Desert Feathers

“’course you can. I’ve got enough junk as it is. Don’t need to keep it all to myself, I suppose.”

The passage opened up into a larger cave, this one tall enough to admit the Dragon form, if need be. Much like the entrance, this one too, was cluttered with junk; neon signs, bits of billboards, old computers, half of a damaged speedboat… there were piles and piles of it, stacked on every imaginable surface, all over the place.

Grinning at the mess, the Dragon ditched her pack on a rickety, three-legged table, beckoning for the bird-shifter to follow her around one of the stacks.

THAT SHE SAID SHE COULD HAVE?!

Immediately, she trotted over to the pile, taking in all of the wonderful treasures the dragon had amassed.  She never seen so much stuff in one place before!  And Ada-Creature was letting her have some of it?!

Before she could stop herself, she attempted to bounce for joy around the pile.  However, she only made it two short hops before a stinging pain in her side caused her to stumble and collapse to the ground.

Right...she probably shouldn’t move too much until she was healed...  In the midst of hauling herself up off the ground, Ada-creature’s words reached her.

Home sweet home.

That made her give pause, slowly looking around the cave before her eyes fell on the woman.  It wasn’t until now that her words had began to sink in.

...this was her home now.  She had a safe place...a place where she could rest..where there was lots of shinies and she wouldn’t have to hurt other creatures anymore.  Where her boss had promised not to hurt her; she’d saved her and wrapped up her wounds and was going to teach her how to read and-

Without realizing, Harpy had trotted over to the woman, pressing the crown of her head at the Ada-creature’s side and wrapping her tail around her legs.

“Heh, well, I know what to have around for ya now.”

Shouldering the pack, she jerked her head, moving back toward the rear tunnel.

She could scarcely believe it!  Ada-Dragon would let her have shinies?!

An excited tweet ran out through the cave, “Sabra-creature never let keep shinies!  Kept all for self!  Can keep own shinies?!”

It was a dream come true!

“Nope, I got it. Go on in.”

The front room of the cave was utterly cluttered with junk. Several old automobiles had been dragged in and piled up in the corner, along with various other old-world trinkets, such as pieces of billboards, neon signs, a string of colorful lights, and even an inflatable advertising prop, half-leaked out of air, and propped pathetically in the corner, the sign in its blue hands droopy and unreadable. A passage set against the back wall led into the rest of the complex beyond.

Rolling the metal sheet back into place, the Dragon sighed.

No...not at all...in fact.

She had never SEEN such treasures!  True, she didn’t know what half of those things were, but THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL.

Without realizing, she’d shifted back into her corvid form before she was even halfway over to the pile.  Her pupils dilated as she crouched just in front of it, marveling at the brilliance.

“Is nice...have many shinies!” she murmured, absolutely entranced.

Pausing to think things through for a moment, she twisted her neck around to glance at her passenger.

True, they often slept beneath the stars, but when it rained or the night air had grown too cold they’d take shelter in caves.

It was one of her only good memories, actually...snuggling up in a warm pile.

“Good. Hold onta yer tail feathers.”

To be honest, the jostling exacerbated things a bit, but she would certainly not complain.  She was on her was to relief and a home and she could certainly stand to be knocked around a bit.  Thankfully, Ada’s efforts kept the wounds clean, and the bandages together.

As she rode across the wasteland, she wondered to herself if she would hold up well inside a building.  Truth be told, she was used to sleeping outdoors.  But the prospect of being safe inside was certainly appealing...

“I get it, I get it. Yeah. Thanks.”

Despite her attempt to make the dismissal flippant, there was genuine emotion in her tone.

Rolling her shoulders and gently dipping down into a stretch, she popped back up, eyeing the horizon.

“Nah, that’s… I wouldn’ta been able to live with myself if I’d just walked off. It’s… not a big thing, or anything, I swear.”

Her tail whisked fiercely over the ground behind them, beginning to cover her tracks.

Glancing back at the tail covering their tracks, she creased her brows in worry.  Would Sabra send someone after them?!  She wouldn’t be able to bear it if Ada got hurt because of her.

“I don’t know.  I haven’t done much- “ she shook her head, might as well tell it like it is, “I haven’t done any good in my life.  All I’ve ever known is violence and survival.  So I...I might not be the best person to ask...”

Though it was difficult to make eye contact, riding on the dragon’s back, she did the best she could, “But I think that even one person trying to do good helps the world.  That’s one less person to add to the shit.  A-and....it was worth it to me.  You didn’t have to save me from Sabra.  You could have left; you could have ignored us and let her tear me apart.”

Dammit...there goes that emotion creeping into her voice again.

“Doesn’t exist, kiddo. Not in a world like this one. This is dog-eat-dog. Or, err, whatever animal you happen to be.”

Her claws dug restless little furrows into the earth as she walked, tense, now.

Still though...she had her fears about fitting in.  Would she be able to integrate into society after being, for lack of a better word, feral for so long?  Would instinct take over and she’d ending up hurting someone?

Her attention was drawn, however, at the dragon’s gait.  She furrowed her brows at the tension in the step.

“Do...do you think that there are places that aren’t like that?  Peaceful, I mean.  Where you don’t have to fight to survive?  Where it isn’t kill or be killed?”

She shifted on the dragon’s back, “I..I think I like the idea. But...I don’t know.  Fighting I....it’s all I really know.  I mean...I do know that I don’t want to wantonly kill others anymore.  But even now..”

The look on the dragon’s face can only be described as “awkward.”

“People give you shit?!   All you’re doing is delivering things?” she hisses, “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you....”

Utterly, she could not comprehend who would want to hurt Ada!  Already she’d done so much for her!  Who could ever....

Gingerly, she rested her head into the dragon’s mane.

“Yeah, my granddaughter’s poison. But she has a hide, not scales. They need to be able to push the poison out through the skin.”

Hauling herself up onto her feet again, she crouched, offering her shoulders.

She stumbled a bit, trying to climb onto the dragon’s back again.  Once again she tried, gently easing herself up, taking care not to aggravate the wounds.

She withdrew her hand, not because she was afraid of poison, but at the shuddering.

“Or was that about the bright ones?  I don’t remember...”  she murmued.

“Mmmm, a winged snake… that sounds neat. And easily recognizable. Yeah, I like that.”

Tapping at her chin with a claw, she chuckled.

“Would look kinda weird with a messenger bag though, dontcha think? What would it drape it over? A snake’s all neck.”

“Ahh...hmm...I guess your’re right!”

She flinched a bit as the dragon stretched out her neck, but once she saw that she wasn’t about to strike her, she gave the dragon’s neck a good look.

Hesitantly, she reached out, her fingers fluttering uncertainly over the neck before gently touching it.

The scales were smooth to the touch, but had the texture of a shingled roof.