The Scorched

By Daniel Kani

Ash and soot. They hang thick in the air, accompanied by the crackling sound and flickering lights of burning fires. The sky is overcast and a steady rain is falling which, even though it tries its best, fails miserably at cleansing the ground from the gore and blood. Barely a sound can be heard, other than the rain and crows picking through the battlefield.

Among the dead stands a hooded figure draped in a long, green raincoat, a black assault-rifle in his hands in a relaxed grip and partially covered by the raincoat. The figure seems to be staring into nothingness, seemingly lost in thought.

"Find anything?" The figure - a male by the sound of the voice - asks as he looks down onto another figure next to him that is squatting by a corpse, seemingly searching its pockets.

"No," the figure replies before standing up, a female by the sound of her voice. Dressed in a similar green raincoat and also armed, though bigger weaponry, this one is taller than the first. Standing upright she reaches right about 8.5 feet in length, next to the comparingly meager 6-and a bit (6.2 feet to be precise) of her male companion. As she moves around to face him, her long neck, tail and two back-swept horns make it clear to anyone watching that she is a dragonoid - or just dragon as more commonly spoken - two legged, walking and talking like any of the many other sentient species of the world. She has no wings like some of her kind does, but she is an impressive sight nonetheless. Beneath her raincoat she wears what appears to be a thin, black, skin-tight suit that snugly wraps around her neck, breasts and a tiny bit of her upper torso, leaving her belly exposed. For her nethers she wears a thin, black loincloth, its shade matching that of the skin-tight suit. Most of her legs are covered in the same black fabric, reaching from above her knees down to her sharp clawed feet. She wears a black harness that straps around her torso just below her breasts and goes up between her chests with a single strap that breaks into a V-shape, going around her neck on each side and down her back. It appears custom-made to fit comfortably and the black color makes it blend in almost perfectly with the skin suit. On her upper right leg she has a long blade strapped in a sheath. To her it's like a knife, but most other species would call it a short sword. On her other leg at the same position she has a pistol in a holster. Where her clothing doesn't cover her, her skin has a dark-gray color while the front of her body, from the throat all the way down to the insides of her legs and the underside of her tail, are in a lighter shade, with a slight hint of midnight blue. In short, it would be most difficult to see her in the dark. The corpse she had been checking out is also that of a dragon, though this one does have wings, the body a mossy green in color and slightly taller than herself, and dressed in regular tactical-gear.

Her human companion, beneath his own raincoat, is wearing long, green pants suitable for the outdoors and the same black style of skin-tight suit across his torso and upper arms, almost like a t-shirt. On top of that he wears a tactical chest rig in a camouflage pattern. His body is more frail after all, being a human. His pants, same camouflage-pattern as the vest, are tucked into a pair of sturdy, black boots that you could walk all day in without trouble. For his hands he wears thin, black gloves to make handling his gun more comfortable. Like the female he wears a knife, though his is on a utility belt around his hips, along with other assorted gear. For his knees he wears a pair of black knee pads that he has strapped over his pants. He keeps looking around himself, seemingly unhappy about something. Around them are several more corpses other than the one the dragoness had been checking out.

"Mostly humans here," he scuffs.

"Yeah, your kind tends to die easily," his companion replies.

"Oh yeah? And what about this one?" he human indicates with his boot towards the dead dragon that the female had been inspecting mere moments ago.

"A weakling, unfit for combat if they fell to mere humans," the dragoness concludes coldly. Her long, flexible tail swishes back and forth almost like a cat's, showing her displeasure.

"Hey! Show some respect to the dead."

"If you say so," she shrugs. "Seems our target ran into a patrol. I count no less than 17 dead in total and he's not one of them. So let's go," the dragoness turns to leave.

"Are we sure these are the right ones?" the human replies, scratching his chin.

"Yes we are," the female dragon turns her head to look at him. "The report says they had a dragon in their group. Ta-daa, I present to you one prime example of a dead dragon, wings and all, " she points with her tail towards the dragon corpse. "Unlike you, we're not that common. This was them."

"Alright, alright, good enough for me."

"Great. So let's go?"

"Mhm, one moment," The human clasps his hands together, voicing a silent prayer for the dead. The female dragon waits impatiently until he finishes.

"Now can we leave?"

"Yes." The pair move away towards their vehicle, a large and boxy-looking, dark green truck with four, thick wheels perfectly suited for off-road driving. The vehicle appears sturdy and the front passenger seat is large enough for the dragoness to fit comfortably, with a nook behind the seats - typical for most larger vehicles - for her tail. The seat is shaped with an opening on the right side, towards the door, allowing her to easily pass the tail through into the nook as she enters, and to sit comfortably for many hours. A second row of seats are placed far enough back that the passengers could sit there comfortably enough even considering the tail-nook. The human and dragoness carefully step across bodies and climb into the vehicle. They unstrap their chest rigs and put them in the back before the human shifts into gear and they drive away, the rain still falling.

Hours later with the chaotic scene far behind them, the pair stop for the night by a river-crossing by the side of a cliff. The terrain around them is uneven and forested. The dragon smells the air and concludes that no one else is close by. She goes to the back of the vehicle and retrieves parts for a tent large enough for the both of them and quickly readies it close to the cliffside while the human prepares a fire. It's not easy since the ground is wet from the rain, but he seems to know what he is doing, propping it up from the wet ground and using some dry kindle he had stored in his backpack in the vehicle and a whole bunch of small sticks to get it going. Thankfully the rain has been gentle all day and that hasn't changed even now as the sun is slowly setting beyond the forest. Soon a small but steady fire is burning, giving off a comforting light as it crackles along. Thankfully with it being late summer the evening is pleasantly warm even though it rained all day.

The human squats and unpacks a few sausages that he skewers on sticks and proceeds to cook them over the fire. As he's doing so, the dragon sits down on the wet grass next to him, clasping her arms around her raised knees. They sit together while they wait for the food to cook. The human removes his shoes and socks, enjoying the liberating feeling of not having them on after a whole day on the move. Now and then he leans over to check on the food.

"We're not far now. Two days behind at most, probably less." The dragoness says after a while. The human hums in agreement as he checks the food again.

"Why didn't they bury their dead?" He asks, thinking back to the scene they'd seen earlier.

"How should I know?" The dragoness shrugs. "They probably didn't have time. Afraid more soldiers would swoop down on them perhaps?"

"Probably, yeah." They grow quiet again. The dragoness glances sideways at her human companion but says nothing. He, meanwhile, keeps on checking the food. Her mind begins to wander, back to the battle scene and the dead dragon. Of all the sentient species of this world, dragons are said to be the rarest. Well, maybe the skigg has them beaten, but still. A damn shame, really. But still pathetic.

"Sausage?" He asks out of the blue, causing her to stir from her thoughts and looking towards the human.

"Do you think of anything but food?" she grumbles as she accepts a stick with several large sausages and begins to munch on them.

"Oh, my dear Sonya, I think of many things. I am a cultured man, I'll have you know!"

"Food, money and sex is considered culture now, is it?" Sonya - as her name is - scoffs jokingly.

"The very highest form, yes."

