Chapter 8: Making a Home - Part 2

Hunter laid her eggs that night and everyone got a pleasant surprise when Duchess, the new female griffin started to croon. It was almost like a siren's call that stilled the forest and made everyone smile. The male joined her and what was nice became great. Hunter even let Momma close and when she was not laying would rub her face in Momma's fur.

The morning storm came without lightning and I held Jade as she slept while watching the animals by the front grate. Alex reached over her sister to caress my face before sitting up, "time to feed the babies."

It was like a signal, the three baby giant bird bats started to call out softly. Mom chuckled as she got up and I hugged Jade. She stretched and wiggled before kissing me and rolling away. I dressed and went to check Hunter. I had left her eggs on a warming pad and she was laying beside it with the pair of griffins beside their eggs.

Jade's monkey was curled up with her two mini leopards as they purred. When we went to load up in the transport everyone came to see the griffins. That led to two dozen being caught in the next week as well as a dozen tiger monkeys. Of course we also found a lot of other animals, many we caught and sent back to the south.

One was a giant black monkey that was larger than an earth gorilla. There was also over two dozen new types of fruits or berries. Home was in a wide bay with trees that were six or seven hundred meters tall. The jump in was almost anti climatic with no animals attacking as we built the platforms two hundred meters below the tree tops.

We left Hunter and the griffins with their eggs before going hunting. Almost from the first moments that we went exploring and hunting it felt like we were being watched. I got glimpses of something big and a golden color but it always slipped away. Momma stayed close to Alex and kept growling as she looked around.

We finally headed back with full game bags and capture pouches or packs. While we walked I picked fire and spice leaves and started rolling them together into a thick stick that was over two inches thick and two thirds of a meter long. I saw our stalker when we were almost back, its wing span was six or seven meters and it was maybe four meters long.

It vanished behind a tree as I turned and opened the local comm, "everyone keep your eyes open. We have a very large flyer..."

I saw it land on a branch and watched the color change to match the branch it was on. I turned to push Alex and Jade, "it looks like a real dragon with a wing span of six or seven meters."

I touched Momma, "take us to the pod."

She turned and started trotting and the others began to follow. I waited so I was last and followed with Princess and Junior flying ahead with Momma. Everyone was going into the pod when I felt the dragon and spun as I backed onto the ramp. I started to pull my pistol but hesitated at the last second to use my ever light in the leaf stick.

The dragon landed and reached out with a large clawed hand foot but I thrust the burning stick and it pulled back. It had been a light golden color but changed as I stepped forward. I made a circle with the burning stick and it lunged through the smoke as I slid back. The dragon shook its head as I moved after it waving the smoking leaf stick.

It backed up and crouched as it growled but the slight breeze blew past me and straight at the dragon. Smoke writhed around its head and it breathed in and swayed. I tossed the stick down in front of it before pulling my pistol, "come on dragon, breath the smoke."

It shifted back but the whole length of the leaf stick was burning now and smoke billowed up and around its head. It groaned as it moved back and dropped to its belly before putting its head down. I waited a few moments before pulling my game bag off, "Alex?"

"We are keeping everyone inside."

I put my pistol away before moving to kick the burning leaves off the branch. I knelt and rubbed the large cheek before starting to skin a couple of smaller black monkeys Princess and Junior had killed. I fed the animal that was easily twice as large as Momma. After the third monkey I moved closer to scratch behind its ears and along the jaw, "you are gorgeous."

It sighed and leaned into me for a minute before turning its head to look into my eyes. Its eyes were a little glazed but it looked past me before turning quickly and leaping into the air. I watched it fly up and away before disappearing. I shook my head as Alex and Jade came to stand with me.

Momma bumped me and I glanced at her before looking at Jade, "it was a lot more intelligent than an animal."

She looked in the direction it had gone before turning to pull me after her, "maybe and maybe you took to many chances."

