Pala14: Thieves

Chapter Twenty-Six: Shapeshifters

"What did you- how am I-" Dust started but was interrupted by Scarlet's laughter.

"Consider it a welcoming gift for when you help me retake my kingdom." Scarlet laughed. "You're too weak as one of those scavengers, unlike Pawn, so I thought it would be better to have one who can be both. Someone who can easily get into places where they aren't suppose to be, a perfect assassin, a perfect tool.

"She is not your tool!"

"Shut up!" Duststorm suddenly hissed at me.

I jumped but when I looked back up at her, Dust winked at me with a faint smile before going back to snarling. 

"What would you like me to do to him, your majesty?" Dust said as she bowed to Scarlet.

Scarlet grinned and chuckled, "You see Pawn, I named you that for a reason, but don't worry, you two will always have a space under me." She said before motioning to Peril. "Why don't you show them to our new home?"

"Yes your majesty." Peril said as she took off and Dust followed while carrying me. It didn't take long for another group of Sandwing's to join us. "Don't try anything!" One snarled at us while they flicked their tail next to us.

Back off or I will fry you to a crisp." Peril snapped back at her, causing the dragon to flap a little aways from us. It didn't take long for us to see the new 'palace,' if you could even call it that. Covered in vines was the remnants of an abandoned set of stone structures, with doors that were several sizes too small for the actual dragons themselves. This is... use to be a scavenger den.

I quickly looked on my wrist and marked the location.

"Be quiet." Dust suddenly whispered to me.

"What was that-" The same Sandwing asked before Duststorm and dug her barb right through the dragon's skull.

"PERIL!" One of the dragon's cried out but we already started to fly away and Dust's scales were starting to change to hide us.

"Dammit! Stop them before they can-" She started to dive towards us but her eyes widened as she saw me point the railgun at her, "Pawn! No-" She cried as she did a barrel roll, barely avoiding the pulse.

PULSE!

"Fuck! Where did they-" She pauses as she looks around but loses sight me and Dust. she angrily looks to the other Sandwings. "Where did they go! Did anyone see or are you all blind!"

Their sounds started to get quieter and quieter as me and Dust flew farther and farther away from them. We kept going for hours but the farther we got, the more labored Dust's breath started to get.

"Dust-"

"Just keep holding on... I... I can get us out... just... hang on..." She wheezed as she kept beating her wings.

"Dust, we need to find a place to land." 

"I... yeah... that's probably a good idea..." She said as she landed with a heavy thud. She used her tail and started stabbing into the mountain wall, creating a tiny scavenger sized hole. "Now let's see... can I..." She trailed off as she took of the bracelet and her form got smaller and her skin appeared again, before fully changing back into her human form, but it happened so suddenly I had no time to hang on as she shrunk.

I let out a yelp as I fell and was about to smash into the rocky surface, but Dust managed to catch me at the last second. "I got you..." She wheezed as she put me down gently. Her tail had managed to dig deep enough for us to be all the way concealed. She was heavily breathing when we settled down into the cave. 

"Dust, you okay?"

"I-I'm fine... camouflaging just takes a lot out of me." She huffed as she sat down, her eyes starting to flutter.

I could hear the faint sounds of rain on the outside of the cave as I sat with Duststorm. "Don't worry, we can just stay here, it's not like we'll be leaving any time soon." I sighed as I let her lean on me.

"I... there's so much... Clue..." She let out a deep exhale before collapsing herself against me.

"It's okay Dust, I'm here, we'll talk all about it in the morning." I said as I kissed her forehead and laid my back on the stone wall before closing my eyes, listening to the sounds of her breathing, the rain and thunder starting to roll and the frustrated roars of the dragon's outside, before finally falling asleep.

***

I woke up to see Duststorm was sitting alone at the edge of the cave, her ears twitching as she heard me getting up. "The coast is clear, we should leave now." Dust said as she put the bracelet back on and transformed back into her dragon form.

"Dust, wait, we should really talk about things."

"We'll do that as we fly, now get on." She said as she offered me to climb into the palm of her talons.

I sighed and climbed on, to which she instantly brought me to her chest where she held me tightly as we flew. 

"So, how does it feel?" I ask her.

She sighed. "Feels good, better than being a human. But I..." she shook her head before looking back down at me. "Your mine, and I'm yours, even if I am a giant dragon that can squish you like a bug. You still love me, even like this, r-right?" She chuckled nervously.

"Of course I still love you." I replied.

She blushed a bit before lowering her snout to kiss me on the top of my head, "Good, thank you."

"Of course." I said as she continued to hold me. 

"This is gonna be really tough to explain though when we get back."

"Oh, you have no idea." I sigh as she giggles. 

***

It wasn't long as multiple fighters and bombers flew in arrow-head formations through the mountains, there must have been over a hundred aircraft. All ready to burn this place down to the ground. 

"Contact!" I heard a pilot over comms as Peril flew into view, she didn't dare attack though, seeing all the aircraft. 

"Hold your fire, shoot any Sandwings though, or Scarlet if you know what she looks like from the briefings." I ordered.

"Wait! Please stop! Pawn! If you're there, please stop this! You can't do this." Peril pleaded, to no response as the fleet continued to move forward towards. "Clue, please don't do this." I sighed before activating speakers. "Peril, get out of the way, for your own good." I said, Peril seemed to get the message as she huffed angrily as her ears drooped sadly, she took one last look before making a break for it and leaving with tears rolling down her face, but not in the direction of the den, seems she got the message that she couldn't stop this.

It didn't take long before squads upon squads of Sandwing's started to try and intercept us but these weren't Alpha armored, like Burns, and fell like flies as we mowed them down before finally reaching the den, where a few were doing their best to either flee or try to fly before the inevitable.

"Your call." Johan said over comms.

I took a deep breathe before finally saying the sacred word, "Go."

It didn't take long for the area to suddenly engulfed in flames as massive explosions detonated against the ground, reducing it to nothing. And just as we got there, we left.

***