[FIC] Draconta (Part One)
Title: Draconta (10962 words)
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jazz/Prowl
Characters: Jazz, Prowl, Ratchet, Optimus - Character, Ironhide, Bluestreak, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Red Alert
Additional Tags: AU, Everyone is a Dragon, Fluff, Trigger Warning: Death of Young Life
Series: Part 1 of Draconta
Summary:
AU World were everyone is a dragon. Jazz and Prowl meet under terrible circumstances, but which start a series of events that will lead them to fall in love. More inside.
Author's Notes:
- Draconta is greek for ‘dragon’ meaning 'to watch' as they were often portrayed as guarding things.
- Okay, this is a very long fic of short drabbles. Each drabble has its title and rating, which is why Rating: varies. ... There is only one M scene and it is in part two, and there is a warning so if you don't like M you can just skip it, it doesn't affect the story. Some drabbles have warnings as you will see.
-This first part is mainly angst but part two is romance and fluffy fluff ^.^
Terms:
These are some of the terms I’m using for this fic. Many are used for reptiles like the bearded dragon.
Other dragon types:
The magic is all me XD
ENJOY!
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Title: Dragons
Rating: K+
The forest was large, surrounding the rocky mountains, their sharp drops and spiky tops a danger to any without wings and even to those who did. The mist that seemed to surround the top proved a perfect cover for the small caverns that went deep into the mountain, home to many dragons.
On the ground, both the weather and the territory seemed more friendly. The trees were almost gigantic even to dragon standards, their untamed branches and showers of leaves home to a variety of smaller dragons, their nests tucked away in the large trunks and even under the trees themselves.
The rivers that flowed like veins around the trees and even up the mountain side were also home to many species. The water dragons were rarely able to fly, their wings helping them swim in the deep and turbulent waters, most of them being an aquatic type of wyvern.
The trees sang with the cries of the dragons, their cheerful and mischievous personalities making them friendly to many, yet sometimes a bit of nuance for those older ones who wished for some peace, and not fruits being dropped on their heads.
The water dragons were a peaceful bunch, playful and kind. Their homes were underwater caverns that had air holes in them, providing a nice safe and cozy home.
Many different species lingered in the forest, and many rested on the lower rocks of the mountain, where the mist never approached, but it was hidden in the mist that many violent and less civilized dragons had their nests. Not much was known about them, their kind rarely leaving the cover of the mist. Water formed on the tops from the glaciers, and fell in waterfalls to flow into the rivers, so they were never seen by the forest rivers, something that pleased the water dragons very much.
They could be seen hunting their prey deeper in the forest, where dragons didn't dwell, but they weren't the types to oppose dinning smaller dragons and mammals, making them very dangerous.
Loners. That much was certain, as they were never seen in groups, not even with their mates, if they had any. The mountain life was a mystery, one that many didn't really care about as long as no trouble came from the unforgiving misty rocks.
They all went about their business, pretending the mountain dragons didn’t exist.
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Title: Earthquake
Rating: T
The day offered clear blue skies with zero clouds visible, warm breezes and lots of sunshine; it was a lovely day to be out and about, to play and fly with no fear of storms or strangers lurking in dense clouds.
A perfect day for living.
And yet, the birds, wild animals and even the dragons themselves were uneasy. There was an odd electricity in the air, and they all knew something bad was going to happen, keeping them and their families near their caverns, ready to protect themselves from harm.
But danger did not come in the form of a visible foe.
The forest seemed to get oddly silent, a silence that was followed by what appeared a far away rumbling, and then it struck. The ground shook, trees swinging this way and that, loud cracks could be heard as the smaller and weaker trees broke from the force of the vibrations.
The dragons in the trees took flight, screaming and shrieking all around. The water dragons left their caverns, their homes becoming death traps, swimming to the shore and wobbling to higher ground. Even with the large size of many, the shockwaves of the earthquake would make the river water rise and waves would soon raze anything in their path.
Shrieks echoed through the looming mountains, the mist shifting as mountain dragons flew away from them, rocks and boulders falling in an avalanche, and many dragons dropped down to help flightless animals escape.
The forest was wild with movement, parts of the ground cracking and forming crevices, the land lifting, the roots of many trees now hanging from the newly elevated pieces of land.
Whirlpools formed by the violent stirring of the water in the rivers, and the landslides the mountains poured only added to the chaos.
From the sky, birds and dragons circled, looking at the devastation, calling to their friends, loved ones, and offering help to any flightless that was in need.
The earthquake could not have lasted more than a minute, and yet so much destruction and loss had been left behind in its shadow.
The dragons touched down near their caverns, some mourning the loss of their homes, others wailing in grief, not managing to get their eggs out in time.
Water dragons dared not approach the river yet, their large size meant nothing to the fury of a river.
A white dragon with grey horns, his legs ending in red, a long red line colored his dorsal was flying from cave to cave, along side other white dragons and their apprentices, searching for any that were hurt to perform their healing magic on.
Large, strong dragons were helping remove debris and tree branches from the paths and those surrounding caverns.
The chaos, and the screaming of all dragons and animals masked the sound of painful wails and call for help from the other side of the mountain.
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Title: Downed Dragon
Rating: T
Warnings: Blood (injuries), cursing
Three days had passed since the earthquake, and things seemed to settle down. Smashed eggs had been cleared and offered proper burial, injured dragons had been healed, caverns freed of any debris, the rivers calm once again, and life was slowly returning back to normal.
In the air, a white and black dragon flew around, taking this break to stretch his wings. He had been fortunate, none of his friends had been hurt, all leaving their caverns as soon as the first vibration had run through the earth. He himself had been hunting, and his cavern hadn't even suffered any damage.
Jazz flew towards the misty mountains. He liked flying around the spiky towers that rose all around the mountain, the strange rock formations his personal playground as he turned left and right, twisted through narrow openings, and dropped down the cliffs, the wind sailing through his wings offering him a kind of freedom only those with wings were privy to; and after all the chaos, he needed the adrenaline rush to unwind.
He never went into the mist though, not only was he unfamiliar with the terrain up there, but he didn’t wish to bother any of the mountain dragons, their intimidating and violent behavior enough to keep even his curious self away.
He came over a sharp drop, a large pool of rocks and boulders at the bottom. Taking in the chaotic sight, he made to turn back when something white caught his attention, the blur contrasting with the grey rocks of the mountain.
Circling around, he flew lower, trying to get a good look. It took him a moment to realize it was a dragon. He gave a shriek, the noise echoing through the mountain and out to the forest. Knowing that least one of the healers flying around making sure their patients were healing nicely would hear him, Jazz dived quickly, flaring his wings at the last moment, letting the wind catch him and slow him down to drop softly next to the white dragon.
Jazz stared at the scene, panic settling in. The dragon was deathly still, a large boulder had pinned him down, the whole of his right wing crushed under its unforgiving weight, body covered in dirt and mud. Unlike most dragons, this one seemed to have light fur instead of scales, and smaller falling rocks had cut him up quite a bit, trickles of blood covering the whole dragon’s body. His horns were red instead of black, as well as his dorsal. Jazz couldn't see his belly, the dragon laying on his front, left wing tucked under him, yet seemingly untouched.
Shaking, he gently nudged the dragon’s head.
No response.
Three days. Three days had passed. If the falling boulder hadn’t killed him, than he must be extremely weak. Summoning a shell with a bit of water, he slowly poured it onto the red horned dragon’s head, and he let out a sigh of relief at the low moan he received.
“Hey, hey can ya hear meh?” He called, summoning more water and nudging the dragon’s head toward him. His face didn’t seem to have much damage, amber eyes blinking up at him in confusion and pain. “That’s it, good lad.” He used his tail to help the dragon drink some of the water he summoned.
“Hey, what’s yer name.” He asked calmly, trying to keep the dragon talking until a healer got there.
“P- Prowl.” Came the hoarse response.
