FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Days slowly turned into weeks for Mike as he continued to search for clues as to where his orange dragoness had gone. His daily routine had become like clockwork, check the newspapers for any hints of her whereabouts, check the university notice boards, in case she left a note. He would then take a bus out to the city limits and walk back to Ben's bar, stopping at every street sign to tape a poster with her face and name on it along with his details for any information. Every day was a different bus route, to spread the message wider.

Dark thoughts pulling at his mind as he continued his ritual, the silence he had received from her was not boding well in his chest. Whatever happened to her could not have been good, if she was in hiding he had hoped that by now he would have received a phone call telling him she was okay, a part of him would be happy with a hidden note or sign, but as the days continued he felt his hope of seeing his orange dragoness again becoming more and more bleak.

Her father had made the news, after being released from questioning there was a flurry of reporters trying to get a scoop but after two weeks even that became old news. With no body, and a history of running away for days, it would only be a matter of time before the police dropped the case and moved onto something else.

With a sigh, Mike hung the last of the day's posters on a street sign, her face looking back at him causing his eyes to water. The orange ink doing little to capture the depth of her beautiful scales, the way they would shimmer in the right light and move over her muscles as she walked were completely missed by the static image on the poster. He gently placed a fingertip on her snout, remembering her smile when he would boop her snout. With a sign he left her poster and headed towards Ben's bar.

His black dress shoes were starting to become worn out with all the walking he had been doing, more accustomed to the smooth floors of a bar than the rough pavement but he didn't care. "Shoes were replaceable, she is not," he thought to himself even though he dreaded on paying for a new pair.

He wasn't surprised when Leena's father didn't pay him, between her disappearance and the arrest, Mike felt no urgency to approach the large black dragon over a thousand dollars. Thankfully Ben had helped greatly, still feeling somewhat guilty for his accidental involvement in Kaarak's sinister plan. When Mike's lease ran out on his university dorm room, Ben had offered him his living room and the company van to help him move his large mattress and personal effects over.

Mike glanced at his watch as he approached Ben's bar, he still had a few minutes before his shift, but entered anyway. His eyes going wide and heart stopping when he saw an orange dragoness waiting at the bar with her back to him. "Leen-" he exclaimed but stopped when the dragoness turned her head to look at him.

"Where is she?" She asked, "where is my daughter?" Seelena's voice was firm and direct as she narrowed her amber eyes, causing Mike to swallow and pause momentarily before stepping into the dimly lit bar.

"I haven't seen her." He said, trying to calm his racing heart as he stepped behind the bar and tossed his bag under the counter. The imposing orange dragoness unblinking as she tracked him with her intense gaze. "Besides, if I had. I sure as hell wouldn't tell you." He said, feeling more confident with the heavy wooden bar between him and the dragoness.

"This is not like her, a few days sure, but this has been going on too long now. You need to tell her to come home now." she said with a sneer. Her eyes judging him as she looked him up and down.

"I'll tell her, first time I see her." Mike said with a sarcastic smile, "but you and your mate are monsters and the ones responsible for all this. Besides, if she is ever coming back, I doubt it will be to become his little pet!" Mike added his voice raising while his hands clenched into fists involuntarily, his heart pounding in his chest.

Seelena's amber eyes burned into his, the similarities to Taalli's eyes pulling at his mind, "you wish to keep a mother away from her very own daughter, yet you call us the monsters?" She said flatly, watching as his face became flushed with rage.

Mike took a deep breath, his anger building to the point that he knew he needed to end this confrontation before he did something he regretted, "I don't have time for this! This is a bar, for paying customers. So, you can fuck off." He said firmly his jaw clenching.

Seelena held his gaze, "fine! What wines do you have." She said with a smirk. "I'm not leaving here without my daughter." She added, her smirk turning into a snarl that revealed her sharp ivory teeth.

Mike shook his head, "we are all out of wine." He said without looking, focused on her as her eyes flicked to the shelves of bottles behind him. "Besides, if she was here, I sure as hell wouldn't let you hurt her again!"

"How dare you! I am her mother, I have cared for her since she was an egg. You are just a phase at best." She said, snaking her head closer to Mike, her sharp teeth only inches away from his face. "This would never have happened if she found a proper drake to care for her."

"Look, you can either leave, or I will make you leave." His anger rising and heart beating hard in his chest as he placed his taser on the counter with a decisive thunk.

Seelena's snarl faltered as she glanced to it before slowly standing up, her glossy amber eyes causing Mike a brief pang of sympathy to go through his mind, the memory of Leena's eyes giving him goosebumps. Turning with a flick of her tail she made her way to the door before turning her head back, "we just wanted what's best for her." She said and pulled her neck into a proud s shape.

"No, you didn't! you wanted her to be you! Fuck off!" Mike shouted after her as she left, picking up a cloth and throwing it across the bar in anger. His heart racing and breathing shallow as he slammed his fist against the solid timber counter.

Ben emerged and leaned against the door frame to the kitchen, a stack of envelopes in his hand, "We really need to work on your customer service skills." He teased, smiling when Mike snapped his head to face him.

Mike took a deep breath and let out a strained smile at his bosses timing. "Sorry, that... That was her mom."

"Yeah... I remember her." Ben chuckled. "You, okay?" He asked, genuine warmth in his eyes. When he saw Mike nod, he asked even though he knew the answer, "I take it no luck finding her yet?".

Mike shook his head and took another deep breath, closing his eyes as he exhaled. "I just hope she is okay." He said flatly. "I'll settle on not seeing her again, if I only knew she was safe."

"Well, I will settle on the outside chairs being set up safely." Ben teased, laughing when he got a glare from Mike. "When you can." He added before turning back to the kitchen, slapping the stack of envelopes in one hand with his other hand.

Letting out a deep sigh, Mike ran a cloth under the sink, taking his time to ensure Seelena had left before heading out the front of the bar. Pulling down the chairs he gave them a wipe over, his hands shaking with rage as he did so, her mother's words still echoing in his mind. As he finished, the first patrons started to arrive in time for lunch and he did his best to swallow his anger and smile politely as they took their seats.

