FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Oh Riimack, why am I even writing this?" Taalli exclaimed softly with the morning desert sun beating down on her large wings that were partially extended to catch the afternoon rays.

She lay on the top of the berm, an artificial embankment the engineers had made to shelter the base from prying eyes or gunfire. Her once lustrous orange scales were now a dusty, sandy hue that blended into the surroundings as she looked down at the note she was struggling to write.

Almost every spare moment she had, she would pull out the crumpled piece of paper and try to formulate the sentences that escaped her. Deep down, she was not happy with how she had left Mike, yet found herself struggling to put her thoughts into words.

Against her black paws rested an opened MRE pack. Tipping it over, she extracted a large pack of charms. The hard boiled sweets came in a size for dragons and she undid the sweet candy with a talon and placed it beside her to share with her friend. Placing the pack next to her, she used a claw to begin separating the candies by flavor and lining them up in alphabetical order.

"What would you write?" She asked and glanced to her side, taking a deep breath and sighing. "It's not you, it's me." She snorted, "Besides! He was actually trying to use me to make his coffee shop, and did he really think my mother would keep her word?" A wave of doubt washed over her as she remembered her threat to her mother. "That bitch probably hasn't ratted me out yet because she wants the leverage." She added with a snarl.

Lifting her head, she looked across the empty desert ahead, its vast expanse almost endless as the horizon melted into a mirage. The constant sound of the base behind her had become her life now, the sounds of jokes and laughter between soldiers broken up with the roar of engines and equipment used to fuel the war machine. The dull thuds of a squadron of Blackhawk helicopters made her look behind to see where they were going, relief washing over her as she saw the crates of supplies slung under their bellies and not an injured dragon.

Turning back to face away from the base, Taalli took a deep breath and looked down at the half-written letter. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Riimack," she said softly. "I'm sure he meant well, but I think Feerah was right. I'm built differently now." Defeated, she began folding the note up once again and tucked it into the front of her harness before reaching over to Riimack's lines of candies. Plucking an orange-flavored one from his pile, she tossed it into her mouth. "Don't give me that look, these are mine anyway," she smiled sadly and returned to looking ahead.

She could feel her tail twitching against the ground and looked back at it. "Oh, and what are you doing?" she asked herself, frowning as she tried to control the spasming appendage. She couldn't remember when she had noticed her muscles giving involuntary twitches, but she knew that something was not right. The large containers of Tetrabenazine that she had stolen from her father seemed to help, but she couldn't ignore the fact that every time she took a tablet, she was slowly eating away at her stockpile.

Reaching into her harness, she glanced around to make sure no one was watching and popped the cap off of the medicine container to retrieve a pill. Placing it under her tongue, she returned the lid as a sharp pain began to build. It started in her tail and washed through her body before every thought in her mind was consumed by the mind-breaking pain. Snarling, she clenched her jaw, her claws digging into the sand as every muscle in her body tensed against one another. Heat, cold, pressure, and pain all flowed through her nerves as they flooded her brain with false impulses. Memories and images came to her in flashes as she tried to process the pain she was feeling.

Riimack's deep, reassuring voice broke through the layers of noise, causing her to gasp, "Do you think you have much left in you?" He asked while flying alongside her in basic training. Ahead of them, the training academy seemed to get closer and closer. His smile turned sad as his blue eyes met hers. Nodding in understanding, he moved closer and draped a wing over her. The resulting weight of a friend's wing over her back told her it would all be okay.

Gasping for air, Taalli gripped the ground for support while the tablet under her tongue began to dissolve, delivering the relief she needed. Her heart pounded in her chest and her vision slowly returned to her. Riimack's sad blue eyes made her lip quiver as the desert came back into focus.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind and steady her heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, she looked back towards the base to see if anyone had seen, and she was grateful they had left her alone on the berm.

Opening her wings slightly, she gave them a brief flap to stretch them and nestled them tighter against her sides. Plucking another piece from the silver drake's pile, another orange candy, she sighed deeply. Riimack's concerned blue eyes still haunted her. "I forgot to take one this morning. Okay?" She said sadly. Thinking back to the morning's activities, she felt her chest tighten as she couldn't remember if she actually had taken the medication or not. Closing her eyes, she kept them closed knowing that he would not be next to her when she looked and took a deep breath.

The sounds of boots in the sand behind her made her open her eyes. Looking back briefly, she saw the dark-skinned marine called Bishop approaching. "You're back!" Taalli smiled, trying to hide her pain as he climbed the berm to stand next to her.

"Yup, we are all back," he replied and saw the lines of charms lying in their packet next to her, a habit he had seen her do since the incident. "You good?"

"Never better," she lied and looked back over the desert.

"The base chief said that you didn't fly out after us. Did you really stay?" He asked. Zulu squad had finished their tour a month ago and had flown back home. Due to Taalli's size, she had been scheduled on the flight after the humans but had chosen to remain on base.

Taalli nodded softly. "Just can't get enough of the food here," she joked, her voice low and soft.

"Want to talk about it?" Bishop offered, and she shook her head. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"I'm fine!" She snapped and adjusted her wings closer to her body. After a pause of silence, she took a deep breath and sighed slowly. "Sorry, Bishop. I just didn't want to go back."

"Hey, I'm not going to tell you how to feel, or what to do. But if you need time, we can arrange something," Bishop said and saw her glance back to him, her large amber eyes stern and focused. "I know he was your friend, no shame in being upset that he got... you know."

"Ya! I know. I was there, remember," Taalli snarled and looked ahead, the soft desert wind brushing sand across her paws as she remembered the day she lost Riimack. The memory of his limp, broken body slung under a Blackhawk while she carried the injured Viina back was still fresh in her memory. "Sorry," she said softly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Today has been a tough day."

"If you say you're good, I'll believe you, Taalli," Bishop said, placing a hand on her winged shoulder to get her to look back at him. "Are you sure you're good to fight?"

Taalli looked at his concerned face and softly nodded. "I don't mean to sound overly dramatic, but when the bullets fly, I'm good. I can just follow the mission and try not to get shot," she said, breaking his gaze to look back over the desert. "It's when it's quiet that I remember him," she added softly, her lip quivering briefly as she recalled his kindness and wished for nothing more than to share a snack with him one more time.

Bishop nodded in understanding and gave her a reassuring squeeze on her wing knuckle. "Well, we're all back, including Joker, so it won't be quiet any longer," he said, seeing her smile softly. "Have you met our newest addition? He flew in this morning," he added, and saw her perk up.

