FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 4

The door to the likely most familiar place in the city opened up widely, inviting him inside. The scent of medicine, sweat and blood invaded his sensitive nostrils. All things considered it wasn't a bad smell, the aroma the ointments were giving away cleaned the air as precisely as flying grey hair of a mop clean tiles of floor.

The definition of sterile has to be bend a little.

Perfection doesn't exist.

People looked his away, examined him from top to bottom, focused on the flowers and then turned their heads away. In a hospital people are used to see weirder things than a burning dragon with a bouquet of irises sticking out from his mouth.

The main hall was, bending the definition of noise, silent. People were sitting at the benches, waiting, others, very small number, were standing in a short line to only two desks with healers sitting behind them. Stretchers were in their usual spot, huddled in their corner, covered by white sheets, as if forgotten. Shelves nearly full, both with crystals and medicine.

Seems like people don't need much help.

Or they are unable to scream for it.

Flare blinked and with a smile made his way to one of the lines, consisting of only two people, formed at one of the desks.

He didn't wait long for his turn.

With his head protruding slightly above the desk he had no troubles to gently release the flowers on the wooden surface. As much as he hated to admit it the flowers were really sucking out all of his saliva and were starting to become really uncomfortable after all this carrying. More than once he felt like they would slip out from his mouth.

"Hello" he greeted the healer in a friendly manner, licking his dry lips and softly smacking, drawing as much saliva into his mouth as he possibly could.

The cheetah sitting ahead of him was a young girl with loosely flowing medical gown, material of which was strained on her chest. Responsible for that was a pair of perfectly round, tantalizing mounds on her chest. Just a little bigger than his paw.

He was perfectly aware of his rather dysfunctional intellect, of his lousy understanding of the world, of all its quirks and humors. He was aware that there was still a lot he has to learn.

As a male however he had the benefit of perceiving the world with two heads and as the unheard story by him goes, every guy relies on the support of the other one probably more times than he is aware of.

Fate, Luck or whatever other force however made him perfectly aware of what he is doing and which head is actually doing the thinking. It wasn't his fault that the desk was so low and his head rose just above it, eyes coming in direct contact with supple breasts.

It wasn't his fault that he couldn't get his eyes of them at first glance.

It wasn't his fault that for a moment he desired to touch them.

It wasn't his fault that he wished to be sick.

It wasn't his fault that he exactly knew what healer is capable of helping him.

Many things weren't his fault.

You can't fight with natural urges after all.

"Hi there" the girl responded cheerfully

He raised his eyes discretely, just in time to notice the girl's sweet smile.

"Are those for me?" she clapped her hands together with a gasp of fake shock "I must warn you however that they won't get you into any medical stash where we keep our best stuff"

"They are not for you"

"Ouch!" she squeaked, pressing her hand to the heart with a giggle "Right in the heart, that stung a little I must admit"

Flare blinked cluelessly.

"What did?"

The girl giggled.

"The way you shot me down with your polite defensiveness"

He tapped his mouth several times, checking if he didn't spit flames accidentally while looking his body over at the same time.

"I don't think I shot anything at you" he turned around innocently "If I did then I'm sorry"

The girl's smile dimmed a little, brown eyes lost their happy shimmer. She folded her arms under her breasts, claws tapping at the elbows. Thinking. Evaluating if she isn't a victim of some rude, mocking game.

The drake stared right back at her, confused by the sudden silence.

"If I somehow made you feel uncomfortable I apologize. I didn't mean for it to happen"

The beaming smile returned to the young feline's face, as a rather open to people aspiring healer she had a nose for deception.

An important and valuable trait in this sort of business.

A silent, precise observation of the young drake allowed her to come to a conclusion that such naïve, somewhat cute, obliviousness cannot be faked.

In this sort of business you meet all sorts of people. This is a hospital after all, minds are as rich in details as there are diversities in injuries. Not being able to deal with them, or try to learn more about them, labels your title of a healer as useless. Making all the time you spent on getting here as purposeless as a bloodied bandage thrown into the trash bin.

She waved her hand dismissively with a giggle.

"Oh no! No such thing! My attention seeking nature sometimes gets ahead of me"

She once more presented that perfectly white, razor sharp, beautiful smile. If she only offered he would probably buy whatever medicine she talked about. It didn't matter that he had no ways of paying her, or that he didn't have any injuries. Both he would magically acquire if she only said a word.

"So how may I help you?" she asked sweetly

"You can't help me"

Her mouth parted, about to scold her by releasing a happy laughter for her poor choice of words.

Wrong company baby, blunt approach required.

