FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Arcadia: Pressured

349:10:27:00:01:57

Kevin's day had been terrible. Hammerhorn's forces were becoming more and more aggressive, encroaching upon several different builder settlements at once and taking on more advanced tactics. Wreckers normally would just charge blindly into a settlement, breaking down a few walls and shattering a few buildings before they were able to capture them.

He let out a sigh as he looked back down at his hands. Thankfully things hadn't been too terrible. He had to admit, changing back into a rhino even a slightly mutated one had been incredible. It felt a lot like bursting out of a shell that had been imposed upon him, like shedding some constricting skin or taking off his clothes after a long, hot day of hard work. It felt good and the more powerful and spine tingling orgasms he was having now were just the icing on the cake.

But reality soon came crashing back down on him after his brief daydream as he heard the sound of a loud yell in the distance.

Morale was low.

Even the Collectors were looking worried. He wasn't sure why but he got the feeling that the Collectors were on the verge of pulling out of Hornton completely. Lobo continued to promise that they would fortify and defend the city but it seemed that his heart was no longer into that promise. Especially after Finn left for Camp Draco.

Thinking of Finn, Kevin couldn't help but feel a little bit... abandoned. Finn had come in like a hurricane, changing everything Kevin once knew about his life before he moved on without another word. He knew that his efforts were now focused towards the dragons and their help could very well turn this situation around. But still, Kevin felt he had a connection there but now...

He took solace with Team Vanguard. Although as he learned more about their personalities and quirks, he quickly began to realise just how little he knew about them. Some of them were new and from other settlements, but he had known and worked with Gerrard for years and he only just learned his name.

It really highlighted just how blind he was as a Builder.

As he lay in his hut, the cooling air wafting in from beyond the leafy curtains, he quietly debated the pros and cons of being exposed to this wider world. He battled with the idea of whether or not it would've been better to remain a Builder or not. He struggled with the complex emotions that warred within him; the anxiety of not knowing what will come next, the fear of Hammerhorn, the pain of loss, the awe of experiencing Arcadia, joy over knowing more about his friends and the arousing memory of that glorious orgasm and pleasure over changing from human to rhino.

Even now, as he lay on his bed naked - something he would never have done as a simple Builder - he felt his cock rising. The memory of his body changing was still fresh in his mind; the overwhelming sensation of every bone, every muscle and every cell changing, pushing the human through his veins and pooling it all into his cock until he pushed out the foreign shape in an explosive orgasm. With that scenario playing in his head over and over again he found it was hard to fall asleep. Still he silently wondered if he would feel the same way again if he was turned back into a human. Or perhaps even another shape...

The hair on his arms suddenly stood on end and his already hardened cock shot out a small squirt of precum. It had been well over twelve hours sense his last taste of rhino cum and he was already beginning to feel the changes start. His body tensed as his muscles tingled in anticipation, pushing all his anxiety of the day away. If there was one major pro to the introduction of Arcadia, it was these changes. He didn't enjoy the thought of turning back into a soft, pink human, but the rush of orgasm when he changed back and forth had become almost addictive. He quivered in delight as he rubbed his big, rough hand over his rock hard cock. A river of precum was already pouring down his abs, trailing down his sides and soaking into his bed. Rhino pheromones were heavy in the air, only driving him more and more to arousal. As much as he wanted to keep the orgasm back, it was a losing battle as more base instincts took over.

He let go of his cock, enjoying the sensation of his cum churning in his balls and ready to unleash their load out of the tip like a cannon without aid. A lewd grin crossed his features, his eyes firmly fixed on his big, black rod in anticipation. He briefly wondered if he ingested his own cum if he'd remain a rhino for longer...

Kevin had already opened his muzzle to put that theory to the test when -

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His door rattled heavily.

"Hey! Motherfucker! I know you're in there! I can smell your dick!"

Kevin sat up, his cock practically groaning at the interruption. That definitely sounded like Carver, and judging by the slight slur in his voice he must be drunk too. Kevin waited for a moment, wondering if Carver would just go away or if...

"Open this fucking door!"

It seemed that he wasn't going anywhere. Carver was likely going to be _very_noisy if he wasn't placated and the last thing Kevin wanted was to wear out the welcome of the Hornton rhinos. It had been a rough adjustment for all of them, but if Carver couldn't control himself and started waking every one up in the middle of the night, tensions would be strained even further. Plus he had already been warned of the dangers of waking up a Collector from their well deserved rest. Especially with so many dragons about...

As much as Kevin was still on the fence about his transition from Hornton to Arcadia, he didn't want to alienate anyone or make any rash decisions. He quickly got out of bed, although his cock was still begging to be attended to. There was a brief struggle where he attempted to put on his pants, but eventually he was forced to position his dick in such a way that it rode up his shirt in a somewhat presentable manner. With every movement, his denim work pants rubbed against the length of his shaft, stimulating the throbbing rod and squirting precum into his shirt. That he was denied the ability to release himself irritated him all the more.

He pulled the door to his hut a little roughly and, sure enough, there was Carver, naked as always and barely able to keep himself standing.

"About fuckin' time," growled the rhino. He staggered forward his eyes glossed over as he pushed past Kevin and stumbled into his hut. "Go get me another drink."

Kevin lifted an eyebrow and bit back a snappy comment. "Just how much have you had to drink?"

"Doesn't matter."

"You just had the one, didn't you?"

Carver grunted and staggered onto Kevin's bed, falling face flat on it. He rolled onto his back with a grunt. It seemed that Kevin wasn't the only one with an active libido that night as Carvers erect cock drooled precum like a faucet, soaking Kevins bed even further. "It was a big drink."

"Right." Even with just a little over two days being in Arcadia, everyone knew that Carver loved getting drunk but he couldn't take his alcohol. Just one drink and he was already inebriated. Two and he spoke in gibberish. Three and he was out for the rest of the night. Maybe that was the best thing to do in this situation so at least Kevin wouldn't have to worry about the aggressive rhino's profanities.

"Carver, I'm not getting you another drink," Kevin said solemnly. "You're already drunk."

"I'm not drunk," rumbled Carver, giving him an absent wave. "Now go grab me a drink. That's the only thing you're good for..."

Kevin bristled slightly but shook off the insult to Carver's inebriated state. "What you need is some rest and plenty of water." Then to himself, he added, "You probably aren't very nice when you're hung over."

"I heard that!" Carver bellowed, suddenly leaping off the bed. He seemed stable for all of a second before he began swaying precariously. He swung his arms comically as if it would help him remain standing. After he gained some footing he tried to point a finger accusingly at Kevin but the disruption of his balance only made him tilt forward. "I'm plenty nice!"

As much as he wanted to be snide, Kevin knew that would only lead to more aggravation. It didn't help that his cock was pulsating constantly, begging for release. He was painfully aware of the long, thickening drops of precum that had already soaked through his work shirt. The massive, seventeen inch slab of meat was not to be ignored, and his fuzzy balls seemed to churn out even more pre in protest. That his cock was fully erect and nearly vertical was a testament to his mounting need.

"Look, why did you come here?" Kevin growled.

Carver tried to take step forward but only ended up staggering back into the bed. Somehow, he still managed to look imposing despite the way his eyelids were half-closed and it looked like his lower jaw had gone numb. There was something in the way his eyebrows were constantly angled down that gave him a fierce, angry expression. Kevin had thought it was because of his attitude, that he was just perpetually angry. But now, he wondered if it was just because of how his features were designed. He had to admit, it gave the guy a very masculine appearance.

"I came here..." Carver began with a grunt. "... because you piss me off!"

Maybe he was just angry after all...

"And what did I do to you?"

"It's not what you did. It's what you haven't done!" snapped Carver with surprisingly clarity. His temper was mounting and Kevin began to brace himself for the upcoming confrontation. He had never fought in close quarters combat before. The best he had been able to manage was some wild flailing when he had a weapon in his hands. But here, unarmed and with Carver getting closer.

"All the other rhinos look to you for some fucking reason and you're too stupid_to see that!" Carver swung his hands in Kevin's direction. "They _all look to you to lead them and you just sit there and do nothing with it."

Clearly that was the alcohol talking.

"You're delusional."

"See! That's exactly what I'm talking about!" shouted Carver. "When we went back to Hornton, you didn't notice how everyone was following you? You followed Anodyne, yeah, but they were following you. Hell, in that settlement, they went to help you but not me!"

Thinking about that terrible moment when one of Hammerhorn's men almost stuck a big, fat dick up his ass made him shiver. He had been with other rhinos before, getting his cock sucked and his hole pounded now and again but the Haze seemed to make all those memory's seem like routine tasks. But when that rhino came at him with that crazed look in in his eyes, his cock throbbing and his body covered in sweat. He shivered and tried to forget, not wanting to even entertain the thought of what would have happened if that madman got to him...

"That's because you had the situation under control."

"Doesn't mean at least one of them should've come to help me!" Carver bellowed. He flopped heavily onto the bed. "I thought this was what being a Builder was all about? Being part of a community. Being part of something more than yourself. But I'm just the Wrecker! No one wants me!"

Loneliness was a terrible curse and now that he thought about it, Kevin realised Carver must be feeling awfully ostracised being the only Wrecker convert of the refugees.

"If you weren't so antisocial and growly -"

"This isn't about me!" Carver shouted. He tried to get up but fell back into the bed, his legs flailing a little comically. Kevin had to move up to him and hold his big, thick calves down so that he didn't hurt himself. "This is about you!" He pointed a finger at Kevin.

"About my inaction?"

"Fuck yes!" Carver said as he slammed his fists into the bed. "I don't fucking care if I'm all alone. I've lived like that as a Wrecker for years! But I hate that you've got people following you and you're doing _shit_with it! You could rebuild Newhome! You could build an army against Hammerhorn! Instead you're just following! You're following these fucking humans!"

Kevin squeezed the other rhino's calves as a warning. "These humans saved us."

A loud groan left Carver as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine. I know. I owe them. I'm not going after them. That was out of line." He jabbed a finger at Kevin again. "But you're not fit to be a leader!"

"I never wanted to be a leader!"

"But that's what you are!"

"Who says!?"

WHAM!

Stars flashed in front of Kevin's eyes and his face was hit by that momentary numbness just before the pain kicked in. He hadn't realised he had let go of Carver's legs before one of the big rhino's feet slammed into his gut, causing him to double over.

"You're too stupid to see who's calling you their leader," growled Carver, getting up with surprising clarity in his eyes. "Do you even know the _names_of the others that came with us?"

Kevin, gasping for breath, fell to his knees while clutching his stomach.

"Gar and Roan were both former Wreckers. They became sucked into being a Builder and forgot all about what they were as Wreckers until they came here. Now they're starting to remember again." Carver got off the bed, his heavy feet causing a loud thud on the wooden floors. "Shaun was a Builder through and through, straight from the beginning of the Haze. He was out on a late night run for some milk at the shopping centre that was Newhome when he heard the news about rhinos rampaging across the streets. He was one of the first in the shopping centre to transform!"

Carver seized the back of Kevin's head, nearly tearing Kevin's short, brown hair from their roots. Kevin gave a soft cry as he was forced to look up at the big rhino, a throbbing cock right between him and the rhino's scowling features.

"Evan was a police officer working at the very same shopping centre. He watched those around him transform. He was scared at first. Then he started to think 'shit, that's hot'. Then he got hard and transformed, loving every moment of it. When he blew his load, he just forgot who he was and just became another Builder. Then there's Carlos. He worked at the junkyard and tried to hole up there by building a barricade with him and his friends. They survived three weeks before they admitted someone they thought was a survivor. Carlos found out he was sporting a rhino dick and was tempted. He sucked him off, they both changed and turned everyone in the junkyard into Wreckers. He's been regretting his weakness ever since he remembered!"

Carver shoved his dick right into Kevin's face, thick blobs of precum falling all over Kevin's face. The thick musk from it filled Kevin's nostrils. He was reminded of his throbbing need right between his legs. It would've been so easy to just wrap his lips around that delicious, hot cock and submit...

"You don't know anything about them and they still follow you like you're the one that pulled them out of the fucking fire!"

Kevin was barely listening. His arousal was growing more and more and he was starting to pant uncontrollably. He had already un-buttoned his pants and let his rod free, its throbbing length dripping pre down onto the wooden floor. He wanted the dick right in front of him. He didn't care about the price or the consequences. He just wanted it in him...

"That's right, you stupid, horny bastard," growled Carver. "You want my dick, don't you? Fine. I'll let you suck my dick. But then, you're my bitch. "

Something held him back.

He flashed back to that moment when he was prone and helpless, too weak and scared to act. A Wrecker stood over him, his intent clear just from the gleam in his eyes. Then he went back further to that day when Newhome fell. A former Builder, a friend and comrade, turned into a Wrecker came charging at him and he could barely even hold up the broom he used to defend himself. One step further and he was standing with the other Builders, scared and without leadership as Hammerhorn came charging at their doors.

All those times, he had been helpless.

The only way he survived was at the direction of another.

And here, in the privacy of his hut, there was no one to save him. It was just him, Carver and the big, throbbing cock that was reeling him with every pulsation like a fishing lure slowly drawing him closer and closer to shore. He dared to take a breath and the thick musk Carver emanated filled his lungs. It filled him with the warmth of comfort, acceptance and submission. Something in it told him that Carver would make for a good leader and a kind master. Punishment would be dealt where it was due but he would be fair and just. Passion burned behind his actions and he could easily lead the refugees into something greater. Anodyne wouldn't have to manage them anymore...

But Carver's own words rang in his mind.

"I'll let you suck my dick. But then, you're my bitch."

That something that held him back suddenly cried out with a loud, powerful voice.

"I'm no one's bitch."

Carver's eyes widened, his teeth gnashing together with a faint whimper slipping between his clenched teeth. Kevin slowly got back up to his feet, pulling his head above the thick miasma that had clouded his judgment. His hand had the base of Carver's dick and balls in a tight, vice-like grip, teetering on the edge of pleasure and pain. As he rose, he levelled his gaze at Carver, their eyes meeting. The inch that put him taller than Carver might as well have been a whole foot with how it pierced into Carver's very soul.

"You are not going to make me your bitch," he growled. With his free hand, he seized Carver's shoulder and shoved him straight into the bed. Carver's arms flew back to steady himself as he crashed into the mattress. Before he could fully recover, Kevin leapt onto the bed, pressing his thick forearms against the other rhino's neck with enough pressure to let him know who was in charge but without choking him.

"I don't care what you think," he growled. "You want to lead? Prove it. But you aren't going to win over everyone else by making me your fucking bitch! Got that!?" To emphasise his point, he pressed harder on Carver's neck, making the latter gasped and choke a little. Carver tried to push him away but he had the advantage in terms of weight.

"Got that!?" he repeated.

Carver stared at him defiantly but then his eyes widened a second time. A faint blush touched his cheeks as a small jet of precum splashed against Kevin's chest. Looking down, Kevin found their cocks lying side by side, pulsating with need.

A devious thought entered Kevin's mind as he reached up with his other hand and gave Carver's left nipple a tight squeeze. "I asked you a question."

A loud moan escaped Carver's lips, one he quickly turned into a growl of defiance. He redoubled his efforts to shove Kevin off but Kevin, in turn, just gave Carver's nipple another firm twist. The struggles became half-hearted especially with the copious amounts of precum slipping between the valleys of Carver's abdominals and onto the sheets. Kevin had to admit there was something sexy about watching the clear fluids seep into the crevasse of Carver's thick, defined pectorals, momentarily vanishing from view before it emerged once more and started pooling in the crook of his collarbone. The sight of it made Kevin's cock twitch, the precum he was producing joining Carver's.

