FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Keenis kept his head down, as both he and Meg tried to avoid being noticed by their patients. For the human doctors, most patients only ever saw the scrubs and stethoscope, However Keenis kind of stood out in the crowd, even when he wasn't wearing his medical harness.

"Hey Meg... Did you wash my paws?" Keenis asked, as he noticed his front paws were now clean. He remembered clearly that they were covered in blood, soot and ash when he arrived at the hospital.

"Well, I couldn't have you staining the couch could I?" Meg asked rhetorically.

Keenis wasn't sure how he felt about having someone touch him so closely while he was passed out, he had let her stroke his scales many times before, but him being unconscious when she did it made him feel odd. "...Thanks," he muttered.

They paused to let a patient pass, a frail human wearing a gown while holding onto an IV pole for support.

Keenis looked down an adjacent hallway as he heard the raised voice of a drake. "No No No, you don't understand. Teeba, T-E-E-B-A, I'm Neebis, You need to find Teeba," the familiar voice hitting a note with Keenis. With a sigh he turned down the hallway and approached the altercation, Meg following just behind him. As they approached behind the white drake, he could see the drake was flustered and was trying to talk to an unimpressed police officer.

"What's going on?" Keenis said, his voice powerful, calm and measured. He had dealt with panicked dragons before and knew that he had to remain calm and firm to get them to focus, he now held himself with his neck curved in a tight ‘S’ shape and with wings partially lifted to appear bigger.

Neebis turned to Keenis, his eyes tired and bloodshot. "I need to find- You!? You were at the markets," Neebis stuttered. "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly unaware that the green drake worked at the facility.

"What's going on?" Keenis repeated, his eyes glancing to the police officer, who had a notepad out and was writing slowly. The large human looked bored and uncaring, but had to take down Neebis's statement.

"Teeba, my friend, she isn't answering her phone," Neebis said frantically.

"Was she at the market with you?"

"No! She lives in the north spire, her apartment…" Neebis's voice choked up, his whole body quivering.

The police officer interjected. "It was destroyed in a gas leak," he said with an eyebrow raised, "But as I have been telling Neebis here, there was no bodies recovered from the apartment."

"YES! THAT’S WHY YOU NEED TO FIND HER!" Neebis exclaimed, his claws scratching deep into the vinyl flooring.

"Calm down, now," Kneebis said firmly, without noticing he had positioned himself between Neebis and Meg, his powerful eyes burning into Neebis. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Neebis turned and walked a few steps away, sniffing back his tears.

Keenis turned to the police officer, who adjusted the sleeve of his uniform and continued writing, Keenis saw the glimpse of a familiar tattoo. "De Caelis?" Kneeis said, causing the police officer to quickly look up.

The police officer gave him a quizzical look and replied "Et Terra!" and closed his notebook with a smile, "Two tours, you?"

"Just one," Kneeis replied and grasped the policeman’s outstretched forearm.

"Is that drake off his meds?" the police officer asked, gesturing down the hall to Neebis who was still sobbing in the corner.

"He and his mate were in the marketplace, she got fucked up pretty bad. I don't know if she made it," Keenis said, Meg noticed that he spoke with a bit more of a gruff tone and smiled slightly.

"Right, and this Teeba, she’s a human or what?" the police officer asked, re-opening his notebook.

"Haven't the foggiest, it was just him and his mate in the market. But if her apartment was hit, and they were at the market when it blew.... Doesn’t that sound sus to you?" Keenis asked and raised an eye ridge.

The police officer leaned in close to Keenis, "I don't know. Dragon's and gas, it’s gonna pop eventually," he said with a chuckle.

Keenis was used to these jokes and had a thick hide for them, he could feel Meg about to interject. "I know, I know. But could you maybe give it a look?" Keenis said and put out his paw for a fist bump, "Just see if you have any known friends of hers or something. Just in case."

The police officer punched his paw firmly. "Alright bro, I’ll check it," he said and closed his notepad, giving Keenis and Meg a nod, before leaving.

Neebis came stomping over in a mixture of frustration and confusion. "Where is he going?!" he said loudly.

"Easy champ. He is going to try and find your Teeba," Keenis said reassuringly.

"Thank-you!" Neebis sighed, his knees going weak and he had to catch himself against the wall.

Keenis put a paw on his shoulder. "Just breathe, you are okay. How is the egg?" he said, trying to distract him.

"She is good, she is in the hatchery..." he stuttered.

Keenis relaxed, "Good, you did good."

"Thank-you, Without you... I don't," Neebis started.

"Hey, big breath. It's going to be okay."

"But Reevian. She's-" Neebis started and was interrupted by Keenis.

"Hey! You are ok," Kneeis said sternly. "Focus on the good, ok? You are going to be a father now and I am genuinely rooting for you," he added.

He could see the confusion and conflict in Neebis's eyes and waited for the white drake to give a small nod of understanding before he turned away. Meg walked next to Keenis as they made their way down the hallway. When they got to the end of the hallway, a soft voice called after them, "Thank-you, I know you did your best."

Keenis's shoulders tensed and muttered under his breath, "For fucks sake.... what does that mean."

Meg put a hand on his shoulder, "You really don't want to know? We can find out? Just say the word."

Keenis shook his head "No, I would rather not know, It's just how we were trained," he said softly. He could feel Meg's gaze on him and gave her a glance. "Please, can we not go into this argument again?" he said with a tired sigh.