And yet, strangely, her voice died somewhere deep in her throat. All she did was to swallow a huge lump of saliva, a visible bulge stretching the inside walls of her neck.

She started to rub the furry track that the ball of saliva recently traveled, massaging from the outside the sore aftertaste it left behind. One or two of her fingers shook slightly.

It was just another clueless response, shrouded by basic understanding of a simple draconic mind. Supposedly nothing special and yet her sensitive heart was stung by a spike of pity and helplessness. At the back of her mind, deep down below the folds of brain, in canals between tightly knitted nets of neurons she heard a scratching, forming only one question.

Is there anyone who can?

"Do you want something from me?" she asked, hardly hearing her own voice

"I was wondering if I could ask you something"

The hand rubbing her neck returned to the one resting in her lap. She presented her charming, young smile.

"Of course. Offering assistance is my job"

Flare smiled gratefully, eyes sparkled with joy.

"I'm looking for a friend"

"Oooh a friend you say?" she grinned slyly "You must really like that friend to decide to bring a whole garden of beautiful flowers with you"

He nodded.

"I really like her, she's really nice"

The girl reached down just to drop a big ledger on top of her desk moments later. She opened it with a somewhat jealous glimmer in her eyes.

"Let's see if we can find the lucky girl. What's her name? You better hope that she isn't on our little no visitor list"

"Iris"

The cheetah's ears flickered, she rose her gaze from the book, looking at him with disbelief, one brow risen in surprise.

"Could you repeat that?"

"Iris. Pretty blue dragoness with fluffy wings"

The girl stared at him in complete silence.

He started to become nervous.

"Miss?"

The healer shook her head, returning from her little trance.

"I'm sorry. I simply wasn't expecting nice and_friend_ accompanying that name. People are visiting her rarely, actually there were only two guys that came here to check on her. One was a family member from what I heard and the other..."

Her voice trailed off, eyes suddenly widened, huge balls that were her eyes filled practically the whole eyelids.

"Wait a minute..." she gasped faintly, pointing a claw at him "I know you!"

Flare's claws instinctively curled into little hooks, scratching the floor under his paws. Heart skipped a beat, flaming limbs pulsed with brighter light.

"You are the guy she vomited on!"

He let out a strained sigh, muscles relaxing in the same time his heart returned to work.

"Yeah"

She folded her arms, nostrils flaring in irritation.

"I hope you know that what she did is hardly considered as a sign of friendship"

"I know, but-"

"There are no buts about it" she cut him off softly and sternly at the same time as if her voice would be a sharp knife that twisted around just in time to graze a falling feather

"You seem like a nice guy to me who has a crush on the wrong girl. You are the only one who gave her any real attention which she didn't appreciate. Even that old dragon stays away from her and he's family. That should be enough to form a picture...I mean...enough of a hint showing just how vile that girl is"

"Hey!" he snarled "Don't talk about Iris like that! You don't know her!"

The girl's ears flattened on her skull in shame.

"I'm sorry. It's just that my job is about offering assistance and helping people, preventing them from getting hurt if that's possible. Believe me when I tell you that you will experience a lot of pain from a gal like her. I've grown around and met girls like her, they are ugly from the inside. They will use you, toy with you and then simply throw you away like garbage. Some girls are like that"

"I don't care what you think" he said bluntly "I want to see Iris. Don't worry about me, I have a high tolerance for pain"

She sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Guys always play tough, in truth however you are more fragile than a wooden stick"

"Maybe some guys like playing tough, I don't. If I would act I would be dead already"

With a discouraged shake of her head she leaned over the ledger "Whatever you say"

She began flipping through the pages, ten seconds later her hand stopped and eyes narrowed on the book. Her feline orbs shifted at the bouquet of flowers, lingered there for a second and then finally focused on him.

"Are you certain you won't reconsider your course of action? It will be a great shame if these pretty flowers would get ruined by an ungrateful girl"

"Just tell me please where can I find her"

The confidence in his voice tied her hands. She sighed.

"Hall on my right, on second intersection turn left, last door on the left wall, near the window"

"Thank you" he grabbed the flowers and instantly began his march into the pointed corridor

"Good luck. Something tells me you're going to need more of it than the whole world combined"

*

His step was lively as he followed the directions, almost bouncy, just like he would be walking across a stream of a lake filled with floating rocks on its surface. Absolutely nothing bothered his thoughts, it was a day like any other day, except that today he is going to visit his friend.

Not to mention that he got directions without much problems. Last time he was here he had to beg the healers to let him in. More than once actually. No matter, this time he got in without problems, that meant Iris is getting better.

