"You want me to what?"
"Come on, Harris. It can't be that bad."
"Sheesh. You are bizarre." He flipped the coin once or twice, getting a feel for its weight. This would be easy.
Using exclusively movements from his elbow, Harris hurled the small piece of currency upwards, towards a larger bird that was likely migrating through the area. Considering it was so high up, there was a brief delay, but then the avian noticeably stuttered and was befuddled as it was struck. Fortunately, it was a little coin, and the bird was soon on its way.
The coin careened back to the sand and landed gently as though it hadn't just charged nearly a hundred dragon-lengths into the air. Still got it. Eider stared at him, stunned.
"Okay, that should not be possible. Are you aware that you defy physics?" Harris smirked as they continued on. This ability certainly seemed to give him value to those in power. He liked it somewhat. Sure, the SkyWing was not very confrontational, but being a natural sharpshooter came in handy in the case of a dangerous situation.
He felt one of those was nearing; Eider had been sent on a scouting mission to discover what happened to a joint SkyWing-MudWing force stationed in the desert border area. Not one had reported back. A tense wind blew through the region as they crossed into sand, with the evening sun sinking. Harris would have liked to keep flying, but the trip here from the Sky Kingdom was pretty tiring.
Besides, it was Eider's mission. She had asked him to tag along just because they were good friends, and, for whatever reason she had been sent without protection or backup. Who knows what was awaiting?
Personally, he was glad to not be part of the army. It seemed extremely stressful. Not to mention whatever had happened to the soldiers out here. It was so barren...
"You're awfully sullen." Harris scoffed about that. What did she expect?
"And you're awfully chipper! We have no clue what we might be walking into. There were over thirty dragons, and not one returned. Isn't that the slightest cause for concern?"
"Sure, but that's why we need confidence. You don't wanna get paralyzed in fear out here." Classic Eider. Never giving in, always seeking the best. Maybe Harris really did need some of her positivity.
Their journey continued. The monotonous sands teased them with ominous silence, especially as the sky grew dark. Hopefully they could find the site, gather info and leave before daytime came again with the dreaded desert sun. Maybe that was it; a heat wave or sandstorm came through and wiped out their allies. It was perfectly possible. The kingdom itself was dangerous.
Eider suddenly signaled him, and they hunkered down behind a dune. He may have been the marksman, but she had better night vision, especially in an unfamiliar environment.
"What's out there?" He whispered, instinctually reaching for the throwing knives strapped along his back leg.
"All I could see was a torn-up tent. Now hush!" Very slowly, his friend edged around the large pile of sand used as cover. She briefly surveyed the scene, before ducking back.
"There's only one corpse. SandWing. If anyone else died, their bodies have been covered in sand by now. This one is recent."
"Do you suppose they were sent here too?" The thought that he had instinctually blurted made him freeze. Eider stared at him with wide eyes. The peach red SkyWing then took out a stick of metal, which unfolded into a spear. Standard stealth equipment for Burn's forces. "You're not gonna go out there."
"I have to. You said it yourself; more than thirty dragons. I have to know who's responsible." Or what is responsible. As terrifying as the idea was, they had little in terms of choice.
Unfortunately, this dune was the only difference of elevation in the nearby wasteland, meaning they had no other cover. But surely after weeks, possible supplies left in the tent would have dwindled. Whatever remained here had to have left.
Harris clung to this hope as they tensely circled about, trying to get a better view of the entrance to the small tent and skirting the corpse. He already held one knife, ready to throw, and was prepared to grab the others.
Nothing leaped out at them, so if there was anything in there it was either dead or smart. "This is very uneasy."
"Wow, Eider. You're a genius. I totally didn't notice the copious amount of 'don't go in there' I'm getting right now." She didn't respond; it wasn't the time. They edged closer piece by piece, constantly expecting some sort of thing to charge out to defend its territory. Finally, they reached close enough to the body, half-covered by sand.
It was disgusting. This SandWing had lost a forearm and their tail, and it seemed as though someone had gouged out their eye. Decay was setting in too, which was not very pleasant.
