DragonBonds

Urgent

Merlot and Heathcliff were spending some time with each other that night, watching TV with Pebbles and Mittens, who was also cheerfully batting around a ball on the floor. The two cats were snuggled up together while they watched the show, a deep uneasy feeling sinking in their stomachs. They could feel it between each other, but they tried to ignore it.

Until...

Knock-knock-knock.

Someone had started knocking on the door quickly, and Merlot and Heathcliff looked between each other to decide who was going to get up and check the door.

Eventually, Merlot just sighed and pushed herself off of the couch, walking over to the front door and opening it.

Connor, Khloe, Vickie, and Andi were huddled together at the door, and Merlot looked between them at each if their faces.

The deep pit in her stomach went even deeper.

"Hello. It's nice to see you four. Where.... Where's Cloud?"

A small part of her already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from them herself.

Connor looked to the other three, and his ears flopped down as he looked back up at Merlot.

"He uhm... He's gone."

His hands balled up into fists, just like the first time earlier, but be took a deep breath and exhaled sharply out of his nose.

"Zephyr. His Drake- he took full control of him and he vanished. We don't know where he is or- or what he wants but he's gone."

Merlot stood there, watching the kids as they all had their own reactions to this news being relived again. They were there when it happened...

Merlot's eyes filled to the brim with tears and she pulled them all into a hug, holding all four of them close.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. Come inside, come inside."

The black and white cat led the kids into the house. Heathcliff had gotten up, arms folded across his chest and his hands on his hips.

"What..." He looked between his wife and the four kids, noticed Cloud was missing, and his ears dropped. His lower set of arms glowed with a lava-like energy, and he took a deep breath.

"Goddammit... We shoulda noticed it was that kinda moon. Ajax is not happy, not in the goddamn slightest."

"Neither is Marina," Merlot replied, her bright eyes locking with her husband's fiery ones.

"What do you mean?" A quiet voice chimed out. The two cats turned to the ringtail, their eyes desperate.

"Sit down. We'll get you some drinks, and explain."

The friends went into the living room where Pebbles and Mittens were. Pebbles looked at them quizzically, but as soon as his face scrunched up, it fell just as fast.

"He... Cloud, he....?" His voice cracked as his shoulders slumped down and his ears dropped.

Vickie looked at him, and nodded slightly, looking away.

".... Fuck," the gray and white cat hissed under his breath. He pulled Mittens into his lap and held her close. The young cat snuggled up to her brother, a soft purr rolling in her chest. He was happy she didn't know what any of this meant.

Merlot and Heathcliff made their way back out to the living room, handing the kids each a drink. They sat down on the floor, wings folded against their back but lazily.

Heathcliff looked to Merlot, who started.

"We haven't been able to tell you guys the full truth about Zephyr. It's a long story, so bear with us while we tell it. Or, rather, while our Drakes tell it." With that remark, Merlot closed her eyes, and took a breath. When she opened her eyes, instead of the hybrid cat-dragon eyes the group of friends were used to from the family, purely dragon-esque eyes replaced Merlot's eyes. She smiled and waved.

"Hi! I'm uh, Marina!" The voice that came from the cat was significantly bubblier and lighter than Merlot's own voice.

"I can start the explanation. Ajax needs some time to chill out so she's sitting this one out for me." She pressed her nose to Heathcliff's face, who let out a deep breath and nodded.

"So, Zephyr. He's uh, not super known to most of us, the only things we know for sure is who he is and why he was locked up, so we can start with that." She clapped her hands together and folded them onto her lap.

"Zephyr is a Drake of Chaos and seen to most as Alabaster's other half. It's not uncommon knowledge, just about every Drake knows that the two of them were in love once upon a time, but Alabaster doesn't like to talk about it. His job, his purpose, was to disrupt the balance that Alabaster created, causing a cycle of chaos and balance, something Alabaster didn't think was necessary to keep balance. So because Alabaster though Zephyr only wanted to mess up what they made, they locked him away in a deep chasm in the cave in the ethereal realm. He was frozen in time for millennia, still aware of his surroundings but unable to do anything. Me and Ajax's theory is that he gained enough energy with Alabaster on the other side of the veil to break out of it at some point, but we can't figure out when it was, and why he ended up being chosen to bond with Cloud."

"Wait," Khloe said after a moment. "Why is the moon important?"

"Oh yes!" Marina chimed. "So, the moon tonight. Something we remember about Zephyr is that he had a spiritual awakening of sorts when he was described as the night to Alabaster's day. He really enjoyed the moon and it's energy, and believed wholeheartedly that it could give him power if he worshipped it enough. Tonight the moon is not only full, but it's considered a blue moon because it's the second full moon of the month. The first one gave him some power- that must've been the day Cloud decided to spar with you, Andi- but this one's energy is the kind of energy Zephyr loves, so it was able to give him an incredible amount of power. And because of that... The world's magic is all out of wack. I think he might be used a great amount of the plane's magic to freeze the night and prevent the moon from setting."

Marina looked between the four kids in front of her, her fluffy tail swishing behind her.

Andi finally spoke up.

"Marina? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

They twiddled their thumbs and pressed the pads on their thumbs together.

"I... I want to go to the ethereal realm."

Marina's eyes widened, and Heathcliff looked over to her, and then the rest of the kids.

"Why? What in the world do you need to go over there for?"

Andi curled their tail around themself and took a deep breath, looking at Marina with a sharp look in their eyes.

"I have to save Cloud, Marina. That's my boyfriend- that's my everything out there being used as a tool for a Drake that wants nothing else but the end of balance. If I can do something more to help him, to make sure he gets home safe and sound, I need to do it."

Marina looked at Heathcliff, and he looked at her. Their eyes flashed with something indistinguishable, and they looked back to the ringtail.

"I... We can help you get over there, but... Andi, do you know Anjelica's story? The first Colvi to become bonded? Do you know why?"

Andi furrowed their brows and nodded.

"I do. Cloud told me about it. So what? If that's what needs to happen for me to be able to help someone I love the most in the world, I need to do that. Marina, Merlot, Heathcliff, Ajax. You four know that better than most. Cloud told me how you guys came to be and how you guys came together. So please..." Their face turned from stern to desperate.

"Please help me save him."

The Drake and the golden cat watched Andi passionately describe their love for their son, and what they would give to make sure he was okay. Heathcliff took Marina's hand in one of his own, and stared up at her lovingly.

"Okay." He said quietly. "Okay. We will help you, Andi. Ya know the consequences and ya wanna face 'em head on. We'll get ya to the other side."

The ringtail's body slumped over, the tension leaving their body. Their eyes filled with tears and they leaned against their friends for support.

They were about to go to the ethereal realm with nobody but themself, and they were going to come back different, but ready to save Cloud.

They were ready.