FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Taalli's wings beat powerfully as she surged alongside the Blackhawk helicopter. The dull, repetitive thumps of the rotors served as a steady rhythm to maintain her pace. Glancing across, she could see the stern looks on the faces of Zulu squad as they checked their weapons. What was meant to be a simple shift change of the Marines guarding a hospital was about to turn into a firefight, and they all knew it.

Flanking the other side of the aircraft flew Keenis, his large green wings keeping pace with ease. Every inch of his body was toned and honed from training, his long forelegs tucked close to his chest while his tail undulated with every beat of his wings. Despite his calm, stoic demeanor, Taalli saw his claws tugging subtly on the straps of his harness. While hers was bristling with grenades, charges, and det cord, his was a collection of bandages, splints, folded stretchers, morphine, and other medical paraphernalia, along with a long-range radio.

Looking down his length, she admired his firm body and long tail. Despite her many advances over the last few days, he had strangely rejected her, stating that he wanted to keep things professional between them.

'Perhaps you came on too strong,' Taalli thought to herself. While there were many other drakes on base, there was something about him she just couldn't shake from her thoughts at night. He had a gentle nature and refinement that she found lacking in the other drakes, combined with his fit body and intelligence. She often found herself wishing that she could feel his wings over her while they slept side by side in the cold desert nights.

Her mind wandered to what it would be like to be with another dragon again. It had been years since she had dated another of her kind, and she was starting to feel like she had lost her touch. While looking at him, she caught him glancing back across at her. Giving a weak smile, she looked ahead before they crested a rocky ridgeline to give Keenis his first look at the city they had been fighting over for the last few months.

A large domed palace stood in the center of the sprawling city. What was once a jewel in the desert now stood with sections of its roof destroyed. Its fractured appearance mirrored that of the rest of the city, with thick plumes of oily smoke rising from countless fires across the landscape to fill the air in a choking haze. Looking down, Taalli saw the urban sprawl of the city outskirts. While built with pride and thoughtful planning to integrate with the harsh environment, the windows of the many buildings were blown out from the seemingly endless wars the land had been ravaged by.

"And to think, this was once the cradle of civilization," Bishop's voice crackled through the radio.

"Stow it, team," came Scarecrow's voice, their captain's tone still as calm as ever. "Keenis, can you patch us into Foxtrot?"

Taalli looked across and saw the green dragon adjust a few switches and knobs on his harness and gave a nod back to the Blackhawk when he had patched them in. She found herself staring at Keenis once again before shaking her head and focusing on the mission at hand. Slipping a paw into her harness, she carefully removed a pill from the container and once she made sure no one was looking, slipped it into her mouth and swallowed.

She knew she had taken her dose as soon as she woke up, but the thought of having an episode during a firefight made her stomach tighten.

"Zulu-actual to Foxtrot, I understand you need some help," Scarecrow announced through their radios. There was a brief pause before their radios clicked to life and they all heard the sound of gunfire and explosions going off followed by a scared voice. "Fuck. Yes, help us. Our doc is KIA, our delta is down and needs medical attention, and we are running low on ammo. We have fallen back to the main hospital building and we are surrounded."

Taalli looked across to Keenis, his expression firm, yet he had a nervousness in his eyes and she knew he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Copy that, we are 2 minutes out. Try to get the injured to the roof and we will take it from here," Scarecrow said calmly.

Ahead, they all saw the cluster of buildings approach. Once a large busy hospital providing care and refuge to those that needed it, it now looked like an old piece of scrap timber ravaged by termites. Not a single window remained and its walls were pockmarked with countless holes from rocket-propelled grenades. A single plume of green smoke erupted from the top of the main structure, signaling their destination. Flashes of light flickered from the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, each one an attempt to take a soldier's life.

Taalli glanced over to the Blackhawk as Scarecrow's voice came through their radios. "Zulu Delta Two, Keenis, I need you to hold back and follow us in. Once an LZ is clear, we will fast rope down and you can join us to help their Delta." Once Keenis acknowledged, he continued. "Zulu Delta One, Taalli, I'm going to need you to provide overwatch and maybe do some remodeling of the surrounding buildings. Can you do that?"

A wide smile found its way onto Taalli's snout. There were many things about military life that she enjoyed, such as the order, the routine, and the company. But all paled in comparison to pressing a button or pulling a pin and the resounding explosion that came from her craft. Reaching to her front harness strap, she held down the transmit button on her radio. "Thought you would never ask."

The Blackhawk began to slow as they made their final approach to the hospital building. With a quick adjustment, she pulled back and above the helicopter. With the countless hostiles on the rooftops of the buildings, she needed them to be cleared before she could fly at them head on.

A building, high-pitched whine was only just audible over the sound of the helicopter's rotors before twin guttural roars erupted from the door-mounted guns. The almost solid stream of bright tracers created beams of destruction from the sides of the helicopters as it fired down onto the buildings. Flesh, stone, metal were nothing more than paper to the hundreds of rounds that raked the rooftops.

Those that were smart enough or fast enough quickly dove into the many holes in the roof, seeking shelter in the floors below. With the first rooftop clear, Taalli beat her wings hard. With a graceful curl of her tail and adjustment of her wings, she spiraled and weaved down to the rooftop as the Blackhawk proceeded to focus on the next building.

