FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

'Mediation' Was one of the many new words Neebis had learnt in the last few days. He sat with Teeba and his mate in the park, pouring over books and legislation to try to work out a way that they could "Un-Fuck their situation" as Teeb had described it. Not only were they served the papers, but the next day a court order arrived stating they must pause all operations until settlement.

Teeba had adjusted the home page of the app apologizing for the service being temporarily unavailable, but the reviews on the app were already tanking their rankings online, disgruntled customers, vendors and delivery flyers all hating on the decision that was out of their hands. One thing that didn't pause however was the banks, the money they had been loaned had been mostly spent on servers and marketing campaigns, and without a source of income the bank was starting to send concerning letters to Reevian and Neebis.

Reevian re-read the accusations from Drag'n'Drop, they did indeed have patents on: "the use of dragons for last leg delivery" and the trio's Grub-Wrym business did indeed use dragons for the final delivery of food. She turned the paper over and over, re-reading and then returning to the books they had laid Infront of them. She heard Neebis groan as he tried to focus on the writings, He struggled with the long legalese and neither him nor Reevian had slept well the last few nights.

"How is it that they have the patents for dragons delivering stuff?" Neebis asked, his voice filled with frustration. "Like, if I carry something in a harness, and give it to you, am I breaking the law?"

Teeba moved her headphones down to her neck and interjected. "Well, no. Unless you make money from it." she said and turned a page. "How they managed to get the patent in the first place is something that bothers me." She looked up and saw Neebis staring at her. "I mean, it means they have a complete monopoly on a large sector of business for a whole species." Her eyes lit up and she pulled over another book and quickly flicked through it, "Does this breach any sort of Dragon rights....." she said as she flicked through.

Neebis returned to his book and tried to follow along with what it said, he had tried to read the same sentence three times now and his head was swimming in confusion. "Fuck this, we need an adult." Said Neebis. and stretched his neck.

Reevian looked up at him "Neebis, we are adults" she said a little more forcefully than she expected.

"An adultier adult then, someone who knows this sort of thing" he said tiredly, closing his book with a sigh.

"I think he means a lawyer" Said Teeba, still scanning through the book. "Nope, turns out we don't have rights.... " She said with a deflated sigh. "Because no one is forcing dragons to work for Drag'n'Drop, it's not slavery or in any way a breach of our liberties... what little we have apparently." she added.

"Neebis, we can't afford a lawyer, with the banks looking over our shoulder we need what little money we have to last us until we get this over with... I really don't want to lose the market." She said sadly.

Neebis got up and moved over to her, He lay down next to her and wrapped a wing around her tightly. "I won't let that happen" he whispered, his voice determined. "I will burn their buildings down to the ground and piss on the ashes before I let them take one bowl from our home" he said, nuzzling her gently.

Reevian couldn't help but feel slightly concerned, she wasn't sure if he was kidding. Grub-Wyrm food delivery service was Neebis's dream, to see it being pulled from under him by legal nonsense was tearing him apart. She pretended not to see when she caught him crying behind the apartment, or in the shower. He had worked so damn hard to try and make a future for his family and because neither of them checked any obscure patents, they were now facing huge fines, their business shut down and possibly becoming homeless.

He rested his head against her warm neck, the tree's leaves casting mottled shadows over their scales as the leaves slowly moved in the breeze. He gently inhaled his mate's scent, finding it calming. He didn't have the words to describe it, but it just smelt like 'Reevian', Warm, homely and where he needed to be. With his ear pressed against her neck he could hear her slow breathing as she read. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, unfortunately all he could think of was being pushed out of his home on the farm as a big business took over, losing his job at Drag'n'Drop and now losing everything because of them. It made his jaw clench and claws dig into the earth, he just felt so angry, not just with Drag'n'Drop but with himself. If he had of known that they would be in this situation, he would never have dragged his mate through all this. 'If only he was a smarter drake' kept chanting in his head, burring his confidence in a muddy pit of despair.

He snapped awake at the sound of Teeba closing a book suddenly. "I need a drink, anyone want anything?" She said and stood up. Neebis shook his head and Reevian asked for an iced tea, "or something sweet to keep her blood sugar up" she added. They both watched the grey and purple dragoness walk off around the lake to where a street vendor was selling refreshments.

"Everything will be ok" Reevian said softly and turned to Neebis, his head down as he became busy with a leaf on the ground. "Hey, look at me" she said firmly. His deep amber eyes slowly looking up to meet hers. "It will be ok. We will find a way to beat this. The first meeting with Drag'n'Drop isn't until tomorrow lunch time. I don't imagine we will come to an agreement on the first round of mediation. We just need to stall it out a bit." She said and ran her snout along hers.

"But every delay, the banks keep asking...." he said, his voice wavering.

"Let them try." She spoke. "I knew what we were doing was risky."

"But I should have known" he started, his voice choking up. "I should not have put you and our hatchling at risk."

"Neebis, it's ok. If we lose everything, we will still have each other. They can't take us away from one another." She said soothingly.

"Well, if we go to prison they can!" Neebis spiraled.

"Shh, no one is going to prison." She said and nuzzled his throat. "I'm pregnant" She said with a lick, "And you are too cute for prison" she added with a smirk, earning a spluttery laugh from him.

"But where will we live? Rent is almost due, and we should really be working in the market today." He said, still unconvinced.

"No, we shouldn't... we need this time to get over this hurdle." she said leaning more against him for his comfort more than hers. "If we get evicted, we can go north and live in the country, under the stars. Just you, me and our little one. Like the dragons of old used to"

Neebis sniffed and wiped an eye.

"Or, you know. You could just live with me" Said Teeba as she approached on three legs, a cup tray held by a handle in her other paw. "Or... you could go live in the country and be all dramatic about it" she added causing them both to give out a laugh. "One Iced tea for Reevian, One Red Dragon for me, and One hot chocolate with a marshmallow for Neebis." she said as she handed each of their drinks out.

"I didn't ask for this" Neebis said, looking at the colorful marshmellow melting in the hot brown drink.