Stepping back into the bar, Mike quickly slipped back behind the counter to start serving customers. He was finishing an order when Ben emerged from the back of the kitchen a small stack of envelopes in his hand. "Got a couple for you. Did you give your details to a recruiter?" He asked and received a puzzled look from Mike. "One has a military stamp, trust me, once they get your details, they never stop sending you spam."

Mike took a step back and had a look at the stack, since he had redirected his mail from his dorm to Ben's bar, he was always receiving a steady stream of junk mail. Opening the first few, they were just promotional material for used car warranties, not that he had a car. And a few ads for clothing shops that he had signed up to be one of their members, only to be polite to the salesperson.

Tossing them in the trash he was left with an official letter with a military logo in the top corner, frowning as it was addressed to him, he turned it over and opened it up. His confusion building as instead of promotional recruitment leaflets there was a simple cheque inside. He looked at it skeptically, expecting it to be fake with a "this could be yours" marketing slogan, but it looked legitimate with his full name listed as the payee.

"Hey Ben, what do you make of this?" Mike asked, seeking a second opinion. "It's got my name on the envelope, and on the cheque, but I'm not enlisted. Or at least I hope not." He said, passing over the envelope and cheque to Ben.

Ben frowned as he looked it over, holding it up to the light to see any signs of it being fake. "Oh!" Ben said as he saw the faint watermark on the cheque, two stylised dragon wings designed to look like two A's were embossed ever so slightly. "Oh, oh, oh!" He repeated and turned back to Mike, smiling at his confused face. "Dude!" He said before Mike snatched the cheque back off him, holding it up to the light as Ben had done.

"I don't understand." Mike said, glancing to Ben who was practically vibrating with excitement, "what? Tell me!"

"Those wings, that's on... Hold on ..." Ben said as he rummaged through a stack of junk mail he kept behind the bar for slow days. "Here!" He exclaimed and thrust a dragon recruitment flyer with the same logo into Mike's grip, "Mike, she is okay!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide and smiled from ear to ear as Mike's hands started to shake.

"She... She enlisted?" Mike said, his voice unsure and weak. On their unofficial first date they had joked about how much she would piss her parents off if she joined but he never thought she would go through with it. "But... She... She doesn't seem the type." Mike said and found himself having to lean against the bar for support as he felt his knees for weak. His vision blurring and hands trembling as he stared at the cheque in his hand, the thought of her being alive caused him to smile, a million thoughts running through his mind.

Ben gripped Mike's shoulder and gave it a tug, shaking him from his thoughts, "she will be okay!" He exclaimed and his smile broadened as Mike gave a smile in return. "I know it's early but fuck it." Ben said and turned, reaching up to the top shelf he selected the most expensive bottle of whiskey he owned and poured a couple glasses.

Mike's head still swirling with questions, he knew Leena was tough, but she was no solider. The thoughts of her sweat smile and deep amber eyes becoming the face of a weapon of war tugged at his heart. His focus shifted to the glass that Ben thrust in his hand.

"Get that in you!" Ben said with a chuckle at his pale friend. "She is alive. I'm sure she will be okay." Ben added and clicked his glass against the one Mike held with a weak hand.

Mike took a sip, the burn of the alcohol warming his body. His concern melding away to excitement as he realised that if the police couldn't find her, then neither could her father. Whatever she had done to get through the enlisting process had somehow hidden her from their clutches. He chuckled softly and leaned against the bar, "she is alive." He repeated and earned a friendly slap on the shoulder from Ben as he drank his drink.

==Taalli==

"I swear this is getting smaller." Taalli complained under her breath, adjusting the straps on her harness for the third time that week. Thankfully the nylon straps had plenty of adjustment still in them as she rolled up the excess and tucked them under a small elastic retainer. Her amber eyes looking at her handiwork in the mirror, her harness matched her black paws and hugged her body tightly. Over the last few weeks her body had subtly changed, while she was always toned and athletic, now her body had formed a few new contours and curves. As she turned her head left and right, she noticed her dull orange overlapping scales glide over one another as her muscles shifted underneath.

Riimack's deep humming reverberating through the barracks, shook her from her thoughts as he swayed from side to side, slapping his wings against his sides to the beat.

"Where's all my soul sistas?,

Lemme see your swol sistas,

Hey sista, go sista, mah battle sista, kick dat goal sista,

Hey sista, go sista,-"

"Shut the fuck up Riimack" Taalli laughed, throwing a pillow at the large silver dragon who caught it in his mouth before tilting his head down, while staring at her with his big blue eyes.

With a deep chuckle he tossed the pillow back, "just saying' you are looking good." He said and smiled when he saw her blush, her dull orange scales doing little to hide the rush of blood to her snout. "Oh, don't get me wrong, you have a long way to go before you are in my-"

"Oh my god, where is this league?" Taalli said in mock exasperation, looking over her shoulder at the large male. "You ain't that impressive." She added with a smile.

"Says the one who wants to be in my league." Riimack teased with a shrug and closed his footlocker.

"Oh my god, just fuck already." Called out another dragon from a few bunks over, getting a laugh from the rest of the barracks.

"She wishes." Riimack chided with a smile and gave Taalli a playful swat on the rump with his tail as he walked past her bunk towards the exit, turning his head back as he walked, "besides, she has someone waiting on the outside!" He chuckled.

Taalli opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of a witty remark but came up short, opting to close her footlocker and collect her AT4 launcher before heading to the exit and stepping out into the dawn air.

A steady stream the cadets filed out of their barracks and made their way to the assembly area for the morning roll call. A soft fog hung over the assembly area as the cold concrete slowly warmed up, the cadets moving through the fog causing it to swirl and waft as they started forming neat rows. While lining up they continued to quietly talk to one another until a silence washed over them, all of the dragons quickly sitting to attention as their drill sergeant emerged from the mist like a spectre. Her stern violet eyes showing no sign of tiredness as she walked past each of them, glancing up and down each of the dragons assessing their harnesses and posture. Occasionally pausing to loudly reprimand a cadet for their harness straps to be loose or excess straps not secured.

