If You Asked Me To (UWOC)

Four

"Basil? Where are you?" It was one of the bonded dragonets.

"Hey, Tom. I'm at my burrow."

"Can you come to the front meadow?"

I wondered what was going on. He rarely wanted to talk to me. "Sure. On my way."

About a dozen of us arrived at the meadow simultaneously, forming a circle around two bonded dragonets. Tom must have called a meeting of some sort. That was unusual.

"Thank you all for coming," Tom's mate, Serena, said. "We have a bit of a situation. Tessa's handler, Soranto, is ill with this virus that's going around. He will be okay eventually, but just in case, Tasha asks if any dragonets have medical experience. The Kymari believe humans may have known about this virus, as their body chemistry was similar to that of the Kymari,  and I know all of you used to be in the medical field. We need to brainstorm ideas to help solve this."

If Tessa's mother, Tasha, was involved, Tessa's handler must have been hit hard. Tessa loved Soranto and his family, so I didn't doubt Tasha was beside herself.

"How can we help if we can't even talk to the Kymari to get their symptoms and walk them through a diagnosis?" a dragonet spoke up. It was a good point.

"The Kymari are green and ten feet tall. We don't even know if they have the same muscle structure or internal organs as humans. How are we to help them?" another chimed in.

"We are confident Elder Dairno knows we are sentient," Serena said. "If we have ideas, he will listen, and maybe he'll assign us a doctor or a scientist to work with, one who will keep our secret."  

The response to that statement was abject fear. I could feel it through the mindlink and in their minds. None of the dragonets would speak with a Kymari willingly.

"Please listen to me. If we cannot find a way to help them, they will abandon this world! They will leave you all behind! I know none of you want to go back to living in the wild, and that's what this city will become once there are no Kymari to patrol and protect the walls," Tom stated.

Damn. We wouldn't survive in the wild again. We had gotten used to our simple life, and the new generations had never lived in the wild. They would not know how to handle themselves against its harsh predators. There was no choice.

"I'll do it," I said. "Find someone I can talk to, and we will find the cure."

There was a stunned silence as all the dragonets stared at me.

"You were a research doctor, right?" Tom asked me.

"Something like that. I had just graduated from school, but I still remember everything I learned thanks to the Blood Memories. If it was taught in school, I have some knowledge of it."

My heart started to pound. Even though I had attacks from time to time, it had been many years since my anxiety was this high. However, I would not allow the children born here to become food for wild animals. I owed the other dragonets that much.

"Thank you. If anyone else would like to contribute, let Basil know. He can be the go-between if you are too scared to talk to Kymari. You can converse through the link and share your thoughts with him. I will speak with my handler and find someone we can trust." Then, just to me, Tom said, "I'll keep you informed." 

I nodded and left for the pond. I needed to be alone, but I could sense the dragonets that followed me and read their thoughts. They were all the same: concerned about the Kymari leaving and thankful I had volunteered. 

"Basil? Why did you do that? Aren't you afraid of the Kymari?" a younger boy asked.

Yes. I was, but not for the same reason as him. 

How would I work with the Kymari without them realizing I was once human? How would I use science without hurting anyone? How would I explain my knowledge of human anatomy? 

The list went on and on.

The young dragonet waiting for my response had his mother's memories. She had been a doctor. A fox had killed her before the Kymari removed them from the park, as they had done with all the animals that threatened us.

"I am afraid. But I refuse to let anyone live back in the wild. You were raised here. You don't know what it's like out there, and I don't want you ever to find out." 

"Thank you, Basil. I want to help, but I can't get over my fear. I want to share some ideas with you about what the virus could be, though," said a female dragonet. She had been in a residency program to become a general surgeon. She would probably have some good ideas.

"Can we talk after the Morning Song tomorrow? I'll meet you here, okay?" I knew they could sense my desire to be left alone. I didn't hide it in the link.

"Let's go," she said to the others. "See you later," she told me.

I didn't respond. I just walked into the pond and dove into the fresh, clean water.