"But the Humvee is at capacity, right?" she asked, confused, confirming in her head that between Scarecrow, Joker, Kodiak, Raider, and Bishop, all stations on the vehicle were taken by Zulu squad.

"Oh, he's riding with you," Bishop said cryptically, clearly knowing something she didn't. "Want to meet our new doc?"

Taalli rose to her feet and turned around to scan the base for any unfamiliar faces. "Hey, just because I let you ride on my shoulders once, I don't want people to get the wrong idea," she started, her mind torn at the idea of having a medically trained soldier embedded with her.

Thoughts about how she could hide her condition from someone trained to see the signs ran rampant through her mind. The medication she had stolen from her father had helped her hide the pain, but she would be lying to say her health wasn't getting worse.

"Oh, Joker thinks him riding you would help ease your stress," Bishop chuckled, clearly enjoying her ignorance. "Oh, I don't mean to pry, but your heat, that's not due is it?"

Taalli shook her head. At the end of their tour, she had gone on light duties. She had expected with the loss of Riimack and the thought of going home would force her body to skip its natural cycle once again. However, staying behind seemed to have put her mind at ease, and she had needed to confine herself to the squad's tent as her body demanded she find a suitor. Thankfully, the senior officers had been understanding and ensured she had no lingering drakes outside her tent.

"No… I'm okay," she assured and followed Bishop as he began to descend down the berm. "Why are you worried about my heat all of a sudden?"

Bishop smiled, his bright teeth contrasting against his dark skin. "Oh, I know you can control yourself," he teased and spotted their captain waving them over to their tent. "I just have a hunch our doc likes dragonesses." He added with a chuckle at her focused expression.

"Could you say that again, but like, not make it sound creepy? I'll be the judge of anyone riding me, okay?" She snapped, only for Bishop to snort a laugh.

Decades ago, it was common for war dragons to be accompanied by a rider as they soared across the battlefield. But after much lobbying and shifts in public opinion, dragons finally emerged from under their former masters as their own independent beings. The result of which had made humans riding dragons frowned upon in dragon culture, as it was a sign of servitude towards the human.

Taalli was well aware of this fact, yet she and many dragons of her generation would argue that following traditions was just another form of servitude. To be truly free would be to choose whether she allowed a human to ride on her shoulders or not.

Bishop nodded, "Oh, if he forced you to let him ride you, we would fuck him up. No doubt about that," he exclaimed and smiled at her confused look. "Come-come, the doctor will see you now," he added with a grin.

Shaking her head in confusion, she walked alongside Bishop as they approached the tents they called home.

Every squad shared a large tent; however, the squads with dragons were issued with a second canvas tent that was erected next to the squad's. While it was meant to be used exclusively by the squad's dragon, it was common for one wall to be pulled back, and the area used as a communal space to store gear. The added benefit of storing gear with the dragons would ensure that no sticky fingers relocated gear from one squad to another.

As she approached her squad, Taalli blinked and cleared her throat before putting on a smile. The vulnerability and softness she would allow herself when alone or with Bishop disappeared as she nodded in greeting to the rest of the unit.

Her pace slowed as the rest of Zulu squad gave her a knowing grin, parting to reveal a large green dragon. The clearly masculine form of the leaf-colored drake curled around itself as he slept heavily, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Taalli recoiled back in shock, much to the amusement of the squad. "That's our new doc?" She asked and looked at Scarecrow, the captain of their unit.

"Keep it down, let him rest, he had a long flight," he replied in a hushed voice.

"But Captain... He is a dragon," Taalli stammered, looking over his strong body. Her eyes were drawn to his long legs, which were tucked up close to his body. The tan wing arms contrasted against his leaf-green scales, breaking up his pattern like natural camouflage.

"Yes, Taalli... How did you pass recon training?"

Taalli shook her head, about to say she didn't do recon training, but caught herself before falling into her captain's joke. "But Cap, two dragons in a unit? Has that been done before?" Taalli asked. During training, it had happened; however, in deployment, it was only ever one dragon supporting a squad.

"It's being done now," Scarecrow said shortly. After Riimack's death and the delay in evacuating the downed dragons, he submitted detailed requests for the squad to be issued either a second dragon or a combat medic to join his unit. When he learned they were being assigned a drake that was also a medic, it was two birds with one stone.

"Sorry, Taalli, looks like you're not special anymore," Bishop remarked and elbowed her wing in jest.

"His file says he can do magic," Scarecrow said, and he saw Taalli's eyes widen in wonder.

The thought of him possibly being able to cure her made her heart beat faster. Magic was exceptionally rare, more so than breathing fire. While stories of old would recount dragons leveling castles and wiping out swaths of humans with just a thought, the reality was far less practical. A dragon who had the gift of magic was unlikely to be able to lift more than a couple of pounds, even if they had trained their whole life. Distance was also a significantly limiting factor; the effort required to influence something became exponentially harder the further it was away. Despite the mystery and mystique of the gift, it was more common to find a gifted dragon as a locksmith, manipulating pins than anything else more prestigious.

"Hear that, Taalli? He has a magic touch for your special 'needs'!" Joker added.

Glancing around, she could see the squad's combined looks to her and knew she had to say something to join in. The thought of her being "speechless" when she saw their newest member made her chest tighten.

"Well fuck, hit me with a brick and call me 'hur-dur'. He can take care of my special needs any day. Look at him!" Taalli whispered loudly and saw the others grin, "I haven't had a drake under my tail that hasn't needed batteries in-"

"Hey, we need those bats for NVGs!" Joker retorted.

Seeing Raider suddenly let go of a cardboard box and wipe his hands on his fatigues, she chuckled. "You can have them back then. I think I'm going to book myself in for a check-up with our new doc. You know, make sure the plumbing is still working," she added, reaffirming her place as one of the squad.

"Easy, Taalli, or we will change your callsign from Tally-ho to Taalli-hoe," the captain teased.

"I'm awake," murmured the green drake sleepily. His nostrils twitching as he smelled the scent of another dragon and opened his eyes to see the squad gathered around him. Seeing Taalli's face focused intently on his body made him recoil back in shock, a tan wing arm quickly covering him before he could confirm he was not exposed. "Oh! Hi, hello, yes," he stammered, lifting his head up. "Sorry, this is Zulu squad, right? I'm in the right place?"

