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Services By Green

It was a very cold day in the heart of winter, and the small town of Beacon's Edge was mostly closed up as the sun began to go down, anyone with any sense locked up inside, probably crowding around a stove or fireplace or at least buried under several thick blankets. The crowd at the Gryphon's Claw, the local tavern, were indeed in the presence of a large, open fire which roared nicely and filled the room with much-needed warmth, but most of its patrons were focused on getting a little internal heating going, downing the pale ale the region was known for to brace themselves against the coming night. One of them, though, didn't have much thought of the weather in mind, even though his people were much more susceptible to the cold than most. No, his armour had enough heat charms woven into it that he wouldn't have to worry about freezing in the dark on this night, even if he did spend most of it wandering, as was looking likely. It would probably be preferable to the way the locals were going out of their way not to look in his direction, considered to be slightly more polite than the blatant staring they were no doubt taking part in when his back was turned. It wasn't as bad as it was way out in the country, where the towns were almost entirely Human and anyone who wasn't stuck out like a sore thumb. But even in a town like Beacon's Edge, a humble place near the western side of Rilodell, where Humans lived side by side with a roughly equal number of the colourful ani-men, some people still have a tendency to draw attention. Especially if they're just a bit over eight feet tall, have a pair of leathery wings growing out of their back, and are coated from head to toe in dark green scales that shine like emeralds in firelight.

Wolf men and cat people were one thing, but watching a Dragon walk into town had to be something else altogether. Particularly one dressed up in a full suit of practical, though well-maintained armour that glowed with just a hint of enchantment here and there, as well as a war hammer almost as long as most of the inhabitants were tall. It was a simple affair, a sturdy wooden handle reinforced by a special staining, with a very large stone head with various draconic runes carved into its sides. Most of them were just for show, ancient symbols for luck and prosperity, victory in battle, things like that, but a few of them were genuinely magical, preventing the weapon from breaking in combat and giving it a little more 'oomph' against its targets; these runes glowed softly with a blue inner light. It was tipped on the other end of the staff with a simple metal cap, which he could use as a back-up bludgeon if an enemy got in close and he didn't have time to bring the hammer around properly. He referred to it as 'Foebreaker the mighty', though at the moment it wasn't doing anything more intimidating than leaning against the counter next to him, giving the people in the room something to quietly discuss. As one of the logs in the fireplace crackled and hissed, giving way with a pop, he lifted his tankard. It was almost empty. Again. He frowned at that, as he had been planning to get far drunker than this, as he could still remember the problems that had been nagging at him lately. Pulling his purse off of his belt, he frowned harder. It, like his drink, wasn't as full as he'd like. Putting it back on his belt, he sighed and muttered to himself in draconic, shaking his head. His words, roughly translated, went thusly; "Almost broke. Some mercenary I turned out to be. Maybe it's just like Henry always told me. No room in this business for morals." Finishing his cup, the sword for hire stood up, silently wishing, not for the first time, that lowland alcohol was as potent as the stuff brewed by Dragons in the mountains. A tankard this size of finely-aged Dragon beer would probably be enough to make most lowland species pass out on the spot. With the possible exception of dwarves, he added thoughtfully. Their endurance in the area of drink was the stuff of legend among Humans, though the soldier had never witnessed it himself. As he instinctively turned to the stairs, it belatedly occurred to him that his purse was a bit lower than he'd meant to go, and he couldn't afford to stay here for the night. Turning around to face the door, he bent down to pick up his hammer, which never felt heavier than at the end of the night. Settling it on his back, he plodded out the door, nodding to the bartender and pretending not to notice the way everyone nearby was suddenly very interested in the tops of their tables. He had to stop halfway out as a dull thunk rang through the room; apparently he was tipsy enough that he'd forgotten to take his horns into account when he approached the door. They weren't terribly long; he kept them cut short to prevent them from becoming hand-holds for his enemies in battle, but the pair of white protrusions still stuck straight up off of his head, so they tended to get in the way when he was using hallways and doors built for races of lesser stature.

Even after standing up from the exaggerated bow he'd taken to avoid the horn issue, the green straightened up slightly once the door closed behind him, closing his eyes and taking a deep, bracing breath of the winter wind. It chilled him to the bone, so that he felt dizzy for a moment, as though his body were threatening to shut down to preserve itself, but the heat charms woven in a web around his chestplate began to glow, and soon he felt stable on his feet again, if a little buzzed. No matter, it would just dull his senses to the strength of the cold. He needed to find a place to sleep, even if it was just setting out his tent behind a hill to keep the wind off him, and relying on a heatstone inside his sleeping bag to keep from freezing to death. The magic was so simple it was foolproof, but it had been a very long time since he'd had the stone charged, and he didn't really want to rely on it to keep him alive. Maybe one of the frontier farmers was jumping at shadows again, and he could talk someone into giving him a warm place to sleep in exchange for a night's 'protection'. It probably wouldn't be difficult to find someone, after all. Beacon's Edge was a quietly happy town, but it lay just on the edge of a large, mostly unexplored forested region that the locals steadfastly refused to enter. The woods were known as the Shadowglades, and there were dozens of (rather questionable) reports of shadowy monsters of all descriptions being sighted there over the years. No, the vast majority of the populace believed it was thoroughly haunted, and even cutting down trees to get lumber could incur a lethal curse of some kind. Even those who didn't believe the stories tended to avoid the place, as they would be far away from any kind of rescue were they to be injured. Shifting his pack on his back, trying to get more comfortable, he walked out into the night, bringing his wings forward and wrapping them around himself like a cloak, further protection against the silently falling snow.

As he trudged on through the snow, approaching the edge of town, the sellsword caught sight of a man, a rodent of some kind from the looks of him, though he was so well bundled up he could be just about anything. The Dragon had seen him, or someone like him, on his way into town, and he'd caught sight of other conspicuously-dressed men on some of the other major roads out of town; he assumed they were on all of them, though he hadn't checked. They weren't wearing the uniforms of town guards or soldiers from the general Military of Rilodell, so he'd come to the conclusion they had been hired to watch the roads by someone rather more unsavoury, no doubt looking for someone in particular who was likely to try this town. The ex-mercenary glared at the hooded figure as he passed, and the watcher cringed and turned to the stone wall behind him as if attending to some kind of business, any excuse to look away. He shook his head as he put the furtive little man behind him. This, he thought to himself, is why I never take out loans or deal with criminals.

Unlike the locals, the green didn't put much stock in the legends of the forest, so he was taking a path that hugged the side of the woods for a while before forking off towards the farms on the far lip of the land Beacon's Edge sat on. To his complete and utter non-surprise, the Shadowglades were dead silent in the cold night, no creepier than any other forest the mercenary had ever seen. He did keep an eye on the branches overhanging the path and the thick bushes between the path and the trees, but this was because bandits could use them for cover, not because he was expecting spirits to come popping out at him. He wasn't a fool, he knew of course that there were places in this world where strange things gathered, but he didn't understand what drove Humans to assume they couldn't kick over a rock without awakening some kind of ancient malevolence. Hearing a sound over his shoulder, as if the universe had kindly rewarded his paranoia by actually placing bandits in the haunted woods, the Dragon slowly reached up and placed a hand on the end of his hammer, turning to look behind him and check for movement as he did so, continuing to walk forward.

Which is why he was unable to see the man walking in the opposite direction as he turned a corner, and therefore walked right into the poor guy, his heavy armoured frame causing the other man to stagger backwards, nearly falling into the snow by the path. "Oof!" Embarrassed, the mercenary turned to apologize, sure that his reflexes would have been better were he sober. The other man, a canid of some kind, was brushing himself off, and he was already taking blame for it. "Oh! I'm sorry, I must not have been..." He looked up as he stepped forward, into a patch of moonlight. As the man trailed off into surprised silence after getting a good look at the warrior, the Dragon tilted his head to the side to observe his new companion. He was of a relatively slight build, near as could be told through those thick clothes and the travelling cloak he hugged tight against him, and he appeared to be an arctic wolf, his fur as white as the snow around them. Now, he was looking over the outlander with a bit more interest than the usual slack-jawed yokels. He finally broke the silence with a fairly basic observation. "...My, you're a big one, aren't you?" He cracked a smile, careful not to show off his fangs too clearly, as he'd found it intimidated warmbloods. "Runt of the litter, if you can believe it." With an odd look on his face, the other man smiled and extended a hand. "My name's Colton Frosthowl. I don't believe we've met, so you must be from out of town. What sort of work brings you all the way out here?" Smirking, the Dragon rolled his shoulder a bit and freed the hammer from his back, swinging it out in front of him and thumping it into the ground, where he put his weight against it and waited. He had to admit he enjoyed impressing the locals. This Colton fellow's pale blue eyes lit up as he took in the polished stone head of the hammer, gaze lingering on the ancient draconic runes carved into the sides. "I see, I see... get much call for that out here?" The warrior shrugged. "I get by." Giving him a curious look, the short wolf began to toy with his hands, as though unsure of his words. "Ummm... I don't suppose you're on the job right now, are you?" Grinning again, the Dragon cocked his head to the side a bit, now really trying to take stock of the other man. "Are you looking to hire someone with my particular set of skills?" Shrugging again, the wolf looked almost apologetic. "Actually, I'm looking for whatever help I can find. If it happens to be a large scaly man with a hammer, so much the better." "What exactly did you have in mind?" "Well, I have a house near here, on the edge of the woods, and, well... look, the job boils down to protecting me and my home, though I'll need a bit of time to explain everything. It'll be a few days, and of course I'll have a place for you to stay. We can talk about price once we get back, it's freezing out here. What do you think?" The lupine eagerly stuck his hand out, ready to shake, and the Dragon considered it. He would normally prefer to have the price settled as early as possible into a contract, but as a cold-blooded creature, the warrior could appreciate that logic. He nodded, but hesitated before extending his hand. "Alright. I think we have a deal... but don't you want to know who you're dealing with? Unless you'd prefer 'large scaly man', of course." The wolf looked startled, and blushed as his ears lowered towards his skull. His body language was generally much less aggressive than most of the wolves the sell-sword had known; some of them would probably have drawn weapons at that remark. "I'm sorry! I - I didn't mean to - I mean I wouldn't ever..." Reaching forward, the Dragon took hold of Colton's rapidly-lowering hand with his own scaly green mitt and shook it firmly, laughing softly as he did so. "Relax, friend. Only a joke. Colton, I am Kenraidrikerion of Clan Ort, and it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

About ten minutes later, they came around a corner to lay eyes upon a small, unassuming cottage that was, as Colton had suggested, right on the edge of the woods, only about fifty feet or so from the trees. The windows facing the woods were darkened as if covered over, as the green could see flickering light, as if cast from a fire, peeking out from the edges. Gesturing towards the building, a nervous-looking Colton announced their arrival somewhat unnecessarily. "This is the place. Let's just get inside and you can make yourself comfortable, Kenra... Kenra... I'm sorry, one more time?" The mercenary sighed quietly through his nostrils, producing a mild puff of green fog which dissipated immediately in the cold night air. He was used to this, but it was still annoying. "Kenraidrikerion." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just, well, most of the people who live around here have rather simpler names... Um, would you be terribly offended if I called you 'Kenrai' for short? I think I can remember that." "Certainly. I'm not picky." As the wolf produced a key and attempted to unlock the simple wooden door on the front of the house, facing the plains behind the forest, Kenrai gave him a curious look. "You know, I was expecting you to shorten it to 'Ken'." Having trouble with his cold fingers and the sticky door, Colton only glanced over his shoulder for a moment. "Hmm? Why 'Ken'?" "Most of the Humans I've dealt with call me that, it's a short form for a common Human name." As the door opened with a click and Colton happily pushed it open, he just shrugged. "I'm not Human... never have been." That struck Kenrai as an odd way to put it, but he shrugged it off, given that the wolf had been distracted and that he already seemed at least a little eccentric to the warrior. For starters, unless Kenrai's sense of the area had failed him, this very house was built on the opposite side of the forest from the central town of Beacon's Edge; he wondered for a moment whether they'd even see the smoke if bandits set this place ablaze. Then he remembered a story told in hushed tones the previous evening, which, like all such stories told in this town, revolved around the Shadowglades. This particular story was about a necromancer who lured travellers into his home, only to murder them in their sleep and bring their bodies to an underground lair where they were transformed into undead abominations. Something told Kenrai that if there were any truth to this story the town would have been assaulted by an army of the dead by now, so he tried to let the tale fade from his mind... though he also casually reached back and undid one of the straps around his hammer, to make it easier to take the weapon in hand, just in case.

After shedding his boots (an action Kenrai mimicked, to be polite), Colton lead the Dragon into a large central room with a comfortable looking couch in the centre, facing a wide, open-faced fireplace. The flames in it were small, dying down, but the white wolf tossed a couple of pieces of wood inside from a small basket next to the opening. As he stood back up again, the smaller male removed his travelling cloak and hung it up on a peg on the wall, sighing with relief as he eased the heavy blanket off his shoulders, immediately removing the shirt underneath as well, leaving him in pants and a simple vest which bared his unremarkable arms. Kenrai took the hint and re-furled his wings, pulling them back in behind him to uncover his armour. Colton seemed surprised to see that the wings were real, but didn't say anything about it. The Dragon slipped Foebreaker off his back and then sat down on the couch, ready to hear this strange little wolf out. Sighing, Colton looked around and gestured in the direction of the Shadowglades, now hidden behind some rather thick curtains. "I'm sure you've heard of the darklings that come out of the woods about this time of year. Well, that will be happening soon, and there's a fair chance that they'll be coming... here. If I don't do something about it, then they might bring this whole house down on my head. I was hoping I could hire you to -" Kenrai held up a hand. "Look, Colton, I'm sure you're very worried, and that you may have seen things you didn't recognize in the woods, but let me reassure you, there's nothing living in that forest that doesn't live in every other forest on this continent. I won't take your money to protect you from a threat that doesn't exist, it wouldn't be right. Now, if you'd like me to defend your property from bandits, now that I could -" To the Dragon's surprise, the arctic wolf interrupted him right back, shaking his hands. "No, no, no, you misunderstand! This isn't a matter of a small pup living by himself, afraid of the dark! I don't believe most of the stories they tell about these woods, but this one is real. For a few days' span every year, they come out of the shadows at night and then, on the last night, they hunt. They leave the house alone if no one is inside it, but if someone's home... Well, if you still don't believe me, go into town and ask about Jeremy Nichols. See the look in their eyes and hear the tremor in their voice as they tell you what happened to the last man to live here... and you tell me what is or isn't real. Besides, you can find what was left of the front door in with the rest of the firewood." Kenrai's gaze instinctively flicked to the basket, and he thought he saw a long, flat board with deep gouges in it, but that could be anything. He found himself re-evaluating the wolf, though; he seemed much less the middle-of-nowhere bumpkin the Dragon had assumed he was at first meeting him. He didn't have the look in his eyes of irrational fear, it was definitely a more controlled worry, something he'd thought about a lot. "If you're going to go back to town, please do it and come back soon. It's - it's going to start any day now, and then I'll be trapped in here." Leaning forward, Kenrai steepled his fingers together atop the handle of his hammer, looking at the wolf intently without knowing what he was searching for. "Colton, what exactly is it you're hoping I can do for you? I know there are forces in this world beyond our comprehension, but I'm not the sort of wandering adventurer who has experience with them. I'm a sell-sword, nothing more, I fight men for coin. Men who typically don't use dark magic on me." The wolf sighed, and buried his face in his hands, letting his stress show for a few moments. His muzzle poked out between his hands, and he was able to respond clearly. "I just want you to protect me from the creatures that are coming. Alone, I wouldn't stand a chance, I've got no combat training at all. And there's no time to hire an expert in the field before they come out to hunt." Leaning back and crossing his arms, the Dragon arched a brow in curiosity. "So why just stay here to be hunted? Why not leave?" At this, Colton looked decidedly unsettled, stiffening for a moment and then sagging down in sadness. "I - well, ordinarily I might. I mean, I only just moved here a few months ago, and I've actually spent..." Shaking his head slightly, the wolf sighed before continuing. "...Quite a bit of time travelling in recent years, so I know places I could go, but..." He trailed off again, perhaps unsure how to finish. Kenrai prodded him verbally, but it didn't do much good. "But?" "But there's a whole complicated issue that I'd rather not discuss that makes going out for too long about as dangerous for me as staying in." There was a moment of silence, aside from the renewed crackling of the re-kindled fire. Finally, Kenrai sighed, nodding. "Alright, wolf, you have yourself a contract. For the price of, say..." He examined the meagre accommodations, attempting to measure what the wolf could afford against the pace of his own steadily emptying purse. Eventually, he continued, "...thirty gold dirals, I swear on my name to keep you safe at night until the threat has passed." Colton groaned with relief, sagging in his chair as he grinned widely. "Oh, thank you so much! I was hoping to run into someone today, I've got the guest room all set up for you, it's just through that door. The, ah, facilities are on the other side of the house. Uhh, I don't really have much by way of groceries right now; the same issue that keeps me from leaving has made it difficult to replenish my supplies." Having half-expected that, Kenrai grinned slightly as he stood, walking to the indicated guest room. It had been a long day, after all, and he intended to turn in. "That's alright, if you give me the coin, I can make a grocery run for both of us tomorrow." The wolf seemed genuinely surprised, almost touched. "Oh, you'd be willing to do that? I thought that was going to be a big problem. Thank you!" Chuckling softly, Kenrai paused in the open doorway, smiling as he turned to his client. "No problem at all, Colton. It's just one of many services I provide." With that, he turned again and closed the door behind him, stripping his armour off as quickly as possible, removing the web of heat charms from his breastplate so it could continue to keep him comfortable through the night. Lying down in the simple bed and pulling the covers over himself, it wasn't long at all before the Dragon was carried off to sleep.