"I'm just saying, if you knew the outcome of your patients, it would make you less grumpy," she said and punched his shoulder in a friendly way.

He looked at her as they walked, "And the ones that don't make it? What do I do then?" They had gone through this argument again and again. Against the guidance of his therapist, Keenis believed that if he never found out if the patients recovered, he could trick himself into believing that everyone he helped went on to live long and happy lives. Deep down, he knew it was a lie, some of the patients coming in couldn't be saved, but it kept him moving and helped him clock back in every day.

"I'm just saying, I don't think that is a healthy way to cope, Keenis," she said dismissively and they walked in silence.

As they approached the locker rooms, they split off. The smell of cleaning chemicals filled his nostrils as he walked into the Dragon's locker room. He was one of only a few dragons who worked in the hospital and most of his kind were first responders. Although dragons did not wear clothes per say, they still needed a place where they could hang up their personal harnesses and store their medical harness between shifts. The wet, tiled floor offered very little grip as he walked across the bathroom. The entire room had been designed to accommodate dragons and boasted a collection of large shower heads with detachable hoses to clean those hard to reach places. However in order to 'promote timely showers so all dragons could enjoy the facilities' only cold water flowed through the taps. Keenis approached his locker and saw that Meg or someone else had hung up his personal harness and tablet, it had also been given a cursory wash to remove most of the blood stains, however Keenis's sensitive nose still detected hints of smoke in the fibers.

Keenis dropped the harness onto the ground and spread the leg holes before stepping into it and pulling it up over his shoulders with his jaws. The straps were already the correct length and the excess was tidily tucked into the harness. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror, the thin straps of his lightweight harness made him feel exposed compared to the bulky military harness that he used to wear. The new harness was a simple nylon affair, with a few pouches for carrying things, while the armored Kevlar and leather harness he used to carry bristled with loops and pouches for carrying medical supplies, long range radios and food for his unit. He chuckled as he remembered it being issued to him, the poor human quartermaster had struggled to lift it by himself as Keenis signed for it.

His stomach was sore from not eating for so long. He tried to think when his last hot meal was and when he had to completely skip a day to work out when it was, he knew he needed to fix that as soon as possible. He turned and left the locker-room, smiling weakly as he saw Meg waiting for him.

"Get your makeup fixed?" Meg teased, while adjusting the strap on her purse.

He gave a tired chuckle and walked beside her through the doors, out of the hospital.

"Thoughts on food?" Meg asked, as they made their way across the carpark of the hospital.

Keenis looked ahead and shrugged his large wings. "Something hot, meaty and lots of it," he said.

Meg gave a nod, "Done, I think I know a place not far from here."

They seemed to walk against the flow of pedestrians, almost all of which were headed for work. They all parted like an ocean before Keenis, as he walked through them. Meg kept pace just in front of him as she guided him to a steakhouse just a couple blocks from the hospital.

---

"I feel like they could call it something other than 'mystery meat'," Keenis complained, as he looked at the menu, his large body laid out on some cushions the owner had set aside for dragons. It wasn't uncommon for some restaurants to bar dragons from service all together, while it was illegal to discriminate on the grounds of species, it was still within the restaurants power to design their layouts in ways which would mean dragons either couldn't fit, or would block fire exits. Those owners would then say that it is for the safety of all patrons that dragons were only allowed to eat outside, on the often crowded sidewalk, or order takeaway exclusively. So it was refreshing to find an establishment which allowed dragon's inside and on a soft cushion.

"Hey, you said meat, you didn't say what kind," Meg teased, as she perused the menu. Keenis looked across to her, her orange hair coming down to her shoulders. She would often change her hair color, but her natural color was a fiery red-orange.

"I think they could call it 'mixed meat' or 'combination'. ‘Mystery meat’ sounds like I'm going to dig into an eyeball or something," he said quietly, noticing he was getting a few glances from the other patrons.

"Well, order something else then!" Meg said in a loud whisper, as the waiter came around.

She ordered a chicken sandwich with no tomatoes and he ordered a slab of beef ribs with a spicy sauce. He caught Meg giving him a look as he passed the menus back to the waiter. "What?" he asked sarcastically, he knew she didn't like it when he ordered ribs, but they didn't have steaks in large enough quantities for his appetite.

"You know damn well what," she said with a smile, "Can you at least wait until I finish eating this time?"

"Meg, I am hungry and tired, if me eating ribs annoys you, that's a 'you' problem," he said, riling her up.

She tossed a napkin at his long snout, "Most people don't eat the bones Keenis."

"Most dragons do," he retorted quickly.

"It’s still gross," she said with a chuckle, her smile betraying her mock frustration.

He joined in with her chuckle, "Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it"

"Well, if I ever have a big mouth like yours, maybe I will"

He conceded with a smile and leaned back against the wall of the diner. Breathing deep, he could enjoy the smells of the kitchen wafting through the establishment, feeling his stomach rumble, he tried to pass it off as a stretch while Meg scrolled through her phone. He couldn't help but stare at Meg while she was distracted, it was rare for a human to be so welcoming to a dragon and, being one of only a few in the hospital, he enjoyed her company.

"Did you do something with your hair?" Keenis asked. He thought something looked different but couldn't put a paw on it.

"I got it colored again," she said, while still focused on her phone.

He frowned slightly, "But wasn't it already orange?"

