I marked morning when Fields opened the door from the sleeping quarters and came quietly into the room. He paused when he saw me and the still-sleeping dragonets coiled there on the floor, and he gave me a quizzical look. I responded with a small smile. "Bad dreams," I whispered. He lifted his head in understanding, his mouth forming a silent ah, then he nodded and headed for the kitchen, moving as quietly as he could.
He grabbed himself a quick bite to eat, then pulled on his gear and headed for the door. "I'll tell Wolfman to take it easy on the way in," he whispered to me as he eased the front door open.
A slight stirring had me lifting my head at that point, turning to see three sets of gleaming eyes open and watching the Special Ops trooper. I chuckled. "Don't bother," I replied in a more normal voice, "I don't think there's a human alive that could sneak past these kids."
Fields looked at my children, and grinned. "Bet you Luce could," he replied, still whispering, then headed out the door and into the dim light of early morning.
Yeah; knowing Lucifer, I bet he could at that. I chuckled again, yawned, then lay my head back down to drowse until a more sensible hour.
The small group of elk moved warily across the forested slope, their breath rising like steam in the still mountain air as they waded through the powdery snow. Occasionally, they would pause, several digging with a foreleg, searching for something to eat beneath the thick white blanket while others stood watch for the predators they knew lurked in these mountains.
They never looked up, however. . . . I let my weight shift forward, allowed myself to topple off the high tree branch, falling, my wings unfurled just enough to keep me stable as I rapidly swelled from hawk-size to the mass of a Kodiak bear, dropping straight for the big old elk cow foraging directly beneath me.
I think she heard something at the last instant, for she started to raise her head, but it was far too late as I slammed down atop her with crushing force, driving her body deep into the snow with a muffled CRUNCH. Stunned or already dead, the cow offered no resistance as I reached down with a handful of gleaming talons and ripped out her throat, her life's blood spraying out onto the snow, quickly ebbing to nothing.
I drew a shuddering breath and quickly looked around. The other members of the herd were scattering, bounding off into the forest just as fast as they could go. I glanced down at my kill, a twinge of regret touching my heart as I sent an apology to the old cow's spirit, then allowed myself to expand to full size. Picking up the carcass that now fit completely in my jaws, I sprang upwards, my wings booming as they caught at the air and I lifted my catch toward home.
I really liked those weekends in the mountains. . . .
The front door swung open as I landed in front of the ranch house, and a smiling Stefan let the three dragonets come bounding out into the snow, their scales a dazzling glitter in the sunlight as they made a beeline for the carcass I dropped at my feet. Before I could even catch my breath they were tearing into the kill, ripping free great chunks of meat and gobbling them down as I sat back on my haunches to watch. I shook my head in amused wonder. "Why the hell don't they get a bellyache from eating so fast?"
The agent chuckled quietly, his hands spreading wide. "That I cannot answer, my Lord. One of the talents of extreme youth, I suppose." He fell silent, studying the children as they ripped and tore. "They grow quickly, my Lord."
I blinked and looked at the kids, then felt my eyes widen as realization set in. "Ancestors, you're right. About twenty, twenty-five kilos apiece?"
". . . .Perhaps a bit more than that, my Lord."
I stared at Dithra's agent, my eyes growing unfocused for a moment as I did some quick math. "Good grief. Stefan, please tell me they'll slow down soon, otherwise they're each going to get as big as . . . as big as a . . . . Damn it, nothing's that big!"
Stefan chuckled again, this time at my expression. "Do not worry, my Lord; they will indeed slow down after a while, although no dragon ever quite stops growing in size." He gave the dragonets another measuring glance, his eyebrows rising in response to the conclusion he came to. "But I think they will indeed by quite large by the time they leave this stage within the next year. Perhaps ten meters, perhaps a bit more."
I felt my lower jaw sagging slightly. "Ten-- Stefan, do you mean to tell me that my kids are going to more than triple in size within a year!?"
Stefan's head tilted to one side for a moment in thought, but finally he nodded. "At least that, my Lord, perhaps more." He paused, then added, almost apologetically "They are very robust, my Lord, and are already unusually large for their age."
I bent my head to stare at my children. Already the elk was more than half-devoured, bones scattered everywhere. All three were growing sated, with Ashadh pausing to lick some of the mess from his scales. Incredible. Why would they grow so quickly, this early on? Predators? Ridiculous! What predator in its right mind would-- My head jerked upwards at a sudden thought.
"My Lord?"
"Hm?" I blinked, looked back at the agent. "Um, something just occurred to me. . . ." It would explain much, but I need more info, and the only person I know that could provide it is. . . . "Stefan, I need to go talk to someone." I concentrated for a moment, and the sphere of the Lung appeared before me with its usual snap. "I'll be gone for about three or four hours. No," I responded as I saw him tense "it doesn't have anything to do with our security. There's no threat, but I have to--"
Suddenly Ashadh was there, his leaping form gleaming in the winter sunlight as he playfully swatted at the sphere, knocking it across the clearing. I cut off with a squawk as he went bounding after it, tackling the glowing globe in a spray of flying snow, wrapping his forelegs around it and looking back at me playfully.
Time slowed to a crawl. Both Stefan and I lunged after my son, Stefan to pull up, white-faced, as he remembered what would happen if he touched the sphere. Alone I charged forward, watching the sphere sense my son's heritage and immediately resize itself to his smaller form. Ashadh looked at the sphere for a puzzled instant, then, seeing me coming and mistaking my intent to be a game of chase, grabbed the sphere in his jaws and leaped to his feet. There he paused, his eyes growing confused, distant. . . .
"ASHADH! NOOOO!" I leaped, one outstretched paw grabbing for my son--
Snap.