FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 14

The city was burning, smoke hung in the air, stretching out from the wounded and crushed buildings, from the many holes fire still erupted, pushing out into the air the stench of scorched furniture and flesh. Something has begun, replayed, or simply just ended, being nothing than a vivid memory.

She couldn't focus enough to tell what exactly hides behind this something.

"Our home daughter"

Our home?

Yes, home, the stench of burned debris intensified, smell of expensive spices filled the air, a sign that highborn lived here, peasants had no entrance to such luxuries.

The smell was familiar, very much so, even though it was lacking something in it, there was, ironically, too much smoke in the smell. Nevertheless she found the herbalist's shop, she had quite an impressive stock, flowers were her favorite, just like mother she adored the blue petals of an iris.

Blue was always so soothing.

Follow the smell of the flowers, you will find the shop, from there sneak into the sewers.

She was near the shop and yet no smell of burned flowers hung in the air, she pressed her paw against the building, some strange notion commanding her to lift herself on the hind legs, pull up and gaze through the broken window, despite the tongues of flames thrusting out of it.

The stone, something was wrong with the stone.

She followed the urge, rising on hind legs she pressed her belly scales to the stone, extending her forelegs just slightly above her head, trailing the structure back and forth as if it was the most exquisite silk. The roaring flames from the window kept her from raising higher.

The castle was the center of the city, its surroundings though were also essential, without them the keep wouldn't survive. In those surroundings were many buildings, it was basically two cities in one, castle and the neighboring area belonged into the court shade where the highborn lived and went shopping, living their lives. The other part belonged to the rest of the people, where the poor and middle class cramped together, living their own lives as well, the times she managed to sneak away told her that despite the lack of comfort, the lives of the normal people were far for interesting, without all this courtly and respect nonsense.

The herbalist she was meant to find was also in the prestigious area, while the architecture can be praised for its cleanliness and rather straightforward, sharp and elegant edges that simply screamed of pageantry, she had to admit that the buildings practically looked the same. As a princess she was familiar with the desperation of other nobles who like to brandish their stature, unaware of the fact that the same pursuit leads them all to the same destination, on a path where they all look identical.

This construction she felt under her paw had nothing in common with the familiar elegance and the sharpness of white paint majority of the buildings were made of here in the court.

The stones were brown, the feeling of them rough, while clearly taken care of and made with professionalism and dedication, it lacked the typical polish the structures of the nobility were known for.

"They are attacking Iris!"

A scream roared somewhere in the distance, only to echo right beside her a moment later as if there would be someone sticking his head out the flaming window.

Rumbling noises of clanking steel, explosions and all sorts of blares filled the air. The stone under her paw began to crack, changing shape and color as if her leg would apply an improbable amount of pressure.

Whizz!

The air was cut near her head, something just flew very close to it.

Thump!

She could no longer move her paw, she gazed at it to see that it was impaled to the wall, a thick arrow was sticking out of it, blood slowly painted the white wall, spilling from the pierced leg. She licked her lips impulsively, wiping off the crimson splatters that burst into her snout.

My blood.

Of all this confusing mess where everything seemed so distant and unreal like echoes of several lifetimes being played at the same time, her blood was real.

She tasted it so much in her life already that there is no possibility that she would confuse it with anything else. This one thing was beyond any manipulation.

"FIGHT GIRL!"

A feminine voice boomed across the sky, making her think of the cheetah Amela that once pulled her from the dead.

Suddenly an explosion roared nearby, noise of breaking stone rang in the air, seemingly random, but she could swear that she heard the bars of the cell she was once locked in hissing in between the notes of the deafening sound.

"BAD GIRL"

"I SEE YOU"

"YOU'RE MINE"

Another thump, another burst of blood and another arrow sticking out of her second paw, crucifying her to the wall, pinning her against the burning building. Hind legs stretching wider to the sides, struggling for balance.

You're mine.

He never dared to say it again after she plucked one of his eyes.

"You're mine Iris"

The voice, it was him, he was right behind her, this was not an illusion.

She threw her head back, eyes widening and muscles flexing at the sight.

Dynamite?

There was a dragon standing behind her, next to him a drooling cheetah with a bow that hung numbly from his thin arms, bleeding fingers constantly nocking an non-existing arrow, all the ammunition he had already stuck in her paws. Strands of fur dripped from sharp, bloodied bowstring like wool from a sheered sheep.

The dragon was a blur, but there was simply too much confusion, too much mix of colors for it to be just an illusion, she could clearly see patterns of live fire dancing in the mess and only one dragon she knew of carried literal fire on his back.

She was never his possession, he never wanted her to become one.