"You did with your eyes." Teeba simply said and lay back down, cracking her can open with a claw.

Neebis sniffed the drink and felt a bit better already. "Thank-you Teeba" he muttered.

"If it all goes to shit, is it ok if we stayed with you for a while?" Reevian said, turning to her friend.

"Well yeah. why not?" Teeba said and re-opened her book. "The place is too big for just me anyway. Just next time you use the bath, try not to scratch the edges again" she added with a chuckle as both Neebis and Reevian tensed. "Oh, come on, you weren't exactly pausing for the ad breaks!"

Neebis chuckled awkwardly to break the silence. "Thank-you Teeba. Will do" he said as he dipped his snout to his drink, the warm chocolaty smell filling his nostrils. Taking a small sip, he found it to his liking and slowly drank in silence.

"So, any sort of game plan for tomorrow?" Teeba asked.

Reevian looked up from her drink, "I think we need to hear them out first. find out what it is exactly they want, and then try and find a way to get out of it with some shred of dignity."

"I think it was pretty obvious, they probably want to do the same thing we are and are trying to get rid of the competition" Teeba said and took a swing from her can. Noticing both Reevian and Neebis looking up at her she explained. "I maybe overthinking this, but they have all the resources for making their own food delivery service, right? the dragons, the logistics teams, the brand. But what was it they didn't have?"

Neebis and Reevian looked at each other unsure. "A heart?" Neebis offered.

"Fuck Neebis" Teeba said shaking her head with a smile. "You are cute.... They didn't have the support from lots of little vendors, their image was so focused on large supply chains they missed a huge opportunity." She saw Reevian and Neebis catching on. " And then a little trio of disgruntled customers literally swoop in and capitalize on their oversight."

"So just because they hadn't thought of it, and we started to become successful, they want to go after us now?" Neebis said, his voice raising slowly.

"Well, maybe they wanted to see if the business was successful. Like think about it, they would have known they had the patents for a while now, but they have waited to see if the business idea is successful. They could probably squash us and then open their own in our wake." Reevian said. "Makes sense, right? why waste time and money trailing something that may fail, if you can just fuck over someone who made it work and steal their ideas."

Teeba's mind started racing. "Hold on, you might be onto something...." She said and quickly pulled out a book, she flipped over to a few pages and then smiled. She pulled her tablet off her wrist and started searching rapidly, her dainty claws clicking away at the glass. Reevian leaned over and saw that she was on a site for patents, scrolling through lists and lists of them. Teeba's breath was held as she flicked through and did a few more searches.

"What is it you are looking for?" Neebis said, trying to help.

Teeba was focused on the tablet she barely heard him. "Shh, hold on" she said urgently as she tapped away, searching for different tags to try and find something desperately. Finally, after what seemed like ages, "Guys, I think we need to visit the patent office. Like right now!" She exclaimed and quickly got to her feet, tucking her tablet into its wrist band.

"That's on the other side of the city Teeba, and its already midday." Said Reevian, due to being so heavily pregnant she was in no state to fly, and the walk would take all day.

"I'll go then" she said and stretched her wings, taking a quick glance up to make sure there was no one overhead.

"Teeba!" Neebis said firmly shaking her out of her thought process. "What are you thinking?"

Teeba looked at his worried face. "It may be nothing, but I have to try. They have a patent for the last leg delivery. But I think I may have a way to fuck them over a bit, even if we lose. Do you trust me?"

Reevian looked at her mate and then both nodded. "If you think it will help."

Teeba gave them a nod in acknowledgement and with a powerful leap, she took to the sky, wings beating furiously as she disappeared over the park. Although there were no speed limits for dragons flying in the city, there was a consensus amongst the dragons to fly gently and orderly to reduce the risk of collisions and to be generally respectful to their fellow flyers.

Teeba however was not subscribing to such doctrines as she pumped her wings hard, her blood a combination of adrenaline, oxygen, and energy drinks as she tore through the busy streets, just above the height of the lamp posts occasionally kicking off buildings as she weaved in and out of them. Earning some troubled looks from pedestrians. Coming around to a narrow intersection she pulled up hard. She climbed, allowing her speed to wash off, her speed slowed to a stall she took the moment to adjust her headphones, moving them from her neck to her ears and pressed the play button. Falling, she then banked sharply to the right, she fell for a few feet only to extend her wings slightly for control and use the new height to gain her speed back in the new direction, dance music blasting in her ears as she shut out the world with a wicked grin.

________________________________________

Neebis and Reevian sat in the park as they lost sight of their friend. "What do you think she is doing?" Asked Neebis.

"Knowing her... either something stupid or something smart. I don't think that ness can do anything in between." Said Reevian with a smile. "We should probably get these books back to the library" she said as she collected a few of them around her.

Neebis held open a sack which was given to them by the library and helped his mate put them all back in. He tucked his head through the draw string and let the bag dangle around his chest.

"We should really get you a harness" she said as she watched her mate fiddle with the drawstring to get it to sit properly around his neck frill.

"Its fine, see." He said and gave a little sway, the bag swinging slightly and hitting his shoulders.

She was unconvinced. "What is it with you and harnesses?"

"They make my scales itch" he said dismissively.

"No they don't, what is the real reason?" she said sternly.

He was about to reiterate that they itch but could see his mate staring at him, her powerful eyes burning into his, he knew he couldn't keep lying. With a sigh he explained as they started to walk out of the park. "We had to wear them on the farm. They were used to identify which farm we worked on, although looking back I think 'belonged too' was more appropriate. They were all the same and they never were washed and were a tough leather that chaffed if it wasn't really tight. We would use them when we pulled ploughs or other equipment." He said his voice quiet. "Don't get me wrong, I loved the farm, the fresh air, seeing the plants grow. It felt good doing something and seeing real results. But when I took off the harness when I left, I felt free for the first time."

Reevian kissed his cheek. "What if you had one that wasn't leather, and fitted correctly?"

"I don't know..." he said softly and looked ahead of them. "Maybe, But I don't want it to feel like it's holding me."

