Leiah was a bit shaken. That horrid noise the Vinarfel had made as it burned, the smell of its charred flesh, these things had affected her deeply, more so than she liked to admit. She was following about five meters behind David, his slow measured steps making almost no sound in spite of his heavy frame. In contrast, her own bare taloned feet made slight tapping sounds as she walked, not enough to give them away, but enough to make her a little self conscious.

She was roused from her train of thought as a strange sound reached her, a sort of metallic ping. She stopped as David halted abruptly and then tensed as if to move, and then something further up the hall exploded. The noise was deafening and she screeched in panic as she heard the whizzing of shrapnel all around her. She watched as David was thrown back against the wall with such force it would have shattered her bones, and then the ceiling groaned as the shock of the detonation damaged its support structure.

She attempted to take a step towards David when part of the roof behind her collapsed, one of the bent metal plates knocking her from her feet and pinning her to the deck. She groaned as the wind was knocked from her and her gun was crushed to powder by another large spar that came down like thunder right next to her. She froze as the realization of how close she had come to death sank into her mind. She could feel her body locking up, like the all encompassing panic of one being hunted. She took a deep breath, well, as deep as she could while partially pinned under a sheet of bent metal.

She needed to free herself, she struggled a bit before realizing it was hopeless. She wasn't weak for her species, in fact she was a bit stronger than average, but the metal plate must have weighed over a hundred kilograms, there was no way a small drit like herself was going to be able to shift it even a millimeter.

Her upper body was relatively free and she was able to look around, she first noticed that Greedi was nowhere to be seen. She gulped as she realized what that meant, the man was likely gone. That explosion had to have been some sort of trap, and the sound she had heard before had been the unfortunate slaaveth man activating it. She swallowed heavily and turned her gaze to David fearing the worst.

She let out a small warble of distress as she took in the man's crumpled form. His trench coat was damaged in a multitude of places and she could see blood leaking from several wounds. He was still breathing however, the fitful rise and fall of the man's chest making it clear he had not yet perished. But he was badly injured it seemed, if only there was something she could do.

She tried calling his name, her voice weak at first but then gaining strength. “David… David, you need to wake up. Please David wake up, I need your help! Oh please don't die, I don't want to be alone…”. She trailed off in despair as her words seemed to have no effect.

She rested her head against the cool metal floor, feeling defeated when she heard a small cough come from the man followed by a low groan.

“David! Are you okay? Please help me!” She called to him as he slowly sat upright, holding his head in his hands. He turned towards her and she realized that his mask was heavily damaged, the visor cracked and the surface slightly scoured from the blast.

She watched in fascination as the human unclasped the mask and removed it allowing her to see his face for the first time. His face was strange, the relatively flat features and that beakless mouth making her think of the nerivith, but his nose was much more prominent. The nerivith had flatter noses while his seemed to come to a small distinct point, kind of like a tiny beak. The thought made her feathers rise in humor in spite of the dire situation she was currently in.

“Uuhgg, my fucking head…” David said after a moment. He looked around and stopped as he observed where Greedi had been. “Luck damn it all!” He roared as he got to his feet, the anger in his voice making it seem all the more savage. He whirled around and stopped as he saw her, pinned and helpless as she was. “Oh shit, here let me help.” He said as he made his way over to her.

She tensed in preparation to scramble free as the larger man gripped the edge of the metal plate, his feet set wide to either side of her head. He groaned in effort as he began to slowly lift the plate, as soon as she felt herself loosen, she scrambled free. She had to crawl between his legs to escape, but in the moment she didn't mind, she was just happy she wasn't pinned anymore.

She heard a crash as she stood shakily to her feet and turned to see David had dropped the plate back down and sat upon its surface, his flamer nozzle unlit and resting beside him.