“Hiya Prowl, Ah’m Jazz. Don’t worry, we’re gonna get ya out and all fixed up ‘kay?” He smiled, willing the healers and any other help to arrive soon.
His words though, seemed to break through some kind of haze, and Prowl straightened, long neck lifting and eyes panicked.
“H- how long have I been here!?” He demanded.
Jazz tilted his head, but answered. “From what Ah gathered, probably three days.” He wasn’t prepared for the shock and suddenly struggling to get up.
“Three days!? I must go, I must go now!” Prowl yelled, trying to free his wing, only to hiss in pain.
“Whoa whoa stop! Yer gonna hurt yerself!” Jazz stood up, using his legs to pin the dragon down and keep him from ripping his own wing off. Where was this desperation coming from?
“Let go! I must return immediately!”
Anything Jazz wanted to say back was interrupted by one of the healer’s arrival.
“I’m here!”
“Ratchet!” Jazz was never so glad to see the grumpy healer as he was now, specially the other two much larger dragons behind him.
“Frag!” Ironhide yelled seeing the downed dragon. He was pure grey scales, body large and intimidating, horns sharp on his head, with small ears, yet one of the best hatchling guardians they had.
“Move!” The healer snarled, going to his patient. “What’s wrong?” He asked, seeing the way Jazz was holding the dragon.
“Ah don’t know, Ah told him how long he’s probably been here and he went ballistic!”
Nodding, situation explained and understood, the healer assessed the damage. The bruises and cuts were nothing to worry about and would heal quickly with simple medical herbs. It was the wing that worried him the most, and he couldn’t do anything about that if the didn’t have access to it.
“Alright, Ironhide, Optimus and Jazz I need you to gently, gently get this boulder off him.” He had seen no blood around the rock, and while the dragon did in fact seem to be in pain, it didn’t appear like the wing had suffered severe trauma.
Optimus, a red scaled dragon with a blue belly, grey horns and face, and blue ears approached cautiously, his large wings tucking to his sides so as to keep them out of the way. Jazz slowly let go of Prowl, the dragon seeming to understand their wish to help and calming down, yet watching them cautiously.
Both Optimus and Ironhide stood on their hindquarters, front legs on the boulder’s side, as Jazz came up under them to use his body.
“Alright, push!” Ratchet yelled watching his patient closely for any signs of distress.
For a few seconds, it seemed that the boulder wouldn't budge an inch.
“Harder!” Grunting, the three dragons pushed with all their might.
Prowl made a face and shivered.
“What’s wrong?” Ratchet asked.
“Som- something’s not right.” The healer was about to tell the three dragons to stop when the boulder moved, and there was a sickening crack.
The screams of pain echoed through the mountain, and the four dragons stared in shock and fear as Prowl thrashed, howled and shrieked.
“Stop!” Ratchet yelled, but Prowl’s free wing flapped violently in an attempt to get free, knowing his smaller size away. Jazz ran to his side, trying to calm him but couldn't get near. “Prowl! Prowl calm down!”
Prowl thrashed, pulling at his wing desperately, deaf to their pleas for him to stop. There was a horrible tearing sound and Prowl’s screams seemed to increase, tail swinging from side to side as he continued to pull at his wing.
“Slag it all!” The healer cast a quick sleeping spell and Prowl fell limp to his side, but the damage was done. “Frag! We need to get this boulder off now!” Ratchet practically snarled panicked. Jazz was about to question him when he realized how much blood was flowing from under the rock.
“Frag!” He yelled, going back to the boulder’s side. “Quickly before he bleeds out!”
As one the three dragons pushed as hard as they could. Prowl, even in his induced sleep winced, but with a roar, Ironhide, Optimus and Jazz managed to roll the boulder away, the large rock falling with a thunderous noise on its side.
What it revealed made them gag. The white dragon’s wing was shredded, the membrane ripped open in the middle of the wing. The wrist had been snapped, and he had lost a lot of blood.
“Primus!” Optimus gasped, pulling his own wings tighter to his body, feeling a pain that wasn’t his own.
“Will he, will he lose his flight?” Ironhide asked swallowing hard, injuries like this often left a dragon flightless for the rest of their lives; he had seen dragons go mad due to it.
“Not if I can help it!” The healer snarled, summoning his medical herbs. “Optimus, Ironhide,” He started, summoning a large turtle shell with water. “Use your fire to heat this water up. Jazz, crush these herbs and put them in the water, now!” He demanded while using magic to stop the blood flow, the three dragons quick to follow his orders.
It took them most of the day, but it looked like Prowl would pull through. Optimus and Ironhide laid in the shade exhausted. They had been running around fetching large leaves for the healer to wipe away all the blood and wrap the damaged wing in. Ratchet had spent the day applying herbs and boiling water on the wound to chase away any infection. It was too soon for him to do anything for the broken membrane, and he would need to rest and gather his strength for the amount of magic repairing such damage would require.
Jazz had fallen asleep curled up on Prowl’s other side, and Ratchet couldn’t help the smile that graced his face. He could see where this could lead both dragons to, and he was happy for his young friend.
Making sure everything was in order, he drank a small potion he had made for himself and fell asleep, preparing himself for tomorrow’s surgery.
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Title: Gone
Rating: T
A roar of fury served as their wake up call, Ironhide was immediately up on his feet, searching for any threats he could rip apart, baring his teeth, wings flaring threateningly and tail thumping on the ground in warning. Instead, he saw a furious dragon, cursing and yelling, using his tail to throw rocks randomly, Jazz running for cover as one sailed through the air too close to him for comfort.
“Ratchet calm down!” He yelled.
“I will not calm down!”
Optimus came up to them yawning, far too used to the healer’s antics to be bothered. “What’s going on?”
“He’s gone!” Ratchet snarled.
“Who’s gone?” The grey dragon asked getting annoyed. He did not enjoy being woken up so violently.
“Prowl! That idiot is gone!”
Jazz stared at the spot he had assumed Prowl was still laying in, but it was true: the dragon was gone, no trace of him.
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Title: Search
Rating: T
Underneath Ratchet’s fury was pure worry. If Prowl didn’t get the attention he needed soon, he would lose his flight forever, they needed to find him, and find him fast.
The four dragons went their separate ways, Ironhide searching around the lower mountain side, Ratchet went back to the forest and Optimus to the closest rivers.
Jazz had frantically taken to the sky, flying over the surrounding areas, watching for any sign of the downed dragon. The screams of pain would not leave his head; what was Prowl thinking leaving like that? He shouldn’t have any energy to move after the three days he had spent trapped under that boulder and the drastic blood loss. How could a dragon in such a critical state have vanished? And why would he not have stayed to get healed? Did he not want his flight back at all?
Jazz mulled over these questions and more. He shook his head. If he ever wanted to learn the answers, he first had to find the missing dragon.
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Title: Found
Rating: T
Warnings: Blood (injuries)
Hours passed, and the older dragons were getting tired, but they were all loath to leave the injured dragon out on his own.
“Alright, lets search again, he could have holed up in an empty cavern or between the tree roots.” Optimus said, tiredly.
Ratchet paced furiously, ears flat on his head and tail twitching. “I’m going to rip his other wing when we find him. Stupid dragon!” He hissed, but they all knew he was just as worried.
“Alright guys, lets go, he could be in danger.” Jazz added, flaring his wings and flying to the skies. He flew in place, watching the others leave, Ratchet’s small form running through the forest, Optimus and Ironhide flying low over him.
After some debate, Jazz dropped down where Prowl had been pinned down by the boulder, thinking. In their moment of panic, they had failed to think of the obvious, and Jazz had a bit more understanding of Prowl than they did. The red horned dragon was injured, so he obviously could not fly. There was also the fact that he had panicked when he learned of the length of his time trapped by the boulder.
