This is the second story in the roleplay universe created by Anonymous and myself. It follows two new characters, one of whom has a similar name to the boy from the previous story. He is a different person however, as his name lacks a silent 'e'. This will be important to remember later.

———

On a clear summer day, a boy named Tudor flew majestically upon the back of his beloved blue-scaled dragoness, Luna. The two had been paired up since they were children and their close bond of friendship made their frugal lifestyle, as well as the odd jobs they took to sustain it, a mutual pleasure.

Currently they were on aerial patrol, one of their go-to favorites especially on days when no one else wanted to work. As Luna banked to the left, Tudor noticed something below and reached into the tool bag at his side for his binoculars. Through them he saw there had been a cave in at an open pit mine.

"Luna, on your right by the mountain there. We'd best check if everyone is okay at that site," the young man pointed and said.

-

Luna nodded in agreement and turned sharply, swooping and elegantly touching down on the quarry's dusty floor. She crouched, allowing Tudor to dismount before they cautiously approached the boulder pile.

-

"Looks like this happened a day or so ago. There's some massive boulders here, Luna." Tudor looked around at the idle machinery. "Where's the staff for this place?" He asked Luna.

-

"They must be away for the holiday," she said. "Good thing too, or this could have hurt—" Luna cut herself off as a something tingled in the back of her mind. She almost brushed it off, but it felt... alive?

The longer she focused on it the more she realized it was coming from the cave in. Quickly she jogged over and put her ear to the wall of rocks. Her eyes widened as she made out several distinct heartbeats, faint but unmistakable.

"Oh no..." she whispered then turned to her friend. "Tudor, there are people in there!"

-

Tudor looked surprised and concerned as he approached where Luna was. She had amazing hearing and heightened senses. He trusted her judgement fully.

"Goodness, this is bad. There's tons of rock, no help here, and they wont have much air left," the young man said. They were the only ones who could help them, but how would they?

-

"Who's in there?! Are you alright?!" Luna called. No response. "If you can hear us, we're going to get you out!" She shouted again. Rising to her haunches she began to lift away the rocks one by one. She made good headway at first but removing the surface level stones uncovered larger heavier ones underneath. Luna struggled more and more until even she met her match.

As she leaned down to pant she noticed a metallic glint amongst the rocks, revealed by her digging. Looking closer she could see chains intertwined with them, apparently part of the support structures that had collapsed.

"Tudor, look," she beckoned. "Maybe these can help us." She tried to pull the end of one out with her front paws but they lacked dexterity and were too large to fit between the cracks.

"Can you help me?"

-

Tudor climbed and used his hands to pull one part of the chain free. "What were you thinking to do with these?" He asked the blue dragoness.

-

"Thanks," Luna said quickly, taking the links in her mouth. She spoke awkwardly around them as she jogged for distance. "If this chain is woven in between the rocks like this I might be able to get them to collapse by pulling on it. Stand back!"

Luna bit down tightly with her powerful jaws, knowing her teeth wouldn't break against the metal and would grow back even if they did. Planting her paws far apart she began to pull hard on the chain, neck muscles distending.

-

"That's a big ask, Luna, these weigh tons upon tons," Tudor replied, his apprehension showing on his face as Luna attempted to pull against the rocks. "Don't hurt yourself," he advised the blue dragoness.

-

It did hurt a little bit and she didn't seem to be making much progress. Racking her brain for a better position she had an idea. Normally she wouldn't be able to stand that way on her own but with external support...

Luna spat out the chain, turned around and grabbed it with her front paws. Then she reared up onto her hind legs, momentarily appearing bipedal before leaning back with her full weight.

Her mouth became a thin line as her brow creased with exertion but still the boulders wouldn't budge, and as she leaned further her hind paws began to slide over the smooth sun-baked stone, forcing her to backpedal and flap her wings just to stay in place.

-

"Be careful, Luna, that weighs tons upon tons," Tudor repeated as Luna struggled to budge the weight. "Come on, girl, heave!" He coaxed the dragoness, but she was struggling with the load.

-

Luna's feet couldn't get a proper grip and her constant movement was wasting energy. 'Think... how else do humans pull things?' She pondered. Then it clicked. Turning around so the chain was over her shoulder she took a stride forward with one muscular hind leg, digging in with her claws as she leaned forward instead.

"Mmm-mngh..." she grunted, tugging harder. Her whole body tensed as sweat beaded on her neck. Then she felt something shift just a hair. "Ahh! I can feel it giving!" She whooped. "Just... a little... more... mmf!"

She was so distracted that she didn't hear the chain starting to creak.

-

"That's it, girl, pull hard!" Tudor spurred the dragoness on, seeing her work hard and pull for all she was worth.

-

"Hnngh! Come on then…" she huffed, leaning even further into the pull as her muscles strained. She felt the cave-in slip another centimeter. It wouldn't be long now. She just had to save these people and she was confident she could do it.