"It was, but I needed to get the roots done, so I went down a shade," she said and glanced up from her phone to see him focused on her hair, "Why's that?"

He blinked a few times, his mind had wandered, "Oh, nothing. I just thought it looked better before."

"Well fuck-you too," she said with a smile.

"What!? It’s not bad," he said and knew he had blundered, "I'm sorry, was that not the right thing to say?"

She sighed and went back to her phone, "No, Keenis, that was not the right thing to say."

They sat in silence for a while and Keenis started to drum his claws on the cushion, waiting for their meal. She could tell he was bored and put her phone down to give him her attention, "So, that policeman. You knew him?"

"Not really. We were in the same branch, but so were many others?" Keenis said, while staring across the diner.

"How could you tell?" she asked and looked up at his powerful, intelligent eyes.

Keenis tilted his head from side to side as he thought, "The way he was standing, His hair was too short-"

"Since when were you an expert on hair?" She laughed.

"Oh shhh you. All the humans had to keep their hair short for lice, Not sure why they keep doing it after though... But also, he had a tattoo on his arm from when he served. That kind of gave it away", Keenis said and looked down at her.

"And do you have a tattoo?", She asked, dragons often shed their scales one at a time, so the idea of tattooing a scale seemed odd.

"I do," he said dismissively.

"Oooooh, where?" Meg teased and leaned forwards on her chair.

Keenis smiled as he got her build up to a joke. "Ah, well. I can’t show you here. It wouldn't be decent," he said with a smirk.

"You tease, come on. Where is it? I know it’s not on your paws," she teased back.

"It’s a secret!" he lied with a hushed tone and leaned in so his snout was just a few inches from her face. "If you are a good girl, maybe I will show you," he teased in turn in his gruff voice.

"Oh! Maybe I should just wait for you to pass out at work again and do a proper exam on you?" she said and swatted his snout, causing him to lean back with a chuckle.

"But seriously, where is it?" she continued.

He contemplated telling her, but was having too much fun, he just gave her a sly wink and a smile.

Knowing she wasn't going to get the stubborn dragon to talk, she tried to change the subject slightly, "Were there many dragons when you served?"

"A fair few, we used to be just pack mules for a squad, but when I joined we had specialized roles," he answered. Talking about his time serving was not something he often did and Meg wanted to know more, "So was it a squad of just dragons?"

"Oh god no," he said with a smile, "Nothing would get done if that happened. There was usually one in each squad, we would often carry radios, survey the area ahead and stuff like that."

"Would they like.. ride you?" Meg asked. She knew that a long time ago dragons were used as mounts.

Keenis laughed suddenly, causing a few other patrons to turn towards him. "God's no! Occasionally we would carry the wounded, but having a human on your back is highly frowned upon in modern dragon culture. We are not horses and if a dragon ever chose to have someone ride them, it would have to be a desperate time for both dragon and human," his eyes went a bit distant as he remembered the few times he had to let someone ride on his shoulders.

Meg watched him for a moment, as he stared across the diner for a few minutes, "So, what was that latin that you said to the policeman?"

"It’s just a thing-"

"A thing?" Meg repeated.

"It was a motto for our company," he said and looked down to her, "I never asked where it came from. But 'De Caelis, Et Terra' was our thing"

Meg waited for him to explain and gestured with her hand for him to continue, "And? Terra means earth, but what does it mean?"

"From the heavens, and the ground," his voice drifted off, as he noticed their food coming towards them and suddenly his attention was not on Meg.

"Thank-you," he said with a smile, as the waiter put a large platter of ribs down in front of him and a sandwich in front of Meg. He caught Meg still staring at him disapprovingly. "Make you a deal, you don't bitch about me enjoying this lovely meal and I will tell you where my tattoo is. Deal?" he offered, as he picked up a meaty rib and brought it to his watering mouth.

"No, I will still bitch, but less than normal and you will show me, not just tell me. Okay?" she said and flinched as he bit into the rib, the crunch of the bone splintering was like nails on a chalkboard. The following crunches as he chewed caused her to tense up and close her eyes.

"No bitchy-bitch," He said between mouthfuls, "Or no naughty tattoo." He smirked and crunched the bone again.

"Fuck-you, and fine. Only because you said it was naughty," she said and tried to focus on her sandwich, the sounds of him eating still causing her to flinch.

He smirked and continued to break apart his ribs, occasionally dipping them into the spicy sauce. He could see that she was not enjoying their experience as much as he did and he tried to crunch them softer. He caught a few other patrons glaring at him as he ate and he knew he was starting to overstep his welcome and began to quickly finish his mean.

With a content sigh, he started pulling the last meat off the bones with his teeth and added the final bone to the pile he had created. The waiter approached, just as he finished his mouthful, with a payment machine in her hand. "Hey, could I get a little bag for these?" he said with a smile. He tried to look endearing to the human waiter, however the splatter of sauce on his lips and bags under his eyes made him look a bit deranged. With a polite smile she pulled a small plastic bag out from her apron and passed it to him. He tapped his tablet on the payment machine and it made a cheerful ‘ding’, as the waiter collected their plates.

"Alrighty then, Home, Bed, Sleep," he said before tying the bag of bones to the front of his harness and slowly got up. The warm food and lying down on the cushions made his body long for sleep.

"Come on then, let’s get you home," Meg said and got up.

