FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Elias was the first to rise, fishing rod in hand to greet the rising sun, and eventually Sade's splashing forelimbs. Fish slapped beside the man's boots, flopping upon the rough dock wood as he shifted a cigarette to the other side of his mouth. Late afternoon fishing had been the name of the game, an old rod in his room being put to use outside their new dock home the moment he'd awoken. Moon had been absent from her hammock, but vanishing gryphons wasn't anything he was unused to.

"Ya bein' slow." Water joined the slimy creatures, splashing his boots as the line went slack. Whatever his catch might have been, it was far too spooked by the shark dragon to nibble his bait now. "Gotsh breakfash fer ush." Scales parted around Sade's fangs as she sunk them into the juicy flesh of a striped bass, wrenching her neck to pull free its innards with a slurp like gulping down gooey noodles.

"Gross."

"Mhm. Ya should see Moony in there. She's makin' chips outta fins an' eatin' the heads raw."

"Fins? You already went hunting for her?" A puff of smoke left the man's nostrils as he looked to the darkened sky, once again overcast by clouds and an obscured moon. They were people of the night, after all. "Didn't know the bird was up."

"Came back an hour ago from… somewhere." Another fish met a messy end down Sade's gullet, flecks of blood and glittering scales splattering Elias's pants leg. "Got ya game face on? This… boss lady of yours gonna be here soon. The one ya said was comin' today?" Hard lines seemed to deepen on the guard's face, years growing on his brow while he watched his now useless bobber dance in the waves Sade's tail made in the harbor. "Whatchya know about this boss lady? Ya suck her titties to get this place? We about to get fleeced?"

Boss lady… Wish I worked for her instead of Greg for the last few years…

"I'd keep those quips to yourself when she's here. She's old money, old style; respect and manners go a long way." A pause, a tilt of the head as he thought. "Well, as long as you're still yourself in the process. She hates masks."

"We all wear masks, Elly. Just which one is the more comfortable 'round people ya like." Sade grinned, slurping down another fish slow, whole and live, her black eyes locked on his. Water rippled around her wiggling haunches, yet another offer on her scale covered lips as his boots evaded her reaching claws. Her pout was, as most things were, rehearsed.

"I like my fillets cooked. You can manage?"

"Pah, ya should be cookin' for me while I recover from afterglow."

"Uh huh. I'll get the kobolds to do it."

"Kill joy."

Not willing to allow her any victories, Elias let his rod fall from his hands, hooked the few fish not yet devoured by his boots, and rose to return to their new home. Sade followed, trundling ahead to nose into the chaos with a still bloody muzzle. Only a plank door separated the otherwise peaceful docks from kobold chaos, pittering paws milling about as floors were cleaned, rubber mats arranged, plastic covered furniture revealed and pulled into place, and electrical wiring repaired with the scant few tools left lying about. Former dancers and whores put to task by Vertez himself, the catty reptile overseeing the crowd with one hip cocked to the side and tail wrapped around his own ankle. It was odd to see him without scale-paint or lingerie heavy with jingling jewelry. Just… jogging pants.

Moonbeam remained steady amidst the flow, sequestered in the corner of their small wooden dock mansion as she worked a stove under the stairs to the second floor. Elias waved, receiving a slow blink in return but little else. Distant ship horns and the shouts of deckhands wafted through the open drop gate, their slip still void of a vessel to call their own, though what they'd do with one, Elias had no idea.

Though others might be winding down, the city itself was just waking up. Lights speared into the night sky, banishing the stars and gearing the denizens of the moon for another dance with the devil. Empty alleys turned to dens of hedonism and dealers for flesh. Parlors whirled with smoke and the clatter of cards, money flowing in rivers with rum and vodka and tequila. Shouts and honking taxis paid no heed to men bludgeoned with pipes or stabbed through with knives for the forty dollars in their wallet, passerby hurrying along lest they be pulled into business not their own. Clubs thrummed with dancers and powder and moans, lasers and throbbing base a cover for their sins. This was the life blood of the undercity, the churning of gears that ate and ate, grinding good folk into so much mulched meat for the night life.

Elias got paid by it. Sade lived it. Moonbeam survived it.

The boss lady?

She used it.

