Chapter 5: return to the wreck

Most of the men stayed on the transport when it landed on our pad, including Dr James with his tiger. I had given dad the falcons and the eight dragon eggs to sell to Mrs Harris. We headed for the house as it lifted and Momma chuffed. Jade giggled, "I think that was a thank goodness."

Everyone laughed and then mom was pulling all the girls away while tell us boys to put everything up. She even took the dragons, Momma and the kittens. When we returned to the living area we looked at each other before following the shrieking and laughing to the bathing room.

When I opened the door and we looked in, it was to a scene of total chaos, water was everywhere. Momma was in the tub with the kittens and every dragon we had was wet and splashing. Mom, Alex, Jade, Sandy, Terrie and Emily were soaked and splashing water at each other.

They stopped and looked at us and I closed the door before looking at my brothers and Peter, "I am not going in there."

They grinned and we went back to the living area. I started looking at the wreck site using a sat look down. It was a grim reminder of how close death had come. I touched the image where the partial tiger skeleton was. Peter leaned against my shoulder, "your dad told anyone that would listen that you had to be alive because the tiger had been skinned."

I smiled, "if it could have gotten into the cargo area things might have been different."

I touched the screen, "this is right behind and above it. We would not have to cut much and you can see this area between these two trees with three branches we can use."

He patted my shoulder before leaving and I sighed before heading up to clean Jade's pelts. When I was done I took a bath and then led Momma, Alex and Jade up to mom's solarium. We sat on her cushioned bench and I finally looked at the girls, "after we finish we are going south. You two need to finish school and mom can get you into the Davis Academy."

Alex opened her mouth and I reached for her arm, "Davis was the first tree hugger. He created a huge learning center beside a great lake called Crystal lake. It is also a major tourist site with several hundred large tree homes besides a hotel. Now you two know mom is a trained vet, she normally does a lot of traveling in her flyer. My brothers and I all went to the academy. You girls need to decide what you want to study so get with my mother and talk about it."

Alex let me finished before speaking, "what about you?"

I smiled, "I'm not just sending you away. I can find work easily ... as a guide if nothing else."

Jade leaned against me, "we will not be together like this though."

I hugged her, "I had plans before the accident. I was going to try to create a tree top settlement to the south along the equator."

The girls sat up and Alex grinned, "I could design the houses and make walkways between them..."

Jade laughed, "covered and protected."

I hugged them before standing, "that is going to have to wait. First you two finish school."

I looked at Momma watching the dazzling display the fruit birds were putting on outside, "time to go Momma."

This time things were different, dad returned home after we finished hunting for Momma. They wanted more than a single platform at the wreck. They also wanted several pods put in. Dad was a little upset but I had been looking at the site.

I quieted everyone as I walked to the sat map and zoomed in, "we do not need to cut all the trees around for a larger site. We build the platform like normal but push in under the branches at the sides and back to park the transports."

I looked at everyone, "we do everything just like we have been doing. After we finish the platform we find the pod sites and bring in the other pods and then build the parking platforms."

Dad nodded, "now that would be easier."

I woke in the middle of the night as Momma chuffed. I shifted out from under Jade and slipped out of bed. I leaned over Momma's nest and hugged her as I followed her look, Princess was looking out too. It was a moment before I saw what they were looking at. I glanced between Momma's paws before looked out at the two mini leopards stalking a sleeping phoenix on a skinny branch.

I turned and moved quickly, I slipped on pants and grabbed the cast net I had used on the falcons. I ran out and up before silently stalking off a landing platform and onto a narrow side branch. I knelt and watched as the pair ate the bird, I moved further down the branch and waited. It was awhile before the two mini leopards left the remains and started down the branch.

I shifted and they frozen right below me and I tossed the net and swivelled and dropped as they yawled and screamed while fighting it. I landed beside them and pulled the net together before lifting it. They continued to struggle as I tied the open end of the net together and climbed back to the branch above us.

When I walked in the landing pad door the dragons and Momma were waiting. I smiled as I rubbed Momma's cheek and headed down. If the pair were together they did not have eggs even though it was that time of year. Jade and a sleepy Alex met me as I went by the third floor and followed as I continued down.

I went all the way to mother's exam room and opened a cabinet. I pulled a cage out and then another before moving to the table. I was careful as I dumped one of the mini leopards into the first cage. After I put the second in her cage I used a thick glove and reached into the female's cage. Of course she bit and tore at me but I was able to feel the eggs inside her.

I smiled as I closed the cage and carefully carried them up to the living area. I set them on the fire pit and sat looking at them, "what am I going to do with you? If I let you go you could be killed. I could give you to Dr James but you and your kittens would end up living your lives in a cage."

I glanced at Jade as she knelt beside me, "use smoke and let me have them. We can protect them and give the kittens to someone that will take care of them."

Alex knelt behind me and hugged me, "we could find and make mini leopards into companions like dragons."

