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shuthesnake · 1 year ago

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Heya decided to post this here because why not. I've tried something different for the talking. Gonna be honest I don't think people will even see it.

This story was created by this prompt :

https://reddit.com/r/humansarespaceorcs/s/GphKF1B4LS

The room was bustling with activity as the different species were talking, a Dhor was yelling religious litanies about how the Drakanis were unspeakable being wich ooze and tar mixture of a body should be destroyed at all cost and that they were starting to strangely congregate into a bountiful system, it falled into deaf ears as always.

In the other side of the circular room, a Scadani was trying to find a way to get onto the council chair, she wasn't a miniscule speice but was kind of a shortstack, for comparison in humains height she was falling at half, her oval head compensating for about mid ribs but taking that off it was more near the hip area, the chair wasn't a challenge just not really adapted for her voluptuous form, not having hands to push you up and no foot to help for balance it was tricky to get on, after three tries the gray alien finally sit on the beige chair, this long and arduous task made a Calienté snicker, it's sleek black and long body having no trouble with the sitting device, she looked at her with lighting in her oval eye, her three retinas focused on her as she looked away, today was a special day for the Federation, they were accepting humanity within their diplomatic fold.

«Excuse me miss? Can we sit here?»

Looking at her right two humans were there, one had a prestigious and colorful eye-catching attire akin to princes of old as for the female a simple but formal black attire, she was doing what they called smiling, a joyful and kind gesture in their culture...so it would seem.

"Oh of course, the places aren't chosen yet, we had multiple members joining and well it created some organizations problem. I'm Shivi from the Scadani hive mind diplomatic corps your the two human representatives, as you see, life was bountiful into the stars."

Say the short lady as she showed the myriad of colored species of all sort and sizes, a metallic pot would come in a small hovering device, it's red veiny leaves encased into glass, it's membranes started glowing as a sign of welcoming to the newcomers

«Indeed, there must be at least 300 people here? " And we thought we were alone.»

Say the male as he waved at the plant, the light dimmed and the people calmed themselves, at the center of the three round of tables was a big holographic globe, it's blue light emanating from it, the symbol of the federation lighted itself up, a Recaloq would prepare himself to talk, it's feathered velociraptor look made the human whisper enthusiastically as the gray lady smiled to this excitement.

"Ahem...humblgre...Hello greetings! My name is Haznka. As you know, the mission of the federation was to keep the peace, my predecessor failed to keep it...so...nhenh ahem so I will do my best to preserve it, this last war devastated a whole system, were not barbarians anymore and...what did I wanted to say ah yes the multicultural specie act loobies by smaller species for better visibility and accessibility has been vetoed by the Shakans and various anonymous species...nyes..."

This caused outrage into many seats as smaller species have been trying to pass this act into a law for quite some time, the elderly raptor would calm the audience raising his arms.

"I will now invite the Shakan representative to explain himself."

A humanoid man would walk down towards the podium, the female human leaned in to Shivi's ear... wherever it was.

«Is it an armor he's wearing? It looks weird with all these points.»

She turned her head, whispering too putting a hand on the side of her small triangular mouth.

"It's his skeleton on-top it's his helmet, the Shakans are a proud specie of warriors skilled at the blade which they never have far but...a bit outdated in terms of ideas, ouch my head, the hive mind is also unhappy...phew she's calming them down let's hear his points. I'm afraid it'll cause more problems tho they are a bit stubborn and arrogant."

He would take the stand, looking at the crowd towards him before addressing them in a stern and cold voice, for the humains the Shakani accent sounded like old japanese...well an alien version at least.

-<Sheikām! I will be direct, we feel that this law is unworthy and we do not feel honored to have a seat with weaker species, we proved the last predecessor that his philosophy of acceptance was useless but alas...he did not listen! This is outrageous! We will keep vetoing laws that are useless towards the betterment of this federation, only the strong species should vote, what good would a mouse society apport to the federation‽

The Geinu representative brushed its ears and gave multiple angry steps to prove his discontent towards this speech as a giant humanoid, his head encased in a semi sphere of metal, looked at the small critter.

Or even sentient plants they cannot move on their own! >-

The potted plant created various hues of red as its small screen wrote : anger, discomfort, bonehead.

The Shakan continued nevertheless, even more riled up, his first shaking as the lates of his decorative armor shook making cliquetics noises.

-<This is ridiculous if I am to keep being here and keep talking about these reasons I might as well end it in this very room once and for all!>-

While he was riling up the shorter species an older man arrived, its long white beard sign of wisdom or just old age would come behind the two humans as the two were obviously angry, the older man had a relaxed demeanor.

