The cheetah stared at my helmetless face with a puzzled yet shocked expression, before speaking "You are look like an ape but you're not… what are you?" I smiled he thought I could be a monkey, well he wasn't too far from the idea of what humans came from but he was probably working off the only thing he has seen that looks like me. "I am human" I answered with a smile and outstretched hand, It couldn't hurt to have a friend in this unknown world.

I had no idea how much this cheetah would help me. The two of us exchanged pleasantries to say the least, but upon the mention of not being far from what was considered a great capital and the fact that he offered to guide me there since he was on his way there "It's only a half-day's walk from here, so we should reach the walls before sun down." I looked at the deer he fell before I had interrupted him, he must of noticed me staring at it. "Do not worry it was just a comfort to travel on a full stomach we can finish today and I will take you to the best Inn. But may I ask do you not have normal clothes… I do not thing the guards will appreciate a strange warrior in their town. I would say an odd creature is better than an odd threat, don't you agree?" I simply nodded and began to take off my armor.

First I dropped the chest plate disengaged the shoulder plates, next I took of the bulky Kevlar double weave vest exposing my all black ODST uniform with grey shoulders. I left the combat pants part of the suit on and packed the rest into my expandable back pack which I strapped my rifle to the side of but kept my pistol in my chest holster which was under my left arm, seeing as I'm right handed. The Cheetah nodded with enthusiasm and the two of us set off.

I wasn't even five hours into the walk and I was glad for all the physical training we go through in jump school, which this walk would probably turn out to be about as long as the cross country hike we had to do towards the end of our training. But time passes quickly to when you have someone to talk to.

"So tell me human what is your name?" the cheetah asked me, I smiled at my traveling companion "Carson, Yours?" The cheetah looked to the sky before replying "Sparrow ".

"So what were you going to the city for, before I so rudely interrupted" I asked, The cheetah laughed heartedly. "No you did rudely interrupt anything it's good to have someone to travel with. But to answer your question I'm looking for a group of-" The cheetah stopped putting an arm in front of me "Do you hear that?" He asked

I Listened to the sounds and found none it was quiet… too quiet, I unstrapped my rifle from the side of my pack while the cheetah restrung his bow/walking stick and drew an arrow from his quiver. "Do you know what it is?" I asked, the cheetah nodded his head "Wyvern"

As if on cue the top of the tree to the right of our trail burst into a shower of leaves and branches and something big slammed into the cheetah. turning I saw a dragon like reptile trying to bite into Sparrow but he held it back with his legs to its chest . I took the moment to fire a burst into its side the AP-shredder rounds tore into the creature but only enraged it. It leapt off of Sparrow and into the air and then dropped onto me slamming into me with full force. The impact knocked me to the ground driving the breath out of me and my rifle skidded away from my hands, and the Wyvern hissed in my face the frills along its cheeks vibrated and before I could draw my pistol it sank its teeth into my shoulder.

I couldn't help but cry out in pain, but I still had enough strength to pull my trusty sidearm from its holster and fire four .45 ACP rounds into its chest. the Wyvern sized up which caused it to bite harder into my shoulder but then fell off me dead letting go of my shoulder, which by now had sufficiently soaked the top left half of my shirt with blood.

The cheetah was standing over me with a morbid look on his face, which had me puzzled "What? I killed it" The cheetah just shook his head "Wyverns are venomous, very toxic to say the least, but I have a few herbs to slow it down enough for us to get to the city and get it out of you, hopefully…"

He pulled some herbs out of his leather pack and handed them to me "Eat these while I put a salve on your shoulder." Sparrow began to put a bandage covered in a foul smelling paste on my shoulder wrapping the bandage down under my right arm and tying it off at my back. He patted me on the back and pulled me up and then handed me my rifle which I tied back to my pack that now only hung by one strap off of my right shoulder.

The rest of the walk passed by in a haze we did talk, well I tried, but I never knew we reached the walls all I remember was him telling me that we made it and the I passed out.

When I woke I was laying on a feather bed in what would account to a hospital, but what really spooked me was the reptilian head hovering over me which caused me to let out an indignant 'eep' which only made the face smile. When I turned to see the rest of the body I found myself not staring at a Wyvern but a full on dragon who was staring at me with unveiled curiosity. "So you're the one that Sparrow brought in, huh?" When she mentioned Sparrow I looked around only to find him missing, but the dragoness as I could tell from the feminine voice cued into my thoughts. "He left with a few friends, he said if you were to wake up to tell you to go to the Inn just down the street. The name of it is the 'Lucky Wyvern'."

