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"Finally, a free weekend!" Meg exclaimed as they left the hospital, Keenis slowly walking alongside her.

He gave a smile at her exuberance. "Got any plans?" he asked politely as they stepped out into the street, the pavement was full of others leaving their work ahead of the weekend, while the late afternoon sun gave the city a warm glow.

"Absolutely none. Do you want to hang?" Meg said hopefully as they walked towards her apartment. Keenis couldn't remember exactly when or why he had started walking her home, but he enjoyed their time together to talk and vent about their frustrations. He would walk her to her apartment and often chat at the door for a while, before she would go inside and he would fly to his place.

"Ah, I would. But I have a thing," he said, his voice had a tinge of disappointment, which did not go unnoticed by Meg. They paused at a crosswalk and waited for the lights to change.

"A 'thing' hey? What's her name?" she teased and gave him a playful shove.

"Mom," he smiled and pushed her back gently, "It's my layday next week, so I'm going up early to stick my head in and say thanks". The lights changed and they crossed the street, Meg had found it easier to walk just ahead of his front feet, rather than beside him, as people tended to get out of the way of a dragon.

"Naww, look at you. Being all cute and shit," she said with a chuckle, "Did you get her something nice?" The concept of a layday was still new to Meg, but the idea of the child giving back to their mother seemed adorable.

"Not yet, I was going to pick up some food on the way and cook it while I'm there."

"You big softie. I would love to see you wearing an apron," she said, the image of him floundering in a busy kitchen making her laugh inside.

"Well, why don't you come and see?" he said as a joke, but as she looked up at him he knew she was taking the offer seriously.

"Sure, I would like that," she said and looked at his concerned face, "Only so I can hear embarrassing stories about baby Keenis."

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" he asked with a smile. He hadn't talked to his family in longer than he should have and the idea of bringing a human woman into the family home was going to raise a lot of questions. Questions he didn’t know the answers to himself.

"Should I bring something?"

"You don't need to, it's more of a me and mom sorta thing. But it will probably turn into a family lunch," his heart warmed at her offer and although he was nervous about her meeting his family, the idea of spending more time with her oddly excited him.

They reached the ground floor of Meg's apartment complex and she turned to him. "I'm kind of excited about seeing who raised such a handsome drake," she said with a smile. "What time should we leave?" she asked, realizing she had committed herself without knowing too many of the logistical details.

"They live a couple hours away. Should I meet you here around five?" Keenis asked, also trying to work out how to get Meg to the family home. It was highly frowned upon for dragons to carry humans as riders. Many generations of them serving under human masters had engrained in dragon culture that to have someone riding you was a sign of them being your superior.

"Five? really? I guess," Meg complained, starting to regret losing a big chunk of her weekend and miss out on a well deserved sleep in.

"Ok, a bit after dawn. How about I bring you breakfast on my way over."

"Alright, but it better be warm," she said and gently placed a hand on his neck. "But!... I expect at least two embarrassing stories that are not workplace appropriate," she added with a smile.

"If breakfast is good, can it be one story?" He bargained and smiled down at her.

She simply turned with a smile and left him guessing, but as she entered her apartment she called back to him. "Dinner on the way home and I won't tell the stories to everyone at work," she said as she closed the door, smiling wickedly at his concerned face.

Keenis shook his head and smiled, before walking to a launch pad nearby and taking to the skies. He was really enjoying his time with Meg and while opening up to her about his time in the military had been tough, he didn't regret it. Meg now knew about Taalli and why he left, she had listened to his story one afternoon while they shared a bottle of wine on her couch. He remembered how long it took for him to explain everything and in the end he spent the night in her guest room, too tired, sad and drunk to safely fly home.

The wind rushed past him as he made his way to his apartment, the sun was low on the horizon and the chill of the evening air caused Keenis to shiver slightly. He started to run through scenarios in his head about how he would introduce Meg. "Hi Mom, this is my friend Meg. Why is she here you ask? Oh because I think I have a thing for her," he said to himself under his breath. "Do I care what my parents think?" he wondered aloud, without really knowing the answer.

Suddenly attacking an enemy convoy seemed less intimidating than a family lunch. Dr. Prins’ words echoed through his mind, "Focus on what you can control, Keenis." He sighed and tried to think of what he could influence. "You could always cancel," he said to himself with a shrug as he flew, but shook his head, running was not the answer.

---

He touched down at his apartment just as the sun disappeared below the horizon and let himself in. He stripped off his harness and hung it on the end of the kitchen counter, before fetching himself a can of beans from the cupboard.

Poking a hole in the top of the tin with a claw, he put the whole can into a pot of water and lit the stove. While waiting for them to heat up he pulled out his tablet and, with a sigh, opened the group chat with his parents, smiling at an old meme his father had sent which he had forgotten to respond to.

K: hey, just making sure we are all on for lunch tomorrow? Is it ok if I bring a friend?

He stared at the can while he waited for a reply. His eyes snapping to the tablet as he heard it ding.

Mom: of course! What's her name?

Keenis couldn't help but blush slightly, he had never brought a girl home before and to say he was nervous would have been an understatement.

K: it's not like that, her name is Meggles.

His phone autocorrected 'Meg' to 'Meggles', but he had already hit send by the time he noticed. .

Mom: Do you mean Meegles?

K: no, her name is Meg, stupid autocorrect.

Mom: but that's a human name.

K: yes, she is a human.

He swallowed as he put down the tablet to swirl the can of beans, he could see his mom typing, then stopping before typing again, the little dots causing his stomach to tighten. 'Maybe this is a bad idea,' he thought, relationships between humans and dragons were not illegal, and not even that rare in the city, but his family had been quite conservative growing up and he still felt unsure of what exactly their relationship was.

He snatched his tablet up when he heard it ding again after a few minutes.

Mom: well isn't that Lovley. She is more than welcome.

Keenis knew that the reply probably took his mother the entire time to try and compose such a polite message.

K: ok we will be there mid morning depending on the weather.

With his dinner warmed up, he took the can out from the pot and dried it off with a towel. His rough paw pads were worn from walking on the city's concrete and they could withstand the heat long enough for him to make it to the couch. He hopped on three legs to the damaged couch with his long handled spoon carried in his jaws.

After he sat down, he started digging into his beans. It was simple food and even though he could afford something better, he enjoyed the convenience after a long day at work. He flicked on the television to watch the news, some new photographer had just won some awards for breaking into a competitive market. Keenis didn't pay much attention as he slurped his beans from the long spoon held between two of his toes. As he got to the bottom of the can, he stuck his tongue in and ran it around the walls, making sure to not catch the sensitive muscle on the sharp edges.

The television seemed to be playing an endless loop of ads, everything from shampoo to sports events. An ad for an upcoming Dragonball game blasted through the speakers, causing Keenis to dial down the volume, though he made a mental note of it. Meg was a far bigger fan than he was, but he knew his father would have something to say about the upcoming game.