"If y-y-you think this'll... get me to..." Carver let out a grunt as Kevin twisted his nipple again. "Th-th-think of something new, asshole!"

Kevin took that as an invitation and leaned down. His tongue lashed out, gently caressing the flesh along Carver's neck. The rhino beneath him quivered and the blush along his cheeks began turning his dark, leathery skin into a murky pink. Kevin could feel the rising heat coming off the other rhino. Carver's pulse could be felt through the thick veins on his neck, matching perfectly with the pulsations of his cock.

"You trying to be tender with me now!?" snapped Carver. "You're weak! Just as I thought!" He suddenly jerked, seizing the back of Kevin's head and yanking it back. His other hand seized Kevin's forearm and desperately trying to pull it away from him. But Kevin was still stronger and had his arm against Carver's throat. Just one push down and Carver gasped and slackened his grip.

Kevin wouldn't let that go unpunished. "You didn't answer my question," he growled. "I told you that I would be no one's bitch."

WHAM!

His knuckles rang from the blow but the rush of power from hitting Carver... It was intoxicating. Carver stared back up at him with surprise. The blow was light enough that it wouldn't cause any permanent damage but there was enough strength behind it that Carver had felt it. And he was surprised.

For a moment... that bewildered look on Carver's face, a brief moment where his angled eyebrows were lifted and didn't leave him scowling... He looked...

Kevin was sure the power of Arcadia was what made him do it but before he could fully comprehend Carver's chiselled features and softened expression, his lips here colliding with the other rhino's and he was grinding his hips into Carver's. It was a moment of weakness and one he would've immediately retreated from if Carver's hands hadn't snaked around his rear, seized the buns of steel and urged him into another thrust. Carver jerked his hips upwards, their cocks brushing against one another, balls bumping against one another .

Kevin managed to seize control of himself long enough to pull his lips away and stare down at Carver's sex-addled eyes. "I'm no one's bitch..." he repeated for a third time. "Got that?"

Carver gave him a goofy smile, his eyebrow remaining pleasantly un-angled. "Yes, sir."

Kevin suddenly seized Carver by the throat and levelled their gazed, noses pressed against one another. "Do not call me that. Got it?"

The former Wrecker stared at him with wide-eyed shock. He could only nod hurriedly. With that established, Kevin proceeded to push their lips together again, his tongue exploring Carver's muzzle to the full extent of his abilities. It was like playing a game of cat and mouse with their tongues. His tongue led the dance while Carver's gave chase. He paused only when he felt Carver's hand sneak its way back up to the back of his head. Every inch of him expected another hard yank of his hair and he already balled his hand into a fist, ready to deliver another punch for such an act.

Instead, Carver's hand gently ran through his hair, cupping the base of his neck and gently pulling them together.

He was surprised with the act of affection from the aggressive rhino and doubly so as Carver's movements became gentle and almost curious. Carver's free hand gently rubbed Kevin's broad, muscular back, tracing the lines of his muscles with his fingers and running down his spine. Moans emerged from the bottoming rhino and his eyes were firmly shut, completely lost in the moment.

Kevin wasn't sure what to do but he found he could not keep wondering and puzzling over Carver's actions much longer. His own voice joined Carver's to form a chorus of base moans and lusty grunts as their bodies interlocked in a tight embrace. His hand moved away from Carver's neck and worked to curl around Carver's broad, lean body.

Carver's legs lifted off the bend, spreading wide and curling around Kevin's waist, pulling them even closer together. The movement and their constant thrusts into one another jostled Kevin's position slightly. His cock began slipping further down along Carver's body, his balls briefly brushing up against Carver's ass.

The two rhino's paused their furious kissing. They pulled their lips from one another, just an inch apart and still panting. Both men regarded the other with surprising clarity in their eyes. Carver pulled his hands away from Kevin, reaching behind him to seize the big headboard behind him. His enormous muscles flexed to pull him further up the bed, his pectorals losing none of their definition even as he stretched his body.

Kevin admired the unique rhino's perfect form from his rippling arms, his shredded torso and to the thick bush of dark hair growing at the base of his tree-truck cock. He ran his hands all over Carver's pectorals, simply amazed at the sheer size of the thick, firm mountains and baffled at how he could have missed such impressive forms especially with Carver parading around naked most of the time. His hands brushed against Carver's nipples briefly, giving the rhino a bolt of pleasure that made his cock squirt more precum all over his glorious eight pack abdominals. From there, his hands picked up some of the slick, clear fluids and carried it all over Carver's broad, muscular legs. Each one was more a collection of hard muscles barely contained by a film of leathery skin. He could feel every muscle group pushing up against his fingers and found his cock leaking as they moved to offer Carver's ass unopposed.

Instincts predominantly guiding him, Kevin angled his dick into Carver's waiting ass. He pushed the tip through and found entrance easily enough. The tight, warm ring around his cock spread a familiar warmth throughout his entire body and his entire form quivered in delight. An inch or two in, he found resistance pushing him back so he slowly pulled out and then tried again. He pushed himself deeper into Carver, the other rhino moaning lustily with his head rolling back in pleasure. Another inch and both of them were quickly forming a rhythm. The bed creaked beneath them as their impressive weights began rising and falling over the mattress. Their sweat and precum soaked bodies glistened in the faint starlight shining in from the window.

As their pace increased, Carver's hands had to grip the headboard tighter. Both rhinos slipped into raw, bestial states with Kevin's only goal to shove his whole dick into Carver and Carver's role simply to take it all as it brought him closer and closer to orgasm. Kevin's loud, dominating grunts melded in perfectly well with Carver's soft, submissive moans. Kevin found his throat going dry as he exerted himself trying to shove every inch of his thick prick into Carver. A source of nourishment throbbed in front of him. He abandoned holding onto Carver's legs and pulled the massive prick towards himself

Carver gasped as Kevin's lips wrapped around his dick. The former Builder showed surprising flexibility as he managed to push the last few inches of his cock into him while taking most of his dick into his muzzle. With the twin sources of pleasure overwhelming him, Carver became lost in the moment and his eyelids fluttered.

A loud, primal cry erupted from him and he felt his balls churn. He tried to stop it. He knew what time it was and he knew that to orgasm now would mean turning back into a human. Should he change back, he wasn't sure his smaller, human shape could take all of Kevin's meat. Then again, being wrapped around Kevin's cock... That wasn't a bad way to be stuck.

He couldn't help but smile as he bit his lip and unleashed his load. At the same time, he felt a rush of warm liquid push straight into him. Part of him felt the rhino that was his home from slipping away through his cock... only to be replenished by the flood of cum that filled his ass. Suddenly, he had no reason to hold back. He threw his head back, letting out another cry and blew open the floodgates.

His cock spayed gallons of cum straight down Kevin's throat, all of which the former Builder drank eagerly. At the same time, Kevin pumped Carver full of his seed. Their bodies strangely metabolised the seed very quickly, almost forming an infinite cycle of transformative fluids. Their cycle of cum kept them both perfectly in their rhino shapes but not without their consequences.

Something... sparked in both men.

For Carver, it was like the tangles of frustration, anger and displeasure that had kept him scowling were undone. He felt them lift from around his heart and gently wrap around the more easy-going, carefree Kevin. A burden was lifted off his shoulders even if it was shared with another. The weight of choosing his own destiny and pointing that towards vengeance against Hammerhorn faded slightly. Now... he felt like he could trust Kevin with guiding him...

As for Kevin, the effect was vastly different. Memories of an abusive father who constantly called him 'his bitch' came back to him. Weak and unwilling to fight back, he had chosen escape instead of confrontation. He hadn't gone farther down a few blocks away and in the dead of night before he had stumbled into the supermarket that would've become Newhome. That was where he changed... and he had willingly accepted the change because it wiped his mind free of a painful childhood.

One of the words his father used to describe him was 'faggot'.

The situation made him smile just as the last drops of Carver's load filtered into his muzzle. He let out a gasp, relishing the salty taste on his tongue. He thrust a few more times into Carver, making sure he filled up the former Wrecker with every last drop of seed he had. The orgasm left Carver limp, however, and it became hard for Kevin to maintain his upright position.

With some careful repositioning, he slipped behind Carver, rolling the other rhino onto his side. The movement made him grunt. Another spurt of cum shot into Carver's ass.

As Kevin drifted back into the realms of consciousness, he found himself unsure of what to do next. His balls felt like they could give a little more and he didn't want to stop the intoxicating pleasure that came from his crotch as it tensed and sent what must've been his tenth load into Carver. The sexual high was fading and he was slowly fading into the sleepiness of afterglow but it just felt wrong to lie there with his dick up Carver's ass, that thick piece of meat the only connection he had to the rhino.

Cautiously, he reached around Carver, resting one arm around the rhino to pull him closer. He felt Carver tense and prepared himself for a retaliatory blow. Strangely, Carver relaxed and rested actually nestled himself into Kevin's chest. It was actually a little strange. Carver seemed smaller as he lay against Kevin. The contact, the position and the moment was comforting, however. Their argument a moment ago faded into memory as Kevin slipped his other arm around Carver's head and the other rhino used his massive upper arm as a pillow.

Kevin sighed softly. This was going to escalate in the morning, he knew. The fact that he had just spilled his seed in Carver and that he had devoured Carver's cum in return meant that there would be no denying what they did...

The question was, how would they feel afterwards?

That was a question for the morning.

For the moment, Kevin closed his eyes and let his cock pump the last drops of cum he had stored into Carver... and dozed off to sleep...

...

That is if someone didn't start banging on the door.

Carver groaned and plugged his ears with his palms. "Fuck... Who the hell is that...?"

"Kevin? Kevin! Open up! I need your help!"

Kevin recognised that voice. It was Finn's... and he sounded desperate.

"That's Renegade..." muttered Kevin, slowly pulling himself from Carver. "And he sounds like he needs our help."

Carver grunted and a pulled the sweat-soaked pillow over his head. "Fine. You go deal with your boyfriend. Just pull out slowly and don't make too much noise."

Kevin wasn't sure if he should be grateful that Carver hadn't changed or not but he slowly pulled himself from Carver, the latter let out a soft, muffled moan. His dick was still hard as he staggered towards the door. His legs felt like gelatine and he felt strangely proud about that.

When he opened the door...

... he found himself staring at a tall, athletic dragon with a thick crest of golden chest fur. A long, thick tail lashed out behind him and a pair of big, broad wings hugged the dragon's form like a coat.

Despite the changes, Kevin knew it was Finn.

"Finn... What happened to you...?"

Finn looked horrified.

"I... I slept with Cody..."

******

349:10:27:09:34:04

Lobo usually got up before sunrise for some early morning training but after the stress of the previous day, he had barely slept and needed to unwind. Savage knew exactly what he needed. That he needed to remain a rhino to help organise the defences around the Hornton Return Gate made sure he was able to kill two birds with one stone. Needless to say, Savage didn't mind being turned into a rhino and then being sucked off to help Lobo maintain his form. That he managed to orgasm twice probably helped sweeten the deal.

He lay on his back, one big arm behind his head and the other resting on his steadily rising chest. Beside him, Savage was snoring loudly as he always was, a sexy rhino and with cock erect. He, Anodyne and Lobo had been Collectors the longest. A sort of kinship had formed between them and if ever they needed to vent, one of the two would always be willing to listen. But recently, with Savage being on the same team as Finn, Lobo felt he couldn't confide in his friend anymore. Anodyne was also spending a lot of time with the refugees.

The funny thing was, Lobo had no one to blame for those assignments but himself.

It wasn't that he was jealous of Finn's progressive thinking... He was just afraid that too much change too soon could be disastrous. He recalled Travis' reaction to them bringing in refugees from Hornton. How would they react when _dragons_started visiting them? _Fire breathing_dragons with more natural weapons _and_guns?

Lobo didn't want to think about it but lying beside Savage only continued to remind him of the looming threat on the horizon. The scent of their activities the previous night didn't help either.

He grunted softly and quietly rolled off the side of the bed. He picked up his sword and hat from where they sat beside the door. The fang necklace he never took off though he did run a finger across one of the bigger fangs wistfully.

Just as he reached for the door, he noticed the snoring had stopped.

"You're not going to stop me?"

"I figured you need some time alone," Savage replied. His big muscles stretched audible with the sound of leather unwinding. "I mean your protégé _did_practically go against your wishes and disappoint you, right?"

Lobo froze and didn't move.

"You know, you're thinking too much on this, Lobo," Savage said softly. "I know you always looked to the future. It's why you thought Renegade would make a hell of a replacement should you ever go Beast on us. But why are you so invested now of all times?"

Slowly, he turned around, regarding Savage with sincere, fearful eyes. "It's because of Hammerhorn. I was_this close_" - he held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart - "from losing it. You saw me. I wanted to be with him. Really badly. I... I honestly don't think that I'd survive another encounter with him."

Savage slowly sat up, regarding Lobo with concerned eyes. "Wait... Is that why you're still heading into Hornton?"

He hated to admit it but Lobo slowly nodded. "I hoped... fuck... I _wished_that when the Hornton Gate was closed, I'd have nine weeks to 'detox'. Get Hammerhorn out of my system because there was no plausible way for me to get back to him. But now... Fuck... Every second that passes, I feel him, I smell him... I just keep looking at the rhinos and I keep..." He growled to himself and shook his head and gave Savage a pleading look. "He's in me... and I can't get him out of my head."

"Then don't go back into Hornton. Head to Camp Draco today and take on that shape. That might help."

"No," Lobo said fiercely. "We have an obligation to the rhinos. We took them in. We're going to help save them. But if anyone else fell prey to Hammerhorn, I'd never forgive myself. I'll help the rhinos and if Hammerhorn attacks, he won't be getting any of you."

Savage let out a loud groan. "Please. You just want to get fucked by him."

Lobo bristled. "I do not!"

"Yeah you do," taunted the brash Collector, a cocky smirk plastered on his features. "I know you've got your crush in Bucking Cove but Hammerhorn left an impression on you. You can deny it all you want but I bet every time you step through that Gate, your heart skips a little because you secretly hope he'll be waiting there on the other side for you. Hell, I bet you wish that it had been _you_that had been taken instead of Gantry."

Before Lobo could protest, Savage lifted a finger and kept it lifted as he swung his legs across the bed. He stood up, giving Lobo a cocky smirk. "You're never going to get over him if you keep denying yourself. You're certainly not going to be the best leader you can be if you keep acting the martyr."

Lobo crossed his arms and grunted loudly. "Is that your subtle way of saying you want to take over?"

"Hell no. You know I don't want to lead." A big grin on his face, Savage flicked two finger guns at Lobo. "You can deal with revolutionaries like Renegade and the diplomacies of having refugees from Hornton. Me? I get to fuck, cum and watch from the sidelines to enjoy the show."

His friend's light-hearted take on the situation brought a smile onto Lobo's features. He rested his hat back on his head while hefting his sword over his shoulder. "So you really think I'm in love with Hammerhorn, huh?"

A moment of sagely clarity washed over Savage's features. "Not in love. You're too smart for that. I just think you've got unfinished business with him. If that's because you want him to fuck you silly or you want him to kneel in front of you and beg for your cock, that's your business. But if you don't deal with it, you're not going to be able to lead the Collectors."

Lobo wasn't all that surprised that such wisdom came from Savage. The man could be insightful if he wanted to. Only problem was he tended not to want to and preferred to be more carnal and crass.

"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled. "I'm going to go hit my training grounds. I already slept in. Did you want to join me?"