"This is him Iris!" mother appeared before the dragon, her figure a mess, filled with holes eaten by worms and covered with dried blood and earth as if she dug herself right out from her grave

She only had one eye.

They are attacking, why mother is looking like a corpse? She was still alive when she told her to run to the sewers, she was alive and well.

More explosions, more roaring.

The dragon behind her, despite what mother said, had all of his eyes, while she did not.

"I missed this" the blurry drake cocked his head, licking his lips slowly, his eyes falling down and narrowing, she could see him staring at her ass

"My only regret, no other ass compares to yours. Now look at my luck, what is this sexy princess presenting to me, my girl likes to be dominated doesn't she?"

"You're mine little bitch" the dragon advanced forward, his otherworldly voice rumbling with lustful snarls

She could already hear his dick bouncing in between his legs.

It wasn't Dynamite, he is too big of a sweet, honest loser to be so confident.

It was HIM!

The explosion ceased instantly.

She roared, throwing her head fiercely back into its natural position, her teeth clamping over one of the sticking out arrows and pulling it away in one swift, rough move. Removing the arrow as if it was a splinter.

The rain of blood that again splattered against her snout was completely ignored by her. She spat out the pulled out arrow and immediately clenched her teeth over the other one, it slid out with minimum pressure. Her paws slid down the wall, painting it in red trails until they finally landed on the ground.

Only then she spun around, snarling, the arrow sticking out from her mouth, tip red and crying bloody tears, the arrow like a rose held in the teeth of a passionate dancer, the only difference being in the petals. Her rose was losing them.

This dance won't have anything to do with passion.

It will be a spin into decay.

*

Did they really walk through the gates?

The swirls, hums, whispers and many, many other strange and less strange noises made him believe as if they would be walking across the corridor where they kept the wounded and crippled after the fights and various experiments. In the prison, mostly quiet, this particular area was very loud, louder even than some of the fights, not to mention that many never returned the same from here and they didn't have to be the recipients of the treatment in one of the rooms, sometimes a walk was enough.

He was never bothered by it though, he never landed in one of these rooms himself which was quiet the news in the cells, considering that even the best ones needed treatment once in a while. Whatever, he always avoided it just as he avoided the consequences of the constant noise, it never bothered him.

It bothered some of the prisoners.

Just like it can bother some of his friends.

Those bothered were never the same again.

The moment he felt solid ground underneath his paws he made a swift, complete turn, expecting some of his friends, especially Iris, to not be herself anymore, beaten down by the pressure of the sounds.

What he didn't expect however was that he will completely alone.

No one was here, the streets were empty, he was it this city long enough already to tell that so many people just don't disappear like that, there are times where the roads are more empty than normal but never entirely barren.

It was already a sign that something was not right here.

Not to mention that neither of his friends was with him.

Alone again.

No! He broke free, he won't let loneliness pull him into a choking hug again!

He tilted his head and released a huge fireball into the air, let lose a fraction of his powers, something that Volteer forbade him from doing, constantly repeating during their meetings to be aware of his, reckless usage of elemental energy can be considered as aggression, something that the guards, even the people won't tolerate for long if at all.

He didn't understand why there were restrictions on something as natural as elemental energy, yet he followed Volteer's suggestion, the warning the adult dragon gave him about it being a likely case that will separate him from his friends was all the arguments he needed.

This time though he panicked, the fireball exploded in the air, sending streams of fire in every direction, this special fireworks show was perfectly visible, he was pretty sure that the explosion was visible from every corner of Warfang.

Soon the guards will be on him.

Just like his friends.

Seeing them will make all of this worth it.

Sorry Volteer.

There was a sudden tick somewhere in the distance, seems like the explosion stirred the first legs, he immediately narrowed his eyes on the spot from which the sound came from, expecting someone to reveal himself any second now.

Nothing was happening.

Okay, this was definitely not one of his friends, the excitement he felt dimmed together with the color of his flames, yet he didn't give up, looking there despite losing all hope he will see a familiar face.

Seeing a face at all will have to do for now.

"Come out, it's safe! I'm a friend! My name is Flare!" he cried out, tail making a swing, a confirmation that his intentions and hope for a meeting are honest

Still nothing.

Did he imagine it?

Just when he was about to give up, there was another tick and clearly a tarnished boot appeared from behind the corner.

A male, really thin cheetah with ruined clothing slid from behind the wall, tongue lolled out of his mouth, dry as rock. Seconds later an arrow dropped right under his feet, hitting the ground with a characteristic, now familiar tick.

"You're losing all your arrows" Flare noted the obvious

The head of the cheetah snapped in his direction, milky eyes lingered on him for a short while and then the head began to fall down automatically as if the neck wasn't strong enough to support the weight. The moment it tilted down however the cheetah snapped his head back up again, at different angle this time.