"Sheesh. That's terrible. ...And there's some funky smell around here."
"You're sure it's not rot?" Harris couldn't know; he was born anosmic, that is, unable to smell. Eider, though, was scrunching up her snout in disgust, even shaking her head a little.
"I dunno. My head feels fuzzy."
"Come on then. Let's see what monster is behind this." Not wanting to stick around the putrid remains, the duo snaked up towards the tent a short distance away. Even so close, nothing happened. To their gratitude, it was seeming consistently like the place was empty.
Eider was the one to make up her mind. With a roar to unsettle and distract any potential adversary, she charged into the dim tarp, spear ready. Several seconds of nothing.
"Well, then. Lucky us." She glanced around for a second and found a tapered piece of wood, which she lit aflame for brief use as a torch. Harris took the opportunity to investigate closer and get his own look at things. A few spare boxes were stacked loosely in the tent, running the internal circumference. It seemed like just a simple place to store a few supplies, hastily set up while the joint force had been traveling the border. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. As if.
"I still don't like this."
"Neither do I. But we have to know what happened. Burn won't like more losses like this."
Suddenly, as though reacting to her words, a clamor came from behind a stack of crates. Harris was admittedly terrified, and would have bolted if not for Eider standing her ground and going on the defensive.
"You're with Burn?" Asked an unfamiliar voice, quiet and tense. A survivor? ...Or the cause?
"Who wants to know?" Eider demanded, clanging her spear as a threat. She was a completely different person when serious. Very slowly, someone emerged from behind the pile of supplies.
Immediately, Harris noticed that they were missing their back left leg, similar to the body outside. However, it was recent, covered with some bloodied makeshift bandages. This was another SandWing, and they looked heavily weathered and traumatized. Whatever had happened here must have been brutal. However, he saw no weapons, and they seemed relatively docile. The survivor possibility was more likely.
"Please. I won't hurt you. I was Captain Adansonia, under Burn." Really? Adansonia? Harris had heard the name. She was renowned for strategy and fairness to her soldiers. They were lucky she made it out of the slaughter.
"Was?" Eider pressed, still not letting up. The Captain drew a deep breath, her eyes low and sad.
"I don't really mean that. I'm still myself. But after this...thank the moons you both are SkyWings. I couldn't imagine an unfriendly face arriving." She seemed trustworthy, but he was no expert. However, Eider did loosen up a little, dropping the point of her spear. Harris figured he should step in.
"What did happen? All that's out there is one body." The survivor's eyes widened.
"The corpse is still out there? It should be buried in the sand."
"Not really. Maybe wind exposed it. Eider here said it smells a little off too." It was then that he noticed a piece of fabric tied around Adansonia's snout. Blocking her nostrils.
His dark premonition started to take shape as the captain fearfully backed away from both of them, struggling due to her missing leg. She looked around as though in search of a weapon. A chill passing through him, the marksman SkyWing turned to one of his best friends, unintentionally mimicking Adansonia and backing away.
Eider simply looked confused.
"Harris, what are you doing?"
"Y-you said your head feels fuzzy. Is there anything else?"
"Not really." Abruptly, a horrifically cold night wind surged into the tent—no doubt carrying with it the scent. She realized what they were so worried about, but by then it was too late.
She reacted with a sharp snort, the feeling in her brain likely magnifying. Her face clenched up, along with a growl, as pain seemed to set in.
Eider shook her head violently, trying to dispel whatever was getting in. Please, not her. Whatever is happening, just not her. "Harris—!" His heart shattered, grip tightening on the throwing knife. There was nothing to be done. Eider eventually stopped struggling, and looked to him, tears rolling. "Whatever I'm about to do...I'm sorry."
All at once, her eyes thinned, she dropped the spear, and whatever had replaced his companion scrambled outside like a wild badger. Adansonia swore before quickly snatching up the weapon and preparing for if the wild creature returned.
"Why aren't you turning? It's an airborne nasal contagion."
"I was born without a sense of smell. I must be immune." She rolled her eyes, indicating that should not have been possible, but the more pressing concern was the scrabbling sounds from outside. "You know what this does to people. What is she doing?" The Captain narrowed her expression, anger and disgust within it.