Flaring out, her magnificent wings beat the air into submission as she hovered over a large aperture that had been blown out of the roof. She heard Joker make a joke but paid little attention as she curled her neck back before she thrust it downwards. Her long jet of oily orange flame completely engulfed the interior of the floor below in her fiery wrath. Those that could leapt from the windows, hoping their chances with the pavement below would be kinder than the angel of death above them.

She continued her hover, slowly circling the hole in the roof with the long beats of her wings. Every heavy flap feeding the flame with extra oxygen and creating swirls in the black smoke that belched out of the inferno. Her pupils were nothing more than slits to protect her sensitive eyes from the harsh light, giving her an almost demonic appearance to those who would live to tell the tale. As the thick black smoke continued to rise and covered her dusty scales, she snapped her jaws shut. Her long neck extended gracefully towards the next building as she surged towards it with a heavy beat of her wings.

The helicopter gunners transitioned to targets on another rooftop as she swooped down, her strong wing muscles rippling and contorting as she slowed down to hover once again. Reaching into her harness she began dropping grenade after grenade down the gaps in the broken roof. The concussive waves of each explosion shook the fragile structure while fragments of metal ripped through the occupants.

Seeing the Blackhawk hover over the target building, thick corded ropes were hurled from the sides and Zulu squad rapidly descended. As soon as their feet touched the rooftop, they had their weapons up and were moving to the edges of the building. Controlled cracks of gunfire rang out from the Marines' rifles as they fired with precision.

Flying to the next building, Taalli continued to use more explosives to suppress the occupants. Her wing muscles burned from the constant hovering, and when she approached the next building, she touched down. Spent brass, blood, and dust covered the rooftops along with the countless bodies of enemy combatants, ripped apart thanks to the efficiency of the helicopter's guns.

"Zulu Delta Two to Actual. I have stabilized Foxtrot Delta. He can walk but can't fly. We will have to sling him," came Keenis' voice over the radio. Hope filled Taalli's heart with the knowledge that the dragon assigned to Foxtrot squad wasn't killed in action.

A creak of a rusty door opening was the only warning Taalli got as a man dressed in black robes stepped out onto the rooftop, a wild look in his eyes and a rifle in hand. She did not know the words he said, but understood every syllable as he leveled his rifle at her. With a crack, his head suddenly snapped backward, a jet of red blood bursting from where the side of his face once was.

Looking to the main building, Taalli saw the ivory smile of Bishop contrast brilliantly against his dark skin before he continued to engage targets on the floors below her.

With a bound across the rooftop, Taalli leapt to the doorway where the enemy had come from and tossed a collection of grenades down the stairs for good measure. After the explosion, she heard screaming but didn't care; any of them could have been the one that shot Riimack, Viina, or the dragon who was now being saved by Keenis.

Leaping into the air, she heard Scarecrow confirm Keenis's request for a sling, and the helicopter began lowering a large thick net from its underbelly. The rooftop of the main building was littered with countless radio and television antennae, which forced the helicopter to stay hovering just above the rooftop. As she began circling around the kill zone, she could see countless hostiles approaching from all directions. With the rooftops of the surrounding buildings temporarily clear, the Blackhawk and Zulu squad were now focusing their fire on the floors below.

"Zulu Actual to Zulu Delta One, Taalli, how is it looking from up there?" came Scarecrow's voice over her radio. Despite the cracks of gunfire, his voice was as calm as always.

Taalli scanned the battlefield one more time before keying her radio. "That depends. If you want lots of hostiles from the North, East, South... oh, and the West too. Then today is your lucky day. Personally, I don't think this building is worth it." Looking back at the heavily damaged building, it was hardly recognizable as a hospital. She could see the dragon that Keenis was helping being guided into the sling under the helicopter, one of his wings missing with blood all down his scales and walking with a heavy limp.

There was a brief pause before Scarecrow's voice came back through the radio. "Zulu team, Foxtrot team, pop smoke and mount up on the sling. Taalli, we are moving to asset denial. You copy?" the captain said calmly. The team snapped into action, pulling smoke grenades from their rigs and tossing them down the sides of the buildings.

Taalli assessed the large building quickly and looked back at the thick demolition charge she kept on her tail pouch. "Roger, Captain. Once clear, I'll drop it," Taalli replied and pivoted in the air. With a flick of her tail and a twist of her wings, she angled herself to approach from behind the helicopter to keep out of the line of fire from the door gunners.

Thick white clouds erupted from the dozens of smoke grenades that the Marines had deployed, quickly obscuring the structure in a heavy haze. Taalli beat her wings hard before tucking them in as she went under the helicopter, only opening them again to touch down on the roof.

Coming to a skidding stop, she smiled at Keenis. The rest of the Marines all clung to the sling as the helicopter began to leave its position above the hospital. “You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to do some work,“ she said while extracting a thick cylinder charge from her tail pouch.

Looking at the departing helicopter, Keenis mantled his wings, waiting for the rotor wash to dissipate and allow him to take off. “How long will you need?“ he asked, concern etched on his face as he realized he would be leaving her alone on the rooftop.

“Not long.“ Taalli replied matter-of-factly while sitting on her haunches. With delicate claws, she peeled back a section of the cylinder and began inserting a blasting cap. Looking up from her work, she saw the look of concern deepen. “Naww, you do care about me.“

“I-I just don't want to see you get killed,“ he replied, folding his wings back against his sides. He glanced up when he heard the helicopter's guns open fire again. The helicopter settled into a slow orbit around them as it provided covering fire with the injured dragon's sling retracted close to the fuselage.

