Chapter 4: Almost there

I rode beside Momma and Griffin, when the transport landed I stood and coaxed her out. She seemed happy to leave and followed Griffin and Hunter without complaint. We unloaded and Dr James left in his small flyer with the lion eggs. Mom was staring at Momma as she sat at the edge of our landing platform. Griffin, Hunter, Gloria and Drake sat with her.

After we were done I walked to mom and pulled her out to Momma. I pulled a blood fruit out of a pouch and gave it to her. Mom looked at the fruit and slowly held it out. Momma took it gently and my mother smiled at the way she did it. I caressed Momma and Alex rubbed her side, "come to our nest."

I grinned as Momma turned to follow her. I looked at mom and handed her the pouch of kittens, "even the kittens like her."

She sighed, "just watch her."

I kissed her cheek before lifting the two lion pelts and going in. After setting the pelts upstairs in the storage area I went looking for Alex and Jade. I found them down in the bathing room. Momma was laying down watching as Griffin, Hunter, Gloria and Drake played in the bath. Jade and Alex were kneeling beside the tub trying to wash them and getting soaking wet.

I laughed as I closed the door and sat down beside Momma, "did you put the bird bats in the nest?"

Jade grinned, "yes."

Alex caught Gloria and pulled her close before starting to wash and rub her body. I laughed as Griffin splashed her with his wings and Gloria got away. Momma chuffed and put her head down, it was awhile before they got the dragons out and dried them off. Alex looked at Momma and I shook my head, "take your bath and leave Momma alone."

I pulled the dragons back and Momma sniffed each one as Alex and Jade slipped into the bath. They washed each other and smiled a lot until they were done. I dried them when they got out and glanced at Momma when she stood and moved to the tub. We watched as she smelled and then tasted the water.

She climbed into the tub slowly and crouched as the water rose and spilled out. I knelt to open the floor drain before moving to the tub. Momma slowly relaxed and breathed out softly as she lay down. I used mom's flower scented shampoo and began to wash her and it sounded like a buzzing purr that escaped.

Jade and Alex giggled and pulled the dragons out as I kept pushing water over Momma to rinse the shampoo off. When she got out I dried her before using the shower head to wash myself. I wrapped a towel around my waist as I led Momma out and up to our room. The dragons were on the bed and the girls were picking through clothes.

I looked around the room, "I need to make her a nest by the window."

Alex looked, "use a wood frame with a cord netting and those two lion pelts."

Jade nodded, "we can clean the pelts if you make the nest."

After dressing I went to find the wood I would need and then the strong cord to weave the net. The girls folded the cleaned pelts so they would be thicker and I coaxed momma onto her new nest. I think the small bird houses for wild phoenixes outside the window helped. We left the door open and went to see dad and look over the next site.

Everyone was in the living area playing with the kittens and feeding the baby phoenixes. Alex and Jade went to join them as I went to look at the map. Dad joined me and touched a spot, "this is a good spot."

I shook my head as I changed the sat reading to thermal. I looked at the spot he had touched before touching another beside it, "the branches here are larger and thicker."

He nodded and took a breath, "I had a couple of requests."

I looked at him and he shrugged, "five men want to help, they lost family in the shuttle and want to help bring them home."

I looked at my brothers and Peter, "they could come in with the pod, otherwise we would be a large tempting target when we start looking for the right spot to put the platform. I would not mind help cutting branches or putting everything together."

He nodded before sighing, "your leopard still makes me nervous."

I glanced at him as I mentally added what we would need for more people, "you and me both but she has been behaving okay if a little ... slow."

Dad looked at me, "slow?"

I shrugged, "you know the side effect of breathing in fire and spice leaf smoke."

He smiled and nodded, "like a drug to them."

I nodded, "what I am worried about is when she lays her eggs."

Dad looked at the stairs, "we do not know much about the big predators. Not their nesting habits or what happens when they lay eggs. We know leaf leopards mate and then separate. We know the female will attack another leopard if it gets to close to her cubs. We think she only stays with them for around two months."