"I must return immediately!” Prowl had wailed in despair; get back to where? And why the urgency? The black and white dragon had been frantic about, 'getting back', enough to deny himself time to heal. Another thing, amber eyes were very rare and he had only seen them once in a traveling dragon from far away, and that fur. He had seen scales on Prowl but his body was mostly furry, maybe he was a hybrid? He had only seen dragons with fur when he visited the cold mountains a long time ago.
Shocked at this revelation, his eyes turn upward. Prowl was a mountain dragon! Where ever he had to return to was not the rivers, nor the forest, it was the mountains!
Not hesitating, he took flight, flying right into the mist, sharp eyes on the look out, Jazz stayed close to the mountain side, looking for paths and ways Prowl could climb up. He was about to fly lower, doubtful that Prowl could have gone any higher in his state, but a pained groan echoed through the mist, and he quickly flew toward it.
There, just behind some rocks, Prowl was crawling up the rocks, leaving a thick trail of blood behind.
"Prowl!" Jazz yelled, dropping next to him on a protruding rock. He panicked, seeing the trail of blood, the leaves used to wrap his wing in we're nonexistent, and the sharp surfaces tore away at the remaining membrane, but Prowl seemed oblivious to it, in fact, it seemed like he hadn't noticed Jazz at all.
"Prowl stop! You're hurting yourself!"
"Need to get back." Prowl muttered, as if in a trance, eyes focused in front of him, determination and pain reflecting in them.
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Title: Desperation
Rating: T
Prowl crawled up the mountain, claws digging into the hard rock pulling him forward. He had to get to his cavern. Three days! He could not bare thinking about the consequences of his absence for that time.
The downed dragon was blind and deaf to everything around him, he didn't hear the calls of the dragon from earlier, nor did he see the trail of blood left behind by his mangled wing.
All he could thinking about was getting back to his cavern, to his home.
Jazz didn't know what to do. This wasn't a mountain dragon pride thing, where the black and white refused any help. No, Jazz had seen the fear and desperation to get back to his cavern. Could he have a family, and was eager to learn they were alright? The forest dragon trotted along, flaring his wing to catch the passing drifts of wind allowing him to catch up with the surprisingly fast wounded dragon.
"Hey." He called, but the dragon ignored him. Jazz bit his lip in anxiousness, the dragon was losing so much blood, and the rest of his wing's membrane was being ripped by the sharp points of the rocks.
Quickly jumping over Prowl, Jazz stood in his way, determined to at least keep the desperate dragon from losing his flight forever.
"Look, let meh help ya. Ah'll carry ya ta yer cavern, just please stop hurting yourself!" He yelled, whipping his tail against the floor in anger and flaring his wings in an act of dominance, demanding his submission.
Prowl wilted instinctively at the display. A part of him was loath to bring a stranger into his cavern, but Jazz had yet to show him any sign that he meant harm, had even brought a healer to aid him, and he was in too much pain to deny the help; he nodded his permission, the faster he got there, the better.
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Title: Too Late
Rating: T
Warnings: young death
It hadn't been easy, getting the hurt dragon on his back, what with his wing half ripped off and the total lack of energy on the red horned dragon's part, but Jazz had managed.
It surprised him how far up this dragon lived, and it was only by Primus' mercifulness that they managed to find a path up the mountain in the first place! Dragons would never bother with such a thing, unless they had hatchlings to care for, usually just flying directly from the entrance of their cavern to wherever they wanted and back.
The sound of rushing water caught his attention, probably a waterfall, and he guessed that it was around another corner a ways off. The sigh of relief that left Prowl as he saw the entrance to his cavern debris free echoed through the rocky mountain side. The ledge was barely wide enough for them to pass, and Jazz feared tripping and dropping the hurt dragon over the very sharp drop. He could feel warm blood covering his side and knew he should have gotten the healer as soon as he had found Prowl.
Ratchet was going to kill him.
The entrance itself was small and hidden between two boulders; for a second it looked like no one would fit, but Prowl let himself fall from Jazz's back and crawled to the entrance (not without almost giving Jazz a heart attack with his actions).
After a moment's hesitation, Jazz followed, hearing Prowl mutter the standard spell for a flame to illuminate the dark cavern. The flame would only go out when the caster broke the spell, and would linger without burning, in the air.
Jazz took a moment to look around. It was your typical cave, the entrance a short tunnel that opened into an oval cavern, high enough that he could flare his wings while standing on both feet. In one corner, there was a small water pond, barely big enough for one of them to fit in, but it served its purpose: having a drink on hand. The waterfall he heard earlier probably had numerous water caverns inside the mountain, Prowl being lucky enough to find a cavern with its own water source.
The winds that speared through the air outside did not seem to affect the cozy temperature of the cavern, or it might be another spell. Still, it was a very nice cavern.
A broken cry tore him from his thoughts, and he ran to the other end of the cave, where Prowl was laying on a nest, back to him, both wings slumped in what appeared resignation.
Carefully, Jazz rounded the fallen dragon and his heart clenched as his nose picked up a rotten smell, the sight that greeted him confirming his doubts; Prowl had his head to the ground, nose gently nudging, yet with a hint of desperation, at a grey egg.
"Oh no." He breathed, realization hitting him. Prowl had been trapped for three days, more than enough time for an egg to die without the warmth of it's parents, the recklessness and stubborn actions of before to get back home now making sense.
Prowl had hoped he wasn't too late to save his egg.
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Title: Wounds
Rating: T
Jazz had left Prowl alone, knowing there was no way the dragon would leave his cave, and flew frantically toward the clearing he had found the downed dragon in search for Ratchet, conjuring a spell that would deliver his message ahead, saying that he had found Prowl and he was safe in his cavern.
In truth, he was worried about Prowl, the dragon and not moved from his position, nuzzling the egg affectionately, his tears never drying. He wanted to bury the egg as soon as possible, it wasn't healthy for a carrier to stay too long in the presence of their dead child.
He was about to touch down when a rock hit him square on the head.
"You moron! You should have called me the second you found him! Where did you take him!? Tell me you did not climb up that mountain!" The healer demanded, getting right into the white and black dragon’s face, barring his teeth.
"Wait Ratch', ya can kill me later, listen to meh!" Jazz explained all that had happened, and watched as the healer's expression softened and his eyes turned sorrowful.
"Alright Jazz, take me to him. There’s nothing to be done about the egg, but I can at least heal his wing." Ratchet sighed, picking up the medical leaves he had gathered for Prowl.
Together they flew back to the cavern, and slowly made their way to the back of the cave where Prowl had not moved from his position.
"Prowl?" Jazz called softly, coming up beside him.
The black and white didn't so much as twitch.
Carefully, Ratchet rounded on his other side, and leaned in to take the egg away. It had clearly been dead for at least a day and a half, the small being inside already rotting. It was cruel to leave it without a proper burial and in Prowl’s presence any longer.
He jumped back with a hiss of pain the moment his snout touched the egg, Prowl straightening and snarling at him.
"Don't touch it!"
"It's dead Prowl!" Ratchet returned, trying to lick at the trickle of blood that poured from the bite on his snout.
"Shut up!"
The angered yell turned into a scream of pain. Prowl tried to stand to defend what was his, but too late did he remember that he had torn his wing open again.
"Slag it!" The healer yelled as Prowl fell back on the ground with a loud thump; Jazz barely managed to catch the red horned dragon's head before it hit the hard ground, gently lowering it.
"Jazz, get out there and get me more leaves, I have to bandage his wing up now!"
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Title: Burial
Rating: T
Treating Prowl had been hard, he had gotten an infection, one that would not disappear no matter how many times they boiled water and poured it over the wound mixed with the healing herbs.
Ratchet had used every pain killing spell he knew, rubbed the wound with all his medical herbs and had patiently woven magical threads over the large gap that was once Prowl's wing, making a new membrane. It was a hard process, one that required all his energy, energy he had lost looking for the wayward dragon, but he could not leave the wound open any longer or the new membrane would not take. It had taken all night, and the healer had passed out as soon as he was finished.
