Fall, 1372

The patrol over the Eastern hills had gone for far too long, Mera thought as he returned home. The patrol was supposed to take four days, but it had dragged to six at Logan’s insistence. The Walkerites had been attempting to regroup in Northern Pometia with the Jamersonians closely in pursuit, and the Forester wanted to make sure that the fighting didn’t bleed back over to the River Triangle.

Logan and Mera had a show of force for the Walkerites, dramatically burning a large field next to the junction of the Triford and Macon Roads to drive the Royal hosts East instead of West, before flying back and shadowing the Imperial forces as they advanced, making sure that General Pierce didn’t get any strange ideas. Guardian and Forester quietly observed the Battle of Quivira several days later, where desperate men fought a losing battle and got slaughtered for their efforts. The survivors finally fled East towards Tulusculum and the mission ended somberly. Quickly dropping Logan back at his homestead, Mera returned to his cave as well, simply wanting to forget about this last venture and lose himself in the caresses of his mate and the joys of his children.

As the bronze dragon approached his landing platform however, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Deeply wrong.

There were humans around. There were fires. There was blood.

As he began his descent, Mera noticed the severed torso of a human bodily seemingly thrown out of the entrance to his home.

The shredded remains were wearing the cloak of the Miscabbards.

The bronze dragon was taken aback.

Cultists.

At his cave.

What the hell? How dare they?

How did they find it?

Then a chill shot down Mera’s spine.

Kharriana. Asaewath. Rargesteyae.

Fuck the skies.

The cultists were unprepared when Mera suddenly dived through the mouth of the cavern, immediately crushing one pikeman as he landed with a gigantic roar, before eviscerating another with a swipe of his tail. Some archers turned and desperately drew their bows only for the dragon to set them all alight with a sheet of fire. As the immolated humans screamed and burned, crumpling like so much lit paper, the cultist leader in plate armor got over his shock and began waving his dagger axe at Mera, urging his remaining hunters to face the new threat.

“The Stanton Dragon! Get him!”

A swordsman ran towards Mera swinging a zhanmadao, but the bronze dragon was in no mood for games and immediately set this human aflame as well. Screaming, the burning cultist ran out of the cave and apparently over the cliff, plunging thousands of feet to the bottom of the mountain.

Meanwhile a small trio of billmen ran up from three sides, attempting to corner the enraged dragon, but Mera charged straight through the middle- ignoring the bite of the two bills that cut into his ribs and thigh- and bodily colliding into the group, throwing them all like rag dolls violently against the side of the cave. Sickening crunches echoed through the cavern as the bodies crumpled to the ground.

Without further pause, Mera pounced upon the surprised and now exposed cultist leader, throwing him to the ground and crushing the human’s left arm in the process.

The cutlist leader screamed in pain. The dragon impatiently waited for the shock to wear away, then leaned down and growed.

“Where are my mate and children?”

“In hell where they belong, demon!” Came the response.

Without further pause, the dragon bit and tore off the cultist leader’s right arm, the human again screaming as that appendage was severed.

“WHERE ARE MY MATE AND CHILDREN?”

The cultist spat at Mera. “All…hail…the Lord of the Earth!” he gasped.

With unsurpassed fury, Mera picked up the screaming cultist by the head and slammed him against the ground with the sickening clunk of a ripe melon, sending up a spray of blood. Without pause, the dragon methodically dashed the human upon the rocks again. And again. And again.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

Finally the dragon exhausted himself.

Mera looked down to see a featureless mass of flesh covered in blood, more ichor liberally sprayed around the dragon and the obviously dead human like the spray of a crushed fruit. Dropping the corpse, Mera plunged deeper into his cave, desperately searching for his family.

*Kharriana!* The bronze dragon called out, his heart sinking as he ran through the remnants of a burning battlefield, debris of armor, broken weapons and fallen humans and body fragments scattered everywhere. As he ran through what he once called home. *Kharriana!*

Blood, lots of blood, human and dragon. But no bodies of dragons. That kept Mera’s hopes up. Perhaps despite the devastation seen, despite everything, his family had managed to come out of this. It was all he had to cling on to.

*Kharriana!*

*Mera…tez…at..g..h.*

Mera’s heart sank. He immediately rushed to that familiar voice, now disturbingly weak and hoarse and gurgled.

There, in front of the narrow passage that linked the front chambers of the cave to the back, lay Kharriana of Behran Island, almost completely collapsed upon the ground.

*The heavens have mercy.*

The green dragon was a mess. A half dozen polearm shafts and a dozen arrows jutted from Kharriana’s body, piercing her abdomen and torso in multiple places, as well as impaling the green dragon’s neck, wings and limbs. Blood continued to flow from her many wounds, staining the ground. The green dragon was breathing erratically, shallowly.

With so many years of experience in fighting, it took the bronze dragon only a single look to tell that his mate’s wounds were fatal.

Mera immediately ran over and cradled his mate in his forearms.

*I’m here my love! I’ve come!*

With great effort, the green dragon looked up at her mate. *Yo..u’re…late…Mera…*

*I’m sorry… I failed you all.* The bronze dragon replied, tears welling up on his face.

*It’s… okay. They…wanted…the children…I would…not… let.. .them…*

*Where are Asaewath and Rargesteyae? Are they safe?*

*Heare… secha …safe…* Kharriana gasped.

The bronze dragon hugged her. *You’re a good mother, Kharriana. A far better parent than I.*

Mera gently caressed his mate, as he licked her face clean of the dirt and blood. He breathed deeply trying to push back the weight of the situation.

*You’re alright, I can get help, have you healed…right up…* He barely managed to gulp down those final words.

Kharriana slowly shook her head in Mera’s arms and forced a weak smile. *Bad…liar…Good…bye.*

That destroyed the last of the bronze dragon’s composure.

*No! Oh Kharriana, Kharriana, please…live! Live… don’t go…please…* Mera embraced his mate, sheltering her head under his neck, his body stained by her blood.

*Meratezatgh… please…take…care…of… Asaewath…and… Rargesteyae…*

• I will do everything for Asaewath and Rargesteyae. I will do everything for you!*

Kharriana gasped for air, trying to form the words, finally exerting,

*I…love…you…*

*Don’t say that…*

Kharriana suddenly shivered, feeling the effects of heat loss caused by her heart desperately trying to pump blood into her brain. She looked up through now sightless eyes trying to find her mate.

*Cold…* she whispered, extending a paw out and pitifully grasping in the thin air *…alone…*

*No! I am here!* the dragon clasped Kharriana’s outstretched paw and hugged her tighter, wrapping his chest around hers, trying to warm her with his body.

*I love you! I love you! Stay with me! I will give you all my warmth and love…everything I cherish…anything for you…just please stay with me…please…*

Gradually, his mate began to sense his touch, and her body stopped shivering. Yet despite his pathetic efforts Mera felt her muscles slowly lose their strength, and her beating heart gradually drifted away.

There was no use. The dragon’s great neck drooped over his dying mate, gently caressing her as he wept.

*I love you Kharriana… wherever you go… I will remain by your side, forever…*

This is probably the single saddest part of my story, and one that reflects a lot of things I have had on my mind for years. The traumatic experience that caused my to restart writing this story is kinda reflected in this scene. I don't really want to talk about it more.

From the great chickenzaur . I appreciate her efforts in making this important aspect of my story come to life.

Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50216951/