The dragoness laughs sarcastically and takes another bite. It's not what you would call a varied meal, but they have plenty and the sausages are almost big enough for a dragon to chew on and not be too disappointed. She sighs happily as the warm food fills her belly. They don't speak any more, instead listening to the surroundings as they eat. The sound of the damp rain and the crackling fire is comforting. Sonya loves the rain especially. Upon finishing her simple but filling meal, she leans back and waits for her companion to finish his share, turning her face upwards and letting the damp rain hit her face. It feels good. She feels good. When she notices that her companion has finished his own food, she stands up and stretches elegantly, showing off her impressive flexibility.

"I will go wash up. This has been a long day," she nods towards the stream.

"Okay."

"You should too. You need it. Come," she says as she pointedly smells the air between them. The human nods and stands up. As he does, the dragoness turns her back to him.

"Help me with this?" she says as she looks across her shoulder at him.

"Sure." He undoes the zipper going up the center of her skin-tight piece, the zipper smartly hidden behind a black piece of cloth that makes it practically invisible. The inside bit has extra fabric so that the metal zipper doesn't press against her body. She can of course undress by herself but it's more fun to let her friend undress her, and the zipper is admittedly a bit small for her to grab effectively. It's not uncommon for her to skip the suit and instead wear a cloth that she wraps around her shoulders and ties together in the front, to cover her breasts. She turns around and as the human removes her loincloth for her, she removes her body suit which, after being unzipped by the human, is no longer skintight. Fascinating material, really. The fabric is flexible like normal cloth and it fits itself to the wearer's body perfectly when the zipper is pulled up. She doesn't quite understand how it works other than that it somehow stows energy from being bent about and uses that energy to do its thing. It can't change size but it can tighten up and even harden, becoming stronger than the hardest armor in an instant when enough localized force is applied, like from a bullet or a knife. They both have a set each and had gotten them custom-made as a reward about a year prior from completing a bounty for a very wealthy, anonymous customer that, they had deduced, was affiliated with one of the big military tech companies. They had each been allowed a customized piece, though they were limited in size. Sonya had chosen one to fit her neck, breasts and arms.

Having removed her suit she is now nude. She allows the human a good long look at her exquisite, beautiful body before she squats in front of him, bringing their heads almost to the same height.

"Your turn," she doesn't wait for a reply and simply grabs his skin-tight suit and pulls it up, since he had already unzipped it himself. He doesn't resist and simply angles his arms upwards. Since he has neither wings nor horns, his suit is simpler. As she pulls it off her human companion, she takes in the look of his fit physique. His chest, his arms, his strong muscles. She let's a hand glide down along his arms and torso. Next she goes for the pants. He doesn't stop her, she seems determined and he learnt long ago that you don't say no to a dragon. In one move she has both his pants and underwear pulled down. She rises back up and looks him up and down while the warm rain gently showers them both. The dragoness walks past him towards the river, her tail gently brushing up alongside his leg. Her back is covered in a tattoo of a snake. It coils itself from just below her neck, twisting its way back and forth down to the base of her tail where it curls around and bites down on the horned skull of a dragon, the snake's tongue coming out through the mouth of the dragon skull. The outlines are in gold so as to be more visible on her dark-gray/blue body. The human watches her for a few seconds before following her down into the water. It feels cold the first three or four seconds but his body quickly gets used to it as he wades out to the dragoness who has moved to the deeper parts in the middle of the river, the water-level reaching almost to her groin, meaning that the human will have it up to about his chest. The sound of rain hitting the water and trees around him makes an incredibly comforting sound and the water of the river itself flows along calmly without a care in the world, almost making him jealous. He watches the dragoness squat down and submerge her head in the water. He smiles and takes it all in.

"Base to Markael? Hello?"

The human snaps back to reality when he hears his name.

"What?"

"You daydreaming or what?"

"Sorry, you know I love the rain."

"The rain, huh… Is that all you love?" She beckons him closer.

"Well, I love the water too."

"Yes?"

"And the trees, so beautiful and serene. Oh and the wide, neverending sands of the great Ha Bi."

"Mhm, anything else?"

Markael pretends to think deeply, putting his hand to his chin.

"Well… I do quite like that long tongue of yours."

“You mean this one?" Sonya snakes out her long, flexible tongue and flickers it at him.

“Yes, that one," he nods.

“What about it?"

"Oh, I think you know."

"Well, my dear human, enlighten me," she teases.

"Alright," he says as he moves up close to her. "I'll show you what I mean." He proceeds to kneel down in front of her, his head in front of her groin, his body almost submerging in the water entirely. He grabs her by the hips and looks up at her from below.

"Like this," he says and starts to lick her. A moan escapes her as she places a hand on his head.

"Yesss…" she sighs. "Enlighten me more!"

………………..

The next day, after a good night's rest and after packing up their camp the duo heads eastwards, crossing the river and passing along the dirt road through a vast, forested area. After driving along the dirt road for an hour the lands around them begin opening up to vast fields. The road changes from dirt to worn-out pavement, but pavement nonetheless. The comparably smooth surface beneath the wheels still feels nice compared to the bumpy ride they've been having the past few days.

“Mostly farmers and vineyards from here on out, and few enough at that," Sonya comments from her seat next to Markael as she is reading a paper map. What roads exist are as often as much dirt as they are asphalt. Few come this way out in the relatively empty wilderness of the western continent. Few but the ones they track. They are currently in the easternmost reaches of Falnear. Good farming land, situated on gentle hills in between vast swathes of mostly pine forest. The rain let up sometime during the night and the morning gives promise of a warm day.

A short while after exiting the forest they come upon the remains of a campsite along the side of the

road.

"It should be them. Not many others would make camp out this way," Sonya says as they stop and get out to investigate.

"It might be. Campsite sure seems big enough." The human bends down to feel the charred remains of one of three separate campfires. "Half a day at least, but not more than one."

"We're gaining on them." She seems pleased, a wry smile spreading on her face. She always likes it when

she is right.

They drive along ever eastwards. Neither of them have really been in these parts before but Sonya has studied the maps thoroughly and she thinks she may know where their prey is headed. She had explained it to Markael when they had set off some four days past.

"They're probably en route to the small port town of Ébis," she had said while pointing to a spot on the map. "It's barely across the border in Sanshidar, and then they'll probably continue onwards east to the city of Cousan,"

"How can you be sure? Why Cousan? He had asked. Her then.

"It's the nearest city in Sanshidar with a proper slave market, attracting keen buyers and sellers alike"

"Ah, right." Markael had felt ill at the thought of slavery still being a thing. Sanshidar was too powerful, and it was kinda weird to think that Sonya herself originated from there. Back in the present, Markael suddenly asks a question to break the silence.

"Did the bounty really not specify anything about the slaves?"

"No," Sonya shakes her head. "We're not even sure if they have any, but why else would they be here, and why would they be heading back?" Sonya puts the map away and leans back into her seat, folding her wings.

"We'll free them if we can. But our focus is the capture of our target, or - if things go to shit - proof of death."

"Got it." Markael nods.

"Good." They grow silent for a while. Sonya closes her eyes to relax while Markael stares ahead at the road as it curves to and fro, following the landscape. After a while he sighs outright.

"These raiders… Are they brave or simply just stupid?"

"Well, what do you think?" Sonya raises an eyebrow questioningly at him. Markael simply shrugs.

"Well, I get what you mean though," the dragoness sighs. "Raiding this far into Falnear is either really brave or really stupid, with the army present. And if they're caught, Sanshidar will disavow them. And for what, a few half-dead slaves at best?"