Savage spread his legs apart, showing off his immense rod. "I'm fucking hard right now. Do you really think I want to join you hitting some wood that isn't connected to my balls and are ready to blow?"

There was that crass attitude again. Lobo just rolled his eyes and twisted the doorknob. "Just don't make a mess okay. This is my hut."

He stepped out of the hut just as Savage began to shamelessly pleasure himself. His abode was located right next to the Meeting Hall, giving him easy access to the maps and plans of deployment for the rest of the day. The first group should already have made their way through the Hornton Gate and he would be taking his team through at noon. Savage and his team would be heading through to Camp Draco shortly after. Thinking of Savage's team made him think of Finn.

A bit of regret filled him as he recalled how they had parted the previous night. It had been such a bitter note and Finn must've encountered one of the other Collectors posted around the Camp Draco Gate to specifically prevent him from crossing over. That no doubt bred distrust and he didn't want to push Finn any further from the rest of the group. He was a good guy, all in all, but he just needed to take the time to consider his actions before he took them.

He needed to take the time to slow down.

An idea sprang into mind and Lobo headed up stream to Finn and Marv's hut with the full intention of inviting the two into a sparring session with him at his training grounds. But as he approached, he heard a commotion from the hut right next door. Kevin's voice and Carver's reached his ears. Even though he hadn't worked with them personally, he had detected the one-sided war between the two. If Carver was in Kevin's hut, that could only lead to trouble.

Setting his goal for Finn aside, Lobo quickly headed to the neighbouring hut, ears perked. The voices inside were muffled but filled with hostility and fury. Carver's came on the verge of shouting. Steeling himself for whatever was coming next, Lobo gave the door a few quick knocks.

"Carver. Kevin. Is everything alright in there?"

The voices immediately stopped.

There was some hurried shuffling and he thought he heard one of them falling over, hitting the wooden floors with a thud. Suddenly, another possibility filled his mind. Could the two have actually... done it? His eyes widened as the possible scandal. It was still early morning. There were only a few reasons why Carver would be in Kevin's hut so early but one of the most likely was that they had spent the night together.

He tried not to grin as Kevin pulled open to door. That the rhino only poked his head out and wasn't wearing his usual clothes spoke volumes.

"H-H-Hey, Lobo," stammered Kevin. "Wh-What can I do for you?"

Lobo took a deep breath, the musk of rhino in the air. His suspicions were redoubled when he took in Kevin's rhino features. If he hadn't had sex, he would've turned back into a human by now. But since he was still a rhino.

"Is..." Lobo had to pause to recompose his features. "... everything okay in there? I heard Carver."

"Uh..."

"Will you shut the fucking door!?" Carver bellowed from inside. "It's fucking freezing!"

Kevin's head whirled around and for a brief moment, Lobo caught a glimpse of Carver lying on a cum-soaked bed, sheets wrapped tightly around him. "The window is wide open!"

"I just want that door shut!" Carver growled back. "It's too early for training, Lobo! Go hack at some wood or something. I got my own wood to take care of."

"Carver!"

"You love it."

By the way that Kevin's ears folded back, it clearly showed that he did.

"Neither of you got hurt, did you?" Lobo asked gently. He offered Kevin a gentle, reassuring smile only because it was about halfway to a full-blown grin. He wasn't much of a gossip but this turn of event was just too scandalous _not_to tell someone about.

"No... I... uh... No."

"I hope he was gentle."

"Well... you see..."

Carver let out a loud grunt and leapt off the bed. He yanked the door wide open, revealing Kevin's semi-hard cock and his own erect member. "For fuck's sake." He glared at Lobo. "He fucked me, alright? Ploughed into me hard and even sucked off my dick while he was at it. He's freakishly flexible for someone that's so built. Happy? Goodbye!"

WHAM!

The door immediately shut and Lobo was finally allowed to grin broadly. He wasn't sure what it was about the fact that Kevin had fucked Carver that made him feel suddenly so... happy. Maybe it was because a bridge between Builders and Wreckers was forming. Or perhaps it was because he could have never imagined Kevin being on top and it just reminded him how life was full of surprises.

Either way, he turned around and whistled happily as he headed towards his training grounds, forgetting all about his obsession with Hammerhorn and Finn.

Carver and Kevin only stood there, waiting with baited breath as the sound of whistleing began to fade into the distance. Finally when all had gone silent they let out a collective sigh of relif as Finn stepped away from his hiding spot.

This worked well in Finn's favour. He thanked his lucky stars from where he hid behind the door, just out of sight from Lobo. Once the whistling had faded off into the distance, he sighed in relief, his big, black wings sagging across his shoulders. His heart was still pumping hard in his chest, mirrored by the soft thumping of his long, muscular tail on the floor.

"Now where were we?" Carver said, licking his lips. He strode up towards Finn, stroking his cock. Finn gave the rhino a grateful smile and -

"Stop!" Kevin shouted, placing himself between them. He pressed his hands up against their chests. He gave Carver a warning stare before turning towards Finn. "You can't just hide what's happened to you, Finn. Sure we can turn you into a rhino now but what happens when you go back out on patrol? Your teammates will know you got fucked by the Commander when you change and you've got wings and a tail. That makes you a... uh...?"

"Corporal," Finn murmured softly and shamefully. "Maybe I can pretend to hear something when I cross over. I can then change and meet up with the rest of my team at Camp Draco. I can make up some story that... that... Cody promoted me for surviving or something!"

Kevin gave him a worried look. "Finn, you know how ridiculous that sounds? I don't know much about Camp Draco but if I was fed some story like that, I wouldn't believe it for a second. It's all too convenient. Besides, you would've been promoted twice and you said the Commander only promotes you once. How do you explain that?"

Finn's wings sagged even further, their tips touching the floor. "I'm fucked... aren't I?"

"One way or the other," grunted Carver with a lewd grin. He nodded towards Kevin. "Come on, man. Let's fuck him. Let him live for a couple more hours until someone figures out he totally snuck past whatever guard Lobo had and went against orders to reveal Arcadia to the military."

"I didn't tell Cody about Arcadia!" Finn snapped, his fangs bared. "How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't tell him anything about this place. I..." His voice broke.

Lowering his hands, Kevin gave Finn a piercing stare. "What did happen then?"

"I..." Finn ran through the events of the night in his mind again. It felt like he was watching it through a recording and the person talking to Cody was someone else. "I told him that I made up the whole thing about the _Conglomerate_report in order to get promoted. I didn't want to betray Arcadia but I didn't want Cody to start hating me either..."

"So you lied to him," Carver concluded. "To lead him off our trail. How the_hell_ does that end with him fucking you?"

Finn winced loudly. "Well... It's because he said that he knew." The room was silent for a long while. Finn felt Kevin and Carver's eyes on him, waiting for clarification. "He said that he knew I made up the whole thing. It sounded a bit too farfetched. But he still... invited me to dinner."

"Dinner?" Kevin repeated, bringing a nod from Finn. "You two had a _romantic_dinner?"

"It was nice," choked Finn. "He was nice. He told me that he understood the cutthroat ambition that drove people in Camp Draco but that I was the only one to actually show interest in him as a person instead of just seeing him as the guy that could promote him. We just... talked after that. I felt really at ease. I mean he was off Arcadia's trail and I wasn't going to be punished."

Both rhinos cringed.

"You were charming and friendly, weren't you?" Kevin said.

Carver grunted and shook his head. "Fuck man, you might as well as put a fucking ring on his finger."

Kevin turned to his fellow rhino with a quizzical look. "A ring?"

"Yeah. You know. When you love someone and get married to them you put a ring on their finger. It's like a symbol of eternal love or something. Doesn't always last though. That's was divorce is for."

"How do you know this?"

Carver squinted slightly. "I was married once, I think. Had to get married because I had a kid when I was really young. Divorced her when I was twenty-two. Then this shit happened." He shut his eyes and grunted. "Fuck... It hurts to remember."

Finn's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wait... You remember your life _before_you transformed!?"

"It comes in flashes," admitted Carver. Then he opened his eyes and jabbed a finger at Finn. "But we were talking about you. You charmed the Commander. Then I bet he invited you to his bed and you fucked."

Finn's ears folded downwards and he nodded. "Yeah... he said he was going to promote me to Private so I'd get my tail. I... I was really grateful. I mean, after I lied to him and led him to another lie, he still forgave me. I... I don't know what came over me. I kissed him. And... I made love to him just like I do with Marv. I got my tail but... but when it was done, he just looked at me like he wasn't sure what I had just done."

Kevin crossed his arms and let out a thoughtful noise. "For most of us, especially the Builders, sex was kind of just ritualistic. We didn't feel anything emotional about it. We got hard, we got off. Who we did it with didn't matter and it's not like we really remembered afterwards. But these days..." He briefly glanced at Carver before switching his eyes back to Finn. "I think the same is with him. He must've had sex with so many people before and it was always_about the promotion to them. It was empty. Emotionless. But then you came along and actually showed him _affection." Kevin rubbed his foremost horn with a finger. "Then I bet you went again... didn't you?"

Finn remembered locking gazes with Cody and... something just sparking between them. They kissed again and before he knew what was happening, Cody was thrusting into him against and he was crying out in lust. Wings sprouted from his back and Cody slumped on top of him, exhausted. Finn had fallen asleep as well but woke up what felt like an hour later. Cody was fast asleep, the candles had gone out and he realised what had happened, what he had done. He rushed straight back to Arcadia shortly after.

"You're in love," Carver accused. "Or at least Cody is in love with you."

"That's the problem!" Finn exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Me and Marv...!"

Kevin shook his head and moved in front of Carver, blocking the rhino's erect cock from Finn. "I don't think turning into a rhino and delaying the inevitable will do anything to help your situation. You have to go up to Lobo and tell him what you did. I mean, you disobeyed him and snuck into Camp Draco _but_you didn't reveal Arcadia to Cody. That's got to count for something."

"That's bullshit," grunted Carver. "You're going to get your tail torn off and Marv will know you had sex with this Commander Cody and liked it. Hell, Cody fucked you twice because the first time was so great for both him and you. Maybe you could call rape or something. I mean this is the leader of Camp Draco, right? You couldn't say 'no' to him. You can come off the hero if you just say you wanted to undo your mistakes and Cody took advantage of you."

"You mean lie?"Kevin stated bluntly. "You're saying he should compound on the lies that he's already stacked on himself by lying more!"

"Who will get hurt?"

"Cody, for one! And it's clear he_likes_ the guy." Kevin fixed Finn with a firm stare. "Look man, I know it's a tough call but it's your decision. I say just come clean. You're going to have to ask for forgiveness from Marv and the rest of the group anyway and if you just keep lying -"

"Fuck that!" shouted Carver. He leaned past Kevin. "Look Renegade, this isn't about your love life. There's a reason why you went out there to help us and there's a reason why you hinted at Arcadia to Cody. You see it, don't you? We can't make progress unless we start bashing some heads in and building bridges. If you alienate the Commander and break off this thing between you two, you'll lose the best chance you have of opening all the Gates and opening up the world."

Kevin groaned loudly and shook his head. "All you want is to build an army against Hammerhorn. You just want Finn to make peace with Cody so that we have fire breathing dragons with guns against Hammerhorn."

Carver folded his arms and stared challengingly at Kevin. "We all have our goals. What's yours?

Though the question was directed at Kevin, Finn felt it applied to him as well. Telling himself day in and day out that everything he did was for the betterment of Arcadia didn't seem so... right any more. At least not when his eyes were geared more towards the worlds beyond the Gates and not what lay at home. He could bring as many Beasts as he wanted into Arcadia but if the people already there were unwilling to open their arms and welcome them, what was the point?

This doubt crept into his heart and mind.

Was what he did truly what was best for Arcadia?

Now he had to live with the consequences of his actions.

People here didn't trust him and Cody had known not to believe him. But there were still those like Kevin, Carver and maybe even Anodyne that believed him here and Cody... Cody had feelings for him.

What was he to do?

He barely noticed that Kevin and Carver had erupted into yet another argument. It was the same tune they played when all three of them had woken up after Finn had begged to stay for the night. Carver questioned Kevin's apparent leadership and Kevin denied being a leader to anyone. There were some volleys thrown back and forth about who had topped whom the previous night but Finn was barely listening.

He was stuck and he had no idea where to go, who to ask for advice or what to do.

Although...

While the two rhinos were still bickering, Finn turned around and left the hut as quietly as he possibly could. It didn't really matter how noisy his was as Carver and Kevin were shouting so loudly at one another that they might have rivalled a thunderstorm. Finn was careful to avoid any of the main paths in the Collector Camp. Most of the other Collectors were already at the mess hall so it was fairly easy to leave unseen. He suspected that his absence was noticed and no doubt Marv would have told the others of their argument the previous night.

But he only needed a few more minutes to go to the last source of advice he could think of.

Moving around with wings was a little more difficult that he had expected. Whenever he tried to run, the wind would catch the leathery membranes and fling his wings back. He had grown accustomed to wrapping them around his shoulder like a cloak but that still didn't stop them from unfurling if he ever broke into a run.

He reached the Collective a short while later. He became fully aware of the suspicious stares of the Constructors and Cultivators around him. One day, he vowed, he would break down those barriers but for the moment, he needed Josh's advice. Thankfully, no one bothered him so he found his way easily into the Collective and found Josh sitting in front of the fireplace, once again filling up a book with some scribbles.

"Hey Josh."

Josh didn't even turn around. "You got promoted, I see."

"Yeah... Uh... How'd you know?"

"Ruffling of wings. Your tail keeps thumping on the ground too." Only then did Josh spin his wheelchair around, a smile on his features. "You might want to watch that. You've got a longer tail than most. You look like you're more built to be airborne. The tails act like a rudder and help you fly. But if you don't keep it lifted when you're on the ground especially when you're running, you'll rub it raw." He laughed quietly to himself and held up a hand. "And trust me. There is nothing worse than having a raw tail." Settling his hand on the book on his lap he said, "Anyway, to answer your question, I knew because I heard and caught your scent. Just because I look human doesn't mean that all those extra 'mutations' I got from being a Collector disappeared. I guess I'd what you'd call as 'superhuman'." His eyes fell sadly on his legs which he rubbed forlornly.

Finn couldn't imagine what it must be like to constant be reminded that he previously been a Collector and was now wheelchair bound. Even with his extra abilities, he was ostracised not only because of his disability but also because of his origin. That Finn kept coming to him for advice must be a crushing prompt of that.

"You know..." Finn murmured softly. "If you and I...?"

Josh held up his hand again. "Thank you, Finn, but no. I can't trust myself not to go full Beast; not after..." His voice trailed off, his eyes turning away from Finn. "Anyway, what can I do for you? Need some advice on how to fly? Vein could probably teach you."

"It's... actually something a little more complicated," Finn confessed.

He took up a seat next to Josh and recapped his story from when he had hinted at Arcadia to Cody to being explicitly told not to go to Camp Draco by Lobo and then sneaking off anyway. He briefly glossed over how he and Cody had coupled that night leading to his double promotion. Josh was silent for most of the story, only asking questions whenever Finn decided to omit some details which forced him to confess some details. When he was done, he looked to Josh for advice.

The former Collector remained quiet for about two minutes.

Then...

"I honestly think you don't care what I think."

"Of course I do," Finn pleaded. "I -"

"I told you to leave things as they are," Josh said fiercely. "I told you not to push things because everyone was still recovering. But you did it anyway. No matter what I say, Finn, you're going to do what you want." He waved a hand through the air absently. "You were given advice by dozens of people. Lobo told you not to go. Marv asked you not to go. I asked you not to go. You did it anyway. Some people supported you and that made things easier but now you're scared because you defied those that advised against you going to Camp Draco again and failed to do what those that sent you there wanted you to do."

