Dragon Kin - Awakening

The Aftermath

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Silence gripped the battlefield, all eyes trained on the now vacant space in which Menos had been standing. Mind and heart racing Vada desperately searched for that strange sense of her siblings she had discovered during the battle, but her abilities were still too new to control at will. 

'We need to talk,' Chief Tana'ka said suddenly, tone deep and solemn.
     
'I agree,' Vada began slowly, a steady snarl rising in her words, 'but not right now.'
     
'Our situation is quite urgent,' he insisted, though he showed no physical sign of agitation.
     
'Your situation can wait. My sister is dying because of a high priest that you not only chose but allowed to murder my father and attempt to murder me.' With every word that left her lips, the space around Vada grew, 'here's an idea, stop laying your troubles at the feet of my family.'
     
'Vada, Menos clearly used his black magic to control my father,' Takashi protested.
     
'Oh, well then, everything is magically forgiven,' Vada hissed moving into a battle crouch, her muscles tightly coiled. The crowd moved further back but Takashi stepped forward, facing off with the flame-eyed creature.
     
The chief raised his hand, and with a few regal strides, manoeuvred himself between his son and Vada.
     
'Takashi, Vada is more than entitled to her anger, I will not excuse my actions.'
     
'We will talk,' Vada assured, taken aback by the Chief's demeanour, though her pride protested she tipped her head in a slight bow, as both a sign of respect and thanks for his understanding. 

As Vada strode away across the valley, Chief Tana'ka looked on. Turning to his sons, suddenly very serious.
   
'She may be young, and somewhat wild, but I am not too old to recognise a powerful Chieftess when I see one.'

'A Chieftess?' Uldrin, the oldest of the brothers baulked, 'of who exactly?'

'Her people will come,' his father explained, 'and if you had any sense Uldrin, you'd work damn hard to make that woman your wife.'

'You're not serious!' Uldrin squawked, trotting after his father and his brothers all of whom were chuckling.

The crowd began to disperse, the injured that could manage to made their way back to the village, while others sat and waited for treatment from the village shamans and apothecaries.      
Any man or woman that was fit enough, began the business of building pyres for the deceased warriors, both friend and foe were to be sent off with the proper ceremony.
   
'Vada!' Cas wailed, racing down the dirt road that led to Riska, kicking up a cloud of dust that hung in the air behind him.
     
Cas had always been a passionate person, strong in his beliefs, but he was usually a happy go lucky guy, it took a lot to ruffle his...scales, but their change seemed to make his blood run much hotter than was normal. 

'Dani is gone! She was there and then...' Cas attempted to explain through the red mist that fell over his eyes, he held his head firmly in his hands staring blindly at the dirt with wide red-rimmed eyes, 'smoke appeared out of thin air and fell over her-'
     
'Menos has taken her.' Vada ground-out, at the mention of that name Cas's restraint, snapped with a twang and flames sprang up along his shoulders.
     
'How?' He roared, more dragon than man.

A shimmering layer of sweat formed on his skin, fuelled by the fear burning within him. A loaned tunic, probably from Oshi, began to fall away, drifting to the ground at his feet charred and still slowly burning up.

Once bare-chested Vada noticed the change in her little brother's physique, his young torso had lost its layer of baby fat, leaving lean, well-defined muscles, Vada couldn't help but wonder how her own body had changed in the last few hours if her young bothers physical transformation was so dramatic and scarier still, how Dani's health would deteriorate as her body struggled with the transition. 
     
'Cas,' she called in a tone so soft it was almost a whisper. Slowly, to avoid spooking him, she placed her hands over his and pulled his head forward to meet her own. His crazed eyes found hers, oozing desperation, 'we will bring Dani home, but we can't do it like this. We need control.'
     
'Control,' he repeated, the sheer effort showing through the strain in his voice, his panting began to slow down as he chanted the word over and over, each time easier than the last.