Part 7b. Kunmie Magic
Fairlight tensed when Knux stirred. A groan left his lips and she wondered if she should say something to let him know she was here.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
Apparently he had seen her. Fairlight shrugged, "They all left on their missions."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"I figured you could use all the sleep you could get."
"And the plants?"
"I thought you had figured out I wasn't intending on studying plants just yet."
Memory came back and Knux recalled the conversation he had had with Fairlight. "So what are you going to do then?"
"I'm going to walk and look for interesting things."
"Aha, and you need me, why?"
"To make sure Enid and Tasrin get closer together. They're made for each other, you know." she smiled, "Like the other two that went out."
"Why do I get the feeling this was all planned?"
"Not planned," Fairlight said, "Predestined."
"And you're going away?"
"You are free to join me." she said, getting up, "Who knows, we might find some interesting habitat to hatch an egg in for you."
"I doubt jungle would be right for me." Knux said, "Not organised enough."
"I suppose." Fairlight answered.
"Well we should be going." Fairlight said after a short span of silence, "We need to find shelter."
"Shelter?"
"For the storm." Fairlight said, her black eyes seeming bottomless. There was no uncertainty in her voice.
"Is this the same thing like knowing we would crash."
"It is."

***

Evening was falling. In the distance a faint red-orange light heralded the sun's leaving. But above the island of Kunmie dark clouds were gathering. The wind had grown stronger all through the day and though they had walked fast, it had taken them until midday to find a suitable cave to take shelter from the storm. 
The place was beautiful really. A sparkling lake, openness in the midst of thick vegetation was formed at the base of cliffs leading to a higher part of the island. A waterfall swept down into the lake, a constant stream of fresh water that had eroded a large cave in the cliff wall.
Inside the cliff, Fairlight and Knux had stacked the crates with eggs as high up as they could. Still the cave barely had room left for the humans. It seemed to Fairlight that they had gone a bit overboard with the amount of eggs. 
"Surely they can't need all these eggs?" she said.
"Well, probably not all eggs will hatch."
Fairlight quirked an eyebrow, "Oh but they all will."
Knux, looking up distracted gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering: "If you had said so before, we might have made less. Besides, We didn't know they would all survive the landing."
"Does the military even believe they'll be able to reproduce?"
"Hardly." Knux sighed, suddenly changing the subject: "Do you think they're alright?"
"Who?"
"Iyru, Oisin, Enid, Tasrin." he said.
"Enid and Tasrin are safe from the storm," Fairlight grinned, "And I trust Safyre will keep the other two safe."
"Just like that?"
"Have a little faith." she smiled, "Let's get the last crates over here."
Knux followed Fairlight out, casting a worried look at the sky. It was nearly pitch-black and not a star was to be seen. If they got lost in the storm, would they find the cave again?

***

Hauling the last crates, fighting against the wind, a sudden warm blackness caught Fairlight's face. Beside her, she heard Knux utter a muffled cry of surprise. Something soft as silk, but warmer, had been blown into her face. For a moment she thought it might be one of those small furballs she had seen running around earlier, but whatever was pressed against her face wasn't round, it was long and delicate.
Struggling to get air, she put the crate with eggs down and reached up. Surprised to touch wings and feel a head squirm under her fingers.
"Are you ok?" she called out to Knux.
"Yeah! What are these things?" he asked.
"Frightened." Fairlight answered.
Looking down at the small creature he held, barely big enough to fill his hand, Knux  suddenly felt a strange kind of recognition. Squeaking piteously, the flimsy creature flew up, only to be swept away by the wind again, aimed straight at his face.
He heard Fairlight gasp and next thing he knew, he was laying on the ground. Only dimly remembering bumping into the crate he had put down. Sheltered from the wind by that same crate, the flying creature had let loose and was now chirping inquisitively in his ears.
Fairlight, standing huddled against a  tree, was having problems remaining upright herself. Still drawing in large breaths, she tried to make sense of what had happened. She had been with Danyx for a moment, briefly, enough to see the surprised look on his face before she had been thrown back down.
A frightened chirp brought her back to reality. The winds were getting stronger still and they would have to run to get back to the cave with the eggs and the two pets. They couldn't be anything else, the way they resembled Gaia and O'ragnatus. Smaller than dragons, but with that draconic feel to them that could be no coincidence.