Taalli's chest tightened as the sergeant slowly made her way towards her. She kept her amber eyes focused forwards as the drill sergeant paused in front of her, her head snapping to Taalli as she assessed her rig.

The intense stare from the drill sergeant caused her to swallow and her heart to beat faster but she held her tight posture. Her mind racing at her morning preparation, having adjusted her harness straps she was self-conscious that her harness maybe hanging off centre, she clenched her jaw and resisted the temptation to look down and check.

As the drill sergeant turned and continued walking, Taalli couldn't help but let out a soft exhale. The gentle sound not missed by the sergeant who quickly spun around and stepped into Taalli's personal space. "What was that cadet!" She bellowed, her loud voice no longer startling Taalli.

"Nothing ma'am, only my admiration for my drill sergeant!" Taalli quickly retorted, while trying to force her lip not to curl into a smile.

"Well, this cadet can continue their admiration while doing fifty wing ups," barked the sergeant, "on your back cadet!"

Taalli dropped down to her chest before rolling into her back, with her wings only half extended she pressed them against the concrete, lifting her torso and neck off the ground, with her at4 clutched to her chest with a paw she repeated the motion again and again while counting to herself. The burn of the exercise quickly pushing any tiredness out of her body, while a dragon's wing muscles were some of the strongest in their bodies, they were primarily built to provide a downwards thrust, with smaller muscles on the top of the shoulder for lifting the wing back up for another beat. While inverted on the ground, now all of her weight pressed against these muscles, providing strain for even the strongest of dragons.

The sergeant watched for a few wing ups before turning and continuing her inspection. Moving down the rows, none of the cadets dared making a noise for fear of being told to join in with Taalli's workout. Satisfied with the assembled dragons, the sergeant moved towards the front of the flight before turning around to face them, her violet eyes scanning the flight.

"I have some good news for you all cadets! Today, as a special treat, just for all you lot. you will be having a lovely spa day!" She announced, her voice carrying effortlessly across the whole assembly area. Taalli's head cocked while upside down to see what she was talking about, shrinking back when she caught the stare of the drill sergeant. "I knew that would get your attention smooth claws" She added, the flight chuckling at Taalli's expense before they were silenced by the drill sergeant's glare.

"First activity in Sarg's Spa Session, Will be a lovely Mud treatment for your scales." The drill sergeant barked, "followed by the pedicure!" She added with a smile. Even Taalli knew that the pedicure was the nickname for the obstacle course that spanned for hundreds of feet at the edge of the academy, its name earned from the sheer vertical wall at the end which was known for snapping claws of dragons who dared attempt the climb. As Taalli finished her workout she quickly righted herself and sat to attention, the smiling faces of the other dragons as they eyed one another up told her that the "mud treatment" was not going to be like the ones she had experienced before.

"Pair up cadets, we don't have all day. You will be performing today's activities with your battle buddy. But choose your partner wisely! I have a special treat for the pair who are able to complete today's challenges the quickest." The Sarg said, watching as the flight quickly looked to one another, assessing who they should partner up with. "Because I am such a benevolent leader, I have secured a pair of evening passes! From 1800 until 600 hours, you don't belong to me. Go get drunk, go to a hen house, I don't care."

Taalli's eyes widened at the thought, ideas of flying back to find Mike running through her mind. Her chest tightened in anticipation, her mind running through the chances of victory. The obstacle course alone had not been successfully completed by this flight, and she was cautious about what the mud treatment may entail. Glancing to her side she saw Riimack give her a friendly nod to partner up and she smiled in relief. Being one of the larger dragons of the flight she felt more at ease knowing he would be her partner than having to go against him.

"Find your battle buddy and get to the pit. your mud treatment starts in five minutes!" The Sarg announced, the flight giving a quick slap of their wings to their sides in acknowledgement before turning and making their way across towards a corner of the academy. Taalli's heart dropping in realisation of what the mud treatment would be, the sparing pit was a well-known arena that the males used to prove themselves against one another, an area that she had only stayed a healthy distance away from and observed the brutal claw to claw fighting that the rest of the flight partook in. The rules were simple, pin your opponent into submission in the mud, memories of Jeenik on her back in the mess hall, and her father thrashing her against his table flooding back into her mind which caused her chest to tighten and breathing to become quicker.

"Hey battle buddy!" Riimack said playfully while coming alongside her. "Ready for the pit?" He said with a big grin, his blue eyes seeing her apprehension he changed his tone and moved alongside her. "Hey, it's okay I assume we are doing doubles. I'll be right there with you." he said, trying to reassure her. His mind thinking back to a time that he had seen her in the pit and came up short, his smile faltering slightly as he realized she was probably in for a rough time.

Taalli glanced to the larger dragon and saw him watching her as they walked, "Got any tips?" she asked softly, her voice just loud enough for him to hear. While she was proud of how her body had changed over the last few weeks, there was still a significant strength difference between the two and while she had performed the same physical training and sparring lessons as the others, there was a difference between practicing pinning a foam dummy and a snarling dragon who wanted to do the same to her.

"Ignore the neck, when you tried to take on Jeenik, you went straight for the throat." Riimack mused and turned to face ahead.

"But that's the weakest spot!" Taalli exclaimed, her mind thinking back to her incident in the mess hall, a shiver going down her spine as she remembered missing Jeenik's throat and how quickly he had ended up on top of her, his hips behind hers while pushing her tail out of the way.

"And how did that go for you?" He said with a chuckle, "It is weak, but it's also highly mobile, and has a bitey bit at the end. Go for the wings, They are bigger, much more sensitive and once you have them controlled you can make them go wherever you want." he said, his words trailing off as he looked into the distance, Taalli could see something pulling at his memories, he shook his head and smiled, "or, just stay behind me!" He added with a playful shove to her side, his strong body knocking her off balance slightly.