“Well, sexy, smart, and sweet. Aren't you a catch?“ Taalli retorted. “It's okay, if this detonator is defective, there isn't much your magic could do to save either of us.“ Taalli teased and patted the side of her bomb like a pet.

Turning back to her equipment, she quickly added the final touches before announcing, “All done! Be a gentle-drake and open the door for me.“ She nodded towards the door to the stairwell that ran down the center of the building.

Picking up the charge in her mouth, she carried it casually across to the doorway. The large, heavy door protested under Keenis's claws as he opened it. Footsteps echoed up the stairwell as Taalli tossed the charge down the flights of stairs. Its round shape allowed it to bounce and roll loudly down the flights as the two dragons waited for the helicopter to orbit back over the building and quickly took to the sky behind it.

“Fire in the hole!“ Taalli called out over the radio once they were clear before pressing a button on a detonator. A deep, resounding boom came from behind them, and Taalli and the rest of Zulu squad couldn't help themselves from turning to look. Clouds of concrete dust blasted out of every blown-out window and door, illuminated by a flash of white light. With the core support of the damaged building compromised, it remained upright for a moment before the broken exterior walls began folding into themselves.

The suffocating cloud engulfed the remains of the structure, the once caregiving building reduced to nothing but a pile of concrete, steel beams, and dust. "Damn, you didn't mess around Taalli, good work," Bishop's voice crackled over the radio.

"Isn't it bad luck or something to blow up a hospital?" asked Raider.

"That wasn't a hospital," answered Keenis. "Not anymore." His voice carried a somber tone of uncertainty that resonated throughout the squad.

A silence hung in the air before Joker's voice chimed in. "Yup, not a hospital anymore," which made Taalli snort with a laugh.

"I'm sure the news will take your assessment of the situation into consideration, Keenis," Bishop teased. "Something tells me that a story of Marines blowing up a hospital will make waves."

"It was my order. I'll handle the report," Scarecrow said bluntly, his voice losing its calmness for only a moment. "You all did well. Once back at base, I'll handle command," he added after a pause.

---

Keenis and Taalli kept their distance as the Blackhawk made its descent to forward base Kodai. The landing zone was a flurry of activity as other helicopters were being refitted for their next mission. Standing proudly at the far end of the strip was a collection of Osprey helicopters, their large wing-mounted rotors tilted skywards as they were being refueled and worked on. Taalli frowned at the collection of unique aircraft. While she had seen them before, she had never seen any painted black like these. Squinting, she couldn't make out any identifying markings or numbers on them and gave up with a shrug.

"I think I'm going to have a busy day," Keenis called across to her as they watched the Blackhawk touch down. Dozens of medical personnel streamed out of the medical tent to help the injured drake out of the sling and onto a large trolley.

"Well, if there is anything I can do to help…" Taalli replied and began spiraling down to land.

Keenis shook his head, his eyes widening at how filthy her scales had become. The oily smoke from her flame had trapped the concrete dust to create a layer of grime over her orange scales. "I'll be sure to let you know," he said politely.

Touching down, Keenis quickly rushed over to the medical staff to assist and began pushing the trolley with the injured drake on it. Taalli followed closely behind, catching fragments of their conversation. Mentions about the drake having a broken back and the obvious missing wing which had now begun bleeding profusely from the bandage Keenis had applied in the field. As they came to the medical tent, it became clear from the expressions on the medics' faces that she wasn't welcome to linger.

The side of the large medical tent was quickly opened up to allow the green dragon to help, and Taalli found herself perched on a small berm to watch from a distance. Her tail curled tightly around her while she sat on her haunches. The black drake was gently rotated onto his side, and the doctors began their operation with Keenis's help.

"And I thought I was having a rough day," came a familiar voice from behind Taalli, causing her eyes to widen and her smile to grow.

Whipping her head around, her smile grew wide at the familiar face. "Feerah!" Taalli exclaimed happily, the elegant black dragoness nodding in greeting as she approached. "What are you doing here?"

"One of our birds decided to drop an engine," she said and nodded to where the black ospreys were parked. "Don't get your hopes up, girl, I can't stay for a sleepover," she added with a playful nudge of her wing. "If we can't fix it, we are ditching it."

"Oh, I know you Feerah, not one to be tied down, are you?"

"Ha, no," Feerah laughed. "Tied up maybe." She added with a wink.

"Who are you? And what have you done with Feerah?" Taalli replied and turned to look back at the medical tent with the black dragoness sitting beside her. "The Feerah I knew would do the tying up, not the other way around."

Feerah chuckled, her bright white teeth exposed in a wicked smile. "Gotta settle down eventually, right? And I don't think I'm the only one making long-term plans," she said and nodded towards the green drake who was standing half in and half out of the tent. "I clocked you ogling him as soon as I saw you two land."

Taalli's snout darkened, and she was glad she had the layer of grime on her scales to hide it. "Oh, he isn't interested, apparently."

"Oh? Is he fruity?" Feerah asked and frowned when Taalli shook her head.

"Nah, Apparently he can't be emotionally attached, in case he has to operate on me," Taalli said in a bored tone.

Feerah shuffled her wings and cocked her head slightly. "Every defense has a weak spot. Want me to have a crack?"