She felt a bit nervous as she scooted over towards him and said “Thanks. For saving me. I'm sorry I…”. She started to apologize but cut off as those dark eyes of his met hers. In an instant she was sucked in, those dark brown pools seeming to petrify her, the obviously predatory gaze making her danger senses scream in response. Forcing her panic down, she cleared her throat and asked “You are hurt. Do you need help?”

David’s face broke out in a slight smirk as he waved an arm and said “What? These? It's nothing, I'm fine.”

She knew he wasn't being entirely honest as the way he was moving told her that he was indeed in pain. “Please, let me help you David.” She pleaded. He gave her a strange look, his eyes narrowed but not angry, as if he was trying to see through her. “You saved me, it's only fair that I help you, I have a med kit, here one moment.” She said as she fussed with several of the pockets on her chest harness. ‘Good.’ She thought to herself, her supplies had not been damaged.

Pulling out a small bottle of greenish gel and a small trauma kit, she looked back at David and stopped. The man had not moved, he was just staring at her with that same expression, as if he was deep in thought. She placed her graspers on her hips and asked “Do you want help or not, honestly, I have heard that humans are stubborn but I didnt think that meant you were dumb.” This grabbed his attention and a flicker of annoyance flashed across his face before he sighed heavily.

He undid the front of his thick trench coat and shrugged it off revealing he was wearing body armour on his chest and upper legs. She saw him wince slightly as he removed the garment, and after a moment she saw why. He had a large piece of shrapnel lodged in the meat of his shoulder, blood slowly leaking from the wound.

She whistled slightly, but couldn't help but be intrigued by the wound. His blood was a bright red in color, she knew that humans had red blood, as opposed to her own dark green vital fluid. Seeing it was different however, the liquid seemed to flow at a trickle through indicating that nothing serious had been severed. If he had severed an artery she doubted she would have been able to help him.

She stepped close to him as she prepared to probe the wound for any kind of complications. She paused slightly though, she was so close she could feel his breath on her feathers, smell his alien scent. He smelled different, not the slightly sweet smell of the nerivith or pungent musk of the slaaveth, but a slightly acrid scent that was at once off-putting and intriguing. Putting this new discovery out of her mind she inspected the shrapnel, only able to reach it because he was sitting.

“Ow hey, be careful with that. I need that arm ya know.” He complained as she probed the metal shard.

“Oh? And what if I told you that you are going to lose this arm and that there is nothing I can do?” She joked with him in a slightly serious tone.

He laughed a bit and said “That's a good one, you are joking right?” She gave him her most serious stare and said nothing. He shifted uncomfortably as she remained silent for another moment before he asked again “Fuck, what happened? Is it really that bad?” She couldn't help herself, her feathers rose in amusement and she let out a warbling giggle that caused his face to go from fear to confusion before it settled on annoyance.

“Wait, you were just messing about? Damnit, don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” He whined a bit at her.

She just gave him her best equivalent of a smile and then went back to tending his shoulder. She felt him wince slightly as she stuck a small needle into the wound area, applying a human compatible painkiller. She waited for a minute for the nerves to deaden before she gripped the metal shard and gave it an experimental tug. He winced again but said nothing, so she pulled again, this time harder. The metal shard slid from his shoulder with a slight wet noise and she dropped the three inch piece of shrapnel to the deck with a clink.

The wound in his shoulder was really bleeding now and she asked “Here, press this bandage over the wound, yes heavy pressure. Your wound seems like it is mostly superficial, though I must admit I am not incredibly well versed in human biology or even medical practice.” She said with a bit of shame.

She tensed slightly as she felt one of the man’s powerful hands grip her shoulder. She looked up sharply into David’s face but saw no malice there. Only gratitude, and something else.

“It's fine, you did a fantastic job Leiah.” He said. The way he said her name made her heart flutter for some reason and she felt a bit faint for a moment before it passed. ‘What was that?’ She thought to herself briefly.

She gathered her thoughts and tried her best to sound unflustered as he removed his hand and she asked “Are there any other injuries I should look at?”