"Well, with the egg coming, you are going to need something to carry it in" she said and smiled when he turned to her. "What? I've carried it this far! as soon as it's out, it's your problem" She said and gave him a playful shove.

"I thought we would just leave it in a basket or something" Neebis muttered.

"A BASKET!" Reevian cried. "It's our child, not a chocolate" She laughed. "And we are sure as hell not staying home to watch it all day, I want to fly with it maybe explore the country and feel alive again."

"Maybe I'll get a Grub-Wrym harness." He said "They might be going cheap second hand now... " he said sadly.

"Neebis.... We are not putting our child in a food container" Reevian said sternly.

"What? an egg can't tell what it's in. And they are insulated after all." Neebis said, pulling his mate close. He could tell she was tense at his suggestion, he swallowed his pride and finally said softly "Ok, how about we return these books and look at a harness." He could feel her relax under his wing.

"Thank-you Neebis. If we don't find a good one, we won't get it. But we are not putting our egg in a bloody Grub-Wrym harness." she said and gave him a playful nip on his jaw.

"Maybe a Drag'n'Drop satchel then" he said with a smirk.

"You do that, and you will never see me or our child again." she promised, she knew he was joking but the thought still made her stomach turn.

They left the park and padded their way along the sidewalk, Neebis swapped sides with her so he was closest to the road. Cars and trucks flew past them, the scent of their exhausts causing Neebis to stifle a cough as they made their way to the central library. As they walked, they saw a brown dragoness walking alone in the other direction on the other side of the road, Her belly looked as big as Reevians and they shared a nod of acknowledgement. The pavement was rough against their paws as walked past the rows of shops, their windows filled with their wares, Reevian couldn't help but look at some of the displays. She noticed that a good amount of the shops were vacant, windows boarded up and graffiti covering what was once proud shops.

They walked past a large shop which was dedicated to egg and hatchling supplies and Reevian stopped, causing Neebis to look at what got her attention. "Do you want to take a look?" He said, she looked back at him and nodded.

As they walked through the doorway they heard a digital bell ring out the back of the store. A pale blue dragoness popped her head out from the back and smiled. "Oh welcome!" she said and came trotting over to the couple. "How can I help you two? Oh, my goodness, Aren't you big! please come on in" She insisted. The floor was thankfully carpeted which was refreshing for Reevian's paws and she let out a sigh.

"Do you have a name for the little one, or ones?" she asked and put a paw on Reevian's side un-invited.

"Ah, no. Sorry we haven't thought of a name yet" Said Reevian, feeling a little overwhelmed by the sudden question and touch from the sales-ness.

"Oh! How could you not have a name! That's the easy bit! Don't worry I have just the thing." the sales-ness said and pulled out a book from a shelf called '101 names for dragon' "This book is amazing, it has everything you need to help you two name a hatchling" and thrust the book into Reevian's chest.

Reevian opened the book and saw lists of names and origins of names. Before she could get too deep into it the sales-ness pulled it out of her hands and closed it. "The author is a visionary. I'll add it to your pile" She said.

Reevian went to say something but was interrupted. "What crib do you have for your little egg?" She asked judgingly.

"We don't have -" Neebis started before the sales-ness interrupted him with a loud gasp.

"You don't have one yet! Oh my goodness, you have come to the right place then." she led the flustered couple over to a range of different cribs. "Honestly you simply must have this one" she said and gestured to one on the end. "All of them get the temperature control right, but this one has humidifiers which help keep the egg glossy and hydrated. Saves you from having to wash the egg twice a day."

"You need to wash-" Neebis said once again he was over his head.

"OF COURSE! or else the egg becomes brittle. This is your first, isn't it? I can always tell a first timer. I have had 3 myself" She boasted and reached to another shelf, pulling out two books. "These will help, One for you and one for your mate. Ill add it to your pile" she said as she added them to the other one.

Neebis wrapped his tail around his mates as the looked at the crib, It was made of a sturdy plastic which looked like it would hold the egg steady. It had metal loops so it could be attached to a harness and the price of it caused Neebis's legs to go weak.

While the sales-ness was distracted he whispered to his mate. "I don't think I had one of these when I was an egg."

Reevian leaned close to him "I don't think I did either" she said.

"Did you two have a plan for what kinds of food you were going to feed little one." She said, looking at the nervous couple. "Going Vegan is very popular right now, I think I have a pack that should last you the first two weeks..... Ah yes here it is"

Reevian was starting to feel very inadequate as a future mother. This ness seemed to know so much about caring for a hatchling, yet she had only skimmed a few online articles. As the sales-ness was building a pile of things for them Reevian felt overwhelmed, she looked at her mate for support and could see him swallowing nervously. Neebis was getting scared, he tried to keep a mental tab on how much money all of this was costing, and his stomach was tightening. With the pending litigation they did not have excess money to fund this, Yet this was regarding a living being and he felt compelled to buy it all and become a better father.

Neebis glanced at his mate and saw her worried look, he could tell she was down and wrapped a wing around her, pulling her tight. Neebis needed to get some air and knew his mate was feeling similar. He interrupted the sales-ness as she was going on about different bedding materials "Hey, sorry this Crib. Do you have any more out the back? You know, just incase we have more than one egg?"

The sales-ness bobbed her head and scampered out the back excitedly. Neebis then quickly led his mate out of the store. "Neebis, what about the stuff?" Reevian asked as she was practically dragged by her mate.

"We don't need that stuff" He said desperately. "We didn't have that stuff on the farm, I think I turned out okay." He held his mate close as they returned to the pavement and quickly walked away from the store. A voice rang out from the store but they ignored it and kept walking as fast as Reevian's body would allow, the bag around Neebis's neck swinging wildly with the weight of the books.

They rounded a corner, and both let out a sigh as they slowed down. "Thank-you Neebis" Reevian panted and nuzzled his cheek.

"You are going to be a great mother, we don't need fancy cribs or special blankets." Neebis said reassuringly. "Dragons have survived perfectly fine for thousands of years without that stuff." he pulled his mate in close, her warm hide against his making him feel better.

"I think you will be an alright father too" said Reevian with a chuckle. "We are in this together, we can take turns looking after the egg and when it hatches, we can raise it together."