Scarecrow nodded while the others chuckled at the new recruit. "Yeah, you're in the right place, Keenis, right?" he said and began to introduce the squad when the drake nodded.

Taalli watched intently as their captain introduced them all, frowning when the green drake's eyes lingered on her dusty scales. "... and finally, that's Taalli," Scarecrow explained, and Keenis nodded in greeting.

Turning to her captain, Taalli cocked her head. "Do we get a third tent? Now we have another Delta?" she asked.

"Nope, you guys are bunking it together," Scarecrow stated firmly.

"Just try to keep your 'bunking' quiet, okay? Some of us need our beauty sleep," Joker teased, the squad chuckling as the new dragon suddenly became very busy with the harness that he had been using as a pillow.

Sensing the squad's reaction was about to turn on Keenis, she retorted swiftly, "Roger that. Some of you need more beauty sleep than others," deflecting the squad's laughter to Raider with a nod of her head.

As the laughter died down, Scarecrow glanced at Taalli and then to Keenis. "You rested?" He asked and the drake nodded, "You fed?" He asked and Keenis shook his head. "Alright, Taalli, how about you take him to the mess hall and tour the base, show him the lay of the land so to speak. I don't want him getting lost in the night."

"Roger that, Captain." Taalli nodded.

"Lay of the land, lay of his life more like it," Bishop teased.

Scarecrow placed his hand on her wing and looked up to her face with a serious expression, "And Taalli. Go easy on him." A smile emerged on his lips as he added, "It's his first time," to the amusement of the squad and the embarrassment of Keenis who was now getting up and putting his legs through the loops of his harness.

"Come on, rookie, I'll show you a good time." Taalli teased, joining in with their banter, smiling warmly as the new dragon smirked back.

"Sorry, I'm all thumbs," Keenis murmured as one of the many buckles on his harness failed to engage properly.

Seeing him struggle, she stepped closer and heaved it up, snapping the buckle closed. "Come on, Cinderella, let's go to the ball," she teased and turned as the rest of the unit began unpacking their gear.

Keenis swallowed and followed behind the orange dragoness, glancing back as the one they called Joker gave a wolf whistle.

"Showing weakness feeds them; you need to show you are strong to not get stepped on," Taalli said firmly as they walked between the rows of tents and temporary structures. Her chest tightened as she repeated the words of wisdom Riimack had told her, so very long ago in a mess hall far away. "You are one of us now, you gotta keep up with them."

"They told me I would be in a unit with another Delta, but I didn't realize it was with a dragoness," he said calmly and trotted quickly to walk alongside her.

Taalli smirked as she looked at him without turning her head, his gaze ahead and shoulders rolled with every step like the predator he was.

"You don't like 'nesses? More of a drake's drake? That's cool, not many are so open about—"

"No!"

"No, you don't like 'nesses? That's a shame," she teased, knowing full well that she had cut him off, chuckling as he almost tripped.

"No, I don't like drakes, I like 'nesses," he clarified with a smile.

"Do you like this 'ness?" Taalli teased, brushing her tail against his for fun and roaring with laughter when he couldn't find his words. "Relax! I'm just fucking with you," she teased, "or rather, not fucking with you."

Clearing his throat, Keenis nudged the orange dragoness with a wing. "You wish. I bet you would love to bring a doctor home to meet the folks," Keenis said with a smirk, but when he saw Taalli's stern expression, he found his smile faltering.

Taalli frowned at the drake's attempt at banter before nodding. "So you're a fast learner, good! Welcome to forward base Kodai, our home for the next few months," she added with a warm smile.

"Most of the fighting happens a few clicks north from here in the city, and we fly in to help out where needed," she explained. "The base used to get attacked with rockets, but that hasn't happened in ages." Seeing his gaze fixed on the buildings and not flinching at the idea of indirect fire made her feel more at ease. Looking at his muscular body, she could tell he would have been at ease during basic training, and to qualify as a field medic would mean he had the smarts between his horns.

As they waited for a group of Marines to pass, Taalli pointed out the function of many of the green tents, many with bristling antennae reaching high above them.

"So the squad, are they alright?" Keenis asked, shuffling his wings to settle them alongside his body.

Taalli nodded. "They are like family to me now," she said warmly, "Dysfunctional, fucked in the head, and a complete bunch of misfits. But I guess that's family, isn't it?" Seeing a smile on his snout. "Is this really your first tour?"

Keenis nodded and glanced at the dragoness, noting the effortlessness and grace she carried while walking, "Does it show?"

She snorted with a chuckle and laughed before composing herself. "Yeah, you look a bit green," she said and glanced over, relieved to see him smile.

"Thanks, I've never heard that one before," he said sarcastically, before chuckling along with her.

"Just remember your training, listen to the captain, and you will be okay. I was nervous my first time too," she said and gave him a playful wink when he looked at her.

Keenis swallowed and looked down the side of the orange dragoness. His gaze narrowed on the dozens of small scars that marked her folded wings; each one was no larger than a penny but would have hurt.

"Shrapnel," Taalli said simply, seeing him stare. "I was just out of the blast radius." She added as his eyes widened. "Well, almost out of the blast. Turns out, 'danger close' was a lot closer than I expected."

"Who treated the wounds? They look a bit rough," Keenis asked and saw her gaze narrow.

"I did," she said flatly. "Used a roll of duct tape."

Keenis shook his head in shock, "Wait, you taped them? Why not mem-bond?" During his medical training, he had been taught how to provide care for injured wings, and amputate if needed. Due to the flexible and elastic nature of a dragon's wing membranes, stitches would only work if the wings were then immobilized so it was more common to use a sticky compound that had been specially developed for wing punctures.

Taalli led him around a corner towards the mess hall. Despite her attempt at a smile, he could see the pain hiding in her amber eyes. "Because I didn't have a medic taking care of me. I had to get another 'ness to safety, so tape it was."

Keenis' eyes widened in awe, "That's pretty heroic. Did the dragoness make it?" he asked and saw her nod. "Did you get a medal?"

Taalli nodded; the small brass emblem and ribbon had been added to a collection of others she had been awarded, all stuffed unceremoniously into an old ammo tin she kept back in her tent.

"That's pretty cool," Keenis remarked, trying to lighten her mood. Looking over her wings, he could see a small tattoo nestled in between her wing fingers. The black crest of their branch's emblem with the Latin words for "from earth and sky" written below. "Oh! You got some ink as well?"

