Book VI: The Final Battle

Part One: Journey

Ragnarok ran around the Plains, laughing happily as he chased a few shadows. He looked up and spotted Amber a little ways off. “Hey Amber!” he called, running toward her. As he got close, though, she turned and ran away from him, going a lot faster than he was. “Amber?” He chased after her, but suddenly hit a patch of cold air. He stopped, shivering, and then looked around in surprise. The Plains were gone! He was on a broad expanse of smooth black stone, with absolutely nothing for as far as he could see. He heard a horrible laugh, and as he whipped around to face it, he saw Amber’s body fall to the ground. He nudged her, but she lay there, limp, her eyes lifeless. “Amber!” he cried. His eyes snapped open.

He was still in the bus to the Plains that they had gotten on last night. He was breathing hard, and Amber was looking at him worriedly. Everyone else was still asleep, so he must not have yelled anything in his sleep. “Ragnarok? What’s wrong?” Amber asked.

“Amber…” Ragnarok gasped, then he nuzzled her almost frantically in relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay… I had a horrible dream….”

Amber nuzzled him back, holding him tightly in her wing. “There there,” she said softly. “It was just a dream. It’s all over now.”

Ragnarok nodded and snuggled into Amber’s side. He had been pretty thrown by the nightmare, but he was starting to feel a little better. He could feel Amber breathing, and her heart beating, and her tight embrace was helping to drive away the fear from the dream. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Amber,” he said quietly.

* * *

They woke up later in the morning. As Ragnarok opened his eyes, he saw that everyone else was already awake. “Nice to see that you two are finally awake,” Dash said with a grin. Ragnarok looked over and saw that Amber was just waking up as well.

“Good morning, everyone,” Amber said with a small yawn.

“Good morning, sleepyhead!” Keera replied with a laugh.

“Did we miss anything exciting?” Ragnarok asked.

“Not really,” Keera said. “Dash says that we’re almost to the Plains, though,” Terra added.

Ragnarok saw Amber’s eyes light up, and he smiled. “When we get there, I think it may be simpler if we try to stay away from anyone there. It’ll be … complicated if we run into someone who knew us way back then,” he pointed out. “I think we should just lay low and head for the forest.”

Hmm, good idea,” Amber agreed.

“It would help if you guys could fly,” Sabre said to Teyaka and her cubs with a wink.

“That would be a lot easier,” Teyaka agreed, smiling.

“And more fun!” Roc added, and everyone laughed.

The bus slowly came to a stop. The anthro cat at the front stood up. “Okay folks, we’re here at the Great Plains. Hope you enjoyed the ride here!” Everyone got up and started filing off the bus.

“Wow…” Ragnarok said as he stood outside the bus. “We’re finally back on the plains….”

“Yeah, it just took us a hundred years or so,” Sabre joked.

Amber looked around. “Come on, let’s get moving,” she urged. “The forest we want is over there.”

They set off toward the forest. They managed to avoid meeting too many drakens, and all of them were recent arrivals, from the past seventy-five years or so. When they made it to the edge of the forest, the drakens from the past turned around to look back at the Plains. “Our home sure has turned out well,” Terra said.

“Yeah,” Ragnarok agreed. “I’m glad the drakens have kept it pretty much the way it was.” Amber, Keera, and Sabre all nodded.

Teyaka and Dash waited respectfully for them to finish. When the drakens turned away from the Plains, Teyaka asked, “Do you still remember where the ring is?”

They all nodded. “This way,” Ragnarok said, heading off into the forest.

A little while later, they were still marching through the forest, and everyone noticed a change in the mood, a strange lack of animal presence. “This is getting a little eerie…” Teyaka commented, her fur starting to rise up. “It’s like nothing wants to live here….” The cubs gathered a little closer to their mother.

Ragnarok nodded. “Yeah, we’re getting close. C’mon.” They pressed on, and broke through into a clearing that was overshadowed by huge trees. In the center was an old metal ring, with strange markings on it. “That’s it! We’re here!” the draken exclaimed.

The group gathered around the ring. “Dash, can I have the letter?” Amber asked. Dash unslung the bag on his shoulder and pulled out the old letter, setting it on the ground in front of her. Amber looked at it, then pressed the symbols in the order that they showed up on the first line of the two lines of symbols on the paper. After each one, some of the symbols on the ring changed. Anyone watching could see Teyaka and her cubs getting more tensed as the process went on.

Amber hit the last symbol, and a bright flash lit the area. Teyaka jumped and bolted for cover, her cubs not far behind. A few seconds later, she peeked around the rock she was hiding behind, every hair in her fur standing on end. The sight was so comical that the rest of the group burst out laughing, and Dash and Ragnarok actually fell down. Teyaka shot them all an annoyed look as her fur settled back down. She walked back out and smoothed down a patch of ruffled fur. “What?” she asked testily, which just made everyone start laughing again. Teyaka shook her head and examined the ring.

Roc put his paws on the metal and leaned over, looking into what seemed like a little blue pond… a pond that glowed. “Wow,” he breathed.

“Here’s to home,” Amber said quietly, and surprised everyone by jumping in first. Ragnarok hopped in after her, and everyone else followed.

* * *

Ragnarok dropped to the ground and scooted out of the way as the rest of the group dropped in as well.

Keera and Terra looked around. “The ring’s gone,” Terra noticed. “It must’ve dropped us into the past again,” Keera figured.

Amber’s wings sagged and her head drooped. Ragnarok walked over to her and nuzzled her lovingly. “Aw, I’m sorry,” he said reassuringly. “We’ll get home, I know we will.” Amber nodded, but she still looked pretty glum.

Keera took another look at the brown draken. Something was a bit odd…. “Hey Amber? Why is your tummy so big all of a sudden?” she asked.

Amber’s eyes widened, and she bent her neck around to look at her midsection. There was a little bulge in her tummy that hadn’t been there before. She looked at Ragnarok, who seemed as amazed as she was.

“You haven’t eaten that much,” Keera remarked, “so….” Both the twins’ eyes widened as the pieces suddenly connected to each other. Keera looked at Ragnarok. “You…?” she asked breathlessly. Ragnarok nodded, and Terra turned to Amber. “…And you?” she asked. Amber blushed furiously, nearly turning as red as Ragnarok, and nodded. The twins looked at each other, then bust into matching big smiles. “Ooh!” they squealed. “Amber’s gonna be a mommy!” Amber looked at the ground and pawed it bashfully, still blushing, and nodded again. The twins ran over and nuzzled her. “Good for you, Amber!” Terra said. “When was it?” Keera asked, rubbing Amber’s belly with a wing.

“Two nights ago,” Amber said, smiling.

“So that’s why you guys are so cuddly all of a sudden!” Dash said. “Amber went into heat, and you knew she was pregnant!”

They nodded, and Ragnarok nuzzled his mate. “The thing I’m wondering about, though, is why our chick is so big all of a sudden,” he said.

“I’m not sure,” Amber replied. “Maybe the portal sped it up?”

“Then does the portal speed us up too?” Keera asked.

Teyaka walked over from watching her cubs, who were playing a little ways away and not paying attention, and shook her head. “No, none of my cubs have gotten any bigger, so it doesn’t affect us,” she said. “Apparently, it’s only affected Amber’s chick.”

Sabre nodded. “Yeah, you’re more than two days pregnant. I’d say it’s closer to two months.”