His mind started to play through scenarios of what would happen tomorrow. He already had a bag of supplies for the meal he wanted to cook, but was planning to stop at a local butcher for the meat on the way there. Slowly he started to think about ways to introduce Meg to his family with the least amount of questions, without a doubt there would be many. While his parent’s wouldn’t disown him for being close friends with a human, it would still raise many questions, questions that he himself didn’t know the answer to..

Keenis let out a tired yawn and checked the time on his phone. The glowing digits confirmed his suspicion and he knew he had a long day ahead of him. He shut off the TV and washed the empty tin of beans in the sink, tossing it in the trash before making his way to his bedroom. The darkness welcomed him as he crawled onto his firm bed. He wiggled into the sheets to get comfortable, before clutching a large plow against his chest and belly with his forepaws and curling up around it in a tight circle, letting out a gentle sigh as he buried his muzzle into the soft fabric.

He was back in the military, lying on the roadside with Taalli pressed against him. He could feel her soft scales against his own, the firm ground beneath him, her body fitting perfectly in his embrace. "I can't believe you left me," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Keenis tightened his grip on the pillow, his breath hitching as the memory flooded back. "I... we had to," he replied, his voice filled with sadness.

"But, where were you?" She asked, her voice cold and confused.

"We have been through this," Keenis whispered, his voice trembling. "We were so focused on the truck, we didn't see the others until it was too late," he said, as he clutched his mate tightly.

"Was I not clean enough?" Taalli asked, her voice soft as she traced her paws over his back. Keenis remembered the grime and soot that covered her body, the unburnt fuel that clung to her scales.

"No," he gasped, trying to hold back tears, "We got pinned down, Joker and Kodiak got hit. I had to get them out."

"So you loved them more than me," Taalli said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

"Never! I loved-" Keenis stopped, swallowing hard, "I love you more than anything or anyone in the world. But I couldn't save you, I had to carry them all out after our humvee was hit," he buried his snout in the back of her neck, their bodies intertwined in a lover's embrace. The pressure of her body against his gave him some comfort.

"You could have tried," Taalli cried softly, her body trembling in his grasp. Keenis gently caressed her body with his rough paws, gliding them over her smooth hide.

"I couldn't have," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I had to carry them out. I ditched my plate carrier to carry their weight."

He gently stroked his mate's body with a claw, his eyes clenched closed not wanting to see her. "But you left me, I was alone. You left me alone on the road, I was cold?" her voice wavering, causing Keenis to clutch her closer.

"Please," he cried, "You were already gone. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I was in your place," he sniffled, imagining the warmth of her scent. "I'm so sorry," he added, his voice meek.

"Are you? Are you really?" Taalli's voice was steady, but layered with disgust and judgment, "After all I did for you, this is how you repay me? Left alone on the side of the road?"

"They took my head, you know that don't you?" she said, her question cutting through him. Keenis knew this was true - he had seen her body when he returned with the rescue crew, her head had been hacked off at the base of her skull by what he had imagined was a blunt knife.

"I'm a trophy for some warlord now, is that what you wanted?" She taunted. "You wouldn't want me now because I'm not pretty anymore," she said sadly, causing his heart to beat heavily and his claws extend in pain.

He tried to hold her tighter while he whimpered, pulling her firmly against him, "That's not true."

"Don't lie to me Keenis, that's why you want to replace me, you wouldn't want to bring me to meet your parents while I look like this," she said sadly and he pulled his head away from her, while still holding onto her as tight as he could.

"What do you mean? I would love for you to meet my parents," he said, his eyes still closed as he couldn't look at her headless body. "Look at me Keenis, you owe that to me!" she exclaimed.

He weakly opened one eye and saw Meg in his grasp, his claws deep into her body with rivers of crimson blood coming from the wounds his sharp claws had inflicted, a pained expression on her face. He quickly released her and pushed her away from his crushing grasp before he quickly rolled to his feet.

He snapped awake to find himself safe in his bed, feathers lazily falling to the sheets while the shredded pillow landed with a thump on the floor. His breathing ragged and shivering as he panted, his claws still out and wings trembling. Shame, regret and anguish were still turbulently coursing through his mind, causing him to wail loudly. The image of his headless mate and Meg's broken body still burned into his vision. Even though he knew it was just a dream, he still checked his bed to make sure Meg was not there, his paws frantically shuffling the sheets and pillows to be sure. He sighed a deep breath of relief and tried to get his body under control, his heart still pounding in his chest while he was panting heavily.

Swallowing, he was finally able to breathe through his nostrils again and he looked around the room, trying to ground himself in reality. "She is gone, she would understand, she would want me to move on," he said to himself, he repeated this in a chant which helped somewhat. "-she would want me to move on," he said softly, as he finally calmed down from his nightmare. He glanced out the window and saw that it was just before dawn, the sky a dark shade of grey as the sun began to emerge.

"It's time to move on Keenis," he said to himself, his body shivering as he said it. "Big day today, get your shit together," he muttered under his breath and focused himself. With shaking paws he gently stepped off his bed and into the main living area of the apartment. He quietly got himself ready, it was the weekend and it was likely his neighbors below had heard him wake up. He thought it would be unlikely the humans would complain to a dragon, especially knowing that he worked in the hospital, but he still wanted to be courteous.

Keenis stepped into the shower and turned on one tap to wake him up, the cold water rushing over his neck causing him to flinch as he quickly cleaned himself. Staring up at the showerhead the thin membranes that shielded his eyes from the wind while flying now protected his vision from the streams of water that he let run down his body, waking him up and washing away his thoughts of Taalli’s warm embrace. Flicking his eyes open, he grabbed a bottle of scale shine and started lathering himself up. "Today is going to be a milestone with Meg and the least you could do is be presentable," he thought to himself as he scrubbed fastidiously.

Turning the taps off, he shook himself dry in the shower and stepped out, he was still dripping slightly but that would dry off on his flight to Meg's apartment. The sun was just starting to crown on the horizon as he strapped on his harness and fished out his supplies for the day from the fridge.

Keenis quickly patted the pouches in his harness as he was about to leave and remembered the promise of breakfast for Meg. Quickly padding back to the kitchen, he grabbed the stack of unfilled loyalty cards for a coffee shop near the hospital. He shuffled them to arrange them neatly and tucked them into a pouch before taking to the sky.

With a coffee flask dangling from his harness, and a collection of pastries and toasted sandwiches in a pouch, Keenis touched down outside Meg's apartment. The streets were empty as not many wanted to be out and about this early on a weekend, so he ignored the launchpad he ordinarily would have used. Sitting down on his haunches, he pulled out his tablet.

K: hey, I'm outside. Maybe bring a coat as it's a bit cold.

After a couple of minutes Meg appeared with a thick coat draped over one arm. "Yes dad," she jabbed sarcastically. "You good? You look like you have seen a ghost!" She added after seeing his troubled eyes.

