfortable as possible on his little ledge, to sore, to tried, to frighten to attempt to move.
To make matters worse a loud billowing roar blasted froth from the cave opening above, nearly causing him to slip again. It appeared the dragon had decided to finally awake. Skif just hoped that it was not upset due to its wayward breakfast.
* * * * *
A painful wave pure panic forced Kieran from his sleep, leaving him very disoriented at first. His body instantly went to attack mode, ready to defend against any attack but leaving his mind to catch up. The information was slow in coming due to his drowse mind and the chaotic nature of the message. He was not under attack. The pounding wave of panic came pouring from the mind link he had made between himself and the little carrier. The little carrier, which had been dress up as a maiden and offered up in place of a real sacrifices by yet another group of stupid knights, seemed to have managed to get himself stuck again after nearly falling to his death.
The waves of panic wade a bit as he quickly made his way towards the mouth of the cave. The metal link to Skif glowed with the boy’s internal relief when he managed to regain his footing and manage to scramble to a safer part of the trail. Kieran could feel his boy’s heart rate pound away, as if demanding that Kieran come and save him.
This is not what he had thought would happen when he gave the little carrier the glowing stone. The boy was terrified when he dropped the rock on his noise he even made the cuties panicked squeak when Kieran took the stone. He thought that giving the poor boy a little light would comfort him and get him to start him to trust him. Beside his little carrier was banged up enough as it was, stumbling around in the dark might just do him in before Kieran had a chance to mate him.
His little carrier appeared to be far more industrious then he would have given him credit for. The boy had not only managed to get the manacles of but also had managed to get clothes, bandages and locate some water skins form his boot pile. (Not that he would have been too happy if anyone else went sorting through it but even after one day it seemed perfectly fine for Skif to, because he too belonged to Kieran.) Skif had even made amazing effort at escaping not even making it the valley floor would have help now that Kieran had his scent, Kieran would never let his mate get away from him.
Through the mind link, he was able to sense that his tiny carrier was quickly tiring, causing Kieran to quicken his gate as much as possible, which wasn’t much more than a lazy walk to what he was capable in open ground. His large buckle of his dragon form worked against him as he made way through the passage, sending silent prays to the dragon lords that came before that Skif would be able to hold on until he got there.
The Blinding daylight at the mouth of the cave felt like the finish line after a long race, causing Kieran to roar with joy. Despite a frightening deadly slip when Kieran roared the boy had managed to hold on which was good because it gave Kieran time to figure out how to get him back on safe ground. Skif constant fear that he was about to be eaten made it not very likely Skif would just climb back up to him even if he had the strength. The trail was impassable now from the rockslide, which meant that Skif could not go down either. The boy was too far down for Kieran to reach down from the bluff ledge that the cave mouth sat on. That left only one option Kieran would have to go get him.
Kieran was far better at climbing up then climbing down in dragon from so he would have to fly just below the weary and terrified boy to get him, he only hoped that the boy didn’t get to tired or despite and jump. He dad always told him how human didn’t tend to fair well from falling even low highs. Trying to limit the wind jolting to Skif, he launched himself off the far side of the bluff to build up speed, snapping open his dark blue wings at the last possible turning the dive easily into a speeding rise high into the sky.
The mind link provided Kieran with his wayward carrier’s emotions as they swung from terror of Kieran appearance and unexpected dive, to relief at the signs apparent signs of Kieran leaving, to the absolute horror as Kieran latch himself with his razor-sharp dragon claws digging in deeply to the stone cliff face just below the poor boy. Despite the fact that the boy’s throat was already sore from abuse and thirst, the raspy scream felt like shard of ice stabbing deep into his sensitive dragon eardrums. Luckily, it didn’t last long as the screaming quickly dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable hoarse coughs, taxing the boy’s limited remaining strength. Kieran made his way up to the boy, as fast as he dared trying not to cause to much jolting on Skif’s sketchy hold on the rock face or make the boy fear him more than the possibility of falling thus driving him to do something stupid like maybe jump, while his newly awakening protective instincts demanded that he get to his boy as fast as possible.
When Kieran’s chest was level with the clinging Skif he slowly reached his talon hand out and gentle but firmly grabbed the boy about the torso allowing the boy to continue to cling to the wall with all his might. Kieran could easily just rip the boy off the wall and there nothing little Skif could do to stop him but Kieran wanted the boy start trusting him.
Skif gripped on for dear life, his thin fingers were white as bone except for the lifeblood escaping from the man cuts and scarps. He could not stop quivering, his voice came out meekly and very broken up with heavy coughing. “Please… Lord dragon…. just eat me ……………….or let me… go. Plea…. Please….don’t just drop …. Me.”