No creatures from beyond came to assault the house during the night, and Colton made absolutely no attempt to murder Kenrai and transform him into a shambling horror, so the first night passed peacefully. The following day seemed awfully normal, truth be told; Kenrai went to town to retrieve food and supplies, as he'd promised, and Colton worked on covering all of the windows in the house with more thick blankets, in the hopes that the 'darklings' he was so afraid of wouldn't know anyone was inside if they couldn't see through the glass. Personally, Kenrai wasn't sure what to make of the story, but it was obvious that at the very least, Colton was absolutely certain of his words, so the Dragon went along with it. When the sun was high in the sky, Kenrai headed over to the edge of the forest, walking inside and looking around. As far as he could see, it was just as he had said the previous night, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Although, as he continued his explorations, he realized he didn't see anything at all. There was no sign of any animals at all, which was strange, even in the dead of winter. Here was a tree a bear had clawed up, but the scratches were old. Here was a hole that looked rather like the entrance to a rabbit's den, but it was abandoned. It was as if every animal in the forest had up and left. It was around the time this started to stand out to him that he began to notice the feeling. Whenever he was standing in shadow - and because it was an ancient, very thick forest, this was often, even after the leaves had fallen for the year - he felt this strong sensation of unease, like he was being watched, judged even. The first time, he wrote it off as natural paranoia upon entering an empty forest, but once he realized it disappeared in a flash as soon as he stepped into a patch of sunlight again, then he got worried. Leaving the forest with even more questions than he'd had when he entered, he walked back to Colton's house, fighting the urge to look over his shoulder at the forest every step of the way.

Despite the incident (if it could even be called that) in the forest, Kenrai felt safe enough to leave his armour and hammer in his room, leaving on a simple tunic that he normally wore beneath his protective shell, and transferring the heat charm web to keep him from freezing whenever a draft caught him wrong. Much of the day had been taken up with awkward silence, and as he and Colton stared intently into their bowls of soup in the evening meal, he decided to break that silence. "So Colton, why don't you tell me about these 'darklings' you've seen in the forest? It'd be good to know what I'm going up against, worst come to worst." The wolf frowned at his spoon for a moment, either gathering his thoughts or showing his displeasure with the soup, and then looked over at Kenrai. "Well... I'm not sure what to tell you. I've only seen them a couple of times, came back out here and looked from a distance to see if they were real or not... but when I finally saw them, they were... they were dark. I mean, they were literally covered in shadows. I saw one of them walk past a puddle on the ground that was reflecting the moonlight... and even though it didn't touch the puddle, the reflection of the moon got a lot darker... like the thing was sucking the light out of it. I can tell you that there were a lot of them, dozens at least, and they came in different sizes. The one by the puddle was little, like a small feral dog, and all I could make out was its eyes, it had these really big eyes that looked like they were glowing, but they didn't cast light anywhere. And then there was the other one..." He looked over to the window for a moment, and visibly shivered. "It was about the size of a man, didn't see any eyes or details at all... and it just stepped out of the woods and stopped. Seven gods... I swear it was staring at me. That's when I left." His ears had lowered during his story, and he seemed to shrink into himself, afraid. "I - I don't think they like very bright light. The puddle was one thing, but I never saw a single one step out from under the shadow of the woods, into the moonlight... the only reason I could make them out at all is because there was so much fallen snow that day. Part of me wants to run the fireplace the entire time they're out hunting, keep them out of the house, but... that might just make it easier for them to find us, and..." Putting down his spoon, the wolf brought his elbows up onto the table and buried his face in his palms with a groan. Acting on instinct, Kenrai reached over and placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder, smiling softly when he looked up. "We're going to be okay. I promise." The canine still looked a bit upset, but there was hope shining in his eyes. "But - but you haven't even seen these things yet, how can you be so sure you can..." Kenrai gave Colton's shoulder a gentle squeeze and grinned a bit wider. "I'm not sure I can really say what these things are, but you said they killed a man who used to live here, right? Well, if they can harm us, then we can harm them. Even the fiercest revenant can be broken down, and I see no reason why these darklings should be any different." For a moment, the wolf just looked at him silently, and then he cracked a small smile and his ears began to perk up. "I wish I had your confidence, friend, you're very inspiring." Feeling his bravado slip a little bit, the Dragon pulled back his hand and looked into his own soup. "Well, at least somebody thinks so."

There followed another awkward silence, at least until Colton cleared his throat. "So, um, you're kind of the first Dragon I've ever met. I don't really know anything about, uh, your people. Like, I wasn't even sure you'd be able to eat vegetable soup." Kenrai shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I'd prefer virgins, of course, but hey, you make do..." Glancing over, he realized his companion looked almost as worried as he had when he was discussing the darklings. "Sorry, sorry, just a joke. We'd never eat people, that's just as horrifying to us as it is to everyone else. Well except maybe orcs, you hear such things about orcs... but, uh, really, what did you want to know?" "W-well, I heard that most Dragons lived a long ways away from here and didn't like going around with the... uh, 'lesser' beings. Especially the big four-legged sort. So, I've been wondering..." Swallowing another spoonful of his soup, which was much tastier than he'd been expecting, Kenrai looked over at his friend, trying to look unthreatening, and grinned as he helpfully filled in the blank. "...So what am I doing here, working as a mercenary?" As the white wolf nodded, Kenrai unconsciously performed a gesture that originated from Humans, not his own people, and reached a hand out behind him to rub the back of his neck, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Well, to be perfectly honest, before bumping into you, I wasn't. Working, that is." "What do you mean?" "I... I've just left my, ah, previous employer because of a disagreement in tactics. I don't really want to talk about it. Kind of a long story." That last bit was a lie, but Kenrai was pretty confident it would work. "But to answer your question, most of my kind live in caves near the tops of mountains. Funny that we'd go to the coldest places we can find, really. But we have artifacts and magic that keep our villages nice and warm; we can even grow crops up there. But... I don't know, I guess I just felt wanderlust. Wanted to explore the world. It's been a long time since I've seen another Dragon." As Colton nodded, looking genuinely interested, the emerald drake took a moment to look over his employer. It occurred to him that aside from his living arrangements, he knew next to nothing about the arctic wolf. "So what's your story, hmm? You only got here recently, from the sound of things. Curious as to where you might be from that had you coming to this neck of the woods, and living way out here instead of in the town." Put on the spot all of a sudden, Colton seemed rather uncomfortable, looking away towards nothing in particular. "Oh! Uh, well... that's kind of a long story, too. I... I'm not real comfortable in crowds, you know?" The wolf shivered, the hand not currently holding a soup spoon scratching distractedly at the table. He definitely seemed evasive, but Kenrai could hardly hold that against him, considering his own reluctance to discuss his recent past.

There followed a few slightly awkward minutes where Kenrai and Colton discussed the soup and where the wolf had learned the recipe, which he'd been taught by his mother. Then, Kenrai felt he should probably bring the conversation back to relevant topics, so he looked towards a window that would have a lovely view of the woods if it weren't covered up, and frowned, shaking his head. "Tell me something, Colton, if you have any idea, where did these darklings come from in the first place? Why do they only appear here? Why only for a few days every year?" To the Dragon's surprise, Colton lit up at that, like he'd been hoping Kenrai would ask. "Actually, I've got a theory about that!" "Alright, let's hear it." "Well, before I came here, I was studying ancient texts, the oldest ones known to exist. I was reading up on the final battle with the Black God, after he betrayed the other eight gods and murdered one of them." The exact identity of the slain god had been lost in the millennia that had passed since the battle afterwards, a conflict of such force that it tore the land for hundreds of miles in all directions. "The Black God? Orange's Light, wolf, if the evil here comes from him we should have started running last night! I don't even like to say his name!" The wolf raised his hands and made a dismissive gesture. "No, no, it's not a sign that - that the lord of darkness is shaking free from his prison or anything dire like that. I believe that when the gods were doing battle with each other, the blood of the injured gods fell to the earth and gave the soil where it landed... certain properties. And I'm reasonably confident when I say that I believe the black god bled on this forest thousands of years ago, or at least the land where this forest is growing now. Among other places, of course." Silently scolding himself for the superstitious shiver that ran down his spine, all the way to the tip of his tail, Kenrai crossed his arms. "So, the darklings...?" Leaning back in his chair, soup finished, Colton looked thoughtful as he answered. "Well, I don't quite know why they only come out once a year, something to do with the stars, I think. But I'm fairly certain they're some kind of side effect of the power of darkness, when conditions are right they seep out of the tainted ground and live in the shadows. I don't believe they actually think, they operate like animals, and because they come from him, their only instincts are to kill and destroy." "Seven gods... it's a damned good thing they can't leave the forest or this whole region would..." He trailed off. Neither of them particularly wanted to imagine that scenario. "Well then... I suppose I'll have to make sure my hammer arm is ready for when they decide to come around." Picking up the empty bowls, Colton nodded, already more relaxed, and brought the dishes back to his kitchen for a good cleaning. Looking over at the warrior, he smiled warmly. "I believed you when you said we were going to be okay. You seem very trustworthy. I like that about you." Pushing his chair back and standing, the Dragon walked over to a window and used a finger to create a gap between two of the blankets, peeking out to the trees, which were silent in the late afternoon sun. "Fighting against the spawn of the Black God, eh? That'll be hard to beat when it comes time to tell war stories over a pint, no?" As Colton gently laughed behind him, Kenrai found himself smiling, glad for the wolf's company. He'd been on the road for months, and Colton was the first person he'd exchanged more than a handful of words with, the first person who hadn't stared at the Dragon in awe or been so obvious about not staring that the effect was the same. It was nice to have a friend again. "Hey, tell me, Colton, where did you come up with this theory? I didn't think anyone but the Empress' royal historians would have access to scrolls and texts that old." Suddenly, the arctic wolf looked much less relaxed, and Kenrai thought he actually heard a quiet whimper. "Oh! Umm... this one was an heirloom, you could say, it's been in the family library for a very long time." Turning back to the window, trying not to sound like an interrogator, as Colton was clearly uncomfortable with this subject for some reason, Kenrai snorted in amusement. "Yes, I'd say before recorded history is a very long time indeed. Your family tree must be very impressive." "W-well, my family has something of an... odd history, you could say."

Before the Dragon could follow up on that, there came a sharp rap at the front door. Instantly, Kenrai turned towards the sound, hunching down as if tensing up to endure a blow, hands clenching, looking for Foebreaker's handle. Colton let out a yelp of surprise and then clamped his hands over his muzzle, speaking in a hushed voice as he stared in horror at the entryway. "Oh no! Why would anyone come way out here? I - I can't get that, just be quiet and maybe they'll go away." As if to punctuate his statement, there came another energetic set of knocks. Colton looked - well, he looked rather afraid, actually, wringing his hands together like he feared death herself stood on the other side. Kenrai walked over to the wolf so he wouldn't have to raise his voice (having long since learned how to move quietly, even at his size, to help get the drop on unsuspecting foes) and pointed to the door. "Look, I don't live here, I'll just go send them away." Turning his back and stretching out a wing, he revealed a medium-sized knife (which admittedly seemed somewhat smaller compared to the green) in a small sheath attached to the much larger leather straps that held his hammer in place when he travelled, placing the blade near the shoulder the entire holster looped over. The knife was normally completely hidden by his wings, so he liked to think of it as an ace in the hole. "And I won't take no for an answer." Amidst his shaking, the white wolf couldn't bring himself to speak just then, but the look in his eyes offered up a silent 'thank you' all the same. Colton ducked into his bedroom and locked the door behind him as Kenrai walked up to the door, yanking it open without warning just as the person on the other side was leaning in to knock again, throwing him off a little. It was a Rottweiler, bundled up against the cold, as he had apparently been out for a while; falling snow had built up on his hat and shoulders. Just as Kenrai had expected, he looked deeply surprised once the door opened. "Dragon? Criminy, wasn't expecting you here!" His accent suggested he came from a rough background, though the X-shaped scar on the side of his muzzle was a dead giveaway. Crossing his arms and letting out a snort, which, again, manifested in the form of a small green cloud, the mercenary leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. "And I wasn't expecting anyone to be bothering me way out here. What do you want?" To his credit, the dog didn't seem intimidated by the Dragon, only wary. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered under his breath in Canis before continuing. "I need to know if you've seen anyone new in town lately. Me mates and I are looking for an... old friend." He seemed about as trustworthy as a hungry ogre. Again, not very surprising. "Sure, I've seen someone new in town. Me. I don't know anybody from around here, and I don't much care to. Or didn't you stop to wonder why someone would live on the edge of a haunted forest?" "Come on, mate, I'm just lookin' for information. What's it matter to you? You have to have been in town or you'd be starvin'. Have you seen a black rabbit about?" Now that did surprise Kenrai, with the fear in his client's eyes, he hadn't even considered the idea that this ruffian wasn't looking for Colton. How odd... "No. I don't pay attention to people, he could have served me at the tavern and I wouldn't remember. Now - " "What about a fennec fox?" The Rottweiler helpfully gestured above his head to indicate the notable ears of that breed. "Why, is he an old friend too?" "Well no, but..." Looking over his shoulder at the empty field, as if checking for eavesdroppers, the dog leaned in closer to the Dragon conspiratorially. Kenrai made no effort to move closer himself. "See, he's part of this... club, you might call it. They's all got a mark, a red what's-it-called, spiral, on their chests. Real close bunch, them, so we figure if we can find one of them, he'll be able to tell us where our friend is!" "Well, good luck getting anyone to bare their chests in the middle of winter. I haven't seen any foxes or rabbits or marmosets or anyone else you might be looking for." At this point, Kenrai did lean in, though it wasn't conspiratorially. His words came out with a little growl to them as he made himself abundantly clear. "And frankly, I have no idea who you are, and don't much appreciate you hanging out on my property. So I strongly suggest you be gone by the time I next look out the window. Goodbye." And without waiting for a response, he stepped back and closed the door just shy of slamming it in the dog's face.