"Oh, no. Just... Just glad to see you is all," shaking away the image of her from his nightmare with a flick of his head. "I wasn't sure what you wanted for breakfast, so I got a few things," he said and patted a pouch on his harness.

"Well, we can share on the train," Meg said, while she checked she had everything in her purse. She looked up at his confused face, "We are taking the train right?" The city was blessed with a decent public transport network and, while the buses failed to accommodate dragons, the trains offered cheap transportation for injured, pregnant or flightless dragons, much to the displeasure of peak hour commuters.

"Um, I hadn't really thought about that," he admitted, he had been so focused on how he would introduce her to his parents that he had overlooked such a critical detail, with a frown he realized he wasn't even sure if a train went out to his hometown. He caught her smirking at him and knew she was about to make a joke at his expense.

"In the military, they didn't put you in charge of planning did they?" she chided. “Not all of us females have wings, buddy.”

"I know," he said flatly and gave her a smirk. "We could take the train, or...." he said as he lowered himself down onto the cold pavement, her shocked expression making him smile.

"Wait? Are you being serious?" she asked, she had dated a few drakes before and to let a human ride them was a sign of deep trust and affection. Many dragons would revolt at the idea of a human on their shoulders, as it used to be a sign of servitude to have another on their back, guiding their actions, was not something that a free dragon’s pride could handle.

"I don't like the train," he said simply and smiled, it was rare that he saw Meg speechless. "If you’re game that is," he added reassuringly.

"But I thought dragons didn't do this anymore," she said and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Meggles, I'm asking you, not the other way around. Besides, it's not like you are my master whipping me or anything. As long as you don't back seat ride or throw up on me, maybe we could give it a go," he said softly. There was no one around to judge him and Dr. Prin had told him to trust others more.

Meg couldn't help but feel both excited and scared at the same time. The thought of riding a dragon was exhilarating, but the prospect of falling off made her hesitate. "I don't know, didn't dragons have saddles, stirrups and things in their harnesses?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

Keenis let out a deep chuckle. "Sure they did, but maybe just hold on tight," he said teasingly, nudging her shoulder with his snout. "Come on, coat on. You can eat on the way. As long as you don't get crumbs on me."

Meg rolled her eyes at the idea that getting crumbs on him was the main worry he had, but couldn't help but smile at his playful nature, "You always seem to surprise me, Keenis." With a quick smirk, she grabbed her thick coat and slipped it on. Keenis helped her up onto his shoulders with one of his front paws and she settled herself into place, straddling his neck and grasping the harness straps tightly with both hands.

"Are you ready?" Keenis asked, looking back at her pale face. She nodded, too scared to speak. "Please tell me if you are going to chuck, okay?" he added, a smile playing on his lips. Meg nodded again, still unable to find her voice.

Keenis walked down the pavement to the launch pad, letting Meg get familiar with the movement of his body. He wanted her to feel comfortable before they took off. "Alright Meggles, last chance!" he said, giving her one last opportunity to back out. When she didn't say anything, he crouched down low. "Three," he counted dramatically, "two..." His leg muscles tensed, ready to launch. "One!" he yelled, as he sprang into the air.

Meg's heart leapt into her throat as they took off. Her knuckles gripped the straps of his saddle so hard that they went white. But as they leapt into the air Keenis didn't unfurl his wings and started to fall. Her stomach lurched as they suddenly fell back down towards the pavement. Meg couldn't help but let out a blood-curdling scream as the sense of falling caused adrenaline to flood her system and they plummeted back down to the ground.

Keenis's powerful legs absorbed the impact with ease. Meg was flustered and slightly embarrassed by her outburst, but Keenis just stuck his tongue out at her, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed, chuckling at his prank.

"Fuck you Keenis! That wasn't funny," she said, her knuckles white against his harness, "I guess I should have known better than to trust a dragon."

Keenis let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "Oh, come on, Meggles. You know I would never let anything bad happen to you. I just wanted to make the first ride a little more exciting," he said and, without giving her a chance to reply, quickly leapt into the sky, his wings unfurled and beat downwards. Meg's legs were clutching his neck firmly as they rose above the rooftops. With heavy beats of his wings he kept climbing while the streets fell away below them. Looking back he wanted to check on Meg and could see a slight smile on her face. "You’re doing good," he said and caught her eye.

"You have done this before, right?" she said, having to raise her voice to be heard over the rushing wind.

"Oh, never," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. With a slight tuck of his wings they lurched down for a split second, causing her to yelp. He gave a playful smile back at her and chuckled when she gave him the finger.

Once at a safe height he leveled out, stretching his large wings out as far as he could and started to glide. Meg was treated to a view she would never forget, the city she lived and worked in stretched out below with the sun steadily rising in the east. Keenis looked back as he felt her hand gently patting his neck. "It's beautiful," she said in awe, while looking out over the cityscape.

"I know I am!" He teased, pretending to have not heard her correctly, which earned him a gentle slap on his neck that made him smirk.

Meg pulled out her phone and couldn't resist taking a few photos, his smooth, organic wing membranes contrasting against the jagged buildings that made up the skyline. "You see this view every day don't you!" she called out to him and he looked back with a cheeky smile.

They flew in silence for a while, his gentle wingbeats keeping them aloft as they passed over the outskirts of the city and into the suburban regions. Meg adjusted her position a little and he looked back to make sure she was ok. "I think next time I'll bring a cushion," she said with a smile.

"Oh, would a nice saddle be better for you? Maybe reins for my lady to hold and point me in the direction she wishes?" he said coldly, pretending that she had offended him. She looked at him and he held her gaze, before smiling to let her know he was okay with her remark.

"I'm just not used to riding this part of a dragon," she retorted, while she bit her bottom lip, laughing when his eyes went wide and a red hue showed on his muzzle. He quickly returned to looking forwards. "Or for this long!" she added knowing she had made him feel awkward.

"Well, get comfortable, we have a few hours more to go!" he called back to her. "Breakfast is in this pouch," he added and wrapped his forepaw across his chest to tap the pouch next to her thigh.

Meg leaned forwards and held onto his neck with one arm for support, as she found herself staring down to the ground far below. With a deep breath, she focused on the pouch and began to unbuckle the strap and rummage inside. "Keenis, buddy. How much do you think I eat? It looks like you have half a bakery in here!" she exclaimed and began to pull out each of the wrapped packages.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I figured we could share," he said, glancing back at her with a smile, "Can you unwrap one for me please?"

When she had unwrapped one of the toasted sandwiches he curled his head back to her and she gently placed it into his waiting mouth. With a wink he snapped his jaws closed and enjoyed the snack while looking ahead and the steady flaps of his wings became a constant rhythm on their journey.

Meg and Keenis continued to fly away from the city, sharing their breakfast as the clusters of buildings thinned out and became suburban centers. Meg scrunched up all the wrappers and went to stuff them into his pouch, but stopped when she saw something odd. Keenis felt her shuffling on his shoulders and glanced back to see her reaching into the bottom of the pouch.

