by Viola Grace
Doc Weathering headed for the back door, and she waved for Kabyl to proceed her. “You are going to need to get out of your slippers before you shift.”
Kabyl nodded and dragged herself and her trailing sheet toward the treeline. When she was seventy-five meters from the house, she turned, and the doctor had stopped twenty-five meters back. Kabyl could see her parents on the back porch, watching nervously.
“Okay, Kabyl. Watch me.” The doc shed her shirt and kicked off her boots. She shivered, and her silvery skin stretched, flexed, and expanded. Wings made of silvery membrane opened and closed. The neck grew longer, and black eyes in a silvery head looked at Kabyl as if telling her it was her turn.
She stepped out of her frosted slippers and shucked off the sheet. She stepped forward, and the cold inside her rushed out, a spiral of delight accompanying it. Kabyl looked at her hands and arms. Thin strands of frost crawled down her arms, and in the bright moonlight, the frost spread around her and through her until she was looking at the world from a different vantage point.
Different. This was different. She looked at her parents, and her vision showed their heat and the thundering pumping of their hearts. She looked around the town, and she could see each and every citizen, their stoves, pets, and any livestock. The woods were alive with small, tiny heartbeats.
The snow was the right temperature. It was her element. She crouched and rolled in the snow, catching her wing on something. She turned her head, found the sheet snarled on her right wing, and carefully removed it to hang it on a tree branch.
She walked around a bit, touched Doc’s nose with her own, and then, she sat up, using her tail to balance her, and she roared a cascade of frost into the sky.
Her human side was calm as it always was, and she watched Weathering change back into her bipedal form.
Kabyl nodded her large head, which easily saw over her family home and turned back, clawing carefully through the snow until she found her slippers. She shook them clear of snow and set them carefully down with the tips of her claws.
She paused, closed her eyes, and thought about being warm and human. The press of snow on her feet drove her to find the slippers quickly. With her feet secure, she jumped up and grabbed her sheet, wrapping it around her. She shuffled back to the house, and Doc Weathering beat her to the doorway.
Her parents caught her in a group hug, but she muttered, “This is lovely, and I appreciate it, but it is winter, and I am wearing a sheet. Can we hug inside?”
They laughed, went inside, and she was given a nice chair close to the fire. Doc Weathering was putting her trousers back on.
“Well, that is a new one. I haven’t seen one of you before.”
Kabyl’s teeth chattered. “What am I?”
“I would describe you as a frost dragon. Your wings are icy transparent panels with the veins in frosted patterns. Those same patterns cover your white and translucent skin.”
Her mom smiled. “You are gorgeous. A giant fan of frost crowns your head, and your body is so sleek and graceful.”
Her dad smiled. “You also have claws that could cut me in half. Do you think you will want to fly?”
Kabyl looked at the doctor as she rubbed her hands together near the fire. “Flying? I can fly?”
“Probably.” She shrugged. “I can’t, so you might want to practice in an open meadow.”
“Ah. It’s a pewter dragon thing?”
“Yup. Stubby wings. They don’t support my weight.” She squatted low and turned her face toward the fire. “I have other ways to get around. It isn’t as impressive, but it is still quicker than using a dogsled.”
“Oh. Okay. So, how do I fly?”
“Your dragon can take care of that. You either run or go up on your hind legs and launch upward. Landing is the bitch. Watch some vids of swans or geese landing. It is pretty close. Or eagles. Eagles are good too. They are all pretty fair corollaries to a landing dragon, as long as you remember to keep your front legs tucked up close to the body.”
She nodded, wondering if the power was sufficient for a connection to look up the videos. That was the thing about living at the edge of the survivable world, one act of nature could ruin your day.
Doc Weathering got up, and she nodded. “Right. Well, I have some calls to make. Expect to be interviewed in the next few days.”
She stomped back to the vestibule, put on all of her outerwear, and then, she flashed a smile, her soft grey eyes amused and kind for a change. “Welcome to society, Kabyl. Your life is about to change.”
When she was out the door, her bag clutched in a mittened fist, Kabyl exhaled. “Well, she is a bundle of fun.”
Her mom gave her a hug. “You are beautiful, Kabyl. To think, I made you.”
Kabyl laughed, her dad laughed, and her mother beamed. It was only the beginning of a deep family discussion on what she thought her dragon could do, but she fainted halfway through it. As the world went grey, she wondered idly if her animated parents were going to notice.
The smell of mashed potatoes and gravy woke her up. The barking outside told her that Dad was feeding the dogs. Her mother was sitting with a worried look next to her bed. “Oh, Kabyl. You scared the life out of us.”
“That seems to be a theme for this week. What is going on? How long have I been out?”
“Ten hours. Your dad has gotten a call, and he has to head out to one of the larger villages near the pass.”
Kabyl sat up and looked at her. “More people are missing.”
Her mother stood up and smiled. “Eat up. He wants to talk to you before he leaves, and that means you need a shower. Even I can tell that things are getting a little aromatic.” She chuckled. “The water is hot. You are good to go.”
