Leiah looked at the large man with some apprehension. She had placed the gun he had given her in the holster he had furnished, but she was unsure of the best method to accomplish this… task. Her feather mane fluttered slightly as she quieted some of her more intrusive inner thoughts. It was nothing, he was simply helping her cross unnavigable terrain, nothing more.

As he approached close she took a step back out of instinct, his predatory binocular stare fixed on her, not menacingly, but with a certain intensity that she was still a little uncomfortable with.

“Do you want my help or not?” he asked her in that deep grating voice. She found she couldn't come up with a coherent answer and as she was still stumbling over her words she let out a startled cry as he scooped her up without any apparent effort. She froze in shock. He had just grabbed her, sure she had asked, but it was still a surprise. She looked up into David’s face and saw his slightly bemused expression, he seemed to think the whole situation was funny. Well she would have something to say about that, but as she tried to think of something to say to him she realized that she couldn't bring herself to act angry. He was holding her so tenderly in his arms, her heart fluttered again as she realized that she was attracted to the rough human. This realization wasn't really a surprise to her, but to actually admit it to herself. She felt as though she should be ashamed or something, instead all she felt was excitement. What if he liked her back? What could that mean?

Her feathers warmed as David carried her over the smoldering battlefield. She looked up into his face again, marveling at his features. Those eyes, so sharp and yet they had a depth to them as if she could drown in them if she wasn't careful. He noticed her staring and raised a single eyebrow at her, the effect was comedic and she let out a quite warble of delight. He cracked a smile, and she almost jerked in surprise as she realized she felt no fear at all. The sight of a tooth filled maw and predator's eyes should have triggered a fear response, but she felt none.

She marveled at the feeling as her mane rose in that same emotion, she was enamored with this large human man, his gruff exterior hiding a deeply caring core. She could see it now as he carried her like a child to protect her from harm, she couldn't help herself, she let out a low throaty thrum.

“Whoa, what was that?” he asked her in a surprised tone as he walked.

If she had been able she would have blushed violently, instead her feathered mane rose in an expression of embarrassment and she turned her head away from him. “It was nothing, just some ash caught in my throat.” she lied to him. She couldn't tell if he had bought the explanation but he just hummed in response and remained silent.

Soon they were out of the scorched zone and she found herself being gently lowered to the ground, as she stood to her feet she glanced at David out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with a strange and unreadable expression. She didn't know enough about humans to understand it implicitly, but it seemed to be a thoughtful look. She decided that he would say something when he felt comfortable doing so and she turned back to him seeing that he snapped his eyes from her. She didn't comment on it as she wasn't sure what she should say anyways.

Instead she asked “Alright, we are almost there?”

He took a second to respond but said “Yes, the main living area is just down this last stretch of maintenance hall. Maybe another hundred meters or so. We aren't alone though, make sure you keep your eyes up and be ready for a fight.” he told her.

She gave a sharp nod and said “Lead the way, I will be right beside you David.” She added a bit of emphasis on his name and her feathers rose in pleasure as he smiled at her again and replied.

“I will Leiah, we have got this.” and with that final dialogue they began to move down the hall, vigilant for any sign of hostile action or traps.

**********

David’s mind was abuzz as he walked carefully along the narrow corridor towards the main living area. The object of his consternation stalked along just behind and to his side. Leiah was causing him a great deal of confusion, the small avian woman was fierce as any he had seen but seemed equally so delicate. She was a confusing mixture of ability and vulnerability that he found was garnering more and more of his personal interest. He tried to push the feeling down but found that the harder he tried to suppress it the more strongly it fought to be felt, he knew that if he accepted it however there would be no escaping it no matter the consequences. She seemed to be paying an interest in him, but was she in a similar vein or was she just grateful he was keeping her alive.

He didn't know what to do, he had dealt with women before, but they had been humans and at least had that common ground to stand on. How did one approach a swanith female that only came up to his chest? He knew that the swanith were a female dominant society, maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move? ‘Could it be that simple?’ he asked himself, he shook his head slightly to clear it, he needed to focus on the situation at hand. Survive first and then worry about potential emotional entanglements later.