Facing away from the door, Kenrai perked an ear, and listened to the sound of the thug outside giving up and walking away. It was only once the sound of footsteps through heavy snow had faded completely that he allowed himself to relax. On the other side of the house, Colton peeked out from behind his door, and allowed himself to grin as he saw the Dragon standing there looking rather satisfied. His voice was still in a hushed tone as he asked the obvious question, hope shining in his eyes. "So... you got rid of them, right?" The Dragon grinned widely as he nodded. "Yes, and with a minimum of blood on your doorstep, too." The wolf sagged a little, laughing in relief and sinking into a chair near the fireplace, which had not yet been lit for the night. "Thank you, Kenrai, truly. You didn't have to do that, and I appreciate it." As Colton grinned up at him, the warrior shared his relief, couldn't help but chuckle with him, their eyes meeting afterwards, lingering for a moment as they relaxed. "No problem at all, Colton. It's just one of many services I provide." A smirking Kenrai gestured to the door behind him. "There's nothing to worry about. It was some low-level pond scum out asking about new people in Beacon's Edge. Says he's looking for a brown rabbit." Colton looked saddened, and distracted as he was by what had just happened, just for a moment, he slipped. "Black." Cocking his head to the side, the mercenary crossed his scaly arms as he approached his friend, though the smirk never left his face. "Is that right?" Colton suddenly realized what had just happened, and started slightly, his ears flattening against his head, looking almost as alarmed as he had when he heard the knock on the door. He recovered quickly, though, and fell into an angry pout as he glared at the Dragon. "Oh, well done, catching me off-guard like that." Despite the furrowing of his brow, his ears suggested that he was genuinely afraid of what the Dragon might do... or at least, worried at what Kenrai might think of him. There was a moment of awkward silence where the mercenary let the other man stew for a bit, and then uncrossed his arms and began to walk away. "We will discuss what this is about, but it can wait until after the forest tries to kill us." As Kenrai quietly headed off to his room, Colton turned to the empty fireplace and hunched down, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his interlaced hands. If he had been standing up, it's rather likely his tail would be firmly between his legs. The Dragon's decision felt like a stay of execution, relieving for now, but with a deep anticipation of that uncomfortable conversation. He'd been hoping to get to know Kenrai a bit better first. Still, they both knew he'd been right; they had much more important things to worry about first.

Their second full day together went very uneventfully, though the tension in the air inside the small house was palpable. Kenrai went into town for last-minute supplies, but it was really more to give him an excuse to leave for a few hours. The Dragon and the white wolf had barely exchanged five words all day. Now, though, something had to be said. It was finally dark out, and there was a sensation in the air, something neither man could put their finger on, that made them even more apprehensive than usual. Their suspicions were all but confirmed shortly after the sun went down; a noise came over the forest behind them, sounding like a very, very large group of people whispering to each other. Finally, nerves getting to him, Colton moved to go knock on Kenrai's door and find out what his plan was, but the door swung open the very instant after his knuckles made contact. The Dragon was already fully clad in his armour, one hand over his shoulder adjusting Foebreaker's hang on his back. "Kenrai! I..." Closing his eyes, his ears sinking, the wolf allowed himself to whimper, shaking his head. "...I'm afraid. There are so many of them! It sounds like an army out there! What - what are we going to do?!" The Dragon walked past him, and Colton now noticed he was carrying some supplies under his arm, including some of the firewood from the basket. "I'm going to go outside and get set up for the fight to come." Reaching up with his free hand, he removed the knife from its sheath, pushing the hilt into the surprised Colton's hands. For a moment, he looked even more afraid. "But I can't - " Kenrai bent over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. The look in his eyes was warm, confident, showed that he had every intention of keeping his promise. "I'm certain you have the strength within you. Or at least... I hope that you do if it should happen that I fail. But I'm not going to bring you into harm's way with me. You're going to stay in here, with the windows blocked up like this, where it's safer. If you hear one of them trying to get in, call me, and I'll come for you. If they get through before I arrive, use that knife to keep them back. Keep a lantern with you, if they dislike light as much as you believe, it may make it harder for them. Just don't let the light shine out the windows!" Clenching his hands around the hilt, Colton nodded, though he was shivering with nerves. "O-okay, Kenrai. Just - just be careful out there, okay? I've... I've never had someone put their life on the line for me before." Giving his friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze, he winked before letting go and heading towards the door. "No problem at all, Colton. It's just one of many services I provide." He was still grinning as he walked out the front door and locked it behind him, Colton having provided him with the key a bit earlier at his request. Despite his own fear, the white wolf found himself grinning, feeling significantly more confident with the Dragon around.

Soon, Kenrai was outside, starting a bonfire on the front lawn, using a magical charm to get the fire started quickly, avoid any drawbacks of flint and tinder. He wanted to be able to put his back to something in case they tried to overwhelm him. The Dragon was tending the fire carefully as it grew, eyes darting back and forth along the edge of the forest, where any shadow moving in the wind might be something far more sinister. Once he had the flames flickering brightly enough for his liking, he turned to face the forest once again, drew his impressive hammer from the leather bindings on his back and... sat down on the thick fallen log in front of the house, swiping all the snow off with a flick of his tail before he actually rested on it. Opening his pack as he set it on the ground, he retrieved a cloth and a small bottle. Pouring the fluid directly into the cloth, he then laid Foebreaker over his knees like a wayward child, and began attending to the head. It might, and probably did, look strange to an outsider, choosing that moment to perform maintenance on his weapon instead of before he'd left the house, but Kenrai was using it less for the improvement of his weapon, which was already nice and shiny with effort and polish, and more to clear his mind and focus on the battle to come, having taken it as a habit since his earliest days as a mercenary. As he rubbed polish into the head of the weapon, he finally laid eyes on one of them. Or not, as the case may be. It was about the size of a feral housecat, and it hopped out from a bush about thirty feet to his right, then scrambled to a halt as the campfire light fell upon it, backing up into the shadows caused by piles of snow and moving shrubbery. Kenrai's hand tightened up on the hammer's handle, ready to ditch that cloth in an instant and spring into a defensive position should it choose to rush forward. It was a most unsettling thing; every inch of it was shrouded in darkness that seemed to leak from the shadows around it to block the creature from the light, shadows which trailed lazily off the edges of the beast before disappearing like smoke into the cold night air. It felt like his gaze wasn't quite connecting with it, like he couldn't quite lay eyes directly upon the beast. Because of that, all he could make out was that it had four limbs, and, like Colton had described, a very large pair of eyes whose glow was not hindered by the darkness upon the creature, but which did not light up the snow beneath its feet. Now that one had 'broken the ice', Kenrai expected it to take the fight to him, but it didn't. It sat down in the snow rather patiently and just sat there, staring at him. And as he watched, it seemed to attract company, or at least his little part of the forest was suddenly becoming much more popular. Finally pocketing the cloth, he swung the hammer around until its head was hanging down, and then slammed it into the ground with a heady thud, ready to push himself out of his seat with it if need be. Seeing the way his enemy was hanging back, leering at him, it almost seemed like they were hesitating, uncertain of their chances. Grinning at this idea, he sat up straight and put his Dragon lungs to work, bellowing his challenge into the dark of the night, punctuating it by lifting his hammer up and then slamming it back down again. "Come now, creatures of the dark. I am Kenraidrikerion of Clan Ort, proud warrior in a long line of proud warriors. I am the rock that stands in the sea. Come like waves and break against me!"

Inside the house, peeking between two of the blankets covering a front window, not daring to let his lantern shine through, Colton watched the Dragon boasting to the night, watched the small creatures moving at the periphery of the firelight, and felt a stab of deep anxiety, worried for the other man's well-being. He'd never felt so responsible for someone else being in danger before, and knowing that Kenrai knew just as little about his foes as Colton did, that what he was hearing was mostly bravado, set him a-trembling. Finally, as he watched, unable to look away and just wait in the dark, the Dragon stood up and crossed the field quickly. "Not going to make the first move, hmmm? Well, allow me!" Faster than Colton would have thought it possible to move that immense club, Kenrai brought the hammer up and over his head and then swung it down with all his might, directly on top of one of the creatures, which still just sat there, leering at him. The WHUD that emanated from the soil at the impact sent dirt and rocks flying up in the air, and the sound alone caused the windowpanes to rattle. It was hard to see in the dark, but it looked like when the hammer struck the ground, a burst of that smoky darkness escaped out from underneath the weapon, like the creature had been vapourized. The inky black cloud retreated beyond the edge of the firelight... and another creature scampered in almost instantly. Colton whimpered out loud, wondering if Kenrai was thinking the same thing he was. They'd been pretty confident in the Dragon's ability to kill the things after that little motivational talk they'd had, but they hadn't considered the idea that the unsettling beasts would be able to come back. That little detail kind of put a crimp on their plan to not be horribly murdered tonight. The fire was very tall and very powerful right now, creating an impressively large pool of light, but that would change, and there was a lot more dark forest than there was bright snow. As Colton mulled this over, one of the little creatures suddenly shot in from the side of the circle, leaping into the air, its feet swung forward, deploying what were obviously, even at this distance, some impressive claws for its size. Colton just managed to suppress the instinct to cry out in concern for his friend, remembering the emphasis that Kenrai had put on him remaining quiet and out of sight. To his relief, Kenrai was paying attention, and spun, lifting the fine, steel-capped handle of the hammer up as he did so, arranging it just so, so that the creature smashed into the handle instead of landing on the warrior. As it fell to the ground, dazed from the impact, he wasted no time in lifting an armoured boot and bringing it down with all his strength on the creature's head, which collapsed with shockingly little effort, causing its entire body to instantly disintegrate into a smoky shadow. That relief didn't last long, though, for more of the things charged in from the edges of the circle, and they weren't alone.

Foebreaker was big and heavy, designed for slow swings with a lot of strength behind them. One might think that the small, nimble darklings were uniquely suited to working around such a weapon, but one would be wrong. The creatures displayed no finesse whatsoever, blindly charging straight at the Dragon from the sides of the circle of light, and Kenrai brought the hammer in with wide, sweeping arcs that would take out two or three of the little bastards at once. Colton watched, entranced, from the window of his bedroom, where he'd locked the door and moved a bookshelf in front of the biggest window in an effort to feel safer. The little arctic wolf was torn between wanting to stay at the window and watch, and moving to the front room, where he'd have a better view. It wasn't difficult to choose, though; he'd never seen anything like Kenrai in action, moving smoothly from one swing to the other, showing no signs of fatigue in lifting and using that heavy weapon, shutting down every single attack directed his way. As Colton watched, intrigued, Kenrai ducked away from a barrage of leap attacks from the little monsters. The white wolf unconsciously flinched and leaned slightly in different directions as he watched, as if he were the one dodging imminent danger. One creature came up from behind, but he swung out his tail and smacked it down into the ground, where it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kenrai had picked up on it almost immediately, given how hands-on he was getting, but even Colton was beginning to notice by now that the darklings couldn't take much punishment; Kenrai's tail, though thick and muscular, was hardly a dangerous weapon, even draped in protective armour. He could certainly punch harder than he could swing it, but the creature had given up the ghost and 'broke'. As he watched the unending stream of monsters, though, Colton began to worry that he was right, and even killing these things could only slow them down. Finally, the darklings stopped coming, without warning, though the eyes of many more could be seen moving through the trees, observing the battle. Kenrai lowered his hammer, breathing heavily, teeth grit, and spread his wings to their fullest to try and look intimidating, on the off chance that the darklings were capable of feeling fear. "What's - what's the matter? Running low? Believe me, you should quit while you're ahead." Finally beginning to hear the strain in his defender's voice, Colton's ears lowered that last inch to his skull, and he allowed himself to whimper quietly. Sunrise was a long way off, and as he watched, the edges of the battleground began to thicken with smoke and darkness. Before long, something new stepped into the light, and Kenrai began to growl. This one was about the size and shape of a Human, but it was just as impossible to focus on as the smaller creatures, and it had no discernible facial features to speak of at all. Also unlike its smaller cousins, this new darkling didn't just immediately charge in swinging, and that quietly worried Kenrai, as that might indicate that it was smarter in addition to being bigger, and he knew which of the two traits would be more dangerous. The creature stepped forward, arms raised in what both men felt safe to assume was a threatening stance, but Kenrai had a much greater reach with the hammer, so he didn't wait to see what it was planning to do before he lashed out and struck the creature on the side with Foebreaker's head, the force lifting it up off the ground, throwing it clear to the other side of the bonfire's light, where it, like the smaller monstrosities, disintegrated into hollow darkness as it died. To Colton's dismay (though Kenrai's expression was much harder to read), that didn't seem to stop it for good any more than it had for the smaller creatures, as soon both kinds of darkling were hovering at the periphery of the light, looking for the right chance to strike. Kenrai worked as hard as he could, but despite his very best efforts, he was beginning to sweat his chances in this conflict, fearing that his enemies, though easily dispatched individually, were truly endless, and that he fought a futile war. Interrupting this cheery thought, one of the smaller creatures leapt off of the roof of the house, where several of them had gathered to stare at the Dragon, and landed on Kenrai's back. He remained standing, even as the thing began to claw at him, its unfortunately sharp claws scraping across his armour, leaving shallow gashes in the metal, not quite penetrating - yet - though the beast did manage to hook a claw under the plating protecting the base of one of his wings. Managing to pry the plate up, the monster began to slash at his exposed scales without mercy or hesitation. Inside the house, which felt as cold as their fear, Colton felt tears of panic and terror forming in the corners of his eyes as the mercenary threw back his head and howled in pain.

Tension rose as blood fell, staining the snow with a slash, looking more brown than crimson under the bonfire's light. Swearing in draconic, Kenrai swung his shoulder down with all his might, throwing the creature off his back, and then brought a gauntleted fist down on the monster's bloody head. He had no time to recover though; he barely had enough time to react as one of the Humanoid darklings swung a broken-off section of branch at him like a club. Barely managing to block the blow with the handle of his weapon, Kenrai delivered an awkward punch to the monster's chest, pushing it back while he rose and turned, getting in position to dispatch it with his hammer. The instant he had a second to think, he reached back and roughly shoved the plate of armour on his wingbase back into position, forcing himself to focus on his enemies instead of the pain. He watched the little horrors on the roof, jostling each other to the side in an attempt to find the best angle for observing their prey, and it unsettled him to see them on the house, made him fear for Colton's safety. He stopped in that moment and frowned. He was still in the middle of a battle, this was not the time to think about the client, as it hadn't come to that yet. He couldn't afford to be distracted while otherworldly beasts were trying to murder him. Though he found himself frowning further as he realized he was no longer thinking of the wolf as just 'the client' anymore. Doing his best to shake it off, he turned back to the field - just as a big darkling hurled a little one through the air at him. It came in at a much higher angle, but was still able to twist in the air so that its claws were out and facing him.

Back in the house, Colton was curled up against the wall, trembling hard as he peeked out at the fight, squeezing the handle of that knife so hard his fingers hurt. He thanked his lucky stars as Kenrai smashed the flung monster out of the air and advanced on the clever one that had thrown it. How he wished he'd found a way to flee. Even getting caught might not be as bad as what the darklings planned for him. What a choice, though! He shook his head, sniffling, and clenched his eyes shut as he heard the horrible crawling ones skittering around on the roof, claws scraping against the tiles. He couldn't help but wish he'd been able to fulfill Kenrai's original plan, which had been to place bonfires on all four sides of the house, to keep every bit of its walls coated in light. Colton just didn't have enough firewood to make the fires and there hadn't been time for a proper journey into the forest, which had been rapidly descending into shadow at the time. Now the Dragon was surrounded on all sides by shadowy horrors, with nowhere else in the yard to run, there were monsters on the roof, and the 'just one night' spiel he'd given Kenrai rang in his mind, sounding desperate and hollow. Forcing himself to look again, knowing closing his eyes wouldn't help him, the wolf peeked down to the snowy yard just in time to see Kenrai swing that massive hammer of his and wipe out three or four of the little beasts, the weapon slamming into the old log with enough force to flip the thing over for the first time in a few decades. Then he immediately brought his foot up and lashed out with a snarl, managing to kick one of the bigger ones apart, striking him hard enough that he just disintegrated. As he did so, another one of them managed to get in close and punch him hard in the side, but it looked like the mercenary's armour protected him from the blow, as Kenrai barely even flinched before he grabbed hold of the thing with one hand and pulled hard, yanking it off its feet (as it was just as light as its fragility would suggest) and hurling it on the bonfire. The monster didn't seem any more fond of the experience than most creatures would, letting out a piercing screech as it thrashed and flailed in the flames. This one, though, didn't just melt away into smoke and shadows as it died; it curled up, and cracks of light moved along its inky surface where the flames licked at it. It began to let out a long, horrible scream when instinct told Kenrai to duck. He did, holding an armoured arm in front of his head, just before the creature defied the usual trend by exploding, sending embers and what looked like glittering ashes spraying in every direction. The glitter in the air dissipated quickly, and there was no sign of the trailing smoke that usually escaped as one of these creatures bought the farm. It occurred to the Dragon that this one really was dead, perhaps because he had thrown it right into the source of the light. He let out one strained laugh. Inside, Colton couldn't help but smile weakly, having drawn the same conclusion from the unusually flashy death. Maybe there was hope yet.