Josh's features softened. "But the Finn I know doesn't care about that. He just cares about what he thinks is right and says 'fuck the consequences'. You've been lucky before but even you have to realise your luck would eventually run out." He leaned forward and pointed at Finn. "You've never needed anyone else's opinion. You just needed their validation."

Each word was a dagger in Finn's heart and he felt himself sinking further and further, the weight of his decisions and their consequences dragging him down into the abyss.

Josh leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "In this case Finn, you're not getting it from me. I'm not going to tell you what to do either. Because you're just going to go out there and do something stupid again if you do find someone that supports you." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But as a friend, I'm going to tell you this..."

He fixed Finn with a stare that was mixed with concern and determination. "Arcadia and its people - Constructors, Cultivators or Collectors - are generally adverse to change. If given the choice between taking a dive into the deep end or staying in the shallows, they'd stay in the shallows. So if you want to make progress, really make progress, stop looking for people to support you. You're not going to find someone to help you with every decision you make because you're not always going to find someone to say 'yes' to that especially now that you've alienated Marv, the one person that would have done whatever you wanted."

Finn winced at the mention of Marv.

"I only ask that you consider that there's a reason why people don't want to change. People may change forms readily enough but changing your mind suddenly is a sign that you could be becoming a Beast." Josh set his hands on the armrest of his wheelchair. "Do what you want, Finn just remember that your opinion isn't the only one that matters." He gave Finn a fierce glare. "Don't make me regret this advice."

******

349:10:27:10:43:11

The Collectors and the refugees from Hornton had gathered in the mess hall. When Finn hadn't come with them, question had been raised and Marv reported sadly that Renegade hadn't returned that night and he wasn't there when he woke up. Tempers began to flare and Lobo began barking orders.

Vein had been ready to bolt past the Gate to look for Renegade when the wayward Collector cleared his throat from the entrance of the mess hall. The big, gold-scaled dragon took in the black dragon with the golden blonde hair and chest hair. He particularly took in the addition of a broad pair of wings and tail. The big, gold scaled dragon took in the new additions to the ebony scaled dragon he had seen born yesterday. He was now sporting a lengthy tail and a set of big wings. Silence fell on the mess hall as eyes demanded an explanation from Renegade. Vein, however, tore his gaze from the rest Finn and turned it to the faces of those around him.

Anodyne was impassive as ever and, of course, Skip was as cheery as ever. Savage looked so torn and his features were constantly twisting from a smile to a scowl. Marv wore an infinitely sad expression. Lobo, naturally, was furious.

But the face that caught Vein's attention the most was his 'brother', Vale.

Vale looked so pissed and it worried him that the person he was closest to was so... impassioned by this. They usually cruised by with being Collectors. They found comfort in one another's arms on a casual level. They had taken from Gantry and Rock's experience and avoided anything truly romantic. But seeing Vale so... angry... It disturbed him.

"Hi everyone," Finn began slowly, warily.

"Renegade..." Lobo snarled. "What did you do?"

Showing a surprising confidence, Finn said, "I went past the Gate to Camp Draco last night. I met with Cody."

"After I explicitly told you not to!?" bellowed Lobo. He spun to face the others. "No one goes into Camp Draco until further notice!"

That sent a stabbing pain into Vale's chest. Was that a hiatus on Camp Draco indefinitely? Would he ever get to see Mower again? He started to feel anger towards Finn as well.

"Wait!" Finn shouted. "I didn't tell Cody about Arcadia!"

Again, silence.

"I told him that it was just a ploy to get promoted," the black dragon said. "He told me that's what he suspected. He doesn't know anything about Arcadia. Nor does he want to find us."

Vein held his breath.

"I had to go to him last night or he'd be suspicious. I couldn't risk Arcadia no matter how much I wanted change so that's why I lied to him."

Lobo took a few stepped forward. "So... he really doesn't know?" He gently pulled at one of Finn's wings. "Then what are these?"

Finn dropped his gaze but not before he briefly cast it at Marv. "Cody had invited me to... dinner. Even after what I told him, he still considered me for promotion. We had a... a good time. He told me I gave him purpose. Direction."

"Wait..." Savage began. "You took back what you said about Arcadia. So that must mean his purpose is..."

Slowly, Finn nodded. "Me."

Vein's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine what that could mean for Marv and Finn but just the way that Finn was holding his head, it spoke volumes of how he truly felt. As the 'expert' in Camp Draco, he had grown accustomed to reading draconic expression. Whether Finn knew it or not, the way his wings were wrapped around his shoulders defensive and how his tail was curled around his right leg spoke of a man who was ashamed of what he had done but still stood by it and had no regrets. He liked the Commander.

That spoke to him.

"Well shit!" Savage laughed. "So you're the Commander's boyfriend! That's awesome! We can get some more free supplies from him then! We can -"

Lobo shot him a silencing stare. Then he turned back to Finn. "I get the feeling you're not finished."

Puffing out his chest, Finn said, "I'm not." He stepped past Lobo and took centre stage, addressing everyone. "Something Cody said really struck home with me. Camp Draco has been suck doing the same thing over and over again. They train, they practice and they get promoted. But for what? They're on an island with no foes around them. Their only goal is to 'get promoted' but they have no overarching goal. I don't think they even would consider that their 'ambition' or 'goal' because they're really just going through the motions. They do it because it's programmed into them."

Vein wanted to defend the dragons of Camp Draco but he had to admit, that was _exactly_what made the dragons so easily exploitable. Their predictability and their lack of a true direction made it easy to raid their supply runs and manipulate some of the high ranking officers to make certain supply runs easy to hit. Needless to say, he was captivated by what Renegade had to say.

"I think the same can be said of us," Finn said. "I mean, what's our goal?"

"To survive!" Cross announced loudly.

"Survive what?" challenged Finn. "The Apocalypse has come and gone. Do we have any purpose in survival? Or are we just going through the motions day in and day out?" Before anyone could respond, he quickly said, "No one in Arcadia ages, right? Do you honestly think that you can go on for all eternity raiding the other Beasts through the Gates, constantly risking your life and sanity? Is that sustainable? Shouldn't we be making improvements?"

He looked straight to Lobo. "You know things are changing. We ran from Hammerhorn. What we are now, who we are now, won't stand up against to him. Shouldn't that mean we need to change?"

All eyes went to Lobo, awaiting his answer.

"Change how, Renegade?" asked the Collector Leader.

Finn shook his head sadly. "Honestly? I don't know. All these things I've been doing, it was because I did what I thought was right." A soft, bitter smile crossed his features. "Clearly, that's not always right. I have ideas but... I don't think I should be pushing them. I really think we need to talk to Cody and prove that we're real before he grows to distrust us but... If we are going to make changes, we need to make those changes here at home first. In us."

Cross stamped his foot loudly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, kid, but doing what we're doing now is what's gotten us all through these years. This is how it's always been."

"And we lost Gantry because of 'how it's always been'," Savage countered. He boldly stepped away from the rest of the crowd and stood beside Finn. "I say, we make changes. We can't always be Collectors. We've got some new buddies with us now." He winked at Kevin. "I'm with Renegade."

Skip, naturally, skipped over to them and leapt straight into Savage's arms, stunning the rhino. He let out a playful squeal and threw his arms into the air. "We can't go back to the way things were. We've got to change! The first person to become a Collector took that step towards change. Someone had to say that they couldn't just remain human forever. Let's revive that spirit!"

Anodyne let out a huff and moved forward, stunning everyone. He usually didn't take sides. "You can't pretend that big changes have happened. If we take it back and plug our ears, pretending that it isn't happening, we're going to get crushed. I think it's time the Collectors stopped just being the suppliers to humanity and became its defenders."

Lobo let out a loud sigh. He gripped his head and shook it slight. "We can't narrow our scope to those who look human either." Their leader stepped forward and placed himself between the two groups. To his left were the group of revolutionaries vying for change and to his right was everyone else. "Some of the people we've met beyond the Gates are more human than even we are." He said those words while regarding the refugees. "I agree. We need to change. But what that change is...?"

Vein found himself speaking up. "We need to change how we're organised." He felt all eyes fall on him but being a Captain in Camp Draco, he was used to the attention. "We've got more people now than just a band of ten Collectors. We've got our friends from Hornton and maybe more if we can find a settlement that hasn't been hit. So, here's my suggestion..."

He took up position next to Lobo, thinking fast. He quickly considered everyone's talents, their abilities and their personalities. The social dynamics of the gathering had to be taken into consideration as well. More than anything, he had to appease everyone in some way shape or form.

"Let's cut the idea of these rotations through each Gate," he said. "With two Gates open, that really isn't viable anymore. We need to split into teams that are built towards certain tasks. They go where they are needed not where they are scheduled to go." He got several nods from everyone around him. Finn, in particular, was beaming.

"Carver, Kevin, Anodyne, you and the others from Hornton can stay as Team Vanguard. Your job will be to build up our defences. We need you to get to work on making the defences around the Return Gate in Hornton. You'll also need to make contact with the other Settlements. You're our first line of defence."

Kevin gave him a sharp salute. Carver clearly disagreed with the motion but not Vein's suggestion.

"We'll need a scouting team as well," Vein said. "Vale, you're the fastest out of all of us. Crash has the best memory and Ruin is a great tactician. The three of you can be Team Pathfinder. Your job will be to go to unknown areas or areas we know about and make sure that it'll be safe for the other teams to go to."

Vale still looked pissed. That worried Vein. He always thought his 'brother' liked to stir things up a bit. They had made their games room on that notion alone. That would have to be an issue for later as he turned towards Renegade.

"Renegade, I'd like to ask you, Savage and Skip if you'll accept me into your team. The team designed to make contact with any Beast community and getting them to ally with us."

"Of course!" exclaimed Finn with a big grin. "We'd welcome you! What'll be our team name?"

"Trailblazer," grunted Savage. "We're the ones that form the new connections. We set the new path for the rest of Arcadia to follow."

Vein grinned at the name even though he sensed a bit of resentment from some of the other conservative Collectors. "That leaves you, Lobo. You, Rush and Cross. I was thinking you'd be our Commando team. You three are the best suited for combat. If we need leaders in battle, you'd be it and if we need to make any raids, you're the go to."

Lobo seemed to pull over the suggestion. "Team Commando. I like it." He quickly cast his gaze around the room. "Anyone opposed?"

No one spoke up much to Vein's relief.

"Good," Lobo grunted. "Now let's talk deployments..."

******

349:10:27:11:40:59

"You've been making modifications."

Skip swung his legs over the ramparts of Newhome. Most of Hammerhorn's rhinos - now calling themselves Rammers - were busy going through the drills that Gantry had ordered them to practice. Now numbering over three hundred between Newhome and the Gateway, the numbers of the Rammers were quickly rising to the point where several lieutenants beyond just Bulldozer and Gantry would be needed. Skip had no doubt that this would take Hammerhorn to Camp Draco to abduct some of the officers there and turn them to his cause.

"I'm doing what I believe is for the betterment of the species I have been charged with," Bulldozer answered calmly. "They needed a strong identity to be able to resist falling to any roving bands of Wreckers or to fall prey to the complacency of a Builder. They'll need it as well on their raids into Camp Draco."

"So you've started then."

"Just this morning. An unsuccessful raid on a supply convoy. The dragons were weaker but the rhinos were undisciplined. I believe the only way we'll ever make any leaps and bounds there is through sheer numbers. At least until we get some of them converted and inject their self-control into the rest of the Rammers."

Skip let out a thoughtful noise wondering how Mower would take the news. "Hammerhorn hopes to make an appearance?"

"Eventually," answered Bulldozer. "He's made trips into Camp Draco and is clearly impressed by the dragons. He hopes to integrate them into his growing 'civilisation' as he likes to think of it."

"You realise that'll come in direct conflict with Mower's objectives."

The other Angelus nodded sagely. "I am aware." He gave Skip a coy smile. "Then again, we all knew that our directives would come in conflict with one another from the get go. It's one of the reasons we were chosen."

Skip returned the smile. "Of course. Just remember that _Arcadia_comes first."

"Naturally." Bulldozer glanced over his shoulder at the Rammers that he had modified. All of them believed it was through Hammerhorn's power and, in part, it was. The result of Project Hammer had some control over the Haze but it was crude and he was untrained. Bulldozer merely refined it when it took effect and gave the Rammers a distinct look. "I'll be sure to leave some people to be refugees for Arcadia to pick up."

"I wouldn't be so confident," chuckled Skip. "Reforms are taking place. They are reorganising themselves. No longer are they arranged by time but now by role. You've got specialisations. I would caution you. You just might get raided. I've also found that there are two rather strong personalities amongst the rhino refugees we picked up that could very well start dominating the weak minded. They might even start converting more settlements to their side. Assuming, that is, that you haven't hit them already."

Bulldozer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We already have raiders going around the city. Do you know what path they will be taking? I want to make sure that only to weaker ones cross paths with them so they have some converts. Settlements on the western side of the river aren't being targeted either due to their size. If you want to lead them there, go ahead."

"Hammerhorn isn't one for the small fry?" Skip laughed.

"He thinks big," agreed Bulldozer. "Perhaps that is a flaw but for now, it is working to his favour."

"You best try and pull him back," Skip warned. "Hornton maintains its stability because consumption of resources is not focused and is scattered. If..." He stopped himself for a moment. "No, when Carver and Kevin start pooling Wreckers and Builders into building a single stronghold, Hammerhorn will be left with rhinos geared towards war and few that are capable of building and producing food and supplies."

The other rhino chuckled softly. "I just have to last a few more days until the Gate to Burheim opens. I know what lies beyond there and Gantry has already told Hammerhorn."

Warning bells started running through Skip's mind. That almost sounded like Bulldozer was favouring the progress of the Rammers to the rest of the world. He kept his concerns to himself, however. All the Angelus_were warned during briefing that they would be come into conflict with one another. They would be planted into this world and stay on it for years, decades maybe even _centuries. Opinions would change. They would change. They would have no contact with one another. They were not a team. They only had their four directives and they were committed to them.

"I wish you best of the luck on that endeavour," Skip said. "Just please ensure that Hammerhorn doesn't get it into his head to invade Arcadia itself."

Bulldozer waved a hand absently through the air. "Will never happen. He doesn't have enough Keys."

"Even just one of his Rammers make it through to Arcadia will jeopardize the sanctuary. Especially now that the pure humans are likely going to go very... elitist."

A worried look crossed Bulldozers face and he crossed his arms across his broad, bare chest. "Elitist? What do you mean?"

Skip wasn't sure himself as he had only heard the whispers in his time undercover amongst the humans. One of his talents had always been to slip in and out of a crowd undetected, to blend in even amongst the closely knit community of Arcadia. What he had heard worried him. "I'm not sure quiet yet. There is no resentment against the Collectors amongst the pure humans just... wariness that they might be slipping. It doesn't help that a few of the Constructors have taken to fear mongering."

Bulldozer let out a thoughtful noise and was silent for a long moment. "Well, I cannot say that I know your area better than you but I would suggest that you wait. Not necessarily do nothing but leaders tend to have people who oppose them. You'll find allies in the unlikeliest of places but only if you let them come to you. Recruiting them when you have a force that is a trusted figurehead and leader will be hard especially when your target group is so small."

That advice brought a smile to Skip's lips. "Thank you. I will take that into consideration." He got up from where he stood and glanced towards the southwest where the Return Gate stood. "I'll return shortly with the patrol schedules. I'd like to get either Kevin or Carver promoted to a true leader of the new rhinos sooner than later. Just give me some time to find the lab and the Beacon in Camp Draco before you start a full offensive."

