Impending Race

Waylon lifted his hammer and looked down at the cover of the small air craft. The dent that had been there was nearly completely gone from sight. However, the dent wasn’t the only thing wrong with the flyer. It’s motor was far from working order and it was unlikely he would get the work done in time.
"How’s it going, Waylon?" Tharys asked.
"I can’t work miracles." Waylon said in his usual stern demeanour. "I can try, but I promise nothing."
"If anyone can do it, you can." Tharys remarked.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, but you are welcome to help."
Pulling of her sweater and pushing up her sleeves, Tharys grabbed the nearest wrench and bowed over the engine with Waylon. Though she was now a racer she had started out in the pits. Often she joked that she only had made the team because she was smaller and lighter than any of the males and that the cars in fact drove themselves. Only the least knowledgeable men were hauled over by this argument because everyone who saw Tharys drive knew she had talent.
Waylon was proud of her. She was almost like a daughter to him. From the moment she had come to the team, a young, freshly graduated mechanic with her short black hair and brown eyes that always seemed to be looking at something.
And now that she was a racer, he almost felt as if it was his achievement alone to have trained her. Waylon was smart enough never to say what his heart felt was true. Of course Tharys had done a lot on her own, but he had been there for her always. Waylon, didn’t have children and Tharys was going to be the closest he would get to offspring. After all, who would want a 45-year old mechanic with long hours and a rather big bulk? Waylon didn’t fool himself, but somewhere inside hope did still linger. Who knows, one day he might find a divorced or widowed woman with children he could call his own. He was a good teacher, and all he wanted was to pass his knowledge and passions to the next generation.
"Earth to Waylon." Tharys smiled.
"What?" Waylon asked returning from his daydream of a house, kids and white-picket fence.
"I asked you if you could point the light toward me."
"Sure."
The two mechanics went silent and each worked on his own part. The hours advanced and it ran well into the mourning before Tharys was happy with her engine.
"You did it Waylon." She said, "You worked a miracle."
"I had help." Waylon smiled.
"Too bad you won’t be able to use it." A voice from the back of the garage said.
"Who’s there?" Waylon called.
"My name is Sovyl." The young man said, "And I’ve come with an offer that is too good to refuse as the mob would say it."
With a worried glance at Waylon, Tharys advanced toward Sovyl and asked: "Mob? We’ve got nothing to do with the mafia."
"I wasn’t implying that. My knowledge of Earth culture is a bit limited." Sovyl grinned, "But I just love the Godfather. Aviath isn’t a very big fan thoug… he would rather have eaten that horsehead, he doesn’t like to waste."
"What…" Tharys started before the blue head of the dragon appeared from the shadows:
"They just threw it away!" the voice sounded in their head, "That’s just wrong."
"Can it talk?" Waylon stammered.
"He, and yes he can. Though he doesn’t talk out loud, he transfers what he wants you to know to your heads."
"Why…" Tharys asked.
"Are we here?" Sovyl asked, "We need people to take care of others like my Aviath and he assured me there were people here who would and I quote ‘do just splendidly’ at the bunny run."
"Bunny run?"
"Don’t be fooled by the name, there will be other dragons than bunny dragons in there. In fact, I think you two might do better in the camouflage clutches, but it is really up to the dragons to chose who they want to bond."
"Dragons don’t exist."
"And what do you suppose Aviath could be called otherwise? You are free to come, I won’t force you, but think of the poor babies who are going to die if we don’t find enough candidates…"
"They die?" Tharys asked shocked.
"At one time they did, but not where you’re headed. But they will miss that special someone."
"And I guess we can never come back." Waylon asked. He didn’t really mind for his own life, but Tharys had only begun living and she had a promising career.
"Not at all! These dragons have a nice perk, they can travel between time and space. You could spend a year on Lantessama and have your dragons drop you off here five minutes after you left tonight. But again, it is your call."
"Can we even deny?" Waylon asked.
"You can, but you might get tragetted more from now on, Dragons tend to know who they want."
"I guess we’ll just go than. As long as you can guarantee me I’ll be back in time for the race."
"You can skin me alive if you don’t."
"Is that a promise?"
"I wouldn’t take it too literally, but yeah."

_-°-_-°-_

HATCHING
Tharys was walking on the beach, soaking her feet in the water and jumping over waves. She looked longingly at Lantessama Isle and hoped she would once get a chance to fly above those mountains. Maybe she had made a mistake staying at a clutch with mainly unwinged dragons... but maybe, just maybe she would get a glider.
"Watch out!" she suddenly heard a shout in her head.
"What?" she asked, shaking her head.
A dragon came running from behind a nearby dune muttering: "Leave your eggs for one second..."
"I'm fine, daddy." the camou glider said, "My bond didn't see me, that's all."
"Bond?" Tharys looked down and saw a beautiful clouded grey dragoness look up at her.
"I mean, if you want me, I am a glider." the dragoness said smugly, "My name is Yrenha."
"Tharys."
"I know."

Waylon looked uncomfortable around the unknown scenery. What he would give to turn back time and say no to the bigmouth youth that had invited him and Tharys. He was too old to start anew. Raising an arm to protect his face from low-hanging tree branches, Waylon entered a clearing and stopped. Right in front of him lay a small cluster of eggs. Not knowing what to do, he took a step back and waited.
One of the eggs started rocking, cracked and broke in half. A camouflage beige male rolled from his egg and looked at Waylon with deep blue eyes. "Don’t you want me?" the male asked, "Because you are the only right one for me."
"I… I will, Sletule." Waylon said.
"Thank you."

              Camouflage Beige Sletule           Camouflage Grey Yrenha

_-°-_-°-_

ADULTHOOD
Yrenha skidded to a stop when she reached the wall of the most eastern mountain on Lantessama. She turned around, looked left and right and then travelled around it, gliding occasionally to pass obstructions. She could hear Sletule looking for her, but he hadn't reached her yet.
"She dashed over the dunes, twirled around the watchtower and crossed the path that led between the other two mountains and went past the lake. She clambered up the mountains, hid behind trees and started all over again.
"You can't catch me." she transmitted to Sletule.
"I will!" he said.
"I'm fitter than you."
"I know where you live."
"I have retractable claws."
"So have I AND I have the approval of both our riders."
"It wouldn't be fun to give in and just do it." Yrenha snorted in disgust, "I want to be won."
"Like this, for example?"
Yrenha turned around startled and saw Sletule come out from behind a tree. He had a smug draconish grin on his face and Yrenha knew he wouldn't let go no matter what.
"How did you..."
"Find you? Well running the same circle five times does become predictable." Sletule shrugged.
"I can still glide away." she said defiantly.
"No you won't!" Sletule said.
The brown camouflage biped jumped as Yrenha unfolded her wings. Tigether they rolled off the mountain side, crashing into the bushes below. Spitting out a piece of foliage Sletule grinned
"You've been caught milady."
"Meh. And I wanted to keep out until evening." she sighed.
"You're not too disappointed, are you?"
"I guess I could have done worse."

_-°-_-°-_
Lantessama Isle
Background found at Eos Backgrounds