“I hope she’s okay…” Amber said quietly, rubbing her slightly swollen tummy with her tail.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Ragnarok said comfortingly. “She just grew a little quicker for a month or two.” Amber looked up at him, her demeanor brightening a little, and nodded.

“You two seem pretty sure it’s a she,” Sabre remarked.

“Well, we can’t say ‘he or she’ every time,” Amber replied, “and I just get the feeling that she’s a female.”

“I think Amber’s the one who’s most justified to make that call,” Dash said, patting the back of her neck.

Amber nodded. “But anyway, enough about me, let’s figure out where we are,” she suggested.

They were in the middle of a dense forest. The trees were all around them, and had really big leaves. It was also very hot. “Oh man…” Dash remarked. “Don’t tell me we’re here again….”

“It sure looks like it,” Sabre commented.

The cubs walked out from around their mother’s feet. “Have you guys been here before?” Buck asked.

“I think so,” Ragnarok said. “It’s a long story.”

Amber sniffed the air. “No, it isn’t quite the same,” she said. “It smells a little different, a bit…newer.”

“So maybe we’re further in the… oh no,” Keera said.

“‘Oh no’ what?” Kaya asked her.

“We may be way back in the past, at the first time the Dark One came!” Keera told the drakens, not minding the fact that Keera and her cubs had no idea what she was talking about.

“Ugh…” Ragnarok commented, slowly shaking his head. “We barely managed to keep everyone alive last time….”

“But if we are back, we’ll have to face him,” Dash said. “And look at it this way: at least we know that we’ll win.”

“True,” Amber agreed.

“Wait a second,” Teyaka interjected. “Is this the same ‘Dark One’ that nearly killed Dash and sent him to our time?”

“Well, sorta,” Terra said. “He’s stronger this time,” Keera continued.

Teyaka put her forepaws over her head. “We’re all doomed,” she moaned from underneath them.

“Mamma?” Roc asked, trying to move her paws. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s just worried that some of us might get hurt,” Amber said. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

Dash crouched down next to her. “Don’t worry, Teyaka,” he said, petting the fur near the edge of her armor. “We’re all going to come out of this just fine. Trust me.” He smiled sincerely.

She looked up, then smiled too, reassured. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said.

“There, that’s better,” Dash said, scritching her under the chin. “Now, let’s see if we can find that village….”

“It’s going to take us a while to get there,” Amber said. “Toby’s village is a few hours walk from where Dash used to live, which is at least a day’s walk from New Halipont, which is really far from here, especially if we can’t fly.” Amber sketched out the straight path on the ground. It did look really far.

“Actually, in might not be as far as you think,” Ragnarok replied. “A lot of the stuff wasn’t in the same direction, remember? It sorta went back and forth.” He drew another figure in the dirt, and in this one, New Halipont, the Great Plains, and Dash’s Village made a sort of triangle, and Toby’s village was in the middle of all three.

“Well, that seems a lot closer,” Emerald said, “but which direction is it?”

“Ah…” Ragnarok muttered, “I’m….not sure.” Emerald laughed.

“Considering what’s happened every other time, we should just go some random direction and wait for someone to find us,” Sabre remarked dryly.

“Works for me,” Ragnarok said with a grin. He started walking off in the direction they had come from back on the Plains, which led to the cliff, and Amber went with him. The rest of the group exchanged looks, then hurried to catch up to them.

* * *

After a little while of walking, they managed to reach the cliff that marks one edge of the Great Plains. Sabre looked up. “Um, we’ve got a problem here,” he commented. Everyone looked over to him, and he continued. “We can fly up, and we could probably carry the cubs, but I’m not sure even Dash can fly carrying Teyaka.

“Hmm, good point,” Dash said.

Teyaka looked downcast, her ears drooping. “I’m sorry to be so much trouble to you guys,” she said guiltily.

Amber walked over and nuzzled Teyaka. “It’s fine, really,” she said. “We just need to be creative, that’s all.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Ragnarok said, and turned to the twins. “Dash could probably carry Teyaka up if you guys give him a little boost! Do the same trick that you used to blow Roc and Emerald across the room two days ago.”

“Yeah, that could work!” Keera said, as the twins started gathering power. “Ready Dash?”

Dash scooped up Teyaka, who suddenly looked more than a little apprehensive. “Um, you don’t have to- I could probably just – yeeek!” Her words bled off into a squeak as Dash leapt into the air and the twins blew at the pool of sparkles above them. The strong wind propelled Dash upward, and Teyaka curled up into a tight ball, whimpering about flying and falling and rocks and ground and hard and….

Dash landed on top of the cliff, setting down his passenger. Teyaka was still balled up tight and babbling in something of a blind panic. He tapped her armor with a claw and said, “We’re on the ground again, Teyaka.”

Teyaka stopped whimpering and slowly opened one eye. She glanced around, then cautiously uncurled herself. “Let’s… not do that again if we can avoid it, okay?” she asked in a shaky voice. Dash grinned, then leaned over the edge of the cliff and waved to his friends.

Ragnarok saw Dash wave, and turned to Roc. “Ready to go flying?” he asked, lying down.

“Yeah!” Roc said, hopping on between the draken’s wings and holding onto his shoulders.

“Hang on with your tail too,” Ragnarok suggested, standing up. He looked at his friends and the other cubs, who were similarly situated. “Everyone ready? Let’s go!”

Ragnarok leapt into the air, pumping his wings hard. “Woohoo!” Roc yelled as they flew up the cliff face. Ragnarok and the other drakens landed on the top of the cliff, and Roc and his siblings jumped off the drakens. “That was awesome! We need to do that more!”

Teyaka was lying down, and put her paws over her eyes. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t,” she said weakly.

The area at the top of the cliff was rock and tree-less, but they could see that the thick forest started up again very nearby. “Don’t worry, Teyaka,” Sabre said. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to do much flying anytime soon.”

Teyaka laughed weakly. “Well, that’s a relief,” she half-joked.

“So, we know the village is somewhere in this big forest,” Ragnarok said.

“Actually, it’s a forest,” Teyaka corrected, apparently starting to regain some of her composure. Everyone looked at her. “What? It is! A place with lots of trees, really hot temperature, and these sorts of things living in it is a jungle.”

The drakens looked at each other and shrugged. “Okay, it’s in this ‘jungle,’” Ragnarok said. “We just don’t know where.”

“There probably won’t be anyone like Toby sent to wait for us,” Amber said, “since this time there wont be an ancient message from us saying that we’ll be coming.”

Sabre nodded. “So should we take our chances, or wait for a lucky break?” he asked.

“Well, we could always do both,” Dash replied.

“I think we should just set off in the closest guess of the right direction,” Ragnarok suggested. “We might actually wind up there, and we’ll at least be closer than we are standing here.” Amber and Sabre nodded.

“All right,” “let’s do it,” the twins said.

“Why don’t we go up to get a look of where it might be?” Dash suggested to Ragnarok.

The two drakens flew up above the canopy. Mainly, they saw a lot of treetops, but then they noticed… “The Dark One’s tower!” Dash exclaimed.

“And there’s the balcony we landed on last time!” Ragnarok called back. “I remember which side that was on when we got there, and the map…. I know which way to go!” he said excitedly.

They swooped back down and dropped to the ground. “C’mon guys, it’s this way!” Ragnarok exclaimed, hurrying off toward the forest.

“Hey, Ragnarok, wait!” Amber called, running after him.

Ragnarok stopped and turned around, a sheepish look on his face. “Oh, sorry,” he said with a weak grin. “I got a little overexcited, I guess.”

