Maroon

If there was ever a sister of this group that wasn't quite in touch with the rest, it would have to be Maroon. While she's physically there, and obviously no slouch in any way, she was always more in tune with the creatures of the wilderness than her human companions. Of all of them, she'd be off looking at a moth, chasing rats, or keeping cockroaches as pets.

That was not to say that she was in any way a 'quiet' girl. Oh no. Maroon was as vocal as any in the group, piping up with suggestions about how they could survive, what creatures they might domesticate, and what was for dinner. Like Indigo, she got along with the Vortigaunts famously but more because she took their instruction on how to tame Antlions to heart - there's hardly ever a time when she doesn't have a pheropod (most folks think it's just a stress ball) in hand, so back at home there would be plenty of subserviant antlion drones to do her bidding. Plus, flux-shifting speech was not impossible for her (and Ruby, but she'd never admit that). She could keep up with Vortigaunt conversations almost as well as Indigo.

Immitate an animal noise? Maroon could do it. Tell what animal lived in which territory? Oh yes. Pass as one of them? You bet. Maroon has done so. Even going so far as to stay a weekend with a building full of headcrabs of various sorts just to prove she could do it. Of course, she had to have her own section of their hideaway outside of Aperture Labs, because no matter where she slept, whatever small wildlife around would congregate near her.

This is not to say that Maroon didn't have a more broad view of things: she knew that housing animals took space and the right equipment, their health was of primary importance, and not only that but her sisters must also be safe around them. So her choices of some classes at Carramba were reasonably well-suited to those goals.

Learning about Alien Anatomy was just as fun and interesting as Genetic Engineering - though she didn't really go to that one for the ability to engineer, more just to be around the animals. Living Mythology introduced her to some truly spectacular creatures, as did Furside Studies with Peacemongrel. Even the fur and kin types in that class accepted her as one of 'them', showing just how far away from her sisters she could get.

The boring stuff - Math - almost went over her head, but her sisters found ways to make what she learned more furry (imagining a unicorn instead of 'one', a rhino for 'two'... you get the picture). Her Martial Arts class however was extremely practical for working around dangerous creatures as well as Combine. With it, she could concentrate more on observation instead of survival.

And then there were her two favorite classes ever: Dragon Anatomy and Dragon Care. How many different types of dragons were there? Each one had to have special needs, diets, locale, activities. To her, dragons were even cooler than any people she'd ever met, and more: they got along with her amazingly well.

It was she who found the little nest of dragonets on a jaunt with the Comp Anatomy class, hoarding them for herself and her sisters. Because she was still 'one of them' she knew who to hand these little warm eggs to, and sure enough everyone who chose one got something special. Her own flitter, Fierce, acted like an extremely well-trained guard dog. He protected her while she slept, made sure that no one cheated off her papers when taking tests... Okay there was that one time that she could claim 'the flit burned my homework', but only the one time!

Maroon would love to ride dragons. When the girls began to bond and bring them back home, everyone knew that she would be the one to take care of them.

***

The dragonry's sands were getting a bit sparse, but Maroon could only see how colorful the rest of the nest was. Sunlight, vibrant saffron...

It was the sunlit female with the indigo colored wing sails that came without hesitation toward Maroon. Fierce didn't complain, and that was the surest sign that the dragonet would be just right for her.

"Well hey there little sunny one!" Maroon smiled, and the dragonet appeared to do likewise. Maybe she was just hungry - well she was definitely that, but Maroon got the distinct impression that the lovely female enjoyed the thought of coming home with her as much as the girl would want her company.

***

Somewhere between Furside Studies and the library, Maroon managed to find the right name, Naposh, for the dragon. It was some kind of Hungarian word, and it was one that the dragon responded to quickly.

There was nothing more to it: Naposh and Maroon and Fierce headed across campus and just owned it. It would be a while before Naposh was old enough to really display what she'd be best at, perhaps years - but for the time being she was content to be along in each class. Sometimes there were other dragonets to pile up with or learn from. Maroon was responsible enough to understand when to take Naposh to the dragonry 'preschool' for care, and when the dragonet would enjoy being active and sit by her desk.

Eventually of course, they would return 'home'. The ruined buildings and dangerous enemies would have to deal with Maroon and her sisters and their dragons. These girls would never just lay down and take Combine rule!