"In your own fucking time, cadets!" Shouted the drill sergeant as she waited for the flight to arrive down at the mud pit, thin metal fencing surrounded the bog and was used only as guide for containing the brawling dragons. Her paw resting on a large steel pipe that came out of the ground and led to a sprinkler system that kept the mud pit hydrated. As the flight arrived, she used her strong tan paws to turn the valve, the pipes gurgling for a moment before with a hiss, the sprinklers started blasting gallons of icy cold water into the mud pit, quickly turning it into a slurry.

Taalli looked nervously around the other dragons, each of them standing next to their battle buddies with a look of eager excitement on their faces. The sergeant pointed with a claw at two pairs, "You, You, Get in there. Your time starts... Now!" She shouted and the two pairs quickly leapt over the fence railing and squared off against one another. Taalli's chest tightened as she watched, each of the dragons focused on their opponent, sizing each other up and waiting for each other to make a move.

A slight twitch of a tail was the only warning given before one leapt at the other, the slippery mud offering very little traction as the two dragons thrashed against one another, their battle buddies leaping into each other next to them to try and force the other into submission. The sounds of bodies coming together mixed with the sounds of wet mud and the roars of pain from one another rang out. The rest of the flight watching on with interest as the two pairs battled it out, Teeth flashed and claws swiped, but it only took a minute before one pair emerged victorious, Mouths biting the back of the necks of their subdued foes until their beaten opponents went limp and beat their wing against the ground in submission.

The Sergeant's whistle cut through the air like a knife and the winning dragons released their prey and stood back, covered head to toe in brown mud with a few scratches on their bodies as trophies. The losers begrudgingly standing up, neither of them making eye contact with the rest of the flight. The sergeant's orders ringing out over the pit. "Winners, Move to the obstacle course, Losers. Stay where you are, you will try again with the next group." she commanded, her violet eyes scanning the crowd, "Who is next?" she called out and smiled as a pair stepped forward.

"Can we go last?" Taalli whispered, just so Riimack could hear.

His blue eyes looking down to hers and tried to give her a reassuring look, "Hey, you gonna have to get in there eventually. Why not get it over with?" he said softly.

Taalli looked at the fight that was now unfolding, the losing team at a significant disadvantage as they were already fatigued from their first round. "She said we can win if we are the fastest, if we go last, we maybe against a pair that is already tired." Taalli said with a weak smile. "And if we lose, it means we won't have to fight the whole flight." She added with a hint of defeat.

Riimack looked at the fight that was ending, the pair that were originally defeated, were defeated yet again, Taalli's wisdom showing true as the sergeant let the victors go on, and the losers remained, shouting at the defeated pair to win if they wanted it to stop. Only opening his mouth as little as possible he whispered back, "You know, that's actually not a bad strat."

Round after round, the losing pair were defeated, looking at the remaining pairs, she saw Jeenik and his red buddy glancing towards her and Riimack, her heart beating faster as she saw the menacing smirk on Jeenik's snout, his eyes glinting with a sinister ploy as he whispered to his buddy.

Eventually, the only remaining pairs were Taalli's and Jeenik's, as soon as the fight ended with yet another defeat to the losing pair, Jeenik and his crony stepped forwards, boldly declaring they would go next. With a nod from the Sergeant, they entered the ring, the defeated dragons looking woefully out classed by the two strong dragons who began to prowl around them. Taalli frowned, she had expected Jeenik and his red scaled battle buddy to leap onto the loosing pair and end it quickly, securing the fastest time, yet they didn't, they drew it out, baiting the dragons into landing a few successful strikes against them while seemingly not trying to exert themselves. Their actions not going missed on the Sergeant, "Are you dancing or fighting! this isn't a tango, you lazy fucks!" she bellowed.

Taalli watched in horror as Jeenik and his buddy gave a glance to one another before leaping badly in front of the dragons who had lost so many rounds beforehand, deliberately missing with their jaws, exposing their throats to the weaker dragons. Seizing the opportunity, the tired pair quickly latched their jaws onto the pair and easily subdued Jeenik and his buddy. Unintentionally by them, forcing Jeenik and his buddy to be paired up with Taalli and Riimack.

"fuck" whispered Taalli, her voice carrying slightly further than she had anticipated. Sitting up in the mud with a smug smile on his face, Jeenik stared into Taalli's eyes.

Riimack closed his open jaw as saw the now winning pair of muddy dragons climb tiredly out of the ring and leave Jeenik and his partner behind to fight in the next round. A quick glance around confirmed that Taalli and himself were the final pair and they stepped forwards, sensing her hesitation he leaned his head closer to hers, so he could whisper just loud enough for her. "Speed and aggression is key, try to keep them off my back, I will take care of him." he said, and they leapt over the small fence.

The cold of the mud startled Taalli, her black paws slipping slightly under her as she quickly tried to regain her balance. Riimack on the other hand did not show any hesitation, as soon as his paws touched the mud he leapt at the pair, lips curled back in a snarl with claws extended. Taalli was in awe as his body seemed to uncoil like a spring, his muscles rippling under his satin silver scales, the playful joking dragon was gone and in its place was a lethal embodiment of violence. His sudden charge met by the pair of dragons focusing on him, paws swiped at wings and claws raked against hard scales as the trio thrashed for dominance in the cold mud.

With a firm kick of his hind leg, Jeenik was sent sprawling into the mud, allowing Riimack to quickly pull the red male off his back and slammed him into the mud. Glancing to the thrashing red dragon under his paw and then to Taalli he barked, "he is all yours." He said and turned to face Jeenik who was standing up.

Taalli quickly leapt over and took Riimack's place, looking down she quickly grabbed the horns of the red dragon in her black paws. As the male tried to buck her off, she lifted his head up before slamming him down into the mud, the roar of pain causing her to pause, her father's paws filling her vision as she lifted the males head up again, hesitating as she went to bite the neck of the red dragon.

Sensing her pause, the red dragon used his wings to send a chunk of mud into her face, her paws relaxing their grip and giving him the opportunity to roll out from under her, seeing her spluttering with a mouth full of mud he smiled and turned to help Jeenik. His buddies request to be the one to dominate her still present in his mind.

