Stellar and Quartz: Ghost Town Showdown

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 1
Chapter 4

Chapter 2

Stellar awoke the next morning following an off and on sleep after the bizarre scene last night. Quickly getting ready, she headed over to Cloudy’s lodge and gave the door a knock. Her friend and partner emerged ready to go, although her face shared a similar concern about what had happened.

“You too, huh?” Stellar asked after seeing her eyes.

“So it would seem,” Cloudy answered with a single nod.

“What do you think about all that?” Stellar continued as they began walking to the car.

“I am not certain; whatever happened, that girl was certainly frightened and Ridgeway was quite keen on her not speaking of it further in front of us.”

“Yeah, but that’s just standard business practice.” Stellar let out a hard breath through her nose in thought. “Well, keep it in the back of your head; for now, let’s just go out to the farm.”

Following Ridgeway’s directions, Stellar drove out and away from the town across miles of empty space that was dotted with what must have been remnants of former structures from the old days. Even with an SUV, the old and unkempt road was hell on her suspension; but just as her patience with the terrain was about at its limit, Hathaway’s farm came into view. Resembling a compound more than a farm, the homestead sat at the rear of rows of glass and steel structures. Three silos sat adjacent to the home and the rear acreage was filled with crop beds. Stellar drove up towards the house and her car immediately attracted a half dozen dogs that excitedly sniffed her tires.

“Nice welcome party,” Stellar lowered her window and stuck her head out. “Hey, you better not piss on my car.” Her only answer was a series of barks which finally brought a stallion out onto the porch.

“Hey!” The stallion clapped his hands causing the dogs to immediately come running. “You know better.” He reached down and tussled their heads as he walked out to the foreign vehicle.

Stellar and Cloudy stepped out and met him at the front bumper. “Good morning,” Stellar greeted. “Are you Hathaway?”

“Yes,” He snapped his fingers, sending the dogs heading back around the house. “And you are?”

“Stellar Flare,” She introduced. “This is my friend Cloudy Quartz, Ridgeway told us how to find you.”

“I see,” He smiled knowingly. “You must be here to talk about the sale then?”

“Yes.” Stellar confirmed.

Hathaway nodded. “I had a feeling someone would show up eventually,” He motioned for them to follow. “Come inside and we can talk.”

They followed him inside the quaint but enormous home; several voices of varying tone and pitch were carrying on as they stepped inside and Hathaway led them into the kitchen where a mare was busy prepping vegetables.

“Honey… oh,” She paused at the sight of the strangers. “Visitors?”

“Seems so,” He gestured to the mare. “Stellar, Cloudy, this is my wife Merriweather.”

“Nice to meet you.” Stellar waved.

“Likewise.” Cloudy tipped her head.

“We’re going to have a little sit down; when Harper come back in can you have him water greenhouse five and six for me?”

“Of course.” She nodded.

“Thanks dear,” He looked to his guests. “Let’s go to the study.” He led them upstairs and into a quieter room, he went to a mini fridge and pulled out a flavored tea. “Care for anything to drink?”

“We’re good, thank you.” Stellar politely declined as they all sat. “So, given that you know why we’re here, how about you tell us why you’re hesitant to see this sale go through?”

“It isn’t so much about the town,” He confessed. “I understand that things aren’t like they used to be; visitation is down, patronage is down and the town barely breaks even year to year. All that aside, the main reason I’m on the fence about all this is because of my family.” He gestured outside the window. “As you can see, this isn’t an ordinary farm; what you see out there is the result of generations of hard work. This farm is the only tangible legacy that my family line has; so I’m not exactly willing to part with it so easily.”

Stellar thought back to Cloudy’s advice as she formulated her response. “That’s understandable, just from driving up I can see how impressive this place is,” She adjusted in her seat. “Oak told me how your ancestor saved this town and helped turn it around; you’re a part of its history just as much as the settlers or the native tribe that founded it, all of that is clearly important to you. Even so, that’s something we call intangible value; it’s there and it's worth something, but it doesn’t stand up as collateral. It isn’t a matter of if this town goes under… it’s when; and when that time comes, as a stallion who obviously loves his family, what are they going to do?” She saw his face alter in response to the idea. “It’d be nice if tradition and history translated into a dollar value but they just don’t, and the last thing you’d want is for your children and their children to be sitting on a pile of history with nowhere to go in life.”

Hathaway gave a light nod. “That may be true in some aspects, but this farm is capable of standing on its own even if the town goes under. We operate on a solar grid detached from other utility, we have five very active wells and everything we eat we either grow or take from our animals.” He sipped his drink. “And even if income became an issue, we can always make moves to sell our crops to nearby areas.” His eyes almost seemed to reflect regret at even having to consider the option. “I’d hate to have to take that road, I don’t want to see the town and all our lifelong friends be put out… but we can survive.” He looked to Stellar honestly. “All this deal is honestly offering me is money, and that just isn’t enough to move me.”

“That backup plan has a lot of “ifs”, and if any of them fall through then you’d be in trouble.” Stellar pointed out.

“Mr. Hathaway.” Cloudy spoke up. “I am a mare who, like you, was born on a longstanding family farm.”

“Oh?” He focused on her. “Is it still active?”

“No,” She shook her head. “It serves only as my home, on which I am the only one to remain.”

“I’m sorry.” He offered.

“There is nothing to be sorry for,” She continued. “The bond between a farmer and his land is strong and you know that well, you also value the bond of family and wish for them to maintain the legacy that your line has built. I too thought that when my own farm had to close its doors that I had lost what my family had built up over the years, but that wasn’t the case. My little girls all moved on, away from the “legacy” of our farm and grew into fine young women who used what we taught them to impact the world in their own ways. That was when I realized that the farmland was not my husband and I’s legacy, they were. I still value the land I live on and what it represents; without that land my daughters would not have grown into the mares they have become, but what my land represents lives on in them and they spread it farther than I ever could on my own.” She looked out the window. “You may be able to weather the storms that would arise, but you shouldn’t do so in fear of losing what your family means to this world. You are clearly a brilliant agricultural mind as I am certain your offspring are; it may hurt to sell this land, but doing so can offer them the same path my daughters took.”

Hathaway sat quiet at her words leaving Stellar the opportunity to continue. “Look, I don’t have a family legacy or an old home be attached to; I know business, which can make it seem like I don’t know or care where you’re coming from.” She began. “I do have a son though, and he’s been the best investment I’ve ever made. Business isn’t just about money, it’s about investing in the future; and family is a damn good investment.”

“Well,” Hathaway let out a thoughtful laugh. “That certainly is one way to put, a way I’ve never heard anyone put it before. I suppose that if I keep my family here to try and hold onto the past, I’ll run the risk of robbing them of an even brighter future.” He sat forward in his chair. “Can I ask what the intent would be for my land?”

“Alternative energy research and development.” Stellar answered.

“A good choice,” He admitted. “I need to talk with my family about all this, but you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about.”

“Take the time you need,” Stellar offered, a relief flowing through her at making progress with him. “We’ll be in town for a while yet.”

“Okay,” He stood and offered his hand. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Stellar took his hand. “I look forward to your answer.”

Hathaway led them back outside, passing by several of his apparent nine sons and daughters that helped him operate the farm. Under the excited barking of his dogs, Stellar drove from the farm and started back for town.

“I would say that went well.” Cloudy noted as she set her eyes on the desolate road ahead.

“Yeah, thanks for jumping in with all that family talk.” Stellar tossed her a glance. “You really did speak his language.”

“I was only telling him the truth.” Cloudy said humbly.

“Good to know your life hasn’t become all gloom,” Stellar added. “Those girls of yours must do you proud.”

“They do,” She admitted. “Knowing they are doing so well in the world always brings me peace in even the most difficult times.” She looked over at Stellar. “What of Sunburst? You don’t speak of him much.”

“He’s doing alright,” Stellar sighed. “Still trying to find his role in the world; you’d think after six years in college he’d know by now but that’s just Sunburst. He’s a smart kid who has dipped his hoof in all kinds of things, but he’s always worried he’ll miss something new if he picks a lane.” She made a short laugh. “He has his mom’s brains but his father’s commitment skills.”

Finally making it back into the town, they returned to their rooms and swapped out into more casual clothes. Taking some time to relax, Stellar decided to take a moment to return to check in and speak with Dandelion. The mare was reading a book at the front desk, business so slow anymore that she was actually startled by the chime of the bell above the door.

“Oh, Ms. Flare, good afternoon.” She greeted as her book folded closed.

“Stellar is fine, I get enough formality at the office.” Stellar stepped up to the desk. “Listen, I wanted to ask you about what happened last night.”

“I’m sorry about that,” She quickly apologized. “I was just startled by something and I let go of the cart; that’s the problem with not having any street lights.”

“Mmhm,” Stellar toned. “Now that the you’ve given the mandatory response, let’s try the real one now.”

Dandelion flustered at the quick dismissal of her story. “It really is nothing,” She assured.

“A nothing that you claimed has happened several times already,” She added. “Look, I’m not a tourist that’s going to get spooked; I represent a vested interest and if there is something that could impact the value of the property then I need to know about it, so spill.”

The young mare quickly caved under Stellar’s intimidating business-mare manner. “Well, Ridgeway doesn’t like anyone talking about this; but there’s… some kind of weird monster out in the desert.”

“A monster?” Stellar repeated incredulously. “Seriously?”

“Nobody knows for sure, except apparently for the native buffalo tribe. They call it the Ataata.”

“Sorry, my buffalo isn’t up to date.”

“It means “father”, they consider it the father of the land here.”

“Okay,” Stellar played along. “So what does daddy want?”

“It started appearing the moment talk of selling the land started; the buffalo say it isn’t happy with the idea of its land being taken away from its rightful owners.”

“But, the founders are all dead.” Stellar noted.

“Not all of their line is gone,” She informed. “Ridgeway is the last living descendant of Light Spur.”

“Alright, nobody mentioned that to us.”

“Outside of the buffalo here, he’s the last link to the original settlers of the town.” Dandelion continued. “Ever since he committed to selling the town, the Ataata has been attacking; it wasn’t more than just some scares at first but the longer this goes on the more violent it seems to get. It’s getting to the point where we don’t feel safe at night; but Ridgeway doesn’t want to scare off potential investors or the precious few visitors we have left, so he asks us to not talk about it publicly.”

Stellar absorbed the extraordinary explanation. “Well, I don’t believe in monsters,” She said surely. “But I do believe that something came after you.”

“You should be careful,” Dandelion continued. “Talk is already spreading about you and your friend about why you’re here. If you’re linked to all this, then it’ll come after you too.”

“Lady, I spend my life dealing with rich pigs, greedy corporate suits, lawyers and bitter interns who spit in my coffee,” Stellar gave her a hard look in the eye before heading for the door. “I can handle some desert animal.”

Stellar left the front office and headed back to Cloudy’s; spending the next hour relaying and discussing the information. Also not one for superstition, Cloudy took the story in stride but expressed similar thoughts on the matter as Stellar’s.

“That seems very suspect,” Cloudy held her chin. “But, it sounds like she truly believes in what she saw. Areas as old as this, with as much history as this place has, are breeding grounds for folklore.”

“Well something has got everyone spooked.” Stellar stood with a sigh. “I guess I’ll find out if it tries to jump me in the middle of the night.” She looked down at Cloudy with a smile. “Today’s been a good one, let’s go grab a drink.”

“You know full well I don’t partake of alcohol.” Cloudy reminded.

“I know, I know,” Stellar rolled her eyes. “Against the farmer’s code or whatever, I’ll buy you a tall glass of milk then. Let’s just try and have whatever fun this place can offer while we’re here.”

The two mares strolled back down the main road, heading for the only bar in town simply known as Alabaster’s. Loud murmur could be heard as they approached the door which dulled as they walked in; various eyes looked them over as they made their way towards the front bar.

“I feel like I’m in a western already.” Stellar muttered as they took stools.

“Hey there,” A lean and rowdy looking female griffon in an apron appeared behind the bar. “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a scotch and soda to start,” Stellar shifted her eyes to Cloudy. “Get my friend here a hard lemonade, minus the hard.”

“Gotcha,” The griffon laughed. “Be right up.”

Stellar twisted on the stool and looked around the bar; filled with mostly workers and those that lived on the land, it was an eclectic mix.

“You must be Ms. Flare,” A well dressed stallion came up to Stellar. “Ridgeway told me about you.”

“And you are?” Stellar swung her legs around to face him.

“Wheeler,” He tipped his head. “Ridgeway’s partner.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“The same,” He smiled, although it carried the insincerity of someone closely tied to the world of business. “I hear you’ve come to further discuss the offer made on this land.”

“That’s right,” Stellar offered a similar smile in return. “Is now a good time?”

“Hardly,” He waved his hand. “Business is done for the day; and I never find it prudent to discuss business off hours. When you are ready though, my office resides in the former town bank.” He lightly tipped his head. “Tonight, I merely wanted to introduce myself and welcome you to the town.”

“Well, that’s appreciated.”

“I just hope that you…” He stopped as a microphone screeched feedback across the bar. “Oh… it’s that time already I see.”

“Huh?” Stellar looked over at a small stage that had been flooded with light.

“You’ll see for yourself,” He sighed. “I apologize in advance; till we speak again.” He left her and a fairly timid voice came across the mic as a mixture of groans and laughter rolled across the room.

“What the heck is going on?” Stellar swiveled around to Cloudy.

“It’s just Legerdemain,” The bartender noted as she set their drinks down. “We just call him Ledge, he’s a magician… or at least he thinks he is.” She laughed.

“A magic show, in a bar?” Stellar eyed her sourly.

“We know, but it’s his thing and it’s mildly entertaining.” She shrugged. “I humor him and let him work on his act here, doesn’t do any harm.” As she left them again, Stellar and Cloudy watched the awkward and semi-successful performance. The twelve minute act clawed its way across the finish line to a lackluster response; even so, he thanked his audience with a smile and packed up his props before leaving the stage.

“Well, that was… something.” Stellar took a long sip.

“I am not one for magic,” Cloudy confessed. “But he does seem earnest about his craft.”

They noticed the unicorn take sight of them and head over with an eager smile. “Hey there, always good to see new faces.”

“Hello yourself, uh.. Ledge.” Stellar greeted.

“Oh, caught the nickname?” He laughed as he took the stool beside her. “So, what did you think?”

“It was… magic, I guess,” She said as honestly as possible. “You seem to have a little trouble with your stage presence.”

“Yeah,” He admitted as he ordered a drink. “My tricks aren’t all that great, but I keep working on them to improve the act.”

“If we may ask,” Cloudy interjected. “What exactly is a magician doing in a historical mining town?”

“Odd, I know,” He raised his hand in concession. “Magic has always been my passion and private hobby, but I thought I could use it to help the town out; that… isn’t going so well.” He chuckled nervously. “I do want to improve though, play Las Pegasus like my idol The Great and Powerful Trixie. I’d love to be able just to meet her someday.”

“Trixie?” Stellar snorted a laugh. “You aren’t missing much, kid.”

“What?” He eyed her in shock. “You… know her?”

“Oh yeah, her mom and I go way back.” Stellar informed. “She definitely inherited the bitch gene, that’s for sure. Do yourself a favor and don’t meet your heroes.”

“Wow.” He smiled. “Wait, is she really not that nice?”

“She’s nice,” Stellar clarified. “She just… has her mother’s ego is all. It’s cute for about ten minutes, then you just want to slap her.”

“Well, no matter what her personality is like, she’s one of the best at stage magic.” Ledge carried on. “That’s where I have trouble.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling them. “Here, watch this; pick one.” He fanned out the cards and offered them to her.

“Okay,” Stellar chortled and pulled a card. “Now what?”

“Memorize it and put it back,” He instructed, as she did so he began shuffling. “I started with card tricks when I was a kid, I guess every magician does.” He quickly brought the deck up and twisted on the stool, slamming it down onto the bar. Extending his hand, he fanned the cards out again along the bar top and began looking them over. “Hmm,” His eyes panned over them. “I think…” He sat upright and started to cough. “Oh, excuse me.” He hacked into his hand a produced a card from his mouth, holding it up to her. “This one?” He smiled as her eyes widened.

“Holy shit.” Stellar grinned. “Yeah.”

“Neat huh?” He held the card sideways. “Magic has been a part of my diet since I was a little colt.” He reached his head forward and took a bite out of the side of the card. “Figuratively though.” He blew a quick breath across the card and the chewed out spot reappeared.

“Oh my.” Cloudy pulled her glasses down, rarely impressed.

“Why don’t you do that up there?” Stellar asked.

“Close up magic is a whole different ball game,” He returned the cards to his pocket. “Not really stage stuff.”

As Stellar and Ledge spoke, Cloudy felt a presence sit on her opposite side. She moved her head around to find a thirty something griffon smiling at her from the next stool.

“Hi, sorry to just pop over like this but ice breaking isn’t really my specialty.” He laughed. “I’m Hatch, nice to meet you.”

“Cloudy Quartz.” Cloudy responded politely.

“I heard the buzz about you two, most talk that’s floated around town in a while now,” He tapped his talon on the bar. “Hey sis, can I get another beer?”

“Your sister?” Cloudy glanced over at the bartender as she approached.

“Yeah,” She confirmed as she sat a bottle on the bar. “You aren’t bothering her are you?”

“Geez, Stormy, can’t a guy be friendly?” He asked.

“Without a motive? Rarely.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Nothing like being bossed around by your little sister,” He laughed as he used his nail to open the beer. “So, where are you from?”

“I live in a rural area, not unlike this one.” She informed. “On what remains of my family farm.”

“I guess this place is a little loud for you then?” He asked.

“A tad.” She admitted.

“It’s nice though, this is the liveliest this place gets anymore and it reminds me that we still have a community here.”

“I suppose so,” Cloudy concurred. “What do you do here?”

“Mostly keep an eye on my sister,” He looked across the bar at her. “I never liked the idea of her working here; she’s a spitfire and all, but I just feel better hanging around. Outside of that, I just lend my talons where they’re needed.”

“That is rather noble.”

“How about you?” He looked back at her. “What do you…”

“Hey!” A deep and surly voice rose above the casual chatter and all but silenced it. A large minotaur stood at the door, eyes set on the two strangers and the company they were keeping.

“Oh crap,” Ledge whispered. “Earnhardt.”

The large creature loomed over and looked down upon the foursome. “You know why these two are here, right?” He asked. “The want to help take away our home, so why the hell are you being so friendly with them.”

“Well…” Ledge cowered.

“Back off, Earnhardt.” Hatch stared up at him. “You act like these are the only two having that discussion; go be mad at Ridgeway, he’s the one looking to sell.”

“I’m plenty mad at him,” He assured. “But these two aren’t any better. Couple of slick, city bitches who think they can throw money at us to make us leave.”

“Don’t come in here starting shit!” Stormy came over and pointed her talon at him.

“You too, you’ve got just as much to lose from them being here.” He scowled at her. “I swear, it’s like none of you want to fight for what’s ours.”

“This isn’t the old west,” Stellar stood and looked up at him fearlessly. “No matter how much I’m sure you wish it was. But what would a little city girl like me know about that, right?” She asked in a gimmicky southern accent. “I’m just here to do a job, I’m an impartial third party acting between two vested entities so don’t go accusing me of being anything.” She glared back at him. “Especially a bitch.”

Earnhardt’s fist balled to the point where his knuckles popped. “You’re a long way from home, I suggest you be careful what you say to who. There’s a lot of desert between us and anyone that could save you.”

“That’s enough!” Arcus stepped from the crowd and got between Stellar and Earnhardt. “Did you really just threaten her!” Although young, Arcus was more than a physical match against the minotuar. “That isn’t how we do things around here; these are guests, no matter why they’re here. Now I think you need to leave.”

“Little welp…” Earnhardt took a step forward but a far larger and far heavier hand fell to his shoulder.

“That is enough, Earnhardt.” The massive buffalo said in a calm and soothing voice. “Violence will not solve any issue.” Earnhardt immediately responded to the creature, bitterly turning and leaving the bar. “I am sorry, his anger is a river with no dam.” With that, the large creature turned and followed him out of the bar.

Tensions began to ease and Arcus immediately turned to Stellar. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, that big sack of shit doesn’t scare me.” She smiled up at him. “I appreciate the effort, kid; but I had it under control.”

“You… did?” He asked.

Stellar reached into her pocket and produced a taser. “I’m never completely unarmed.”

“No offense, but that little thing…” He yelped as she gave him a zap in the hip.

“Packs a lot of punch.” She waggled it before him. “I may be from the city, but this isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Noted,” He rubbed his side. “As long as you’re okay though.”

“Come on, Cloudy.” Stellar motioned for her to follow. “I’ve had enough night life for today.”

“A wise choice,” Cloudy glanced over at Hatch. “It was nice to meet you, have a good evening.”

“You too.” He raised his beer to her.

“Yeah, be careful out there.” Ledge added as they started for the door.

“Wait…” Arcus followed them out onto the porch of the bar. “Can I at least walk you two back to the lodges?”

“Look, we’re…” Stellar looked back, seeing that he was being genuinely kind. “Sure, kid.” The three of them walked the moonlit road back to the porch lights of their lodges, chatting idly about more pleasant matters to erase the encounter at the bar. They saw Cloudy off at her lodge and headed over to Stellar’s. “Well, thanks for the escort. I can take it from here.”

“Okay,” He smiled down at her. “Listen, I know you can take care of yourself but this business with the town has got a lot of creatures on edge and riled up. Please be careful, and if you ever need backup… I’ll be happy to help you.”

Her eyes rolled downward to see his tail wagging back and forth anxiously along the ground as he spoke. She laughed lightly and nodded. “Good to know, I’ll keep it in mind. Goodnight.”

“Right… goodnight.” He waved shortly as she headed inside.

Stellar took a hot shower and emerged with the towel hanging over shoulder. She went to the dresser and poured herself her nightly shot. Downing it, she stared at her reflection as she often did. “No.” She said sternly to her reflection as the shot glass came down onto the wood. “We’re here on business.” She tossed the towel to the floor and pulled the drawer out to get ready for the night.

Chapter 3

As Stellar got dressed for the next day, she received a knock on her door; hastily putting on the rest of her outfit she opened the door to find Ridgeway on her porch.

“Good morning,” He tipped his head. “I’m sorry to bother you but Arcus showed up and informed me about what happened at the bar last night.”