Things are really looking up.

He found the window the young girl spoke of, even without her metaphorical arrows he would knew where to find his friend if he would walk into this corridor. Even through the sterile touch of the hospital and all the ingredients used to clean it he recognized her scent.

It was faint, by now mostly combined with the smell of the hospital, nearly impossible to trace for anyone without the intention of finding her. She undoubtedly bathed after their last encounter, the scent of travel, blood and grime combined with the solely reserved for figures of authority, gentle yet dominant smell of metallic jewelry and saliva, a trace of which was always left after excessive grooming and taking care of your scales, that was so characteristic at their first meeting and more or less on every other one, was gone.

The air in that particular hall was enveloped only with the hint of the latter. The smell that now conquered this piece of air was that of flowers. When he sniffed, he became certain that the fragrance she used for bathing was obtained from the very sat now holding in his mouth.

He was holding on those flowers for so long now that he couldn't mistake the scent they were giving away for anything else.

Iris bathed in irises.

Iris smelled of irises.

Those thoughts made him laugh, he had no idea why, it just sounded sooo silly. It was almost as silly as listening to Diazen's talking about wondrous, magical things that he learns about by spending all nights on determined book reading and then catching him later one evening on snoring loudly with nose stuck in the opened pages.

He laughed again, the flowers bounced in his mouth, nearly slipping from his toothy grasp. He kept thinking about Iris, about Diazen, about the amusing silly thing for which he couldn't find a name. He thought about smell in general and remembered the scent of fire.

Remembered how Diazen, the supposed master of the Fire element, learning to breathe first streams of flame and then scuttling away in panic at the first, loud cracking noise of an exploding fireball.

The laughter turned into a barely audible chuckling.

He remembered Diazen swearing his friendship to him and then beating him into unconsciousness that took nearly all the next day to wake up from and a day more to finally see the world when his swollen eyes eventually managed to open themselves.

He no longer laughed.

He remembered himself, his promise to never hurt those he cares about, remembered Diazen's words that warned him gently, told him to behave, be nice and he will live a long life. And then he remembered nearly killing Diazen in the pit, an act that sentenced him to death.

He shook his head fiercely.

That was the past. He has a clean slate now.

His eyes shifted upwards, spotting the trail of his burning mane. It was sparkling with hungry, fiery light.

"Do you now?" it seemed to ask

He took a deep breath, the smell of flowers filled his nostrils, reminding him why he is here.

He lively pushed forward, steps full of purpose and lightheartedness. He caught his heart on working on a slightly quicker pace. Legs became a little heavier as if he would be walking across muddy ground. He also kept stopping in the space that separated the doors to all those rooms, his right paw always jerked up, towards his mane, rearranging it, absolutely never getting a satisfying result which he always tried to corrected until he ran out of time.

His eyes widened when he noticed a light from a lamp stretching across the floor.

Last door are opened.

The smell of irises was strong here.

Flare stopped at the edge of the door frame, just before he stepped into the light, all the time keeping his claws as close to the floor as possible, minimalizing the clicking sound. He took a deep breath, heart skipped a beat or two, paw once again and for the final time rearranged the mane on top of his head.

He didn't move however, legs remained exactly where they were. Neck was the only part of his body that heard the brain's orders. His head moved slowly, like a hunting snake through the tall grass. Light touched his nose first, climbing up his snout until they reached his eyes, eyes that looked inside the room.

His yellow eyes dilated, teeth slightly chewed on the flowers.

She was there.

He didn't expect anything else and yet he was still surprised to see her.

And so happy to see her.

Iris was sitting on the bed, back facing him, she wasn't sitting completely straight. Her body was slightly turned to the side, just enough for him to notice the left profile of her pretty snout basking in the light of the lamp and fading sun.

It made her look so much cuter, gentler, the light seemed to soften every touch of cold indifference and hateful roughness. She looked younger, like a girl that is just about to enter the adult world and inherit all the duties of her royal blood.

Authority that was seen even in this caressed by light soft snout. This time however it wasn't the sort of power that made you recoil back in fear that this wrathful diamond eyes will look at you and punish you for disobedience, or simply because they wanted to.

This time the power pulled you closer, not harshly, but gently tugging at your horn, giving you a choice. And you followed that power, because you respected it, loved it and cared for it. Not wanting to let go of it, because if you would, a part of you would rot away.

She reminded him of a princess Volteer read him about once. It was then when his rather silent craving for drama, mischievous plotting and mystery died. That one time he hoped that the assassins that were after the young and beautiful princess would fail.