While many humans would show off their tattoos with pride, dragons who served were once branded as property. As times changed, so did traditions, and while a dragon would never be forced to receive a mark of their branch, if they had truly become one with their unit, it was not uncommon for the dragon to let the squad mark them.

Taalli swallowed, her chest tight as she remembered the day she had earned hers. The memory of Riimack's mate, injured and hardly conscious, being sheltered by her body and wings while artillery detonated ahead of them. She could still feel the chest-pounding concussion waves from the barrage she had called down. Bishop had commented that she had looked like a creature from the depths of hell, emerging from the smoke with wings outstretched, the injured dragon tethered to her harness while covered in a combination of blood, soot, and grime.

Shaking her head to clear the images from her mind, she nodded at the curious green drake. "Yeah, after I got the medal, the guys really accepted me as one of them," she explained. The memory of seeing Riimack's lifeless body being lowered from the helicopter caused her to shiver. The days afterward, the squad had come together to help her, all of them shifted their bunks into her tent to make sure she didn't feel alone until she had asked them to give her space.

"Do you think they will be okay with two dragons? I know having two is a bit odd," Keenis asked and looked back towards the tents.

"I'm sure you will be fine. Raider may take a bit of getting used to, he isn't a big fan of dragons. Kodiak just does as he is told and I'm sure Bishop and Joker will make every joke under the sun about us," Taalli explained and saw his eyes dart to hers nervously. "But the captain is a good egg. If not a little quiet."

Entering the large tent that served as the base's mess, the pair dipped their heads under the entrance and took their place in line. "So, Doctor Keenis, eh?" She said with a warm smile and saw him smirk back with a hint of pride. "What made you want to be a combat medic?"

"I always wanted to be a doctor, but medical school isn't cheap," he explained, "so when the recruiter said I could get my degree and get paid! Well, here I am. I'm thinking of doing one tour and then I'll head back home and be a real doctor."

Taalli smiled and gave an understanding nod, "I promised myself one tour too."

Keenis could hear the sad inflection in her voice as he looked at her, “Why did you stay?“

Taalli sighed, “That's a really long story. But I feel more at home here than anywhere else, the guys are solid, the food is trash, but the work is easy.“

Keenis cocked his head in confusion, “I wouldn't call getting shot at easy.“

Taalli blurted out a laugh and smiled at the green drake. “Sure it is! The enemy does all the work!” She teased and smiled when he smirked.

“So tell me, Doctor Keenis. Is there a special someone back home for you?”

“Um, no. Just my mom and dad,” he said softly, his voice failing him before he cleared his throat. “Hey, I just want to make sure we are on the same page. I'm not looking for any... you know…” His words drifted off and he gave a nod for her to get what he meant.

“Looking for what? Doctor Keenis?” Taalli mused, shuffling forwards in the queue.

“I mean, just because we are a pair - not like a mated pair - I mean... Sorry, let me start again,” he flustered and smiled weakly as Taalli wore a humorous grin on her snout. “They taught us in training how to deal with stressful situations, and the best way is to not have attachments to patients,” he said rigidly. “So, what I mean to say is that just because you're a 'ness, and I'm a drake, doesn't mean that anything-”

“Oh, I'll try to contain myself,” Taalli said while smiling warmly. “But can I trust you to do the same?” Brushing her tail gently against his, she roared laughing when he jumped, the other dragons in the mess hall suddenly looking over to them.

“Don't worry Keenis! You're not in my league,” she teased, her smile wavering as she realized what she had said.

Keenis looked over her body. Despite her graceful proportions and athletic build, he couldn't help but notice her scales covered in an oily residue that had caked the desert dust and sand. "No, I don't think I am," he said softly. Growing up, he had been so focused on studying to become a doctor that he had eliminated distractions and now relied on his instructors' training. "Let's just stay as doctor and patient. Okay?" he said flatly.

Taalli swallowed and looked over to him, trying to gauge what he meant. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he looked away. "I mean, if you get hit, I will need to focus on the job at hand. Okay?"

"Sure."

An awkwardness hung in the air between them as they collected their meals. A combination of reheated meaty ribs and potatoes covered in a mystery sauce. Balancing the tray between their wing knuckles and shoulders, they made their way across the mess hall to an empty space and laid down on the ground facing one another.

"Can't go wrong with some ribs," Keenis said cheerfully, trying to break the tension that seemed to have built between them. Using two claws, he extracted a long rib bone before crunching down on it loudly with his powerful jaws.

Taalli nodded quietly, the ribs a poor imitation of those she shared with Mike. With a quick shiver, she pushed away the memory and focused on the green dragon across from her, the sticky sauce smeared on his snout as he ate.

"So, cap says you can do magic," Taalli said and stabbed a claw into a roasted potato and brought it to her mouth.

"Yes, but no, it's not as practical as you can think," Keenis said between mouthfuls.

"But I take it you can use magic to heal people, right?"

Keenis cocked his head from one side to another while he ate. "Not exactly. I can't use it to instantly know what is wrong with people, and even small things are tricky, like, they have to have been shot or cut and I kind of, move the pieces back together for the body to heal," he explained and saw her eyes flick down to her food. "It's not like the movies, where chest wounds heal up and close like nothing happened. But if there is a bullet lodged somewhere it shouldn't be, I can find it and get it out."

Taalli nodded in understanding, "But can you use magic to find out what sort of sickness they have? Like, if someone had the flu or something."

Keenis held off crunching the rib bone in his mouth while she spoke before hurriedly biting down and moving the pieces to his cheeks to talk. "I could probably tell their temperature was different, or how aspects of their bodies are working," holding his paw out he continued, "It's not like, wub-wub, Ah! Cancer! If that makes sense."

Taalli's lip twitched as she nodded and tried to push away her disappointment. "That's still pretty cool," she said and saw him smile in return. Picking out a rib, she pushed it around her plate for a while before looking back to the drake across from her. "Could I ask you a medical question?"

Keenis nodded with his mouth full and paused his crunching when he saw the seriousness in her eyes.

"I have… this friend right, back in the country. Who used to take these pills. But I didn't know what they were for," Taalli said cryptically, trying to hold his gaze but ended up focusing on the bridge of his snout. "They were yellow tablets, I think they were called tetra-something. Or maybe tetrabene-something."

