Reina was asleep on my chest her soft breath tickled my chin. I stroked her hair and felt her shudder. I kissed her forehead. I should never have left her. She could have died if I had been one minute later. I saw it at the castle.... that's why when I saw that man standing over her... I shuddered making Reina stir on my chest.

She pulled the fur up my chest and sighed softly as she settled back into sleep. She thinks I'm cold. I smiled and was filled with the warmth of her love for me. She's looking after me even in her sleep. I hugged her gently and kissed her forehead.

She murmured in her sleep."Kyanit...." She mumbled still half asleep.

"I'm here my gem."

She smiled. "Go.. to..slee.."

I gave her a little squeeze making her graone. "Alright, my gem." I whispered in her ear.

I shifted, rolling over so we were lying on our sides. Reina sighed shifting so she could be comfortable. My arms were still wrapped around her. I feel so protective of her right now. I know she is tired, so I shouldn't have pestered her for... She shifted again cutting off my train of thought. "Sleep Kyanite!" She sounded more awake than she had been before.

"My brain won't switch off... I feel protective of you."

She sighed, rolling over so her back was to me, and pushed herself into my chest. "I'm sleeping. I will wake you up when I do. So Sleep!" She said forcefully.

I smiled kissing her neck as she held one of my arms into her chest. I closed my eyes and made myself concentrate on her. A sense of calm came over me as her smell filled my nose with every breath, her warm soft skin pressed to my chest. My mind felt reassured and I drifted off to sleep.

***

When Reina stirred my eyes flew open. She looked up at me and smiled. "You are wound up. What happened?"

I hugged her and breathed her in. "I saw you die."

She stiffened in my arms. "That explains last night and why you are being clingy."

I started to let her go and move away. "Sorry..."

She pulled me towards her. "I'm not complaining. Unlike Dragons, Rats like being squished together. We are pack animals. The tighter the space the happier we are to lay in it." I chuckled. "Are you going to look into the future again?"

I shook my head. "I can't see that again."

"I'm more worried you would see something else." She said softly.

I frowned looking down at her. She was fiddling with my chest hair and blushing. "You worried I'd see our family?" She nodded. "Not if I don't look for it."

That brought her head up. "You can choose not to see that?"

"I can choose where to look. I can look near or far. I can choose what place I want to see. I can't pick and choose everything, but if I need to find a person I will see that person."

That made her smile. "Then I insist you look into the future of the village and the castle. We might be able to see how long we have until the attack."

"Alright but not while I'm naked. I don't want to call the ancients while my ass is hanging out." I grumbled covering myself with the fur she had hoarded.

Reina laughed so hard she was crying. "Yes, I suppose I can wait until you are decent."

"Good because I don't intend to be for a while yet." She smiled as I squeezed her tightly again.

"You are soft Kyanite."

I chuckled. "Sometimes... and only with you."

She hummed her agreement cuddling into my chest. I kissed her head and she looked up at me. I growled and kissed her again making her sigh happily.

I found Jade with the other Dragons. "You are leaving Kyros of the mountain?" Peridot asked.

I nodded. "I need to see my friends left behind in the village."

Peridot nodded and moved away from us to stand with the other Dragons as they waited for us to leave. I frowned at her. Why is she being so distant from Jade? For that matter why is Jade accepting that behaviour? Dragons make no sense! Jade turned to me. "Come then Kyros. Let us fly."

I nodded and climbed into the seat strapped to Jade's back. She walked to the middle of the space just outside the gate of the castle and took off. I closed my eyes not wanting to see the world so far below me. "Kyros... I had heard you do not like flying. Why do you do it then?" Jade called over the rushing of the wind.

"I want to see Eric." I shouted.

She chuckled. "He is the one you have shared your hoard with?"

I growled. "Bears don't have a hoard. I spend a lot of time with him."

Jade sighed. "You can share the truth with me. I do not know what Bears do so I asked as a Dragon."

"We don't do anything. We stay close to the person we care for until they leave." I growled.

That made her laugh. "Bears are silly then. If you told them how you feel they would not want to leave unless they do not feel the same."

"What about you and Peridot? You two were very cold with each other."

She vibrated under the saddle, making me grip it tightly, then growl. "I accepted her hoard but haven't shared my own... she will be cold until I do. Men chase and are affectionate, women are distant to make the men chase. It is how we are." We lapsed into silence as she flew. "You know you are safe don't you?"

I growled louder. "Of course I do!"

"Then open your eyes to the beauty of what is around you." I opened my eyes and saw us flying over the ground gripping the saddle tightly, closing them again with a soft grown. "Don't look down. Just look forward."

Opening my eyes for the second time and keeping my head up I looked forward at the horizon. The mountaintop we were passing glistened with snow like it was coated in dimands. The sky was a beautiful orange colour reminding me of autumn leaves. The forest sprawled before us like a dark green blanket across the lighter green of the plain. A lake sat below the mountain shining like liquid fire in the light of the dawn.

"It is the most beautiful morning I have seen in a long time."

"It is. Where are we going?" I asked as she turned away from the overgrown path that would take us to the village.