“What did you see up there?” Keera asked as the twins ran over to him.

“The Dark One’s tower,” he replied. “I used it to see which way we went last time we were here, and I know about where the village is!”

“Well, that certainly helps,” Teyaka said.

“So now we know how to get there, right?” Kaya asked.

Dash nodded. “Yeah, Ragnarok figured it out,” he told her.

“Well, shall we get going?” Terra asked.

* * *

The trek through the jungle was a tough one. The plant life was really thick in some places, and that really slowed things down. Teyaka and her cubs had it even worse, since their fur trapped in the jungle heat. “Boy… it’s hot… here,” Emerald said. She was panting to try to keep herself a little cooler, and the rest of her family was doing the same.

“It sure is,” Amber agreed. She looked up at the canopy of leaves over their heads. “Well, at least we don’t have the sun beating down on us too, right?” she remarked optimistically.

Kaya nodded, then cocked her hey as she looked at the draken. “Hey… Amber?” she asked. Amber looked over, and she continued. “Why… does your… tummy looks… so big?”

Amber looked at her tummy, then smiled at the little cub. “I’m pregnant,” she said warmly.

“Preg-nant?” Kaya echoed.

Amber nodded. “I’m going to have a chick,” she explained, “and now it’s growing in my tummy.”

“You’re… gonna have a baby?” Emerald asked. Amber nodded again, and Emerald smiled. “Aww!” she cooed, nuzzling Amber’s slightly swollen belly.

Ambers smiled more, and patted the cub’s back with her tail, enjoying the fuzzy tummy rub.

“Hey, mamma?” Buck said suddenly.

“Yes… Buck?” she asked.

“In… the jungle… isn’t there… some type of… really big cat… that eats smaller animals?” he asked her.

Teyaka nodded, and then she realized what he was getting at. “Don’t worry,’ she told him. “We won’t… let anything… eat you guys. And I think… that all us… big predators… together would… scare off… anything bad.”

“I sure… hope so…” Buck muttered from by his mother’s legs, glancing around warily.

Sabre walked over next to him. “If it makes you feel better, you could ride on my back,” he offered. He stopped, crouching down, and Buck hopped onto his back.

Buck rubbed his head against the back of Sabre’s crest. “Thanks,” he said. “I fell safer now…. After all… what would attack… a great big draken… like you?”

Sabre winked at him. “Exactly,” he said with a grin. “Now let’s go show those mean old jungle cats who’s boss!”

“Yeah!” Buck cheered with a grin, and Sabre ran off to catch up with the group.

* * *

It had been a long, hot walk, and they hadn’t accomplished much. Even the drakens were starting to get a bit worn down by the heat and humidity.

“Do you guys… walk all day… like this… very often?” Teyaka asked. The trek was really starting to remind her of when she first left the lab she was born in. It had not been a happy time for her.

Ragnarok looked at Sabre. “We sure seem to,” he said.

“Aw,” Kaya moaned, “we hafta… do this… every day?”

“Probably not,” Keera said. “Chances are good that we’ll be able to rest for a while once we find the village,” Terra added.

“Well… let’s find it… quick,” Roc said. “My paws… are starting… to hurt.”

“Yeah, I think we should call it a day for now,” Amber said. She sat down, adjusting her posture a little for her new tummy.

Buck jumped down from Sabre’s back and padded over to her. “So… you’ve really… got a baby in… your tummy?” he asked the draken. Amber nodded. “So we’re… going to have… a new friend… to play with… soon!”

Ragnarok laughed. “‘Soon’ may not be the right word,” Ragnarok told the cub. “Our chick’s got a lot of growing to do, so she’s going to stay in Amber’s tummy for about a year and a half.”

“Wow… that’s a long time,” Buck replied. He rubbed the side of Amber’s tummy with a paw, and Amber giggled quietly. “Take your time… little chick. We’ll be… waiting for you!”

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” Amber said, curling her tail around to pet the cub. Buck started purring at the attention and lay down, snuggling into her tummy. The draken smiled and stroked his fur with her tail.

Ragnarok sat down next to his mate and nuzzled her. “So how are you holding up?” he asked, patting her tummy with his tail.

“I’m doing fine,” she said, nuzzling him back. “Just a little bit heavier than I’m used to.”

“Well… you’re going to… get a lot heavier… before it’s over,” Teyaka said with a sympathetic smile.

“So you’re sure you’re okay?” Terra asked.

Amber laughed. “Yes everyone, I’m fine! I’m just pregnant!” she said good-naturedly. “Really, I’m okay.”

“Sorry if we’re bugging you a little,” Terra apologized. “We’re just excited for you.” “Yeah, it’s not every day that you fins out that one of your best friends is pregnant,” Keera said with a grin, “especially when she’s a draken!”

Amber smiled back. “Yes, I can see how you’d be excited,” she said, patting the twins, then yawned. “C’mon, it’s dark. Let’s all get some sleep.”

* * *

Amber lay on her side, curled around her tummy. She was almost due, and her tummy felt huge. She saw Teyaka walk up, and she started rubbing Amber’s tummy with a paw. The draken smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the belly rub. “Mmm, feels nice, Teyaka,” she murmured.

Suddenly, everything changed. Teyaka stopped rubbing, and Amber felt three sharp points pressing into her belly. “Ow!” she exclaimed. She opened her eyes, and stared in shock. It looked like Teyaka, but it wasn’t her! It was baring a mouth of sharp fangs, and the paw on Amber’s belly had sharp claws coming out of it. The Teyaka-thing growled at her, and she scrambled to her feet. “W-what?” she gasped. The Teyaka-thing swiped at her with a paw, leaving three jagged trails of blood down her side. Amber yelped at the pain and stumbled back a few paces. “T-Teyaka? What’s going on?” she asked, terrified.

The Teyaka-thing growled again, and stepped toward her. Amber noticed more creatures advancing toward her, but these ones looked more like drakens! The Teyaka- thing suddenly lunged forward, sinking its sharp teeth into her foreleg. Amber cried out and staggered back, blood flowing down her leg and her side.

“Amber! Amber!”

Amber’s eyes snapped open. Ragnarok was standing over her, a worried expression on his face.

“Ruh… Ruh…” Amber gasped, then burst into tears and curled up into a tight ball, sobbing hysterically.

Ragnarok lay down next to her, covering her with his wing. “A bad dream, huh?”

He felt her nod, still crying. “Uh-huh. I-it was r-really sc-cary,” she stammered. She had started shaking, and Ragnarok curled around her and held her tight with his wing. “I w-was really p-pregnant, a-an Teyaka was p-petting me, but sh-she t-turned into a m-m-monster and it a-attacked m-me,” she told him, the sobs making her stutter.

Ragnarok patted her with a paw. She flinched as she felt his claw tips on her side, then calmed down a little, enough to unwind herself from the ball she was curled up in. She looked into her mate’s face, and nuzzled him. She was still really shaken up, but the abject terror was starting to pass. She looked around and saw that most of the group was looking back with a lot of concern. The rest were still asleep. Amber smiled weakly. “I’m… I’m all right,” she said. “Just… really shaky right now.” She closed her eyes and snuggled into Ragnarok. He covered her with his wing again, and she hid her head under it.

“Mamma?” Emerald asked. “Is… is Amber okay?” She took a few steps toward the draken, and turned to look at her mother.

“Amber’s fine, honey,” Teyaka told her daughter, smiling reassuringly. “She was just scared by a nightmare, and she’s shaking it off.”