Keenis looked up at the canvas ceiling while he crunched the rib bones before cocking his head and swallowing. "Tetrabenazine?" He asked and smiled with pride when she nodded. "That's not something they taught us in training. But I've read about it," he said before rubbing his snout with the back of a paw. "I used to pore over old medical books I rented from the library, my school didn't really have anything advanced but I really wanted to get into medical school," he said before realizing she was waiting for an answer. "Oh, right. Your friend, I don't think it's used for much other than Huntington's disease," he said casually.

Taalli's heartbeat raced a little quicker; now she had a label for the pain. "Do those drugs cure it?" She asked hopefully, her wings drooping when he shook his head sadly and picked up another rib.

"How old was your friend when they started taking them?"

Taalli looked across the hall at the other dragons who were eating and shrugged. "She was a few years older than me, really pretty gray scales. Teeba, Teeba is her name." She said, stopping herself from adding too much detail to her lie.

"Is she still with us?" Keenis asked softly and saw her eyes widen.

"Yes, why? What does hunting-whats-it-called do?"

Keenis gently placed a paw on hers. "Huntington's disease is neurological and degenerative." Noticing the look of confusion on her face, he elaborated. "It affects the brain, nerve cells degrade and don't really grow back right. Things like memories and language can go; paranoia, memory loss, and the like would be common. Eventually, the nerves that carry the signals to vital organs shut down, and then… well-"

Taalli recoiled back in horror, her chest as tight as a drum as she suddenly found difficulty breathing. The green drake's words became muffled as she comprehended what he was telling her.

"- Medication can help the symptoms, it will keep her functioning for as long as possible, but it doesn't cure it. It's not even like buying time, just making it more comfortable-" Keenis stopped talking when he saw her frozen in place, her eyes glossy and lip trembling. "Are you okay?"

Taalli opened her mouth to speak but found herself choked up. "I-she… how long would she have?" She asked, her voice wavering.

Keenis subconsciously held her paw tighter, "without doing an assessment on her, it would just be a guess-"

"Please." Taalli begged, "I-I need to know."

Keenis' lip twitched, his medical training failing him now he was face to face with a patient's loved one. "Could be 10, could be 30 years, really depends how far along she is though," he said gently and saw a tear run down her cheek.

Nausea washed over Taalli as she processed his prognosis. Her blood suddenly ran cold and her vision started to blur, her mind spiraling to the worst-case scenarios. It had been over two years since she had felt the first pains in her chest; the thought of only having a few years left in her life caused a shiver to run through her whole body.

"Was she a school friend? Teeba was it?" Keenis asked and saw her focused on the far side of the tent. "Taalli, how did you know-"

"You could fix it though? Right? With magic?" Taalli began questioning him desperately while looking deep into his sad eyes. "If you saw her, you could fix it right?"

Keenis sighed and shook his head, "If it was a parasite or infection maybe, but it's genetic. Her DNA is written differently." He said sympathetically while still holding her paw.

Taalli looked down at his comforting paw before she snatched hers away and stood up suddenly. "I…" she stammered before turning and hurrying towards the exit of the mess tent.

Keenis frowned as she pushed past another drake entering and ran outside, tears streaming down her cheek. Looking towards the exit he saw the entering drake lock eyes with him and smile. "Don't worry, killer. You're not the first to strike out with Taalli."

Shaking his head, Keenis collected both of their plates and carried them between his wings and shoulders back to the kitchen staff. With a quick check of his harness straps, he stepped out into the desert sun and looked around for Taalli, his pupils becoming slits as the harsh sun caused him to squint.

Reaching into the front pouch of his harness, he retrieved a set of dark-tinted glasses and strapped them to his horns, covering his eyes with the large lenses. A loud, pained roar echoed from his right, and he quickly bounded towards the sound. As he approached the berm that sheltered the northern flank of the base, he could see a few humans and drakes scaling the dirt mound to peer over the edge.

Mantling his wings, he climbed as quickly as he could and saw a plume of oily black smoke rise from the other side. Reaching the top, he caught a few nervous glances from the other Marines, and his jaw opened as he saw Taalli standing with her back towards the base. A long jet of orange flame blasting from her maw across the sandy desert, the gentle headwind causing the thick rolling cloud of oily black smoke to wash back over her orange scales.

Taalli's whole body was tense as she unleashed her frustration on the world, her pupils narrow slits as she stared into the bright light of her flame. The heat stung at her scales, but she didn't care. Clenching the powerful muscles in her throat, she prolonged the flame, the two glands in her throat ejecting the volatile chemicals to mix just ahead of her open mouth.

Unable to breathe, she continued for as long as she could before snapping her jaws shut to snuff out the jet of flame and began panting heavily as the cloud of smoke engulfed her. Her heart pounding and tail dropped low on the sandy desert floor while she stood there quivering, sheltered by the haze she had created before the wind gently carried the smoke past her.

Focused on the scorched ground ahead of her, she heard the sound of paws in the sand approaching from the side. A quick glance confirmed it was the new green drake, a concerned and surprised look on his face. Moving closer, Keenis couldn't help his eyes drifting over her grimy scales.

"What would you do?" Taalli said softly while looking across the molten glass pool she had created, her voice just above the soft crackling sound of the cooling ground. She had always known there was a risk of being injured in battle, but now with a finite amount of time looming over her, she struggled to stop herself from shivering.

"If it was me?" Keenis asked.

Swallowing, Taalli breathed deeply, trying to regain some composure. "Imagine it was someone you loved."

"I don't have to," he replied softly. When she didn't respond, he continued, his voice soft and distant, "It's a horrible thing, being trapped in a broken body, while others look at you like you are not there. But a disease or disability doesn't make them any less… them," he said softly. Seeing the pain in her eyes, he moved to stand next to her. The two of them stood alone while facing away from the base. "My sister, she had…" he started and found his voice strained.

Taalli’s eyes glanced at him, unable to see the pain behind his dark tinted glasses. “Your sister had this too?”

“Similar,” He said and cleared his throat, "It's important that they are treated like a person. So many times people would only see her condition, and not her." Pausing, he looked toward the horizon, the sky melding into the sand in a shimmering mirage. "It was hard to see her like she was. We never said it, but we all knew she would never have the same life as us.” Swallowing, he stood in contemplation before softly adding. “There was so much I wish I had done differently.”

“Like what?”

