Kiera
I looked around trying to find the creature. It had to be close. Something large swooped down just past the tree line and flew back up. There was no way! I did not just see what I thought I had! We were on an alien planet, though. So, yeah, I guess it was possible. The others were in different stages of awe and disbelief.
The creature circled back around. It soared over the beach twice like it was looking for something before it landed heavily at the edge of the water. The girth of it had the animal sinking slightly into the sand.
A dragon! An honest to God dragon!
I had always secretly loved stories about dragons growing up. Now that I was actually seeing one? It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was pale blue with silver tips on each of its scales. The large wings were leathery looking on the top and had small velvety feathers on the underside. The wings stayed spread slightly. The animal was ready to take off again at a moment's notice. Lethal spikes lined its back all the way from its head down to the tail that swished around in the air like a whip. Large horns sat atop its wedged-shaped head that bent down toward the ground like it was examining something. Its webbed ears twitched as though it were listening for something. Even while searching, the dragon was on high alert.
Looking down at the sand, I realized what the beast was looking at. Footprints. We had left a trail leading right to where we were hiding. Of all the stupid, amateur things to do. I grimaced at myself in self-recrimination. I was the leader. I should have paid attention to that. We were on an unknown planet for crying out loud. I've led unknown danger right to my team. I glanced at the others, knowing they would never blame me for that, but it didn't make me feel any better.
As Commander, it was up to me to decide if we should stay and fight or slip into the forest behind us. Neither option was appealing. The five of us fighting off this dragon was a risk that I wasn't sure was worth it. It had to be three stories tall. Aside from the sharp teeth, claws, spikes and tail, who knew what else it could do. All we had were flare guns and laser pistols. We may be able to slow it down but not completely disable it. Until we were able to make more weapons, several of us could get hurt fighting it. But we could do it.
Running was almost just as bad. If we left our gear, we definitely had the skills to disappear, but the beast might destroy the packs. We would be left on an unknown planet with only our two hands for survival. Doable but not advisable. If nothing else we needed the water filtration systems. And there could be something worse than this dragon that could end up hunting us. We could run with the equipment, but I had a feeling that this dragon's senses were far more heightened than any other creature we had ever come against.
A roar sounded from the dragon again and it had us covering our ears. It was so loud. Amazingly, blue sparks started to surround the dragon. They swirled in a mini cyclone. A second later, a man was standing where the dragon had once been. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a tail! Well, I guess that would make sense. He was dressed in leather pants and what looked like a leather vest. The vest left his large, muscled arms bare and his skin appeared the same pale blue as the dragon had been. Silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail at his nape. He turned in our direction.
Lifting his wrist, he seemed to be speaking into the band he had on it. It sounded like grunts and growls to me. Guttural sounds that seemed to come more from his throat than his mouth, though it was still moving when he talked. He lowered his wrist and turned to look right at where we were hiding. It was almost like he could see us in our hiding places. Was it possible? Did he keep dragon vision in this form? Heat signatures maybe?
Getting my first good look at him, I could admit that he was attractive in a strange alien sort of way. His skin was a pretty pale blue. He had ears that stretched to three webbed points just as his dragons had. They weren't rounded like our human ones were. Purple eyes that matched the ocean behind him still looked in our direction. They were slanted downward slightly on the inside. They glistened in the sun like amethysts. His nose was like a human's, with the exception that, instead of his nostrils being round, they were elongated up the sides of his nose. He had a full mouth but his lips were compressed into a tight line. If I had to guess, he seemed to be resigning himself to something. A task he didn't like?
He didn't say anything for a moment, just watched our hiding place. His muscled arms lifted, and he gestured for us to come out. When we didn't move after several minutes, he repeated the movement. I could see the exasperation on his face that we didn't comply the first time.
I looked toward the others. They all motioned 'no'. To my way of thinking, we had two options. We could ignore this dragon-man creature and slip away into the mountains. I looked in that direction as I contemplated. How long would it be before we ran into another of his kind? We were already at a disadvantage from him already knowing we were here, even if he had no idea what we looked like. I had a feeling losing him when he was in hunting mode wouldn't be easy. A challenge that in a strange way got my blood pumping.