Jazz had been instructed to wash the medical leaves he had brought in more water and leave them over the new tissue to help it heal quicker and be accepted by Prowl’s body as part of its own.
Prowl had eventually let go of the rotting egg, and while Jazz didn't like taking it away without the dragon's permission, it had to be buried.
Leaving both dragons sleeping, Jazz left the cavern, his tail wrapping around the egg.
He didn't go far, knowing that Prowl would like to visit his child's grave sooner or later. He made sure he chose a location that was accessible without the need of flight, he doubted the newly woven membrane could be exposed to the strong winds so soon.
The spot the found was fitting, just a bit higher than the cavern, on a large, almost perfectly circled flat ledge, surrounded by tall rocky spirals, right by the waterfall he had heard earlier, another small pond taking up half the ledge. With help from his magic, he opened a small hole in the rock, and gently placed the egg inside, closing the opening with earth he summoned, using his snout to pat it until it was leveled.
Nodding in satisfaction at his work, he laid a few flowers he had gathered from the river earlier. With his last reserve of magic for the day, he took a moment to concentrate, and softly breathed over the tomb.
This was his present to the mourning carrier.
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Title: Recovery
Rating: T
Prowl had wailed miserably when he woke up to find his egg missing. Had screamed and threatened them, before eventually breaking down and crying himself back to sleep, the exhaustion and fever finally taking its toll.
Jazz stayed with him through those dark nights, reciting cooling spells Ratchet had taught him to break his seemingly ever present fever, bringing him water and food, talking to him and even singing soft lullabies.
Prowl went from inconsolable to a state of erie calmness, something that worried him more.
"Prowl." Jazz spoke one night. "It's gonna be okay, this wasn't your fault. Only bad luck." The white and black dragon only nodded and Jazz bit his lip, wanting to ask something that had been bothering ever since the discovery of the egg.
"Prowl…" He began, hesitant. "Where's yer mate?"
Prowl closed his eyes tightly. Would Jazz even understand? He was a wood's dragon, and they were highly social, their type had different traditions, and he doubted Jazz would take what he was about to tell him lightly. But he would anyway, Jazz deserved something after the care and support he had shown him, a mere stranger.
"I have no mate." For a moment, he saw the misplaced grief on Jazz's face, probably thinking his mate was dead, but Prowl quickly corrected him. "It is different, up here. When a carrier goes into heat, the first dragon to… 'smell him out', gets to take them as a prize, but then they move on." He finished, suddenly feeling very tired.
Jazz stared with wide eyes.
What?
A dragon had mated with Prowl and just left!? Jazz couldn't even form any words. It was already bad enough that any dragon would just go and mate with a carrier in heat, but to leave afterwards as if nothing had happened? Leaving a gravid dragon to care for the hatchlings alone!?
He shook his head, appalled, feeling a strange rage rise within him.
"H- how can- argh!" Jazz flared his wings in anger, tail whipping against the floor, snarling at no one in particular.
Prowl was slightly amused by the display, and not for the first time found himself attracted to the black horned dragon.
"It is how mountain dragons are raised, Jazz. It's how I was raised, and many before me." He calmly explained.
"Well Ah wouldn't leave a dragon Ah mated with alone ta raise the hatchlings!" He said pacing the cave's length, muttering to himself.
The words woke something in Prowl. This, of course, had not been his first mating although it had been the first time he had been gravid, granted it had been only one egg. Thankfully, his matings had always been somewhat pleasurable, but he did feel that emptiness and loneliness when his 'mates' left right after they were done. Primus he never once managed to even say 'hello' to the first dragon that found him before he was being pounced on, less of all know their names!
The thought of being courted, like he had heard happened in the forest and rivers, and to never be alone sounded… nice. Very nice. In fact, he found himself wanting a real mate.
Maybe, Jazz…. no. It was stupid, they had only just met! He had lost his first child and he was already thinking about being courted by a dragon he didn't even know?
He thumped his tail in irritation.
Unbeknownst to Prowl, Jazz was having similar thoughts. He felt attracted to the silent dragon. Whether it was because of what had happened, or fate, but he felt loath to leave the hurting dragon alone, specially with what he had just learned. This would mean that Prowl's next heat cycle would bring other dragons to his cavern and… he bristled at the thought. To have careless, lustful dragons near Prowl, specially after the loss of his first child, left him feeling angry and possessive.
No, he would not allow that!
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Title: Tomb
Rating: T
"I want to see the tomb."
Jazz looked up from where he was slowly dozing off. The illuminating flame had been extinguished, the cavern almost pitch black but for the dim light that entered from the small entrance. Any other night it would have been completely dark, but strong winds had temporarily cleared the mist perpetually surrounding the mountain and a bit of moonlight managed to enter.
"Huh? Come again?" Jazz asked groggily, shifting closer to Prowl's nest.
"I.. would appreciate it if you could show me where you buried my child." A small pause, then- "Ratchet said tomorrow I could go for a short stroll." He added somewhat defensively.
Jazz nodded, knowing that the mountain dragon's keen eyes would pick it up even in the darkness.
"Alright, Ah'll take ya tomorrow."
"...Thank you."
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Title: New Start
Rating: T
Prowl was up and waiting patiently on Jazz, the sky still dark outside. Once ready, the forest dragon flew close to the ledge, slowly guiding the mountain dragon, encouraging him to take breaks, to take his time and above all, to be careful. Prowl kept his still healing wing to his side, the medical herbs still tied around it, completely closed so no breeze could catch under it and make it flare; that would hurt a lot, not to mention throw him off the mountain ledge.
The red horned dragon was very grateful that the burial site was not so far up, having underestimated his physical strength. Still, he did not want to worry his unofficial guardian, and tried to keep his pants and tired sighs to himself.
Finally, a few minutes before the sun rose they reached the small rocky opening, and Prowl gasped. In the middle, close to the ledge was a small tomb, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Jazz silently stayed behind, watching as the mountain dragon walked to see his gift up close.
Dragons had all sorts of magic; all had the general magic for basic needs, such as the illumination flare, the dimensional pockets where they could carry their food and other materials. There were those with special magic powers; some had healing magic, like Ratchet, some could control elements, others knew alchemy, and some, though very rare, could even see into the future.
But others, others had a special gift; the gift of creativity. These types were also very rare, and what was known of them was little, but their gift drained them pretty quick, yet they could manage the greatest of masterpieces.
Prowl had no doubt Jazz was one of these dragons, for above the tomb, were a bunch of pure white roses, but they were encompassed in clear crystal, forever preserved. It wasn't much, taking into account what other dragons with this type of magic had accomplished, but it was perfect.
Small, humble, beautiful.
"Thank you." Prowl breathed, his eyes locked on the frozen flowers, a tear escaping down his cheek.
Jazz slowly walked up to his side, gently wrapping a large wing over him in a hug.
"Yer welcome."
Together, they watched as the sun rose, it's first rays hitting the crystal, making lights of different colors dance around the dull grey rocks, gliding across the small pond. Sniffling at the breathtaking sight, Prowl felt for the first time since he saw his dead egg, like he could breath again.
.:~( this way to part 2)~:.
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Like so far? *puppy eyes*
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jazz/Prowl
Characters: Jazz, Prowl, Ratchet, Optimus - Character, Ironhide, Bluestreak, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Red Alert
Additional Tags: AU, Everyone is a Dragon, Fluff, Trigger Warning: Death of Young Life
Series: Part 1 of Draconta
Summary:
AU World were everyone is a dragon. Jazz and Prowl meet under terrible circumstances, but which start a series of events that will lead them to fall in love. More inside.
Author's Notes:
- Draconta is greek for ‘dragon’ meaning 'to watch' as they were often portrayed as guarding things.