The corridor came to an abrupt end, the station having a single blast door between the maintenance tunnel and the main living area. The door was currently open, signs of forced entry showing as deep gouges on the door frame. He ignited his pilot light instantly, the faint hiss causing Leiah to crouch in anticipation of a fight. He glanced down at her, she looked at him in turn. Her eyes were a deep gold with tiny flecks of deeper amber, captivating as they were he just nodded and peeked around the corner.

The coast seemed clear enough, and there was ample cover in the form of stacks of crates and boxes along much of the hall. If they met resistance he would be able to burn them out of cover before they could do anything to him or Leiah.

He double checked to make sure the coast was clear before turning and whispering “Okay, we need to be quiet. The closer we can get to the Captain the better the chances we pull this off.” She nodded silently, apparently having nothing to add.

David and Leiah moved out into the hall slowly, their target was close, only a few more halls away. He thought he could make out the faint crack of gunfire in the distance but it might have jus been his imagination. The living area was bare metal and exposed wiring, the cables snaking along the rusted steel walls like limp serpents. Every few meters the hall was lit by the flickering glow of overhead lighting strips. Some of the lights seemed to have gone out or been destroyed, likely in the Flesh Tearers assault on the base.

As they reached another intersection he froze as he heard footsteps, not the light clunk of booted feet, but the softer padding slap of bare soles. He motioned to cover and they moved into the shadow of some crates. It could have been one of the missing civilians, but after the brutality he had seen of the Tearers he doubted it.

He was sheltering in the cover of a large metal container, the comforting solidity of the cover making him a bit more confident in his situation. He had a larger issue however, he had no way of killing the creature silently. Sure his flamer wasnt that loud, but the screams of a burning savage would certainly carry a bit.

He sighed and whispered to Leiah “How's your ammo looking?”

She checked her slung ammo belt “I have three spare magazines still. And my weapon is mostly loaded as well.” She finished as she held the 3011 pistol at the ready.

He nodded and motioned for her to take his spot. “I know it's not exactly quiet, but I think the pistol will attract less attention to us than my flamer will. You ready?” He asked the small feathered woman.

Leiah’s feathers raised in a determined way and she replied “I am more than ready.” She pushed past him to the edge of the crate and he watched, hands ready on his flamer in case it was needed.

The footsteps grew louder followed by a strange dragging sound that he couldn't quite place. He watched in disgust as two of the foul monsters rounded the corner of the intersection dragging a bundle of cloth behind them. The left one, a tall human, seemed to realize something was off as he straightened. Before the cannibal could do anything their head snapped back, a red flower appearing on their forehead as the sound of Leiah’s handgun thundered in the confined space. The other, a slaaveth female, immediately tried to dodge out of the way but was struck twice by Leiah as she fired the 3011. She handled the recoil well, but the bucking of the powerful handgun still threw off her aim and the slaaveth shrieked in pain and anger. It seemed to decide to rush them and started to stand when another pair of shots put it down hard, purple blood leaking from the new holes in its body.

Leiah was breathing heavily and staring at the bodies as if shocked by what she had done, David felt he should say something. He spoke up, his rough voice crackling in the heated air. “That was well done, it's not easy to hit a fast moving target like that.”

He half expected her to rebuke the comment or say that she could have done better. Instead she reloaded the pistol quickly and holstered it before turning to look at him and said “Thank you David, that means a lot.” Her expressive neck feathers rose a little in an emotion he was becoming more familiar with. Her gold eyes met his and his mouth opened slightly as he lost his train of thought. Damn, she was tougher than she looked, she had put the two Tearers down like they had been diseased animals.

He clicked his mouth closed and nodded before motioning to move out, he thought he heard her whistle quietly behind him as they moved out of cover but he couldn't be sure. He stepped up to the bodies, his boots clunking softly on the bare metal floor, and saw that the bundle the two had been dragging was the partially dismembered corpse of an atraxses. He wanted to kill them all, to feel something other than the burning anger in his heart.

He moved past the remains, heading deeper into the colony. He heard a concerned sound from Leiah as they headed down the exposed hallway. The other hall had been loaded with cover, this walkway was almost entirely open, if they got caught out here they would have nowhere to shelter. But it was the shortest route to the Captain’s pinned position and key to his plan of attack. It would lead him to the rear of the enemy's position and should allow for a deadly first strike.