“If I could do it again, I would help her to be herself, and try to help her live life to the fullest," he said, before taking a deep breath to keep his emotions from building. "Your friend's condition, it's not her fault. Honestly, it's not anyone's fault. Sometimes bad things happen to good people," he added.

Seeing her still focused on the ground ahead, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the group of Marines and dragons lined up to watch from the berm. "They're watching, aren't they?" Taalli said softly, sniffing back a tear.

Spotting the dark-skinned member of their squad, Keenis gave an exaggerated nod of his head to the side. Bishop, understanding the request, turned to the rest and began encouraging the others to return to their duties.

"Can you blame them? It's not every day they see a dragon breathing fire like that. It's impressive," Keenis said and saw a flicker of a smile pull at the corner of her mouth. Looking at her filthy scales, he gave her a gentle nudge with a wing. "Although maybe next time, stand upwind," he added but noticed his joke didn't land well with her; her eyes remained focused ahead and her body stiff.

"I think I'm going to need a moment. It's just a lot to process," Taalli said softly, her amber eyes flicking to his briefly. Seeing her own reflection in his glasses, she turned away. "She was like family."

Hearing the pain in her voice, he gave a nod and slowly turned, his green tail flicking behind him as he started to return back to the base. As he climbed the berm, he glanced back at Taalli and saw her still focused on the horizon. Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "Some parts of the job are never fun," he murmured to himself. His green paws sank into the sand as he crested the embankment before pausing on the descent when he saw a group of Marines waiting for him. "Oh, hello." Keenis became concerned when he saw them all armed and looking at him with stern expressions.

"You mind telling us what the fuck that was all about?" Scarecrow asked firmly.

Looking between the members of Zulu squad, he swallowed. "She needs a minute," he said weakly.

"What did you say to her?" Barked Joker, his playful tone completely absent from his voice.

Keenis opened his mouth but was cut off as Bishop approached him, his large automatic weapon slung across his chest. "If you hurt her, in any-"

"No!" Keenis retorted, taking a step backward, stumbling slightly in the sand. "She told me about a friend of hers who is sick. A dragoness called Teeba, do you know her?" He asked and saw them glance at one another before shaking their heads. "Her friend is terminal. She didn't know."

The captain's voice was calm as he relaxed his posture. "She doesn't talk about her family or friends."

"Or anyone on the other side for that matter," Joker added with a shrug.

Keenis looked back over his shoulder. "She was pretty upset about it and wants to be alone."

Scarecrow shook his head, "That won't do. Bishop, I've got a mission for you." He called to the Marine standing in front of Keenis.

"On it," Bishop called and rotated his weapon to his side to use his hands to help scale the embankment.

Keenis looked puzzled as the Marine climbed past him and disappeared over the berm. "Sir?" he asked, turning his head back to look down at his captain.

"Poor 'ness can't catch a break. She got dumped, lost a friend a few months ago, now this. Bishop will help her get squared away," Scarecrow said calmly. "Come on, Doc, let's get you unpacked. We are going to be here for a while."

Taalli's tail twitched as she heard Bishop approaching. While she trusted every member of Zulu squad with her life, she and Bishop had developed a closer relationship since he had been partnered with her in basic training. "I'm okay, I just need a moment," Taalli lied when he came within earshot.

"If you're okay, you won't mind me joining you," Bishop replied and came alongside her. Standing next to the orange dragoness, his shoulders were the same height as hers, but she had a few feet on him thanks to her long neck.

Taalli snorted dismissively and looked straight ahead, her eyes unfocused as she processed what Keenis had said.

"So…" Bishop said gently, "since when did you take up glassblowing?" He added and nodded towards the cone of glass that was once the desert sand. Looking up at her face, he saw that she didn't even attempt a smile. "That bad, huh?"

"I may have made a mistake," she said flatly.

Bishop gently placed a reassuring hand on her wing knuckle and gave it a small shake. "I thought dragons didn't make mistakes."

"This may be an exception," she mused. Now knowing that her condition was degenerative, she thought back to Mike, how he would react, and how her parents would react. If what Keenis had said was true, the idea of others caring for her while she slowly lost her mind sent a shiver through her body. She knew if she explained the truth to the new doc she would be medically discharged in a heartbeat, but it had been so long since she had seen Mike. Could she really go back and expect him to be waiting for her? What if he had moved on? Had she moved on? Her mind tore itself apart with guilt, shame, and fear of what her life could look like if she left the military.

"Well, mistakes happen. Can you fix it?" Bishop asked. "Or has the damage been done?"

When she didn't answer, he lifted his weapon and unslung it from his shoulders. Placing the rifle on the ground pointed away from them, he sat down and patted the ground next to him. When she didn't sit, he looked up to her to see her still gazing ahead, the long corded muscles in her forearms twitching involuntarily to clench her sharp claws slowly into the sand again and again.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" Taalli asked, glancing down at the Marine next to her.

"I am on special instructions to ensure our Delta is combat ready," Bishop said with a smile.

"Well, we have two Deltas now," Taalli replied softly.

"True, but this one needs a friend," he said simply and smiled when she finally sat down next to him. The pair sat in silence, the sounds of the glass continuing to crack as it cooled becoming the soundtrack to her thoughts.

She had been in denial for so long about her condition, so while a shock to her system, she began to rationalize that it wasn't unexpected. Keenis' words about it being genetic and her father having the same medication made her blood boil, yet another heartbreak her father had inflicted on her life. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, wishing she would open them and wake from her nightmare. A small glimmer of happiness to know that her mother's diagnosis had been horribly inaccurate, yet another attempt of her mother to manipulate her into her own agenda. The fleeting joy left her when she remembered that despite her attempts of rationing the pills, she was running out.

"What's your read on him?" Bishop asked, shaking her from her thoughts and hoping the change of subject would coax her to open up.

Taalli rocked her head slightly as she thought, grateful for the disruption to her spiraling. "The doc? He seems okay. Although, he keeps looking at me weird."

"You're a beautiful strong dragoness, with thick thighs and a muscular tail. Some dudes would totally get off on you stepping on them, or sitting on their faces," Bishop said flatly while trying to hold back a smile as her head slowly turned to look down at him with wide eyes. "Or so I have been told," he added with a smirk.

"Bishop, are you flirting with me?" Taalli asked with a slight smile. Every joke about letting Bishop ride her in training had been made and they often leaned into it as playful banter, but she had never actually asked him if he was interested in her.

"Taalli, I like dragons, but I don't like dragons that much. No offense."

