Bakuin and Chila led their wing back to the lair after another successful hunt. Maugon remained in the lair often these days. Lynnor flew in Maugon’s usual place at his flank. On the one hand, Bakuin enjoyed the freedom to lead as he pleased; on the other, he missed the wisdom and advice Maugon’s presence offered.
Stones splintered and air rushed around him as Bakuin latched onto the cliff face, checking for danger as Chila and the others brought in their catch. Lynnor entered first to scout the lair, and once she sounded the all-clear, Chila and Ramelba followed with the first of their catch. Rahendranax and Phyrustix went next with the rest. Bakuin checked their surroundings once more and ducked into the lair.
Gone
“Maugon’s gone,” Lynnor said.
Bakuin glanced at Chila. He couldn’t hear the rumble of Maugon’s breath, and his scent had gone stale. “He said as much.”
Lynnor nodded. “That’s why I didn’t sound the alarm.”
“He’s probably just out getting his own food,” Phyrustix inspected their kills. Chila growled at him, and he backed off. “You’ve seen how little he’s been eating.”
Bakuin shook his head. “He won’t be back.”
“The lair feels empty without him,” Ramelba said.
“And now, what do we do?” Lynnor asked. “Who’s going to set our training schedule?”
“Chila and I will, just as we’ve scheduled everything else,” Bakuin said. “We still have to eat—”
“And clean!” Chila said.
Phyrustix groaned. “Do we have to?”
Chila smacked him upside the head with her tail. The others, Bakuin included, winced. Chila’s aim and tail strength increased the more annoyed she became, and Phyrustix had a talent for ticking her off. Phyrustix scuttled behind Rahendranax, monitoring Chila’s tail. Bakuin frowned, concerned about Phyrustix’s narrow vision. One shouldn’t focus on the weapon but on the being behind it. Maybe Maugon could . . . Bakuin shook his head at the thought. He’d have to take care of it now.
A Change in Plans
“How long until the red moon?” Bakuin asked.
Chila’s chastisement of Phyrustix died as everyone turned to Rahendranax, who grasped the movement of the shifting skies better than the others, though they could all sense it in a pinch. Maugon taught Bakuin and Chila to rely on the talents of their wing. Now the protector had left and the overwhelming responsibility of leading them all rested on his and Chila’s shoulders. He and Chila couldn’t do it all, nor did they want to.
Rahendranax shook his head. “Not for many cycles. Why did Maugon leave so soon?”
“He said he would leave when we were ready,” Chila said. “He must think we are.”
A trail of smoke drifted from Lynnor’s nostrils as she sighed. “I don’t feel ready.”
“Did he leave a message?” Bakuin asked.
“I found nothing.”
“I didn’t either,” Chila said.
“Then we’ll have to wait for the red moon to discover anything else,” Bakuin said. “We’ll scout the area Maugon showed us during the next heat cycle.”
Phyrustix’s head popped up as Chila shifted on her feet. “Can we go on the next outing? I hope to clean tomorrow.”
“Right, of course. Is there anything else?”
“Well . . . I’ve been wanting to change the nest up a bit, but I didn’t want to hurt Maugon’s feelings.”
“He would have been fine with it,” Ramelba said. “He encouraged you several times.”
“I know,” Chila said, “but he seemed so hurt after I burned the egg nest he built. I did it on instinct and I know he knew that, but . . . he . . . He just seemed so different after.”
“It must be usual then,” Rahendranax said.
“We’ll know more when the red moon gets closer,” Bakuin said. “Wings will come out then, and we must be ready. Chila, are you good to clean the nest tomorrow and change it after?”
“Actually,” Chila said, “if we put up this catch and do a quick purge the rest of the heat cycle, then you, Lynnor, and Phyrustix can scout the place Maugon showed us while Rahendranax, Ramelba and I work on the nest.”
“Will the three of you be enough?”
Chila shot him a look. “Yes.”
A Quick Clean
A water bubble, controlled by Rahendranax, moved their food to the back of the lair to freeze for a later meal. Bakuin enjoyed hunting days when they ate fresh meat, but he knew they couldn’t hunt every day. Their protector taught them to hunt enough for several meals at a time, something Ramelba hated. They had to hunt to eat, but Ramelba would starve if it meant protecting the pretty creatures. She joined the hunt to help her wing, but he and Chila didn’t have the heart to force her to kill. They found her strengths in other areas.
While Rahendranax stored their hunt, Ramelba and Phyrustix collected any special items to store them in their nests. As soon as he finished hiding items, Phyrustix breathed his fire, Chila and Lynnor joining him. Their red-orange flames blackened the floor and walls of the cave. Settled in front of their precious nests, Bakuin spread his wings to protect them from the heat and stray flames. The other two, Rahendranax and Ramelba, joined him, blocking the area beyond his wingspan.
The trio moved fast, and in short order they’d incinerated all unwanted things living in their lair. Each dragon dashed to its nest as Ramelba whipped up a strong breeze to blow the ash from the lair. Water came next to wash out the last of the ash, leaving blackened stones in its wake. If Chila wanted a thorough cleaning, they would use sand to remove the char, but Chila wanted it done fast.
Bakuin picked up a nest and moved it to the side they’d just scoured, and the process started over again. Chila nodded once, satisfied for now. They had finished in one heat cycle. Bakuin crawled into his nest, needing the rest after the hunt and cleaning. The lair smelled fresh as Ramelba’s soft breeze purged the fire smell. They had removed the last trace of Maugon.