"It's disgusting that slaves even are a thing, still," Markael says.

"Sanshidar is built on the backs of slaves," Sonya sighs. "The noble families have no interest in disrupting a system that has been in place for almost a thousand years. And low-populated areas like this are, while low on potential slaves, still good hunting grounds for any potential slavers."

"Disgusting," Markael says while shaking his head. The last few years have seen an increase in raids from Sanshidar into basically all of their neighboring nations, stealing, kidnapping and occasionally killing, seemingly at random, though the killing bit is more rare. The various afflicted countries have long been too weak and distraught to do too much about it other than trying to keep a guard on their borders - A world-wide war, famine and plague tends to do that - but Sanshidar is big, and the borders long.

Many bands of mercenaries have been taking every chance they can to slip across the borders, too few in number to be caught, with Sanshidaran nobility paying top prices for slaves of all species.

No one is really keen on risking another continent-spanning war by doing anything about it… At least not anything official… But that is where people Markael and Sonya come into the picture.

Bounty hunters like them have flocked to the countries surrounding Sanshidar, to hunt the hunters. Most work in bigger teams than Markael and Sonya - being just two - but they work best alone. Neither of them have actually been in these parts before. Before this, they were far to the west of Falnear and hunted wanted killers, guarded valuable cargo, you name it. If there was work to be done - they did it. Work wasn't always easy though, with Sonya working part-time as a mechanic - and getting quite good at it - and Markael as a farm hand. The lucrative and seemingly never-ending bounties being distributed like candy by Falnear and other countries bordering Sanshidar finally won them over though.

The group they have been tasked with finding is an especially annoying one, and the pair have been tasked with bringing back the head of the leader, or at least proof of his demise. The military can't dedicate enough time required to hunt down a single raiding party, but two bounty hunters like Sonya and Markael certainly can. These military contracts pay more than enough for it too.

"Do you really think we'll find them out here?" Markael asks her while looking around at nothing in particular.

"I do." She replies while looking at a photo of their target, a buff, fierce-looking hyena with a scar across his left eye. Beneath the portrait of their target is scribbled his name - Dargo - along with the text 'Wanted: dead or alive'.

"Fucking slaver scum." She shoves the photo into the glove box. "Take the next right," She tells him as she reads the map. They are deep in the hinterlands of Falnear, where people are far and few in between, no thanks to the slave raids. The dragoness guides them along without any trouble though. An expert map-reader and a keen sense of direction she usually knows where they are, and need to go, at all times. They pass a few other cars now and then, even a few military vehicles from time to time, but the roads are mostly empty. After some time they see a burning car by the side of the road.

"Stop," Sonya tells her companion. He pulls over in front of the burning remains and they both get out to investigate. Inside the car, they find the burnt remains of one person, a human from the looks of the skeleton.

"Poor guy," Markael sighs. They look around the area and they almost immediately find various personal belongings thrown in the ditch. A purse and a toy doll, in the shape of a female dragon. Sonya stares at it for a few moments before picking the doll up.

"There were more than one person in this car," she concludes, turning to face Markael and showing him the toy. "And a child."

"Shit…" he curses. "Well yeah, I definitely think we're on the right path." Sonya nods and brings the toy back to their vehicle.

Hours later, as the evening begins to approach, they stop by a lookout point overlooking a wide area eastwards. The lands ahead turn into a sea of forested hills, looking much like green waves in the sea. Not too far east they can spot a river, snaking its way through the treelines.

"We're getting close to the border now, damn it." Sonya says while surveying the landscape with a set of binoculars, one clawed foot placed up on a rock. "We might run into the Falnearan military. They won't be so keen on letting us cross the border, so let me do the talking."

"You don't think we'll catch up to them before they cross into Sanshidar?"

"I'm not holding my breath. I can see the river Dnest from here."

"Ok." Markael nods. The wide, snaking Dnest river forms a natural border in these parts between Falnear and Sanshidar. A few bridges exist, but the raiders likely don't use them. She can glimpse one of said bridges to the north-east, surely being closely guarded. No use going that way. The raiders likely have some other means to cross.

Sonya and Markael both turn their attention to the river, checking it back and forth. Sonya's tail swishes back and forth slowly until it suddenly stops as she spots a flock of birds rising up and scattering from an area close to the river, on their side, slightly south-east of their position.

"Hm?" She focuses her gaze around that area for a few more moments, then, with a satisfied grin she puts her binoculars down and consults her map, quickly locating where they are at the moment and from there she extrapolates where the birds were. She marks the spot with a pencil she grabbed out of a pocket and proceeds to check the map for any roads leading there while Markael stands next to her and keeps on scanning the river.

"See anything interesting? He asks.

"Possibly, look," she taps the map as Markael puts his binoculars down. "The river narrows here," she points to the spot she'd marked on the map. The river can clearly be seen to grow more narrow. Perfect for anyone wanting to cross the waters of the Dnest.

"It's about 3 miles from our position. It would make sense to cross there if they have a boat… And guess what I've just spotted on the other side of the river?"

"Boats?"

"Right you are, what a great guess!"

"I know, I'm a natural at this. Any movement?"

"I'm so lucky to have you," Sonya folds the map back up and puts it away into her backpack. "No movement. They're likely waiting for the dark of night to cross.

"Good catch. So, what now?" Markael asks his tall dragoness companion. "We go down there and verify that they're really there, then we decide our next move from there?"

"Yes," Sonya nods. "It's best we walk from here so that they don't hear us."

"We'd best get going soon then if we want to make it," Markael says and turns towards their vehicle.

"Hold on," Sonya puts a hand on Markael's shoulder. "It's not that far and, if they're really there, we shouldn't approach them until it's dark."

"I was thinking we'd wait closer to them, so we can strike quickly." Sonya shakes her head at this.

"We'll risk being spotted. Better to wait here a bit more," she checks her watch. "I'd say an hour, then we'll move."

"Okay," Markael agrees. "No way to use the sniper either, I guess?"

"No, the forest is too thick down there."

"Alright, so we wait, then." Markael says while moving up to the rear of the car to put away his binoculars. Sonya follows behind him, though with an altogether different goal in mind. She stops next to the human and looks down on him for a few seconds before simply lifting him up and making him sit on the opened luggage hatch. She backs away from him, her eyes locking onto his, her body moving alluringly as she moves.

"I know how to make the time pass more quickly…" she trails off while licking her lips with her long, almost snake-like, dragon tongue. Markael remains sitting where she placed him and enjoys the scene playing out in front of him. Sonya is truly stunning, an exquisite, wonderful female. Strong, agile, immensely intelligent, and now? Horny. Her eyes have an intensity to them, a hunger, it's almost scary. For him though, it's an immense turn-on. He knows exactly what she wants. Her libido is as immense as his own and if she wants him, she'll have him, no matter when, how or where. The more risk and thrill, the better.

Still, ever the professional, he still feels obliged to ask.

"Are you sure we have the time?"

"Never head into battle horny, boy. We'll be able to focus better after. Or are you really gonna say no to this? Now shut it."

"Yes ma'am."

