| Being a lifesaver ends up as a full--time job for a hero. -On statue in Burmecia Part 80 He paced along the front of the bridge, stopping only to press his face to the glass and search the area that was visible. I sat by helplessly. Short of going out after her, I could do nothing for him. � Why did she have to look for it here? It�s way too dangerous even for me to go out there alone!� [Vanel is with her,] Tiovex reminded him. � Yes, but she�s still so small. If there�s an emergency, Vanel will have to come back alone and who knows what could happen to either of them then!� [I think you�re underestimating them.] � I don�t.� Zidane turned. � Thank you.� Kuja nodded once. � You two are giving her too much credit. She�s an excellent healer, I agree, but her attacking power is very low. And Vanel is too young to have the strength to fight over long periods of time. Her magic isn�t developed and she�s still a tad on the clumsy side.� I snorted and trotted toward the side door. [You do have a point. But if you think you�re so smart at four and five d-age--smarter than us with our centuries of experience--you go ahead and charge out there blindly and get yourselves killed. I didn�t raise idiots, but if that�s what you�ve turned into, so be it.] With a snarl, Zidane tackled me and began to choke me. � You have no idea how panicked I am! How dare you call me an idiot!� I narrowed my eyes and bared my fangs. [How dare you attack me!] I tossed him onto his back and stood on him. [I have done nothing to you! I merely stated what you appear to have become!] He struggled, slamming his fist into my ear and causing pain to explode throughout my body. Angry at this uncalled-for attack, I pinned his head against the floor and fastened my fangs into either side of his neck up under his jaw. He kept fighting me, though he hadn�t the strength to do it anymore. I lifted him into the air, standing on my rear legs so his feet weren�t on the ground, and let him feel fear. Then I noticed something running up my nose, maneuvering around the small scales on my snout. Focusing on it, I realized it was a tear. With a heavy sigh I let him go and caught him in my hands, lifting him up to my shoulder. He put his arms around my neck and buried his face in my scales. I left the bridge and went down to the bunk room, laid him on one of the beds, then climbed up next to him and laid with him, drifting slowly into sleep. A little while later I woke to frantic nudging. [Kitiane! Kitiane!] [What?] I asked tiredly. [Dagger�s in trouble! She�s being chased by a herd of zaghnols in Seaways Canyon!] I leapt to my feet, noticing in a quick glance that Zidane was gone. Dashing out to the deck, I hopped over the side and hit the ground running. It only took me a few minutes to catch up to Zidane. [You�re too slow. Get on.] He swung himself onto my back and bent low. �Please hurry.� [I shall do my best.] It wasn�t too difficult to find where the herd was. I ran along the edge of the canyon, searching for any sign of Garnet and trying to keep Zidane from jumping off my back. I finally saw her, barely outrunning them, and dropped over the edge. � Dagger!� She turned her head to look back at us, relief washing across her features. I had no idea how long she�d been running or how she�d been able to keep from being trampled in the meantime, but right then it didn�t matter. Zidane reached out for her hand as I got closer. They missed once . . . twice . . . Garnet fell. Zidane dove off my back after her and both disappeared beneath the hooves of the stampeding beasts. I landed and turned, but the zaghnols didn�t stop. I have never been trampled before. All pain aside, it�s a rather interesting experience. Your entire body is stomped on. Nothing is spared. You�re kicked back and forth and twisted around and contorted in ways you could never do before. *~~* His fear had become a reality. He leapt after her as she fell and caught her, twisting so that he absorbed the brunt of the impact and then rolling so that if they were stepped on, he would be the one to take the main force. He closed his wings around her so that no matter how violently they were kicked, a part of him would always be protecting her. She said his name, and to the normal ear it would�ve been inaudible, but he heard it. He closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against hers. � I will protect you,� he whispered. � Now and forever.� There was a slight pain as a zaghnol�s hoof came down on his back, but then all was encased in darkness. *~~* [. . . Kitiane . . .] Who was calling? [. . . Kitiane . . .] Who was it? [. . . Kitiane . . .] I don�t know them. [ . . . Kitiane, wake up!] Forcing my eyes open, I was greeted by a semi-familiar face. [. . . Who . . .?] He frowned. [Do not jest, Kitiane. Now is not the time.] I shook my head. [I do not know you.] He seemed horrified. [You�re telling the truth, aren�t you?] [Who are you?] He looked to another being somewhere out of my line of sight. [She has lost her memory.] [I have?] I turned to see this other being and fell back in surprise. [Human!] To further my surprise, he didn�t try to kill me. He only frowned unhappily and pet a silver dragon hatchling on his shoulder. � Where�s Zidane?� [Who?] <--Part 79 Part 81--> |