Whiplash limped down the hall, nose twitching. Come on, so close-

"Ah ah ah, no, Whiplash."

The dragon yelped in alarm as a pair of boots suddenly stopped him in his tracks. "Damn it."

"You know you gotta be resting" Fawn crouched in front of Whiplash, "you won't heal any faster if you move when you're not supposed to."

"I just want to see Ezra" Whiplash's horns pressed down as his eyes dilated, putting on his signature 'kicked puppy' face.

"Nope, bed, now."

He should've known better. Fawn was immune to that.

Whiplash sighed heavily. "I need to see he's really okay..."

Fawn's eyes softened and she placed a hand inbetween Whiplash's horns, rubbing the scales there with her thumb.

"I get it" she told him gently. "Believe me, I get it, but you gotta rest for your health and my heart. Whiplash, you almost died, don't give me a second heart attack by going missing, alright?"

The dragon hesitated before sighing heavily in resignation, understanding crossing his face. "Okay."

Foot falls made the two look down the hallway to the entrance.

"Oh, there you are! Jeez Whiplash, you've gotta stop doing this" Sabine appeared in the doorway, Colour Fly at her side. "What is this now? The twenty sixth attempt?"

The two of them approached Whiplash who sighed in defeat, knowing he was cornered. "I can't go anywhere can I?"

"Nope, you're stuck in that room until you're healed" Fawn stated, rising to stand beside Sabine.

"But I am healed! I'm walking around just fine!"

"Are, or are you not walking with a limp and a bruised spine?"

Whiplash opened his mouth to retort when claws covered his muzzle.

"Don't even try Whiplash" Colour Fly sighed, looking beyond exhausted. "Just listen to us, take our advice, and go to bed."

"But-!"

"It's only been three days Whiplash" Fawn reprimanded. "You can survive another few in bed."

"Another few days bedridden?!" Whiplash stared before flopping to the floor, groaning loudly. "Noooooooooooo..."

"You're such a drama queen" Colour Fly snorted.

"Colour Fly please, I ain't no drama queen, I'm the Drama King" Whiplash smirked up at her. "Don't downgrade my stature."

"Oh I'm sorry your majesty" Colour Fly rolled her eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "But as your royal advisor, I must implore you to go to your designated quarters."

"Royal Advisor?" Whiplash blinked. "Nah, don't sell yourself short, you're mah queen, baby!"

"Does he still have the sedative in his body or something? Cause he's loopy as hell" Sabine murmured to Fawn who chuckled.

"I heard that peasant!" Whiplash pointed an accusing claw at Sabine.

"Yup, without a doubt" Fawn grinned. "He's off the deep end."

It had been three, precarious days since Chopper had brought back a badly injured Ezra and Whiplash in the Phantom ll. After a short panic and getting both boys stable, the alliance decided to have a few days off. During those seventy two hours, Whiplash had gotten better. Thanks to dragon tears and his natural fast healing, his external injuries were amost completely gone. However, to have a decent, dreamless night's sleep, he had to be given sedatives to stop the plague of nightmares fueled by that freak show of a mission.
Bloodied bodies, vicious space cats, and almost losing Ezra was enough to have Whiplash waking up drenched in cold sweat, and screaming.

Colour Fly rarely left his side during the day after the first nightmare. Whiplash was grateful for her presence.
However, now that he was feeling stronger, and walking was less of a struggle, he did everything he could to see Ezra. And because Colour Fly didn't usually let him out of her sight, it was increasingly difficult to slip away.

The boy had slipped into a coma mere hours after returning to the base. While he was stable, and Whiplash had been reassured countless times that his rider would be fine, he had to see for himself.

This lead to multiple attempts, and the same amount of failures. Every single time, one of the many rebels on the base or a dragon located him and forced him back to his room. It apparently seemed the everyone had been told; 'if you ever see Whiplash outside his room, take him back, he's on lockdown'.

What the Shadow Wing hybrid couldn't understand was why. He just wanted to see Ezra, what was so bad about that?

Sharp clicking at Whiplash's left ear made him start.

"You still with us bud?" Sabine asked, "you kinda zoned out there."

"Yeah sorry I just-"

A sudden force slammed into Whiplash's back making him rasp and causing his knees to buckle. Tears stung his eyes, body searing with indescribable agony. His name was being called but he barely heard. He felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest.
Slow pounding throbbed in his ears pain cutting him all over.

"WHIPLASH!"