“Don’t worry, it isn’t going on your online review or anything.”

“I just wanted to apologize and assure you that I’ve had words with Earnhardt about his conduct.”

“Alright, thank you.” She said graciously. “I don’t need to make anymore of a deal about it.”

“While I have you here, may I ask how things went with Hathaway?”

“Honestly, very well,” Stellar said with confidence. “We’ll probably be hearing from him in a day or so; I did get to meet Wheeler last night as well.”

“I’m sure he didn’t say much, he has his rules about conducting business.” He said knowingly.

“Yeah… I know his type, not my favorite either; no offense.”

“That’s quite alright,” Ridgeway nodded. “He’s my partner and I respect him, but no one knows his personality better than I do.”

“In the meantime, I’m going to speak with the buffalo tribe; where are they located?”

“Their home is actually outside the land the town sits on,” He began. “The members that work with us stay here, but the chief is the one that holds the interest and he rarely leaves their settlement. I would actually recommend someone go with you to guide you.”

“Anyone in mind?” She asked.

“I’ll have Hatch go with you,” He answered after a moment’s thought. “He runs a lot of supplies back and forth between them and the town and they’re comfortable with him.”

“Okay, we met him last night so he isn’t a complete stranger.” She noted. “Have him swing by when you can.”

“I will,” Ridgeway promised. “Be careful on the roads out there, they weren’t exactly made for cars.”

As Ridgeway left her, Stellar went over to Cloudy’s and headed inside to find her reading. “Cloudy?”

“Are we ready to keep moving?” Cloudy closed her book.

“Almost, we’re getting a temporary partner,” She grinned. “Your new friend, Hatch.”

“Oh,” Cloudy made of noise of mild interest. “How generous of him.”

Stellar raised her brow. “You do realize he was hitting on you last night, right?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous, he merely introduced himself and we spoke lightly.” She dismissed the claim. “That hardly constitutes courtship.”

“Maybe not a hundred years ago the last time you dated.” Stellar barbed.

“Shouldn’t our focus be on the matter at hand and not my romantic life?” Cloudy’s ever stern eyes cast themselves on her for the remark.

“Fine, no girl talk,” Stellar raised her hands. “Either way, he is going to guide us to the buffalo tribe so we can pow wow with their chief.”

“That should prove most interesting,” Cloudy took up her hand bag. “I have never seen a true native settlement before. Maud came across several in her travels, she always spoke highly of their straightforward and honest nature.”

“Yeah well, hopefully they don’t label me a ‘forked tongue’ just because I’m corporate.” Stellar jested in lieu of the high probability.

In about twenty minutes, Hatch came knocking on the lodge door. The griffon gave Stellar a slick smile as she answered. “One guide, as prescribed.” He leaned to the side and waved. “Cloudy, good to see you again.”

“Yes, thank you for assisting us today.” Cloudy said as they followed him out onto the porch and headed for the car.

“No problem,” He assured. “It’ll give us a chance to talk more, seeing as the last one was so rudely interrupted by that raging jack-ass.”

“There is no reason to be so crude, Hatch.” She admonished, not fond of vulgarity in the slightest.

“Uh… right, sorry.” He quickly apologized.

Getting on the road, Stellar drove under Hatch’s direction; the nearly non-existent trails only visible to his experienced eyes. Along the way, he regaled the mares with stories of the area and his past experience with the buffalo from the back seat. While the stories were interesting, Stellar was far more amused at the back and forth between the stone faced Cloudy and the rough but earnest griffon that was trying to impress her on some level. The two hour road trip came to end as Stellar came upon an encampment of lodges crafted from wood and stone adjacent smaller, hide teepee. Hatch had her park outside the settlement and the three of them walked into the midst of the large, stoic creatures.

“Hatch,” They were quickly approached by a younger member of the tribe. “Good to see you, friend.”

“Blue Sky,” Hatch held his talon out only for it to disappear into the massive hand of the buffalo. “Ladies, this is Blue Sky; son of chief Red Sky.”

“A pleasure.” Stellar likewise took his hand.

“Indeed.” Cloudy nodded politely.

“These two represent the interest in the town,” Hatch explained. “I’ve brought them here to speak with your father.”

“I see,” Blue Sky nodded. “I will let him know you are here, please wait a moment.” As he headed into the main lodge, Stellar began looking around the encampment. Being from the city; it was the most basic type of life she had ever seen and while not her thing, she couldn’t deny the peacefulness of it all.

“Hey,” Hatch spoke up. “Fair warning, Red Sky is as traditional as they come; keep it as respectful as you can.”

“Noted,” Stellar nodded. “I’ve got Ms. manners here to keep me in line anyhow.”

“Fortunately for you.” Cloudy added.

Blue Sky returned and instructed them to follow; Hatch said he would remain with the car and the two mares were led into the ancient lodge. The air was heavy with the smell of dried flowers and the low light made the space feel otherworldly. The centerpiece of the lodge was a fire pit and the elder buffalo sat before it on an ornately carved bench. His heavy head rose, coal black eyes shining in the dim light as he eyed the strangers. He gestured to the opposite benches and nodded.

“Welcome to our home,” He spoke in a low, soothing tone. “Please, sit.”

“Thank you, sir.” Stellar said respectfully as she and Cloudy sat across from him. “We appreciate you taking the time to see us.”

Red Sky slowly nodded. “You have come to speak about the town of Burnt Sky?”

“Yes, we have.” Stellar confirmed.

He sighed. “I have heard many words from many mouths on the subject, my response has always remained the same.”

“That is what I’ve heard,” Stellar laced her fingers between her legs. “My experience has always been that a deal needs to not only give both sides something they want but also put their fears at ease. Clearly you know that the money would benefit you and your tribe, but it seems that isn’t the most important part; are you afraid of what might happen if the land leaves your control?”

“Fear is of the unknown,” He began. “I know what will happen if the land leaves our control; it will be developed beyond what is necessary and once that root takes hold it will begin to spread. Eventually, the land there will not be enough and more expansion will be desired; at that point we will have little say in the matter, protected solely by laws only as strong as the ones in charge of defending them." He raised his hoof and replanted it firmly in the dirt. "We see land differently than you; to us, land is home and a part of our world to be protected and valued. To those in your world, it is merely a commodity to be used and traded without restraint.”

Stellar sucked her lip in thought at his response. “I work directly with the stallion who is looking to purchase the town and I know what his intended use for the land is; it is for important research into alternative energy sources, that kind of research is designed to benefit the land in the long run. As someone who loves the land as much as you do, the idea of moving renewable and sustainable energy forward must appeal to you.”

“That is a worthy cause,” He started. “But I look beyond this deal at the future that those who will come after us will live in. What happens should this plan fail, or be passed off to another who’s intentions we do not know; can you say that their plans will be as noble or as considerate of the area as this current one?”

Stellar paused at the loaded question. “Well, of course not; none of us can.”

“Then would not the best guard to be for us, who’s future intentions I can be sure of, to maintain control of the land?”

“Can you be sure of your tribe's future intentions?” She countered.

Red Sky’s eyes flashed in the light at the implications of her words. “You suggest and insinuate that my son, or his son, or his son’s son would make such a deal that would harm the land? My tribe has held to its ways for longer than ponies have lived on this continent, and we raise our young to stay true to those virtues; we are of one mind and will, can you say the same for your people?”

Stellar was about to respond but Cloudy’s hand came down on her thigh, stopping her. “Sir,” Cloudy took over. “My friend merely suggests that no future is certain no matter how strongly a family line may be; my family comes from generations of farm workers that date back over two hundred years. However my daughter Pinkamena, who was born from that long line, led a life that defied everything that we believed. Suffice to say, that deviation was a wonder and there are few lights in this world as bright as the one in her heart. In essence, although you may harbor a fear of your people making that type of change, it isn’t prudent to automatically assume that such a change is for the worse.”

Red Sky nodded. “I hear wisdom in what you speak; but we are not talking about a long lived line, we are talking about creatures like Wheeler who operate in a world of lies and deceit and do so happily.” He looked back to Stellar, staring hard into her eyes. “I have spent a lifetime knowing others by seeing into them; when I see into you I see a mare who’s heart and mind are in the right place but the taint of that world swirls within you.” Stellar’s pride was struck by his words. “You hide much within you, things that you seek to dull with the pleasures of the world. You take pride in what you do but that pride is nothing more than a bandage; forgive me, but I have trouble fully trusting a creature that lies to itself. My decision remains the same.”

Cloudy felt Stellar’s leg tense and squeezed her tightly to keep her under control. “We understand,” Cloudy rose and tipped her head. “Thank you.”

“Be well in your travels,” His eyes shifted back to Stellar. “Both of you.”

“Come, Stellar.” Cloudy got her up and walked her out of the lodge.

Stellar ripped her hand away as soon as they were back outside. “Well… guess that’s a dead end.” She took a long breath and started back for the car.

“Stellar,” Cloudy called to her.

“It’s fine… I’m fine.” She curtly vowed.

Hatch and Blue Sky were speaking by the car and noticed their approach, as well as the look on Stellar’s face.

“Went that well, huh?” Hatch asked.

“Yeah,” Stellar composed herself. “You could say that.”

“Ma’am,” Blue Sky spoke. “I am sorry if my father said something to upset you; he is wise in many ways but he can often get… personal in his words.”

The last thing Stellar wanted was attention over the matter, she put on a smile and looked up into the big creature’s eyes. “A little warning would have been nice,” She joked. “Anyway, thank you for letting us visit your home.”

“Of course,” He nodded. “Is there anything else I can do for you before you go?”

“Actually,” She folded her arms. “Can you tell me something about the Ataata?”

“The Ataata?” Blue Sky repeated in shock. “Where did you hear that name?”

“From a mare in town who says it tried to jump her the other night.” Stellar continued. “Apparently, it’s been popping up lately.”

“The members of our tribe in town must have stoked fears of the creature in the others.” Blue Sky surmised.

“Well, something is attacking creatures and from what Dandelion told me, it’s too many times to be a coincidence or some bullshit story.” She added. “She said that it is some kind of guardian that watches over the land and it’s pissed that creatures are looking to sell.”

“That falls in the tradition of the story.” He nodded. “But, that is all that it is, a story.”

“You do not believe in this creature?” Cloudy asked.

“No, mostly the elders are the only ones who truly believe in its existence. To the majority of the youth, it is a ghost story to scare travelers.”

“How about you, Hatch?” Stellar looked to the griffon.

“Well,” He hesitated. “I haven’t seen anything personally. But, my sister was one of the first to say she had an encounter with it.” He looked across them. “I didn’t want to say anything because she asked me not to, Ridgeway told her to keep it under her hat but she told me because she felt she had to talk about it to someone.”

“What did she see?” She asked further.

“She said it was on four legs, abnormally long mouth with a lot of teeth and…”

“A frill and horns like a reptile?” Blue Sky cut in.

“Yeah.” Hatch looked up at him in surprise.

“That matches the description by the elders,” He said, greatly troubled by the information. “It cannot be real.”

Stellar lowered her head with a sigh. “Let’s go, we’ve done all we can here. Thank you for the information, Blue Sky.” She rounded the car and got into the driver’s seat. Cloudy and Hatch followed and she got them on the path back to town. Stellar remained quiet for the ride, the elder buffalo’s words still rattling around in her head. When they did reach town, Hatch promised to see them later and Cloudy followed Stellar back into her lodge.

“Stellar, I know you are not alright. Do you really not wish to talk about it?” Cloudy asked as she closed the door.

“One creature in my head today is enough, thanks.” Stellar huffed as she lit a cigarette.

“I know his words were strong but…”

“Cloudy.” Stellar eyed her through a long exhale of smoke.

Cloudy sighed and sat on the bed. “Are you upset because of what he said, or because you feel he was right?” Stellar remained silent at the question. “Very well, if you do not wish to talk to me then there is nothing I can do.” Cloudy rose and headed for the door. “When you are ready, I will be in my lodge.”

Stellar watched the door open and close from the corner of her eye, she growled in irritation and poured herself another shot.

That night, Stellar headed back to the bar alone; she plopped herself down and ordered a strong drink along with an open tab. The bar was as lively as ever with Legerdemain performing in the background and the mashed up conversations emanating from the tables and booths. Halfway into her second drink, she felt a heavy body behind her.

“Ms. Flare?” Arcus peered down at her.

She looked up into his pleasant face and smiled. “Hey, kid.”

“Are you okay?” He sat on the stool beside her. “You look… well, pissed.”

“Hasn’t been a successful day,” She confessed. “Can’t win them all, rule number one in business.”

“Sorry to hear,” He folded his claws on the bar.

“Ridgeway told me you tattled on that big, ugly bull,” She continued. “I really don’t need the protection.”

“Sorry,” He apologized. “I was just worried about you.”

Stellar laughed shortly. “It’s fine, I shouldn’t complain.”

“So what happened today?”

She sighed and finished her drink, tapping on the table to order another. “Not really into talking about myself, kid.” Her eyes drifted back up to him. “Why don’t you tell me about you instead? How did a dragon wind up all the way out here?”

“Oh,” He scratched his beak. “Well, that’s kind of a roundabout story.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Stellar noted as her third drink appeared.

Arcus obliged, ordering a drink of his own and telling her the story of how he came to work in a ghost town; a series of events strung together by the dragon’s good nature and desire to help. After her fourth drink, Stellar offered up her encounter with the buffalo chief and his insight into her. The alcohol and the warm company began to strip away the upset that had brought her there in the first place and at the end of her fifth drink she payed up and stood from the stool. She stretched and eyed Arcus with a smile.

“Come on.” She patted his chest and rocked her head towards the door.

“Oh… okay,” Arcus too paid his bill and followed her out into the night air. He quietly followed her back to her lodge and idled on her porch as she unlocked the door.

Stellar glanced back as she pushed the door open. “You coming? Or did you lose interest all the sudden?”

“I…” He stammered. “No, I just…”

“Get in here.” She chuckled at his shyness. As soon as he was inside she locked the door and returned to him, laying her hands to his chest and running them up and around his shoulders. “This’ll be easier without the clothes, kid.” She smiled.

“Right.” He regained his composure and lifted his shirt, dragging it up the length of his neck and casting it aside. “Sorry, this just happened kind of fast.”

“I don’t like playing games,” Stellar began removing her top. “It was beyond obvious you wanted this; I do too, so why screw around when we could just screw around instead?” Her bra left her body, well rounded breasts hanging freely before his excited eyes. Arcus undid his pants and sat on the bed; as she neared him he gently took her breasts in his claws and massaged them. Stellar reached out, holding his cheeks and bringing his beak to her lips; she suckled on the end and coaxed his thin, forked tongue into her mouth. Her fingers ran down his neck and arms, taking his claws and moving them to her waist to undo her skirt. As it fell to her feet, she kicked it aside and pushed him back onto the bed; his own pants slid off and he tugged off his boxers while she shed her panties. Crawling up onto his body, Stellar straddled his waist and began massaging his chest. “You’re a lot softer than I imagined,” She noted, fingertips traipsing along the smoother belly scales. She fell forward and started kissing his neck; in turn his claws quickly began exploring her, running up and down her back and around her ass. "Mm, ever been with a mare before?" She quietly asked, sitting back upright on his body.

"Once," He confessed. "Not here though."

"Well, I've got to admit I haven't fucked a dragon before." She smirked down at him. "Let's see what we've got here." Her arm swung around to her back, reaching down and massaging his crotch. A thick, warm length sprung from his interior sheath and into the embrace of her fingers. His head rested on the bed as he literally purred at the feeling of her soft hand wrapped around his shaft. “Fuck, you’re big all around huh?” She glanced back at his growing erection, closely observing her new prize; the tapered length was ridged and as he reached full size she cooed in interest at the swollen bulb at the base. Arcus gently thrust into her hand as she stroked him, growling and moaning in building desire; his tail swayed roughly back and forth while his claws dug into her bed sheets. Stellar grinned, knowing that this creature that was twice her size was like putty in her experienced hands. She pushed herself up and teased her entrance with his tip, slowly sitting down as his precum coated her; she bit her lip as Arcus gradually filled her, the base of his cock pressing against her labia as she let her full weight rest on him.

“Ms. Flare,” He reached up and took her hips. “You feel so good.”

Stellar braced her hands on his chest and started riding him, her body tantalized by the feeling of his ridged shaft rubbing against her interior. “Oh yeah, this is what I needed.” She panted, quickly moving into a much more urgent pace as she fucked her stress away. Her lightly buzzed mind quickly faded as her body moved of its own accord to gratify itself; sweat beading across her figure as the pleasure numbed minutes rolled by. Arcus writhed beneath her, a heavy breath being forced from his lungs each time she free-fell onto him. He watched her breasts violently bounce and lost himself in her impassioned moans. His grip on her hips tightened and he started pulling her downward in time with her decent, his tip reaching her deepest point. “Yeah… that’s it, kid!” She grunted approvingly. “Slam that fucking knot into me! I want to feel it!”

“Oh fuck!” He braced his feet on the edge of the bed and started thrusting up into her aggressively.

“God yes!” Stellar leaned forward and let him go; with each thrust she could feel a little more of his base forcing its way inside of her. “Fuck me! I’m so close, keep fucking me!”

“Ms… Flare!” His head shot up from the bed, forehead resting against hers as with a final push his knot popped inside of her; Stellar screamed, the initial pain quickly dissolving into unparalleled pleasure as the feeling of being stretched so far and filled so deep sent her over the edge. An intense growl rumbled through Arcus’ long throat as he humped up into her, heated spurts of cum pumping up into his lover. As the spasms of his orgasm faded, his body fell back to the bed and Stellar came down with him.

Stellar laid her cheek to his chest, the sound of his rapidly beating heart pounding in her ear. She patted his side with a contented laugh. “You okay, kid?”

“Definitely,” He panted. “That was amazing.” His claws came up around her shoulders.

“I should have started having sex with dragons a long time ago,” Stellar dotted his chest with kisses. “You really hit the spot.” As their bodies calmed, he shrunk enough to pull out of her; Stellar rolled off of him with a satisfied hum and went to the dresser.

“So, you want to grab a late night snack?” Arcus asked as he sat up on the bed.

Stellar lit a half finished cigarette and turned back to him. “I’ve got to get back to work tomorrow; just going to hit the shower and get some sleep, you should probably head home.”

Arcus’ eyes lowered in disappointment. “Oh… I… was kind of hoping I could stay with you tonight.”

Stellar offered him a reassuring smile. “Hey, don’t take it the wrong way. I had a great night with you. I got off, you got off… a great time was had by all; best kind of one night stand a lady could ask for.”

“Right,” Arcus smiled lightly as he began getting dressed. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Can’t go home till the job is done,” She reminded. “I’ll be around.”

“Okay,” As he shimmied back into his shirt he slowly headed to the door. “Well, I had a really great night too; goodnight Ms. Flare.”

“Night, kid.” She gave a gentle wave as he left; she stared at the door for a long minute before facing the mirror and eyeing herself sourly. “Nice, real smooth ice queen.” She shook her head, taking a long drag on her cigarette. “Could have at least let the kid stay the night; but no, that’s not how we do things is it? That's how they get attached… can’t have that…” She sighed and jammed the smoke into her ashtray, heading for the shower as the only part of her lover to remain began running down her inner thigh.

Chapter 5

Stellar’s eyes opened after a very sound sleep; she found herself cocooned in Arcus’ embrace as at some point his head had craned down so that his beak was against her muzzle, her calves were wrapped in his tail and his arm was snugly around her waistline. Breathing a laugh, she pursed her lips and gave him a peck just below the eye; Arcus immediately awoke to the sight of her grinning at him.

“This is my lodge you know, it’s not like I was going to sneak out or anything.” She noted.

Arcus realized how much of a hold he had on her and quickly began to undo himself from her side. “Sorry,” He said with a sleepy smile.

“Really the affectionate type, aren’t you?” She asked, stretching her legs once his tail had receded.

“It just felt really good to be close to you.” He confessed.

Hearing that brought Stellar some pause; she slid from the bed and stood over him. “Working today?” She asked.

“Actually… yeah,” He swung his head around to look at the time. “Shit, I almost forgot.”

“Was I that good?” She chuckled.

“Yeah, definitely,” He smiled back at her. “Hey, how about you come by this afternoon for lunch?”

“I’ll think about it,” She promised. “Don’t exactly know what I intend to do today yet.”

“Okay,” He rose and quickly got dressed. “Well, hopefully I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, don’t work too hard, kid.” She waved as he let himself out; with a heavy sigh she went to the dresser and braced her palms on the edge, staring hard into the mirror. “Okay, you made it up to him, ditched your guilt and had another great night… you’re done now. And you’re definitely not meeting him for lunch; for fuck’s sake… the last thing you need is to wind up in some weird, pseudo relationship with some kid who’s old enough to compare life notes with your son.” Her eyes lowered. “I mean, it doesn’t matter if he’s kind… and sweet… cute… and makes you cum harder than any guy you’ve been with in the last twenty fucking years…” Her head hung as she let out a frustrated groan. “Fuck me.”

With no pressing matter at hand, Cloudy took the opportunity to venture into town alone. She spent the morning visiting some of the more low key areas that showcased old pieces of art that had been collected over the town’s history and other western style works. The former jailhouse had been mostly maintained an offered a glimpse into how justice was carried out back in the more lawless times of the town’s heyday. The slightly macabre museum was operated by a rather ghoulish mare who seemed to take great fascination in the subject. Feeling the need for something lighter in tone, Cloudy then headed up the main road until coming across Earnhardt and two buffalo idling in the middle of the road. He took notice of her as she approached but his eyes lacked the cruel intensity from their last encounter. After some hesitation, he went to her and halted her walk.

“Ms.” He called.

Cloudy stopped and looked up at him with her typical calm. “I am not looking for an argument.”

“Me either,” He assured. “I’m sorry about the other night; everyone has jumped on my ass about it and I know it was wrong.”

Cloudy quietly nodded. “I have no doubt that this situation is impacting every creature here, not simply those directly involved in the business at hand.

“Yeah,” He sighed.

“Most anger comes from passion,” She continued. “I am sure you are passionate about your home, which is something to be admired; albeit not expressed in the most civil of manners.”

The minotaur was surprised by her understanding and actually smiled. “I wish everyone else was as forgiving as you.” He laughed.