"Are you alright?" she called to Knux.
"Yeah!" Knux called back, struggling to get up. "We need to hurry." he finally said.
"Genius." Fairlight stated, "Come on!"
Crate already in hands, she quickened her paces to a calm run, focusing as much as she could on the way to safety. She heard Knux follow her and kept running as long as she heard him behind her. Finally she saw the cave in front of her and started to run as fast as she could. 
Inside the cave she put the crate down and sat on it, catching her breath and watching Knux struggle up. The little creatures that had smothered them were still flying around, swooping up and down in the cave where there was no wind. One was dark red and yellow, while the other was grey and blue with tiny sparkles on her hide. Fairlight tried to catch the two, but only the blue one got closer.
"I think she is mine." she said.
"This one bumped into me, that's a fact."
"What do you think they are?" Fairlight asked, "They seem draconic."
"Yeah. There isn't supposed to live anything remotely like a dragon around here."
"Little mystery." Fairlight sighed, "I might as well name you that. Myst." Silently she added, For bringing me closer to what I so dearly miss.
"If we're keeping them I'll name mine Kal'raith."
Sitting down on his crate too, Knux suddenly saw some straw sticking out from below his crate.
"You got to be kidding me!" he called out.
"What?" Fairlight asked.
"I think I might have lost an egg." he said, opening the crate and looking for the eggs. Each crate contained three eggs, Knux only counted two in his.
"Is there a chance it got left on Earth?"
"No, I counted them myself. I don't make mistakes." he said certain of his ability to count to three, "I'm sure I lost it along the way. Maybe when putting it down."
"The storm is almost on top of us."
"I have to go." Knux said, launching for the entrance.
"It's storming! You'll get yourself killed!" Fairlight called after him, but he was gone. Sighing she remained in the cave. There was no need to get both of them killed. She put more wood on the modest fire, hoping the light would guide Knux back to safety. 
"Men." she muttered. The egg would have probably survived on it's own, round and close to the ground. Knux was another thing entirely. He was tall, clumsy and not very steadfast, not too mention he looked like a human lightning rod.
"I really hope he doesn't get himself killed." she sighed, "That would be such a bad way to start this whole mission."

***

Knux, panting, ran the way back to the beach, the path clearly visible between the trees from the countless passages they had made to and fro carrying boxes. He ran, but soon decided that he might miss the egg if he passed by it too quickly. Turning up the leaves as he went, he suddenly found the place where they had stopped. Two square impressions pressed in the grass that were barely visible, cracked grass and lots of turned soil from shuffling feet.
Rain had started to poor down, diminishing vision to only a few yards. Knux too was wet to the bone, shivering and wishing he had taken the time to snatch a water-tight sail from the cave.
Kneeling he sought for the egg on all fours. Letting no leaf unturned he finally found the egg, cracked and bruised, but not from the weather. Lightning flashed and Knux suddenly saw the egg move. It was hatching. Leaning closer he waited expectantly for the dragon to hatch. He wanted to see what this dragon was like, wanted to know how the land influenced it. He did not linger on the fact that he was alone with the dragon, that he had touched the shell.
"I feel you..." a voice echoed in his head, hard as thunder, bright as lightning.
"Me?" Knux gasped, feeling the dragon enter his mind, "This was not... supposed.."
"But it is right." the dragon answered, "So right."
Knux sighed, letting the dragon enter, giving up the fight. What was the point? He had come here to impress a dragon, he might as well take this beautiful young male. He might as well be grateful. 
The dragon really was beautiful. Tall and slender with a black skin, bent horns and soft, partly transparent wingsails that were alive with colour, zigzagging like lightning.
"The weather." Knux wondered, "Was it of influence too."
"This was not ordinary weather." the hatchling said.
"What is your name?" Knux suddenly asked, "You know mine..."
"You know mine too, but if you need a hint. It's Bae'Istal."

***

Fairlight, looking outside suddenly saw movement at the edges of the lake. A faint light seemed to accompany Knux back. Seeing that he was not holding anything in his hands, she sighed for a while thinking the egg would be lost forever. Surely Knux would not have returned without the egg. But then the oval light came closer, revealing itself to be an eye, a glowing eye of a dark dragon, fading into the stormy night.
"You found the egg." she said.
"And then the egg broke." Knux answered.
"Eggs tend to do that. Luckily it wasn't your head."
Noticing Knux' condition: cold, shivering, wet, sneezing and tired. Fairlight pushed him close to the blazing fire and retreated to find a blanket between the stacked crates. She returned and put the blanket around his shoulders, brushing against him. Their eyes met, Knux noticing how strange her eyes looked once again. He had seen it before, but somehow he wanted to see more of them, look into them deeper...
Fairlight pulled away.
"I can't." she whispered, rushing away to the back of the cavern, retreating from his sight. Overcome by emotions she didn't want to feel.
"I'm sorry." Knux called after her, wondering what he had done wrong, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
From the darkness Fairlight called back, her voice tense with emotion, "You did nothing wrong. You're just not the right person."
"Let's just be friends then." Knux called to the shadows, "I don't want you hiding. Nothing happened and I promise nothing will."
Carefully, Fairlight took a few steps back to the fire. "I trust you."
"And if he tries to break his promise I'll make sure he knows he shouldn't." Bae'Istal spoke from his comfy, but crowded place near the fire, "You can trust me."

See what happens to Iyru and Oisin in Mission over Sea

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