Ragnarok nodded, and Emerald looked a little more reassured. She walked over to Ragnarok and crawled under his wing, snuggling up to Amber, furry-side-up. Amber tensed up at first, feeling the intrusion, then relaxed even more, hugging the cub close with a foreleg.

Keera yawned, and Terra joined in too. “Amber seems all right again-” “-so let’s get back to sleeping,” they commented, laying their heads back down. Dash nodded and lay down too.

* * *

Amber’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and she lifted up her head. From the light filtering in through all the leaves, it looked like it was morning again. “Good morning Amber,” she heard, and felt Ragnarok nuzzling her. “Feeling any better?”

Amber sat up and stretched. “A lot,” she said, nuzzling him back. The dream had faded some, and wasn’t quite as scary any more. Amber looked down and noticed one of Teyaka’s cubs sitting there and smiling up at her. Amber smiled back and patted the cub with her tail. “Thanks, Emerald,” she said. “You really helped me to feel better.”

Emerald nuzzled Amber’s tummy, which was pretty much the highest point she could reach on the sitting draken. “You’re welcome!” she chirruped. She and her family had apparently adjusted a little to the heat, and didn’t need to pant any more to keep from overheating. “You seemed kinda scared, and having something small and furry to hug makes a lot of people feel better.” Amber laughed and hugged her again, nuzzling the cub’s furry tummy and making her giggle.

Dash smiled. “So, are we all ready to go?” he asked.

Amber looked over to him and stood up. “Yeah, let’s get going,” she said with a nod, and they started walking.

“So how much further do you think it is?” Roc asked Ragnarok.

The draken thought about it. “I’m not sure,” he said. “We should be getting pretty close, though.”

Teyaka’s ears twitched up as she heard several growling noises. She glanced around, and then realized that they were coming from four little tummies. “Mamma, I’m getting really hungry,” Buck told her.

“I don’t suppose you guys know where the food is around here?” Teyaka asked the drakens.

Sabre shook his head. “Usually we just catch something that happens to walk near us while we’re hungry,” he said.

“And food seems to be pretty scarce here,” Keera added. “There’s all sorts of plant stuff, but we don’t know if any of it is bad for you, so we should just stay away from it,” Terra told them.

Amber crouched down to about the cubs’ eye level. “Sorry guys, but it looks like you’ll have to wait for a while,” she said apologetically.

The cubs looked at each other, then seemed to come to a silent agreement. “It’s okay. We can wait,” Roc said.

“But the sooner the better,” Kaya said with a smile.

“Of course!” Keera replied, smiling back. “Now let’s keep going,” Terra suggested.

At the front of the group, Sabre’s head perked up. “Hey guys, listen!” he said. The group fell silent, and they could hear the far-off sounds of yelling, the clang of metal hitting metal, and the thunk of metal hitting wood.

“Sounds like a fight,” Ragnarok commented. “C’mon!” He started running toward the sounds, and the group followed.

Unexpectedly, they burst into something of a clearing. In it was a small village, a lot like the one they had been in before. In it were a lot of humans, and from the types of humans, the drakens could tell that there were two groups. Unfortunately, the group that was dressed like the Dark One’s soldiers had been were definitely winning. “C’mon!” Terra urged. “We have to help the villagers!” The group rushed into the battle.

All of the humans stopped in shock for a second as the drakens charged in. Then, as they attacked, the fight started again. Dash was the first to make contact, picking up a soldier and hurling him at another with one smooth motion.

As the drakens ran forward, though, Teyaka hung back, a worried expression on her face. All this chaos, the fighting… she took a step back, frightened. One of the humans noticed her and ran at her, waving an object that she realized was a sword. Teyaka yelped and dropped to the ground, curling around herself. The man swung the sword, but it glanced off her armor without leaving a mark.

Ragnarok heard Teyaka’s cry and spun around. “Teyaka!” he exclaimed. Motes of glowing red and orange energy appeared into the air in front of him, swirling into a small orb.

The man stood over Teyaka and readied his sword, aiming for a hit that would hurt her this time.. Teyaka looked up and saw him start the swing, and she curled up tighter, whimpering. Suddenly, though, the human was blasted by a ball of fire, smashing him off his feet. Ragnarok jumped over Teyaka and slashed at the man’s neck. “Leave her alone!” he told the human, who didn’t say anything back.

With the drakens’ help, the Dark One’s soldiers were defeated. “Are you okay, Teyaka?” Ragnarok asked her, the rest of the drakens moving toward them.

“I-I’m okay,” Teyaka stammered, uncurling warily. “I…I just got so scared…. I saw him coming at me, and….” A tear ran down her cheek.

“It’s all right, Teyaka,” he said. “It looks like he just hit your armor, too.”

Teyaka nodded. “Y-yes, I’m fine,” she said, standing up shakily.

The group gathered together again. “Are you guys all right?” Ragnarok asked.

“We’re fine,” Keera said.

Ragnarok nodded. “Okay guys, come on.” He walked toward the center of the village, where the victorious humans had gathered to celebrate.

The humans stopped as the group came near. A few seconds passed, and then one of the humans stepped toward them. “Thank you for helping us. We would have been destroyed if not for you,” he said, dropping to one knee.

“Well, that’s why we helped you,” Amber told him.

“That’s right,” Sabre said. “We’ve come to help you against the Dark One.”

“Thank you for helping us, but even your skill in battle will not help against the Dark One’s powers,” another human said dejectedly.

“Don’t be so sure,” Dash said with a grin. He focused, drawing glowing energy to his hands. Using the energy, he created a gigantic spike of ice coming up from the ground. He kicked it, cracking the bottom through, at the same time that the twins used a glowing whirlwind to blow it into the air. A bolt of fire lanced out from Ragnarok’s position, blasting the ice pillar into thousands of glittering pieces. “See, we’ve got powers too.”

The humans stared at them, openmouthed in awe. “Th-thank you for coming to help our poor village,” one of the humans said, stepping from the group. He had on a funny hat, and they realized that he was probably a leader here. “How do you creatures possess such awesome power?”

“It’s hard to explain,” Terra told him. “What matters is that we have them, and we’re here to help you,” Keera added.

“We’ve seen how much trouble the Dark One has been causing you all, and we’ve come to help put an end to it,” Ragnarok told them.

“We owe you a debt of many lives,” the human leader said. “If you do not mean to set out immediately, please stay with us a while. We do not have much to offer, but we will do what we can.”

The group looked at each other. “Well, I suppose we could stay for a little while,” Ragnarok said with a smile.

The human with the hat smiled as well. He led them to a relatively large hut. “Please, wait here while we prepare a few things for you,” he said, motioning them in.

The group smiled and sat down inside the hut. The sounds of a quiet conversation floated in through the door, and soon most of the villagers departed, except for a few that walked into the hut as well. “Thank you again for defending us,” one said.

“It was our pleasure, really,” Amber said.

“So, is this some sort of ‘guest hut’?” Teyaka asked another human.

“No, no really,” she replied. “It…belonged to a family who were lost in a recent attack by the Dark One. As such, it has been empty since.”

“Oh…” Teyaka said, her ears drooping. “I’m so sorry, I….”

The human shook her head. “You all are here to stop it, yes? I am sure they would be honored to have you rest in their home.”

A small girl peeked around the edge of the doorway. She scampered in and hid behind the legs of an adult, peering at the strange creatures. Teyaka’s ears perked up as she noticed the small girl; she couldn’t be more than five or six years old. “What’s the matter?” she asked the child kindly.