Sound slowed as a knock reverberated across the slip, their thin door shaking on its hinges before a man larger than even Elias let himself in, sharp eyes scanning the room as another slipped through behind him. Both clad in dock worker overalls, yet seemed just a tad too clean. Too observant for the end of a hard day on boats and pulling lines and hauling fish. Behind them, strode a woman clad in a black flowing dress, her shoulders obscured by a cascading shawl, and head protected by a dark gray hat with veil like a weeping willow, long stemmed cigarrete in her mouth. Elias was the first to wave a hand at the table, several cooked fish trays and a pitcher of water, the best they could scrounge together, spread across its rough surface.

"Mrs. Patricia, it's not much but best we can d-"

"Nothin' fresher than straight from the harbor." Mary Jane heels clomped across the deck, the woman's steps sure despite her age, as several more of her men filed in, shooing the kobolds away from the center table. Sade tilted her head with a fang-filled smile, opting for a cushion across this icon of power she'd never met. Elias had mentioned she owned the docks, owned their slip even. Owned their home. He'd gotten this place for calling in a favor she owed him…

"Hmmm, American Spirit. Orange? Same brand Elly smokes." Gills fluttered along the dragon's neck as she settled, paws crossed and finned tail tracing a crescent pattern across the wood. "I'm Sade." Teeth lined the hen's smile, triangular and sharp, as the woman took a long drag from her stem. Smoke flowed like twin streamers from her nose, dancing through the curls and tangles of her veil.

"Patricia. Humble real estate enthusiast." Another plume of smoke, a puppet on a string. "Sade the Sapphire, the ever enchanting Moonbeam," A nod at the joining gryphon, her talons silent across the deck. "And my old friend Elias. Seems life has thrown you all a curve ball if you're smoking the same cancer sticks as me." Elias, for his part, simply focused on his meal. While Sade preferred her fish raw and wet, and Moony's carefully dissected with each piece playing their part. Elias liked to go for the throat steaks. With knowhow, one could remove an entire steak of meat from the neck a good sized catch.

"We're still finding our feet-"

"Paws." Sade's grin grew, finned tail snaking around the table to press against the man's boot.

"Whatever you want to call it. This place will help us lay low. For now at least." Moonbeam nodded at that, talons deep in the table. She'd known jail before, the inside of prison walls and the hungry glares of fellow inmates. There was little she'd do to avoid a repeat experience. Five years had been enough… "Was thinking of setting Sade on fast food." Elias grinned around his fork as Patricia chuckled. Sade did not.

"Fast food? Ooohhh, do I gets a hat? Apron? Bet ya'd like that, hm? Seein' me all gussed up." Sade scoffed, gills trembling with offense. "Dragons in the kitchen? Ya on crack, ya turnip? Dumbest idea ever heard. Real solutions, my guy."

"Rob a bank? I dunno. I'm eating my fish." A ghost of a smile crossed Moonbeam's beak at her friend's banter, a fish fin baked to a crisp crunch finding its fate in her beak as she watched the back and forth.

"Whatta I'm gonna do with gold? Eat it? Wants me to fly uber? Dragon droppin' in wit' ya pizza?" Metal clinked upon ceramic, Elias deadpan glare earning him a gentle tap on the thigh with a still wet tail. "All I'm saying is we needs real ideas."

"Spirited. But she's right." Ash drifted from the remnants of Patricia's cigarrete, dainty fingers retrieving a compact box to catch the worst before clapping shut. The sharp clasp drew attention like the clap of a school teacher. "Unfortunately, the heat from Gregs is still hot. Proper employment will be difficult."

"Never was one to carry boxes. Was getting tired of breaking noses for other men." A seething vitriol, low and oiled, seeped from Elias between bites of fish steak. "Always ends up like this, running from their mistakes or taking a fall."

"Indeed. So, what will you do now?" Looks were exchanged; Elias searching, Moonbeam… guarded, yet Sade seemed eager. Sky was the limit, no one to rip their wings off if they dared fly above the haze of cigar smoke or the buzz of music. No one to grab her tail or yank her horns for money unless she wanted them too. No more Greg.

Tap-Tap-Tap

Talons rapped the table, slow… rhythmic… Moon shaking her head, tail curling around her own paws. Roiling ocean waves on one side of the table, tumultuous and eager, measured and cool storm clouds on the other. Elias sat between them, cutting through the theatrics, eyeing Moonbeam's worried gaze and the agitated tip of her tail.

"Moon is right, we need to be subtle. Too much heat from Gregs, there's no going a legit route."