«Are there any ways to prove him wrong?»

The two jumped so did the Scadani, the older gentleman laughed at his little prank, at closer look, he had some smaller species on his shoulders and a pouliko following him.

«Mister Huan Fen your late! It's our first meeting with everyone you can't go around with...uhh...can he look where he's going?»

Said the female as it was clear that pouliko was already dead evolutionary, its gouging eyes looking straight forward as if there was nothing, its long feathered neck trying to support a slightly bigger head, it looked like a chicken mixed with a giraffe but with a lot of bad traits.

«mh... surviving that's the essential. Also huhuhu I had much fun meeting the people creating said law we're discussing, they worked extremely hard to even enter the federation and they approached me to require some aid. From what I remember, the one talking on the stand is a Shakan, yes? They seem to respect might a lot more than ingenuity, a bit blinded by pride that's unfortunate ha ha!»

The old man smiled as he let the smaller alien races that were on it's shoulders get to the table, they would go around the potted plant as it write: Friends. Mister Fen would then go down the aisle his arms behind his back.

«Ahem Excuse me, what would that law affect you? It seem more basic civility to help others besides pushing against a law that should be an easy pass, for example more accessibility for chairs or a simple lever, we could even create a subsection to accommodate, I'm sure this gentleman wouldn't mind to not have to be careful about his steps.»

Say the older man pointing to the giant as he nodded, the Geinu was still enraged, yelling in its dialect and swinging in the air to the amusement of the taller humanoid.

The Shakan was taken aback a bit but straightened his pose.

-<Ah you're the humain representative, your speice have a long history of war. I respect that but you need to understand that most of these smaller races didn't even build ships, they mostly ferry around in others taking up space, only the plant over there created spaceships and again what can they even bring to the Federation? Surely no defense pact or anything practical of the sort we shouldn't have accepted any of them if they can't even be helpful nor should we try to elevate them! I'm talking to you lizard face!>-

Say the armored alien pointing to a Xichi representative, its long arthropod figure rises up as its frills would grow in anger as he spoke in a formal but angered tone.

"How dare you disrespect the heavenly kingdom of the stars! We have the right to elevate who we wants it is our heavenly sacred duty and-"

«enough! Enough you've made your point. But still it seems it's a dysfunctional federation here. We are all different, sure this plant cannot best you in combat but they excel in medical and older technologies, the Geinu helped demine some sectors, it's not always might or war prowess that can help keeping peace, especially when your the one creating war isn't it true?»

The Shakan shivered, it seemed Huan had touched a sensible point to him, his pride, the elderly raptor had been a bit useless in this debate, due to it's old age his mind had been wandering all this time he had been looking blankly at the exchange before finally snapping out of it.

"Ahem! That's all? I'm sure we can resolve this at a later date, we have a big schedule and-"

Some cries erupted in the audience as the Shakan had a hand on his sword, visibly not happy to lose face and being publicly humiliated he had stepped down from the podium, walking towards the old man, stopping at a reasonable distance.

-<That's enough! I will not be disrespected by someone defending mices and plants I want a duel>-

Hanzka let out a gasp before trying to appease the situation.

"Now now, no need for violence, we are civilized."

Huan laughed a bit as the head of the chamber stopped his talking, a bit taken aback too.

«If it's a fight to pass a law I don't mind, I'll even do it without hurting you or at least nothing too major.»

Said the gray haired man as he would go into a fighting position the Shakan scoff but did his formal gesture for combat, taking his scabbard in his hand, going into a fighting position as well.

-<A fight to pass a law, I like your thinking sir. If I win I'll pass embargo laws against anyone i deem weaker than my people.>-

«If I win, you'll have to pass the law and apologize for your attitude...or not, at times like this nothing is certain.»

The two would start to circle around, gauging each other, the white armor the Shakan let out a yell and, in an instant it's scabbard got deflected and he was already losing his footing, he would roll and get back on his feet, while the human had this damn smile, he couldn't draw his sword as his opponent did not had a weapon.

-<this dose seem unfair, I have a weapon and you don't.>-

Relaxing his pose, Huan smirked a bit before smiling, looking at his opponent as he put his hands behind his back.

«It is now? I let mine on the ship, how about we fight equally?»

The Shakani taught for a bit but his pride was clouding his judgment as a lower official, he needed any win he could achieve, an honorable one was much more rewarding than drawing his sword.

-<very well>-

Putting his sheathed sword delicately on the side he would get back into the circle.

«I reckon I can stop this fight in three seconds, whenever your ready.»