"I thought you weren't staying," Taalli said with a smirk.

"Oh, I won't need long," Feerah retorted with a wide grin. "What's he into, video games? Dragonball?"

"Back off," Taalli teased and nudged her firmly with a wing. "He has an innocence about him, something I don't want you ruining," she added.

Feerah chuckled, her glossy scales catching the desert sun and shimmering regally. "Ah! Young cricket, you still have much to learn from your master," she said, adopting a wise nasal accent.

Taalli rolled her eyes and turned her head to the proud dragoness who still wore a hungry grin on her snout. "Fine... Oh mighty Feerah the free, whose scales are of the night, pray tell your wisdom. How doth one fucketh their doctor?" she said and they both burst out laughing.

"So a doctor, eh? He must have some delightful paws then," Feerah said once she had regained her composure.

"Magic, actually," Taalli corrected and smiled when Feerah cocked her head, almost looking stunned. "Yeah, how cool is that?"

"Yeah, and super easy to bed," Feerah said softly. "I have bedded a magic wielder before, maybe two, but she might have just been faking it now that I think about it. Anyway, they get super hungry and tired after doing a lot of magic."

"Oh, really? That's odd," Taalli remarked and looked at Keenis who stood with his forepaw on the black drake, his eyes closed in concentration. Seeing Feerah look at her expectantly, she frowned. "What?"

"Gods above, girl! Isn't it obvious?" Feerah asked and saw the confusion on the orange dragon's face. "He can use magic, but you can do it too."

"No, no I can't," Taalli said.

Feerah chuckled. "Oh, little cricket, I'll teach you a love spell that is whispered only in hushed tones from the shadows. Go forth to the chow hall, get him some food. Put it in his tent. Make him feel safe and loved, and when he wakes up, he will be yours."

"Oh, come on," Taalli retorted with a chuckle at Feerah's attempts to sound mystical. "You think that will work?"

"Results may vary. The food here is a bit shit," she replied simply. "But he is gonna need a good nap once he is done down there."

Taalli gave a small nod in understanding and looked back down to Keenis; she could see his tail drooping low with exhaustion as he worked.

"So, which is he?" Feerah asked, watching the orange dragoness look so intently at the green drake. "Fuck, Father or forever?"

Taalli snorted at the memory of the black dragoness' game. "First for sure. Maybe father if things were different," Taalli said, the thought of having a hatchling gently tugging at her maternal side before she shivered. Raising a little one while she only had so long left just felt cruel, especially if there was a chance it could suffer as she did . "And let's be real, forever is hard to plan in our line of work," she added softly.

Feerah nodded in reply and looked over the dragoness beside her, only seeing glimpses of the person that had cautiously entered her dorm so many months ago. "Little cricket has learned well," she said with a warm smile.

Taalli's smile faded as she watched Keenis work. "I think I get you now, Feerah," she said after a pause. "Why you are so open and free… It's wild to think that fifty-five grains of lead could completely ruin your day. Or a flak round," she added softly.

Feerah straightened her posture, took a deep breath; her smile was gone. "I heard about your friend and I'm sorry. He seemed nice."

"He was," Taalli said softly, "way out of my league," she added with a pained smirk.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You got that sexy barbarian vibe going on now," Feerah said and smiled when Taalli chuckled. "Although, I appreciate your attempts at looking like a black dragoness," she teased and nodded to her filthy scales.

"Turns out orange and black makes you a target," Taalli said with a smile. "And the station chief was getting a bit dark about me using my water rations to shower and getting completely covered the next day."

"Oh, I get you," Feerah remarked. "Benefits of bouncing around bases is that you can just say you haven't used your water ration yet."

Taalli nodded with a smile. "Care to tell us where you are heading?"

Feerah cocked her head from side to side slowly as she thought how best to word it. "Hopefully bringing the locals to the negotiation table. If everything goes to plan with the meeting, this war could be over sooner than we hoped."

Taalli snorted a laugh, "I think your version of negotiation is likely forbidden in their religion."

Feerah grinned broadly. "Oh, that's the point, isn't it? Show the people their zealots are nothing but horny scale shaggers," she teased and roared laughing when Taalli looked at her in disbelief. "I'm kidding, but can you imagine! Medal of honor given to Feerah the free, for service to country and paying the ultimate sacrifice, sleeping with a pajama-wearing goat fucker."

Taalli laughed merrily at the mental image of an award ceremony, with Feerah sitting proudly at a podium. "Oh, you would wear it with pride." She teased and laughed when Feerah nudged her firmly with a wing.

"It would make for an awkward show and tell for a fledgling," Feerah said and adopted a childish voice. "My mother was a war hero, she got this one by neutralizing the enemy's leader, this one for their second in command, this one for their third…"

Taalli's sides vibrated with laughter. "A hero we can all aspire to be!" She said and caught her breath. "But, since when is 'Feerah the free' thinking about little ones?"

The black dragoness shrugged. "Maybe a bit you rubbed off on me," she said simply. "But don't be thinking I'm going to have a house in the burbs, picket fence and all that shit." She quickly added with a smile.

"Of course not," Taalli retorted playfully. "Although, you with an apron and a basket of cookies would be something," she added and smiled when Feerah chuckled.

“I do like cookies, though."

“Who doesn't?" Taalli grinned.

