Consistent Customs

To see the future, one just have to look to the past.

Consistent Customs

 

As Patrick held the dark red smoky flow coming out of his right hand directly into Furia’s wounds in her neck, Elvis held him from falling to the ground. The wounds began to slowly close as Patrick grew heavier every moment on Elvis’s arms as he told his brother…

 

-Today you earned your scars, little brother. Now you know what you have gone through.

 

And Patrick was no more, he collapsed and Elvis assured his hold of his brother as the flow of energy coming from Patrick’s hand slowly dissipated. Oh s**t… Elvis thought as he quickly pressed his pointer and middle finger on Patrick’s neck. He felt his brother’s weak pulse and yelled…

 

-How’s Furia!?

 

And a shout came from the other side of Furia’s body…

 

-There’s a pulse! It’s faint, but it’s there!

 

Through Elvis, Pyro could feel Patrick’s pulse and said…

 

Looks like Patrick won’t need any more scars.

 

Elvis chuckled, relieved, and pulled Patrick to his shoulder; surveying the scene around him. There were still paramedics helping injured people, other agents bagging dead bodies and identifying them as the present survivors cried their dead. Police officers and investigators walking around and taking pictures while taking notes and asking questions to witnesses.

 

Elvis then carried Patrick to the carp where the judges and commenters of the competition oversaw everything from. It was filled with investigators who revised the videos taken from the camera men in the moment of the attack. They cursed as they switched from video to video and found nothing else aside from the swarm of riders shooting at everyone from onto their dragons and the fights between the stadium’s security and other attackers in the field; without mentioning the panic and chaos that reigned in the crowd’s advance towards the exits.

 

As Elvis put his brother on a chair, he asked the investigators in the carp…

 

-Anything?

 

-Nothing at all…    -Said one of the investigators as he approached Elvis… - Isn’t that Patrick Darst?

 

-Yeah…   -Said Elvis leaving his brother on the chair and approaching the investigator.-

 

-Is he ok?

 

-Just a little low on Vital Energy from curing Furia, his dragon.

 

The investigator sighed and said…

 

-These attackers aren’t regular punks. Strong enough to fight off Patrick Darst… This might be serious even to the D.D.I.

 

Remembering about Patrick’s situation with his memories, and that being the reason why he didn’t fight to the full extent of his abilities, Elvis decided to redirect the conversation and said…

 

-I’ll see how to take these two home. If anything comes up, or if my help is needed, you know how to find me.

 

-Before that, I’d like to ask some questions to the racer, Furia. She might have seen or noticed something useful for the case.

 

-I’ll notice you once she is awake.

 

A week passed and none of Furia or Patrick woke up. By that time, the only ones roaming around in the stadium were Elvis, his dragon Pyro, Patrick’s friends Oliver and Alan Barton and their dragons Tyranis and Helios, respectively, Texas’s known man-hunter and the Commander in Chief of said state’s D.D.I., Alena Stanford and her dragon Sanjay, and numerous D.D.I. squads on patrol, surveying all nearby activities and protecting Furia and Patrick. Both Furia and the ground around her had been carefully hosed up, cleaned from her blood, and a carp big enough for her had been built to keep her shadowed; along with Patrick, who rested on a portable bed in said carp, right next to his dragon.

 

 

Patrick

 

Surrounded by nothing but darkness, I could only hear Furia’s voice, echoing in the distance, even though I could hear it as if it was right next to me…

 

Patrick, please! Don’t let me; don’t MAKE me go with him!! You promised me you wouldn’t make me do this again! I am begging you!!... You might be thinking this is a high price to pay for survival, but you are just selling me cheap… This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you… Men, women, children, elders… I have their blood on my claws and… fangs too… Entire houses and families burned down by… me. It could have been prevented… but YOU had to hand me over!! No, you hadn’t! I told you what he was up to, and you didn’t listen to me; you just handed me over to that b*****d… like I was some kind of… pet! This is the last time I have to obey you, Patrick… good luck.

 

I woke up breathing hardly, shaking my head and trying to look ahead with numbed eyes. “Furia” I called, only to hear nothing. At a moment, I looked at my left side and saw Furia’s left side. She was lying on the ground; her grave respiration was slow and weak, with long inhalations and long exhalations. Her wing was folded, but I could still notice there was something wrong with it. It was slightly discolored, with clearer tones of red than the rest of her body. It was cut as well, as if irregular sections of the membrane were taken out.

 

I pushed myself out of the tiny bed I was sleeping on and stumbled towards Furia, ending up leaning against her shoulder. It took me a few moments to recover and continued walking by Furia’s neck What… what happened here? I could only think when I walked past and saw the two columns of scars on her neck. I put my hand on one and observed silently as I drove it over them from top to bottom, feeling Furia’s scales with the tip of my fingers. This is all my fault.  Before moving on, I looked at Furia’s bright yellow collar and to my yellow bracelet on my right hand, a proof to notice from distance that Furia was my dragon and I was her rider, and thought…  I can’t believe you still carry it after what I did to you…    I continued and walked past the side of Furia’s face, her eyes closed as she calmly slept. Then I walked past Furia’s front and could see her right side.