Jade turned her head to look at me. "We are going home to tell the Blue Dragons there. Then when we are done there we will be closer to the village. It will only take a day for us to get there from home. We will reach home by tonight."

I am going to the Dragon's home. I wonder what it will be like. Will they be angry at me for being there?

"I will show you my workshop. You will love it! There is a forge there, a woodworking part..."

That drew my attention back to her. "Woodworking?"

"I heard you like carving. We will do some after the meal and you have shown the others your new skill. When we get there you will have to have a meal with us...." She carried on talking making me feel better about flying.

Between the scenery and Jade's words, I feel very comfortable. If I had known how beautiful it was up here I would have looked when I was on Kyanites back. However, Kyanite seemed to find my fear of flying funny. 

I sat next to Michi's bed. He slept soundly now he had been drugged. He was hit quite hard. He will be feeling this for days. Katja walked past Topaz, talking and smiling. At least Pup is happy now. When I met her, she seemed like she was giving up, and now she is fighting to live.

Michi rolled over and yawned. "Feel better now?"

He smiled at me. "A good night's sleep and I'm all better." His words were spoiled only slightly by the wincing as he sat up. He's a fool. I thought smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

I stood and offered him my hand. He took it and I pulled him to his feet. "You trying to convince me you're alright when you can't keep your face straight."

He laughed. "Come on, then, let's get back to the den."

We headed out of the tent and back towards the house that I now saw as our den. We walked slowly so Michi could walk without a limp. He went in the house first and sat on a chair at the table as I made him breakfast "You found the castle then?" He asked.

"Yes. It's empty now, its old owner is gone." I turned with the food and sat it in front of him. He peppered me with questions about the castle and the state of it as we ate. Finally, his questions dried up except one. "Are we going to live there?"

"No. Katja likes it here so this is our home now." Plus that skink will take longer than I will live to leave that place. I thought with a small shudder.

He frowned. "What if she goes off with Topaz?"

I smiled at him. "That is unlikely to happen. Why are you worried about this?"

He sighed. "I want to live where you do, not where Katja wants us to."

"I want to live here Michi. We have a house, people around us, and a wall to protect us. I have always wanted this. My family lived in a house like this, in a village like this. My pack lived around our house. Everyone I knew and loved lived together in a little village. All that was taken from me and I never thought I would have this ever again. I thought my little den was where I was going to be until my end. I'm sure Katja will do what she wants but it won't change how I feel about this place. This is the place we chose together."

He smiled and took my hand. "Then this is where we live." I leaned my head on his shoulder as he kissed my hand.

There was a knock at the door and I stood to answer it. Swallow stood there with the boy. "I saw you are home so I thought I would bring you this one. He has been fed and is about ready for bed."

I took him from her and for the first time since I found him, I felt warmth in my chest as I looked down into his tiny face. "Thank you." I said softly.

Swallow smiled and walked away. Closing the door, as I stared down at the boy, I heard my sister's words. "You will know you love your pups when you look into their face and feel that a part of your heart is reserved just for them. If you are meant to have them in your life you will feel it."

"Duha?" Michi's voice was as soft as the hand he placed on my cheek.

I looked up at him. "He needs a name." My voice shook with the need to bring him properly into our pack.

"Yes.... how about Laios?"

I shook my head. "I prefer Chea."

He smiled and put his arm around my waist. "Come on, then, let's get him down for his nap before he screams the house down."

We walked to the stairs but instead of going up to put him in his cot, I sat in the rocking chair by the fire with him on my chest. Rocking him back and forth sending him to sleep. "Duha, you seem.... settled."

I smiled stroking the Chea's back while we rocked. "I feel settled. I have a pack and it feels safe with the Dragons army around. I will need to go and find out what we will do next but this morning we are free."

Michi came over grunting as he sat at the window. "What do you think is next?"

"I will push to take this kingdom for our own."

Michi spun from the window giving me a look of pure shock. "You want us to have a kingdom?" His voice held panic.

"I want a safe space for our pups. The only way to be safe is if we are established. There are many places like the town Kyanite went to. They need protecting rather than striping of everything useful and left to burn if they have nothing useful for you. They need protecting, not harvesting, and if we offer that, then they may willingly join us."

He nodded turning back to look at the street. "That is what happened with those men you sent back to us. They joined us to help because we had shown them respect."

Chea sighed making me smile at him. You were right... as you always were sister. I do see the world differently now I have my pack. I need to protect them like you did. I watched you stand there fighting them with your mate while I tried to run with the pups. If I had been as strong as you that day I wouldn't have lost you, the pups... and everything. Of course, it gave me a lot too. With every bad thing comes that small ray of light. That's what Mum said.

Michi hugged me. "Duha... why are you crying?"

I shook my head my tears failing silently for the things that happened that day. The anger I felt smelling Katja's village burning as I ran with her, brought it all back again. I cried for this and for the safety I had now found with everyone here. Michi comforted me as best he could as I clutched Chea to my chest. I can't change the past but I can change someone's future. I did for Katja; now I will do it for you, Chea.