Volteer didn't finish the story, something interrupted them if he remembered right, it had something to do with fire and his excitement. He never got to the ending, didn't know if the assassins were successful or not.

He no longer cared.

He could see the princess right in front of him. That's the ending he dreamed of.

Her head was lowered, looking at something in her slightly risen paw. From this position he couldn't see what it was, he didn't really care anyway. He was completely enthralled by the tender look on her snout, by the white circle around her left eye, by the way it emphasized the magical spark her diamond orb pulsed with when the eyelid dreamily heaved up and down as if fighting the impossible fight with weariness.

He could feel that special power radiating from her, it filled him with exciting, thrilling energy. Cynder called it inspiration, maybe, he didn't know if that's the right name. All he knew is that if he could write, he would write a book and if he would need to describe beauty or purity all he would need to think of was Iris.

She was humming, quietly, but in this somewhat magical moment he could hear her muffled voice. Her enticing, muffled voice, singing a song only for her soul to hear, he could only listen to the melody. And it was a pretty one, a slow one, a charming one. It was lulling him to sleep, accompanied by flashing images of sparkling white eyes and gentle blue snout.

In this very moment he could-

His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden gasp escaping his throat. He woke just in time to prevent himself from falling on the floor, nose first. He only barely managed to pull himself up, his legs were shaking like crazy, just like they would forget what they were responsible for and fell asleep for a moment.

They were numb, as if something sucked all the strength from them. He could clearly see thanks to the bright light how they struggled to keep his body above the ground. How wildly they shook as they slowly straightened up.

In the light-

His eyes widened, he hectically looked around the floor, almost in panic realizing that he was no longer hiding behind the corner with only his snout grazed by the light. He was completely enveloped by it now, standing in the room, slightly ahead and to the left of the doorstep.

He was inside the room.

How did he get here?

He gulped, the answer for that question was unimportant, the discovery that he was no longer safely hidden took all his concentration.

He looked up nervously.

Meeting a pair of piercing, diamond eyes staring at him from the bed.

Not even in the slightest happy by his visit. Something that they didn't even try to hide.

"H-h-h-hi I-I-Iris" Flare stammered, flowers shook in his mouth as if electrocuted

"I'm not surprised to see that the ability to knock is beyond your idiotic peanut of a brain to comprehend" her rich, accented voice filled the room, one paw slid under the sheets

He didn't turn around to look behind his shoulder, his eyes remained stuck on her. The light and the position above the ground that she currently occupied allowed to emphasize every curve and edge of her slick body. He caught himself admiring her figure, but it was not her grace that really drew his attention.

It was her snout and voice, cold as always, aggressive as always, proud as always, disdainful as always. It looked like she was back to her normal, hateful self and yet, his...something that was tuned for sensing the special noticed hints of softness that he noticed when he laid his eyes on her today, pushing weakly through.

"The door were opened" he replied, only when the words left his mouth he realized that he said something

"This doesn't mean, moron, that you were permitted to barge into my room and spread your filth around"

"Then why do you keep the door open if you don't want people visiting you?" he dropped the flowers on the nearby small table

"I'm not going to explain myself to idiots like you"

Flare rolled his eyes "Whatever" he smiled "You changed, Iris"

"And you are the same cretin you always were. Now that the pleasantries are over" she pointed at the opened door "Get lost"

"One day you're going to regret that you treated your only friend this way"

"The only things I'll ever regret is that you're still alive and that the damn door open to the outside"

She rose on all fours, looking down on him from the elevation that was the bed, looking intimidating and powerful. He's been around many similar to her, sometimes he himself done the same thing, used every opportunity to make himself look more threatening.

Was that what they call instinct?

"For the last time Dynamite" her voice cracked like shards of ice "I am not your friend"

Flare looked straight into her eyes.

"Act tough and powerful all you want, you won't scare me. I care about you and I'm going to help you, no matter how hard you will try to push me away"

"Care about me?" she snarled, nose wrinkled as if she would smell something really disgusting "I don't need your fucking attention, you are nothing to me and will always be a bug worthy only of my spit. You make me sick, to the point that I no longer need bread to throw up"

Diamond eyes narrowed themselves on him, he could feel their arrogant, cold aura stretching along his body like a cloak.

"I don't need your pity and your help. Leave me alone or you will regret it. This time it will be far more unpleasant than vomit"

"Look Iris" he impulsively stepped forward, not really knowing why he wanted to approach her in the first place

He didn't really have to think about that since he only managed to make three steps towards her and stop. He took a whiff of her beautiful scent, eyes traveled from the bottom of her slender legs and up her blue and white body, taking into notice every gold bracelet and strange crystal. His pupils kept on moving until they more met her diamond eyes staring at him from above.