Stepping out of the diner and onto the pavement, Meg turned to him, "Where abouts are you staying these days?"

"Eastern outskirts, Near Talondale," he said. There were less pedestrians now that it was mid morning, he took a few steps before he noticed that Meg wasn't following, he turned around and saw her frown in thought, "What?"

"You are not serious, that will take you all day to walk," she said in dismay.

Keenis shrugged, "I could probably fly if I took it slowly, but it’s not like I fit on the bus."

"Nah-nah-nah, you are not flying. Last thing I want is to have you on the receiving end of my knife, because you fell asleep on the wing," Meg's specialization was trauma surgery and she was well used to patching up dragons who flew intoxicated, tired or recklessly.

"Well, long march it is then," he said and took a few steps forwards. He had marched longer, while more tired and in the harsh sun, all while carrying heavy equipment; so, while the prospect did not bring him much joy, he knew he could do it.

"Or..." Meg started. "How about you could come to my place and get some rest, it’s just a couple of blocks away..... You could show me that tattoo," she said quietly.

Keenis turned and thought about it. He could spend the day resting on the couch or floor and then fly home before evening, which would probably be when he would get home if he walked. "If that is ok, I can be gone before your next shift."

"Come on flyboy, but no funny business," she said sternly, waggling a finger at him.

Keenis smiled, "Oh, I am way too tired to do my comedy routine."

"Come on joker," she said and curled a finger at him, she couldn’t see his smile vanish, but he obediently followed her. They walked about a block, before she heard the rustling of a plastic bag, her shoulders tensed as he pulled a bone out of his bag and crunched on it.

---

"I thought you said it wasn't decent to show in public," Meg said, tracing a finger over his tattoo.

"I didn't say public," he said softly.

"I thought it would be bigger. Did it hurt?" she asked.

Keenis sighed, "It's a needle that stabs the flesh, it was never going to be gentle. And it is plenty big enough."

"If it hurt that much, then why did you get it?"

"It's hard to explain, you get it once you are a part of a unit. But you have to earn it," he whispered. Having a human touch him on his tattoo caused him to shiver slightly, remembering his unit crowded around him, comforting him, while they took turns inking his flesh.

"Like a right of passage?" Meg offered.

"I guess so."

"But why here, why not somewhere visible?"

"A pretender gets theirs somewhere noticeable," he said, as he stood in Meg's living room with one wing fully extended. She was standing under his outstretched wing and was tracing her fingers over his unit's crest, which was marked where the membrane of his wing met his wing 'wrist'. The tattoo was done in a way which meant it was only visible if he fully stretched out his wing, "A benefit of being able to hide it is that people don't think you are some killer when they make your coffee."

She retracted her hand as he pulled his wing in. "Do you miss it?" she asked softly.

Keenis looked around her apartment. It was modern and had been designed in a way that it could accommodate dragons or humans. A wise choice by the architect, as humans would pay a hefty price for such a spacious dwelling, which meant they could charge the same from dragons. "Sometimes," he said softly. "The food was shit and the living quarters were not as nice as this," he said, as he spread his front toes in the thick carpet, being careful to not snag his claws in the piles, "But it was like a family, if that makes sense."

"Did you ever... you know? Kill anyone?" she asked and tried to read his expressions.

Keenis turned to her. "Yes," he answered flatly, "But can we change the topic?"

"Of course," she said and smiled softly.l "I only have one bed, but I have a pull out couch or the guest room, I can probably find some pillows," she called back to him, as she went down to a hallway cupboard and started shuffling through things trying to find blankets and cushions.

Keenis took a look at the small lumpy couch in the living room and shook his head. "I'll take the bed," he said with a smile.

"Oi, the bed's mine," she chastised him.

"We could share," he teased, trying his best to give a charming smile.

She pulled some blankets to her chest and walked slowly towards him, swaying her hips seductively. "You would like that would you?" she said in a sultry tone. His smile started to fade, as he wasn't sure if she was being serious. At work there was always some chemistry between each other, but he thought it was nothing more than friendly flirting. He had never thought about being with a human and the logistics of it all were a bit foreign to him. "My little hands, on your big girthy cock?"

"I, um," he stuttered as she stepped in between his front paws, he had to crane his head down to see her trace a finger down his front throat scales.

She thrust the blankets into his chest, causing him to grasp them with one paw. "I don't date drakes who eat loudly," she said with a smile. "Guest room is all yours," she said, turning away from him and started walking down the hall towards her room.

"Wait, you date drakes?" he called out to her, as she closed her bedroom door behind her.

Keenis swallowed a few times, trying to process what just happened. He felt his groin going a bit tight and took a few steps to ease the tension. He walked down the hallway and contemplated sticking his nose into her bedroom to push his luck. His paw was on her door handle, but he stopped when he heard her shower turn on. Shaking his head he didn't want to ruin what they had and turned into the guest bedroom that shared a wall with her en-suite.

"Come on Keenis, she was just having a laugh," he muttered to himself, as he looked around the guest bedroom. The thick carpet on the floor was welcoming and he found the switch on the wall for the ceiling fan. He used his paws to gently open a window to let some of the stale air out, it was clear she didn't have guests over often as the room had a distinct dusty smell, but he didn’t mind as all he needed was somewhere out of the way to rest. As the ceiling fan picked up speed, he realized he had turned the knob the wrong way and it started to sound like it was going to take off. He quickly went across to the switch and changed its position. Being this close to the dividing wall, he could hear Meg showering next door, but he tried to block out the sounds, his dirty mind going to water running off her orange hair. He heard her washing herself and tried to push the thoughts away, as he stretched his body as best he could in the small room.