"None taken," Taalli replied gratefully and returned to looking at the horizon. Bishop was a close friend, and she shuddered at the thought of something else changing in her life right now. "I don't do blacks anyway," she added flatly, trying to keep her face straight.

"Girl, your paws are black, whatchu sayin'?" Bishop exclaimed. "And your wings. You're basically half black!" He added playfully, smiling when she chuckled.

"Yeah… you got me there."

"And you don't know who your daddy is," Bishop teased.

"O-kay! Now you're being racist," Taalli retorted, giving him a nudge with her wing.

Bishop smiled and pushed her wing back with a hand, relieved to hear he had cracked her strong emotional shell. "So, you don't do blacks, but what about greens?" He asked, seeing her eyes widen slightly. "Don't be pretending you haven't thought about it, you were basically ogling him while he slept."

"No, I wasn't!" Taalli retorted loudly, looking down at the Marine who just raised an eyebrow in reply. "I was simply checking out our latest addition. To make sure he is worthy," she added quietly and returned to looking ahead.

"Uh-huh. Worthy of the squad, or something more?" Bishop teased before being nudged firmly by her wing. "But in all seriousness, if anyone deserves to get some, it's you." He added and pushed her wing back.

Taalli blinked and pulled her head back. "What is that supposed to mean? You think I need sympathy sex?"

"No T, but after everything you have gone through, I'm just saying… and to be honest, all of us are thinking it."

Taalli took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Well, thanks… I guess. I'm glad to know that my friends think I should get laid."

"We got your six, girl," Bishop teased.

"Wait, is that why we have a new Delta? Is Uncle Sam now pimping dragons out?" Taalli exclaimed, her head snapping around to Bishop as he burst out laughing.

"Can you imagine! That black dragoness friend of yours would take point."

Taalli snorted a laugh before catching a dribble of spit with a paw. "Feerah? Oh, she would love that." Her body vibrated with laughter before swallowing and sighing.

"Well, as they say, make love not war," Bishop added and smiled as Taalli laughed again.

As she calmed down, her smile flickered slightly. "Thank you, Bishop. You're alright," she said warmly and nudged him again with a wing.

Bishop nodded and sat next to her in silence before looking up to her, "Doc told us about your friend. Sounds rough."

Taalli took a deep breath and nodded while looking across the desert. "I think I already knew, but I just didn't want to know for sure," she said softly, her voice almost inaudible.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked, holding her wing knuckle. "I think we have more sand somewhere if you want to burn that." He added, smiling when a smirk pulled at her snout. "Maybe a nice building to blow up? Scarecrow said you lost your shit in training when you popped your cherry."

The memory of the concrete building with her father's face on it crumbling did make her smile. Her mind came to the conclusion that spending time back in the country where her father could lord over her and mother tell her the errors of her ways was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her days. The image of Mike having to care for her after she had already imposed herself on his life so much made her shake her head. "Maybe Feerah was right," she said softly, the memory of how independent and free the black dragoness was made her feel like there was a glimmer of hope for her.

"Oh?"

Taalli took a deep breath and nodded. "Fuck it. Everyone has to die sometime, right? Hell, I could die tomorrow, or a rocket could come down on us while we sleep," she said and looked over her shoulder towards the base.

"Atta girl!" Bishop smiled.

"It is what it is, and I may as well make the most of it," Taalli added.

"Damn straight."

"Thank you, Bishop."

"I'm glad I helped," he said happily, still not sure exactly what he had said to change her mood so drastically. Rolling forwards, he stood up when she did and collected his rifle, slinging it over his shoulder with practiced ease as Taalli just winked at him with a small smile.

---

Keenis reached into his large green canvas duffle bag to retrieve the last of his effects before stacking a collection of reading books on top of one another. Reaching back into the duffle bag, he searched around blindly with his paw until he found a worn Rubix cube and placed it on top of his pile of books. Turning his head, he looked around the tent he was going to be sharing with Taalli and tapped his claw on the stack of books in contemplation. Prior to his arrival, it was clear she had been pretty loose organizing her tent as ammo tins were strewn haphazardly all around.

Turning around in the cramped space, he stumbled and heard a clatter. Looking down under him, he saw that he had clipped a toe claw on one of the many ammo containers, sending its contents scattering. Snarling at himself in frustration, he carefully turned around and began inspecting the mess.

His eyes narrowed as instead of ammunition, a collection of photographs had spilled out of the tin. Quickly glancing to the open side of the tent, he confirmed he was alone and carefully picked up the images with his claws. The first made him smile, clearly taken by the human riding on her back. He could see the joy in the man's eyes as he flew on Taalli's shoulders, possibly for the first time. Her neck turned so she could look over her shoulder while he took the photo.

Turning the photo over, he saw a weathered business card for a bar taped to the back. Shrugging, he carefully put it back into the ammo tin before craning his head to look out the tent flap. He felt guilty for going through such personal photos, yet also curious to learn what sort of dragon she was. Looking at the next photo, he realized it must have been taken during her training. Taalli stood proudly next to three other dragons with the rest of Zulu squad in front of them. The two dragons in the middle seemed very close, with the large silver male squinting while resting a wing over a thinner white dragoness, who in turn was smiling up at him, her red frill running down her neck elegantly. A smile flickered in his snout as he saw the final dragon, at first he had thought it was another orange dragon but could see now she was covered in an orange chalk and wore a very unamused expression on her snout.

The sound of Taalli's voice made him hurriedly place the remaining photos back into the tin and clasp the latch down. With a quick side step, he pretended to be busy with restacking his books as Taalli stood outside their tent and lowered her head into the tent adjacent. "Thanks, guys, but I don't need you scaring the new guy," she said warmly and carefully extracted her head from her human squadmate's tent as the rest of the squad laughed.

With a smirk on her snout, she entered the tent with Keenis and nodded in greeting. "Sorry about all that," she said. Despite the warmth in her voice, he could still hear the hints of pain she tried to hide. "I don't want you thinking I'm a blubbering mess," she added, stepping past him. The tent was only just large enough for the dragons to share, provided they kept their wings folded close to their bodies.

"No, not at all. Are you okay?" Keenis replied politely and sat down, curling his tail around his feet to minimize the space he was taking up.

"I'll be fine. Again, sorry for falling apart like that, and I wanted to thank you," Taalli said, noticing his look of confusion. "Bad news is bad news. Not the messenger's fault. What you said about living life to the fullest, it kinda resonated with me."