I glanced back once more before letting Jade pull me towards the stairs. Mom and dad were just inside and mom hugged me as dad hit my shoulder. Dinner was quiet as I kept thinking of the large dragon. Of course Jade and Tara had managed to get a vid of it and everyone from the other pods came to look.

When it got dark and we slipped into the pod I moved Hunter close as Momma and all the other animals crowded against the front grate. Alex held me as I stared out into the night. She sighed, "you wanted it to stay."

I looked at her and turned to hold her as I caressed Jade's cheek, "I did not and do not want to kill it."

I heard something right outside the grate and turned my head. Momma and all the others were purring as a large pair of gleaming eyes looked in at us. I smiled as I sat up, "smart dragon slipped around the net."

I heard dad and then everyone else as I moved to the door. The dragon was curled up against the door looking in and I grinned as I heard its echoing purr. I knelt, "I am glad you came back."

It sniffed and Alex put her arms around me before putting one hand on the door grate. The dragon smelled and chuffed like Momma and I grinned as she answered. Mom giggled and Tara slipped up beside me and he looked at her and smelled before looking past her towards her husband. I smiled and moved a couple of the smaller dragons out of the way before standing.

I slowly unlocked the door and pushed against the dragon to slip out. I knelt and caressed his shoulder and neck as he leaned against me. I looked around before sitting and letting the large dragon put his head in my lap. I kept caressing him as he purred and leaned against the door. Jade used a finger to rub my neck and I glanced back.

She pushed a long red silk ribbon through a hole, "wrap this around his neck."

I pulled it out and held it for him to smell before wrapping it and tying it. It was thirty minutes before the forest around us went quiet. The dragon surged to his feet and spun and I stood. I grabbed a wing as the tiger climbed onto the other branch. I pulled the dragon back as I grinned, "come back George."

The dragon crouched and kept growling which was echoed by all the animals in the pod. The only reason I could hold the dragon was because he let me. The net snapped up and the tiger screamed as it started fighting and struggling. I moved up to hug George as he stopped growling and turned his head to look at me.

I scratched behind his ear, "that is why I wanted you to stay back and wait."

He nodded and chuffed and I glanced back as Tara slipped out, "Firehawk?"

I nodded, "slowly."

She moved up beside me and held up a dart. George sniffed before nodding and Tara slowly moved past his head and waited for the right moment before stabbing the tiger. She moved back as it roared and struggled and a minute later relaxed into sleep. I smiled as George moved forward to smell the tiger before nodding and looking at Tara.

She grinned, "we have a nice male that will love her."

He chuffed and I chuckled before going to pull Tara back to the door, "inside."

George turned and came back to the door before laying curled up. I sat against him, "not coming in?"

He purred and I smiled and looked back, "go to sleep."

I relaxed and let his purr sooth me and woke when he moved and stood. He stretched almost exactly like Griffin used to and I grinned before frowning at the raindrop that hit me. I turned to the door, "inside."

I pulled the door open and he barely paused before walking in and turning. He crouched and a wing stretched out over Momma to join Junior's and Princess's. I closed the door and moved past him to Jade and Alex sitting up. Within moments every animal in the pod was around the large dragon. I heard dad chuckle before turning on a small light.

When the rain stopped George stood and glanced back at everyone watching. He looked at me before turning to walk through the pod, stopping to smell everyone. When he came back I was checking outside the pod and he walked out and glanced around. I rubbed the side of his head, "stay?"

He looked at me before crouching. I smiled as I went to change and come back out. I led him up onto the top with Momma and the others following. I led them out the other door and up onto the platform and across to Leo's pod. I went through and down before I shook the grate, "wake up."

Leo grumble as he reached for the door and froze, "Firehawk?"

I glanced back, "that is George. We captured a tiger last night."

He slowly opened the door and stepped out. George was sitting with Momma leaning against him and with Junior between his front paws. Leo shook his head, "that is one big dragon."

I grinned, "look at the red ribbon."

He looked at me and then at George, "he has a red neck."