"Give Hammerhorn two fronts to fight against," agreed Bulldozer. "I don't want him focused entirely on conquest, after all."

******

349:10:27:12:15:16

Finn felt the dozens of eyes on him as he passed through the gates of Camp Draco. He felt a little... off especially when the guards at the gate saluted to him and called him 'sir'. It hadn't been that long since he had just been another recruit but now he was an officer with rank. It gave him the chills but at the same time, it stirred the Beast inside of him, telling him that he needed more. That part of him he subdued as he headed straight to the Commander's Cabin.

No one stopped him especially since he had a Colonel beside him. Vein certainly had a very commanding aura about him that Finn had never realised before though he had to admit that might be in part due to the fact he didn't hang around Vein that much. The gold dragon looked rather sexy in his tight military fatigue pants. His golden scales shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Those venomous spines along his back were clearly visible especially since he didn't wear the same olive green shirt that the other soldiers wore. When asked why that was the case, he confessed that the spines along his bad made it virtually impossible to put on a shirt. Not that he really minded. The creamy scales on his chest were left for all to adore and see, his pectorals and chiselled abdominals glistening just as brightly as the rest of his scales.

Finn mounted the few short steps up to Cody's cabin and gave it a few short knocks.

Cody opened the door a moment late a look of relief on his features. "Finn! I -" Cody's eyes widened as he looked past Finn at the three others behind him. "Lieutenant Savage... Colonel Vein... You..." His eyes settled on the figure between the two, big dragons. "Is that...?"

"We need to talk, sir," Finn said evenly. "May we come in?"

Cody eyed Skip who was still in rhino form after his trip into Hornton explicitly to transform. "We should detain him."

"Sir," rumbled Vein, "let me assure you that he is perfectly safe. You might even recognise him after a bit."

A calculation look crossed the blue dragon's features but he shuffled aside and welcomed them into his cabin without a word. Finn hurried inside with the rest of Team Trailblazer right behind him. He pulled up one of the seats so that Cody could sit down but he refused and just stood patiently watching Skip. Finn did stand beside the dragon though, just as reassurance.

With the door shut, Vein began their carefully practiced speech.

"Sir, as you know Camp Draco's supply lines have been constantly raided by these rhino-men for what seems like forever. They have never once hurt or killed any of the men. Just taken the supplies. This is one of those rhino men."

"How did you capture one of them?" Cody asked. His voice was calm. Frighteningly so. That his features were perfectly still and unreadable only made Finn even more nervous. The previous night, he had been so easy to read. He seemed so... human. But here... he was all business. He was the Commander again.

"We didn't," Savage grunted. "He came willingly."

"And reason why he isn't strapped down and restrained?"

"Because he's one of us." Before Cody could ask further, Savage continued. "The story that Renegade hinted at about Arcadia is true. There is a place called Arcadia out there and it is filled with humans. Humans who sometimes venture into Camp Draco after taking the shape of another species to gather materials to help their society survive. This is, in fact, Warrant Officer Skip."

"Before you start shouting treason, sir," cut in Vein. "Know that we're all from Arcadia. Renegade included. We are all humans that have chosen to take the shape of another species to help our civilisation survive."

Finn found himself holding his breath as Savage and Vein explained the how Arcadia worked and how they had been raiding the other regions beyond the Gates to keep their society afloat. They explained the Haze, the Apocalypse, the purpose of Arcadia and the Collectors. All through it, Cody remained sill and silent, his jaw set hard and firm. Finn wasn't sure why he was so scared but he truly feared Cody's reaction to this news.

Once the two senior Collectors were done, they asked Cody if he wanted a demonstration. The Commander was unmoving for a long moment. Then he gave the slightest nod.

Savage promptly dropped his pants and turned his sheath covered in creamy, soft scales towards Skip. The big multi-winged dragon grunted as he massaged his balls lightly, waking the beast contained within the package. Skip knelt in front of Savage and promptly began to lick the dragon's balls. Slowly, two bright red points began emerging from deep within the tube of scaly flesh. They dripped with precum, a waterfall of clear fluids cascading down Savage's balls and dripping down his broad, redwood legs. Finn had never actually seen the dual dicks of a dragon before and he found his muzzle watering as the twin members filled with blood and emerged side by side. Each one had to be at least fourteen inches long. Neither looked remotely human. They were long, tapering lengths with a defined point and throbbed with need. His own dick throbbed in his pants but he reeled his need in. This was not the time to act on carnal pleasures though it was painfully hard with Cody right there. Memories of the previous night still burned in his memory. It didn't help that he could smell Cody similarly getting aroused.

Skip's broad muzzle quickly hid the two cocks from view to some small relief. The rhino sucked and slurped, not letting a single drop of precum pass his long tongue. As he did so, his body began to change. Cody's arousal quickly turned to confusion and then his scent became neutral again as he watched Skip's leathery hide take on the consistency of scales and change colour. The thin, whip like tail of a rhino bulged and filled out rapidly, becoming the long, muscular length of a true dragon. It thumped the floorboards happily. Two lumps quickly formed between Skip's shoulder blades. Almost like a pump, Skip's tail rose and fell and with each motion, those lumps grew and grew, quickly forming his wings.

Even with the transformation incomplete, with the wings, tail and scales, there was no mistaking that the man sucking off Savage was indeed Skip.

"I've seen enough," barked Cody. "Get out of here. Finish up somewhere you won't be seen and stay on the grounds until I decide what to do with you."

Finn, head ducked, stepped towards the door.

"Not you, Renegade. You stay."

His heart froze in his chest. The other Collectors gave him a concerned look. He wasn't sure what Cody would do but the Savage had made it clear that Collectors were naturally stronger than any of the Beasts whose shape they borrowed, likely a reason that all of the Collectors were officers instead of just mere recruits. Cody was smart. If he put Finn in danger, he'd have three of his top officers to contend with and each one bigger, stronger and faster than the majority of his army.

Finn gave the others a nod and they quickly began to leave. After Vein headed through the door, Savage picked up the partially transformed Skip and speared him on his cocks. Skip shivered in delight but tactfully kept himself from crying out so that he didn't attract any attention.

Once the door was shut, Finn was left alone with Cody.

The Commander turned around and returned to his corner desk, seating himself in his broad, leather chair. The way he dipped his muzzle downwards and tented his clawed fingers cast a shadow over his features, hiding his eyes from Finn.

A strained silence passed for several minutes. Occasionally, a volley of gunfire would interrupt the quiet somewhere from the training grounds. Finn briefly wondered if he or the other Collectors would be restrained and sent to the firing squad for treachery. He took a deep breath, trying to get an idea of Cody's mood from his scent. But the Commander's odour was surprisingly neutral.

"You lied to me."

Finn gulped loudly. "Yes." Then as an afterthought, he added, "Sir."

Cody lifted his blue eyes to Finn, each one clear and sharp as the sky. "When you told me that the whole Arcadia thing was just a ploy to get promoted. You lied to me. It's real. You're part of it." His eyes narrowed. "Why did you lie?"

Feeling a deep rush of blood to his cheeks, Finn said, "I acted out of line. For a long while, I was sort of... well, a Renegade. I did what I wanted with little consideration for what everyone else wanted. I was lucky because it all turned out for the best... sort of. But this time, I realised that I may have overstepped my boundaries. I mean, you guys are trained killers and have guns! What if things turned out wrong! I could get everyone in Arcadia killed!"

"So you lied to me to protect your country."

"Arcadia isn't so much a country... but it's my home."

Cody dipped his muzzle downwards again. "I see." He fell back into silence and Finn found his throat closing up, unable to say a word.

"I could've gone on believing that lie," the Commander said at length. "Why reveal it now? Did your leaders back in Arcadia decide otherwise?"

"Actually, they agreed we needed help. There's another group of rhinos in another region. He's enormous. A giant. He's slowly taking over Hornton and there are some of us from there. It's their home. Collectors are strong but we're few in number. There's only seventeen of us. And we're all... human. One of us actually fell to Hammerhorn... at least that's what we think happened. We lost him and... We're all scared about what would happen if we didn't change."

"Change?" repeated Cody.

Finn explained what happened in Hornton, how Hammerhorn's appearance disrupted the status quo. Most of the Collectors just wanted to pretend it didn't happen and go back to how things were but ultimately, they all agreed that was foolish. Hammerhorn was building an army. Arcadia needed allies.

"And that's why you came to me," Cody murmured. "You want to be our allies."

"Yeah..."

The Commander sighed. "That's the second time you've lied to me, Finn. On both occasions, it's for the sake of someone else. The officer in me wants you flogged. The rest of me wishes that you'd show me that kind of loyalty." He set his hands back down and lifted his muzzle towards Finn. "I can't condone _your_actions specifically and the Arcadian Collectors have been hitting our supplies for years. Not exactly the greatest start to an alliance. That you only open your doors to us because of a foe you can't deal with doesn't make this a viable arrangement either especially since there is no threat to Camp Draco directly."

Finn swallowed loudly. Those were some fairly damning statements and he begrudgingly agreed with them all. How do you undo constant supply raids for years? How do you make up for that amount of deception?

"But I think we can come to some sort arrangement," Cody said, reaching into his drawer. He pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. "You mentioned that you have some refugees from Hornton temporarily in Arcadia. Do they benefit from increased strength as you do when you change back to a human?"

Seeing a possible bridge to their damaged relationship, Finn eagerly explained that the process seemed to be related to how many Gates an individual passed through. Collectors tended to become superhuman in size, stature and strength when they turned back from passing through so many Gates. The rhinos of Hornton certainly became stronger and more powerful after returning to their original forms after becoming humans. The true extent of their transformations would have to be gauged if they got the chance to pass through other Gates.

"This Haze you speak of also seems to be some sort of... aerial agent everywhere, even here, that subjects people to a sort of... complacent state?"

"That's what we think, anyway," Finn responded with a shrug. "It's not like we've researched it or anything but the Haze smells differently in every region except for Arcadia. The Haze doesn't exist there."

"Did you see a marked difference in the way these refugees of yours began acting when they were freed of their Haze."

"Oh yeah! I mean I wouldn't say that their personalities changed more like... unlocked. I mean, I never knew Kevin was a top but apparently..." He pulled himself back and coughed. "Sorry..."

"No. That's fine." Cody looked at the piece of paper on his desk. It was filled with scribbles along the margins. He circled a certain paragraph and then turned the page towards Finn. "I told you that I came from a _NexArm_facility. They trained me to be the Commander. I went back there a few years ago. It was completely abandoned but I did find this report. Tell me what you think of it."

Another report to the mysterious Director?

Finn's heart began to race as he stepped up to Cody's desk and picked up the page. It started with 'Dear Mr. Director' and his excitement began to mount.

'You are well aware of the Haze by now. At first, we thought it was some sort of nanobot cloud released by someone or something that was pre-programmed to reconfigure the minds and bodies of anyone caught within it to a set state. However, as has been identified by other research teams, the effects are not immediate and sometimes, the cloud can be present all over an area but remain dormant for a long time, activating spontaneously. We were at a dead end until you brought to our attention the source of the Haze, the town called Wolfholme.

'From what I understand from your briefing, Wolfholme was a small town built on top of some sort of ancient shrine to an entity called The Need. This Need transformed the residents of the town into anthropomorphic canines of various species to fit its own definition of 'perfection' and then 'fed' off its semen. It would visit its inhabitants nightly and cause them to ejaculate, fuelling its power. I understand that using your substantial powers, you managed to isolate this town and keep it from being a plague upon the world. I also understand that you foresaw that devastation that it would bring if word of the town ever got out and subsequently wiped the memories of anyone who managed to escape the town.

'Let me first say thank you for bringing this town to our attention. It has allowed us to make leaps and bounds on the origins of the Haze. From our research, we discerned that the Haze and indeed The Need is a collective intelligence entity.'

"What?" Finn asked. He noted that 'collective intelligence entity' was circled.

"I did some research on my own," Cody said. "It's most from science fiction novels though. That's why I thought this report was bullshit the first time I read it. I mean, the idea of this 'Need' really sounded like fantasy." He leaned back in his chair. "A collective intelligence is usually used to refer to some sort of artificial intelligence. It suggests that while a single process is simple and basic, if you add more of the same processes, they can work together to form the simple task and free up more processing power for more complex tasks. Basically, the more of something you have, the smarter it gets. Read on though..."

Turning his eyes back to the report, Finn continued to read.

'We discovered that while some people managed to escape Wolfholme, they still carried some of The Need with them inadvertently. It was within their bloodstreams and was often emitted as part of their odour. However, due to the nature of The Need, it could not fully manifest any transformations. Thousands of people have escaped Wolfholme over the years but this is where it gets interesting.

'Genetic diversification is truly a fascinating phenomenon. As time passed, these 'carriers' of The Need, have coupled, mated and created offspring whether intentionally or not. Over the past thousand or so years since their escape, 'carriers of the Need' of both genders have spread all over the world. Eventually, these same carriers have produced offspring of their own, forming a more concentrated version of the Need. As this continued, the Need grew due to the very nature of its collective intelligence.

'However, due to the scattered nature of this distribution, only certain locations have a high enough concentration of this new form of the Need. Additionally, due to the generations of dormancy, it has evolved into something else. We now know that once the concentration of carriers reached a certain threshold, the Need activated and began mutating those most susceptible to it. Despite the vast ranges that it covers, however, this version of the Need is still much weaker than the far more concentrated and powerful Need. Additionally, this Need derivative that we've now called the 'Haze' must also expend resources to produce food and supplies as well as keep the bodies of its inhabitants healthy, practically immortal. This makes the Haze weaker, more widespread and lacks in subtly and intelligence that the Need possessed.

'Thanks to these revelations, however, I am confident we can create a derivative of the Haze. One that specifically transforms people back into humans and maintains their bodies without the mind-controlling aspects. I will be submitting the proposition to you immediately once we have finalised the plan. I eagerly await your response.'

That last paragraph was circle and it looked recent.

It didn't take long for Finn to realise what it meant.

"The Haze is in Arcadia... isn't it?"

"But it's a different Haze," murmured Cody. "One that doesn't twist our minds and make us... Well..." He glanced out the window. "It doesn't turn people into brownnosed bootlickers who'll do anything for a promotion." His eyes darted back to Finn. "I told you that you gave me a reason to get up in the morning again, Finn. Now, I think we might just be able to give that chance to others as well."

Finn's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"There is something both our sides can benefit from an alliance," answered Cody. "We will provide you with troops and arms but in exchange, you train _our_troops to resist the Haze and bring them to Arcadia. To clear their heads, so to speak. We'll help you fight off this Hammerhorn as well. From all appearances, he sounds like a budding tyrant."

Finn's tail thumped the ground excitedly. "That sounds great! Let me just talk this to the others! I'm sure they'd be more than happy to accept these terms!"

Cody lifted one finger. "Just one more stipulation."

His tail thumping stopped. "Erm... And that is?"

The Commander rose, his features grave and a little menacing. "You never, _ever_lie to me again. Got that?"

Again, Finn's heart began to sink. "Oh... um... alright..."

"Good. Not get out of here. You have your mission." He sat back down in his chair. "I've got a lot of thinking to do."

There was something else to be said. A terrible taste was left in Finn's mouth especially if he and Cody were to leave on such bitter terms. He tried to let it out but it only came out as a bizarre gurgling from his throat.

The piercing stare that Cody shot him killed whatever words were building.