He shrugged, "when she lays her eggs we will just have to be careful."

I looked at the time, "you going into town?"

He sighed, "yes. I have to meet those men and check the next pod and your mother wanted to take the girls to some shop."

I grinned, "well we got a lot of credits for the lion eggs and we can sell the baby phoenixes."

Dad grinned, "Dr James wanted to go back with you so he could observe your mini leopards."

I smiled and looked at the stairs as Momma followed Griffin and Hunter down. She crossed towards the mini leopards before laying down. Griffin snagged one and I was shocked when he tossed it. I started to move as the kitten flew towards Momma and she opened her mouth. She caught it by the scruff of its neck and set it down before beginning to lick it.

I stopped and watched as Hunter pulled another wiggling kitten away from Sandy and over to Momma. Mom hugged my arm as we watched Griffin and Hunter bring all the kittens to her. After she cleaned each one Hunter or Griffin would carry it back to where they had gotten them. I finally shook my head, "I think that bath effected her."

Mom looked at me and then grinned, "do not tell me she likes taking a bath."

I grinned, "she even purred as I shampooed her."

Everyone laughed and dad shook himself, "right, time to go into town. You needed to..."

Mom reached for Jade, "I forgot, come on girls."

I looked at Momma, I wanted to go into town too. I sighed, "time to go Momma."

Everyone looked at me but I only shrugged as I led her out. I think she was getting used to things because she did not hesitate long before climbing into the transport. I sat with her and Griffin and took the large pouch of kittens from Alex and the pouch of baby phoenixes. The trip was not long and then we were landing.

Momma moved almost gingerly after she got out. I do not think she had ever been on the ground. People stared with wide eyes as I walked with her beside me. Griffin and Hunter walked with us too and more than once stopped to smell something. I walked into the large weapon shop and several men turned and moved aside quickly.

I crossed to the back wall, "Gregory I need a couple of sets of thermal glasses."

He looked up from Momma before clearing his throat, "glasses?"

I nodded as I pulled out a screen and slid it across the glass counter. Griffin and Hunter were rubbing against his two dragons as Momma laid down, "I wanted your opinion on these capture nets. Do you think they would hold a tiger or a pair of lions?"

He glanced at the screen as he reached into the case below to pull out two pairs of glasses. He frowned, "trapping tigers and lions has been tried."

I glanced at Momma, "you know I have been helping to build landing platforms. We have done two and killed several tigers and lions, I even killed a king lizard."

I looked at him, "momma was an accident. One of my girls shot her and only grazed her. I treated her like a dragon and here she is."

I glanced at the other men in the shop, "you just need to use a few more leaves."

He grinned and then his eyes went to the kitten as it poked its head out of the pouch, "mini leopards?"

I nodded and caressed the kitten before pushing it back into the pouch, "damn squirrel rats killed their mom and dad."

He snorted before looking at the screen, "change the cord to carbon fiber for strength and add remote triggers if you are using line of site."

I nodded and turned to the screen, "can you make a half dozen in two days and get them out to me?"

He glanced at the back doorway as his wife stepped out, "that is cutting it close."

I nodded, "we head out in three and I want to have the nets put in the pod before we go. We are going to have an additional five men to help this next time so I do not want to worry about someone getting trigger happy."

Gregory nodded and sighed, "tell you what, my son is old enough and wants his own dragon..."

I grinned, "I know of a couple of nests close to my place. I will start looking for eggs."

He held his hand out, "deal."

I shook and turned, "Griffin."

I bent to nudge Momma and she stood before walking with me. Griffin and Hunter went through the door first and I headed towards the pet stalls the tourists go to. Tourist did not know what Momma was but everyone else yanked them out of the way. The stall had cages of flying lemurs and peacocks and both blood falcons and Blue falcons.

I set the pouch of baby phoenixes on the front counter, "it has been a long time Mrs Harris."

She looked up from Momma and smiled, "I was glade to hear you made it back."

She opened the pouch before grinning, "just what I needed."