The process repeated itself several times in longer and shorter time spans, all this time the feline remained silent while Flare stared at the strange citizen with wide eyes, all this time thinking that the sharp jerks of the furry neck reminded him of a chicken's head.

"I see youuuuu" the cheetah slurred, despite the tongue the voice coming out of his mouth was clear and loud, a little raspy but nevertheless ignoring the discomfort of the tongue and moving lips

Moving lips.

The feline wasn't moving his lips, they only served as support for the bits of drool the cheetah managed to spit out the moment he spoke in his special way

"I see you too" Flare looked around "Did you see my friends maybe? We kinda got lost"

"I do not feel youuuuu" the cheetah shuffled his feet forward, another arrow ticked against the ground

He noticed that the cheetah was constantly fiddling with his hands, plucking the strands of fur once from one hand and then the other. He never saw anyone doing it, yet the rather disturbing habit was somehow familiar and very interesting.

Felt friendly for some reason, welcoming even, he felt it for a while, but this loneliness had to already get to him since he found someone's nervous tick so fascinating.

"You should really stop doing it" Flare nodded, acknowledging his own suggestion "It's not healthy, you need your fur to stay warm, you aren't a dragon like me! My friend does this also, Iris-"

He sucked a deep breath in.

He knew why the habit looked familiar, Iris was also plucking at her own feathers sometimes, it was simply adorable since she looked so pretty whenever she done that and she never pulled enough feathers to actually clean a spot to skin.

He momentarily began liking the cheetah.

"My friend does the same thing!" he noted excitedly, his flames bursting with lively energy "Did you see her maybe?"

"Yesssss"

The red tail began making wild swings, despite the fact that his friends seemed really nervous about this whole situation when they were still outside he felt actually happy. He didn't see any danger, felt normal, the city was a little abandoned perhaps and the cheetah didn't look really healthy, but he knew where Iris was and there is no more important thing than this right now.

Finding one friend at a time, a worthy goal of a hero, the guys from the books he read would be really proud right now, he could feel it in his bones.

"Really? Where is she?"

"Freshhh, delicioussssss, must touch" the cheetah's feet kept on shuffling, he extended one of his hands forward, the freshly plucked fur wasn't bleeding, only red, dried dots remained where the strands once where as if the blood in the veins of the feline were clogged

Flare backed away, he wasn't an expert in social interactions, most of the things he sees look normal to him, comparing this to the behaviors he experienced in the prison, the cheetah's attitude fit in his personal range of acceptable.

Still, as every sentient creature he could sense when danger was approaching, especially when it made no intention to hide itself.

His chest started itching funnily.

Not to mention the strange desire to feel the cheetah, which was creepy in itself since girls were the focus of his attention, but then again the hesitation wasn't as strong as the urge to actually let the feline approach. It was like with medicine, you know it will help you but actually letting yourself get poked and probed wasn't really an interesting perspective.

"Ripe and young. Addicting" the cheetah moaned, a bit of drool appeared at the corner of his cracked lips, really emphasizing a little hole there where a small, cracked teeth stood out, withered and smelly, devoured by bacteria

"Stay back" he jumped back, bending on his legs, tail making wild slashes in the air, tip drawing burning trails with each swing

The itching became stronger, the desire to leap at the feline was empowered as well however so he had a hard time telling if his tail was sending defensive or impatient signals.

Deep down though he still thought that the best solution is to keep the cheetah at a distance, he clearly don't have the information he needs.

The feline stopped moving unexpectedly, his hand fell down, hanging numbly along the side, the neck lost its power, letting the head drop. The cat stood there in place, swaying on his legs, body making small circles, he looked as if he was about to fall over any second now.

His eyes remained focused on the cheetah that he failed to notice that the ground around him darkened, shadows enveloped the road despite the fact that his body was burning brightly and should evaporate any shadow.

The mass stretched out quickly, in a matter of seconds embracing the area in its cloak of darkness, one such line reached out directly towards the feline, touching the ruined boots.

The sky itself seemed to roar suddenly, the noise making him flinch and look around, the moment his eyes returned to their normal position he yelped in surprise.

The cheetah flew straight at him, hurled by an invisible force, his body twisting in unnatural angles as if having no bones.

It all happened too fast for him to react.

The body smacked against him, the initial collision making him feel as if his entire insides were dislocated, the power of the smack making him fall over.

He didn't feel his scales hitting the ground however.

He didn't feel anything at all really after that.

Strange sense of being filled up overpowered him, the itching ended, replaced by the sensation of squeezing as if water would be filling his insides.

At first he thought that the Beast was waking up.

