Dawn's Light

Chapter 2

Celia smiled at the proof that she had formed a mindlink with a draga, unable to produce any words in voice or thought. Her mind could only focus on the sense of completion that filled a place in her that she never knew was there.

However, her focus on her new friend shattered when a sudden panicked cry from a draga echoed through the cavern. Everyone looked at the source of the cry: the bronze male. Kyle one of his hands gripped around the distressed draga's muzzle and his arm wrapped around his neck. He attempted to drag it away from the still-seated Han, who seemed just as distressed as the draga and looked as if his hopes and dreams were being snatched away from him. "This draga will be mine!" He yelled.

The bronze unleashed another high-pitched squeal of panic that seemed to echo in the cave. The squeal made goosebumps appear on everyone's arms and caused the hair on the back of everyone's neck to stand on end.

The draga's cries made Verbena nervous, and the juvenile draga made herself as small as possible as she pressed herself against Celia. In an attempt to calm the green draga, the human gently wrapped one arm around Verbena and stroked her with her other arm as she continued to watch the events unfold. Despite her desire to help the bronze, Celia knew she needed to focus on making sure her new bonded friend felt safe and secure in the turmoil.

After a brief moment where everyone stood frozen in shock, the ground shook as two massive adult dragons jumped down from the ledge they had been watching from only seconds before. Celia gently hugged Verbena's neck as she looked up to the stern and angry expression on Valiant's face.

Even though she wasn't the recipient, the seven arms tall white dragon was imposing. A low grumble emitted from his throat in a warning as he held his head high as he glared down at Kyle. Even his retractable claws had been fully extended in warning and his tail lashed behind him as he spread the entirety of his twenty arms wide wingspan, which made him appear even larger.

Though Valiant himself remained silent, the slightly smaller dark bronze with stripe markings beside him was hissing. His body was low to the ground with his wings and claws half extended as if he was prepared to pounce if needed. Atop his head, his feather crest stood up as tall as it could on another form of warning.

Upon the ledge, a brown male perched on the edge and watched, ready to join the fray at a moment's notice, while the golden queen next to him looked a mix between distraught and angered. Based upon her reaction to the unfolding events, Celia believed that the gold was the bronze's mother.

Guild Master Orthos stood on the edge of the ledge with his arms behind his back and a disapproving frown on his face. He stood tall and was even more intimidating than usual, as he was an imposing force on the ground, much lower than his cured position several arms above everyone's heads.

Celia felt like she couldn't breathe, despite her full ability to do so. Her mind searched for the comfort of Verbena's mind. Her mind was warm like a fire but as soft and gentle as her undercoat.

Verbena already knew the large ivory dragon was extremely intimidating and remembered the few times she received his anger and judgment in the three cycles of sharing a cave with the white dragon and his family. Despite her memories, she felt relief and comfort in Celia's presence.

Kyle was frozen in some sort of a mix of fear and regret but never released the draga in his arms until it squirmed out on its own and ran into Han's lap. The poor dragon was trembling and whimpering, so Han gave it a reassuring hug and stroked it soothingly. "Don't worry, I have you." He cooed.

Kyle looked up to Valiant with wide, trembling eyes then looked to the ledge and became even more nervous as his eyes locked with Guild Master Orthos's stern gaze.