FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The immense skyline of Horizon's central district glimmered in the near distance, its glowing towers outshining the full moon even on a clear night like this one. The tallest few- vast constructions each over a mile in height- pierced the sky as monuments to the arrogance of their builders, gazing down in silent judgement over the city below them.

Surrounding the megatowers were dozens of smaller skyscrapers that together made up the bulk of the central district- still monsters in their own right, but rather less impressive than their enormous cousins. Most of the largest corporations in Horizon -and some wealthy private citizens- owned at least one of those towers, and it seemed like only every other month another popped up in whatever little free space was left, like weeds springing from cracks in the pavement.

From the edges of the central district, the profile of the skyline sloped sharply downwards, forming a sort of convex curve as the buildings of the mid-city began to even out in height. Down there, amongst the immense residential blocks and commercial complexes lived the majority of Horizon's citizens- millions of people crammed into poor quality, ultra-high-density housing which offered the lowest life expectancy and highest crime rates in the city.

Marcus knew that urban hellhole all too well. He'd grown up in a tiny, two-room apartment buried so deep amongst the sprawl of tower blocks and interconnecting bridging structures that their single dirty window never once saw sunlight. Down there, amongst the grime and poverty of the undercity, the human had made a vow to himself to escape that life- whatever the cost.

He paused his reading to watch the view for a while. From all the way out here it was almost a calming sight, an illusion belying the utter chaos of people and vehicles that clogged the central and middle districts. The comparatively affluent suburbs Marcus now lived in were like a different world, only half a dozen kilometres away from Horizon's centre yet almost a separate city entirely. Here, crime was low, life was quiet, and people mostly kept to themselves.

It was the perfect place to live anonymously.

Further into the distance, hidden from Marcus' view, the great city wall enclosed the outer limits of Horizon in a rough circle approximately equidistant from the centre. There ended the city proper -there was nothing but auto-farms from then on, which themselves gradually tapered off into the vast wilderness beyond. A few immense pit mines lay somewhere to the north, also largely automated and connected to Horizon by underground transports, supplying any raw materials that couldn't be reclaimed from the city's waste recycler plants.

The entire sprawling metropolis was self-sufficient. Whatever existed in the world beyond Horizon just didn't really matter to most that lived within it. Marcus had heard some rumours about other cities out there, far from Horizon, but he didn't put much stock in them. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing but empty wilds and a maybe few dilapidated ruins dotting the empty landscape.

Marcus preferred things that way. It kept the world simple.

Though a certain unexpected guest had definitely challenged that assumption.

The human shuffled around, adjusting his posture as he lay against the cushion behind him, and let out a quiet grunt of effort as his tired muscles protested every action. Little pinpricks of pain traced the shallow scrapes on his back. Marcus almost felt like he'd been in a fight.

Zera had given him quite the workout.

He wasn't quite sure how long it had taken them to come to their senses after what was easily the most intense sex of his life, but when they eventually did there was a period of awkwardness as the pair disentangled their bodies from each other. A flurry of apologies quickly followed from Zera when she noticed what her claws had done to Marcus' back, and it had taken repeated reassurances that it was really nothing to him for her to calm down. At Marcus' suggestion, they'd swiftly made for the bathroom, trailing little drops of sticky mess all the way as they went. It was certainly a tight fit, but after a little effort both human and dragon managed to fit into his generously sized shower- if just barely.

Of course they went at it again.

It had barely taken any convincing on Zera's part this time. No sooner had he turned the water on than Marcus found himself staring at the dragon's rear end, her tail lifted up over her back to expose the pink, swollen lips of her entrance- from which a thin line of white trailed down onto the brown scales of her underbelly. She didn't say a word, simply looking back at him expectantly.

Maybe it had just been his sex-deprived brain talking, but at that moment it felt like the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

Before long, Marcus was bent double over Zera's back, gripping her haunches with both hands as he practically rutted the dragon onto the shower floor. With her head hanging low, almost touching the tiles, Zera had pushed back to meet every one of his thrusts. Like that she was almost the perfect height for him, and the unconventional position only made things more exciting. The human had lost all sense of time as they fucked wildly amongst the spray and the steam. By the time they each finished again the pair were exhausted, and once both of them had actually gotten clean and dry, Zera had been quick to hobble over to the couch to collapse back onto the cushions, asleep within seconds.

Similarly drained, but not quite enough to sleep so early in the evening, the human had retreated to the single upstairs room in his house. He needed to calm his racing mind, and to think.

There was a lot to think about.

Around him, floor-to-ceiling glass made up the walls of the small room -with nothing but a heap of cushions, a fake houseplant and a small side table furnishing the space inside. Most other houses nearby were single-storey, allowing Marcus a near-unobstructed view over the surrounding suburbs and towards the central districts. The glow of his datapad along with the ambient light of the city provided the only illumination, enough for his enhanced eyes to see by but still leaving him in relative darkness.

The human rarely came up here these days. Only when he really needed to think something over, wind down or rest after a particularly taxing job did he find himself looking over the city on a quiet night like this one. And, right now, there was just one thing squarely occupying his mind…

“Marcus?"

A muffled voice emanated from downstairs, familiar and tinged with uncertainty. It seemed Zera was awake.

“…are you there?" she asked, and Marcus' aural implants picked up the rhythm of four feet pacing around the house below, the dragon no doubt searching for him.

“Upstairs," he called. The human hesitated for a moment, before adding, “C'mon up."

He noticed Zera stop pacing. “Oh," she sighed, sounding relieved to hear him. “Um… up where?"

Marcus couldn't help smirking to himself in amusement. “Up the steps, near the bathroom. You see 'em? I reckon you can fit up alright."

