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Pax roared and dove at the orange dragon, screaming in rage. The dragon shifted to his full form and reared back, trying to swat Pax out of the air but the little dragon nimbly dodged and pressed the attack, biting and clawing at the larger dragon's nose. Ryan watched a moment, mouth agape, then turned to run into the garden. He only took a few steps when something swept all four legs out from under him, sending him sprawling forward into the dirt, creating small furrows where he landed. He barked in pain as his chin made contact with the ground.

Instinct forced him to right himself, flipping over and hissing in anger. The other dragon ducked away from the fury of Pax's attacks. Ryan scrabbled for the garden entrance again and somehow instinct took over and he leapt into the air, narrowly jumping over the larger dragons sweeping tail. The dragon snarled in frustration and dove for him, ignoring Pax. Ryan waited for the last second and threw himself sideways, raking his claws against the flank of the larger dragon. The momentum nearly knocked him off his feet as he staggered back. The dragon roared in pain, snarling, and spun on him. "You will pay for that freak!"

Ryan drew back and hissed, puffing himself up, hoping that his bluff would cause the other dragon to hesitate long enough for someone to save him and Pax. The dragon sprang forward faster than Ryan could dodge and Ryan felt claws rip through his hide along his left side. He screamed in pain and skittered back, breathing heavily, shuddering in both fear and anger. The orange dragon laughed. "Ready to submit freak?"

"Go shove your tail up your ass!" Ryan snarled.

The orange dragon roared at the insult and started forward when he suddenly reared back, howling in pain. Pax hissed angrily, sinking all four claws into the back of the dragons head, biting at his ears. "Damn you Ryan, run!" Pax screamed, darting away from the orange dragons clumsy attack. Blood streamed from the orange dragons head where Pax had bit him. The orange dragon roared again and dove for Ryan. The young dragon ducked under and flipped on his back, raking his claws down the dragon's belly, and the orange dragon stopped short, spinning around and biting at Ryan. Ryan tried to roll away but the dragon caught him by the wing, biting down hard, shaking his head, causing horrible wounds. Ryan shrilled in pain and swatted at the dragon, trying to force him to let go, but he held on, swiping at Ryan's head, leaving shallow slashes on his cheeks.

Pax bellowed and landed on the dragons nose, digging on all four claws, snapping at the orange dragons eyes. The dragon released Ryan and shook his head violently, dislodging the enraged little dragon. Pax fluttered back and pressed the attack again. "Ryan, run!" He flashed a quick look of his shoulder at Ryan and was suddenly swept from view but the orange dragon's claw. He tumbled over and over sickeningly, hit the ground and rolled several feet and was still.

The dragon turned, Ryan's blood dripping from his jaws, grinning in macabre delight at the wounds he had inflicted on the young dragon. "You are next, freak!"

"NO!" Ryan roared and the orange dragon laughed, stalking towards him slowly like a cat toying with it's prey. Ryan drew back and the next thing he knew he was trilling at the other dragon, not the soft trill of contentment or the high pitched trill of distress, but a harsh, angry trill that seemed to slam into the other dragon like a sledgehammer.

The orange dragon clapped it's fore claws to his ears, shaking his head, snarling. He reared up to try to swipe at Ryan again but squealed as Ryan trilled again more sharply. Ryan drew in another breath to trill again, the only defense he had, ignoring the white hot slivers of pain that shot down his side as he breathed in, when there was a terrible roaring that blotted out all other sounds from above.

Ryan ducked instinctively, looking up in fear, to see Kheros plummeting from the sky, a murderous rage written on his face. The other dragon barely scrambled away as Kheros slammed into the ground with an earth shaking thud. Kheros turned on the other dragon with a speed that Ryan did not believe to be possible in a creature so large, and the two clashed with bone shattering force. Claws flew, jaws snapped, wings buffeted in a near blur of titanic forces. The other dragon screamed as Kheros jaws closed on his shoulder, biting savagely. He gored Kheros with his horns in response and the two drew back from each other. The orange dragon licked the wounds on his shoulder and crouched as if to spring at Kheros. Kheros hissed threateningly, flaring out his wings.