But it was not it, whenever it attacked he had no way of telling what is happening besides the sole fact that it was taking over, when that happened his standard consciousness was gone, the life he saw then nothing more than a silent play on a stage like in a theater.

This time it was different, he was already familiar with the process of losing the connection to his body that he was aware that something else was taking over, the presence far more weaker than the Beast even though he could sense its dreadful power to be far more potent than that of his own demon.

For some reason it couldn't wrap its claws completely around him.

"Not enough" he heard himself saying, even though he did not feel the lips moving "Protected, mutated, not for us to savor"

He didn't understand, the moment he tried to wrap his mind around the words something else filled his skull. Memories, words, emotions that were not his, feelings of a life long gone and not belonging to him.

An ugly life where there were no friends, where the pull of no regrets devoured them all.

His body pulled itself up, the cheetah that toppled him over was already standing, his legs shuffling forward, his body following him without question, each step of the feline tugging him behind as if there was a chain connecting them.

What l-

Iris.

The name rumbled like a thunder, silencing every other thought and observation, body no longer important, the name had a strange pull to it, dangling as an inviting thread which tried to wrap itself around his toe and pull him up, yet having no strength to do so.

He could ignore it if he wanted to.

Iris.

But he didn't.

He snatched the thread eagerly.

Everything faded.

Iris.

My life.

My love.

My obsession.

My lie.

My goal.

Beautiful princess sitting on a expensive throne, a dream for many, an unreachable fantasy.

A normal, sweet, naïve girl as they promised, a doll growing up in a fairytale of strong heroes and elegant nobles. Unaware of reality.

Weak to reality.

Exploited easily, he fulfilled the dream of many, seducing the girl of every boy's dream. For a moment this felt like the end, a happy end, no more was needed.

But she was just a toy, a sexy ass he gladly played with, every single time enjoying it, for all the stupidity and undeserved glamour, there was one thing that was true about her and not overreacted a bit, she was the most beautiful creature in the world. His only regret, but in the face of survival and promises of power she was nothing, she had everything while he and people similar to him were nothing more than worms wiggling in her shade.

Fucking nobles.

Just when he thought that it was all over, the corpses of the bitch queen and her offspring rotting in the sun, she decides to make a comeback. How and why it didn't matter, he ended her once, he will do so again.

Before it'll come to that however, when she will be bleeding and wounded, he will remind himself just how wonderful that plump ass felt, after all seeking closure is a healthy thing to do.

*

She clenched her teeth tightly against the wood in her mouth, snapping the arrow in half, the tip fell, clicking against the ground, momentarily a sound began rumbling inside her throat as if that click was a cue it waited for.

Iris roared at the top of her lungs, spitting wet, reddish blobs from her mouth a combination of blood and saliva. She charged immediately, her wounded legs smacking like wet towels against the stone, leaving bloody marks behind.

"Rough then!" Flare roared, bending on his legs "Missed the claw marks you left on me sweetheart"

Power of ice encircled her running form momentarily, her entire body hissing with a bluish mist like steam from a cooking water. As it faded Flare noticed that Iris' scales were no longer soft and alluring, but covered in rough curves and dotted with spikes, once again she put up her magical armor. Despite the fact that she looked heavy and clunky, the diamond armor didn't hinder her at all, naturally working with the limbs hidden beneath.

Jump back! Counter!

The words were like an uninteresting echo to him, especially because they sounded like him. His mind was to busy admiring Iris to focus on anything else, thoughts always circulating between fond and dirty memories or wishes and urge to beat the girl into a submissive splotch.

The damn chain was putting everything else at risk, the same chain ordered him to stay in place.

Iris didn't waste such an opportunity, smashing straight into him, armor exploding on impact, the collision and explosion blew Flare off his paws, sending him sliding across the road, cutting the horizontal street right in the middle.

The cheetah that accompanied him stood in place, shaking, constantly nocking invisible arrows.

She shook her head, eyes spotting a trail of blood on the ground, tail making a happy flick at the sight, she made the motherfucker bleed like a pig. Her head rose, eyes hungrily following the red line along the road.

Body, there soon will be a body.

"TAKE COVER!"

A building exploded ahead, the shockwave threw her back, debris bounced off of her snout, she immediately flexed her muscles, digging claws into a surprisingly moist surface below. She threw her wing over her snout, covering herself behind it, more and more of the sharp stones assaulted her, hitting her feathery membrane one after the other.

She closed her eyes, wincing behind her natural shield, resistant or not, getting struck again and again in the same spot hurt.

The sharp pokes didn't last long though. The shooting of stones ended as quickly as it began.

