XVI

The Eagle's Cry

Men Za-Hel laid restless on the wooden floor of his room, furiously struggling against the ropes tying his arms, legs, and wings together. Fruitlessly, he nearly snapped his legs off trying to get his beak close enough to the bindings to bite them off. Furious, worn down- but refusing to give up- he continued to resist the ties with energy he didn't have.

His father barged into his room with a group of soldiers and restrained him that morning. He hadn't even woken up yet when they charged in, pinned him down, and gagged him. Men cursed his idiocy in allowing himself to sleep the night before. Of course his father wouldn't risk Men being at the upcoming battle, after he nearly got everyone killed the last time.

Rey had promised before leaving that as soon as Xemmier and Agria were dead, the first thing he would do was come home and set him free. That unfeeling bastard had the gall to look his imprisoned son in the eyes and apologize while he was crawling on the ground like a crippled deer! Men gave himself a headache biting the cloth in his beak, just thinking about Rey walking out of that room and leaving him there. When all this was said and done, the first thing Men would do is find Rey and bash his skull in- that he was sure of.

Suddenly, Men heard the sound of talons scratching the hallway outside of his room. He would have gasped, if he were capable. Muffled as it was, he screamed as loud as he could to get the person's attention. Not a moment later, the door opened, and out stepped a distressed Kim, shocked to find her husband in such a state.

"Men!" She gasped. "My God, what did they do to you!?"

She kneeled down, and undid the gag. Finally able to breathe comfortably, Men coughed as Kim worked on his other restraints.

"R-rey!" He spouted. "H-he's gonna kill them, Kim! They're going t- click- to kill them both!"

"I know." Kim responded. "I'm supposed to be deployed there with him. Damn near everyone is."

"Then what- f- f- fuck- what are you doing here!?"

Kim grinned, as she undid the final tie around Men's ankles. "I knew better than to think you wouldn't be there."

"We need to stop them, Kim." Men grabbed her by the shoulders. "We can prove it- if Agria's innocent- before the fighting starts!"

"Men, the fighting's already started!" Kim frowned. Men leapt to his feet, panicked.

"Then let's go!" He shouted. Not even bothering to equip proper armor, the two rushed out of the hut, leapt off the island's cliff, and tore through the sky, pointed for Freefield.

Contrary to the night before, the pair found their destination in a matter of minutes. They couldn't miss it if they wanted to. The terrifying mass of soldiers scattered throughout one area of the cloudy field, and the pillars of fire and lightning ripping the sky apart were more than enough to guide the Aarakocra towards the carnage.

Once they made landing on the battlefield, they found themselves caught up in a flurry of swinging chains and pushing bodies as every soldier frantically tried to react to the movements of Agria and Xemmier. Unseeable reapers danced across the battlefield at a tempo no mortal could ever keep up with, guided by the terrible song of dying wails and unheard final breaths. Men started looking for his father- if anyone could make a difference with the information he had, it was Rey.

Finding his general location was easy enough. The earth-rattling screams of pain, and bursts of golden light cooking Agria from the inside out was enough to tell him that his father was focusing on the Red Dragon first. Try as he did, even his remarkable eyesight couldn't make out Rey or his weapon among the hundreds of chaotically swarming Aarakocra, all working to keep Agria himself from getting a good look at the general. 

Men flew closer to the fight, to see if proximity would be his ally. But as soon as he arrived, his life was nearly brought to a swift end by Agria's desperate flame breath- it swept mere feet from Men, taking down no less than ten soldiers unfortunate enough to be in its way. The heat of the earth's molten core kissed his beak and reminded him just how little he meant in the quarrels of gods and monsters. His comrades were not lucky enough to receive so gentle a reminder. Men froze at the quick and unceremonious mass loss of life, but retreated- not daring to risk his own so carelessly now.

Men's head turned to Xemmier, aggravatedly clawing and biting at the unrelenting cluster of soldiers throwing their weapons and bodies at him to keep him from effectively coming to Agria's aid. With every motion, Xemmier slaughtered soldier after soldier with hardly any individual effort on his end. As the sun ignites the wings of the unceremonious Icarus, effort is not something it considers. But as a whole, it was clear that the army's numbers were too great for the mass suicide to prove ineffective.

Men wondered why Xemmier hadn't done his job for him. Why he hadn't stopped all of this before it had a chance to get this out of hand. Surely they would have heard him! Was the night before just one of the dragon's tricks? Did he care so little for the preservation of even his own life!? If so, why did he not just kill Men then and there?

But as he watched Xemmier, saw his quickly tiring, desperate scratches, bites, and bursts of lightning, Men noticed something. Something he had never seen any dragon express before. Something he thus far didn't believe they were even capable of feeling.

Men traversed the psyche of Xemmier- this creature so unquestionably above him- and he found fear.