"Probably finding a weapon. —Whatever care you have for your friend, bury it. Once they turn, the person is no more. It's all savage." He hesitated.
"...Is that what happened to you all?" She held silent, keeping her eyes on the entrance to the tent. Harris swallowed deeply. He suddenly felt very dehydrated. "What are we going to do?"
"If we can get out of here, I've captured a sample of the contagion. I can study it and figure out what exactly is going on. I have to make sure this thing doesn't show up anywhere else. You're free if you can survive, so as for right now? Try to keep your limbs." Oh great. That was a rather horrific trend around here.
It just now settled in his mind. There was no saving Eider. The moment someone smelled that stuff, they were lost. That was terrifying. ...And all of their experiences together meant nothing now. It was all gone. "Hey! Harris, was it? Don't space out on me. There's a killer out there." Right.
"If that's true, why are we being left alone? Wouldn't she be rushing us?"
"Probably her last remaining sanity fighting back." Well that was even more tragic. How much worse could this get?
"Then shouldn't we make a break for it?"
"That depends on how well you can carry a grown SandWing. Why do you think I haven't left already?" That was true. Adjusting to a missing limb couldn't be fun, and traveling would be harmful for its healing process.
"What about—"
"Kid, you ask too many questions. Deal with it until later." Well, by her own words, that depended entirely on if they could make it out alive. Harris held himself silent for a moment—and discovered that there was no more sound outside. Not even another breeze. Ominous.
"...A-Adansonia." She scoffed, clearly upset that he was talking so much, but allowed him to go on. "I'm sorry. For your losses, for the tragedy. And really, I'm sorry of how I might fail you. I don't know if I can bring myself to...kill Eider." The Captain shook her head with a sentimental sigh.
"Rule number one. What you speak is what you do, so maybe try and avoid the doom and gloom. And you're young yet, kid. Got a whole life to live. So take off if you want. What am I gonna do, stop you with a lost leg and a—"
A deranged howl came from outside, a rude awakening from their conversation. Eider...she sounded so primal. This contagion was pure evil.
Finally, the deteriorating shell of a once friendly dragoness appeared in the entrance—oh moons.
Her weapon of choice? A severed leg.
That explained the corpse, and Adansonia. And the untimely fate of every other soldier. What monster would employ such a tremendously horrid biochemical weapon? This infection could have spread throughout the entire continent, bringing the dragon world to its knees.
Feral Eider was watching them with rapid eye movements, twitching of the limbs, and occasional warning cries as she branded the decaying flesh like a club. "Yugh. Alright you filth. This infection dies here with you!" Despite her wounds, the Captain took hold of the confiscated spear, prepared to do battle. Harris had unintentionally grabbed all of his knives, holding them all at the ready. Seeing one of his best pals like this...reduced to debauchery...
If he survived, whoever was responsible for this would meet his wrath.
After a few more seconds of stare down, she charged. The spear met the dismembered leg as though this were a completely normal duel of blades. However, the survivor SandWing was clearly hampered in her movement, and Harris knew that victory would rely on if he could bring himself to take the shot.
He knew he couldn't miss.
Eider had no mind to decipher her opponent's weakness, proceeding to repeatedly use a 'bash over the head' technique. This was good for Adansonia, who could exploit this, but she was having trouble making any proficient stabs with her own weapon.
"Do you think you can do it? Say so and I'll step in!"
"You were waiting on me to say something?! Kill her!" Alright, alright.
Just. Just throw the knife Harris. She hardly knows you're here. It will be painless.
He hadn't even noticed it leave his claws.
The SkyWing could only watch as Eider stopped, shivered once, and crumbled.
No more wind blew through the tent. The world held silent. Well, except for one SandWing.
"...You've got a good aimer, kid. We've gotta go. As much as your friend deserves a proper burial, I get the feeling blood could carry the infection. —But I guess you can take a second if you need." Harris let the remainder of the knives fall from his claws. They would never find another target.
"I'm fine. Let's move."
Lies don't hurt if no one knows the truth.