“I am not one for grudges,” She stated. “They serve no purpose other than harboring bitterness for no one’s benefit.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair, you know?” He carried on. “This is our home and it feels like we don’t even get a say in all this.”

“That is understandable,” Cloudy acknowledged. “Much like a tenant renting a home, you are ultimately at the mercy of the landlord; no matter how much time, care and love you put into that home.”

“Exactly!” Earnhardt slapped his thighs. “I’ve been trying to find a way to put it, that’s it exactly.”

“I can’t imagine a minotaur being native to the region, were you born here?”

“Not born, but my family has been involved with this area for a few generations now.” He explained. “My family and other minotaur came out here to help with the reconstruction of the town when Wheeler’s dad made his investment. We were some of the only creatures able to do heavy labor in this heat without passing out or worse; we also handled a lot of back and forth with the buffalo.”

“You do seem to be often in their company,” Cloudy noted as she glanced over at his friends who were still idling in the road.

“Yeah, my family has been close to them since before I was born; I was practically raised with them.”

“Another reason you would resist being forced to leave.” She reached out and laid her hand to his arm. “I am sorry this process has been so difficult for all of you; I may be aiding in that process, but do not think that makes me distant to the feelings of all involved. Stellar knows that too; but she, like all of us, has a job to do.”

The big bull smiled wide and put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re alright,” He said approvingly. “I won’t hold this against you, and if any creature else does I’ll handle them for you.”

“Hey!” Hatch’s voice sounded from down the road; seeing nothing but the known brute with his hand on Cloudy’s shoulder, he came running. “What are you doing!?”

“What!?” Earnhardt faced him with indignant eyes. “What the hell is your problem?”

“I…,” He looked back at Cloudy. “Are you okay?”

“Of course she is.” Earnhardt growled, angry at the insinuation.

“I am fine, Hatch.” Cloudy raised her hand in assurance. “We were just talking and Earnhardt has been quite kind.”

“He has?” Hatch looked up at the bull. “Sorry, can’t exactly blame me though.”

“You’re lucky you’re right about that, this time.” He poked the griffon in the chest.

“Okay, okay.” Hatch held his talons up.

The scene was again interrupted by the sound of an air horn as a pair of trucks pulling tailers began rolling to town. “Finally.” Earnhardt turned his attention to the vehicles.

“What is going on?” Cloudy asked.

“It’s what we’ve been waiting for,” He explained. “Hathaway’s monthly delivery for the town.” He glanced back down at Hatch. “Give us a hand while you’re standing here.” He ordered more than asked.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” Hatched rolled up his sleeves as he and Cloudy followed him towards the trucks. As they came to a stop, Hathaway emerged from one of the driver seats and climbed down to greet them.

“Sorry we’re a little late,” He apologized. “Took a tad longer to load up than we expected.”

“It’s fine.” Earnhardt brushed it off as he, hatch and the buffalo began heading for the rear of the truck with a pair of flatbed carts they had on standby.

“Well, Ms. Quartz,” Hathaway tipped his hat. “Nice to see you again.”

“Yes,” She smiled. “We heard from Ridgeway that you’ve decided to go along with the sale.”

“Yeah,” He nodded. “Honestly, I have you to thank for that; when you said what you did about your family and mine it felt like some pieces I had been overlooking fell into place. You’d think with ten kids I’d be more mindful of the future rather than the past.”

Cloudy paused in thought of their last talk. “I was under the impression you had nine children.”

“Oh…” He realized the number he mentioned. “Yes, I have ten. The tenth is my second oldest boy; he left our farm a little over two years ago to be on his own.” His face saddened. “If I had heard what you had to say back then, maybe things would have been different.”

“Did he not wish to remain here?” She asked.

“He just felt that he couldn’t do what he wanted to here,” Hathaway elaborated. “Kid was smart as a whip, kind of a wizard with technology. He was always inventing but he didn’t have any interest in aiming all that inventiveness at the farm. I tried to force him to follow the family path and in doing so I pushed him away; like you said, I can’t just assume my children want to do this for the rest of their lives.”

“I am sorry.” Cloudy said sincerely.

“Well, if we get this sale to go through, maybe I can track him down and let him know I understand now.” He pondered as they headed back to check on the work. His eldest daughter, who had driven the second truck, was assisting in the unloading as box after box was loaded onto the carts. Hatch had a large crate clutched in his talons as he left the back of the truck, Cloudy caught his eye as he started down the ramp and as he went to say something to her he stumbled forward. Hathaway’s daughter jumped out of the way as he went forward and just as he cried out, Cloudy quickly reached her right hand up and held the opposite side of the crate; Hatch’s fall stopped and the others stared at the sight in shock.

“Holy shit.” Earnhardt put his boxes down; as the sleeve of Cloudy’s dress fell back to her shoulder he could see the intricate and tight muscles of her arm.

“Do be careful, Hatch.” Cloudy said calmly as she raised the crate to allow him to regain his balance.

“How in the world are you so strong?” Hatch asked as he carried the crate down the rest of the ramp and set it on the flatbed.

“I’ve worked with nothing but stone and rock since I was nine years old,” She informed, fixing her dress. “I may no longer work the field, but the field has yet to leave my body.”

“They sure don’t make them like you anymore.” Hatch complimented.

“Maybe we should swap you out for her,” Earnhardt laughed. “Come on, let’s get this done so we can get lunch. You come too, Cloudy.”

“Alright.” She accepted with a light smile, the feeling of making some new friends after so long a warm one.

After cussing herself out, Stellar found herself headed towards the diner. As the establishment came into view, Stellar started drumming her fingers on her thigh while she walked.

“Ugh… what the fuck are you doing?” She muttered. “You said you weren’t coming here and here you are, ignoring your own good advice as fucking usual.” She grabbed the handle of the door and let out a long sigh. “It’s just lunch…” She pushed the door open to hear laughter; looking over she saw Hatch, Earnhardt, Cloudy and the buffalo sharing a booth. Her thought train derailed and she immediately headed over. “Uh, hi.”

“Oh, Stellar,” Cloudy smiled. “Finally out and about?”

“When the hell did you get so popular?” She glanced at Earnhardt. “With you, no less.”

“Listen, I’m sorry about last time,” Earnhardt again apologized. “Cloudy is one hell of a lady and she helped put things into perspective; no hard feelings?”

“Sure,” Stellar shrugged. “I’m not looking for any more enemies in life.”

“How about you join us?” Hatch offered.

“Actually, I’m here…”

“Ms. Flare,” On cue, Arcus called to her from the front counter. “You made it.”

“Yeah,” She turned towards the counter. “Here I am.” She held her arms out.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” He receded from the counter.

“I see you’ve got a fan of your own.” Hatch slyly noted.

“First time for everything.” Stellar countered as she headed over towards the kitchen.

Arcus soon emerged with his apron over his shoulder. “Lunch break.” He pleasantly announced.

“Who’s going to take my order?” Stellar joked as they took a booth.

“Magpie will be out in a minute,” He noted. “She’s my cover.”

“Sounds good,” Stellar took a menu and started looking it over. “Any recommendations from the staff?”

“You haven’t had the country benedict,” He pointed out. “You should try it; it’s a take on eggs benedict but using biscuits and gravy in place of muffin and hollandaise sauce.”

“So much for my diet.” She chuckled.

“It’s worth it, best in town.” He proudly added.

“It’s the only one in town.” She countered.

“Well there you go.” He grinned.

Stellar laughed and nodded. “Fair enough.”

Magpie came out to take their orders and the two of them sat back and relaxed for the next forty minutes. Their conversation was interrupted by Stellar’s phone, she quickly pulled it out and answered to receive news from the head of the survey team. She offered a few okays and alrights before hanging up, pocketing the phone with a sigh.

“Everything okay?” Arcus asked.

“Yeah, the surveyors will be here tomorrow.” She relayed. “Hopefully this goes smoothly,” Twisting her body around she waved over to Cloudy. “Hey, we’re back on the job tomorrow; make sure you pack your hard hat.”

“I see,” Cloudy nodded. “I will make sure I am ready.”

“That about the mine?” Hatch asked.

“Yes, it seems we will be heading there tomorrow.”

“We’re coming with you,” Earnhardt informed. “They may be pros, but Hatch and I know that mine better than any creature here.”

“He’s right,” Hatch nodded. “We’ll make sure you stay safe.”

“Thank you, that is quite generous.” Cloudy said graciously.

“Alright boys,” Stellar appeared at the table side as Arcus headed back to work. “I need my partner back.”

“If we have to.” Hatch chuckled.

“Thank you, this was a lovely time.” Cloudy thanked as she slid out. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Right,” Hatch waved. “Later.”

As Earnhardt and the buffalo bid her goodbye, Cloudy followed Stellar out onto the roadside. Stellar eyed her with an incredulous smile. “I can’t believe you got that bull on your side.”

“Earnhardt isn’t a bad creature,” Cloudy shook her head. “His anger is not without reason, he simply has trouble expressing what he is feeling.”

“Well, better having him with us than against us.” Stellar admitted.

“What shall we do now?” Cloudy asked.

“Enjoy the rest of the day off,” Stellar answered through a long exhale. “The team is do in pretty early in the morning.”

“Very well.” Cloudy nodded as they started the walk back to the lodges.

Stellar just laid in bed for hours, going in and out of sleep as her mind dealt with everything on her plate. Finally falling into a deeper sleep, she woke up suddenly well into the night after a particularly intense dream about a certain dragon. She sat upright with a hard gasp, realizing it was just in her mind; her hand covered her eyes and she grumbled in irritation.

“God damn it…” She mumbled to herself. “Why can’t I get this kid out of my head?” Pulling the sheets back she stared down at her soaked panties. “This is all your fault,” She scolded her hungry loins. “Why are you never on my side.” Swinging her legs off the side she pulled her underwear off and tossed them in with the rest of her accumulating laundry. Donning some casual wear, she lit a cigarette and left the lodge, walking out into the darkness to clear her head. Her aimless stroll was relaxing, the moon was high but obscured by clouds and the only sound was the dry night winds that blew across the landscape. “Have to admit, this beats the sound of car horns and air traffic,” She chuckled. “Maybe there is something to this whole rural thing.”

“Outsider.” A low, distorted voice drifted over the area.

Stellar whipped around and scanned the vicinity, heart nearly leaping out of her chest. “Hello?” She called.

“Outsider.” The voice spoke again.

“Who’s there!?” She challenged, unable to get at fix on the voice’s point of origin. Her eyes soon fell upon an unnatural form, she recognized it from the description given to her by Hatch. “No way.” She whispered.

“You seek to take this land, you are not welcome here.” The voice still came from all around but its mouth did not move; the long jaw merely hung open as its eyes burned a hole in her.

Stellar was without any form of protection, she flicked her cigarette in the direction of the creature but it didn’t flinch; instead, it took three steps closer. Stellar stared at it, realizing that she could see through it, as if it truly was a spirit. “Look fido,” She started backing towards the lodges. “I don’t know what you are, but the creatures here get to decide what happens to this land… not you.”

“I am this land!” The voice boomed. “You will leave… or you will die!” The creature lunged forward and for the first time in as long as she could remember, Stellar screamed in outright terror. She turned and sprinted for Cloudy’s lodge as fast as she could, calling out to her the entire way. Her screams roused the guests as Dandelion’s had the other night and Stellar ran to Cloudy as soon as she appeared.

“Stellar?” Cloudy took her shoulders as she leapt up onto the porch. “What has happened?”

“There!” Stellar pointed out into the darkness towards nothing but blackness. “What…” She looked back, panting hard. “I… I saw it… heard it.”

“What?” Cloudy asked.

“The Ataata,” Stellar turned back to her. “I saw it, it looked just like Hatch said and… it talked.”

The other guests watched the scene in concern and Stellar realized how she must have looked to them all. As before, Ridgeway appeared although alone this time. He saw the all too familiar scene and hurried over.

“Ms. Flare?” He observed the distressed look in her eyes.

“Lodge, now.” She pointed inside Cloudy’s lodge; he nodded and followed them in.

“Alright, no more bullshit,” Stellar composed herself. “What the hell do you know about the Ataata?”

“The Ata…” Ridgeway began but stopped himself. “Did Dandelion…”

“I just saw the fucking thing with my own two eyes, Ridgeway.” Stellar stopped him. “I don’t believe in ancient spirits, but I believe in my own goddamn eyes. What are you trying to cover up?”

Ridgeway let out a conceding sigh and nodded. “Okay, I honestly don’t know much but I’ll tell you what I know. It is true that that… thing… started showing up when I began openly speaking with everyone about selling the town. I didn’t want to believe it, I mean… I love this town and its history but I never believed in the tales of curses and spirits that came with it; but it happened again and again and all I could do was try to keep it out of public ear. I just… didn’t know what else to do.”

“So do you believe now?” Cloudy asked.

“Like Ms. Flare said,” He nodded. “I have to believe my own eyes. I don’t know what it is or how it exists, but I know it’s real.” He looked to Stellar with shamed eyes. “I’m sorry, Ms. Flare; I don’t want you or anyone here to get hurt. I’ll cancel the sale and see if that makes this thing go away.”

“No,” Stellar refuted. “That’s not how I do business.”

“What?” He looked at her unsurely.

“I don’t know what that thing is either, but I’m not going to let it keep my from doing my job. It got the drop on me this time; going forward, we operate as if it is a real threat.”

“How so?” Cloudy asked.

“No one heads out solo, especially at night; and we keep ourselves protected.” She pointed at Ridgeway. “And no more secrets, everyone needs to know about this thing and everyone needs to be on guard. If it scares some away, too bad; we’re seeing this through.”

Ridgeway gave an impressed laugh. “You’ve got more outlaw in you than most of us, Ms. Flare.”

“Thanks,” She smiled. “Most of the time it just gets me called a bitch.”

“I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow and fess up to everyone who doesn’t know about this yet,” He vowed as he stood. “You’ll be in a large group for the mine work, so you should be alright. There hasn’t been an attack during the day.”

“Keep your six shooters crossed.” Stellar requested.

“Would you rather remain here tonight, Stellar?” Cloudy offered.

“No, I’m fine now.” She insisted. “I already feel like an idiot for losing my cool like that.”

“I’ll see you in the morning then,” Ridgeway tipped his hat and headed for the door. “If anything else happens, just let me know.”

“Will do,” Stellar nodded as he left; she let out a long sigh and shook her head. “Fuck, I need a drink.” She too headed for the door.

“Try and sleep well.” Cloudy bid.

“Not counting on it,” She laughed dryly. “See you in the morning.”

As Stellar left, Cloudy went to window and watched to make sure she made it to the lodge. She turned her eyes towards the darkness that laid beyond her porch and hummed in thought at the bizarre and supernatural circumstances that only a few days ago she would not have thought possible.

Chapter 6

After a far from restful night, Stellar forced herself awake and invigorated herself with a piping hot shower. As she toweled off, someone started knocking; She lightly parted the door to see a close up of Arcus’ face.

“Ms. Flare?” His eye peered through the crack.

“Oh, hey.” She opened the door fully. “Come on in, not like you haven’t seen all of me anyway.” She laughed.

“Are you okay?” He immediately asked. “I heard about what happened last night.”

“God, this place has the fastest grapevine I’ve ever seen,” She shook her head but saw the genuine concern in his eyes. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I got spooked, but I’m not letting it stop me.”

“Are you still going into the mine?” He asked further.

“Yep, team should be here soon.” She started pulling an appropriate outfit from the dresser.

“Do… you want me to come with you?” He offered.

Stellar tossed her clothes on the bed with a light laugh; she went to him and patted his chest. “I’ll be fine, you big softy.” She smiled up at him. “Hatch and Earnhardt are coming along too, so we’re all set on bodyguards. We should be wrapped up by the afternoon.”

“Alright,” He nodded in acceptance. “Well, good luck in there.”

Stellar wanted to say more but stopped herself, he left the lodge and she returned her mind’s focus to the matter at hand. The survey team arrived within the hour; a three creature team consisting of two stallions and a female kirin. Stellar and Cloudy met them at the city hall where they were checking in with Ridgeway.

“Ah, here they are now,” Ridgeway gestured to them as they walked in the door. “Ms. Flare, Ms. Quartz, this is Maccabee, Diamond Drive and Meadow Haze.”

“I believe we spoke on the phone?” Maccabee approached with his hand extended.

“Yes,” Stellar confirmed. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Um, if I may ask,” Meadow spoke up. “Ridgeway informed us about some kind of… mystery creature?”

Stellar put her fist on her hip and breathed a laugh. “Yeah, there is… something out in the desert that really has it out for some of the creatures around here, myself included. I know that sounds nuts, but i saw it last night; it doesn’t seem to come out during the day but I’d like to get this show on the road as quick as possible just to be safe.”

“Well, can’t argue with that logic.” Diamond chuckled. “We work in mines, many of which are said to be haunted; we’ve… seen some things that we can’t exactly explain either.”

“Let’s get moving then,” Maccabbe glanced back at Ridgeway. “We’ll return here when we’re finsihed and let you know how it went.”

“Please be careful,” Ridgeway asked. “Aside from our mystery beast, that mine is dangerous enough on its own.”

“We will.” Meadow nodded.

The five of them stepped back outside, the teams' all terrain jeep waiting for them. Parked next to it was a pickup with Hatch at the wheel and Earnhardt in the bed.

“Hey, we’re ready when you are,” Hatch waved. “Hop in, Cloudy.” He offered.

“Go ahead,” Stellar nudged her towards the truck. “Four is enough for the jeep anyway.”

“Very well,” Cloudy stepped around the truck as Earnhardt reached down to pop the door for her. “Thank you.” She tipped her head as she climbed in. Stellar got in the backseat of the jeep with Diamond and the they started out for the mine; Hatch pulled ahead and led them towards the site which even he had not visited since the accident. The entrance to the mine was seated snugly in the old stone at the base of an elevated plateau about fourteen miles from the town. Once parked, the team packed up and removed several pieces of equipment from the back.

“So, how does this work exactly?” Stellar asked as everyone assembled.

“Well, we have a few different tools at our disposal,” Maccabee began. “Meadow uses a drone that is encased in a flexible plastic cage coated in sensor nodes, it purposefully bumps into the walls and, with assistance from a thermal camera, creates a map that constructs itself on her laptop.”

“My, how intriguing.” Cloudy noted.

“I call her, Tatia,” Meadow proudly informed. “Tactile and thermal imaging assistant.”

Maccabee pointed over at Diamond who was donning his own gear. “Diamond here uses seismic imaging tech to see if there are still any deposits located in the rock.”

“How does that work?” Earnhardt asked, the idea utterly foreign to him.

“He uses a powerful drill to bore a hole in a surface,” Maccabee explained. “Then he inserts an emitter that sends out powerful sound waves into the rock; these waves can travel up to one thousand feet and they can map out an area's composition.”

“Like echolocation.” Stellar concluded.

“Exactly,” Diamond confirmed. “Every metal and mineral has a different density; by looking at the results from a sweep I can see what kind of deposits, if any, are still there.”

“Heh,” Hatch chuckled. “We’re practically cave creatures given the toys you guys have.”

“All this stuff is cutting edge,” Meadow noted. “Even we have to beg for it.”

“Come on, let’s get inside and see what’s what.” Maccabee took point and led them into the mine. As they progressed, Hatch and Earnhardt described the immediate tunnels based on their own history with them. Walking around the rotted remains of centuries old equipment through the musty passages, they soon reached the farthest limits that any modern creature had dared to travel. At this point, the survey team took over as Meadow sent her drone into the deeper reaches to begin mapping the areas beyond. Working for nearly two hours, they managed to push another half mile down into the mine to get better readings and samples. Surprisingly, much of the framework that upheld the tunnels was intact, something that Maccabee attributed to the extraordinarily dry conditions which prevented moisture from rotting the wood. After another two hours, they finally reached a point where the tunnels had begun to waver in stability and it was decided to halt there; Diamond took his final readings and they started their return trip. The unease of being so deep in so old a mine began to alleviate as the light from the entrance started to appear. That unease returned however as a voice, all to familiar to Stellar, stopped them in their tracks.

“Outsiders.” The voice echoed down the tunnel at them.

“No… not here.” Stellar felt a panic in her chest.

“What was that?” Maccabee asked.

“Move, now!” Stellar ordered.

“You go no further.” The voice countered; a heavy shock rocked the mine and the light from the entrance faded as the mouth collapsed.

“What… what just happened!?” Meadow asked in shock.

Turning on their flashlights again, they hurried towards the former entrance to find it blocked with rock. “Shit, we’re trapped.” Earnhardt laid his hand against the giant pile of stone.

“That voice,” Cloudy looked to Stellar. “Was that what you heard last night?”

“Yes, that was the same voice.” She confirmed. “Son of a bitch, it’s never made an appearance during the day before.”

“There really is a monster?” Meadow’s eyes widened.

“More of a ghost than a monster,” Hatch clarified as he punched the rock. “Damn it, what do we do now?”

“Cell signals won’t penetrate the mountain,” Diamond noted. “We can’t call for help.”

“You guys didn’t happen to bring dynamite along with all those gadgets, did you?” Stellar asked.

“Sorry, not standard procedure.” Maccabee sighed in thought.

“There might still be some down here.” Hatch tapped his beak.

“You think so?” Stellar looked back into the darkness of the mine.

“Some of the side tunnels were for storing equipment,” He explained. “Let me borrow a flashlight and I’ll see what I can find.”

“You realize that even if you do find any, an explosion could only make this even worse.” Diamond chimed in.

“Any better ideas?” Hatch asked back.

“See what you can find,” Cloudy stepped in. “No sense in arguing about something we are not sure about.”

“Right,” Hatch smiled at her, taking Meadow’s light and heading back into the mine.

“Do we have any other options?” Diamond asked.

“It’s possible we can find another exit,” Meadow offered. “I can use Tatia to scout out some of the off shoot passages.”

“We might not have that kind of time,” Maccabee noted. “This mine is old and predates proper air flow management, with seven of us down here we’ll use up the oxygen faster than whatever adits that might be left can replenish.”

“It could take hours before we’re gone long enough for Ridgeway to start getting worried.” Stellar sighed.

“Dynamite may be our best bet,” Earnhardt admitted. “Hopefully Hatch finds something we can work with.” The group moved back into the mine a ways in search of Hatch, when the griffon finally returned he admitted he had gathered nothing but some shovels and pick axes. Deciding they might be able to, at least, force open an airway in the rubble, they returned to the mouth of the mine.