"Keenis, why do you have a Lego brick in your pouch?" Meg asked, while inspecting the long orange brick between her fingers, his head snapping back and eyes going wide confused her.

"Please don't drop that!" he said with strained urgency in his voice, "Can you put it back please?"

Meg looked at the desperation in his eyes and put it back where she found it, before putting the used breakfast wrappers in a separate pocket in his pouch. "What's it from?" she asked and saw him stare ahead again.

"It's nothing" he muttered, the reminder of his deal with Dr. Prin still fresh in his mind. His therapist had let him keep it as a reward for opening up to Meg and now he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. Its orange colour was a similar shade as Taalli's scales and he had decided to keep it in his harness, out of sight but always with him. Dr. Prin had been proud of him when he told her that he had opened up to Meg and he kept it with him as one of his most prized possessions.

Meg made sure the pouch was closed before she continued to take in the view and noticed an almost white hill off to their right. "Hey Keenis? Is that what I think it is?" she asked and saw him quickly glance back at her to see where she was pointing.

He knew where she pointed without even looking. "Yeah, that's the national war cemetery," he said, his voice distant. He knew that he had the option to be buried there and he still wasn't sure if he would want to be. He briefly glanced at it and could see the rows upon rows of white tombstones, each one representing a fallen service member.

They flew in silence for a while but a question kept nagging at Meg's mind. "Is she there? Taalli I mean," she leaned to the side, so she could try and see his face as he stared straight ahead. "Keenis?-"

"I'm not sure," he replied flatly. He could feel Meg's gaze on him and he felt his chest tighten. He swallowed and tried to focus on the flight ahead, but when he glanced back he could see she was still waiting for him to explain. "I didn't come back for the funeral," he said ashamed, he had the option too but didn't out of guilt. "She didn't have a family, so I guess she would be buried there."

Meg stroked his spine reassuringly with her hand, "Do you want to go see? It might help if you got some closure-"

"Meg can we change the topic," he said sharply and gave a large flap with his wings that jostled her a bit harder than he expected.

Meg quickly grabbed the harness straps for stability and held on as he climbed higher, turning slightly away from the cemetery so he didn't have to look. A part of him hoped that for some reason, somehow, she had survived. He had fantasized that there had been some sort of body switch by a secret organization, a secret plot that she couldn't tell him about and one day she would return to him. But he knew it was silly, probably a plot of an action movie he watched as a wyrmling, but the idea of seeing her final resting place would snuff out any glimpse of hope he had.

Meg let go of the harness once he had leveled off again and stroked his neck gently, to silently tell him that she only wanted to help. Leaning forwards, she wrapped both arms around his neck, causing him to turn his head around to see what she was doing. "You are a good drake, Keenis," she said softly and gave his neck a squeeze. He gave a weak smile and turned his head back ahead. His body was warm compared to the slight chill of the wind as she lay comfortably along his neck, his scales smooth against her cheek while she watched the world pass beneath them.

"So, your parents, anything I should be aware of?" Meg asked, while still looking down.

Keenis blinked a few times, his mind still with Taalli. "Well my mother can be a bit.... Overbearing," he said gently and turned when he heard Meg laugh.

"Aren't they all?" she said with a smile.

Keenis couldn't help but smile in return. "Oh! you will see, don't worry. If I had a dollar for every time she talks about me finding a ness, I wouldn't need to be a doctor. My dad on the other hand, don't expect too many words out of him. He is a bit more..... Traditional. If he gives you shit let me know."

"What do you mean by traditional?" she asked, sitting up again. Most of the drakes she talked to had either been at a bar or in the hospital, and while she had no difficulties talking to the larger creatures, she had often had something they wanted.

Keenis lowered his voice in a crude imitation of his father. "drakes can't be with drakes, that's unnatural. Two nesses together, that's just a waste of slits," he said and looked back at Meg, noticing her nervous look.

"Maybe this was a bad idea, bringing me along," she said, while fiddling with his harness.

"Nah, I like to wind him up. Fuck him..... But actually, can you not fuck him?" Keenis said, realising what he implied.

"Oh, I will try and contain myself," Meg chuckled and gave him a playful slap on his neck, "So what should we tell them about.... Us?" They had never really given each other a title and she hoped now would be a good chance to draw an answer out of him.

"Just friends?" Keenis offered but knew that he had misspoken when she looked crestfallen. “I don’t know, What would you call us?” he asked

"Well, I don’t think just friends. Afterall, I’m flying on your back to your layday party with your folks," she explained with a small smirk, knowing that he thought more of her than just friends.

Keenis stared ahead before a smirk crept across his snout. "Fuck-buddies? No, too modern of a concept....Hmm my father was a builder so how about, I'm your screwdriver and you're my slut socket?" he teased earning him a hard slap on the back causing him to laugh.

"Keenis! We can't be fuck buddies if we haven't fucked," Meg said with a laugh. She quickly grasped his harness as he started to dive, "Are we there already?"

"You said we have to fuck, I was going to land so we can have a roll in the hay," he chuckled and slowly leveled out.

"That's not what I said!" she exclaimed, but also liked that he wasn't repulsed by the idea of them being something more than close friends. "Maybe close friends then," she added and Keenis turned to give her a wink.

"So your dad made houses or something?" Meg asked, wanting to know more about what she was getting into.

"Ship builder specifically," Keenis said, remembering the sights and smells of his father returning home with grease and grime covering his paws. He had always had a bit of a tense relationship with his father. While Keenis wanted to go into medicine from an early age, his father wanted him to take up a 'realistic trade'. Coming from a poorer family, it was always unlikely that he could become a doctor.

"Other than your late sister, any other siblings I should watch out for?"

"Nope that's it. Just us three and you."

Meg noticed him starting to descend slowly towards a sprawling suburb, they had roughly been following a highway and Meg stretched her legs as best she could, while straddling his strong neck.

"We just need to stop off at the butchers, but then we can walk the rest of the way," Keenis announced, having noticed she was uncomfortable. Meg, in turn, couldn't help but notice his voice was a little tense and she gently stroked his neck as an acknowledgement.

Keenis spread his wings wide and glided the remainder of the descent, the streets were quiet with only a few cars. Open parks littered the main street and Meg saw a few other dragons taking off and landing from them.

She held on tight as Keenis flared his wings and slowed down, his body rotating almost completely upright for the final touchdown. His large hindlegs absorbing the landing with ease, as he dropped down onto all fours. Instinctively he took a few steps away from the landing area, just in case other dragons wanted to land and then lowered himself to the ground to let Meg dismount. "Thank-you for flying Keenis air!" he joked, as she slid down to the ground, her legs buckling slightly.

"Thank-you captain," she said and took a few steps gingerly. "Every time I ride a dragon, I struggle to walk afterwards," she said with a smirk, which caused him to blush.

"One day, we are going to talk about how you ride dragons," he said and stood up again.

"Play your cards right handsome, and we will do more than talk about it," she teased and stuck out her tongue.