The other dragon tensed, then suddenly threw himself into the air, beating hard to get away, Kheros bellowed angrily and threw himself into the air after the orange dragon. Ryan watched them shrink rapidly into the sky and a sudden wave of dizziness nearly caused him to collapse. He shook it off, determined to find Pax. He limped over to where the tiny dragon had fallen, but he was no where to be seen. "Oh Lord, do not let him be dead, please! He was just protecting me!" Ryan whimpered, his wounds throbbing in time to his pounding heart. He brushed his fore claw along his head, trying to keep the blood from his eyes. He heard the sound of wings and he snapped his head around, hissing threateningly.

A blue and gold blur dover rom the sky, landing directly in front of him. He drew back, growling, and then saw that it was only Kith. She looked around angrily for any other threats while Tanner scrambled down from her back, looking terrified. He ran over to Ryan, tears streaming down his face. "Ryan!"

"I am fine, Tanner, but please find Pax!" Ryan said urgently.

Tanner reached out to pet him but the young dragon flinched away. Tanner drew his hand back, looking stricken. "Ryan, please, you need to lay down."

"No! Pax! Where is Pax?" Ryan whimpered in pain as he pulled against his wounds, trying to crawl to where Pax had fallen.

Kith lowered her head to him. "Ryan, lay down please."

He looked up at her and nearly froze at the sight of her in her full form. "Pax..." he trailed off.

"I am sure he is fine, my prince. Please, just lay down."

Ryan slowly sank to the ground, moaning as the adrenaline wore off. The sound of more wings caused him to snap his head up and chirp in pain. "Easy! It is only Sulvius, Cladden, and others to protect you," Tanner said, carefully rubbing Ryan's shoulders.

Sulvius and Cladden landed, taking up defensive positions around Ryan, looking around angrily. Other dragons formed a protective circle around the area, some growling and hissing in anger. "Tanner, please, please, find Pax!"

"I would if I knew who you were talking about, Ryan," Tanner said soothingly.

"He is a dragon, a tiny little dragon," Ryan said urgently.

"Pax? He is out here?" Cladden said over his shoulder.

"He was protecting me; he got hit! I think he is so very hurt!" Ryan said, whimpering again in pain.

"Pax is sturdier than you think. Pax, come out, everything is clear!" Cladden called out.

Ryan shuddered in pain, and lowered his head, starting to shake. He tried not to whimper or cry out as it was upsetting Tanner. More wings and several other dragons swooped in, all looking furious. "Move out of the way!" a dragon said, pushing past everyone. A dragoness pushed her way through in her bipedal form, carrying a case with her. She knelt down next to Ryan. "My name is Athena; I am a healer. I see you have some lacerations, my prince, let us get those fixed up for you," she said in a soothing voice.

"No! Get away! I do not like you!" Ryan said in a weak voice, high with pain.

She blinked. "You have never met me, my prince, how can you say that you do not like me?"

"He was raised by humans and they feared that doctors would find out about him and take him. He has a fear of doctors as such," Tanner said quietly.

"Ah," Athena said, her features softening. "My prince, you are in no danger from me or any of the dragons here. The one that attacked you was a rogue, I promise. Please, let me help you."

Ryan looked at her, his eyes glazed with pain, but still not trusting. Tanner carefully stroked his neck. "Ryan, I will be right here as she works. Sulvius is here as well and I am sure your parents will be along shortly. Please, little dragon, we need to get those wounds taken care of before they get worse or you loose too much blood."

Ryan nodded slowly and lay his head down on Tanner's lap. "Thank you," Athena told him and set out to binding up Ryans wounds, putting stitches in the larger ones. A smaller green dragon pushed his way though the other dragons, and Ryan saw his parents following close behind. They saw him and started to run towards him. "Careful!" Athena barked at them and the both slowed, looking at Ryan fearfully. Ryan tried to get to his feet but Athena grasped his forearms, "Be still!"

"Ryan," Beth said and suddenly burst into tears.

"He will be fine, my lady," Athena said, "They are not serious and his wing will heal."

"Just stay down son," Allen said, his voice breaking. Ryan lifted his head in alarm and chirped in pain.

"I said stay down my prince!" Athena said firmly, carefully pushing his head back into Tanner's lap. Tanner stroked Ryan's neck, making reassuring noises.

"Mother, father, please, find Pax!" Ryan said, his voice a little faint. "He is a tiny little dragon! He was protecting me! Please, please find him!"

