Page 11 of Lyric

The other dragon let out a huge roar of anger as he hit. I smelled the omega close by.

Lyrican huffed as he righted himself, backing off. We kept the bigger dragon in view as it took longer to recover. But out of the corner of our eye we saw the human dart behind us. The young man knew instantly that we were now his protector.

The big dragon lunged forward. Lyrican snapped and spit fire, turning to whip his tail toward the other animal as he showered us in flame and embers. It was useless. Fire was not a weapon dragons used on other dragons efficiently.

Lyrican placed himself directly into the fire burst to protect the omega who was hiding behind us. The stranger lunged and we grappled again. Amidst the gnashing of teeth and scraping of claws, I still kept most of my clarity. I wondered why the omegadidn't take the opportunity at this moment to shift and fly away. Was he injured?

It didn't matter. Lyrican and I had decided once we heard the omega’s screams that he was now ours to guard. It was pure instinct. As if the omega was ours and we'd already claimed him.

It was a strange feeling to share this instinct, this truth. Omegas were so rare in our country that the only ones we'd ever known were either relatives or the mates of others we were acquainted with.

In the old days, dragons fought to the death over omegas. But these were modern times. We weren't fighting to stake a claim. Simply, this omega was in danger and instinct demanded we defend him.

Lyrican and the interloper were on hind legs now, scratching and biting at more vulnerable areas of the underbelly and joints where scales didn't completely cover the area. Pain ebbed and flowed, but like a distant annoyance that didn't interfere with the mission at hand.

Wings flapped. We rose up through the trees bringing the other dragon with us. With no time to look down to see if the omega was safe, we thrashed through the trees to get to a clearer space. Air fighting was easier for big beasts. But it was also more dangerous. If a wing became damaged or broken, a fall could spell the end.

Soon we were above the treetops. Lyrican let out a fierce roar the likes of which I'd never heard before. He lashed and stabbed with a quickness and strength I'd never known he possessed. The other dragon, though bigger, was more awkward, heavy. He couldn't dodge Lyrican’s speed and precision. He turned his back on us using his tail as his primary force.

Lyrican was too quick to get hit.

What a fighter my beast was. Impressive. I'd always been proud of him, his speed, his stamina. We had made a career ofathleticism. But he'd always been so quiet, the more peaceful of the two of us. He'd rarely shown any aggression in his nature except whatever energy was needed to push himself to win our races. Fighting was something I never considered he would also be good at.

Our opponent let out a cry of pain and I saw red ruby drops fly through the air. Lyrican had hit him in a vulnerable spot. Now he was injured.

I wanted to shout our victory. But we hadn't quite won yet.

The bigger dragon was angered even more. His roar echoed through the forest as he shot fireball after fireball in rapid succession directly at us. The tops of the trees sizzled from the aftermath.

Lyrican was not deterred. He kept clawing, positioning his body in the air so that it was underneath the bigger dragon. From there he could deliver more serious blows.

More cries of pain followed. They did not come from us.

Finally, the bigger dragon let out another wild, feral yell and swiftly flew off. Within seconds, he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't trust that he was out of the area. Not yet. But our biggest, most immediate, concern was the omega.

Lyrican shot down through the trees to the clearing. It was empty.

He landed gracefully, flapping his wings, making dirt and leaves fly up. He swung his head back and forth, nostrils flaring, sniffing for that omega scent. There was a feeling deep inside both of us I'd never felt before. A protective longing that clouded our vision. It was all-encompassing, surpassing the altruism of saving another who was in danger. I wanted to see this omega up close. Touch him. Make sure he didn't suffer, that his wounds were not severe. Lyrican shared my every thought.

Together, he and I sniffed the foliage until we found him. It wasn’t difficult.

Lyrican, having no humility, poked his snout right under a bush until he nudged the soft human skin.

The bush emitted a loud squeak. Then human words followed.

“Thank you for chasing Coltan away. Please don’t hurt me.”

His breaths came fast after each word. His voice shook.

Lyrican let out a tiny sound I’d never heard him make. Like a high-pitched groan followed by a quick purr. A warmth passed through us. A sensation of affection.

He took his snout away from the bush and the omega crawled out on his stomach, then stood up, still quivering, body covered in dirt and twigs.

Favoring his left ankle, he began to brush away the debris, revealing a body with almost no hair, narrow at the hips, young and lean. He had shiny black hair, long and trailing in his eyes. From beneath those tangled bangs, two intense blue eyes stared out.

“He wants to kill me,” the omega said, wiping at his face. “He’ll be coming back.”

Lyrican made that strange sound again. I wanted to talk to this young man so badly, but Lyrican didn’t want to shift. He wanted to remain in his form and admire the omega he’d just defended.

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