Taalli used a paw to wipe her eyes before looking around to see where the red dragon had gone, "What the fuck are you doing Cadet!" Shouted the Sarg and Taalli quickly shook her head and dove towards her buddy, Riimack was locked in a tangle of limbs with Jeenik, while the other dragon strove to get on top of the large silver dragon, his jaws snapping down hard on Riimack's neck and spine.

Taalli leapt in to help her friend, colliding heavily with the red dragon on top, sending them both crashing into the mud. Like lightning the dragon was up again and on top of her, his jaws snapping furiously and wildly at her throat and face, the sudden weight of his body on top of hers causing her mind to reel, her back legs coming under her instinctively and she kicked hard, the muddy red dragon giving out a pained grunt as her hind paws connected with his sensitive groin. pressing her advantage, she quickly rolled off her back and dove towards the crimson dragon's throat, Riimack's warning ringing true as he pulled back, and she ended up with another mouthful of wet mud. His paws quickly pulling at her and pressing her down into the ground, her ears were quickly filled with the gummy substance, causing her world to become muffled, her eyes doing their best to blink out the brown grit as she thrashed and twisted under the larger dragon, trying to break free.

Riimack seeing her being pinned let go of Jeenik and threw himself into the red dragon atop Taalli, sending him sprawling before turning and leaping back into the green dragon that was getting to his feet. With the weight off of her, Taalli rose to her feet, the slippery mud causing her to quiver and take a moment to get her balance, a quick glance to Riimack saw that the advantage he had over Jeenik had quickly dissipated, with both now thrashing against one another, thick mud hanging off their scales. A groan from the red dragon she had been pinned by turned her focus to him.

Leaping at the red male, Taalli now aimed her jaws for his wing knuckle, as the dragon rose to his feet he roared out in pain as she latched on hard. The pained sound the red dragon emitted causing her to flinch, burying her feelings she quickly rotated her body around over the top of the male, pulling his wing back at an awkward angle. His whole body thrashing and twisting as he tried to buck her off, her claws holding onto his body as best she could as she restrain him. His snapping mouth darted towards her and she quickly let go of his wing to move her face to safety, He rotated his whole body, and slammed his back down into the mud, Taalli letting out a pained groan as she was sandwiched between the red dragon and the muddy ground, the wind knocked out of her with the hard impact. The mud squelching around her as she was forced deep into the earth, its stickiness holding her tight and making it impossible to get up again. The male on top of her quickly rotating around to face her, his presence looming above her, his ivory white teeth pulled back in a predatory smile contrasting with his crimson snout.

His menacing look quickly died as his eyes glanced to the side, Riimack's large body colliding heavily with him, sending him sprawling, not hesitating Riimack continued and wrapped his powerful jaws around the smaller male's neck, slamming it down into the mud with a sickening thud. With a groan, Taalli lifted her head up out of the small muddy crater and looked around, Jeenik was sitting defeatedly on the side of the pit, small red pricks along the side of his neck showing that Riimack had forced him into submission.

Looking to her partner, she saw Riimack quickly subdue the red male, jaws cutting off the other dragon's air supply until the loser beat his wings against the mud in submission. Letting go, Riimack sat back in the mud, one of his wings hanging at an unnatural angle, his breathing heavy and ragged as he panted to catch his breath, his slit-like pupils slowly dilating to his kind blue eyes once again. Riimack gave a weak smile to Taalli as he let the defeated dragon sit up, the losing dragon running a paw over his tender neck and limping away from the winning pair.

"Cadet Taalli! What the fuck do you call that!" barked the sergeant, jumping over the low fence and approaching them. The sprinklers quickly drenching the wingless dragoness in water. Taalli swallowed and sat to attention in the mud, the large clumps of mud that clung to her scales, were slowly washed by the sprinklers leaving her covered in a watery film of mud. The drill sergeant quickly moved into Taalli's personal space, "Why didn't you go for the kill?"

Taalli glanced to the drill sergeant, clearing her throat before replying, "Ma'am, the opportunity did not present itsel-"

"Bullshit! Your battle buddy gave him to you on a silver platter and you let him go! What's wrong with you?" She snarled at Taalli who glanced down at her muddy black paws. "You think you are meant to be here? You sure as hell need to step the fuck up and start acting like a killer!" She shouted and saw Taalli flinch at her words, taking a deep breath she exhaled through her mouth, her body tense with frustration at the orange dragoness. "Stay here, the rest of you go!" She said while focusing on Taalli.

She could feel the drill sergeants burning gaze on her as Taalli heard the other dragons leap over the fence and head to the obstacle course. A pained groan coming from Riimack caused her to glance to him and see him hold his injured wing at an odd angle as he walked away.

"What the fuck is wrong with you." Said the drill sergeant, her voice firm and dripping with venom.

"Nothing, ma'am-"

"Fuck off with that, tell me. Why didn't you make the kill?" The drill sergeant asked, "look at me!"

Taalli's head tilted back up and her amber eyes met the sergeants. "I, I couldn't." She said weakly, glancing down to her black paws, the image of her fathers paws around the other dragon's horns causing her body to shiver. The power she held over the other dragon bringing back the painful memories of how her father held her.

The sergeant looked into her eyes with the intensity to measure her soul, thoughts of this issue running deeper than just physically. "Listen, you are going to need to grow up real quick if you think I will keep you in this academy. Because you couldn't commit to even this watered-down imitation of a kill, Riimack won't be flying for a few days. Because of your weakness, your hesitation, your team suffered." She said sternly and could see Taalli's eyes dip downwards in shame.

"Inside everyone, is a killer. I can see it in you, he can see it in you, but you need to see it." The sergeant said, the sprinkler still hosing them both with the cold water. "If you hesitate in my academy, people get hurt. If you hesitate out there.... People die. Understood?"

Taalli swallowed and gave a weak nod, "understood, ma'am." She acknowledged, with a tone of defeat, the sergeant still staring into her with a focused expression.

