GCR Drabbles

Sunshine's Solace

Solace (n): comfort in a time of distress or sadness

Life, dare he say it, was great.

The defeat of Emperor and his cult had apparently showed that he was capable of redemption to the public eye, and now here he was.

If someone told Amen a couple years ago that he would be working alongside the authorities as a... bounty hunter of sorts, he would probably say that they got dropped as an egg too many times.

And if someone also told him that not only did he work alongside them, but that he'd be friends with Devotee, Poison, and many others, he'd probably think that they were absolutely insane.

Alas, these things came true, and Amen wouldn't ask for anything else.

His latest bounty was a tricky one; the sly bugger had managed to escape him last time he had encountered him.

Edgar had heard of this news, and despite her growing age, she insisted that she come along to help him out.

She always liked being part of the action, she'd say.

With her insistence, he was practically forced to say yes to her.

He had been so stupid.

One stupid, irrevocable decision, and now, the criminals had fled the scene under the cover of magic blasts.

But no, that wasn't his worst mistake.

His worst mistake was allowing Edgar to get hurt.

And now, here she was, bleeding out on the wet, muddy ground of the outskirts of the tavern where they were supposed to capture the criminal.

Apparently, he had backup.

The other dragon that had accompanied Amen and Edgar on the mission had left swiftly to get help.

The damn criminal had nearly opened Edgar's left flank, and no matter how much pressure Amen placed on it, the steady stream of scarlet did not stop gushing over his paws and onto the ground.

Amen wouldn't stop talking, ordering her with firm yet pleading words with a shaky voice.

"Stay with me, Ed. Stay with me. Help's on the way. Don't close your eyes, okay? Stay with me. Don't close your eyes. Everything will be okay."

At this point, he was sure that he was reassuring himself.

"Listen, boy," Edgar stated, pausing with a wince. "It's my time to leave."

Before she could go on, Amen's eyes widened, and then they fiercely sharpened into an intense glare.

"No!" he snarled angrily, and then the desperation returned to grasp his voice. "No, Ed... not like this. Please. Please."

Edgar smiled painfully. "Y-you can't s-stop the inevitable, boy."

Amen felt fury flood over him.

"Shut the hell up, Ed," he hissed. "Just stop talking- help is almost here."

He really hoped that help was almost there.

Edgar finally fell quiet, and Amen had to rely on Edgar's heavy breathing and the moving of her flank to determine that she was still with him.

The silence wracked him, and he found himself urging to break it.

"Hang on, Ed. Just don't close your eyes. Help's almost here, just don't-"

"Amen."

Edgar had gingerly moved her paw to clutch onto Amen's bloody one, her talons surprisingly digging into scales with sudden strength.