A pause. “Ah," he heard Zera exclaim. “I think so, yes." Marcus listened to her approach, and for a moment wondered if he'd misjudged her size- or the load-bearing capacity of the wooden spiral staircase, which let out an ominous creak once Zera lent her weight to them. But, after some audible shuffling and what sounded like muttered cursing, the dragon managed to carefully make her way up towards him.

Before long, a green snout popped up from the stairwell, glancing around momentarily before spotting Marcus nearby. Her ears flicked up attentively and Zera's maw twitched with a brief, shy smile.

“Hello," she said.

Marcus cocked an eyebrow at her. “Hello yourself. Sleep well?"

“A little too well, maybe… how late is it?"

“Not that late," he replied. “I'll be up for a while yet. Besides, you looked like you needed it."

“I suppose I did. You know, I…"

He was wondering how long it would take her to notice. Zera trailed off when the ambient shine of Horizon caught her eye, the dragon's gaze wandering to the far window as she took it all in. She slowly edged up the final steps, pacing into the room and towards the glass, entranced, maw hanging slightly ajar as if she'd forgotten how to close it. For a moment, her striking form was silhouetted against the spectral glow of the city, green scales appearing pitch black in contrast to the distant colours that flickered and played across their smooth surfaces.

Marcus' own train of thought died out. It wasn't the view outside that had his attention now.

Zera's voice cut across the contemplative silence, low and reverent.

“Horizon…"

“Yeah, that's the name," Marcus mumbled.

The dragon nodded to herself. “I understand it now. The name." Zera turned in a circle, sweeping her gaze around the glass walls and across the city beyond them. The light shimmered gently over her scales as she moved. “In every direction… forever…"

“Not forever. There's a pretty big wall around the edge," he remarked. “You musta' flew over it."

“I… I don't remember. I was so exhausted… it's a bit of a blur now." She gazed out again into the distance. “I wasn't even sure if I'd make it…"

The human looked her over for a minute. He remembered the state she'd been in when they first met.

“I'm glad you did," he eventually said.

Zera turned her neck to peer back at him, ears perked up and eyes gleaming. Suddenly, she froze, tucking her tail in tightly and pulling her wings in close. Her ears now flattened against her head nervously. “Gods, they… they can't see us up here, can they? See me?"

Marcus saw the worry on her reptilian features. “No, don't worry," he reassured her. “'S one way glass. We can see out, but nobody can see back in."

The dragon didn't seem quite convinced. “Are you sure?" she asked. “It feels very… exposed. I- I might just go back down…"

Frowning, Marcus sat up straight. This was quite the change in demeanour. It made him wonder just what had happened to Zera down in the city on the day she arrived- he could only imagine what it would have been like for her if she'd passed through the central districts. Some day he would ask her… but now clearly wasn't the time.

“Okay, okay. Here." The human reached for a small remote lying on the carpeted floor nearby, and tapped a few buttons on it. Gradually, three of the surrounding glass panes shifted from completely clear to translucent, then fully opaque, darkening the room further and leaving only the view of Horizon's centre still visible in the far window.

Zera flinched a little in response, but soon seemed to calm down once she realised what was happening.

“Oh!" she exclaimed. “That is… a lot better. Thank you." The dragon met Marcus' nonchalant gaze, cocking her head at him curiously. “You know… you keep telling me this kind of thing isn't magic…"

“It isn't."

“So how does it work?"

Marcus furrowed his brow. “It's a smart material. Uses electricity to change how transparent it is. That make any sense to you?"

She took a step towards him, and to his surprise the human thought he saw the ghost of a smile on her muzzle, along with a mischievous glint in her eye. “How does it change?"

“It… it does somethin' to the crystal structure, stops it lettin' light through," he said, frustrated.

Another step. Zera was grinning openly now.

“How?"

He stared back at her through narrowed eyes. “Where are you goin' with this?"

But the dragon only laughed happily in response, her tail swaying gently as she did. “You don't know!" she chirped. “You can't actually explain it!"

Marcus snorted dispassionately. “So? I got bigger things to worry about in life than how the fuckin' windows work."

“So it is magic!"

“No, I jus' told ya! It ain't!"

“But how do you know?" Zera probed, her eyes alight with glee. “If you don't know how it does work, it might as well be magic!"

He stared up at her for a long moment. “Y'know," Marcus said, “You're gettin' too clever for your own good."

When they first met, Zera would probably have taken such a comment from him seriously. Now, she only seemed to laugh it off. “Too clever for you, you mean."

“Whatever. You jus' come up here to be a smartass?" he grumbled.

“No," she replied, her confidence a little lessened. The dragon lifted one paw, but hesitated for just a moment. Before Marcus could comment, she suddenly crossed the small space towards him and practically threw herself beside him onto the heaped cushions with a resounding thwump, eliciting a grunt of surprise from the human as her substantial weight landed next to him. Zera's lengthy body barely fit on the pile, leaving no room for her tail which draped off and to the side somewhere.

Marcus made to protest, but was stopped when she shuffled towards him, leaning her scaled head and neck against his side while her body sprawled over to his right, wings folded neatly onto her back. The dragon breathed a shuddering, contented sigh as she settled into place.

“Mmm… much more comfortable than that couch…"

Just yesterday, the human would have nudged her off him without a second thought, uncomfortable at the very idea of such close contact. But… well, after all that had happened today, he hardly felt inclined to be so dismissive.

Marcus rolled his eyes. “Fine," he huffed. “Jus' don't start thinkin' this is gonna be a regular thing."

Zera only hummed quietly in response, her chest rumbling against him as she did. For a while, they settled into muted silence. Marcus picked up his datapad again and resumed parsing through the network feeds, while Zera simply watched the view from her new and comfortable vantage point- the dragon appearing almost totally lost in thought at times.