That fear answered every question Men could have asked about the moments of his absence. It doesn't matter if Xemmier tried to tell the army what he had learned. For all the might and authority of his voice- he could have screamed it- he could have begged the Aarakocra to listen- but it didn't matter, because they couldn't hear him. They had been rallied and sent here under the promise of a fight more glorious than any they had experienced before in their short lives. There was nothing that could make them open their ears to the words of the enemy they were prepared to die slaying. Perhaps Xemmier didn't even have a chance to speak in the first place. The fighting very well could have begun from the moment the first soldier's talons touched the clouds.

Xemmier was fending off a pack of rabid animals. Animals that would sooner throw their lives away than stand down from the rallying cry of their leader.

Men's mind raced as he desperately tried to find an end to this nightmare. His hands shook, his eyes twitched, his voice clicked and trilled uncontrollably as the chaos and bloodshed surrounding him only grew stronger.

Men hit himself in the head, and gnashed his beak closed, forcing himself to focus- painful as it was to suppress himself. He opened his eyes, took flight, and committed to the closest imitation of a plan he could think of.

He stationed himself in front of Xemmier, far enough away to avoid being accidentally eaten, but close enough that Xemmier just might see and hear him if he was loud enough.

Men screamed at the dragon, spreading his wings out, making himself as big as possible.

"XEMMIER!" He shouted. "XEMMIER, IT'S ME! IT'S MEN! I'M HERE!"

Xemmier continued thrashing and clawing at the swarm of soldiers, unable to notice Men from the crowd. Thinking for a moment, Men thrust his arm out, and tried again

"YOU DON'T HEAL EASY- DO YOU!?" He screamed.

Xemmier's ears perked, and his brow furrowed in confusion. The dragon lifted his head up to get a good look in front of him, and there- just barely- he was able to recognize the lone Aarakocra flying still, his arm outstretched like a child seeking to tame him.

Men looked Xemmier in the eyes, and lifted his arm up, pointing it toward the sky. Xemmier glared frustratedly, but nodded in recognition.

As Xemmier used the greatest reserve of his strength to swat away the swarm of soldiers, swinging his claws, neck, and tail with the sole purpose of affording him any possible space, Men lifted himself further into the air. Xemmier, with as much force as he could muster, afforded himself an opportunity himself to fly, and did so- spreading his wings and blowing dozens of soldiers away with his ascent.

Soldiers watched in awe as this incredible beast pointed his body towards the sky, the span of his wings seeming to stretch for miles. Men Za-Hel flew twice as fast as Xemmier, but both managed to get a significant distance away from the fighting. As soldiers chased after Xemmier, the dragon called forth another pillar of lightning from within his chest, forcing it up through his throat as quickly as he could manage it to go. 

As Men Za-Hel finally stopped ascending, spreading his arms, legs, and wings out enough to block out the sun, Xemmier let his breath fly- blasting the stream of lightning up towards Men Za-Hel, aiming just barely behind the boy. The blue pillar shot up past the soaring eagle, stretching into the sky from below him- it looked as if Men had summoned the great storm himself. The sky exploded- space ignited- night became day, and day became heaven- all behind the wings of an eagle.

The soldiers, the General, and even Agria stopped to watch this boy, arms outstretched, bask in the blinding stream of lightning swimming behind him.

As Men Za-Hel felt the sparks nipping at his wings and neck, he reached into his satchel, and quickly pulled out the red dragon scale he'd carried by his side from the moment it had been given to him. He held it briefly in his palm, and took a deep breath in, praying that the spectacle of what he was about to do would be enough. 

Men grabbed the massive scale, and lifted his arm towards the sky. 

As the stream of lightning finally met its end, the soldiers were met with the brilliant red gleam that this scale shone down on them, as the sun reflected off of its flawlessly smooth surface.

Men glared at the ground below, tensed up, and swung his arm down- slicing the scale across his unarmed chest- tearing through his shirt and skin in one blow. He cried out in pain as the sting of the sizable wound tore his nerves apart, ejecting a shrill, deafening CAW across the entire field. It caught the full, undivided attention of every confused Aarakocra and Dragon that heard it.

Xemmier landed back on the ground with a considerable thud, and Men lowered himself a few feet above the dragon's head, to ensure he was close enough to his people that they could hear him, now that they were listening. Still holding the dragon scale- dripping and soaked with blood- he once again held it out above his head, and began addressing his people.

"This is a scale torn from the hide of the Ancient Red Monster you stand before now!" He began. "This is tangible, undeniable evidence of a victory- however small- over the incredible beast in war!"

Agria grimaced, and Men continued. "There are any number of trophies one can claim over a foe this large! The beast himself can even be claimed as your claim to glory! Just as the laceration on my chest will mend over time's long road… Every blow- every cut- every wound successfully dealt to his person is one that will be marked for weeks- months- even YEARS to come!"