“Hey, you hear that?” Meadow cupped her ear. “What is that?”

“What?” Maccabee tried to listen.

“It sounds like.. a blowtorch.” She went to the pile of rocks and held her ear against it. “What in the world is that.”

Stellar joined her and detected the sound, it was quickly followed by the sound of intense scraping. “Hello!?” She called into the rock.

The sounds stopped and a faint voice responded. “Ms. Flare!”

“Arcus!? Is that you!?” Stellar held her ear to the rock.

“I’ll get you out, Ms. Flare. Just hold on!” He yelled back, the sounds resuming.

“Arcus…” Earnhardt went to her side. “He must be using his fire to weaken the rock.”

“Who is Arcus?” Maccabee asked.

“A dragon, he’s from town,” Stellar answered. “I told him we’d be back by afternoon, he must have come looking for us.”

Earnhardt looked down at his hands and snorted hard. Pulling his shirt off, he ripped it into strips and wrapped them around his knuckles. Hatch noticed his work and looked him over. “What are you doing?”

“Helping the kid out,” He answered as he went back to the rock. “Move back.”

“What’s he doing?” Diamond inquired, getting his answer as Earnhardt slapped himself in the head several times to psych himself up before beginning to punch the rock.

“Gotcha.” Hatch took up a pick axe and started in next to him. For nearly twenty minutes, Stellar and the others watched as they poured themselves into attacking the blockade, they could see the area they were striking begin to glow red from Arcus’ fire and finally a hole opened up. Spurred on by the success, Earnhardt began forcing the rock outward until a big enough hole for them to escape was available. They hurried out into the darkening sky, Stellar saw Arcus on his knees and immediately ran to him.

“Kid!” She could see that he was breathing heavily and his claws were bloody from desperately swiping at the rock. “Oh shit…”

“Ms… Flare…” He weakly smiled at her. “Are you… okay?”

“To hell with me,” She held his head. “What about you?”

“He’s burned through everything in his gas bladder,” Earnhardt observed. “That was some work, Arcus.”

“You’re in no better shape,” Cloudy held his hands and looked over his bloodied knuckles. “You need care as well.”

“I’ll be alright till we get back.” He promised. “Looks like he brought his boss’ truck, get him in the back and Hatch can drive him to town.

“I’ll drive Hatch’s truck then.” Stellar offered. “You guys take your jeep.”

“Alright.” Maccabee nodded.

The caravan headed back into town; Hatch immediately took Arcus and Earnhardt to the town doctor while Stellar, Cloudy and the survey team went to tell Ridgeway what happened. Shaken but relieved, Ridgeway listened to their tale and promised to let everyone know that the daytime was no longer completely safe either. After the nearly hour long recap, the survey team returned to a lodge to go over their data while Stellar and Cloudy went to check on the others. Leaving Cloudy to look in on Earnhardt, Stellar went into the other room in the office where Arcus sat; his claws were bandaged but otherwise he seemed back to normal.

“There’s my hero,” Stellar smiled. “How’re the claws?”

“My top scales were shredded,” He looked down at the bandages. “The doctor scrubbed them off so the under layer could harden; they’ll be fine… just sore.” He quickly looked back to her. “What happened?”

“My stalker showed up again,” She sat in the chair opposite the bed. “Somehow it caused the mouth of the tunnel to cave in; we were looking for a way out when you showed up.”

“After I heard about last night I was worried something like that might happen; when you guys didn’t come back by the later afternoon, I got scared and went to check on you.”

“Normally that kind of hovering would annoy me,” Stellar admitted as she stood. “But I’m glad you’re such a worry wart.” Ignoring her attempts to ignore her feelings about him, she gently took his head and kissed him. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Ms. Flare.”

Stellar laughed and shook her head. “Look, you’ve saved my ass and pumped about a gallon of cum in me, I think that means you’re on a first name basis with me now.” She patted his cheek.

“Right… Stellar.” He smiled brightly.

With such a long day behind them, Stellar took Cloudy back to the bar for a drink; the two mares sat at the end of the line with a scotch before Stellar and a ginger ale before Cloudy.

“This is officially the craziest fucking job I’ve ever been on,” Stellar took a long drink. “Picked a hell of a one for your first trip back out into the world.”

“This is certainly more… exciting than I would have imagined.” Cloudy admitted. "Are all your jobs this intense?"

Stellar chuckled with a shake of her head. "Not exactly; but go big or go home, right?” She aimed her glass at Cloudy. “Beats sitting in that empty house.”

“In some ways.”

Stellar finished her drink and immediately called for another. “The team will have their results tomorrow; after that we can get a straight answer from Wheeler and be one step closer to wrapping this up.” She sighed. “Gotta admit though, this place is kind of growing on me.”

“It does have a charm that is mostly lost in the world,” Cloudy concurred. “And the creatures here have been quite hospitable.”

“Yeah,” Stellar's mind returned to Arcus. “Listen, I need to run something by you.”

“Yes?”

“That dragon, I’ve kind of…. been fucking him.”

“Oh,” Cloudy raised her brow. “I see, that explains his dedication to you.”

“That’s not the weird part,” Stellar shook her head. “I’ve been with plenty of guys and I have a system; but… Arcus is pretty different and it’s making me break my own rules about this sort of thing.”

“How so?”

“I keep thinking about him for one, I like being around him.”

Cloudy looked at her in confusion. “That is… a bad thing?”

“I know, right?” Stellar finished off her second drink. “Sex is an itch I need scratched every now and again; if I meet a guy I’m okay with I get in, get out and move on. But I’ve been with Arcus twice now and I still want him.” A look of disbelief filled her eyes. “It isn’t just the sex either, even though I swear the kid has a PHD in my body… I mean fuck…” She got herself back on track. “But when I’m around him I just feel… better, that’s weird right?”

“It sounds as though you feel more for him than just a physical attraction.”

“I can’t do that.” Stellar refuted as she ordered a third drink.

“Why?”

“Well for one, I did the math on his backstory and he’s only twenty three,” Stellar laughed. “He’s a year older than Sunburst; i mean, this is the kind of shit that only happens in porn; he might as well be my pool boy or something.” She happily accepted her next glass from Stormy. “My life is full right now, I don’t have time for a boyfriend; I like my life the way it is.”

Cloudy sighed. “Do you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stellar eyed her.

“It just seems that your job is everything to you; while that is admirable from a standpoint of workmanship, you openly admit you don’t have time for anything else. Are you honestly happy about that?”

“I’m happy enough,” Stellar waved off the idea. “As much as I have time for anyhow.”

“You said that Arcus makes you feel better, if you were honestly happy you wouldn’t need to feel better.” Cloudy pointed out.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be agreeing with me.” Stellar pointed at her.

“Friends don’t just agree with you, they help give you perspective that you may lack.” Cloudy quoted. “If Arcus brings you so many pleasant feelings, then you shouldn’t just dismiss them.”

"I guess." Stellar mumbled into her drink. “What about you then? Now that you’re out and about again are you ready to start moving on?”

“My situation is different,” Cloudy noted. “Losing Igneous was more than just losing a husband, I lost a part of myself that now resides alongside him in the afterlife.”

“Look, you have a point about me; my way of thinking probably isn’t… healthy; but in my opinion, neither is yours.” She took down half her glass. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose someone that you were with for so long, but I do know that jut because his life is over doesn’t mean yours is. You need to put yourself back out there, get back in the game and get some action.”

Cloudy shook her head. “That's the difference between you a I, Stellar,” She looked her hard in the eye. “To me, intimacy is not a game.”

Stellar dipped her head and sat her glass down. “Meaning?”

“I don’t judge others for they way they live their lives; but jumping from bed to bed seeking nothing but gratification is not an idea I find appealing, I was raised to value and respect that act.”

“So what? I wasn’t raised right?” Stellar narrowed her eyes. “Sounds like judgement to me."

Cloudy sighed. "I didn't..."

"You may not mean it, but you always sound like you’re looking down on the rest of us for not living a little house on the prairie life like you do.” Stellar turned on the stool to face her. “Velvet and the others never know how to approach you, but I’m not intimidated by you; like i said before, I had hoped bringing you with me would get you out of that shell you’ve seemingly decided to die in." She looked at Cloudy with equally hard but honest eyes. "I don’t want to see that, you’re not out just yet but you will be if you don’t get over the fact that Igneous is dead and gone.” Her face shot to the side as Cloudy’s palm met it, the bar around them quieted at the scene.

“I know today has been long and you may mean well in what you say, but I will not sit here and let you trivialize his death.” Cloudy said stoutly.

“I’m not trying to trivialize it,” Stellar rubbed her cheek as she stood. “I can’t drag you back out into life; you really want to just shrivel up and die then fine, unlike the others I can at least say I tried.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out some cash, slapping it on the bar and heading for the door.

Hatch came hurrying over and looked between the two as Stellar left. “Hey, what happened? You okay?” He asked.

“No,” Cloudy looked down at her palm. “I am not.” She asked to be left alone and sat at the bar for almost half an hour in deep thought; she finally stood and quietly left, finding Stellar sitting on the hitching post and staring up into the night sky. She went to her side and looked up with her. “I am sorry I did that, Stellar; I had no right.”

“It’s fine,” Stellar laughed. “Nice to finally get some emotion out of you.”

“I just… miss him, so much.” Cloudy felt herself tear. “I do not know what to do without him with me.”

“I know that, Cloudy; but honestly, I just don’t get why you’re so sad?” She confessed.

"How can you say such a thing?" Cloudy glanced at her in disbelief.

“You got to marry the stallion you loved." Stellar began. "You had four amazing girls and spent thirty four years together in the same home.” Stellar looked back at her. “The stallion of my dreams ran out on me the minute he found out I was pregnant; I raised Sunburst on my own while finishing college and holding down a full time job which turned into a career.” She held her arms up in frustration. “I would have killed to have been as lucky as you, most of the world would; you have nothing to be sad about.”

Cloudy wiped her eye with a light smile. “I've never looked at it in such a way.”

“Perspective, remember?” She smiled.

“Indeed.” Cloudy nodded.

“I’m not saying it isn’t sad that he’s gone; but do you really think he’s looking down from wherever you believe you wind up and is happy seeing you just sitting alone and miserable? You’ve got good years left in you, do you really just want to spend them isolated and alone?”

“I… no,” Cloudy lowered her head.

“I get that you feel you have to be loyal to the love of your life; but that part of your life is over now. Igneous is gone and your daughters are all grown up and on their own; the rest of your life is yours now, to spend however you want. That’s your reward for being an awesome wife and mother for so long.”

Cloudy considered her words carefully. “I am not sure I would know where to begin.”

“Just have fun, do shit you’ve never done before,” She thumbed back towards the bar. “The griffon that’s been trying to get into your girdle since you met might be a good place to start.”

Cloudy eyes widened in shock at the suggestion. “I… couldn’t do such a thing.”

“Why not?” Stellar looked around. “Who’s going to stop you?” She shrugged. “Besides, he’s a pretty good guy; worst case scenario is he’s shit in bed.” Stellar reached over and laid her hand on hers. “All I’m saying is that there’s still experiences and fun to be had; and you’ve earned them.”

Cloudy smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Stellar.”

“You’re just lucky I’m stubborn enough to be your friend,” Stellar reminded. “It’s like pulling teeth with you sometimes.”

“That is something I appreciate greatly.” Cloudy finally laughed openly as she looked back up into the sky just in time to see a shooting star streak across the heavens, something she internally interpreted as Igneous agreeing.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Stellar and Cloudy met up with the survey team at Ridgeway’s office to discuss their findings; Wheeler had been invited as well as the results were of most interest to him in particular. The seven of them sat around a pair of the team's laptops as they visually displayed their readings.

“Can’t say I know what I’m looking at,” Ridgeway admitted with a chuckle. “What exactly is the verdict?”

“Well, based on Diamond’s readings, there are still pockets of both gold and copper; however the depth of the deposits in comparison to the amount means that mining it would profit just above breaking even in the cost to do so.” Maccabee explained.

Wheeler hummed in resolute acceptance. “I see.”

“Is that enough of an answer for you, Wheeler?” Ridgeway asked. “Mining that location any further would be more risk and cost than reward.”

“So it would seem, old friend.” Wheeler’s typical poker face failed to hide his disappointment. “I will take the time to consider everything, I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.” He quietly stepped over to the door, tipping his head to the team. “Thank you for your hard work, it is appreciated.”

As Wheeler left, Stellar let out a short laugh. “He took that better than I imagined.”

“We’ve met worse,” Diamond confessed as he closed his laptop. “Today or a hundred years ago, the call of gold can bring out the worst in any creature.”

“Well, thank you for doing this,” Ridgeway said graciously. “I’m sorry it turned out more dangerous than planned.”

“This one’s definitely going in the story book.” Meadow laughed.

“If that is all, then we’ll be on our way.” Maccabee held his hand out.

“Of course,” Ridgeway took his hand. “Thank you again.”

“Ms. Flare, it was good to meet you.” He offered her the same.

“Same here,” Stellar stood and shook. “I’ll get on the phone and let my boss know how it turned out.”

“I hope the drive home is quieter than the job.” Cloudy wished with a wave.

“Not the way Meadow drives.” Diamond laughed as the three of them headed out.

As the office fell silent, Stellar let out a long sigh and looked to Ridgeway. “Well, hopefully Wheeler will let it go and we can finalize this deal tomorrow. I had hoped to get the buffalo to agree as well, but as long as we have majority we can call it done.”

“Hopefully your employer can win their trust through his actions.” Cloudy added.

“All things in time,” Stellar shrugged. “Right now, breakfast.”

Bidding Ridgeway farewell for now, the duo made their way over to the diner for something hearty to refill themselves after the long day prior. Unexpectedly, Arcus had already returned to work with his claws bandage free; he quickly went to claim their table for his own as he brought them water.

“Morning,” He smiled, setting the glasses down.

“You’re fine already?” Stellar reached out and took his claw, finding no traces of damage.

“Dragons heal fast,” He noted, squeezing her hand. “How are you?”

“Honestly, better.” She lightly squeezed back. “More so after some food.”

“What can I get you?” He looked between them.

“I will have the spinach and artichoke omelet.” Cloudy set her menu down.

“I’ll go with that county benedict again,” Stellar ordered. “You’re right, it is great.”

“Some coffee would be nice as well, please.” Cloudy added.

“No problem, have it right out.” Arcus hurried back into the kitchen.

Cloudy watched Stellar’s eyes follow him off and smiled. “May I suggest that, since we are awaiting news, you spend some time outside of the bedroom with him today.” She suggested.

Stellar drummed her fingers on the table. “You really think this is a good idea?”

“I do,” Cloudy nodded. “You clearly feel things for him that have escaped you for so long, I know that you will regret not at least exploring those feelings while you have the chance.”

“Yeah, maybe I can text Sunburst and find out what kids are into these days.” She muttered, half jokingly.

“I know this may seem odd coming from me, but you should not dwell on things like age.”

“You’re right, that is odd.” Stellar countered.

“Age is nothing but a number we use to label,” Cloudy stated. “Our hearts never care about such things.”

“Okay, I get it…. just stop talking like I’m in love or something.” Stellar waved her down. “I’ll do it; I guess it would be nice to know how I feel when I’m not drunk or getting plowed by him.” She downed a third of her water. “How about you, going to cut loose today?”

“I’m not sure about cutting loose,” Cloudy paused in thought. “But perhaps I can mingle more freely.”

“Go hang out with Hatch,” Stellar offered. “Show him some ankle while you’re at it and see what happens.” Cloudy looked at her with disapproval. “Hey, start dressing in line with the current century and I’ll stop.” Stellar aimed her glass at her. “Hey, that’s an idea; new you new clothes, go hit up that boutique and get yourself a fresh outfit.”

Cloudy laid her thumb to her chin. “A new wardrobe? That could be nice.”

“It’s a good place to start.” Stellar noted, halting as Arcus approached with a pot of coffee.

“Here you go,” He sat down two cups and poured.

“Thanks, kid.” Stellar took up her cup. “Uh… hey, I’m just sitting on my ass today; you want to get together after your shift?”

“Really?” His eyes brightened even further. “Definitely, I’m off at five.”

“Alright, it’s a… date.” She said as surely as she could manage.

“I’ll be right back with your food.” His face barely contained his delight as he went back to the kitchen.

“Okay… there,” Stellar rattled her head proudly. “I have a date.”

After breakfast, Stellar and Cloudy parted ways; taking Stellar’s advice, Cloudy headed into the boutique to see about a fresh set of clothes as a first step in moving forward in life. The bell above the door rattled as she entered which drew out the southwestern garbed mare behind the counter.

“Well hello,” She greeted. “I’ve seen you walking around town.” Her hand extended as she neared. “I’m Cerulean.”

“Cloudy,” Cloudy took her hand. “A pleasure.”

“Can I help you find something in particular?”

“Well, my friend suggested that I seek out a new look.”

“Oh, well what did you have in mind?”

“That, I do not know,” Cloudy confessed. “To be honest, the majority of my existing wardrobe consists of simple dresses like this one.”

“Ah,” Cerulean twisted her lips in thought. “Sounds like you could use some flair; well, when in the west it’s best to dress the part. How about a honest to goodness, wild west look?”

Cloudy looked at her uncertainly but maintained an open mind. “I suppose that is as good a place to start as any.”

Cerulean took her around and started picking out individual pieces; after depositing her in a dressing room she let Cloudy be and waited back at the front. After about ten minutes, Cloudy walked back up to showcase herself. Now wearing a plain white tee beneath a rose embroidered, curved hem blouse and mid-rise denim jeans that showcased her labor hardened legs, Cerulean beamed at the sight and hurried over to her.

“That looks great on you.” She complimented.

“It is certainly… different.” Cloudy noted with an unsure smile.

“I’d say one last thing,” Cerulean went to a rack and removed a western style hat. “How about you let that hair down and try this on.”

“My hair?” Cloudy reached up to the familiar bun that she had always kept her hair confined within. “Very well.” She undid the pins and allowed her silver hair to flow publicly free for the first time since her youth; it hung in loose, lush volume bobs down to her shoulders. Cerulean adorned her with the hat and stood back with a smile.

“Take a look.” She gestured over to the full length mirror.

Cloudy stepped over to the framed glass and let out a short gasp at what she saw; barely recognizing herself, she reached up and touched her cheek with a light smile of approval. “Oh my,”

“Do you like it?” Cerulean asked as she joined her.

“I do,” Cloudy slowly nodded. “I never imagined I could look like this before; it’s been so long since I strayed from what had become familiar.”

“It’s easy to get into a fashion rut,” Cerulean nodded understandingly. “But I’ll bet you’ll be turning heads now; if you’re happy, I can just pull the tags and ring you up so you can wear it out.”

“I believe I shall.” Cloudy agreed, actually feeling exited for someone to see her.

Stellar had returned to her lodge to idle away the time until Arcus was off; her jumbled thoughts were interrupted with a soft knock at the door, she bounced herself from the bed and opened up to see Dandelion and Legerdemain.

“Oh, hey you two,” Stellar backed off and let them in.

“Hi, sorry we didn’t make it by sooner,” Ledge offered. “Things have been a little crazy since that mine incident; whole town is on edge.”

“Did it really speak?” Dandelion quickly asked, eager for more information on the beast.

“Yeah, twice now,” Stellar nodded. “I must be special.”

“It’s because you’re closer than ever to making this deal happen.” Ledge noted. “Aren’t you scared?”

“I’m not excited about it.” Stellar shrugged.

“It may sound weird, but I’m glad you finally saw it for yourself.” Dandelion added. “No one was doing anything and it was driving me crazy, but you’ve finally got Ridgeway to start treating this seriously.”

Ledge took the chair, pulling out a deck of cards and shuffling them with one hand. “So, what was the final verdict on the mine anyway?”

“To put it simply, it isn’t worth the effort,” She answered. “Wheeler is thinking it over and will let me know his final decision tomorrow; although, I’m pretty sure he knows it’s a financial dead end.”

“So… if he says yes, that’s it then? The town will be officially sold?” Dandelion asked further.

“After the finalization of the paperwork, yeah.” Stellar confirmed.

“Wow, this has been going on for so long that it feels weird to finally be at the end.” Dandelion thought back about her life at the town. “Kind of bittersweet.”

“I know,” Stellar nodded. “No deal goes through without some rough feelings on someone’s part.”

“Guess I’ll have to take my act on the road.” Ledge smiled whimsically.

“Maybe you can get to Las Pegasus like you always wanted.” Dandelion patted his shoulder.

Again the door received a knock, Stellar went over and pulled it open. “Uh, hey, can I…” Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. “Cloudy?”

Cloudy smiled lightly at her shock. “What do you think?”

“Holy shit… I didn’t even recognize you at first.” Stellar let her in, smiling as she pointed to her hair. “And you let your hair down, I was starting to think that fucking bun was nailed to your skull or something.”

“Wow, Ms. Quartz,” Dandelion beamed. “That’s a great look on you.”

“Yeah.” Ledge cut his deck, revealing a queen of hearts.

“Has Hatch seen you yet?” Stellar laughed. “I bet he came in his pants.”

“Actually, he apparently left town to deliver supplies to the buffalo.” Cloudy noted.

“Eh, I’m sure he'll be back soon.” Stellar took her shoulder. “How do you feel?”

Cloudy thought for a moment. “A bit excited, actually.”

“Well you should, you look great,” Stellar shook her lightly. “Proud of you.” She doubled back towards her dresser and grabbed her purse. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a… date.” She still struggled with the word.

“Arcus?” Dandelion inquired.

“How did you know?” Stellar eyed her.

“Whole town is talking about it, everyone thinks you two are cute together.” She grinned.

“God damn it,” Stellar scowled. “Cracker barrel humping, small towners.”

"Just enjoy yourself, freely.” Cloudy suggested as everyone followed her out.

“Yeah,” Stellar waved over her shoulder as she headed off. “Knock em’ dead yourself tonight.” With about a quarter hour to spare, Stellar made it back to the diner before the end of Arcus’ shift. She waited around outside, mad at herself for feeling nervous for some reason she didn’t fully understand. Soon enough he emerged, changed back into his street clothes; he immediately waved as he caught sight of her and headed over.