He wondered just what was going through her mind. The last week or so had been crazy enough for him, but Marcus knew his experience had nothing on what Zera must have been through. Torn from everything she knew, everything she understood, and thrown right into the chaos and confusion of life in the city- all while being half-starved to death and nursing the grief of losing the only family she'd ever had.

Marcus doubted he could have endured it all.

“What are we?"

The sudden question caught him off guard. “…huh?"

A pair of sky-blue eyes stared up at him from behind a tapered muzzle. “What are we, Marcus?"

“I don't get your meanin'," he lied.

Zera flicked her gaze away momentarily. “We mated," she said, a trace of awkwardness once again evident in her mannerisms.

“Uh… yeah, we did."

“Twice."

“M-hmm."

“But we aren't mates."

“Well… no," Marcus sighed. “Not in the way you mean it. This is… it's just a casual hookup, y'know?"

He knew Zera didn't really know. That was what concerned him.

The dragon eyed him curiously. “But we're more than just friends now, right? I mean, obviously."

“Yeah. Obviously…"

Marcus was silent for a moment, listening to the sound of their combined breathing while he half-heartedly skimmed over the same headlines on the datapad, not really taking in the words. Something about a malfunctioning harvester knocking out one of the auto-farm complexes. Hardly newsworthy stuff, he thought.

“Friends with benefits."

“What?"

“You asked what we were to each other. That's how I'd put it."

Zera gave him a sceptical look. “And what does that mean?"

“Can't guess?" He managed a half-hearted smirk. “It jus' means we're friends who also have sex."

“Oh," the dragon flushed, breaking eye contact. “The benefits being, um-"

“The sex," Marcus finished.

“Y-yes. That."

Despite himself, he couldn't help but grin down at her. “Hardly worth bein' embarrassed about it now, is it?"

Zera smiled softly. “Well… I suppose not."

“Speakin' of… you sure you hadn't done this before?"

She looked almost offended. “O- of course!"

“Relax," Marcus laughed. “I'm just surprised is all. You were, uh, damn good at it…"

“Hmpf. I hardly knew what I was doing," Zera admitted sheepishly. “You did most of the work."

“I wouldn't say that. Besides, I only gave in 'cause you convinced me to." Marcus nudged her gently. “Are all dragons as damn persistent as you?"

She smiled fleetingly, then turned to look out the window again, appearing suddenly wistful. “I wouldn't know…"

Marcus only laid a hand on her side in response, once again noting the surprising warmth emanating from beneath her scales. A brief quiet followed, which was soon broken in short order by Zera, who seemed almost adverse to sitting in silence for any real length of time.

“That thing you did with your mouth," she began. “What was that?"

The human shifted awkwardly. He'd been hoping she might have forgotten.

“What thing?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Zera looked back up at him. “You… you put your mouth against mine, and… did something with your tongue?"

“Oh," he deadpanned. “Yeah, that. Don't worry about it. Jus' a… a heat of the moment thing."

“Hmm…"

Marcus grunted. “Hmm what?"

“Nothing," Zera sighed. “I… I liked it, I think."

“You seemed to like most of what I did," he chuckled hesitantly, trying to change the subject. “Did I live up to your expectations?"

He felt a rumble against his chest as Zera actually purred, snaking her head around and up to look him in the eye. “They were exceeded," she said. “It was… like nothing I could ever have imagined."

Zera's gaze carried a certain fire with it, and from the way she was beginning to press into him Marcus sensed she was already gearing up to 'convince' him yet again. He almost wanted to let her.

“You're fuckin' insatiable," he grinned. “You want to go again already? It's only been a few hours!"

The dragon faltered briefly. She flicked her ears back. “Well… if you want to, yes."

Marcus sighed. “Maybe tomorrow," he said, immediately feeling a pang of guilt when her hopeful expression fell. “Sorry, Zera. No way I can go again so soon, not after tonight." He wasn't lying, either. The human's muscles still ached from the last two rounds, and he was pretty sure he'd spent everything he had trying to keep up with the stamina of his draconic partner. A third round would probably just end in disappointment for the both of them, no matter how tempting the idea was.

Zera looked away, sullen-faced. “It's alright. I suppose you haven't really rested yet."

“No," he agreed. “I'm gonna need a full night's sleep to recover from you," Marcus laughed.

The corners of Zera's maw twitched. “Hmm…"

“What?"

“I suppose that means you're not really as tough as a dragon, then."

The human saw that mischievous glint return. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever," he snorted. “Don't let it get to your head."

Zera smiled, nonetheless looking a little pleased with herself. She glanced back up at Marcus. “…tomorrow, then?"

Tired as he was, he couldn't bring himself to turn down that offer. Not after how much he'd enjoyed tonight.

“Tomorrow," Marcus affirmed. “An' then I'll remind you of jus' what this human can do."

“Mrrm. I look forward to it," the dragon rumbled. She shuffled closer to him on the cushions, leaning more of her weight against him. Zera's gaze drifted once more to the window. Marcus found his own following. The scales beneath his palm were smooth as glass.

The great bulk of the city still loomed in the distance; its presence constant and imposing, indifferent to them. Marcus watched it flicker and glow, the ever-shifting light making it appear to move like some immense living thing. It was a view he'd seen a hundred times before. Despite everything that had happened, Horizon was still there.

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Something cold and hard pressed against his cheekbone. There was a distant noise, like someone shouting from the end of a long tunnel. The taste of blood and bile saturated the tiger's mouth, and he groaned when intense, throbbing pain blossomed in the back of his skull.

Zianos tried to push himself off the floor with shaky arms, but barely made it a few inches when the world began to spin violently, and he fell once more. He retched at the overwhelming sensation of vertigo, bringing up nothing but a meagre gob of spittle that drooled from his quivering maw.