Keenis shook his head, trying to clear the images from his mind, and led the way to the local butcher.

---

"I think I'm going to regret this!" Meg said loudly as they stepped out of the butcher, a large parcel of meat hanging from Keenis's harness and with Meg's now unneeded coat stuffed into a pouch on his shoulder.

"It will be fine!" he said, not hiding the amusement in his voice.

"Ribs! Really! For everyone?" Meg exclaimed, her smile betraying her tone, "I'm going to be listening to three dragons chomping away at ribs for lunch, aren't I?"

"Well, I figured after today you won't bitch about me eating them again," he retorted and gently nudged her with a wing.

"Oh I'll still bitch, don't you worry about that!" she countered and shoved his wing back.

"Well come on then, my little bitchy human!" he said with a laugh and galloped ahead, looking back at her shocked face.

"Keenis! I am not your little bitch," she exclaimed and chased after him, his laughter infectious.

Keenis slowed to a jog although with her smaller legs she had to sprint to keep up with him. "Slow down you giant lizard," she called after him, "I don't want to get sweaty."

He slowed down and she caught up to him and gasped for air. He jolted when she slapped his rump with a firm hand. "I'm not your bitch," she panted with a hand on her side.

"My mistake, we are just 'close friends'," he said and rocked his head side to side to emphasize the sarcasm.

"Well what are we then?" she asked, as she got her breath back. Looking up she saw that he was not sure either, "Fuck it. Do you want to call this a date, and say we are dating?"

"I didn't think you dated drakes who eat noisily?" he teased with a smirk and nudged her with a wing. However when he looked down at her, he could see the seriousness in her eyes and thought for a moment. He liked Meg, and the idea of dating her was not unappealing and he tilted his head in thought. "Although, it would be easier to explain, even if they didn't understand." he mused.

"Well, we did share a scenic breakfast, and you did eat your toasties quietly," Meg added hopefully.

Keenis thought it over. "Alright. Let's say this is a date. I'll even cook you lunch," he said with a warm smile.

Meg put a hand around his upper foreleg and they continued to walk. "I hoped you would say that Keenis," she said softly, and enjoyed the feeling of his strong arm muscles moving under his smooth scales.

Trees grew wildly over the driveway, making it unuseable for cars and Keenis walked with Meg between his forepaws so he could push through some of the overhanging branches. "Sorry, I don't think I've used the driveway since before I could fly."

As they approached the end, Keenis held back a large branch that blocked their way and let Meg go ahead of him. Looking at the family home, he felt an odd sense of melancholy; so many memories had been had in the old home and not all of them good. He slowly walked towards the house, remembering running around with friends while his older sister watched from inside. Her crippled body holding her back from participating in their games.

"You good Keenis?" Meg asked softly, noticing he had lagged behind slightly.

Before he had a chance to speak a voice called out from inside, "Keenis! Is that my handsome doctor?" While the voice was very proud and welcoming Meg caught Keenis blink a few times before smiling nervously.

"The one and only!" he replied, but Meg caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes as he trotted ahead.

A green dragoness, slightly smaller than Keenis, emerged from the house with wings outstretched for a hug. "Here he is! My brilliant boy," she said, as Keenis came within hugging distance. She wrapped a wing around him and pulled him in close for a smothering hug. "Look at you, you are all skin and bones! What have you been eating?" she said and kissed him on the cheek, "Clearly not enough! When are you going to find a nice ‘ness that will look after you properly!"

"Mom please!" Keenis said, knowing that Meg was probably taking a mental note of everything.

"Don't give me that attitude, when am I going to have grand eggs to look after hey? I'm not getting any younger! You don't want to be raising them all by yourself, it takes a flock to raise a hatchling, you know that!" she berated.

Meg awkwardly approached, dragging her foot on the pavement to announce her presence. Keenis pulled back from his mother and lifted his wing so Meg could step forwards. "Mom, this is Meg..." he said awkwardly.

"Oh yes, of course. Your little human friend, well hello there. I'm Keenis' mother but you can call me Juulln," she said. Keenis knew her body language and tone well and could tell she was already being judgemental.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Meg said politely and held out a hand.

Juulln glanced at the outstretched hand and turned to Keenis, "Your father is inside watching the game."

Meg caught the flicker of annoyance in Keenis' expression as she put her hands in her pockets. "Of course he is," Keenis said, a bit colder than he meant to.

Juulln turned and they followed her inside, Keenis turning his head and mouthed, “I’m sorry!" Causing Meg to smile, today was going to be memorable that was for sure.

A loud voice shouted from the living area, "Come on! Get it in! Go on! Put your back into it! Fill that nest with eggs, you good thing!"

"Aaaannd that would be father," muttered Keenis quietly, so just Meg could hear him. "Hi father! I'm here," he announced loudly. As they entered the living room, Meg saw an old tan colored drake sprawled out on the cushions that were scattered around, a large flat screen tv took prime location on one of the walls. A major game of dragonball was playing, teams of dragons competing against one another to steal ovoid shaped balls from the opposing team while also defending their own 'nests'.

"Honey, Keenis is here! And he has brought his human friend 'Meg' over," Juulln said loudly over the television speakers. The gruff looking drake pulled his attention away from the game and saw his mate, son and Meg standing in the hallway.

"Hi father!" Keenis repeated himself. "Don't get up, I'll start cooking if that's all the same," he asked and looked to his mother for confirmation.

"Coastal Crestie fan are you?" Meg said glancing at the TV and the matching colors of the scarf hanging on one or the walls. "I'm more of a Warblers supporter myself," she said with a smirk, knowing that it would get a reaction out of Keenis' father. "I find the problem with the Cresties is they always try to glide it in. And ever since Caedry Aerospace Group pulled out as a sponsor and Haanith took over, they just have been missing something," she added, causing the old drake’s jaw to drop.

Keenis looked at Meg and then looked at his father's dumbfounded expression and felt reassured that the two will have something to talk about other than their relationship.

"You watch Dragonball?" asked his father, astonished that a human would follow the sport, let alone comment on his team's poor performance this season.

"Of course! I have been following for years," she said and looked at the television, "But the fans can get a bit wild after the game. So I haven't been to many in person."

"Well, Pull up a seat. Meg was it?" he said warmly and pulled over a cushion, "Can call me Keerth."

Keenis smiled as he made his way to the kitchen, knowing that Meg would be able to hold her own against his old man. She was a big dragonball fan, but he never really cared for it. Having treated too many injured spines and heads, the idea of teams putting their bodies on the line for the sake of entertainment made him uneasy, and a bit of resentment towards his father probably didn't help either.

Stepping into the kitchen, Keenis took off his harness, slung it across the kitchen counter and started pulling ingredients out of the pouch. "So Meg seems nice…" his mother probed, while lingering at the door.

"What does that mean?" Keenis asked, while washing his paws in the sink and turning on the oven.