Feerah turned her head to look at the fierce orange dragoness, her body strong and lethal. “I take it those meds helped?"

Taalli flinched slightly before quickly smiling. “Oh, yes," she said and cleared her throat. “All good now." She could tell the black dragoness was not completely convinced and nudged her with a wing. “All I needed was big momma Feerah to take care of me."

Feerah snorted before roaring laughing, her whole body shaking with merriment. "I don't know about 'Momma Feerah', but I'm glad you're doing good, Taalli," Feerah said warmly. "Not many 'nesses out here, and fewer that aren't stuck up princesses."

Taalli nodded in agreement. "You taught me well."

Feerah gave a small elegant bow with just her head and looked across to the flight of Osprey helicopters as they began to start their engines. "Looks like that's my ride." The black dragoness lifted a wing and pulled Taalli close in a rare moment of affection. "You stay safe."

Taalli leaned against the older dragoness and smiled. "People will think you are soft."

Lowering her head close to Taalli's ear, she whispered softly, just loud enough for her to hear. "I'm just giving the others something to talk about," she teased before lifting her wing and tucking it close to her sides.

Looking across the base, Taalli spotted a few familiar faces quickly turn back to whatever they were meant to be doing. "Get out of here," Taalli retorted and gave her a firm push with a wing as the whine of the twin-rotor aircraft increased in pitch.

Feerah gave a final nod goodbye and began trotting off towards her unit, only pausing briefly to turn her head and call back over her shoulder. "Dish soap! It gets the grime off."

Taalli cocked her head in confusion before looking down at her filthy scales. Looking back to Feerah, she watched as the ospreys lifted one by one vertically into the sky and pivoted. One of the rear hatches remained open for Feerah, who bounded, flapped once, and slipped gracefully inside.

The aircraft climbed to a safe height and began the process of transitioning to horizontal flight. Lifting a wing, Taalli bid farewell as they circled the base and continued their journey.

Taking a deep breath, Taalli looked down at the medical tent and could see Keenis now sitting on the ground with a paw on the black drake. The young doctor was clearly exhausted from using his gifts.

"Alright Feerah. Let's see if you're messing with me again," Taalli muttered and padded her way off towards the large green tent that served as a mess.

---

Keenis stumbled out of the medical tent, his wings drooping low to the point where the tips dragged on the sandy ground. His patient was now in stable enough condition to be flown home. With a missing wing and multiple fused vertebrae, Keenis knew it was not going to be an easy road to recovery and adapting to normal life, but at least he was alive. Deep down, Keenis knew he would likely never see the dragon again and hoped that he would go on to do great things, even though his fighting days had been cut short.

His mind felt sluggish as he stumbled his way across the base, his limbs feeling heavy and tail dragging behind him. "Yo, Keenis!" called a voice. Blinking slowly, he turned to see Bishop jogging up to him. "How did that drake go?"

Pausing mid-stride, he felt his body sway and quickly sat down. "All good... he is all good," he said slowly. "Sorry, I need to clean up and maybe lay down for a bit," he added.

"All good, playboy. Showers are this way," Bishop said and gestured to the right. With a sluggish nod, Keenis thanked him and stood up again.

"Cheers, sorry I'm a bit spell-whacked at the moment," he said and saw the confusion on Bishop's face. "Magic makes me tired."

Bishop playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Well Merlin, we are probably going to be here for a bit, Cap is busy writing his reports," he said. "We are doing a guard shift so you have the tent to yourself," he added.

Keenis gave a tired grunt and nodded before taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. "Thanks, Bishop. Sorry, I'm a bit short right now."

"All good, my man. I'll leave you to get clean," Bishop replied and gave a nod farewell.

While the men and women of the corps had segregated shower cubicles, the dragons of the base all were to share the same area. Not much more than a gasoline-powered pump, a thick hose, and an exposed area of sand away from the tents.

Stepping to the pump, he unclasped his harness, letting the heavy rig fall to the ground with a dull thud. He would need to replenish his supplies before the next mission, but that was an issue for another time. Reaching with a shaky claw, he pressed the starter button on the pump and heard it roar to life. Walking over to the hose, he sat on his haunches and began running his bloody paws under the refreshingly cold water.

---

Taalli padded her way over towards the shower area with a slight bounce in her step and a small smile on her snout. As she came within sight of Keenis, she paused, his strong, muscular body contorting as he held the thick hose above his shoulders. The cold refreshing water cascaded from the hose and ran down his green-scaled wing shoulders. While sitting with his back to her, both of his large wings were extended to dry in the sun's rays while he moved the hose back and forth to coat his back in water.

Taalli's jaw was slightly agape as she watched. Despite having seen many drakes shower, she couldn't stop the warm feeling rising in her core at the spectacle before her. She watched for a minute longer than necessary before shaking her head and continuing to trot down towards him as he started to wash his neck and head.

Keenis rubbed his neck while holding the hose in his other paw, his eyes closed in relaxation as he took a moment to enjoy the cool sensation of the water running over his clean scales.

"Need a paw?" Taalli asked, sitting down on the edge of the damp sand.

Blinking his eyes open, he shook his head. "I'm all done. You want it next?" he asked and held out the hose for her.

Taalli shook her head, "Not if you're done, but I've got a surprise for you in our tent," she said warmly, her smile faltering as he frowned and dropped the hose.