This was the last straw for the Shakan, in a rage he propulsed himself upward, doing a flip to then quickly put his leg down towards the old bearded man, the humain admired his martial form before blocking it, extending his hand and made him flip as he fell on the ground stomach first in a loud noise.

The smaller aliens cheered of joy as the law was passed and the Shakan pride taught a good lesson of cause consequences.

The end, not as cool as I wanted, but I had a lot of fun doing it!))

Wanna see a starring list xD Raptor as Mitch McConnell guy was in his own world half the time.))

This was done in two days, kinda proud of myself.))

#humans are space orcs #creative writing #writing prompt #ocs #aliens #reddit #humans and aliens

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readyplayerhobi · 5 years ago

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Storm Bringer | 01

; Drakken Rider!Taehyung x Drakken Rider!Reader

; Genre: Fantasy, fluff, future smut

; Warnings: Violence

; Word Count: 5.8k

; Synopsis: Drakken riders are the pride of Falrayne and you take pride in your place as a protector of your homeland. But what happens when you meet a drakken rider you never expected from another nation?

; A/N: I split this in two so there will be a second part. I felt this was a good place to end this part but who knows! Please let me know what you think by commenting, reblogging or sending an ask! I’m not sure if it’s actually like...good because it’s more world building stuff than usual and yeah.

The autumn night is quiet around you, the air calm and still as you watch out over the wall towards the dark forest that looms hundreds of metres away. A cool wind, pleasant after the unusually warm day, blows through the tall trees that have stood careful watch for centuries.

It’s so loud that you can hear the rustling of the leaves even from here on the tall, stone wall that has surrounded and protected the ancient city and castle of Drakanis for over five centuries. The sky itself is clear without a hint of cloud to block your vision, the pale face of the moon shining brightly while far off stars twinkle softly against the vast expanse of nothing.

Leaning over the edge of the grey, worn stone, you peer down at the inky blackness of the still water of the moat that surrounds the whole city. From this direction, the only thing visible is the moon kissed gentle meadow that butts up to the wild Rikara forest. In the daytime, you would be able to see the white capped peaks of the Ikana mountains far off in the distance.

Still, despite how calm the night seems, you shake your limbs slowly while rolling your head to stretch out the muscles. You’re tense tonight, and you don’t know why. Nothing has happened on the boundaries of Drakanis for over a moon now, and you’re worried that it means something is going to happen.

A calm before the storm.

Running your fingers over your arm, you try to comfort yourself quietly. The space in front of you is quiet, but the city of Drakanis is alight with folk enjoying their evening. Most don’t even remember that people like you exist, which is good you suppose.

It means that you’re doing your job well.

The flickering flames of the nearby torch sat in a sconce on the wall of the watchtower lights up the walkway upon which you stand, causing your armour to glint in the gentle light.

Due to your status, your armour is far more flexible and forgiving than that of the foot soldiers. Fine black titanitus ring mail protects your chest and stomach, sitting on top of supple and well worn black leather under which a soft cotton shirt helps to provide warmth while also preventing chafing. The same leather makes up your trousers while knee high boots adorn your feet and calves.

Your armour is light and fast. In comparison, the normal armour of a foot soldier is a full suit of mail, heavy and cumbersome. Titanitus was far too rare and expensive to waste on a whole army of what were often deemed expendable soldiers in war. But drakken riders were a different species altogether.

You needed to be fast and quick on your feet, able to slash and hack with the razor sharp titanitus daggers that were sheathed at your hips. Years upon years of training meant that the bow and quiver of arrows at your back could be drawn and fired quickly.

But the most important reason is because of the colourful tattoo that wraps around your left arm like a mother’s embrace. Everyone knows what that tattoo is; what it means. Every drakken rider has one, each different and unique but all taking pride of place on their arm.

For it is not a tattoo at all, but your drakken. To most onlookers, it was just a pretty picture inked into your skin that never moved. But it wasn’t.

Drakken were living creatures; creatures of great size and power, ferocious and fierce. A rider’s drakken appeared when they turned ten, slithering up their arm before settling in for the rest of the rider’s life. The only way they lost their drakken was through death.

The rider’s death, that is, for drakken themselves are immortal.

And that is because drakken are a physical manifestation of their rider’s soul, allowing them to wield their inner power in a physical form for their own protection. Upon the rider’s death their soul was released and reborn, and ten years later their drakken would return once more.

For millennia, drakken riders have formed an integral part of the defence of the kingdom of Falrayne. Drakanis itself was named after the legendary creatures as it is rumoured that the land this city sits upon was the first time riders discovered drakken. They were now common in every kingdom of course, but it was well known that the drakken riders of Falrayne are amongst the best.