Ryan's parents looked at Tanner in alarm, who shrugged. "I think he may be hallucinating," he said quietly.

"He is not, and I am not so very tiny," a voice said. They looked over, startled, at some tall grass and Beth made a startled noise as the tiny dragon walked out, his colors resuming their normal blue. He walked up to Ryan's head.

"Are you well, my prince?"

"Yes, Pax," Ryan said and Pax glanced up at Athena who nodded. The tiny dragon seemed to relax. He sat back on his haunches and crossed his forearms across his chest. "May I suggest, my prince, that you run the next time I tell you to run? As much fun as it was dancing with a much larger dragon, I should like to avoid such things in the future."

Ryan's eyes grew large and he suddenly laughed. "You are okay!"

"Yes my prince," Pax said, reaching out to put a fore claw on Ryan's nose. "It would take more than that to harm me." Ryan trilled softly and all of the dragons glanced at him, but seemed to relax.

Kheros spiraled down to land, looking around angrily. "He got away. He started to fly towards populated areas knowing that I would not follow. He flies faster than I do as well, but I got my shots in."

"I am certain you did, my friend," Cladden said.

"Is the prince alright?" Kheros asked worriedly.

Athena nodded. "He will be fine," she said and Kheros visibly relaxed.

Kith lowered her head to Ryan and nosed him very carefully. Ryan felt his heart pounding for reasons other than pain and adrenaline. "You will be fine, my prince," she said in her soft voice.

"I will try," Ryan mumbled.

"You will do fine," Kith said again, smiling, and carefully nuzzled him. Ryan drew away in surprise and chirped in pain.

"Stop doing that to him," Allen said abruptly and Kith drew away.

"I am so very sorry; I did not mean to offend you or hurt him."

"Please, just be careful of him," Beth said.

"Alright, that is quite enough. We need to get him back to the house so I can get a better look at his wounds and care for them properly," Athena said firmly. "Who is going to carry him?"

"I can walk!" Ryan protested, trying to stand.

"No, you cannot," Athena said, pushing him back down.

"I...can carry him if he will allow me," Kheros said hesitantly.

Athena looked to Ryan who looked at Kheros uncertainly, and then nodded. Kheros very, very carefully picked him up and cradled him in his hands, easily being large enough to hold him. As they walked Kheros crooned softly most of the way, trying to sooth Ryan. Ryan was starting to drowse when he heard Pax flutter up to sit beside his head. He looked over at the tiny dragon who cocked his head. "Why did you not trill earlier?"

"I know not. I guess I did not think about it," Ryan admitted. "Up until now it has just been a sound that I made."

Pax cocked his head the other way. "Well, the next time you choose to go playing with the big dragons, perhaps you should remember to trill sooner. It would have saved a great deal of wear and tear on the both of us. After all, I am just a tiny little dragon."

Ryan laughed weakly and Pax placed a fore claw on his nose as Kheros took them into the house.

Athena shooed everyone away but Ryan's parents and,a after a moment's hesitation, Tanner. Allen almost set up a protest save that Ryan had finally gone to sleep under the worried eyes of his mother, and as much as he hated to admit, Tanner. He looked at the bandages surrounding his son's wings and neck, the tape that covered his flank where he had been raked and bit his lip against saying anything.

"Alright, every out," Athena said, making dismissive motions.

"But--" Beth started.

Athena held up a hand. "No buts! He needs rest more than anything right now and having everyone sit around and stare at him as he sleeps ins't going to hurry the healing along any. I promise to call you if anything changes or if he wakes up for more than a few moments."

Ryan's mother looked as if she would like to have protested further but the look in Athena's draconic eyes abruptly made her change her mind. "You promise to tell us?"

Athena folded her ears back and sighed. She walked over to Beth and placed a fore claw on her shoulder and it took all she could not to flinch away from the dragoness. Ryan was one thing; she raised him from a hatchling. Another dragon, even knowing them to be friendly, still sent a shiver of terror down her spine. "I promise," Athena said. "Now go."

Beth stroked Ryan's neck a few times and the little dragon murmured something and curled up a little more tightly. She sighed and walked out with Allen while Athena sat down at her desk to fill out whatever paperwork she deemed necessary.

They made it to the dining area when Allen suddenly turned and faced Tanner, his face red with fury. "And just where the hell were you when my son was attacked?"