She opened her eyes, removing the wing from her snout as well, white orbs immediately spotting that she was standing in a thick pool of blood, she followed the trail, it stretched across the street, cutting the horizontal street right in the middle. Blood flesh and warm that she could smell it.

Armed soldiers on their draconic mounts stood around a group of fallen drakes, the riders poking the corpses with weapons while their mounts feasted on the remains.

Her eyes began to burn as if hot feathers would graze them. She immediately rubbed the discomfort away, feeling tears accumulated in the corners. She cleared her vision, a soft gasp escaping her throat when suddenly the sky turned dark and the air thick, it wasn't because of the clouds, but because there was thick smoke hanging in the air, the sky occasionally lightened up by tongues of red.

Flames.

Ash and debris were responsible for the poking in her eyes.

She stood among a burning city, wherever she looked there were burning buildings and raging fires, the court was lost in chaos. Air hot with flames and sweat, momentarily making her entire flesh produce sweat as well. Screams filled her brain, barks of orders, roars of anguish and wails of dread, all around dashed and ran silhouettes of people and soldiers, clanking of steel rang like bells announcing a ceremony.

"IRIS!" a roar rumbled from somewhere close, a warning

Her instinct kicked in immediately, she spun around, paws making wet smack against the bloodied ground. An armored soldier was running at her, aiming his horned helmet and tip of spear straight in her direction, ready to impale her like some fish from a pond.

She jumped out of the way swiftly, feeling a tear running through her chest, her body wounded and carrying signs of battle, this soldier not the first and not the last desiring to steal her for his personal trophy. Her body carrying the evidence of many such attempts and many such failures.

Mother taught her many things, one such thing was the ability to defend herself, mom never exaggerated when saying that princesses must value treasure, after all they are the most valuable one.

You will not make me yours.

Flare scrambled from the ground, his body dripping blood like a leaking bag, he spat a reddish blob onto the road, there was a shard of ice melting in all that hot crimson. He flapped his wings, flames engulfing his body, melting the shards that pierced his scales in one places and cauterizing the holes in others.

All in all he got up, smiling, she always knew how to pack a punch.

He glared ahead, burning body giving away intense flames, clearly showing that the next attack won't be taken lightly.

She did not charge however when angered she was known for unbridled fury.

Iris was there though, bending, jumping and slashing with her claws, fighting with an invisible enemy who seemed to charge at her again and again as if there would be more than one opponent assaulting her.

Or she might have been swatting flies for all he cared, she wasn't the typical princess, but she had some common tendencies with other nobility, she just despised dirt for instance and flies were her menace.

Gods be damned, he really did have fond memories of her which he liked to reminiscence once in a while, people might be right saying that he was truly in love with her once.

Obsessed some of the bolder ones called him.

Nonsense.

He can kill her whenever he wants, without batting an eyelid.

Just look disbelievers.

Flare moved forward, walking proudly, yet eyes remaining cautious, observing the prancing dragoness closely. Time and life experience had changed her much, once a naïve, innocent girl, now an unpredictable killing machine.

Truth be told, whenever he thought about it, he was slightly proud of the fact that it is possible, while being responsible for it naturally, to break someone so bad that he or she loses connection with their original personality shifting it entirely.

Maybe the sages were right when they said that everyone has a breaking point, sometimes the border might be so transparent that only the eyes of someone else might be able to spot it.

He was close and despite the horror he put her through, Iris didn't notice him, lost in her own imagined fight.

He sat in front of her, leaving enough space between so she won't accidently hit him, grinning he clenched his paw into a fist, flames encircled it, turning it into a chaotic fire.

Marking her was always his favorite part.

He waited, observing her flexing, sensual body, the glister of sweat and the sound of her deep panting, it all made up the wonderful image that just made him lust for her so much more. He recorded the stretch of every piece of her flesh with great satisfaction, ass was only one of her perks, she had also wonderful legs, not to mention the face in general, which really would be enough to lose one's head without the rest of the package.

There was this strange pull again whenever he laid eyes on her, that just kept drawing him towards her draconic face and not letting go. It was breathtaking since it took away the attention from the rest of her figure that as probably everyone knew was a prize in itself.

Didn't matter if she was grimacing, looking angry, tired, or whatever, every shade of emotion looked majestic on her and despite the already high excitement warming his body, the view made him even more heated to the point he almost melted.

She always had such an effect on him.

How he missed her face, those eyes.

Smile girl.

Just smile Iris and everything will be over.

What did you do?

She was everything a male could dream of.

The cheetah threw himself at the sitting dragon, gluing himself to his back, ignoring the heat emanating from the burning wings, stench of scorched flesh filled the air.