It was an order couched as a suggestion. Kabyl shoveled in the food, got out of bed, grabbed her supplies and robe, ducking through the main room, and headed for the shower.
The water was hot, and it chased away the last of the chill in her body. A dragon. She was really a dragon. When she turned her back to the hot water, the fresh scars burned, and steam began to coil out as her body fought the heat. She quickly turned and washed everything important, making sure that her hair was scrubbed clean and the rest of her had gotten a good soaping.
When she finally turned off the water, her back was a weird mix of hot and cold. Clean underwear and clothing went on reluctantly over damp skin, but when she was finally dressed again, she put on her house shoes and walked over the worn wood toward her bedroom.
Her dad came back inside, and he nodded to her. “We need to talk.”
She nodded and quickly dropped her toiletries off, returning to sit at the table with him. The darkness was still heavy outside, but she guessed it was near six in the morning.
“What did you see? What cut you?”
She inhaled and realized they hadn’t yet had that talk. “Right. It looked like a cross between an Asian dragon and a lump of mashed-up coal. The claws are like obsidian, and there were two of them. One larger, one smaller. Much smaller. It hung back as if waiting.”
“I saw what they did to the sled. Damn it, Kabyl, we nearly lost you.”
“I will fix the sled, and the dragon has nearly fixed me. Do you want to know how fast it is?”
He nodded.
“Fucking fast.” She spent half an hour explaining how much ground it could cover and that the woods weren’t a deterrent.
“What do you think stopped it?”
“The sun. It was partially the dragon but mostly the sun. I know you have to go out there when you are called, but be careful, and if you see anything, call for help immediately, while you are running away. Please.”
He smiled and shrugged. “You don’t think I can take them?”
She looked at him, more serious than she had ever been in her life. “No.”
Chapter Five
Working in the shop was off the table. Her tiny mother wasn’t having it. She had just been nearly sliced in half one day befor
e, which meant she was off heavy duties for a few days, at least.
Kabyl told her mom that she was heading out to see what needed to be done to repair the sled. She wrestled it into the workshop and lit the small stove in the corner before trying the lights. The lights flickered and came on, showing her the damage that had been done to her sled. The first thing that was unavoidable to see, even in the imperfect light, was that it was covered with blood. Well, that had to go.
She removed the wraps and smiled. Her father had taken the food out and put it back in the house or dispose of it. She pulled the blood-stained leather out, and then, she got out her draw knives, shaving off the splinters and smoothing the damaged wood. There were awkward angles involved, but woodworking was soothing. She used it to work on keeping her mind blank.
She found some lumber that she would be able to splice around the now-sound breaks, and she carved out a matching piece, pinned it in place, and then, she put the water on the stove and waited for it to boil before putting in the dried rawhide. She checked the give on the sled and put more rawhide into the pot.
Outside her snow-spattered windows, she saw the sun, and her body began breathing again. Her dad was safe for the day.
She fished out lengths of the hide when it went soft and floppy, and she spent the next two hours lashing the new repairs into place as well as reinforcing her favourite winter conveyance.
With a few grunts, she got the sled settled upon some better blocks than the ones she had used to fix it. She stoked the stove, turned off the lights, and turned on the electric heater. If it wasn’t an urgent matter, she wouldn’t have tried to fix it while the snow was so high.
She checked the metal runner and grimaced. When the hide had cured, she was going to need to replace the metal. Her hands were raw, and she was stiff, but she had done something with her day.
Kabyl checked on the dogs, verified that they had gotten their morning meal, and went inside.
She checked the time and smiled. It was time for second breakfast. She got her inside shoes on and headed to the shop. There were a dozen locals surrounding her mother and asking her questions about where Kabyl was.
“Oy. Back off. You are rude. Are you okay, Mom?” She walked up to her tiny mother and put her arm around her.
“Fine, baby. They were just concerned about you. You didn’t look good when you were dragged through town yesterday.”
She blinked. “It was just yesterday?”
One of the locals nodded. “There was blood dragged through town. We thought you were dead. Why aren’t you?”
Kabyl let out a startled laugh. “Well, I have been diagnosed with a condition by Doc Weathering. I am sure that she can fill you in if you buy her a few drinks.”
Mrs. Obrenik asked, “A condition?”
“Yes, I heal fairly quickly. The damage from yesterday is nearly healed.”
Instead of asking them to believe her, she pulled up the back of her shirt and showed them. “See?”
A few folks poked at her skin and murmured in surprise. Mrs. Obrenik frowned. “I thought you were human.”
“I was. I mean, I am.”
“No human would recover that quickly. Ah, you are a wolf, like your father.”
Kabyl looked at her mother, and Morningwell gave her a slight shrug. “I guess I take after my grandmother.” The relieved expression on her mom’s face was poignant.
“Grandmother?”
“When I am ready to show you, I will show you. Fair enough? This was an emergency evolution. My body is not really happy with me right now.”
There were several shifters in the gathering around her, and they laughed, possibly remembering their own first shift.
The shop com started to ring, and her mom excused herself as she lowered her shirt and faced her audience. “I am fine. I just need some training to get a grip on this new part of myself. It is a little awkward.”
