She once was able to heal others but that was back in her youth. She knew he needed a doctor and looked at him. "Get on were going to town. than will continue your quest." she did not move but expected him to get on. in the old days being offered a ride was a honer and she mint it as one.

Johan was deep in thought working out for a solution to his problem,but then the dragon gave a very generous offer one Johan couldn't refuse."Get on were going to town. than will continue your quest."


Johan hated to accept help from others and yet he accepted."The offer is generous". But as he climbed onto Vinsue's back he asked. "I don't understand,why help me?" Of the few magical creatures Johan had encountered none had displayed the kindness the dragon had shown.

Vinsue did not answer the question cause she knew that the towns people would answer it for her. She did not talk at all tell after the town visit. the walk was long but she did not mind. Walking into town was not something she liked but the man on her back needed it. She stopped at the town square and laid down. The people came with curiosity but she did not move but weighted for the man to get off.

She growled at any one that got to close to her and threatened to bite any that the growl did not scare away. This town knew their lore yet she had a filling that they would ask a lot of questions.

Johan carefully slid off the back of the dragon,he looked to the crowd of townsfolk in their strange and archaic clothing. "Who among you have medical experience!" Johan declared.

"I do!" a strange and frail looking elder man said,his face was almost entirely covered by his beard.He noticed his wound and motioned for Johan to enter a nearby building which was the town's apothecary.Johan turned to the dragon muttering a thank you as he was carried to the apothecary with the help of several townsfolk.

This left the dragon alone with the remaining crowd who already had started to show their discontent at the Vinsue,with some actually looking impressed with her kindness in helping a wounded man.

Vinsue looked at the people as the man was taken to a building. She knew that they would ask questions and talk to him about how he tamed a wild beast like herself. They would probably resort to stories if he did not know to answer. But he would be ok to finish his quest soon. She watched the kids sit down around her. She stopped growing and laid her head down.

Johan was placed in a padded wooden bed,the villagers left as the hunter alone with the doctor as he rummaged through his mess of a clinic for medical supplies,he sat with a leather bag and observed the wound. "This is quite the wound,was it the dragon?" the doctor asked with a thick accent.

"No in fact it was the dragon who saved me,without her help I might have bled out in the woods.An bear snuck up on me and mauled my leg,do I need stitches doc?"

The doctor examined the wound,nodding every minute or so. "That you do mister" he opened his leather bag looking for what Johan thought would be a needle and thread probably with some alcohol to clean the wound.But much to his surprise the doctor removed a scalpel which he held firmly against Johan's neck right on his adam's apple.

"Righto,me and a few of my boys don't tolerate dragons and their riders,always trotting about believing them to be above us little people." The doctor said with a wicked grin

"What?" Johan was confused and tried to explain but the doctor kept him silent uninterested in the hunter's story. "Right bout now my boys should be getting into place"

Outside Vinsue laid with her head down,the kids whom sat around her watched her with awe.But their parents soon retrieved their children for fear of provoking.What the dragon did not know is the threat looming above on the rooftops as a team of bandits,armed with crossbows and a steel chained net enchanted by a unknown sorcerer prepared themselves to ambush the great beast.

With a battlecry they threw the net and prepared their crossbows,"DOWN WITH THE DRAGON!"

She looked up as she herd the battle cry. She got up but not in time to get away from the net. Big mistake she thought as she tried to get out of it. She gave up trying to pull it off and looked at the people above. She summoned her fire as she opened her mouth and spat Flame balls at them. 

She hit a few who fell off the roof. They retaliated with there arrows witch only made her madder. Than one arrow with an explosive tip hit her in the side. She fell over on her side and laid there. She pretended to be dead. thinking that the attackers would come and try to do something. "We Did it. That was way to easy." the leader said. They then climbed off the roff and surrounded her. The started removing the net when the leader said to stop. there arrows left no mark on her so he knew she was not dead.

She immediately got up and waked them with her spiked tail as hard as she could and stood on the leader. Her eyes were bright with rage as she summoned her plasma ball and got ready to shoot it at the man.

Johan heard the dragon fight outside,he tried to move and reach for the gun at the table next to him but the doctor kept his scalpel firmly against his neck."Now now hunter there is no need for that."

"We Did it. That was way to easy." the doctor heard his comrade say. The doc lifted his head out of curiosity and more importantly he wasn't focused with the scalpel,another mistake is that the doctor believed him to be powerless.Time to change that....

The Dragon broke free and caused the bandits to panic,the doctor stood from his chair to see through the stained window next to the entrance door. Johan took that opportunity to disarm the doctor,he struggled but removed the scalpel from his hands,then he kicked him into the wall and quickly grabbed his rifle.

"Whoa whoa kid" the doctor held up his hands. "Lets all just relax" he said calmy trying to hide his panic."Shut up doc and go outside" Johan ordered.