We bargained before she took the birds and I turned away to find dad and Dr James walking towards me. I glanced back at Mrs Harris, "you would not have any blood fruit would you?"

She nodded and turned to a covered basket, "you know how to cook it right?"

I smiled as I held one out to Momma, "she does not like them cooked."

She stared before looking at me as I fed Momma another, "they like them?"

I nodded, "the fruit is mostly protein. The dragons will eat it but they do not like it like Momma or the kittens."

She perked up, "kittens?"

Dad cleared his throat as I bent and opened the pouch to show her. She looked and shook her head, "now those I could sell."

I grinned, "mini leopards are rare."

I closed the pouch and looked at dad, "what is up?"

He nodded to Dr James, "he wants to pay you to take him with you."

I looked at the Dr, "I do not have time to babysit. It is not safe..."

He cleared his throat, "I will pay and I will do what you say."

I looked at dad as he raised an eyebrow and I sighed, "fine. You have two days, we leave early the morning of the third."

I looked back at Mrs Harris, "I am going to be looking for dwarf dragon eggs."

She perked up, "if you get the whole nest I will sell them for a commission."

I touched Momma and started for the landing pads and a coffee shop. I was sipping coffee and waiting for Alex and Jade when the café owner's daughter snuck away from her mother. She crept up to Momma and reached out to pet her and froze when the large animal turned her head to look at her.

Hunter lifted her head but Griffin stood and walked to the little girl and nudged her closer and then closer until she knelt against Momma. I was watching and smiled when Momma reached out to pull her around and started licking her clean. I heard her mother gasp and looked at her, "Momma thinks she needs washing."

She looked at me and then at her daughter giggling and squirming as Momma rubbed her face and put her head in her lap. When we got home I sent the girls to our room to put their loot away and got dressed to go hunting. We went alone and as Hunter and Griffin fed Momma and Alex and Jade had their bird bats fetch fruit, I went looking for the dragon nests.

The first I had to climb high to see into and did not see eggs. The second was way out in the middle between branches and in a clump of vines. One look at the female dragon and I knew I was going out to the nest, (the angle of her left front leg was bent and swollen). I watched the female as I collected fire and spice leaves.

When she dropped off the nest and flew towards a small group of tree rabbits I moved. I leaped off the branch and caught a vine before swinging out to another. When I reached the nest I knelt and swept all the eggs into a pouch. I dumped fire leaves and then spice leaves and started the leaves burning.

It was only a couple of moments before the dragon screamed as she landed. She mantled and threatened me with her front claws but I waited and watched as she breathed in the smoke. She shook her head and started to leap before freezing as Hunter flew in behind her. I was ready to shout at Hunter when the female backed into the smoke.

She swayed and dropped to her feet while shaking her head. I watched as she slowly dropped and kicked the fire off the nest. I quickly tied her and attached her to my chest before using the vines to drop and move over to a branch. Hunter followed and Griffin brought a fresh killed tree rabbit.

I cut it up after kneeling and releasing the female dragon onto the branch. She was groggy and kept looking around as she whimpered. I started feeding her the rabbit and when it was gone showed her the eggs. She pushed against the pouch and mewed as I rubbed her head, "first we get you home and then you can sit on your nest."

I stood and looked up the tree before heading towards the trunk. She limped after me until Griffin nudged her and she dropped off the branch to fly ahead. When I reached the upper branch I had started on, Alex and Jade were waiting with Momma. I held the new female and brought her close slowly.

Griffin landed by Momma and flipped a wing over her which made her pause and look at him. She turned and reached out to smell the new dragon before licking her injured leg. I sighed and smiled at Alex and Jade who were frowning, "she has a broken leg, I could not leave her."

Alex shook her head as she turned to head back and Jade grinned, "softy."

When I walked into the house carrying the dragon my mother straightened, "Firehawk Michaels, how many times have I told you not to bring home strays?"

Alex and Jade giggled as I grinned, "a million at least."

She shook her head, "she is hurt or you would not have bothered her. Bring your new princess down to the clinic."