"Wicked pissa. We weren't made to go with the flows." Sade's grin returned. Hunger didn't quite describe the pit in her gut. Yearning? Lust of a kind, that was a sensation she knew well. Restless, webbed paws tingling, she needed movement- action! "Alyssia got a reeeaaal nice skeezah scene. Folks will pay for all sorts of highs. Who says we can't cash in on it?"

"And step on gang toes in the process. Some of the oldest slingers I know are downtown." Elias glared at Sade's hiss, her fangs glistening in the low light.

"Bah, ya gutless. Not lookin' to take over turf, just make enough to live right."

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap

"Muscling in on the up and comers, eh?" Another cigarrete had found its way into Patricia's long stem handle, her eyes bouncing between the arguing human and hen like a tennis game. "What would you even push? Dope? Dust? Smack? Speed? The market is saturated." Silence crawled across the deck as Sade turned her angled head towards Moonbeam, eyes narrowed. Their gazes locked only for a moment, Elias could only sigh, tossing down his fork with a resignation bordering on offense.

"Sade-"

"Naw, Moony knows the stuff! Could rocket us ahead of the riffraff!"

Moon only shook her head, feathers fluffed and tail rigid. Talons gouged at the table, wood shavings cascading like snowfall to the deck.

"Sade! That's how she ended up in fuckin' jail!" Elias thrust a hand at the gryphon who simply sat there, wide eyed and trembling with that familiar hate. "Can't just ask to drag her back into that shit."

"Says who? Ya wanna stay broke an' on the bottom? Mucking it out in a fishery forever? Nah nah, we just need a headstart- Moony! Come on, we can take the market with Medusa's Shine." Moonbeam growled, low in her chest, beak parted ever so slightly to let her opinion slither across the table like a snake.

"No. Tha's how Moon ended up in Greg's chains. No." Moonbeam's voice, even angry, carried the same thick Alyssian accent as Sade. Northeastern, gentle, yet… a wistful whisper. As if she were always on the cusp of remembering a better time. A rare thing to hear, yet Sade always dragged it out like a wrangled beast. "Shine's not right. Breaks people. Ruins families. Yes. Ruined my family. Yes."

"That's their choice to make, Moony. We jus' slingin'. What ya care about some skeezas, anyway? This is how we make it!" Sade rose, paws padding across the wood to sidle next to the trembling gryphon, the pooling anger parting at her proximity. Moon stiffened, tail wrapping around her own haunches as the dragon loomed. "Trust me, sistah. Just listen to me, an' we'll be makin' it soon."

Silence, again… Pervading and thick. Heavy. Aside from the grinding of Moonbeam's beak.

"Fine. Fuck you. Yes." The gryphon's tail lashed as she spun on her paws, shouldering a kobold aside to spread her wings.

"Moonbeam…" Elias could only rub his face as the inky black of her fur and feathers vanished into the night, one flap of her wings and gone through the open dock gate. Again? You're leaving again?

"Ah, she'll come 'round when the first bag drops." Sade's huff was just as heated. "Girl doesn't know what's good for her. Bein' said though… the stuff for Medusa's Shine don't jus' fall from the sky."

"I can help with that." If Sade's smile had been smug, victorious, Patricia's was predatory. The old woman smelled blood in the water.

"Deals with you always come with agreements that are hard to get out of." Like a spear, Elias tried to bore his glare through the woman's veil.

"Then fulfill your end of my bargains, old friend. I'm just trying to help folk out, you know?" Another deep drag of smoke filled her hat, a twinkle in her eye. "I can get you Lyndwurm venom and pheromones. If your friend can make the stuff, I can tell you where best to take it-"

"For a cut." Sade's tail swiped, fin scraping the deck. "After Greg, what makes ya think we wanna be under someone's thu-"

"Check yourself," Patricia's jovial tone vanished. The wrinkles around her smile smoothing as if passed over by an iron. "Before you compare me to that slug. You are amongst adults." Anger died on Sade's tongue, her gills trembling as her wit was found wanting. When Greg had gotten mad, there had been a dread. A drop in her gut. Patricia? Cold… as if the room froze just a bit. There was weight behind those words, not just offense. Power. The ability to act. The resources to do it. Sade wanted that. "I own this dock. I own half this harbor. Half of the supervisors owe me something." Another drag, another twirling plume of smoke. "I can be a friend in business or I can make you homeless."

Power.

Sade envied that.

If she had that, no one could hurt her or Elias or Moonbeam ever again. She just had to wrangle her hesitant friends onto the right track.