“Hey, Stellar.” He smiled.

“Hey,” She turned as he stepped up beside her. “Long day?”

“Only because I was excited about seeing you.” He noted sweetly.

“Not that big a deal,” She said humbly. “So, anything to do around here besides drink and screw?”

He laughed with a light shake of his head. “Not really, and with all this Ataata business it really doesn’t seem safe to leave the town.”

“Well, let’s just… walk.” Stellar suggested, not knowing what else to say.

“Sure,” He happily agreed. The pair walked the span of the town, saying hi to passers by and chatting lightly. Arcus noticed how off she was acting as opposed to her usual outspoken self and looked down her curiously. “Are… you okay?”

Stellar sighed and held her temple. “No… I mean, yes; it’s just… I don’t really know what to do with a guy outside of a bedroom.” She shook her head. “Wow, that really shines a light on me.” She looked up at him with embarrassment. “Look, this is the closest thing I’ve had to an actual date in almost twenty years; it just feels weird and I don’t know what to do.”

“But I thought…”

“Yeah, I hook up a lot,” She cut him off. “That’s not dating, that’s just me getting my rocks off to clear my head. I don’t…” She stopped herself.

“What?” He asked.

“It’s nothing,” She waved it off.

“It isn’t.” He stopped and faced her. “If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

She stared up at him with hesitant eyes. “I don’t trust guys,” She shrugged. “I just don’t.”

Arcus frowned a bit. “Even me?”

“No, not even you.” She said apologetically. “I like you, way more than I should and more than I thought I even could; that’s why this is so weird for me. I know you’re nice and sweet and all that good stuff, but every time I feel myself start to relax my brain starts screaming at me to run in the opposite direction.”

Arcus internalized her words, feeling hurt but equally curious. “What happened?”

“You don’t want to know all that,” She assured.

“I do,” He insisted.

“Why?”

“Because I really care about you, Stellar.” He said surely.

Stellar let out a light laugh. “You don’t even know me,” She pointed out. “I get it, I’m new in town and this is exciting and hot but if you really knew me... you wouldn’t be so eager.”

“I know all that,” Arcus noted. “I know we just met but… you really don’t feel that there’s something here? I do, I felt it after that first night, you’re special and I want to…”

“No you don’t,” Stellar raised her hand. “You do not want to go down that road with me; I’ve been enjoying myself but I really didn’t want you getting attached to me and I wound up doing that anyway.” She felt herself getting emotionally flustered.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” He asked. “Maybe I do want to go down that road with you.”

Her face grew irritated at his insistence. “You don’t want me, kid. I’m loud and angry, I drink too much, I smoke and I’ve got more baggage than an airport on a holiday weekend.” She held her arms out in frustration. “And as hot as it may seem to fuck an older woman, it won’t be so hot in ten years when I’m pushing sixty and you’re still in your prime.” She pointed at him. “And don’t tell me you don’t care about all that, no one in their right mind wouldn’t care about all that.” Her eyes started to water and she turned from him, looking up at the clouds. “What the fuck am I doing? I’m supposed to be having fun… you see,” She turned back to him. “This is why I don’t date; I wanted to have a nice night with you and my crazy brain is trying to chase you off.” Her arms hung listlessly. “Fuck me… maybe we should just call it a night.”

“No,” Arcus walked over to her. “Keep going, I want to hear all of it.”

She looked back up at him in disbelief. “What?”

“Talk to me,” He smiled. “You’re not going to chase me off, I promise.”

A tear finally left her eye and she couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re more fucked up than I am, kid.”

“Maybe,” He admitted. “All I know is that I don’t want to just walk away from you.”

Stellar looked around and found a place where they could sit. “Fine, come on.” She led him over and sat with him. “I had my life planned out; I was with the guy I loved, going to school and had my career path set. Then, a few months after a drunken night without protection, I found out I was having his kid.” She stared into the dirt. “And honestly, I was happy… I mean, l loved him; sure I would have to make some life changes but we’d be okay as long as we had each other.” She shrugged. “Then he literally ran away; couldn’t handle the responsibility… didn’t even fucking tell me!” She shouted. “Phone number disconnected and left town within a week according to a mutual friend.”

“Fuck…” Arcus lowered his head. “I’m sorry, that’s awful.”

“Yeah,” Stellar said simply. “But I did what I had to do and managed to succeed without him. After that though, how the fuck was I supposed to trust any guy going forward. When the guy you were in love with fucks you over that hard, then you just assume that love doesn’t mean shit and nobody is worth your trust.” She sighed. “Guys just became fuck buddies; I got what I needed and went on my merry way, not letting them get the chance to fuck me over ever again.”

“So, that first night we had wasn’t supposed to mean anything?” He asked softly, knowing how much it meant to him.

“No,” She said honestly. “You were a nice guy and we had fun, that was it; at least, that’s how it was supposed to go. But I caved in to some weird notion and fucked you again, and then I couldn’t get you out of my head; it was driving me nuts and I was fighting it like cancer." She laid her hand over her heart. "You made me feel the way I did with my ex, which scared the shit out of me.”

Arcus looked over at her. “So what made you ask me out tonight then?”

“Cloudy says I shouldn’t be running from… whatever this is; that I should turn and face it and be happy that being with you makes me feel good.” She smiled up at him softly. “Which is does, by the way; I know I sound like a shitty bitch right now, but you do make me feel better.”

“I’m glad,” He lifted his tail and wrapped it around her waist. “I’d like to keep doing that, if you’ll let me.”

Stellar reached down and grabbed the tip of his tail. “Even after all that shit I just rattled off?”

“Yeah,” He nodded. “I like those things about you; you’re strong and assertive and no nonsense, I like that a lot. I hate women who play games and think it’s cute, you know what you want and how you want it; I think that’s attractive.”

“Wow,” Stellar chuckled. “Your mom beat you or something as a kid?”

“My real mom left my dad too, when I was about ten.”

“Oh,” She cringed. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine; my dad remarried and I loved my step mom.” He smiled in thought of her. “She was a mare.”

“A mare?” Stellar eyed him in shock.

“Yep.”

“This isn’t some weird mommy thing, is it?” Stellar asked. “Because I’m not much for role play.”

“No,” He shook his head with a laugh. “She was awesome and my dad was way happier.”

“At least some stories have good endings.”

“And as for the age thing; you know that dragons live longer than any other creature right?”

“No.”

“That’s why we rarely date outside our own species; but that didn’t stop my dad, and I won’t let it stop me.”

“Well that’s even worse,” She noted. “You should be looking for an eighteen year old or something, at least balance it out in the long run.”

“I don’t care how old you are,” He assured. “I’d rather have a shorter time with someone I really care about than a long time with someone I didn’t. That’s how my mom put it anyway.”

Stellar reached over and took his claw. “You really want this?”

“I do,” He squeezed her hand. “At least give me a chance.”

Stellar felt a swell of something positive in her that brought back a lot of forsaken emotions; she stood and grabbed his head, kissing him deeply. “Let’s go back to the lodge, I’m going to ride you like a rental car with full coverage.”

“Yes ma’am.” Arcus nodded in eager acceptance.

Chapter 8

Hatch and Earnhardt returned to town after a long day looking forward to a cold drink; as per usual, they headed to the bar to satisfy their thirst. The chatter was louder than usual when they stepped inside the familiar spot and they noticed an overcrowded table bubbling with laughter. Curiosity supplanted thirst as the pair altered course to see what the ruckus was about; they saw what appeared to be a new face being the center of attention, confusion fading as she waved to them.

“Hatch, Earnhardt, there you are.” Cloudy smiled from her spot in the midst of the bar goers.

“Cloudy?” Hatch’s beak fell open as he got closer.

“Looking good.” Earnhardt said approvingly.

“Thank you.” Cloudy gestured next to her. “Sit, you two look like you’ve had a long day.”

“Uh, yeah…” Hatch sat and observed the drink in front of her. “Is that a beer?”

“It is,” Cloudy noted. “I decided it was time to try one instead of just assuming the worst about them.”

“How is it?” He asked.

“Terrible!” Cloudy proclaimed with a smile, taking another drink as everyone began laughing.

“You’ll get used to it,” Earnhardt patted her back. “What do you call it… acquired taste?”

“Want the usual, you two?” Stormy asked as she made her way back to the bar, dispersing the crowd to leave them be.

“Yeah, thanks.” Hatch nodded. “Cloudy, not that I’m complaining, but what’s with all the sudden change?”

“Stellar and I talked; she forced me to see what I was doing to myself and she was right.” Cloudy admitted. “I want to enjoy the rest of my life, not spend it trapped in my memories.”

Hatch smiled earnestly at her new outlook. “That’s great, Cloudy.”

“Here you go.” Stormy returned with their drinks.

“Thanks, sis.” He hefted it to his beak and indulged.

“You really look like one of us now,” Earnhardt took a swig of his beer. “Nice to see you having some fun.”

“So did anything come from us almost getting buried alive yesterday?” Hatch asked.

“Wheeler is making his decision tonight,” Cloudy informed. “It appears the mine is not worth any further endeavor.”

“Guess he’ll bail then,” Earnhardt snorted. “He’s always been money first.”

“That means the town can be sold,” Hatch noted. “Huh, guess this is about the end of the line.”

“I am sorry.” Cloudy assured.

“I’ll miss this place,” Hatch said whimsically. “But, life goes on I guess.”

After a light introduction, Legerdemain took the stage and started his nightly show. Earnhardt shook his head as he held up his empty glass. “One thing I won’t miss is that kid’s stupid act.” He rose and headed to the bar for a refill.

The night carried on with Cloudy opening up to enjoying the town’s night life. Stormy found her a drink that she would enjoy far more, a white peach julep, which she took to greatly. As others came and went, Hatch stayed with her the whole time until eventually it was just the two of them. The bar had lulled and most of the early birds had called it a day. Cloudy felt a deep heat in her cheeks and paused to take a sip of water.

“Oh my,” She uncharacteristically giggled. “I feel rather flushed.”

Hatch chuckled. “First time getting buzzed?”

“No, actually,” She sighed. “A lifetime ago, my husband and I took our first trip to a major city for our second honeymoon. We were barely in our twenties and we were so overwhelmed, but we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We got rather tipsy one night, both of us for the first time; we were a mess the next morning and he swore he would never touch alcohol again.” She laughed.

“He was a lucky guy,” Hatch raised his glass to her.

“Thank you,” Cloudy smiled. “I enjoy remembering him in good company like this, rather than sorrowfully all alone.”

“Ha,” Hatch laughed. “Here’s to someone thinking of me as good company.” He drank.

“Come now, you are an earnest and hard working creature,” She pointed out. “No matter how rough your exterior, what you have inside is good.”

He smiled at the rare compliment. “Thanks.”

“You know, Stellar suggests that you have some interest in me; is that true?”

“Huh?” Hatch shook at the blunt question. “Well… I mean… yeah, I do.” He came clean with a chuckle. “You’re a pretty amazing lady, a lot to be attracted to; can’t say I’ve ever met anyone like you before.”

“It feels odd to hear another creature say that other than Igneous,” Cloudy thought back. “He was my first… everything; my only everything.” A deep sigh left her. “But it also feels nice,” She added. “Does that also mean that you seek to bed me?”

The question made him choke on his drink. “Don’t mince words, do you?” He finally managed.

“You need only be honest.” She assured.

“Well, it’s definitely been on my mind.” He confessed.

Cloudy stood with a confident smile. “Very well.”

Hatch looked up at her in shock. “What? Really? Now?”

“Yes, I would like to as well.”

“Uh… okay,” He quickly got up and went to pay the tab before escorting her back to her lodge, noting a very loud banging coming from Stellar’s lodge as they passed by. Hatch closed the door as he followed her in, turning back to see her undoing her blouse.

“I shall be ready in a moment.”

He smiled awkwardly at her manner. “Hey, what’s your hurry?”

“What do you mean?” Cloudy looked back, a bit confused. “One can’t very well make love in their clothes.”

“I mean, you make it sound so… mechanical.” He approached her. “Even taking your clothes off should be fun; here, let me.”

“Oh.” Cloudy shivered as Hatch came up behind her, slipping his talons around her waist and flicking open the lowest button with his nail. “Oh my,” Her head tilted as his beak found her neck; she felt her blouse come fully undone and slide off of her shoulders.

“Nicer, huh?” He whispered into her ear.

“Quite.” Cloudy nodded; she could feel him press against her as his talons moved up to her breasts; she laid her hands atop them and squeezed, a part of her overwhelmed that she was actually doing this. Her hat was next to go, followed by her tee; Hatch making sure to tantalize her with every touch as he worked. He spun her around with a cool grin and held his arms up.

“Your turn.” He offered.

“Of course.” Cloudy followed his example, laying her hands to him and taking the time to explore before pulling his shirt up and away. Having never been with another creature before, much less another species, his feathered body brought forth as much curiosity as arousal. As her fingers played in the soft down of his chest, his sharp nail gently touched her cheek.

“This might sound silly,” He began. “But, can I kiss you?”

“I would like that,” Cloudy accepted his beak to her lips and their arms quickly encircled one another; his a talons reached down and took her ass firmly, pulling her into the protruding tent below the waist of his khakis. His desire for her reaching peak levels, he withdrew and guided her hands to his zipper; she reflexively undid his pants and slipped her fingers in to feel the dampened cloth of his briefs. He shuddered in pleasure at her touch, a touch he’d been thinking about since he met her; undoing her bra as she massaged him, Hatch dipped his head and clamped his beak around her nipple. Cloudy’s nose nuzzled into the plumage of his head as she gasped, fingers gripping him in response to the sudden jolt of sensation. Hatch grabbed the waist of his pants and cinched them down, falling to his knees before her and hastily undoing her jeans. Cloudy took his head as his beak began probing the face of her panties, pressing against her most sensitive spot and sending chills through her entire body. He dragged her jeans and underwear to the floor, allowing her to step out of them before rising back up to his feet.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“Yes,” She sat on the bed, laying onto her back.

“Hold on, I want you on top.” He requested as he laid beside her.

“On… top?” She asked with a slightly puzzled look.

“Yeah, you know…” His head tilted as he noticed the genuinely unsure look on her face. “Wait… you mean you’ve never done that before?”

“Well,” Cloudy flustered. “No, I’ve always made love this way.”

“You’ve…, wow.” Hatch nodded as understandingly as he could. “Well, how about you give it a shot?” He took her wrist, pulling her on top of him as he rolled onto his back.

“Oh, well… alright.” Cloudy cautiously straddled his waist. Hatch took her hips and raised her, aiming himself just right before lowering her back down; her eyes lit up as he slid inside of her, the sensation of the foreign angle striking her hard.

“There you go,” Hatch held her firmly. “How’s that feel.”

“Quite nice,” Cloudy admitted, her eyes spacing out a bit as everything began falling into place. “Very nice, actually.” She leaned forward and took his shoulders, pinning him to the bed.

Hatch looked up at her, Cloudy’s hanging hair hiding her face except for her always intense eyes; her body highlighted in certain areas from the low light of the lodge. He ran his hand up her arms and around to her back with a soft smile. “God, you’re beautiful, Cloudy.”

“Thank you, Hatch” Cloudy felt a deep warmth at his words and she began moving her hips. Her mouth hung lightly open as a host of brand new sensations traveled through her; his barbed tip rubbed and prodded in various spots depending on how she moved and she eagerly explored all her options. Lifting and dropping herself in the most rhythmic of fashions, each drop accented by the satisfying slap of her ass against his upper thighs. Hatch drank in the sight of her as she rode him; her breasts bobbing in time, hair rustling and musically demure moans flowing freely from her parted lips.

“Good god, you’re like a vice.” He groaned, reaching up and taking her forearms. “How about…” He tried to rise but found that he was firmly held down.

“No,” Cloudy toned huskily. “Stay there a while longer please.”

“Wow, I forgot how strong you really are.” He chuckled as she maintained her rhythmic pace. For another thirty minutes straight she bounced in the same agonizingly slow pace that started to drive him crazy with need; but he could hardly even wiggle as her powerful legs and arms held him in place and the distant look in her eyes belied how lost in pleasure she had become. He throbbed inside of her, held on the edge for longer than he ever had before and as wonderful as it felt it was maddening.

“Hatch…” Cloudy let out a rough breath, bearing down on him even more; literally pushing him into the mattress. “I… I think…” She groaned as she finally came; her head hung loose and her body shook as she rolled her hips, using him to stir her insides.

“Ah… fuck!” Hatch whined as her walls clenched tightly around him.

Cloudy sat still for a long minute as she came down from the experience, a satisfied smile on her lips. “That felt wonderful.”

“Cloudy, I can’t take it anymore.” Hatch begged. “I need to cum, let me fuck you.” She finally realized how hard she was restraining him and quickly let up; as soon as he was free he rolled her off of him and onto her side. Spooning against her, he jammed his cock back inside her dripping warmth and started thrusting madly. Cloudy, still sensitive, panted in ecstasy as he took her. He hooked his talon under her knee and lifted her leg so he could get deeper; his beak buried in her back and he grunted wildly as he built himself back up. “Fuck yes… you feel so good, Cloudy!” He cried out into her shoulder. “You want it inside?”

“Yes!” Cloudy reached back and palmed his rear, pulling him into her even harder.

Hatch buried himself inside her as deep as he could, a guttural moan sounding as his much needed release found him. He clutched her as he spasmed within her, shot after shot of cum flooding inside. Cloudy fell back against him, the rapid and rough pounding and hot rush sending her into another orgasm. They stayed locked together in that intense moment for a long minute before Hatch finally released his hold on her.

“I’ve been thinking about that for days now,” He admitted in a spent whisper. “Even better than I imagined.” He laughed but stopped as he realized she was laying silent. “Cloudy? Everything alright?” He asked.

“Yes,” Cloudy spun to him, a smile on her face. “I am sorry, everything about this night seems to be just hitting me.” She cupped her hand around the back of his neck. “Thank you, Hatch; I didn’t think a night like this could ever happen, but I am glad that it did… and that it was with you.”

Hatch smiled in relief and pecked her lips. “I’m honored to be your first new experience.” He laughed wryly. “You know, I’m sure there’s a lot more stuff you’d like to try; if you’re interested.”

“I believe I am,” She agreed, her eyes filled with an awakened hunger.

Arcus laid on his back; passed out and snoring after a three round, five hour marathon with Stellar. Stellar laid on his chest with a deeply satisfied smile; as intense as their last nights had been, they paled in comparison to what she had just experienced. For the first time since her youth, it wasn’t just her body that was satisfied; this time her heart was truly into the act at it felt as warm as the rest of her. She slid off of him and went to the dresser, pouring herself a shot and pulling out a cigarette. As she took out her lighter, she looked down at the bad habit and sighed; recalling Arcus’ lack of approval at the act. She tore the cigarette in half and threw part of it away, lighting the remaining length. She turned and leaned on the piece of furniture, staring at her lover as he slumbered.

“You better not break my heart, kid.” She muttered into the butt. “I’m putting a lot of trust in you.” She threw on an oversized shirt and stepped out onto the porch, blowing a cloud of smoke into the night air. As the cool breeze refreshed her heated body, she noticed the door to Cloudy’s lodge open and Hatch emerging. The cigarette nearly fell from her mouth as she watched him wave and head off in the opposite direction. “No shit.” She grinned; Cloudy stepped out onto the porch in a robe and waved to him which prompted her to head over. “Well well well.”

“Oh, Stellar.” Cloudy cinched her robe.

“Look at you, all aglow and shit; so how do you feel?”

Cloudy smiled timidly. “It was so nice to feel like a mare again after so long,” She confessed. “I feel like my old self again.”

“And how was he?” Stellar followed up with a grin.

“Well, he showed me how titillating simply removing your clothes could be.” Cloudy noted. “Oh, and he asked me to be on top; that was quite the experience, did you know that was even a thing?”

Stellar bit her lip as she snorted and nodded. “Yeah… yeah I did actually,” She chuckled. “You should try doggy style, your head will explode.”

“And after it all, it felt okay for us to just part for the night.” She continued. “As incredible as that felt, we still see each other as friends with no real need to take things further.”

“We call that, friends with benefits.” Stellar detailed.

“Creatures do that often?”

“All the time,” Stellar reached out a took her shoulder. “We’ve got a lot of work to get you all caught up.”

Cloudy laughed. “Well, we did promise to continue this soon.” She looked over at Stellar’s lodge. “What of you? I take it your evening with Arcus went well.”

“Yeah, it did.” She glanced back. “He’s in there now, taking a well earned nap; kid’s got stamina, that’s for sure.” She smirked. “I’m… actually going to hang onto him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Stellar nodded. “He listened to my shit and didn’t run away, if anything he keeps running towards me; which is bat-shit crazy on his part but… he really won me over with it.” She made a short laugh of disbelief. “I’ve got a boyfriend, Cloudy.”

“That is wonderful news, Stellar.” Cloudy applauded. “I am happy to hear that; you deserve to have someone special.”

“I’m happy for you too,” Stellar reached up to Cloudy’s hair and pulled out a feather. “You deserve to get railed when you want to.” She placed the feather in the pocket of her robe. “I’ll see you in the morning, I’m beat.”

“Goodnight, Stellar.” Cloudy bid as she headed back inside to shower.

As Stellar went back inside the lodge she found Arcus on his side looking at her. “Up already?”

“I didn’t feel you in bed anymore.” He explained.

Stellar laughed as she poured herself another shot. “I’m going to have to get used to all this mushy stuff again.” She downed the drink and headed back to the bed. “Just stepped out for half a cigarette.”

“Half?” He sat up against the wall as she nestled next to him.

“Yeah,” She nodded with a sigh. “If I’m going to have a younger guy, I figure I should work on quitting to tack on some extra years.”

Arcus warmed at the idea that she would do that for him. “Thank you, that means a lot; If I can help out just let me know.”

“Well, If I’m going to cut down on smoking to relieve stress, I guess that just means I’m going to have to fuck more.” She rubbed his chest. “So you’re going to be my new oral fixation.”

“I can handle that.” He pressed his beak to her lips.

Stellar rested her head on his shoulder. “You know, at first I was starting to regret taking this job; but I’m glad I did. I never would have thought I’d pick up a great guy all the way out here. That being said, I’m looking forward to getting back.” She held onto his arm as it rounded her waist. “I’m going to have to get a bigger bed though… sturdier too.”