Or maybe that was just your patriotism talking, given that you were a member of the Falrani Royal Guardians. This year had seen you assigned to protecting the walls from any potential danger, which usually meant it was a pretty boring job in reality.

The only real action border guards got were the occasional brave raiders who sought to pillage the outer buildings of the city. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the closer to the centre of Drakanis one got, and therefore the castle, the richer the land and its occupants. This far out, only soldiers and the poor made their living.

Which meant raiders either had a good time, or a very bad time.

But they've been silent lately. Commander Min, the leader of your regiment, was convinced that it was a sign that the ranger force he had put together in recent years was finally working. Park Jimin, a close friend of yours, was a ranger and their jobs were to scout out the land surrounding Drakanis and sabotage any raider camps they came across.

You weren’t so sure though.

“Quiet tonight.” A soft voice speaks out, causing you to spin around on alert immediately. Jungkook is lucky, you think to yourself as you pause just before the razor edge of your dagger slices into his soft, vulnerable throat. He simply stands there though, dark brow raised over his crimson eyes and not a hint of fear on him.

“I could’ve killed you.” You mutter to yourself, lowering the knife before sheathing it once again. The older man snorts, rolling his eyes before leaning against the rough wall and peering out at the dense darkness of the forest.

“That would mean you’ve had poor training. The very fact I snuck up on you is bad enough.” Sneering at him, you gesture rudely to him before turning back to the expanse of land beyond. Jungkook could be nice and sweet when he wanted to be, but he was just as often a stuck up asshole. Jimin was convinced it was because his drakken spoke fire, but that just usually meant they were volatile or exceptionally passionate about their interests like Commander Min.

No, the fire drakken rider shared more personality traits with the cooler ice drakken’s. Or maybe he was just an asshole sometimes, who knows? He was a competent rider though, so you would never bitch too much about him.

And he was truly sweet sometimes. It made it easier to forgive his grumpy moments.

“I acknowledge my failings there. I was...distracted. It is quiet. And I don’t like it.” You mumble to yourself, resting an elbow against the rounded top and scanning carefully. Jungkook doesn’t respond for a moment before sighing.

“I agree. I don’t believe Commander Min’s words, as much as it pains me to go against him. The ranger’s have been operating for years now and yet the raiders don’t seem to care. They just reorganise easily and come back. No...something’s going on. Inferno isn’t happy either, he’s...antsy. Especially with the delegation from Ixilos here. This is prime time to raid, our attention is split and most of our riders aren’t even here right now.” Concern laces his voice and you find yourself nodding without even realising.

“My drakken shares your concerns.” King Seokjin from the neighbouring kingdom of Ixilos had arrived yesterday for the month long trade negotiations with Queen Siyeon and he had brought his own regiment of soldiers with three accompanying drakken riders. It meant that Drakanis was focused on the protection of the foreign royal and so a skeleton crew had been left on the city walls.

Particularly given how quiet it had been lately. But that was a mistake, you could just tell.

“Has Hoseok seen anythin-” You’re cut off from asking your question, wondering if your fellow rider on the other side of Drakanis has seen anything. Jungkook moves between everyone to get reports and pass on information, but the sound of a horn blaring from the forest gets both of your attention immediately.

“That’s a ranger.” Jungkook states, the sound of the horn long and loud. It blares for a few seconds before fading away and the both of you stand, tense as you watch a flock of birds rise from the trees in surprise.

One horn for a warning.

Second horn for help.

Nothing sounds afterwards, and you both look at each other warily. Were you both right? Was there going to be an attack and a ranger in the forest had found something? Neither of you moved as you hadn’t been called to help so far; your defence would potentially only be needed here on the wall.

“Maybe they just found some-” A second horn wails into the night, the sound long and low before rising to a high pitch at the end. Someone calling for help from the riders. Someone who’s life is on the line.

“Go. Now. I’ll find someone to help you, both of us can’t leave this part undefended.” Jungkook hand presses against the small of your back, pushing you towards the edge of the wall. Your weapons clank as you climb onto the flat expanse of stone and stand steadily for a moment.

The dark water stirs below as a fish jumps upwards, landing back with a soft plop and the wind whispers as it caresses your face, the slight force of it causing your body to shift as you rebalance yourself. Looking down at Jungkook, you nod firmly.

“I’m sure you’ll see when we find them. Be fast about it.” His head tilts towards you before a hand presses to the flesh of his left arm, chin bowing down.

“Ride fast and true.” The words are said to every drakken rider when they depart on a mission. They were also the words spoken to those who were dying; the culture of drakken riders believing that the drakken transported their souls to their next bodies. A rider never stopped riding, even if they didn’t know it.