"…Fine. Fine, we's new fish. We'll play the buy in game. Whatchya askin'?" The capitulation brought a smile to Patricia's face.

"Forty."

"Thirty." Elias was quick to jump back, tapping the table with a finger. "No sense taking a deal that would land us getting nowhere. Like college debt."

"Thirty five, because I like you."

"Thirty. We're the ones on the street cooking and slinging."

"And I'm the one dealing with Lyndwurms. I should take fifty just for that, annoying half-grown lizards with oversized egos." Patricia took a long drag, leaning back to watch the smoke trail to the ceiling. "But… I appreciate anyone trying to look out for themselves. Tell you what, Elias, you do a few things for me when I ask, and I'll settle for thirty."

"Well, that's a damn trap." Elias found himself sighing yet again, searching for his tossed fork. A kobold he couldn't remember brought him a new one without being asked. "Thanks… but fine. Just give me a heads up before you drag me into bullshit."

"Of course. I'm a benevolent bitch. I use you, you use me." Business concluded, Patricia packed up and waved a dismissive farewell, her men exiting before her. "I'll have your product in a week. My advice is to get your bird on board before then."

Human, dragon, kobolds… all watched her leave. Heeled shoes announcing her departure like a fanfare and guards clearing the way. Like she owns the place. Elias thought, hand balled into a fist around his fork. Well… she does. His eyes fell on Sade, her own narrowed at the retreating woman's back until the dock house's door slammed shut.

"The fuck is wrong with y-"

"Oh, don't get in a tizzy, Elly. We needs an edge. We need Moon."

"At her expense."

"Come on, ya chucklehead!" A stamp of a paw, a hiss as the dragon slithered over to surround the man in a coil of hide, her paw on his thigh. "I'm not selling her tail on the street corner, just asking her how to make some shine. Kobolds can take over from there."

"That's not the damn point!" Burning raked across the man's arm as she vaulted the dragon's back, dirty plate in hand, his heavy foot falls a beeline towards their small kitchenette. "You didn't even ask, you just voluntold."

"I gets it! Okay?" Kobolds retreated as their mistress chased the seething man, tail swiping in frustration. "Think I wanna treat Moony like a resource? She onna us."

"Then treat her like one or she's going to dip."

"She won't, an' ya knows it. Half the reason why I did it. I know she's good for it."

"So you forced her because she has no choice?"

"Aigh, damnit Elias." A paw rubbed at Sade's muzzle, willing away the growing headache. "No. No! I wouldn't. Not like that. I don't wants her to end up hungry. Or we lose this dock house. Or whatever." The hen bent, shoving her head into the man's shoulder as he fervently cleaned dishes. "Don't want us living like hermits forevah either. Trust me, trust ya Sade? I'm not lettin' my only fam go down the drain."

"Fuckin' Hell…" There is was again, that vein of his; pulsing across his forehead like an enraged parasite. Sade overstepped, she had to have known. Medusa's Shine ruined Moonbeam. Wound her up in jail, shattered her family, was used as a cudgel to keep her in control under Greg… among other things.

And here she was getting pulled right back in again. Warmth pressed against his shoulder, a tail carefully curled around his side.

"Ya mad at me."

"Course I'm mad at you. Didn't even ask Moon." Didn't ask me either. A part of him wanted to shove the dragon away. To storm out like Moonbeam and find himself a drink. The threat of that sandpaper hide clawing at his flesh stayed his hand, a gesture she took as permission to sidle closer.

"Lemme make it up to ya." A purr, one that slithered through Elias's chest like a rumbling engine, had him shaking his head. Which… only earned him a scoff and a roll of the eyes. "Aye yeah? Gonna make me think ya like boys like Vert. Fiiiine, leave a lady dry."

"Hardly a lady-"

"Ha! Lemme in those pants an' I'll show ya how unladylike I can be." Sade sat, plopping her rear down next to the man as kobolds continued to flitter about, cleaning the mess from dinner and continuing to put the finishing touches on their new home. "So… that was the boss lady. Whole meetin' got me wicked ripped. Walked in here like she owned the place."

"She does." Fatigue dragged on the man's shoulders, a splash of shame filling his empty chest as he leaned on the dragon's offered side. Grinning, she bounced the man just to keep him awake. Gentle little bumps that jostled the already tired human into grumpy groans until he stood on his own two feet again. "Bitch… but she does, own this place. She owns a swath of the city, and a chunk of the real estate around it too. She's the one who bought up Gregs-"

"She what?"