“Kabyl, it’s for you.” Her mother conveyed that it was important.
“I will take it in the kitchen. Thanks.” Kabyl went to the kitchen, closed the door, and picked up the com. She activated the line. “Hello?”
“Is this Kabyl Ambermarle?”
The line clicked as her mother hung up. “Yes. Who am I speaking to?”
“My name is Trin. I have just finished a call with someone from your town, a Doctor Weathering?”
“That sounds likely. What can I do for you?”
There was a pause, and the voice was amused. “I have heard that you have recently activated your dragon.”
“Apparently.”
“And it is not a recorded type.”
“Also, apparently. I haven’t looked into dragon history.”
There was a laugh. “You aren’t one for a lot of chatter.”
“Not with folks I haven’t met.”
“Would you come to the capitol, so we can run some tests?”
Kabyl stared at the com. “No. Not right now.”
Trin cleared her throat. “I can order you to come.”
“I still won’t come. It is the exact wrong time of the year to leave.”
“I... see. I will do some research and contact you again in a day or so, is that all right?”
“Sure. Thank you for calling.”
There was a chuckle, and then, the call was over.
Kabyl exhaled and walked back to the shop, which had mysteriously emptied. She shrugged and got a broom, sweeping the unmelted snow back outside and then going to get her boots to clean up the front porch.
Everything was back to normal. Second breakfast was going to happen as soon as she finished her morning chores.
Kabyl and her mom were having sandwiches when the com rang again. Kabyl answered it. “Ambermarle General Store.”
“Kabyl? This is Dexter. Your dad is injured. It’s bad.”
She kept her voice cheerful. “Can you bring him back?”
“No. He needs major medical help. We need to get him to the city.”
Kabyl nodded though he couldn’t see it. “Wrap him to travel. I am on my way.”
“What can you do?”
“Just wrap him to travel. I will be there in five minutes.” Kabyl hung up and looked at her mom. “Dad has been injured; I am going to take him to hospital.”
“Your sled is still broken.”
“I am not using the sled.” She kicked off her shoes, walked to the back door, and let the ice fill her veins. She stripped off and let her dragon come out. The urgency in her soul must have communicated itself because her beast got the direction to fly, and it took care of the rest.
She pounded her wings heavily and then crouched down before erupting upward like a coiled spring. There was a wobble, but then, they caught the air and turned toward the peacekeeper station.
A handful of wingbeats took her to the station. She circled, and her dragon took her down, landing a little heavily in the snow. Dexter opened the door and stared at her. Kabyl extended her front claws and flexed them. He had her father on a backboard, and she huffed in satisfaction. Her father was still warm. It was a good sign.
She held him carefully, cradled the backboard, and took a few steps before jumping lightly to get her airborne. She monitored her father’s temperature as she flew to the city. It took her twenty minutes to fly a distance that would normally have been a day of steady travel.
Dexter must have called ahead because there was a gurney waiting for her as she carefully landed and then waddled over to the transport. Her father was wheeled inside, and she instinctively tried to follow. A man in a security uniform stepped in front of her and spread his arms. “Shift or remain out here.”
She stomped back a few steps and focused on the heat of the guard and the pulse of the four dozen inhabitants of the hospital. She focused on heat and how she wanted to be at her father’s side and slowly shrank into her normal body. The guard got her a blanket and walked her inside.
“Is he close to you?”
“My father.”
“No. Wolf. It’s complicated. Blame the new diamond dragon.”
She walked into the hospital, and one of the nurses took a look at her, spun around, and grabbed a stack of scrubs off the shelf, complete with booties. “Here, dear. You got him here in amazing time.”
She pulled on the pants, tied the drawstring, and then, she dropped the blanket to pull the shirt over her head. The booties went on, and she looked at the nurse who was slightly amused. “Where is my dad?”
“They are taking him into surgery. Something cut him up good. Do you know what it was?”
She felt herself snarling. “I do. We are having a problem with an infestation.”
“Well, I saw the cuts. They are clean, but he is going to be here for a while.”
“Is there a com I can use? I need to talk to my mom.”
The nurse nodded and led her to an office off the main lobby. “Here you are, dear. Take your time.”
Kabyl nodded. “Thanks.”
She called the general store, and when her mom picked up, she said, “He’s strong, he’s going to pull through this, and he is being stitched up at the hospital right now.”
Her mother’s sobs tore at her heart, but Kabyl waited until her mom was calm again. “Mom, do you want me to bring you?”
There was a soft hiccup. “You can do that?”
“I can. I need to curl up a little now, but when I have gotten some rest, I will call you and pick you up. Dress warm. Pack a bag.”
“Kabyl, you can’t do that. It will be too much for you.”
“I will be fine, Mom. Dad is being stitched up now, and he will need you to fuss over him when he wakes up. I will get a nap, maybe some food, and then, I will come home to get you.”
“Are you all right?”
Kabyl tried to laugh it off as spots swam in front of her eyes. “I am fine. I have to go and check on Dad. Even immobile, he can be a handful.”
“Okay. I will give you six hours, and then I am calling the hospital.”