You don’t respond to him verbally, simply bowing your head back before stepping off the edge of the wall. For a few seconds there is simply nothing as you free fall past the ancient walls, eyeing the water that fast approaches with a measured eye.

The imposing walls of Drakanis are twenty metres high from the ground up, but it takes only seconds to reach the bottom.

Only mere metres before the bottom, your arm burns violently for a second before the air crackles and shimmers with heat and electricity. A blinding flash erupts and lights the area surrounding you until you would swear it was daylight once more and not the middle of the night.

Solid flesh fills the gap between your thighs and your hands automatically move to rest on the strategically placed horns on your drakken’s neck. Feet slide against the rigid scales that form almost a stirrup to keep you in place and the wind stops rushing against your face as you lower it behind her thick, muscled neck.

There’s a brief moment of stillness before great and powerful wings beat furiously and you begin to rise back up at a rapid pace. Water sprays violently into the air as you do so, bitterly cold where it touches your bare skin, but you’re both climbing back into the air quickly. Each smooth movement of your drakken’s wings takes you further from the castle, her body working like a finely tuned machine beneath you.

She feels strong and warm against the cool air surrounding you, her impenetrable scales rough beneath your fingers as you run your hand along her shoulder. Drakken are enormous beasts, and you make a tiny figure atop her.

Stormbringer came to you on your birthday in the midst of a giant electrical storm that had raged for days, wrapping her way around your wrist tightly as lightning had hit the ground furiously. She had whispered her name to you once settled and everyone had agreed that they had never heard a more apt name.

Her scales were black with a violet shimmer, the colour shifting between various shades of purple before lightening to a pale lilac on her stomach that mixed with silver. In the daylight she was beautiful, in the night time she was made a terrifying sight.

She was storm borne flesh, and you shivered with the power you felt within her.

A wingspan of ten metres and a wickedly long tail that was spiked every few inches, combined together beautifully with her glinting ebony talons and razor sharp pearl teeth to make her a formidable beast. It was easy to see why drakken riders most often chose to give themselves in service to their country, for power like that of your drakken would be wasted anywhere else.

“Fly fast Stormbringer, someone needs our help.” You whisper to her, the sound lost in the wind as it whips past your face but she hears anyway. A brief turn of her long head lets you see the amethyst of her eye, pupil slitted before she’s turning back and her wings beat faster to propel you along.

An ear splitting roar leaves her, chest vibrating as she calls out to let the ranger know that you’re coming. A moment later, a flaming arrow flies into the air from the road that bisects the forest in two and you both sweep down to it, wings billowing out wildly as she slows and descends.

Keen eyesight, enhanced by the drakken you ride, lets you see the familiar blonde hair of Jimin and you frown in confusion. Why wasn’t he using his own drakken? Frost Fang was more than capable of protecting him and yet he hadn’t called for him. And for that matter, why hadn’t Frost Fang come to his defence anyway?

A drakken did not need permission to save their rider.

But he was running...or stumbling more like. Falling over himself and wincing as his palms hit the stoney road before scrambling back up. It was then that you realised what was wrong. He was injured, enough to make him limp while running but not injured enough to not allow him to flee instead of fighting.

A ranger was all about stealth, and he evidently thought that he could get away without resorting to his drakken. He wasn’t trained like you were for full scale fighting against multiple enemies, they trained rangers more like assassin’s. One on one in the darkness of the night.

As far as you knew, rangers mainly used their drakken to move from one place to the other and if they could avoid it, they simply didn’t use them. Jimin was close enough to Drakanis to know that he could simply call for help to take care of his problem and allow him to simply slip away into the night, retreating back home.

You were the muscle here, the deadly hammer to his silent arrow.

The horsemen cantering behind him out of the forest were giving chase, shouting loudly as he ran down the road as fast as he could to Drakanis. He just needed time to get away from them. A distraction. Or a way to eliminate them entirely.

Squeezing your thighs, you direct Stormbringer down. Her wings pull in tight to her body and she drops, your stomach flying as she descends like a comet to the ground before her wings flare open at the last second, creating a terrifying image as the moonlight catches her scales and they see her properly for the first time.

Almost immediately, the horses sense danger and scream in fear, rearing and bucking off their riders desperately before galloping as fast as they could away from the drakken. Some riders don’t even get the chance to land and simply hold on for dear life.

The raiders were shouting to each other below you, their language foreign to your ears but you don’t need to speak it to know what they’re doing when they pull their weapons and aim them towards you.

“Stormbringer!” You shout over the beating of her wings and she responds immediately, chest expanding as the air around you snaps and crackles while your nose scents metallic on the breeze.