"Together" he repeated and kissed the top of her head. "Because I don't know what I would do without you Reevian" he whispered and kissed her cheek.

"Probably get sued or something" she chuckled, trying to make light of their situation.

He gave a slight chuckle and kissed her head again. "Besides, if we really need a crib...." he paused until she looked at him. "We could always use a Grub-Wyrm box" he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes but said nothing and he gave her a lick on the snout.

As they walked, he re-adjusted the bag of books that were around his neck, the thin draw string starting to dig into his neck frill. "Gah, this bag is killing me" he exclaimed. He caught his mates offended look.

"You did not just..." She started, her words drifting off as he looked at her innocently.

"What, these books are heavy.... I think my back is going to be...." he stopped himself when he realized what he was saying.

"Your back is going to be what? Neebis?" Asked Reevian and raised an eye ridge.

Neebis tried to work out how he could dig himself out of this hole. "I mean. Its right around my shoulders" He tried to justify.

"Reeeeally" she said, dragging her words out. "Is my poor mate carrying something heavy is he" she said, putting on a baby voice. "Been carrying it all day, have you? and you're getting sore and stiff, are you?" She said and gently licked his shoulders. "I really can't imagine how that could feel."

"Well.. Shh you. It still hurts" he said, he knew he wouldn't be able to win this. "How you do it amazes me" he added softly. He looked down at his mate and saw her smiling back at him. He kissed her snout and whispered "Sorry" his voice filled with love and affection to his mate.

"Apology accepted. But the sooner we get to the library, the sooner you can put down your heavy load" her voice dripping with sarcasm, not realizing what she just opened herself up to.

Neebis was quick and muttered under his breath "I can think of another place I can put my heavy load." earning him a shove from his mate. He gave her a little shove back and they continued making their way to the library.

As they approached the large building, which was the library, Its large marble columns reaching up to a pantheon style roof. Statues of notable humans and the occasional dragon were situated at the top of the stairs that led to the entrance. Reevian sighed at the sight of the stairs, her paws were sore and her back ached. Neebis noticed this and walked her over to a nearby bench. "Don't worry, I've got this" he said and helped her sit down. He made sure she was comfortable and smirked "I will find a nice chute to put my heavy load into" he whispered into her ear causing her to chuckle.

Reevian watched her mate make his way up the stairs towards the library, turning back to the street she let out a sigh. She had grown up in the city, and although she left her family on bad terms, she felt like this was still home. She remembered the markets that she worked at, the long hours and poor pay while she learned how to cook, when the apartment she lived at became available she did everything she could to save up enough money to afford the bond. Opening her own store was scary, but she was young and naive. She didn't know what failure was and the first few months were rough, but she was determined to succeed and prove her family wrong. She sniffed back a tear as she looked over the busy streets, the thought of losing everything was terrifying, but she tried to be strong for her mate. One thing she had learnt from running her own business is that no one cares about your struggles, and it was up to you to dig yourself out of a hole.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a purple drake walking oddly. He had a collection of gold bracelets on his ankles which made a jangle noise as he limped, he grimaced as he walked. Reevain tried not to stare but she was trying to work out what was wrong, his wings seemed fine, he obviously wasn't pregnant. As he came close, she could smell the scent of a dragoness on heat coming from him and she had to ask.

"All good?" She asked as friendly as she could.

He grunted in acknowledgement "work has been a pain in the undertail" was all he said as he walked past. A combination of curious scents followed in his wake as he passed Reevian, causing her head to tilt in confusion. She watched the purple drake flinch as he stepped off the curb and crossed the street.

She shook her head and looked up at the library to see her mate making his way down the steps, his wings tucked tightly against his side's. "Feeling better?" Reevian chuckled as he skipped the final few steps.

"Much! I found a nice little hole and stuffed my load in deep" he teased and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Ok, harness time?" He spoke. Deep down he knew he was trying to keep himself busy, so he didn't have to think about the lawsuit and he suspected Reevian knew as well.

"There is a nice little place just around the corner." Reevain suggested and nodded in the direction.

Neebis helped his mate get to her feet and they waited for a gap in traffic before crossing the street. As they walked Reevain could tell he was deep in thought, his gaze was distant, and she could feel his tension in his wing that was wrapped around her.

She leaned against him and gave him a lick on his jaw. "It will be ok" she murmured.

"How can you say that?" He said sadly.

"Because I know that we will fight this tooth and claw" she said simply.

"And if that's still not enough?"

Reevian pressed her head against his neck. "It will be."

Neebis was not convinced, his stomach still tight. "I wonder what Teeba is up to?"

"Make you a deal, while you're trying on your harness I'll call her. Okay?"

Neebis nodded "thanks."

As they walked into the store, Neebis was shocked that there could be such a variety of harness. He had seen other dragons with them, but never really took the time to notice the differences.

"See anything that takes your fancy?" Reevian smiled as she saw his jaw slightly agape.

"How do you choose?" He said and made his way over to a rack. At the top of each rack there was a miniature foam mannequin of a dragon with a smaller version of the harness on it to give the buyer a look as to what it should look like.

"Well, depends on what you want to carry." Reevian explained. "These are just basic ones, see these loops, they are so you can attach things on afterwards." Reevian watched as he looked at the little mannequins moving down an aisle to see if he could find one that he liked.

"There are so many!" He shouted from half way down the aisle. Reevian smiled and found a couch to rest her paws on while her mate wondered off. She pulled out her tablet and called Teeba. The little icon of Teeba pulling a face shook as the call rang. It eventually rang out. Reevian had a bad feeling, Teeba usually always answered the calls, even when flying which was not technically allowed.

Reevian looked up and saw her mate checking out a harness and she turned back to the tablet and tried again. It rang for a while before Teeba's face appeared, her tablet appeared to be on the ground and Reevain could see ceiling tiles behind Teeba's flustered face.

"What's wrong!" Teeba gasped, she sounded out of breath and her head was bobbing in and out of frame.

"Nothing, I just wanted to know what you are doing..... Teeba what are you doing?" Reevian asked. The lewd sounds of wet slapping could be heard.