Tanner took a couple of steps back in surprise, then looked down. "I was with Cladden and Kith. Norian had sent me some information."

"I believe that I told you to stay with him."

"And I did! When I got the message we both went back inside and I told him to head back to his room. He must have went back outside after I left!"

Allen's face grew even more red, if that were possible. "So this is all his fault then? His fault that you didn't make sure he was where he was supposed to be?"

"That's not what I was--"

"Just shut up! My son is hurt and it's because of your neglect! Oh yes, you like Ryan so much and want to be his friend, so much that you abandon him when he needs you!"

"Now wait just--"

"No!" Allen shouted and took a threatening step towards Tanner. "This is you fault, all of it!"

Tanner's normally cheerful face darkened like a storm cloud boiling up on the great plains. "You don't think the sight of him lying there in that bed doesn't hurt me?" he said, low and angry. "You don't think I've been blaming myself since I climbed down from Kith's back and saw him laying there in a pool of his own blood? You don't think it hurts?" His voice rose to a crackling tone, "Listen you self-righteous, uncaring, bastard--"

Allen yelled in fury and bunched his fists, ready to swing, when a huge arm was thrust between them and the angry growl of a dragon sent both of them to freeze. When they could finally look up it was into the face of Kheros in his bipedal form, looking down at the both of them with disgust. Beth stood a few feet away looking terrified.

"You are both quite finished, do I make myself utterly clear?" he said in his deep voice. They both nodded slowly, trembling, and Kheros snorted in disgust. "I cannot believe you two. The prince's father and friend arguing over who neglected him? Who abandoned him?"

"He said he was going to stay with Ryan," Allen gestured angrily.

"And he did!" Kheros said, crouching down to be at eye level. "I spoke with the dragon that paged Tanner and he saw Ryan come inside the house with them and start towards his rooms. Ryan must have left for the garden afterwards."

"I don't care!" Allen said in frustration.

"Yes, that much is quite certain," Tanner said in disgust and Kheros growled, causing him to step back.

"I believe I said enough!" Kheros said in a low voice.

"Sorry, sir," Tanner said looking away.

Kheros rumbled and drew back. "This is no one's fault, save perhaps for my own for not making more certain of security. Xerxes should never have been here. If there is anything to be grateful for is that Tanner was not there, or Xerxes would have killed him straightway.

"This is not gong to do the prince and everyone around him a bit of good. You both need to grow up and stop trying to blame everything on everyone else. Do I make myself clear?"

"Just keep him the hell away from my son," Allen said in a low voice.

Kheros sighed and Tanner closed his eyes and looked away. "Is that fair to Ryan?" Tanner asked quietly.

"He doesn't need you skulking about watching him! I don't know what you're on about or what your intent is but you stay away form him!"

Tanner looked ready to explode when Kheros growled again. "Enough! Both of you go someplace else. This can be discussed later when you have cooled down and hopefully gained at least some small sense!"

Allen glared at Tanner, gestured to his wife, and stormed down the hallway towards their rooms. Tanner stood there, nearly stiff in fury, and finally took a deep breath and calmed down. He looked to Kheros. "I am sorry, sir."

"Tempers run high when someone you love is hurt," Kheros said and Tanner nodded, then suddenly realized he had just admitted to someone else that he loved Ryan, perhaps even to himself. He knew he; he had known it for some time. But now to openly admit it? It surprised him. And that Kheros could tell...

"It is not easy for any of us to see him hurt either. I blame myself;I should have been far more attentive to security and never allowed him to roam free without observation. I underestimated how fast they would move."

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Tanner said quietly, still trying to come to grips with his admission of affection.

"Easy to say, hard to believe." Kheros cocked his head and considered Tanner for a moment. "I am sure that Ryan's father will calm down and see reason."

"Don't be so sure. He's not always rational when it comes down to Ryan."

Kheros was silent a moment, considering Tanner with unblinking gold eyes. Tanner shifted uncomfortably. Even grown up with dragons close scrutiny by one could be very unnerving. "You care for the prince very much," Kheros observed.

"Yes," Tanner said, swallowing. What else could he say?

Kheros cocked his head again and made a soft grunt. "I am certain I will see you later. If you will excuse me I have security measures to attend to."

"'Of course," Tanner said, watching Kheros stalk off, wondering what that was all about.