The Dragon's Son

•Chapter 4•

I had never laid eyes on such a place before. Just the sight of it made my heart thunder in my chest. As I stared out the window in awe. Everything seeming to be so much greater than myself, yet it appeared all man made, something that sent my hands to quivering in curiosity. I didn't understand what many of the objects present where, but they drew me in and made the whole experience that much more... thrilling.

Buildings made complete of steel and grey rock tower over the soldiers training in the large field near the edge of the forest. Three stood directly in the middle, the pinnacles of the entire compound. The right appeared to have a large grey dish bolted to the top with a small red flashing light in it's middle. The left tower seemed to groan and smoke like a dragon would when it was trapped in a nightmare. But the middle tower, the tallest of the three seemed the most important. Even with it's appearance, and it's apparent lack of use. I could feel a power from within it. One that made my very bones ache. The Blood Dragon's emblem was emblazoned on the three buildings facades.

Two opened fields stood on either side of the three towers. One seeming to be pocketed and scored by war, while the other was a solid grey black with yellow lines on it, but even as I watched I saw other transports landing smoothly into the individual yellow outlined rectangles on the left field. On the right, I could make out the distant sound of fighting and bellowed orders the closer to the ground we came.

Just behind the towers, I had glimpsed smaller grey buildings neatly placed in rows. And just as we were making a loop around the towers, I could see a large white and glass structure standing near the tunnel we had emerged from. The cliff face even seemed to have been reconstructed for war practice, seeing the thin slanted upwards paths and the scaling ropes that stood out against the weathered rock.

"What is this place?" I rumbled deep in my chest as awe stole away my human tongue. My eyes glued to this oddly natural, yet modernistic area.

"This, my friend, is Compound Last Stand," Longshot's voice replied in Draak tongue, "The largest Blood Dragon base this side of New Hope. The very home of Austin Flare."

I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to explore this new territory, but I could tell from the fact that the transport was moving to land where the others had, that I wouldn't have that luxury, at least not at this moment. The name of the compound itself even sent a thrill through me. It reminded me of the the stories my dad had told me of the valiant Dragon City soldiers Last Stand. It was meant to represent that even in darkness there was still hope. No matter how small. But it also made me wonder why they'd have it so close to New Hope. I hadn't been too keen on geographical lessons either, growing up.

The transport jostled suddenly, nearly sending me sprawling as we landed. Onslaught's hold on my shoulder was the only thing to catch me so I could stead myself. I cut a sharp toothed grin at him before a loud alarm of some kind filled the air. Distracting me yet again and adding to the effect of being pulled back into reality. 

"Please disembark from the transport and follow escorts to the auditorium," an almost autonomous voice ordered over some type of sound device. I glanced around the room to see the recruits climbing to their feet and making a beeline for the singular exit from this room. I held myself back slightly knowing if I attempted to follow the orders like the others, I'd end up being squashed against someone and I would rather not have to touch anyone for the time being. 

Dagger and his friends, along with Jack waited with me. They had the same thoughts as me and it gave me a moment to solidify my thoughts on being so far from any dragon contact. It felt honestly unnatural, but I knew I couldn't just up an leave without facing a traitors death. I had learned that much from my father's stories of war. And although I was worried, I was also curious of the whole situation so my emotions seemed to negate each other, so my anxiety was limited. 

Once the crowd had thinned considerably, my small group headed out. It took me a second or two once I reached the exit to the transport. I was the last to climb down, but I was so taken aback by the new world I had seemed to step into that he still didn't completely know how to react. 

I stepped down onto the ground and a sigh left me as he felt as if my world had just change. And to be honest, it had when I first stepped onto the transport. And it would probably only continue to change from here until I couldn't even recognize myself. That's what  dad said happened to him and everyone he knew who went off to war. I wasn't one hundred percent sure how I felt about the whole idea yet and I hesitated. Just for a second when everyone began to following a set of twins.

An arm caught me around my shoulders as I moved to follow everyone, keeping me I place. I looked to see who was keeping me by the ship and was surprised it was Onslaught instead of Dagger. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I heard someone pause only to feel Onslaught shift as he waved off whoever it was.

"Jake, listen," Onslaught started, after everyone disappeared into one of the large glass and steel buildings closest to the landing zone, "I can see your uncomfortable. Do you really not want to he here? When I was your age I was nearly biting my mother's tail off to explore the world. This ended up being the perfect place to do it."

I almost didn't answer as I realized he had spoken completely in Draak Tongue. But I shook it away as I attempted to answer, "Da said those who leave to war come back changed. I don't want to change. I want to be able to be me," I finally managed after a couple of seconds.  Onslaught didn't rush me to respond and to be honest it was a relief to actually have someone to voice my fear to now.

He grabbed my shoulder in his large hand and squeezed lightly. "Hey, not everyone changes complete after being in an army. I haven't, not completely. They did help me become a man, stronger than the  scrawny boy I used to be. But I'm still me. I'm still my mother's hatchling just like I know your father would never say you weren't his."

I tightened my jaw and clenched and unclenched my hands several times. "Can you promise I'll still be me? That I won't just find so many people I have more in common with here and decided to forget my father all together?" I hoarsely said, looking up from the ground so I could see his reaction, but my vision was blurred. The nerves behind my eyes were stinging so I blinked several times before my vision cleared enough for me to handle.

"I can't. But I can do the next best thing. The second stage of your batch of recruits is known as the Mental Evaluation. If by the end of that, I think you aren't adapting to it as you should, I'll find some way to send you home. Okay?" He asked squeezing my shoulder again.

I took a deep breath, knowing that was probably the best I could hope for. But I was better than nothing and I allowed me an out before I had the chance to truely forget my roots in Dragon's Den.  I straightened myself fully and released the air slowly. "Alright. Deal," I told him.

A genunine smile lifted the corners of his lips. "Alright then. Let's catch up with the others before I get into trouble, yeah?" He chuckled, motioning towards where the other recruits had disappeared into the large glass building. I let him tow me along with a somewhat less crowded mind.

All I could hope was that this truely did give me an option. I guess that's all I could hope for. After all, there would be few others.