No sooner had the idea occurred to Colton when that smile was ripped away; another big darkling came out of the trees with a makeshift club that still had dirt and snow dropping from it, charging from behind the Dragon. Before Kenrai could turn and deal with him, the monster swung low, striking the warrior just behind the knee and staggering him, dropping him to a kneeling position, a major tactical disadvantage. To Colton's horror, as Kenrai tried to lift Foebreaker into a defensive stance, another of the big ones ran directly for him and then leapt directly onto the hammer, yanking it out of the Dragon's hands. As if on cue, a few of the smaller horrors sped out of the darkness and leapt towards their seemingly helpless prey. Kenrai managed to bring his hands up and catch the first one, slamming it hard into the ground, but the other two managed to slash him in passing as they jumped past him, the warrior crying out in pain as more blood fell to the snow. Without realizing what he was doing, a horrified Colton shot up to his knees to get a better view, and cried out in fear, hand pressed against the glass. "Kenrai!" The Dragon turned to face the house, teeth clenched in pain, but just before his eyes met Colton's, someone else's did. One of the smaller creatures from the roof dropped down onto the side of the house, clinging to the wood on the wall like a spider, upside-down head staring into the window, letting out an unholy wail as its enormous eyes locked upon the terrified white wolf, which promptly caused every monster in the area to turn towards the house. Flinging himself backwards from the window, bringing that knife up in front of himself, fully aware that he had only the vaguest idea how to use it, the wolf whimpered, shivering. What had he done?

Kenrai saw quite a few of the things leaving the edges of the firelight circle, obviously intending to assault one of the unlit sides of the house. As the screeching terror slashed at the window and the cracks grew, the Dragon took the opportunity of distraction to stand up, put a fist through a darkling, and retrieve his hammer. He then turned to the house just as the monster had made a hole big enough to fit a shadowy limb through. "Colton! Run! Get out of that room!" He could hear the wolf crying out in fear from somewhere else in the house and prayed Colton had taken his advice, running at full sprint towards the front door, ignoring the stitches of pain his protesting wounds gave out to try and slow him down. On one level he was aware that it wasn't good for his fighting focus that he was this worried about the little man, but if anything happened to Colton, he'd never forgive himself...

Colton Frosthowl's world was coming apart. He'd hastily thrown a chair in front of his own bedroom door to keep the miniature horror trapped in there, though he doubted the simple wooden door would hold it forever. He charged out into the main room, remembering what Kenrai had told him. They'd left some kindling in the fireplace, and their 'Plan B' if he was detected was to create some light inside the house. But the instant he stepped into the room, three of the windows exploded inwards; two because of the smaller darklings leaping through them, and one because of the bigger one punching at its panes. Shrieking in a most embarrassing manner, the humble scholar just managed to duck out of the way as one of the small ones leapt straight up and slashed at him, catching it with a foot on its way down and kicking it across the room. The other leapt onto the table next to him, and as it drew back its claws, he stabbed down with the Dragon's knife, which pierced straight through it, carving a dent into the table that he would probably be embarrassed about later on, though for now, the triumph he felt as the monster collapsed into smoke was well worth it. He turned to the fireplace, and bit back another whimper as the larger creature very deliberately put itself between the wolf and the tinder. Keeping the point of the blade firmly in the monster's direction, Colton reached blindly into a pocket and fished out the fire charm Kenrai had given him, which should start the fire going instantly with a single command word given in draconic. He pressed that hand, charm and all, against the handle of the knife to try and steady it against his failed nerves. That damned whispering was now all around him; he heard another window break somewhere behind him and knew he had to move now, before it was too late. "Seven sentinals! Protect me!" With a half-crazed warcry, he lunged forward and drove the blade into what would be the creature's shoulder if it had a real body, twisting for good measure, the way they did in stories. Although it staggered backwards, to his horror, it didn't fall down and die the way the smaller one had. And as it turned to the side, the handle was pulled out of his sweaty grip. In desperation, Colton suddenly lunged to the side, arm outstretched, charm pointing to the heart of the fireplace... so that Kenrai burst through the door, shoulder down to knock it out of his way, just in time to see the tall darkling rake its claws across Colton's chest, blood spraying onto the hearthstone above the fireplace. Before he could even fall down, it lashed out with its other hand as well, so that the white wolf slumped to the floor with a moan, a crimson 'X' growing under his shirt.

Ignoring the pain, Kenrai splayed his wings out to their full spread, an instinctive intimidation move that had little effect on the darklings, but he couldn't help but express his rage, bellowing in wordless fury as he watched his friend fall to the floor, unmoving, lifting Foebreaker like it weighed nothing and bringing it down on the monster so hard that it cracked the floorboards underneath its rapidly-disintegrating feet. He heard a few of the small ones behind him, but for the first time, they seemed to be hesitating. Another one of the big ones was climbing in through the window, but that wasn't what took Kenrai's attention away from the wolf's prone form. An enormous black hand, tipped in five fat, but razor-sharp talons, punched through the big picture window in the back and reached in to grope blindly at the room. The arm it was connected to was as thick around as the chest of the Humanoid darklings. Whatever this one looked like in full, it was huge. The man-shaped shadow took advantage of this distraction to slash at Kenrai's chest, but unlike Colton, the Dragon was wearing more than a shirt over his torso. It did manage to cut into the webbing woven around him, so that the miniature heatstones he kept there went scattering to the floor. He shoved the monster away, though the momentum also pushed him back down to one knee. Seeing one of the smallest ones acting unusually subtle and trying to crawl up behind him, he brought a gauntleted fist down on top of it, only for it to duck to the side at the last second. But while he missed the monster, he did crush the heat charm it had been directly on top of. The crystal shattered like glass, and all the magical energy that had been stored inside it was released in an instant. The result was that for just a moment, a light as bright as the noonday sun flared in the room, and the darkling, as well as two more behind it, instantly popped like a smoky balloon, leaving behind nothing but rapidly fading ashes. Once he'd blinked his eyes enough to get his vision back, it didn't take the Dragon long to put two and two together, remembering the other darkling who'd been totally destroyed in a similar manner on the bonfire. Standing back up, he tore the rest of the webbing from his armour, holding it firmly in hand as he turned to face the back wall. The arm was still scrabbling fruitlessly around the floor directly in front of the window it occupied, but as he watched, it pulled back slightly before being thrust back in, and the entire wall rattled. He realized the beast was trying to smash a hole in the wall big enough for the rest of it to enter, and while the house was well-made and nicely insulated, the wooden walls wouldn't be able to stand up to that kind of punishment for long. Another Humanoid darkling was climbing in the window on the opposite side of the fireplace, so Kenrai ripped a crystal out of the fabric and tossed it directly towards the mantle in between the windows, then lashed out a foot to crush it against the stone just as it reached its destination. The man-sized monster vapourized, at least the parts of it inside the house, disappearing into ashes instantly. The giant arm was less easily dissuaded, although the claws suddenly carved gouges out of the floor, trembling in pain as the darkness on the surface of the arm seemed to sizzle, and a furious roar sounded from outside which shook the house. "Yeah, that's right! I can hurt you! Get away from the window so I can kill you, you overgrown son of a bitch!" Yelling at the monsters that had hurt his friend felt good, but not as good as the weak moan from the floor which indicated that, for the time being anyway, Colton was still alive. While he was allowing himself to be relieved, a man-sized darkling took Kenrai by surprise from behind, jumping on his back and trying to tear out his throat. The Dragon lifted both his hands in the air and punched one fist into a cupped hand. A cupped hand with a heat charm in it. As the monster died and the weight on his back vanished, he turned to the white wolf, who was still breathing and writhing, at least. "Hang in there, Colton, we're gonna get through this if I have to send every last one of these freaks back to the Black Betrayer!" He believed he could, too, there were a lot of heat charms on his armour. Taking a piece of wood that a darkling had broken out of a window frame on the way in, Kenrai reached forward and rapped the monstrous hand on the knuckles (at least he thought he did, it was hard to tell precisely where you were hitting one of them), then ducked back as the beast snarled and began slashing blindly at the air. Kenrai tossed a couple of heat charms down to the floor, just behind where the grooves were now carved, where its palm had been resting. Then, timing his attack carefully, he reached forward as it lifted its hand and poked the underside with the stick. Instinctively, the monster slammed its hand down at full strength, and while one of those menacing talons caught the wrist of Kenrai's gauntlet as he tried to pull back - it was faster than it looked - it smashed the heat charms along with the wood as its paw slammed into the floor. Both crystals released their energy simultaneously, and the flash of light was so intense, the only thing that Kenrai had ever seen that compared was a time when he'd witnessed a tree no more than fifteen feet away destroyed by lightning in a thunderstorm. The arm, having met its match, gave up the ghost and evaporated, just like the other darklings had, freeing Kenrai's hand in the process. The monster it was attached to, on the other hand, was most definitely still alive, and the house shook violently as it stomped around in agony outside, bellowing in pain and sorrow. Kenrai was pleased that he had wounded such a powerful opponent, but clenched his teeth; his eyes still hadn't recovered from that flash! He blinked and shook his head, trying to hurry the process along, knowing that he would be helpless to protect Colton or himself if they were to be attacked now. But then the behemoth out the window stopped moving and let out a different cry, a long, forlorn moan, before it began stomping off in a more controlled manner. And as the Dragon listened with his sensitive ears, he realized that all of the darklings were moving at once, hearing them crunching through the snow, scrabbling along the roof of the house, moving towards the back of the property. Now able to make out vague shapes, he crawled over to his friend and slipped off his gauntlet, taking the wolf's hand in his own. To his relief, Colton closed his fingers around the Dragon's, though this was tempered with the bitterness that they were probably about to be overwhelmed. But as he sat there, squinting towards the nearest window, he realized something. He could still hear the biggest monster stomping and crashing and pushing trees out of the way... but it was getting quieter. In fact... there were no longer any footsteps on the roof, and even that accursed whispering was getting more subdued. Sagging on the spot, groaning in relief, Kenrai shook his head and whispered a prayer to the seven gods. The enormous darkling hadn't ordered a final assault, it had sounded a general retreat!

Colton whimpered, tears lazily making their way down his cheek fur. He'd rather thought dying would at the very least negate the pain one had incurred to get there. Then he felt a hand press into his own, and realized he hadn't quite gone yet. Odd, he'd been pretty certain when he saw the light. When he felt another hand gently lifting his head, he opened his eyes. Kenrai was smiling down at him, and this time Colton didn't even try to ignore the happiness he felt at seeing that his friend was alive and intact. "We did it, Colton. They're running! We beat them, it's over!" He tried to smile, but he didn't feel very convincing. "Y-you mean you beat them. Look at me, I'm bleeding like a stuck pig, and my people heal slower than most. I - I think I'll be meeting the Blue Goddess before the sun comes up. But I don't b-blame you, no one could say you didn't do your best... The - the dirals are in my bedroom, under the mattress. T-take the whole bag, call it... a 'tip'." "Hey, don't you talk like that! I swore an oath, remember? I didn't come this far to let you die on me now!" "You're a - " Colton turned his head to the side and coughed, hard, his chest wounds making him regret it. "...You're a mercenary, Kenrai, not a miracle worker. I appreciate the sentiment but I - I don't think there's much anyone short of the G-Green Hermit himself could do to save me, and the god of life doesn't make house calls. Oh..." He looked to the side and saw the fireplace, still black and cold. "I forgot." Lifting a trembling hand, pointing the fire charm, he realized that his vision was starting to fade. He ignored the Dragon removing his shirt, assuming he was about to try some fruitless technique a field medic had taught him. "...Su'kooz." A line of flame jumped from the tip of the charm to the wood in the fire, immediately spreading over the surface of the logs, bringing warmth and light to the room. As things began to get blurry, a part of Colton's mind idly wondered why Kenrai was leaned over him like that, only to get even more confused when the Dragon opened his mouth and what appeared to be green fog poured out, rolling over the wolf's bleeding chest. As everything went black, Colton allowed himself to go limp, the charm falling from his numb fingers, and managed to whisper just a few more words. "There... at least... it's warm."

For a while, Colton floated in darkness, dreamless, unaware of the passage of time. But eventually, he found himself conscious. Never having been dead before, he was afraid to open his eyes, afraid to behold what awaited him at the end of his journey. But then he heard the creak of wood, and the distant sound of birdsong, and he dared to open one eye a crack, gaze upon his surroundings, and beheld...

His own guest bedroom. The little wolf frowned, confused. He hadn't been expecting the Blue Goddess' domain to look quite so... familiar. Maybe she had set it up like this to make the transition more comfortable, or maybe she had moved him to his afterlife while he was unconscious - well, while he was out, anyway - and it looked like his real life. But while he was fond of the little house, and he'd been comfortable there, he'd hardly call it his idea of paradise. He wanted some answers. However, as he started to stir, reaching for the side of the bed, the mattress shifted under him and - grunted? No, not the mattress - he was lying against a person! Sitting bolt upright, he turned around, shocked to see the draconic mercenary he'd hired to protect him sitting in his bed, shirtless, showing off his well-toned chest, which was covered in slightly softer scales in a lighter shade of yellow-green. Colton tried to speak but went into a coughing fit instead, his mouth unusually dry. Kenrai spoke up instead. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up." "K-Kenrai? What - how...?" Stopping for a moment, he turned back around and looked down at himself. There was no trace of the wicked wounds the darkling had carved into his flesh, no scarring, not even a break in the fur. Placing his hands on his chest as if he didn't believe his eyes, he felt his own warmth, felt his heart beating inside, and looked up, legitimately surprised. "I'm... I'm alive?" "Noticed that, did you? Good, that means your brain still works." "But - but the wounds! The darkling! I - I was bleeding to death on the floor of - " Eyes suddenly widening, he stiffened, instinctively pulling the blanket up to his neck. "Red Raver! The darklings!" The Dragon held out a hand and placed it on the wolf's shoulder, which Colton found embarrassingly reassuring. "Calm yourself, man. Take a moment to breathe. Look out the window." Doing so, he instantly picked up on what the mercenary was pointing out. The sun was shining bright and it was a beautiful winter day outside, snow glistening underneath a pure blue sky, frost clinging to the windows in delightful patterns, and not a monster or horror anywhere to be seen. From the sounds of birds in the distance, the animals had already returned to the Shadowglades. Kenrai continued to explain the situation in a calm, comforting tone. "We won, Colton. I wasn't sure you'd remember, given how badly you were hurt, but I found out just in time that breaking heat charms gives off enough light to kill them. They actually retreated; I guess they can feel fear. Well, at least that big one. They were still there, I could hear their damnable whispering all the way to dawn, and see the little ones staring from the edge of the woods, but they left us alone for the rest of the night, probably off hunting easier prey. They all vanished when the sun went up; the siege is over, for this year anyway." Suddenly, the arctic wolf found himself troubled by paranoia. "Ohhh... this is all too perfect... what if this is my afterlife and I'm not supposed to know? How could I have survived those wounds? And what about the rest of the house? I remember windows breaking, cracks in the walls..." Laughing softly, the Dragon shook his head. "Oh, the rest of the house is trashed, alright, but we never went in here during the attack, so they ignored this room. And as for your wounds..." Reaching to the side, he grabbed his knife from the bedside table, pulling it out of his scabbard. Before Colton could react, the Dragon had placed the blade against his palm and pulled, leaving a crimson streak across his hand. The wolf gasped, ears flattening against his head. "Kenrai!" He'd cringed when cutting himself, but the warrior gestured for the wolf to relax as he put the knife down, then held his hand up, clearly showing off the gash he'd just inexplicably created. Turning it palm-up, he held it before his muzzle, as though he were about to spit something out into it, and then opened his mouth wide. The last thing he'd seen before blacking out suddenly came rushing back to Colton as a glowing green fog poured out of the Dragon's mouth, gently curling around his hand and dissipating into the air around them. Once it had gone, he held up his hand again. Not only was the wound gone without the slightest trace, the spilled blood had disappeared as well. Smiling at the expression on his friend's face, Kenrai shrugged. "Every Dragon flight was given a different gift by the seven gods for their part in the war against the Black God, aeons ago. The most well-known one is the red flight's ability to breathe fire, but I'd say that's not as useful as the green flight. We can breathe out pure life energy, it can heal any wound, and even a few diseases. You were in good hands, Colton Frosthowl."