The girl shrank back, and the adult told Teyaka, “Her parents were also lost in a recent attack.”

“Oh!” Teyaka exclaimed. She stood up and walked to the little girl. “I’m sorry we weren’t here before,” she said, “but now we’re here to make it better for everyone.” The girl seemed to come out of her shell a little, and Teyaka smiled. “If it will make you feel better, you can sit with me for a while,” she offered.

The girl seemed to find a voice. “W-with you? B-but I couldn’t…” she stammered shyly.

Teyaka gently took the girl’s hand in her mouth and led her back over to the group. She lay down in an inviting posture. The little girl hesitant sat next to her, then stroked Teyaka’s neck. “Your fur is so soft…” she said. Teyaka smiled and laid her head down, purring softly. The little girl giggled at the rumbling noise and petted her a little more actively. She looked around, then bent over to whisper something in Teyaka’s ear. “What is the name of the pretty brown and white one?” she asked.

Teyaka smiled at her again. “Her name is Amber,” she whispered back.

The girl walked over to the draken and sat down next to her. “Miss Amber?”

“Yes?” Amber replied, smiling warmly.

The girl blushed a little. “Are you…pregnant?” she asked shyly.

Amber nodded. “Yes, I am,” she told her. “I just found out not too long ago.”

The girl smiled a little. “Could I…um…feel?” the girl asked.

“Sure,” Amber said, smiling broadly.

The girl reached out and laid a hand on Amber’s slightly rounded tummy. Amber smiled and laid her wing over the girl’s hand. The girl looked up at her, then smiled and ran her hand over the pregnant draken’s belly. Amber closed her eyes happily as the girl rubbed her tummy.

The girl stopped and stood up, walking over to the adult that she had been hiding behind. She whispered something to the human, then scampered out of the hut. The adult smiled and turned to address Teyaka and Amber. “Thank you,” she said. “You have brightened her life greatly.”

Amber nodded. “Children just shouldn’t have to feel so bad,” Amber said with heartfelt seriousness.

The humans all nodded, agreeing. “The children have suffered the worst,” one said. A small commotion rose up outside. “Please excuse us,” he said, and the humans hurried out.

“Well, she sure-” “-liked you two!” the twins said, looking at Teyaka and Amber.

Amber laughed quietly. “Being pregnant sure seems to draw a lot of attention,” she said. “Lots of rubbing and hugging and encouraging and….” Ragnarok laughed and nuzzled his mate.

“These people are so brave, but it’s pretty obvious that they’re fighting a losing battle,” Sabre said solemnly.

“Well, that’s what we’re here to fix, right?” Dash remarked, patting him between the wings.

“I wonder what they’re getting ready for us,” Keera remarked.

“I hope it’s some food,” Emerald replied, her stomach growling.

“Oh, I forgot how hungry you guys were getting,” Terra said. The twins walked over and sat down by Teyaka and her cubs. “Don’t worry. I promise we’ll get you something to eat soon.”

Emerald smiled at her. “Thanks, Terra,” she said, nuzzling her side.

A minute or two later, one of the humans showed up at the door. “Some of the preparations are ready,” she said. “Please follow me.”

Everyone stood up and followed her through the village. Kaya bounded up beside her. “Where’re we going?” she asked.

The human smiled at her. “When we first came to this area to find a place to live, we found a hot spring that flowed to the surface for a little way. We managed to dig it out into a small pool. While the others prepare a feast to mark your arrival, you may rest there, if you choose,” she said.

“Sounds fun!” the cub chirped, smiling brightly up at the human. She thought about something, then said, “My name’s Kaya. What’s yours?”

“The human smiled at her again. “I am Elana,” she replied.

“Nice to meet you, Elana!” Kaya said very nicely.

Elana led them all to a familiar-looking hut. Well, familiar to the drakens, at least. As they walked in, they saw that most of the floor was taken up by a big pool of water. “Ooh, we get to go swimming?” Roc asked.

Amber laughed. “Not quite, Roc,” she said.

Elana turned to the twins. “If you would please enter first,” she said respectfully.

The twins nodded and eased gracefully into the water. “Oooooh…” “Mmmm…” they sighed, leaning against the wall and stretching their body out along the bottom.

One by one, the rest of the group joined them. “Wow…” Emerald remarked as she got in, the warm, relaxing water slowing down even the cubs.

“Really nice in here, huh?” Dash remarked to her with a smile.

“Yeah…” she said, curling up in his lap. He rubbed the underside of her neck, and she closed her eyes, purring.

“Not as much fun as a swimming pool,” Buck said, “but it feels really nice.”

“Hey Kaya!” Keera said, and Kaya turned to her. “I bet that I can hold my breath underwater longer than you can!” she challenged.

“Oh yeah?” Kaya relied. She took a deep breath and they both ducked their heads underwater.

A minute passed as the drakens watched in amusement. “I wonder if she realizes that Keera can stay under as long as she wants,” Sabre remarked.

Ragnarok grinned. “Yeah, as long as Terra’s still above water,” he said with a laugh.

Terra laughed too. “It’s not quite fair,” she agreed, “but they’re both having fun.” Amber looked at her with a sly grin. Terra grinned back, then quickly breathed out most of her air and held her breath.

“That ought to even it up a little,” Amber said, giggling. She relaxed back against the wall again, letting her wings and tail flat to the surface. She smiled as Keera and Kaya both burst to the surface, gasping for air. “So who won?” she asked them.

“I did!” they both gasped. They locked glares, then burst out laughing.

“Hey, miss Elana? Do you think they’re ready yet?” Buck asked the human.

Elana peeked out the doorway. “Actually, I believe they are,” she said. The cubs cheered and hopped out of the pool, shaking themselves off. The drakens and Teyaka smiled at each other and climbed out more sedately. Teyaka shook herself off too, then walked over to the cubs. The drakens didn’t need to do the same, as the water simply ran off their hides, and they quickly dried off. “Are you all ready?” Elana asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ragnarok replied, scanning over the group.

“Then please follow me,” she said, and they all stepped out. It was starting to get pretty dark, but the drakens had no trouble seeing in the low light. She led them to the center of the village, where a huge pile of wood had been set up. Little mats were arranged around it, and there were little tables covered in food spread all over! Ragnarok noticed the cubs almost drooling in anticipation.

The man with the funny hat from before walked up to them. “We did not get a chance earlier to formally welcome you to our village,” he said to the group. “We have declared this feast to honor you all, wondrous creatures who have come to aid us in our darkest hour!” He threw up his hands and the villagers all cheered. He turned to Ragnarok and motioned to the pile of wood. “We would be honored if you would start the bonfire,” he said respectfully.

Ragnarok smiled. “Sure,” he said, his eyes already starting to glow with an inner fire. He launched a ball of energy into the stack of wood. It burst into flames, and the villagers cheered again.

* * *

Part Two: Warriors

Ragnarok groaned as he felt someone poke him. “Dun wanna ged up,” he mumbled into the underside of his tail as they poked him again. The someone poking him wiggled their head under his tail and nuzzled him. Ragnarok finally decided to wake up. “Good morning, Amber,” he said, opening his eyes and getting his head out from under his tail.

Amber smiled down ant him and nuzzled him again. “Good morning, Ragnarok,” she replied, sitting down next to her mate.

Ragnarok raised his head and looked around. “You’re the first one up, huh?” he remarked.

Amber nodded. “Yup,” she said. “Last night sure was fun, but we should probably start on our way,” she said.

