Satchy and Naike

Satchy yelled out in pain as she bit her tongue. Furious that she had shown her weakness she put her feet down even faster to keep up with the boy in front of her. Of course this was highly unsafe and only led to her falling down. A pain worse then when she had bitten her tongue burned red in her ankle and she knew that she had sprained it. 
"Naike!" she yelled at her companion.
"What is it now!" Naike yelled back.
Naike didn't particularly like his cousin Satchy. She was utterly clumsy and looked at him like he was a nitwit though he knew more than her. At least he knew more about hiking and farming than her. Those were things you needed to know, you didn't need to know who was in charge of castles and what new pairs had formed. As long as they did their work, he'd do his. 
Naike turned around and saw Satchy sitting on a bolder hugging her ankle. Her heart-shaped face with it's pale complexion and freckles was smudged with dirt, while little branches were tangled into her long red hair. But what caught his attention were the tears in her eyes that run paths of white through the dirt on her cheeks.
"Can you walk?" he asked a bit more calm.
"I doubt it..." Satchy said, looking Naike in the eye.
The boy in front of her was only a year older than her 16 years, but he looked and acted older. His hair was brown-grey from dust though it was blond when it was clean. Nothing, not even the dust on these paths, seemed to be able to tire him, his eyes still shone the sparkling blue that made them look so gentil. Naike hadn't lived the sheltered life she had. Satchy new she had been spoiled, but that was no reason for him to push her this hard.
Naike ran the path back to her with large paces, not realising that this only made her feel more worn and useless. He felt her ankle and nodded his head.
"We'll have to camp here tonight. If we let it rest and keep the swelling down it will most likely be better in the morning."
"Sleep out here?" Satchy asked.
Both Satchy and Naike had lived their entire lives on Icarus. For Satchy it was the first trip out without the safety and comfort of runner draks and she had heard scary stories about wild animals on the isles they were exploring. 
The isle they were on was one of the smaller ones and not yet colonised. Naike had been sent out to search if it was useful for anything and Satchy had insisted on coming along. She could kill herself for that stupid decision.
"I saw a cave not much further up the road. I think I can carry you there." Naike answered her question absentmindedly. He had camped out a couple of times before. As long as they were dry they'd get through the night.
"Aren't there wild animals around here?" Satchy asked, "Maybe even Nex Necii?" she asked trembling as she thought of the possibility.
"We do have a castle patrolling the area." Naike said irritated, "And as for wild animals, how would they have gotten here? Saharels don't swim you know." he said referring to the small reptilians used in the deserts as a means of delivering messages.
"I'm not afraid of saharels!" Satchy said, "It's just that they are scaley." she added.
"I rest my case, but aside from birds and butterflies I doubt there's anything on the isle."
"So you aren't sure?" she asked.
Naike threw up his arms and answered: "No... but I am close. The cave will be safer still." he added to keep her calm.
Naike dropped of his backpack and helped her unfasten hers. He wound some flat pieces of bark around her ankle and fastened them with some left over rope. Carefully he tried lifting her. Surprisingly she wasn't all that heavy and even seemed to help him a bit by dividing her weight over his shoulders and pelvis.
"Shout if it hurts." he said.
"I already did that." Satchy answered with a disappointed smile, "Look where it got me."
"You can be lucky you weren't out here alone."
"I wouldn't be here if you hadn't come." she answered.
"Why did you want to come anyway?" Naike asked.
"I wanted to prove that I'm as good as you." she said.
"Hmmm... drop me off in the center of a city and I'd be lost within minutes. Most likely robbed too."
The conversation ended when Naike carried Satchy off to the cave. Though she didn't weigh much it still wasn't easy to get her there. Naike rested about three times before he finally reached it. 
The cave was a small, with a small hallway leading from the outside to the inner room. It was reasonably dry, but also dark and cold.
"I'll go get the backpacks and some wood for a fire. If there's anything wrong just scream... with your lungs I should hear it even if I was at the other side of the isle."
"Very funny." Satchy said. "Could you find me a torch or something first so I can explore the cave?"
"I shouldn't walk on that ankle." Naike said.
"Then find me something to support myself... I want to check out this cavern to make sure it's safe."
Naike didn't utter the words that were on the tip of his tongue. They were true, but not ones that would do any good in this situation. He went out to find her what she had asked for and only hoped she wouldn't fall into a chasm.
When Naike got back, carrying both backpacks he was relieved to see the small light of her torch illuminating the cave. He was even more relieved to see her waiting just inside.
"Finally!" she called out when he had approached close enough for her to see him.
Naike could literally see the image of having a good night's rest shatter and making place for the image of him guarding the cave the entire night while listening to Satchy snoring peacefully.
"Come quickly!" she called out excited.
"What is it?"
When he was close enough she actually started pulling him by the sleeve, though with her stumbling with the thin branch that made them go slower.
"I found eggs." she said.
"I thought you hated wild animals." Naike remarked.
"I do... but these eggs are too small to be dangerous." she said.
"Oh I see... anything small is safe, right?"
"Right." Satchy said not knowing that she was being made fun off. 
When Naike approached the eggs he had to admit that the small pale yellow ovals didn't look at all threatening. When Naike picked one up they felt dry and heavy.
"They are ready to hatch." he said.
"Really?"
"Yes. Feel for yourself." he said passing her an egg.
"Why do you think there were only two?" she asked.
"These were lucky. See these splotches around where they were? The nest was attacked."
Their conversation was interrupted by a soft crack as one of the eggs reacted to the warmth of Satchy's hands and torch. Hairline cracks formed on the surface and a small brown head pinned through the shell. Not much later the egg broke in half and the small green duowinged brown faerie drak lay in Satchy's hands.
"It's a faerie drak!" she shouted.
"I hadn't noticed." Naike said trying to keep his egg from falling.
It rocked violently and finally found a weak spot in the shell. Naike's faerie broke through and showed his brown hide and white wings by flapping his wings to dry them.
"Why is mine different?" asked Naike.
"Mine is a forest and yours is an Earth... I thought you at least knew your colours." Satchy smiled.
"I once knew, but it's been long since I last saw draks. It's all kind of fuzzy."
"What are you going to call it?" Satchy asked.
"Is it male or female?"
"Does it matter? Earths can be either gender, but I think this one is male."
"Then I'll call it Corday."
"Mine will be Adrian then." Satchy said