The voice was clearer now, and closer.

“You hear me, scum? Wake up, else I'll kick you awake."

“That's just pathetic," another voice added. “Look at him, still can't even stand up."

“Typical felid. None of 'em know how to take a hit."

The inky blackness began to give way to something blurry and bright. Zianos' thoughts were jumbled and slow. Memories returned to him in pieces as he struggled to understand where he was and just what was happening to him. Something about a data file, Marcus, squeezing into a crawl space…

He remembered getting hit. Something solid had clocked him right in the temple. There had been pain for a moment, and then… nothing.

Zianos could make out the floor now. He was lying face down on concrete, limbs splayed awkwardly around his rotund frame. He risked moving his head slowly up, feeling the vertigo return, somewhat lessened this time. Stretched out to one side he could see the bare fur of his left arm, dirty and matted, and beyond that what looked like the bars of a cell.

Oh, fuck.

“There he is!" the second voice taunted. “How long was he out, six hours?"

“Seven at my count. Was starting to think we might have just killed the bitch."

“Hmph. Good thing we didn't. The boss would not have been happy." A boot kicked hard against the cell bars, the deafening noise of ringing metal sending Zianos reeling back. “Hear that? You caught a lucky break, fatass. Boss wants you alive! Looks like you're not dying today!"

The tiger managed to roll onto his back, head still spinning, just in time to see a growling, black-furred canine muzzle loom over him from outside the bars of the cell. The canid leaned in as close as he could, while his partner -another canid, and seemingly the source of the second voice- watched from a few paces away, arms folded with and sporting a look of depraved amusement.

“Though, by the time we're done with you," the first dog growled, “you'll be begging for the bullet."

Even through the haze of confusion, Zianos felt a spike of cold terror in his chest. He remembered pieces now -the data he'd got his paws on, the deal he'd struck to sell it…

…and the consequences of failing to uphold that deal. Consequences that were now staring him down with murderous eyes.

Zianos tried to say something, mumble a plea or apology, but his mouth just wouldn't work right. All that came out was a slurred mess of jumbled words, along with more drool. He felt sick again.

“Fucking hell," the second canid remarked. “You sure you didn't hit him too hard? Looks like he's a damn vegetable," he laughed.

“Concussion," was the grunted reply. “Minor brain damage at worst. He'll come around. Medical has been ordered to keep him alive for us… at least, until he talks."

A wicked grin spread across his second captor's muzzle. “Good! I hate it when they check out early. Ruins the fun."

Zianos looked up at the two burly canids through eyes blurred with tears. The first glared down at him, before snorting derisively. “Hmpf. Give him another few days in the cell. Let him stew. Then we can really get started on him."

“Man, I can't wait," the second remarked. He gave a mocking wave as the two turned and made to leave. “See you soon, bitch!"

The room was plunged into darkness. Once the sound of retreating footsteps had faded away into nothing, all that broke the silence was the tiger's quiet, choking sobs.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Come on, Marcus, faster!"

“I can't go any fuckin' faster!"

“Please?" Zera begged him. “I need it!"

“Fine!" the human huffed exasperatedly. She watched eagerly as he plunged his hand into the sizzling cooking pan, using a small metal implement to quickly lift the browned and steaming hunk of meat out, placing it on one of the small white slabs she'd learned were called 'plates'. “Rare it is!"

Zera did her best to wait patiently as Marcus lifted his own piece onto a plate, before carrying both meals over to where she sat. The smell nearly undid her. After a few days of eating her meat raw, the dragon had discovered a whole new world of possibility when Marcus insisted on getting her to try it cooked instead.

Gods, what else had she been missing out on all these years?

After a few painful moments that felt like an eternity to the ravenous dragoness, Marcus finally reached the eating table where she waited for him. The human gave her a warning look as he hesitated for a moment. Zera realised her maw was wide open, fangs showing and saliva leaking from the corners of her mouth.

“Try not to bite my other arm off, alright? I'm missin' enough of me as is."

Zera could only close her maw and nod profusely in response. Apparently satisfied, Marcus gave a short nod of his own and gently set the plate down in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to tear straight into the deliciously aromatic meat resting right below her nose, but despite her instinct Zera held back for a moment longer to give Marcus a chance to sit down opposite her.

“Steak for breakfast," he grumbled, settling down into a free chair- seated just on her rear Zera was tall enough to look down at him. “You've ruined my diet, you know that?"

The dragoness made to comment, but stopped when she saw Marcus reach out towards her, placing two of the strange eating tools she'd seen the human use on either side of her plate.

“Here. Why don't you try to use these for once, instead of jus' makin' a mess all the time?" he asked with a wry smile. Zera could tell he was only half joking.

She frowned. “What's wrong with how I eat? I'm not a Two-leg, Marcus."

“No," he agreed. “But it might save me from havin' to clean up the table after you. And clean up your face," the human added quietly.

“Hmm." Zera fixed him with a pointed look, tilting her head ever so slightly. “You seem quite happy making a mess of me yourself when it suits."

To her disappointment, however, and Marcus' credit, he didn't even flinch. “Oh, don't worry. We'll get to that later," he grinned. “Just… give this a go."

Even as the promise of some fun later excited Zera, the frustration of watching her meal slowly go cold before her eyes gnawed at the dragoness as much as her hunger did. “How?" she huffed, holding up a forepaw and wiggling her digits for emphasis. “I… I'm not like you. I'm not good at… things like this."

Marcus raised his eyebrows at her. “You can open doors jus' fine. Turn a lock. Use the viewscreen, even. Don't sell yourself short."

