Dawning Skye

383 Our First Bairn

***CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, AND GORE***

Tidas cut Skye off as she tried to run to Zazzy. He understood the urge to go to her, but Amara and the Lieutenant had a chance to live if she went and healed them now. The other Shamans were too busy handling the overflow from the battlefield to get to them, so their lives depended upon her.

At first, Skye frantically argued. Utter fear reflected in her eyes as she tried to break free from her husband. She was in hysterics, and not thinking clearly due to it. If Skye let them die now, then she’d regret it for the rest of her life..

Tidas grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook her harshly; “Skye?! Skye! Are you Really just gonna let Amara Die?! Amara?! What about Michael?! What about his sister how’s about to marry?! What about Gavin?! Help them First! Then we save Zazzy, okay?!”

It was like all of Skye’s senses came crashing back all at once when Tidas had said their names. The sounds of the world had been drowned out by an intense ringing noise as she tried to connect to Zazzy. Luckily, her husband had snapped her back to their horrific reality..

Skye eyes got their light back as she came to and asked; “Where are they?”

The second that Tidas had gestured to them, Skye took off. He followed closely behind her as they zipped passed the rampaging Zazzy, and went straight to Amara and the Lieutenant’s sides.

Skye had gone straight to Amara while Tidas checked Michael for a pulse. As she started to heal Amara, Skye looked at her husband as he lowered his head with a somber demeanor..

Skye couldn’t believe it at first. Like Tidas was going to correct her inference, but he didn’t. Instead, Tidas straightened out his body, then folded his hands over his chest.

.....

Skye had instantly started to cry as a guilt so heavy that it threatened to crush her welled up within her heart. Seeing her crumbling demeanor, Tidas walked over and told her what she needed to hear..

“It’s not your fault, Skye. By the look of his wounds, he died shortly after he crashed into the ground.. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

Skye sniffled as she forced herself to hold it together. Amara was critically injured in multiple places. If she didn’t focus, she might miss something crucial that could put Amara’s life in danger later.

Both of her arms and legs were broken on top of a cracked sternum, multiple broken ribs, a crack in her skull, and multiple cuts and contusions. Amara’s total injuries were difficult to heal all at once, but it had to be done if Skye wanted her to live. The amount of blood that she was losing would ensure her death if she hadn’t.

Tidas guarded Skye as she tended to her friend. Several creatures had tried to attack during the fifteen or so minutes it took for her to finish. Amara still wasn’t a hundred percent, but she could fight if she had to; once she gained consciousness.

Right as Skye had finished, a group of Moonstone soldiers rushed over to help. Many of them became enraged at Zazzy for killing their Captain and Lieutenant, which to Tidas; was understandable.. But not to Skye.

She tried to explain that it was the Dark and Ether magic affecting Zazzy that had caused her to attack, but that just made them want to kill her more. Since she was compromised by the enemy, then they thought that she should be put down..

Tidas stepped in at the moment before Skye could say anything detrimental; “She’s the last dragon, and an asset to the kingdom. And if that’s not a good enough reason, then how about this: touch one scale on her body, and I’ll kill you myself..”

The look in Tidas’ eyes was one of warning, and the Moonstone soldiers knew better that to cross a Pillar of the Kingdom, and the Commander of the RMC. They knew Zazzy as a wee dragon, but the beast raging before them seemed nothing like the gentle creature that they once knew.

With desperation reflected in her demeanor, Skye begged them; “Please, just give us a chance ta bring her back ta her senses! It’s Zazzy! No matter what nastiness is changin’ her right now, she’s Still our scaly bairn.. I canna turn me back on me first bairn. Please?! Ye have known me all me life! Trust in me!”

The Moonstone soldiers shuffled around and talked a few moments before telling them that they had ten minutes to try to get her back. After that, they were going to pair up with the remaining Reinbolt soldiers, and attack. Skye thanked them profusely, then turned and zipped off towards Zazzy.

Again: Tidas had to stop Skye in her tracks; “If you run at her now, she’ll kill you! We need to come up with a plan first!”

Skye yanked her arm away from him; “There’s no time! Look at her! She’s scared, Tidas! I feel her fear! She’s in the dark cryin’ fer us to find her! Ima goin’! If ye try ta stop me again, I’ll knock ye on yer arse!”

Tidas was taken aback by the fierce look on his wife’s face. She’d never looked at him like that before, and it chafed at him. He was about to yell at Skye, considering all he wanted to do was save Zazzy as well.. He just wasn’t willing to risk Skye to do it.

Before he could say anything, she was dashing towards Zazzy again. Tidas called out to her, but Skye ignored him. The drowning feeling that overwhelmed Skye whenever she tried to connect to her scaly bairn drove her to be reckless..

