Glacian
To say I was shocked was an understatement. Five languages? We Drakians only bothered with our own language. With the translation drives there was no need to learn multiple. Maybe that needed to change. The implications of what speaking different languages could accomplish was not lost on me. This group was obviously intelligent. I could not help but wonder just how intelligent. And my mate was their leader?
My gaze moved back to Kiera. My Kiera. It was a nice name. It suited her. Her voice was soft and gentle. Well, unless she was setting me straight on something she thought I was doing wrong. With her features and voice combined, she gave the impression that she was delicate. But I had already seen snippets of her fierce, fiery personality.
"My fangs do not bother you?" I asked her. With other survivors, I have always been careful not to show my fangs. My height, build, teeth, and, of course, my dragon, had intimidated all of them. Frightened the women and children. Not this group though. Surprise was one thing. I was beginning to think there was not much that frightened this group. It made me wonder what they had been through to be conditioned to that extent.
Kiera shrugged one shoulder in a 'why would it' gesture. "You are a different species. It makes sense that there would be differences."
"Mate not judge," Arc purred, impressed and already a little obsessed and infatuated with our mate. "Mate keeps getting better and better."
I completely agreed. It was a good quality to have in a leader who would be helping with any future survivors. Next thought, scratch that. I would never allow her around unknown species who had the potential to harm her. I would only allow her near them after I had assessed whether they could be dangerous.
Arc shook his large, wedged head inside my mind. The animal was equal parts exasperated with me and interested to see how this turned out. He was sure our mate was stronger, smarter, and more dangerous than I was giving her credit for.
Rokk stepped forward at that point. I could not tell for sure, but I was almost certain I had seen the corner of his mouth quirk up in a smirk. "We are having rooms prepared in the castle until other arrangements can be made. I took the liberty of having some food prepared. I was not sure of what you can eat, so I ordered a variety. If you would all please step into the transport, we can be on our way. If you have need of anything, you have only to ask." Rokk bowed slightly. This was going to be his queen. She deserved his respect.
"Thank you, Rokk. If you are sure that it is no trouble. We can make camp on the outskirts of your city or castle if we need to. We don't want to put anyone out." Kiera's eyes softened slightly as she turned her gaze to Rokk. She was still leery of him but there was no animosity toward my yellow friend as she seemed to like to aim at me.
"It is no trouble, my Queen. It will always be a pleasure to see to any of your needs." He bowed slightly again.
Kiera's head shook but I could not figure out why she would respond that way. There was nothing in Rokk's statement that she should disagree with. It was going to take some time to figure this female out. She was not responding in any of the ways Drakian females would.
Shaking myself out of my daze, I held my hand out, gesturing for the group to proceed me before she could protest to anything. I watched in amusement as the group did a quick inventory of the shuttle before taking their seats. Their curiosity was amusing to watch. Other survivors had huddled together for protection on their first trip to the castle. This group walked in, opened the doors to the small flight control room in the front. Opened cabinets and inspected seats and harnesses. They talked to each other in their language as they made one new discovery after another. Rokk made sure their 'packs', as they liked to call them, were stowed in the lower compartments for the flight. That started another round of curious inspections as they had not realized the floor also held storage compartments. Finally, we were able to get them into seats and with harnesses attached.
As much as I wanted to stay in the back with the survivors and my mate, I joined Rokk in the front for the flight but left the door open so I could watch them..
Kiera
Looking around the shuttle, I couldn't help but be impressed. It was small compared to the rescue pod that brought us here but it was surprisingly spacious. There were two chairs in the cockpit, but the section that the crew and I were in could easily hold ten people comfortably. The top was a clear dome so we could view everything that passed by us as we flew. I was sure that was one of the reasons it looked larger than it really was. The chances of us staying in our seats during the flight were slim. My gut was telling me that we needed to take note of the landscape.
I watched the king go as he went to sit with Rokk in the front. I could feel the attraction between us. It was difficult not to. I couldn't allow myself to get close to him. I couldn't, wouldn't, just bow down and let him dictate to me. It wasn't me. I wasn't wired that way. It would be interesting to see how this plays out. He would either accept me for who I was, or he wouldn't. I wouldn't change myself for him or anyone else. I like who I am. The fires of hell had already scorched and reformed me once. I didn't see the point in going back.
My pulse jumped in exhilaration as the engine of the shuttle purred to life. This is why I joined the exploratory program. The danger, the unknown, never knowing who I would meet or what obstacles I would have to overcome. The adventure made me feel alive like nothing else ever could. It was what made our little group work so well. We were all the same.
I looked to the others, grinning foolishly. They each had the same expression.
"Let the adventure begin," I said as the five of us fist bumped as the craft took off.
As soon as the transport lifted off, all five of us were glued to the dome. The trees were nothing short of amazing. It wasn't just the height and the color but the incredible width of the trunks. This planet was not facing the issues Earth had been. There were very few trees left on Earth but I had read about the great Sequoia trees that had once lived and thrived. These trees looked like they had never been touched. They stood tall and proud, majestic. Just thinking about what kind of wildlife called them home was enough to get the explorer in my blood pumping.
The further we flew, the landscape changed to rocky mountainous terrain. Every so often there would be large cave openings in the rock. We caught sight of several large hairy creatures with six legs moving over the rocks and assumed that these were the creatures living in the caves. I would love to find out for sure.
During the trip, we quietly discussed observations and distances. Estimating time travel on foot as opposed to flying. How some of the caves could be used for cover and maybe the large animals for food and supplies that we could make for our benefit. All while still preserving the species. We talked about the terrain and how to best go about getting across it safely and quickly. Ways to camouflage ourselves if the need arises. The most worrying part was that we could see very few sources of water. That was something we would need to figure out if we were going to explore.
We had been flying for about forty-five minutes when the last mountain gave way to forests, fields, and buildings. They weren't the monstrous skyscrapers that littered Earth's many cities but small village dwellings with a market area in the center. Getting closer to what I had thought was a mountain, it became apparent that it was actually a castle that was built to look like a mountain. It was large with several wide openings and balconies. There were dragon people and dragons everywhere. Some of the people were carrying items while others were helping dragons who seemed to be delivering or picking up cargo of varying sizes. Everyone was going about their business and barely paying attention to the transport landing near the front stairs of the castle.
Looking at all the people through the dome, I noticed that they all seemed to be Drakian. Sure, they were all different colors of the rainbow, but they mostly all had the same body build and mannerisms. The women were just as tall as the men. The only difference between the two was that the women's faces were slimmer, their waists more tucked in, and their chests were only slightly more developed. All the Drakians had tails and there was no one in the immediate area that didn't have one. So, if all these people were Drakian, where were these other survivors that Glacian had spoken of?
There was also a definitive difference in the way they were dressed. The soldiers wore the same leather pants and vests that Glacian and Rokk were wearing. Others were wearing what appeared to be leggings with tunics. The men's tunics ended at the crotch area. The women's tunics were more like knee length dresses. The men all had vests over their tunics while the women wore a slim type of belt around their waists. There was a difference in class, but they all converged together. Some laughed together while others were just talking pleasantly while they worked. There didn't seem to be any animosity or superiority between the two. It just worked.
The landing was smooth, giving testament to Rokk's skills as a pilot. My fingers itched as I had to restrain myself from going to figure out how it worked. Maybe I could get Rokk to give me some lessons on how to pilot one of these. I made a mental note to ask him about it later. The back ramp lowered and we all grabbed our large bags from the storage area.
Glacian and Rokk came from the cockpit area and headed down the ramp. As they came to a stop at the bottom, Glacian turned, smiling
"Welcome to East Balaur," he said proudly.