Or we could take the chance and make contact now under better circumstances. There was a chance that he could just kill us or turn us over to someone else that would do something even worse. But there was also the chance that he would give us shelter and help us acclimate to life on the planet. The real question was whether I was willing to risk the lives of the other team members. This came with the job though. Exploring new planets and making new discoveries always comes with risks. And I had total confidence in my team.
Something in my gut was telling me I could trust this dragon man. I didn't know where it was coming from. I was good at trusting my instincts. It had never failed me before. It was one of the reasons my team trusted me so much. They knew that every decision I made was in their best interest. Even if it wasn't in mine.
Slowly standing, I motioned for the others to hang back. As Commander, I always took the front line. I would protect my crew just in case my instincts were wrong. They knew that if I fell, they were to disappear into the forest. They could make it if they stayed together.
I slowly walked toward the man. I kept my eyes peeled on my surroundings as well as the man in front of me. The skies, the trees, both sides of the beach, the sea. I knew someone else was coming. The man had been talking on some kind of communication device. The only advantage I had was that he had no idea who or what I was. He didn't know what I was capable of. Men have forever underestimated women of my size. As long as he was in this form, I had a chance of at least disabling him so my team could survive.
I stopped several feet away from the tall man. He was taller up close than I had anticipated. I was satisfied that whomever he had called wasn't here yet. It was just him, me and my team in the trees behind me. There wasn't much time, though. There was no telling how many he called to come to him. I would need to make a fast assessment and determine the best course of action before an army showed up. I finally turned my full attention to him and his very intelligent purple eyes.
Glacian
Landing my large dragon body onto the beach, I took care not to disturb any of the tracks that I could see in the sand. I knew I was not wrong. The sensors surrounding my land had shown something falling from the sky in this quadrant. I could sense them just beyond the tree line. My dragon, Arc, ever the curious creature, was demanding I go investigate. I held him back so that I could make sure I processed everything that was to be found first.
Studying the water, I caught just a glimpse of a tentacle sliding just beneath the surface. The sea beast usually only awakens at night. Something had disturbed it. A large something.
Pushing my dragon down, I forced the change, sensing that there was no immediate danger. Whoever the aliens were, they were no threat to him. Yet. Settling back into my own skin, I gazed again into the ocean where I could sense the large sea beast was cradling his new treasure. There was the faintest hint of something large grasped in the monster's arms under the water. There would be no retrieving it until after it had lost interest in its prize. I hoped there was no one trapped in it. There would be no getting them out.
Lifting my wrist, I activated my comm link. "Rokk."
"Yes, my King." The deep voice responded immediately.
"Meet me on the east shore. Bring several translation devices with you. Five by the looks of it. Maybe more."
"Be there in fifteen clicks, Sire."
Deactivating the link, I look around the sand. There were five judging from the tracks. They could be carrying young so that does not always mean anything with survivors. They seemed to walk on two legs. Three were heavier. Two were so small they were childlike. A family maybe? There was nothing indicating any of them were injured. Scenting the air, there was no whiff of blood. I assumed the sea monster had not gotten to them then. I also could not scent any fear wafting from the group. Maybe they had made it to shore before the sea beast had claimed his prize? Most survivors who combat the beast had fear emanating from them for a long time after. There was nothing from this group.
I turned to the tree line where I knew they were hiding. Using my dragon senses, I could see small heat images. They were warm-blooded at least. If it wasn't for that, I would never have found them with my eyes. They had hidden themselves well. I gestured for them to come out, not bothering to try to speak. This has happened before. The asteroid field near the planet was unforgiving. Every once in a while, it has a way of gifting us with space travelers. They all ended up staying, having no way off the planet. They all spoke different languages. Without communication devices, talking would be unachievable.
Giving them a few clicks, I gestured again. Patience was something I had in abundance, which completely confused my three brothers. They had no patience for any of the survivors that usually crashed onto the planet. Whenever they found them, my brothers always sent the terrified people to me.
Finally, there was movement from the bushes. One lone figure stood. The shadows covered most of the details. It was small. It had to be one of the childlike creatures. It was holding up a limb, obviously telling the others to hold back. As the creature cautiously came into the sunlight, I double blinked in amazement.