A veil of deadly electricity bursts forth from her menacing jaws, the bolts sizzling as they burst through the air before a boom erupts as it hits the ground. Some bolts are small and thin, arcing off into nothing but the main stream is thick and blindingly white, tinged in purple along the edges. It hits a man straight on and he doesn’t even get a chance to scream, his body burning up almost immediately from the sheer voltage running through him as she continues to attack.

A high pitched noise buzzes past your head and you turn quickly, noting the arrow flying past before turning back to note more have come flooding out of the trees. It’s like four raiding camps have all converged into one and you frown, noting the way their archers immediately take up position with a knee on the ground to steady themselves and arrows stuck in front of them like a strange fence for easy firing.

They could never kill Stormbringer, but they don’t have to kill her. They just have to kill you. No rider, no drakken.

The voraciously loud crackle and sizzle of energy fizzles out as she pauses to inhale, giving the raiders who had managed to avoid the lightning discharge time to fan out in a more defensive position. It causes you to frown in confusion, wondering why on earth they were being far more bold and boisterous than normal.

The mere appearance of a drakken was usually enough to make them start running, too afraid of death or serious injury to want to take on one. Drakken were simply too big, too powerful and too invulnerable to take on without the backing of an army behind them. Taking you on like this was just...well it was suicide.

Behind you, the horn blares twice again and you twist on top of Stormbringer as you spot Jimin’s form still running far down the road. You were here already, why was he calling for more help? Why was he running so scared? With this many raiders, no one would have condemned him for fleeing on Frost Fang.

You’re so busy pondering over this bizarre situation and trying to avoid the arrows that fly towards you, most of them simply pinging harmlessly off Stormbringer’s scales with a metallic clang, that you don’t notice the air heating up rapidly. Your drakken’s electricity superheats the air anyway, and you figure that she’s just getting ready for another blast at the humans who are attacking her.

But then you realise the air is calm, the hair on your arms isn’t rising and the air doesn’t get that faintly metallic scent that occurs when Stormbringer attacks. She’s roaring for sure, obsidian claws that gleam purple swiping at those closest while her spiked tail flails and impales a man who had tried to sneak up behind.

“What the…” You whisper before cursing softly as one of the men who has just run out of the trees suddenly shimmers, the air around him causing everything to look funny for a moment. Like a mirage on the hot sand dunes of the Marakkian desert. “Oh shit.”

A bright flash of light takes up your vision, causing you to wince and cover your eyes while laying as low to Stormbringer’s neck as you can get. She screeches in displeasure at the sight before her. When you look up, you send a silent thanks to Jimin for carrying on blowing his horn.

Because you’ll need back up for sure.

A drakken on its own is more than capable of fighting hundreds of people, as long as their rider doesn’t get killed. But a one on one drakken fight? The odds aren’t so favourable then.

The roar that erupts out of the enemy drakken is deep, far deeper than your own, and it feels like it reverberates through your very soul. Goosebumps pimple all over your body at the sound and you cringe back on Stormbringer, your hesitance and sudden fear causing her to pause and shift back uncomfortably.

You’d never fought another drakken, not like this. Not in a real fight, where it could mean your death. Falrayne wasn’t at war with anyone, so drakken riders were relegated to simply routing out or preventing raiders. Glorified bodyguards.

But now you’re looking straight into the molten red eyes of an enemy drakken, his own black scales shimmering ruby red in the torch fires of the raiders surrounding him. His rider sits atop him, the dark leather of his armour almost invisible in the blackness of the night but you can imagine the smug look he’s likely wearing at your visible shock.

You need to kill him. That’s the only way you’re getting out of this fight alive, because if you run then they will continue on to Drakanis. Sure, he’d probably get run off by the other riders but probably not before these horrible excuses of people have commited mass murder and damage. They cared nothing for human life, only for what they could gain. Some were just outright murderers.

No, you had to fight him. Even if it was to just hold them off and perhaps thin out the herd before backup could arrive. Stronger back up to take him on.

How you wished Jimin had stayed, but you knew he needed to warn them. And besides, his soulmate was back home. He had someone to get home to. You didn’t. You had Stormbringer, and that was it.

“Fuck. Okay big girl...we’ve gotta be careful. You focus on the other one and I’ll try and take some of these out.” Your words are low, but there was no need as you doubt anyone could hear over the hissing of the two drakken as they slowly paced from side to side, eyes firmly on the other.

In the blink of an eye, you have your bow over your shoulder and drawn with an arrow before you’re firing. The shrill sound of the woman as she falls to the ground, arrow lodged firmly in her throat as she bleeds out, causes chaos to erupt on the forest road.