She was absolutely dazzling from up close.

It was not her beauty that overwhelmed him and made him stop. It was something about the aura, the invisible cocoon around her that cracked like frozen whips. Her eyes, her aura, it dared him to come closer, provoked him, perhaps even begged him for challenge.

Part of him wanted to break that invisible shield and claim whatever there was to claim on the other side. He felt like he would win somehow, victory that would feel sweet for a while and then turn bitter forever.

He felt that this was his only and last chance for something like that to happen.

He didn't move.

The other part of him, the one that he listened to, ordered him to stay, accept defeat, let opportunity slip past. Keep the shield intact and allow it to beat him, do whatever it wants with him.

Not a happy alternative and yet somehow it felt right. Like he was doing what a true friend would do.

That was enough for him.

"You don't have to insult and threat me all the time. I've told you already that it doesn't work on me and right now you don't have the strength to kick me out. So let's talk for a while and I'll leave you alone after that. Promise"

"I'm gaining my powers back" she hissed

"I know. I can feel it"

"And when I'll recover you will feel what pain is" she said, he felt her freezing breath on his snout, it stung his scales "I won't tolerate this impudence"

"You can beat me as long as you want. I'm used to the pain"

"I don't have to wound you to make you bleed"

His eyes widened, he felt a strong sting piercing his heart that made the world blurry and for a moment making him feel ill and at the brink of losing consciousness. The dragoness in front of him was no longer the girl being tormented by hateful disgust and buried grace.

The girl ahead was an embodiment of suffering, so toxic that he felt it spreading across his very soul. She was beautiful still, but this beauty he witnessed now made his heart stop and it was not because he was charmed by it.

He momentarily remembered a story about demons and their promises of despair that Volteer once read to him.

She was like one of those demons now.

The aura surrounding her was difficult to bare, words cut like the sharpest of claws, body threatening to rip every scale to shreds if he would only touch it, eyes draining away his life force. And spread intimidatingly wings that no longer were feathered, but covered with sharp spikes, ready to embrace and squish him, bleeding him dry.

Her words were like the promise of a demon.

He was completely terrified of her.

He wanted to run, partially needed to run, feeling that this is his chance to perhaps avoid the wrath. At the same time however he felt that if he would leave this room the door would close behind him and no amount of strength would pry them open.

He remained still, blinked and when his eyes opened he once again had the same pretty girl in front of him.

The strange feeling was gone.

In that moment he decided to put the books away for a while, they are messing with his head way too much.

Spyro was undoubtedly right when he said that books are only fiction.

Purple dragons know many things. He had to be telling the truth. He couldn't be wrong.

...right?

"I..." he mumbled, voice whizzing from his mouth with the intensity of a hatchling's first attempt of fire breathing

He lowered his head, not having the strength anymore to counter her stare.

"...have a present for you" he muttered and swiftly turned around, looking at the wild bouquet on the table

"I've brought you flowers" with a shy smile he turned once more towards his head

His head jerked back slightly when he noticed her lying on the bed, no longer towering above him. He couldn't really explain it, but the way she lied on her belly, with her snout being nearly at the same level his own was, made him extremely happy.

"What is that?" she asked, staring at the bouquet like it would be the most strangest thing in the whole world she had ever seen.

Just like she would notice them for the first time.

He cocked his head "You don't know? They are called irises" he explained, slightly disappointed

"I know what kind of flowers these are you moron" she said, her voice cold and taunting as always

Yet this time, he wasn't entirely sure if he was right, he heard the special noise he was tuned to singing louder than ever. Uninterrupted.

Her eyes never left the flowers.

"Then I don't understand what you want"

"Why did you bring them here"

He was left dumbfounded for a moment.

That didn't sound like a question at all, it was like she was accusing and blaming him. He had no idea why.

He noticed one of her paws patting at the sheets as if looking for something.

"I wanted to...give you...a...gift?" he mumbled with a wince of uncertainty, waiting if what he came up with was a good answer or not

He never received the response.

An awkward silence befallen on the room during which his confused eyes jumped between his friend, who paid him no attention, and the flowers.

"Soooo..." he cleared his throat "I'm no expert, but I found those flowers stuck in the ground so I think they should be shoved into something. Do you want to stick them somewhere?"

It was then when he noticed her blink, all paws returned back to their normal places, diamond eyes turned toward him. He looked into them and by some unexplained feeling understood that she perfectly knew where to stick them.