As the doctor opened the doors to the town plaza,the smell of death and charred corpses alongside the flurry of arrows and bolts made it feel like a war just passed.

Johan saw Vinsue standing on the bandit leader,a strange elvish man who in between his sobs and tears begged for his life.

"You alright?" Johan asked the dragon noticing the damage done to the plaza.

She shut her mouth stoping the blast from coming out. she nodded her head at his question. But she did not turn from the man under her foot. She Stood there for a second before pushing her claws into his throat. once the scream stopped she  turned from his lifeless body. She sat down with pride. than laid down to let her ridder back on.

Johan watched as the dragon dispatched the bandit,a cruel punishment but ultimately necessary on a planet like this.Here the law was scarce and weak allowing things like this to happen.

Johan saw the dragon lay itself down to allow him back on,before he mounted Vinsue he made sure to take the doctor's leather bag,he checked inside it's contents and smiled with content.Johan shot a round into both his feet before climbing onto Vinsue."The law would deal with you" he said as he watched a regiment of armed soldiers rush their way to the plaza."

Johan made himself comfortable and held the bag tight.He knew if they ran the guards would suspect them of being guilty of a crime but if they stayed there is no telling what might happen.He looked at Vinsue's head and asked "Should we stay or go?"

Whatever the choice the consequences remain unclear.

She talked telepathically to her rider. "No. usually they leave me be as I do the same." she responded at his statement. than again they attacked her for no obvious reason a bit ago. "We will stay. I can not take off from level ground and and we did nothing wrong." she stated and watched the solders come to them.

Most the men stayed at what they thought was a safe distance. Than one steeped forward and bowed. than cleared his throat. "We want to thank you for getting rid of those crazy men." he than looked at vinsue. "May I pet her" ha asked as he stuck out his hand. "He does that ill bite" she said as she started a low growl that only her ridder could feel.

"No I think it would be best to keep your distance soldier" Johan replied to his earlier question.Johan was a bit shocked about the telepathy he gained with the dragon.Another guard approached carrying a small leather sack in his hand.

"You may not know this but those men that attacked you are part of a bandit group that targets magical creatures and magic users." The guard points to the crippled doctor. "That man has eluded the guard for quite some time,always threatening to cause trouble if we interfere with his group."

The guard throws the bag to Johan who catches it with his left hand,the bag was quite heavy and Johan opened it to find it filled with gold coins.

"The bounty for the doctor is 100 gold" the guard said as his assosiates took the doctor under their custody. "You and your dragon have done the kingdom an great service" the guard smiled as he saluted the two heroes.

"You shouldn't thank me sir,this was all Vinsue.She fought the bandits I just captured the doctor" Johan replied banishing all thought of glory.He owed his life to the dragon and she deserved recognition he thought.The guard just nodded.

"Well at least this amount of gold should be more then enough to buy a way off-planet". Yet he sensed that Vinsue had the same burning desire to leave this world.

"Vinsue....Would you care to join me in leaving this planet?" Johan asked respectfully as the guards started to leave the scene.

Johan would have to sell his pelts and stingers from earlier to buy enough supplies and food for both him and the dragon should she accept.After he fixes his wound of course...Johan eagerly awaited the mighty dragon's response.

Vinsue relaxed as she watched the solder stop than start talking. He gave her the credit. It was odd having a human talk highly of her and she liked it. "I would love to join you and leave this place." She was glad to have freedom from this world. A chance to leave and see the galaxy as she did years ago.  She got up and asked. "So were to know. Hows your leg."

"I would love to join you and leave this place." Vinsue said. Johan was pleased,he has grown fond of the dragon in the short time they have been together.For years now Johan roamed the galaxy alone doing job after job whilst searching for any sign of his father.



The dragon asked where they might go and how his leg was.Johan looked back at his wound,he had the doctor's kit all he had to do was to fix it and let it heal. "Should be fine after I fix it with the doc's kit"


Johan thought about his destination,for the first time ever he had no idea where to go. "I have drifted from place to place so much" He shook his head "I guess we shall go where the ships take us,unless you have a place you wanted to go Vinsue?"


He had enough gold to ship both him and Vinsue to anywhere in the quadrant,after he bought supplies for the journey.He had to ask the dragon how much she consumes on a daily basis.

Vinsue was glad to have the chance to see the stars agin so she had no preference on place and let him know that. 

As of food she thought. "I eat an average of a dear a week. and am glad to have a human companion. I can do and see more without getting shot at." She happily stated than took him to wherever they needed to go to get food and board.

the day was a long one with much running about but she was glad. The stables was better than that old cabin so she was glad to settle down. she lessened to him speak of a job and a hoard. 