He recoiled in shock as one of his horns was clipped by the ceiling fan, a loud ‘clack’ echoing off the bare walls of the room.

"You good?" Meg called out through the wall.

Keenis rubbed his horn with a paw before calling back. "All good! I just found the fan," he smiled when he heard her laugh from her room and quickly laid down before he caused any more damage. The carpet was oddly comforting to his tired body as he closed his eyes, he was not one for soft mattresses and the combination of firm floor with soft carpet was perfect for him to relax.

He breathed deeply and relaxed his body. After a couple of minutes he heard Meg finish in the shower and turn off the taps, the slight scent of steam and soap wafting under the guest bedroom door, tingling his sensitive nose. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him, the fan still making repetitive whooshing noises, as it spun off balance. Its steady rhythm hypnotic, lulling him to sleep.

---

"Brought enough grenades?" Keenis teased Taalli, as their squad made their way to the Blackhawk which was parked with its engines running, its large rotors a constant rhythm which caused him to yell to be heard.

Taalli gave him a smile. "No. But I ran out of pouches," she retorted. They both carried their harnesses over their shoulders and kept themselves low to the ground as they moved under the downdraft from the rotors.

While the harnesses were designed to be worn while flying, the added weight was inconvenient and reduced the range of the dragons. Because of that, it was common practice to store them in transports and then gear up closer to a combat zone. As the humans climbed into the helicopter, Keenis muttered their names under his breath. He was still new to the squad and struggled to tell them apart when they were all geared up.

"Scarecrow, captain and calm voice.“

“Joker, Freckles, loud mouth.”

“Bishop, Dark skin, big gun.”

“Kodiak, Big arms, thick neck.”

“Raider, Smells of deodorant, doesn’t like dragons, big smile."

Both of the dragons helped their human squad members get their gear in and get settled before putting their harnesses on the floor of the helicopter. Keenis's harness was very different to Taallis. While hers bristled with grenades and explosives, his was full of medical supplies, a long range radio, food and other supplies the squad needed. Both harnesses had hefty ceramic and steel plates, interwoven with Kevlar where flexibility was needed, that would protect the underside of the dragons when worn and uncomfortable neck plates.

Once their harnesses were stowed, the dragons moved away from the helicopter to give it space to take off. In a pinch a dragon could squeeze in, however considering they could keep pace with the helicopter in the cruise it was more practical for them to fly alongside.

The turbine’s pitch increased as the Blackhawk slowly lifted off the ground and took to the sky. Once it was clear, both Keenis and Taalli launched into the air, their large wings propelling them with ease.

Although Keenis's kit had the long range radio, it was mostly used as a repeater for the squad. It was common practice for the dragons of a unit to maintain observation from above and having a large antennae above the buildings or hills offered better reception. However it was no replacement for their short ranged comms, which were mounted onto their horns with a throat mic just behind their jaw. Keenis heard his radio crackle with their captain's voice, the sounds of the helicopter in the background.

"Alright Zulu's you know the drill. We are relieving 'Foxtrot', they have been holding a strategic building in the city outskirts and we will take over for the next few days."

When the war first started, they had secured large swaths of land across the countryside, however their initial momentum began to wane as they became bogged down in conflicts inside the cities. Key locations such as bridges were being held by small squads and now it was time for Keenis's squad to take over guarding an old abandoned hospital.

He looked back at the main base, which was slowly disappearing behind him. The rhythm of the helicopter’s rotors beating reverberating in his thoughts. The desert landscape around them was beautiful with sweeping dunes and rocky outcrops, this was one of the few places in the world where snow capped mountains met the desert sands. The warm sun beating down on his wings made him feel alive. If it wasn't for the war, this would be a great place to live, he thought.

"Zulu delta one to Zulu delta two, can I get you on a private channel? I have a medical question," Taalli’s voice came over the radio.

Their squad designation was Zulu and dragons were followed by the letter D. Because they were one of the few squads with more than one dragon, they had to add numbers. Taalli was the first in the squad, so hers was ZD1 and he naturally became ZD2.

Keenis looked over the top of the Blackhawk and saw Taalli on the other side looking at him with a mischievous smile. He could guess what this question would entail. Ever since he joined the squad, she had been interested in him. While he appreciated the attention, she was a bit too forward for his liking and she was almost always covered in a thick layer of soot and grime which didn't really appeal to him. He acknowledged and reached for the radio controls on his wrist and adjusted frequency. The military radios were very sophisticated and allowed the wearer's to listen to multiple frequencies, but could pick which one they were talking on, despite their advancements however, they still struggled with wind noise sometimes.

"What is it Taalli?" he said with a sigh.

"I was wondering if you could check out an itch I have?" Taalli asked innocently.

Keenis rolled his eyes, "Let me guess. It's between your legs?"

"Damn, you are good," she chuckled, "I've tried scratching it myself, but neither my tongue or paw or toys can get it to stop"

"You have toys?!" a third voice chimed in on the radio, causing both of the dragons to snap their heads at the occupants in the Blackhawk.