Looming over him, she first removes her loincloth, then undoes her bodysuit and removes it, letting it unceremoniously fall to the ground with a shake. Now naked but for her leg covers, she towers over him, her fit, well-trained body looking beautiful in the evening sunlight. She slowly starts to fondle one of her own breasts while simultaneously playing with her pussy, her tail slowly swishing back and forth behind her. She's giving him a good show and loves the feeling of him watching. Markael quickly finds himself becoming hard at the display. Sonya loves to be watched and tease Markael whenever she can. That is one of the reasons she sometimes likes to skip the bodysuit and only wear the loincloth and something simple to cover her breasts. She's quite the exhibitionist, but Markael has noticed that most dragons tend to wear little clothing. They like to show off their beautiful bodies, seemingly as a part of their culture, propagating healthy bodies and a healthy lifestyle. Not that he would ever complain.

The dragoness moves up to him and kneels down, feeling his stiff erection through his pants. She smiles at him and pulls them down, allowing his member to spring into view. She nibbles at it with her sharp teeth and lets it glide in and out of her mouth a few times, all the time while locking eyes with him. She starts to bob her head up and down, fellating him whilst keeping eye-contact. This goes on for a short while with her winged hands holding onto his hips. Since they're a bit short on time though, she soon stops, rising up and turning around. Markael sighs as she removes his cock from her warm mouth.

She turns around and sits down, taking his dick into her wet, twitching pussy. She stops in place as she feels it enter her fully.

"Oh yes…" she moans as she takes him to the base. Markael senses a wave of shivers going through Sonya's body as she revels in the pleasurable sensation of being penetrated. After staying still for a few moments she slowly starts to move, using him as a toy for her own pleasure while he leans back into the luggage compartment of the vehicle. Luckily for him, they have a few crates and a blanket for him to lean back against. Even though she is much taller than him, her body moves with incredible precision as she slams down on his cock again and again, rocking the car, her eyes rolling back in her head and her tongue hanging out slightly. If anyone else were to stop at the lookout they'd be seen almost immediately, but that thought only drives the pair on even more.

"G-gonna cum…" Markael moans.

“Not yet!" Sonya exclaims and stops. She quickly rises up, then gets down on all four on the ground in front of him and lifts her tail up into the air.

"Mount me, boy. Cum inside me!" She commands, deftly using the tip of her tail to spread one of her pussy lips to the side. Markael obliges, and thanks to their respective lengths, he can stand behind her and just lower himself slightly to penetrate her at just the right angle that they both love. Her clawed toes curl and stretch repeatedly from the immense pleasure as her mate begins thrusting in and out of her. As he fucks her he holds onto her tail with one arm sound it as it drapes up and across his shoulder. With his other hand he grabs her ass, playing with it and spreading the cheeks to look at his own member entering her. He revels in the sight and feels an immense sense of pride at the beauty of his mate and at the sheer fact that he can fuck a dragon whenever he wants to. He can feel his orgasm approaching, preparing to fill her like she'd asked before. He knows that she is close as well.

"Cum!" Sonya moans. "Cum inside me, boy!" These words, and especially the incredibly erotic way in which she says them, sends Markael over the edge in an instant, the overwhelming sense of an orgasm filling his entire being. He moans out loud and grunts as he slams deep into her as he starts to cum, causing her to cum as well. He holds her tight as they both moan from pleasure. Sonya bends her head upwards and opens her mouth in a silent scream, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Markael slams his cock in and out a few more times as he keeps on cumming, filling her with his thick, warm seed.

"Aaah, fuuuck," he sighs as he sits back down while slowly coming down from the high of orgasm.

"Yes we did," Sonya grins at him and moves in to kiss him, holding him in a long, sensual embrace. She then looks down at his cock and licks her lips and grins. She pushes him down on the ground fully with one hand and begins to clean his member properly with her mouth. The sheer eroticness of this would be enough to send Markael over the edge again if he'd only could. After finishing, Sonya stands back up and stretches her nimble, beautiful body.

"Now we can go and kill those fuckers," she says as she starts moving towards her pile of clothing on the ground.

"So soon?" Markael replies as he removes any clothing he had left and moves toward her. "I think we can let them live a few more minutes?"

"Good boy," Sonya says as she turns to embrace her mate, curling her tail around his leg as she pulls him into her grasp.

---

Normally you would hear all kinds of sounds in the forest at night, the woodlands teetering with life. Tonight, however, it is as if someone had put a blanket over the entire area, muffling most of the sounds you would usually hear. A thick fog has begun to move in from the river, its mighty waters flowing along quietly as if they too can feel that something is off.

"Where the fuck is Maikken?" Dargo the hyena snarls angrily, turning to a rather short (compared to Dargo that is) but muscular, olive-skinned human with long, black hair. They are currently standing next to an old log cabin by the side of the river Dnest. A gathering of vehicles stand seemingly at random in front of the house along the graveled road that loops around in front of the house. They are surrounded by a forest. The only way into the camp is through a small, dirt road.

"Should be here soon, I'm sure," the human answers.

"Soon? Soon!? Jasha, she should've been here an hour ago." The hyena slams his fist into a wooden pillar holding the roof which hangs over the front porch of the cabin. He turns away from the human to curse. "Damn dragons, I swear I'll gut her fucking ass one day, after I've fucked her fucking ass fist," Jasha the human says nothing as Dargo paces back and forth, hurling curse after curse. After a minute the hyena seems to calm down a bit and turns back towards Jasha. The hyena's temper had always been quick to shift..

"Try the comms."

"Sir, is that wise?"

"Pah! These Falnearan idiots wouldn't know we're here even if they walked right up to this cabin! Try the comms Jasha… I won't ask again " Dargo's tone leaves no doubt about the threat, showing his sharp teeth.

"Y-yes sir." Jasha appears to want to sink down into the ground though he does his best not to show it. Dargo doesn't even need to see it to know it - his blank, milky white left eye and accompanying scar across it makes the seeing bit difficult enough… But he can smell it. The fear. Like raw flesh being put on the grill. Humans are always uneasy when he looks at them. Most other species too, and fear comes quickly with the uneasiness. How he loves that smell. So pungent and savory, especially the females. The only ones who are ever indifferent are those fucking dragons, females and males alike, Cirabi Maikken along with them. The river crossing had been her idea and where is she now? If it had been up to him, Dargo would've simply rushed the bridge to the north. Who would stop them? A few sad, tired guards maybe?

"You know very well why you can't do that," Cirabi had told him, her sneering expression telling him exactly how superior she thought she was. Bitch.

"I'll go check on the prisoners," Dargo tells Jasha as he turns away again. "Inform me when you've made contact with that lazy-ass female."

"Yes sir," the human nods, happy that the hyena seems to have calmed down again. As Dargo turns to leave though, Jasha speaks again.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Dargo looks back at the human.

"What do we tell her about Mogun?"

"We tell her nothing until we're on the other side of the river."

"But what if she asks?"

"Deflect, Jasha, man!"

"Deflect Cirabi, sir?"

"Ugh, then tell her that her brother fell honorably in combat."

"But sir, I-"

"He fell honorably in combat. Got it? I will not have a raging dragoness on my hands."

"Y-yes sir…"

"Good, now do as I said," Dargo sighs, angry at the memory of the dragon. Mogun had in fact not died honorably, but was shot in the head during a surprise-attack from a Falnearan patrol. By humans. Cirabi would never accept that… What was worse, Dargo and the others were forced to leave quickly, abandoning the dragon's corpse, along with the few others in their group that had fallen, lest more Falnearans decided to show up. It had been pure luck on the Falnearans part that they had found them, and Dargo had made damn sure they wouldn't be followed.