"I'm really tired, Taalli. Sorry," he said quietly and turned the water pump off with a poke of a claw. "I just need to sit down, eat something, curl up and sleep for a bit," he added. Turning to face the direction of the squad's tent, he heard Taalli trot up alongside him.

"Oh, I know," she replied cheerfully with a knowing smile on her face as they walked together. "You did good today."

"Thanks, but I think you guys did most of the work."

Taalli's playful expression faded and she nudged him with a wing. "Nonsense, you brought a Delta home. Without you, I would have to be the one to carry him out. Broken back and missing wing? It is a painful carry, for both of us," Taalli said, remembering the screams of agony Viina made when Taalli carried her to safety.

Keenis gave a small shrug. "I guess, I just hope they do okay. Not being able to fly isn't a nice experience, especially when you have done it your whole life."

"Keenis, buddy. He is alive, he is going home, to his loved ones and family. Because of you!" Taalli exclaimed, taking a few steps ahead to turn and face him. "Take the win on this one, there was nothing you could have done to stop him from getting shot down."

Keenis looked into her bright orange eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I can get a bit mopey when I'm spent."

Taalli snorted a laugh and shook her head before turning to continue walking alongside him. "Well, that's where my surprise comes in."

Keenis sighed and continued to plod towards their tent, Taalli trotting forward to hold back the flap for him with a smile. Skeptically, he slowly entered and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Well, what do you think?" Taalli asked hopefully as she stepped in behind him and let the tent flap close.

Keenis smiled as he looked at the setup she had arranged for him. An overflowing plate of meaty ribs was placed at the end of their bed along with a collection of sauce bottles that did not look like they came from the mess hall. A choice of either a large bottle of whiskey or chilled water were available to him along with all the pillows from the squad to bolster the bed into more of a nest. With all the flaps of the tent down, he found the darkness easier on his eyes, the only sources of light a collection of glow sticks hanging from the ceiling.

"What's all this?"

"Well, I figured you need a feed and a comfortable place to rest after being a hero," Taalli said and moved past him to sit next to her empty ammo tins. "I also have a collection of magazines if you want something else to read once you are done eating," she said and fished out a collection of magazines she had borrowed, bartered, or taken from other dragons on base.

Keenis found himself smiling at the orange dragoness' generosity. “That's too kind of you, Taalli. Thank you,“ he said before looking down at the ribs. “These look good.“

“Get them in you then,“ Taalli said cheerfully and lay down on the ground to give him both mattresses to stretch out on. Seeing the genuine appreciation in his eye made her smile in return.

Lowering himself slowly into the bed, he exhaled and rolled so he was facing towards her. “Don't mind if I do.“ Gently taking a long rib, he saw that she was watching him intently and smiled again before taking a bite.

“Thoughts?“ Taalli asked as he closed his eyes in bliss. “I made my own sauce, or rather, poured a few different ones on them,“ she added hastily.

Keenis let out a murmur of gratitude and took another bite, the cooked bone splintering under his powerful bite. “Good, it's really good,“ he finally managed to say. Opening his eyes, he looked at the collection of sauce bottles and took another bite. “The mess had these?“ he asked with his mouth full.

Taalli tucked her wings closer to herself and smiled, “Not exactly. They are Bishop's; part of the deal was I get to have some,“ she said and fidgeted with her dirty paws.

Keenis raised an eyebrow and reached for another rib. “Deal? What kind of deal?“ he asked and frowned when she became busy with her paws.

“Technically they are contraband, but I helped him get them in,“ she said matter-of-factly.

“Oh?“ Keenis asked and looked at the rest of the spread. While the water may have come from the mess hall, there was no way the large bottle of whiskey was available to the soldiers. “Naughty 'ness,“ he teased and took another bite.

“Something tells me you won't snitch.“ She teased and stretched out a paw, pointing with a digit to the bottle of whiskey for him to pass it to her.

Shaking his head slowly, he held the rib in his jaws and passed the bottle to her. “As long as I get a sip,“ he said once he was holding the rib in his paw again.

Twisting the bottle top against the palm of her other paw, she unscrewed the cap and placed it down. Taking a swig, she felt the burn of the potent alcohol and smiled before passing the bottle back to him. “It's not great, but it's what was available at the time,“ she said, crossing her forepaws and watching him take a small sip, chuckling when he flinched at the taste. “There ya go. First mission drink, how does it taste?“

Keenis tried hard not to cough, giving a polite nod and passed the bottle back to her. "Well, you were right. It's not great," he said and smiled when she laughed. "I can see why they would want to confiscate it."

Taalli took another swig and used the back of her paw to wipe her snout. Placing the bottle down between them, she relaxed her wing to let them droop.

Keenis's eyes flicked to her relaxed posture, then to the alcohol, before quickly returning to his food. "So, how exactly did you smuggle it in?" he asked and plucked another rib up.

"No one here, actually, wants to do cavity searches," Taalli said and tried to keep a straight face. Looking down, she used a talon to dislodge a small rock that had become stuck in between her paw pads. Seeing Keenis pause his crunching to look at her in disbelief made a smirk start to pull at her snout.

"You're kidding, right?"

Taalli lifted her head to look him in the eyes before roaring with laughter. "Of course I am! Gods, your face, do you have any idea how uncomfortable that would be?" she exclaimed and lifted the bottle slightly to rotate it with two claws.