"Mine" the feline howled, pushing off of the dragon, body a sizzling mess

Flare groaned, upper body dropping roughly on the road, legs smacking against the ground fiery fist creating a blazing shockwave.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Thunder rumbled inside his skull.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

The fist rose just to slam against the road moments later, then again and again.

Mine.

With perfect...

Mine.

... accordance with...

Mine.

... chant inside his skull.

The paw smashed against the ground again and again, hot sparks bursting from underneath it with each hit. The stones on the road cracked as he hammered against the surface, striking the ground like a hammer bending a sword on an anvil.

The crack in the road morphed into a considerable hole, tiny, glowing, red stones wiggled inside, heated by the magic.

His eyes burned from all the shooting sparks all around, the pain slowly driving him mad.

And then there was a wave of sudden refreshment when the view of blaze and chaos was interrupted by a sight that chilled his spine.

A white hind draconic foot appeared in the corner of his vision, slender and pretty as everything else, from the top of the paw to the tip of toes.

He reached for it immediately, placing the paw that wasn't devoured by flames on top of it, beginning a gentle caress instantly. Starting from the middle and towards the toes, where he wriggled a single toe into a weak hug, after that he slid his paw gently back to the top of the white, draconic foot.

She felt wonderful, gods he forgot just how soft to the touch she was.

The caress reached the end of the hind paw, grazing over the sole it moved up the blue scales, getting to the ankle. He clenched his paw around it tightly, as if the foot would be the only thing holding him back from drowning.

The leg in his grasp stiffened.

He raised his gaze slowly, admiring the slender frame in great detail, eyes climbing up the leg, the wonderful, thick thigh, trailing the edges of her rump, making full curves, following exactly the shape of her impossibly voluptuous figure. His sight then traveled over the waist, paw trembling over the clutched ankle when memories of holding her by it filled his head. Eyesight traveled farther, running along her flank and belly, with the eye of imagination seeing it bending and twirling in pleasure, the fervent examination causing his mind to run wild picturing the blurry and faded marks his claws left there as he raked then over this sensual flesh time and time again.

He reached the shoulder, top carrying the paw print of his foreleg, a signature of past time of him mounting her, digging deep into that curved, full body. He finally landed on the neck, it was turned, twisted like a snake, sides of it steamy, wet trails his tongue left there still coloring it, blue and white scales carrying tiny spots here and there, marks of his fangs whenever he bit into the neckline. Sight occasionally interrupted by a chain of a medallion, which string was made of ice instead of gold.

Finally came the snout.

Iris was looking straight at him.

Her white eyes full of disgust and fury.

It shook the fantasy away roughly, she made him realize bluntly that the thoughts he so sweetly let take over him were nothing more than a far cry, a bygone dream, a failure marking a pure soul like murder.

Never to return.

Over.

Separating the present and past, forever, like a guillotine severing a head from the neck.

His body spat out fresh flames.

You ungrateful bitch!

If I can't have you than nobody will!

He lunged forward with a vicious snarl, the burning paw that was held back thrust sharply forward, the blazing fist as hot as a stove. He struck her directly into the chest, the heat from his paw melted the icy string that served as the chain of the medallion, making the round object fall and clank hollowly against the road.

Fiery sparks exploded from underneath the point of impact, the strike scorching the white scales on the chest, burning out quite a considerable hole, deepness of which was only stopped by the natural resistance of draconic scale.

Iris howled at the top of her lungs when the searing flames ate at her flesh.

The magical punch creating a blast so strong that it hurled the dragoness away.

Bits of her flesh remained stuck to the burning fist, flames of which quickly devoured the scale.

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

The rumbling echo commanded

"Kill!" followed by the encouragement from the cheetah

Flare however fell on the ground, Iris' painful roaring muffled by his own, the full of anguish blare nearly shattered the nearby windows.

"What is this?" the feline mumbled, the now that he fiddled with all this time clattered on the floor, the wet with blood wood cracked in some places

Flare thrashed on the ground, roaring loudly, his voice shifting from a cry of a young boy to a grumble so raw as if an earthquake would be coming. Fiery body pulsed, once becoming blindingly sharp just to turn dark and dull seconds later.

"I won't fade!" Flare roared, the voice that came out of his throat no longer resembling anything that made the boy

"What are you?" the feline cocked his head, a sharp snap echoed from the neck, it broke, freezing the cheek of the furry face on the shoulder

A slow line of blood stretched out from the nostrils.

The cat remained standing however, milky, insane eyes remaining open.

"I won't fade!"

"I won't fade!"

"Not allowed to fade!"

The red dragon howled, voice deep and strangling, if mountain tops could speak they would sound exactly like this.