A sharp slap jolted him back to consciousness. He opened his eyes, (when did he close them?) to see Colour Fly. She was drawing her paw back, preparing to hit him again.

"I'm here" Whiplash rasped and damn talking had never hurt so much. "I'm here."

"Are you okay?" Colour Fly asked urgently. "You just collasped with no warning."

Whiplash looked down to see that yes, he was on the floor. "I-I don't know," he choked out, "It hurts so much-"

He broke out in a whine as scorching hot sensations flooded his trembling body.

"FAWN! I NEED YOU IN THE MED-BAY RIGHT NOW!" Hera's voice panicked shouted from the com. "EZRA'S FLAT LINING!"

Whiplash choked on short breath, eyes blowing wide.

No.

No no no no this couldn't be happening

"Sabine, get Whiplash back to his room now" Fawn ordered, sprinting down the halls in a split second.

"R-Right, Whiplash come on" Sabine scooped the dragon into her arms who was in too much pain to fight back.

He barely registered being set down, but definitely felt the familiar needle set on his arm.

"N-No" he choked. "No d-don't-" he broke off in a snarl of pain.

"I'm sorry Whiplash, but you can't get involved" Sabine injected the sedative into his bloodstream.

"S-Sabine-" Whiplash whimpered, tears welling behind slowly closing eyelids.

"I'm sorry Whiplash" Sabine's trembling, feeble apology made Whiplash's rage surface. "I really am-"

Whiplash was out cold before he could respond.
________________________________

'W-Whiplash?'

Opening my eyes, I am met with darkness. Stretched out beyond the horizon. I wasn't on solid ground, but...I was? It felt like I was floating yet the surface of something was close to my claws.

'Bud...? Is that you?'

I turn and my breath catches. A soft, blue light glows weakly in front of me, pulsing with slow beats.

"Ezra?" I try to ask but no noise comes out.

'Whiplash- I-I don't know what's happening-'

"Everything's okay Ezra" again my voice refused to work.

'I'm scared Whiplash- I don't want- I don't want to die-!

"You're not going to die Ezra I won't let that happen!" I shout but it doesn't make a difference. I am mute, unable to reassure my best friend.

'I'm sorry...for everything bud....I was the worst friend to you'

"No! You weren't! I was the one being a prat!"

'I just hope you'll be okay once I'm gone-'

"NO! Don't you dare say goodbye Bridger!"

The light brightened the smallest amount.

'I love you Whiplash...I always have...please don't blame yourself for this-'

"I won't let you die you stubborn idiot! Just hold on a little longer! Please!"

'Goodbye bud.'

The light flickered, fading, the darkness suffocating it.

"Ezra!? STAY! STAY WITH ME!"

My screams were for nothing, he couldn't hear me.

I stared at the fading orb that was Ezra's fading spirit.

He was dying.

A surge of anger rushed through me. No, not on my watch. I had to protect him. It was in the fine print that came with a bond between dragon and rider. And bloody hell, I had studied that fine print for years. I wasn't about to break the contract now.

I spread my wings letting lightning revolve around them, a Sonic Charge building in my throat. My tail lit up, the gold spikes at the end crackling. I spat the ball of energy right at Ezra's aura, the blue orb flickering at the on surge of power. Ever so slightly, it brightened.

An idea planted itself in my brain, and stuck. Well, if that's what I have to do, so be it. I let my element kick in again, the heat building-

'Come on man, you gotta wake up!'

I paused, swallowing the Sonic Charge.

Hurricane?

'Whiplash please, if you can hear me, you have to wake up! I know how much Ezra means to you, you can't let this happen.'

"I know that you dork, why else do you think I'm doing this?" I retorted forgetting he couldn't hear me.

'Whiplash, come on please, Hera can't save him, no one can...but you.'

I swallowed the stab of anxiety building up in my throat.

'Whiplash! Wake up!'
_______________________________

"Hurricane, outta the way!"

The dragon yelped and leapt aside as Fawn barreled past. "Fawn, what the hell!? Slow down-!"

"Ezra's dying Hurricane!" Fawn shouted over her shoulder.

Hurricane froze, blinking in alarm at the sudden retort. It wasn't long before Sabine appeared in the hall, running straight for the med-bay.

"Sabine! Sabine, where's Whiplash?"

"His room, Colour Fly's with him!" Sabine called back, narrowly missing kicking the dragon as she bolted past.