I nodded and looked around to find my stuff sitting in a chair next to my bed along with my holster. I put on my holster and pack and said good bye to the nurse and left the hospital if you could call it that. Once out on the street I spotted the Inn it was off to my right down the street on the corner of a four way intersection.

I set off toward the Inn nodding my head to a few passer bys, though I did find myself I an awkward bunch when a, I must saythough not being human a striking dragoness brushed against me and gave me a wink as she passed by. I gulped and made my way into the Inn which was bustling with people but I didn't need to look for Sparrow because he saw me as soon as I came in. He was shouting my name and waving, so I made my way over to his table which had a few others at it. Another cheetah a female by the looks and three dragons two nesses' and a drake who was covered in red scales. one of the dragonesses was sitting closer to the male but the other had an open seat in between the two, more precisely the only open seat. Which I took as my own, The dragoness had all black scales except for her underbelly which was a dark blue and her horns all six curved straight back, her eyes when she looked at me were a bright blue. The one that was leaning against the male had green scales and a brown under belly with golden eyes, her two horn curved back and then bent up slightly. The male was completely red and also had red eyes with horns like a mountain goat. The female cheetah was lovely looking though I could tell by the way she leaned against Sparrow that there was something between the two.

Sparrow was the first one to talk "so It's good to see you up and about after nearly dying of venom at the gates, you're lucky our kind shadow dragoness Ombra was here to take you to the healers, since these two!" The cheetah pointed at the two mates "Were too busy to help." The pair blushed and did say anything. "But don't worry Carson, Ombra thought you were so cute passed out" He teased the dragoness next to me who looked away blushing I presumed.

"But hey let's celebrate a long travel done and lucky bastard still breathing." Everyone including myself nodded, Sparrow waved a waitress over a cheetah wearing a green dress. "What can I get for you rowdy bunch?" She asked and she began taking everyone's orders and when she got to me I was at a loss for words "Oh get him a flagon of mead" Sparrow said the waiter nodded and left.

"You're in for it now Carson" Sparrow laughed along with everyone else, but I did have to ask one thing before I most likely got drunker than a skunk. "We're will I stay at I don't have a home?" Sparrow snickered "you can stay with Ombra she has the room in her home, and you won't be kept up all night by ether me or those two" He said pointing at the two dragons to my right.

In my mind it couldn't be all that bad she looked nice enough and well I was a sucker for none-humans given my last time on leave of my ship. A rather nice insect like alien took me home with her and let's say a lot of pleasant things went on that night. So I wasn't at all appalled by the idea and I did find it a little nice that see thought of me as cute. But I didn't get too much time to think about before the waitress set down the large dish with all our drinks mostly mead except for Ombra who ordered wine.

We drank and joked for a few hours I had only sipped a little of my mead not wanting to go full on yet which I would be glad of. The sound of the door slamming open echoed through the Inn and everything went quiet. I heard a faint 'oh no' from Sparrow and turned to see a group of dragons walking towards our table everyone but me stood up. The leader of the group a blue dragon with white under belly headed straight for Ombra. he was big to say the least, in comparison standing next to Ombra she only had a few inches over me but this guy he had at least a foot.

Ombra growled at him "Go away Frost." The blue dragon only tilted his head and smiled "That's no way you sound treat you soon to be mate."

I could sense that Ombra didn't like him at all but the two dragons flanking Frost were pretty damn big but I was the only one that could step in before things got out of hand, so I did. I got up from my seat and marched right up to stand In front of Ombra my right hand on my pistol, there was going to be no repeats of the Wyvern. Frost glared needles at me "So who is this, some valiant little ape that wants to stand up to me. HA! I killed tons of your no good race and you think you can stop me from taking what's mine?" Frost laughed at me.

I smirked and then began laughing which caused Frost to stop and look at me with a look that could kill "What are you laughing for?" He growled. I drew my pistol and pointed it at his head "You think you can kill me? Now that's the motherfucking joke of the year, now why don't you leave us alone before I bury you." I finished with a smirk and cocked back the hammer of my 1911 with my thumb.

He roared at me and raised a paw to strike and just as the paw started to fall towards me I fired, everyone jumped at the load 'bang' my pistol produced when it fired and the bullet tore right into the base of the dragon's neck. blood spurted out in a fountain of scarlet onto the floor and Frost toppled backwards landing at the feet of his two groupies.

I walked back to the table and sat down before taking a nice a healthy swig from my flagon. The rest of our time passed without incident as the almost dead dragon was drug off to the healers. We all sat down and went back to drinking and I got a round on the house which I regretted as soon as I finished because I was so drunk I passed out from it. I can only faintly remember being picked up and carried off by who I presumed to be Ombra.