Ethereal Flames

Trapped

I immediately covered both Lilly and  Xen's sleeping forms with my wings, protecting them from any harm that could possibly attack them while they were sleeping. I also wrapped them in my arms.

I know how harsh the drakons are. I was one of them. I needed to be reassured that they would be there when I got back from kicking the crap out of whoever interrupted my cuddle.

Yeah, I have a bit of a mouth, I'll admit it.

I turned and glared my white eyes at the intruder and blinked in surprise. It was just another ghost.

A red, female ghost with the "I'm-scared-as-crap-cuddle-me" look on her face. She was young, about the age of Lilly, and my mothering instincts were simply screaming at me to... well... mother her. 

I hesitantly opened my wings enough to give her passage and she smiled the widest smile I have ever seen on a ghost. It was kind of creepy, actually.

She slipped between my wings and cuddled somewhere next to where Lilly was but on the ground instead of on our cuddle-pile.  I hesitantly wrapped my wings around the cuddle pile again and swore I'd never let my guard down again. What would have happened if that was one of Algra-Tan's goons? We might get separated.

It was not even a full minute before another face peeked in our hidey-cuddly-hole and I was glad that I wrapped my wings around my friends.

It was Algra-Tan.

"Guys! She's over here! The little beta and her precious alpha! Along with two cubs!" He shouted loudly. I tightened my wing-grip on my friends and growled lowly at Algra-Tan.

"Get the hell out of here!" I whispered, threatening but quiet enough that anyone who was still asleep wouldn't wake up, even though Algra-Tan's shout should have done it for them.

"Hell no. You need to know your place and respect your alphas, little beta!" He growled back at me.

"I don't care what you do to me but if you harm a single sinew of flesh on any of these ghosts or wake any of them I will rip out your skull and beat you to death with it." I threatened with a colder voice, the cold wind starting to blow faster around our nook. 

He lunged at the spot between my wings and I crushed them together just as his top half made it through. A sickening crunch of bones snapping met my ears and I growled.

"Now get the hell away from my family." I warned, grabbing his broken body and throwing it with as much force as I could muster and watched as he flew into the next village over, sputtering curses.

I looked back into my nook and saw Xen and Lilly along with the red ghost still sleeping peacefully and I sighed. We needed to move; his goons were probably on their way already, from the sounds of the shout, if not the crash and/or curses.

But Xen and Lilly looked so peaceful as they slept.

I never get a good break, do I?

I make a swift, low-pitched whistle that cab drivers would probably hear six planets away if they had the eardrums for it, and wait for a few seconds.

Delta comes romping through the wall in no less than ten seconds flat.

Delta is sort of my ride when I need to go farther from the portal than expected, but Delta is mostly loyal to only me. He has a long neck with a head covered in sort of a bone-mask that ends with a spike on the back of his head. He has four pure black eyes, two on each side of his head, and a large body fit for carrying people. His tail split off about six feet along into two tails (about six feet long each)that he could use as hands or daggers if he wanted to. He had four legs, the back legs covered in feathers and all four feet were large, about as large around as your face, and three claws on each foot.

All in all; Perfect companion when you need a getaway car.

"Hi Delta," I cooed, "Could you give us a ride to the nearest tundra village?"

The nearest tundra village was in the next country, but it would be an all-right ride if everyone was safe once we got there. 

Delta let out a low growl that sounded almost like a purr and nodded his huge helmet-head. I took that as a yes and lifted the still-sleeping forms of Lilly, Xen, and the little red ghost onto his back. Then I fastened them in, and lifted myself to the little spot just behind his neck.

"Ire, Ire, Delta!" I yelled at him and he took off at a brisk pace, just a bit faster than my flight.

Since I was the fastest flier; that was saying something.

I sighed and yawned, my earlier sleepiness catching back up to me.

"Delta," I yawned again, "could you keep going until you need to stop for a rest? I need to sleep and-"

Delta interrupted me with a huge nod that sent me flying onto Xen's lap and bounced Lilly back into my arms. The large amount of warmth flooded me instantly and I smiled lightly as my need to sleep overrided my need to stay awake.

"Good-night," I yawned, sleep taking me finally.