The Dance of Dragons

Twitterpated

So book three begins, hehe:3

"Speak The Truth, Even if Your Voice Shakes"

Time always had a way of flying by on Atlantis; everyone had become used to it as days turned to weeks and weeks to months. That was precisely what it did, in the case of Forrest. It had already been two months since she watched a puddle jumper fall from the sky of her homeworld. If she had been able to know what that day would become, she doubted she would change a thing.

Forrest and Castiel alike had become beloved members of the expedition, the entire base now used to their presence. A few new members would come through the gate but quickly adjusted with the help of others. The pair had become at home, learning as much as they could about the culture, and way of life that the people around them knew too well.

John had introduced the bonded pair to cartoons, having invited them to movie night he held for the Athosian kids. Having told Castiel of it when Forrest was off-world last, the dragon had managed to drag her along. Every Friday night since, she has happily sat on the rec room floor with the kids to watch. She found them entertaining and exciting, have explained more than once that animations like that were nonexistent on Loonrian. Needless to say, Carson had been trying for weeks to get her to join in on movie night with him and the other nurses, but it fell at the same time. She said once she was tired of the cartoons, she would join them.

Forrest had become a familiar face to everyone, though some things still tended to through people off. One of the things people struggled to get used to was that Forrest called everyone by their first name. Anyone and everyone, unless she was angry or trying to get your attention. Rodney had been the most annoyed, seeing as he had earned his title. But a few others were quick to point out that they too had won theirs, and were not complaining. She still refused to use a transporter; she just did not like the idea of them, and so as regular Castiel and she would glide around the city. Using the balconies as landing and take off pads. More than once, Forrest had scared people to death by jumping off a ledge, only to be caught by an already flying Castiel.

The most impressive things came from Carson and Forrest working together in the infirmary. They had managed to get the bio matched stitches perfected. Among many things, Forrest had helped Carson improve many Earth medical methods. While it had taken her a few long evenings, Forrest had managed to rework some antibiotics to act similar to the stitches. Bio matching to what they were fighting. She had explained that on Loonrian there were only one or two kinds of antibiotics. Both designed to match the infection they were applied to combat. It was impressive, to see her and Castiel work. There had already been more than one instance of the dragon being useful. His wings were strong enough to act as a stretcher for wounded, able to carry people around without help left many people available to administer treatment. He could do paperwork even, seeing as he could write quickly, often allowing Forrest and Carson time to work on other things. Not that they had told Elizbeth yet that all their reports were written by the dragon. Then, of course, the most significant thing the base taught Castiel was how to brew coffee and run a microwave. Everyone having grown quite accustomed to the dragon walking by with a metal tray and offering it to anyone who needed it. He had become the mascot of the entire medical department.

"So they choose to be muted?" Carson asked curiously from where he was sitting at his desk, Forrest sitting cross-legged on the floor just beside him, leaned against the wall. "Well, yes in a sense. You see, the dragon breed was formed a very long time ago when Dragons first started to get involved in the medical field alongside humans on our world. It was selective breeding on their part, that created Castiel here today." The dragon was happily sprawled across the floor, his head resting in her lap as she affectionately scratched his ears. " The parents are the ones who allow the surgery to take place. It is considered an honor to be muted amongst their kind. Think of it this way. When a human goes say deaf, another sense is normally enhanced to make up the difference right." He spun the chair around, looking down at her as he nodded his understanding. "That is why dragons with medical aptitude choose to mute themselves. They can get by without their own voice, so they try to increase another sense to their advantage. Better hearing, stronger sense of smell, even softer touch. All of those can be extremely useful in the medical field. There was another younger Mute at the university while we were there whose sense of smell was so strong she could pinpoint internal bleeding without scanners, even tell how severe it was." Carson had to admit, the concept was not a bad one. "Castiel was one of those who has better hearing. He can easily hear the heart rate of someone across the infirmary from us. Very useful in situations where you need to be able to tell if something is changing sooner rather than later with a patient." "So dragons like Malco, Destroyers right? They are selectively bred as well." "Exactly, Destroyers are more strategic in the brain, with some bred for leadership and others to obey orders. They have a bit more of an aggressive streak as well." He watched how she trailed off, thinking of the large black dragon. "You know, speaking of him. When do you think we would be able go back to Loonrian? I would love to see him again, maybe bring home some of my research." He smiled, as he stood from his chair and offered her a hand. Watching as Castiel lifted his head to allow her to stand. "How 'bout we go ask to 'lizabeth ourselves?" She smiled, grabbing a hold of his hand and standing, watching as Castiel lazily moved onto his feet, yawning *I was enjoying my nap.* *you sleep all day long Cas, get over it.*