*c-ck-krr-rrr-rrrk-k-k!*

That was until she heard something over Tudor's cheers and her own grunting, something she'd previously assumed was debris falling. It sounded... wait was that the—?

*TCHINK!* Luna yelped, falling forward onto her stomach and chin as the chain snapped.

-

Tudor rushed up to her. "Goodness, Luna, are you okay?!" He fretted as he looked back. "The chain broke, it must have been weakened by the cave in," he said.

-

Luna grimaced and climbed to her feet, rushing back to the cave entrance. "One isn't enough to bear the pressure. Tudor, quick, help me pull more out!"

-

"I can, but want to look for a type of harness? That way we can attach the chains to it," Tudor proposed as he climbed up the rocks to see if there were any more chains.

-

Luna's brow knitted with increasing worry and she almost didn't hear his suggestion. "Yes... if other dragons are employed here there must be something like that. Good thinking!" She dashed off across the grounds, mind consumed with saving innocent lives.

-

Tudor went and found some more chains buried in the rubble, four in total, and dragged them out onto the ground. The young man was dusty and gasping at the effort, but he hoped these would be enough. They looked less damaged than the last one Luna had used too.

-

Luna meanwhile combed the quarry, looking behind parked vehicles and in storage sheds until she found a suitable harness. Snatching it in her mouth she bolted back to Tudor, seeing his handiwork from a distance.

"That's perfect, thank you!" She blessed, dropping her find on the ground and catching her breath for a moment before kneeling down. "Now would you please help me put this on, Tudor? We don't have much time."

-

"Sure, let me get this set up and then I'll hop on your back to encourage you," he offered to Luna as he got the cables attached to the large harness. He made sure they were secure and firmly in place before indicating to Luna it was ready.

"You sure you feel you can do this? This is the heaviest thing you've ever tried to budge," Tudor commented.

-

Luna smiled back at her companion, touched by his concern. Then her face hardened determinedly. "It doesn't matter. I have to try," she affirmed without hesitation. Craning her long neck she gave him a little kiss on the forehead and bade, "Hold on tight."

The dragon faced front again and closed her eyes. 'Please be all right...' she pleaded mentally before throwing herself into the haul.

-

Tudor lurched in his seat as the chains went tight and shook. "Thats it, Luna, big efforts now, and pull.... aaand pull!" He emboldened the dragoness.

-

Luna's claws dug into the pale stone for traction as she pulled with all four legs, leveraging her weight and hoping the equipment would hold. Tudor felt her muscles flexing under his hands as she strained with all her might. Straps dug into her chest, a few drops of sweat trickled down her forehead as she heaved hard, and the mass of earth behind them began to shift ever so slightly.

"Grrrr! Huff… Nnnnnngh! Hhhheeeeeerrrgh!" Luna squeezed her eyes shut, pulling harder. The harness's seams creaked as its attached chains groaned and croaked.

-

Tudor was impressed by Luna's mighty efforts, but soon the mass of rocks stopped moving. They refused to budge, even as Luna pulled the hardest she could.

"Come on, Luna, heave and pull!" He shouted as Luna struggled. "Pull, Luna, pull!"

-

"I... can't... pull... any... harder!" Luna rasped as her hindquarters flexed and a few veins stood out through her scales. "It's... too... heavy!!"

-

"You can do it, Luna, dig deep and pull, you got this girl!" Tudor inspirited her though the sheer weight was a formidable task for the blue dragoness.

-

Luna pictured the people in the cave and wondered how long they'd been trapped in darkness. Even though they were total strangers her heart broke for them. She couldn't fail.

"I... must... save them! Haaaaaahhh!" She cried out, trembling under the strain as she redoubled her efforts. The chains creaked louder, their weak links deforming as several stitches in her harness audibly popped.

-

"Come on, Luna, you can do this, use that dragon strength of yours! Heave girl, heave!" Tudor called as the chains creaked and groaned.

-

Luna focused, tapping into her lineage's characteristic strength and stamina. Her abdominals tensed up, showing through her scales as she pushed her whole body past its normal limit, and against all odds the rock slide shifted another half inch.

"Nnngh! It's so heavy... it's resisting my might... but I won't let you down. I'll make you proud, Tudor!" She roared.

Behind her, one of the chain links whined and half-snapped, its thick steel bending at a faster rate.

-

"Hold up, Luna, the chains are buckling. I've got a quick fix to strengthen them, you rest a minute and regain your strength," Tudor implored as he slipped off her back and unzipped his tool bag.

-

Luna almost protested, but trusted his judgement. "Very well, but please be quick," she said anxiously.