"Dismissed, cadet." The drill sergeant said with a tone of finality before watching the muddy orange dragoness turn and leap over the fence, her wings drooping slightly as she made her way to the obstacle course. The sergeant's jaw clenching as she thought of ways to push Taalli over the final hurdle, she could tell there was fire burning inside the young 'ness, it just needed to be stoked and controlled before she would graduate. Turning, the drill sergeant leaped over the fence and turned off the sprinklers before in turn making her way to the next challenge.

"You, okay?" Riimack asked as Taalli approached, one of his wings dropped down onto the ground next to him. He could tell her mind was troubled by the way she focused on the ground ahead of her. "Sarg didn't chew you up too bad I hope." He added.

"I'm fine," Taalli lied, her stomach tightening as she saw him with his injured wing. "Are you okay?" She said, feeling sick that he was injured because of her inaction.

Riimack chuckled, "it's a good thing I hatched with two!" Flinching as his laughter caused a jab of pain to shoot through his wing. "But I might get you to bind it. If you would be so kind." He said and used a paw to rummage through a pouch on his harness, pulling out a pair of straps. "I don't think we are going to win the evening pass," he said while Taalli grabbed the elastic straps and gently folded his wing so she could run the straps from the underside of his harness over his back and other wing before reaching under him and securing the strap. As she tightened the strap, he groaned loudly but gave a reassuring nod when he saw her concerned look.

"I'm sorry Riimack, I should have helped more." Taalli said softly as she finished binding his wings to his body. "I just kind of froze up."

"Oh, I don't mean that. I mean we won't win the evening pass, because no one from our flight has completed the course before, and now everyone is covered in mud," he said with a pained smile, his injured wing causing him more pain than he was letting on.

"Alright ladies, quit your gossiping!" The sergeant barked, her voice quickly silencing the flight. "This obstacle course is to test all aspects of your body and mind. Remember, an evening pass is up for grabs for the pair that can complete it the fastest! But I would be surprised if any of you have what it takes to get it done at all." She shouted loudly to the fight that was still covered in mud from the pit.

"First pair! Go!" She shouted and the first pair to enter the pit now scampered forwards. "Remember! If you use your wings, you are done. Hit the ground, you are done! Now hustle and show us how it's done!" She barked at the first pair.

The pair quickly diving through the large tubes and hurdles, the mud that was clinging to their scales hides quickly covering the course in a slippery layer of filth. The sergeant's shouting of instructions was a constant noise while the pair continued to scale the course. The first section of the course was designed to test their agility by leaping up and climbing through narrow tubes, each concrete tube forcing the dragons to crawl on their elbows to progress.

The first pair of dragons pulled themselves through the tubes and leapt to the second challenge, thin beams suspended a few feet in the air were made to test their balance and coordination. Both dragons mantled their wings for stability as they quickly moved paw over paw on the narrow surface, occasionally wobbling and pausing before hastily moving across the beams and scampering to the third challenge.

The next obstacle made Taalli glance to Riimack, his concerned expression mirroring hers. Large wooden logs suspended on their ends by thick cables hung like a dense forest over the area, designed to test a dragon's resilience by pressing against them as they tried to move through the area. Taalli's glance to his injured wing not going unnoticed. "I may need you to help me with that bit." He said sadly and gave her a weak smile.

The first pair performed well, never pausing and always progressing until they were faced with the final challenge. The pedicure wall, a vertical timber wall that rose high into the air. Once used as an abseiling wall for human recruits it now served as a climbing challenge for the dragons. The bottom was designed to give a false sense of hope, the timber slats were spaced to give easy paw holds for the climb, however the gaps quickly became tighter so that only claws could fit in the crevices, until it became a shear wall.

The rest of the flight watched with bated breath as the pair tried to climb, the wall marked and divided in half for each of them to scale it together. They continued their relentless climb until reaching the point where their claws could no longer find purchase.

Taalli's eyes wandered up towards the top of the wall that was still out of reach of the pair, a single sturdy post at the top separated the two lanes. With the rest of the flight, they gasped as the pair leapt from where they had climbed to, scrambling at the wall to try and reach the top before falling, using their wings to arrest their fall.

The sergeant's whistle announcing their failure and for the next pair to start. "Keep it moving cadets, you want to win! Show us how it's done!" She bellowed to the next pair.

Taalli whispered to Riimack, "has anyone actually completed this?" She asked softly with a hint of disbelief.

Riimack smiled, "there is a leaderboard in the mess hall. So, it can't be impossible, just none of our flight have done it. But I'm not going to lie, that wall is looking a lot more scary without my wings." He said with a tone of conern.

Taalli nodded sadly and the pair continued to watch each group try and fail, the final wall being the last hurdle that made most of the pair's fail. Every time the dragons would leap from the highest rung they could climb to, scramble frantically against the smooth section above them and then fall, having to use their wings to glide down to the ground in failure.

Taalli and Riimack made their way to the start line as Jeenik, and his buddy commenced their attempt. The two strong dragons racing through the course with ease, their confidence unwavering as they made it to the final challenge. The pair raced against one another as they quickly ascended the wall before reaching the point where their large claws could no longer find purchase. A small smile crept across Taalli's snout as Jeenik failed to make the final jump and clipped a wing on the wall as he came down, his partner trying and failing just like the rest of the flight.

"Taalli, Riimack. Lucky last." Shouted the sergeant and they quickly took off through the course.

Riimack only stumbled a few times as he leapt through the tubes, grimacing as his injured wing grazed the inside walls of the tubes. As they reached the section requiring them to balance Taalli took the lead, with his wings pinned to his sides she knew his balance would be hindered, relying solely on his large tail which was slower in reacting to his shifting weight than his wings could be.

"Here, use me for balance." Said Taalli as she stepped onto the beam, Riimack moving close to her and pressing his chest against her rump for stability as they took their time, slowly working their way across the beams.

The reassuring warmth and pressure of Riimack's body against her rump and tail caused her heart to beat a bit faster, a wolf whistle from the rest of the flight caused her to stumble slightly. "Ignore them." Riimack said and gave her a firm press forwards and she continued the last of the balance section quickly, her snout a bit redder under the caked-on mud.