I nodded before standing and going to get fire and spice leaves. I also brought back a couple of the squirrel rats that were left over from before. I knelt beside the fire pit, "it is going to take more to calm and sooth both of them. They already ate so they will not eat much. Just let them eat as little or as much as they want. After they finish put them together and remember to move slowly and try to comfort them."

Jade nodded and I stacked the leaves before turning the two cages and lighting the leaves. It was a couple of moments before smoke began writhing around the two angry mini leopards. It was not long before they quieted and I put the fire out. I nodded to Jade and she opened the male's cage and pulled it out before giving it one of the rats.

She set him down and turned to repeat it with his mate. I cleaned up when the two moved together to rub faces. As I was carrying the cages back downstairs Alex and Jade headed up to bed. When I walked into the bedroom it was to see Momma on the bed with Jade and Alex and the pair of mini leopards beside her.

I smiled and crossed to Momma's bed and the pile of kittens. I laid down and shifted one of the kitten before closing my eyes. I woke to the rumble of thunder and all of the kittens trying to snuggle closer. I glanced at the bed and almost laughed when I saw Momma with all the dragons on her with their wings spread.

Jade was completely covered and so were the mini leopards. I pulled the kittens close and caressed them as the storm began. When the rain stopped I got up and stopped to reach under Princess's wing to pet Momma. As I dressed, the kittens climbed down and then they were following me out.

Mom and dad were in the kitchen when I came in and mom smiled as she scooped the kittens up and put them on the table. Dad shook his head as he finished his coffee and I went to make a cup. When Alex came down it was with Momma and all the dragons except Drake. It was a minute before Jade came down and dad turned as mom gasped.

Behind Jade were the two full grown mini leopards. I smiled and stood to push her to my chair as I went to get her cereal, "I caught them outside my window last night."

Dad shook his head, "you had to catch them?"

I glanced at him, "with all the dragons around here?"

He sighed and then nodded, "you are right."

I nodded to the female Jade had lifted to her lap, "the female has eggs."

Mom stepped close and slowly reached down to feel, "almost formed."

I smiled, "would you call and see if you can get the girls into the Davis academy?"

Mom looked at the girls, "that will not be a problem."

I looked at dad, "think we can get the beams and first pod finished today?"

Dad nodded, "maybe even the grating for the first platform. The other pods, beams and grating may take longer."

I had been thinking and looked at Momma laying beside us, "I was thinking of going in with the pod. We can add two more anti gravs and set it on a couple of upper branches until we have the pod site ready. That would also give us a couple more anti gravs to work with while putting the beams together."

The next three days were long ones. The two mini leopards seemed to blend in well, especially with the kittens. The trip to the wreck was long and broken with stops at each landing platform. We waited out the storm on the last one and left when it stopped. Two hours later I was looking out the back cargo doors as the transport slowed and turned.

We had rehearsed this several times and I turned to grab the front grate of the pod as it was pushed out. I dialed up my anti gravs as Alex brought the pod anti gravs alive from on top of it. Everyone else filed out after it and we began floating down through the torn passage of broken branches the shuttle had created. I turned the pod and glanced up to Alex, "slower."

The dragons flew around us and down into the trees. I turned the pod again and Alex slowed it until it was hanging in the air. I used the tractor gun to pull it closer to a couple of branches and gestured to Alex. As it settled I listened and watched before nodding for her to shut the anti gravs off.

The kittens and mini leopard adults had come down in large packs while I carried Princess's eggs. I opened the door for Momma and she stopped growling to climb out and leap across to another branch. We hung packs and pulled out lasers before starting to work. We were above and a couple of hundred meters behind the shuttle as we started cutting branches.

It only took a few hours before it was done and in that time we ended up killing a pair of lions and several leopards. I called dad as we moved the pod and began putting the beams together. The transport with the grating was waiting at the last platform so we had a couple of hours to finish before it arrived.

We did not see any predators while we worked on the beams but I did notice a lot more insects. After the grating arrived it only took an hour to finish. We marked and prepared several pod sites before stopping for the day. Instead of hunting lower I took Alex and Jade higher. I was following the insects mostly.

I still caught several blood falcons and a blue falcon as well as a yellow winged hawk as it went after one of the kittens. Jade's two mini leopards caught a few rats as the dragons fed Momma. I found what I was looking for and had the girls stay as I went higher and out onto a narrow branch.

In a large collection of leaves and twigs I found dozens of nests. The tiny jeweled beatle hawks flew around me but I managed to catch them with the net and carefully remove the tiny eggs. Jeweled beatle hawks were only two or three inches tall and fed on insects. When I climbed down it was to see Alex and Jade holding several dead rainbow peacocks.

The dragons were looking snug so I knew they had killed them. Our way back was slow because we let the kittens play and stalk. This time I had brought dozens of mom's collapsible cages so when I reached the pod it was to carefully move animals out of pouches and into cages.