Lots--of stuff!

MINE.

~Angel~

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“It will get bigger, obviously,” his mother replied at his look of panic. “And when it does we shall have a better idea I think. There seems to be no shell though, that is a plus.”

Rayne finished off the last bit of dried beef before Magnus could catch her eyes. He rubbed a piece of watermelon from her whiskers, concentrating on her until she looked at him with a small frown.

“Is it dangerous for Rayne?” he questioned, turning his sight back to his mother.

Her mouth quirked to the side, giving away more than she realized with him. She didn't know but was worried it was a possibility.

“We won't know, yet. It's still very early to say yes or no to that,” she answered calmly. “This is obviously a new situation, but I will do what ever is necessary to help.”

“Thank you, mother,” Magnus released, his voice smooth but his mother's eyes told him she knew he was beginning to worry. The last time his mother had been there she thought Rayne was going to be a fleeting presence in his life, but now she seemed to understand her permanence. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

“Of course,” his mother answered before making her way out. Magnus watched the doorway until he was sure his mother was a good enough distance away to not eavesdrop on them, turning to Rayne as she ate the last miniscule pink meat off a rind of watermelon and replaced it in the bowl.

“You're feeling better,” Magnus noted as he pulled the large bowl from her lap and set it down.

“I'm feeling hungry,” she stated as his paw grasped her own and pulled her over. He lifted her a bit to sit on his lap, putting his chin on her shoulder and thinking.

“Did you understand all that?” he asked as he looked up into her staring face.

“I understood that she said I'm pregnant, which we already knew. And that she doesn't know what it is, which we also knew,” Rayne responded in a sort of superior tone. He laughed a little through his nose at her. “So for now we have no privacy with this matter, and no clue what to do but wait. Does that about cover it?”

“You are being awfully snotty to me,” Magnus rumbled at her as he nuzzled her jaw, holding her tighter against him.

“Well your mother did just tell me that this is—kind of all your fault,” Rayne responded as she glanced up in thought. “You made me take the oath, and then you chose to seduce me in a tiger form. Now I can be a snot as much as I like.”

“So you're mad with me,” Magnus grumbled up at her, his eyes turning to slits.

“No, I'm not mad at you,” Rayne replied as she turned around on his lap to face him. “I'm just pointing out the facts and coming to an educated conclusion.”

“Well when you put it like that...” Magnus muttered as her arms slipped onto his shoulders. “Tell me how you are feeling.”

“You're worried,” Rayne sighed a little, resting her forehead against his.

“You're not, which is setting me on edge for some reason,” he answered, gazing into her face. He knew his expression read pained, but he couldn't seem to change it.

“I think,” she responded as she rubbed his neck a bit, looking down from his eyes. “That we need a second view point to all this.”

She was back on the subject of the witch. He didn't have to ask her to clarify, he knew. He also wasn't letting her leave his lair to go and find one, even if he went with she needed to be protected now more than ever.

“You're not leaving the territory,” he ordered, making sure to keep out the fact she wasn't even leaving the lair. That would set her off right away and he needed to think of some other way to solve this problem.

“Oh, I'm not?” Rayne repeated with some venom to it, leaning back and trying to keep from smacking him. “You said if I found one—”

“I know what I said,” he interrupted. “And I doubt you've had time to look for other options since last night.”

“Your mother was the other option,” Rayne snapped, trying to stand off of him but he grasped her hips and held her still.

“We're not done talking,” he responded calmly, feeling the glare she was giving him down to his toes. “Let me send Dracen.”

“He won't go and fetch a witch for you,” she said with a small hollow laugh.

“Not fetch it, just find one,” Magnus explained. “He travels everywhere and would be the best choice in finding the closest one. He tells me where it is, and I go speak with it.”

“And then you can come back champion of facing down a witch but then what? You're not the easiest being to get along with, Magnus. She will have a pretense of you as much as you of her,” Rayne jabbed at him. “And when you come home and she's not with you, then what?”

“I will go looking like a mortal,” Magnus stated. “Try to explain the situation first without being in an intimidating form. Maybe it will hear me out then.”

Rayne looked away and expelled a long breath, mouth pursing with annoyance but she seemed to know it wasn't because he didn't think she could. He knew she didn't want to be treated like something fragile and breakable, but for the life of him he had to at least try to make this easier for her.

“It would be a faster way to accomplish this...task,” Magnus pushed a little. “And I will be as charming as I was with you. It won't be able to say no.”

That made her roll her eyes heavily but she wasn't saying no, that was a good start.

“Dracen,” Rayne repeated. “Do you think he'll do it?”

“I'll make him do it,” Magnus answered.