Stepping off the beams they paused for a second, the large heavy logs still swinging lazily from the last pair. "I'll push forwards, you protect my wing." Riimack said and took the lead, his bulk pushing the logs out the way with ease, but on the back swing of each log, Taalli needed to use her weight to stop them before they impacted his injured wing. The strain of constantly redirecting and stopping the logs causing Tallis muscles to protest, but the idea of Riimack becoming hurt again from her inadequacies caused her to fight on.

With a heavy groan, Riimack pressed the final logs out of the way, and they quickly stepped out of the swinging radius of the logs. The last challenge being the pedicure wall was all that stood in their way. "You know, if we beat this. We would be the first in the flight to complete the course, and the first for sure right?." Chided Riimack between pants. Taalli was breathless and nodded, looking up the shear wall she felt like a hatchling again, the imposing structure suddenly feeling a lot larger than it looked from the sideline.

Looking up at the wall, she could see the paw holds getting smaller and smaller as it went up, the final smooth section marked with heavy scratches as others had failed to find purchase. At the very top, the sturdy post jutting out of it gave her pause. "Hey.... I have a really dumb idea." Taalli muttered, causing Riimack to glance to her.

"Those are usually dangerous." He teased and followed her gaze up the wall, the sergeant's shouting voice in the background quickly forgotten. "What did you have in mind?"

"Still got your wing sheer cable?" Taalli asked, seeing his concerned look she smiled, "how much do you weigh?"

Riimack looked up at the beam that jutted out and back to her, "more than 600 pounds I'm afraid, I'm not sure what your planning at, but I don't want to see a cable let go on you."

Fishing hers out of her pouch she attached one end to her harness before putting a paw out to him, giving a grabbing motion for him to give her his cable. "My claws are smaller, I'll get as high as I can, just be ready to catch."

With a sigh and a slight smile, he passed her his cable, watching her as she attached it to her harness. "Why do I think the sergeant is going to have a go at us for this?"

"Oh please, she will have a go at us regardless." Taalli smiled with the loops of cable held in her mouth and stepped up to the wall.

The rest of the flight watched in anticipation, the drill sergeant's silence and focused gaze on the pair causing them to pay attention. Step by step, Taalli and Riimack climbed, every paw hold getting smaller and smaller as they climbed. Taalli glanced to Riimack and saw his friendly eyes becoming more concerned with every foot they climbed, with his wings pinned to his sides he would not fare well if he fell.

"This is as high as I can go!" Called Riimack, his larger claws becoming stuck in the tightening crevices. Taalli gave him a nod and continued, her smaller claws and lighter body allowing her to continue on until she reached the point where the wall became a sheer surface.

Clinging onto the wall with three legs she untangled the two cables she held in her mouth, linking the ends together with a paw to make a single length that was doubled up for strength. Looking up she could see the post jutting out, while it was still a hefty throws distance from her, she could make out faint abrasions on the post which made her eyes light up with hope.

With the two cables in her jaws Taalli focused on the post above, her amber eyes judging the height and angle before curling her long neck back down her side, taking a deep breath she tensed her strong neck muscles and flicked her head up towards the post, opening her jaws and sending the two cables skywards. Her eyes widening as she saw the two ends fly over the top of the post before sailing down towards Riimack.

With a snap of his jaws, Riimack caught the end of the cables, smiling as he clung to the wall with three paws and fastened the carabiners to the top of his harness to keep it from getting tangled on his paws. "Okay, now what cheater!?" Riimack teased, causing Taalli to purse her lips in thought.

"Shh you, it's not cheating, it's using your brain," She said and took a few backwards steps down until the cable was taught, "I'll climb down, my weight should help lift you to the top, then you pull me up." She said and looked down to see him nodding.

With the cables tight, Taalli turned around on the wall until she was facing straight down, latching her claws under the rungs she pulled herself downwards. Her weight being cancelled out by Riimack's as he let go of his side of the wall, her harness taking the strain as she slowly pulled herself down, every step downwards was another pull of Riimack upwards. Her muscles strained as she heaved along, glancing backwards she could see Riimack smiling at her as he was lifted higher and higher up the smooth section of the wall, his paws dangling in the air like a hatchling being lifted in the jaws of a parent.

She paused to breathe, the strain of pulling their weight difference taking a toll on her body. "Let's go Taalli!" Shouted Riimack from above, causing her to give a pained smile and continue pulling herself downwards, the rush of blood to her head from being upside down caused her tail to go numb, her powerful heart throbbing as she slowly felt her back legs becoming less and less effective.

"Almost.... there!" Riimack called and she felt herself fall briefly and her paws quickly scrabbling for grip as Riimack pulled himself up onto the platform, the cable going tight again as he took the strain with ease. Turning around on the wall once more she righted herself and began the climb for a second time. This time Riimack coiling up the cable and helping her climb by pulling on the cable with his powerful jaws. Her harness lifting her upwards as she ran out of claw holds and he walked backwards while she hung from the cable.

As soon as the platform was within reach, she quickly heaved herself up onto the top with a relieved sigh, both of them sitting on the edge panting. The sounds of wings beating against sides in applause ringing out from the rest of the flight caused them to give an exhausted smile and Taalli gave a small wave to them all, her smile broadening as she saw Jeenik scowling up at them.

"I think that means we won?" Said Riimack with uncertainty. "Right?" He said and looked to her.

Taalli's heart soaring at the thought of reuniting with Mike, wanting nothing more than to hold him tightly against her, his arms around the base of her neck. "Fuck, I hope so." She sighed, closing her eyes, she could almost remember his scent, her thoughts interrupted by Riimack clearing his throat.

"I- I think I might need your help getting down." He chuckled, looking over the edge with his wings still bound. Glancing around Taalli confirmed his assessment, the only way up and down from the platform was the wall they had just climbed or by flying.

Taalli and Riimack reversed their process and lowered each other down to the ground. The drill sergeant led the rest of the flight over while they spooled their cables and stowed them back into their pouches. "Well cadets! It seems like some of you have a few brain cells to rub together and the respect for their gear to use it correctly!" She barked, while turning to the rest of the flight. "I only wish that you all would show some respect for the fine obstacle course! You have completely covered it shit!" She bellowed, the flight all turning together to see that muddy paw prints covered the course. "Well? Snap to it cadets! Buckets and rags are in the supply shed!" She shouted and the flight snapped into action.

