by Mell Eight
This went against almost everything Aqua knew about dragons. They were territorial, often fighting with any dragon that encroached. As far as Aqua had previously known, Dane was the only person that had ever tried to have more than one adult dragon live near each other. He was building a dragon village for reasons Aqua had never really bothered to listen to and figuring out how to keep everyone living in harmony was his biggest struggle.
"How?" Aqua asked, and Boron grinned.
"It's all about having a sense of community. We work together, protect each other, and take care of each other. There are things we can get territorial over, like our mates, but if we foster a culture of sharing, we've found that the territorial urge diminishes. The salamander clans are so similar to the fire dragons that it was only natural for us to exist together, especially when we found out dragons could be mates with salamanders. Only one family refuses to join us."
"Safara tried to join," Ash gasped in surprise, as if he was just starting to realize what had gone wrong between his family and these dragons and salamanders. "And Phyre didn't like that so he dragged her away."
"If only it were that simple," Boron said softly. He looked at them for a few moments, as if he were weighing a heavy decision, before turning sharply and walking around the fire. "Come with me."
They followed, edging around the fire and between the dragons lying around until they were on the opposite side. They walked out into the darkness for a ways until they found another dragon that was lying as far from the fire as she could while still being within the reach of its light. Aqua could make out what looked like a dozen trucks parked just beyond that dragon, so that must be how the dragons and salamanders got to the desert in the first place.
"This is Alkaline. She and your Safara are mates, but Phyre refused to allow two women to be together. He said it was unnatural. When he was forcing Safara away, in desperation, Alkaline ran at him. He hit her with a whip of fire and took Safara away. The damage is extensive and Alkaline hasn't been able to heal it. She can't shift to human form without terrible pain and with her scales damaged, it hurts to move at all."
"Phyre did this?" Ash asked softly. He was shaking slightly as he looked at Alkaline and Aqua thought he might have seen a tear trace down Ash's cheek, but his voice was steady despite that.
The distance from the fire didn't do anything to hide what had happened to Alkaline. There was a line running down the side of her body, broken into her scales in a red and vicious looking cut with yellow pus leaking out in spots. It had to be excruciating. Add on the fact that her mate had been taken from her and she must be in utter agony.
"There's nothing we can do for her anymore," Boron admitted. "Even if we confronted Phyre and took Safara back, Alkaline won't live for much longer. We're shocked she's held on as long as she has, to be honest."
"Can't you get a healer?" Aqua asked.
Boron laughed. "What healer wants to come out into the middle of the desert to heal a dragon? Please don't say such silly things, little waterling."
"I'm Aqua, not a waterling."
"And I'm Boron," their guide replied. "Come away before we wake her."
They walked back to the fire. Ash was unusually quiet. Not that he had ever said much at one time before, but there was a sense of shock around him that gave Aqua the feeling that Ash didn't know what to say any longer.
"If I could get a healer, would that change things?" Aqua asked Boron hopefully as they returned to the warmth of the fire.
"Persistent, aren't you," Boron grumbled. "If you can get a healer to save Alkaline, we would be in your debt, Aqua."
Aqua grinned. "Do you get cell service out here?" He pulled his backpack off and bent down so he could dig to the very bottom of it. He didn't wait for Boron to answer, powering up his cellphone the second he found it and holding it up into the air to see if there were any cell towers nearby. Apparently there were because he had a signal. Aqua keyed in Dane's number and held the phone up to his ear.
"Hello?" The voice that picked up sounded half-asleep. Aqua guiltily glanced at his phone's clock and realized that if it was ten o'clock pacific time, it was after one on the east coast. This was too important to wait for morning, though.
"Hi, Dane," Aqua said. "Do you know of any healers that could come out to the Nevada desert?"
"You're in Nevada?" Dane asked, sounding slightly more awake. "What did you do that you need a healer? If it isn't an emergency I'm not waking anyone up."
"Not me. This other dragon. She's leaking yellow pus from under her scales."
"I'll make some calls," Dane replied immediately. "I assume you don't know which desert in Nevada you're in?" Dane continued without waiting for Aqua to ask Boron for an answer. "I'll give William a call since I'm assuming he can track you properly. You need anything else?"