He smacked both his paws against his chest, the legs cracked the scale like glass, stopping only on the flesh underneath. Piece of his chest was eaten out as if someone would remove a piece of his body with a spoon, the indentation flourishing exactly from the point where his paw struck Iris.

No blood or flames filled the opening, it was only an empty, scorched hole in his chest.

Flare rolled onto his belly, he pushed out his forelegs and without hesitation bit into the leg that dared to struck Iris. His teeth sank deep, jaw clasping over the flesh with the strength of a Keeper's clench. Blood poured into his mouth, spilling over the leg, the pressure just too high for his maw to simply accumulate all of the liquid.

It did not stop him though, he opened his maw just to bit into the leg again.

"STOP!" the cheetah howled with an otherworldly voice, cracking his jaw so widely open that the chin snapped, making the mouth hang agape, never to close again

The rough, strong shout pushing out pieces of lungs, they smacked against the road, black and withered.

The crippled feline sprang at the dragon once more, numb body throwing itself at him.

"My control!" Flare screamed, striking the ground with all four legs, tail and wings, a burst of fire erupted from him, hurling the leaping feline away before he touched him

The dragon's eyes were burning.

"My survival!" he blared once more, thrusting the claws on his forelegs deep into the neck, the punctures his claws made immediately began dripping a fountain of blood

"Treat! My treat! Not allowed vanish!" the cheetah spun around, legs however remained in place, only the torso moved, the grinding of bones against bones was deafening

"Influence! Act!" he pointed forward, at the blue, thrashing dragoness on the ground in the distance

Iris failed on the ground, wings and tail beating wildly against the ground, occasionally followed by chaotic stomping of the hind paws. She kept on screaming, wailing interrupted only by a short moaning to catch a breath. Her back kept arching, gold bracelet on her foreleg kept on ringing as it every now and then got hit by the claws on the other paw. Both paws were busy, beating and pressing against the chest, a chest where was a huge, black, scorched mark with red tendrils pulsing steadily, blood that couldn't burst through the cauterized scabs.

Chest looking like the surface of a magma.

The pain was unbearable, it made the world in front of her eyes spin, tears filling her eyes blurring it out, it was an overwhelming agony, even for a dragon, especially a one who didn't expect to get struck by so much magical power from so close.

It was like having a knife skinning you alive.

Where was he?

How she didn't see him?

Why no longer she smells the blood?

Where is mother?

Through a sob she forced her eyes to a squint, it might have been the pain confusing her senses, but even through the wet veil of her eyes she could see that the sky was clear and buildings intact, not made of expensive material, but durable stone.

There was no smoke in the air.

This wasn't the court. This wasn't the war.

It was Warfang.

This is-

She hacked a breath, something stabbed her suddenly.

"Shhhhh, shhhh, it's over now" a warm calming voice whispered

She blinked.

There was suddenly more pressure against her paws, she looked upon her chest, spotting two mature blue, feminine paws on top of hers. Golden bracelets around them and a diamond ring on the toe immediately told her to whom the legs belong to.

Mother.

"Mom?" Iris mumbled, blinking the tears away fervently

"Shhhhh" mother's head dived down, she felt warm kisses upon her chest that momentarily made her back arch, the soothing wave they offered made her groan in satisfaction

"See? Told you it won't hurt anymore"

She was right, it didn't.

"No, Mom, it doesn't" her mother rose her head, not turning in her direction, snout presenting only a profile

There was a big, blackened mark on her chest which looked absolutely disgusting and clearly like a wound, a bad one in fact, yet as Mother said, it didn't hurt.

And Mother never lied.

"Never underestimate the power of magic dear, it can be devastating even during training. I hope that you learned something today"

She pulled herself up, nodding obediently, Mother never held back showing care and love for her, but even if those two things ruled their relationship, during training sessions it was wise to listen to her and respect her teachings. Mother was a queen and she didn't like insubordination.

"Yes, Mother"

Her mother's mouth twitched, as if trying to smile, yet the lips always pushed back as if they were sewed together. One eye kept gazing at her.

"That's my girl, maybe you will pass the lesson onto your clumsy mate hmmm? The poor boy might hurt himself"

Her feathers bristled.

"Mate? Flammar?"

"Flare" mother corrected her, giving her a node of direction.

"Flare" she chanted after the big dragoness, eyes following the given directions, at the end of the road spotting a flailing form of a red dragon

He looked to be in pain. Serious pain.

"M-"

"Cheer him up darling" mother's voice cut her off "He needs it. You know what to do, charm is a weapon of a princess, I still fail to understand what you see in this boy, but I won't be interfering in the affairs of your heart"

She pranced forward excitedly, Mother always had objections regarding Flare, she didn't really share in her fondness of her favorite type of a male, dorky and frail. She never tried to dissuade her from her preference though, understanding that she is drawn away from strength and power, something she dealt with daily in the court already as it is.

