Shadow Of Chernobyl-Cahpter 3-Firedrake Xalanth
#3 of Shadow Of Chernobyl
It started with a simple assassination mission. We were sent to hunt down a notorious arms dealer known only as "The Jackal". He was making a deal in the dead city of Chernobyl. Rumors around had it that strange things had been happening lately. Disappearances, strange noises and the like. We didn't think we'd have a problem. We were dead wrong.
"You mother fucker",Taro growled.
"How you doing old man?" Firedrake asked.
Taro didn't answer,I could tell that he was stunned beyond words.
"Firedrake?!" Shadow whispered,his eyes wide with disbelif.
"You guys act like I'm fucking missing limbs,what the hell?" Firedrake replied with a smile.
Shadow leaped up,throwing his wings around him and hugging him tightly.
"Ahhhhghghhh",Firedrake gasped,"Shadow."
Shadow quickly let Firedrake go and took a few steps back.
Firedrake gasped for air,"Your not as small as I remember",Firedrake panted bringing his paw to his chest,"you gonna crush the life out of me before we even have a chance to catch up?"
Taro,who had now recovered from his shock stood and walked up to him,starring him straight in the face.
"You should be dead",Taro said,"how are you still alive?"
"God",Firedrake said,"I belilve I was kept alive in that nuke blast."
"You said you were sick too",Taro said,"when I got back to the carrier,the vet told me the virus you had eats at a dragon's insides until the host dies."
"I can't explain what happened that day Taro",Firedrake replied replied with a sigh,"it was nothing short of a miracle."
Firedrake's smile returned,"So how's Faline?"
Taro smiled,"Fine",Taro replied,"she's back at the preserve with the rest of team."
"And Hunter?"
Taro's smile dropped,"he's dead."
Firedrake's smile left his face. "How?"
"He sacrificed himself to save me and Nina",Shadow replied,"not a day goes by where we don't think about him."
Firedrake looked at Shadow,"You been taking care of my daughter?",he asked glaring at Shadow.
"Yes sir",Shadow replied.
Firedrake smiled and turned back to Taro,"So who are the other two?"
"Tyro,a close friend of mine,and Mnerloth,Hunter's daughter."
Firedrake turned to Mnerloth,"For what it's worth,your Dad was a great friend,I'm sorry you lost him,you okay?"
Mnerloth just looked at him. "I miss him,so much",she said.
Firedrake hugged her,"He'd be proud of you",Firedrake said,"youv'e grown up so much."
Mnerloth just cried into Firedrake's shoulder. When she finally stopped crying,she sat back down and he turned to me.
"The quiet one huh?" He asked smiling,"what's your name kid?"
"Tanner",I replied sitting up.
He smiled at me and turned back to Taro.
"So this is Talon now?"
Taro laughed,"Sort of,Talon got merged into Raven squad a few years ago,and Tyro is the active commanding officer,not me."
"So they finally tossed you out?" Firedrake asked laughing,"I was wondering when they would."
Taro and Firedrake locked heads and began a short growling match before to breaking into laughter.
"Let's go talk in the main room",Firedrake said,"kinda cramped in here."
With some help from Shadow,I managed to stand and follow Firedrake out of the room and down a long,cave like passage and into a large room. The room had a stone floor. Afghan tapestry was hanging off the walls of the cave and green and black boxes and bags were piled up in the a good sized cubby in the cave wall. A large,black dog type bed lay in the corner. A table held a cross and a few other things and a small fire burned in the middle of the room. Firedrake lay in front of the fire and Taro lay across from him. I curled in front of the fire and Tyro lay across from me while Mnerloth sat beside Taro.
"So what you been doing the past thirty years Taro?",Firedrake asked.
Taro smiled,"Fighting in the Resistance",Taro replied,"do you remember Tyson?"
Firedrake sighed,"I think about him,Blitz and Cria everyday."
"Well Tyson was a traitor."
Firedrake cocked his head to the side,"What you talking about?"
"The trucks didn't kill him",Taro replied,"he was the warlord we hunted for so long,he was the one who set off the nuke that should have killed you,and he nearly killed me."
Firedrake looked down at his paws,"Taro",he said shaking his head,"I don't want to believe that,but the tone of your voice is telling me that it's the truth,so I guess it is what it is."
Firedrake huffed,"So what's the Resistance?"
"I fromed it with Lung Wei and Nolan Xaiver Scott after they rescued me from death in Iraq,were here to get all the dragons who want out of Project Draco out and expose the Project for what it is."
"So what about you brother?" Taro asked.
Firedrake sighed,I could tell he was about to let out something he'd much rather keep locked away.
"It's not a day I like to remember."