(Naposh will be studying body-magic, animal control as Maroon understands it, 'red' magic.)

***

"When will I be able to fight them?" Naposh asked. Her voice was a purr more than a rumble, but as always it was mixed with a mental communication to her bond.

They overlooked a Combine outpost, having come across it while on a pretty standard hunting expedition. There were several other creatures nearby in addition to the seven Combine soldiers, and it was to them that Maroon looked while her dragon impatiently lashed her tail.

"Well, right now would be good," Maroon said, "but I'd be careful of those two 'spitters." She referred to the pair of brightly colored acid-spitting bullsquid that had yet to realize their territory had been infringed by the black-clad soldiers. They would in just a moment. With a glimmer in her eye, Maroon watched as her companion slunk somehow unseen among the rubble and rocks, down to the bullsquid's puddle.

Careful, love, that's toxic water. Maroon reminded her, mentally. Distantly, she felt her sisters' concerns arising - they were still all connected together Vortally, so any communication would be conveyed to their sensitive minds.

Naposh stepped gingerly around the edge of the smelly puddle. While it did not necessarily hurt her paws to stand in it, and she could easily use her own magic to reshape herself to be more or less immune, her bond did not have that ability, and had commented on more than one occasion that bringing home toxic or radioactive waste carried on her tail tip or her paws was just not okay.

With a Vortal nudge, a magical one, Naposh attracted the bullsquids' attention. Well, she didn't - the Combine over there did! Maroon smirked as the dragon's magic worked on the simple brains of those weird animals. All they knew was that some upright prey beasts had started to get on their nerves.

Fierce cooed as the first Combine fell to the unexpected spray of acid out of the nearby pit. Maroon hunkered down and watched, and Naposh returned silently to sit equally smirking (in her draconic way) and enjoy the show. The white-clad Combine, the lieutenant or sniper or whatever he was, got off two good shots and killed one of the bullsquid, which only served to anger the second - they were mated, never a good thing. Because that meant that somewhere nearby there were also bullsquid eggs needing to be crushed...

They would handle that later. Mopping up after the Combine clutched their face plates and shrieked, their synthetic body armor hissing with the spit of the bullsquid. Only two had to be taken out by the explorer and her dragon, and they were simple prey.

"It is a shame that the eggs cannot be of much use," Naposh commented as she squished another under her paw.

"They can't be eaten, the only thing the Vorts ever use them for is for more acid to protect areas. I don't even think their skin is of much use, but it is pretty colorful."

"Speaking of that," Naposh said, "I... should return to my homeworld, and finalize my learning. I know my magic, I know it works. I have no need for others in my mind any longer."

Maroon smiled and wiped off a bit of crud with a discarded cloth, from her bond's paw. The building would serve as a rebel outpost, now that it had been rendered safe from Combine occupation as well as local animal threats. "I think we can arrange that, I'd like to see how that works..."

***

"I think it was easier, because I already knew what I needed," Naposh seemed to gloat a bit. The bright yellow dragoness sported her magical rune tattoo on her flank. If that's what it was, it seemed to Maroon more like a birthmark she couldn't see until just then since it was so much a part of the dragon's power.

Now, she more easily felt through the minds of the animals in the areas they explored. Now, she could more accurately sneak past even alert bullsquid or even the rare smashing Tentacles. One of those things had grown down in the Enrichment Center's depths, and they had to take care of it before it got completely out of control. They hunted by sound, and smashed their pick-axe shaped heads into whatever they heard, dragging the crushed remains back to their long, segmented bodies. But Naposh...

Didn't make sound - at least not that they could hear. Maroon consulted with her sisters and determined that the best route would be 'blow it up with a shaped charge'. Normally setting off explosives at the bottom of the Center's cooling area would be a disaster, but this was Carmine's specialty. The blood-red-eyed girl whipped up something that, as long as they were careful, Naposh and Maroon could then sneak up under the beast's very nose and plant. Then, getting away to a safe distance...

That safe distance never looked quite so appealing to Maroon, but they scooted away quick as they could once the curved packet of C4 was placed. As soon as they were out of its immediate range, Carmine up there on one of the dimly lit catwalks detonated it. The Tentacle was no more, but...

"Oh this is just disgusting," Carmine muttered. Even up there, pieces and chunks of the Tentacle's grey-green flesh splattered down.

Naposh and Maroon only laughed.