-

Inspecting the snapped loop up close, Tudor also noticed a few of the links had stretched a bit due to the valiant efforts of Luna. He made some adjustments to their positioning to avoid pressure on weak spots, and adapted some of his rock-climbing gear to reinforce them by interlocking various-sized carabiners before heading back to the dragoness.

"I'm going to stand in front of you with a bit of distance, give you a focus point as you pull hard, give you some motivation," Tudor said as he got into position. "When you're ready, Luna, pull."

-

Luna was too antsy to relax. They were running out of time. What if they were already too late? She couldn't stop trembling and her heart ached in her throat as she paced in place.

But as soon as Tudor came into view, seeing how calm he was by comparison helped her to emulate. She took a deep breath in and out, focusing on him. "I'm ready," she said with a slight tremor.

Carefully she stepped forwards until the chains were taut once more. Bracing her stance she leaned forward, gradually increasing her pulling strength. She imagined Tudor was her own child, right there and in need of help, crying. She pulled tighter, the tip of her muzzle straining towards him.

-

Tudor watched as Luna pulled hard, focusing on him as she tried to reach him. The chains strained and shook as the the weight of the rocks hindered her.

"That's it, Luna, keep at it girl, pull!" Tudor applauded, seeing her strain hard.

-

The previous singular chain may have only made a proverbial dent in the blockade, but with four Luna's progress was much more noticeable. Bassy shunts made the quarry floor tremble, and clacks echoed off its high stone walls as pebbles loosened from their resting places and tumbled down the towering mound.

Luna pushed off hard with her back legs, claws scrabbling for purchase on the cracked marble and leaving it marred by deep scratches. She struggled for distance an inch at a time as her harness continued to strain.

One of the weakened chain links began to groan, nearing its limit.

-

"Keep going, Luna, heave!" Tudor goaded as the dragoness struggled to move the weight of the rocks and was looking strained.

"Come on, Luna... come on," he murmured to himself.

-

Luna instinctively reared onto her hind legs as the harness arrested her, giving Tudor a view of her tensed stomach muscles. Her forepaws clawed at the air as she attempted to further lean and stride forward.

-

Tudor was momentarily distracted by Luna's figure. Despite struggling and straining she did look impressive.

"Come on, Luna, heave and pull, you can do it!" Tudor exhorted the struggling dragoness.

-

*Pop!* One of the chains couldn't bear the strength and weight of the dragon and snapped. The others began to creak louder upon losing the support of their comrade. They couldn't take this kind of pressure much longer. Something had to give.

-

"The chains are buckling, the stress is too much, Luna!" Tudor warned as the dragoness pulled hard. He knew the poor girl wanted to free everyone and get them to safety, but…

-

Luna plopped down on all fours once more. "I don't know if we can risk reinforcing them again," she said with worry, looking back on their condition.

-

"I can give it one more try, but after that they've got to hold," Tudor stated. "You may be tiring, Luna, but the effort you're putting in is incredible," the young man reassured, trying to keep her spirits up and determination going.

-

Luna remained silent, jittering as Tudor went to fix the chains once more. It was true that she was tired but she almost couldn't feel it. All she cared about was saving those people at any cost to herself.

She looked over her shoulder at Tudor, determined to resume her efforts the second he was done.

-

Tudor did the best he could strengthening the chains but he'd already used the best of his gear and there was not a lot more he could do. Once he'd finished he moved again in front of Luna to provide motivation and a marker for the blue dragoness.

"When you are ready, girl, heave and pull," he said in an uplifting voice to her.

-

Luna knew that it was now or never. The life signs in the cave behind her were dwindling and if she couldn't dislodge its blockage before the chains broke there'd be no replacing them. She would have to pull out all the stops. It would put more stress on the chains than ever but she had to risk it. There was no other choice.

The dragon closed her eyes, recalling age-old legends of her kind summoning ancestral strength in dire situations. She'd done it twice before, once when she and her brother had been kidnapped as teens, and again when her babies had faced the same fate. But those had been with family close to her; as much as she cared for the people in the mine they were still strangers. Could she really muster that power a third time for them?

She had to try.

Luna grit her fangs and growled, muscles tensing and bursting with energy. She could do it. She could do it. She could do it!

All at once she tore forward, yanking the remaining chains tight. They creaked and groaned loudly under the tension, far exceeding their rated limit. Her claws gouged the earth as she strained hard. Adrenaline flooded her veins. Sweat trickled down her muzzle.

"Grrrr-rrrrrgh!"

-

"That's it, Luna, you got this! Heave and pull!" Tudor yelled, firing up the blue dragoness as she pulled hard. He could see she was determined to do this despite the chains weakening, the weight straining not just dragon muscle but steel chains as well.

The man hoped it would be enough to rescue those people.

-

Luna paws slipped over the stone. She gripped hard, her harness straps cracking and fraying. Fire and smoke puffed from her mouth and nostrils as her internal temperature rose. Behind her the mound shifted another inch.