 

The air was not enough in my lungs as I instinctively pressed my right hand to my chest, in attempt to hold the pain in my heart that born from seeing Furia’s state. Her right wing was damaged more severely than her left; and along with the right side of her face, all the way to her shoulder and the first half of her right wing, her scales were discolored to irregular tones of pale red; without mentioning the collars of scars on her neck.

 

I fell to my knees and leaned against Furia’s side, pressing my forehead against her scales a couple of feet in front of her eye and pet her while helpless tears slid by my cheeks. Why did this happen to you? Why wasn’t I here to protect you? This is not the first time I wake up, I know it… why wasn’t I here?... I should have been here…

 

Patrick?

 

It was Furia’s voice… it was weak and sounded like coming from far away, even though I was right next to her. Without getting any happier, I said…

 

You were right, Furia… I shouldn’t have sent you with Gedeon… I’m sorry.

 

Wait… Patrick… do you remember?

 

Yeah… yet I don’t about what happened afterwards… I just woke up and saw you like this… and I… I’m sorry, Furia… I should have been here… I know this is not the first time I wake up… I don’t know what kind of a*****e was I not to be here with you… I’m sorry… I should…

 

The speed of my thoughts rose along with the speed of my heartbeat, until Furia said…

 

All the contrary, Pat. You were here and you protected me. You saved my life again.

 

Really? At least I can do that well… Furia, I’m sorry for sending you with Gedeon…

 

It’s ok, Pat… it’s all ok… I have forgiven you long ago. I thought I’d never see you again.

 

Me too.

 

Where are you? I can feel your touch, but I can’t see you.

 

I pushed myself up straight, still on my knees and wiping my face with my sleeve, I said…

 

I’m right in front of your…

 

But Furia raised her head and looked to her right side, knocking me to the ground and making me let out a groan…

 

-Argh!!

 

Patrick! Sorry, where are you?

 

Furia continued to look around for me, but she couldn’t find me. Not even when there was actually nothing between me and her visual reach. I tried to stand up but Furia began to gradually bash her head faster from side to side…

 

Patrick, where did you go? It’s not funny!

 

Furia, I’m right here.

 

D****t, Patrick! “Right here” is not a place!

 

Just stay put, alright!...   I said as I pushed myself up after Furia stopped her freak out and just looked forward. Then I told her… Lower your head; just rest on the ground.

 

Furia grunted and obeyed me… sighing once she was completely resting on the ground. She really wanted to see me, but the question was… why couldn’t she already? I approached and looked at Furia’s right eye… it was gray and pale. Once a beautiful shiny yellow eye with a pure black vertical pupil… now was stripped of all life.

 

I then walked around Furia and, it was when I was right in front of her that she said, humming gravely…

 

There you are, Pat! I missed you so much! Why couldn’t I see you?

 

I knelt once again, and petting the tip of her snout I said…

 

Your right eye…it’s blinded.

 

Furia then stopped the humming and looked directly at my eyes, and said…

 

What?… Well… why don’t you heal it?

 

Something told me I was going to be giving Furia awful bad news after this. Her eye moved around the same as her left, yet that only told me that the eye’s muscles were alright, but not the eye, a much more sensible deal. Regardless of the future result, even though it was going to be a reality, I stood up and walked back to Furia’s right side while directing my energy towards my right hand.

 

Once I reached Furia’s side, I murmured…

 

-If you feel something, try not to blink.

 

Ok… why did you do that?

 

Your hearing is alright.

 

Come on, finish with this already; it’s beginning to get into my nerves.

 

And I pressed my right hand against Furia’s eye while a cloud of dark red smoke born from my hand and grew continually, dissipating itself on the borders. Instead of flowing into the eye, it grew like a mist until I decided to stop releasing energy. I still had my hand against Furia’s eye, and asked her…

 

Furia… are you feeling anything?

 

Have you even started?

 

I was touching Furia’s eye with my whole hand and she wasn’t even feeling it. An organ so sensitive despite of size it would react to the touch of even a fly. Furia’s eye wasn’t only blinded… it was dead; result of the injuries on her right side that appeared to be inflicted by the fire of another dragon, and judging by the bite scars on her neck, this dragon was decided to kill her. Rage born in my heart to know someone was up to killing my dragon, my best friend, my comrade in battle, the one being that I truly shared my life with. But just after a moment… it was killed by guilt. I don’t know what got us to this stadium that was highly watched over by some kind of Special Forces… “D.D.I.” could be read on their uniforms; but whatever the reason was, it was my fault by association. I couldn’t regret more having sent Furia with the Russian that night.

