Lost not Broken

Chapter 5

Storm's POV

"KEITH!" I roared.

I knew something was wrong!

Angry with myself, I tilted a little to the left, going into a vertical dive. Blood rushing through my veins, heart pounding. Nothing else was on my mind except to save him.

I'm not going to let him die. I can't do this, not again! I can't let another innocent person die! Not again.

The desert ground was getting closer and closer. Pressing my wings even tighter against my flanks, I reached out for the falling paladin. As my claws snagged his side I wrapped my paws around him, then my wings, curling into a ball just as we slammed into the ground. Sand flew everywhere. I rolled a few times, eventually hitting a dune, coming to a halt. My chest heaved as I lay there, trying to catch my breath. In the distance I heard a vehicle start, tearing out in the sand. Shakily, I lifted my left wing. My back was pressed against the dune, which meant my right wing was laying on the sandy ground. The black paladin was laying on my right wing, unconscious and bleeding from where I had snagged him.

Canine-dung.

I had to get up and stop the bleeding, but there was no way I could after hitting the ground at such a speed. I was too weak, as much as I hated to admit it. Suddenly, a skidding, grit-meeting-tire sound interrupted my thoughts. Instinctively, I wrapped my wings around Keith. A group of people ran over, freezing in their tracks as they saw me. I snarled, closing my wings even tighter, claws unsheathing. "What in the world-" "Is that a-"

I recognize these people...

A human-like being carefully approached.

Altean. Wait-

"Hello! Who are you?" She smiled, crouching down on my level. I warbled a soft response. "Oh, you are just gorgeous! And- this collar... it's... Meif'Wan! Oh my goodness, this is incredible!" The Altean jumped to her feet excitedly. "Uh... Allura, you alright?" A young man asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Yes, yes! Better than, actually! Here, let me explain. Much like the Alteans, Meif'Wa were known to have been wiped out by the Galra, however, they are a much more incredible race. Alteans often looked to them for guidance. They helped Alteans become the alchemists we are-were. A-Anyways, Meif'Wa are known for being incredibly smart and wise. On our journeys throughout space, I did some research, to see if any other planets had been destroyed, and I found out that Spiritana, their home planet, had been destroyed. I found bits and pieces of information saying that there were a few Meif'Wa left, and this proves it." Allura explained. I purred.

We've not been forgotten yet.

"Are they all giant animals?" A small paladin asked. "No, they're usually in their Meif'Wan form. I'm not sure why she hasn't changed back..." The Altean frowned. She looked at me closely, trying to figure out why I wasn't in my usual form. I moved my wing a tad to signal.

I know these people are trustworthy... but... I need to make sure they understand.

"What's wrong?" The second biggest human of the group asked. "I think she's got something in her wings." The yellow paladin frowned. I meowed in response. "I agree... what've you got?" Allura cautiously reached out. I growled quietly, and she pulled her hand back. "I'm not going to hurt you." She said, looking me in the eyes.

Honesty...

Slowly, I lifted my wing up, revealing the bloody, unconscious paladin. "Keith!" They started coming closer. I snarled. "Everybody, back up!" Allura stood in front of me. "Allura, that thing-" "Do not refer to her as a thing, Lance! Give me a moment." Casting a worried glance at me, Lance sighed, stepping back. Allura turned to me. "I understand you're worried that we'll hurt him, but you need to let us help. Please." She spoke softly. With a final growl, I folded my wing back, letting them pick him up, before switching forms. The group fell silent, looking at me. I flicked my tail back and forth. Allura's eyes shone with excitement. "Hello! I am Princess Allura." She smiled. "Nice to meet you. My name's Storm." I smiled back with a slight nod. "I'm Shiro. Storm, if I may ask, how did you come upon our friend?" Shiro approached me. "Funny story. I found him unconscious in the middle of the desert. He was in pretty bad shape, so I took him to the cave that I'm currently residing in, and used a bit of healing magic to fix the worst of his problems. Once he was able to move this morning, I said I'd bring him back to y'all, but mid-flight he started acting weird and fell. I dove after him, snagged his side and we crash-landed here." I explained. "That makes sense. Thank you for helping." He smiled. "Hey, uh, Storm? You do realize you're bleeding? A lot?" Lance asked. "Huh? Oh. I am bleeding, aren't I?" I muttered, looking down at my leg. There was part of it that was bleeding heavily. I reached down, gently touching the wound, feeling something sharp sticking out. "Whoops." I shrugged. "You've broken your leg and all you say is whoops?!" A mustached man asked, flailing his arms around. "What am I supposed to say?" I frowned. "May I make a suggestion?" Allura spoke. I turned my attention to her. "You and Keith both need immediate attention. How about you come back with us and we'll take care of your injuries?" She offered. I was silent for a moment, thinking about it. "You know, when Keith woke up, he was so worried about the house. He wanted to see it so badly, when he heard that the grand opening had been a week ago." I let my tail fall limp. "He- Oh no... we didn't even think about going over! We were all so worried about Keith." The yellow paladin's face creased with worry. "I think... he'd... appreciate that..." My vision was starting to blur, slowly getting darker until everything collapsed.