“I’ll miss the town, but it’ll be nice to be somewhere more active,” Arcus ran his tail up and down her legs. “I’ll make sure to get a new job ASAP.”

“Appreciated, but don’t just get some shit job,” Stellar patted his forearm. “Take the time to find something you enjoy. I want you to be happy with what you’re doing too, not just looking for a paycheck.”

“Okay.” He said through a yawn.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep,” Stellar reached over to the lamp and killed the light, leaving only the dull glow of the moon through the window. “Tomorrow we can finally wrap things up and start finalizing this deal.”

They got comfortable, Stellar happily wrapping herself in his embrace; feeling more relaxed than she ever had before, she closed her eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

Chapter 9

Stellar and Arcus were roused by intense knocking on the lodge door; as they shot up, they heard Ridgeway calling for her with a clearly shaken voice. Stellar called back, asking for a minute before throwing some clothes on and answering the door.

“Ridgeway, what the hell is…”

“Wheeler is dead.” Ridgeway cut her off.

“What!?” Shock washed over Stellar at the drastic news.

“I went to speak with him to hear his answer and… his entire office was wrecked, claw marks everywhere and his throat was slashed open.” He shut his eyes, causing tears to squeeze free. “It was that damned monster, it had to be.”

“What’s the situation now?” Stellar asked.

“I’ve got the bank barricaded and some of the buffalo watching the door,” He explained. “No one has gone in or out except me. I’ve called the police and they’re on their way, although I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell them.”

“Alright, I’ll get ready and head into town to join you,” Stellar took his shoulder. “Just keep things under control as best you can.”

“Believe me, Ms. Flare, I’m trying.” Ridgeway left her and hurried back into the heart of the town.

“God damn it…” Stellar muttered as she closed the door.

“Wheeler was killed?” Arcus asked from the bed. “I can’t believe it.”

“Alright, whatever this fucking thing is I’m sick of it; I’m going to find out what I can about it and see if there’s some way to stop this.” Stellar said surely as she began changing into proper clothes.

“I’m staying with you,” Arcus informed as he collected his clothes from the floor. “If the Ataata has decided to become violent, I’m not leaving your side.”

Stellar smiled at the valiant notion. “Sounds good to me, let’s go get Cloudy.” The two of them headed next door, rousing Cloudy and letting her in on the grim news. Together, they rushed back into town where Ridgeway was standing before the bank speaking to a crowd of understandably frightened friends and visitors.

“Please listen, everyone,” He raised his hands. “As I said before, the police are on their way and there will be a thorough investigation of this; but given that a life has been lost, I would ask that everyone who doesn’t need to be here head out. To all of you who are visiting, for your safety, please vacate the town. Those of us who live and work here will see to it that you can pack up and move out safely. Dandelion, can you spearhead this?”

“Sure thing,” Dandelion nodded and immediately went about gathering help for the task.

“Hatch?” Ridgeway looked to the griffon. “Take someone and go tell Hathaway so he and his family can be on guard as well.”

“Got it, boss.” Hatch quickly moved out as well.

“The rest of you, stay together and stay safe. All business in the town is officially closed down until further notice.” Ridgeway dispersed the crowd and stepped from the bank porch to Stellar, Cloudy and Arcus.

“What do you want us to do?” Stellar asked.

“For now, we need to wait for the police.” He suggested. “I’m sure they’re going to want to talk to everyone.”

“Fine, but if that’s the case then I want to go talk to Red Sky.” Stellar turned to Arcus. “Do you know the way to the their camp?”

“Yeah,” Arcus nodded.”

“What are you going to do?” Ridgeway asked.

“I want to hear from the experts about this Ataata; there has to be a way to stop this thing.” She started back towards the lodges and her car. “Come on.” Cloudy and Arcus followed and under his guidance she drove back out to the buffalo’s home. The unexpected visit brought out Blue Sky as he recognized the vehicle from their last visit; he met them at the camp’s entrance and could immediately sense the tone.

“What has happened?” He asked.

“Wheeler is dead, apparently by the Ataata.” Stellar informed, Blue Sky’s face hardening at the news. “Look, I've seen this thing first hand and I need to know everything about it, I was hoping to speak with your father.”

“I…,” He slowly nodded. “Very well, please follow.” He led them into the camp and entered the master lodging where his father resided. Within minutes, he emerged and waved for them to enter; they proceeded in and were once again greeted by the reverberating voice of Red Sky.

“So, the Ataata has claimed a life.” He said with deep sorrow.

“That seems to be the case.” Stellar sat across from him, Arcus and Cloudy sitting at her sides.

Red Sky focused his old eyes on her, a light smile forming on his lips. “The air about you is different. You have freed yourself from your cage I see, that is good.”

Stellar recalled his uncanny ability to read creatures. “Yeah, I have.” She nodded, laying her hand atop Arcus’ claw. “You can thank Arcus here for that; I hope that means you can trust what I say now.”

“A clear heart speaks clear words,” He nodded slowly. “What is it you wish to say?”

“The town is in fear of this… thing, whatever it is; can you tell us about it?” She asked.

Red Sky sighed and stroked his long beard. “The Ataata is old, older than even our tribe; the embodiment of the land, water, sky, animals and vegetation. It is a spirit that protects and oversees the land, showing no favor to any one species in particular. It allows creatures to inhabit its land, as long as they treat it with respect and care.” He waved his heavy hand over his head. "For all of our generations it has been both revered and feared; we respect it but at the same time we take strides to not rouse its anger. That is why the tribes of this region live simple lives with no need for modern developments; we have all that we need beneath our hooves."

“Are there any stories of this spirit from the times of the mining?” Cloudy asked. “If it acts as you say, surely it did not approve of such a thing.”

Red Sky nodded. “There were stories passed down from that time; always the same chain of events described by wildly different creatures from all backgrounds.” He reached down and took up a handful of soil. “Mining itself is not inherently bad, creatures need the raw materials to construct; but what occurred here was driven by greed, which is what upsets the Ataata. This deal that is discussed is no different; the town is being sold off for profit and is to be abandoned by those that called this land home. No matter what those above you may desire, the Ataata sees only what is before it and acts accordingly.”

“Have anyone here actually seen it with their own eyes?” Stellar followed up.

“No, it has not appeared to any of our tribe in recent generations. Although, that is simply because we have not given it a reason to show itself to us.”

“Do any of these stories say how to stop this?” Stellar continued. “There must be some way to get this thing off everyone’s back.”

“There are old rituals that were used to ward off harmful or corrupted spirits,” Red Sky began. “But the Ataata is not an evil spirit, even though it has taken a life. It is something that was here before us and will be here after us; to my knowledge there is no way to halt the Ataata’s aggression other than to leave the land be.”

Stellar sighed in frustration. “Well, the police are on their way to investigate the death; which is going to postpone any closing of the deal until their investigation is complete.” She made a dry laugh. “Guess it got what it wanted,” She stood. “Thank you, Red Sky.”

The old buffalo nodded slowly. "I know that you are only a messenger, but due to your ties in all this you are at risk. I would advise that you leave this place and enjoy your newfound inner peace." His eyes turned to the young dragon, staring at him for a quiet moment. "Your powerful form holds a gentle soul, young dragon; I offer hope that the bond you two have formed remains a strong one."

"Thank you, sir." Arcus smiled. "I intend to make sure of it."

"And please," He added. “Tell Ridgeway that I am sorry for the town’s loss. Wheeler was a dubious creature, but his life was as valuable as any other and any such loss is a tragedy."

“We will,” Stellar promised, leading Cloudy and Arcus from the lodge.

“Well that was interesting, but not much help.” Arcus noted.

“They revere this creature for what it stands for,” Cloudy said as they headed back for the car. “It stands to reason that they would not have a solid method for interfering with its will.”

“Ms. Flare,” Blue Sky called as he approached from their flank. “I imagine my father could offer little in ways of a solution to your problem.”

“You could say that,” Stellar confirmed. “But I understand why.”

“Well, as sparse as belief in that old tale is amongst the younger members of the tribe, we must admit that something we cannot explain is occurring. I’ll make sure that we are more aware here and pass along word to the buffalo in town. No creature benefits from the fear and panic this situation is causing.”

“Thank you,” Stellar nodded. “I’ll make sure anything we find out reaches you too.”

“Be safe.” He said soundly before returning to the recesses of the camp.

“As big and strong as the buffalo are, even they seem powerless against this thing.” Arcus huffed. “What are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know,” Stellar shook her head. “For now, we have to get back and wait for the cops. This is going to get real messy before it gets any better.”

Once again they loaded up and Stellar headed back for town; the scene was hardly any better upon their return, the already quiet town was now truly dead as everyone holed themselves up inside their stores or housing. During their absence, Dandelion had seen to it that all visitors were accounted for and were sent on their way home; leaving only those personally involved with the land remaining. The three of them returned to Ridgeway to share updates, the stallion clearly drained and shaken from the jarring events.

“How are you holding up?” Arcus asked.

He shook his head longingly. “I never imagined things would have gone this far… this is my fault; I should have been open about the danger and just cancelled the deal.” He took a deep, teary breath. “And now Wheeler is gone.”

“You cannot blame yourself,” Cloudy interjected. “This situation is incredible and no creature could have predicted its course.”

“Were you able to learn anything from Red Sky?” He changed the topic.

“Just more history, nothing we can use in the here and now.” Stellar relayed.

“I see,” He quietly nodded. “If that’s the case, then the safety of everyone here has to be the top priority. After the police see to this, I’m going to have everyone abandon the town.”

“That seems pretty rash.” Arcus noted.

“I know,” He nodded. “But it’s the only way to make sure no one else… dies, because of this place. No matter how much we may love this town, it’s just stone, steel and wood… none of which is worth a life.”

“If that is our last resort, then that’s fine; but I’m going to keep looking into this until the end.” Stellar headed for the door. “We’ll be back when the police arrive, stay safe.”

“You too,” He saw them off, looking across the way at the bank where the body of his friend still lay.

When the trio made it back to the lodges, they found Earnhardt waiting outside of Cloudy’s. Cloudy went to him on sight as the others gathered on her porch.

“Earnhardt, no matter your size you should not be about alone.” She lovingly scolded.

“I’ve got something I need to show you,” He informed, his face stern. “But I can only show you guys, I haven’t said anything to anyone else in town yet.”

“What is it?” Cloudy asked.

“Come on, inside.” He tossed his head towards the door.

Cloudy unlocked the door and the four of them went inside; Arcus shut the door behind them and Earnhardt sat on the bed. “What is wrong, Earnhardt?” Cloudy sat beside him. “What did you find?”

“Well, I didn't want to just sit on my ass with everything going on,” He began. “I figured I could try and look for something about that Ataata thing, so I went back to the mine where it attacked us.” He leaned to the side, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of wrecked metal cylinders; the ends were flayed as if blown out and traces of wire could be seen inside.

“What the hell are those?” Stellar asked.

“I found them in the rubble near the entrance; these are what caused the mouth to collapse.” He informed.

“What?” Arcus took one and examined it. “You mean like some kind of charge?”

“I don’t know much about this kind of stuff, but I know gunpowder when I smell it; little bastards were full of the stuff.”

“So a spirit didn’t try to bury us alive,” Stellar concluded. “A flesh and blood creature did.”

“So, the Ataata isn’t real after all?” Cloudy asked openly. “But you said you saw it with your own eyes.”

“I did,” Stellar nodded as her mind began to mull this new development around. “But a spirit doesn’t need explosives.”

“We need to tell everyone.” Arcus suggested.

“Don’t be fucking stupid.” Earnhardt turned his eyes on him.

“Hey, don’t talk to my boyfriend like that.” Stellar slapped his shoulder.

“Your… really?” Earnhardt eyed him.

“Yeah, what about it?” Arcus returned the look.

“Well… anyway,” Earnhardt shook his head. “We can’t tell everyone in town, because one of them is the one that set those damned things in the first place.”

“Oh… yeah, you’re right.” Arcus conceded.

“That’s why I could only show you,” He continued. “You three and Hatch are the only ones I can say for sure didn’t set those.”

“It seems our mystery just reached a new level,” Cloudy looked up at Stellar. “How should we proceed now? This could mean that Wheeler was, in fact, murdered.”

“Not sure,” Stellar admitted. “We have several eye witnesses who saw that monster, but now we have evidence that suggests someone in town could be behind this whole shit show. If we tell the cops, then everyone here will be a suspect and we’ll be trapped here with a possible murderer… if we don’t, then we still run the risk of someone else getting hurt or worse.” She sighed. “Fuck, I need a drink.”

“Perhaps we should start by letting Hatch know,” Cloudy suggested. “We know he is innocent, and he may have some further insight.”

“Fair point,” Stellar nodded but stared distantly into the wall.

“What are you thinking, Stellar?” Arcus went to her and held her shoulders.

“If there was a creature looking to kill this deal, I’d have pegged Wheeler honestly.” She voiced her thought. “Everyone else except for Red Sky was on board…” She stopped.

“You don’t think a buffalo could be behind this, do you?” Arcus inquired.

Stellar laid against his chest. “I don’t know what to think, kid.” She rolled her head up and smiled at him. “I work in executive negotiations, I’m not a god damned detective.”

“Well, in the meantime we should just act like everything is normal.” Earnhardt stood. “The last thing we want to do is spook whoever is pulling this shit.”

“Agreed,” Cloudy concurred. “Doing so may make them even more dangerous.”

“Okay,” Stellar accepted. “We’ll keep low for now; can you stay with Cloudy and go find Hatch?”

“Absolutely,” Earnhardt said proudly. “She’ll be safe with me.”

“Thank you,” Cloudy laid her hand to his arm. “Let us move.” The four of them left the lodge and the pair headed into town to locate Hatch.

“I can’t believe this,” Stellar muttered as she watched them off. “Desert ghosts, bombs, murder… not to sound petty but I’m not getting paid enough for this.”

“Might be a good time to ask for a raise.” Arcus suggested, rolling in stride with her grim jest.

“You haven’t met my boss,” She laughed, reaching back and taking his claw. “I got a pretty amazing bonus, that’s good enough for me.”

Arcus’ tail went around her shins and he pressed himself against her back. “Let’s just make it out of here so we can enjoy it, OK?”

“Trust me, kid; that’s the plan.”

Eventually, the police did arrive. Given the situation, a squad car was sent with three officers and one pathologist; assisting them was an ambulance with two EMT’s to eventually take the body. Things went as imagined, the bank was taped off and the crime scene was thoroughly inspected. One of the officers met with Ridgeway and he gave his statement of how he discovered his long time friend's lifeless body. He was then questioned further and he divulged the nature of the town and what was happening with the impending deal concerning the land. After much interior debate, he also divulged that an unidentified animal had been seen about the town; not linking it to the myth of the Ataata, he detailed the events in as normal as manner as he could. After Ridgeway, the officers then spoke with all the individuals who had claimed to see the mystery animal, Stellar included. It was a long day for everyone and the next day held promise of more; the EMT's took the body away and the officers set up one of the now vacant lodges as their base of operations. Later in the evening, the bar was full but dead silent as the tired and mourning little family that had formed over the past years sat in reflection of their current situation.

“Normally I’d pay you all to be this quiet,” Stormy said with a lifeless chuckle. “Now I just wish we could go back to normal.”

“I think normal is out the window at this point,” Dandelion, a rare patron, countered from her spot at a table. “There isn’t any going back from this.”

“I heard Ridgeway is considering just having us abandon the town altogether.” Oak noted with a sigh. “Just a year ago that would have been unthinkable, but now… maybe it might be for the best. I love history, but I’m not too fond of the idea of becoming it just yet.”

“Really?” Legerdemain raised his head from the bar. “What would that mean for the sale?”

“I imagine it wouldn’t come to pass.” Oak informed. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to buy a potentially haunted parcel.”

“I don’t think the police cared much for the suggestion that the “mystery animal” might be a spirit.” Ledge idly made his napkin disappear. “Magic is rarely an accepted answer.”

“The claw marks Ridgeway said he saw on the walls beg to differ.” Dandelion sipped her drink.

“I guess the buffalo chief was right after all.” Stormy laid her head in her talon. “Nobody take this the wrong way, but I imagine they might be pleased about all this; they wanted the land to change hands the least and even if we all go they’ll still be here.”

“Is there a right way to take that?” Dandelion looked at her disapprovingly.

“I’m just saying.” She defended.

“Makes sense,” Ledge concurred. “I mean, they don’t feel threatened by the Ataata; they feel they’re on its good side.” The doors parted, Steller and her ensemble entering and surveying the room. Ledge spun on his stool and waved lightly. “Finally done getting run through the wringer?”

“More or less,” Stellar noted as they fanned out and took spots.

“Hey sis,” Hatch climbed up onto a stool, Cloudy at his side. “How you holding up?”

“Good enough,” She turned and went to get a beer. “Any news?”

“The cops are keeping a tight lid on everything while they process it all,” He answered, accepting his drink. “And they do have a lot to process.”

“This will no doubt carry on for at least a few days.” Cloudy added.

“You guys want anything?” Stormy called over to Stellar. “On the house, at this point I’m just liquidating inventory.”

“A shot of rum sounds good about now.” Stellar answered.

“Beer.” Earnhardt ordered.

“Just some water, please.” Arcus requested.

Within a few minutes Stormy brought a tray with their drinks of choice. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Stellar took the glass and downed the shot; as her glass hit the table she looked around, unable to avoid thinking that one of them could be an enemy.

“How did ol’ Hath take the news?” Stormy asked as she returned to her brother.

“They were pretty shocked,” Hatch informed. “I asked if they had ever seen that thing before, no one in his family has had an encounter with it.”

“Well, they are farmers.” Oak noted. “I suppose it respects them more.”

The conversation died off as there wasn’t much more to be said. Eventually, Stormy closed down and everyone barricaded themselves up for the night. Hatch gladly offered to stay with Cloudy and Arcus and Stellar found themselves alone in her lodge once more. Stellar showered, tossing her towel on the chair as she emerged from the bathroom.

“This has been one hell of a day.” Arcus’ head followed her around the room. “I hate to think that one of my friends here could be a killer; it just sounds so crazy.”

“We don’t know what’s going on just yet,” Stellar reminded. “Hatch said that those devices were pretty sophisticated and were detonated by relay. I don't know that much about everyone here, so I don’t want to leap to conclusions about anyone.” She headed for the bed and got in beside him. “I just want to relax now,” Her hand traveled up his neck to his cheek. “Kiss me.”

Arcus lowered his head and sank his tongue into her waiting mouth; his arm worked itself around her and he draped his tail across her legs. As they parted, he buried his beak in her neck and sighed. “I’m worried something is going to happen to you, you’ve already been attacked twice now.”

She smiled and cradled his head. “I’m not scared; you’re here, right?” She said as she reached over and turned off the lamp.

Arcus felt his whole body warm. “Yeah, I am.” He curled up with her as if to shield her from the world and they tried to get what sleep they could.

Chapter 10

After a night of overly vivid dreams attempting to sort out the chaos of yesterday, Stellar finally awoke to find herself still safe in her new partner’s arms. She sighed and laid her head back down on his chest, petting him softly. Pulling herself up the length of his neck, she kissed the side of his beak to rouse him; Arcus’ eyes batted open and his head quickly shot up.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, calm down,” She took his cheek. “It’s just morning.”

“Oh,” He calmed. “Sorry.”

“I think we’re all on edge, kid.” She reassured, being pressed against him as his arms went around her.

“Well, I guess since it’s daytime we should be a little safer; at least with the cops here.” Arcus noted.

“Let’s go see if we can get some more news.” Stellar coaxed herself free from his loving hold.

“Right,” Arcus followed her up and the pair began getting ready.

Next door, Cloudy had been getting a first hand lesson in how fun it could be to share a nice hot shower. She stood idly above the drain, Hatch pressed against her back; soap in talon, he ran it over her body while his beak nibbled her neck.

“As nice as this feels, it hardly seems the time.” Cloudy said while offering little resistance.

“Hey, gotta live each day like it’s your last; and around here that could be sooner than later.” He countered, dragging his nails across her stomach and around her hip. His beak moved up to nip her ear while the bar of soap found its way between her thighs; Cloudy melted against him as he massaged it against her clit, soft moans amplified by the enclosed space. Hatch slowly slid down her body and onto his knees, pushing her forward against the tile and spreading her ass with his talons, his beak pressed against her virgin rear and he forced his tongue inside without warning.

“Ah!” Cloudy jumped. “Hatch! That...,” Her eyes rolled at the unique and new feeling. “That feels… good.” She braced her hands on the tile wainscot and pushed back against him, wanting more of this new experience. Hatch obliged, tonguing her ass ravenously while pushing a digit up into her to compliment; he aggressively pistoned his finger which sent Cloudy into shivering convulsions as she climaxed. Hatch came up for air as she calmed; chuckling as he stood, dragging his erection up her leg.

“Now you can tackle this crazy day relaxed.”

Cloudy spun around with a gentle smile. “I suppose you would like to do the same.” Her hands reached down and wrapped themselves around his shaft, Hatch hissing in delight at her firm grip.

“Fuck yeah,” He lurched forward, resting his chin on her shoulder and fucking her welcoming hands. Holding her hips, he grunted and panted as her fingers alternated pressure; kneading him like dough until he quickly lost himself. “God, Cloudy…. I’m cumming!” He groaned into her neck as shots of cum splattered against her stomach.

“My, so much.” She cooed into his ear.

“Whew…” Hatch huffed, hugging her against him. “What can I say, you really know how to bring it out of me.” He nuzzled her lips with his beak.

They finally managed to get out of the shower, toweling off and getting dressed just in time for a knock at the door. Cloudy went to answer and found Stellar and Arcus. “Ah, good morning.”

Stellar noticed her wet hair with a smile. “Didn’t interrupt anything, did we?”

“Oh, well, technically no.” Cloudy answered with a smile of her own.

"Can't blame you," Stellar grinned. "I'm just as guilty. We’re heading into town to see what’s what,” Stellar informed. “Coming with?”

“Yes,” She looked back. “Hatch, are you ready?”

“All set.” He jogged over and joined them.

The four of them returned to the eerily quiet town, the bank still stood taped off, a grim and constant reminder of what had transpired.

“Ms. Flare,” Ridgeway called as he and Dandelion came down the path. “Good to see you all still safe.”