He didn't knew what she had in mind, but strangely his rump started to itch annoyingly and his tail curled in between his legs.

Whatever she was thinking about he was sure that he didn't like it.

"I don't like them"

The words pulled him back from his little, confused state. They felt and hurt him just like the countless punches that dragged him from embrace of sleep.

"What?"

"They are ugly"

He frowned, irritated.

"Ugly? They are as beautiful as you!"

"Your opinion doesn't interest anyone" she snarled "I want them gone"

His burning body flared up with brighter flames. He was getting angry, it was strange, but at the same time he did nothing to justify his reaction, it felt natural. He didn't become annoyed because she disliked his present, something he expected her to do. It was the way she disliked it.

Disliked herself.

What does the flowers represent if not her? Even someone so stupid like him can see this?

Disliked herself.

This is it. This is what makes him angry. She's offending herself, for some unexplained reason this was making him furious.

Does his promise to protect his friends has anything to do with his anger?

Maybe.

Does he feel like someone is offending his friend?

Maybe.

Does her stubbornness to unconsciously hurt herself has anything to do with it?

Maybe.

Does her deliberate actions to dive deeper into the cave while he offers her a helping paw make him angry?

Maybe.

Does his irritation has no sense?

Maybe.

There are a lot of maybes and truthfully none will help here. He was angry and it felt right to be angry in this situation.

"How can you not like those flowers?!" he growled, waving his paw sharply at the flowers, fiery sparks shot from his claw tips

Iris pulled herself up again, straining her muscles. Layers of ice appeared on the wooden surface of the bed.

"I don't care for your ego, if you value your worthless hide I advise that you change your tone. Quickly"

"Do you really hate yourself so much?!" he yelled at her

"Don't pretend that you understand me"

"You think you're the smartest don't you? Well guess what! I'm not pretending because I know you! You're trapped like I was! You are like me!"

The room grew colder.

"Don't insult me by comparing me to yourself filth"

He rolled his eyes with a groan of angry irritation.

"All the time with the mockery and insults. Accept my help! That is no weakness!"

"I don't need help from a worm like you"

"You think you're the only one with problems?! Well you aren't! And you better appreciate my offer to help you!"

Iris narrowed her eyes on him, they sparkled with murderous intent.

"Or what?"

He swallowed, wings that flicked wildly folded on his back, every burning part of his body calmed itself and ceased its uncontrollable spark spitting.

"Or you will end up like me" he muttered sadly "You'll become a heartless monster with no conscience. I'm sure you heard about that explosion that killed the whole family, I did that. I killed them all and I smile and laugh like nothing happened, I sleep as deeply as always. You're not ugly Iris, you won't be if you just won't allow it"

"You make me sick you fucking weakling" she responded automatically

He winced, the insult didn't hurt, realization that his effort was fruitless caused the pain.

"I'm not going to listen to advice given by a idiot who can't tell the difference between a snake and a tail. And as hell I won't listen to your crying, you need a shoulder then find that black bitch of yours. Get out of my sight you miserable excuse for a male before I rip your head of, you are straining my patience"

He frowned, her words instead of discouraging him, motivated him even further. He won't abandon his friends.

"Come on Iris!" he snapped, jumping near the table with the flowers "You can do it!"

Her diamond gaze followed him, room became even more cold than before, to the point that his burning body parts started to hiss, fighting of the layers of frost appearing on them.

"Warning time is over"

He ignored her malicious hiss, he won't give up. Not again.

"Look at those flowers Iris, they are you!" he shook the bouquet slightly "You smell like them, you are named after them!" he dived his paw into the flowers, removing one with a purple top "This one for example, it represents royalty and respect, it represents you" he threw the flower back onto the pile, picking another of with the a different color "White. That's purity and innocence. Both-"

Words literally froze on his tongue.

His scales were stung by a nearly searing, cold touch, yet it wasn't him that was the target of the elemental breath. It was the bouquet of flowers.

He watched in horror when with a gentle cracking sound they were being covered by a block of ice, petals dying and losing colors even before they were trapped within the icy prison. He blinked impulsively, tears filled the corners of his eyes as he stared at the growing block with hurting heart just like a sadistic assassin would be stabbing it unendingly with his rusted dagger.

There was another waft of elemental energy.

Something small struck the block sharply and went right through it before smashing on the wall. It left an icy trail behind it that went even right through the two small holes on both sides of the block. It flopped down on the edges of the holes, dripping slowly droplets of melted ice were clearly making a visible trail along its transparent and misty surface.

He immediately thought of a bleeding soul.