The boss of the mercs walks away from the porch of the log cabin and the spineless human that is supposed to be his second-in-command. Jasha may be intelligent and has his uses, but sometimes Dargo just feels like punching that soft-skinned face. How Cirabi could ever have a soft spot for that man was beyond him. But no matter. He takes a quick stroll through the camp to check on everyone, his men nodding in greeting to him as their leader as he passes them by. He, meanwhile, acknowledges them each and every one with a smile and a nod, maybe a pat on the shoulder here and there. Good men, each and everyone of them. Even some more hardass humans that he found decent, unlike Jasha. Dargo has the headcount at twenty-two now, and eight vehicles. They had not planned on staying long at all, and gathered as close to the river as they could by this log cabin they'd found by chance, owner nowhere to be seen, lucky for him. Their contact in Sanshidar, the dragoness Cirabi of house Maikken, was supposed to bring boats that can carry their vehicles and help them sell the slaves back in Cousan. It helps having one of the noble families on your side, that's for sure. And in turn, she gets a cut of the deal. Dealing with Jasha was worth it for that.

He turns back towards the cabin and the large, eight-wheeled truck standing next to it. It's one of the few larger vehicles they have. The square-looking vehicle is the only one big enough to house the prisoners, a door in the side as an entry, facing the cabin. He licks his lips hungrily. His anger over Cirabi built up a different need.

"Everything calm here, Bez? He asks a male wolf who is standing guard with a heavy assault rifle by the truck by the access door, accompanied by two equally heavily armed mercenaries next to him, a light-skinned human and a black Jackal. The human is at least half a foot shorter than either the wolf or the Jackal.

"Yeah, boss. Dead as a doornail," Bez replies.

"Good. And the prisoners?"

"Everything seems alright,"

"Hehe splendid," Dargo pats the wolf on the shoulder. "Make sure it stays that way, maybe we'll use this route again," Dargo grins at the two mercenaries. "I kinda like this house here!"

Dargo walks up to the door and unlocks it with a key. The door slides open and he disappears inside. He soon reappears with two female slaves in tow, chained together. A beige rabbit with long ears and a blonde, white-skinned human. They look around with uncertainty, unsure where they are. They've not seen the outside of the truck for days not even to relieve themselves.

"I'm gonna go have a 'chat' with these two," he turns his head back to Bez. "Just watch your backs when you go back to sucking each other's dicks after I'm gone, you hear?"

"Very funny boss," Bez replies, rolling his eyes. "If this doesn't work out, you could always become a comedian!"

"Yeah, always gotta have a plan B, right?" Dargo grins.

"Right boss. Besides…" Bez continues while pointing at the human next to him. "Noan here is quite bad at sucking cock anyways."

"Haha- hey! What the fuck?" Noan, the human, had been grinning along with the others but suddenly finds that he doesn't feel like it anymore. The jackal howls with laughter as he pats Noan's shoulder comfortingly.

"Haha, my soft-skinned boy, you're blushing!"

"Am not!"

"Heh heh, you're right, Damas, he is!" Dargo grins at them one last time before heading towards the cabin with the two slaves in tow. The guards follow them with their eyes, and as their boss disappears into the log cabin, their smiles instantly drop.

"They'll surely be sucking his, lucky bastard," Bez says quietly.

Noan meanwhile turns towards the two others, an angry expression on his face, causing the two to snicker at the sight. They just can't help themselves.

"I don't suck dick, you assholes!" Noan growls in a low but angry voice.

"Yeah yeah, maybe you should try though!" Bez pats his shoulder reassuringly. "Anyone ever tell you how cute you humans look? Your skin, so smooth, so soft…" Noan shakes him off.

"Anyone ever tell you how stupid you wolves look? Bet your dicks are all red and weird too,"

Bez and the Jackal called Damas look at each other in silence for a few seconds, then burst out laughing even more.

"Oh, come on Noan, it really does sound like you want to know!" Damas laughs.

"I like pussy and you know it!" Noan says sulkingly.

"Haha we know, Noan, we know." Bez reassures him. "You can always ask the boss to have a go after he's done."

"Tsk," Damas spits on the ground. "As if he'd ever let us."

……..

As Dargo throws open the door to the log cabin he is met by Jasha looks up in surprise from a map he has sprawled over a table. They have entered into a simple living room with a bricked fireplace at one end. The walls are all in simple wood, with carpets lining the floors and some simple furniture by the table and the fireplace. Jasha looks towards his boss and, upon seeing the females in tow behind the hyena, instantly knows what's up.

"Jasha! I want guards around the house. And I need to be alone!"

"Boss, we've talked about this. The goods must arrive in Sanshidar unspoilt and-"

"Blah blah blah yadda yadda," Dargo waves his free hand in the air. "Well I don't fucking care. So, Jasha… You. Guards. Outside. Now."

"We already have guards around the house, sir,"

"Woopdie-fucking doo, then that makes this so much more simple for you!" Dargo points across his shoulder with his thumb towards the door.

"Alright alright, I'm going," Jasha knows it's useless to argue. The boss will do what he wants, as long as he gets the job done in the end. The human hurries outside past the hyena and the two females, sparing a slight glance at the two unfortunate girls as he passes them. Outside, he proceeds to check on the guards that are standing watch along the backside of the house, which is lying up close to the border of the forest, the tall pine trees looming in the darkness of night. He warns them that they might hear… sounds coming from the house soon, and not to worry.

Dargo meanwhile steers towards an open door right across from the entrance. Inside it they find a large, cozy bed. Dargo closes the door behind them and then unshackles the two females who huddle close together in face of the large, fearsome male.

"Now my ladies, let's have some fun, shall we?"

……..

Along the backside of the cabin, three guards stand watch, all dressed in varying tactical gear. One in the middle and the other two by each corner of the house. Since the house isn't that big, they are close enough to talk.

The moans started a minute or two ago, and the guard in the middle, a naga, sighs.

"Ssssshit, he's really going at it, ssss…"

"Yeah, half the forest is gonna hear that!" One of the other guards, a tall, muscular-looking black horse, agrees. He slings his rifle across his shoulder as he begins to do some stretching. Standing guard for long periods of time is never fun, and having to listen to their own boss fucking isn't making it better.

"Eh," the third guard, a red fox, shrugs. "He's our boss. You know he's earned it. And wouldn't you do the same?"

"True," the other two agree, the Naga adding a "ssss" to his pronunciation, like they are wont to do.

A few more minutes of listening to moaning and growling go by before the horse lets out a sigh.

"I need to take a piss,"

"rub one out, you mean?" The fox says.

"Ssss just don't go too far," the naga hisses.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," the horse waves his hand as he walks off into the forest in front of them, fern bushes and other vegetation filling the spaces between the trees. He doesn't stray too far though. Just enough to not hear that damn moaning from his boss railing his slave girls.

"Fuck me, I need some of that as well," he thinks as he unzips his pants an pulls out his member and begins to relieve himself. he sighs in content, the sound of his pee hitting the ground almost drowning out the natural sounds of the forest around him.

