Aura

  She flew. Stretching her wings slightly she could feel the atmosphere shift beneath their membranes. In time her wings would grow strong.

  Unbeknownst to Aura, the Sky Savannah was one of a few enigmas in this Milky Way. Isolated from a planet, its unusually stubborn fungi and flora had merged to form its own island which had grown considerably larger over the millennia. Tall space grass waved rhythmically between the dunes of low scrub brush and a fine layer of stars shimmered on every surface like glitter.

  Aura circled one of the savannah’s plains: Lionel had brought her to a good place. She flexed her wings to their full span enjoying the pleasant warmth. The land stretched before her and she would be able to fly without restriction. She held back a moment, turning her head to check Lionel.

  “You can go and hunt.” He said. “Just - just come back okay?”

  Silly Lionel, of course she would come back to their nest. Even if she could fly without restriction here.

  There was no direction to limit her, no up or down just space to move and manipulate. She spun playfully; Lionel’s nest was quite small. Any time she moved a machine that always beeped or flashed in anger, perhaps he had a bigger nest elsewhere. She certainly hoped so.

  Aura closed her eyes, learning her other senses, she took a deep breath smelling her prey: fur and meat mingled together. They didn’t know she was here yet so she glided lower, her body camouflaged as she examined the herd of antelope she had tracked here. They leapt and bounced above the grass on their springy legs. Antelope were fast but she was faster. Holding her breath, she dove, attacking the closest prey.

  Her claws sank deep into its soft flesh, her teeth ripping at its neck with a satisfying squelch. She licked her lips in a gory grin devouring the warm carcass in a few bites and crunching on the bones. It tasted much nicer than the packet food at the nest.

  The other striped antelopes whistled in alarm, sprinting into the distance to hide among the stinky flowers. Except antelope were no match for a dragon, the herd had only relocated to another plain, merely a short flight away and close enough to hear their stomping hooves. Aura spotted weaker prey darting below but it wasn’t worth the effort to catch them, perhaps later she would practise chasing them back to their hidey-holes. Instead, she launched into the sky, spinning like a tornado and hunting for her dinner.

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  It wasn’t long until she felt gluttonous, her belly full, almost too heavy to fly as she floated letting her wingtips fan the grass under her. She watched it flatten with glee as she pumped her wings harder. The sky was darkening overhead as she remembered that she hadn’t even checked on Lionel.

  A feeling of regret settled in her stomach because he didn’t fly beside her, it was a freedom everyone should enjoy. She spotted him, watching her and glowed slightly emitting a faint light from her scales, he was probably proud of her hunting. It was kind of him not to interrupt her learning, she had chosen well for her companion. She could have waited to hatch, but she was eager to see the world: to create and to destroy and Lionel felt right. All the way through to her core in a way that was difficult to explain. The few of her mother’s memories didn’t explain this sensation. Was it something new to her? She hoped not, but either way, she cherished it.

  She circled Lionel, weaving around him gracefully.

  He was dripping liquid inside that strange suit but he had put such effort into getting it on that she didn’t want to ruin it. She kept her claws carefully tucked back; perhaps it was his removable scales?

  Aura knew her Mother Ebony would be proud, she had remained away from the Vanguard, she didn’t trust the other dragons and had made her own family; Lionel on two legs and the ship’s ghost Harriet who controlled the heat at Lionel’s command. She flushed with happiness and felt her magic dance in agreement. She planned to share that joy with Lionel.

  She glided closer, noticing the irritating cable that tied him to the ship. Such a silly human to have become tangled up. She could fix that for him. Aura extended a claw and sliced the cable in one swift motion.

  Before he could even celebrate, Aura grabbed hold of the line, excited to show Lionel how it felt to fly through the savannah. She dove headfirst into the plains pulling him alongside her. His roars of excitement reached her ears and she mimicked him. The loud screams scared away the prey but it was fun to make noise too. They plummeted downward until she fanned her wings at the last possible moment and levelled into a glide. His noises had stopped and his breathing came in big gulps; his heart raced from the thrill of it!

  The cable wouldn’t do permanently, she was going to turn and discuss other options when she heard a strange click and blast. She ducked down but not fast enough. Her delicate scales were going to be damaged, she braced for an impact that never came.

  Lionel held his arm extended across her body, and a wide green shield appeared. It shimmered, cracks forming as it flickered. Her wide eyes turned to him. They were under attack.

  In the distance, she spotted another flying machine. This one was dull and dark, it had wide sails that were extended with the face of prey printed on them. She growled, she should hunt prey, not turn and flee like a delicious bunny. She committed their insignia to memory. One day she would crunch their skulls between her teeth and suck the marrow from their bones for daring to threaten her and her family, even if it took one hundred years, dragons had time.

  Lionel was pointing frantically at their nest. She didn’t need to be told twice. She raced, putting on a burst of speed, folding Lionel in her wings and pulling them into a tight twirl as she hurtled back into the airlock. The doors had barely closed before Lionel started shouting.

  “Harriet. Jump. Jump anywhere.”

  She felt the nest warp underneath her. She loved this part, she let herself be taken along with Lionel, knowing that he would protect her.