I shook my head and hit his shoulder, "pay attention."

I looked around before reaching up and back for a loose leaf on the stairs and put it on George's shoulder. Terrie came out with Devil and Precious, two of Momma's children, "all the animals want out."

The two leopards pushed past her and went straight to their mother before smelling the large dragon. Leo was shaking his head when they started rubbing against George. I gestured to the leaf and his now green shoulder. Terrie walked forward and scratched under his chin before heading for the stairs, "the babies need food."

Leo shook his head, "that is awesome."

I waved at the others peeking out and turned to follow Terrie, "come on George. Momma find my brother Tiger."

They knew what that meant and waited for me to open the other cage door before they took off for the next pod. I walked beside George and looked at him, "I want to show you to everyone so they will not try to harm you."

He chuffed and continued to walk as he looked around. I glanced across to see Tara loading the tiger into one of the transports, her husband climbed in after it. I took George to all the pods and let him meet everyone before returning to ours. When we went to start cutting branches for another platform and parking pads he leaped and flew up onto a branch above to watch.

We were almost done and working on the last parking pad, putting the grating on. A ten meter king lizard came up and onto the pad without warning. Dwarf dragons, leaf leopards and men started to react when George struck. He might have been smaller but he knew what he was doing.

He pounced on the huge lizard's back and bit straight into the back of its neck to sever the spine. He twisted his head to rip out a huge chunk before leaping off the lizard as it began thrashing around in death throes. He calmly flipped his wings back as he walked towards me and I grinned as everyone chuckled.

Momma met him and rubbed faces before turning to walk with him. I shook my head, "whose turn to clean the animal?"

Leo started towards the dead king lizard, "me."

I nodded and turned to go back to work as Jade called George and Momma. The landing platform we were building was going to be a thousand meters long with forty parking pads. The southern colony had built two of the long range transports and we had ten days to get the platform finished. It was mid afternoon when we finished and split up.

We had another four pods in place and people started to move into them as Alex, Jade and I went hunting. George actually walked out in front of me and seemed to point to animals or birds for Hunter, Princess or Junior. What made him pause was the bird bats dropping blood fruit for him to eat.

He seemed to like them as much as Momma and started paying attention to the types of fruit we passed. I grinned when I saw mom and dad with Tara a little later. They were watching what looked like a huge green and brown sphere I almost recognized as a mini dragon flock nest. George growled and I looked at him and then around.

He was looking at the nest and I opened the comm, "something is wrong dad, back away."

He glanced around and saw me before pulling mom and Tara back. I knelt and touched George, "what is it?"

He looked at me before turning and leaping. He flew around and through vines and landed on the sphere beside the opening. I started running as I heard his roar and another answered. I swung around a tree and leaped across a gap as I came closer. I stopped and knelt to look inside the nest and took a breath as I saw the other dragon.

Because George was above and at the opening I knew it would not come out. I shed my pack and yanked out leaves and started rolling them and hoping they would keep waiting. I finished with a large ball and lit it before I threw it across and into the nest, "get away George!"

A large ball of smoke bellowed up and blocked my view of the other dragon. George leaped and glided to the branch I was on and I was ready to go out when Jade and Alex caught up. Jade grabbed my shoulder, "wait."

I looked at her as she dropped her pack and start pulling dead monkeys out. I nodded and looked at dad as he came closer, "what is it?"

I nodded to George who was crouching and watching the nest intently. Dad nodded and I moved to jump and grab a smaller branch. I swung and reached for another before grabbing the nest. I peered into the smoky nest to see the large dragon laying on its stomach. I crawled in and knocked the burning leaves out before starting to slap and put the leaves from the nest out.

I kept looking at the dragon and realized it was a little smaller and female. I looked out at Jade and she tossed a cord that I caught. I pulled the cord up with the meat tied to the other end. I set it aside and moved to pull the large dragon to the nest opening where it would have fresh air. It was several moments before it stirred and I started feeding it.