"RRRRRGGGHHH!! Come on!" Luna gasped, heart pounding in her ears.

-

"You can do this, Luna, show me how strong you are!" Tudor heartened, seeing her work hard. Luna looked so strong and impressive but the task was Herculean in nature.

Soon progress was halted again, defying her strength as her hind legs strained and shook from their heaving.

-

"I'm... at my limit..." Luna grunted, tears gathering in the corners of her reddened eyes. Behind her another chain squealed and popped. Two left.

-

"You can do it, Luna! Come on, get to me, look at me, focus on me and pull!" Tudor cheered, invigorating the dragoness as the chains rattled and strained with only 2 left to take the load.

-

"Huff, huff, huff, NNGGGGHHH!!" Luna surged forward, her front limbs reaching for Tudor. Her hind paws dug in hard, their claws skidding and sparking. "HRRRGH!" She cried, giving a particularly hard yank. The chains whined loudly and several larger rocks tumbled down the cave in.

-

"You're doing good, Luna! Such strength! You can do it, girl!" Tudor inspired the dragoness as she heaved hard and pushed her body to its limits.

Tudor was astonished. Luna looked so strong for a dragoness but despite this the rocks defied her, teasing her muscles and making them work hard.

-

"I'm trying, Tudor," Luna gritted out as sweat built up under her harness. She looked to her friend with bloodshot sclera. "I'm trying for you, but... nnnffff... this is so heavy... I don't know if—"

She was interrupted as another chain partially buckled. One and a half left.

-

Tudor could see she was struggling, and the chains were also yielding, but there wasn't much he or Luna could do except keep doing what they were doing.

"Keep at it, Luna! It will give to you, it's got to!" Tudor beseeched as Luna pulled hard. "Say it, Luna! It's got to give, heave!" Tudor cried, using anything to pep her up.

-

"I-It's... got to give! HEAVE!" Luna began to repeat alongside Tudor, timing her pulls to the chant. More rocks clacked down the incline with each tug, and a deep rumble shook the ground.

"It's got to give! HEAVE!"

-

Tudor glanced to see more rocks coming out. She was doing it! Finally progress was being made!

"You're nearly there, Luna, you're doing so well!" Tudor shouted as he grabbed the medical kits, ready to rush in.

-

"Huuuhhff. It's got to give! HEAVE!"

*Crrrk SNAP!* Another chain went and Luna briefly stumbled to the side as her symmetrical support was lost. Only one left. More earth shifted, but the remaining chain looked ready to yank right out of the hill. Luna kept going, now forced to pull at an awkward angle.

-

Tudor kept his fingers crossed, hoping she could finish. And as the rock moved he knew Luna had this in the bag.

"Last pull, heave, girl!" He hollered as it seemed that they would get in there and help those people.

-

"It's... got to... give! HEAVE!!"

Luna pulled with all of her remaining might. The last chain shrieked and kinked, unable to endure the pressure by itself. Two, then three of its links started to bend apart as its anchor point among the rocks crumbled.

A mighty *RRNCH* sounded as the blockage bowed outward, cracks showing in the compressed earth.

Tudor's words rang true and Luna cried out, "I'll make you give!! HEEEAAVE!!!" before full-tilt hurling herself forward.

The chain shattered, pulling free of the rocks and tearing them asunder in its wake. A cacophony of stone flooded the valley as the rocks violently exploded away from the mouth of the cave, tumbling over each other in a typhoon of dust. The blue dragoness fell forward, once more landing on her stomach and panting with exhaustion.

Luna couldn't believe herself. She'd actually pulled it off! But her brief elation was quickly outweighed by urgency. "That's it! Go now, Tudor, GO!" She managed in between winded breaths.

-

"Great job, girl!" Tudor praised as he grabbed his medical packs and rushed in to help. There were a few workers, dusty, shaken, some with cuts and dried blood on their skin. But they seemed okay, grateful to be rescued as Tudor checked them over one by one, and soon they got to their feet and made their way outside.

Tudor and Luna had done it, the blue dragoness proving her worth as an excellent dragon partner.

***

Luna purred, awakening to Tudor gently stroking her muzzle. She hadn't even noticed herself fall asleep.

"Did I... do well? URK!" Luna tried to move but everything was sore.

-

"You did amazing," Tudor replied, giving her a pet as she had freed the workers.

-

"Oh, I'm so relieved... thank you," she rumbled, then gave a pained chuckle. "I don't think I'm moving for a while. Will you... stay with me?" she asked, parting her arms for him with some effort.

-

"Of course I will. You worked so hard, I'm proud of you, girl," Tudor said, sitting next to her as offered.

-

Luna hugged him tight. "Thank you for all your help," she sighed softly, nuzzling his cheek.

———

Luna the dragon belongs to IndigoPulsar.
Tudor the human belongs to Anonymous.