When Mirka woke up, she quietly moved away from Roger. He must have heard her; his head lifted off of his foot as she moved. "I am just going to see how Isabella is doing." Mirka opened the door flap and ducked into the teepee. The scene that greeted her eyes was the total opposite from the one from the night before. Rafa was at the fire at the center of the room, dishing up a bowl of oatmeal. Isabella was sleeping on a pallet of furs. The little colt was standing on shaking legs, sucking his thumb and looking up at Rafa.
"How are you all doing this morning?" Mirka said softly so she wouldn't wake up Isabella.
Rafa came over and gave Mirka a one-armed hug that lifted her off of her feet. "We are doing well. Isabella should be up in a few minuets to feed the baby and eat a little."
As Rafa put her down, Lewis and Nesa came into the teepee.
"We are just here to check on our favorite patient," Nesa said with a smile. Lewis had stepped around Rafa and was trying to pick up the colt. It quickly let out a cry and kicked out at him.
Lewis doubled over in pain. "The colt is fine and strong," he groaned out as Rafa and Mirka laughed.
Mirka watched as Roger's shadow left the outside of the teepee. "I guess with you two here, Roger thinks he can leave."
"He knows he can trust us to protect her. Are you afraid of him?" Nesa asked. She had helped Lewis into a chair.
"I am a little afraid. Weren't you afraid the first time you saw Roger?"
"Actually the first time we all saw Roger in his dragon form, we had other problems on our plate." Lewis said with a smile as the fond memory of that day on the battle field came back to his mind. "I had I sword to my own king's throat at the time."
"That is a story I am going to have to hear someday." Mirka sat down and was surprised as the little white lizard crawled up her skirt to sit on her lap. "I see you brought him."
"No, he came on his own." Rafa said. He was surprised that Mirka didn't recognize Roger, even though he was in his smallest form.
"I am going to go and check on the other woman. Want to come along, Mirka?" Nesa asked. She wanted to give the men a few minuets to talk alone.
"Sure." Mirka put down the lizard and said firmly, "Stay with Isabella, ok?" before she left with Nesa.
When they entered the second teepee, Mirka let out a gasp of surprise. The woman was on a pallet of furs just like Isabella, but her colt was at lest twice the size of Isabella's.
"How are you doing this morning?" Nesa asked.
"I am doing better then most of the women of this tribe the day after they give birth. I am alive." She smiled. "Even if I am stiff and sore. How did you get him out?" She opened her arms and, the colt took the few shaky steps to his mother and looked back at the woman with wide eyes. "I have named him Yiska. It means the night has passed."
"That is a good name and we got him out by cutting you open. We had a special healer heal you."
"I would like to thank her if she is around yet."
"She is resting right now. Healing you took a lot out of her and it did not help that Markus tried to kill her."
The woman spit in the dirt at the edge of the pallet. "I can't wait till I can get my hands on that fool."
"Markus has already been taken care of. Is there any thing we can do for you while we are here?"
"I am here to take care of her needs," said a deep voice that made both Nesa and Mirka jump. Nesa pulled out a long dagger out of the sheath on her hip as she turned around to face the voice, pointing it at him. He had a dark brown body and long hair that reached his human waist. The tattoos that were swirled around his body looked sinister in this light. "Put that away unless you want to start the feud again. If I had meant to harm you, I would have before you knew I was here." His smile lit up his face, transforming him from sinister to almost angelic. "We are sad that it took Markus's death to bring peace to our tribe, but we are glad to have peace."
"Markus is dead? Who did it?" The woman asked wide eyed.
The centaur walked around Mirka and Nesa, putting the arm load of wood down at the edge of the teepee so that it would stay dry if it rained. Then he lay down and pulled his mate and child to him. He looked into her eyes as he said, "Yes, Markus is dead. Essentially he killed himself. I was just so happy you were alive, I didn't want to disturb you. I was going to tell you as soon as you woke up."
"What do you mean 'essentially he killed himself'?"
"He was going to kill Isabella, the woman who healed you. But she moved and he ended up stabbing himself." He looked up at Nesa and Mirka "How is she?"
"We almost lost her and the baby, but they should just need rest."
"That is good." When he saw the confused look on his mate's face, he explained. "Markus fell on her, crushing her and her unborn child."