His thoughts were interrupted as a foul smell reached his nose, the smell of death. He tensed and halted, Leiah whistling in mild surprise as she bumped into his back. “What is it?” She asked quietly.

He took a moment to scan the hall in front of them before glancing at her over his shoulder and answering “It's death, and a lot of it. Be careful, I have a terrible feeling…”. He finished. She gave him a nod and they continued along the hall.

Up ahead a dozen meters he could see a large set of doors that were currently open, it was from these that the stench of death wafted, the stench strong enough to make his eyes water. He heard Leiah gag slightly behind him as her less sensitive sense of smell picked up on the toxic miasma. He motioned for her to hold back as he inched along the corroded metal wall to the edge of the open door. He peeked in and immediately regretted it as his vision was treated to corpses, dozens, maybe even over a hundred. That was the worst of it though, many of the dead had been butchered like cattle, their mutilated remains in piles by the walls.

He tore his horrified gaze from the carnage and looked for living bodies, seeing none he stood back into the hall and fell to his knees as the true horror of what he had seen crashed fully upon his mind. Men, women, children, all had been treated to the butcher's knife, their bodies horribly desecrated by the abominable hunger of the Flesh Tearers.

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He realised then that there were no colonists to save. They had all been culled like cattle, chopped up like so much meat for the Tearers to feast on. David’s vision swam and he could feel his grip on the situation slipping as his mind strained against the raw panic that threatened to shatter his consciousness into a cacophony of madness.

Suddenly he heard a noise seeming to come from impossibly far away. It seemed to be calling his name over and over, he squinted, trying to focus on the floor in front of him. He jerked as he felt something touch his head, flailing out with an arm he grazed something in front of him. Suddenly his head was gripped on both sides and jerked up. Surprised he didn't react instead focusing on the pair of golden eyes that now dominated his vision.

His mind swam slowly into clarity as the garbled voice resolved into Leiah talking to him. “C'mon David, I need you, I can't do this alone… I'm not strong enough on my own. Please. Come back.” He cocked his head slightly as the words penetrated the dark shroud that had enveloped his mind. Like a curtain being slowly drawn back her words quashed the panic and ushered in a new dawn of calm.

She seemed to notice that he was lucid again as she released his head and threw her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. “Oh thank the Infinite Soaring Sky, I thought you were lost!” She seemed to cry slightly in relief.

Now aware of the situation he realized her proximity to him, she was pressed close to him, her form soft due to the feathered covering of her body. He felt his face flush slightly as he was unsure as to what to do, should he embrace her in return, did he dare? ‘Fuck it, gotta take risks every now and then.’ He thought and wrapped his arms around her small form in return.

***********

Leiah was scared, she had seen David peak around the corner into the room that stank of dead things, she had watched in concern as his face drained of color and his eyes went glassy. That concern had quickly turned to worry and then fear as the powerful man slowly dropped to his knees, the nozzle of his flamer falling from nerveless fingers. She admitted to herself that she had panicked a bit as she tried to get him to snap out of it.

As his eyes had focused on her own and the color returned to his face she had felt so happy that she had let go of her reservations and had embraced the man. She realized what she had done moments after and panicked again as she tried to decide whether or not to release him. The decision was taken from her as she felt a pair of powerful arms wrap around her, immediately a feeling of intense calm washed over her. How could she feel anything else with the power in those arms, able to crush her, wrapped around her so tenderly.

She froze, not daring to move, not wanting to disturb him and have this moment end. She felt a sense of elation, her feathers fluttering as a series of complex emotions danced through her mind.

David sneezed and released her, as she moved back, a little startled, she saw him begin to laugh.

“Thanks Leiah… I uh. I'm sorry. I just…” He started as his eyes started to harden again, she poked him in the ribs with a taloned finger. The jab stirred him out of his grim ponderance and he looked at her again.

He was close, his face centimeters from hers. Her breath caught in her throat before she stood back from him and said “You are welcome, what… No, I don't want to know, we should leave this place.” she said implacably.

His face hardened at that, not the same flatness as before, but the hard lines of anger, rage even. She felt a slight shiver of fear as she saw the cruel look on his face, she knew it wasn't directed at her but she couldn't help but suck in a quick breath.

