Wisterlia - mate of Wisdom

The Zekiran ship drifted high over a world that had become barren and all but lifeless. Several individuals fretted in the bridge area, watching the monitor screens with distress.

"There ought to be something there, someone," said Midra. His many strange arm and back spines fluttered and made slight noises as he paced. "I mean, it was there last time... And it hasn't been all that long, has it? Our sense of time isn't all that horrid just because we're immortals, is it?"

Viridia placed her hand on her descendant's shoulder and aimed a careful emotional control at him. "Calm yourself, Midra, everything should be all right. Perhaps we aren't in the right place or time. After all we've been through you know that some things change at different paces."

"But Viridia," Midra said, "I can't sense anything. There are ... maybe three or four living things on that planet and they won't last long at this rate. There's nothing for them to eat, and they're hundreds or thousands of miles apart!"

Viridia could sense that Midra would be needing a bit of rest. This planet had been filled with life the last time they had been there, and it was where his Glenn dragon Wisdom found his mate. White Wisterlia had remained on their world after a few short years of happiness. The Zekirans had to move along, and Midra could not be left behind - nor Wisdom. And at the time, sadly, Wisterlia would not come along.

It was a dredful mistake. Midra became more and more agitated, as they passed over the barren surface of the planet. From the dome, Wisdom howled in anguish.

Viridia strode forward, and punched a few buttons on a console nearby. "There is still some life. We're approaching a spot. Midra, can you detect anything specific?"

She hoped that distracting him with a goal would subdue his jumpiness a bit. It worked, to an extent. Midra closed his eyes and sighed, breathing slowly. He let his strong psionic energy spread away from the ship, and down onto the surface of the planet below.

"I.... I've found something. The signs are very faint, but some life left inside it. We have to go see what it is." Suddenly Midra's desperate feeling changed to hope. "Please?"

"Of course, Midra," Viridia said. She instructed one of the electric-mutants who piloted the ship to run their sensors down and open up the docking bay to access the explorer ships.

***

Several of the dragon riders of the ship came with Midra and Viridia. So pained was Wisdom's howling, that the other dragons of the ship had to console him as best they could. Midra had to be coerced by other forceful psionicists away from Wisdom. The purple dragon needed to calm down a bit, and keeping them separated seemed to help them both.

"Can you home in on the source of your readings, Midra?" Viridia suggested, and the multiple-armed immortal guided the ship down gently in a craggy and worn old river bed. There was no water to be found, at this point. There was nothing - the sandy surface of the land used to be lush with trees and grass. The ship blew plumes of dust around everything, and when the dust settled, the quintet of immortals finally came out.

"Oh this is ... horrid," Viridia breathed. Midra stepped out, still searching... searching...

"I've located her - I can't believe it..." Midra said, crying. The violet and golden furred Zekiran began to run, digging his clawed feet through the soft dry dust and sand. He vanished into a crevasse, and the others rushed up behind him.

There, they saw his small form next to the large grey-pasty colored mass that he embraced. With sobs wracking his voice, Midra shouted, "She's still alive! Tell Wisdom she's still alive!"

Viridia and the other riders could hardly tell that the shape was a dragon. But ... her head came up with burning red eyes. Hardly any flesh left on her body, her skin draped barely over bones, Wisterlia raised one tattered wing and cried with a dry, hard voice.

At last - at last...

***

The good thing about having a ship filled with immortal Breeders was that most of them had such good educations in their prior lives that almost everyone could be mobilized to help. Wisterlia was put on a gentle diet of liquids at first, bathed with healing oils and kept in a safe warm enviornment. For the duration of their trip away from the desolate world and into Kin occupied space, Wisterlia was tended until she regained her strength. She was still slightly underweight, when they got to the new world that the Zekirans had decided to colonize.

"Planet Twenty," Viridia said, addressing many of the Zekirans on the ship, "our new home. We will be joining Kin and our own children there - with dragons aplenty. I want you all to welcome our newest arrival. Wisterlia, our white fire dragon. She is the mate of Wisdom, please give her the warm welcome that she deserves."

Viridia bowed, and the Zekirans turned to see in the wide open corridor, not one but two dragons: purple Wisdom, and slowly coming up behind him, the ashen white Wisterlia.

"We will find a good place to live, now," Midra said, grinning broadly. All his golden plumage was fluffed and preened for this event. "There will be enough space to fly, and we will defend our new home from anyone who thinks they want to take it away from us."

It will be a time before I will fly again, Wisterlia announced, showing still a bit of damage on her wing sails, but I will, and I thank you. I will put my heart into defending our new home. Once I see it.

Once we get there, Wisdom added, we'll want to be the first to settle in.

The dragons leaned upon one another and headed back to the flight dome, where the dragons were having their own private celebration.

Wisterlia was abandoned by her prior owner and has now taken up permanent residence with her mate Wisdom on Planet 20! Look for them to hopefully produce a clutch some day!