Author's Note: I'm sorry. That is all.

Markin: I have the same problem of not getting to sleep easily. I imagine snuggling up to something more dangerous than your daemons would have quite the calming effect. :P

Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.

I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.

Enjoy and please R&R.


Chapter 53

After gathering a small pack of supplies and their weapons, Talin and the General headed out to start their hunt. There had been no other incidents of destruction or sightings of a large creature in the skies, but the men had been certain that the Dragon had left heading northwest so they would begin there. If it came down to it, they would return and have a helicopter take them for an aerial search. Being caught in the air by such a creature would be less than ideal so both SOLDIERs hoped for luck on foot.

As they hiked into the foothills, the young 3rd felt the anxiety of his worries ebbing away. While this range might not have been as well known to him as another further west, it was close enough for his Hunter training to surge to the forefront of his mind. Every sound was caught by his sharp hearing, any movement tracked for a possible threat, and, without realizing it, the teen found himself following orders that had been given almost a decade ago.

"Guard dogs always go first. Better you take a poisonous attack to the face than your master." The words had been growled at him by Prishin when he'd backed away from a large Tonadu that attacked them. It had been his first time out with the man alone and the lessons he'd learned that day had been painfully reinforced for years...

The suddenness of a hand on his shoulder snapped Talin's laser focus and he turned to see a look of mixed concern and curiosity on his Mentor's face. The grip on his arm was firm but the push at his mind when it came was cautious. It took the teen a moment to focus on opening a connection and then he felt the link jump in to replace the weaker surface bond.

~While I appreciate your enthusiasm for the mission, I don't think it's right for my Trainee to be taking point when we're hunting something as dangerous as a Dragon. ~ The General's tone wasn't scolding, nor was there any annoyance or sense of arrogance in the statement. It was just a fact and an unasked question.

Talin felt himself flush and dropped his eyes from the perceptive gaze. He was irritated with himself for falling so quickly back into the role he'd fought hard to free himself from. ~Sorry, old habit... ~ Sephiroth understood what such a habit implied and the redhead felt a flare of anger. Knowing it wasn't directed at him, Talin relaxed and looked back up. ~I'll follow your lead, but I can at least offer some advice for scouting and tracking in the region if you'd like? ~

The hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder released and slid up into his hair at his nape. ~I welcome your advice, SOLDIER, but first, we have some pests to deal with. ~ In a flash, Talin had his blades drawn and was ducking around his Mentor to take on the Needle Kiss that had swooped in on silent wings behind the 1st. The crack of lightning and roar of flame didn't distract him from his own fight but, when he turned, the teen saw the charred remains of several other large birds and Seph slowly walking back towards him.

Their mental connection had remained a subtle pressure at the back of his neck during the fight. ~Well handled. There will be more monsters the further we travel from the reactor. Perhaps... ~ Talin felt the man's hesitation but didn't have to look at his thoughts to know what he wanted to recommend.

~Staying quiet as we move through these foothills is important if we want to avoid anything we're not looking for. If we keep to mental communication, we won't attract unwanted attention. ~

After that first attack, they'd only had one more encounter that was unavoidable. Talin had been thankful that it'd only been a few small Cactuer instead of any larger creature. Unfortunately, the forests that were helping them avoid smaller monsters were also preventing them from finding their quarry, but that obstacle was shortly done away with.

For the sake of getting out of the woods and to a better vantage point, Sephiroth ordered Talin to follow him closely before taking off at speed. The teen caught up only moments after falling behind and had a wide smile on his face as he kept pace with the 1st. Seph could feel the redhead's enjoyment of the run but was glad to note that he was still on guard in case of attack.

The pair moved swiftly over the increasingly rough terrain, hardly noticing the trees they dodged and the boulders they leaped over. Only as they started up the steeper path out of the forest did the General slow their pace. The teen had refused to use more Mako than needed to assist his speed and he'd just started to consider pulling more when they slowed to a halt. Talin was glad for the chance to catch his breath but was on high alert now that they were out of the protective cover of the trees.

The view of rocky outcroppings and the sky-high points of the Corel Mountains greeted them as they took in their new surroundings. After a quick evaluation, Talin recommended following one of the high ridgelines. It would provide them the best vantage point and, if this area was anything like the rest of the range, there would be a number of small caves along the way that they could use if they were unable to locate the Dragon today.

By noon, they still hadn't found any sign of the great beast. Resigned to the fact that he'd likely be sleeping in a cave tonight, Talin found one along their route that showed no signs of recent activity and stashed some kindling for a fire as well as his pack of spare supplies. The spells on the bag would keep monsters from smelling the food within and it would be easier to run without it.

Knowing their time was limited before the sun started setting, Sephiroth led them on a wide loop that would eventually put them back at the cave by nightfall. As they summited another cliff face about an hour before sunset, Talin spotted something on the ridge opposite them. ~General. ~ The 1st's eyes followed his gaze and saw the pile of bone and blood atop a high pillar of stone.

~Stay here. ~ The teen didn't even have time to question the order before he watched Sephiroth make the impossible jump and land flawlessly on the other side of the chasm. ~It's a fresh kill. Cattle. Probably some rancher is missing these from his herd down in one of the valleys. We should- ~ The summery was cut off by a triumphant, trumpeting roar that was unmistakably different from anything either had ever heard before.

~Let's go. ~ Not waiting for a response, Seph took off along the ridge he'd jumped to and Talin followed from their original side. The sound had been loud and clear despite the distortion of the canyon walls and cliffs it had echoed off of. It only took the SOLDIERs a few minutes of running to find the source. In a dead-end gorge, they found the Dragon. The only question they faced now was which of the three dragons they'd found had attacked the reactor...