"Oh, long.... Story" Teeba said between breaths.

"Teeba-" Reevain started and looked up. Her mate had approached her with a harness on that caused her to burst out laughing.

"What?" Teeba and Neebis both said.

"Oh Teeba, you have to see this" Reevian said and picked up her tablet, she tapped a claw to switch cameras and Teeba's laugh cackled through the tablet's speakers.

"Oh honey." Reevian said. "That's not a harness for you."

Teeba's face came into view on the tablet "Maybe it is! don't kink shame Reevian!"

"Teeba, I'm going to let you get back to whoever you're doing" Reevian said and ended the call.

She looked back at her confused mate and laughed again, his white scales and red neck frill contrasting against the glossy black vinyl of the 'harness' he found.

"What?" Neebis started, "it's shiny and it has some very sturdy hooks. Like I think I could hang off these and they wouldn't break" he said causing Reevian to close her eyes and stifle a laugh, her whole-body vibrating. She opened her eyes and looked at him before chuckling again, she saw other patrons looking at them both and she wiped a tear from her eyes and gestured him to come closer.

Neebis's face went bright red as she explained the function of the harness. He quickly pulled at the straps to get it off while Reevian burst out laughing at his reaction. "And I thought you wanted a harness that didn't hold you tight" Reevian teased, he opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out as he turned and quickly returned the harness to the rack he found it on.

With a groan Reevian got up from the couch and went to help her mate. Neebis was flustered as he tried to put the bondage harness back on its rack, he was getting some looks from some of the other customers as he was clearly in a section dedicated to a certain type of apparel. Reevian took it from his paw and hung it up with her mouth. "Come on, maybe another time" she teased and led him back to the drakesware.

"How about this one?" Reevian said and pulled one that looked his size off a rack.

Neebis looked at the nylon harness, it seemed bulky and full of pouches. He looked up at the mannequin to see what it was meant to look like. "I don't know.... it looks kind of chunky."

"Oh please, try it on." she said as she dropped it onto the ground and spread the leg holes out, he stepped a paw into each one of the holes and then dipped his wings through the wing loops and with a bit of a shimmy pulled it up his body. He leant around with his mouth and pulled on the straps to tighten it.

"I feel like it has too many pockets" He criticized while walking over to a mirror.

"Well, you might be surprised how much stuff you will need for a hatchling." She said catching his eye in the reflection. "You are going to need to carry all sorts of snacks and toys to keep them entertained." She could see his mind clicking over. "And this one..." she said as she went to his front "Already has a pouch for carrying an egg!" she put her paws through a pocket which went across his chest, not unlike the pockets of a jumper that Neebis had seen humans wear in the winter.

"So that's what that's for" Neebis realized. Looking up at the aisle he could tell that the harnesses were designed for egg and hatchling care, many of them having designs of little dragons and ducks flying through clouds.

"Give us a strut then!" Reevian said and gave him a playful shove down the aisle. She couldn't help but stare as he walked away from her, his powerful hips swaying as he gave her a show, he made it to the end of the aisle and turned around before strutting towards her, chest puffed up and head held high. Her heart swooned as she saw her handsome mate come towards her. She had never really understood how some ness's would be excited by the look of a drake carrying an egg or hatchling, but in this moment she completely understood.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I think my mate looks dashing, does it fit okay?" she asked and ran a toe behind the straps to check their tension.

"I think so, its a lot better than the harnesses I'm used to." he said turning to the mirror to check himself out again.

Neebis kept it on as they went to the registers, the short girl behind the counter having to get on her tippy toes to scan the barcode that was around his shoulder. Reevian paid for it with her tablet, and they made their way out of the store.

"What was Teeba getting up to by the way?" Neebis asked.

Reevian's mind snapped back to the call she made, "She seemed a bit... occupied. But let's give her a call". They both pulled themselves into an ally way to keep out of the way of the other pedestrians and Reevian pulled out her tablet and sent a message.

R: "Hey, is now a good time to talk? Just want to know what you got up to."

The couple waited a few minutes before a ding came from the tablet.

T: "Hey, Sorry, this is taking longer than expected. Want to catch up before the meeting tomorrow?"

Reevian smirked and sent a reply.

R: "Lucky ness. Sure, send me details when you are done."

A thumbs up emoji was the only reply they got.

"What is she doing?" asked Neebis.

"I think she is fucking something, I didn't get a look" Reevian said with chuckle.

"Really? how can she think of that at a time like this?" exclaimed Neebis while fidgeting with the straps on his new harness. "We still don't have a plan" He could feel his heart starting to beat in his chest and his vision started to go blurry around the edges.

"Whoah, easy tiger" said Reevian as she pulled him close, she could tell his stress was getting to him. "I've got you, its ok" She could feel him start to relax a little and he pressed his head against her neck, the sounds of her calm breathing steadying his emotions. "I can't have you passing out on me again. Okay?" she felt him nod against her.

"I just... I thought she had something that might help us. I didn't think she was just lifting her tail to let off steam" Neebis muttered, Teeba was the only hope that he had in the back of his mind, and now he knew they were hopeless.

________________________________________

Reevian and Neebis sat awkwardly in the Drag'n'Drop meeting room, Neebis was nervously tapping his claws on the office carpet. They were separated from the row of humans in business suits by a large polished wood table. Each of the humans had a neat stack of papers in front of them and their tablets tilted on stands for privacy, a stark contrast to the scattering of paper that was in front of the two dragons.

The plans of meeting up with Teeba before the meeting never eventuated, as the meeting time came the two dragons received a message from her saying she was on their way. Now everyone was waiting for the young dragoness to arrive. A large jug of water sat in the middle of the table with some glasses, Neebis contemplated getting himself a drink but looking at the expensive jug that looked way too delicate for his paws, he restrained himself.

