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Hudson and I walked to the hatchery. The smell of the crushed eggs hung over the air like a shroud,a weapon,far more effective than brass or steel. Many dragons were outside the hatchery with their mates,all sobbing loudly. As we approached the door to the hatchery,a guard stopped us

,"I've orders to keep everyone out,he said,please leave."

"Overridden,I said let me in soldier."

The guard did not ask questions,he let me and Hudson in without another word. What I found was straight out of a nightmare. Shattered eggs and dead hatchlings were everywhere,Hudson and i had to watch were we stepped to avoid stepping on the bodies of the dead cubs.

"This could have too easily been Ace and my kids",I thought to myself.

Hudson shook his head and huffed,he coludn't find the words to describe the feeling,all he could say was,"Damn." My mind was on the parents,that were,or will never be. This was my worst nightmare,the deaths of my kids. I can't even claim to begin to know what they were feeling.

"I'm only thinking about the parents",Hudson said as he knelt down beside a hatchling who looked like he died to protect his siblings,"I can't be sorry enough for them."

I huffed,but didn't answer,I coludn't. What was running through my head? I can't describe it,it was a vile concoction of rage,hate,and sadness.

"Let get out of here",I said,I can't stand to look at this.

Hudson didn't move.

"Hudson",I said again,"come o"..

That's when I saw it. A single,uncrushed egg.

"One survived",Hudson said picking it up.

It was a normal sized egg,it was brown,with tan,suggesting it was the egg of a Desert Dragon.

"Are their any Desert Dragons on base,I asked Hudson.

"No",he said shaking his head,"I was in here just before we left and checked every single egg,this was not here.."

"What do we do with it",Hudson asked.

I yawned,"I'll take it for now,at least until I can find it a good home."

Hunter walked in,with his daughter and Shadow in tow.

"You sholudn't be here Shadow",I said. "I had to see it for myself",Shadow replied.

"There's nothing to see but death,I replied,I'm going to have nightmares about this fo... I remembered the egg Hudson had found. "Shadow,I said,go get your mate,Hudson and I need you both here for this."

Without asking questions,Shadow left and returned with Nina,her eyes were red from tears,and she was still crying a little. Hudson held up the egg.

"It's yours",I said.

Shadow and Nina went slack jawed,their wings limp as their sides as Hudson gave Shadow the egg. Shadow looked at me,

"You need it the most",I said yawning,"I'm sorry your chance to be parents was taken away from you."

Shadow came forward,locked his gaze with mine,then hugged me,much like Issac had when I woke up at FBC. He was crying as he said,

"Thank you Tyro,thank you!!"

I hugged him back. When he let me go,we walked back to the barracks,Nina carrying the egg close to her. When we arrived at the barracks,Taro and Val were sitting just inside the door,their guns trained on it.

"One survived",I said as Nina walked in.

Taro looked at the egg,then at Nina,then at his son,he didn't say anything,he didn't need to,the look on his face said it all.

"What are you going to do about that traitor",Val asked.

I huffed,"I'm going to grill him for info,and then leave his fate to Shadow."

I went back to my room as the other's continued to talk. Adelind picked her head up as I entered.

"What did you find",she asked.

"Pure horror,I returned as I lay beside her,I'd rather not discuss it."

I lay a wing over her as she wedged her head under my muzzle.

"However,I said with a huff,a single egg survived." "I gave it to Shadow."

Adelind didn't answer,she was already asleep. I pulled my cubs in close. They were all asleep,expect for Tyson,who seemed to be frozen in fear.

"Dad,he said,will he come for us?"

"No,I said licking the top of his head,he's locked up tight." "I'm right here if he does,your Mom is here,and Taro is right across the hall."

Reassured by my words,Tyson fell asleep,starting to snore. I placed my head on top of Adelind's. I wanted to sleep myself,but I coludn't,my thoughts were chasing it away. Why had the eggs been smashed? Who put him up to it? Were there other killers on the lose?" Would they try to kill my and Sozenn's cubs,Vez,and smash Ator's eggs to finish the job? The thoughts raced through my head,but eventually,sleep won out and over took me. Over the next few days,Nina became fiercely protective of that egg. The only dragons she would let near it were me,Adelind,Taro and Shadow,the only human was Hudson. One time,Val had walked in to talk to Shadow about something,and Nina's claws came out,she bared her fangs,and growled like she had rabies,Val had not dared to go any closer to her than the door way.

One morning,Hudson came and got me up. He was dressed differently than normal,all black,with his pistol hanging from his leg.

"Already,I asked as I yawned and stood.

Mark had so far refused to talk,but Hudson and I had kept up the pressure. He had not been allowed to sleep or eat until he gave us what we wanted. We had made multiple threats of turning him over to Shadow,which seemed to have even less effect. As we entered,he looked at us. He was chained to the floor,the cuffs were so tight,we could see his paws were starting to turn grey from lack of blood flow. He claims it doesn't bother him,but Val says when he's on guard duty,he can hear him crying from it.

"Loosen the cuffs Hudson,I said.

Hudson loosened the cuffs. I could see a relived look cross Mark's face.

"I can make it all go away,I said,your losing the paws as it is."

"You know I'm not telling you a damn thing",Mark said.

"No,I said motioning to Hudson,who then put his gun to the back of his head,sure I can't change your mind?"

"That pathetic 9mm won't do much to me",Mark said smugly.

"No",Hudson said,"but a three round burst at point blank range?" "Your looking at a cracked skull,a concussion,massive brain damage and internal bleeding."

Mark swallowed.

"So I'll ask again",I said,"who ordered you to crush the eggs and kill the cubs?"