"No actually earth people had good reason for there statements. and messing with a hoard can be a bad idea but ill help. Just know that we are extremely protective."

Johan did not reply just shaking his head.He took his time to clean his rifle incase of another bandit attack.He closed his eyes and listened to the soft breathing of the dragon.

He felt older,but at the same time more alive.He was glad that he wouldn't have to travel alone anymore.Johan's thoughts fell back to the reason his journey began.....To find his father.

"Have you lost anyone close to you Vinsue?" he asked with his eyes still closed.

she talked threw there mind cause it was way simpler than moving her mouth. "yea. a few people. mostly riders corse i never knew my prance. and this mind thing works both ways once kinencted." she could fell the sorrow behind his question. But did not ask. She let her past bite than shoved it away. she laid ready to sleep but also quite ready to talk. she let the faces of her lost loved ones be transmitted to his mind.

Johan was shocked at first to find images flooding his mind,despite not knowing these people he felt sadness as a tear formed in his closed eyes.He felt the sorrow the mighty dragon had and wondered if dragons wept like humans do.

He looked started speaking in his mind,testing the psychic link between him and the dragon."So we can communicate like this? Should be quite helpful in any situation."

Considering the dragon gave him a glimpse of her past,he felt that it was only fair to give her a small view,he focused on his early years hunting with his father in the South African bush.Johan did his best to focus only on his father's smiles and laughter hiding the rest of his shattered past.

He could see his father's greyed beard and balded head,he would trot around like a animal to amuse the young Johan all while.He smiled slightly as these old memories gave his thoughts some warmth.

"you got the idea." she said as his thoughts entered her mind. she smiled as she watched his memories. "Is that the reason you seam distressed. Did you lose him?" she asked. "fall asleep and well swop memories." she than fell in to a sleep and waited for him to do the same.

Johan fashioned himself an makeshift pillow from the straw that was strewn around the stables,he placed his rifle against a wall alongside his pack,after drinking some water from a canteen he decided to rest on the wooden floorboards.

He closed his eyes and after a few minutes he began to drift into sleep.Memories began to flash in his dreams,memories of a kind human,memories of a battle in which she almost died,memories of loss and abandonment.And a lifetime spent alone...

He focused back to the memories the dragon saw,some of his happy childhood years with his father up to the day he left to fight the demons alongside many other UNSC soldiers.He remembers his mother falling into a slow depression when the news arrived.....His father was missing in action....His memory faded into the bright sunny day of 14 August 2554.He returned home from boarding school one day to find his childhood home quiet......Everytime he would remember the smell of cooking from the front door welcoming him home every term.....But today the house had nothing but the smell of stale air.

Then as he slowly opened the master bedroom door where his parents stayed he couldn't help but break into tears.......
His mother overdosed herself on her medication....

What followed was years of hate....Hatred for his father,hatred for demons and for himself for not being there to support his mother.

He blamed his loss on himself,on his father and even once on God.He longed for death.....
He joined the UNSC and later left because of insubordination.Then he became a mercenary roaming from planet to planet taking any job for money.

Despite this he kept his morals,he never forgot his past and he kept on living at least until he can find his father or at least what remained of his father.

Then he focused on Vinsue,he grew up with stories his mother used to tell him as a child.Stories of great beasts and noble warriors,one of his favorite stories was of a dragonrider who alongside her dragon banished great evil from the land.

Vinsue was a living embodiment of that story,a memory of his youth but most importantly it reminded him of his mother......

And memories is the only thing that makes life worthwhile....

she watched his memories and felt his fillings. she smiled at the thought of her liking him to his past. Once he was done she showed her memories.

she started with her owner that raised her up to 16. and the fun she had on his floor as he cooked.

Than she showed the day she was kicked out of the house. and the day she came back and found him dead.

The day she learned to fight, fly, and spit fire. and the scholar and burg man that taught her. and the fun that happened.

She showed the day she was captured by one of the UNSC ships. 

she showed the day her first rider and her met. he was told that he was to tame her and he laughed and said the joke was not funny. that was how she got her name.

she showed the fun she had making his job hard and the first battle.

she showed the last battle and her riders death. the ship leaving her behind cause she could not get up after the shot. than her last day she was allown.

"Both had endured loss and abandonment" Johan thought.

He felt the loneliness that Vinsue endured when she was left behind.By now it was a familiar feeling....
He saw the relationship she and her rider had,she had a wonderful youth,the world seemed simpler through her tiny eyes at that age.He longed for life to become that simple again....

The next day as the sun shone it's light through the cracks of the stable roof,Johan stood up to prepare his things and left while the dragon was asleep to get them breakfast.

He returned with a bowl of soup while the barkeep brought a cart of venison. "Wake up Vinsue" he would think while looking at her. "Eat up we have to leave soon to catch our flight."