Zera still felt uncertain as she looked down at the metal implements beside her plate. She wouldn't admit it but, truth be told, she was embarrassed to even try in case she couldn't do it. Despite all that had happened since they first met, the dragoness still felt inadequate in many ways compared to her… friend? Lover?

She mentally sighed. That line still wasn't clear to her even now.

“Alright," the human said, standing up from his seat. He crossed over to her side, now coming up a head taller than Zera as he stood next to her. “Let me show ya'?" he offered.

“Fine," Zera grumbled. “But don't take too long, or I might have to reconsider not eating your other arm as well."

Marcus snorted. “Like to see you try." He leaned down next to her and, hesitating briefly, reached out to take her left paw in hand. Even now, the contact still sent a little shiver through her limb, though Marcus seemed not to notice. Zera's paw was a bit larger than the human's hand, even with her claws retracted. She offered no resistance as he guided it up onto the table, and laid it out flat beside his own.

“Look," he pointed with his free arm, counting out the digits. “You've got three fingers, and a thumb. One less than me, but there's a few species in Horizon who are the same. If they can do it, so can you," he said.

Though Marcus seemed to be genuine in his encouragement, Zera was still sceptical. “No, see, the shape's all wrong," she complained. “I can't bend them like you can." While she could begrudgingly admit he had a point, Zera's knew her own digits were shorter and stumpier than the human's elongated fingers, and the past few weeks had shown her that she lacked a lot of the dexterity the Two-legs took for granted.

But Marcus was undeterred. “I reckon you can." Once again taking her paw in his grip, he guided her towards one of the metal implements. “Pretend you're grabbing, I don't know… a stick or somethin'." Before Zera could protest, he used his free hand to place the implement into her upturned palm and closed his grip around her, forcing the dragoness to grasp the metal handle in a rather awkward manner.

“No… hang on a sec'…"

“This isn't working."

“It will, jus'… move like this -no, up like that… loosen up a little…"

As he fiddled clumsily with her paw, the human leant forward, pressing his weight gently against her back and folded wings. Zera let him fuss and did her best to follow his instruction, though her mind was increasingly elsewhere.

It had been… six days since they first mated? Seven? It was getting hard to keep track. She'd only been here in Horizon for a relatively short time, but her old life was already starting to feel like a distant memory. Zera nearly laughed when she imagined what her mother would think about this scene, if she could have seen it.

Feeling Marcus so close to her again brought a flush of heat to the dragoness' body. After that first thrilling night, the pair had lain together - 'fucked", as Marcus would say- at least once every day, sometimes twice if the human had it in him. Any awkwardness or hesitation they'd once shared was long gone, which Zera was particularly pleased about. She could have him any time she wanted, and he no longer held back when it came to getting things going. They'd done it on the couch, on the floor, up the stairs, in the shower… Zera was half tempted to hike up her tail right here and now, and give Marcus something much more interesting to focus on.

She might just have done it if she wasn't still so damned hungry.

“See? You've got it."

“I really haven't…"

“You're halfway there," Marcus said. She'd managed to grasp one of the implements in her left paw, a pronged thing that she'd seen the human use to lift food into his mouth.

“Put that into the steak, there."

Zera sighed, and with concentrated effort managed to impale the pointed metal near the edge of the meat, perhaps a little too forcefully judging by Marcus' reaction.

“There. Can I stop now? This is silly."

“No, c'mon Zera. Just gotta' use the knife there to cut it."

The dragoness lifted her other forepaw, using her hinds and her tail to stay balanced upright. She tried to snatch up the second metal tool, but ended up fumbling without Marcus' help, and sent it clattering away instead.

“Here, I'll-"

“No. To hells with this," Zera snapped. She flexed the digits of her right paw, slipping her claws from their sheaths, and in one swift motion used a single talon to slice cleanly through the meat with barely a flick of her wrist.

Marcus did a poor job of hiding his flinch. She felt the human relinquish his grip and step back from her slightly.

“Shit, alright," he murmured. “That works too, I guess."

Carefully, Zera manoeuvred the impaled slice of mean into her waiting maw, devouring the too-small morsel in seconds, too hungry to savour it. “Mmm…" she hummed. “Yes, it does."

The human said nothing in reply, simply pacing back to his chair to eat, after slowly shaking his head to himself. Even with the handicap of having to slice her meat rather than simply tear into it with her fangs, Zera was already done by the time it took Marcus to get halfway through his food.

“You eat awfully slowly," she remarked.

“I'm not even gonna respond to that."

Zera only laughed at his crankiness. “You're not annoyed that I won, are you?"

Marcus cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “Won? I got you usin' a fork, at least. That's a win in my book."

“Not that I needed one in the first place," she said defensively.

A snort. “Well, sorry for tryin' to help," the human retorted.

She faltered. “I… I apologise," Zera sighed. “I appreciate the help."

Marcus looked up at her expectantly, his features softening.

“But… I can't always do things your way. After all… well, I'm still a dragon, and you're…"

“A two-leg?" he finished with a wry smile. “Yeah, yeah… fair enough. I'll keep that in mind." Marcus finished his last bite, and set down his own utensils onto the plate. After a moment, Zera copied him.

A brief silence followed. Zera fidgeted with her wings, as Marcus closed his eyes, letting out a long exhale. “Y'know, this ain't so bad after all."

“What?"

“Steak for breakfast. A guy could get used to this," he chuckled.

Zera grinned. “It was amazing. I don't know why you wouldn't eat this every day."

“Mmm."

The human's smile faded. Zera watched him keenly. By now, she could sense when Marcus was avoiding telling her something. The way his gaze fixed on a point somewhere in the distance, how he scratched idly at his machine-arm. There was clearly something on his mind.

“Marcus?"