He hesitated a moment before looking down and saying “I have a cut on my leg that likely needs stitches, if you are willing.” He finished.

She paused at that, a single jab with a needle or removing a piece of shrapnel she could handle, but actively stabbing a needle and thread through his flesh over and over? She wasn't sure she could do it, she started to shiver a bit at the thought and was once more brought back to reality by a comforting hand, the warmth of his palm seeping through her feathers.

“You can do it, I trust you completely Leiah.” The man said to her, those piercing eyes sincere and his need apparent. She knew that he was in trouble and she was the only one around to help. She wanted to help.

Nodding she said “Yes. But first I need to finish up on your shoulder, remove the wadding please.” She looked at his shoulder as the bloody red rag was pulled away, the wound was deep but not wide and she sighed as she realized it would not need stitches. Opening the small bottle of green gel she scooped a small measure of it out with a sterile spoon and applied it to his shoulder.

Almost immediately David sighed as the medical properties of the substance at once numbed and disinfected the wound. The bottle was full of one of the wonders of the Unions medical sciences division, quickheal. The green, jelly like substance, was simultaneously a disinfectant, pain reliever, and healing accelerant all in one. Bruises faded in hours and even wounds that would have taken weeks to fully heal recovered in days with its use.

After applying a liberal amount of the goo to his wound she pulled out a small wrap of gauze and used some medical tape to cover the wound, the tear in his undershirt settling over the bandage. He jumped as she reached for his pants leg.

“Whoa hey, what are you doing?” he asked her.

She rolled her eyes and said “Well, do you want me to fix your leg or not?”

He just nodded and turned a bit red in the face, a strange color on his otherwise pale complexion. She reached over to his leg, there was a long gash on the side of his thigh, right next to his thigh armour, the soft plates of bullet resistant fabric having just missed catching the shrapnel. He watched her work silently as she pulled out her small canteen and used a bit of the water to wash the wound. After seeing it wasn't too deep she sighed in relief. He would likely be okay after all.

“Okay, I'm going… I'm going to sew you up.” she said with a bit of hesitation.

“I trust you, you will do great. Just uh, might want to numb it first.” he said with a small grin.

Leiah nodded at him and reached into her small medical pouch for another shot of human compatible painkillers. Good thing humans were affected by much the same things as many other species, it made treating them rather easy. That combined with humans natural resilience to physical damage and their ability to rapidly heal from almost anything made them very easy patients in comparison to some of the more fragile species of the Union.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She took the small needle and jabbed his leg next to the slightly oozing gash. He didn't even wince at the contact and she lifted a few feathers in amusement. After about thirty seconds she prodded his leg and asked “Did you feel that?”

“The needle? Yeah a little but it wasn't that bad.” he said quickly.

She sighed and said “No, not the needle, I just poked your leg, you didn't feel that? How about now?” she said as she proceeded to poke him again, a bit harder this time.

He shook his head with a grin and retorted “I didn't feel a thing, looks like you are good to go.” he must have noticed her hesitance because he tried to prop her up again as he said “It's going to be okay, just imagine it's dead leather.” somehow the comparison made her feel even more apprehensive, but she swallowed the feeling as she pressed on.

She paused, the small threaded needle hovering a millimeter above his skin, she had seen this performed before and could recall the technique almost exactly, but to actually do it herself. To knowingly mutilate his leg, even in the name of healing it. It brought shivers to her spine.

Glancing up at David’s face to make sure he was still smiling, she began her work. The needle resisted as she pushed it against the pale flesh of his thigh, but after slightly more pressure the curved needle slid into the meat of his leg before exiting nearby, a little too close to the edge of the gash for her liking. Stabilizing her hands through sheer force of will she continued. Imagine it's just leather, ignore the blood.