“Ridgeway, any updates?” Stellar asked as they neared.

“I spoke with one of the officers earlier this morning,” He informed. “They moved Wheeler’s body out as well; he’ll receive a full autopsy back in the city.”

“What’s their plan?” Arcus further asked.

“Well, they said everything appears to be the work of an animal, however they found no traces of any saliva, fur or any other organic proof to support that conclusion. I know it confuses them but, well… it is a spirit after all.”

“Are they considering it a closed case then?” Hatch inquired.

“They haven’t agreed to that, not yet anyway.” Ridgeway shook his head.

As they spoke, something caught Dandelion’s eyes and she pointed out into the distance. “Oh my god, look.” She practically whispered.

Everyone looked to see a procession of buffalo heading into town on hoof, Blue Sky at the front of the group. “This is rare,” Ridgeway commented. “Something has happened.”

Others began to emerge as they took notice of the visitors and the group met them before town hall.

“Blue Sky, what is this?” Ridgeway asked.

“Our camp was set ablaze last night.” He answered solemnly.

“What!?” Everyone gasped.

“It started at my father’s lodge, he was asleep inside and was consumed by the smoke.” He continued.

“Oh my god… is he…” Hatch started.

“He lives,” Blue Sky assured. “Although, he is not well; while he recovers, I am now head of the buffalo and given this incident can no longer ignore the threat presented by the Ataata.” By now, the remaining officers had emerged and approached. “If it attacks even we buffalo, then measures must be taken to end this now.”

“You’re right,” Ridgeway agreed. “For your sake and ours, we’ll abandon this place and cancel any sale of it.”

“You would do that so readily?” Blue Sky asked.

“Of course, you’re as much a family to me as everyone else here.” He nodded, looking around at those gathered. “And I’m certain everyone here feels the same.” He received various forms of vocal agreement.

Stellar gritted her teeth, jumping to a conclusion before things could continue. “Hold it!” She called out, garnering everyone’s attention. “We’re not leaving!”

“What?” Ridgeway asked. “Forgive me, but this cannot continue; the Ataata…”

“Isn’t real.” She interrupted, confusion coming from the crowd.

“Listen to me, Earnhardt found evidence the other day that proves that we were attacked by some creature here; explosives placed around the mouth of the mine that caused the collapsed.”

“Is that true?” One of the officers approached. “Why didn’t you say anything to us?” He asked insistently.

“We were afraid we might spook whoever it was; if you want to yell at me then do it later, point is that we can’t abandon this town.” She looked back to Ridgeway.

“So you’re saying that Wheeler was murdered, by… someone here?” He questioned shakily.

“Yeah, afraid so.” Stellar nodded. “Although we don’t have a clue as to who; all we’re sure of is that it wasn’t Cloudy or I, Hatch, Earnhardt or Arcus.”

Blue Sky approached her. “If it is true that a creature here set fire to our home and harmed my father, I will see them punished.”

“Hey now,” The officer intervened. “If this is true, we’ll investigate the matter; no one is going to take the law into their own hands.”

“He’s right, Blue Sky.” Ridgeway took his arm. “Don’t get yourself into any trouble.”

Arcus looked around at his friends in town, noticing them all looking at each other with uncertainty. “Now no one is going to trust anyone.” He lamented.

“A necessary sacrifice.” Cloudy noted. “If the town is abandoned, whoever did this would escape.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine who we’re looking for.” Hatch came up beside her. “I’ve known everyone here for a long time now; none of them ever struck me as dangerous.”

They paused as with this new evidence, the police began instructing everyone that no one was to leave the town and a new round of interrogations would be conducted. Blue Sky said that he would return to tend to his father and that the buffalo would cooperate; he and his fellow buffalo left and everyone buckled down for another long day. Things were different this time; with the knowledge that one of them was a traitor, the creatures of the town began to gossip and theorize as to who it could be. Already stressed from fear and from the murder, the atmosphere began to take its toll on everyone. After a harsh talking to from the authorities, Stellar and Arcus sat outside the town hall; they were soon joined by Earnhardt who was fresh from his own questioning.

“What did you tell them?” Arcus asked as the bull sat beside them on the long wooden post.

“Just the truth,” Earnhardt snorted. “You know, we’ve got enough fingers being pointed now, but a lot of creatures are finding it odd that Hathaway’s farm has never been attacked. Now that we know someone here is doing this, the excuse of them being farmers doesn’t mean shit anymore.”

“By why?” Stellar asked. “He was the first to agree to sell after we talked; if he didn’t want it, why didn’t he just tell us to fuck off?”

“Well, he does have a big family.” Arcus noted.

“Not for nothing, but those kids were so well behaved and sweet it made me kind of nauseous.” Stellar retorted. “Not to mention he would be impacted the least by the town staying or going.”

“That’s just the word going around,” Earnhardt defended. “I still don’t have a clue.”

“In a way, haven’t we stopped them?” Arcus asked. “I mean, now that the whole town knows what’s going on, what more can they do? Making a move now would be suicidal.” Stellar thought about that in silence as she had no answer.

The talk of Hathaway did eventually reach his farm, as the police went to him to question he and his family as well. In response to the accusation, he told his family to stay at the farm while he returned to the town to see Ridgeway about what was happening.

Stellar caught sight of the farmer and followed after him into the town hall. “Hathaway?”

“Ms. Flare,” He turned back. “Is everything I’ve been hearing true?”

“Yes, it is.” Stellar confirmed.

“And creatures think I’m behind it?” He incredulously asked.

“Hathaway,” Ridgeway emerged. “I have no doubt you’re angry, but please understand that everyone here is just scared and grasping at whatever they can for an explanation. I know you couldn’t be capable of any of this.”

Hathaway sighed. “Thank you, so what do we know?”

“Not enough to ID anyone positively.” Ridgeway informed. “Before Ms. Flare revealed this new development, I was going to simply abandon the town; but now the police will not allow any of us to leave.”

“Sorry about that,” Stellar apologized. “As much as I’d like to take my friends and run, I couldn’t let a murderer get away.”

“Honestly the right call.” Hathaway smiled at her. “Well, I guess that means we get to save the town one last time.”

Ridgeway laughed. “I guess so, would have settled for a quiet retirement though.”

The door opened and Arcus stuck his head in. “Stellar?”

“What’s up, kid?” She gave him her attention.

“Can you come here for a minute.” He beckoned.

“Sure, if you guys will excuse me.” She waved.

“Of course,” Ridgeway nodded and he and Hathaway took a seat to talk some more.

Stellar headed out and found Hatch, Cloudy and Stormy. “What’s going on?”

“I know my sis couldn’t be a suspect, so I told about what Earnhardt found.” Hatch began. “She said she wanted to see them for herself and… well…,” He looked to his sister.

“I recognized them,” Stormy took over. “I… I think I know who’s doing this, although I can’t believe it and I can’t imagine why.” Stellar looked over her allies in surprise as Stormy confessed to what she believed.

That night, after some delegation amongst the group, Stellar and the others headed to the bar to see if they could confirm Stormy’s hunch. If they could, it would mean the end of this nightmare and the cops could take it from there. As the six of them walked in, they once again found the remnants of the town seeking solace in numbers.

“There’s the barkeep,” Dandelion waved from behind the bar “Hope you don’t mind, but I was trying to serve everyone.”

“Thanks,” Stormy smiled as best she could, looking around the room.

“Another long day for you all, I imagine.” Oak noted. “The police don’t seem to be any closer to uncovering anything.”

“How much longer can they legally keep us here?” Cerulean asked. “I don’t care about the sale anymore, I just want to get out of here safely.”

“It might all end tonight.” Stellar said stoutly, grabbing their attention.

“What?” Ledge eyed them. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we think we know who is behind this,” She carried on. “We haven’t said anything to the police yet because we don’t want to make a false accusation.”

The doors behind them parted and Ridgeway entered accompanied by Hathaway. Ridgeway removed his hat and observed the scene. “Stellar, we came like you asked, what is this about?”

Stellar reached into her pocket and dug out one of the explosive devices, the other having been given to the police as evidence. “This,” She held it up. “This is what caused the cave in at the mine and although we drew the obvious conclusion, we didn’t know exactly what it was.”

“Oh my, what is it then?” Oak asked.

“It’s a charge used for special effects,” She went to the bar and slammed it down in front of Ledge. “Used in movies and stage.”

The entire bar stared at the timid magician, who lowered his glass and let out a light chuckle. “Son of a bitch.” He spoke in a far different voice.

“It was you, wasn’t it.” Stormy asked. “You showed me those before when you were demonstrating how your act was done.”

“That’s what I get for developing a crush.” Ledge laughed shortly and stood, Stellar immediately backing off.

“You?” Ridgeway looked at him in disbelief. “But why… what possible stake could you have in all this?”

“This town itself is worthless, as worthless as that mine that Wheeler was so keen on,” He leaned on the bar. “The ground beneath us though… that is worth something.”

“What do you mean?” Hatch challenged.

“Oil, you simple minded bird,” He stomped his hoof. “This hell hole is sitting on a series of untapped oil reservoirs that have remained untouched due to the protected status of the area.” He sighed. “You were just supposed to leave… no one needed to die; then you two showed up,” He pointed at Stellar and Cloudy. “You obstinate cow, unable to take a hint, so driven to do your job no matter what the cost. If you hadn’t interfered, the sale’s stalemate would have led to the town being abandoned due to fear of the Ataata.” He smiled. “Those superstitious buffalo and the old legends of this town made everyone highly susceptible to the idea of a vengeful spirit protecting the land.” He finished his drink. “So many unexpected variables… I didn’t plan on that dragon falling in love with you and coming to your rescue like the white knight he is,” He gestured to Arcus. “Ha, and I certainly didn’t expect a brain-dead bull like Earnhardt rifling through the rubble and finding this.” He picked up the spent device.

"Even if we left, you have no legal claim." Hathaway pointed out. "You couldn't just stay here and do as you like."

"Don't I?" Ledge smiled at him.

"Who cares," Hatch stepped in. "Whatever you planned, it's over; be glad the police will take you before Blue Sky."

"I'm not going anywhere," Ledge shook his head. "This may not be how I would have liked this to play out, but it isn't over just yet; I'll get rid you... all of you, even the buffalo if need be." He gave them a look of smug confidence. "None of you are a match for my power."

“Your power!?" Earnhardt started at him. “You cocky little shit, I knew there was a reason I didn’t like you; you killed Wheeler and attacked everyone here for some get rich quick scheme?” He raised his fist. “You’re done!”

“I don’t think so.” Ledge aimed his palm at one of the stools, whipping his hand forward, the stool flew at Earnhardt and smacked him in the face.

Blood coming from his nose, Earnhardt backed off and everyone started moving away from Ledge. “What the fuck was that?” He snarled into his hand.

“Ha ha… magic.” Ledge pulled an ace of hearts from his pocket, the seemingly benign object lighting up in flame. “No more stage magic, time for the real deal.”

"That's a crock of shit." Stellar pointed to her horn. "Unicorns haven't been able to use magic for over a thousand years."

"Do you doubt what you see before you?" His horn lit up and he levitated another stool.

“Ledge…” Stormy eyed him pleadingly. “Please stop this.”

“Stop calling me that.” He whipped the card at her, it flew by her cheek and drew a line of blood.

“Sis!” Hatch ran in and got in front of her.

“My name isn’t Legerdemain, it never was,” He drew four more cards and ignited them by some unknown force. “Call me… Sleight.”

Chapter 11

The bar stood aghast at the sight of a Unicorn wielding magic; all at once, the formerly geeky and earnest Ledge had transformed into a terror now calling himself Sleight.

“You really think you’re going to get away with this?” Stellar asked.

“Just die.” He whipped the stool at Stellar, Arcus jumping in front of her with crossed arms and taking the blow.

“Arcus!”

Arcus didn’t respond, he reared back and sent fire at Sleight. Sleight pulled his fancy cape around his body and the flame spread away from its surface. With a mocking laugh, he threw the quartet of playing cards out across the room sending everyone ducking for cover as they started small fires where they dug in.

“This is nuts,” Hatch said as he held his arms over Cloudy and his sister. “How the hell are we supposed to stop him.”

“I don’t give a damn if he is magical,” Earnhardt hefted a table over his head. “We still outnumber him!” He yelled as he threw the table.

“Dumb brute!” Holding his hands up, the table slowed at is neared Sleight and levitated above his head. “It doesn't matter how many of you there are, my magic is unbeatable!” He launched it back, the wooden piece splintering against his raised arms.

“Get out, now!” Ridgeway ordered as he began moving Dandelion towards the door. “Go get the police!”

“Right!” Dandelion nodded as she, Cerulean and Oak hurried off.

“Yes!” Sleight began following everyone out into the street. “Bring them here! It will save me the trouble!”

“Come on, kid!” Earnhardt looked over at Arcus. “Let’s get him!”

“Ok!” Arcus concurred as they rushed him.

“Idiots!” Thick smoke began to pour from Sleight’s sleeves and the fog quickly obscured him from view. As Earnhardt and Arcus entered the haze, they swatted at the air while his laugh echoed around them.

“Get out of there!” Stellar called.

Arcus saw Sleight’s face appear in the smoke and he immediately swung at it.

“Hey!” Earnhardt grabbed his wrist. “Watch it.”

“But… I saw him.” Arcus looked around.

“Over here.” Sleight voice taunted as he appeared and pressed his stage cane into Arcus’ gut, a huge electrical shock flowing into the dragon’s body and doubling him over. As Earnhardt when to strike, he receded into the smoke with another laugh and vanished.

Stellar and Cloudy watched as Sleight stepped from the fog, thumbing back at the cloud. “Your boy toys are busy, so I’ll just deal with you two.”

“Try it.” Stellar held her fists up.

“Cute,” Sleight ran in and allowed her to take a swing, a scarf emerged from his sleeve and wrapped around her wrist; more and more emerged and her arms were quickly bound behind her back.

“Stellar!” Cloudy hurried over and grabbed his wrist.

“Back off, grandma.” He looked down at his arm and found it being wrenched.

“I do not think so,” Cloudy retorted as she overpowered him.

“I’m sorry,” He faux apologized. “Here, have a flower.” With a flick of his wrist a daisy appeared and sprayed her in the face with gas. Cloudy staggered back and choked, quickly growing dizzy and falling to the ground.

“Cloudy!” Stellar yelled as she struggled against her binding.

Sleight drew another card and held it ready. “Calm down, you’ll get your turn.”

“No!” Hatch flew through the air with a beat of his wings and tackled Sleight before he could harm Cloudy; as they hit the ground, Sleight growled up at him in irritation.

“Hold him down!” Stormy called as she dove onto him as well.

“Oh, now you want to be on top of me.” Sleight placed his hands against their waists and the siblings launched off of him and landed hard on the ground.

Arcus and Earnhardt emerged from the clearing smoke and saw what was happening. At the same time, the police officers were approaching with guns drawn. Arcus freed Stellar and Earnhardt took Cloudy up in his arms as the cops aimed their weapons at Sleight.

“Freeze!” The officer commanded.

“You might be more concerned about what’s behind you.” Sleight scoffed.

One of the officers glanced back and let out a startled scream as the monster hound appeared. He instinctively turned and fired which spooked the other officers allowing Sleight to release another plume of smoke to vanish from view.

“We have to find some way to pin him down.” Ridgeway glanced around at his friends. “What can we use?”

“I have an idea,” Hathaway called their attention. “But we need to push him back more.”

As Hathaway discussed his plan, the officers opened fired into the cloud of smoke to no avail. As it cleared, the saw no trace of the Unicorn.

“Up here!” Sleight called from the adjacent roof top, he leapt down into their midst and with a wave of his hands the guns were scattered to the ground. Using his cane, he shocked them and sent them to into the dirt. His attention was captured by Earnhardt who charged at him horns first, Sleight leapt backwards in avoidance and his own horn lit brilliantly; the bright flash blinded the bull momentarily and he was subsequently hurt when a series of razor sharp playing cards buried into his body.

“Hey!” Arcus shouted as he took over, breathing fire at Sleight’s feet and sending him back even more.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” Sleight asked as he flipped his cane around, the pointed bottom fired off like a missile and the spike dug into the dragon’s leg. “You’re only dragging this out and making yourselves suffer!” He spread his arms to the night sky. “No matter what you try, the show will go on!” The sound of old wood groaning in protest came from his flank, he glanced up to see the town's old water tower toppling towards him with the griffon siblings pushing it over from the top. “No!” He stumbled back but the old wooden water tank crashed and exploded on top of him, water rushing every which way. Stellar, Ridgeway, Hathaway and a revived Cloudy hurried over as he tried to free himself from the planks of wood. Hatch and Stormy swooped down behind him to block any escape. Dandelion, Cerulean and Oak got the officers back on their feet and over to the scene. As Sleight dragged himself up, the gathered townsfolk gasped at what they saw.

“Holy shit, look at that.” Stellar pointed to his horn which had broken off, revealing a stub filled with circuitry. The remaining length of horn on the ground sputtered and a beam of light emanated from it; across the way, the Ataata appeared and roared at them menacingly.

“A hologram?” Oak eyed the once fearsome creature.

“Damn you…” Sleight managed while coughing up water.

“Look, his coat.” Dandelion pointed at his face, the color washed away to reveal a particularly unique set of markings.

“Oh my god…” Hathaway held his hand over his mouth. “Hadewic?”

“What?” Ridgeway looked over at him.

“Heh… hi dad, long time no see.” Sleight looked up at him.

“Your tenth child?” Cloudy asked, recalling the conversation about his second son.”

“What… why?” Hathaway looked down at his lost child.

“I’m not going to believe you missed me,” Sleight stared up at him. “All the time I’ve been here I’ve never even heard you speak of me; like I was some kind of embarrassment. You think I forgot the last words you said to me?”

”Son, I…” Hathaway visibly shook as his mind tried to process everything. “I’m sorry… I know what I said and I’ve regretted it ever since. But… you’ve killed a creature and terrorized your friends and family. What would drive you to do all this?”

Sleight laughed and shook his head. “You know, for what it’s worth, I did try things your way. I left here to pursue my own life but I still approached it the way you taught me; hard work and farmer determination… and it meant nothing. I got chewed up and spit out by brutes like Earnhardt and fast talkers like Wheeler; I even thought about coming back home… but I couldn’t, so I… adapted.”

“By becoming a tech wiz pretending to be a real magician pretending to be a fake magician?” Stellar asked. “Kid, you need help.” She quickly glanced at Hathaway. “Uh.. sorry.”

“No, this is my fault,” He knelt down before his son. “I chased you away and forced you out into a world you weren't ready for. After all this time I realize I was wrong about trying to make you live life like the rest of us; and I’m sorry I never got to apologize before… but I am now, for what it’s worth. And I never thought of you as an embarrassment, but I did think about you every day.”

Sleight lowered his head with a listless chuckle. “It doesn’t matter, I’m not Hadewic anymore; I’m Sleight.”

“Sir,” One of the officers approached. “I’m sorry, but son or not, he’s under arrest and we need to take him in now.”

Hathaway looked up at them with heavy eyes. “I know…”

“Hathaway,” Ridgeway helped him up and pulled him aside as the cops dug Sleight out of the rubble and cuffed him. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I.” Hathaway sighed as he watched them haul his son off towards the squad car.

Bittersweet relief washed over the old town as Sleight was stripped of his weapons and taken away which meant that everyone was finally safe. Arcus and Earnhardt got their injuries treated and everyone began cleaning up the aftermath of the fight. Hathaway went home to tell his family what had happened and Hatch in turn traveled to see Blue Sky to do the same. Stellar met with Ridgeway back at his office, the two sharing a much needed drink after everything.

“I just wanted to close a sale…” Stellar thought. “But I wound up investigating a murder, almost getting killed, picking up a boyfriend and fighting a super villain; I’m taking a fucking vacation.”

Ridgeway laughed and nodded. “You’ve certainly earned it; I have to thank you again, were it not for your perseverance, Hadewic would have gotten away with everything. As Hathaway’s son, he could have claimed a bloodline link to the ownership of the town and done what he pleased if it was abandoned.” He paused to drink. “And thankfully, Wheeler can have justice; but at the cost of Hathaway’s heart, I have no doubt this will weigh on him for the rest of his life.”

“Cloudy filled me in on that; I do feel bad for the guy, but it isn’t his fault.” She pondered. “Still, it’s not easy for a parent to not feel responsible for their kid.” She sighed deeply. "It's a shame, he really is a sharp mind; I couldn't believe all the crap the cops pulled off of him. A chemically treated cape, phosphorus covered playing cards with metal edges, taser cane, smoke machines in his sleeves, gloves with electromagnets in the palms and a fucking holographic projector in a fake horn."

"He was every bit the technological wizard that Hathaway said he was." Ridgeway noted.

Stellar took a drink and changed the subject. “So, now that the sale can officially go through, what’s the plan?”

“I know Red Sky won’t wholly approve, but everyone here as been through enough.” Ridgeway noted. “With Wheeler gone, I’ll see to it that everyone here gets a portion of his share of the value so they can make new lives elsewhere. I don’t know what Hathaway will do, but it’s time for me to retire. I’ll miss this place, but it’s high time this outlaw hung up his hat and settled down somewhere quiet.”

“I hope you enjoy it,” Stellar raised her glass. “I’m sure Oak will make sure the history books remember you as much as your ancestor.”

Over at the bar, Stormy swept with a sullen face as she and Dandelion cleaned up the bar. “I can’t believe Ledg… Hadewic, could do all this.” She muttered. “He was never my type, but I did kind of like him; never caved in to his flirting though… guess I dodged one hell of a bullet.”

“I know,” Dandelion concurred. “He was such a sweet guy, he really fooled us all; it’s creepy to know how close we were to a nut case like that. I would have rather it been a ghost.” She dumped a dustpan full of wood shards into a trash can. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“My brother and I are going home; it’s been awhile and we’re going to visit family and plan out where we go from here.” She glanced over. “What about you?”

“Not sure,” Dandelion admitted. “Whatever it is though, it’s going to have a modern setting.” She said with laugh.

Over in the old doctor’s office, Earnhardt sat with bandages around his arms where the playing cards had pierced him. Hoofsteps sounded, followed by Cloudy as she came to check on him.

“Earnhardt, how are you?” She asked.