"Mhm. Gonna turn it into some shipping center."

"How ya know that?" Narrowed eyes, a flicking tongue. "Kinda ears to the ground ya got?"

"The other guards heard it from team lead. We're offering services to her to guard the new shipping center- ah, well…" A pang of regret stabbed at the man. He'd made his choice, sure, still didn't mean it felt good. "Bunch of the floor security had nothing to do with the shit Greg was up to, or were pretty far removed from the fiasco." Elias wouldn't see himself being reemployed anytime soon, he'd known damn well what the man had been doing behind closed doors and there were records to prove it. "Well they are offering services. Heard it through the grapevine."

"Huh. I don' like her. Way she jus' ran us over. Felt like I was back at Gregs."

"She's magnitudes better to work for. More dangerous, but better."

"For now. I don't wanna be scrappin' for pond scrum forever."

"We won't. Now let me go." A tail curled, rough hide rubbing his ankle.

"Hm. What if I wanna keep ya? Drag ya into my room and see how red I can make ya skin?" Sade licked her chops, slow and wet, leaving a glistening trail along her muzzle. "Let the kobolds hear ya moan."

"Uh huh." Carefully, Elias hopped the tail and made for the exit, ignoring the shark's chuckles as she pulled one of her said kobolds aside to subject him to the same fate.

"Elly, it's you and me and my 'bolds against the world. I needs ya."

"Fine. Fine, don't fucking… beg. I'm goin' to find Moonbeam."

"Ey, don't stay out too long. She can vanish, you can't."

"Yes, Mom."

"Oooh! Call me Mommy again." The sound of a slamming door twisted her lascivious grin into a disappointed frown. "Fuggin chucklehead."

Wind tore at the docks and loose lines outside, waves slapping at pylons and forcing Moonbeams hammock into an erratic dance as the gryphon sat next to the tangle of ropes and glared at… everything.

…at nothing.

Elias knew the gaze well, had been the subject of those piercing, icy white-blues himself many a time. At first, back in the day, it had made him uncomfortable. Now? Moon huffed through her beak as the former guard raised an eyebrow at her antics, coming well within clawing range. A staccato of taps, a swipe of her tail, a shuffle of her wings…

"No, I'm not leaving. You didn't even go very far, you wanted me to find you."

A growl.

Why can't people leave me alone?

Night had well fallen, overcast clouds covering luna's gentle rays once more to blanket the docks in a swath of shadow. Moonbeam wished it was darker, the distant lights of boats mixing and twisting, the reds and greens and ambers, the horns and splashing of waves. Salt swirled in her nostrils and wind whipped at her feathers. It would be a good night to fly… if she wanted to. I could. Just take off, he can't follow. Her furry rump stayed planted on the old wood. Wish he could fly.

"It was wrong. What Sade did, I mean." Thoughts screeched to a halt. Complaints and musings and broodings tumbling like chicks still learning their paws. Moon wanted to growl, to hiss and holler. Once again, Elias ruined it by being Elias. "Should've consulted you. Too late now, Patricia will want results. Not much choice."

Not much choice…

Wasn't that the truth? From Gregs to the docks and she was still being used. Be it enemies or friends or her friend's enemies, it always seemed to roll back around to what she could provide. What she could do. Who she was? Back burner stuff. At least Elias apologized, even though it was Sade who should be kissing her talons. Bitch should figure out Shine herself if she wants to cook it so bad.

"Oi." A stomp by her tail nearly drug a squawk from her gullet, a heat beneath her feathers warming the edges of her beak. "Brooding. Stop it."

…

…

…

Maybe I wanna brood? Sue me…

"No pouting either."

"Hisssss…"

"Uh huh…" Two years. Moonbeam had known Elias two years, and in those two years, she'd learned his… ticks. Including this little crooked grin that promised nothing but mischief. The gryphon shook her head, shying away as that same such grin cocked up the corner of the insufferable bastard's mouth. "Ooooh, yeah. You're being grumpy. We're going to get you unwound." More shaking, a hiss, a growl even! "Yup. You'll do it for me, won't you?" Moonbeam paused, glaring, eyes wide with rage. He wouldn't… "Please?" …he would.