"Let's begin" One of the ladies from Drag'n'Drop said as she looked at her watch. "We don't have all day, and this is very simple." She straightened her business jacket and read from her tablet. "Grub-Wrym is in violation of patent 1594-4c which is owned exclusively by Drag'n'Drop. This patent outlines the use of dragons for 'last leg delivery' which is defined by the postal services code of practices as 'the final leg of the delivery where the customer receives the goods'. Hereby, Grub-Wrym will need to pay Drag'n'Drop for each delivery it has had its deliverers performed from the start of its conception."

Neebis turned to Reevian and exchanged a look. "And how much is that?" he asked.

"Each delivery from Drag'n'Drop is costs $50, we subsidies this by profits from other products, however that would be the cost of each delivery that you have performed illegally." The lady said.

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Reevian. "Most orders from Drag'n'Drop would be under $50 total. How do you turn a profit if that is the case?"

"Financial statements here which outline the breakdowns of operations at Drag'n'Drop, highlighted is the costs per delivery" she said as she slid a folder of paper across the table. Reevian opened the folder with a claw and looked at the spreadsheet of numbers and graphs, it would take someone a week to decipher the details.

"I would expect that you would have a breakdown of the number of deliveries Grub-Wrym has performed since it started?" The lady said with a smirk, she could tell that the two dragons were well over their heads, and this would be an easy victory.

She tried to bury her excitement, her eyes were those of a predator, her work uniform her armour as she was poised for the kill, this would be yet another addition to her resume.

"We do" said Neebis and shuffled around some paperwork before he found the one, he knew had a list of all orders on. "Here" he said and slid it across the table with a shaky paw.

"Hmm, it seems you have been busy" she said as she flicked through the paperwork. She passed it to one of her colleagues next to her who pushed his glasses up his nose before doing some calculations.

Reevian cleared her throat, "What can I say? We know how to run a business"

At that moment the large double doors to the meeting room crashed open and in walked Teeba. "Sorry I'm late fools" she mocked as she took a seat next to Reevian. "Oh Tracy! Hi, Long time no see" she said, her voice dripping with malice.

"You two know each other?" Asked Neebis.

"Oh, only in a 'shouting across a meeting room table' kind of way" Teeba said, using the toes on her front paws to emphasize the quotation marks.

"Great" muttered Neebis.

Tracy straightened her jacket. "Teeba, always a pleasure. We were just going over how Grub-Wrym has made an extensive amount of illegal deliveries and will need to pay Drag'n'Drop....." Tracy's voice drifted off as she saw Teeba pretending to nod off. "I'm sorry, Are we keeping you awake Ms Teeba."

Reevian gave Teeba a stern look and nudged her.

"Oh, no. Please go on. I like to see you do your little speeches" Teeab said and reached past Reevian to grab the jug of water, lifting the whole jug to her mouth as she took large loud gulps.

"Please, Tracy. We are only a couple of dragons who were trying to make a future for ourselves. We didn't know we were becoming successful off of your patents, but there is no way we can pay back $50 per delivery."

"Successful!?" Tracy exclaimed, her voice breaking slightly as she saw Teeba licking the inside of the jug rudely. "I would not call your little operation successful!"

"Well, maybe not to the scale of Drag'n'Drop" muttered Reevian.

"Let's take a look at your recent purchases shall we?" Tracy said and clicked her fingers, one of her colleagues picked up a folder and passed it too her quickly. "Let's see here. Teeba, yes. this month.... nothing.... last month..... nothing. Pretty much nothing since you were removed from your position am I right?"

"Guilty as charged!" laughed Teeba,

Tracy looked concerned and flicked over the page. "Neebis is it? well, your history is very simple. You haven't ordered anything from us at all. As a co-owner of a tech company, I think your significant lack of online presence paints the picture of being a bit of a fraud does it not?"

Neebis swallowed nervously, He hadn't thought of Grub-Wrym being a tech company, but now he thought about it, he did feel like a bit of a fake.

"And last but not least... .Reevian... little Reevian. Last thing you ordered was........ Heat suppressors, and a few months ago." She closed the folder with a loud slap causing Neebis and Reevian to flinch. "That does not look like the purchase history of three successful dragons does it now?"

Reevian cleared her throat, her voice barely above a whisper. "We stopped using Drag'n'Drop when they sent us expired heat suppressors."

Both Reevian and Neebis saw Tracy's eyes snap to Teeba and then frantically looked at each other. The room was deathly silent, the air-conditioning was the only sound all of them could hear, Reevian looked around the room and saw Teeba staring at her, a smirk on her lips and a glint in her eye.

Tracy cleared her throat and said something which Reevian had heard before and almost sounded rehearsed. "Drag'n'Drop holds no responsibility for the actions of their clients, We recommend all our customers consult the-" she was interrupted by Teeba's laughing.

"Oh Please! Please tell me you have a date for that purchase." laughed Teeba.

Tracy looked to her colleagues, and they quickly started tapping away at their tablets. Teeba looked across the room and frantically grabbed Reevian's tablet. She quickly unlocked it and opened the Drag'n'Drop app. Before the purchase disappeared off Reevian's history Teeba was able to get a screenshot.

"Nice try fuck-face!" exclaimed Teeba and held the tablet in a paw above her head. "Let's check the dates shall we!"

Neebis wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but Teeba's excitement was infections. "what's going on?" he whispered to Reevian who just shrugged.

"Ah yes, it seems that this order was done.... ONE MONTH AFTER..... Really" Teeba said and tutted. Stared at the row of business men and Tracy. "Shame on you"

"Teeba, need I remind you of the clauses on your non-disclosure agreement" Tracy said warningly.

"Oh, I am aware of them. But do you need reminding about how this would look in the media? NDA Be screwed, how many others do you think there are out there?" Teeba said. Reevian opened her mouth to speak "Hush now Reevian, you two are too cute for this battlefield."

"There is no way to prove that-" Tracy started.

"Hey Reevian, what colour were the scales of the delivery dragon who brought the package?" Teeba said as she turned to Tracy.

"Green" Reevian said while Teeba stared at Tracy and mouthed the same word.

"So, tell me Tracy. It seems that in the month after I was 'removed' It seems that Drag'n'Drop still had an issue with expired heat suppressors. Isn't that strange? Isn't it unusual that no recalls were issued? Also. If Drag'n'Drop were to do a check on what dragon delivered those packages, how many do you think would be done by Jee-"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Tracy screamed.

