“Stop pouting!”

Sihho lifted his muzzle to regard the red dragon that sat glaring at him.

“Both of you!”

“You’re starting to tick me off,” Sihho grumbled as he sat, phoenix style to glare at the red. “Why to you have to be so mad at me all the time.”

Sioda sighed, rearranging his tail around him. They stood at the ledge entrance to the pack site, a complicated cave that was split by the dragons and wolves. This happen to be the main entrance yet there were several escape routes that Sihho had long given up counting. “Why do you two have to be so stupid all the time. I get all the blame when you two mess up because Ays and Koite think I’m meant to keep tabs on you. I’m sick of babysitting!”

The orange dragon, sprawled out on the edge of the ledge in a daring, playful position, lifted his head. “Then…stop babysitting! We don’t want you to!”

Sighing, Sihho rose and turned back into the den. “You’re giving me a headache,” and disappeared into the darkness. Both dragons blinked and looked at each other.

Okayyy…Sioda, what the heck did you do now?

Sioda growled at the other. Nothing!

Shifting so he was sitting again with much sighing and groaning, Sitwi stood to face his bond-brother, as they called each other (when they weren’t at each other’s throats). Well, it wasn’t me so you must have done something!

I don’t know what is wrong with him. He hasn’t been himself since you two came back from that ship in space! Something I’m sure you had a claw into.

That put Sitwi back onto his haunches in a second. Yeah, you’re right, he mused, turning his head to look at the empty cave that didn’t yield Sihho like the orange hoped. He did seem sad after the hatching. I noticed he watched all the kids hatch and choose others, even followed Sevale, that hunter trying to stop Nasian from killing more livestock. How’s that going, by the way? Any news?

“Oh, don’t change the subject,” Sioda snapped but sighed in concern. “Since the hatching. You said those…kits, pups, were created using you two somehow. So they’re like his pups, right?”

Sitwi nodded.

“Ah…”

Without another word, Sioda stood and hurried into the den, leaving Sitwi completely alone and in confusion. If the red expected the other to still be there when he returned, he would be disappointed.

“Sihho?”

“Go. Away.”

“You wanted the pups to stay with you, didn’t you. You wanted at least one to come home with you because they somehow were created by you, or a part of you was put into them. You were there father and you wanted to protect them as if they really were your pups and needed you. Right?”

Sioda stood right in front of Sihho who slowly raised his head and looked at his companion. Only a fool would not recognize that Sioda had hit home and the winged wolf was crying with loss.

“I’m sorry, Sihho. I suppose you didn’t think it would happen that way.” The red settled down, extending a wing over his furry friend in an embrace.

Rarely did Sihho seek comfort from any of his dragons, much less Sioda. Tonight, he found himself  snuggling up to the warm, red body and weeping for the kids he may never see again. Sure, two had returned to Anar, one in the Saarn and another to wander around with Sevale the Hunter on dangerous quests. But that wasn’t enough.

“One of them played with me before the actually hatching,” Sihho whispered softly, his muzzle resting on a wet, red forearm. “Then she suddenly turned around and left me. Only a quick nuzzle and she left. I saw a few of them afterward, and escorted Xeron home but – will I ever see them again, Sioda? Ever, ever again?”

Sioda turned to nuzzle the wolf. “I don’t know, Si. I don’t know.”

They fell asleep that way, leaving Sitwi to pull whatever stupid prank he wished to pull without Sihho to help him or Sioda to berate him. The orange slipped in late that night when the rest of the pack congregated, some with there dragons or others alone whether they had dragons or not.

It was Sioda that rose at first light, slipping out of the entrance over dragon tails and wolf paws. The morning was gray with a mist hanging over the valley. Across from the den on the other side was the human establishments, the Keep and Dragonry. Stretching his wings to get rid of the cramps in them, Sioda leapt from the ledge and down to the man-made lake where the let the cool water wake him up and took his morning drink. Then he leapt into the sky and vanished from sight – he was on a mission.

Having taken memories from Sitwi, he found his way to Star City and eventually the Abstract Destiny with little problem. It wasn’t long until he bumped into something small, white and fuzzy. “Are you lost?”

Sioda blinked at the white fuzz ball but didn’t smile. “I was actually looking for the one called a Doctor.”

“Schroeder? He’s in his office. Busy at the moment. Can I help you?”

Sioda frowned down at the cheerful thing. “I don’t think so.”

“Hey! You actually look like one of Cyris’ fathers! But I think he was a bit more…yellow.”

“Sitwi’Suah. He’s my bond-brother. I’m Sioda.”

“I’m Callidei! You want to be part of a Synth, too? Splendid…but we’re awfully busy at the moment. You might have to wait…”

Sioda nearly growled too fiercely at her. “I’m not here to go through that humiliating process!”

“Then why are you here?” Looking up, a black pup-dragon emerged from the shadows so stealthily that even Sioda jumped.

This time, Sioda’s eyes flashed and he glared hard. He didn’t like that pups tone. Not one bit. “Apparently your wolf-father is sore that all his kids up and left him. I was here hoping to find…”

Callidei’s ears perked up and she beamed. “Oh! You know what…Oh, just let me show you! This way!” The kit bounced off, the pup seeming to vanish again into the shadows but Sioda could sense his presence as he grudgingly followed Callidei through the maze that was the Destiny. Finally she jumped up to a board – then she shifted into a little girl to touch the key pads. Four pictures appeared on the screen with names and a short information bit. “Schroeder brought these four back recently. Maybe you could see if one of them want to come with you!”

When she moved away to let Sioda look, he stayed rooted into place. “I can’t read,” he said evenly, his eyes the cold look Sitwi and Sihho were too use to. What in the world was he doing here? Sioda growled to himself. He sighed. He knew why but he wouldn’t admit it was out of sorrow and love. If he stopped Sihho’s sulking maybe the tension in the pack would drop.

“Oh,” Callidei said, shocked. “Oh, never mind. Here, I’ll read them to you…Ahina’Sitawi, a nebula female; she’s a bit of a rebel…”

“She was the one playing with Sihho before the hatching,” Battleworn Claw remarked suddenly from Callidei’s side. Inwardly, Sioda liked this pup – very much like himself!

“Berec, a red female who is rather paranoid. Elefa, a glowing pink female who sulks more then anything. A pity. She’s so bright and pink…and then there is Peyel’Sitawi, a glowing foliage who dreams of happy endings and…”

“Can I meet Peyel?” Sioda asked, interrupting her so she frowned.

“I suppose,” and she turned to the screen again. It beeped and blinked and danced with lights until she finally got what she was looking for. “Library, like usual. I’ll take you!”

Sioda wanted to get away from her over-cheerful/helpful mood but knew he had to be lead or get lost again. So he followed her, once again on four feet and hung back with Battleworn Claw most of the time.

Peyel was in the library, his nose in a book and face intent on the ending. Sioda nearly laughed before saying good-bye to the two youngsters and walking up to Peyel.

Then, his normally stubborn, angry personality showed through and Sioda was unable to say anything. And Peyel, well, he was far to engrossed in his book to notice he even had a visitor…