The Ironsong Tribe

Full Version: Bombing Run
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Warning: contains parental humor. If you don't have a toddler, you may want to wait a couple years Smile

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Zlinka tightened the girth of her Netherdrake's saddle. She nodded at Sky Seargent Vanderlip, picked up the heavy pack of Skyguard Bombs, and tied it securely to the pommel. With a light bound, she swung herself onto the dragon's back and slid her feet into the stirrups. With a slight forward shift of her weight Zlinka urged the dragon to leap into the air. His mighty wings stretched in a massive downbeat that raised a cloud of dry orange dust around the Skyguard Outpost.

Zlinka felt a surge of power as the dragon banked, turned on a wingtip, and headed for Forge Camp: Wrath. She flew over the eel-like Nether Rays writhing close to the ground, the hunchback Apexis Flayers, and the crystal-studded boars. She flew low, avoiding the notice of the great red dragons that patrolled overhead.

The wounded, blackened earth of the Forge Camp came into view. Great multi-armed demons slowly circled machines whose foundations gored the earth. Massive, two-headed hounds lumbered back and forth, belching gouts of sickly flame. Fel Cannons detected her and their machinery screamed in living agony as they rotated and took aim at her.

Zlinka kept her cool. She drew a bomb from the pack, activated it with her teeth, and threw it right into the middle of a Fel Cannon ammunition dump. She smiled at the green explosion -- bull's eye!

The dragon swung to the left to avoid a molten ball of flak from a neighboring cannon. The sudden motion slung them to one side. A small voice piped up.

"Uh oh," the voice said, "Luna drop grape."

"Well, I'm afraid it's gone, honey," said Zlinka as she swung the dragon towards the next cannon emplacement. "Mommy can't reach your grape now."

She heard an ominous whimper behind her. "Luna... drop... grape!! Drop... grape! Uh oh! Mama help!"

Thinking quickly, Zlinka plunged her hand into a saddlebag and pulled out a small handful of grapes. "I can't get that one, honey. Here are some more grapes, though. How about these?" She reached back, bending her shoulder at a nearly impossible angle, and trickled the fruit into the outstretched hands of the tiny, two-year-old Tauren strapped into the child seat behind her. Then she reached into the Skyguard pack, took out a bomb, and threw it onto another ammunition dump. Two down! Behind her she heard crunching.

She nudged her dragon lower and got ready to throw another bomb.

"DOOGGIE!! Mama, doggie! Doggie! Biiiiiggg Dooooggggiiieeee!" shrieked the voice behind her.

"Yes, honey, that's a doggie." Zlinka glanced down at the enormous, two-story tall wrath hound below them.

"Greeeeen doggie! Greeeeen! GREEEEEN, MAMA, GREEEEN!"

"Yes, that's a green doggie, honey." Zlinka intoned automatically, flinging the bomb onto another ammo dump.

Shoot! Too low! Two wrath corrupters looked up at the swooping dragon and crouched, their hands glowing purple and green with an impending shadow bolt. Zlinka's dragon surged forwards and upwards, putting distance between them and the warlocks. Zlinka heard the bolts sear behind them, the magical black lightning cutting through the air. Thank goodness her dragon was fast. The spells dissipated into the air.

"Too close," said Luna, in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Yeah, that was pretty close, wasn't it?" Zlinka chuckled.

"Lap. Mama lap."

"I'm afraid you can't sit in mommy's lap right now. It's too dangerous. And you're strapped into your chair."

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!" shrieked Luna. She began to struggle in her seat, flinging herself from side to side and struggling with the straps, "Lap... lap... LAAAPPP!"

Zlinka's eyelid began to twitch. She flung several more bombs as a little Tauren prepared to explode behind her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a stuffed kodo.

She handed it back over her shoulder. "Here, would you like your kodo? Here's your kodo!" There was a pause, then Zlinka felt the toy being gently plucked from her fingertips.

"Kodo," said a happy voice behind her. "Kodo dance!"

Zlinka glanced back to see the stuffed toy bobbing up and down.

"Kodo upside down! Upside down! Kodo upside down! Mama, kodo upside down!"

"Are you holding your kodo upside down?" echoed Zlinka.

"Yeah," said the little voice.

Zlinka reached into her pack again to find it empty. At last! She was done! She wheeled her dragon back south and headed for the Skyguard Outpost. Raising great clouds of dust, the dragon gently dropped onto the landing pad. Zlinka dismounted, handed Vanderlip her empty pack, and took her payment.

She spied Oryx standing next to the mailbox. So did Luna. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Luna squealed.

Oryx turned, unbuckled Luna from her seat, and lifted her onto his shoulder.

"Ready for a break, Z?" he asked.

"Am I," she said with a wry smile.

Zlinka strolled over to the campfire in Ogri'la and sat down on a rug between two ogres. Behind her, she heard the little voice say, "Catch ray? Catch ray? Daddy catch ray?" and Oryx's great, patient voice reply, "Yes, we're going to catch some rays! Let's go!"

Zlinka thought hard about what she should do with the next fifteen minutes of free time. She could clean out her backpack. She could apply polish to her dragon's saddle. She could cook up a batch of ravager dog sausages for later -- leftovers were always a good thing to have around. She could organize her poisons and flash powders and concoct some more. She could... she could... her eyes drooped. Perhaps she would do all that later. For now, she slid down onto the rug by the fire and put her head on a deep blue cushion.

She would just rest her eyes for a while, first.
((I've always adored the stories you've given us of you, little Luna and Oryx, Zlinka. I -still- remember the post you made back at Winter's Veil. Will we see more in the future with the addition of your new daughter? *hope so* :]

Excellent imagery and form- like usual!))
*blush* Thank you Sound!

I do plan to add a new IC character to my stories when the newbie arrives IRL. I'm currently thinking about the story of her arrival. I have some ideas bouncing around... must get them in order and down on 'paper 'before the actual arrival!

Best,

-Z
As Sound says, your stories are highly entertaining, Z! Especially if you have been around a small child any length of time. And if Sreng and Fleetie have little Fleng, I guess you and Oryx will have little Orinka? Zlory? Nope, nope, it is little Orinka . . .
BEST STORY EVER!!