Colton found himself smiling, but suddenly became embarrassed when he was aware of it, averting his eyes and looking down... at which point he noticed that he'd been able to check his wounds because his chest was bare too. With his priority worries taken care of, the obvious question finally occurred to him. "I - I can't thank you enough for saving my life, but, uh... why exactly were we spooning when I woke up?" He found himself suddenly afraid to look under the blanket and check to see if he was wearing anything at all. Kenrai just chuckled. "Relax, I would never take advantage of an unconscious person, if that's what's worrying you. It's just for body heat." Blushing, the wolf made for the side of the bed again. "W-well, I'm all better now, so -" To his surprise, Kenrai reached out and stopped him, grabbing his shoulder firmly. "Who said it was for your benefit? You were fine as soon as I breathed on you, all you needed was a little sleep. I'm cold-blooded, remember? My body doesn't warm itself, that's why I had all those heat charms on my armour in the first place. And when I ripped them off, the webbing was destroyed. I tried to fix it, but the rest of the house is open to the cold, and once the fire went out, I almost passed out. I would have frozen if I hadn't closed us in the one room in the building that was still insulated." Gently but firmly pulling the wolf back down to lie against him, head resting on the Dragon's scaly chest, Kenrai pulled the blankets up to better cover them, and shivered. "I put my heatstone under the covers, but it's due for a charging, so it's a good thing there was a nice warm wolf available, or the cold might have finished the job for the darklings! You know, this wouldn't be a problem if you had a proper sewing kit. Not a single needle and thread to be found in the whole house. How do you get by?" Colton was now very much aware of the supple, strong body he was lying against, and blushed even harder, his mouth suddenly dry again. This time had nothing to do with how long he'd been sleeping. Kenrai was quickly able to take his mind off it, though. "Now then... the day is saved, victory is ours, and the rebuilding can start. But first, I believe we were going to have a conversation." Instantly remembering the Rottweiler who'd come to the door, Colton whimpered. "Oh... about what?" Flipping up the top of the blanket, baring the wolf's chest, the Dragon brought a single scaly finger down on the left side of Colton's pectorals. "About this. Couldn't help but notice that while I was healing you." Standing out amongst the snow-white fur was a blood red mark, a perfectly round spiral which started from a dot in the center and grew outwards, impossible not to notice. "I was going to ask you what you weren't telling me about the thug who came looking for 'an old friend', but given that you're wearing the mark of that secret group he was talking about..." Closing his eyes in misery, reminded that that particular problem hadn't gone away with the dawning of the sun, Colton shuddered, and then sighed. Kenrai had saved his life more than once, he deserved the truth. Without opening his eyes, he took a deep breath, noting the dry, though hardly unpleasant, natural scent of the Dragon, and started. "...He was lying. There is no secret group. There's just me. He wanted to find me." "Then what about the fennec fox? Or the rabbit? Or are you just a master of disguise?" Whimpering again, trembling in fear at how his friend would react, Colton pushed the covers off and sat up, his leg knocking the heatstone aside as he turned around to face the Dragon, taking at least a little comfort from discovering that they were both in their underwear, not their pelts. "...Just watch." Holding out his own arms, the wolf performed a demonstration of his own, though unlike the Dragon's, he didn't need to bleed for his. Kenrai's eyes widened as Colton's entire body began to tremble, and then... his features began to shift and change, his pelt growing, hanging loosely off his body even as his belly and arms swelled up and became fatter, his ears and muzzle re-arranging themselves into an entirely different pattern, and his tail shrinking into his body until just a tuft remained. All of this occurred in perfect silence, and as the last features re-arranged themselves, the white fur that covered Colton's body burst from within with a light brown colouration that rapidly spread from head to toe. In the span of only a few minutes, the arctic wolf had suddenly become a grizzly bear, albeit a rather small one. Strangely, out of all this madness, the detail that stuck out most to Kenrai was that the spiral mark hadn't changed at all, remaining on the left side of the bear's chest, its crimson colouration not standing out as much among the brown as it had against white. Opening his eyes, which were now a deep brown to match his pelt, the bear smiled shyly, weakly, and then spoke in exactly the same voice as the wolf Kenrai had befriended. "...I'm not really a wolf, Kenrai. Or a bear. Or a fox, or a rabbit, or a stoat, or a snake, or any of the other forms I've taken in the last few years." Clearing his throat, shivering, he looked directly into the Dragon's luminous yellow eyes and managed to speak with a steady tone. "I'm of the Mokaji. We're not a fairy tale, no matter what you've been taught."

The Mokaji were a supposedly mythical race who lived in total seclusion, hiding themselves away from the world. They, more than any other species, were particularly well-suited towards hiding, as they could change the shape, colour, and texture of their bodies at will, perfectly replicating the appearance of any other species, or even some inanimate objects, as long as their size didn't have to change too much. There were as many stories about them as there were leaves in the Shadowglades, their descriptions ranging from harmless tricksters who liked to play pranks to malevolent infiltrators who could bring down entire kingdoms by replacing real people. But all those stories did nothing more than color the moment of profound silence that had fallen upon the little house, as if the birds in the trees and the very wind itself had stopped to listen to how the Dragon would respond. Then, of all things... he laughed. Softly, and not for long, but he still managed to laugh, shaking his head. "Cute. Telling a Dragon you're not a fairy tale. I never thought I'd see the day my 'legendary' status would be outdone." Colton - or whoever he was - was clearly unsettled. "Cute? I tell you the single biggest secret I've ever held in my life, and you tell me 'cute'? You're not re-examining our time together with more scrutiny? You're not wondering how much you'd get for me on the open market? You're not even surprised?" Huffing, a small cloud of healing fog briefly materializing from his nostrils, the green crossed his arms across his chest, looking offended. "The open market? I know mercenaries are known to be cruel and callous, but what exactly about the past few days makes you think I'd have even considered that option? Slavers are always trying to kidnap Dragon whelps, 'exotic' species go for more, and you think I'd deliberately inflict that on someone else?" Colton slouched down and looked rather embarrassed, but Kenrai continued. "As for surprise... well, honestly, I am. This certainly wouldn't have been my first suspicion, but I can't say it would have been my last. I've seen a lot of things in my career, and not all of your brethren are so keen on keeping hidden." At this, the bear turned to the side, letting his legs hang over the edge of the bed, staring at his feet, so different from how they were such a short time ago. "...I have a very, very good reason to hide." He glanced back at the Dragon, looking miserable, and then back to his feet, sighing. As he spoke, his body began to shift back into the white wolf that Kenrai was more familiar with, though at a slower pace, as though he wasn't concentrating on it. "What we can do... well, we call it the Change, and even we have no idea how it works. It isn't a gift of the gods like your breath or Dwarven darkvision, and contrary to what some of the stories say, we didn't sacrifice our souls to demon lords. It's just... something we've always been able to do, like breathing or running or jumping. I found myself under an anti-magic field once, some kind of athletic competition where they wanted to prevent cheating - it doesn't really matter. I tried turning a finger purple just to see if I could, and it wasn't even more difficult than usual. So it's just something we do." He paused here a moment, to let his mouth and muzzle re-arrange themselves. "We're just people, people with an unusual talent, that's all. We're not all-powerful, it takes us a lot longer to recover from wounds and injuries than most species, for one thing. That's why I was so sure I was done for, incidentally." Kenrai nodded, his expression neutral. "I thought it took more effort than usual to heal you." Now fully returned to the slender white canid, Colton lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. "But there are those who refuse to believe that, who insist that there must be some innate magic that gives us these powers..." He shuddered as he finally allowed himself to address unpleasant memories, reaching up subconsciously to rub his arms as if chilled. "...One of them goes by the name Creed. Bartin Creed." He cringed as he said the man's name as though biting into something sour. "A few years ago, I was in the city of New Parsonus, looking for ancient records about the War of the Gods. I used to be a scholar, you see. But I was having some dinner in a restaurant one night when a waitress tripped and dropped her load right next to me. I instinctively caught it, trying to help, but it was a pot of stew, fresh off the fire. She'd been holding it by stone handles, I grabbed it from below with just my hands." "Ouch." "Indeed. Burned my hands quite badly, and while I was reeling in pain after I let the pot fall, I... I acted without thinking. It hurt so much, and I just wanted it to stop... so I Changed the palms of my hands into wood." Opening his eyes, he glanced at the Dragon, who was raising a hairless brow in curiosity. The Mokaji shrugged. "Wood doesn't feel pain. But Bartin Creed, the man who was supposed to be getting the stew, saw it happen, and he was more informed of his legends than you'd think, looking at him." Another sigh. "He's a leatherworker, and a brute of a man. Stays in the wilderness hunting game for weeks on end, so he's generally filthy, and lets his hair and beard grow long and wild. But he's smart, he's so dangerously smart... he..." Back in the form of a canine, Colton whimpered again, his ears flattening down as he sat up and hugged his knees close to his skinny chest. It occurred to Kenrai to wonder where that bear gut had gone, but now was not the time. "...Creed believes that if he - if he takes my pelt and turns it into a cloak, it will be infused with 'Mokaji magic' and will retain my ability to Change. I heard him say once that he hoped it would let him take the shape of any species, but he'd 'settle' for just changing the pattern on the fur, like he could use it as an invisibility cloak." The wolf began to shake now, unable to stop the trembling, as bad memories came back to him. "I'm not a fighter, Kenrai, most of my people are peaceful, even pacifistic... though I do have a cousin who became a witch hunter, of all things... so I just ran. He wants to - he wants to kill me, Kenrai! Not even because of who I am, just because of what I am! I tried to talk some reason into him, but he refuses to listen, thinks I'm just trying to trick him. Creed... he has some kind of connections, maybe he's from a noble family, or he's known in the criminal underworld, but however he gets them, he gathers henchmen no matter where I go. I'm very good at running, at hiding, we all are, but he's got some kind of magical talisman, I have no idea how it works, but it just leads him to me. It isn't very precise, or I'd have been dead long before I ever came to Beacon's Edge, but it seems to tell him what region I'm hiding in, and then it's just a matter of rounding up some goons and telling them some story about how I owe him money, or whatever motivation it is criminals need." Colton looked over at the Dragon again, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "It doesn't matter what shape I take, what species I become, that damned skinner has too many men to hide from forever. There have been some close calls, some very close calls, so these days I usually just run as soon as they show up. It's been years, Kenrai, and I'm so tired of running... But this time... Well, look out the window, it's the dead of winter. I may not be cold-blooded, but I wouldn't survive on the road by myself for very long, and I can't go into town to get some supplies or sign on with a caravan for fear of being caught. And it just so happened to come right before the darklings did, so I was trapped between one horrible death and another. That's where you came in. Oh, Kenrai... there was a time he had me dead to rights in an alley, knife to my throat, when a guardsman came in to take a leak and chased him off. But before that, B-Bartin told me that... that he wasn't g-going to kill me before he started skinning, as p-punishment for all the chasing he had to d-do." As all the emotions of the last few days, and several of the years before that, finally caught up with the shapeshifter, he was overwhelmed, and buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

Across the bed from the weeping Mokaji, the Dragon's hands had curled up into fists, and he was growling quietly through clenched, razor-sharp teeth. Colton couldn't hear Kenrai's rage over his own sorrow, but it was unlikely he would have been very comforted by the expression on the other man's face. His actions, on the other hand, were a different story. Sighing, forcing his fists open, the Dragon focused on the immediate problem, and reached forward, gently but firmly pulling the wolf in close for a hug. A wordlessly grateful Colton buried his face in the larger male's chest and continued to cry even as the mercenary placed a hand on his back and began to gently rub up and down, speaking surprisingly softly for an eight-foot Dragon. "It's alright. You're safe here. I've got you." Colton tried to speak, but couldn't manage anything coherent, so Kenrai kept up the comforting tone. "What you've been through is abominable. No one should have to live in fear for their life, especially not for such stupid reasons. Listen, I've dealt with more than a few men like that in my day. Once we get this place patched up and I've fixed my heat charm web, I'm going to go out looking for one of his goons, convince him to tell me where his boss is staying, and... Well, I'll just have to have a word with him. I'll... persuade him to give up his search." Managing to get a hold of himself, though the trembles remained and he kept sniffling, the arctic wolf looked up. "B-but he has so many men, and you can't just magic them away in the blink of an eye... well, not without using spells that are banned everywhere I can think of..." "It doesn't matter. I can be very creative, and I've got allies of my own I can call upon." Blushing without even being sure why, Colton tilted his head and looked at the Dragon. "But your contract was for the darklings, you could just go, why would you do that for me? Why would you go through all that trouble to help someone you barely even know?" Leaning in closer, smiling warmly, confidently, Kenrai winked. "Well, I could talk about those services I offer again..."

There was a moment of silence as the two men held eye contact, before both of them blushed and looked away, Kenrai's cheeks turning a dark shade of forest green as his tail twitched underneath the covers, doing its best to show his agitation. Slipping off the bed, toying with his hands, Colton moved to a large table by the window, watching the snow fall, seeing the edge of the Shadowglades in the distance where it horseshoed around the field the home was built in. In the bright light, with the threat behind them, it looked peaceful, almost inviting. Almost. Glancing over his shoulder, careful to avoid eye contact, the wolf sighed. "Sorry I went on like that, I didn't mean to ramble. I just..." From the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest to trap in the heat, Kenrai waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's fine. I understand. Something tells me you'd never been able to confide that in anyone else before. Bet that_was cathartic." Colton chuckled, despite himself. "You know, you're right. I _do feel better. Nice to share that." Kenrai looked over to the corner of the room, and eyed up Foebreaker, which was leaning against the wall. Memories of his own started coming back to him. He tried to shake them off, but suspected it was futile. "...Hey, Colton? What's with the spiral?" Looking down at the mark on his chest like he'd never seen it before, the wolf sighed, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted. "Oh, this? It's my Signature. Every Mokaji has one, though they're all different. It's basically a physical feature that we can't Change, no matter how hard we try. Helps people we let in on the secret keep track of us, I guess, but it's also how Creed's men usually find me." "Hmm. That explains why the other one I met had a black finger. Odd feature on a cheetah." Unable to fight his memories anymore, Kenrai leaned back and sighed. "The way Creed lies to his men, tells them you're just another target... it reminds me of..." He hesitated, but when Colton looked back over at him, with those open, peaceful eyes, once again a pale blue, he was reminded that the Mokaji had just poured out his heart to him. "I didn't always wander around by myself. In fact, that's a pretty recent development. For years I was associated with a band of mercs, the Black Falcons. Good group of men, easy to get along with. I think Duncan, our leader, used to use me as an advertising point, like having a Dragon on a job was a luxury. We were all friends, almost like a family." A small grin had formed on his face as he reminisced, his eyes far away. "I was especially close to a Human named Henry, the most experienced fighter I'd met, always giving me advice. He was usually right, too. Crazy old man... But this one idea he had, about mercenaries and morals..." The smile quickly evaporated, and he sighed, closing his eyes. "Times were good when I joined the Falcons. We were able to pick and choose the jobs we took, only fighting bad people who deserved it, and still make plenty of coin. Then... times weren't so good, and that became much harder to do, but I kept trying. Duncan tried too, but he also knew we might have to sacrifice some ideals if the Falcons were going to stay in business. He tried sending me on a few unsavory jobs, robbing people in the road and such, and I refused. He didn't like it, but he respected my decision... or so I thought. Then, somewhat recently... he lied to me. Told me a story that would get me on the field and... some good people died. I didn't realize it until afterwards, and..." Sighing again, this time with a bit of a growl to it, the memory still bringing anger to his heart, he shook his head. "Henry lived most of his life in a time of hunger and wanting, said that a sword-for-hire can't have any morals in order to survive, should be willing to kill anyone if the need is strong enough. I never accepted that. You shouldn't ever have to hurt people to survive... I couldn't live with myself if I bought gold with pieces of my soul." "What did you do?" Kenrai opened his eyes. The wolf was sitting on the table now, back to the frosted window, sympathetic look in his eyes, listening with rapt attention. Kenrai's eyes hardened just a little as one more memory played within. "I marched back to camp and threw the purse Duncan had given me in his face, told him to keep his blood money. Then I brought Foebreaker down on the camp cooking pot, smashed it into a dozen pieces with a single blow, even I was impressed. I told him the only reason that hadn't been his head was the years we'd spent fighting together as friends. Then I left, before he even said anything. I never looked back."