"Aaaah," he sighs out loud, shaking his member to get the last drops out. He tucks it back in place and pulls his zipper back up. And that's when he realizes something. The forest has gone quiet. He has just enough time to look left and right and wonder about it before he feels a hand cover his mouth and something like two punches in his upper back followed by a sharp, stinging sensation, and then another punch in the side of his throat. He panics as he realizes that someone is attacking him from behind with a knife. He tries to fight back, but whoever it is, they're bigger and stronger than him, pulling him backwards to the mossy ground. tries to struggle but in vain as he feels something glide across his throat. He feels something warm and wet spreading across his body and his mind begins to grow heavy as his eyes dart back and forth, trying to see the attacker who is still holding him down. And there they are, appearing above him. The last thing he ever sees in this life is the unclear, foggy silhouette of a dragon looking down on him in the dark.

"Did you hear that?" The fox asks the naga.

"Ssss no. All I hear is 'ah, ah, oh oh, fuck me harder', and 'ssssuck my cock'."

"Not that you fool," the fox hisses as he readies his submachine gun. "I'm telling you I heard-"

-Kshk- the fox staggers backwards as something hits him in the chest. He slumps to the ground as the naga hisses in surprise, though he also is too slow to react as something hits him in the head. They are both dead before they even realize it.

"Well done," Sonya whispers from where she is squatting next to Markael. He was always the better shot, and his compact crossbow has come in use more than once. What they need right now is not just speed, but stealth, and a crossbow is way quieter than a firearm, however big a suppressor you fit to it.

"We move fast, clear the cabin and grab the target. Ready?" The dragoness looks sideways at her companion who has his night-vision goggles on, strapped to his helmet.

"Ready," he whispers as he reloads his crossbow.

"Move out," Sonya commands. They move quickly yet quietly, weapons raised and pointing wherever they look. If they see an enemy, Markael has first dibs since he's wielding the crossbow. If shit hits the fan, then Sonya will let hell rain with her Pacht PK50 machine gun. Markael is really glad she's on his side in this. The confidence you feel when moving into a combat zone with an 8.5ft tall, angry dragon wielding the heaviest, meanest-looking, bullet-spewing murder machine you've ever seen - is unbeatable. She has it loaded with a large drum magazine, filled to the brim with .50 cal bullets, hence the name of the weapon.

Approaching the house, they can hear moaning and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh from one of the windows. Plap plap plap. They glance at each other but remain silent. They pass the naga who is lying close to the rear door of the cabin. Markael leans against the wall on one side while Sonya places herself on the other. They look at each other to check that they are both ready. When Sonya nods, Markael tries the handle. It's unlocked. He thanks the gods and slowly, gently pulls it down and outwards. It swings towards Sonya and as Markael lets it go, she takes the handle and opens it gently the rest of the way. Markael peeks around the corner and sees no one. It's a small, simple foyer to hang clothes, with three doors, one door on each wall. They enter quietly, Sonja just barely having to duck below the doorframe, and move to the door on the left. Inside she can stand tall with maybe five inches to spare, though most houses tend to be taller inside like this. The sound of sex is louder inside the cabin, coming from a room somewhere off to the right, but they have to check everything else before confronting their target. Considering he's the boss of these nercs, the likelihood that he's the one having loud sex is pretty much 100%. They open the first door and find an empty bedroom. Next, they check the door on the right. This one leads to a bathroom with a shower - also empty. The third door leads them into a living room with a fireplace. Maps and other documents are strewn over a large, sturdy-looking wooden table. The sounds of sex are louder now, coming from a door to the right form where they came in.

"Louder, girls!" a male voice demands. "Or I'll let all my men have a go!"

"Ah! Ah! AH! FUCK ME!" a girl calls out.

"Oh yes, we love your cock!" another female.

"Good girls, I swear I'll keep you if you do good, like I promised!"

Sonya puts her hand to her mouth in a mock "oh my" kinda expression. Having secured the house, they check the front porch through the windows in the living room. All seems clear there as well. No one is close to the building on this side, other than one guard who seems to be circling a large truck, the closest vehicle to the building.

"That's where they must keep the slaves." Markael signals to Sonya using sign language. No need to risk their target hearing them, no matter how deep he currently is in pussy.

"Agreed," Sonya signals back. "It's the only vehicle big enough, and it's guarded." Markael nods.

"Let's do it," he signals and gestures towards the door from which moaning can still be heard. Markael retrieves a small spray bottle from a pocket in his chest rig, holding it in his left hand while also holding the crossbow.. They walk up to the door and gently open it, just a tiny bit. They stop and listen. Nothing seems to indicate that the ones having sex on the other side of the door have heard or seen them though. They push the door open and rush in, weapons at the ready. Inside they are met with the backside of the hyena named Dargo, kneeling in the bed as he takes a rabbit female from behind. He's pulling her ears, having them both bundled in a tight grip with one hand while grabbing her ass with the other. A blonde-haired human female is lying on the bed beneath the bunny and is licking and fondling her tits.

"Fuck! Gonna cum!" Dargo growls.

"Not inside, please!" The bunny cries.

"Fuck yeah I will, I'm gonna- wha?" Sonya walks right up to the hyena and pulls him backwards off the bed, sending him sprawling to the rug on the floor.

"She said not inside, you fuck," Sonya tells him.

Before Dargo has any time to understand the situation or even say anything though, the hyena gets a face-full of Markael's spray bottle. And whatever it is that Markael has put in the bottle, it is highly effective

"Whaddadggjsdhjj…" Dargo slurs incoherently before he's out cold.

"Light's out," Markael concludes.

The two females look at the new-arrivals with big, surprised eyes.

"Everything's alright now girl, just rel- ah fuck!" Markel jumps back as the two females launch herself themselves at him with crazed expressions.

"What did you do to him! Murderer!" The rabbit yells.

"What did you do to our Dargo!" The human female yells at the same time. Before they even get close to him though, Sonya has them both scooped up in a strong grip. They start kicking and biting her arms in anger, their efforts in vain thanks to Sonya's suit. "Woah girls, calm down! We're here to help!"

"Just fucking spray them, Mark!" Sonya curses, in a low voice. Markael does as she says, giving each a head-on dose of whatever-the-fuck's in his spray bottle. They both start becoming groggy just like Dargo. Within a few moments they're both unconscious in Sonya's arms and she dumps them onto the bed. She'd held her breath just in case when Markael used his spray, but her length would've protected her anyway.

They both remain utterly quiet and listen to their surroundings, their bodies tense and ready for anything. Markael hurries out into the living room to check the windows. Sonya quietly checks the back of the house, the way they came in. When they are convinced that no one heard the two girls, they meet up in the living room and both let out a sigh of relief.

"What the fuck was that about?" Sonya asks, still in a low voice.

"No idea. But good thing the other mercs seem to stay far away enough from the cabin that they didn't hear anything."

"Guess they don't like hearing their boss having loud-ass sex."

"Nope."

"Well…" Sonya sighs. "Plan A is still good. I'll go tie up those three, just in case, you keep guard here."

"Gotcha," Markael replies. He goes back to checking the outside through the windows while Sonya moves back into the bedroom. She soon emerges again, dangling a key in front of her. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Keys to the truck?" Sonya grins. "Yes, very likely. I knew that guy would have them. No one trusts hired guns more than they have to, not even their own bosses it seems."