Upon spotting the beasts, Talin had fallen to a crouch and slowly made his way to a spot where he could look down at the massive reptiles. Bones littered the area and those piles were being added to by the fresh kills the dragons were currently devouring.

~Talin? ~ Startled, the 3rd looked up and searched for the silver 1st on the other ridge but couldn't spot him.

~There- There're three of them... ~ Talin's uncertainty and racing thoughts bled into their connection. ~There has to be some way to identify the guilty beast from the other two, but how? How do we tell what one attacked the compound? ~

A pulse of calm reassurance, just like Angeal's mental touch, ran across Talin's mind. The contact was soothing, but the words in his mind were anything but. ~We don't. No one saw the beast's coloring or landed a hit to injure it. Without checking their claws for metal scrapings, it's impossible to tell for sure. ~ The soft press of the General's mind against his continued as the teen came to terms with what they must do.

All the reasons for hunting a single dragon applied tenfold to the trio below. One dragon was dangerous enough, but three? The amount of damage and number of casualties at the reactor site would be just the first drop in the bucket if they continued to move down into more populated areas.

~I... ok. What's the plan? ~ His chest ached as he listened to the explanation of their strategy, but he knew they really didn't have another choice. Dragons were territorial and vindictive when angered. Even if they could pick the attacker from the group, killing one would drive the other two into a rage and they'd take out their vengeance on the closest population of humans they could find.

The beasts were still picking over the scraps of their meal when Talin and Sephiroth moved into position. ~You can't hesitate. If you think you might, say so now and I'll handle this. No one sent you with me expecting you to fight a Dragon. ~ Seph's way of being firm and yet kind with him continued to catch the teen off balance. The fact he was being given the chance to walk away from this scene was tempting, but he knew he couldn't let the 1st do this alone.

~I don't want to do this, but I won't hesitate. They've already learned that cattle are easy prey so it wouldn't take long for this situation to escalate and we'd be back here again in a few months or less. ~ Seeing the trio finishing up their meal Talin reached across their connection to return the gentle caress he'd been receiving from Seph and his last words were soft. ~As hard as it is for me to kill them, I know you don't wish it any more than I do. I won't leave you to fight them alone, nor bear the weight of their deaths by yourself. ~

There was such deep silence in his mind after that statement that he'd thought they'd lost their connection, but when he reached, he felt the General's mind buzzing with quiet thoughts that he didn't intrude on. The faint sense of appreciation reached him just before he heard the 1st's voice. ~As capable as I am, I'm grateful to not have to fight them by myself... If you're ready, we'd better hurry. It looks like they've almost finished their meal. ~

Stashing the conversation away for later, the teen gave the affirmative and pulled himself slowly into position on the edge of the cliff. ~Now! ~ At that mental command, both SOLDIERs launched from their hiding spots and dropped directly atop the feasting dragons. The one closest to Talin was the smallest of the three but was still larger than the biggest helicopters at Shin-Ra. Good thing size didn't matter in a plunging sneak attack.

As he dropped, Talin remembered the now ironic image etched so lovingly into his blades. He restrained a bitter laugh, saving his breath for the task at hand as he aimed his swords and struck with precision. A sick-sounding thud met his landing as the blades sunk to the hilt, just behind the beast's skull. The jolt of the creature's shock had been expected, the sudden agonized screams and thrashing of the head and neck below him wasn't.

Pulling his swords free, Talin jumped away and caught sight of Sephiroth doing the same. The General's foe had fallen to the ground with a choked roar, mortally wounded but still alive. The teen's distraction nearly cost him as a tail swung at him like a whip. Dodging it, he saw the dragon's wings rise as if to take off and the redhead charged in under the stomping feet and lashing tail. With a jump and an arm jarring strike that hit bone, the 3rd slashed the right wing joint and the limb sagged to the ground.

The screams of the beast's pain tore at Talin. He'd wanted to end this quickly, give them a clean, fast death, but these dragons were proving more durable than he'd expected.

While Talin tried to find an opening to attack, Sephiroth had moved to the third and largest of the trio. It had roared in alarm at the pain of its companions and similarly raised its wings to attempt an escape to the safety of the skies.

Masamune flashed in the setting sun as it cut down the left wing sail, rendering it useless for flight. The brassy thunder of the dragon's scream fell silent as the creature reared back, flames bursting from its still clenched teeth, but the General was faster. In a flicker of shadow, Sephiroth leaped to the beast's forearm and then up onto its neck. With one powerful swing, he cut deep into the side of its throat, severing a major artery.

Talin had watched the 1st's fight as he evaded attacks and finally saw his chance to strike. Sliding under the jaws that snapped at where his head had been, the Lieutenant skidded to a halt just below where his Mentor had struck. Boosting both his jump and the strength of his swing with Mako, he hit the spot dead on. Green blood sprayed from the lacerated vein, hitting Talin across his chest and shoulder, regardless of his best efforts to get away. The dragon gave one last gurgling cry before it too crumpled to the ground beside its dead or dying kin.

The two SOLDIERs silently withdrew, backing away from the poor creatures, but keeping them in view just in case. The scene was a tragic one. Dragon's such as these were something Talin had always hoped to glimpse in his early adventures into the foothills. Now he'd seen them, felt their warm scaled hide, heard their powerful roars, and then he'd helped kill them.

Sephiroth slowly circled the dragons, ensuring none healed themselves enough to rise and fight again, but he could feel Talin's mind growing more tumultuous. As the battle haze lifted and emotion replaced instinct, the teen found himself appalled at the sight before him. Moving several steps back, he tried to take a deep breath, but his lungs filled only with the hot smell of dragon's blood.

Grimacing as he looked down at the green splatter, he didn't see the deeper shadow racing towards him in the dying light of the sun.