There was a moment of heavy silence in the room as the two men each reflected on their pasts and that of their companion. Colton looked down at his fuzzy feet for a moment, and then glanced back up at the Dragon. "You turned your back on your old friends just like that? I... I don't know if I would have been strong enough to do that." Kenrai sighed, shrugging. "It was hard, I won't lie, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it was either that or betray everything I believed in, and..." He averted his gaze, suddenly unable to look the Mokaji in the eye. "...I don't think I would have been able to be that strong for much longer if I hadn't." Colton tried to come up with something helpful to say, but before he could, the mercenary continued. "I've thought about going back every day since then. Duncan wouldn't be happy about it, but I was one of the best fighters they'd ever had, and we both know it. I... I was running low on money the night I left Beacon's Edge, running low on options, I might have gotten desperate and given up on my principles..." The wolf found himself blushing as the Dragon looked up, an unexpectedly warm expression on his face. "...But then I found a cause to fight for that I could believe in. I found someone to protect, someone who was depending on me." Kenrai slipped out of the covers and stood up, slowly walking towards the other male. "...You saved me too, Colton." He stopped just in front of the shapeshifter, who was painfully aware that they were both clad only in their underclothes. "N-no, Kenrai, you'll freeze... l-let me get the sewing kit, it's in the kitchen, we can fix your heat charm web and ohhh..." His blush intensified when he couldn't help but moan quietly as the Dragon placed a scaly hand on his cheek, rubbing softly. The wolf shivered as the warrior's fingers gently scruffed along his fur, sending tingles down his spine. "Shhh... We've warmed this room up enough that I can manage this for a little while as long as we don't open a door or window... and even then I'd risk it for this..." As he leaned in closer, his intentions obvious, Colton closed his eyes, ears lowering just slightly. "Oh, Kenrai..." And then, inside the house they'd worked so hard to protect, the mercenary Dragon leaned in and kissed the shapeshifting scholar, who hadn't felt this safe and content in years.

Colton reached up to embrace the Dragon, but wasn't sure what the etiquette was when dealing with the wings, so he just left his hands on Kenrai's shoulders. He'd been wondering, if he was honest with himself, what the Dragon's lips would feel like, and was pleased to discover that they were a lot softer than one might expect from a cold-blooded species. His attention was rather more focused, though, on his new lover's tongue, which was much more muscular than that of most species, giving Kenrai expert control over its movements. On the one hand, this explained why draconic was such a long-winded, arcane language with so many different syllables, but on the other, it seemed to also mean that Dragons were some of the best kissers in all of Rilodell. Kenrai was licking and teasing at the inside of the wolf's muzzle, stroking along his wide, flat tongue, but it never felt like he was forcing it or moving too fast, the Mokaji's trembling began to subside as his nervousness did, the moment feeling relaxed and sensual. Encouraged, Colton began to run a hand along Kenrai's arm, getting a feel for the texture of the scales above the toned muscles. After a few blissful moments, they broke it off, and as Kenrai stood up straight again, Colton's hands slipped down his arms and into the Dragon's hands, where the warrior gently took hold and held on while they smiled bashfully and looked into each other's eyes. Kenrai spoke up first. "I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but I had a pretty good hunch that you felt the same way I did." Colton grinned sheepishly. "Was I really so obvious?" "No, not really, it was just a hunch... I was a bit worried you were going to be horribly offended, have a wife and kids back in whatever mystical forest your people frolic in." They chuckled a bit at that, and then Colton let go to reach back and scratch at the back of his neck, his blush returning. "Well... it isn't just our shape we can Change, actually... if it would, uh, make you more comfortable, I could become a female for you, even a female Dragon, though I'd have to spend a bit more time on that particular alteration..." The Dragon's brows raised as he laughed, impressed, but he shook his head and flicked out his tongue to lick the wolf's nose. "That's very intriguing to hear, but I think I would prefer you in the shape I got to know you in... for now." His predatory grin, coupled with the very idea that there was a 'later' in store for them, gave Colton a rather pleasing outbreak of goosebumps. "Besides... I want you, Colton, and I don't think I could wait much longer." As he leaned down, kissing and nibbling at his lover's sensitive neck, Colton moaned, dangling toes curling up as the Dragon's bold words began to stoke a fire deep inside him. "Gods above, Kenrai... you're as skilled with words as with a - ah! - a hammer..." He chuckled again, a low rumbling sound that tickled the changeling's ears pleasantly. "I'm not really much of a diplomat, love, but I am pretty skilled with my mouth..." Kenrai leaned in to kiss the wolf again, and this time, Colton could feel the other man's need, sense exactly how much the Dragon wanted to ravish him, and it made him feel like the most important person in all of Rilodell. Just in case he hadn't gotten it, as they kissed, Kenrai slipped a hand down between them, sliding it along the wolf's toned but not especially impressive stomach, down to his groin, where he boldly pressed it over the other male's genitals, giving Colton's parts a gentle squeeze as he curiously got a feel for the unexplored territory. The Mokaji's back stiffened and he let out a moan without pulling away from that kiss, feeling his penis stirring and growing at the Dragon's gentle touch. Acting on impulse, unusually courageous for the soft-spoken shapeshifter, he reached forward blindly until he found the Dragon's washboard abs, then moved down to his lover's undergarments, where he found that Kenrai was already well on his way to proudly displaying his arousal, squeezing his impressive length through the fabric which strained to contain him. The mercenary snorted at the wolf's soft caresses, a cloud of pleasant-smelling green fog washing over Colton's nose. As if he were taking it as a challenge, Kenrai began to grope his lover in earnest, teasing him by focusing more on his testicles than his achingly erect prick. Colton broke their kiss for just a moment to gasp, spreading his legs slightly to give the Dragon more access as he hungrily leaned forward again to get back into the moist embrace. When they finally ended the mingling of the muzzles, both of them at full pride, Kenrai looked into the wolf's eyes, the need there asking the question for him, though he did it anyway. "Colton... you haven't actually said... before I get carried away, do you want this?" His response was both immediate and energetic. "Seven gods, drake, yes, yes!" There was a momentary pause, and then Colton coughed and looked down, looking mildly embarrassed. "Umm... even though you want me to be - you know, male... I'm still going to be the, uh..." Blushing, he gestured to his tail. "...Aren't I?" To his credit, Kenrai was neither mocking nor roughly dominant, he merely smiled warmly. "I'd be lying if I said I preferred otherwise, but if you have a serious problem with it..." Colton's answer came perhaps a little too quickly, betraying his own preferences, and he blushed afterwards, giggling nervously. "N-no, that's just fine with me, just making sure! ...Just please be gentle, okay?" Grinning, Kenrai kissed him on the nose, chuckling at his lover's nervousness. "Just give me a moment, little wolf, and then I'll show you how gentle this warrior can be."

Kenrai reluctantly stepped away from the table, turning away to tease the Mokaji as he slid his undergarments down his legs, carefully positioning his tail to block Colton's view. After he freed his feet, completely nude, he tossed the underwear onto the bed and turned around, hands on his hips, clearly proud of his body, wanting his lover to take it all in. But he started slightly as he laid eyes upon the wolf and then laughed happily; Colton had outdone him at his own game. While he was trying to tease the shapeshifter, Colton had slipped his own underwear down and off, and by the time Kenrai had turned around, the arctic wolf had re-positioned himself, on all fours on the table, facing away from the Dragon and looking back over his shoulder with a self-conscious smile. Once they had made eye contact, the shapeshifter winked, and Kenrai shivered as Colton lifted his fluffy white tail, revealing his treasures to his lover's gaze as he flagged it up high, wiggling his rear invitingly. The mercenary laughed as he stepped forward, savouring the moment as he slowly, slowly raised his hands to the wolf's pert rump. "Mmmm, I think this is my favourite window in the house... it has the best view, certainly..." Colton was going to tease him for his rather lame joke, but all that came out of his mouth was another whimper as the Dragon gripped a buttock in each of his strong hands, squeezing and rubbing the wolf's rear tenderly, sensually. As one hand dipped down low to squeeze and play with his dangling testicles, Colton lowered his head to watch, upside-down, and caught sight of something behind him. Shocked, he immediately leaned back up, looking over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't seen it wrong with his perspective change. "Gods above, Kenrai!" The Dragon followed his lover's alarmed gaze... straight down to his sizable erection, which, in keeping with the rest of the warrior's eight-foot frame, was one of the biggest Colton had seen in his entire life, its shaft lined with a series of soft ridges designed very specifically to drive female Dragons wild. Kenrai couldn't help but laugh at the wolf's reaction. "Never seen a Dragon in the buff before, hmm?" Blushing, Colton averted his eyes. "I just thought you only had one hammer." Taking hold of his 'weapon', Kenrai grinned lustily. "Fortunately for you, this one isn't known for breaking people... or is it?" He snorted, frowning, as Colton reacted by whimpering and putting his tail between his legs. "Oh, come on, Colton, it was a joke. You know I wouldn't try this if it could really harm you." Not looking entirely convinced, the Mokaji forced his tail back up, though it trembled with the effort to stay there. "I - I know, I just wasn't expecting you to be so... impressive. Just - just give me a moment to, uh, 'make room'..." Genuinely impressed, Kenrai squinted, leaning in slightly and staring at Colton's tight entrance. "You can do that?" Colton snickered, sounding a bit more at ease. "I can turn myself into a tree or become a woman, Kenrai, loosening myself up is easy. I just can't do anything with my vital organs, not that I would want to kill myself." The shapeshifter looked back again as the Dragon leaned forward and placed a hand on top of one of his. "Wait... I don't want this to be nothing but pain for you, but..." "Y-you want it to hurt me?" Laying a hand on the wolf's back, Kenrai began to stroke, speaking soothingly. "No, no, of course not, that came out wrong. I'm just saying that I can help you prepare, get you ready for it. Think of it this way, if we intend to do this more than just the once, we'll have to get used to these sorts of things eventually, no? You don't have to rely on... the Change, I think you called it? You don't need to lean on it just to make this possible." He lifted his hand from Colton's as he spoke, continuing to rub his back as he cupped the shapeshifter's cheek, stroking his lover's fur with his thumb. "Well, okay... but I'm still going to need to do it at least a little if we want to get anywhere today, I'm a bit, er, out of practice. It'll only take a second." He closed his eyes and blushed for a moment, and true to his word, he opened his eyes and nodded a moment later. Kenrai grinned, moving his hands back to Colton's rump. "Well then, now that we're ready..."

Colton swallowed a whimper when he felt those strong hands on his backside, but he couldn't prevent the shudder as Kenrai laid a finger directly on the tight ring of muscle beneath his tail, pressing down very lightly, rubbing at the wolf's entrance as if warming up a cold lock. Colton was just about to ask if the Dragon wanted spoken permission when that finger finally pushed forward, sliding into his rear with little trouble. The Mokaji sucked in a hissed breath, his entire body stiffening for a moment, fingers and toes curling up as he felt Kenrai's curious finger exploring him, teasing along his inner walls. After taking a moment to get used to it, though, he sagged down, biting his lip and shivering with ill-disguised pleasure. "Oh, Kenrai..." "That's it, just relax, my little wolf, get comfortable." Kenrai gently began to thrust in and out, fingering his lover in earnest, and smiled widely as the Mokaji couldn't contain a moan. Mildly curious about something, the Dragon silently leaned in, holding his muzzle near the shapeshifter's scrotum, taking in the scent of his personal musk. It didn't smell like the scent of any wolves Kenrai had ever known, but then he'd never taken any of them to bed, and he'd long suspected that battle sweat and love sweat were hardly the same thing. As Colton began to whimper and whine with the strength of his arousal, ears pinned back, head down, Kenrai shook his head, chuckling. "You know, long before I suspected you were anything else, I did think you were a very odd wolf." "Wh-what do you mean, odd?" He let out a grunt as the Dragon pushed into his backside to the knuckle, probing along his slick inner walls with the tip of his finger. "It's just, you're so quiet and nervous and, well, submissive, that I thought you must have been raised by rodents or something." "Hey!" The Mokaji's cheeks darkened even further and he looked back, clearly embarrassed. Feeling good about his progress so far, Kenrai casually added a second finger, sending a delicious shiver down Colton's spine, all the way to the tip of his tail. "I'm just trying to help you get into the role, dear Colton. I'll admit that most of the wolves I've come into contact with have either been mercenaries, soldiers, wildkin, or brigands, but not a one of them was ever nearly as quiet as you." For just a moment, the scholar in Colton reared his head, and he got his priorities a bit mixed. "You've met wildkin? I thought they hated 'civilized' folk!" "Most of them do, but there's a tribe-pack of wolves to the northeast of here who believe Dragons are specially beloved by the gods, treat me like one of the family if I stumble into their lands. Besides, living naked in the woods by the 'old ways' is fine and dandy if you're scaring off farmers, but against an armoured Dragon with a magical hammer...?" The Mokaji clearly had more questions, but Kenrai turned them into a shuddery moan by reaching down and giving his lover's sac a gentle squeeze. "Mmmmm, nice and full... but we're getting a bit off-topic, dear. Even for a civilian, you're nowhere near aggressive enough to properly pass as a wolf. Someone's omega, maybe, but then they don't tend to live all by themselves next to haunted forests, do they?" The tip of Kenrai's fingers grazed a specific spot inside Colton for the first time, a spot that made his toes curl up again and his neglected penis twitch beneath him, drooling a drop of precome onto the table. "I'm just not a very aggressive person, K-Kenrai... I bet a wolf would probably make some token effort to pretend he wanted to be the top... I just prefer to, you know, let the other p-person take the reins... ohhh, this is why I preferred being a rabbit, no one cares if a rabbit is quiet and submissive... why couldn't we have met in Doursdon?" Chuckling, the Dragon continued to fondle Colton's balls, continuing to work his fingers in and out of his lover's entrance. "You know, that reminds me, we need to work on your last name. I'm assuming 'Colton Frosthowl' is an alias?" "Y-yeah... but I don't really have a real name... not in this language anyway... it's a long story, c-can I explain later, when you're not playing with me?" "Of course, of course... I just thought that 'Frosthowl' was perhaps a bit on the nose for an arctic wolf. What did you call yourself when you were a rabbit, Carrotmuncher?" Even though his blush flared up for a moment again, Colton couldn't help but laugh at that. "Hey now, y-you try making up a new identity every few months and see how original you get... ohhhh, Kenrai... if this didn't feel so damned good I might have taken offence to that." Grinning widely, giving Colton's jewels an extra-firm squeeze and enjoying the feeling of his inner walls clenching down on his fingers, the Dragon chuckled. "If you can't be as aggressive as a wolf, maybe you should go back to a fox shape after this, you could lift your tail anywhere and no one would bat an eye." "Now Kenrai, don't be racist, it's - oh my... It's unbecoming of you." As he continued to fondle the shapeshifter's testicles, Kenrai chuckled. "'Twas a joke, my little wolf." As Kenrai added a third finger, increasing that delicious stretching feeling, Colton bit his lip to mask his pleasure and cheated a little bit, using his ability to move his sweet spot closer to the Dragon's wiggling digits. Although his moans were safely muffled, he hadn't taken into account the strength of the pulse of pleasure that surged through him as Kenrai pressed down against his prostate; his whole body stiffened and he instinctively pushed back against his lover's hand as his aching prick began drooling a steady stream of pre onto the table beneath. Kenrai couldn't help but notice the physical reaction, and grinned as he saw the droplets of arousal beneath the wolf's erection, moving his free hand forward, to rub softly at the underside of Colton's cock with his palm, not giving it the stroking stimulation he really needed. "My, my... you really need it, don't you, dear? I bet it's been a while now since you've had the chance to... relax like this." "Ohhh, come on, drake, I've b-been living on the run for years now, I had other things on my mind... but now that you mention it, I've, uh... well, I was so worried the last while with Creed's men closing in and the night of the darklings approaching that I..." After Colton trailed off, Kenrai gently kneaded that spot that made the canine shudder and twitch, speaking soothingly, encouragingly. "You what, dear?" He tried to resist, but he just couldn't fight those fingers. "I - I haven't p-played with myself in a couple of weeks now!" To his shock and dismay, Kenrai immediately pulled his fingers out, despite the instinctive clench to try and prevent their escape, and Colton whimpered at the sudden empty feeling. "Oh dear, I didn't realize you needed it quite that badly... wouldn't want you to pop the instant we start. I have an idea. Let's move to the bed, it's more comfortable, and you won't stain one of the few pieces of furniture you have that wasn't dented or scratched by the darklings last night." As he finished the statement, he scooped up some of Colton's pre, rubbing it between his fingers where the wolf could see it, leading to a bashful smile. "What can I say, you're good with your hands... Whoa!" He giggled excitedly as Kenrai suddenly swept him up into his arms and carried him back to the bed. "I was getting a bit cool anyway. And Colton? I just wanted to say, even with all the teasing... I like you like this. My sweet little wolf. You may not be very much like a real wolf in personality, but you make a very handsome canine." As he sat down, Mokaji in his lap, he leaned in and kissed his lover, who was blushing for a different reason than mere self-consciousness for a change.