"She was pregnant? And Markus tried to kill her? There is not a hot enough hole in hell for him."
They all shared a laugh. "We only stayed behind when the others left because I was so close to delivering," the woman explained.
"We are happy that you stayed. Isabella's saving you two is part of what saved her life. When your tribe members realized that she could save their mates at delivery time, I think they were more willing to let her live," Nesa said. "I think we need to go back and see how Isabella is doing. I will be coming by later to see how you are doing. Ok?"
"Thank you, that is fine." The woman said as she smiled and kissed her mate.
Nesa and Mirka returned to the teepee where Isabella was up. She had a blanket draped over her and from the large bulge in it they could tell she was feeding her colt. She smiled in greeting
"Welcome back, you two."
Mirka jump in shock. "Who said that?"
"You heard that?" Nesa asked.
"Yes, did you? I am not losing it."
"No, you're not losing it. That was Isabella's voice, but I don't get why you get to hear it. It is only supposed to be heard by Lewis and me, since we taught her how to do it, and Rafa, since he is her blood mate and any other blood relatives."
"Who is your father? Maybe you are one of her sisters."
"I don't know who my father is. I have been with the slavers since I was 10 and all I remember before that is men in white robes teaching me things."
"The slavers have had you since you were 10? How come they never sold you?" Nesa asked in a very shocked voice.
"Oh, they tried, but something always happened. I remember one time they put me up on the block and these men rode into the square. The slavers pulled me down and threw me onto a waiting horse and rode off. When I looked back, the square was on fire. After that they were more careful when they tried to sell me. They would set up 'private sales' in secret places, but then they would hear about some magpies, or something like that, being in the area and call it off. Imaging slavers being afraid of birds."
"I think they may have been saying Magi," a deep voice said. When Mirka looked, she was surprised to see a human man sitting in a chair by the side of the door, which is why she hadn't seen him before. His broad face and dark hair that was long enough that it curled around his ear looked familiar to her. Even his voice was familiar, but she couldn't place him.
"They might have been saying that and who are you?"
He smiled and held his arms out to her. "I am Roger, and before you scream, I am in this form to talk to you. I always wanted you to see me like this first, so we could talk. But when Markus took the three of you, we needed to get here quickly. Flying was the quickest way."
"Ok, my first question is why do you want to have me as a mate? Isn't there other dragons that you could mate with?" Mirka was proud of herself for not screaming or running in fear; the only thing that showed her unease was that she was playing with her necklace again. Pulling the chain over her chin and running the pendant back and forth over it.
"There was. I was even betrothed to one. Many people fear dragons and want to kill us. We are peaceful beings, but we are protectors. The forest and mountains are full of magical secrets that would mean the end of the world as we know it if the wrong hands get a hold of it. I am here to protect them and make sure that doesn't happen. To the west is a vast Ocean guarded by another dragon that I became great friends with. When his daughter was born, he promised her to me. I only saw her a few times before he hid her away for her safety. I haven't seen any other dragon for years. I fear that both of them are dead. And as for why I want you for a mate, I am not sure. All I know is when I woke up, you were lying next to me, and I could see the salvers coming. You were just so helpless that it pulled at my heart. Then when you first petted me, it was with such gentleness. You were showing so much concern for Isabella that I knew I need you in my life."
"I have never petted you!" A spark of anger jumped up in her. How dare he claim she had done anything with him!
"Yes you did, the morning that Apenimon got hurt. I was sitting on Isabella and Rafa's table when you came in."
"That that was you?" Mirka thought back to that morning, and then to this morning. "That was you this morning too?"
"Yes, I find that it is much easier to stay alive if I get small to scope out things like Rafa's herd and to see if I could trust them to help me. Even centaurs are likely to kill a mountain-sized dragon in fear and self-defense. Unfortunately, in a fortunate way, that is how we met. There was a young colt who was about to eat from a poisonous bush. I tried to scare him way, but he just trampled me and ate them. When he got sick, Apolo ran and got Isabella for the first time. She saved him and then me. I am indebted to her the same way Apenimon is. When I saw that Rafa was a good mate for her and that they were going to be pulled apart by the elves and werewolves, I had to try and step in. Nesa, Lewis and Apolo helped in that way too."