Moonbeam sighed, wings sagging, ears drooping, and stood to her paws, joining the man by his side. The top of her head barely came up to his stomach…

"Thatta girl! Small as you are though, you might get ID'd." A squawk, offended- undignified even! Elias jumped away, chuckling as the bird tried her damndest to snap her beak around his fingers. There! Finally, something outta ya. Even if its anger. The sight nearly drove the man to ruffle the gryphon's feline ears, his hand flinching only a breadth away from her fur, and her wide eyes. He let the hand fall. "Come on, I think I remember some gambling alleys. I've got a hundred bucks with our name on it."

That got a trill out of the bird, her tail swaying gently behind her as she followed his boots off the docks. Usually the man was so stoic, boring even, if you asked the… also boring… nooo stoic, gryphon. Stoic and regal. Yes. Animated wasn't a word Moonbeam would often use for Elias, yet the pep in his step grew with every yard they put between them and their new home, deeper into the populated nightlife of Alyssia. Gulls gave way to din of chatter and shouts of hooligans, the rattle of the metro, and incessant honking of traffic that would be better suited to walking. Moonbeam found herself sidling closer and closer to Elias, never touching, but well within his protective bubble. People gave the broad man a wide birth, scarred knuckles and a hard jaw, he cut a figure most would rather not encounter in the middle of the night. Moon knew better, knew who he really was. She was fine… the rest of them? They'd pinned him correct.

"Blackjack." Elias pointed at a well lit alley, gruff folk and drunkards crowding around tables made of tires and plywood. Cheap cigars, booze sold out of crates. Money flowing between hands. "Blackjack."

Blackjack.

Elias's favorite card game. He had a deck back in his locker at Wild Gregs. The security team would play sometimes, after a short shift, trading fifty cents here, a dollar there, complaining about Greg or the patrons or how rude some of the dancers were. Moonbeam liked to lounge above on the rafters, listening to the idle chatter and forgetting about how men and women alike looked at her tail.

Sweating pipes and crumbling brick walls held up by discarded construction equipment flanked the illegal gambling den, a bar made of scarp and Yeti coolers crowning the ensemble like a beggar king. Moon skittered to keep close as Elias sauntered in, flashing loose bills at the thick men crowding the entrance before taking place at a sparsely populated table.

"Want a hand, Moony?" A shake of a beak, no… she'd rather watch. "Suit yourself. A drink then?" A drink… yes. Coconut rum and mountain dew for him, raspberry vodka and redbull for her. It made her feathers tingle. A part of her wanted to lean on the man's side as he played, watch the cards and listen to them slap the table. Hear them shuffle… She wanted too… yet when she tried, Greg's grin flashed in the back of her head, his fingers curled in her scruff…

No… next time. Yes.

"Good for one more?" Five dollar bills flashed in Elias's fingers as his free hand brought cool booze to his lips, nameless fellows bellowing drunken laughter as they added their own pointless paper to the pot. Some change here, forty cents, fifty, sixty more, as the cards were dealt, two for each player and the dealer himself. Elias flipped over his duo of cards, the table's dealer grinning with his own still face down. A woman to his right scoffed at her own Six and Two, tapping for a hit, while a man opposite glared at his ten and five. Elias hummed at his Jack and Three, tapping the table in time. Three more cards, another ten for the man, who leaned back with a sigh, a four for the woman, and a five for Elias.

"Stand."

"Nah, hit."

"Fuck ya both."

A nod from the dealer, who tossed the woman one more card, bringing her up to a neat eighteen, same as Elias.

"Haaa, lookit dat. Stand."

"Shits rigged!"

Tension eased from Moon's shoulders, her back legs sliding to one side as she lounged on the edge of Elias's crate, straw set between the edges of her beak. This was… nice. Watching the cards and the money and laughter. Drinks and wins and losses flowing. Elias would win, Elias would lose, his money rising and falling like a tide.

Life could be like this…

Sade could be here too, all loud and obnoxious, pushing people's buttons and betting high and risky while Elias took a more tactical route. A yin to a yang, Moonbeam the little white and black spots that swirled in their depths. As boisterous as they were, as loud, she couldn't imagine being without them. Not to mention… where would she go? No home awaited her, none that would take her in at least. As savvy as she was in the shadows with silent paws and dark fur, the truth was she couldn't survive on her own. Not in this new life.