“Yeah?"

“…what is it?"

“What is what?"

“You want to say something."

He met her gaze, huffing slightly. “Keen, ain't ya? Fine, fine," he relinquished. “Best get it over with."

Icy panic blossomed in Zera's gut. Despite her better judgement, the dragoness couldn't help but immediately fear the worst. Surely, he couldn't just -not now, not after everything! He wouldn't-

“I gotta head out for a bit today."

Zera had to swallow the lump in her throat before speaking. “W-what?"

“Not for too long," Marcus quickly reassured, though she already felt her posture sagging in relief. He wasn't sending her away. Of course he wasn't. What a stupid thought that had been.

“There's just somethin' I need to do, that I can't do from home. I won't be more than a few hours."

“I… I see."

The human fixed her with a probing stare. “You gonna be alright on your own for a little while?"

After a brief hesitation, Zera nodded. “Yes. I'll be fine."

“Good," he nodded back. “I can trust you not to fuck up my house while I'm gone?" Marcus asked, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Zera rolled her eyes. “Of course," she sighed. “Gods, you sound like my mother."

A wince. “That one hurt."

The human stood up, moving to collect the empty plates and bring them back to be washed. Zera stood too, watching him work. The tight upper garment Marcus wore hugged his figure closely, outlining his muscular body and leaving little to the imagination. The dragoness licked her lips softly as that flush of heat returned, growing into a veritable fire as she eyed up the man before her.

“On one condition," she said.

“Oh, you've givin' me conditions now? You'll recall this is my house," he called over his shoulder.

“Mmm."

“And that condition is?"

She eyed him with a predatory grin. “You get out of that ridiculous clothing that you insist on wearing all the time."

Marcus turned to look at her. “Wha- oh. I know that look," he said.

“Mmm."

“Now? Right now?"

Zera approached her human, hooking one forepaw around his waist. “Now," she growled.

“You're a fuckin' addict," he breathed.

“Is that a no?"

“…c'mon then." Marcus tried to backpedal towards the couch in the living area, but they only made it halfway before Zera ran out of patience. She pounced on him and pulled them both to the carpeted floor, her head clouded with that familiar, potent haze of lust as she pressed the human to the ground.

“Oof!" he grunted. “Watch it! You know how heavy you are?"

Zera ignored his complaints. “Off," she said, tugging at Marcus' garments ineffectually. Maybe it would be useful to practice her dexterity, she thought.

“Yeah, yeah, alright," came the hurried reply. Marcus fumbled to remove first his upper clothing, followed by the layers of fabric covering his legs and groin. Zera assisted him where she could, though their frantic pace seemed to hinder their efforts as much as it helped.

Eventually, however, the dragoness found her scales resting on the human's bare skin, their chests meeting as they rose and fell in unison, both breathing heavily in anticipation of what was to come. Zera pressed her snout into Marcus' neck and collarbone, inhaling his scent as he moved his hands down her body, feeling him touch and squeeze her with those wonderful fingers of his. Someday she'd have to get him to just do that for hours, working his hands all over her body…

Right now, however, Zera only wanted one thing.

She slid her body up his, and hissed when she felt the human's length -already hard as stone- rubbing along her underbelly and inner thigh, leaving a trail of slick wetness as it went. Zera noticed him inhale sharply, and she felt a shudder of need in her own loins in response.

Wordlessly, Zera coaxed that throbbing pole under her tail, letting out a little grumbling sound when it brushed against the swollen, soaked lips of her slit. From her place atop the human, she had to look down her body to meet his eyes, their difference in size meaning his head only came up to her chest when their groins met. Marcus wore the same desperate look she knew she also sported, and in silent agreement he reached down to guide himself into the proper position.

As soon as she felt the tip of Marcus' length begin to press into her waiting passage, Zera sat down with as much weight as she dared, taking him to the hilt in one swift motion. They both gasped in unison and Zera instinctively clenched down on the human, revelling in the delightful sensation of fullness it brought. Her hind legs tensed, and she let out a shuddering breath.

“F-fuck…"

Marcus gripped her haunches with both hands, coaxing a little huff from the dragoness. He looked up at her with thirsty eyes, though one eyebrow was cocked in surprise. “Feels weird to hear you swearin'," he said. “You even know what that means?"

Zera leered down at him. “Oh, I could take a guess."

“Hmm. I bet you could." Marcus lay back on the carpet with a sigh, still grasping at her thighs. She felt his length twitch and throb inside her, each tiny movement sending sparks of pleasure through the dragoness' clenching tunnel. The human breathed heavily. “Man… I could just sit like this all day…"

That wouldn't do.

“Well, if you're not going to do any of the work, then -ah!" Zera lifted her rear, her legs quivering as she felt Marcus' shaft tugging at her insides, rubbing her in just the right way. “I-I'll just have to do it myself, and -ngh!" she groaned as she hilted him once more, “t-take charge this time!"

The human met her gaze, his expression almost cocky even as desire was evident in it. “Oh, really?" he grunted. “And what makes you think I'll let you?"

The dragoness grinned. “I have you pinned," she said. “That means I'm in control. So, you'll just have to lie there and let me."

Marcus almost looked like he wanted to challenge her. That alone excited Zera, the thought of vying for dominance with such a worthy partner stirring up something deep within her instincts. But, he soon acquiesced, shooting her a crooked grin of his own.

“Alright. Better hurry up, though. I ain't got all d- agh!"

Zera interrupted him by bucking her hips against his, pulling off then quickly slamming back down on Marcus. The action forced another pleasured sound out of her as well, and the dragoness kept moving, gradually increasing her pace until they reached a steady rhythm.

