New Skies New Home [IC-M] ~REBOOTED~

[Lumi]

Alaura was thrown off guard for a second, but soon recovered and hugged him back just as strong. As she held him she rubbed his back in small comforting circles. "If you need me, I'll be in my old den. Come find me when you're ready." She whispered softly before they pulled apart and Nikkolai returned to their shared den. With a sigh the brunette went to her old den and sat against the wall deep in thought. What Nikkolai shared tonight weighed heavily with everyone here, she could feel it. A lot of emotions were running on high and most of what she felt was fear. The clan was scared that the same would happen to them. Couple that with the threat of the pinheads and just about everyone on edge...that's just a recipe for mass hysteria. A lot if the clan had yet to shift to their draconian forms- sure some had peculiar features, but not very many had actually became their dragon yet. It just left the question of what they were going to do next to keep themselves alive?

[Kortaga]

Shin moved to be in a sitting or more like a crouching position He mentioned that it was no trouble but the proceeded to ask her why she had been crying. He sounded worried about her but it also came off more as an actual care and not someone just checking to make sure she was okay. The difference between a military officer and you’re…you’re…could she…not make a comparison. Why did Shin feel like the first person to ask her? Certainly Alaura or Gretchen had asked in a kind way? Why was this so difficult for her to wrap her mind around? When he asked it was more like do you need help standing and not get up you weakling. That sadly made more sense to her.

Shin looked at her and stared for a long time. He seemed to calm as he watched her that she felt a need to clean herself up even more. She was the first to look away almost embarrassed. Since she was caught in the act she really could not pass it off as nothing and considering she released her lunch and was not sick…well back up would only make there be something awkward between them.

‘Do not trust…he will hurt you…little Clair’

She clenched her fists and said, “I…I…uh…how do I…”

She blushed and lowered her head, something she normally would never do. She said that but she bowed a lot but this was curtesy, this was different. She was…going to be weak…

‘DO NOT DO IT!’

“I…sometimes find myself fighting with myself…thoughts and ideas…it makes me sick because I am trying to change and I feel like I am sprinting but not going anywhere. I am scared I am too…unhealthy…to make something. I see the other bonded and I want to follow suit to make things comfortable but then I hesitate. Hesitation leads to failure and so I want to just…”

She gritted her teeth but looked up at him with slight tears in her eyes. “I-I-I don’t want things to be how I feel they were from where I came from!” She clutched her fists on her thighs. “I think…I feel like…family is bad. I know it should not be so! it makes me think that mine was not good. Whenever I think of parents and kids my spine grows cold and I feel like hardening up like I am about to get hit. I can’t figure out why but that’s not what I want…I want to smile...I just want to smile…why can’t I smile…why can’t I be real…” She started to cry again. She was so scared and now it was there. She started to bang her hand onto her thigh in frustration. When she looked at Shin again it was full of tearful rage.

“Shin…I’m sorry…I’m sorry you’re forced to be with this machine of a woman…I’m sorry it had to be…”

“me…”

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

"I am forced to be with no one. I am forced to do nothing. I do what I want, on my terms. It happens that I chose to be with you. I'd like to be there for you, to help you, and to be a shoulder for you to lean on. I know nothing about family, though it does feel like it should be a good thing. And whatever happened in your past, is in the past. Though I despise it, the people that took us wiped our memories, which means we get a new start. And maybe, if your past family made you against families, maybe... maybe a new family will have the opposite effect." he smiled reassuringly. "I'll always be here for you. It's my responibility, my duty, and my honor. I will stand by your side no matter what. I'm your bonded." He pulled her into a hug. "I'm your bonded." he whispered into her ear. "I'm your bonded."

[Kortaga]

Shin was adamant…and that if she could pick anything immediately that made her heart stir was his convictions. He was adamant that he would never do something that he did not want to do. As someone who felt like she was fighting herself everyday she wanted to have the freedom to just exist without her heart breaking. He admitted he knew nothing about family. As Shin spoke she felt like she was having a repeat of what she spoke to Nikkolai about but was on the opposite end. She had preached about him starting over and yet she was getting hung up on her past. Such a fool…

Shin smiled at her as warmly as she thought she had ever seen him smile. He mentioned that being with her was an honor, a responsibility and a duty. At firs this kind of made her question if he was conscripted by the pin heads to meet quotes. Obviously not but it was weird to put a relationship like that to a scale.

When he hugged her though he repeated to her three times that she was his bonded. Nothing cements something into some like a strong emotion or a repeatedly doing or hear it. Shin pulled her into a hug and she felt like a statue. At the first time hearing it she felt awkward and knew what she should do but it just did not feel right. The he said it again and she really felt his heart and his warmth and she wondered…just barely wondered if she should…

When he whispered it the last time she pushed as hard as she could and tentatively held him back. She felt herself so weak at first and she did not know when she eventually said she was his, she did not know when she started to cling to him, and she certainly did not know when eventually she would stop crying. All she knew was that she felt like a small child and Shin was going to shelter her…she felt something break in her heart…maybe it was slowly thawing.

