I opened my eyes and looked around me. The room was warm and dim. A Blue Dragon came over as soon as I moved. "Kyros of the mountain are you in pain."

"No... am I alright?" My voice cracked from disuse.

The Blue Dragon smiled and offered me a water skin. "You are alive. Your wound was very bad. You are no longer bleeding and your wound is shut for now. Do not move without assistance. Can I get you anything?"

"Could you get Eric?" I asked once I'd finished drinking.

Blue Dragon shook her head. "No, I can not leave you. I was told by one of my brothers that Reina of the Dragon Fire will be here at some point and you could ask her where he has been kept."

I frowned. "How is the battle?" 

She put her hands on her hips. "Wounded do not need to worry for the battle. Now you lay still while I check your wound." She carefully pulled the covers down and revealed the large bandage that covered me from chest to waist. "This is the nastyest wound I have seen on someone still breathing." She said gently cutting the bandage away. "You are lucky."

I smiled at her until the bandage was peeled back and I saw the nasty stitches that held me together. The wound looked angry and saw but I couldn't feel any pain. She frowned as she probed the edges gently. She covered it and then pulled the blankets up waving at another Dragon. They hurried off. "I take it that is not good?"

She frowned at me. "I am not an expert in these wounds. My expertise is looking after you while you are recovering and looking for things that do not feel right."

Nodding I closed my eyes. I was pretty sure I fell asleep until the door to the room opened and Peridot walked in. "Peridot how is Jade?"

She smiled at me. "Jade will be coming to see you soon. Now let me see this wound." She pulled the blankets down and pulled back the bandage. "Hummm. This looks like the start of an infection. Sister would you fetch the disinfectant and the medicine we need." The other Blue Dragon bowed and walked out of the room. "It looks worse than it is Kyros. I am afraid when you are a little stronger I will need to reopen the wound to see if something is making this infection. These kinds of wounds are always difficult to clean." 

"I understand Peridot. My first love had the same problem. He got wounded and started to heal. Then he got an infection and that killed him." 

She sighed nodding. "These things are hard. Especially without proper care. I will leave you with my sister. She is the Elder understudy and is the very best at her job."

"Peridot would you mind telling me if you know where Eric is?"

She frowned at me and then sighed. "He is being held by the White Dragons at the moment. It seems they do not wish him to wander around until the army has left our territory. Anyway, I have others to tend to and I know Jade will be here soon to cheer you up."

I smiled. "Thank you. I will see you again soon?" She nodded and bowed to me.

Once she was gone I found myself alone. I stared at the ceiling and thought about the battle before I had been wounded. Everything seemed to be going well. We were holding the wall and the new armour worked on those weapons.

The Blue Dragon from before came back and tended to the wound while I watched. She was very gentle and more concerned with my pain than how long it took her. By the time she was done and covering me back up the door opened and Jade walked in. "Kyros! You look a lot better than you did when I courted you. You slipped and I had to catch you as you fell." She laughed.

"Thank you, Jade. I feel better now." She stepped in and revealed Reina and Kyanite. "Ahh, my freands come in and tell me how things are out there." 

Kyanite gave me a sad smile. "You missed the fight." He said softly.

I frowned at his sombre mood. "Am I dying or something? Why do you sound like it's the end of the world?" Kyanite shrugged and shook his head.

"It seems my husband is carrying the weight of the world today Kyros. He found out about the spy everyone forgot to tell me about. It turns out to be his friend." My jaw dropped. "Don't worry I am sorting it all out. We would have been here sooner but you where asleep."

"I completely forgot to tell you about the spy Reina I'm sorry." Reina laughed as Jade came closer. "I'm sure you two have a lot of work to be getting on with what with saving the world and everything." That made Kyanite give me a more genuine smile. "That's better."

Reina patted Kyanite on the chest. "We do have work to do. We will be back soon to see you alright?" 

"I will look forward to it." They closed the door leaving me with Jade. "So how long do I have you for then my friend. I don't mind the company of this Blue Dragon but I get the feeling I will be very bored soon."

Jade smiled and pulled out a block of wood and a knife. "Not with this." She unraped a bag and put the flat cloth it turned into on my lap. One side was leather and had the stings that would turn it into a bag again while the face-up side was sheep skin."I used to spend a lot of time here so I made this so I could do something and not upset the blue dragons with my mess."

I smiled as I looked at the wood. "This will keep my mind off what happened out there." 

Jade nodded looking at the floor. "It was not pretty. I carried 6 transports full of wounded away from the fight. I had to wash the transport out each time and I still think I smell the blood on my hands."

"What happened after I got hit?" I asked softly.

Jade sighed. "Red Dragon went on a rampage and took a fist of the White fing to burn the camp. He turned the path to the castle into molten rock and the humans sank in. I pulled as many out as I could with my brothers and sisters but... most of them still died from the burns they got. Not all of them were wearing the fireproof armour. Then at dawn the next day they attacked and I didn't know much of what happened as I was flying the wounded out. When I did my last drop it was all over and I was asked to help the Blue Dragons gather the humans from the field and camp." She shook her head looking sad.