"No... worries," Keenis said softly as she snatched her foam bedroll off the ground and tossed it to one side.

"It kind of made me realize that things could go wrong at any time. And I may as well make the most of it," Taalli explained, unable to look at him. "Starting by tidying this tent."

Keenis nodded and watched her move, her long tail flicking across at him, which made him lean out of the way while she began moving things back and forth.

"If they told me I was going to be sharing the tent, I would have cleaned up more," she fussed while collecting the empty ammo tins and assorted gear.

"You sure you're okay?" Keenis asked. Gone was the solemn dragoness standing in the desert; instead, a strong, confident dragoness that was now bustling about the tent, seemingly intent on moving every single item within it.

"I'm fine!" Taalli said louder than she should have while organizing her containers, each tin seeming to have a dedicated purpose known only to her. "Sometimes you just need to take a moment to put everything away, to put everything in their box and stack them nice and neatly. I was taught this after I lost…" Clearing her throat, she continued. "My friend's condition is crap. But like you said, not her fault. No point feeling sorry. Might as well make the most of what we get given, right? Some things cannot be controlled, so focus on what you can."

Keenis nodded sympathetically before his eyes went wide as she lifted the edge of the bedroll again and retrieved a round green grenade. A small gasp escaped Keenis' lips as she nonchalantly tossed it into the corner.

"Um, was that live?" Keenis asked, pulling his wings in tighter when she nodded.

"Relax, it's completely safe with the pin in," she replied as she picked up another ammo tin which had a collection of gray plastic sculptures stuck to the top of it. Each one was a small dragon in various poses, another hobby that Feerah had taught her.

She saw his concerned look as he realized what they were made of and chuckled. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing... I think."

Keenis watched her work before spotting an AT4 rocket launcher tube tucked behind the rest of the pile she was making. "Is that live as well?" He said and nodded towards it when she looked at him.

Taalli gave a nervous laugh when she saw what he was referring to. "Oh, no, that's a spent tube. I just use it to store my heat stick."

Keenis cocked his head, given the rest of the paraphernalia he had assumed she was trained in explosives but was racking his brain to what a heat stick would be. HEAT often stood for High Explosive Anti Tank, but couldn't think of what she meant by stick, or why it would need storing in a used rocket tube.

Seeing his confusion she shook her head. "My rubber roommate? Hysteria helper?" She said and saw his eyes widen and head recoil back in shock. "Oh please, every ‘ness has one." She teased. Turning her back to the shocked drake she began stacking her ammo tins up against the tent wall, pausing when she realized one was missing and turned to see it near Keenis. Taking a step and reaching past him with her long neck, she picked it up in her jaws and shuffled the order of the tins so it was at the bottom of the pile.

"What's with all the tins?" Keenis asked, making a rough count on them all. "Don't they need to get refilled?"

"No one likes doing that, so I keep my personal stuff in it." Taalli said with a shrug and selected one from the top of the stack. ”If anyone picked it up, they would think it was empty and wouldn't steal it,” she added and cracked the latch. "There you are! Want a cheeky jerk?"

His eyes went wide and then smiled as she offered a tin to him with some dried beef inside. "Thanks, but no thanks." He said, unsure how old exactly the strips of meat were.

Taalli shrugged and pulled a strip out before closing the tin and returning it to the stack, making a mental note as to where the specially marked tin was that contained her supply of pills.

Turning around with the strip of beef hanging out of her mouth, she nodded at the empty space she had created between them. Sitting down, she used a paw to pull the meat out of her mouth and nodded to the ground. "So, how do you want to do it?" Taking an innocent bite of her jerky she watched as he flustered, trying to find his words. "The bedrolls Keenis! Do you want to put them side by side? Or on either side of the tent?" She elaborated and smiled as he cleared his throat.

"Sorry, of course. Um, I don't mind." He said hastily and turned his head away to collect his rolled up foam mat from the side of his duffel bag.

"Well, how about together. That way if one of us is out we can stretch a little." She offered and tossed hers onto the ground, taking the time to straighten the corners, and lay down on the thin mat.

Keenis swallowed, Taalli's amber eyes watching him closely as he gently placed his bedroll down alongside hers, deliberately leaving a gap between the two mats before she tugged his closer so it was pressing up against hers.

"Come on, lay down. I won't bite," she teased and patted the foam mat next to her.

"Aren't we meant to do a mission or something?" Keenis said. It was still early afternoon, and the base seemed alive outside.

"Word from the wise. If you get a moment to rest, take it. You don't know when the next one will be," Taalli said while finishing off the last of her jerky strip.

Keenis raised an eyebrow before shrugging, gently collecting a book from his stack. He lay down on the furthest edge of his bedroll before opening to where he had left his bookmark and tried to ignore the orange dragoness who was watching him intently.

Taalli's eyes looked over his shiny, green scaled body. His muscles were clearly defined under his well-polished hide. Sensing her gaze on him, he tucked his wings closer to him while pretending to read.

"Medical book?" Taalli asked when she saw he hadn't turned the page in a few minutes.

"Fiction," Keenis said simply and lifted the cover for her to see. Taalli cocked her head to read the text before perking up in realization.

"Oh! Where are you up to?" Taalli asked, her tail twitching in excitement.

A smirk pulled at Keenis' snout as he turned his head to look at the dragoness. "Oh? You read 'Dragon in the Dungeon'?"

Taalli cocked her head. "You say that like someone hasn't!" She said with a grin. "And that scene with Val and Kylaryn in the mouth of the cave in the silver rain! So hot."

Keenis blushed at the memory of the intimate scene. "I-I haven't read them since I was a fledgling. So I thought it would be good to re-read them."

Taalli stopped herself from making jokes about fledgling Keenis properly 'enjoying' the series. "May I read along with you?" She asked gently. Despite the smile on her snout, he could see the lingering pain in her amber eyes. "Today has been a bit of a roller coaster, I could do with something relaxing. And I promise I'm not a slow reader."

Keenis glanced down at her filthy scales and eventually nodded. Shuffling closer to her, he held the book out in his outstretched paw so they could read together.

"Good looks and good taste in books. How do you stay single?" Taalli teased as she stretched out and looped a claw through one of her many ammo tins. Pulling it closer, she opened the lid to reveal the jerky and placed it between them.

"I honestly don't know," Keenis mused and reached into her tin to have a sample of her snacks.