Keenis snorted and gave a smirk before shaking his head. "Um, no. I wouldn't, actually." Taking another bite while she chuckled, he then rotated his body on the mattress to be more comfortable. "So, how did you do it?"

Taalli reached and picked up a rib, turning it in the dim light to inspect the meat. "Well, first of all, not everyone gets searched, only about one in five, more if a senior officer is watching," she started before stripping the meat off the bone with her teeth. "But… see… as a dragoness, we all knew I was gonna get searched right. Any drake doing the checks would of course want to have a chat with the new 'ness on base." Pausing for a moment to swallow, she then continued. "So, I carried the whole squad's gear. Every single pack, pouch, ruck, and box! When I presented for inspection, I made sure to take my sweet time. See, Scarecrow was already talking to the station chiefs about not wanting the drakes to become fixated on the new 'ness in town. So after the line had been halted for ages, the higher-ups were really keen to get me through."

Keenis shook his head in disbelief. "And that worked?"

Taalli crunched her rib bone and tilted her head from side to side. "Not exactly, the drake did his job. Up until he got to two postal tubes of mine, I made a bit of a deal about not wanting to open them until he started to get upset. So, I made sure to offer him one specific end of a specific tube. The look on his face as he pulled out my heat stick." Taalli chuckled, remembering the look of fascination on the inexperienced drake's face as the long toy flopped around. "I may have also half unscrewed the cap on some lube to make it extra slippery. You should have heard the station chief rip into him, poor guard was struggling to get it back in the hole." Taalli giggled while Keenis blushed profusely. "Little did they know, further down the tube, in a plastic bag was some of the squad's contraband, and although I said the other tube had another toy because 'a 'ness needs options,' it was actually full of the squad's stuff too." She added and plucked another rib, crunching down on it with a grin on her face.

"I'm confused though, if you were going to get searched, why not get one of the others to carry the gear?" Keenis asked.

"Too many variables," Taalli said simply. "We couldn't control who else in the squad may get searched, so we developed the plan around the idea of being searched and fought the battle on our terms. Even if that meant taking it head on."

"That still sounds unnecessarily risky," Keenis mused and took a sip of water.

"Oh, we had contingency plans," Taalli announced smugly and took another swig of whiskey. "Joker was the first of our squad to enter and was already finding a replacement contraband bin. If we did get our stuff snatched, he would swoop in and swap bins after us. And we would get all our stuff back anyway."

Keenis smiled and shook his head. "This sounds like a setup for a heist movie, all this effort for a bottle of whiskey?"

"Hey, it's better than no bottle of whiskey!" Taalli smiled. "Besides, it wasn't just for a bottle, it was for the squad. I was carrying all of their forbidden items."

"Oh? So apart from Bishop's sauces, what else did you sneak in?" Keenis asked and saw her eyes narrow. "I promise, I won't snitch," he added quickly.

Taalli forced a smile as she tried to push aside the image of the large ziplock bags of pills she had stuffed in the second tube. "I-I, well. Let's see now. Raider, he had a handheld gaming console thingy. A vita or something, I forget what it was called. Joker had a collection of porn mags, the stuff that that man is into… anyway, Kodiak had some protein powder that he had to order online from Thailand or something."

Keenis chuckled at the list. "That must have been a tight fit, I see why you had two tubes." Taking another sip of water, he cocked his head. "Wait, what about the Captain, what did Scarecrow want?"

"Nothing," Taalli said with a shrug. "He was happy to help us, but didn't have anything he wanted to add. So now, everyone except Scarecrow owes me a favor," she added with a cheeky smile.

Keenis chuckled and shook his head. "These are really good, thank you," he said and picked up another rib. "Back home, my dad would always make ribs on game day," he said, remembering the delightful smells wafting up from the kitchen as he poured over his books.

"Dragonball?" Taalli asked and perked up when he nodded. "I used to be a bit of a Crest-head," she said warmly. "Who do you roar for?"

Keenis chuckled and shook his head. "My dad was into it a lot more than I was, he loved the Cresties too. So I would go for the Nixies just to make him mad."

"The Nixies!!!" Taalli exclaimed dramatically. The two teams were both made up of the finest athletes and often resulted in brutal matches at the end of the season. "Oh, well, forget this. Pass the ribs, I didn't make them for no Nixi noob," she said in mock disappointment.

Keenis grinned and pulled the plate closer to guard it from the orange dragoness. "They are a perfectly composed team," he said while collecting another rib and tossing it into his mouth. "The Cresties… only ever win with a tailwind," he added between crunches, a saying he had used to rile his father up on many occasions.

"And here I was thinking you were a smart, intelligent, and handsome drake. Turns out you are just a crayon crunching Marine like the rest of them," she retorted playfully and laughed when Keenis deliberately crunched a rib with a wink.

"I like the green ones best," he teased and reached for the whiskey bottle. Taking another sip he coughed at the sharp burn, "Gods, that's rough."

Taalli chuckled. "It's meant to be diluted with water, but it's a good way to kill brain cells," she said simply and took the bottle from him, "and it's way better than the local piss, trust me." she added before taking another swig.

"Maybe I don't have a fireproof mouth like you," Keenis teased. "Although, technically it's the saliva that's fireproof, isn't it?" he added when he remembered his medical training.