 

Furia, I… I can’t heal your eye. I said, taking my hand away.

 

She tilted her head up and began to make a howl like sound while saying…

 

What?... no… no… no, Patrick… no… I can’t be a cripple! Not of vision! Do you know what this implies? I won’t be able to hunt, I won’t be able to fly straight, I won’t be able to even move coordinately in the air!

 

I’m sorry.

 

Furia then let herself drop back to the ground with a sigh…

 

Stop hurting yourself like that, Pat. It wasn’t your fault. Just… Why would someone attack that way? I wasn’t pursuing anyone!... Furia’s rage started to born stronger and to show on her expression… I was part of nothing! I was just helping some racers and doing sports!! All of my friends were killed! It’s the same bullshit coming at me all over again!! I don’t deserve this!!

 

Furia ended with a roar that made all heads of riders and dragons inside the stadium to turn toward us and attempted to open her wings and stand up, but only managed to move an inch before grunting and collapsing back to the ground.

 

Furia, calm down! You are hurting yourself!

 

Why should I care when no matter where I f*****g go this kind of s**t always finds its way onto me!? I’m not gonna age! I’m not gonna die of a f*****g accident! I’ll die because some f**k just wanted to kill me all of a sudden!!

 

I walked to Furia’s left side and pat the side of her face, her muzzle, so she could see me. She looked in my eyes when I told her.

 

They won’t live enough to see you die after a well lived life, Furia. I’ll make sure of it. Now calm down and we’ll talk about what we are going to do later. Please tell me what has been going on.

 

Furia sighed and answered me… Alright.

 

I then pulled the portable bed next to Furia’s head, so I could look straight at her eye and sat down. She told me how she waited for me to wake up for a whole year, and how Elvis made her snap out and accept that I wasn’t going to wake up. She told me that during said year, the L&SDO had completed its mission with the stolen and lost dragons and that it changed its focus and now was a specialized investigation bureau called D.D.I. (Dragon Division of Investigation) Furia told me how she then knew of the racers David Bowman and Icy “Speed Demon” and their predicament: they needed another dragon to compete with said rider. She told me also how, surprisingly, I had woken up, but I didn’t remember anything, so I was dismissed from my duties and was allowed to just do as I pleased as a reward for my work as an L&SDO member and as a Dragon Society member in the beginning of the Dragon Era. And then…

 

They attacked right after the race… They started to shoot from above with machine guns from onto their dragons while another lone dragon tried to kill me… He burned my side and bit my neck… Then Pyro engaged the dragon and gave me at least a little while longer before the attackers ran away and then you healed me.

 

I could feel the heat of the battle through Furia’s memories, even the pain of her side and the bite on her neck. I rubbed my neck for a moment, and when Furia finished, I stood up and pet her side, looking straight at her eye, and then I said… This time my memories are here to stay… I promise.  I finished pressing my forehead against her side for a little while…Until Furia told me…

 

Elvis or Pyro must be around, find them and ask them what’s going on.

 

And then I walked away from Furia and looked around at the D.D.I. agents in search of someone I knew. The bright sun in the top of the sky made me cover my eyes as I walked out of the carp. Suddenly a voice far away to my side yelled…

 

-Hey! Patrick!

 

I turned and saw my friends and my brother, some wearing the D.D.I. uniform. There were Alan, Oliver, Elvis, and Alena, and their dragons… a smile from ear to ear born on my face as I remembered saying goodbye to all and each one of them. To think I was never going to see them again or that I was going to kill them was a terrible memory, painful to hear each of my last words to them… but there I was… I was back… walking towards them to greet them, not to hurt them… I was reborn.

 

I greeted each of them with a hug, almost with tears falling from my eyes. They too were excited to see me, the real me. They told me what they had been doing since our last meeting. Elvis and Alena were D.D.I. agents, members of a specialized police formed by trained dragon riders; alike when they were L&SDO agents, now their duties involved much more than reuniting dragons with their proper riders. They took part in the investigation of crimes and law enforcement; plus their positions were far more significant now. Elvis was a Unit Commander and Alena was Commander in Chief in Texas, while Alan and Oliver decided to be freelancers and bounty hunters… yes, the D.D.I. had a system for that.

 

-We saw you talking with Furia… -Started saying Alan-… and decided to let her put you up to date before greeting you. Is she too bad?

 

-She is recovering well… though it’s not going to be the same for her anymore.

 

-Why so?    -Asked Elvis.

 

-Furia lost her right eye. Now tell me, what’s the situation with the attack? How is it being processed?

 

Alena then took the word and answered…

 

-It hasn’t been updated from “terrorist attack”.

 

-David and Icy  -Alan added-…   were the only racers who died and they also were the winners, enough to form a conspiracy theory, thus they are being investigated more rigorously.