Skye called out to Zazzy, who looked at her with recognition at first. When she approached, however; Zazzy sent her flying with her tail. Skye felt several of her bones break, even while using her Tank trait to reinforce her body.

As she skidded across the ground, Tidas ran to her side, praying that she was okay. When he reached her, he saw a giant gash going down the side of her face, and her leg was twisted in the wrong direction. The gash closed slowly as she manually shifted her leg back into place, then healed it.

The fact that all Skye did was grunt a little was off-putting to the soldiers around her. Most would’ve been screaming their heads off, so it was unnerving for them to see a dainty woman barely making a peep. It hurt like hell for Skye, but she had experienced much more intense pain when she had made Tidas’ armor.

Skye wasn’t trying to act touch or anything ridiculous like that; she was just focused on Zazzy. When they had made contact earlier, she had glimpsed Zazzy’s mind..

‘She can’t see, hear, touch, or taste.. Twas like she’s locked in a void.. My poor bairn. Don’t worry! Momma’s comin’! Then Ima gonna fuckin’ Kill Richard!’

“Are you okay, love?!” Tidas asked as he helped her to her feet.

“Aye, Ima fine. Did ye see that? She recognized me and held back,” Skye replied as she smacked the bone shards from me armor.

Tidas gawked at her; “THAT was holding back?! She nearly killed you!”

Skye glared at him; “Did ye see what she did ta Captain Prigle?! She easily coulda done that ta me, but didn’t. She’s in there, Tidas.. She’s scared, and alone, and callin’ out to us ta save her! I won’t give up on our first bairn!”

Tidas sighed deeply; “Okay, okay: we’ll save her, but how? She’s being affected by the Dark and Ether magic that Richard controls, right? If the generators aren’t bringing her back to her senses, then how are we supposed to?”

Skye smiled at him; “We’re her parents, love. I know we can reach her if we can just get ta her. I know it!”

“Sounds like ye two need a distraction, and Ima real good at bein’ attractive,” Murdoc said as he came to stand by Tidas’ side.

Tidas snorted in derision; “She said distraction, not attractive..”

Murdoc smirked; “And I know what I said..”

“Alright, ye two: more pertinent matters at hand, here,” Skye stated, effectively cutting them off; “We need ta get ta Zazzy without her chasin’ us off: can ye help us?”

Murdoc’s smirk grew; “Aye, I can manage ta draw her eyes. But what are ye gonna do once ye get to her?”

Skye looked towards the raging dragon with determination; “Ima gonna get me bairn back, that’s what. Are ye ready?”

Murdoc nodded, then took off. He zipped around Zazzy as he yelled; “Hey dragon! Yeah you, ya scaly beast! Yer flames couldn’t cook a s’more!”

Zazzy snarled at him, then reached out with her claws to swipe at him. Other soldiers had her tail preoccupied, so Skye and Tidas ran at her like they had nothing to lose..

As they collided with Zazzy, she had instantly tried to shake them off. When that failed, she tried to grab them and yank them off, but their dragon armor stopped her from tearing them open. When she tried to flip to her side, Skye and Tidas climbed onto her back..

Everyone became nervous when Zazzy tried to flap her wings, but she suddenly stopped. She screeched several times like she was in pain before anyone had realized that the frontside of Skye was glowing. When she leaned back to see where the light was coming from, Skye realized that her necklace was glowing.

Seeing a moment of calm in her, Skye told Zazzy how much she loved her..

“Zazzy? Can ye hear me, love? It’s yer momma.. I know yer scared, and ye think that yer all alone, but Da and I are right her, sweetness....We’re right here, and we’re not gonna leave ye.. Come back to us, Zazzy.. I canna imagine me life without cha in it..”

Tidas squeezed her hard; “We got you, Zazzy! We’re right here, and we’re not gonna leave you.. We love you, sweetheart. You’re our first child, and we love you the same as we would if you were human..”

Tears streamed down Zazzy’s face as she listened to her beloved parents. She couldn’t see or feel them, but she could hear them as a warmth started to spread through her body. As the light from the fragment of the Celestial Key broke through the darkness, Zazzy mentally ran towards the light..

A massive pulse of energy blanketed the battlefield as Zazzy freed herself from the Dark and Ether magic, with her parent’s help. Skye balled as she clung to her scaly bairn, but Tidas turned his eyes to the battlefield. Zazzy had killed at least a dozen soldiers, but had also taken out three times as many of the creatures.

‘Marco and my father will definitely try to lock her away now..’

As Tidas thought about the repercussions of Zazzy’s actions, Skye got her emotions under control. She telepathically talked with Zazzy a few moments, then turned her attention towards Richard. He was staring right back at her as she glared at him and said; “No one hurts me bairn and lives...”