"Well? What are you still doing here? Go."

******

349:10:27:15:09:34

The settlement was small, perhaps only about thirty Builders strong. Newhome had hundreds within its walls. Seeing the perfectly identical concrete cubes that made up everything and the nearly identical rhinos that milled about knowing exactly what they were doing made Kevin a little... The feeling was strange. It was something akin of homesickness and maybe blended with a little bit of jealousy. He didn't want to give up what he had, who he was now, but perhaps letting himself slip back into the Builder he had been might ease some of his nostalgia.

But he didn't think that would be right.

Anodyne still took the lead but now that Kevin had pointed out who the rest of the Vanguard was following... Kevin became painfully aware of the eyes that followed his shoulders, criticising his every move, watching for weaknesses and waiting for that moment to pounce. He knew that wasn't in any of the rhinos that had come with him but he kept thinking about those rhinos that had followed Hammerhorn and how he would've...

He shuddered involuntarily but immediately straightened after his second shake. That was not something he wanted to show the rest of the Vanguard constantly.

Anodyne stepped into the settlement. It frightened Kevin that they could just stroll into the area without anyone stopping to question them. The only thing that had ever kept them save from the Wreckers was the fact that they had some sort of warning that usually came in the form of their more savage 'cousins' roaring and bellowing like madmen. But now, with their increased tactics and intelligence, Kevin imagined that some of Hammerhorn's men could just stroll into the settlement, unopposed and then start converting people. He doubted any of the Builders would even stop them.

"Howdy there!" exclaimed a cheerful Builder. "Can I help you folks?"

"We're from a place called Arcadia," Anodyne said, taking the lead once more. "And we need your help."

"Sure my friend!" exclaimed the Builder, clapping Anodyne's back. "How best may we assist?"

"I'm not sure if you're aware but there is a growing army of Wreckers out there." Anodyne hiked his thumb over his shoulder. "They're threatening all of Hornton. So far, we've counted two major Builder settlements have been taken over. Our home, Arcadia, could be next. We need your help fortifying it against invasion."

The Builder nodded grimly. "That sounds mighty serious, my friend. But we have a few of our own projects around here as well. We probably won't be done until the end of the night. How about tomorrow we head over to your Arcadia and lend a hand? In the meantime, you're welcome to stay here for the time being. And if you are so inclined to help out with the work, we might just get out faster -"

"Oh for fuck's sake!"

Kevin's tail bushed out as Carver suddenly shoved past Anodyne and charged towards the slightly smaller Builder. Before anyone could protest, Carve seized the back of the Builder's head and shoved the guy's nose right into his sweaty armpit.

"Yeah! Smell that, fucker? You want more, don't ya!? Take it all in!"

"Carver!" Anodyne exclaimed, pulling the rhino away from the Builder. "What the hell was that!?" He turned back to their host. "I'm so sorry about that. Carver was a former Wrecker and..."

The Builder coughed and wiped his nose. "No... Uh... That's alright. We... um... We have a few of those as well. It's just... Urgh..."

Kevin's eyes widened as a visible tent began to form against the Builder's pants, a distinct wet spot appearing against the tan fabric.

"Oh... Uh... Gosh darnit..." muttered the Builder with rapidly decreasing resistances. His knees were actually shaking with pleasure. "I... Uh... This... this is new."

"Yeah, it is, isn't?" Carver laughed, trying to push past Anodyne's big arm. "First time you actually felt good as you're getting hard, ain't? It isn't like your fucked up Builder sex. You actually take pleasure in getting hard and feeling your cum churn in your balls. That's what it feels like to be human, bitch!"

Anodyne pushed Carver back, placing himself between their host and the rogue Vanguard. "What have you done!?"

"Converted him," Carver responded smugly.

"Just like Hammerhorn would? We're not like them!"

"So instead you want to trick them into Arcadia, get them to open their eyes just like us? How the _fuck_is that better?"

"We're not forcing it upon them! They're making the choice to cross into Arcadia of their own volition!"

"Like they know any better!"

Suddenly, Kevin could see himself standing in Anodyne's position arguing with Carver. Something in him said he should be arguing against Carver, that he should be telling Carver not to be so brash and to automatically push himself onto others in a mad attempt at vengeance. A glance at the rest of the team Vanguard showed that they were torn, either siding with Anodyne or Carver, coming to a stalemate.

But the damage was done. His eyes went back to the victim who had fallen to his knees, eyes glazed over his pleasure and hands quivering. The poor guy's cock was almost fully erect and straining his cargo pants. Other Builders didn't even come to help him. They just went about doing their own thing.

It made him look back at that day when Finn and his group had come into the settlement that would be Newhome. Something about Finn had somehow driven every Builder to break their routine and try something different; try defending themselves for once. Sadness overcame him as he realised that if it weren't for Finn, he likely would've either ended up just like the poor Builder that was probably having the time of his life or the others that were just milling about doing nothing.

That sadness was supplemented by a terrible feeling of helplessness.

There was nothing he could do to stop whatever was happening to the poor guy that was being ignored by everyone, even Anodyne who was arguing with Kevin.

Well... Maybe there was something he could do.

He moved in front of the Builder, kneeling in front of him. The guy's hands were shaking so badly like he was coming from some sort of drug withdrawal. Kevin remembered such symptoms from his own father who had tried drugs once, promised never to do it again after he came out of the hospital and then turned to booze instead.

Kevin reached out, taking the Builder's hands and holding them tightly, clasping them together and keeping them well away from the rising cock.

"Hey, my name is Kevin," he said calmly. "What's yours?"

The Builder only moaned and tried to pull his hands away from Kevin but the latter kept a firm grasp. "You know, I used to be just like you. Just another Builder. I never thought about anything but doing my job. I was in charge of stacking the blocks on the eastern wall." He laughed softly. "It's kind of funny, though. Now that I think about it, no one ever told me I had to stack the blocks there. I just did it. It was all I could ever remember doing. And you want to know what's even funnier?"

He waited for a response but only got a loud groan from the Builder.

"No matter how many blocks I stacked, the wall always stayed exactly the same height. I never saw any improvements no matter how much work I put into it. Day in, day out, that's all I did. Stack blocks with no marked progress. Maybe I'm just a little pissed that no one ever really appreciated the work I did back then. No one told me I did a good job. No one said that I stacked the blocks just the right way. No one ever told me I was doing it wrong because everyone knew I was doing it right. That was what being a Builder was about. Just doing what you were programmed to do."

A soft grunt left his Builder friend and the tugging stopped. Though the guy's cock was fully erect and pocking out from the rim of his pants to soak his shirt, Kevin was at least relieved that there was no constant urge to jack off anymore. Unfortunately, the sight of the cock and the aroma it emitted was powerful and tempting as well. He felt his own dick start to fill with blood. But he pushed such urges down. He was more than a Beast. He wasn't quite human either.

"I'm not saying it's a bad life," he told the Builder. "For a long time, I was happy. No, happy isn't the right word. I was... content. I didn't think of doing anything else. I didn't want anything else." He let out a soft laugh. "But then, this guy walked into our settlement. Made me realise a few things. Made me realise that things _could_be better if I tried. I didn't have to roll over and let a Wrecker mount me because that's my role in life. I didn't just have to stack blocks for the rest of my life. And most of all, that I was capable of more emotions than just contentment."

He gripped the Builder's hands tightly. "I can't pretend to know what you're going through right now but I imagine it's like this rush of emotions and it all feels good. It's like sensory overload. It hurts but at the same time, you want to know what it all means. But you can't forget who you are. You are a rhinoceros of Hornton. You live in this settlement. You have a part to play in how the settlement functions. You have a name."

Kevin regarded the rhino's big, meaty hands. They were clenched into fists.

"You can always have more," he said softly. "But we won't force it on you. I just ask that you trust me. From someone that's sort of been in your shoes." He slowly loosened his grip around the rhino's hands. "I'm going to let go of your hands now... I don't know what's going to happen but... I really hope that when you open your eyes, it's because you chose to and not because you were forced to."

The Builder suddenly threw his head back, letting out an ear-shattering, lusty cry. His cock surged out of his pants, spraying precum onto Kevin. The typical Builder build began to morph and change. Layers of body fat began to fade away, sinking into muscles that greedily consumed them and fuelled rapid growth. The growths focused specifically on the Builder's arms, tearing through the already taut sleeves of his shirt. The faint belly he sported began to shrink away, all that size shifting towards his upper torso. His pectorals ballooned out, tearing his shirt down the middle to reveal his chiselled body. The Builder doubled over, gripping his muzzle. Right between his fingers, a third horn began to emerge between his first two, rising to become a midpoint between his first two.

With another cry, cum erupted from the Builder's cock. Kevin ducked the first volley. All others were immediately curbed by the Builder seizing his enormous cock and angling it towards his muzzle. In an act of pure lust, the Builder shoved his dick into his muzzle, grunting with hips bucking as he poured his own seed down his throat.

Kevin had to admit that was both hot and impressive.

A few minutes later, the Builder let out his last shot and pulled his muzzle from his cock, gasping heavily. His eyes opened, full of clarity and gratitude.

"Luther. My name is Luther."

******

349:10:27:16:15:36

Finn tentatively entered Cody's cabin, knocking on the door as he entered.

Cody looked up from where he was sitting at his desk, a pen in hand. "I assume you have news," he said coldly.

That statement was like a jab in Finn's heart. He could practically feel the blood pouring down his chest. "Lobo, the Collector Leader, is here to negotiate the terms of the agreement, sir."

"Lobo." Cody lifted his gaze. "As in Colonel Lobo." He snorted and shook his head. "You people really were everywhere."

The use of 'you people' widened the gap between them. Finn wished he could build a bridge to close that gap but he feared to do so would jeopardize the tenuous alliance Arcadia had with Camp Draco. He genuinely felt terrible for two reasons. First, he could hear the hurt in Cody's words even though his body language didn't betray him. Second, he hadn't felt so... passionate about someone before, even Marv.

Had he just been stringing Marv along because he was lonely? What had he done now that Cody wouldn't even talk to him?

"They're waiting for you at the mess hall, sir," Finn said softly, standing rigidly by the door. He felt soldier instincts slipping in, the dragon in him forcing him to stay despite how awkward he felt. Only when he was dismissed would he be relieved of the agony of his sins.

Cody slowly stood and gathered the papers he had been working on, slipping them into a folder. "Let's go see them then. I have some rotations already in mind. Some of the recruits to make sure I don't lose any more officers."

For a second there, Finn felt like Cody was reaching out to him... then there came that jab and twist that made his gut twist into knots and make him feel sick. He found it incredibly hard to breathe and his vision was actually starting to blur. What few breaths he could take was filled with Cody's scent... and that faint sulphuric smell of the Haze around him. The pain of Cody's jabs was becoming unbearable and a solution presented itself...

... just let the soldier take over.

He snapped to attention, boots clicking together and he stared straight forward, looking past Cody. Now that the blue dragon wasn't in his field of vision, the pain ebbed away. His heart hardened. The wounds were still there but they were his war wounds. He was a soldier. He'd power through with them. He'd serve his country to his death.

Little did he know, his eyes began to dilate, turning purely reptilian; pupils slowly sliding into slits that matched most of the other dragons all over Camp Draco.

He was a good soldier.

He wouldn't beg for forgiveness.

He would take what punishment was offered him and -

"Wait!" he cried, immediately snapping himself out of the trance.

Cody stopped just a few short feet away from him. "What?"

For a second, Finn had to struggle to remember where he was and what he was doing. His heart began racing in his chest. It had been so easy for him to slip into becoming a full Beast. He realised why it was always a struggle for the other Collectors when they visited their favoured regions. The temptation was always there to stay with the one they had affection for and it would be so easy to slip and become a full Beast.

"Corporal, I don't have time for this," Cody grunted. "If you'll stand aside."

Finn lifted his gaze, locking it with Cody's. "No."

Cody's eyes widened briefly before narrowing dangerously. "Corporal, stand aside. That's an order."

Again, the dragon inside of him tried to take over, compelling him to move. His left leg actually lifted to move but he slammed it back down forcefully, actually ensuring his footing was more stable.

"No," he repeated.

"I do not have time for this," growled Cody. "Corporal Renegade, you will stand aside right now or -"

"Or what?" Cody snarled back. His tail snaked out and slammed the door shut behind him. "You'll make these snide comments about how I lied to you again? You'll keep reminding me that I fucked up? That I'm not a real dragon? That you and I shared a connection last night and then I screwed it up?"

Cody was oddly still.

"I'm not saying what I did was right," Finn growled, advancing a few steps. He found himself strangely at eye level with Cody. "But I'm not going to lie when I say that I genuinely felt something between us."

"Whatever it was, you killed it by deciding to lie to me," Cody answered coldly. "You saw my intentions before you lied to me." His features softened ever so slightly, just a slight easing of his angled eyebrows. "If you had told me all this last night, I would've believed you. I would've shown you that report I had and I would've opened Camp Draco's doors to you and your kind." He snarled and leaned forward, no doubt trying to intimidate Finn but the latter just stood his ground. Cody had to stop before their noses and their lips touched. "This would've been a genuine alliance. Right now, it's just an alliance of convenience. I want the Haze's spell broken over my men and Arcadia is the only way to do that."

Cody seized Finn's shoulder and shoved him aside. "So get out of my way."

Finn wouldn't give up that easily. If there was something he realised about himself, it was that he was stubborn. Nothing would stop him once he set his mind. He seized Cody's arm and pulled him back, yanking him away from the door.

Cody growled, his jaws parting. Blue flames began to lick between his fangs as he turned back around, the rage in him culminating in actual fire. At that moment, he wasn't sure what he would do. Maybe he would've burned Finn to ashes. Or maybe he would've shot a lance of flame right through the other dragon's wings so that he would never fly.

But all that rage faded when he felt a pair of lips press up against his own. The flames in his throat were instantly doused with an audible fizzle. His eyes widened as Finn pressed himself against Cody, the two of them slamming against the door, their bodies pushed up against one another. The kiss lasted for only a second.

Finn pressed his head against Cody's strong chest. "I'm sorry. I know what I did was terrible. I had a boyfriend back in Arcadia too, you know."

That rage began to build again. "You two-timing -"

"But I was obsessed with building the bridge between our two regions," Finn interrupted quickly. "He... he gave me an ultimatum. Him... or you. Almost everyone back in Arcadia told me not to come here because they were afraid of what you'd do when you found out. But I still came here to try and fix things." His head sank further, pressing his forehead against Cody's chest. "I know I fucked up. I should've just told you the truth... but I didn't. And I'm sorry. I'm _so_sorry."

For Cody's part, he was shaking. Finn's apology was genuine. There was no precedent _not_to accept it. Except for the multiple times Finn had lied to him. He was reminded for the fury he had barely kept contained when Finn, Savage, Vein and Skip and told him the truth. It was directed all at Finn for the betrayal. That purpose he had committed himself to had been shattered and he found some faint comfort in finding yet another one; to enlighten his troops...

But that still felt empty. It didn't have the passion he had for his first purpose...

... for Finn.

"Are you crying?"

It took a second for Cody to realise his shaking was indeed because of his sobbing. He reached up and wiped his eyes of his tears.

"No," he croaked, wincing at how his voice broke. "I'm the fucking Commander of Camp Draco. I can't let my troops see my cry." He gently pushed Finn away and fought to compose himself. But it was a losing battle. He had to rest his broad back against the door as his legs were no longer capable of supporting his weight. "Goddamnit, Finn..."