- Okay, this is a very long fic of short drabbles. Each drabble has its title and rating, which is why Rating: varies. ... There is only one M scene and it is in part two, and there is a warning so if you don't like M you can just skip it, it doesn't affect the story. Some drabbles have warnings as you will see.
-This first part is mainly angst but part two is romance and fluffy fluff ^.^
Terms:
These are some of the terms I’m using for this fic. Many are used for reptiles like the bearded dragon.
- Gravid: Carrying young or eggs
- Gravid Coloration: Birth markings found in gravid reptiles (some species develop bright red or orange pigmentation on the sides of their heads)
- Clutch: The amount of eggs laid at one time
- Crest: formation on top of a reptiles head.
- Vent: also known as cloaca is a slit on the underside of a reptile at the base of it’s tail which contains genitals, urinary and intestines.
- Crepuscular: active during the evening and early morning hours.
- Diurnal: Active during the day.
- Nocturnal: Active at night.
- Dorsal: Referring to the features on the back or along the spine of the animal.
Other dragon types:
- Heraldic: Two pairs of legs and wings, the typical dragon.
- Wyverns: Winged, serpent-like creatures. They have two legs, a barbed tail, and cannot breath fire and are smaller than other dragons.
- Guivre: No legs or wings, like a serpent with a dragon head.
- Lindworm: Small dragons with one pair of legs and no wings.
- Amphiptere: Basically a serpent with wings, which flings itself at its prey.
The magic is all me XD
- Prowl's form is based on the Fyulong dragon from the manga 07 ghost (though there's isn't a full body pic T.T) and this shadow walker dragon.
- Jazz much like Prowl but instead of fur, scales.
- Optimus on this red dragon but with his coloring.
- Ratchet on this dragon but with the colors described.
- Ironhide like this but without the fairy lady XD
ENJOY!
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Title: Dragons
Rating: K+
The forest was large, surrounding the rocky mountains, their sharp drops and spiky tops a danger to any without wings and even to those who did. The mist that seemed to surround the top proved a perfect cover for the small caverns that went deep into the mountain, home to many dragons.
On the ground, both the weather and the territory seemed more friendly. The trees were almost gigantic even to dragon standards, their untamed branches and showers of leaves home to a variety of smaller dragons, their nests tucked away in the large trunks and even under the trees themselves.
The rivers that flowed like veins around the trees and even up the mountain side were also home to many species. The water dragons were rarely able to fly, their wings helping them swim in the deep and turbulent waters, most of them being an aquatic type of wyvern.
The trees sang with the cries of the dragons, their cheerful and mischievous personalities making them friendly to many, yet sometimes a bit of nuance for those older ones who wished for some peace, and not fruits being dropped on their heads.
The water dragons were a peaceful bunch, playful and kind. Their homes were underwater caverns that had air holes in them, providing a nice safe and cozy home.
Many different species lingered in the forest, and many rested on the lower rocks of the mountain, where the mist never approached, but it was hidden in the mist that many violent and less civilized dragons had their nests. Not much was known about them, their kind rarely leaving the cover of the mist. Water formed on the tops from the glaciers, and fell in waterfalls to flow into the rivers, so they were never seen by the forest rivers, something that pleased the water dragons very much.
They could be seen hunting their prey deeper in the forest, where dragons didn't dwell, but they weren't the types to oppose dinning smaller dragons and mammals, making them very dangerous.
Loners. That much was certain, as they were never seen in groups, not even with their mates, if they had any. The mountain life was a mystery, one that many didn't really care about as long as no trouble came from the unforgiving misty rocks.
They all went about their business, pretending the mountain dragons didn’t exist.
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Title: Earthquake
Rating: T
The day offered clear blue skies with zero clouds visible, warm breezes and lots of sunshine; it was a lovely day to be out and about, to play and fly with no fear of storms or strangers lurking in dense clouds.
A perfect day for living.
And yet, the birds, wild animals and even the dragons themselves were uneasy. There was an odd electricity in the air, and they all knew something bad was going to happen, keeping them and their families near their caverns, ready to protect themselves from harm.
But danger did not come in the form of a visible foe.
The forest seemed to get oddly silent, a silence that was followed by what appeared a far away rumbling, and then it struck. The ground shook, trees swinging this way and that, loud cracks could be heard as the smaller and weaker trees broke from the force of the vibrations.
The dragons in the trees took flight, screaming and shrieking all around. The water dragons left their caverns, their homes becoming death traps, swimming to the shore and wobbling to higher ground. Even with the large size of many, the shockwaves of the earthquake would make the river water rise and waves would soon raze anything in their path.
Shrieks echoed through the looming mountains, the mist shifting as mountain dragons flew away from them, rocks and boulders falling in an avalanche, and many dragons dropped down to help flightless animals escape.
The forest was wild with movement, parts of the ground cracking and forming crevices, the land lifting, the roots of many trees now hanging from the newly elevated pieces of land.
Whirlpools formed by the violent stirring of the water in the rivers, and the landslides the mountains poured only added to the chaos.
From the sky, birds and dragons circled, looking at the devastation, calling to their friends, loved ones, and offering help to any flightless that was in need.
The earthquake could not have lasted more than a minute, and yet so much destruction and loss had been left behind in its shadow.
The dragons touched down near their caverns, some mourning the loss of their homes, others wailing in grief, not managing to get their eggs out in time.
Water dragons dared not approach the river yet, their large size meant nothing to the fury of a river.
A white dragon with grey horns, his legs ending in red, a long red line colored his dorsal was flying from cave to cave, along side other white dragons and their apprentices, searching for any that were hurt to perform their healing magic on.
Large, strong dragons were helping remove debris and tree branches from the paths and those surrounding caverns.
The chaos, and the screaming of all dragons and animals masked the sound of painful wails and call for help from the other side of the mountain.
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Title: Downed Dragon
Rating: T
Warnings: Blood (injuries), cursing
Three days had passed since the earthquake, and things seemed to settle down. Smashed eggs had been cleared and offered proper burial, injured dragons had been healed, caverns freed of any debris, the rivers calm once again, and life was slowly returning back to normal.
In the air, a white and black dragon flew around, taking this break to stretch his wings. He had been fortunate, none of his friends had been hurt, all leaving their caverns as soon as the first vibration had run through the earth. He himself had been hunting, and his cavern hadn't even suffered any damage.
Jazz flew towards the misty mountains. He liked flying around the spiky towers that rose all around the mountain, the strange rock formations his personal playground as he turned left and right, twisted through narrow openings, and dropped down the cliffs, the wind sailing through his wings offering him a kind of freedom only those with wings were privy to; and after all the chaos, he needed the adrenaline rush to unwind.
He never went into the mist though, not only was he unfamiliar with the terrain up there, but he didn’t wish to bother any of the mountain dragons, their intimidating and violent behavior enough to keep even his curious self away.
He came over a sharp drop, a large pool of rocks and boulders at the bottom. Taking in the chaotic sight, he made to turn back when something white caught his attention, the blur contrasting with the grey rocks of the mountain.
Circling around, he flew lower, trying to get a good look. It took him a moment to realize it was a dragon. He gave a shriek, the noise echoing through the mountain and out to the forest. Knowing that least one of the healers flying around making sure their patients were healing nicely would hear him, Jazz dived quickly, flaring his wings at the last moment, letting the wind catch him and slow him down to drop softly next to the white dragon.
Jazz stared at the scene, panic settling in. The dragon was deathly still, a large boulder had pinned him down, the whole of his right wing crushed under its unforgiving weight, body covered in dirt and mud. Unlike most dragons, this one seemed to have light fur instead of scales, and smaller falling rocks had cut him up quite a bit, trickles of blood covering the whole dragon’s body. His horns were red instead of black, as well as his dorsal. Jazz couldn't see his belly, the dragon laying on his front, left wing tucked under him, yet seemingly untouched.
Shaking, he gently nudged the dragon’s head.
No response.