She watched as David stood to his full height, towering over her, he gripped his flamer nozzle in his hands and said “No, I won't leave them like that. I can do something to help though. I need to.” he said much quieter now. She raised a hand but he looked at her sharply and said “NO! Dont. I need to do this alone, I don't want you to see…” He shuddered.

She nodded silently, if it was really that bad, bad enough to put the man down, then what would have happened to her? She watched as he entered the room followed shortly after by the sound of his flamer firing jets of burning napalm. Soon the sickening smell of burning hair and flesh wafted from the room along with a vein of thick oily black smoke. David strode from the room a moment after, the pilot light of his weapon hissing slightly as a single drop of unburned fuel fell from the nozzle of the weapon.

As he exited the room to see her she saw his face turn from determination to surprise. She had only a moment to try and ask him what was wrong before he stepped forwards and shoved her to the side with a strong push. As surprised as she was, her blood turned cold as she heard the racking of a weapon and a savage snarl. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she hit the ground, David raised his flamer nozzle towards something she couldn't see. He was almost in position to unleash hell when another sound slammed through the hall, the roar of a large caliber firearm.

She watched in shocked horror as something struck David in the chest hard enough to throw him backwards into the wall behind him, his body crumpling to the floor as his momentum was stopped abruptly, the clang of his armoured backpack hitting the wall echoing in the confined space. She whipped her head to the space behind her and saw a single savage standing there. The human female holding an improvised weapon, the chimera shotgun’s barrel still smoking from its previous blast. Leiah knew she should have been afraid, she should have screeched in terror and tried to flee. But instead all she could feel was an intense burning hatred for this cursed barbarian standing triumphant in the hall, her body covered in ritual wounds and totems of gruesome design.

Leiah’s hands moved of their own accord, faster than she would have thought possible she unholstered David’s 3011 from her waist and lined it up on the Tearers body. A trio of concussive bangs and three bloody craters stitched their way up the monster's torso. The Tearer was thrown back by the impacts, their weapon falling from their grasp as they slammed into the metal floor.

Leiah wasn't done yet though, she stood to her feet, nothing broken thankfully. She walked slowly over to the gurgling creature, its dying eyes full of hatred and hunger. She raised the pistol and aimed it right between the savage’s eyes and said “You don't deserve such a mercy killing. But I'm not going to deny the satisfaction of putting you down myself, you scum.” and then she pulled the trigger, the woman's body jerked as her brain was mulched by the 11.43 millimeter bullet.

Leaving the bleeding body behind she rushed over to David's crumpled form. “Oh please no, Wingterror no…” she gasped as she reached him and kneeled beside him.

As she reached his side she heard him cough and groan. She grabbed a fistful of his coat and strained as she rolled him onto his back. His face was pained and he wheezed heavily as his eyes opened blurrily. “Oh David… Please be okay.” she thought she whispered to herself.

Apparently his ears were better than she thought as he focused on her face and cracked a smile. “It's nice to know you care. Son of a bitch, I think I definitely cracked a few ribs with that stunt.” he chuckled a bit which led to another coughing fit. She was unsure as to what to do, she knew that he had not punctured a lung as his breathing seemed steady, if a bit pained.

“Help me up please. We need to keep moving.” he groaned.

She looked him over before her mane rose in annoyance. “No, not until I have those ribs treated. If I remember correctly the best thing to do would be to apply quickheal and a loose wrapping till a more permanent fix can be applied.” he looked ready to protest before nodding reluctantly. He must have been in a great deal of pain to not even put up a cursory fight with her.

Leiah quickly started to pull out her small medical set when he asked, his voice a little rougher than usual “At least give me the gun so I can cover us. There could be more coming.”

The idea was sound and it wouldn't hinder her work very much so she nodded and gave him the gun and a spare magazine. He accepted the weapon gratefully and then sat there. She looked at him expectantly and he gave her a confused glance before asking “What?”

She shrugged her shoulders and said “I can't treat you with your armour on, take it off.”