 

-Have they found any leads to the responsible?

 

-No… -Answered my brother.

 

There had to be a lead… there had to be something to follow… something that got to the offenders.

 

-What about witnesses?  -I still had hope.-

 

-None of them could give useful information. "said Alena- Can’t blame them, without my experience, I wouldn’t remember my face after seeing a swarm of crazy b******s shooting from the sky and seeing the people around me get shot all of a sudden.

 

-There must be something we can do!... -I demanded…- Furia was nearly killed!

 

-We?  -Continued Alena-… I only left my position in Texas to make sure you and “Wings of Liberty” were safe myself.

 

-Isn’t Texas’s D.D.I. going to take part in this?

 

-It isn’t as simple as it used to be, Patrick... -Said Elvis-... Each D.D.I. has total power and responsibility over its jurisdiction. Kansas’s D.D.I. wants to deal with this on their own. Not even you have the authority to force the system since you were released from your duties and pensioned.

 

-They are welcome to try and stop me if they want… -My hands started to emanate dark red smoke as I continued-… Nothing is going to stop me from hunting down the b******s who dared hurt my dragon.

 

Woah, Patrick! Relax, ok? You just woke up from hell knows what with that nasty Mind Poison. You shouldn’t get involved with anymore manhunting.

 

What about your eye, Furia? They disfigured you!

 

My call on how to deal with it. Listen, Patrick, you are finally back. And if my right eye and half the coloration of my hide were the price to have you here again, then I say it will be worth it. I don’t want to risk losing you again, Pat. To that I won’t get used to.

 

We’ll talk about it later, Furia.

 

Suddenly Elvis snaps his fingers in front of my face and asks…

 

-Did you hear me, Patrick?

 

-No.

 

-Each state’s D.D.I. has the power YOU used to have. You might be a legend, but they have the legal authority to deal with this sort of things. They pensioned you for all the trouble you have gone through, but if you defy the D.D.I. you’ll be treated as a criminal. Not even Francesco Silvestro has any power to get you out of troubles with the D.D.I. Stuck that into your mind before doing anything stupid.

 

I was going to avenge what was done to Furia… one way or the other… but right now I didn’t have any options to take on doing something productive towards that path… so I just shut my mouth and changed subject…

 

-Does father knows about all this?

 

-Yeah, he and Sahara came as soon as they could, two days after the attack. It hit him deeply to see Furia.

 

-Where is he?   -I asked…

 

-Roaming around Kansas, accompanied by two D.D.I. agents and their dragons. He was right there…   -Elvis said pointing at Furia-… with you and Furia just a couple of hours ago. Though, after the last days, he wasn’t going to hold his sanity while just looking at Furia’s injuries and waiting for you two to wake up; so I made him go and take a walk and fly with Sahara.

 

-I say we go see “Wings of Liberty”.   "Snapped Alena.

 

-And I should tell father you two have awakened and that you recovered your memories.   "Said Elvis as he picked his phone out of his pocket.

 

We all then walked towards Furia, who still rested on the ground. She raised her head and greeted the group with a nod. Trying not to speak about the attack, we spent the while under the carp. Just fifteen minutes later, our chat was interrupted by waves of wind, followed by quick thumps on the ground that slowed to a soft pace… and then a rider jumped down.

 

Father quickly entered the carp and hugged me. It was a warm hug; he didn’t say anything while he held me close. A little while later, he got away from me, but still held my shoulders and looked straight at my eyes. Then he said…

 

-Welcome back, son… I always knew you would come back.

 

We were at Furia’s left side and father approached her. He pat her side saying…

 

-Furia… how do you feel?

 

Through Sahara, Furia answered him…

 

Tired… I lost a lot of blood and need to stay put for a while… at least until I can make the trip home.

 

It bothered me how Furia took as a fact that we weren’t going to hunt down the b******s behind all this. But well, as I said, we would talk about it later. I didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on Furia while recovering. Within days, her wings had healed completely; she could take off and fly a bit. Father, Elvis and Alena had gone back to Texas and their job/positions; only Alan, Oliver and their dragons stayed. By the second week, I got to ride Furia around Kansas, always accompanied by our friends. We lived in the stadium for the time being, watched as well by squads from Kansas’s D.D.I. Even with constant transfers of my energy to Furia, to accelerate her recovery, it took us up until the third week to be ready to leave... And about the investigation… I no longer cared. It was my hunt… no one else’s. It was fine by me if Kansas’s D.D.I. looked for the offenders, but it wouldn’t be fine by me if they found them and not me. Yet I was in no rush to start my hunt… not when I needed Furia’s help and still couldn’t count on her. Neither that meant I couldn’t start without her. It would take me just one call to start my hunt, and I’d do it once I was home, then the moment to strike would come all by itself. All I had to do was to wait.