Once the shuttle doors closed, Alec slowly sat in the only empty seat, which happened to be beside the one that Tom was perched on the back of. The purple dragonet barely noticed, only having eyes for his mate.

Taureen silently passed Alec some fruit. My nose picked up the scent of shia fruit and a faint metallic scent. Since when did Taureen carry the liquid tranquilizer? I hadn’t even suspected that he had it with him, but there was no mistaking that scent.

Alec reached over to offer it to Tom, who growled suspiciously at the Kymari’s hand and backed up until he was in the corner. I appraised the situation and possible outcomes before coming to a decision. Tom can kill me later.

I mindspoke Tom with a faint sigh. “Tom, they are trying to calm you down. Please be a gentleman and take the piece of fruit. I know you are worried for Serena, but I’m not sure when you will have another chance to eat. Honest, that type tastes even better than sunburst berries.”

Alec placed the fruit on the back of the chair near Tom and withdrew his hand. Tom sniffed the air and finally picked up the delectable scent of the fruit he had never encountered before. He glanced at me and then at his mate before taking a slow step towards the fruit and Alec.

He gingerly reached out and grabbed the slice of fruit before backing up. He snorted in surprise at the taste before rapidly devouring it, frequently glancing at the vet, who was adding more oddly colored gases into the glass dome.

Tom was more eager for the next two pieces that Alec placed on the back of the chair, although he waited until Alec’s hand was gone before leaning forward. Once he finished the third piece, Tom shook himself and awkwardly leaned against the wall as he nearly overbalanced. He looked at me in confusion.

I spoke aloud in a series of soft whistles and trills. “Sorry, Tom. I knew they spiked those pieces with something that would make you relax. They have given them to me in the past, so I know how you feel.”

He blinked at me dopily, but if he was trying to mindlink me, I couldn’t hear anything. I could literally see the drug taking effect as his head began weaving. They must have used a high dose, possibly in case he only ate one piece, or possibly because the trip wasn’t going to take more than a few minutes and they needed it to start working immediately.

Tom began having difficulty standing and almost fell off the back of the chair. Taureen pulled off his hawk glove and passed it to Alec, who put it on before turning back to Tom. Alec reached over to gently pick him up off the back of the chair and put him on the actual seat so he couldn’t fall.

Tom hissed at the contact, but Alec was fast enough to dodge his befuddled swiping claws. Tom awkwardly backed up against the wall where he pressed himself down into the seat and blinked groggily.

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I felt really bad for tricking him, but I highly doubted that they would have let him fly loose in the vet clinic. I also had no idea how he would have reacted when they took Serena into the operating room. They wouldn’t permit her wild mate to run loose in the room while they tried to save her.

The shuttle door opened, and the vet took the stretcher out. I watched as she disappeared inside of what must be the back door of the clinic. Tom tried to stand and follow, but his legs gave out due to the tranquilizer.

Alec picked up Tom, who tried to bite through the glove, with no success. Alec glanced at Taureen. “Well, this is going to be fun. How long is that dose going to last?”

Taureen exited the shuttle before taking a better look at the purple dragonet. “It should last at least six hours before it starts to wear off.”

Alec followed Taureen into the clinic. From my perch on his shoulder, I peered back at Tom, who was glaring at me through a drug-induced haze. With a series of soft whistles and chirps, I told him, “Sorry, Tom. It was the only way they would allow you into the clinic without restraints.”

He did not appear mollified. Dismissing my more than slightly upset friend, I turned back to watch where we were going. Hopefully, once he was back with Serena, he would forgive me for putting him through this.

We entered a small side room and waited in chairs while Taureen and Alec discussed how the wild flock might act now that they had taken another two fire lizards.

After some time, an Elder entered the room. Taureen and Alec bowed their heads in a respectful greeting. I noticed that it was the same one who had originally approached Taureen.

He walked over to gaze at the drugged purple dragonet. “I hear this one refused to be separated from the scarlet that is being patched up?”

Alec nodded deferentially. “Yes, Elder. He even entered the shuttle without coaxing to remain with his mate.”

The Elder regarded Alec. “And how do you know that they are mates?”

Alec inclined his head respectfully at the slight challenge as he politely replied, “Elder, I have watched the fire lizards for months, and I have seen these two together almost every time I spotted them. They act exactly like the ones that we know are mates, even though we have never seen chicks following this pair.”

The Elder slowly nodded, accepting his testimony. “They will likely suffer mentally if separated. Trying to tame a pair of adults will be extremely difficult. I know that you have assisted Taureen with his endeavors. Do you wish to see what you can do with these two?”

Alec bowed his head. “Elder, I would be honored to be permitted to attempt to tame them.”

The Elder nodded. “Then I give you leave to try. I wish to see weekly updates.”

With the brevity that seemed to be a privilege of Elders, the Elder left with that comment. I blinked slowly as I considered the immense task that Alec had just taken on. He was going to have the fun of seeing if he could win the hearts of two dragonets who were really only interested in each other. I wish him luck with that one.

Roughly twenty minutes after arriving, the vet entered the room with a carrier in her hand. She walked towards Alec. “The female is in the front and is sedated. You can place that rebel in the back half of the carrier. There is currently a divider in it.”

Alec put Tom in the carrier; the drugs had kicked in, and Tom couldn’t even protest as he was put into the cage.

Taureen stood up. “I’ll see you later Alec.”

Alec nodded before turning back to the vet for more instructions. On the walk back to our house, I updated the others in the park, letting them know that Serena was stabilized and would be fine, but that both were too drugged to use mindspeech.

They were relieved to hear that she would be okay, although they were sad to lose the duo to the Kymari.