In that very moment time seemed to slow down, shrouded by an impenetrable silence. During this moment that felt like an eternity he couldn't get his eyes of the block of ice.

Nothing happened at first, after a while he noticed thin lines of cracks appearing and spreading through the icy prison like a spider web. Every part of his being screamed at him, realizing what is going to happen.

Yet he remained staring at the breaking ice, closing his eyes, silently praying for nothing to happen.

The block exploded with a shrill sound, icy shards that were once pretty flowers were sent flying in every direction. Wind and spikes cut into his scales, crashed against the walls and furniture.

He opened his eyes, feeling a sudden sucking void in his gut. The table was empty, nothing remained of the bouquet he painfully gathered. As he stared at the ice covered table he felt embarrassed, devastated and defeated.

Hopeless.

Feeling so familiar, so ugly that it made him want to scream and cry at the same time.

"What did you do?" he mumbled, voice wavered as emotions began to boil into a roar

He leapt towards the bed.

"WHAT DID YOU-" his roar was abruptly ended when claws sliced at his cheek, throwing his head to the side, eyes wide from shock

She slashed him across that insolent, stupid mug, feeling nothing but hate for absolutely everything. Claws dug deep into his cheek, slapping his head to the side, tearing considerable chunks of flesh. Blood soaked her claws and splashed on the walls, creating crimson splatters on the sterile surroundings.

Droplets of hot blood splattered on her snout.

She jumped from the bed, slamming her body into the idiot, pushing him away. He bounced on his legs, but remained standing.

It made her furious.

With a murderous growl she sprang at the cretin, sinking her teeth deep into his shoulder. The taste of his blood and flesh filled her mouth, the pressure of her teeth crushed a bone.

He didn't utter even the tiniest of sounds.

His flesh and blood had the taste of hate.

She jerked her head fiercely to the side, using body and wings for additional strength. She released her grip on the red shoulder. Teeth dragging blood and flesh.

She threw him into the middle of the room, he bounced and shook on all his legs, but remained standing. Directing his tear filled eyes directly at her, the trail they left as they slid down his bloody snout was clearly visible.

She roared, blare fueled with hate and rammed into him, horns first.

They pierced soft structure, right where there should be joints connecting wings to body. Something hot covered her bull like horns. She jerked her head upward, using muscles and strength that no amount of adrenaline could counter she lifted the pitiful male from the ground and with another powerful jerk, using whatever source that gave her power she withdrew her horns sharply.

He finally dropped on the ground, back first, fiery, pierced wings with two gaping holes sprawled on the floor.

She jumped on him, claws on her left hind leg impaling into his thigh, tail wrapping around a red one in a suffocating embrace. Left front paw dived into his chest, right next to the crystal. Other set of claws slashed at the already wounded side of his snout. Deepening and creating more injuries.

Blood was everywhere.

With a growl she opened her blood filled mouth, droplets of the crimson liquid and saliva dripped from her fangs. She bit into his neckline, next to the uninjured shoulder, the only thing that prevented her from ripping his throat out was his paw that he put in between his vulnerable veins and teeth.

His claws cut the inside of her cheeks, more bones crushed under the pressure.

The pain made her even more hateful, she was no longer able what exactly made her so mad.

"You will know what agony is!" she cried out as she pulled her head from the bloody clinch

Blood completely covered her chin.

"I'm not going to fight back"

She heard the soft voice.

She hated it for hearing it.

She hated the one who said them.

She hated herself for listening to them.

One set of claws dug deep into the wounds of the previously wounded shoulder, she could feel muscles pulsing around her natural blades.

Other one slashed across the orange chest and underbelly two times, blood splashed on the white underside of her body. Claws sunk into his chest, on the other side of the crystal, her eyes followed them as they dug into the scales.

On the way down her claws scratched the surface of the gem, it pulsed brightly, a light that gained on intensity when her claws scratched deep within his flesh.

His whole body arched upwards and a gasp escaped his throat as if he was drawing his last breath.

She hated the sound, but at the same time it excited her, filled her with a numbing sense of accomplishment that all of this will be over soon.

It will finally be over.

Claws pushed away from his shoulder, bloody paw forcefully pressed against the red chin and pushed it up powerfully just to tilt it to the side later. Something snapped in the neck, her move exposed it completely.

Her eyes pulled up from the crystal, mouth opened, tongue slightly rolled out from her mouth.

Her head remained in place, snout paralyzed in a grotesque image of horror. Blood was dripping from her sharp teeth and from the tip of her hanging tongue. Blood was also smeared all around her mouth and flowing down from her chin in long streams of red colored saliva.