The enemy drakken’s mouth begins to glow a dangerous red, melting to white, before a stream of staggeringly hot fire bursts past you, hitting Stormbringer’s wing and causing it to glow an odd violet for a moment before she screams in anger. You panic for a moment, wondering if perhaps another drakken can kill a drakken before you remember the stories of old.

No drakken has ever died, only its rider. You certainly didn’t want to be the one to put that theory to the test though, so you simply prayed to the gods that it would still hold up.

Your ears pop as the air sizzles and your drakken fires a returning shot, the bolt of lilac lightning sparking through the air and hitting the other squarely in the face. It shrieks before rearing up, huge wings spanning out until you can see the dark veins through the translucent skin that’s lit by the glow of electricity.

A raging inferno is slung straight back and you manage to fire off another arrow, killing another raider while ducking below a retaliatory one, before Stormbringer’s wings flare out. There’s a moment of fear as the superheated fire zooms towards you in a concentrated blast before you’re suddenly slammed down onto the titanitus hard scales beneath you as your drakken takes to the air in one harsh beat of her wings.

The backdraft causes those closest to her to fly backwards, thudding against the trees where they simply slide down into a messy heap. You’re not sure whether the force was enough to kill them, but they don’t get up so you class that as a win anyway.

Stars vanish rapidly as the dark sky soon becomes a painting of orange fire and white electricity, each powerful and deadly attack brightening the forest below you as the two drakken fight each other viciously. You cling on desperately as they exchange blows, watching the other as carefully as you can and indicating to Stormbringer when to turn to avoid an attack.

Sometimes she does it automatically, but other times you foresee a move before she does and it’s only thanks to your command that you both avoid the blazing inferno as it sizzles past you. It’s a dangerous game of cat and mouse that you’re both playing, only you’re both mice sat atop horrifyingly large cats.

“We need to get the rider.” You shout out. There’s no real need to talk to her, she’s part of you and understands your instincts probably better than you do. But it makes you feel like you’re actually doing something because for as impressive as it probably looks, this fight was practically all drakken and no rider.

If the other hadn’t been here, then she would have probably listened to you more for tactics in the fight. But this was a fight between two drakken and you let her take the lead because you had no idea how to fight another drakken. And you had no memories of fights centuries gone, but she evidently did.

Which is why you have to hold back a scream as she swoops down suddenly, claws expanded before you both slam into the other drakken, the sound loud as your teeth jar together from the force of the impact. Large jaws with razor sharp teeth snap towards you, missing you by mere inches as you duck before stabbing wildly.

The only acknowledgement from the other drakken that you’d hit it with your dagger is a hiss of anger before the air superheats once more, causing you to yell at Stormbringer to let him go. Their fight was even fiercer up close as they clawed and snapped, but it would all be for nothing if you ended up being killed because of it.

Almost immediately she lets go, wings spreading out and catching an air current as she soars higher while the blast of flame flies wide from behind you. Turning, you note them give chase and wonder how you’re meant to do this. How you’re meant to win.

Getting Stormbringer to attack would be pointless as the electricity would just bounce of the drakken’s scales. And the other rider was too smart to let you both get above him in the vain hopes of knocking him off or grabbing him.

A sudden sharp pain causes you to yelp, your hand immediately wrapping around your bicep as you look down in surprise at the cut flesh there. Glancing down, you note the arrows still being fired into the air from the raiders.

One of them got lucky apparently. Hissing, you grip Stormbringer tighter as you try to ignore the way your blood cools rapidly on your arm from the chilly wind and turn her, hoping to sweep around quickly and come up behind.

She’s not fast enough for it, you’re sure, but it would at least be a maneuver that will put you out of reach of the raiders. Breath misting in front of you as she turns, your thighs tighten around her as you hold on from the sharp angle she’s taking. The first thing a drakken rider learns is how to not fall off, and you’re certainly not going to lose this battle simply because you couldn’t keep your seat.

But then you stare dumbly at the other drakken as it shrieks in frustration and anger when a blast of solid ice hits it like a hammer, the substance shimmering in the moonlight where it ices over the drakken’s wings and solidifies rapidly. Its movements become sluggish and slow, wings stuttering as they try to work through the ice and its rider begins beating at the crystal with a sword in anger.

You don’t question it though and immediately swing Stormbringer into action, turning her and whispering for her to fly fast. The opposing drakken’s mouth begins to brighten, air shimmering once more as it superheats and you scream for Stormbringer to move faster as the ice glistens and starts to melt fast.