"Not right now. Thanks, Dane."
"Stay safe out there. I don't think the local territory leader gets out into the deserts too often, so there's no telling who or what has claimed space out there."
Aqua giggled. "I've already found the who or what. I'll tell you about it next time I visit."
"I'm glad you're making friends, Aqua. Let me go make those calls."
He hung up and Aqua put the phone in his pocket so he could hear it ring if Dane called back.
He was making friends, right? That was the entire purpose of his heading south, but a glance at Ash, who was squeezing his hands together as if he were still nervous and upset, spoke of something completely different than friendship to Aqua. Was this what Rios had felt the moment he understood just what Nixie could be to him? This tugging in his chest and a constant desire to make everything better for Nixie? All Aqua wanted to do was hurry over to Ash and give him a hug and tell him that it was going to be all right, so that was exactly what Aqua did.
Ash was a lot taller than Aqua was, and thinner, but he let out a sigh as Aqua's arms came around him and rested his cheek on the top of Aqua's head.
"I didn't have any idea what Phyre had done," he mumbled. "He took care of me as best as he could, but I can't go out in sunlight, and it's too cold to go out at night. He never told me anything like this place could exist. All he said was that he'd protect me because I'm so weak. He thought Safara was weak too."
"He's trying hard to protect you in his own way, I don't doubt that about your brother," Aqua said softly into Ash's shoulder. "But his…" he trailed off, unsure how to say that Phyre's morals weren't up to snuff without insulting Ash's brother.
"Phyre doesn't understand love," Ash finished Aqua's sentence easily. "He used to go to these get-togethers when he was younger to try to find a wife, but he always came back alone, until eventually he stopped trying entirely."
"I remember seeing Phyre at those," Boron said, gently cutting in to their conversation. "His beliefs weren't something a modern woman—particularly a dragon or salamander—could adhere to. Women belong in the kitchen and that sort of nonsense. No one wanted to put up with him. It didn't surprise me in the least to learn that what he didn't like about Safara and Alkaline was the fact that they were both women."
"Our parents were like that, I think," Ash replied. He lifted his head off Aqua's so he could look at Boron, but he didn't loosen his arms. "Mom stayed at home, cooking and taking care of us while dad went out to work. But I think that's the way Mom preferred it, rather than it being the way Dad decided it had to be. They died when I was really little, so maybe I'm not remembering it right."
"No, you have it right," Boron said with a shrug. "Your mother was definitely in charge of that household, and I could tell from the few times we met that she loved being home to take care of you and your siblings. Losing your parents so suddenly in that sandstorm might have warped Phyre's perceptions. It still doesn't excuse the way he attacked Alkaline, though."
"No, it doesn't," Ash agreed. "Although I have no idea what to do to change that."
Boron didn't reply, and before Ash or Aqua could come up with something else
to say, the ground lit up fifty feet to their left. Dragons sprung to their feet and salamanders jumped from the fire, assuming human form as they got free of the flames.
"Are we under attack?" someone asked.
"It's a spell circle," Aqua told Boron quickly. "I'll bet this is the healer."
The light faded away a moment later, leaving an elderly looking man standing where the light had been, holding a doctor's case. His back was still straight despite his gray hair and wrinkled face and his eyes strong as he looked at the assembled dragons and salamanders.
"Aqua, my boy, where is this dragon leaking yellow pus?" Dr. Krantz called through the assembly.
"Over here, Dr. Krantz." Aqua lifted one hand in the air to wave it so Dr. Krantz could see him, then gently untangled himself from Ash so he could show Dr. Krantz the way to Alkaline's side.
"How have you been, my boy?" Dr. Krantz asked as soon as Aqua had reached his side and they were both walking around the fire towards Alkaline. "I haven't seen you since that time you tried to go deep sea diving in a puddle only three feet deep. Shattered your forearm, if I remember correctly. Took me an hour to magically fit all the pieces back into place to get the healing started right."
"My arm's fine now, and Uncle Willy told me I could only go diving in water that's over twelve feet deep from now on." He couldn't help rubbing at the arm he had broken in remembered pain.