Her absent eyes were staring at the red snout.

Specifically at the unharmed flower of a white iris stuck to the uninjured part of the red snout, through petals of which a yellow eye was watching her.

Purity and innocence.

She looked to the side, at the bed, a soft blue light seemed to pulse from underneath the sheets, as if a precious and new sapphire would be hiding beneath.

Purity and innocence.

Her gaze returned to the wrecked body underneath her, she looked it over. It was bleeding badly, looking weak, frail and feeble. Limbs with a barely noticeable trails of muscles pulsed as they danced to the rhythm of surges of pain she caused. Under her complete domination, awaiting the change of pace.

Purity and innocence.

She withdrew her claws and pressed her paws against the wounded underbelly. A belly showing no signs of opposition, completely under her control. She moved her paw across the orange scales, they seemed to heave under her touch.

She caressed the chest and belly softly, smearing the blood all across the scales. Whenever she fondled with her gentle touch the places where the holes were still fresh, the wounds pulsed, spitting out blood like little gazers.

The fresh, hot, slick blood made the caressing so much more easier, eliminating all that sticky discomfort. The pitifully muscular and weak body didn't protest as it was turned crimson red.

Purity and innocence.

Her eyes rose at the throat, exposed throat, soft scales of which were stretched by bulge after bulge of saliva. Pulsing like a heart, that increased its pace when feeling her gaze on it. It was prepared for anything that she has to offer.

Purity and innocence.

She started to pant, long lines of blood that stretched from her chin and tips of the tongue and teeth snapped silently. Splashing inside her mouth, on her paws or the frail body under them. She looked over the wreck of a male once again, coming to one conclusion.

He's a nobody.

She swiftly lowered her parted mouth at the exposed neck, feeling every part of his body straining itself when the hot breath of her pant rebounded from his soft neckscales and back at her snout.

She opened her mouth wider, teeth grazed his neck and when she pressed her bloody tongue to his delicate scales she felt him shiver.

Nervous shivering that turned into bashful quiver when she started to slowly and sensually lick the neck from right to left, stopping whatever saliva was rushing through the throat in its tracks.

Her tongue left a long, horizontal, bloody trail across the whole vulnerable neckline.

She pulled her tongue slightly, tip dangled just above the scales as she turned her panting mouth around. She swallowed and pressed her tongue to the scales again.

Moving back the way she came, cleaning the trail of blood with her tongue.

When she reached the other end she only swallowed and moved her panting mouth, lips of which grazed the scales with each breath, to the bottom of the neckline, where neck connected with chest.

She pushed her tongue out again and began erotically licking her way up the neck, making it stretch as she moved, exposing itself more and more to her promiscuous display of passion.

Her tongue didn't stop moving when it reached the end of the neck, it continued on, licking its path along the red chin until it eventually popped from the brink of the nose.

She looked into the huge, dreamy yellow eyes staring at her barbaric look of demonic beauty. Corners of her diamond eyes all the time registering the white flower.

One of her paws shot up, cupping the frail and wounded side of the red, burning snout. It began caressing it softly, fresh blood providing necessary traction that the snout undoubtedly begged her to give.

Four eyes remained locked on themselves for a moment.

Only then she lowered her bloody mouth and kissed him in the lips, intertwining blood with his saliva in a deep, passionate kiss that wasn't returned at all. Male lips completely stunned and under her spell.

She pulled away, cupping his snout, she looked straight into his dazed eyes.

"You made a grave mistake Flare" she whispered, her voice was chilly and smelled of blood

He couldn't utter a sound. He completely sunk into her gaze.

"You should have left me alone"

She stepped off of him, sitting next to him, watching him with empty and depressed eyes.

"We're done talking"

Without a word, without a moment of hesitation, just like he would fall when playing and after a period of hysterical crying, Flare pushed himself up. With the same silent manner he turned around and limped, bleeding profusely, out of her room, leaving a trail of every living creature most valuable essence across the floor.

The door closed.

Soon after a muffled cascade of horrified screams was heard.

Iris raised her paw, where in two bloody claws she was holding a white flower of an iris.

Purity and innocence.

"You have a weakness Iris!" the flower yelled with the voice of her uncle

"You never learn!" it yelled once more

Purity and innocence.

She growled angrily, pulling her other paw in the air into which she furiously bit. Scales on her leg popped like a maltreated pimple. Blood gushed into her mouth.

She spit it on the floor, raising her clenched into a fist paw above the flower.

Blood started to cover the white petals, killing them under the thick weight.

And as she observed the dying flower she couldn't fight back the urge to ask herself one question.

What did you do?