After a moment of soft, sensual kissing, Kenrai turned and gently laid the wolf down on his guest bed, head amongst the generously soft pillows. "There we are, nice and... oh my, Colton, you're pretty impressive yourself." Looking down at his stiff penis, which even now had a drop of pre running down the underside of its shaft, Colton grinned. "Oh... I kinda made it bigger than usual because I was sort of intimidated by the fact that you were so tall and muscular... but now I'm glad I did, given... well, that." He reached out with a toe and nudged Kenrai's rigid prick, and the shaft throbbed, a shining pearl emerging from the tip and hanging there. Colton grinned, more at ease now. "Huh, after your fog trick, I was almost expecting your seed to be green too." "Just because we have a theme doesn't make it universal. My tongue isn't green, is it?" "Heh, I guess not. Good thing, too, that would look awfully silly." After they'd shared a good chuckle over that ridiculous mental image, Colton shivered as Kenrai sat back on his knees, facing his lover, eyes blatantly roaming over his unclothed form. Then the Dragon lay down on his stomach, pressing his sizable erection against the mattress, and reached out to hold the wolf's buttocks from below, leaning in towards Colton's own penis and playfully flicking out his tongue, teasing along the underside of the shaft. "You just lie back and let me take care of you before we get to the main event, hmm?" To his immense surprise, Colton leaned forward and placed a hand on his cock, preventing any further stimulation for the moment. "W-wait, Kenrai!" "What's wrong? Is it the teeth? I promise, you won't get so much as a scrape." Blushing, Colton smiled bashfully. "No, no, I - I wanted to play with you too. Could you lie down on your side here, so we can do this at the same time?" "Mmmm, I like the sound of that even better." With both of them being rather needy by this point, they wasted no time in making themselves comfortable and getting to business. Colton took in a sharp inhalation of breath as the Dragon wrapped his fingers around the shapeshifter's penis, stroking up and down slowly, Kenrai savouring every twitch and gasp his adoration coaxed from the smaller male. Not wanting to be outdone (but not seeing how there could be any other outcome, really), Colton gripped the base of the mercenary's dick with both hands, leaning in and immediately running his tongue along the taut red flesh, feeling it pulse in his hands as he licked and teased at the sensitive region underneath the swollen crown, being rewarded with another drop of shining pre, which he licked off, finding the flavour familiar, yet new and exotic. "Nnnngh... that's good, wolf, that's very good..." As he ran his fingers over the fleshy ridges along the sides of his lover's prick, Colton reluctantly lifted his muzzle away in order to answer. "You've done so much for me, I owe it to you." He tensed up for a moment as he felt the familiar sensation of a finger pushing into his backside, and shook his head. It was like Kenrai had been given instructions beforehand telling him how to make the Mokaji melt in his hands. "I told you before, we're even, remember? Having purpose again made me feel alive for the first time in months." Colton smiled at that, and wordlessly returned to his task, taking the head of his lover's cock into his mouth, sliding down the shaft and swirling his tongue around the hot, straining flesh as the Dragon groaned, muttering to himself in his native language. As if he'd taken that as a challenge, Kenrai returned his second and third fingers to the wolf's rear, and closed his maw around the Mokaji's penis in its entirety, his long, flexible tongue sliding out for a moment to lick at Colton's balls, just because he could.

The two males licked and suckled at each other for a time, deeply enjoying this teasing, erotic game of one-upmanship. They were both perfectly aware who was going to win, but that was the beauty of adding competition to your lovemaking; even when you lose, you're still a winner. Colton's tail was slapping against the bed behind him energetically, his feet and toes twitching with the strength of his need, while Kenrai's tells were more subtle, mostly in sharp inhalations and involuntary flexing of his wings - though the taste of Dragon pre told Colton everything he needed to know. The arctic wolf could feel his release building, though, and closed his eyes in anticipation of that glorious release, moving his inner sweet spot back into reach of the Dragon's probing fingers, having tried to stave off the inevitable by removing that particularly powerful stimulation. But just as he did, Kenrai released his cock completely, leaving it glistening with his saliva in the cool air of the room. Colton groaned in frustration as best he could with his mouth so full - he couldn't even get his lips to his lover's base, not without resorting to a trick with his jaw he'd picked up while he was a snake some years back - but the Dragon was (or at least pretended to be) oblivious to his lover's complaint. "You know, Colton, you're probably the first lowlander who's ever seen me naked and then didn't ask about my balls." Sighing mentally, the wolf released his lover's phallus and stroked the wet shaft with his hand while he humoured the Dragon. "What about your balls, dear?" "Take your pick, either 'where are they' or 'what happened to them'." The reptilian penis which was getting so much attention of late was jutting out of a pouch in the Dragon's body, and under other circumstances, it retracted all the way inside until only a slit was visible to the naked eye. Beneath that, unlike other species with such sheaths - like some actual canines, as it seemed to be the luck of the draw - there was nothing but smooth green scales. Colton's attention, though, was more focused on the cheeky tone in Kenrai's voice, and the fact that his fingers lay still, no longer even kneading the wolf's inner walls, convincing the shapeshifter that the larger male was holding off as another form of teasing him. Clenching down on those dormant fingers to encourage them to keep going, Colton made no effort to disguise his need and frustration. "Gods above, Kenrai, you pick now to bring this up? I'm so close..." "What's your rush, my little wolf? Take your time, savour it, it'll be better that way." Trembling with lust, shaking his head in disbelief, Colton sighed. "Look, drake, even if I weren't a member of a species who pays extremely close attention to the anatomy of every race we encounter, I'm a scholar. Of course I know that your testicles are on the inside, you're cold-blooded! And it's damned lucky for you that means they're un-squeezable at the moment, because we have better things to be doing with our tongues than having a chat." Laughing softly, Kenrai leaned down and planted a kiss on the head of Colton's cock, then licked away the pre-come he was rewarded with. "Ooooh, now that sounds more like a wolf. Maybe there's hope for you yet!" Sniffing dismissively, Colton frowned. "I get cranky when I need to co_oooooohhh!" His pouting words became a grateful moan mid-sentence as Kenrai leaned in without warning and wrapped his flexible tongue around the wolf's penis from base to tip in a spiral, and then began to squeeze and lick and rub at his aching, needy flesh in a way the shapeshifter had never experienced before. As he trembled and writhed on the bed, Colton let out a whine, past the point of being embarrassed by his reactions. "Ohh... Green god, Kenrai, are all d-Dragons this good at this, or are you a p-prodigy?" The Dragon barely had time to grin before the wolf sat halfway up, shaking a hand and looking desperate. "_Wait! Don't answer that! Please don't stop, just k-keep going, oh gods above that's so good..." He flopped back down with a groan and returned his attention to Kenrai's prick, lapping at the head and licking up the stready stream of pre. But the Dragon's outstanding tongue coupled with Colton's state of need meant that the mercenary was nowhere near as close to the edge as his lover, and before long, his cock twitching and hardening even more, Colton was forced to pull his mouth away from the Dragon's flesh. "Ohhh, seven gods, K-Kenrai, I'm so close, I'm going to come!" Moaning with anticipation around the shapeshifter's erection, Kenrai ceased his tongue-based acrobatics and resorted to old fashioned suckling, closing his muzzle around the end half of the other male's prick and sucking for all he was worth, the tip of his tongue teasing along the underside of the shaft, while the rest awaited Colton's gift, warm, wet, and inviting. At the same time, he redoubled his efforts beneath the wolf's tail, inadvertently rubbing directly onto the Mokaji's sweet spot, sending pulses of white-hot pleasure directly into the other male's penis from below. It was all more than poor Colton could take, and he arched his back, closing his eyes and crying out, a wordless howl that proudly lived up to his assumed heritage, taking full advantage of living in a house by yourself as he flew off the edge and was overtaken by his orgasm. His penis throbbed and pulsed within the green's maw, each spasm releasing a spurt of thick, wet seed directly onto Kenrai's tongue, even as it made his backside clench down on the reptile's fingers. As this was happening, the mercenary may not have worked out that it had been moving around, but he'd picked up enough to suspect he'd found the wolf's weak point, so he pressed down on it in time with the rhythm of his climax to make it even more powerful for the trembling little shapeshifter, who came and came and came, surrendering himself to the pleasure and the Dragon's ministrations.

When he'd finally burned through the orgasm, Colton went limp, rolling onto his back, his softening penis slipping out of Kenrai's mouth and falling against his belly with a wet slap, even as Kenrai gently removed his fingers from the smaller male's rear. The shapeshifter lay there, moaning and watching the spots dance before his eyes, as the Dragon reached down and rubbed his belly like he was a beloved feral. After a few moments, Colton shook his head and sat up, smiling tiredly up at the Dragon, who had waited for that exact moment to swallow the warmth in his mouth. "Mmmm, Colton, you really did need it... either that or your people are delightfully productive. But my word, feeling that warmth inside me... that's really something else." "Thank you, Kenrai, I... oh!" He'd just caught sight of the Dragon's erection, which still stood out proudly, glistening with his arousal. "I didn't mean to forget, I'm sorry!" "Relax, my little wolf, you had more pressing matters at hand. But if you wouldn't mind...?" Rolling back over onto his side, the Mokaji eagerly reached out and took hold of that imposing prick once again. "It would be my pleasure." Wasting no time, Colton glomped his muzzle around the Dragon's gleaming shaft, licking and suckling energetically, teasing his tongue around the underside of the head, wanting to please his new lover, pay him back for that fantastic orgasm. Since he couldn't fit Kenrai's entire length in his mouth, he gently stroked the base of his lover's shaft, teasing his fingers along those ridges even as his tongue massaged the ones higher up. He felt the warm flesh throb in his grip, tasted the distinct flavour of the larger male's pre-come. 'Below' him, Kenrai shuddered and groaned softly, holding the Mokaji close to him. "Gods above, little wolf... you're something of a prodigy yourself." Feeling good about that, proud of his skills, which had felt insufficient in the face of Kenrai's talented mouth, Colton worked even harder, his tail wagging behind him. Since he couldn't play with Kenrai's testicles, given their location, he found himself wishing for more to do to please the Dragon. He briefly considered teasing the warrior's rear the way Kenrai had with his, but he didn't know how the green might react to that, and so just focused on his penis. It wasn't long at all before Kenrai's legs were shifting on the bed, and the Dragon kept groaning and grunting, unable to sit still. "Ohh, by the hermit, Colton... I'm not far off... I - I'm warning you, it might be more... copious than you're used to..." For the second time that afternoon, the Mokaji moaned around his lover's prick, blushing even as he did it, for he found himself deeply looking forward to the Dragon's release. Suckling hard on the head, his nimble fingers stroking and teasing along Kenrai's straining length, he eagerly listened as the soldier gasped and shuddered, moaning in draconic as he rapidly approached the point of no return, and then... he stiffened from head to toe, bellowing a cry of his own that had birds and rabbits in the field next to the house fleeing in terror back to the safety of the trees. He arched his back, extending the wing that wasn't pressed against the bed to its full extension; the movement of his hips suddenly thrust his cock further towards Colton, but the white wolf had anticipated this, so he was able to move in time to not be choked. As Kenrai cried out in pleasure, his rigid dick throbbed again and again while Colton stroked and licked in a frenzy. The shapeshifter felt a shudder of his own as hot, sticky Dragon come began to pump into his muzzle, flowing over his tongue and spreading over his teeth. True to Kenrai's warning, it seemed like his climax would never end, and Colton hurriedly swallowed the seed to keep pace with his lover's impressive ejaculation, which had the same characteristic lack of subtlety as the man's fighting style.

When Kenrai had finally finished, slumping down to the bed much the same way the wolf had, Colton swallowed one last time, feeling oddly proud that he hadn't spilled any of the Dragon's seed. Though he was still breathing hard, clearly pleased with the state of the world, Kenrai sat up almost immediately, and re-oriented himself with the head of the bed before lying back down, pulling the sweaty wolf in for a tight hug. The mercenary chuckled tiredly as Colton nuzzled against his lover's chest, stretching up to give his scaly cheek a happy lick. "Was that - did you like it as much as I did?" Bending down to kiss the crown of the shapeshifter's head, Kenrai grinned. "Relax, dear, you don't have to prove yourself to me. I didn't take you to bed because I expected to be compensated point for point... but yes, that was amazing." Colton scootched up a bit on the bed, and the scholar and the warrior leaned in and kissed, each male able to taste his own essence as their tongues gently slid and rubbed together. They spent the next few minutes just holding each other close, snuggling tight and kissing occasionally, basking in each other's presence. Colton felt embarrassed as he reached up to wipe away a single unexpected tear. He'd never thought he'd feel this happy again, so completely content. Kenrai had changed all that, and he'd be eternally grateful. Some time after they'd finished, when the sun was a little lower in the sky and the room was still warm with their mingling scents, Kenrai threw a leg over the wolf possessively, pressing his body against his lover, grinding his hips against Colton's furry thigh. Grinning, the shapeshifter reached up and wrapped his arms loosely around Kenrai's neck, holding himself in the perfect position to kiss the larger male. "Ready for round two, I see." "Mmmm, can you blame me, wolf? You're so soft and fuzzy and warm..." He leaned in, using his flexible neck, to nuzzle against Colton's cheek, and as he did, he began to make a curious churring noise that delighted the shapeshifter. "I - I didn't know Dragons were so - ooooh, that's nice - so affectionate." "I'm cold-blooded, Colton, we always appreciate a good source of warmth... to us, the fact that you're warmed from within all the time is like magic in and of itself. There are those among my kind for whom your warmth makes lowlanders incredibly attractive, and I have to say... I'm starting to see the appeal." Kenrai began to play his teeth over one of the wolf's sensitive ears, eliciting a pleasured groan from his lover, but soon he stopped, looking pointedly down their bodies. All that grinding had had its effect on him, and the tip of his prick, which had retreated into its protective pouch in their afterglow, was once again peeking out from his slit. Looking back up just as Colton did, the Dragon put on a wide, hungry grin that made the shapeshifter feel like the most desirable man in all of Rilodell. His words, spoken in a deep, husky growl, were in keeping with Kenrai's delicate, understated nature. "Your scent is driving me crazy, wolf, I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. I need you, Colton." Shivering in the larger male's arms, Colton wriggled out of that lovely embrace and moved back against the pillows, blushing as he spread his legs, still daring to keep eye contact, his obvious nervousness just serving to be even more endearing to the Dragon. "Then c-come over here and take me, drake."

