| Situations may go from bad to worse, but there is always a way to make it better. -Rules of Life, pg. 84 Part 43 Cinna had the last potion. Vanel dove down and spun around over their heads, giggling. They stared at her in complete surprise. � Are you an omen?� Cinna asked. Marcus snorted. � She�s just a kid with wings, moron.� Zidane laughed. � Love him like a brother, eh Marcus?� Both men turned and gawked. � Z . . . Zidane?!� � What? You act like I�ve come back from the dead!� � Where in the hell did you get those things?� � Birthright?� He landed on the sidewalk. � Look, I need a favor, Cinna.� � Uh huh?� � Do you still have that Unusual Potion sitting around?� � . . . Yeah. Hang on, I�ll go get it.� Cinna disappeared inside the Tantalus hideout, returning a moment later with the potion. � Here it is.� � Hey, thanks.� There was a sudden gust of wind and a far-off snap, then a scream. Zidane turned as Tiovex and I did, lunging over the side of the walk and racing for the falling figure before Tiovex and I comprehended that it wasn�t a bird. The idiot just leapt right off the sidewalk! As if he could control himself in such winds! Tiovex and I were having enough trouble ourselves! He grabbed Vanel and spread his wings wide (first mistake). The wind caught him and snapped him backwards, tumbling him like a doll. He fought the wind angrily (second mistake), but it wasn�t about to give in to an amateur like him. Spitefully, the wind broke his left wing for challenging it and then tossed him aside. Tiovex, now a dragon, snatched Vanel away and rose smoothly into the sky, using the wind to his advantage. I, also a dragon, grabbed Zidane�s wing (the only thing I could reach) and did the same. We returned to the castle�s guest room and set the wind�s two victims on the beds. Switching back to our human forms, we reset their wings and wrapped them up so they couldn�t be moved. Both had been knocked unconscious from the pain and Zidane was the first to wake. � Uh . . . Huh? What�s . . .?� He sat up and looked around. � Oh man . . .� � �Oh man� is right!� I snarled. � What were you thinking?! That wind was too strong for me! Did it even occur to you that you could�ve been killed by simply losing control of your flight?� He looked down at the bed. � . . . I guess. I mean, it crossed my mind briefly as I jumped, but by then it was already too late. I just . . . reacted.� I pet him, calming myself. � Well, you�re still alive. I suppose that counts for something.� � When can I fly again?� � That depends on how quickly you heal. I can show you some exercises, however, that can be modified for your condition. They�ll keep your flying muscles in shape.� � Okay.� He stood, stretching his wing out as far as it would go without hurting. � Will it get stiff?� � It shouldn�t. In a day or two you should be able to take it off. That doesn�t mean you can fly. The bone should fuse together within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. From there you can perform the exercises fully until it�s completely healed.� He nodded, then frowned. � . . . You�re going to be around to help me with this, right?� � Haven�t I always been?� *~~* The Black Mage Village had been empty save for No. 288 and the two mages who were hatching the chocobo egg. Vivi had been devastated that the other black mages had agreed to go with Kuja only to extend their lifespan (which was probably a lie from the backstabber). I flew just ahead of the Blue Narciss, letting the spray bathe me. Zidane was on my back, his eyes closed and his wings spread as he imagined flight. Obviously, flight was more important to him than he�d thought. I�d taken the wrap off earlier in the day and Zidane was glad to have it off, saying that it felt too confining to be comfortable. �May I fly?� �I�m afraid not, Ziaden. Vanel�s wing broke again because she used it too much and kept the pinion weak. If you do that, the pinion will break permanently and then your wings will be no good for anything more than show.� �Okay.� �But at the rate you�re going,� I continued, �you should be able to fly very soon. Within the next day or two.� He laid along my neck and held tightly, wings still spread. � I didn�t know flying was so important.� �All dragons have an inherent wish to fly, no matter their age. When something happens to hinder that, they get cranky.� �Oh . . .� He was quiet for a while, then patted my neck. �When this is over, what are you going to do?� �I don�t really know. I�ve been requested to stay in Swiftwing, but I think I�d get restless just sitting around being lazy. I�ll probably stay in Swiftwing until I get tired of it and then I�ll just fly around and wait for something to happen. I�ll also probably dig up my treasures and put them somewhere else. Why?� �Just wondering.� We landed on the shore on the far side of the Outer Continent. The swirling quicksand pits were reminiscent of the Antlion�s hole in Cleyra, so I made sure to steer everyone around them. Except one. It didn�t smell like an Antlion, so I got down as close as I dare and sniffed at the edge of the pit again to make sure. � Be careful, Kiti,� Zidane instructed, grabbing my tail and holding it just in case the sand tried to pull me in. I sniffed only once, recoiling immediately. Magic. � Run!� Everyone rushed to obey, but it was too late. <--Part 42 Part 44--> |