That Cody had used his real name again brought a wave of relief to Finn. He wasn't sure whether or not he should approach so instead, he quickly headed towards the liqueur cabinet and poured some whiskey for himself and Cody. He brought the two glasses over and Cody downed his in one gulp. Not really one for alcohol, Finn offered the other glass and Cody drank it too. Cody then proceeded to wipe the tears away with the heel of his palm.

"Sometimes I wish things could just go back to the way things were," the Commander. "Pointless routine and purposeless existence seems almost like paradise compared to this."

"Getting your heart broken and mended is part of being human..."

"And apparently, I was human once before," murmured Cody slowly sliding down the door. He sat on the floor, head lowered. "I can't help but wonder if being human is such a good thing. Wouldn't it be better to live in ignorance if that means we can't get hurt the way we are? But then I remember what the report said..." He held up his glass. Finn went back to grab the whiskey bottle and poured the Commander another shot. "We've all been brainwashed. NexArm and I guess the Nexus Conglomerate saved some of us... I always felt there was something wrong with Camp Draco and now I know."

He sighed and downed the contents of his glass. "As Commander, I have to make harsh decisions. Sometimes, I have to make decisions that I don't like but will be better for everyone else." He lifted his gaze towards Finn. "Choosing to make this alliance with you guys was the hardest thing I've had to do because you're going to be sticking around." He winced softly and shook his head. "I don't think I can take that, Finn..."

"I don't think I could either." Finn sat down beside the Commander, staring at the bottle in his hands. "I... I guess I only have memories for less than a month. Anything beyond that, I don't remember. But I thought I was in love once before."

"Your boyfriend..."

"Ex-boyfriend now. I haven't spoken to him since that night I chose to come to you." Finn sighed and set the bottle down. "I don't know what I feel right now. But I don't want things between us to end like this." He reached out and gently gripped Cody's shoulder. "I... I really care about you Cody. No one has ever treated me like you have."

"You mean act like a jerk, give you the cold shoulder and make snide jabs at you just to hide his own emotional scars?"

That brought a small smile across Finn's face and he gave Cody a light shove. "You know what I mean." He looked directly into Cody's eyes. "The thing with me and Marv... erm... Rush, it just sort of happened. He was willing to follow me wherever I went but I guess... I was always just leading him on. You're the first person I've wanted to chase."

"Really?" Cody asked, lifting his eyebrows. His smile broadened. "I'm worth that much to you?"

"Before you ask," Finn began, "it isn't the power. It isn't that you can give me horns or two dicks. It's because I just feel like... we... click." He shrugged, unable to explain the emotion. "It hurt me a lot to lie to you like that. But I wanted to protect my home. I wanted to protect you too. Collectors are _many_times stronger than your average dragon."

Cody rolled his eyes. "I've noted. Lobo, Savage and Vein all rose to their current ranks within ten weeks of coming in. Even Skip got to his level within a few days. I'm fairly sure he's holding back as well." He let out a thoughtful hum. "Now that I think about it... I really should've suspected something was up. They just sort of appeared one day. I memorised the roster and I never saw their names..." He gave Finn a crooked smile. "Must be the Haze, huh?"

"Must be."

The Commander took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So... what do you think I'll look like as a human? Or even a rhino?"

"You want to come to Arcadia or Hornton?"

Cody's grin grew a little bashful. "I've lived in monotony and without purpose for my whole life, Finn. I have a goal now. Well... two, really." He held up one finger. "First is to make sure my men are freed from this endless struggle for promotion. I want them to make their own path in life without me being the bottleneck. Second..." He turned that same finger to gently pull Finn's chin towards himself. Then he pressed their lips together for two second. "... Second is that make this thing between you and I work."

"And you want to go through the Gates...?" Finn asked, a dreamy smile on his face.

"Well..." Cody answered coyly. "I'll admit, watching Skip change sort of... made me curious. I want to see how that feels and what it feels like to be in another body. Like I said, monotony. I'd like to... shake things up a bit."

A soft laugh escaped Finn as he pulled away. His hand was still tightly wrapped around Cody's however. "I'd be happy to be there to help you change." He leaned his head against Cody's broad shoulders. "And change with you."

Before either of them could say anything else, a rapid series of knocks came on the door.

"Sir! We're under attack! Rhinos!"

******

349:10:27:16:47:35

Skip popped his reptilian jaw, mulling over what had just occurred. Camp Draco scampered to man its defences, perhaps the first time it had ever come under attack in its long history. No matter the levels of training or the _centuries_spent mastering their craft, without real life experience, even the most hardened of the dragons were little more than recruits. Behind him, about two dozen Rammers charged at Camp Draco's gates. The bullets from the dragons bounced harmlessly off makeshift armour built from thick sheets of metal that had been perfectly crafted to fit the physiques of the massive rhinos.

They were all geared for war.

And it was war that they had brought to Camp Draco.

To say that he was pissed was an understatement.

The jungle shrubs shuffled behind him and Skip turned around from his perch high in a mountainside overlooking the Camp. A small smile touched his lips as Bulldozer emerged with four other Rammers beside him.

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't instigate an attack upon Camp Draco until I had found the Beacon."

There was no confusion, no signs of individuality or even thought in the eyes of the other rhinos. Skip guessed correctly that Bulldozer was keeping them under a powerful Haze-induced control.

"I gave it some thought," answered Bulldozer. "But then it hit me. Why should you get all the glory of initiating the end game? Why should you be the one that 'saves mankind'? In fact, why does there need to be a mankind? Why can't the dominant species be the rhinos?"

Skip wasn't surprised and he let out a short laugh of amusement. "The first time I met you, I suspected that you showed more favouritism towards your assigned race than you should have. You became one of them instead of their guardian angel." Skip crossed his arms and absently tapped his jaw thoughtfully. "You know, I had always suspected Arcadia's activation was what triggered Hammerhorn's own activation but then I realised... Hammerhorn was active a little longer than that, wasn't he? You got the message as well, I'm sure. You know it was time for Arcadia to activate. If I had to guess, you were scared that you'd lose what you had and so you revived a long dead, long failed experiment to act as your puppet."

The big rhino grinned from ear to ear and applauded mockingly. "Bravo. Got everything right there. I expected nothing less from an employee of the core corporation."

"Lair."

Bulldozer flinched as Skip grinned.

"Don't think I'm blind to your machinations or Regulus' activities." Bulldozer flinched, confirming Skip's suspicions. "Yes, I know about Regulus and his pet. He may think that he can slip his messages through the Gates without me noticing but he made the mistake of trying to convert me and I've had his scent ever since." Skip tapped his nose slyly. "I'll admit that I am unaware of the broader plan but you can be assured that I will have no part in it. You can also rest assured that I will be in direct opposition."

Bulldozer's expression change from surprise to frustration. "Why? Why should we spend our time and effort reviving a long dead civilisation that was only focused on war and was so self-centred that they refused to put others in front of their own interests even when the world was ending! The local mayor of Hornton used the plague as a standing point to get re-elected! Camp Draco's military leaders were so cowardly that began turning human refugees that looked to them for salvation into soldiers, filling them with propaganda of racial purity and intolerance all so that they could maintain power!"

"And you're blaming the downfall of both societies to humans as a whole?" countered Skip. "Humans worked on both Project Hammer and Project Nail. They sacrificed themselves for better understanding of the Haze and how to restore humanity to the people. Humans were the ones that elevated a lowly Captain to Commander level and ruled over those greedy Generals." Skip narrowed his eyes. "But you're not after who they are, are you? You're after their shape. You're so superficial that you don't even want a trace of the human shape to exist."

The other Angelus lifted his head defiantly. "Human forms as soft, squishy and have no natural defences. They need to build their own weapons. The only thing going for them is their intelligence and complex emotions. Even the best Collector in human form is now match for one of the Rammers."

"So you just wish to elevate your rhinos. Make them as intelligent as humans but keep their shape." Skip grunted and shook his head bitterly. "Hoping to create a 'master race', are we?"

"Hoping to create a hierarchy." Bulldozer smirked and lifted his hand up, forming a claw. "It's Regulus' vision. We form a world where rank, ability and raw talent is governed not by your shape. It should be a privilege to be granted the shape of a rhino! It should be a _gift_that you have wings, a tail, horns or the ability to breathe fire!" His features twisted into a dark scowl. "I see the world that the Director wants to make. He wants to make us all equal. We all pass through Arcadia. He gets rid of the Haze. Then we're on even playing grounds again. Why would I want that?"

Skip shook his head grimly. "Of course. Why would you want to give up the ability to control others and change their form at will with your abilities?"

"It's more than just that," snapped Bulldozer. "We have sacrificed so_much for this world. For some of us, it isn't even _our world! We've spent centuries_looking after these people and then by the end of it, he just expects us to give it all up and go back do our day jobs!?" He shook his head and lowered his hand. "No. Regulus is going to make sure this new world has a strong leader and he has his lieutenants by his side. Whether they be the _Angelus or others trained in the Haze, we will have this world."

Skip kept his heartbeat calm even though it should have been racing at Bulldozers words. He hinted that other Angelus had already been turned to Regulus' side and possibly training others in how to control the Haze and thus others.

"You don't have to be crushed in the coming storm," Bulldozer said. The smirk on his face revealed that he had no intention of following through with whatever offer he was going to make. "Join us. We could use your considerable abilities. You could guide Arcadia to us." His smirk widened. "Arcadia is key, after all, right?"

And just like that, Bulldozer had revealed a critical weakness in whatever Regulus was planning. "Yes, yes it is."

Loud groans suddenly erupted from the rhinos escorting Bulldozer. The _Angelus_traitor had been so busy talking that he hadn't realised that bodyguards were slowly shifting. There was a problem with supressing the thoughts of your victims, after all; they didn't have the power to shout in alarm. By the time Bulldozer realised what was happening it was already far too late.

"We all have our specialities, Bulldozer," Skip said, spreading his big, broad wings. "I look forward to seeing how you pit yours against mine. But not today. I have some allies to save and some allies yet to make."

He jumped off the edge, letting the winds catch his wings. He turned in the air, flapping his broad, leathery wings and heading back to Camp Draco. The moans of the Rammers behind him were loud enough to confirm that they would at least be useless for the next few hours. He wasn't so cruel as to leave them all with cocks and balls as big as they were. They would eventually shrink back to normalcy... as long as Bulldozer didn't try to interfere, that is. With luck, Bulldozer would be occupied long enough so that his influence wasn't felt across the battlefield.

What he had uncovered disturbed him, however.

An alliance of rogue Angelus under Regulus...

More than anything, he had to find that Beacon.

But first... he needed to talk to Mower.

******

349:10:27:17:00:10

"I thought we called a truce!"

Finn was unsure how to feel. He stood on a watchtower near the gates to Camp Draco. Just beyond the camp's gates, there stood a horde of rhinos. They were all armoured. Somehow, they had managed to create thick pieces of body armour that was thick enough to deflect even the bullets from the dragons. They were walking, living tanks!

And they were charging the walls of Camp Draco, their enormous bodies hitting the brick walls past the chain link fences. The dragons were already forced to retreat past their first line of defence, now relying solely on sniping and shooting from the watchtowers.

"That's not us..." Finn murmured. He didn't need the binoculars from Cody to see the big, red banners being waved by the army. The side profile of a rhino's head was emblazoned on the field of deep, almost blood red. A hammer and a single horn was crossed behind it.

"Then who?" Cody demanded.

"Hammerhorn."

Beside him, Lobo's fists shook, his eyes wide. Whether it was terror in his eyes or something else, Finn couldn't tell. But with Lobo still being in rhino form, he doubted it would be a good idea for him to be on the field.

"Fuck..." Cody growled, glancing along his defences. The rhinos were focusing only on the front gates but there had to be at least three hundred of them ready to charge at the Camp. In terms of sheer numbers, they were on the losing end. Maybe even in training and equipment.

"How did they develop armour and such immense training so fast...?" Finn wondered aloud. "Last time we left them, they weren't even organised. Look... They're in neat rows... They're in groups."

"Fuck," Cody repeated. "He glanced towards the two Collectors beside him. "I don't suppose even with all your touting about being much stronger than your average rhino or dragon, you'd be strong enough to knock this whole army down... are you?"

Lobo shook his head gravely. "Not even if we had everyone here. Besides, look at those rhinos. They're big. Bigger than what normal Wreckers should be. I think they've also gone manes down their backs... They might've been here in Camp Draco for a while, changed into dragons and then changed back. Their juiced up rhinos just like Kevin our rhino team..."

"That's... really bad then..." Cody glanced towards the approaching army. "Well, they may be impervious to bullets but let's see how they take explosives." He lifted a walkie-talkie towards his lips and gave a sharp order.

Loud thumps filled the air and Finn turned to the sky. Three smoke streams hurtled into the air, rising just above the groups of rhinos. The suddenly exploded in a big cloud of smoke, dropping pellets down onto the ground. The moment the pellets hit jungle floor -

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The watchtower shook as the cluster mortars exploded. The rhinos, despite their armour, were still vulnerable to explosive weaponry. Their numbers immediately scattered and all forms of organisation went into the wind. Finn didn't want to see the bloodied and maimed bodies of the Beasts...

"Well fuck me..."

Though with Cody's words, he did dare a peek.

His eyes widened.

There were a few small craters dotting the area and more than a few of them were taken up by several rhinos, all of them whole and seemingly uninjured save perhaps for being dazed. They were unmoving but since their bodies were torn to shreds, he could only guess that they would be getting up soon.

"Just what are these bastards made of!?"

"Maybe they inherited some of the dragons' hard scales!"

All three men let out a shout of surprise and spun around. Skip was sitting on the edge of the watchtower, swinging his legs happily.

"Skip..." Lobo said, letting out sigh. "Shit man, you scared us."

Skip just inclined his head to the side and beamed.

"What did your scouting mission reveal, Warrant Officer?" Cody asked.

"The rhinos seem to be coming out of the Gate to the east. It's different from the Gate the Collectors use. No one has been sent to our Gate yet but they're sending troops towards the Return Gate. I think we all use the same Return Gate but we just might be sent into different locations. I don't know. I don't even know how they hope to return considering how they don't have any Keys."

"Or..." Lobo murmured, with growing anxiety. "They're preparing to send people into Arcadia. If they did capture Gantry and turn him, they have at least _one_Key. And if they send someone to Arcadia..."

"Then they'll have all the Keys they want," finished Finn, his eyes wide. He started to think fast, _very_fast. It seemed like a clever diversionary tactic. Get the Collectors and the main force distracted by the enormous army and then send a small team towards the Return Gate. There was no telling what would happen if they passed through...

His eyes went towards the rhino army.

Each one was like a mobile fortress. If a dragon, no matter how big or how high ranking, got caught by them, there would be no escape. None of them had the training to resist the rhinos either... They couldn't engage them in close quarters combat.

So what were their other options...?

A wind gently blew... filling up Finn's wings lightly.

An idea sprang into mind and he quickly clicked his fingers. "I got it!"

"You have a plan?" Cody asked eagerly.

"Yeah! We set fire to the forest!"

The blank stares he got both accused him of being insane and pondered if he was being serious or not.

"Hear me out," Finn said, holding up his hands. "Explosives and bullets don't seem to be doing anything against Hammerhorn's troops. We can't risk getting in close and personal against them either. You've seen how big they are. They'd crush you and pin you to the ground with no hope of escape. So what else do the dragons have against them?"

Cody's eyes brightened. "Our fire breath... Or in general, our breath weapons!" He turned towards the others. "Lieutenants and above generally have breath weapons of varying attributes. Some of us can spray acid, others can scorch the earth with flames and there are even those that can shoot electricity. Wearing armour like that, they won't stand a chance!" Cody grimaced and shook his head. "But we've never fought using those tactics... We just trained with guns and did drills. They were just novelty items and shows of rank!"