Pinpricks bright red like rubies falling to splatter against the ground below. She saw nothing but the silver glint of the needle passing through pale reddened flesh, the slight resistance as the thread was pulled through, the red meat of the gash mixed with the crimson of his blood. It stained her hands, the feathers around her wrists turning a dull reddish brown from the small splatters that landed there, but she didn't notice, focused as she was on the task at hand. Before she knew it she was tying off the last stitch, the thread snapping as she clipped it short. Lastly she applied some quickheal to the surface of the sealed wound and then bandaged it using the same method as before.

Standing straight and stepping back she looked at her hands, and sighed as she saw they were red with blood, human blood. David surprised her again by reaching for her hands. “Here, let me help you. It's the least I can do…” he muttered softly. She didn't protest as he poured some water over her hands and used a piece of sterile gauze to clean the worst of the blood off. It felt strangely intimate and she found her feathers rising in a new feeling she didn't want to admit, not at the moment. He didn't seem to notice her reaction which was good as it would have been a bit hard to explain away.

After he was finished she looked up into his eyes, now almost the same level as her as he was still sitting. “I could have done that myself, you know.” she tried to say heatedly, but it came out a bit softer than she would have liked.

He just gave her another one of those flat toothed smiles and said “Yeah, I notice you didn't try to get away, what does that say?” he prodded teasingly in that rough voice.

She was a bit taken aback, that was not the reaction she had been expecting from the man. She had expected him to react with that same gruff non committal attitude he had spent so long cultivating. Instead he seemed to be responding to her jibes with banter of his own. It was almost as if… ‘No he wouldn't be, would he?’ She wondered to herself. ‘No, there was no chance, was there?’ She argued with herself.

As she held those mental gymnastics in her mind, David stood to his feet and took a few experimental steps before turning to her and saying “Welp, we had better get going, wouldn't want to get too comfortable here huh?” He said to her with a wink.

She started, it seemed almost like he was flirting with her, her heart dared to hope as she nodded and remained silent.

***********

David watched the small avian woman curiously as she stood in front of him, her medical pouch opened on her chest harness and her black neck feathers raised in a peculiar manner. It wasn't an emotion he was immediately familiar with, but he had his suspicions. He stood to his feet slowly, slightly sore from sitting so still for a while before he took a few steps to make sure his leg was holding. It was, it seemed like Leiah was as excellent a seamstress as she was a marksman.

He once more looked at the small swanith, she looked so fragile in his eyes, but he knew looks could be deceiving. The fact that she had made it this far was testament to her toughness, many others would have succumbed to fear or despair by now, but not her. She stood there on her backwards jointed legs, tall and proud with her bright white plumage fluffed slightly over her chest and back. She was a remarkably pretty creature he remarked to himself before he could help it.

Shaking his head clear of such thoughts he said “Welp, we had better get going, wouldn't want to get too comfortable here huh?” And threw in a slight wink for fun. Her reaction was immediate and interesting in equal parts. She jerked slightly as if stung and that same pattern of feathers rose on her neck signaling a return of that emotion he had yet to parse.

She simply nodded and remained silent, he shrugged mentally. It would all work out in the end whatever happened, they needed to survive first. He turned and grabbed his trench coat, putting it on and then redonning his flamer backpack. As he picked up his flamer’s nozzle he saw Leiah was shifting from foot to foot nervously.

He asked her “What's wrong?”

She looked down as if embarrassed and stated “My gun was destroyed in the blast, I don't have a weapon. How will I help if we get into trouble?” She seemed quite distressed with her inability to help and he racked his brains for a moment before snapping his fingers as he came up with a solution.

Reaching to his side he upholstered his sidearm, it was a 3011 Pistol, the ancient design only slightly modified and built using modern materials. It fired a hefty 11.23x23 projectile, the stopping power strong enough to put down almost anything with a few center mass shots. He looked at the large gunmetal gray handgun for a moment before offering it to her while saying “Here, take this. I can’t use it and my Flamer at the same time anyways and you need a weapon.”