Taalli shrugged and shuffled closer before snatching another rib from his plate, "I never really looked too hard into it. It was something I could do, but growing up, there weren't many practical applications for burning things."

"How did your family take it when they found out?" Keenis asked, memories of how proud his father and concerned his mother was when he started showing signs of his gifts.

Taalli took her time to swallow before shrugging. "I grew up in a home for abandoned eggs," she lied. "Thankfully, they had seen it all, so it wasn't a big deal," she said simply and contemplated taking another sip of whiskey before opting for a rib instead.

"I'm sorry," Keenis said quickly. "I didn't know."

"That's because I didn't tell you," Taalli said with a wink before biting into the rib and enjoying the loud crack sound. "Besides, nothing to be sorry about. I'm me, regardless of who I came from. Just because they made me doesn't mean they made... me. Does that make sense?"

Keenis nodded while in thought and reached for the large pitcher of chilled water. "My mother always said we are a byproduct of those we are around," he said and took a sip, "or at least that's what she said when I was hanging out with some of the fledglings she didn't like."

"Your mother sounds pretty wise," Taalli said warmly, rolling further onto her side. When Keenis moved the plate of dwindling ribs between them, she shook her head. "All yours."

"I'm not sure if wise is the word I would use." Grabbing one of the last few ribs, he shrugged. "I think she really liked the idea of me becoming a doctor. Enlisting, however… not so much."

Taalli gave a nod of understanding. "Well, you are a doctor now. Doctor Keenis, and a Marine too."

"What about you? Was enlisting always a part of the plan?" Keenis asked and noticed her posture become more rigid.

"Me? No." Watching him eat, she shrugged. "I'm not really sure what my plan was. I entertained the idea of designing buildings, but it wasn't for me."

Keenis nodded. "Structural engineering isn't easy; it takes a certain knack and a brilliant mind to design something that is going to last for decades."

"Yup!" Taalli smirked. "But I think healing people is way cooler," she added and nudged his wing with hers.

Keenis's snout became slightly darker at the brush of her wing against his. "So, do you have anyone back home? Friends or anything?"

Taalli swallowed, finding her mouth drier than it should be. Reaching forward, she picked up the pitcher of water and took a sip. "No," she said simply, her chest tightening at the memory of leaving Mike. "I-ah, bounced around a lot, I never really put down roots," she added quickly and took another sip.

Keenis frowned, he knew of her friend Teeba and her condition and began to understand her importance to Taalli. "Sure you don't want the last rib?" Keenis offered and shrugged when she shook her head. "Thanks, again. For all this." Keenis said with genuine sincerity. "I really appreciate it."

"You are most welcome, Doctor." Taalli beamed.

"I'll make it up to you one day. But I think today is going to be a write-off." He said warmly, rolling onto his side further and curling his tail between them.

"I might hold you to that." Taalli teased. "Do you need anything else? I can see if I can get some ice cream from the mess."

Feeling a deep heaviness falling over him, he yawned and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm okay."

Seeing traces of sauce on his paws, she shuffled around and retrieved a tub of wet wipes from one of her tins. "Let me." She said before wiggling closer and grabbed one of his paws before he could react.

"I-I can do that." Keenis stammered but found his words falling on deaf ears.

While holding his paw with one of hers, she plucked a cloth from the tub and began cleaning the green drake. "I'm sure you can," Taalli said warmly.

"This feels wrong." Keenis said, his eyes going wide as she continued to massage the cloth between his digits. His chest tightened at the gesture usually reserved for mates and loved ones.

"Oh, shut up and just relax," Taalli retorted. "I'm just trying to do something nice."

Keenis opened his mouth a few times before she finished with one paw. "I-I can do the other one." He gasped softly as she snatched his other forepaw up and continued.

"Uh-huh." Taalli said while focusing on cleaning. "You just concentrate on relaxing."

"Taalli, I-I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Keenis stammered. "I think you are pretty cool, but I'm really not looking for any… you know."

"Any what?" Taalli asked, flicking her amber eyes to his.

"You know…" his words trailing off.

Taalli smirked, "Keenis, I'm cleaning your paws. I'm not sucking your dick," she retorted and finished up. "Relax, I'm just trying to thank you for saving that Delta."

Keenis cleared his throat and tucked his paws closer to his body. "I was just doing my job."

"Keenis, I've seen too many Deltas get whacked out here, some of them were close friends," Taalli said, blinking her glossy eyes. "What you did today… really hit home, okay? Your 'job' is doing good work, and you did amazing at it."

Keenis nodded when he could see the sincerity in her eyes and she became focused on her claws again. After a minute of silence, he slowly relaxed. "You were pretty good out there too," he offered and continued when her eyes flicked to his. "You kept me safe, so thank you."

Taalli gave a small nod. "You are one of us now, congrats." Seeing him shuffle on the mattress further, she longed to lie next to him and enjoy his embrace but forced herself to hold back. Cleaning his paws had been a step too far and she didn't want to scare him away. With a small sigh, she looked at the empty plate of food. "I'll take that back to the mess. You sure you don't need anything?"

Keenis shook his head and lowered it to the pillows as she picked the plate up in her jaws. "No, but thank you again, Taalli, for all this," he said as she stepped over his prone form.

"You're welcome, Keenis," she murmured with the plate in her mouth and pressed her snout against the tent flap. Stepping out into the bright desert sun, she took a deep breath and let the good doctor get some rest.