"What?! I'm just saying it's nice for you to have little human friends," his mother said judgingly, earning her a dark glare from him. "Oh don't give me that look, we both know you need a dragoness in your life. A big, handsome doctor like you could bat their wings and get a ‘ness in a heartbeat if you put yourself out there."

"Mom please, drop it," Keenis said, feeling a bit attacked while he chopped and mixed the ingredients together.

"Oh you never could talk to the ‘nesses, I'm just trying to help," she said.

Keenis’ jaw clenched as he worked even though he had expected this sort of reception. Ever since he sent a photo of the squad home he had been bombarded with messages and questions about "that gorgeous dragoness in the photo". The barrage of questions only evolving into "when are you going to get another ‘ness?" after Taalli died.

A loud cheer from the living room interrupted them and he looked over towards the living room to see Meg standing and his father grinning, as a goal was scored. "Hey mom, I've got this under control if you want to sit down," he said in an attempt to get her off his back.

His mother saw through his ploy and gave him a stern look. "Fine! I know when my son doesn't want to talk to me!" she said dramatically, before turning around and joining Meg and her mate in the living room.

Meg looked to Keenis as his mother joined her on a cushion and he gave her an apologetic look. The game had entered a half time ad break and now was her chance. "So Juulln, you must have some stories about Keenis," she said loudly enough for her to be heard from the kitchen, the sound of a clutter of dishes making her smile.

"Oh yes! He is my little emerald. He is a doctor now! And a war hero!" she said, her voice dripping with pride.

Meg smiled and entertained her enthusiasm. "A doctor! Wow. You must be so proud," she mused.

"Oh yes, not many dragons are doctors, are they honey? Most are paramedics at best, but not my boy! He wanted to be a doctor, so he put in the hard work and here he is! Oh you should have seen him when he was little, we bought him a little stethoscope and he was running around with it, telling all the other dragons how sick they were," Meg giggled, storing that image away for later.

"And this was before his magic came through; did you know he could do magic?" she exclaimed. Causing Meg to laugh. "Oh he can! It's so rare these days. But oh, the problems that phase caused. Remember honey?" she said and got a grunt of acknowledgement from her mate, who was still engrossed in the television, "He was so determined to do everything with magic, knocked himself out a couple times trying to get snacks off the top shelf. Scared us half to death."

Meg could see the desperate look on Keenis' face poking out from the kitchen and turned back to Juulln. "Oh, what would you say is the most trouble he got into?" she asked, hoping for an embarassing story or two.

"When he enlisted," Keerth grumbled.

"Oh don't say that honey, he was so brave for signing up-"

"That's not what you said when he told you he enlisted, was it?" he said and gave her a glare.

"Oh well I didn’t know anything did I. Silly ol me. Have you seen his medals?" Juulln said and looked to Meg, who shook her head. "Oh come, come. Follow me," she said and stood up.

Meg followed Keenis' mother down the hallway to a bedroom. "This is Keenis's room, oh it feels like only yesterday that he was scampering around here," she said and held the door open for Meg.

Meg was overwhelmed, the whole room had been dedicated to the green drake. Photos of Keenis throughout his adolescence hung on the walls, from a time when he was a plump little hatchling with wings that seemed too big for him. The images showed key milestones throughout the drake’s life including when he was wearing a harness emblazoned with a school crest, his body now slim with long, lanky legs and not an ounce of muscle on him.

A low bookshelf containing a collection of books he must have read while growing up caught her eye. Meg traced a finger over the shelf and read the titles, the books giving an insight into his childhood. Tales of dragons growing up in a floating city were stacked next to saucier tales of a red dragon with a human paladin friend. As she scanned the titles, she recognised a lot of books she had read while studying to become a doctor, medical journals and literature filling the majority of the shelf.

Looking on top of the bookshelf, she saw something that caught her eye. "Is that what I think that is?" Meg asked, while leaning close to a large glass jar full of fragments of a large green egg.

"Oh yes, I couldn't bring myself to throw his shell away. But look, here is my boy and his soldier friends," she said enthusiastically and gestured to a shelf near the window with a framed photo.

Meg moved closer and picked up the photo by the frame, it showed a squad of five soldiers standing proudly in front of two dragons. Keenis was standing proud on the left, his heavy harness around his body and wings mantled elegantly, he looked a lot younger than he did when she first met him, but she could tell that he was in peak shape when the photo was taken.

"This other dragon, is that her?" Meg asked, voice tightening as she took in the details.

"Ah yes, the one that stole my boy’s heart. Poor thing, terrible what happened to her. Really tore my boy up," she said sadly.

Meg stared at the image of Taalli and Zulu Squad and studied the figures. Judging by the length of the dragoness’s horns, she would guess that Taalli was only a few years older than Keenis, and held herself confidently. Keenis had told her that Taalli had served a tour or two before he had met the dragoness and it showed. While he held himself with his chest puffed out and wings raised to look more imposing, she stood as if she had nothing to prove with her neck curved in an elegant ‘S’ shape and black paws shoulder width apart. Surprisingly, she was more of peach colour than Meg had expected, but still stood out against the drab landscape.

"And these are the medals!" Juulln announced and opened a drawer. Meg returned the frame and peered into the drawer.

"Really, that many?" Meg exclaimed, she had expected a few from his one tour, but the drawer was littered with them.

"Well most of these are hers, Keenis won't let me get rid of them."

"Why do you have them?" Meg asked, he knew Keenis and Taalli had been close towards the end, but the idea of him having her medals seemed baffling.

Juulln closed the drawer softly, "Poor thing had no family. Imagine that, fighting without anyone to come home too. Keenis was given them as he was the closest thing to family."

Meg looked for something to change the subject and spotted a photo on the wall that caused her to laugh, "Oh my, is that from when he enlisted?" Framed, and on full display, was a large portrait of Keenis. Professionally taken, he was looking clean and young with scales polished and horns gleaming against the country’s flag in the background, despite the awkward smile he had on his snout.

"Oh yes! Doesn't he look dashing," Juulln said proudly.

Keenis's head poked through the doorway. "Lunch is served...... Oh... Really?" he exclaimed, as he saw Meg smiling next to his portrait with her phone clutched in hand, he knew he was never going to hear the end of this. "Yes, that's me…" he said with a weak smile.

"You look so handsome," said Meg with a laugh.

"Food, outside, now!" Keenis barked in mock frustration and led them all back into the living room.

The smell of cooked ribs in a variety of sauces filled the room. Keenis' father was already waiting and looked hungrily at the large plate in the center of the room. Meg waited for Keenis to lay down before sitting next to his forepaws on the same cushion. "Smells good Keenis," she complimented him.

Keenis saw his mother give him a look as Meg made herself comfortable against his side. Before she had a chance to say anything he cleared his throat. "Well! Happy lay day mother. Without you, I would not be here," He announced and gave a polite nod to his mother.

"Well thank-you Keenis," Juulln replied.

As the dragons dug into their food, Meg noticed that there were no forks and just used her hands.

"Not eating the bones Keenis?" his father asked, noticing his son stripping the meat off and making a little pile on a separate plate, "Is the city making you soft or something?"