Teeba pointed a paw at her and laughed loudly "Suck it bitch."

Tracy straightened her jacket and took a deep breath. "The past orders of possibly defective products is an ongoing investigation, the matter at hand today is for the illegal operations of Grub-Wrym, all parties will be required to repay the amounts owning and if unable to do so we will seize all assets of the company and take the brand and operations as part payment for any outstanding capital-" Tracy stopped as Teeba continued to chuckle. "What? What's so funny?" Tracy said becoming flustered.

"Oh no, you go on. Please, it's fun to see you dance" Teeba said and pulled out a piece of paper.

"As I was saying, we will take ownership of your company, your assets and your-" Tracy was distracted as Teeba passed the paper to Reevian and Neebis, both of their eyes going wide.

"What is that?! Show Me!" Tracy stammered.

Teeba collected the paper from Reevian and looked Tracy in the eyes. "Oh, it may be nothing. Please continue. or are you done with your little skit?"

"I will not stand here and have you talk to me like this again Teeba." Tracy said, getting to her feet, her fists shaking.

"Oh, nothing is stopping you from leaving Trace" Teeba said. "But before you go taking over a company, you might want to give this a read" Teeba said as she slid the paper over the table "Read em and weep" she whispered just loud enough for Tracey to hear.

Tracey took the paper into her shaking hands and her eyes scanned over the paper.

"You see Tracy, you are right, you are completely right. No doubts about it, you have the patents for 'last leg delivery'. No court would find otherwise." She said and moved between Reevian and Neebis, putting a wing over them both. "But. You see we have the patent for full dragon delivery, end to end service."

Tracey scanned over the document before passing it to a colleague who looked it over as well. "This means nothing, we will take that too as payment."

"Well, you could... if it was owned by Grub-Wrym... but it's not, is it?" Teeba smiled, Tracey snatched the paper back off her colleague and read it again. "Congratulations Reevian and Neebis, and little one. You and I are the proud owners of the patent for end to end delivery by use of dragons. If you take their company though trumped-up accusations, all you will be left with is a brand and no legal standing to operate. In fact.. hold on... Doesn't Drag'n'Drop use freight dragons to bring shipments in from other states?" Teeba said and smirked as she saw Tracy's face go pale.

"We.... We are going to need a few moments" she said and her team quickly left the room.

Neebis and Reevian turned to Teeba. "What exactly did I just watch?" Asked Neebis.

Teeba chuckled. "We are going to be okay. You were right Reevian, they did want to take over our business" She squeezed her wings around them both tightly. "If they do now, they will be breaching our patent, and we can make up the figures it costs to deliver stuff."

"And that stuff about the heat suppressors?" Reevian asked.

Teeba chuckled. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh" She leaned in close and whispered to the two. "that dickhead I was dating, I caught him with a stash of expired heat suppressors. He had an arrangement with management that he would be the one assigned to delivering them. Long story short he had a list of ness's who were going through heat and would visit them the night after delivering the defective products"

"He would rape them!" Neebis exclaimed, his jaw tightening at the thought of what could have happened to his Reevian.

"No" Teeba interjected and motioned for him to lower his voice. "I don't think so, but you have to remember, a handsome drake coming around when you're on heat, you think you are protected by the suppressors." she looked Neebis in the eyes. "Heat makes a ness do things Neebis okay? I raised it with management, and he leaked some pictures of me. It got messy quick, and I was paid to go away." Teeba's smile disappeared as she spoke. "But your order was a month afterwards, and how they rushed to delete your order means they know they fucked up. If this got out, they would have a flaming pile of shit on their hands." Teeba gave them a nudge "But I can't tell you any of that because of NDA, okay?"

Both of them nodded and Teeba returned to her place next to Reevian, they all sat up straight as the doors opened, the Drag'n'Drop team taking their seats again.

"After much deliberation, we have decided not to pursue your activities" Tracy said defeatedly. Neebis collapsed against his mate and Teeba let out a little squeal. Reevian swallowed hard and tried to comprehend what was going on.

"You're not?" Said Reevian finally, seeing Tracey shake her head. "And what of the heat suppressors?"

"As mentioned before, Drag'n'Drop holds no responsibility for the actions of its customers and we recommend that all customers consult the expiry date of all products, especially medical products prior to use. However, on a completely unrelated note...." Tracy said and slid a folder over the table. 'Drag'n'Drop would like to acquire Grub-Wrym and all patents owned by its owners, in there is the non-negotiable amount we are willing to pay."

Neebis craned his head over and his jaw dropped, the figure on the top sheet of paper would cover their loans and then some. Tracy slid over a pen and before Reevian could grab it Teeba snatched it from the desk.

"Let's see now..... Tracy.. .Dear Tracey... Dear Little Tracy. You insult us" Teeba said mockingly. She took the paper away from Reevian and scribbled on it, adding two zeros and crossing out some details. "I think you may have made a mistake with the decimal there luv. And you are not getting the patent, we will let you use it under a free license. However we will make sure that this stays out of your grubby little hands." she said with a smirk and held the patent up to the Drag'n'Drop team. There was a long silence as Teeba and Tracy stared at each other across the table, Teeba's surprisingly powerful gaze piercing into Tracy's before Tracy relented, closing her eyes she gave a curt nod.

Teeba quickly signed the form and passed it to Reevian and Neebis to do the same. Teeba nudged them to get up and Neebis struggled the most, his legs jelly and his mouth dry. "Always a pleasure Tracy" Teeba nodded and ushered her friends out of the room. "Oh and Tracy.... I expect the funds to be transferred to us by close of business" she remarked and looked at the rest of the Drag'n'Drop team. "We don't do cheques" she added with a smile.

As the elevator doors closed behind the three and they made their descent, Teeba let out a loud whoop. "FUCK YOU TRACY! YOU STUCK UP COW" she yelled loudly.

Neebis rocked on his paws trying to catch up with what just happened.

"Are you okay?" asked Reevian in a reassuring voice.