Shameful, she thought, that she needed Elias's protection. Sade's guidance and presence, for as much as a bitch as the shark could be, she still looked out for her. Moonbeam had a family once, now lost, then acquaintances by need in prison. Wild Gregs had been much the same; terrible people forced together by demons and clinging to each other for survival. Moonbeam hadn't gotten along with other dancers, nor most of the staff or guards… but Elias? He never looked at her like meat. Never cat called her. Never grabbed her tail or dipped low beside the stage to look between her legs. Never mentioned how her teats were hot or hot her wings looked in glitter. He'd just nod. Nod and open the door for her and keep his mouth shut. He knew it was horrid, knew there was nothing he could do to help, so he didn't add any drama. Didn't white knight, nor offer empty promises. But when he found her crying alone in her dressing room? He'd stand there, or sit beside her… just to be there.

And that was so much more than anyone else had ever given her.

"Gaaah." Elias dumped back the last of his drink, shoving forward one more handful of bills into a pot already heavy with tens and fives. Easily two hundred, maybe even three, if Moon were to guess. His current hand was strong, a queen and a jack. The dealer, however, had blackjack, with a ten and ace. "Last I got."

"Last I'll take." More cards, just between the dealer and Elias this time. Seven and four, a grin on the dealer's flushed cheeks. Moon sipped at empty air between too large ice cubes…

"Hit."

A king.

"Ha! Twenty one!" Yet as Elias reached for his due reward, the dealer flipped his own cards, an ace and ten. Blackjack… Elias glanced up at the man, down at his second in a row blackjack… to the busted out players to his left and right… then back to Moonbeam. Moonbeam knew that look. Had he been cheated? Didn't matter. Was luck on their side? Who cared. No, you idiot!

Before Moonbeam's claws could catch his shirtsleeve, Elias rocked up with an uppercut that sliced the dealer's head back as if he'd been rocked with a boxing glove. The man, his red cheeks flushing hotter, wobbled once, then toppled back over his tire seat in a flutter of cards, several slipping from his sleeve.

Not that it mattered.

Pandemonium descended upon the alleyway as others, down on their luck, followed suit, swiping for piles of money or shoving away rival players, all while Elias stuffed his pockets and turned tail to run, slamming his elbow into the woman player's face as she tried to dig into his pockets. Moonbeam skittered like a startled cat, talons scrabbling at the dirty concrete and paws flailing for purchase as her cup fell to the floor to shatter, glass twinkling like tiny stars across the ground to dance with the start of a gentle drizzle from above.

Coins fell from Elias's pockets as the former guard dropped a shoulder, barreling through an unsuspecting drunkard with a mouth full of gin and hands full of cards, coming up short as one of the stocky thugs at the entrance charged. A meaty thwump danced off the walls as the two walls of muscle collided, Elias dropping his knees to wrap his arms around the man's waist. A goon was all this guy was, a bruiser, whereas Elias had honed his craft of throwing grown men over years of working real bars and seedy nightclubs. With a heave, the thick bouncer felt his boots leave the concrete, his body sailing over Elias's hip until his shoulder crunched into the brick of a nearby wall.

His partner, not to be forgotten, cracked his knuckles across Elias's chin, grinning as the man stumbled over the body of a passed out drunk. Air whooshed from the former guard's lungs as he landed hard, one leg lancing up to curl around the advancing thug's knee, stopping the boot that was about to rise for a kick. Moonbeam lunged with a flutter of wings and scatter of feathers, sharp beak boring into the fool's bicep with a wet crunch. Tangy copper liquid dashed across her tongue, red spreading though the man's sleeve as skin and muscle parted under the gryphon's sharp beak.

"Scatter! Come on!" Elias twisted as he rose, his leg lock throwing the screaming man to his face, Moonbeam already ahead. Her wings unfurled, back legs trembling for the sky, yet she stood fast to the earth. Not a third time. Paws pounded at the concrete in time with familiar boots, Elias keeping pace as patrons, gamblers, and passerby alike all broke like roaches under the light. Laser focus, wings mantled, beak ready to strike… all while Elias laughed as if they were ten rides deep at an amusement park. "Three hundred fat, green ones, baby!"

So reckless! Too reckless! This man needed babysitting… still, as the duo fled into the darker streets, the sound of shouting and indignation dying behind them, she couldn't help but feel an exhilaration. It was strange, heart racing and blood pumping, yet a calm she'd not felt in ages. One quick wave of her tail hailed a taxi, its wheel tossing water over the sidewalk as she forced Elias inside with a nip. For once, he didn't argue, plopping himself down with a tired puff into the back.