Keenis swallowed, "Nah, I read a thing that it's not great for you," he lied, causing Meg to chuckle softly.

"Oh that's nonsense, dragons have been eating bones for millennia," his father retorted.

Sensing an argument, Keenis' mother tried to change the subject. "So, Meg, how do you know Keenis?" she asked, before biting through a bone.

"Oh, he didn't say?" she said and glanced up at Keenis, the temptation to say they were dating was nearly overwhelming, but Keenis's desperate look stopped her, "We work at the same hospital."

"Oh, so are you a nurse?" Juulln said,

"Doctor, actually," Meg corrected, with a bit of bite in her voice.

"Meg is one of the trauma surgeons. She is very good actually," Keenis clarified.

"Well how about that. Two doctors, isn't that lovely dear," Juulln said nervously, "So do you work on dragons Meg?"

Meg had her mouth full so Keenis explained, "Yes, anyone and everything that comes through the doors. Heck, she took care of me the other week."

Filthy jokes about taking care of him later tonight ran through Meg's mind, but she stifled them and swallowed. "Hardly, this silly goose worked himself too hard and collapsed. I just made sure he was okay."

Keenis could see the worry in his mother's eyes. "It's fine mother. Don't fret, I had it under control. I just pushed myself a bit too hard with magic, but I took some time off and I'm all good."

"It's my job to worry. This is why you need a ‘ness in your life! You wouldn't stretch yourself thin if you knew you had a lovely ness to come home too. Isn't that right dear?" she said and when her mate didn't respond, she gave him a shove.

"Yes, what she said," Keenis' father grumbled, while grabbing another stack of ribs.

"I just worry about you, all alone in that penthouse of yours. When are you going to invite us over by the way?" She stopped when she saw Meg giggle, "What?"

Meg could feel Keenis' body tense. He often joked that his run down, rooftop apartment was a penthouse and it was clear his parents had been told similar but had taken it to heart. "Oh he doesn't let anyone in his penthouse. I've been asking to visit for months now, so welcome to the waitlist," she joked and felt him relax slightly.

Juulln let out a huff and finished off her ribs. Meg couldn't help but flinch at the sounds of bones splitting and was grateful that Keenis didn't eat his right next to her.

After the meal, Keenis was taking the dishes to the kitchen when he overheard his mother, "So, Meg, did you drive here? I'm sorry that the driveway is a bit overgrown, we have just never really needed it."

Meg glanced to the kitchen for help, but Keenis was busy washing up. "Oh no, I got a ride here with a friend," she said, not completely a lie.

"Well, wasn't that convenient," Juulln said sweetly, "Do you not have a car?"

"Living in the city, parking is too expensive," Meg said simply, wishing Keenis would return and save her from the interrogation.

"Of course, of course," Juulln said and glanced over at her mate who was resting his head on the cushions, only a few minutes away from falling asleep.

"Did you hear they found that Drag'n'Drop lady? The one who went missing," Juulln said, trying to fill the silence. "Found in an alleyway, needles all in her, drug overdose apparently. She would have been on good money, I found it odd that she would be found like that."

Meg had seen the news story; some lady called Tracy from their legal team went missing and wound up on a drug fueled bender. "Corporate suits party hard, I guess," she smiled as Keenis returned.

"Hey Meg, we should probably head off if we are going to get to that thing in time," Keenis announced and gave her a look. He could tell she was relieved, at being saved from the constant barrage of questions.

Juulln stood up. "Going so soon? Aww. Keerth, wake up!" she said and slapped her mate with her wing tip, causing him to grumble awake.

"Sorry, I promise we will come back again soon," Keenis said, Meg smiling inwardly at the use of 'we'.

"Well, you take care of yourself Keenis, I mean it," his mother said and pulled him into a tight hug. "I worry about you my little Keen-bean," she whispered, Keenis' eyes glancing at Meg who had a fist in her teeth, trying to stifle a laugh..

Once they made their way outside, Keenis crouched down to let Meg climb up to his shoulders and tried not to make eye contact with his parents who stood dumbfounded. "I...I thought you said a friend gave you a ride?" his mother asked in a confused voice.

"I did," Meg replied with a polite smile, as Keenis quickly waved goodbye and launched into the sky before an argument could erupt. He knew he had an uncomfortable conversation coming, but for now he enjoyed the sensation of freedom as he beat his wings to quickly climb.

"Well… they seem… fun.!" exclaimed Meg sarcastically and as Keenis leveled out and she leaned back so she could stretch out between his wings with her legs still straddling his neck. She could feel his body and powerful wing shoulders move and shift under her but felt confident that he wouldn't let her fall.

"I told you! She can be a bit much," he smirked.

"She is proud of you, that's for sure," Meg said, while staring up at the early afternoon sky, "Sorry if you felt you had to leave because of me"

Keenis flapped his wings a few times before replying, "Honestly it's okay. I think ‘small doses’ is how I would prescribe my parents."

"Very small doses," Meg corrected, causing them both to laugh.

"Well thank you for coming Meg, you made it more.. memorable. That's for sure," Keenis said, his voice genuine and sincere, "I owe you one."

"I'll hold you to that. Although I think I probably should have worn sunscreen," Meg said and inspected her arms, they were starting to get a bit pink, "Could we stop? I don't want to be sore tomorrow."

Keenis looked back with a smirk pulling at his lips, "I'll make you sore tomorrow"

"Oh ha-ha, come on my little Keen-bean," she retorted and pulled herself back up so she was sitting upright.

Her eyes went wide and she let out a scream as he tucked his wings in and fell, the wind rushing past, drowning out her voice as she quickly clutched onto his harness.

Keenis looked back at her while they fell, her eyes scrunched closed and orange hair flying in the wind. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she yelled, as they rushed towards the ground.

Keenis slowed their descent by gradually opening his wings, the thin membranes catching the air as he transitioned to a glide.

Meg opened her eyes when they slowed down and Keenis laughed as she playfully slapped his neck with her hands repeatedly. Her soft strikes doing nothing to his smooth scales other than make him chuckle.

"You piece of.... Gah!" she flustered.

"What, you said you wanted to get sunscreen?" he mocked sarcastically. Looking ahead Meg could see them approaching a gas station.

With a flare of his wings, Kennis touched down in an area reserved for trucks to park and lowered himself to let Meg off. She flipped him the bird as he chuckled, her legs barely supporting her weight as she took a few wobbly steps.

He waited patiently for Meg to return, giving the occasional nod to passing cars. It was rare to see a dragon at a gas station but he didn't care. He smiled when he saw Meg return with a plastic bag in hand and new sunglasses on her head.

"Got some supplies, that sun is going to be in our faces going home, isn't it?" she asked and he nodded. She stuffed the bag into one of his pouches and climbed on up, wiggling into his shoulders to get comfortable.