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

Shin kept his arms firmly wrapped around Claria as he cried into his chest. His leg hurt, but that didn't matter. His bonded needed him, and he would provide. His mind reflected back on what he had been thinking about earlier. He had been wrong then. About what exactly, he wasn't sure, but he knew that he had been wrong. He felt that he should say something, but didn't know what. He decided not to say something just yet. He was her bonded, and he didn't want to make her hate him with an ill-planned thought. He was going to protect Claria with his life for as long as he lived. That was his prerogative as a mate, and he wouldn't botch it now by saying something inappropriate or out of line in the slightest.

[AxelVanDeriz]

Nikkolai dropped by her den once in the night, it had been a while, and he apologized for not coming a bit sooner to her. They retreated to their own den and slept for the evening.


~The next day~

Nikkolai rose early, there was a slight static sound in the air. So he walked out of the cave to investigate. What he saw was cause for concern. A pinhead's ship had landed and was waiting patiently for all of them to assemble. He was protected by a forcefield, so even if someone got the idea to attack, they'd hit a solid, invisible wall. He walked back to the mouth of the den room and called out "Wake up, people, we got a visitor!" in a fairly loud voice. Once everyone was awake and in front, he lead them all out to the early morning light as a ramp came down, so did a pinhead, waddling it's weird walk to the barrier that protected it from the draconians. It started speaking in it's weird language and Nikkolai translated.

"Dear Draconians, more than a month has past, and you appear to be doing very well. Assuming you've all had time necessary to adjust, I have come to deliver a message from the overseers just out of orbit." he nodded, signaling the pinhead to continue. It spoke again, again Nikkolai translated. "Your first population mission, which begins as soon as your first female comes into season, is to reach your goal of 250 in ten years. Since there's currently one hundred of you, and the time frame, this shouldn't be of too much difficulty. Best start planning ahead, your first female should be coming into season within the next couple weeks." with that, the pinhead bowed and walked back to his ship, ramp closing behind him.

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

Shin sneered. "Bastard." he spat. "Bad enough they took us from our home, now they want us to make more. Why should we subject children, any children, much less ours, to this," he gestured around at the surrounding desert and scrub brush, "Hellscape. Barely anything around. And what, just, what, two weeks ago those panthers attacked? What happens if they come back, huh? And what if no one is around? They could just stroll in here and eat just about anyone." He was riled up from the sight of the pinhead. He regarded the ship for a moment, probably thinking about whether he could spear it or not. He could not, he decided. He didn't want to do what the pinhead had said, but his body said otherwise. Also, if he didn't, he'd be blown up. He didn't like that prospect. "Bastard." he muttered again.

[Lumi]

Alaura frowned in concern, there was so much that the clan hadn't even got to do to completely ensure they had everything they needed to be established. Hell they didn't even plant the seeds they landed with yet and only a handful of them awakened their dragon blood! One month was nowhere near enough time to be ready for even the thought of children. She agreed with Shin whole-heatedly, they couldn't even protect themselves from the bigger threats without having to rely solely on Nikkolai and Borris, how in the world were they supposed to protect children? She briefly entertained the thought of high jacking the ship, but quickly scrapped it- there were too many unknowns and risks and she didn't want to cause unnecessary strife.

[Kortaga]

Her first night with Shin and the first thing she heard early in the morning was Nikkolai. Gods dammit if she did not get one morning…she dragged herself up this being the first night in ages that she got anything like normal sleep. Shin held her until she passed out and even if had tried to feel her up…she probably would not have cared. He needed to get something out of it. When her ears picked up on visitors she panic and noticed she had no idea where her sword was. Shin perked up quickly as well and together they made their way out of the caves.

As Nikkolai spoke she felt her blood start to boil and she started to growl…something she had no idea she could do so effectively. Even some of the draconians who had gathered moved away from her. They knew what she was like when she was angry and if she had the power she would have charged that pin head. Who did they think they were to control them like this, they were not protecting them!

As she listened to Shin she nodded and it fueled her rage even more. As she thought about what he said and then thinking back to Nikkolai and his story her body shivered. She looked around for a moment…why did they erase our memories and not Nikkolai’s and Borris? She glanced over to Nikkolai’s grim expression and she whispered to herself, “Are they the poachers…?” Why would they be helping Nikkolai rebuild? They got nothing unless they could do something with rebuilding that they could not do anywhere else. The Draconians were a rare endangered species. Unless they opened a zoo the only other reason was their bodies made or did something special.

She felt her hands slip down to her waist…a weird mixture of fear and raw energy began to burn. She wanted to kill the pinheads more than anything. She needed to become a dragon and then she needed to get even stronger. She looked at Shin and reached out to hold his hand. She looked forlorn and nervous but then asked, “Can you help me make a sword…I know it won’t mean much to that…but I…would feel better…”

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

He nodded solemnly. "I will help you make a katana." He could feel the anger radiating off of her. It was cooling his own anger because he knew he'd have to be there for his bonded. He'd probably kill something later. He knew how important her sword was to her. He had watched her practice with it more than once. It was like a part of her. But now it had disappeared. He wondered if he had the tools to make one. He knew it required folding of the metal, and he didn't know if it could work. But there was no way of knowing what would happen until he did it. "Tell me, do you require another sword made of rock, or would you prefer a lighter, sharper, more durable sword?" He asked. He did need to know. "Because I can make both. I made my magari yari from a metal I found. Do you want the sword to be made of the same material?"