She hesitated before taking the pistol from him, she seemed surprised by its weight and looked at him questioningly as she asked “I have never fired one of your chemical projectile weapons before. I know they have strong recoil, may I fire a round to test?”

David nodded, it seemed like a justifiable expenditure of ammunition, better she got it over with now than when it came down to the wire later on. He watched as she lined up on a protruding light fixture that had stopped working, and she pulled the trigger.

Immediately a sharp bang followed by the sound of a heavy impact could be heard. She jerked back considerably, but not as badly as he had been expecting, she looked at him and he said “Might as well try another one, better to learn it now, and we would have already attracted attention if there were hostiles nearby.” she just nodded and tried again. This time when she pulled the trigger she was able to manage the recoil much more effectively and seemed to be pleased with herself.

“Wow, that has quite the kick to it, much more than I would have expected from such a small weapon.” she added on. He smiled at her and tossed her the belt that contained the spare magazines in it. She caught the belt deftly and began to clip it on over her chest like a bandolier causing him to laugh. The raspy sound made her look at him in concern but he just waved a hand and kept laughing for a minute.

Finally when he was in a fit state to speak he said “Hey you look like a wild west character from the holo’s. You got your ammo bandolier and gun, ready to mete out some justice to the wicked.” he finished with a slight wheeze that made his bruised body ache.

She puffed up slightly at his remark, the words seeming to embolden her a bit. “Really? I look like a human Cowman?” this caused him to burst out in another laughing fit. She gave him a hard look but said nothing as he regained his composure.

He wasn't sure why it was so funny to him, maybe it was just his body using the act to relieve the stress from their current situation, maybe he was just really tired, either way he was smiling widely now as he informed her “Cowboy, or Cowgirl if you would rather. Cowman is not correct, but its funny as fuck.” he said with another chuckle. “All joking aside, we should get moving, the Captain is still waiting on us to get them out, and we have already lost too much time. I will take the lead, five meter gap and if I yell down get to cover immediately, no questions asked.”

“I will.” she said with more determination than he personally felt. But if she could be strong then so could he. With a final look at the desolated area they had been in, he nodded and they began their trek down the hall, now a bit more cautious of traps.

They had made their way almost another two hundred meters when he began to hear low growling voices, it didn't sound like common, at least not like any variant of common he had ever heard. It was deep, savage and guttural as if spoken from bloody lips and raw throats.

Leiah heard it too and slowed her pace to a crawl to match his. He inched up and held his flamer nozzle low, the flickering pilot light hidden well around the corner from where he could hear the noise. As he peeked around the corner his gorge rose in disgust, in the middle of the next junction was a small group of Tearers, their skin raw and covered in totems and ritualistic mutilations. But that's not what caused his stomach to turn and his heart to harden. In the middle of the group was a campfire on which turned a roasting spit, a spit currently occupied by two bodies much too small to be full grown adults.

He pulled his head back around the corner lest the sight cause him to vomit. Leiah noticed his pallid demeanor and hissed “What is it, what did you see?” he just pursed his lips tightly and shook his head before screwing his eyes shut tightly. These monsters, no, these abominations had no right to exist. And he would personally see every one of them down to the great dark if he had any say about it, hell he would go with them if it meant they were guaranteed to suffer, Luck knew he had done terrible things in his life.

He opened his eyes, a new feeling of calm and resolute strength flowing through him. He looked at Leiah and said “Plan, cover me and take out any that try to escape. We go on my mark.” He gave her a grim smile as she nodded and he took a deep breath before letting it out, his muscles tensing.

He whispered “Three, two, one, MARK!” and whirled around the corner, the pilot light of his flamer hissing angrily as he applied his finger to the trigger. At the same time, Leiah hopped out of cover beside him and laid down precise gunfire at the more distant targets. The Tearers only had a single instant to react, a single moment to realize the awful mistake they had made.