“Pulling his wings off won't help him find one faster,” Rayne pointed out before lifting a finger and putting it in his face, looking him dead in the eyes. “You've got a month. If this little side stepping plan doesn't work out I'm finding one myself.”

She put her paw out for him to shake, pushing her fingers against his chest.

“Deal?”

He grasped her face with his larger paws and kissed her once slowly.

“Deal.”

***********************************************************************

“Rayne...” someone whispered beyond the blackness of her eyelids. Rayne groaned, for the last three days she had been woken up the same way by the same voice. “Rayyyyyne...”

Slowly, one eye peeled open to the smaller snout of Sini the Devil as Magnus liked to call her. Gold eyes blinked a few times as far too many teeth appeared in a smile, her head leaning over the cart bed and her black mane dangling around Rayne's vision. Magnus wasn't beside her to push Sini back per usual, but Rayne knew he had already gotten out of bed far before that fact.

“Sini,” Rayne greeted groggily. “Something you needed?”

“You should be awake,” Sini replied as she nosed Rayne's arm. “Dracen came by and Magnus and he went off together. Magnus said I was supposed to protect you.”

“Did he now?” Rayne yawned a bit and rubbed her eyes. “That's nice of you. Why don't you protect me by the door?”

“You don't wanna know what my brothers are up to?” Sini whined a bit, nudging Rayne insistently before Rayne rolled right over to try to ignore her. “Whyyyyyy?”

“Sini,” Rayne groaned, pulling the blankets over her head. “Please just let me sleep...”

“But Rayyyyyyne!” Sini whined loudly, beginning to shake the cart with her paw, making Rayne's lovely morning nausea kick in ten fold. She scrambled out of bed and to her new favorite cauldron, relieving her stomach of its mostly empty contents.

***********************************************************************

“Are you bloody mad?!” Dracen hissed. “You want me to go looking for a witch?!”

They had flown to a far off cliff Magnus knew about after he managed to get Sini off his back by claiming Rayne needed protection while he was out. Thank the fire gods she bought it otherwise she would have started yelling for his parents and he didn't want to tell his mother what he was planning.

“I don't WANT you to do anything,” Magnus growled as he stood on his back legs to look down over his little brother, wings expanded as well as his chest. “I NEED you to do this. Do you think this is easy for me to ask of you? If you don't do this, Rayne is going to go out there herself and do it, and I will go with her.”

“You're turning into father, you know that?” Dracen snapped, pointing a claw at his brother. “Rayne seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She's beyond an adult for a mortal.”

“She is carrying MY offspring,” Magnus snapped back. “Not that you would know what the hell that means, but it means I will not let her disappear on this venture alone.”

“Then why don't you and her go off to find your own gods-damned witch?” Dracen chirped in a sarcastic way.

“MOTHER is still at our residence,” Magnus answered. “MOTHER will not allow me to take Rayne out of the lair to search for a witch. She'll fry me alive first. I need this to be done quickly and under her radar. And as I hate to admit it, you are superb at slipping in and out of everything without a trace.”

“And what if mother is still present when I find it and come back with the information?” Dracen inquired as he sat and glared at his brother. “Am I to lie to her?”

“Of course you are, but you're no stranger to that,” Magnus answered, beginning to pace back and forth. “You show me where it is, and I will take care of the rest. Mother will be back home by that point anyway, the old lizard's starting to wear on my nerves and she's beginning to see that.”

“You do know eventually mother and it will be in the same place at the same time?” Dracen announced as if Magnus hadn't known it. “If you plan on keeping it nearby that is. If you do, don't expect me to come around anymore.”

“Oh yes, that will just break my heart,” Magnus mocked easily. “This is not about you and when you accept that you can do as I say and be out of my mane.”

“Such a lovely brother,” Dracen growled. “I can just leave now and never show up again, no witch involved.”

“Rayne thinks she needs another of her own kind,” Magnus said in a lower voice. “From what mother lacks in knowledge, I'm beginning to think the same. Rayne needs this, and therefore I do.”

Dracen bared his teeth in annoyance, looking from Magnus as his whole body shook once like something was crawling in his scales.

“I'll do it,” Dracen stated before looking back up to his brother. “But not for you.”

“As long as it gets done, I don't care,” Magnus declared.

“BUT you OWE me, for this one,” Dracen demanded. “Owe me VERY big.”

“Do you have something in mind, or are you just going to leave it open ended?” Magnus inquired in a droll manner,

“...I want the band.”

“...No.”

“Just for a few days.”

“No.”

“Come on, Magnus,” Dracen whined a bit. “Two days?”

“No.”

“One day?”

“No.”

“An hour?”