Three days. Three days had passed. If the falling boulder hadn’t killed him, than he must be extremely weak. Summoning a shell with a bit of water, he slowly poured it onto the red horned dragon’s head, and he let out a sigh of relief at the low moan he received.
“Hey, hey can ya hear meh?” He called, summoning more water and nudging the dragon’s head toward him. His face didn’t seem to have much damage, amber eyes blinking up at him in confusion and pain. “That’s it, good lad.” He used his tail to help the dragon drink some of the water he summoned.
“Hey, what’s yer name.” He asked calmly, trying to keep the dragon talking until a healer got there.
“P- Prowl.” Came the hoarse response.
“Hiya Prowl, Ah’m Jazz. Don’t worry, we’re gonna get ya out and all fixed up ‘kay?” He smiled, willing the healers and any other help to arrive soon.
His words though, seemed to break through some kind of haze, and Prowl straightened, long neck lifting and eyes panicked.
“H- how long have I been here!?” He demanded.
Jazz tilted his head, but answered. “From what Ah gathered, probably three days.” He wasn’t prepared for the shock and suddenly struggling to get up.
“Three days!? I must go, I must go now!” Prowl yelled, trying to free his wing, only to hiss in pain.
“Whoa whoa stop! Yer gonna hurt yerself!” Jazz stood up, using his legs to pin the dragon down and keep him from ripping his own wing off. Where was this desperation coming from?
“Let go! I must return immediately!”
Anything Jazz wanted to say back was interrupted by one of the healer’s arrival.
“I’m here!”
“Ratchet!” Jazz was never so glad to see the grumpy healer as he was now, specially the other two much larger dragons behind him.
“Frag!” Ironhide yelled seeing the downed dragon. He was pure grey scales, body large and intimidating, horns sharp on his head, with small ears, yet one of the best hatchling guardians they had.
“Move!” The healer snarled, going to his patient. “What’s wrong?” He asked, seeing the way Jazz was holding the dragon.
“Ah don’t know, Ah told him how long he’s probably been here and he went ballistic!”
Nodding, situation explained and understood, the healer assessed the damage. The bruises and cuts were nothing to worry about and would heal quickly with simple medical herbs. It was the wing that worried him the most, and he couldn’t do anything about that if the didn’t have access to it.
“Alright, Ironhide, Optimus and Jazz I need you to gently, gently get this boulder off him.” He had seen no blood around the rock, and while the dragon did in fact seem to be in pain, it didn’t appear like the wing had suffered severe trauma.
Optimus, a red scaled dragon with a blue belly, grey horns and face, and blue ears approached cautiously, his large wings tucking to his sides so as to keep them out of the way. Jazz slowly let go of Prowl, the dragon seeming to understand their wish to help and calming down, yet watching them cautiously.
Both Optimus and Ironhide stood on their hindquarters, front legs on the boulder’s side, as Jazz came up under them to use his body.
“Alright, push!” Ratchet yelled watching his patient closely for any signs of distress.
For a few seconds, it seemed that the boulder wouldn't budge an inch.
“Harder!” Grunting, the three dragons pushed with all their might.
Prowl made a face and shivered.
“What’s wrong?” Ratchet asked.
“Som- something’s not right.” The healer was about to tell the three dragons to stop when the boulder moved, and there was a sickening crack.
The screams of pain echoed through the mountain, and the four dragons stared in shock and fear as Prowl thrashed, howled and shrieked.
“Stop!” Ratchet yelled, but Prowl’s free wing flapped violently in an attempt to get free, knowing his smaller size away. Jazz ran to his side, trying to calm him but couldn't get near. “Prowl! Prowl calm down!”
Prowl thrashed, pulling at his wing desperately, deaf to their pleas for him to stop. There was a horrible tearing sound and Prowl’s screams seemed to increase, tail swinging from side to side as he continued to pull at his wing.
“Slag it all!” The healer cast a quick sleeping spell and Prowl fell limp to his side, but the damage was done. “Frag! We need to get this boulder off now!” Ratchet practically snarled panicked. Jazz was about to question him when he realized how much blood was flowing from under the rock.
“Frag!” He yelled, going back to the boulder’s side. “Quickly before he bleeds out!”
As one the three dragons pushed as hard as they could. Prowl, even in his induced sleep winced, but with a roar, Ironhide, Optimus and Jazz managed to roll the boulder away, the large rock falling with a thunderous noise on its side.
What it revealed made them gag. The white dragon’s wing was shredded, the membrane ripped open in the middle of the wing. The wrist had been snapped, and he had lost a lot of blood.
“Primus!” Optimus gasped, pulling his own wings tighter to his body, feeling a pain that wasn’t his own.
“Will he, will he lose his flight?” Ironhide asked swallowing hard, injuries like this often left a dragon flightless for the rest of their lives; he had seen dragons go mad due to it.
“Not if I can help it!” The healer snarled, summoning his medical herbs. “Optimus, Ironhide,” He started, summoning a large turtle shell with water. “Use your fire to heat this water up. Jazz, crush these herbs and put them in the water, now!” He demanded while using magic to stop the blood flow, the three dragons quick to follow his orders.
It took them most of the day, but it looked like Prowl would pull through. Optimus and Ironhide laid in the shade exhausted. They had been running around fetching large leaves for the healer to wipe away all the blood and wrap the damaged wing in. Ratchet had spent the day applying herbs and boiling water on the wound to chase away any infection. It was too soon for him to do anything for the broken membrane, and he would need to rest and gather his strength for the amount of magic repairing such damage would require.
Jazz had fallen asleep curled up on Prowl’s other side, and Ratchet couldn’t help the smile that graced his face. He could see where this could lead both dragons to, and he was happy for his young friend.
Making sure everything was in order, he drank a small potion he had made for himself and fell asleep, preparing himself for tomorrow’s surgery.
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Title: Gone
Rating: T
A roar of fury served as their wake up call, Ironhide was immediately up on his feet, searching for any threats he could rip apart, baring his teeth, wings flaring threateningly and tail thumping on the ground in warning. Instead, he saw a furious dragon, cursing and yelling, using his tail to throw rocks randomly, Jazz running for cover as one sailed through the air too close to him for comfort.
“Ratchet calm down!” He yelled.
“I will not calm down!”
Optimus came up to them yawning, far too used to the healer’s antics to be bothered. “What’s going on?”
“He’s gone!” Ratchet snarled.
“Who’s gone?” The grey dragon asked getting annoyed. He did not enjoy being woken up so violently.
“Prowl! That idiot is gone!”
Jazz stared at the spot he had assumed Prowl was still laying in, but it was true: the dragon was gone, no trace of him.
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Title: Search
Rating: T
Underneath Ratchet’s fury was pure worry. If Prowl didn’t get the attention he needed soon, he would lose his flight forever, they needed to find him, and find him fast.
The four dragons went their separate ways, Ironhide searching around the lower mountain side, Ratchet went back to the forest and Optimus to the closest rivers.
Jazz had frantically taken to the sky, flying over the surrounding areas, watching for any sign of the downed dragon. The screams of pain would not leave his head; what was Prowl thinking leaving like that? He shouldn’t have any energy to move after the three days he had spent trapped under that boulder and the drastic blood loss. How could a dragon in such a critical state have vanished? And why would he not have stayed to get healed? Did he not want his flight back at all?
Jazz mulled over these questions and more. He shook his head. If he ever wanted to learn the answers, he first had to find the missing dragon.
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Title: Found
Rating: T
Warnings: Blood (injuries)
Hours passed, and the older dragons were getting tired, but they were all loath to leave the injured dragon out on his own.
“Alright, lets search again, he could have holed up in an empty cavern or between the tree roots.” Optimus said, tiredly.
Ratchet paced furiously, ears flat on his head and tail twitching. “I’m going to rip his other wing when we find him. Stupid dragon!” He hissed, but they all knew he was just as worried.