She had no sense of how long they kept at it. Zera rode the human for what felt like hours, taking him over and over until their groins were coated in fluids and the dragoness' hind legs felt ready to buckle under the strain. Below her, Marcus could do little but endure it. He occasionally tried a few weak upward thrusts, but appeared entirely unable to keep up with her in this unusual position.

Despite her growing tiredness, Zera didn't relent. She went as hard and as fast as she could manage, timing her thrusts along with deliberate squeezes, a little trick she'd discovered a few days ago that furthered both of their enjoyment and helped bring her ever closer to that ultimate peak.

It seemed to be working. Panting heavily with exertion and lust, Zera felt that slowly-building tension in her lower body. The sensation of being repeatedly filled and empty, the smooth slickness of Marcus' length rubbing and pressing against her walls, his firm grip on her haunches and subtle noises of pleasure… oh, it was driving her wild…

“Shit, Zera…" the human gasped. “If you keep goin', I'll…"

“Do it," she said, craning her neck down to look him in the eye. “Don't hold back, Marcus, please!"

Their shared gaze unbroken, Marcus nodded weakly. “Yes, ma'am," he said. “Fuckin' hell…"

As Zera watched, the human's half-lidded eyes seemed to glaze over, his face redding even further than before as he gritted his teeth. Not a moment later, she felt that first hot jet shoot into her needy depths, and slammed her hips down on his one final time as her own climax threatened to overtake her.

In the end, all it took was a few more throbs of Marcus' spurting length to set her off as well. That tight knot of tension suddenly exploded into an electrifying, limb-shaking ecstasy that coursed from her loins out into the rest of her body, sending her wings flaring and her tail swiping erratically as Zera held on for dear life. Her vision became blurry and unfocused, and for a while it seemed there was nothing but the two of them in the entire world, just two bodies pressed against each other and locked in that most intimate of embraces.

It couldn't last forever. All too soon, Zera felt her senses return, the white-hot bliss of the peak replaced by the warm, comforting blanket of the afterglow. Her strength finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the human's supine form.

That evidently was enough to rouse Marcus from his own stupor.

“Agh! Z-Zera!" he wheezed, frantically tapping her side. “C-can't breathe!"

The dragoness yelped. “Sorry!" Quickly, she rolled to the side, landing beside Marcus on the carpeted floor. The motion caused his shaft to slip from her sex with a wet pop, and immediately Zera felt his essence start to leak down the inside of her haunches.

They lay in silence for a time, both panting to catch their breath and just enjoying the moment. After a time, Marcus rolled onto his side to face her, propping himself up on one elbow.

“Where the fuck did you get that idea?" he asked, eyes wide.

Zera grinned sheepishly back at him. “I'm not sure," she said honestly. “It was sort of on instinct."

“Well," Marcus began, a wide smile forming on his own face. "I might have to get you to use that instinct more often. That was somethin' else…"

“Mmm. I quite liked it… being in control…"

He laughed. “Sure looked like it. Hell, I- ah, fuck…" Marcus deadpanned, suddenly glancing down between them.

Following his gaze to her own groin, Zera huffed in embarrassment. “Oh… yes, that."

A sigh. “Well, that's another fuckin' stain to work out. Jus' had to tackle me on the carpet, huh?"

They shared a look.

“See? You did make a mess of me," Zera said.

Marcus only laughed.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A dull, grey-orange haze hung over the city, and though the sky above was cloudless the afternoon sun was visible only as a vague bright glow to the northwest. In the opposite direction, the eclectic illumination of Horizon's centre pierced through eerily, the actual shapes of the immense buildings just barely visible from here. This level of smog was common enough during the warmer months, though that certainly didn't make it a welcome sight all the same.

The ghost of a breeze whipped up a small cloud of dust from the dry, sandy earth below which, combined with the already particle-laden air, brought a short cough from the human. He'd chosen a shitty time to finally get out of the house. Of course it would be on a day like this…

Leaning gingerly against the bike behind him, Marcus toyed with the small communicator in his palm. He winced slightly. Riding for the first time in weeks right after getting his pelvis nearly crushed by a sex-crazed dragon was, admittedly, not one of his better ideas. He had built up quite a decent pain tolerance over the years -one had to in his profession- but that didn't mean he hadn't suffered every bump and corner on the way out here.

The little patch of waste ground he'd picked was one the human had used a few times before for this purpose. It suited him well -this end of the city's vast industrial districts was nearly depopulated, full of empty warehouses and obsolete factories left to deteriorate and collapse when they were replaced by smaller and more efficient fabricating complexes closer to the city centre. Now, only the desperate and the outlaw made their home here, close to the northern wall. He actually wasn't too far from Zianos' former base of operations…

Fuck, had it really only been a couple of weeks?

The plan had always been to wait for a fortnight or so before doing this, to let the heat die down prior to making his next move. Marcus was satisfied by now that he wouldn't have any unwanted visitors turning up in the middle of the night, looking for that ill-gotten piece of data. He imagined he would spend those quiet weeks mending up, resting and eventually planning his next move. Almost a vacation of sorts.

That had been the plan.

Until everything was turned on its head.

Marcus' life had taken such a drastic swing with the arrival of Zera that sometimes he hardly felt like the same man anymore. The whole experience had been crazy, bewildering, and frankly eye-opening.

And it wasn't just the sex, either. Though he certainly couldn't complain about that; it was as if Zera had awakened some monstrous libido hidden inside him, and Marcus could say with certainty that he'd never enjoyed sex so much in his life -or had as much of it. But he felt changed in other ways too. He actually enjoyed just speaking and spending time with Zera, conversing about anything and everything- a big deal for a man who, these days, usually felt more at ease talking down the length of a gun than to someone he'd call a friend.