A plume of violently bright flame spat from the nozzle of his weapon like the hand of Luck herself reaching out to the horrid figures to drag them screaming into the deep dark. Instantly half a dozen of the barbarians were ablaze, their pained and fearful screams bringing a smile of retribution to his lips. The fire reflected in his eyes and he walked implacably forwards, short bursts of flame melting fat from bone, turning flesh to seared char and burning skin to ash.

Beside him like a brilliant feathered angel of myth strode Leiah, the fire shining from her brilliantly white feathers making her seem to glow and her blood stained hands doling out death to the obscene figures before her. Her feathers were raised in a mixture of fear and delight, part of her relishing the death meted out on these abhorrent fallen beings.

There had to have been more than thirty of the foul cannibals in the camp, but the surprise of the attack coupled with the screams of their companions caused a panic that had them fleeing in all directions. A trio of them tried to rush him but he cut them down with a lash of searing chemical hatred that turned their legs to ruin and their lungs to molten fire. They died horribly, gagging on burned lungs that quickly drowned them in their own blood, the vile concoction foaming from their screaming mouths as they thrashed in torment before slowly falling still. Still he strode on, the heat singing his hair and making his face itch, but there would be no escape for any of the vile figures.

David stopped, his breathing ragged and harsh from the smoke in the air and the heat radiating from the guttering flames all around. He stood panting, assessing his handiwork. The camp was gone, cleansed in purifying fire. He turned to see Leiah standing further back from him, she saw him looking and gave a wave which he returned. He started back towards her, his heavy booted feet crushing the charred remains of dead Flesh Tearers underfoot as he finally reached her.

“Did any escape?” he asked in a voice a bit more ragged than usual.

In response she handed him her small canteen. He gratefully took it and sucked down a mouthful of the sweet lukewarm water as she answered. “No, there were a few runners, but I took care of them. This thing packs a hell of a slap in it. I hope you don't want it back because I'm keeping it.” she said teasingly.

He chuckled softly and handed her back the canteen switch she took a drink from as well, pouring the contents into her open beak. He watched interestedly as she opened her mouth wide. Seeing him watching she asked “What, what are you looking at?”

He pointed to his mouth and said, I knew that you had teeth, but I was curious if I could see them…” he finished a bit awkwardly. She giggled, a slight whistling sound mixed with a bit of a deeper huffing noise. In response she opened her beak and he saw the secondary jaws further in her mouth open and close a few times independent of her open beak. He said “Wow, that's so interesting. So they don't move or come out or anything like that?”

She clicked her beak closed, a bit taken aback as she said “Certainly not. Why would you ask such a strange question? Do yours do that?” she asked curiously while squinting into his face.

He shook his head and said “No, I was just curious, there's this old Holo vid, well. Never mind, it's not important right now, we should head out.” he finished and made to move off in the direction he had come from before realizing she wasn't following. He stopped and gave her a curious look as she shifted a bit uncomfortably.

“What’s the holdup, we need to move…” he said with a slightly impatient grumble.

She looked both ways before hopping in pace a bit before she seemed to come to a decision. “I uh, I don't have protective footwear like you do and the floor is rather hot over there.” she said, pointing to the still smoldering remains with a single finger.

“What, you want me to carry you?” he teased. Again that strange emotional display of feathers as she spluttered slightly. He chuckled and said “Fine, but only because you have my favorite gun and I don't want to lose it. Here one second.” he slung the nozzle of his flamer at his side making sure the pilot light was off and the trigger was locked. ‘Wouldn't do to immolate himself on accident.’ he thought wryly.

As he approached her she took a step back and he stopped “Do you want my help or not?” he said a bit exasperated by her hesitance.

She looked him up and down and said “Well, it's just that… I have. Well how do… Should I stay standing? Or… AAcckkkkK!” she chirped as he scooped her up into his arms without warning. She seemed to be stunned for a moment before looking into his face and blinking several times. She seemed to be on the verge of saying something but he just turned around and started walking over the steaming metal floor and smoldering corpses.