'I just... No.. I... What just happened?" Neebis stuttered.

"WE FUCKED THEM! THATS WHAT HAPPENED" Shouted Teeba, bouncing on her paws causing the whole elevator to shake.

"Oh God, make it stop" muttered Neebis as he felt his chest go tight again.

"Easy up Teeba, my mate can't handle you and an elevator" Reevian said and wrapped a wing around Neebis pulling her close.

Teeba stopped bouncing and leaned into Neebis. "It's over!" Teeba whispered, her voice filled with excitement. Neebis was too focused on breathing deeply and trying to control his body.

Reevian looked to Teeba. "How did you get that patent?"

Teeba smiled. "Oh, that's a whole story into itself. But it starts with me entering the patent office and ends with me leaving this morning with a patent. Turns out I can be quite encouraging!"

The elevator doors opened with a ding and the two dragonesses led Neebis out into the fresh air. They moved him to a garden bed and sat him down so he could catch his breath.

"It's over?" gasped Neebis.

"Yes, it's over. Sorry we sold your company though" said Teeba.

"Our company Teeba. I don't think we could have asked for a better deal." Reevian said gently.

Teeba gave a dramatic bow, spreading her wings low as she did so. "At your service"

"So, we don't own Grub-Wrym?" Neebis said, the thought of his idea no longer his gave him mixed feelings.

"Sorry bud." Said Teeba. "Think of it this way, you now don't need to work! you can raise your hatchling in comfort!" Teeba said excitedly.

"I... I don't know how I feel" Muttered Neebis. His mind going a million miles an hour as he finally pulled his head up and looked to the sky. A wave of relief washing over him as the threat of being sued faded. "So no more getting vendors on board?" He asked.

Reevian pulled him close. "No, no more long days. Just you, me and the market stall"

She felt him relax under her wing and lean against her. "Thank-you" he whispered. He cleared his throat and looked at Teeba. "Thank-you Teeba. You don't know how much this means-" He was interrupted by a ding on his tablet, followed by a ding on Teeba's and Reevians. They all looked down and their jaws dropped.

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of how much it means to you" Joked Teeba.

Neebis struggled to count the digits, the final number being divided by three and he had never seen such a large number in his bank account. "I... I think I need to lay down" Neebis said, his knees going weak.

"Fuck your cute" said Teeba with a chuckle.

"Come on my handsome mate" Reevian said and nudged him too his feet. "Let's get you home."

"I'm going to put the patent somewhere safe, we should catch up for drinks, once stud here gets control of his legs" Teeba said, Reevian nodded and Teeba took to the sky with a happy roar.

"One foot in front of the other soldier" Reevian teased as they started to walk. The repeated steps breaking Neebis out of his shock and before they made it to the corner he was able to walk on his own just fine. He pulled himself away from under her wing only to wrap his around her and pull her close, intertwining her tail with his.

"Thank-you" he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I would be lost without you." he whispered.

"I know" she said.

The sun was setting as they made their way back to the market, it was just before the dinner rush when they caught sight of their apartment, a refreshing sight for sore eyes and paws. They made their way across the courtyard, only a few customers were milling around. Both Reevian and Neebis knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the market was packed with dragons and humans trying to get food from vendors.

They approached their house and Reevian felt a chill come over her, something seemed wrong, but she couldn't put her paw on it. Neebis felt her shiver slightly "Are you okay?" He asked, she was in the final stages of pregnancy, and he was trying to be attentive to any changes that may be the start of labour. Today had been long and it wouldn't surprise him if it was about to get longer. "Is it that time?" he asked.

Reevian looked at him with a smile. "No, silly" She gave him a kiss. "Just got a cold chill is all."

They padded their way to the door at the bottom of the stairs and while Neebis was opening the door something caught Reevian's eye, The awning for their market wasn't fully closed. "Hey, we closed this didn't we?" Said Reevian, more to herself than anything.

Neebis saw what she was talking about as she moved to stick her head under the awning and inspect her stall, He couldnt help but stare at her shapely hips as she had her head inside the market stall, a part of him was tempted to give it a lick but decided against it.

It wasn't uncommon for kids to break into a market stall and mess with things, rare though for them to do it to a stall run by a dragon, especially a pregnant one who would bring down the wraith of the gods if they were caught.

"Gas-" was all that Reevian was able to say before a fireball erupted from the market stall, Neebis watched in horror as his mate was engulfed in orange flames, the entire market stall was suddenly ablaze, and he took a step forward only to be pushed back as the gas cylinders ignited. The shockwave sending Reevian's body flying across the courtyard, she sailed through the air and stopped suddenly with a sickening thud as her head hit a sturdy lamp post. Her body crumpled on the ground next to it.

Neebis couldn't feel the heat from the fire as he scrambled to his feet and leapt to his mate, her teal scales covered in black soot and ash. He slid to a halt on the ground and grabbed her lifeless body. "REEVIAN!" He screamed as he shook her, blood was leaking out of her nose and mouth, her face twisted from the impact. He pressed his ear against her throat and couldn't hear her breathing. "NO NO NO NO NO!" he screamed. "HELP ME, SOMEONE PLEASE!!! HELP ME!" He cried out, the explosion had caused other market stalls to catch fire. Dragons and humans were scrambling to pull people out of the fires, many others in similar situations to Neebis. He looked down at his mate, her body broken and lifeless, her belly still holding the egg of their unborn child. "Please, not like this. not like this" He whimpered. "Reevian, please, wake up. Please, I need you" Neebis lifted his head to the sky, his mate in his paws as he let out a wail of dying animal.

Across the city in the northern spire apartments, a second gas leak occurred. Its fireball blasting out the windows of the large apartment, any occupants would be lucky to live. It would be a foot note on tomorrow's newspaper that was dedicated to the lives that were lost in the marketplace explosion.

________________________________________

Tracy rocked gently in her leather armchair next to her fire. A ding came from her phone and she picked it up to have a quick read, It was a simple message from an unknown number that just read 'done'

"Nice playing with you Teeba" She muttered to herself with a smirk.