Forest Faerie Adrian (f) and Earth Faerie Corday (m)

The next morning the hungry chitters of the two faeries woke them both from there sleep. Naike had finally got Satchy to believe that there was no harm on this isle for them and so they both had been able to sleep through the night.
"Do you have some food left over?" asked Satchy.
"I have some stale bread, but I doubt they'd notice it." Naike laughed.
"I wouldn't even notice it at my present state." Satchy said, she too was hungry.
Naike took out the piece of bread he had carried with him just in case. 
They were halfway through their breakfast when a voice carried in through the short hallway: "Hello? Anyone in here?" a woman asked.
"Yes! Wait a sec!" Naike said and rushed out, followed by Satchy and the two wobbling faeries.
"Are you Naike and Satchy?" asked the dark woman.
"I'm Naike." said Naike, "Did my father ask you to do a search."
"He did. I was doing my sweep when I saw his beacon and he told me you hadn't returned... and Issnidi smelled your fire."
A big brown head popped into the cave and showed a smile with very white teeth. "Hello humanssss." the drak said.
"Say, are those faerie draks?" Mary asked.
"Yes we found them yesterday." Satchy said, showing her forest to her larger cousin.
"Ssshe looksss jusst like me." Issnidi said.
"Indeed she does." Mary said... "They look like the ones at Chindor. Maybe they are part of a rogue clutch." 
Mary looked around and noticed Satchy and her crutch. "Are you hurt?"
"A sprained my ankle walking." Satchy said, her face grimacing.
"The Castle healer might take a look at that if you agree to stay."
"Stay?"
"At the castle. If those faeries hatched in your hands and you kept them happy until the morning you are definately worth trying in the deep cavern. Don't you think so Issnidi?"
"Definately... I sssee drakss in their future."

Satchy and Desert Noulkarni  -  Naike and Plant Merlinarni

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Satchy and  Naike are Aspirants at Chindor Castle
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