Rey watched his son's speech from a distance, apprehensive to let him continue, but finding himself just as captivated as his people. He did not interrupt.

"The people of Clearbrooke, as they have told me themselves, did not let Agria cull them without contest! Their brave citizens, and our own soldiers who died on that horrid night- let Agria know every bit of their fury as they were erased! And the body of an Ancient Dragon does not so easily forget such fury!"

"You have no doubt bled Agria to mangle in the short time we have been here. But still, the wounds of that land-born conflict- so recent in our minds- CANNOT have finished healing or hiding themselves from us! Separate from the scars we ourselves have just laid bare to his hide- if Agria himself proves a deceiver- we may find our signing quill in the myriad of fresh, healing wounds amassed a short time ago!" He concluded. "To have such a clear, attainable means of proof, and to continue delivering this baseless sentencing is not the act of a just and righteous nation! It is nothing more than the vicious indulgence of a pack of murderers! To that end, I- Men Za-Hel of the Sky District- COMMAND you to lay down your arms!"

The soldiers that still drew breath stood still, surrounded by the mangled and burning corpses surrounding them. The rank smell of death flooding the air, these Aarakocra gripped the links of their chains, many of them panting to keep cool in the smelting battlefield. This crowd watched from below as this boy- this citizen of no rank or position any different than them- demanded yet again that they stand down. That they disobey the direct orders of their General by his own arrogant whims. These soldiers grimaced, some cursed the boy under their breath, and yet… they did not disobey.

It was not Rey, Men, or even Xemmier who finally broke the silence- but Agria.

"You have slighted me to the shore of death's lake. Your army has betrayed good faith to be rid of me time and time again, and now that I pay your debts in blood, you would ask me to submit myself to your means of justice!?" Agria snarled. "I have nothing to prove to you."

Men scoffed at Agria's stubborn retort, amazed that his pride would take priority even now. "I'm getting my people to retreat, you ungrateful cur!" He hissed.

"You will retreat by my demand, empty handed!" Agria huffed. "That is all you deserve. That- or we will continue to crush these beasts beneath our claws."

"We will do no such thing, Agria." Xemmier rumbled.

"What!?" Agria scoffed.

"That you may yet be innocent is the one thing motivating me to defend your insufferable neck. Never fool yourself into believing me loyal to you, Agria."

"You defend me because the bird's chain cannot slay two dragons at once!" Agria shouted. "It is by our shared survival that the legacy of our race persists!"

"A legacy you would have tarnished and forfeited by breaking our pact and culling the Land Dwellers." Xemmier huffed. "If you will not prove your innocence, I will not protect you, Agria. Should dragonkind be damned, you have damned us."

Xemmier and Agria stood off for the better part of a minute, the sound of their rumbling breath, whispers of spark and flame crackling through the air. After a long, tense silence, Agria sighed, hung his head low, and relented.

"Do what you will." He grumbled, defeated.

Men finally returned to the ground, Kim rushing to his side. Together, the two watched as Rey and a handful of other soldiers disappeared beneath Agria's chest, examining any and all cuts and scars visible on his underbelly.

Men's heart raced. Kim took his hand, not daring to look away from the Red Dragon as he winced and groaned at each poke and prod at his wounds. The unpredictable winds blew through the fields, rustling the soldiers' feathers as it rushed past, uncaring and unknowing of who it affected. Men looked within himself to ask the question of what he truly believed- if Agria truly was guilty or innocent- and he could find no answer. What's more, he couldn't fathom what would happen if they found that he really had committed his crime.

After many minutes of careful observation- of discomfort for the dragon- of unbearable anticipation by all watching and waiting- Rey finally stepped out from beneath the beast. His eyes hazed over, his expression was blank and troubled.

He looked in the general direction of his army, shook his head, and spoke to no one: "I have found nothing."

Men and Kim's hearts dropped, the army looked amongst themselves in uncertainty and confusion. Xemmier grinned. The wind vanished as quickly as it arrived, and- save for the soldiers muttering, all was quiet.

The soldiers took quite some time to process this revelation, as did Rey himself. But after a few moments, once the muttering died down, it was clear to Rey that, no matter what he said, his soldiers would no longer be comfortable performing the duties they had come here to carry out. Even should he command it, Agria and Xemmier would not meet their end here today.

Seeing no other option, Rey dismissed his battalion, and just like that- the people scattered, fleeing to their homes, infirmaries, or burial grounds. The last five remaining on the field; Rey began flying away, but looked briefly at the exhausted, injured dragons. Then to Kim, and finally, Men. Father and son shared a look, a mixture of emotions swirling through both of their heads. Anger, disappointment, betrayal, pride, disbelief, and…

Rey fled the scene without another word. Men closed his eyes, sighed, and pulled Kim into a hug tight enough to crack her hollow bones. She laughed manically- returning his embrace, and trilling happily with him; between the two massive, ancient beasts watching over them.