He wondered how she was doing on her own right now. Zera had certainly been reluctant to see him leave, even if only for a short while, and he'd even felt a little bad himself about doing so.

The human sniffed. A few weeks locked up with the dragon and he was already going soft. Though, Marcus reminded himself, hadn't he wanted this sort of change in the first place?

Still, as he hesitated and delayed making the call he knew he needed to make, Marcus couldn't help but feel like he was trying to slip back into old skin that just didn't quite fit anymore.

Focus. Remember what's at stake.

He thought of the file. Of Zianos. Of almost dying, again, and of the life-changing sum that might just get him out of this business for good.

Marcus took a deep breath. He straightened his posture, fixed a firm glare on his features, and keyed in the encrypted ID code into the communicator, pressing enter as soon as he'd finished typing to disallow any further hesitation.

It hung for around a second before acquiring a connection. Immediately, the display flashed a bright scarlet warning, which informed him that the call was being traced. He rolled his eyes. Typical.

Though definitely irritated, he wasn't worried in the slightest about being tracked. That was why Marcus was out here, after all, and not at home. Now, rather than compromise the location of his home and safe haven, he was compromising nothing but a worthless patch of wasteland at the opposite end of the city.

There was a reason wireless communication had fallen out of favour decades ago. Nobody used it for anything sensitive or confidential anymore, and if they did it was via similar means to those he was now employing. Single-use communicators, making calls in random locations, never talking in specifics… Anything that wasn't sent through physical data cables could be traced and tapped by even an amateur, and the chance that your message would be intercepted was exceedingly high.

So, Marcus had anticipated exactly this. Hell, he'd have expected nothing less from the biggest information broker in the city.

After several minutes of waiting, he finally heard the tell-tale click of a voice channel opening. Quiet static trickled into his aural implants- themselves synced with the communicator- as the recipient waited for him to speak first.

Marcus took in a slow breath.

“Carlos," he said.

There was silence for a moment. Then, a measured voice spoke up, nearly toneless in its delivery.

“Who's calling?" it asked.

Marcus snorted. “You know who. Quit with the fuckin' games already."

Another pause, followed by a sudden laugh, harsh and cackling. “Aha! Marcus, it has been a while!" The raven dropped his serious demeanour as quickly as always, and the human could only roll his eyes again. “And you're right, of course. I never forget a voice. How've you been, man?"

The human's features relaxed a little. He was grateful that Carlos had at least given up on the ridiculous games easily enough today. The raven was notoriously paranoid, and there were times he'd simply hung up on Marcus before even acknowledging it was him. It seemed he'd caught the broker on a good day.

“Been long enough, yeah," he replied gruffly. “I'll keep it short. Got a job for you."

He heard the creaking of a leather chair being relaxed into. “You always did cut right to the chase," Carlos laughed again. The raven's jovial tone shifted slightly, betraying his interest. “Sure, go ahead."

“Well," Marcus began. “I recently came into possession of somethin' pretty valuable. Been burnin' a hole in my pocket for a few weeks."

“Go on."

“I need you to find me a buyer."

Carlos hummed quietly. “How valuable?" he asked after a moment.

“Trust me. It's worth your time."

“Hmm. And what exactly are we talking about here?"

Marcus sighed. Did the raven really think he was that naïve?

“I'd rather discuss those details in person," he said flatly.

“You want to set up a meeting?" Carlos let that rhetorical question hang, but Marcus refused to bite, forcing him to continue. “I don't know, man. My schedule is pretty packed these days. And, I mean, you've not really given me much to go on here. I usually like a little more info with my info, you know?"

The human bit back a frustrated insult. It would do him no good to lose his cool now. After all, despite his demeanour, the raven was arguably one of the most powerful men in Horizon. Certainly the most well-connected- not a broker in the city could ever hope to rival him. Over the years, as Marcus' own reputation had grown, the two had established what passed for a working relationship in this business. That gave him a bit of leeway- but not an endless amount. A certain level of respect was always required.

“Carlos," he began with a scowl. “You know me. How I work. I don't fuck around. If I'm tellin' ya you'll be interested, then you'll be interested."

The line was quiet, save for a low static buzz and the creaking of a leather chair.

“…alright," came the eventual reply. The raven chuckled. “It's true, Marcus. You haven't let me down yet. Sometimes I forget there are still a few real professionals left in the game. You deal with a hundred reckless idiots every day, you end up treating everyone like one."

Marcus relaxed a little. He was just glad the wary data broker seemed to be acquiescing, for now.

“So. A meeting."

“Yeah, yeah. Let's see…" In the background, Marcus heard sounds of shuffling paperwork, followed by furious typing. More dust caught on the breeze and forced the human to hold back another cough. He scowled. Carlos had to be doing this deliberately. It was a poor power play if he was.

Finally, he spoke again. “Call me back a week from now. To the hour."

“You want me to wait another fuckin' week jus' to call you back!" Marcus growled, his temper flaring. Respect be damned; if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was being taken for a fool.

“If you want this meeting, yeah, I do," Carlos replied matter-of-factly. “You call then, I'll give you a time and a place. Then we can discuss details. If that's not to your liking, well... I'm sure there are other brokers out there you can try."

The human knew that comment was as much of a veiled threat as it was a sarcastic jibe. Marcus would never go to anyone else with something this valuable, and Carlos knew it. So, no matter how much he wanted to yell or threaten the raven down the line, he knew he couldn't risk it. Even if he despised these games, this was just how Carlos worked. You didn't get to be in a position like his without maintaining a healthy degree of obsessive paranoia.

“That's really the best you'll do?" he grumbled.

“Take it or leave it, Marcus."

He sighed. “Fine. Deal."

“Great!" the raven said. “I look forward to hearing from you."

The line went dead.