Ragnarok stood up and stretched as Amber went to wake up the rest of the group, starting with Dash. Last night had been quite a party. The humans had made all sorts of food, and they all tasted great. They had done a neat sort of dance with drums and all sorts of instruments. Elena had whispered to him that it would bring them good fortune against the Dark One. Well, whether it did or not, it had been fun to watch. Their whole group had been practically starving, and had all stuffed themselves silly at the feast. After all, the drakens wouldn’t have to worry about flying for a while, and who knew how soon they would get more food?

Dash rolled over and sat up. “Morning already?” he asked yawning. Amber laughed and moved to the twins, who stayed resolutely asleep. “Here, let me help,” Dash said as he pulled on his shirt. He walked over to the twins, wrapped his arms around their middle, and lifted them into the air, hanging them upside down.

Their eyes snapped open, and they glanced around. Keera bent her neck upward to look up at Dash. “Hey, put us down!” she told him.

Dash laughed. “Nice to see you’re awake,” he said, setting them on their feet.

They glared at him, then grinned. “Yup!” “Good morning!” they said, and went to wake up Teyaka and her cubs. A few of the villagers came out to greet them. “Oh, hello!” Keera said to them.

“Good morning,” one replied. “Are you leaving already?”

Ragnarok nodded. “Yeah. The longer we wait here, the less time you guys have, after all,” he said.

The humans nodded. “We wish you the best of luck,” another said.

Sabre cocked his head. “Hey, I’ve got an idea…” he said, and everyone looked at him. “Later, we’ll all need to be able to get back to the Dark One’s tower. We’ll leave a trail for you to follow. Look for holes in the canopy, and everywhere that we leave a hole, place a stone marker shaped like a head. That way, we’ll be able to go back later.”

The humans conversed quickly, then turned back to the drakens. “A good idea,” one said.

“We will do as you say,” another added.

Teyaka walked up. “C-could I ask you another favor?” she said.

“Anything,” the first human said.

“…Could you… watch my cubs while we’re gone? I don’t want anything to happen to them…” she said. The humans nodded, and she turned to her cubs. “Listen to me, cubs. These humans are going to be taking care of you while we’re away. You stay here and do what they tell you to, all right?”

“Okay mamma!” the cubs chorused, walking over to the humans.

“Everyone set?” Dash asked. “All right, let’s go.

* * *

“Do you still remember the way, Ragnarok?” Amber asked.

Ragnarok nodded. “Yeah, and about how long it took us to get to each point,” he said.

“…I hope they’ll be okay…” Teyaka muttered to herself, staring at the ground and hardly paying attention to where she was walking.

Amber looked at her with a little concern, then walked up alongside her. “Don’t worry,” she said, nuzzling Teyaka. “They’ll be fine. The humans wouldn’t let anything happen to your cubs.”

Teyaka shook her head, still looking down. “But what if the Dark One’s soldiers attack again? The humans won’t be able to stop them!” she said.

“Well, we’re between the Dark One and the village, aren’t we?” Dash remarked. “Anything going there will have to go through us!”

Teyaka still looked glum, though. “This is the first time you’ve been away from them, isn’t it?” Keera realized, walking faster to move next to Teyaka. Teyaka looked up at her and nodded silently. Keera smiled at her. “We’ll be back, and they’ll be fine,” she said firmly.

The finality in her voice helped knock Teyaka out of her depressed daze. “Yeah, I guess,” she said, looking a little brighter.

“Not a guess,” Terra said, “a promise.”

* * *

A few hours passed uneventfully. Two of the places where the stone markers would be had been marked by the twins, and the group was on their way to the third.

“Hold it,” Ragnarok whispered suddenly. They stopped and fell silent. “Someone’s nearby. A lot of someones.”

As they stood silent, the noise of another group crashing through the forest became more apparent, as whoever it was came closer. Terra peered ahead. “There’s a small clearing between us and them,” she whispered. “Enough room to fight in.”

Teyaka shrank back at these words, then gulped and tried to gather her courage. “It’s to protect my cubs,” she whispered to herself. She gulped again. “C’mon guys… let’s go.”

“Are you okay, Teyaka?” Amber asked, concern evident in her voice and eyes.

“Frankly, I’m t-terrified,” Teyaka stammered, “but I can’t just sit by and leave you guys to defend my cubs for me.”

Ragnarok nodded. “All right, let’s go,” he said, and led the group into the clearing.

As they burst into the small open space, they saw a large group of humans, dressed like the ones that had attacked the village before. They stopped in shock at seeing the strange beasts appear in front of them. “We’ll give you one chance,” Ragnarok said. “Turn around and go back where you came from, or we’ll have to stop you.”

“What?” one human said.

“We’re here to defend the village from you creeps!” Dash said.

The humans seemed to shake off their initial shock. “They musta been the ones who killed the other squad!” one shouted.

“We outnumber ‘em!” another said. “Let’s take ‘em out and go do our job!”

“He’s right! Attack!”

“Looks like we have to fight! C’mon!” Ragnarok said. The group split up as the humans charged, drawing them into separate groups.

It soon became apparent that these men were better fighters than the last group had been “These guys are tougher!” Sabre exclaimed as he dodged a sword and swiped at the attacker.

“Those soldiers you took out were the greenest group we had!” one of the soldiers growled back. “You’re fighting elites now!”

Dash was in his element. Quite literally, he was made for this. He flowed from one attack to the next; flipping, dodging, and weaving his way from soldier to soldier, he was having the time of his life and devastating the enemy at the same time.

Ragnarok and Sabre were managing to hold their own. They hadn’t taken a serious hit, but it would be inevitable if this fight kept going too much longer.

Amber and Teyaka fought side-by-side. Teyaka was obviously scared, but she was doing the best she could, and protecting Amber from taking any bad hits. Amber, on the other hand, was doing all she could do dish out as much damage as she could.

The twins, however, were in trouble. The largest group had gone after them, but they had been doing all right, until someone landed a heavy kick to the side of Terra’s head and the draken collapsed, dazed. Keera fell with her sister, glancing around helplessly. “Dash!” she cried.

Dash whipped around. “Keera! Terra!” he exclaimed, sprinting toward them.

* * *

The humans gathered around the downed creature, and one raised his sword to finish it off. They were surprised when he suddenly went flying through the air and smashed into a tree with enough force to splinter the wood, and they were struck with terror when they saw the figure of white fury standing where he had been. It was as big as they were, and white, with wings and a tail. But what really struck fear into their hearts was his face. They saw pure rage there, in those shining white eyes. Several simply turned tail and ran, but the rest attacked him.

* * *

Dash faced off against the humans about to attack the twins. He felt rage welling up inside him as they charged him. They had been about to kill Keera and Terra, and he was not going to let them get another chance! He waited for them, and exploded into action as the humans came within reach. He slammed a fist into the first man’s chest, snapping several ribs and sending him sprawling several yards away. He spun in a quick circle, kicking high, tearing out a soldier’s throat with his clawed foot and smashing another with his tail. He grabbed two soldiers and slammed two soldiers together, hurling them at their comrades.

In his fury, though, he didn’t see the man sneaking up on him. “Dash! Behind you!” Keera cried out, and the human slashed at the white draken.

At the twin’s cry, Dash spun around and spotted the attack that was aimed at his neck. He blocked it, but the blade bit deep into the upper part of his left arm. The draken growled and slammed his right fist into the soldier’s head, knocking him completely senseless and very nearly taking his head off. Dash spun back to face the other humans, blood covering his claws and his left arm hanging limply by his side. “Anyone else want some?” he snarled, baring his fangs.