"Shut it, Joker," Taalli snapped. "A ‘ness has needs, some of us don't have the luxury of spending an hour each morning in the latrines," she teased, causing Joker to open and close his mouth a few times trying to think what to say.

"He is just reading the articles," their captain's voice chimed in.

"Nah Cap, Joker can't read," Bishops southern drawl teased.

"Remind me why we have private channels?" asked Keenis rhetorically, the unit was pretty close, but Keenis sometimes wished he had a bit more privacy.

"Alright guys, leave the doc and his 'patient' to talk," commanded their captain gently.

Taalli waited a moment before continuing, "I'm just saying, it doesn't have to be anything serious. Just a quick romp when we get back to base."

Keenis shook his head, "Sorry Taalli, you might be my patient one day, I can’t be thinking of you more than others."

"The others could join in," Taalli teased and could see Keenis blush, "Or do you have a ‘ness back home or something?"

"No, no ness back home. It’s just not professional," Keenis clarified, they had gone through this argument a few times, but she didn't seem to get the message.

"Keenis, we are not office dragons, we sleep on the floor, blow stuff up for a living and get our paws dirty. Nothing professional about what we do," Taalli said with a smile.

Keenis couldn't look at her and maintained his gaze ahead of them. "Some of us get our paws dirtier than others," he muttered, not realizing the mic would pick it up.

"Hey, not all of us have the luxury of being a sexy green color. It may come as a surprise to you, but under this sand and shit, I kinda stand out like a damn road cone," she snapped.

He knew he had riled her up and pushed his luck, "Maybe if you weren't covered in shit, you wouldn't itch"

"That sounds like a promise, Keenis. I'll hold you to that," she smirked and caught him looking across at her, "I'll wash my scales if you give me a good root.... Deal?"

Keenis looked a bit shocked, "That's not what-"

They were interrupted by Scarecrow’s voice, it was calm but focused. "All Zulus, Foxtrot is under fire and LZ will be hot. Get ready to come out swinging. Brass check and triple check. Deltas, can we do a harness drop?"

Taalii and Keenis switched back to the main channel and could see the occupants of the helicopter loading and checking their equipment, even the door gunners were confirming their sights were set and ammo was loaded.

The usual procedure for gearing up the dragons was to land the helicopter near the combat zone, unload the harnesses and then proceed into the hot zone while the dragons followed alongside. However in desperate situations they had been trained to drop the harnesses out of the helicopter mid flight and the dragons to dress themselves while in freefall, it was very risky and not preferred by any party.

Taalli’s voice chimed in on the radio. "Can you give us more than 1k this time?" she asked. 3,000ft was the recommended 'minimum safe height' to drop the harnesses and give the dragons time to get dressed. During training they would practice at higher altitudes, but in practice it was often done anywhere between 500 and 1000 ft.

There was a pause as their captain negotiated with the pilot, flying high would mean entering airspace which was either reserved for other aircraft or visible on radar. "1k approved, starting the climb," Scarecrow's voice relayed and the Blackhawk started to pitch up slightly, losing forwards speed and climbing into the sky. Both dragons were able to keep pace with the climb and leveled off just above the rotor disc of the helicopter. "Taalli, your up, port side"

"Send it!" Taalli confirmed and tucked her wings in. The rest of the squad threw the harness out of the left side of the helicopter just before it banked steeply to the right, giving her a clear shot at her harness.

As she whizzed past the side of the helicopter, Joker’s voice crackled over the radio, "Fetch girl!"

"Fuck you Joker!" she replied.

"Keenis, you’re up, starboard side," Scarecrow's voice said calmly. As soon as Keenis acknowledged, the helicopter banked left. Keenis tucked his wings in and dove after his harness, as it was tossed out of the right side of the helicopter.

"You know she wants you to chase that tail," Joker's voice called after him on the radio. Keenis rolled his eyes and then focused on orientating himself with the harness.

The main chest plates were the heaviest, which meant the front of the harness was falling to the ground first. The leg loops flapping wildly in the wind as it rushed towards the ground. Keenis adjusted his wings slightly and closed the gap with the harness, he caught up with it and slipped his head through the main loop and then pushed his front paws into their loops, followed by his back paws. Glancing forwards, he could see the earth rushing towards him, he still needed to get the harness up over his shoulders. Using his paws, he tried to shuffle up the straps to his shoulders, but the wind had caused them to twist around themselves, shortening their overall length. Gritting his teeth, he tried to untwist the straps, the ground was getting dangerously close now. He still had time to abandon the harness, but that would mean the loss of thousands of taxpayers dollars, the embarrassment of Taalli making fun of him and going into a hot zone without armor. He wasn't sure which was worse.

Swearing under his breath, he tried one last time to get the straps right and then felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, glancing up he saw Taalli over his back, using her paws to pull on the straps and get the buckles together with a reassuring click. "Don't expect me to dress you every day," she said as she flared her wings and pulled away from him, giving him room to flare and pull up, the added weight of the harness straining his wings. The ground rushed past below him, if he had struggled with the straps any longer he would have been running out of room to pull up.

"Thanks," he muttered over the radio.

"Delta one and two are dressed and ready to go dancing," Taalli said, as the helicopter descended down to their height.