"City docks, boss man." A thumbs up was his only answer. Rain tore harder at the windows, air conditioner pulling away heated breath as man and gryphon panted in the cramped backseat. A plexiglass partition separated them from the driver, sequestering them in a private little booth safe from the city and the rain and the noise. Water dripped from feathers onto old leather that squeaked as Elias lounged, stretching as the car lurched on old gears through puddles filled with asphalt grit and forgotten grime. "What a night… missed that stuff." All Moon could give him was a huff and a flick of the ear, nonetheless, appreciated. A glare as well, one he returned with a grin. "You had fun, admit it."

Another huff, a roll of the eyes, and Moon found herself glaring out the window instead. If only so he couldn't see her blush… that was covered by fur anyway. Stupid. Should fly away.

"It was fun though, thanks for coming with me. Want half the pot?" Wads of green fell from his pocket, quickly shuffled and organized into two neat piles. Moonbeam took both, for the trouble. "Oi! Ahhh, fine. Think of it as a reward or somethin'."

"Hrrrrr…" Then… pushed it back, she didn't have pockets…

"Ha, I'll keep it safe for ya." That damn smile, for a minute she almost forgot they were wanted by the police and only one step away from being homeless… Silence filled the cabin, broken only by gentle mumblings from Elias about nothing; a better hammock for her, a ramp for Sade to get in and out of the slip so she could swim easier, a boat for… something. She wasn't really paying attention. No, her eyes were locked to his gently moving lips, the way the man's chest rose and fall… "Ah, yeah I'm just being boring, ignore me."

No no, keep talking. Stupid bird, open your damn beak and say something…

The fleshy flanges where beak met skull trembled, mouth opening just a tad… nothing. Shame. Anger. Exhaustion… Rain again, replacing Elias's voice as the former guard retreated into his own head, leading back in the seat as the weather grew heavy. Insistent. Soon, snores filled the cabin, Moon's chest tight as yet another chance passed, her best one yet.

Why… Why am I like this…

Now that he was asleep, and unawares, the gryphon could at least sigh without panic squeezing her chest.

"You're… stupid." A whisper, one nobody could hear. "Stupid. Just leave me behind and talk to Sade."

Didn't mean it. Upset. Angry. Wanted more. Not the money in his pocket or the protection his shadow cast. Wanted to know what his hands felt like, the scarred knuckles and rough palms… He was asleep, yes. Couldn't hear, yes… Moonbeam glanced at the driver, at the airpods stuck in his ears and her reflection in the plexiglass. Alone as she could be, as she usually was. No one to hear…

There were microphones in the back of Wild Gregs. Sound equipment and speakers and amps, all for the live music Greg would sometimes hire for a festival weekend or a private party. Elias had caught her once, holding a stand in her claws with her silent beak before the latticed metal of a mic. She'd almost sung, then and there. Instead? She'd glared and stormed around him, ignoring how he'd watched her go…

Beak parted.

Eyes locked on his face…

Rain streaking down the window as the only audience for the silent gryphon.

The quiet roared in her ears, pinned back flat to her skull, claws shaking and tail coiled so tight.

Her wings hurt…

If you woke right now and saw me here, watching you, watching me, would you see me, would you run, would you stay?

Accent soft, voice dancing a slow waltz to clasp talon in hand with his gentle, sleeping breaths.

Better that you don't. Better that you never see the stupid bird watching you, watching me, who'd burn the world down for you.

A shudder. In her wings- in her voice, a paw to her chest to stop the clench in her lungs.

Sleep on, sleep on, you foolish thing. I'll love you in the silence, like I always have.

…

…

…

"I'm stupid." Another huff, then a sigh, her tail coiling tight around her back legs. A shift in Elias's weight broke her thoughts, the taxi turning hard around a honking motorcycle, its rider soaked by the rain. Elias fell on her- touching! Panic rose in the gryphon's throat, the weight of Greg forcing her down, his hand ripping her tail up high. Teeth in her neck, on her scruff and at her throat. His fetid stench, thick with need and demand. Sharp claws dug into Elias's shirt, ready to push and claw and tear… and… and didn't. It was hard to swallow, hard to blink… head was loud. So she pushed, pushed with her paws and head and chest, easing the man that had kept her safe back into place on his side…

And stayed…

Head on his chest, her own shuddering with terrified little hiccups…

Thump-Thump

…

Thump-Thump

…

Thump-Thump

…

And she stayed. Hate for Greg. Love for Elias. Fear for phantoms and sound and the crash of music in her bones. Stayed for as long as her shattered mind let her, head finally silent for the first time in years.

Thump-Thump

…

Thump-Thump

…

Thump-Thump