“Why do you want it so badly?” Magnus growled as he frowned at his brother.

“Honestly? It looked entertaining,” Dracen answered with a devious grin. Magnus blinked at his brother a few times before his scowl took over.

“Free tail? There's not enough dragoness tail for you to chase around?” Magnus questioned with a small shake of his head.

“Some dragons need a little change of pace,” Dracen stated as he sat on his haunches and looked regally at his front claws.

“If you find a witch,” Magnus stated. “I will allow you to have it for ONE night, but only ONE night. Sun down til sun up.”

“That's all I ask,” Dracen grinned evilly, before falling back on his front claws and stretching his wings out. “Tell Rayne I said good morn.”

“Please don't make me rip something off,” Magnus growled in warning. Dracen laughed a few times before falling off the cliff edge and spreading his wings, flying off. The only family he could really stand, and yet he couldn't stand the dragon.

***********************************************************************

Lord Bywren listened as he was announced into the village of Sagewynd, riding his favorite mare with his King's banners waving by his two favorite guards. Why did he have to come to this little spit of a village? The magistrate sent him missives that his knights had been killed by a dragon according to many who lived in the area and three buildings had been demolished by the beast. He wanted Bywren to come out himself to see if the bodies were his knights and look at the buildings to see if he could help pay for their reconstruction.

He was greeted by the magistrate and taken to the undertakers to look over the bodies. They had been stored deep underground in a cave cold enough to run a chill down Lord Bywren's spine. There were three boxes large enough to carry the three different men and as Lord Bywren observed the bodies, he couldn't believe their state.

Astor was the most recognizable, although his face had certainly taken a beating and his beak was broken. Loic's face had sunken in where bone once held in place, but Ridder...it had to be Ridder with the jack-rabbit feet. Lord Bywren had to look away from the headless corpse, clearly bitten through the neck by enormous teeth.

“They were here on your errand, as I understand, M'lord,” the magistrate stated as he leaned the torch away from the boxes. “They were looking for someone, a grey tigress and going to kill a dragon.”

Lord Bywren's head turned to the magistrate, a portly fox who had seen better days. Lord Bywren put on his more official gaze before regarding the fox's statement.

“I heard the impression she was somewhat an expert on dragons,” Lord Bywren chimed. “The knights needed all the help they could get and were hoping to use her as an ally. Do you know where she is currently?”

“She's up and left,” the magistrate answered, walking around Lord Bywren and towards the wet steps. “I can take you by where she used to live but there's nothing really left. She sold it and let the new owners sell off most of her things.”

Retreated, Lord Bywren thought, into the forest with her dragon lover. He lost four knights to this dragon...he would have to think carefully about the next step.

“That isn't necessary, Magistrate,” Lord Bywren said in a pleasant tone, following him towards the steps. “Why don't we have a look at the damaged structures. I will burn the knights bodies tonight outside of town to send them to the next world, please let the undertaker know.”

“Of course, M'lord.”

***********************************************************************

Digging was one of her favorite things to do. Feeling the earth against her fur and nails, the scent overtaking her nose. She could easily get lost in digging holes or pulling out roots for hours even with the sun beating down on her. She wore the same grey cloak she'd had since she was old enough to leave her coven and find solace in the natural order of the land. Her garden was larger than her house, but she didn't mind that. She spent most of her time in her garden anyway, some snake root here, wild daisies there, blood roses near the door. She could see them all, blossoming with color and power and enjoying making them bloom or grow. Some were for food, others for spells and enchantments and a very small amount were for her alone. She rarely got visitors but that was fine by her. Some witches loved the spell work, others loved the power from nature, but she loved to garden and that didn't require company.

She knew soon though, that would change. Her coven would send a Luminary with her chosen male companion to help the coven grow. A chosen male who would give her daughters and daughters only. What would she do with him? Tell him to go hunt? Would he even be able to hunt? The thought of it made her more angry than anything but she had known her whole life that was the way of things. Powerful witches were to help make more powerful witches, males were merely the means to an end.

Digging always helped her get through those thoughts, earth and water mixing together to create life all around her. With a small satisfied smile she buried her newest plant, patting it into the ground and gently saying a growth spell to make it take root, watching the magic travel from her into her newest seedling. Stepping from the sifted ground she walked along her flat stones towards her back door, walking into her little home and humming to herself. She felt it then, another presence in her woods as someone was walking closer to her door. She brushed off her paws on her cloak, already dirty from all the gardening anyway and prepared herself for the furson on the other side of the wooden planks. Mostly they came for her potions and ingredients, she was very good with potion making especially for the sick. She assumed it would be another seeker of her influenza elixir and pulled the cloak from her black haired head. She opened the door slowly before her heart nearly stopped and she slammed it shut again with a squeak. What she saw wasn't possible, a male, tiger male with the shadow of a fire-magic, witch ingesting bull dragon, and when she meant shadow she meant another form entirely behind the being like a shadow. No, not possible.