She watched curiously as he grumbled and began to take off his heavy trench coat, after struggling for a minute he managed to get it off and then started on his armoured vest. The body armour was torn and ripped, but it had fulfilled its function in stopping the shoutgun’s projectiles from killing him.

As he dropped the damaged body armor to the side and started to pull off his undershirt she felt her feathers flutter a bit. His skin was smooth and the same pale color as his face, she could see thousands of tiny small hairs all over his chest and stomach. Underneath that his chest was smooth and she could see some of his muscle groups plainly under the thin covering of skin. Part of her was severely tempted to reach out and run her three fingered hands over his skin to see what it felt like, feel the firmness of his muscles, the warmth of his skin…

“Ahem.” David coughed lightly, grabbing her attention. Her dark mane of feathers fluttered in embarrassment as she realized she had been staring.

Quickly moving to her supplies she chose a small purple package and handed it to him saying “Here, these will help with the pain but wont numb you completely, that way you don't accidently make the injuries worse.” He accepted the small package gratefully and tore it open before quickly swallowing the small pills inside. They were multispecies pain killers and should work on him within the next fifteen minutes, until then, she would need to be careful.

“Tell it to me straight Doc. Am I gonna make it?” He joked to her.

Rolling her golden eyes at him she replied “No, and don't call me Doc, I'm barely qualified for this.”

He just gave her a sunny smile and leaned his head back. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to think of the best way to go about wrapping his ribs, she supposed she could simply use the last of her sterile gauze to do it. Yeah, that would probably work.

She pulled out the small container of greenish gel and opened the lid, immediately the smell of sterile antiseptic filled her nostrils and she resisted the urge to sneeze. She looked from the container to him and then back to the container before she said hesitantly “I'm going to need to uh, to spread this over the wound area.”

David looked at her and said “Alright, go for it.”

She hesitated again for a moment before saying “I don't have an applicator… I will have to use my hands.” She waited for his response.

David looked at her and raised an eyebrow before saying “I fail to see the problem.”

She shook her head, maybe humans didn't have the same concepts of personal space that many of her own people did. Touching another in this manner was considered to be impolite or worse without permission. The fact that part of her had wanted to run her hands over the man's chest already had no bearing on her decision.

Not wanting to delay any longer she took a generous helping of the green gel and started to spread it over David’s ribs, starting from the side and working over. She tried to maintain her composure as she marveled at the texture of his skin, the smoothness of it. It was nothing like the feathers, fur, or scales that most other species in the Union exhibited. Only the nerivith had similar skin, but theirs was a vibrant pink in coloration and slightly more rough. She knew this from a time she had the opportunity to shake the hand of one.

She heard him sigh as she spread the gel over his side, he must have been in considerable pain, the gel acting as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. As she finished on his side and started working over his chest her eyes were drawn to his pectoral muscles and the small nipples on them. She cocked her head slightly, pretty much all mammals had them, but she still found the idea strange. She resisted the urge to ask him about it and finished spreading the quickheal over his ribs before stepping back and grabbing the last roll of gauze from her kit.

She turned back to him to see him flick his gaze away from her as if he was embarrassed to be caught staring. She ignored it and motioned for him to lean forwards as she began gently wrapping the fabric around his ribs making sure to not make it too tight. He grumbled slightly as she worked but said nothing, as she finished and stepped back she asked seriously “How does it feel, it's not too tight is it?”

She watched as he stood to his feet slowly and made a few hesitant movements. He grinned widely showing those strange wedge teeth and said “It feels great oof, well, not great but a whole hell dark of a lot better. Thanks so much!” He finished as he reached down to pick up his shirt and body armour.

He handed her the 3011 as he stood back up, fumbling slowly with the garments as he put them back on. She held the gun ready, her ears straining for any indication of hostiles as David replaced the soft body armour plates.

“You need to be careful. I know humans are supposed to be durable, but even you must have a limit.” She said to him as he finally got his long trench coat back on. The weight of it settled around his shoulders and covered his injuries completely, the heavy fabric was scuffed and scarred but seemed to be in generally good condition nevertheless.

He simply chuckled and replied “Yes, and I think I passed it a while ago. I’m running on painkillers and sheer willpower now.” She felt her feathers flutter in response to his statement but said nothing, instead just watching the hall as David picked up his weapon once more.