To Colton's great surprise, given the look in his lover's eyes, instead of instantly pouncing on him and rutting him like a feral in heat, Kenrai slid off the bed and stepped over to search through his equipment, which was collected neatly in the corner of the room, next to his hammer. "K-Kenrai? Was it something I said?" "No, no, I've just had an idea..." Standing up and turning, one hand gently stroking his penis, coaxing it to its full pride, the mercenary held up a small jar. "What's that? Some kind of potion?" "No, no, nothing so exotic. This is just oil, I use it to polish my hammer. But I have a feeling it can serve another purpose here..." As he climbed back onto the bed, walking on his knees towards Colton, he popped the top out and poured a small amount into his hand, and then began smearing the clear, sweet-smelling substance onto his erection. "Practice with fingers helps a lot, but it never hurts to get things nice and slick first, eh Colton?" By this point, watching the Dragon touching himself had gotten the shapeshifter rather excited, and he was now standing tall and firm himself, so he found himself rather eager to play along, lifting his hips as Kenrai removed his hand from his dick and reached down for the tight entrance beneath the wolf's tail. His slicked-up fingers pushed inside even more easily than last time, and Colton moaned with need, clenching down on the intruding digits as they rubbed against his inner walls, getting him nicely lubricated. Before long, Kenrai pulled his hand away, wiping it on the spare tunic he'd left lying on the floor as he undressed for bed. As Colton watched, wide-eyed and trembling, the Dragon moved into position above him, his glistening cock nudging against the wolf's rear as the green took a moment to look upon his lover.

A few eternal seconds later, Kenrai gave Colton a look that spoke volumes, asking the obvious question. Swallowing, his lust rapidly overcoming his worry, the shapeshifter nodded, taking hold of the sheets in order to give his hands something to do, as a smiling Dragon placed a hand on his hip and began to press forward. Colton felt nothing but pressure against his entrance for a few seconds before the muscle relented and allowed access to the larger male. Arching his back off the bed, Colton threw back his head and moaned, shuddering as Kenrai slowly buried himself in the arctic wolf's tight rear, pushing into his warmth inch by inch as the ridges on either side of his prick teased and rubbed along the Mokaji's inner walls. "Ohh - oh Kenrai, b-by the Gods..." He trailed off into a series of whimpers, his penis now rock hard and drooling pre onto his belly as his lover hilted himself fully in his backside. Unlike his jaw, there were no pesky bones to get in the way down here. Kenrai adjusted their positioning somewhat to make it more comfortable, lifting Colton's legs to get himself better leverage, then bending over the Mokaji, kissing his throat before he replied. "Shhhh, Colton, don't try to talk, just lie back and enjoy it, leave everything to me." Nodding, unable to stop trembling, Colton reached up and wrapped his arms around the Dragon's neck again, holding on tight as the mercenary pulled back for the first time, slowly exposing his own throbbing length. Then, after just a moment's pause, he pressed forward again, pushing back into Colton's rear, the warm, wet walls gripping his prick, embracing it like an old friend, rubbing over every inch of his taut flesh, the warmth alone sending his wings a-flutter. For his part, Colton just bit his lip to swallow a groan that probably would have been audible outside, riding out the pleasure as his toes curled up. This wasn't the first time he'd taken a man in his time since leaving his own people, but he'd never in all his life felt as full as he did at this moment. This time, Kenrai didn't wait before pulling back again, easily sliding out of Colton until just the head remained inside, then reversing direction and imbedding himself once again. "S-seven gods, changeling, you're so tight... are you sure you adjusted yourself earlier?" As the Dragon began to increase his speed, thrusting into the Mokaji the way his instincts had been crying out for since the wolf woke up in his arms, Colton moaned wordlessly and pressed his muzzle against Kenrai's, kissing him hungrily, aggressively, surprising his lover with his need. With that, the unlikely couple began to make love, Kenrai moving carefully, holding his strength back, so as not to hurt the smaller male, while Colton just held on, trembling and whimpering, lost in the wonderful feelings, their union heating up the room even as snow began to fall outside. Eventually, when the muted slapping of Kenrai's pelvis against Colton's soft rear had become as regular as clockwork, the shapeshifter broke off their latest kiss to let out a very convincing canine whine, ears slightly back. "K-Kenrai, I'm getting - I need... P-please, touch me..." Whether he was blushing or just flushed from the exertions of their coupling was hard to tell, but his cheeks were a nice red as he pointed to his erection, which bobbed slightly in time with the Dragon's thrusts, achingly hard and rather neglected at the moment. "Ohhh, I'm sorry, my little wolf, I was so focused on not hurting you inside that I forgot to tend to your other needs. Let Kenrai take care of that for you." The Mokaji sighed with relief as he felt his lover's fingers tenderly take hold of his penis, rubbing from end to end, encouraging more pre to come forth as he adjusted his posture to allow him to continue thrusting easily without a free hand to place on Colton's hip. The wolf moaned, rubbing his furry cheek against his lover's even as he involuntarily made shallow thrusts against Kenrai's hand, losing himself to his instincts. Kenrai nuzzled back, enjoying this just as much as the shapeshifter.

As their joining continued, Colton let his hands wander across the Dragon's back, which was well-toned, even in muscle groups most Humanoids didn't possess. Running the tips of his fingers along the limb that attached one of Kenrai's wings to his back, the Mokaji was pleased to see it give a little flutter, the thumb-like digit poking out the top curling up. Playfully licking the Dragon's snout, he tickled along the limb and laughed softly, happiness filling his being even as the Dragon filled his rump. "Sensitive, K-Kenrai?" Growling happily, the larger male flexed the limb, pressing his scales into Colton's hand. "Rrrrr... everything is sensitive to your soft little fingers, wolf. You've got me so worked up that I... I can barely think straight..." Moving his 'soft little fingers' to the back of the Dragon's head, Colton began to rub and scratch at the base of Kenrai's horns and behind his ears, causing Kenrai to churr with pleasure. "I never knew a warrior could be this gentle, this... soft. Well, if - if you can't think, then don't think... just act." Suddenly, Kenrai stiffened, flaring out his wings to their full impressive extension, throwing his head back and making a sound something like a snarl, startling the smaller male pinned beneath him for just a moment. Then, looking down, he slammed himself home, hilting himself in Colton's backside, the head of his cock happening to hit the shapeshifter's sweet spot through no connivance on the wolf's part, and as Colton opened his mouth to gasp in pleasure, Kenrai roughly pushed his muzzle against his lover's, hungrily capturing his tongue, kissing like it was the day before the end of days. Colton was awash in bliss, feeling lightheaded, his prick leaking pre-come all over the Dragon's fingers, which continued to energetically stroke him. As the dazed shapeshifter went limp in his lover's arms, Kenrai leaned back, no longer able to hide his fangs with the strength of his smile. He laughed softly and shrugged, folding his wings back up as he did so. "...The bases of a Dragon's horns are always sensitive, as it happens." Giggling, blinking away the stars, Colton squeezed his man tight. "Oooooh, I'll definitely have to remember that one..."

It wasn't long after that that Colton began to whimper in an entirely different way, twitching and squirming beneath the Dragon as he was filled again and again. He felt Kenrai's snout nosing at his cheek, his hot breath as he whispered in the smaller male's ear. "What's wrong, my little wolf?" His voice had taken on a somewhat strained quality. Colton couldn't keep the whine of desperation out of his own voice as he answered. "I - I'm getting close, drake, but... but I don't want to come, I d-don't want this to be over!" He felt himself throb in the Dragon's grip, gasped as Kenrai hilted himself yet again, and then watched as the mercenary pressed his nose against the Mokaji's neck, breathing deeply of his lover's scent before answering. "It's alright, Colton... You're not going to wake up and find yourself dreaming... this won't be the last time. B-besides... I'm almost there myself." The two unlikely lovers looked deep into each others' eyes for a moment, and then shivered together. Colton nodded and then held on to Kenrai, closing his eyes and whimpering. "That's it, changeling, just close your eyes... let go... I want you to enjoy this." "K-Kenrai..." Moaning, Colton pressed against the Dragon's chest, his cheek rubbing the scales as he uttered a word in a language Kenrai didn't recognize. "Ji'rah-re... F-finish it..." There was no time to dwell on this before the white wolf stiffened, arching his back and crying out the warrior's name again, his grip tightening on Kenrai's shoulders as he was finally overwhelmed completely. Colton groaned and gasped, surrendering to his orgasm, his penis throbbing and twitching in the Dragon's grip as it ejected his seed; the Mokaji's semen was thick and gooey, so instead of shooting for distance, his ejaculations mostly made a mess of his lover's hand, but Kenrai only increased his efforts, using Colton's own come to lubricate his strokes, pumping him as hard and as fast as he could. Every time the smaller male spurted, his slick inner walls clenched down hard on the mercenary's invading prick, and, seeing his own end in sight, Kenrai muscled his way through the tight embrace to slam his way home, then resorted to much shallower thrusts to carry him the last way to his own climax. Hilting himself one last time, the Dragon let out a long groan of relief as he pulsed and spasmed within the wolf's rear end, the rhythmic clenching of the tight passage 'milking' Kenrai's erection as he emptied his balls into Colton's backside, painting his lover's inner walls, filling in every nook and cranny with hot, wet Dragon sperm, giving an extra edge to the joy the Mokaji was already feeling.

When the two lovers had drained themselves completely, almost at the same moment, they collapsed in a sweaty heap on the bed, Colton panting like a real wolf, Kenrai's wings falling limply to his sides and hanging down, like especially odd looking bedsheets. The shapeshifter closed his eyes and savoured the moment, enclosed in afterglow, feeling the mercenary's impressive chest pressed against his own, their very different hearts racing in the same way... and, of course, the Dragon cock still buried inside him, deflating nice and slowly. After a moment, Kenrai shifted just enough to push his arms under the Mokaji and return his embrace, and Colton snuggled against his Dragon, unable to remember the last time he'd felt so content. A short time later, Kenrai finally pulled out of the wolf, his penis having begun to retract into the safety of its pouch anyway, and lay down on the bed on his back. There wasn't much room on the small mattress, but Colton simply reversed their positions, draping himself over the mercenary, resting his head against Kenrai's chest. He smiled as he felt a strong, scaly arm curl around him, holding him close like he was a very large teddy bear. The shapeshifter finally broke the silence after a few moments of listening to his lover's heartbeat; the tempo was slightly different from that of mammals, made him seem even more exotic. "Kenrai... I know I haven't exactly been, uh, 'practicing' these last few years, but... that was amazing." There was a short silence, but Colton was satisfied enough with the physical sensations of the moment that he was willing to wait, closing his eyes and clenching down, feeling his lover's warm seed still inside him. Then, he felt a hand rubbing the back of his head, fingers running through his hair. "I haven't been living on the run, changeling, but... that was still the best I've had in a very long time. No one else holds a candle to you." A couple of heartbeats passed, and then, "Colton? You said something right before we came. You told me to finish it, but you said something else, it sounded like... 'jih rah ray'. I assume that was the Mokaji language. What does it mean?" Suddenly, the wolf stiffened, his ears flicking back for a moment as he lifted his head to look up at the Dragon's face, an expression somewhere between embarrassment and surprise on his own features. "Y-you mean I said that part - out loud? Oh, lords above, I - I didn't mean - Well I kinda did, but I thought I just thought it..." The Dragon chuckled, the sound vibrating through the furry body pressed against his chest. "Colton, relax, I'm just curious, if it's some great cultural taboo, I can respect that." "N-no, it's not that, it's just that... um..." Swallowing, he lowered his head again, mostly to avoid eye contact. "Ji'rah-re is a word we reserve for, uhh... it m-means 'my love' when the other person is the same gender you cur - er, the same gender as you."

Kenrai said nothing, and his stroking hand ceased its movements. Suppressing a whimper, Colton began to toy with a loose thread on the sheet beneath them. "I - I guess I got carried away with the moment, I m-mean of course we've only just met, and they were rather unusual circumstances, s-so I... I probably don't really love you... and of course you're probably going to set off once we get the house in order and your heat charm web is fixed, so -" "Hang on, now, changeling." Colton winced, and was just about to blurt out an 'I'm sorry', even if he wasn't sure which part he was apologizing for, when the Dragon continued. "Who said anything about me leaving soon?" That wasn't what he'd been expecting. Daring to look back up at the green's face, surprised to find a smile still there, Colton did his best to shrug while lying down with his head tilted way back. "W-well, you're one of those wandering lone wolf mercenary types, right? I - I figured your job here was done, and you would be heading out to find new adventure, or whatever it is you do." "Then why exactly did you take me to your bed, Colton? I'm guessing from your term of endearment that I wasn't exactly a one-night stand for you." Blushing yet again, Colton smiled weakly. "...You want to know something, Kenrai? When that darkling got me, and I thought I was minutes away from meeting the Blue Goddess, my last thought before I passed out, the one I thought would be my last thought ever, was... you. You made me feel safe even though I'd been sure my situation was completely hopeless. You made me smile again, really smile and feel good about it, for the first time in months, maybe years. Right before the siege began, I told myself if we survived I was going to - to tell you how I felt and try to, I don't know, start something with you. And right before I passed out, I thought to myself that I regretted that I would never get that chance. So when I woke up with you in a bed..." Kenrai stirred, began to sit up, and as Colton moved with him, the Dragon leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I was going to leave you, but I want you to remember two things. First, I promised I would help you with Creed, and I intend to keep that promise. You're right, he has too many men for me to do that by myself... but I know a group of mercenaries who would probably jump at the chance to do something righteous for a change again. I don't want to leave you alone here while I go to meet with them, so I'm planning on bringing you with me." This time, Colton's smile was anything but weak. "...That means a lot to me, Kenrai. Thank you so much." "Well, I'm not sure if I can honestly say that I love you yet... but I sure want to take the time to get there." He leaned in and kissed the Mokaji on the forehead, then cocked his head to the side, smirking. "You know, I think you'd make a good fox while we're on the road, you'd be nice and red, help hide that mark of yours. Just until we're sure Creed will never bother you, or anyone else, ever again." "Well, that would let me, ah, act naturally around you, but I don't know... I kinda like the white coat. Though I guess being an arctic fox wouldn't be much better for hiding then I am now." Grinning, Kenrai's eyes roamed up and down his lover's unclothed form. "Just as long as you're still nice and fluffy and warm. It's a long way, and if we're avoiding major roads, we might have to make due with a tent in a field sometimes... nothing but body heat to keep me from freezing. Think you're up to the challenge?" "Mmmm, I'm sure up to trying." He leaned in and kissed the Dragon, his tail wagging behind him in a most canine fashion, neither of them noticing the reptile semen glistening in the fur near its base. After a moment he leaned back, and a thoughtful look came over his features. "You said you wanted me to remember two things, Kenrai. What's the other thing?" "Oh, that. I still have a job to do, remember?" "What do you mean? The darklings aren't coming back until next year, you've fulfilled our contract." Winking at the smaller male, Kenrai indicated the window with a nod of his head. The sun was still high in the sky, as spending an entire day making love is rather difficult, and Colton wasn't quite sure what exactly he was getting at. "I believe you'll find that I promised to keep you safe at night." "Well, yes, but -" "And, I believe you'll find that the sun is going to go down in a few hours and it will be night again. I can't just break my word like that, a mercenary's got standards." Colton sat there for a moment, staring blankly, and then he burst out laughing, shaking his head. Kenrai joined him, then leaned forward and hugged him again. After a few moments, Colton's stomach growled at them, getting their attention. Colton realized exactly how long they'd spent in this cozy bed, and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. All this excitement, and we forgot to eat. You must be starving by now, all that fighting you did. I'll tell you what, I'm gonna put something on, and then I'm gonna go check out the kitchen, find something easy to prepare, and make us a nice early dinner, since we skipped breakfast and lunch." "That would be lovely, Colton." The shapeshifter swung his legs out off the bed, turning to get up. "I'll get the sewing kit while I'm out there -" He stopped as a hand gently gripped his shoulder from behind. As he turned to see what the Dragon wanted, Kenrai leaned in and kissed him again, soft and warm and gentle. Then he moved that hand up to Colton's fuzzy cheek and gave it a rub. "I'm not going to let anything happen to my little wolf. I'm going to keep you safe and happy, Colton. I promise, on the honour of Clan Ort." Reaching up and placing his hand over Kenrai's, Colton smiled, feeling somewhat emotional. There was only one thing he could say. "...Thank you, Kenrai. Really. That means the world to me." His lover winked at him, grinning as he replied. "No problem at all, Colton. It's just one of many services I provide."