Kieran waited for several more minutes, holding him gentle until his coughing subsided and his tired grip gave way. Once the carrier was free from the rock face, Kieran tucked him up against his warm soft-scaled chest, holding securely as he could. Kieran began to make his way up the cliff face slowly, one-step at a time, not moving his next foot until his first foot had a secure grip.
It took longer then hit should have to get back to safety as far as Kieran was concerned. Tears streamed down his boy’s wet face on to his chest scales as he made his way back into the cave, the silent sobs of the confused and terrified boy pulled at his heart. Kieran would have given anything to be able to comfort his little one, to be able to tell him that he wasn’t on the dinner menu but Kieran precious predestine mate, whom he would die for and would never let anything happen to him again. The boy should have always been treasures, comforted and carried about least he stumble or stub one of his of so tiny toes. The mere thought of all the pain his Skif suffered over his short life, made him growl low in the back of his throat, Kieran would have to deal with the remaining Knight soon and painfully, very excruciatingly.
‘Man, those protective instincts are really kicking in strong now even after one day, no one ever said that it would be this strong we haven’t even mated yet,’ Kieran thought to himself as he made his way pass the first chamber to the second chamber, to his makeshift bed in the back chamber, still cradling Skif to his hear. Stopping briefly to breathe some hot breath on the circle of Posrothaina stones bringing light to the dark room, Kieran waded into his bed of dried grasses and leaves. Keiran placed sobbing Skif near the light but still on the bed before he plop down himself facing the boy, his talon-hands flanking his either side of the boy.
Kieran gazed down on Skif, who just lay there sobbing, curled up in a ball clutching his bad for dear life. Skif didn’t even make the effort to run away, he didn’t even move beyond the shacking of his desperate sobs
Kieran could not help but open the mind link more; he need to know what was going on that little head. Skif was the most confused he had been in his entire life. Why wasn’t the beast just eating him? Why was he being so kind, coming just when Skif need to be saved the most? Was he just playing some sick game with his food? Get Skif to accept him and even trust him, than just march down the beast throat of his own free will. Such cruelty would not new to Skif, the knights would often promise to give him a share of something special that Skif would have to work to get and then when the time came to for all to enjoy it they would beat the crap out of him and taught him as they horrid it all. He had more than enough of the sick games. He was too tired and too sore to make any fight for life. He wanted it to end and to Skif it really didn’t matter how.
Kieran didn’t like the way the boy was think at all, his mate seemed so ready to give up on life. In his own mind, Keiran screamed with all his might at the Skif not to give up yet, not now that Kieran just found him. Kieran promised that he would make it better and He promised never he let Skif feel so trapped, so desperate again.
Nevertheless, the infernal mind link only went one way, no matter how much he yelled and screamed, his boy could not hear him. Skif’s inborn carrier abilities like mind speech and super healing would remain dormant until his boy absorbed some dragon magic or he was mated to his chosen. Had the boy been the Fire Mountain, The Lands of the dragons, like all other carriers, he would have been awakening at puberty during the carrier rites in spring.
Fuck this damn growth phase, Kieran needed to be able to transform to his NOW.
Every Dragon is born in their humanoid form. At first, dragonets growing up much the same as human children till the age of 8 or 9, when their near immortal heritage takes over and their development slows to the point of 15 to 20 human years to every 1-dragon year. But when they reach 400-450 years of age their bodies go through a metamorphosis, they are able to transform into their full dragon form at first no bigger than a horse But quickly they grow over the course of 6 to 9 months, causing them to shed at least once a month and to have ravenous appetite. This is also the time that new adult dragons leave the nest and go off into the world and explore some to settle other place or other to return home in a year’s time when their growing phase has stopped having reached their full dragon form size and they gain the ability to change between the two forms at will.
Kieran still had a month or two to go before he was going to be able to transform and during his Dragon phase, he was unable to use his dragon magic because his body was already all of his energy to complete his rapid growth. If he could, he would transform this minute and fuck Skif brains out, then take him home to the safety of his lair.
Surprised by his own ability to control his temper Kieran made some reassuring sound like a mix between a purr and a hiss that most dragonet found soothing. Rubbing his knuckle along Skif’s quivering legs, Kieran tried to look the least dangerous and deadly as possible which is something for a dragon such as himself whose body is built to be deadly and imposing.