“Alright guys, lets go, he could be in danger.” Jazz added, flaring his wings and flying to the skies. He flew in place, watching the others leave, Ratchet’s small form running through the forest, Optimus and Ironhide flying low over him.
After some debate, Jazz dropped down where Prowl had been pinned down by the boulder, thinking. In their moment of panic, they had failed to think of the obvious, and Jazz had a bit more understanding of Prowl than they did. The red horned dragon was injured, so he obviously could not fly. There was also the fact that he had panicked when he learned of the length of his time trapped by the boulder.
"I must return immediately!” Prowl had wailed in despair; get back to where? And why the urgency? The black and white dragon had been frantic about, 'getting back', enough to deny himself time to heal. Another thing, amber eyes were very rare and he had only seen them once in a traveling dragon from far away, and that fur. He had seen scales on Prowl but his body was mostly furry, maybe he was a hybrid? He had only seen dragons with fur when he visited the cold mountains a long time ago.
Shocked at this revelation, his eyes turn upward. Prowl was a mountain dragon! Where ever he had to return to was not the rivers, nor the forest, it was the mountains!
Not hesitating, he took flight, flying right into the mist, sharp eyes on the look out, Jazz stayed close to the mountain side, looking for paths and ways Prowl could climb up. He was about to fly lower, doubtful that Prowl could have gone any higher in his state, but a pained groan echoed through the mist, and he quickly flew toward it.
There, just behind some rocks, Prowl was crawling up the rocks, leaving a thick trail of blood behind.
"Prowl!" Jazz yelled, dropping next to him on a protruding rock. He panicked, seeing the trail of blood, the leaves used to wrap his wing in we're nonexistent, and the sharp surfaces tore away at the remaining membrane, but Prowl seemed oblivious to it, in fact, it seemed like he hadn't noticed Jazz at all.
"Prowl stop! You're hurting yourself!"
"Need to get back." Prowl muttered, as if in a trance, eyes focused in front of him, determination and pain reflecting in them.
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Title: Desperation
Rating: T
Prowl crawled up the mountain, claws digging into the hard rock pulling him forward. He had to get to his cavern. Three days! He could not bare thinking about the consequences of his absence for that time.
The downed dragon was blind and deaf to everything around him, he didn't hear the calls of the dragon from earlier, nor did he see the trail of blood left behind by his mangled wing.
All he could thinking about was getting back to his cavern, to his home.
Jazz didn't know what to do. This wasn't a mountain dragon pride thing, where the black and white refused any help. No, Jazz had seen the fear and desperation to get back to his cavern. Could he have a family, and was eager to learn they were alright? The forest dragon trotted along, flaring his wing to catch the passing drifts of wind allowing him to catch up with the surprisingly fast wounded dragon.
"Hey." He called, but the dragon ignored him. Jazz bit his lip in anxiousness, the dragon was losing so much blood, and the rest of his wing's membrane was being ripped by the sharp points of the rocks.
Quickly jumping over Prowl, Jazz stood in his way, determined to at least keep the desperate dragon from losing his flight forever.
"Look, let meh help ya. Ah'll carry ya ta yer cavern, just please stop hurting yourself!" He yelled, whipping his tail against the floor in anger and flaring his wings in an act of dominance, demanding his submission.
Prowl wilted instinctively at the display. A part of him was loath to bring a stranger into his cavern, but Jazz had yet to show him any sign that he meant harm, had even brought a healer to aid him, and he was in too much pain to deny the help; he nodded his permission, the faster he got there, the better.
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Title: Too Late
Rating: T
Warnings: young death
It hadn't been easy, getting the hurt dragon on his back, what with his wing half ripped off and the total lack of energy on the red horned dragon's part, but Jazz had managed.
It surprised him how far up this dragon lived, and it was only by Primus' mercifulness that they managed to find a path up the mountain in the first place! Dragons would never bother with such a thing, unless they had hatchlings to care for, usually just flying directly from the entrance of their cavern to wherever they wanted and back.
The sound of rushing water caught his attention, probably a waterfall, and he guessed that it was around another corner a ways off. The sigh of relief that left Prowl as he saw the entrance to his cavern debris free echoed through the rocky mountain side. The ledge was barely wide enough for them to pass, and Jazz feared tripping and dropping the hurt dragon over the very sharp drop. He could feel warm blood covering his side and knew he should have gotten the healer as soon as he had found Prowl.
Ratchet was going to kill him.
The entrance itself was small and hidden between two boulders; for a second it looked like no one would fit, but Prowl let himself fall from Jazz's back and crawled to the entrance (not without almost giving Jazz a heart attack with his actions).
After a moment's hesitation, Jazz followed, hearing Prowl mutter the standard spell for a flame to illuminate the dark cavern. The flame would only go out when the caster broke the spell, and would linger without burning, in the air.
Jazz took a moment to look around. It was your typical cave, the entrance a short tunnel that opened into an oval cavern, high enough that he could flare his wings while standing on both feet. In one corner, there was a small water pond, barely big enough for one of them to fit in, but it served its purpose: having a drink on hand. The waterfall he heard earlier probably had numerous water caverns inside the mountain, Prowl being lucky enough to find a cavern with its own water source.
The winds that speared through the air outside did not seem to affect the cozy temperature of the cavern, or it might be another spell. Still, it was a very nice cavern.
A broken cry tore him from his thoughts, and he ran to the other end of the cave, where Prowl was laying on a nest, back to him, both wings slumped in what appeared resignation.
Carefully, Jazz rounded the fallen dragon and his heart clenched as his nose picked up a rotten smell, the sight that greeted him confirming his doubts; Prowl had his head to the ground, nose gently nudging, yet with a hint of desperation, at a grey egg.
"Oh no." He breathed, realization hitting him. Prowl had been trapped for three days, more than enough time for an egg to die without the warmth of it's parents, the recklessness and stubborn actions of before to get back home now making sense.
Prowl had hoped he wasn't too late to save his egg.
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Title: Wounds
Rating: T
Jazz had left Prowl alone, knowing there was no way the dragon would leave his cave, and flew frantically toward the clearing he had found the downed dragon in search for Ratchet, conjuring a spell that would deliver his message ahead, saying that he had found Prowl and he was safe in his cavern.
In truth, he was worried about Prowl, the dragon and not moved from his position, nuzzling the egg affectionately, his tears never drying. He wanted to bury the egg as soon as possible, it wasn't healthy for a carrier to stay too long in the presence of their dead child.
He was about to touch down when a rock hit him square on the head.
"You moron! You should have called me the second you found him! Where did you take him!? Tell me you did not climb up that mountain!" The healer demanded, getting right into the white and black dragon’s face, barring his teeth.
"Wait Ratch', ya can kill me later, listen to meh!" Jazz explained all that had happened, and watched as the healer's expression softened and his eyes turned sorrowful.
"Alright Jazz, take me to him. There’s nothing to be done about the egg, but I can at least heal his wing." Ratchet sighed, picking up the medical leaves he had gathered for Prowl.
Together they flew back to the cavern, and slowly made their way to the back of the cave where Prowl had not moved from his position.
"Prowl?" Jazz called softly, coming up beside him.
The black and white didn't so much as twitch.
Carefully, Ratchet rounded on his other side, and leaned in to take the egg away. It had clearly been dead for at least a day and a half, the small being inside already rotting. It was cruel to leave it without a proper burial and in Prowl’s presence any longer.
He jumped back with a hiss of pain the moment his snout touched the egg, Prowl straightening and snarling at him.
"Don't touch it!"
"It's dead Prowl!" Ratchet returned, trying to lick at the trickle of blood that poured from the bite on his snout.
"Shut up!"
The angered yell turned into a scream of pain. Prowl tried to stand to defend what was his, but too late did he remember that he had torn his wing open again.