"No surprise there," Markael shrugs and turns back to the window. "Outside still seems clear. Shall we?" He looks sideways at the dragoness. She doesn't reply, but instead pulls him into a long, passionate kiss. As they break apart, they stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds before the human nods and flashes her a warm smile that she's come to love so much over the seven years they've been together.

"I love you, you stupid human, you hear me?"

"I love you too, kitty," he replies. Sonya smiles back at him, causing his heart to flutter.

"Well then, let's do this. Quick and quiet hand-signals until we're in the truck."

Markael nods as he checks his crossbow and his rifle. The rifle, mostly black and gray, is his weapon of choice if silence doesn't matter. The Gasat ARA is quite a common and reliable gun. Markaael's is modified slightly for his own personal preference, such as a light on the front and a thin, telescopic sight on the top. He checks the 30-round magazine and inserts it again. Satisfied that the rifle is loaded and ready, he slings it back across his shoulder and readies his crossbow. Sonya checks her machine gun as well to see that all is good.

"I'm ready," Markael confirms. Sonya takes one final peek out the window. She observes the guard do another sweep around the car. He glances towards the cabin but doesn't seem to notice anything off, continuing his patrol. After a few long, drawn-out seconds he turns around the front of the truck and disappears.

"Clear," she half-whispers before pushing the door open. Markael moves out with the crossbow held high, checking left and right continually. They quietly hurry up to the truck, which doesn't take long as it's the vehicle closest to the cabin. It has the front pointing towards the river but that shouldn't be a problem, Markael assesses. There is one vehicle behind the truck but that one is easily pushed to the side, and then they can turn onto a secondary path adjacent to the cabin, which will take them around and back out the main - and only - road to and from the cabin.

Markael tries the door. It's locked. No surprise, really. Sonya moves up and sticks the key into the lock while Markael checks their surroundings. The keyhole and door handle is situated pretty far down on the door itself, the driver's compartment sticking out in front of the front wheels, large and thick and as big as the rear wheels of a tractor. The wheels are probably the only round thing on the whole vehicle.

A low -click- and the door is open. They quickly climb in and close the door behind them, making sure to keep as low as possible. Not but ten seconds later the guard comes back around the back of the truck, Markael spotting him in the rear-view mirror. They stay still and low as he passes the front of the truck. He seems to stop from time to time by the back of the truck and talk to some other mercs who are sitting down.

"So far so good, Markael gestures. Best not to risk the guards outside hearing them.

"Their lack of professionalism insults me." Sonya replies. She seems almost disappointed. Markael is simply thankful for their good luck this far. He puts his crossbow to the side since he won't be needing it in a few moments.

Few vehicles are truly adapted to the size of dragons, and usually when they are, it's a truck of some kind, just like this one. The interior is utilitarian but functional, probably military surplus. The front window is almost entirely flat with just a slight lean, and pretty much everything is square, with big, simple buttons, interestingly with Acchainian lettering. Either they stole it or it's quite convincingly made to look like Acchainian military equipment, since they're a big producer of military materiel, and Falnear one of their main customers. Of course there wouldn't be any Sanshidaran lettering. This way they can claim that they don't know anything about these mercs.

"Plausible deniability. Hey, at least they're a little professional," Markael can't help but smile at the thought. Sonya wouldn't agree with him.

The roof of the driver's compartment is tall and the seats, three across, are split, the simple seating cushions separated from the backrests with a gap, perfect for tucking tails in. Behind the seats, like in most vehicles there is a simple, padded space for said tails, since it's not just dragons that have them. The backrests hang from the ceiling and are adjustable back and forth, which has the effect of changing the depth of the whole seating position. It's not the most comfortable Markael has ever ridden, his and Sonya's own truck having customized seats which are much more comfortable, but this'll do. They're not here on vacation.

"Get ready to start," Sonya gestures and points at the ignition switch on the simple, square dashboard which is filled with all sorts of buttons and gauges. Markael puts the key in and gently tries turning it, to check that it really will work. Sensing that it indeed will turn on if he wills it, he puts his thumb up to indicate to the dragoness that he is ready. She removes a detonator from a pocket on her small chest ring and holds it up for Markael to see, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly, her mouth spreading into a slight but gleeful grin.

"Light 'em up," Markael whispers with a small grin of his own. The dragoness presses the button and -

BOOOOM - the ground shakes, accompanied by a momentary bright flash. A shockwave rocks the car. Random dirt and small debris rain down on the roof of the driver's compartment, smattering like rain.

VVvvvr-r-r-rrrOOOMMm - the car springs to life to the sound of shouting outside. People run by next to the car but don't seem to notice the two bounty hunters in the driver's compartment nor that the truck just turned on. Markael puts it in reverse and begins to go backwards. He reverses into the vehicle behind them, pushing it backwards. The truck struggles but slowly creeps backwards.

"Come ooon you slow piece of fat-assed shit!" Markael curses as he pumps the gas pedal a few times, revving the engine. Meanwhile, Sonya looks right and left as she rolls down her window so that she can stick her machine gun out.

"Time to go now," she says as she notices three men approaching the truck.

"What, you think we're not welcome here?" As Markaels says that, one of the approaching mercs, a wolf, seems to realize that the ones in the truck aren't any of their own men. He points frantically and shouts something to the others. Then all three raise their guns.

"Oh I don't know, just a feeling," Sonya says as she clicks the detonator a second time, causing another explosion.

BOOOOM - closer than the previous. The three men hunch to the ground for cover while Sonya casually leans her machine gun on the windowsill of the door, aiming it right at them. And then she lets it rip.

She mows them down in just a few seconds, her precision exemplary. Markael, his ears ringing, puts the truck into first again and turns left, pulling into the side road as planned and parking along the side of the cabin, by the back. He stops the truck at an angle to give some protection to the passenger side for when Sonya returns with their target. Behind them, the mercs seem confused and have begun shooting at the forest in various directions.

"Here, it's best you hold on to this," Sonya hands Markael the detonator and jumps out of the truck, her machine gun at the ready. Markael follows right after her, exiting on the same side. They quickly enter the building through the same backdoor they'd entered last time. They had thought about splitting up, having Markael guard the truck while Sonya went in alone, but the movies never end well when the good guys do that.

---

"Right where I left them," Sonya says to no one in particular as she enters the bedroom. The hyena and the two females haven't moved a bit, still knocked out cold. She slings her machine gun across her back and prepares to lift the two females up first, being lighter than the hyena and thus easier to handle. Markael meanwhile stands guard, his Gasat in a tight grip.

"Anything?" Sonya asks Markael as he goes to check the window out back.

"No, we're good."

Sonya nods and easily lifts the two females up as if they were toys and lays them across her left shoulder, while Markael turns back towards the bedroom door. Sonya's just about to bend down to grab the hyena with her free hand when her senses acutely warn her of something. At the same exact moment, she sees Markael's face widen in surprise from seeing something in the doorway. It is as if time slows down and in one swift motion she ducks, dumps the two girls off her shoulder onto the floor and turns toward the door while pulling her pistol from its place in the holster on her left leg. From the doorway, three shots ring out in one burst, barely missing her thanks to her quick move. In the doorway she sees a Jackal, a rifle held high and aiming for another burst of bullets. She shoots first though, hitting him square in the head, above the right eye. The bullet punches right through him and he drops instantly, falling slightly backwards like a doll whose strings have been cut. Sonya and Markael throw themselves to either side of the room, Sonya crouching low next to a large chest of drawers while Markael presses himself into a corner behind a large wooden wardrobe. Both are instantly ready for anyone else to come through that door, the gunning down of the enemy and their subsequent spreading out happening in but a few seconds. It's a testimony to how well they work together. A lesser trained team would maybe have huddled together, thus unable to protect each other and also providing any enemy coming into the room a more easy and concentrated target.