Hurricane watched her go, confusion and worry flooding him. Whiplash...they must've used a sedative on him, or restrained in some shape or form. Otherwise, he would've been long ahead of Fawn and Sabine. He had to get him, if Ezra was flatlining, Whiplash was their best shot at bringing him back.
Without a second thought, Hurricane turned and ran straight for the room holding his little brother.

___________

The doors slid open the second before Hurricane smashed his nose into it. Colour Fly jumped, looking up at Hurricane in alarm.

"Hurricane what-"

"Sabine needs you" Hurricane said quickly, the lie rolling off his tongue before he realized it. "Now."

"But, she told me to stay with-"

"I'll stay with him, you need to go, please Colour Fly" Hurricane begged. He was running out of time.

The Fire Horn blinked, slightly shocked at how desperate the older was acting.

"Colour Fly" Hurricane repeated tersly. "Now."

"R-Right" Colour Fly shook herself, standing then leaping gracefully off of the bed. She stopped beside him. "Com me the moment he rouses."

"Sure" Hurricane nodded.

Colour Fly gripped his shoulder firmly. "He'll be okay Hurricane, Hera will be able to help him."

'Unlikely' Hurricane thought but nodded quickly. "Go on now."

Colour Fly squeezed his shoulder before taking off down the hall. Hurricane waited about half a second before bolting to the bed, using his wings to get atop the mattress.

"Whiplash" he hissed, shaking the younger. "Get up, Ezra needs you."

Whiplash moved with each shake, his body limp. Hurricane growled in frustration. God those sedatives worked well. He gripped Whiplash's shoulders, butting heads with his brother.

"Whiplash" he snapped. "Now is not the time for this."

He knew full well that it wasn't Whiplash's fault he was unconscious, but the idea of what this death would do to the others made his protective instincts surge.

"Get up!"

Silence answered his shout, Whiplash remained unresponsive. Hurricane slumped, gazing at his brother with wounded eyes.

"Whip...you gotta wake up bud. If you don't...Ezra will die and it'll affect everyone. Fawn, the Ghost Crew, especially you. I-I can't let that happen, not after what you went through..."

Whiplash's tail twitched. Hurricane noticed.

"Whiplash?"

Whiplash's wings suddenly stretched out, lightning crackling over them.

"What the hell?" Hurricane murmured. "What are you doing?"

Whiplash crooned desperately, his tail spitting energy. Okay, something was wrong.

Hurricane latched onto his shoulder again. "Whiplash, come on man, you gotta wake up!"

Whiplash shuddered, a soft groan rising from his lips. Hurricane gripped his brother's shoulders firmer, teeth gritted as hope stirred in him.

"Whiplash please, if you can hear me, you have to wake up! I know how much Ezra means to you, you can't let this happen."

Whiplash slurred a few incoherent words, brow furrowing.

"Whiplash, come on please, Hera can't save him, no one can...but you."

His eyelid twitched as he swallowed.

"Whiplash! Wake up!"

Hurricane stared at his brother, waiting with battered breath...

Whiplash's eyes snapped open. "MOTHER DRUKER!"

The younger dragon scrambled backwards but tripped on his tail, collapsing onto the bed with a groan.

"Whiplash, oh thank god," Hurricane was by his side in an instant, helping him up.

"Never Hurricane, never be that close to my face when I wake, we've talked about this. I thought you would've learned after the lightning incident-"

Hurricane winced at the memory of getting electrocuted at full voltage from his brother. "Yes I know, but I needed you to get up."

"Why? What's the occasion? It's not the Moon Festival- Oh Jesus druk, Ezra! Where is he!? Is he alive!? How long was I out!?"

"He's still alive, for now, I know how to save him, I'll explain on the way" Hurricane leapt from the bed, heading straight for the door.

"Woah wait up!"

Whiplash jumped off, his knees giving out by the landing.

"Crap, forgot you would still have the sedative in your bloodstream, you okay?" Hurricane rushed to assist his sibling.

"Yeah yeah chill, I'm fine" Whiplash got to his feet, though a little shakily.

"Alright, we gotta hurry" Hurricane held Whiplash securely, taking off down the hall.
"He hasn't got much time left."

________

Heyo! It's me! 

Hope this was satisfactory, I'm so sorry I keep leaving you guys on cliff hangers.

Thank you for your patience and your votes much appreciated xx

I might need help with the next chapter so please leave some ideas in the comments, thanks!

Star-Wars-Dragons out