His little Skif continued to sob until he ran out of tears, and his sobs turned into uncontrollable hiccups. Kieran hissed with amusement and sympathy. ‘He just so adorable when he hiccups, I just want to hold him so tight and never let him go. It has to against the laws of nature to be so cute. Those swollen eyes that red nose, chapped lips and tear stand cheeks. Ahh.’ Kieran thought as he gazed down upon his little one lying in front of him.
Keiran could wait to get him home, to the safety of his lair (and into his bed).
As carefully as he could he removed the bag from the boy’s death grip, not that Skif put up much of a fight to hold on to it. His clawed-fingers could barely fit inside so he dumps the content on the floor. Kieran was intrigued by the industrious nature of his carrier, who had managed to find so many usable things in his treasure pile such as medicine and bandages, two water skins and even a small knife. Kieran almost tossed the knife away, what could he need that for when Kieran was there to protect him. ‘The carrier needed some sense of security and if the little dull knife gave that to him then he could keep it. It is not as if he could hurt me with it. And he doesn’t seem like the type to try to harm himself.’
Kieran managed to pick up the full water skin and bring it over to the hiccupping boy before him, placing it nicely next to the boys arm. The boy had to be thirsty after all that crying and fear. Skif looked up at him through his red swollen eyes, his confusion written all across his face. His dirt-covered hand reached up to wipe his tears away as he sat up leaving behind dirt streaks on his pale cheeks, water skin topping over into the grass. Kieran easily picked it up and held it up before his face.
Skif’s eyes darted from the water skin to the dragon holding it several times completely unsure what to do. Kieran tried purring again and pushed the water skin forward. However, the boy pushed himself away, but the boy did not bolt which Kieran took as a good sign that Kieran cold win the boys trust. Despite what the boys earlier thought’s. Without moving forward Kieran stretched, his hand forward, dropped the water skin just in front of Skif, and then pulled his arm back trying not to crowd him too much, even stepping back a bit. Kieran continued to purr trying everything to get the little one a little calmer, he knew it would take time for Skif to be comfortable around him but Kieran had nothing but time at the moment.
It took several minutes before Skif tentatively picked up the water skin; apparently, his little one’s thirst had finally one over his fear. Kieran could just barely make out the Skif’s whisper “thank you.” Skif kept his eyes glued to Kieran as he popped the cork and took a drink of the soothing water. After a few slow long sips the boy’s hiccups subsided, after a few more sips Skif corked the skin and put it down. Skif managed to get to his knees, placed his shaking fist on his knees, his face still covered with a fearful but confused expression.
“I… Thank you… Lord Dragon. For saving me. …. And for the water.” Skif’s voice came out raspy but still sound light and sweet.
Kieran smiled at the little one only to have the same little one quiver more when he saw Kieran large white sharp teeth. It took a moment for Keiran to realize his mistake and quickly hid his teeth. That didn’t seem to regain him any point with the boy, Kieran quickly looked around for anything that might stop the boy from thinking he was his next meal.
His eyes fell on apple size Posrothaina stone, the one he had given the boy earlier, and it still glowed dully. An idea suddenly occurred Kieran. ‘I gave him light once why not again? ‘Kieran slowly reached out his hand and picked up the dull stone and slowly brought to his lip as the Boy gazed on. This time careful to control the temperature of his breath Kieran, used his natural hot breath to warm the little stone causing it regain its radiance. He just wait for it to cool before he slowly searched out his hand to Skif again this time offering him light internal willing the boy to accept his good will.
After what seemed like eternity, the little carrier got to his feet, his arms tucked close to his body and slight hunched over making him look even smaller. Skif just stood there trapped in his own internal battle over whether to try to make another break for it or go accept what seemed to be an offered olive branch. Kieran could hear the internal battle going on inside Skif’s mind between the boy practical side which kept chanting ‘the dragon is playing with you he plans to eat you’ while his pure side who wanted to trust Kieran, ‘ he done us no harm and helped us.’
If it were possible to give up his wings of tail to help convince Skif to take the rock he would have.
With one single tiny and shaky step, forward Skif filled Kieran heart with joy, then another and another. Each step brings the carrier closer to Kieran’s out-stretched hand. Keiran continued his best effort to try to look less imposing, while purring with all his might.
When he got closer, Skif reached out his hand towards the stone, his hand shock as he grasped it, for a moment both just stood there staring at each other, eyes locked. One trying desperately to figure out the beast in front of him who treated him better than any human had in a long time. The other filled with joy at finding the most precious thing in his entire life.
Kieran never felt so happy even if it was over such small progress as his carrier approaching him of his own free will. ‘So what if he is trembling all over. He is here, right?’
Unfortunately, the fragile peace of the moment is shattered by the distinct growl of a hunger tummy.