"Oh fuck, Janeq! He's down!" Someone shouts from the living room.

"Shit," Sonya swears in a hushed voice. She had hoped they would have more time in the confusion after they gave them their 'presents'. They both aim their weapons at the door and wait, Markael his assault rifle and Sonya her pistol. On the other side of the door she hears the shuffling of boots against the wooden floor. It's impossible to count the number of enemies, but two-three at least, maybe more. She signals this to Markael using their silent communication through hand gestures like earlier.

A few moments pass, the seconds creeping by without any noise but the faint, slow sound of footsteps. And then the dragoness sees it. The tip of a barrel in the doorway, just barely poking into view from the side. Markael can't see it from his position, but it is enough that the dragoness can. That will be the last mistake that merc ever makes as Sonya isn't one to skimp out on an opportunity that presents itself on a silver platter. She looks at Markael, gestures "enemy visual", to which he nods. She aims a bit to the left of the door and opens fire, dumping five shots through the wall. The muffled screams and the sound of a body slumping to the floor tells her that she hit her target.

"You motherfucker!" One of the mercs screams as several automatic weapons open up, peppering the bedroom with bullets. Sonya presses herself to the wall behind the chest of drawers for cover and pushes the piece of furniture a bit for added protection.

"WAIT, WAIT! STOP you morons!" Another voice shouts. "The boss is in there you idiots!" Whoever is talking is speaking in a hushed voice now. Not that it helps, with Sonya's excellent hearing. Loud gunshots notwithstanding.

"Oh… yeah."

"What if you shot him?"

"Well, uh, we didn't think about that!"

"That's great. And the slaves? Did you think about them?"

"We can always get new ones!"

"Sigh…" the man who seems to be in charge sounds like he is quite annoyed at his men's lackluster reasoning.

"Hey you in there! There's no way out of that room, you know," the voice seems to be their leader. "Why don't you come out without your gun and we'll let you live?" Neither of the two bounty hunters reply. Sonya silently switched to her machine gun while the mercs argued.

"Not in a talking mood, eh? Alright then. I guess you leave us no choice."

"Who are you?" Sonya asks, stalling for time while gesturing "window" to Markael.

"Oh, female?" The apparent leader seems surprised. They hear a few males laughing and one wolf even gives a low howl. Some quick, hushed whispers that neither Sonya nor Markael can discern, then the apparent leader speaks again.

"My name is Jasha. I'm in command here. Nice little diversion you had with the explosions."

"Yeah, did you like it?" Come on Mark!

"Well, no, but impressive. Come out and we'll let you go, what do you say?"

"Oh?" Sonya says in a mocking tone. "Are you really the leader? I thought you said he was in here?"

"She's right boss, Dargo's not-"

"Shut up you idiot!" Jasha hushes whoever spoke. "Well, you got me there, girl. He's our leader, yes. But I am second in command, and you have my word, we'll be nice."

"What promise do I have that your men won't just kill me?"

"Listen, girl, we want our boss safe, I admit. That is all we care about."

"Well then…" Sonya pretends to agree. "I guess I don't have a choice, really. Just give me a moment," she continues stalling while glancing over at Markael, who, having just unlatched the window, gives his companion the thumbs up. He opens the window slightly and uses a small mirror to check outside without exposing himself too much. "soldiers, two or three, outside, close" he gestures to her. She nods and extracts a stun grenade from her chest ring and points to it. Markael does the same.

"I'm coming out now, okay?" Sonya announces as she gets up.

"Sure, go right ahead, girl," Jasha replies. But instead of doing any such thing, Sonya and Markael look at each other, nod in agreement and pull the pins on their respective stun grenades. Sonya throws her through the bedroom door while Markael throws his out the window. They quickly cover their ears and shut their eyes.

"Oh fu-" is all one of the mercs in the living room has time to utter before the world around them becomes incredibly bright and loud for a split-second.

"AAAH MY EYES!!"

"FUCK! BITCH!" the men moan in agony from being blinded.

And then Sonya Teos through the doorway, her machine gun held high. The noise is deafening as her machine gun rips through the helpless mercs wherever they happen to be. It's all over in an instant. She quickly sweeps the room for any survivors. As she looks behind the large sofa, she barely has time to dodge the bullet of a gun. It misses her head with less than an inch, burying itself in the ceiling behind her instead. In one swift motion she grabs the hand and lifts the merc up in the air.

"Aaah! Let me go!" She recognises the voice.

"Hello Jasha," She says with a menacing grin.

"spare me, I beg of you! I-I'll tell the men to back off!"

"Really? Well I have just one question for you, merc."

"Yeah…?" Jasha sounds hopeful.

"Did you see us?" The mer looks her up and down. He can't help but admire her beautiful body.

"Well, yeah, of course, what kinda question is that?"

"Wrong answer" She says as she takes his head in a strong grip and easily breaks his neck before he even has a chance to reply. She drops his body to the floor and turns around without sparing him even another glance.

"Slaver scum," She curses as she hurries back into the bedroom to grab their objective. Markael is nowhere to be seen, having climbed out of the window to take care of the men outside. Sonya is just about to check through the window when her human companion appears outside it.

"All clear, but I don't know for how long," he tells her. A few moments later she is emerging through the rear door, the two females and the merc boss under her arms. She loads them into the driver cabin as Markael begins to exchange fire with other mercs who are approaching. Sonya lays down a few bursts with her machine gun as Markael climbs in. He starts the truck which rumbles to life.

"Hop in!" He tells her. She obliges him and they take off along the road. It's really more of a path, uneven and barely big enough for the truck. It loops back towards the main - and only - road into the cabin. The tall trees hug the road, obscuring it and the cabin from any onlookers from almost all angles.

As they come onto the main road they hear the sound of engines roaring. The remaining mercs are in pursuit and not at all happy that someone made their camp a war zone and made off with their prey.

"Here. You know what to do," Markael hands Sonya the remote back. She accepts it, reaching over the two females slumped in the middle seat. Dargo is on the floor. As they pass a rather large and crooked tree, Sonya presses the remote again and the dirt path behind them erupts with a large explosion, causing a crater in the road. Another explosion rocks the base of the tree, causing it to fall across the road partially. Markael looks through his rear view mirror at the scene.

"Not perfect but it'll slow them down."

"Let's do that again!" Sonya jokes.

"That was the last of our explosives, I'm sorry my dear."

"Aw." They grow quiet, both reflecting on what they just went through. Now all they have to do is find an outpost where they can unload the prisoners and deliver their bounty. Falnear will take it from there. A few minutes pass before Sonya suddenly leans over, stroking his leg.

"You know…" Her voice is like honey, her eyes like the depths of the ocean. "I know of one more thing that I could still make explode…" she trails off as she begins to undo his pants. He doesn't resist, simply letting her do her thing as he focuses on driving. You never say no to a dragon after all.

End