The soldiers facing him could tell that, crippled or not, he was still more dangerous than all of them put together, and everyone still standing fled the battle. Dash laughed in relief, the rage leaving his features and the color returning to his eyes. He turned to Keera. “Are you okay?” he asked. He held her chin with his right hand, his left arm limp and blood pouring from the deep gash.

Keera stared at him. “I-I’m all right, but you’re hurt!” she said. “Let me heal you.”

“Gotta help the others…” Dash protested. He glanced around, and was relieved to find that the rest of the group looked like they were beating the humans back. Dash nodded at Keera and sat down heavily next to her. Truth be told, he was starting to get a little woozy from lack of blood, and he couldn’t move his left arm at all.

Keera closed her eyes, trying to concentrate and gather energy. It sure was a lot tougher without Terra to help. She opened her eyes to see a stream of green sparkles spiraling around her. She sent them to Dash’s arm, and the energy went to work. The muscle reconnected, flesh grew back together, and blood refilled the veins.

Dash looked up, suddenly feeling stronger. He reached over and hugged Keera around her neck. Thanks, Keera,” he said quietly. Keera looked a bit surprised, then hugged him back with her wing. They sat there like that for a minute or two. “So, how’s Terra doing?” Dash asked after a little while.

“Nngh… I’m fine. My head hurts, though,” Terra replied, gently lifting her head up. “Oh! Terra!” Keera exclaimed, moving away from Dash. “Um, we just….”

Terra laughed. “I’ve seen what’s been going on,” she said, “and I know how you two feel. Keera, you’re my sister, and we’re about as close as anyone can get. Dash, you’ve saved out life more times than I can count. Especially when my head hurts like this.” She paused, then took a deep breath. “I guess… what I’m getting at is this: if you two want to be together, then it’s all right with me.” She looked up at them with a shy smile.

Dash and Keera were both staring at her. Shock slowly turned to joy, and they burst into broad smiles. “Really? You mean it?” Dash asked.

Terra nodded. “After all, I like you too,” she said. “Just one thing…” she added.

Dash grinned. “Anything!” he replied.

Terra laid her head in his lap. “Rub my head? Hurts.”

Dash smiled. “Sure,” he said, laying a hand on top of her head. Terra closed her eyes, apparently done being the mature one for now.

Keera nuzzled her sister. “Thanks, Terra,” she said quietly.

A minute later, Amber and Teyaka ran over. “Are you all okay?” Amber asked.

“Terra took a nasty kick to the head,” Keera said, “and Dash got cut saving us. We’re all fine now, though.”

“That’s good. We’re okay too,” Teyaka told her.

Amber was looking oddly at Dash and the twins, then shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, Teyaka managed to keep me safe. She’s pretty good in a fight!”

Teyaka grinned bashfully, pawing idly at the ground. The drakens’ sharp eyes could detect a bit of a blush under her fur. “I’m not as brave as you guys, but I wanted to make sure that Amber’s chick came through all right,” she said.

“Thank you for that, Teyaka,” Ragnarok said, running over with Sabre.

“Ragnarok, you’re bleeding!” Amber exclaimed.

Ragnarok looked down at the long gash in his leg, which was slowly leaking blood. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said. “They barely scratched me. It looks a lot worse than it is.”

Amber walked over and cleaned off the blood for him. “So you two are all right?” she asked.

Sabre nodded. “Yeah, we’re fine,” he said.

Keera and Terra both blinked suddenly, then shook their heads. “I’m sorry,” “what was that?” they asked together. Amber, Ragnarok, and Teyaka looked at them again. “…What?” the twins asked in unison.

Ragnarok shrugged. “Okay then, let’s get back to the trip,” he said.

The drakens started walking out of the clearing. “Is it just me,” Keera quietly asked her sister, “or does it seem a bit warmer all of a sudden?”

* * *

A few hours later, the group had settled down for the night at the spot of the third marker. The twins had already made the hole in the canopy, and were walking restlessly around the small clearing created by the whirlwind. Ragnarok looked up at them. “You two feeling okay?” he asked.

“Um, yeah,” “pretty much…” they replied.

Ragnarok looked over the rest of the group. Amber and Teyaka were chatting with each other and Sabre was asleep, but Dash seemed a little off too. He kept sniffing the air and looking around, like he smelled something interesting but couldn’t quite figure out where it was coming from. Ragnarok took a whiff himself. There was something a little different in the air. It smelled pretty nice, and maybe a bit familiar, but whatever it was, it meant more to Dash than it did to him.

Ragnarok heard the twins whispering something to each other, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. They turned to the group. “Um, we’re going to take a walk,” Keera said. “We have… a little extra energy, I guess,” Terra added, “and we don’t want to disturb you guys.” After the explanation, they wandered off into the woods.

“I hope they can find their way back,” Teyaka murmured.

“They’ll be fine,” Amber told her. “They both have excellent noses, and they’ll just follow the trail back here.”

“Speaking of scents…” Ragnarok remarked. “Hey Dash-” He broke off, though. “Um… where’s Dash?”

Teyaka looked up. “Oh? He was here a minute ago….”

* * *

Terra shook her head, trying to clear it. “What’s going on?” she asked her sister. “I…I think I may know,” Keera said. She heard someone step behind them, and they spun around. “Dash!” they both exclaimed a little breathlessly.

“Hi girls,” Dash said, crouching near them.

“Dash? Um, you know a lot…” Terra said. “We’ve been feeling kind of funny…” Keera said.

Dash nodded. “From your scent and your behavior… I think that you two might be going into heat,” he told them.

“We…what?” Keera said in surprise. “Really?”

Dash nodded again. “Extraordinary timing, huh?” he said with a grin, sitting down.

“Yeah,” Keera said, leaning her head into his chest.

“You two know what this means, right?” Dash asked. The twins both nodded. “And you’re sure you’re okay with it?” he asked Terra. “After all, it’s your body too, and if you don’t want to, we won’t go through with this.”

Terra smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m fine with it,” she said. “Like I told you earlier, you two were really meant to be together, and I’m not going to stand between you. And besides,” she said with a giggle, “I’ve always wanted to feel what being pregnant is like.” Dash laughed and hugged both of the twins, his mates.

* * *

“Really odd,” Amber said, lying down next to Ragnarok. Teyaka had fallen asleep too, and Amber didn’t feel like she was far behind. “I wonder what’s going on….”

Something about the scent finally struck a memory. “Say, you don’t think it could be…?” Ragnarok said, trailing off.

“Could be what?” Amber asked.

“Nah, never mind,” her mate replied. He smiled and rubbed her belly. “Let’s just get some sleep.”

* * *

The next morning arrived, and Dash and the twins were still gone. Everyone was starting to get pretty worried. “Where are they?” Teyaka asked, pacing around the little clearing.

“Is it just me, or is this starting to seem a little familiar?” Sabre muttered to himself.

Ragnarok spotted something white moving through the jungle toward them. “Hey guys!” he said, alerting the rest of the group. As the figure moved closer, he saw that it was Dash, and the twins were with him. “Dash! Keera! Terra! We’ve been waiting for you! Where have you been?”

“Well, um…” “we got lost, and…” Keera and Terra stammered hesitantly.

Dash sat down next to them. “I think we might as well tell them,” he said to the twins. “After all….”

Sabre cocked his head. “Tell us what?” he asked.