"Slag it!" The healer yelled as Prowl fell back on the ground with a loud thump; Jazz barely managed to catch the red horned dragon's head before it hit the hard ground, gently lowering it.
"Jazz, get out there and get me more leaves, I have to bandage his wing up now!"
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Title: Burial
Rating: T
Treating Prowl had been hard, he had gotten an infection, one that would not disappear no matter how many times they boiled water and poured it over the wound mixed with the healing herbs.
Ratchet had used every pain killing spell he knew, rubbed the wound with all his medical herbs and had patiently woven magical threads over the large gap that was once Prowl's wing, making a new membrane. It was a hard process, one that required all his energy, energy he had lost looking for the wayward dragon, but he could not leave the wound open any longer or the new membrane would not take. It had taken all night, and the healer had passed out as soon as he was finished.
Jazz had been instructed to wash the medical leaves he had brought in more water and leave them over the new tissue to help it heal quicker and be accepted by Prowl’s body as part of its own.
Prowl had eventually let go of the rotting egg, and while Jazz didn't like taking it away without the dragon's permission, it had to be buried.
Leaving both dragons sleeping, Jazz left the cavern, his tail wrapping around the egg.
He didn't go far, knowing that Prowl would like to visit his child's grave sooner or later. He made sure he chose a location that was accessible without the need of flight, he doubted the newly woven membrane could be exposed to the strong winds so soon.
The spot the found was fitting, just a bit higher than the cavern, on a large, almost perfectly circled flat ledge, surrounded by tall rocky spirals, right by the waterfall he had heard earlier, another small pond taking up half the ledge. With help from his magic, he opened a small hole in the rock, and gently placed the egg inside, closing the opening with earth he summoned, using his snout to pat it until it was leveled.
Nodding in satisfaction at his work, he laid a few flowers he had gathered from the river earlier. With his last reserve of magic for the day, he took a moment to concentrate, and softly breathed over the tomb.
This was his present to the mourning carrier.
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Title: Recovery
Rating: T
Prowl had wailed miserably when he woke up to find his egg missing. Had screamed and threatened them, before eventually breaking down and crying himself back to sleep, the exhaustion and fever finally taking its toll.
Jazz stayed with him through those dark nights, reciting cooling spells Ratchet had taught him to break his seemingly ever present fever, bringing him water and food, talking to him and even singing soft lullabies.
Prowl went from inconsolable to a state of erie calmness, something that worried him more.
"Prowl." Jazz spoke one night. "It's gonna be okay, this wasn't your fault. Only bad luck." The white and black dragon only nodded and Jazz bit his lip, wanting to ask something that had been bothering ever since the discovery of the egg.
"Prowl…" He began, hesitant. "Where's yer mate?"
Prowl closed his eyes tightly. Would Jazz even understand? He was a wood's dragon, and they were highly social, their type had different traditions, and he doubted Jazz would take what he was about to tell him lightly. But he would anyway, Jazz deserved something after the care and support he had shown him, a mere stranger.
"I have no mate." For a moment, he saw the misplaced grief on Jazz's face, probably thinking his mate was dead, but Prowl quickly corrected him. "It is different, up here. When a carrier goes into heat, the first dragon to… 'smell him out', gets to take them as a prize, but then they move on." He finished, suddenly feeling very tired.
Jazz stared with wide eyes.
What?
A dragon had mated with Prowl and just left!? Jazz couldn't even form any words. It was already bad enough that any dragon would just go and mate with a carrier in heat, but to leave afterwards as if nothing had happened? Leaving a gravid dragon to care for the hatchlings alone!?
He shook his head, appalled, feeling a strange rage rise within him.
"H- how can- argh!" Jazz flared his wings in anger, tail whipping against the floor, snarling at no one in particular.
Prowl was slightly amused by the display, and not for the first time found himself attracted to the black horned dragon.
"It is how mountain dragons are raised, Jazz. It's how I was raised, and many before me." He calmly explained.
"Well Ah wouldn't leave a dragon Ah mated with alone ta raise the hatchlings!" He said pacing the cave's length, muttering to himself.
The words woke something in Prowl. This, of course, had not been his first mating although it had been the first time he had been gravid, granted it had been only one egg. Thankfully, his matings had always been somewhat pleasurable, but he did feel that emptiness and loneliness when his 'mates' left right after they were done. Primus he never once managed to even say 'hello' to the first dragon that found him before he was being pounced on, less of all know their names!
The thought of being courted, like he had heard happened in the forest and rivers, and to never be alone sounded… nice. Very nice. In fact, he found himself wanting a real mate.
Maybe, Jazz…. no. It was stupid, they had only just met! He had lost his first child and he was already thinking about being courted by a dragon he didn't even know?
He thumped his tail in irritation.
Unbeknownst to Prowl, Jazz was having similar thoughts. He felt attracted to the silent dragon. Whether it was because of what had happened, or fate, but he felt loath to leave the hurting dragon alone, specially with what he had just learned. This would mean that Prowl's next heat cycle would bring other dragons to his cavern and… he bristled at the thought. To have careless, lustful dragons near Prowl, specially after the loss of his first child, left him feeling angry and possessive.
No, he would not allow that!
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Title: Tomb
Rating: T
"I want to see the tomb."
Jazz looked up from where he was slowly dozing off. The illuminating flame had been extinguished, the cavern almost pitch black but for the dim light that entered from the small entrance. Any other night it would have been completely dark, but strong winds had temporarily cleared the mist perpetually surrounding the mountain and a bit of moonlight managed to enter.
"Huh? Come again?" Jazz asked groggily, shifting closer to Prowl's nest.
"I.. would appreciate it if you could show me where you buried my child." A small pause, then- "Ratchet said tomorrow I could go for a short stroll." He added somewhat defensively.
Jazz nodded, knowing that the mountain dragon's keen eyes would pick it up even in the darkness.
"Alright, Ah'll take ya tomorrow."
"...Thank you."
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Title: New Start
Rating: T
Prowl was up and waiting patiently on Jazz, the sky still dark outside. Once ready, the forest dragon flew close to the ledge, slowly guiding the mountain dragon, encouraging him to take breaks, to take his time and above all, to be careful. Prowl kept his still healing wing to his side, the medical herbs still tied around it, completely closed so no breeze could catch under it and make it flare; that would hurt a lot, not to mention throw him off the mountain ledge.
The red horned dragon was very grateful that the burial site was not so far up, having underestimated his physical strength. Still, he did not want to worry his unofficial guardian, and tried to keep his pants and tired sighs to himself.
Finally, a few minutes before the sun rose they reached the small rocky opening, and Prowl gasped. In the middle, close to the ledge was a small tomb, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Jazz silently stayed behind, watching as the mountain dragon walked to see his gift up close.
Dragons had all sorts of magic; all had the general magic for basic needs, such as the illumination flare, the dimensional pockets where they could carry their food and other materials. There were those with special magic powers; some had healing magic, like Ratchet, some could control elements, others knew alchemy, and some, though very rare, could even see into the future.
But others, others had a special gift; the gift of creativity. These types were also very rare, and what was known of them was little, but their gift drained them pretty quick, yet they could manage the greatest of masterpieces.
Prowl had no doubt Jazz was one of these dragons, for above the tomb, were a bunch of pure white roses, but they were encompassed in clear crystal, forever preserved. It wasn't much, taking into account what other dragons with this type of magic had accomplished, but it was perfect.
Small, humble, beautiful.
"Thank you." Prowl breathed, his eyes locked on the frozen flowers, a tear escaping down his cheek.
Jazz slowly walked up to his side, gently wrapping a large wing over him in a hug.
"Yer welcome."
Together, they watched as the sun rose, it's first rays hitting the crystal, making lights of different colors dance around the dull grey rocks, gliding across the small pond. Sniffling at the breathtaking sight, Prowl felt for the first time since he saw his dead egg, like he could breath again.
.:~( this way to part 2)~:.
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Like so far? *puppy eyes*