“Excuse me?” the booming voice beyond the door grumbled a little, knocking on the door a few times. “I know you're there.”

“Leave, get out of here,” she snapped at the door, trying to sound threatening but that became hollow when her voice cracked. “I know what you are.”

“What I am?” he said in a more playful manner, which made her even more edgy.

“A dragon,” she stated. “I don't care what you showed up as, you're a dragon. Now leave before I start to send curses through your hide.”

“I'm not here to harm you,” he said in a very sincere voice. She wasn't going to buy that! He was a meat-eating, fire-breathing, burn down the world dragon! “I'm looking for help.”

She straightened a bit, feeling for the door handle and whispering a spell to make it enchanted with an ice coating. If he tried to touch it now, it would feel like it was burning his paw and keep him from bashing in her door. She took a chance and opened it slowly, peering out with one eye at the white male tiger in front of her, still holding another spell in her mind in case he tried to eat her.

It was odd to see the pair, the white tiger's tail moved back and forth and so did the magical shadowed dragon, the same expression, the same position, one just very much different in size than the other. She saw the brighter blue magics pouring off his finger where a ring held the form in place. A transfiguration spell, interesting.

“Help? From a witch?” she demanded, “That's against the natural order of your kind, isn't it?”

“I could have burned down this whole little hovel you have,” he stated calmly. “But I didn't.”

“You could have tried,” she corrected. “But I understand your point, or you're trying to lure me out into the open to eat me.”

“You were the one making threats,” he shot back, “Not I.”

“Burning my hovel down wasn't a threat?” she snapped, eye narrowing at him. His face leaned in closer all of a sudden which made her close the door a bit more.

“You're blind,” he declared. It took him that long to figure that out? She resisted the urge to laugh at him, and chose instead to shut the door.

“Go away.”

“Not until I tell you what I need help with,” he said louder. “My mate is having my offspring.”

“Good for you,” she growled loudly as she started to pull ingredients together for a protection potion from burning.

“She's mortal,” he said through the door. Like she were going to believe that...mortal beings cannot have dragon babies.

“That's not exactly very believable,” she yelled before muttering a spell over her bowl of filled potion. “I can see the how physically, but magically its NOT possible. Besides, what would you need me for if she's already pregnant?”

Wait why was she chatting the dragon up? She needed to shut up or he would stick around. Truth be told she didn't want to fight him, but she knew having a conversation with him wouldn't drive him off.

“She needs someone who knows mortal healing arts for the—delivery?” he said like it was a foreign word. “And other complications.”

“Didn't I tell you to leave?” she shouted at the door.

“You did. I'm choosing not to listen.”

She waited a few moments in silence, seeing if he would just disappear if he thought she'd started to ignore him. She waited for a few minutes, but he didn't move and neither did she.

“I can wait,” he said loudly. “I'm in no rush, and I can promise you that I can be a lot more vocal and bring all sorts of dragons here.”

She sat in silence again and waited for him to start squawking or wailing or what ever he was planning on doing. If he needed her, he wasn't about to bring others here. When there was nothing she smirked in triumph.

“Please,” he said with such an earnest tone she almost believed him. She let out a groan of disgust before going back to the door and opening it a crack once again. Did she actually think that this dragon was telling the truth? The whole ridiculous situation he made up was starting to look like it was indeed possible when he, a dragon just said please to her. He wanted her help, that was true but if he were lying about it to try to get her out in the open, she had a feeling he would have already burned her home down. If he did have a mortal mate, then he would have to prove it.

“I don't believe a word you're saying,” she stated flatly. “But on the off chance you're telling the truth and somehow need my help, you can bring your mortal mate here and I will take a look at her.”

And if he didn't have a mortal mate, well then he wouldn't be back now would he? His faces frowned, both of them.

“How will I know she's safe coming here?” he questioned in a suspicious tone. She shook her head a little, really he was worried about her hurting a fellow mortal?

“I promise not to harm her,” she agreed. This dragon was either the best liar she had ever met, or he was telling the truth which was beginning to worry her. The tiger male and dragon shadow both held her gaze for a long moment, before they nodded once in unison.

“I will bring her then,” he concluded. Without another word the tiger and his dragon shadow turned and wandered off down the path. She collapsed against her door, forcing it closed and letting out the breathe she didn't notice she'd been holding. Had that really just happened?