It’s not fast enough though and it only takes a second for your drakken’s talons to grasp the other rider fiercely, the sheer force of being grabbed at such speed either killing or knocking him out as the other drakken screams before disappearing in a flash of light, the only sign he’d even existed being the scent of burning he leaves in his wake.

Slowing down, you turn back towards the raiders before seeing another drakken flying along the forest path, great golden wings tinged in rose gleaming in the light of its flames as it burns everything in its path. Lyra, Commander Min’s wife, with her drakken Ember. The help Jimin was calling for.

Almost immediately the forest goes up in flames, ancient trees burning rapidly as the drakken fire incinerates everything in its path. But the wildfire is stopped when a burst of frozen ice comes from a second drakken, cooling everything down and preventing a natural disaster at Drakanis’ front door.

You don’t recognise this rider, causing you to squint at the one you presume had distracted the enemy for long enough for you to catch him. His drakken is snow white, scales shimmering prettily under the moonlight with the softest hint of ice blue seeping into the pale scales while aquamarine eyes watch the ground as he puts out the fire.

The rider wears armour of gold, pink and purple; the colours of Ixilos and you ponder why a rider of a foreign nation has come to your aid. Or why your Commander’s pregnant wife has come too.

Gliding down to Lyra where she waits, Ember hovering in the air with great, strong flaps of her wings, you call out a greeting. “Lyra! Thanks for coming, but why are you here? Where’s Jungkook or Commander Min?”

“There was another attack on the other side of Drakanis. They’ve gone to stop that so we came here. We’re the only riders combat trained who weren’t protecting the palace or already out on a mission.” She calls back, shouting over the sound of wind and wings while her blonde hair flies wildly.

“Who’s the Ixilos rider?” You shout, pointing towards the other drakken rider who is sweeping over the forest and putting out any stray flames. Lyra’s gaze follows him as well, her blonde hair almost white in the moon before looking back to you.

“Kim Taehyung, he’s one of the three riders from Ixilos. We had no one else with ice spare and we knew that we needed one when we saw the flames in the sky. We had no choice but to accept his help when he offered.” Her voice is almost lost as Stormbringer swoops down for a moment before rising beneath Ember once more.

You frown and nod before gesturing back towards the city. “Okay. Go back to Drakanis. We’ve got him and I don’t think there’s anything left of the raiding party. I don’t want you out any longer than necessary. You know what Commander Min will say.”

“Commander Min will acknowledge that I did good. He doesn’t get to say anything else.” She smirks before nodding in return and turning Ember around, her long golden tail running along Stormbringer’s stomach and neck gently as they leave to make their way back to the glowing lights of Drakanis. That leaves you with the foreign rider, Taehyung, and you turn to talk to him, squeezing for your drakken to move forward.

Only she lets out a noise you’ve never heard before, half scream and half what you always call the drakken version of a laugh. Suddenly, you’re being jerked forward as she swoops down, the muscles beneath your thighs working hard to keep you in place from her speed.

You panic for a second that she’s attacking the rider and you’re about to call out to her when you realise the foreign drakken is also coming forward rapidly, happy chirps and rumbles leaving both their throats until they’re flying together, heads rubbing while they hover over the forest.

“What the…” The words freeze in your throat as you finally catch the eye of the rider, his glacial blue eyes bright even in the darkness. He’s handsome, beyond handsome. A straight, cut jawline leads to soft lips while strong brows frame his pretty eyes beneath dark hair. It’s almost like time freezes as you stare at him, allowing you to take in all these tiny signs in mere seconds, despite the darkness of the night.

You’d like to say that you had some physical sign that told you what had just happened; quickening breath, a stuttering heart, butterflies in your stomach. But you had nothing except confusion, mirrored in his own expression.

It’s only when the two drakken lock wings together, swirling in the sky before dropping swiftly while fully entwined that you understand. And you understand because they begin to sing.

Melodious sounds rumble from their chests, dancing high and low between each other and harmonizing like a pair of singers who have practiced together for years. It’s beautiful, and it’s eerie because Stormbringer has never made such sweet, pleasing sounds. A drakken is renowned for its roar, its snarls and its growls.

But the song is more than your drakken, you know that as you close your eyes, feeling the wind rush past you as the two unlink and soar together side by side, the tips of their wings brushing ever so slightly as they fly. Your drakken is part of your soul, and your soul is singing in happiness.

Opening your eyes again, you ignore the dark canopy of trees that stretches out beneath you or the fast approaching light of Drakanis. Instead, you just look over to the man sitting atop his ice white drakken, gold armour glinting in the light of the moon. He does the same, scanning you over with this pale eyes of his before his lips quirk into the tiniest smile.

Stormbringer was singing because she’d found your soulmate.