As they crested over a rocky ridgeline, Keenis got his first look at the city they were to be occupying. The sprawling, war-torn suburbs stretched out ahead of them, the once proud estates long since fallen to disrepair, not a single pane of glass was spared from the carnage that had ravaged this city over the last century of constant conflicts. Towards the center of the city stood what had been a large, beautiful palace. Once the jewel of the city, it had half of its towers blown apart and large cracks could be seen in the main dome even from across the city. Pillars of smoke rose from the streets, from either burnt out cars or ordinance dropped by other members of his country, Keenis could not be sure.

"And to think this was once the cradle of civilization," Bishop said over the radio, saying what they were all thinking.

"Stow it team. Keenis, can you patch us into Foxtrot?" Scarecrows asked, his voice a constant calm despite the situation.

Keenis toggled a few switches on a box that was mounted on the straps of his harness and gave their captain a nod while flying alongside the helicopter.

"Zulu-actual to Foxtrot, I understand you need some help," Scarecrow announced. The designation of 'actual' was reserved for whomever was in charge of the unit.

Keenis saw Taalli look at him with a grim expression as they heard gunfire and explosions through their radios, followed by a scared voice. "Fuck. Yes, help us. our doc is KIA, our delta is down and needs medical and we are running low on ammo. We have fallen back to the main hospital building and we are surrounded."

"Copy that, we are 2 minutes out. Try to get the injured to the roof and we will take it from there," Scarecrow said calmly. Keenis couldn't help but be impressed with his attitude towards the situation, he could feel his own heart rate was elevated and his jaw tense, as they flew across the city towards the sounds of gunfire.

Keenis double checked his straps were tight as they saw a column of green smoke erupt from the roof of a large building, muzzle flashes coming from the rooftop and he could see humans on the street and surrounding buildings returning fire. He glanced at their helicopter and saw Scarecrow staring at him, his gaze unwavering as he formulated a plan, he saw the captain reach for his radio before his voice crackled through his headset. "Zulu Delta Two, Keenis I need you to hold back and follow us in, once an LZ is clear we will fast rope down and you join us to help their Delta." Keenis acknowledged, this was his first firefight and he was keen to not be in the firing line first up.

"Zulu Delta One, Taalli, I'm going to need you to provide overwatch and maybe do some remodeling of the surrounding buildings. Can you do that?" Scarecrow asked.

"Thought you would never ask!" she said, smiling menacingly.

Keenis slowed down slightly and fell in behind the helicopter, the hot exhaust fumes from the twin engines causing him to stifle a cough and he looked through the heat mirage of the turbines to see the hospital rapidly approaching. He saw the helicopter start to pull up slightly, moving into a fast hover, it descended to just above the building’s rooftop. A few bullets from small arms fire ricochet off the sides of the helicopter and Keenis could hear a whine building in pitch before twin guttural roars echoed across the city from the door guns. A constant line of tracer fire streaked across, towards the buildings. Concrete walls offering little protection for the occupants, as the rounds turned what were once sturdy walls into a fine powder. Anyone on the rooftops who was either smart enough or fast enough dove into the many holes that pockmarked them, hoping the floors below would offer more protection. Taalii moved with a speed and grace that didn't seem possible, given the amount of explosives she was carrying as she spiraled down to the roof of one of the buildings. She didn't even land, as she hovered above one of the larger holes, her large wings beating the air into submission, kicking up dust and smoke in her wake. "Knock knock, Taalli's here," Said Joker over their radios, as she reared her head back before thrusting her head towards the hole, two streams of clear liquid jetted out from her gullet into the hole before mixing and igniting in an oily flame. She slowly circled the hole in the roof, powerful wings fanning the flames and maintaining her altitude, as she kept the large flame going. It was only a fraction of a second later, before the flames erupted from what was left of the sides of the building, some of their occupants deciding to jump rather than face the heat of Taalli's wrath.

Keenis watched in amazement, most dragon's could not breath fire, as it was an evolutionary trait which was no longer required in the modern age and those that could often only did so in ceremonial occasions or in performances. Keenis no longer saw the irreverent ‘ness that teased him for not wanting to mate with her, instead there was an angel of death, a force of nature that could not and should not be silenced. He quickly looked away as he felt something primal stir inside him, now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. Taalli snapped her mouth shut and with a large flap continued her orbit around the area.

The helicopter ascended slightly and hovered over the rooftop of the building, before the crew threw heavy, thick ropes out the sides, the non-draconic members of Zulu squad straddled the ropes and quickly descended onto the rooftop. As soon as their feet touched the ground, their guns were up and they were moving towards the sides of the building, cracks of their gunfire snapped Keenis out of his trance and he quickly dived to the rooftop. The downdraft of the helicopter caused his wings to lose lift at the last second and he landed heavily. The rooftop was not sturdy enough to support the helicopter and many years of dodgy electrical work and people pirating radio frequencies caused it to be bristling with sharp metal antennae and satellite dishes which could damage the helicopter if it tried to land.

Keenis could see a member of Foxtrot against a rusty air conditioner, his chest ripped open by gunfire and his body not moving. Keenis knew straight away there was no saving him, so he scanned around the rooftop to try to locate the downed dragon . "Where is your delta?" Keenis yelled across the roof top to a member of Foxtrot, who was reloading their rifle.

"Next floor down," The soldier yelled back, over the sound of the hovering helicopter.