"Good man, your uncle. How's your brother doing? I heard he had found himself a mermaid?"
Aqua laughed, unable to help himself after hearing that from Dr. Krantz, of all people. "Nixie says he's nothing like those salt water-addled idiots. He's a nix, so he looks like a merman, but he's not and he gets very grumpy if you call him one," Aqua added with his voice full of experience.
"I shall keep that in mind," Dr. Krantz replied jovially. He caught sight of Alkaline a moment later and the smile fell off his face. "Oh dear," he breathed out and hurried forward. He gently touched Alkaline on the shoulder that wasn't leaking pus. Her body shuddered for a few seconds, and then relaxed with a sigh of relief.
Dr. Krantz got to work on her scales, doing things with instruments he pulled from his bag that Aqua didn't understand in the least with the occasional flash of magic to start the healing process. He left Dr. Krantz to it with Boron watching him closely and returned to the warm fire and Ash.
"Now what do we do?" Ash asked as Aqua took a seat on the ground next to where Ash was sitting near the fire.
"You can always come home with me if you don't want to stay here," Aqua said hopefully.
Ash stared at Aqua in shock for a few moments. "That's… not what I meant, but I appreciate it. I will need somewhere to live after this is over, won't I? I can't go back to Phyre, not after helping you run away, and I can't stay outside in the desert with this community. My skin gets blistered after only an hour in the sun and I think they only go back to their houses to avoid a bad storm and to replenish their supplies. Is it… Would it really be okay if I lived at your place? Is it really sunny there?"
"It can be, but we have a big house with lots of things to do indoors during the day." Aqua would have said anything to get Ash to agree to come home with him, yet at the same time, he knew he had to be entirely truthful. He wanted Ash to decide to come with him, not be coerced into it.
"I'll think about it," Ash replied after a moment of silence. That was probably the best answer Aqua was going to get at the moment, so he let the subject drop for now. They sat side by side, enjoying the fire and the stars twinkling overhead. There were gentle murmurs around them as everyone woken up by Dr. Krantz's arrival had to talk about it before going back to bed.
Aqua let out a wide yawn, which Ash echoed a moment later. It was far too easy to rest his head on Ash's shoulder. A short nap while they waited for Dr. Krantz to finish wouldn't hurt. Today had been a very long day. Aqua let out another yawn before closing his eyes and letting sleep take him away.
Chapter Six
It got noisy far too early in the desert. Mostly because a lot of people were waking up and talking to their neighbors and breakfast was sizzling over the fire. It smelled great, Aqua's rumbling stomach happily informed him.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw that it was just barely past dawn. The sun was visible over the endless horizon of tan scrub, but only just. Pink and orange colors streaked across the sky with only the barest sliver of bright yellow beginning to show. The chill of the night was still heavy across Aqua's skin, making him wish he had a blanket. It would warm up quickly as the sun continued to rise, Aqua knew. The sun would get unbearably hot, and Ash would burn and blister without proper shelter, which these dragons and salamanders lacked entirely.
Aqua carefully rolled away from Ash, untangling their limbs. Luckily Aqua had been using Ash for a pillow so it was easy enough to get free without waking Ash up. Aqua moved far enough away that his larger dragon form wouldn't squish Ash and then shifted forms. He crawled back to Ash and carefully spread one wing over Ash's sleeping form. With Ash completely covered in shadow, Aqua relaxed. He tried to go back to sleep, but the smell of cooking food was so strong and so yummy, he couldn't manage it.
A plate appeared in front of his face almost as if his rumbling stomach had conjured it. Aqua blinked at it for a moment before noticing the hand gripping the edge.
"I guess I shouldn't have brought you a fork and knife," Boron said with a laugh. "Good idea to keep your friend there safe from the sun. I'm sorry we can't do any better, but keeping him in the shade should help." He passed Aqua the plate, which he awkwardly took with his claws. It took all of three seconds for Aqua to lick the plate clean, which only made Boron laugh. "Looks like you're hitting a growth spurt," Boron said around a chuckle.