Besides there was something extremely exciting in the fact that a supposedly weaker boy sometimes shows signs of power and dominance, probably honesty was so alluring. Weaker boys don't bask in power, obscured in shyness while the typical suitor presents himself in the best shade, many times fake and forced.

There was honesty in shyness and fragility.

And honesty was something that the court wasn't known of.

Flare bit and poked himself with his claws and teeth, there was so much blood around him, whenever they trained he really got into it and REALLY disliked losing, always trying to make it look very serious. Like right now with all the fake blood and cuts, he was so silly!

She sprinted towards him with a giggle, if she won't step it she was quite certain that the dork will hurt himself, he always had a talent to do the improbable!

The intimidating roars he emitted were really scary, she had to admit that.

Just as the heat.

Despite the fact that her scales were tingling from the pressure of the flames she reached and grasped his horn, his mane blazing, leaving burn marks on her scales. She went through this part so many times already that she didn't even notice the underside of her leg turning almost black.

He always had problems controlling his element.

"Enough, hush now" she whispered sweetly, tugging at the horn gently

Flare threw his head up, mouth filled with blood and bits of his own scales, he gazed straight into two diamond eyes. Eyes that were so pure and glowing that it felt as if he was drowning in them.

His mouth clamped shut, the moment the lips connected with a soft smack all the fire surrounding him died down like a blown out candle, illuminating the area with a barely visible light like that of an nearly extinguished fireplace.

Iris smiled.

At that sight the last remnants of fire died down completely, the only thing giving any illumination right now was his red scales, which glowed slightly as if a blush would spread all across his body like an infection. If he would be standing right now, he was sure that it wouldn't last for long.

Those eyes, combined with that pristine, warm smile, it was indescribable.

He had never seen anyone having such a beautiful smile before.

It was hypnotizing, makes his heart race, the fire in his eyes dying, shifting back into slits that were extremely thicker than normal, almost turning them into begging, round orbs of a puppy.

He would do everything for her.

"Come on, get up" Iris giggled, her smiling teeth flashing, she gave him the most warmest of winks he had ever seen "Let's pretend we are tough, my Mom's watching"

He sprang up instantly, his eyes never leaving hers, trembling all over he stared into those two diamonds, his heart pounding so hard that he could feel it echo inside his throat.

He never felt like this before, he wanted to scream and cry at the same time, most of all he wanted to touch her, to kiss her do anything really but not having enough courage to even move.

It was painful in a way, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.

He could feel her breath on his snout, the natural chilly puffs off her elemental birth mark were like a merciful fuel, without it he would melt, all this fire he wore was nothing compared to this.

He didn't want this to end, not wanting this to be interrupted.

A cheetah's ruined face leaned in from the side, his nose pushing itself in between them, interrupting the flow of breath he so greatly cherished.

"Blunt way not needed" the feline rasped

Flare burst with fresh flames.

No interruption.

He touched the cheek with his paw, grasping at the fur there, eyes remaining locked at Iris who didn't even seem to notice that they weren't alone. Stench of burnt flesh filled the air, the cheetah burst in flames, eyes popping, the liquidated white splattering against both their noses. The flesh was gone in a matter of seconds, his heated claws making a cracking sound when they pierced the surface of the exposed skull, sinking into the cheek, cracking it like an egg.

The skeleton melted in seconds, it wasn't long before his paw hung in the air, blackened by ash as it turned the cheetah into nothingness. The same ash was blown by a gust of wind, it painted their mouths black with the ashes of a once living being.

The black dots on Iris' white teeth did not ruin the allure of her smile in the slightest.

She tilted her head, a spark of affection glistened in her eye.

His knees bent, he was beginning to fall.

"You're so cute" she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, giving him a loving, warm sign of affection

Her lips were the only thing that kept him standing.

He sunk into the kiss momentarily, rubbing her cheek affectionately and repaying the gesture with all the grateful strength he could muster.

The ashes of the cheetah spreading across their snouts, drops of it exchanged in their mouths by their struggling tongues.

Iris' mother turned her head, glaring towards the lost in affection young pair of dragons.

She was missing one eye, below the empty eyeball there was nothing but strands of rotten flesh and clean bone as if the flesh there would be dissolving in some acid.

Why thralls when you can have tools.

Why devour when you can cultivate. Enriching the taste.

Emotions are so strange.

Patience is so strange.

Betrayer showed it.

They open new possibilities, develop Fear in areas no-one believed existed. Exploiting personal fear is worthwhile, but Fear for someone else.

This is new.

This is surprising.

And for mortals?

This is dangerous.