Skip chimed in. "Kind of like you were humans in dragon bodies!"

There was a moment where they fell silent and took in those words.

"No time like the present to try," Skip announced, leaping off the watchtower. "I think those of us that don't have breath weapons can at least help. We've got canisters of gasoline lying around. We can douse the rhinos in it to help the others."

Cody gave it some thought... then nodded several times. "Alright. Alright. Warrant Officer, I want you to take ten men. Get to your Return Gate and defend it with everything you've got." He then turned to Lobo. "Captain, gather everyone in front of the barracks."

Lobo saluted with a bright smile on his features before heading down the watchtower. Skip immediately spread his wings and dove off into the camp.

Finn gently touched Cody's shoulder, the dragon twitching at the touch. "Any regrets?"

Cody considered the question for a moment... then offered him a shaky smile. "Not a one."

Skip worked quickly and was launching into the air with his ten advanced dragons, heading towards the Return Gate. For Lobo, he needed to help of Savage and Vein who were in dragon form to drag everyone else to the barracks. When everyone was there, Finn realised just how small Camp Draco was. There had to be just a little over a hundred dragons there, maybe exactly a hundred really plus those that Skip had taken. In comparison to sheer number of rhinos in Hornton, he began to realise just how far outnumbered he was. He also doubted that Hammerhorn would be brazen enough to send his main force through the Gate and leave his home undefended.

Which begged the question...

How did they get into Camp Draco...?

"Men!" Cody shouted, standing in front of his well aligned troops. Finn realised that he was standing beside the Commander and wondered if he should jump in line. It was too late now, however. "Things have changed. It would've been naïve of anyone to believe that we could've continued living the way we did forever. Now, we have an enemy at our gates and allies by our sides. I won't pretend to understand the whole picture. This is new to me as well. But if there's something we've been trained for, it's war!"

He thrust his fist into the air, bringing a roar from the troops. "This what we've been preparing for! This is what all those late night drills, those sweaty summer days, those hours spent chopping wood and all those promotions were for! Our enemy has a face! We now have a target! It's time we hit it hard!"

Again, another shout.

"I won't say that you'll make it," Cody said gravely. "But those assholes out there are from another country. This isn't their home. This is our turf! We are not going down without a fight! We know this land! You've flown through its forests! You've crawled in its mud! You've driven on its roads! Defend it with everything you've got!

"Are you with me!?"

Cody pumped a fist through the air again. The motion was gestured by the rest of the troops.

"Draco! Draco! Draco!" they shouted in unison.

Finn couldn't help the grin on his face. His heart felt like it had been injected full of energy that was being siphoned throughout his entire body. He was pumped. And it was all because of Cody's speech, his aura of command and his passion.

"Wow..." he whispered softly.

Cody began barking orders towards his Generals. Those with wings and fire breath were organised into groups. Recruits were manning the watch towers, guns at the ready to take every opportunity they could. Some of the more inventive were stuffing rags into bottles of alcohol and readying them to be tossed into the midst of the rhinos.

Finn felt fear mount in his chest when the winged dragons took their place and Cody stook up position amongst them. He didn't say anything though. He didn't want to make the inspiring Commander look weak in front of his troops. So he just hurried up to one of the watchtowers, picking up one of the makeshift incendiary grenades and waited.

******

349:10:27:17:15:43

Hammerhorn could just taste his victory. It was so close. Just as Gantry had told him, with their armour and superior numbers, the dragons could do nothing. The explosives were a concern, of course but thanks to Gantry's tactics of having their shock troops mentally trained and then shift into a dragon before becoming a rhino again, they were more resilient than any ordinary Rammer. Now, it was just a war of attrition.

His rhinos with their infinite strength against the limited bullets of the dragons.

That his troops were also moving to secure the Return Gate meant that none of them could escape to Arcadia either. Soon, he would have a hundred or so well-trained dragons under his command. Plus however more were down at the even more poorly defended docks.

He licked his lips. Gantry had earned his fucking this evening.

But then... everything turned for the worst.

It started with one of his troops shouting and pointing towards the northeast. A big plume of black smoke was rising from the forest. For a moment, he didn't register it as a concern. Then he remembered that the Return Gate was in that direction.

He slowly picked up his hammer, no longer just a makeshift pole with some cement plastered on the end. This was a true weapon built with the expertise of the many Builders he had integrated into his army.

Then, the sky darkened with the wings of a dozens of dragons.

His eyes widened as the winged reptiles dove down towards his army. The first wave were carrying big, red canisters which they passed over his troops. An amber fluid flooded from the containers and it smelled foul. It smelled like...

"Gasoline..."

Before he could shout a warning, the second wave came sweeping over them, unleashing torrents of different coloured flames down at them. Some were green, most were red and there was the occasional searing white amongst them as well. The gasoline ignited immediately and suddenly, there was an inferno that quickly spread throughout his troops.

"No..." Hammerhorn roared. "No!"

His troops were unused to fire. They hadn't trained for it. So they instantly began panicking, rushing towards one another in a desperate attempt to seek aid. But that only spread the flames all the more. Since they were wearing metal armour as well, the flames heated the plating and they were compelled to tear off the only things that protected them from the bullets of the dragons. As the wave of dragons pulled up and flew away, gunfire rippled through the air. His men fell, toppling as blood erupted from various puncture wounds. None of it would be fatal. His men would regenerate eventually and even the burns would heal but as Gantry warned, their injuries would weaken their resolve, fill them with fear. That would give Camp Draco time to integrate them. And if any of his men were left on the field, if they retreated, that would be troops Hammerhorn would lose and Camp Draco would gain.

"No!" he roared again, stepping forward and emerging from the jungle.

Then the second wave came. The dragons that descended upon them breathed _lightning_on them. Blue and purple bolts of pure electricity danced from their muzzles and encasing his men. Bodies that were honed for battle in a few short days went rigid and were hit by uncontrollable spasms. His entire army began dropping from all directions as the dragons with fire spread to his other brigades. The electric dragons swept by, followed by dragons that spat some sort of green liquid at them.

A large splotch of the fluid landed beside Hammerhorn's foot and he gasped as he watched it eat through the ground. The final wave consisted only of a few dragons but their breath could be considered the deadliest. They breathed a cone of ice onto those rhinos that remained, freezing them completely in place and encasing them in tombs of ice. Hammerhorn could see their panicked eyes flicking left to right within the cocoons.

Blind rage filled him.

What should've been a moment of triumph, another step to a great rhino nation free of the Conglomerate's machinations had all turned south.

He couldn't - he wouldn't accept it.

With a deafening bellow, he charged into the forest, swinging his might hammer through the air hoping to catch any dragon that came too close. Their formations had dispersed and they were now fluttering about like mosquitos looking for targets of opportunity. The rhinos were already in disarray and it was just a matter of driving them away.

One acid dragon spat a glob of his corrosive spit onto Hammerhorn's shoulder. He grunted and tore the pauldron right off before it could touch his skin. He bent down and tore a chunk out of the ground and tossed it at the flying pest. It was a futile attempt and the dragon dodged it easily, sweeping off in another direction.

His eyes settled on one particularly low flying dragon that was breathing searing blue flames onto his troops, driving them further and further into the forests. The ground was scorched and black smoke was making it hard to see but he could clearly make out the pesky dragon. Even if he took down one, just one, and drag him back to Hornton, it would be enough.

He crept up to the dragon who was hovering off the ground. For most of the rhinos, he would've been out of reach but Hammerhorn was taller than any other rhino. With a growl, he reached up and seized the dragon's tail. He yanked the flying lizard out of the air and slammed him hard against the ground. The stunned dragon gasped, rolling onto his back.

"Those pretty blue scales of yours would look better as a grey hide," Hammerhorn said with a vicious grin. His cock began hardening, rising out from beneath the big, plaid kilt he had adopted. The dragon looked ready to breathe more flames but Hammerhorn quickly slammed his hammer against the dragon's chest, powerful enough to stop the flames but not enough to crush his lungs.

"None of that now. I'm hot enough!"

A waterfall of precum began pouring out of his cock, slowly making its way towards the pinned dragon. The lizard looked so small beneath him. He would enjoy changing him into a sexy, buff, Rammer.

"NO!"

Hammerhorn didn't even get a chance to look towards the source of the cry before sharp claws raked against his face and bare chest. A roared escaped his lips as a black and gold form slammed into him, forcing him to let go of his hammer. Blood seeped into his eyes from the ragged gashes across his face and he staggered back. His arms instinctively went up to swipe at the meddlesome dragon but the bastard leapt away, giving his head one mighty thwack with his tail. It was strong enough to send him reeling, crashing to the ground.

Through the blood, he could make out the figure pulling the hammer off the blue dragon and desperately pulling the other off the ground. Both spread their wings, ready to lift off again.

He would not let this be a failure.

With a snarl, he got back to his feet and wiped the blood from his eyes.

He paused when a pair of blue eyes locked with his.

That black dragon... those blue eyes...

"Arcadia..."

That moment of distraction was enough. The two dragons leapt into the air and flew safely back behind the walls of their camp. Frustration built once more in Hammerhorn's chest and he threw his head back to let it all out in one, might roar. It was a cry for retreat.

He reached down and picked up the body of one of his fallen men, hefting it over his shoulder. He wouldn't leave anyone to these flying lizards. His hammer he could leave. Those back at Hornton could make another one for him. But here he would not let anyone fall prisoner to these dragon.

"Retreat!" he bellowed. "Leave no man behind! Retreat!"

A loud cry of triumph erupted from the dragons and it left him sick to the stomach.

But he still had one last thing to say to them...

******

349:10:27:17:45:39

"Finn, you crazy son-of-a-bitch," Cody laughed. "You should've stayed at the watchtower."

Finn, feeling rather proud of himself, kept his wings unfurled even as they both landed back behind the walls of Camp Draco. With Hammerhorn's cry for retreat, he was feeling very pleased with himself.

"You never ordered me to stay," he countered.

Cody, a cocky smirk on his features suddenly lunged forward and seized Finn around the waist, tilting him back a little. Their muzzles were practically touching. "So does that mean you'll obey my commands?"

"Aye, aye."

The Commander rolled his eyes and let Finn drop to the ground roughly. "That's the navy, stupid."

Even the abrupt fall did nothing to bruise Finn's ego. "Aww, come on. We just won! Hammerhorn is retreating! We won!"

"Not quite yet," Cody said grimly. "It's a small island. They're still on our turf. I won't rest until they're -"

"You think you've won!"

Both dragons exchanged glances and then quickly rushed up towards the nearest watchtower. Neither of them could be bothered taking the ladder so they both leapt into the air and landed on the roof of the nearest one.

Hammerhorn was retreated, his troops carrying as many men back as they were able. There were too many injured for the capable to carry, though. At least a good eighth of his army was left on the field, injured and incapacitated.

"All you've done is make me angry!" Hammerhorn roared, shaking a fist at them. "I've got more and more troops coming in through the Gate with each passing day! You've only got limited supplies and limited people! We'll just keep coming again and again until you can't fight anymore!"

Then a dark grin crossed the massive rhino's features.

"And by now, my second in command already has your second encampment under his control!"

Finn glanced towards Cody in puzzlement. "Second encampment? You have a second encampment?"

Cody shook his head in similar confusion. "No. We don't." Then his eyes widened. "Unless... Oh no..." He spun around, turning towards the south.

"The docks!"

******

Director's Report

Project Shepard

******

I once read this article that stipulated if you wanted a messianic figure, you form a correlation with a certain religious figure or use one of the many allusions to his story. Over history, people named 'Chris', 'Christian' or have a name that starts with 'J', have a backstory with links to lambs, blood, crosses or position themselves to appear crucified have been deemed as heroes or at least had some sort of sacrifice to make during their tales. Go on. I challenge you. Go to any videogame store and look for game covers where the protagonist is shown standing with their feet together and arms stretched by their side. Doesn't have to be fully extended. I'll wait.

But in all seriousness, it was this very same ideal that inspired me to name the project based in Camp Draco 'Project Shepard'.

It's goal? Simple.

What is society without ambition? What is a military without a purpose, without an enemy?

All members of NexArm have some form of military background so they fully understood the importance of direction when it comes to a military force. Without direction, the force would tear itself apart. This is especially true for Camp Draco and time was a delicate matter. It is with some disappointment that I note _Shepard_did not reach completion before he was deployed but time really was not a luxury that my people could afford.

Camp Draco before Shepard was like a miniature version of Orcum Country. Back then, there were dozens of military officers all vying for command and control over one another. They had no promotion system, merely being stuck with the shape and form that they were given upon transformation. This mean that the 'newborns' - e.g. those 'hatched' from eggs borne from children and female women - were the lowest of the low and could never amount to anything. They were handed from one officer to the other, fought over and treated like currency. As amusing as such a society based where able bodied men were with minds being bound to loyalty to whomever 'won' them is, it does not fit my vision for this world. Perhaps I will revisit this idea at a later date however, Camp Draco did not fit this ideal or the world as a whole.

I needed someone to bring it under control, give it purpose. That is where Shepard came in. Like the other projects, like Project Hammer, he is an exceptional specimen of the species within the area and has an 'aura of command' that automatically subjugates those around him of significantly weak will. He was chosen on the basis of his inherent affinity with the Haze. On some level, he would have made a perfect Angelus were he fully loyal to the Conglomerate but that was not to be.

Unfortunately, the time of his deployment would have coincided with the spread of the infection of Camp Draco. You see, the Camp was originally a remote military base on a tropical island with only a single port for recreation and travel that isn't military sanctioned. It has very little economy in that sense. However, _NexArm_openly advertised the security of Camp Draco across the world during the fall of the Haze. People all over the world took ships and scrambled to the Camp while the unsuspecting military personnel there from multiple countries willingly accepted the refugees. They were all human then.

NexArm worked on Shepard underneath the base and would have been able to deploy the perfect Commander if the Haze hadn't found Camp Draco and began infecting them. Within a few days, the entire Camp was filled with horny, warring dragons of different shapes and sizes. They would have torn each other apart if _Shepard_was not deployed.

Again, it is unfortunate that Shepard was incomplete. We were unable to implant his true directive into him and for the past few centuries, he has just been training his men without truly constructing anything. He is very intelligent, however, and I have no doubt that over the years, he would grow to understand his lack of direction and search for one. He would even latch onto whatever purpose he was given no matter how small and insignificant.

It was to this effect that we implemented the security systems in the Gates. You see, the Gates don't automatically allow subjects to pass from one region to another. They are actually processed in SOL first before they are transported into their intended destination. SOL reads their genetic data, cross-references this with mental scanning and history data based on what it's gathered by watching the subject and then sends them on their way. This means that if Shepard ever captures a member of Arcadia, steals their Key and adopts the invasion of Arcadia as his purpose, then SOL would never allow it. It would just ensure that he was transported back to the currently open Gate in Camp Draco.

His purpose will have to be found elsewhere. However, this works to our advantage. With the current turn of events, he found his purpose even if it is a little more sentimental than I would have liked. It will be interesting to see how Shepard reacts to losing the docks and how the Arcadians will respond. The question of leadership really is a rather hot topic these days.

Who will lead the newly formed 'evolved' rhinoceroses of Hornton?

Who is truly in command of Hammer and his Rammers?

Where will Shephard bring his dragons?

What will Arcadia do?

Command is an amazing and frightening thing.

But without any purpose or ambition, all you're doing is shouting for people to do nothing.