"Finally," Aqua grumbled. "Rios grew two inches over the winter and I didn't."
"Dragons have to grow mentally first before they start filling out physically," Boron replied with an understanding shrug. "Looks like you'll be catching up to Rios pretty soon."
There was a rustling noise from underneath Aqua's wing, and he suddenly felt a hand running gently across the underside of his wing. Boron winked at him and strode off.
"It's my wing, Ash," Aqua explained. "To keep the sun off you."
"It's still too bright. I can't open my eyes," Ash said.
"Well that won't do," Dr. Krantz said jovially.
Aqua jumped in surprise and craned his next around. Dr. Krantz was standing on Aqua's right side, away from his spread wing. He had a plate of food in one hand and a fork in the other. A woman was standing next to him. Her skin was darkly tanned from the sun, which made her vibrant red hair and scales shine. She was only wearing pants, but her torso was covered thanks to thick bandages that ran from her armpits all the way down underneath her waistband.
"I saw your friend's interesting pigmentation in the firelight last night, but Alkaline here took precedence." He carefully speared some food onto his fork and put it in his mouth.
"Thanks for bringing him here," Alkaline added while Dr. Krantz chewed. "I'm not completely healed, but he took care of the worst of it, so my natural healing abilities should be able to handle the rest."
"I'm glad you're better," Aqua said with a smile for her. "Now we just have to help you with the rest of your ouchies."
Alkaline winced at the reminder. "Safara needs to do some growing up of her own too. She has to want to leave her brother, not just want me. That's a hard thing I'm asking her to do."
"Phyre's very mixed up inside," Ash said softly from underneath Aqua's wing. "He means well, but that's not enough. Is it? Safara helped Aqua and me escape and she says she's sorry. She didn't think you would want her back after what happened before."
Alkaline shook her head sadly. "If I hadn't been so badly injured, I would have been banging down her door the next day. She's my mate, so I'll want her with me no matter what. But it still has to be her choice. That's the really important part that a lot of people have to understand. Mating doesn't ha
ve to mean forever. If she outright rejected me, I would be hurt, but I would get over it and eventually find someone else I wanted just as much. Her being forced away from me against both our wishes is just as bad as forcing her to stay with me would be. I'm hoping, now that I'm healing, I'll be able to find a balance together with her."
Aqua could feel Ash's warmth and the hand Ash hadn't yet taken off his wing and he couldn't help wondering whether Ash would ever be interested in taking that chance. He was thinking about moving in with Aqua, which was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't mates just yet. They needed to build a connection first, and that would require more than a crazy twenty-four hours together no matter how much Aqua's heart was demanding he keep Ash with him forever and ever.
"Right, my boy," Dr. Krantz said, interrupting Aqua's spiraling thoughts. He placed his now empty plate on top of where Aqua's was sitting on the ground, then crouched down next to Aqua's wing. "My energy is restored. If you would allow me underneath, Aqua?"
Aqua waited a second to give Ash some warning, then carefully lifted his wing just high enough that Dr. Krantz could move underneath.
"Albinism is actually fairly common in fire salamanders. I admit, I've never seen it in the magical variety, but it does occur in the non-magical ones." Dr. Krantz was talking to Ash, but aside from that, Aqua had no idea what was going on underneath his wing.
"What made it happen to me?" Ash asked curiously.
"Ah, any number of things. I couldn't give an accurate diagnosis, but my best guess is that in your case you most likely have a gene mutation, possibly a magical one. The good news is, I know how to help you."
"You can?" Ash asked, sounding incredulous.
Dr. Krantz grunted. "Not entirely. I can't change your pigmentation; I don't have the magical power to alter someone's base DNA. However, there have been many studies done on the albino squirrel since they alone in the albino family don't have vision difficulties. Their rod and cone configuration is different from other creatures, and I can mimic that in your eyes. You should be able to see better and—while I still recommend eye protection—you should also be able to see in bright sunlight. There haven't been any studies done on what I could do to help your skin aside from offering sunblock, but I have worked to heal some nasty sunburns in the past, and I think I can offer your skin a touch more protection. I can't promise anything, but I am willing to try if you are."