"As for you two," the drill said, freezing the pair mid stride. "Well-done." She said and passed them two laminated slips of paper before turning back to the flight and bellowing orders to hurry up. Turning back to Taalli her violet eyes burned into her before she spoke, her voice low and threatening, "I recommend you use your evening off to think about if you belong here." She said before turning and leaving the victors.

Looking down to the cards, Taalli's paw trembled as she saw the instructions. True to her word, the card outlined that they were excused from all drills and activities after 1800, but must return by 0600 without any punishment, and free to leave the base. Riimack tucked his card into his harness with a paw and gave her a light shove to snap her out of her daydream. "Come on, let's get to cleaning in case she tries to take them away from us." He said and Taalli quickly stowed the card.

"What are you going to do with your evening off?" Taalli asked as they made their way to the supply shed, nodding thanks to the dragons that offered congratulations in passing.

"Oh, I don't think I'm going anywhere with this wing. I'll probably stay in my bunk with a book." He mused,

Taalli couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt wash over her, his injured wing a physical manifestation of her failure to commit to a mock kill. Riimack saw her focused look and tried to give a reassuring smile. "Oh, don't beat yourself up. I would probably do the same thing if I could fly anyway." He lied. "But could I get you to deliver a letter for me?"

Taalli saw the longing in his eyes and nodded, "of course. Anything, want me to bring you anything back?" She said and saw his eyes light up at the thought.

"I'll make you a list!" He said enthusiastically while they lined up, his eyes going unfocused as he thought about the snacks Taalli could fetch for him.

"Come on you lazy fucks!" Shouted the drill sergeant, "I want to see this course sparkling. Then and only then will you get lunch." She snarled at the flight who quickly made themselves busy with cleaning. "Kitchen closes in 10, you want food? Then hurry the fuck up!"

Taalli and Riimack glanced to one another and exhaled before collecting their cleaning buckets with their mouths and trotting back over to the obstacle course.

"You want to sit down? You can sit down when we do theory and tactics you nipple suckers!" The sergeant bellowed across the course. She saw a cadet drop his rag in the ground and raced over to him, shouting in his face about his clumsiness before quizzing him on details of the academy's history, her posture stiffening as he failed to answer. "Kill! Now!" She bellowed and the cadet quickly took off towards the supply shed, grabbing a training tube before he lept into the sky.

Taalli quickly made herself busy climbing the pedicure wall, keeping high up to make sure she was out of mind from the drill sergeant. Her body welcoming the idea of lunch and theory classes for the rest of the day. The day was still young and she would do anything to make sure her evening pass was not taken from her.

Jim looked around for his partner as he stepped into the busy bar, his body tired after a long day patrolling the streets of the slums. He was almost home when he received a cryptic phone call from his partner demanding he come to this particular bar immediately. Spotting the familiar dragon at the back of the room he made his way across towards his partner. Smiling as he saw Teeslah focused on a plate of beans and bacon, a strange meal for dinner but a cheap one. He sat down as he saw the dragon scoop up some beans with a rasher of crispy bacon, his presence startling the dragon slightly. "Oh, hello." He said cheerfully.

"Teeslah, if you have dragged me out to this bar at 7:30 to tell me how good the food is... I'm asking chief for a new partner." Jim teased and saw the dragon's eyes widen, "relax, it's a joke." He clarified to the overly logical dragon. "But why am I here?"

Teeslah smiled proudly, "remember that case, the missing rich dragoness?" He asked.

Jim sighed, "the one that the chief specifically told us to move on from?" He said and raised an eyebrow at his partner.

"Yes, That's the one!" He said and ignored the disapproving look Jim gave him, "so anyway. The kid that was originally arrested, he works here." Teeslah stated, seeing Jim's stern expression he continued. "Something has changed, look!" He said and nodded his head towards Mike who was pouring drinks for some patrons from behind the bar.

Jim gave a sceptical look before turning around, watching as Mike joked with the patrons and gave a smile. Turning back to the dragon Jim asked, "what? What's changed?"

The dragon chuckled and lowered his head so he could whisper to Jim, "so, don't be mad. But every night I've been coming here for dinner." He started and saw the stern look from Jim, "hey, I said you can't be mad. But every day he has looked so sad, like his girlfriend left him."

Jim sighed at his dragon partner, social nuances often missed by the large dragon, "could that be because, you know... His girl left him?"

Teeslah chuckled, "went missing!" He corrected with a wink.

Jim raised an eyebrow, "what's the difference?" He asked and turned back to look at Mike.

"The difference is, does that look like the face of someone who doesn't know where his girl is?" Teeslah asked, moving his snout next to Jim's face, his smiling lips pulled back to reveal his sharp ivory teeth just out of Jim's vision.

Jim turned back and reeled back at the sudden close proximity of his partners sharp teeth. "Teeslah! personal space buddy!" He chastised with a smile before glancing back at Mike, his partners observation being accurate, the kid did seem happier than he should be considering how distraught he had been in his cell.

"Oh, I see what's going on!" Jim chided, "you are trying to make detective aren't you!" Jim added and saw Teeslah smile widen. Shaking his head as he became serious "Chief said to drop this-"

Returning his partners serious expression, Teeslah interrupted, "No, Chief said, the case doesn't stick unless we find her, or a body. Looking at him, I think we might have found our first clue." A smile creeping back onto his face as Jim glanced back at Mike.

"This could be harassment if you are wrong." Jim said under his breath, just loud enough to be heard by his partner. The dragon's tail twitching in excitement caused him concern, Teeslah had become fixated on cases before, often to his detriment and Jim knew he would have to be the voice of reason to keep his friend safe from overstepping.

"Okay, we observe, nothing more unless we see her." Jim said looking back to his partner who nodded absentmindedly, "okay?" He inquired firmly, causing the dragon to look down at him. And nod sincerely.