Not needing to be told twice, Keenis dove through one of the holes in the roof, kicking up dust as he landed in a long hallway. The floor felt unstable under him as he squeezed his way down the narrow hallway and into what was once a busy hospital ward. Its walls used to offer safety and security to those in need, but now two of its walls were completely missing, a dragon sprawled out on the floor groaned in pain. Its once glossy black scales covered in blood, dust and sand, one wing was bent at an unnatural angle and the other was nothing more than a bloody stump, all of the wing fingers completely absent.

Keenis bounded over to the dragon and slid to a halt, pulling the straps on some of his pouches to quickly disconnect them and they fell to the ground with a thump. "Easy Delta, I've got you"

The dragon looked at Keenis and saw the red cross on his chest plate. "You're a doc?"

Keens pulled out a package that held something which resembled a shower cap and ripped open the protective film with a claw. "That's what they keep calling me."

"Is it bad?" The dragon asked weakly.

Keenis tried to smile. "Nah. You're going to be fine," he tried to say reassuringly and wrapped the shower cap over the dragon's wing stump. As Keenis pulled a tab on the shower cap it started to shrink, two chemicals mixed inside of it causing it to heat up and make the rubber contract around the severed limb. The pressure of the bandage stopped the bleeding and would keep the wound as sterile as possible.

The dragon looked over at his wing and saw the stump, his breath hitching and started to shake. A dragon without the ability to fly was a sad life, but Keenis's job was to get people home. He tried to detach himself emotionally from the scene, focusing on his training as he inspected the wing stump. He could feel the dragon start to hyperventilate and go into shock. "Hey, Easy now. I'm going to get you home, okay?"

"Will I ever fly again?" The dragon whimpered.

"Hey. Focus. You are alive. Look at me," he said sternly and grabbed the dragon’s head, turning it away from the wing stump, "You are going to be okay. How about we get you home? Would you like that?"

"Yes, Get me out of here," The dragon cried, tears running down his snout.

"Good, can you walk?" Keenis asked.

"My back feels funny, I can’t feel my back legs.... Wait, I can’t feel my back legs!" he shouted in mounting panic.

Keenis put a strong paw on his chest and tried to focus, the sounds of the explosions echoing off the interior walls causing them to shudder. "Hold still, let me see what I can do," he closed his eyes and drew on his magic, pushing his mind into the body of the injured dragon. He could feel that there was some minor internal bleeding but nothing serious. The wing stump and broken bones in the other wing called out to his mind to be fixed, but he pushed them aside and focused on the dragon's spine. Tracing down from his shoulders he eventually found a broken vertebrae pushing against the spine, pinching off the nerves. He used his magic and could feel the bones rearranging themselves back to where they should be, relieving the tension on the nerves. The bones would still need to heal but at least he could walk again.

"My legs. You can do-" the dragon started, but was interrupted by Keenis keying his radio.

"Zulu Delta Two to Zulu Actual. I have stabilized Foxtrot Delta, he can walk but can’t fly. We will have to sling him," Keenis said calmly over the radio, "Come on tiger, let’s get you onto the roof." He slowly rolled the dragon over onto his side and then front. With a loud groan they got up together, Keenis offering as much support as he could.

"Roger Zulu Delta Two, getting a sling now." He heard his captain’s voice through his radio as he helped the injured dragon down the hallway and towards what remained of the fire stairs. Large cracks could be seen on most of the walls and dust fell from the ceiling, as explosions went off around them.

As the two dragons emerged onto the roof, Bishop's voice could be over the radio. "Hey Boss, This building doesn't feel good. You sure we should be protecting this?"

A few of the other members of Zulu squad looked to their captain for guidance, while a heavy rope net was lowered from the helicopter’s powerful winch. Keenis helped the injured dragon into the net and laid him down. Being slung in a net with a broken back was not going to be a pleasant experience for the dragon, but it was the only option.

The captain reached for his radio. "Zulu actual to Zulu Delta one, Taalli, how is it looking from up there?"

"That depends. If you want lots of hostiles from the North, east, south.... oh and the west too, then today is your lucky day. Personally, I don't think this building is worth it."

The captain thought for a moment, before Joker chimed in, "No offence cap, but this ain't where I want to die."

"Zulu team, Foxtrot team, Pop smoke and mount up on the sling. Taalli, we are moving to asset denial. You copy?" the captain said calmly. The team snapped into action, pulling smoke grenades from their rigs and tossing them down the sides of the buildings.

"Roger Captain. Once you’re clear, I'll drop it," Taalli said and turned towards the main building.

It only took a few seconds for the entire building to be engulfed in a cloud of white smoke, its roofline only just visible due to the wash of the helicopter's rotors as it rose into the sky. The injured dragon cradled his downed medic while the rest of the two squads hung onto the outside of the sling, those that could position their rifles took aim at the enemy below and fired off a few rounds for good measure. Keenis watched them leave, unable to take off due to the downdraft of the helicopter's rotor wash. Taalli skidded to a stop next to him, her body covered in oily soot from either her fire or the explosions she caused.

She smiled at Keenis, a mischievous glint in her eyes, as she started unwrapping demolition charges from her harness. "You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to work," her voice soft and gentle, Keenis cocked his head slowly. She never did anything gently. "You hear me? Hey! I'm going to work. You can stay if you want, but just lock the door when you leave."

He shook his head and tried to process what he was seeing. It was no longer Taalli on the roof with him, but Meg instead. The sounds of the Blackhawk’s rotors whooshing overhead, she gently put a hand on his cheek. "You hear me? Send me a message when you get home, so I know you are ok."