"That's why Kyanite was so down. He killed a lot of people." Jade nodded. "Well, I will have to make him something to cheer him up then." Jade smiled at me. "It sounds like you did your bit for the effort."

"I did what I could... I do not know if I will sleep well for a few days but I know that we are safer than we once were."

I nodded turning the block of wood in my hands. "Kyanite is a good person to talk to when he is a bit happier. He helped me when I couldn't settle my own mind with what I had done."

Jade stood sighing. "I will go to him for advice soon. I need to go and gather the reports from the other Purple Dragons. We are all running around with no order after my father..." She hung her head. "Someone needs to get us all working in the right places and as my father had no understudy someone needs to get the Purple Dragons under control."

"I will see you later." She bowed and left me.

I opened the door to the room I shared with Michi and was surprised to find him there. He stood facing the bed. "Ahh Michi I didn't know..." He turned and my mind stopped. His hands were wrapped around the blade of a knife that patruded from his chest. Behind him was a person with a nasty grin on their face. I growled and then yelled. "Attack! Rally to me Black Dragons."

Their face didn't have time to change to shock as I jumped morphing as I sailed through the air landing on the person's chest.

They morphed into a wolf sliding out from under me. They slipped from the bed and stood on the floor. Their fur was brown unlike my black fur, their eyes a soft hazel. "They are from the east wolves."

I almost jumped when my wolf spoke to me. You are right... we need to finish this quickly. I answered her growling at my opponent.

"Wait! Would Reina want you to kill them? You can fight them until someone comes to help."

With those last few words, I realised that they hadn't moved and that the whole conversation had taken barely a heartbeat. The wolf in front of me moved and I lept on them and we both fell to our sides. I grabbed a mouth full of their tail and ripped the fur out making them yelp. They tried to snap at my forepaws but my wolf pulled us back quicker than I could have done alone. 

Just then two large Black Dragons burst through the door and grabbed at the brown wolf. The brown wolf snapped at the dragons but the one that wasn't holding it wrapped their large hand around their jaw and held it shut.

"Duha are you alright?" Garnet asked as she stepped into the room. I paid her no heed as I darted to Michi who had collapsed onto the floor. I whimpered and licked his face. "Blue Dragons! We need Blue Dragons and a mussle." Garnet called as she walked over to me.

I ignored the grunting and yelping of the others in the room knowing they would handle it. I licked Michis face again but there was still no response. I howled filling the room with anger.

Topaz appeared in the doorway with Katja seconds later. He put Katja on her feet and darted to Michi. "Please move honored mother. I need space to work." Topaz said softly stroking my head.

Stepping back I growled turning to face the wolf still struggling in the grip of the two Dragons. "You two hold that wolf still for me." Katja said pulling her knife out. I stared in awe at my pup as she walked slowly to the writhing wolf and used the knife to cut their ear. "That's how it's done isn't it mum?" She asked offering me the blade with the blood on it.

"You dare cut me human! I will kill you." The wolf said their words were comical coming out muffled under the grip of the Dragon holding their snout.

Katja laughed. "You are picking on the wrong pack. As of this moment, my mother Duha wolf of the battlefield and Black Dragon has requested the aid of the Dragons. I am her pup and the leader of the Black Dragons the proud blades of the night. If I ordered it they would all pledge blood to the night wolf pack."

Garnet stood and came to Katja's side. "Is that what you wish Elder?"

Katja looked at me. "Only my alpha can say if the Black Dragons are members of the pack." I looked to Garnet who was smiling then I looked to the other two Black Dragons. They both smiled. I nodded to Katja. "As of this moment, all Black Dragons are welcome to become members of the night wolf pack." As she said that the Dragons rawed making the wolf stop their pointless fight with them. 

A Blue Dragon walked in with a muzzle and saw Topaz working on Michi. Katja took the muscle and put it on the wolf. "You finally have a pet dog, Katja." I said turning and watching Michi.

"Oh good." Katja rubbed her hands together and turned to the Dragons. "Would you find a cage for my pet dog." The Dragons laughed and walked out of the room holding the wolf that smelled as defeated as he looked. "That wasn't an alpha was it."

I looked at her and then sighed. "No alpha would have been carried out of here alive. That was the bata of the east wolves. They will not be happy about us taking the bata. They tried to kill mine." I said looking back at Michi. "Is he going to be alright Topaz?"

Topaz stood smiling at me. "Looks like it is only a superficial wound. He seems to have been playing dead."

Michi sat up smileing at me. I morphed and pulled him into my arms. "You... I thought you were dead!" Michi laughed holding me while Topaz tried to cover me with the fur blanket from the bed. "Don't ever do that again." I said kissing his cheek.

"Topaz if we are not needed here we should get back to the council. It looks like everything is going to be put back again now that Mum was attacked." I felt her arms come around me and she whispered. "Try not to cause me more problems today mum I'm tired."

I chuckled. "I will try Elder."