"Good?" He asked and looked back. She looped her hands through the straps of his harness and gave him a nod. Mantaling his wings, he crouched slightly before launching back into the sky and saw her smiling as the ground fell away from them once more.

"I got us some chocolate!" Meg announced and rifled through the pouch as they flew, "Wouldn't be a date without chocolate."

He heard her break a chunk off and he turned his head for her to pass some to his watering mouth. He gave a muffled thank-you and returned to looking ahead.

They flew in relative silence until Meg saw them approach the cemetery . "Keenis, you know how you said you owe me one..." she said and felt him tense slightly. "Can we go take a look? I saw her picture in your old room and I bought some flowers from the gas station," she added.

Keenis flew on in silence, the day had been an emotional rollercoaster and he wasn't sure he had it in him to visit the cemetery. "I would prefer if we didn't," he coughed to clear his throat.

"Please Keenis?" she begged softly and stroked his neck warmly, "I think it will do you good. And afterwards I'll buy you dinner."

Keenis kept flying in silence, until the cemetery was below them and he was above a sea of white marble headstones. "Fuck it," he said shortly and banked sharply, Meg grabbing onto the harness at the last second, but didn't complain, not wanting to give any excuse for him to change his mind.

He angled himself towards a small building that he hoped would have a map and slowed down to land. Meg gripped his harness tightly as he flared his wings out and touched down with his hind legs before folding wings tightly against his sides. His body felt tense under her and when he did not lower himself down to the ground, she swung a leg over his shoulder and slipped down his side. As they approached the building, they saw a small glass window with a sign offering a mobile number for them to call, but before Keenis could say anything Meg directed him to a sign which looked to have a map of the facility.

"So many..." Meg started, the sign showed a map of the area with zones for different conflicts and forces, each one color coded and with a legend that extended across the bottom of the image..

Keenis pointed to an area after studying the map for a moment. "That should be it," he said, his voice firm and short. Meg could tell that he was resorting to what she called his "soldier mode." Reserved only for stressful days, his voice was lower and he only spoke in short sentences, just enough to convey the meaning while keeping his emotions close to him.

Keenis led the way to an area dedicated to the theater of war that he served in. White grave stones stretched out for miles around them in tidy rows. Eventually they reached an area where the graves were more spread out. It took Meg a moment to realize why, but of course a dragon would take up more space than a human.

Keenis's eyes started darting over the headstones and his pace picked up, leaving Meg behind. She waited on the main path and watched, while he quickly trotted down the lanes looking for Taalli's final resting place.

A small part of him hoped he wouldn't find her, that he could go on not facing the truth, but he stopped suddenly when he saw her name. A white, marble headstone, like the many others around her, a single name "Taalli", her serial number, and her dates.

Meg watched as he stopped suddenly, her breath hitched; she knew he had found her. She saw his tail quiver slightly, before he quickly sat down, his legs becoming too wobbly to hold him. Meg kept her distance out of respect and could hear him talking softly to the silent headstone.

"Hi," his voice croaked softly and he sniffed back a tear .

"I really don't know what I'm meant to do," he said softly, his voice broke before a flicker of a smile pulled at his quivering lips, "But I guess that is the theme of my life isn't it." With a paw, he touched the headstone, as if to make sure it was real, before quickly pulling it away from the cold, smooth marble. His nostrils flared and lips quivered as he held back tears. "I am so sorry I couldn't save you.... I really am. I hope you understand, we had to leave you," he sniffed and looked across the sea of graves unable to look at her name engraved on the marble. When he saw Meg standing at the end of the lane, left hand holding her right arm awkwardly, he felt somewhat reassured that he wasn't alone and took a deep breath to compose himself..

Keenis turned back to Taalli. "That's Meg, I think you would have liked her, she doesn't mind getting dirty, just like you..... Maybe I have a type," he said with a weak smile. "Yes, I know her hair is orange, it's just a coincidence," he said, imagining Taalli teasing him. "She bought you flowers," he said gently, as he pulled a small bouquet of mixed flowers from his harness. "They are from a gas station, but I wasn't planning on coming here.... She is persistent, like you in a way."

He placed them down at the base of the grave, making sure they stayed up against the headstone. "I know we weren't together long, but I am so glad to meet you. I didn't know what I was doing out there, and you really helped. But now I feel so lost without you," he said with a sniff, salty tears now dripping off his snout to the ground.

Meg saw him breaking down and slowly walked to him, making sure to drag her foot every so often to announce her presence.

"She is coming over, don't embarrass me," he whispered to Taalli, with a hint of a smile on his lips, before he faltered again..

Meg didn't say anything as she came up to his side and wrapped an arm around his foreleg. She could feel the tremors wracking his body and held him tighter as he sniffed back a tear. When his wing lowered around her side, she wrapped her other arm around it and held it close.

Keenis cleared his throat, tears still falling from his muzzle. "Meggles, meet Taa-" he said and his voice broke. Meg clutched his arm and stroked his scales reassuringly. “Taalli” he finally said after clearing his throat.

They remained silent, Meg gently stroking his scales while he remembered his lost friend. The missions they shared, her infectious laughter and persistence in courting him bringing a smile to his snout. The sorties they had flown often had her looking over him while he helped the injured and even though he kept pushing her away for months, he always knew she had his back. Together they had been a team and now she was gone for good.

Meg's gentle caress reminded him that he was not alone though. "Shall we get going?" he asked, his voice low with sincerity and a newfound appreciation for his human companion.

"Only if you are ready," she said gently.

Keenis sniffed and lifted his head. "Can you give me a minute longer?" he murmured weekly and lifted his wing from her.

"Okay, I'll be just on the path if you need me," Meg said and gave his arm one last stroke, before leaving him with his lost mate.

Keenis watched her walk away and turned to Taalli one more time. "I miss you Taalli- I will always miss you Taalli… and I promise I will come back.” He said looking at her dates and promising himself that he would return for her hatchday. “But I need to move on… I hope you can understand. I wont forget you, but I can't have you in my dreams any more, okay? If you could stop that… please." he said to the headstone. "I will come back though, I promise," he added softly.

Meg saw him rummage around in a pouch, before touching the headstone one last time. She gave him a weak smile as he approached, he couldn't hold her gaze and looked around the countless headstones as he came next to her and crouched to let her climb onto his shoulders.

"Thankyou, Meg," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he stood up and leaped into the sky, his large, tan wings propelling them onwards.

---

A lone groundskeeper made his way down the lanes of graves, each one dedicated to a service member who had fallen in the line of duty. He pushed a wheelbarrow slowly as he went about collecting the dying flowers and any rubbish that littered the large grounds of the cemetery. As he passed a row of widely spaced headstones, he paused to pick up a bunch of cheap flowers that had long wilted from a headstone and couldn't help but make assumptions of the quality of a friend who would buy gas station flowers for a loved one.

As he was about to pick up the wheelbarrow again, something about the headstone caught his eye. Placed on-top was a lone, orange Lego brick. With a shrug he picked it up and added it to the wheelbarrow and kept walking.