Keera and Terra looked at each other. “We’re going to have a chick too!” they announced with matching smiles.

Amber blinked, then ran over and nuzzled them. “Wow, really? At the same time as me?” she asked, excited by the news.

“Yeah,” Keera said. “What’re the odds that two drakens would be pregnant at the same time?” Terra asked with a grin.

“And you’re the father, Dash?” Teyaka asked. Dash nodded, and she smiled at him. “I can’t think of a better mate for them,” she told him.

“Thanks, Teyaka,” Dash said, rubbing the side of her neck.

“So that’s why you guys ran off last night?” Sabre asked.

“Yeah,” the twins said in unison, blushing a little, which was interesting to see on their green skin.

Teyaka laughed. “So in a year and a half we’re going to have two chicks running around?” she said.

“Sure looks like it,” Terra replied, grinning. “Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!” Keera said to Amber, and Dash laughed.

“Good thing my place is so big!” he said with a grin.

“To hold all of us, my cubs, and now two more chicks? We may need to get another just in case!” Teyaka joked. Everyone shared a nice laugh. Eventually, it died down, and they all sat in silence for a little while, Dash snuggling his new mates.

At length, Ragnarok stood up. “Well, I guess we ought to get moving,” he said. “If we go fast, we can get there before nightfall.”

* * *

“Okay, this seems really familiar,” Dash whispered. They were all crouched in the undergrowth outside the Dark One’s tower.

“I think we’ll need some sort of plan this time,” Sabre said. “It was mostly luck that got us through all right last time.”

“Yeah, and he’s going to be even stronger this time,” Terra said.

“Okay, let’s see…” Ragnarok muttered. “It’ll be about six-on-one, which is a slight advantage for us.”

“Yeah, but he’s stronger than any of us,” Amber pointed out, “and we only have three people who have the special powers.”

“We need some sort of trick or something,” Dash said. “Something he won’t expect.”

They suddenly heard someone running through the foliage toward them. A few seconds later, one of the villagers ran up next to them, panting heavily. It was Elana! “Hello… again…” she gasped. “I… followed… the trail… you left.”

“Elana?” Keera said. “What are you doing here?” Terra asked.

“The Elder… discovered something… a few hours after you left,” she said, starting to recover her breath. She took off the bag she had on her back and pulled out a shiny, clear, black… crystal! “He said we could… use this to imprison… the Dark One! He taught me a… chant to activate… its powers.” She placed the crystal back in the bag and slung it onto her shoulders.

“Well, you’ve got wonderful timing,” Sabre said. “We were just planning how to storm his tower.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Ragnarok said, “but it’ll take some quick work on your parts, girls.” He turned to Keera and Terra.

“Us?” they both asked in unison.

Ragnarok nodded. “We need to get everyone onto that balcony. We just can’t afford to leave anyone behind. You’ll have to make a hole in the canopy, and then Blow Dash and Teyaka up through it.”

At the mention of flying again, Teyaka shrank back a step, her ears falling. For a moment, Ragnarok seriously wondered if she’d be able to come.

However, one should never underestimate what a mother will do for her cubs. Teyaka gulped and walked over to Dash. “O-okay, I-I’m ready,” she stammered. Ragnarok could tell that she was scared almost witless, but she was pushing through it as well as she could.

Ragnarok smiled. She may be the bravest of us all, he thought, then turned to the twins. “Can you two do it?” he asked. “It’ll probably be hard to use your powers like that, and you’ll need to be as fast as you can so we can get airborne before any humans can get at us.”

“Yeah,” “we can do it,” the twins said.

“Okay, everyone get ready,” Ragnarok said. Teyaka curled into a ball, trembling a little, and Dash picked her up. Ragnarok turned to Elana. “Hop on my back and hold on tight!” he told her. She climbed on, and he glanced around the group. “All right girls, let’s go!”

The twins jumped up, sweeping their wings forward. The green energy that had gathered there spun forward, gathering into a funnel of wind that tore branches off of trees, leaving a jagged hole to the sky. Ragnarok and Sabre took off through it, flying for the top balcony. Immediately, the twins gathered more energy into a pool of sparkles above their heads. Dash leapt up, Teyaka in his arms, and the twins blew at the sparkles, which shot forward, boosting the draken and his passenger up enough to get to the balcony as well.

The twins tried to jump up, but stumbled and fell over. “Keera! Terra!” Amber exclaimed, running over to help them up. “Are you all right?”

“We’re… fine,” Keera told her, panting heavily. “Just… a little… winded,” Terra said, smiling weakly at the pun.

Amber was not very reassured. “You’d better catch your breath quick,” she warned them. “The human soldiers are bound to come running after all that.”

The twins glanced at each other, still breathing hard, and sort of staggered into the air. Amber glanced around, then flew up after them.

As she landed, Ragnarok rammed the door open. “What? How?” they heard the Dark One exclaim as the group charged in.

“Get him!” Ragnarok called, launching a small ball of fire energy at the human.

The Dark One got over his surprise and blocked the attack. “You break into my stronghold and attack me?” he remarked. “You must not have much fondness for life. Very well, I shall oblige you!” he said. Energy crackled in the air around him, and Ragnarok was suddenly blasted back by a bolt of dark lightning.

“Ragnarok!” Amber cried, running to her mate as the rest of the group took the fight to the Dark One. “Ragnarok, say something!”

“Ngh… that hurt,” he replied, slowly getting to his feet. “Amber… I need you to promise me something.”

“What? Is this really the time to-”

“Stay back. Make sure our chick lives through this, even… even if I don’t,” Ragnarok said.

“But-” Amber protested as Ragnarok ran back into the fray. She looked at Teyaka, who had also hung back. “But…?”

The Dark One spotted Amber, conjured up a ball of darkness, and threw it at the defenseless draken. “Amber! Look out!” Teyaka Cried. She jumped in front of the draken, curling into a ball and rolling forward in midair. The energy splashed off her armor, shooting to either side of Amber. Teyaka crashed to the floor, unrolling limply. Amber could see that she was still breathing, but it was only barely.

“I…I’ve got to help them!” Amber said. Her friends were being beaten so easily! She took a step forward, her claws clicking on the stone. “…Stone!” she exclaimed as something seemed to slide into place in her mind. She felt power surging into her, and looked around to see a vortex of brown sparks spiraling around her. She closed her eyes and focused her whole being on one thought: I need to stop the Dark One!

The sparks shot out, merging with the stone of the floor. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw a ripple of stone flowing toward the Dark One. “W-what?” he exclaimed as the stone shot up, enveloping his right leg. Another column leapt at him, encasing his left hand. “What is this?” He reached over to free his arm, but the stone flowed over his other hand, locking him into place, and he was suddenly pounded by powerful blasts of ice, fire, and wind in rapid succession.

Amber concentrated on holding him, the air around her suffused with a brown glow. “Now’s your chance, Elana!” she called.

Elana had been chanting in some strange language, and the chant suddenly reached a fever pitch. The stone started glowing, and a beam of light shot out and struck the Dark One’s heart. He cried out, his body suddenly disintegrating into dust. The beam disappeared, and the crystal’s glow dimmed.

Keera and Terra looked over. “Is that it?” Keera asked. “Is he finished?” Terra added.

Elana nodded. “Yes, his spirit is trapped in this crystal,” she said.

Dash limped over to Amber. “Way to go, girl,” he said, sounding immensely tired. “It’s thanks to you that Elana could capture him. Very nice timing on discovering your powers.” He patted the side of her neck.

“Dash!”