Mark just laughed,"There is so much you don't know."

I motioned to Hudson. He grabbed Mark's horn in one hand,and his head in the other.

"You've five seconds." I began counting down,"Five,four,three,two,one."

Hudson ripped Mark's horn off,the sound of the cracking bone echoed thought the prison,blood and other fluid spilled from the hole. Mark gritted his teeth,I could see a single tear run down his cheek.

'I'll,never,talk",he said gritting his teeth.

"Very well",I said.

With a savage grunt,Hudson ripped off the dragon's other horn,sending blood and fluid all over the ground.

"Normally,I said as Mark began to cry from the pain,"I despise hurting other dragons,but you?" "There's nothing inside of you,nothing at all,your empty and pathetic,you don't give a damn about the grief you've caused your brothers on this base." "I'm not going to kill you,because I just can't kill other dragons,I won't,but Captain Shadow Salanth?" "He'll do things to you that would make the hardest,combat grizzled dragons slit their own throats just to make the pain stop." "Do I have your attention now?"

He didn't answer.

"Listen to me",I said leaning down and whispering in his ear,"I am in charge of your fate,Shadow takes orders from me,and I take orders from Major Taro Salanth,who takes orders from General Lung Wei." "Both of my superiors have authorized me to do with you what I deem necessary." "I can save you a lot of pain,and death,if you'll just talk to me." "Tell me,who told you to do this?" "What do they have on you that would drive you to kill hatchlings?"

He looked at me,and then tried to bite me,I jumped back just in time. Hudson landed a monster blow on Mark's head,I could hear his skull crack.

"Have it your way.",I said as I exited the prison.

Shadow was waiting outside.

"Do with him what you will",I said,"he's not talking."

"When I get trough with him",Shadow snarled,"he'll wish you'd killed him last night." The tone in Shadow's voice was just as deep as mine.

"My Dad wants to see you",Shadow said,"he told me to tell you to drop by the command tent when you get the chance."

"Well than I guess I'm headed for the command tent then,I'll see you later,meet me in the mess hall if you get the chance,I'll tell you how it went."

"Will do,Shadow said as he entered the prison and I departed to the command tent. When I got there,I found Taro talking with Wyatt and Hunter.

"You wanted to see me sir?",I asked siting on my haunches.

"Yes I did Tyro",he replied,"General Wei is sending Raven and Talon to Romeo HQ,it's a base that's out of the way. It's relatively new,and were in the process of converting this base into a more fortified position. Wei wants our best squads there."

"Raven is also getting new members,"Taro continued,"Syralth,Tesselth,Hunter,Mnerolth and myself."

"Your being put into Raven,I asked in a bit of a shock.

"Yep",Taro replied,"I had to wear Wei down a bit,but I won out in the end."

"Welcome abroad",I said with a smile.

"When are we leaving?",Issac asked.

"Two days,Taro said,get your stuff together." "Tyro,go find your new teammates and tell them the news."

"Yes sir,I said.

"Oh",Taro said,"I forgot,your MY co now."

I smiled as I left the tent and returned to the barracks. Adelind was laying in the grass talking to Vez(Vez was quickly approaching her due date,I can assume about what),and watching our cubs play. I lay next to Adelind and put a wing over her. Adelind licked me.

"Something on your mind?",she asked.

"Were being transferred",I said,"two days". Were being sent to Romeo HQ."

"Anyplace is better than here,Adelind said,I'm worried about the kids."

I was too,I was afraid there might still be another killer on the loose,and that he might try to finish the job.

I smiled,"Guess whose coming with us?"

"Who,Adelind asked.

"Taro",I said,"Wei put him into Raven as my second in command."

"That's amazing Tyro",Adelind said licking me,"the military always was good to you,wasn't it?"

"Yes",I said licking her back it was."

"So Vez",I asked,"are you exited to become a mother?"

"Very much",Vez replied,"Val's been going nuts over it,especially now that we know were having a boy,and a girl."

"Wow,I said,have you decided on names?"

"Val decided that the boy should be Nighith,and I decided that the girl should be Kamirth."

"Going down the traditional road huh",I asked,"well I think there nice names."

My tone sifted,"How's Nina doing?",I asked.

Vez shook her head,"Not well,she said,she's traumatized,I heard her crying this morning,Shadow right along with her."

"There never going to get over it,Adelind said in her soft voice,I know I never could."

"I coludn't either,I said,If I had lost my kids last night...."

I didn't finish my sentence,I didn't have to,Vez and Adelind knew what I was going to say. We sat in silence as we watched Ace and the others play. It went on till late in the evening,we then went to the mess hall. Shadow met us there.

"Tyro,he laughed,your drooling again."

"He can't help it,Adelind said defending me again,the smell drives him nuts."

"Relax Adelind",Shadow said,"I'm just teasing."

We all met at our usual corner spot and started chowing down. Syratlth was chugging what Hudson called soda like crazy,and soon,began to get disoriented.

"What's going on with him,Rolland asked.

"The carbon dioxide put his fire out,Tesselth said,it's like he's drunk." "And I am going to use that to my advantage,Tesselth smirked.

Everyone laughed,because we all knew what she meant by it. Tesselth took her drunk mate by the arm and led him from the mess hall back to our barracks.

"And here I didn't think it was possible for an Anthro to get drunk",Hunter said,"turns out it's soda that does it."

"Shadow",I said turning to him,"will you and Nina be okay?"

The tone in our area had gone from happy,to dead serious.

"Were all here for you son",Taro said,"if you need something,let us know."

"I'll be fine guys",Shadow said,"we both will."