“I’ll live,” He snorted. “Little shit really took it out of me though; but only because of all those cheap tricks.”

“Most definitely,” Cloudy recalled the inventory they had observed before Sleight was taken away. “For a moment, he had us truly believing he was magical; but all his tricks were nothing but gadgetry. To think creatures like that exist; it reminds me of things from Limestone's old comic books.” She looked up at him. “What will you do now that the town is to be finally sold?”

“Not sure,” He huffed. “Unlike a lot of the others, I was basically raised here; and I’m sure a fancy research center won’t have much use for a heavy lifter like me.”

Cloudy set her hand to his bandaged arm with a warm smile. “Would you like to come with me?”

“Huh?” He quickly glanced down at her.

“My home is still precious to me, but it must change as I do; but I cannot do it alone.” She said surely. “I could use a strong friend to help me improve it and keep me company.”

“Wow,” Earnhardt was taken aback by the offer. “That… would be great, are you sure?”

“Of course,” Cloudy nodded. “It’s still rustic and quiet as we are both used to; but we can help one another start working on our new lives.”

The big bull smiled and put his arm around her. “Deal.”

The long night wrapped up in the wee hours of the morning; Hatch returned with news that Red Sky would be alright and passed on he and his son’s thanks for seeing justice done. Cloudy informed Stellar that Earnhardt would be coming with them as well and Arcus was able to once again join his new love interest as his leg continued to speedily heal. With everything finally well, the town enjoyed its first peaceful sleep in some time. Come morning, Stellar and Arcus began packing their things, both excited to get on with their lives now that the shadow hanging over the town had lifted.

“Good thing I don’t own much.” Arcus noted.

“Yeah, with Earnhardt coming with, we barely have enough room for this stuff.” She clicked her suitcase closed. “But, small price to pay; I’m glad Cloudy won’t be alone anymore, it’ll be good for her to have someone around.” She went to Arcus and rubbed his chest. “And you and I can start fucking in a comfortable bed, and in a bigger shower… and on my dining room table.” She smiled hungrily.

“Can’t wait.” He grinned.

A knock at the door came followed by Cloudy’s voice; Stellar answered and found her and Earnhardt with their own belongings. “We are ready when you are, Stellar.” She announced.

“Great, we’re about done here.” Stellar nodded. “Guess we’d better check out.” After officially checking out of the lodges and saying goodbye to Dandelion, the quartet made one last trip to the town hall to let Ridgeway know they’d be on their way.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Ridgeway smiled as they walked into his office; he went to Stellar with an outstretched hand. “It was good to meet you both, you certainly left your mark in this town’s final chapter.”

“I’m just glad everything has been resolved.” Stellar shook his hand. “I’ll contact my office and have everything finalized, our business office’s lead with be in touch to suss out the last bit of detail and send you the paperwork.”

“Wonderful,” He looked to Arcus and Earnhardt. “I’m sending a list that includes your information back with the paperwork, you and everyone else will receive your part of the sale when everything is said and done.”

“Thank you, Ridgeway,” Arcus smiled. “We really appreciate this.”

“Yeah,” Earnhardt nodded in agreement. “It’ll be a big help.”

“Thank you both for all you’ve done for me and this town, I wish you both luck out there.” He shook their hands respectively.

“And we certainly wish you a well earned retirement.” Cloudy added.

“Believe me, I’m going to enjoy it come hell or high water.” Ridgeway laughed. “Take care.”

With that, they left the office and headed back to the car; finding Hatch and Stormy loitering by its side. Hatch waved with a light grin as they approached. “Time to ride off into the sunset, eh?” He patted Arcus on the arm. “It was nice knowing you, kid; don’t let the big city eat you up.” He looked at Cloudy with a reluctant smile. “Going to miss you, Cloudy.”

“I feel quite the same,” Cloudy hugged him. “Thank you, I’ll always remember the brief time we’ve shared.”

“Oh me too,” He laughed, glancing up at Earnhardt. “Take good care of her.”

“She’s safe with me,” Earnhardt grabbed his shoulder. “Just worry about your own feathered ass.”

“I’ll keep him in line,” Stormy chuckled. “Thanks for everything, maybe if we’re lucky we’ll bump into each other sometime.”

“World gets smaller everyday,” Stellar noted. “I won’t count it out.”

After a last goodbye, Stellar squeezed everyone into her car and started for home. It was a long drive, but with higher spirits than when they were on their way the first time, it didn’t seem as much so. By the late afternoon, Stellar dropped Cloudy and Earnhardt off back at her house; Cloudy immediately going about getting her new friend settled. Finally, by mid evening, Stellar pulled into the driveway of her suburban home on the outskirts of the metropolitan area. Lugging their things in, Stellar collapsed onto the couch with a long sigh.

“Son of a bitch…” Her head fell back onto the cushion. “Home at last.”

“You have a really nice place,” Arcus sat on the couch beside her, taking her legs up into his lap and massaging her ankles and calves.

“Oh my god, kid… that feels amazing.” She babbled into her arm as she laid it across her face.

“Feels kind of weird to know I’m just going to be living here now,” He admitted. “Good weird, but it’s just really sudden.”

“We’re certainly taking a leap here,” Stellar agreed. “But don’t feel like a guest, this is your place now too so make yourself at home.”

“Thanks,” He smiled as he looked down at her, flopped over the cushions in her wrinkled business attire and her mouth hanging open in exhaustion. “So, were you serious about that vacation stuff?”

“Absolutely,” She raised a pointed finger to the sky. “I’ve more than earned one.”

“Can you show me around the city?” He asked.

“Sure,” She nodded beneath her elbow. “It’ll be good to get adjusted; just don’t be shocked if you get a lot of stares, not many dragons around here.”

“I can deal with that,” His claws moved up her thighs. “I’ll just assume their jealous of my girlfriend.” He chuckled.

“Pshh…” Stellar laughed. “Can’t believe that type of line is getting me at my age.” She pulled her legs back and got on her knees, shimmying over to him and taking his shoulders. “Trying to talk me out of my clothes?”

“Is it working?” He asked with a tilted head.

“Maybe…” Stellar stopped at the sound of a beep. “Huh?” She glanced over at the kitchen counter and saw her answering machine flashing.

“What is it?” Arcus asked.

“Phone messages,” Stellar reluctantly left the couch. “Probably just auto-dial bullshit.”

“You have an answering machine?” Arcus raised his head high and watched her. “Those things are so ol…”

“Watch it, kid,” She pointed a finger back at him. “It’s for business reasons.”

“Sorry.” He laughed.

Stellar hit the button and listened to the messages, only pausing at the final one. “Hi Stellar, it’s Evershy.” The message began.

“Holy shit.” Stellar muttered in shock. "Goody two hooves herself."

“I know it’s been awhile,” Evershy continued. “Too long… and I’m sorry about that; a lot has happened lately, so much I’d bet it surprise even you.” She laughed. “I’m sure you’re out on business but I really hope we can talk; Windy and I kind of had a big scare and a huge life change and… well, we just want all of us to get together again. I called Cloudy, Pear and Twilight too but they weren’t home either; I guess we’re all busy nowadays. Still, please give me a call so we can catch up; hope to talk to you soon, bye.” The message ended and Stellar hit the clear button.

“Who was that?” Arcus came over to join her.

“Evershy, she’s an old friend,” Stellar laughed in thought. “Fuck, I don’t think I’ve talked to her in nearly four years now. I wonder what the hell happened to her?” She pondered. “Her life is so white bread you could make a sandwich out of it.”

“Are you going to call her?” He inquired.

“Yeah,” Stellar nodded. “It’d be nice to talk to her again, Windy though… that lazy bitch.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Stellar shook her head. “I’ll give her a call tomorrow; right now I just want a hot shower, a hard fuck and a long sleep,” She smiled up at him. “How about you give me a hand with all that?”

“Yes ma’am.” Arcus reached down at scooped her up into his arms.

“Whoa!” Stellar sounded in surprise; he started to walk but stopped as he realized he didn’t know where anything was.

“Uh…” He sheepishly eyed her.

“Down the hall and to the right, Romeo.” Stellar pointed with a laugh as he headed down the hall so they could enjoy the rest of the evening together.

A police car sped up the highway with an ambulance behind it; sirens blaring, they forced traffic aside and headed out onto the emptier roads that led into the city. As was detailed to them, a squad car sat on its side just off the road; the officers and EMT’s rushed out and went to work.

“What happened?” One of the officers asked, pausing in horror as he found the officer who placed the call flanked by the corpses of his fellow force members.

The officer on the ground held his wounded arm and spoke in a shaky voice. “Transporting a murder suspect, his hands and feet were cuffed in the back but he… he got out somehow. He threw something through the bars of the back seat into Marlow’s neck which made him swerve off the road. By the time I woke up, he was gone and Marlow and Burrow were… they were dead…” His head hung low.

“Alright,” The lead officer nodded. “Give us a description of the suspect and we’ll put out an APB, he’s on foot so he couldn’t have gotten far. After that, they’ll get you to a hospital.”

The other officers began taking the information he could provide as the EMT’s worked on his arm and prepped him for transfer. The lead officer went to his fallen comrades; he noted the badge of Marlow and reached down to move his head; with a confused muttering he saw an ace of spades protruding from the back of his neck.

Chapter 1

A luxury SUV sped past the hundred mile marker on the side of a long and empty road. Stellar Flare was at the wheel, a bored look in her eyes and a cigarette protruding from the end of her muzzle as she steered with three fingers.

“Well, a hundred miles down and a hundred more to go,” Stellar mumbled through the half depleted smoke. “Leave it to my boss to send me to the ass end of the boonies.”

“You drove just as far to retrieve me, mind you.” Cloudy noted from the passenger seat.

“Hey, I don’t know a damn thing about farmland or rural areas,” Stellar rolled her eyes over to Cloudy. “You’re my expert on this job.”

“Pear Butter might have been a better choice,” Cloudy said distantly. “She is far more informed on current agricultural trends.”

“I’m trying to do you a favor here,” Stellar added. “It’s been what… three years since Igneous died? You haven’t left that farm of yours since and everyone is worried about you; I’m just the only one with the balls to say that three years is more than enough time to grieve alone.”

Cloudy sighed at the mention of her late husband’s name. “I appreciate what you are doing, Stellar. It simply is not as easy as you make it sound.”

“I’m not trying to make it sound easy,” Stellar assured. “Look, as shitty as this job is, you’ll get thirty percent. We can get some money in your pocket, get you out of the house and god willing have some amount of fun on this trip.”

“You and I have quite different interpretations of fun.” Cloudy reminded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stellar faced her, a cloud of smoke wafting over Cloudy.

“Stellar, please keep that thing pointed at the window.”

“Oh for fuck’s…,” Stellar ripped it from her mouth and tossed it out the window. “Off to a great start.”

The duo’s destination was an all but forgotten ghost town dubbed Burnt Sky; an old west style town turned tourist trap. It was well into the afternoon when the out of place city vehicle rolled into the town's limits. Stellar drove around until finding what appeared to be the original town hall and came to a stop. Finally getting a chance to stretch, She stepped out into the dry heat of the area; the slit in her pencil skirt flapping like mad in the arid wind. Fastening the two lower buttons of her matching blazer she rounded the bumper and looked up at the old building.

“You can almost smell the history,” She glanced over at Cloudy as she joined her. “Not in a good way either.”

“Without this history, neither of us would be here to judge it.” Cloudy quoted back.

The door to the hall opened and an older stallion emerged, dressed in formal period clothing. He jogged down the front steps and up to the visitors. “Hello ma’am, you must be Stellar Flare.” His hand extended.

“Yes, I trust you’re Ridgeway?” Stellar took his hand.

“Yes Ma’am, pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Stellar gestured over to Cloudy. “This is my friend and associate on this job, Cloudy Quartz.”

Ridgeway looked over Cloudy’s modest dress and hand knit shawl. “Well, you should fit right in around here, ma’am. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well.” Cloudy tipped her head.

“Please, come on in and we can get to business.” Ridgeway motioned up the steps as he headed back up and held the door for them. Stellar and Cloudy entered the old hall and followed him to what must have been the former mayor’s office. He took his spot behind the desk while the two of them sat across from him. “First of all, welcome to our little slice of the world,” He began. “While you’re here, I’ve arranged for some of the guest lodges on the edge of town to be available for you free of charge. They’ve got the basics, not much more I’m afraid.”

“Appreciated.” Cloudy said graciously.

“Yes, so what are we looking at here?” Stellar moved on. “My boss said that you don’t have a majority of interest in the town and can’t sell it outright.”

“That’s correct,” Ridgeway nodded. “Hopefully, that’s a problem you can help me with.”

“I’m supposed to be here to appraise and evaluate the state of the town, negotiations aren’t usually part of my job. But my boss wants this deal to go through and he’s trusting me to make that happen, so I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you, I want this to work out as well for all of us here,” Ridgeway said with a hint of regret. “This town just can’t support itself anymore, no one understands its historical significance and importance more than I do, but time is something none of us can fight, no matter how hard some try.”

“So who are the ‘some’?” Stellar continued.

“Well, there are three other parties who hold interest in the town,” He carried on. “Hathaway and his family who work the farmlands. Wheeler, my partner, who runs the business side of things for the town. Lastly, there’s Red Sky, who’s tribe owned the land before it was even a town; he is a direct decedent of Burnt Sky, who the town was named after.”

“Bet he’s a hard sell.” Stellar noted.

“They all are, to be honest.” Ridgeway admitted. “I understand their positions, but we’ve reached the point where clinging to the land just isn’t worth it anymore. This sale could give us all enough to move on and live good enough lives, but they’ve all got their reasons for telling me no. Maybe an experienced mare like you can get it through their heads, tell them what’s on the table and what they could have if they are willing to sell.”

“Well, we only need a majority interest to okay the sale.” Stellar thought out loud. “We don’t need all three on board, just two at the most.”

“You know you have my support; if there is anything I can do to help, just ask.” He vowed.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Stellar rose from her seat. “For now though, I want to get us settled. Where are these lodges?”

“Of course,” Ridgeway spun in his chair and pulled out a tri-fold map of the town that was used by visitors. “Here, they’re on the map at the eastern edge of town.”

“Thanks,” Stellar took the map. “Let’s go Cloudy.”

The two of them left the office and returned to the car, Stellar took them eastward and Cloudy looked out the window at the sporadic buildings and the scant few individuals that wandered the town. On the eastern edge, a collection of old dwellings sat in loose formation; Stellar parked before the smallest that bore a sign that said office. They entered and found that the family room had been converted into a check in desk.

“Well hello,” A cheery mare hailed from the desk. “My name is Dandelion, a pleasure to have you here.” She smiled, her olive coat and golden mane definitely giving her the look of her namesake flower.

“Hi,” Stellar waved back casually. “Ridgeway sent us here, said he had some room for us?”

“Oh, right,” Dandelion took out her ledger. “He said you would be here soon.” She spun the book. “Just sign in and I’ll get your keys.”

“Can do.” Stellar scrawled her name, passing the pen to Cloudy who did the same.

“Here you go.” Dandelion returned with two, metal keys.

“Wow, even the keys are period piece.” Stellar chuckled.

“Everything's original, except the evap coolers, plumbing and electricity.” She laughed.

“Thank you,” Cloudy accepted her key. “To which homes do these belong?”

“Last two homes on the left.” She informed.

“Well, come on neighbor.” Stellar pocketed her key as they left under an equally cheery farewell. They walked down to their assigned lodging and Cloudy followed Stellar into hers, the historical dwelling did indeed offer the bare minimum which elicited a long sigh from the city accustomed mare. “Po meet dunk.” She mumbled.

“As long as it has four walls and a roof, it is enough.” Cloudy quoted.

“Figures you’d be right at home, I’m a little more used to modern convenience.” Stellar sat on the queen sized bed which sat across from a dresser and an arm chair.

“So what exactly are we to do in this situation?” Cloudy asked as she sat in the chair.

“Well, tomorrow we’ll take a look around and see what we’re working with,” Stellar began. “Ask some questions and get some history; then we need to start talking to these other parties and hopefully convince them to sell.”

“Do you believe you can do such a thing?”

“Well, honestly the logic speaks for itself,” Stellar surmised. “There is more to gain from selling, plain and simple.”

Cloudy sighed lightly through her nose. “If you believe that wholly then you have already lost the argument.”

Stellar was irked by the remark but was sure there was some homespun logic behind her words. “Do tell.” She gestured to her.

“This is not just land to these creatures, it is home and history; both of which carry more value than money. You may look at my farm and see an old, dilapidated homestead; but to me, it is a lifetime of cherished memories that cannot be replaced. No matter what the current state of this town, I have little doubt that the creatures here feel some level of that attachment. If you, an outsider from the city, just go waving the prospect of money in their face they will resent you immediately.”

Stellar absorbed Cloudy’s wisdom with begrudging concession. “Okay then, then how would you convince them to part with all that history?”

“You must be honest with them, but heartfelt and understanding of what they will be giving up. Show them that you are not looking down at them, but looking to the future while standing at their side.” She held her chin. “Even so, especially concerning the decedents of the native tribe that once lived here, I doubt any amount of convincing will be enough.”

“That much I gathered,” Stellar stood from the bed. “I get the point though, this is probably going to take longer than I thought. Let’s just get our luggage and set up for the night.” Retrieving their baggage from her trunk, the two mares began setting up their temporary homes to make themselves as comfortable as possible. After putting away her clothes and other personal effects, Stellar removed a bottle of her favorite brandy and set it on the dresser; with a shot glass to accompany it, she poured herself a shot and looked into the mirror that rested above the piece. “This is what you get for being good at your job,” She informed her reflection. “Stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to bribe a town full of country folk out of their home. If you would just stay low and get by, the boss probably would have sent someone else; but no, you have to bust your ass and stand out because that’s the only thing that validates you anymore… being the best at what you do.” She downed the shot and let out a rough breath. “Fuck me.” She laid the glass next to the bottle. Changing clothes for the evening she resolved herself to the bed, with nothing else to do but sleep for the time being.

The next morning, Stellar showered and put on more casual wear as she prepared to explore the town. She headed over to Cloudy’s lodge and knocked on the door, her friend answering dressed and ready to go.

“Getting a late start, are we?” She asked as she stepped out onto the old wooden porch.

“It’s nine in the morning,” Stellar shook her head. “Sorry I don’t operate on farmer time.” Driving back into the heart of the old town, Stellar parked and they began walking the main road that held most of what the place had to offer.

“I’ve yet to ask, but what exactly is your employer’s intent for this town?” Cloudy asked as they made their way past a mix of gift shops and historical displays of old equipment.

“My boss is jumping on the alternative energy train, wants to build an R&D facility,” Stellar explained. “Most of the land out here is protected under tribal protection acts, but this town remains privately owned and exempt from those acts under a grandfather clause.”

“Surely there must be better places for a research facility.” Cloudy suggested.

“Out in the middle of nowhere is the best place to keep your work secret and safe from corporate espionage.” Stellar countered.

“I suppose so.” Cloudy conceded.

“He’s not blind to the historical significance, he said he’d salvage what he could,” Stellar carried on. “Maybe move some of it to a museum in the city.” They came upon a building with a sign that offered a glimpse into the past; Stellar led Cloudy inside and into a makeshift lobby. “Hello?” She called.

Footsteps could be heard on the wooden floors and a stallion emerged from the adjacent room. “Well hello to you too,” He smiled. “Sorry about that, haven’t had a visitor in a while now.”

“Not so much a visitor as being here on business,” Stellar met him by the front desk. “My name is Stellar Flare and this is Cloudy Quartz.”

“Just call me Oak,” He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you both.”

“So, Oak. Can you tell us about the history of this town?” She asked as she took his hand.

“Absolutely,” He said with a sure nod. “I’ve spent over fifteen years studying the history of this town.” He clapped his hands together. “Well, first of all, this town was established in eighteen thirteen; it was decreed that the parcel of land would be shared with a stallion named Light Spur, who along with his settlers helped defend the native tribe from the attack of a rival tribe. In return, Light Spur named the town after the chief, Burnt Sky. The land was settled, most of these buildings you see are the original ones; had some maintenance work done mind you, but the bones are still the same."

“A testament to the craftsmanship of the time.” Cloudy noted, able to appreciate such things.

“The town served as a home for generations,” He continued. “Everything changed though when the mine was discovered.”

“There’s a mine on this land?” Stellar repeated with keen interest.

“Yes ma’am, and it turned Burnt Sky into a boom town.” Oak pointed to an old picture of a group of creatures standing before the mine entrance. “It was a golden age, literally, but not without its drawbacks. The smell of gold attracted all kinds and even though the mine was owned by the decedents of the settlers it didn’t stop would be miners from exploring the rest of the region. As the only speck of civilization for hundreds of miles, the town served as a rest stop, hotel, trading post, watering hole and supply depot for every creature that showed up.”

“I take it that’s when the place went more commercial?” Stellar asked.

“It was inevitable and they knew it, no sense trying to swim upstream. The town leaned into the new market and prospered for a time; but like all times they move on, and when the mine ran dry the flow of creatures stopped and overnight the town lost its income.” He paused to think. “That was around the mid 1900’s, but in spite of the barrel they were staring down the creatures of Burnt Sky refused to just walk away from their home. They reorganized and worked to make themselves self sufficient, Hathaway’s family line were the ones that brought truly modern agriculture in and helped the town provide for itself.”

“I imagine that is why they hold stake in the town.” Cloudy surmised.

“That’s right, his family saved Burnt Sky and their reward was official shared ownership. Things stayed the same for a time, but being so far removed from the bigger cities meant that Burnt Sky was getting left behind. The town became an oddity, visited out of curiosity by vacationers and history buffs. Seeing the opportunity, the mayor at the time was approached by Wheeler’s father who suggested that once again the town go with the flow and become an attraction; he invested money into the town and purchased a share of the town’s deed, with his business savvy Burnt Sky became a tourist destination that provided an honest to goodness experience in the way things were.” He held his arms out to the displays. “And here we are.”

“Thank you for the info, appreciated.” Stellar patted the desktop.

“Mind if I ask you a question?” Oak eyed her curiously.

“Fair enough.” She nodded.

“I’ve heard Ridgeway talking about moving to sell the town, are you here to make that happen?”

Stellar chuckled to herself. “Yeah, we are. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

“Well, I can’t say it sits right with me,” Oak confessed. “But, as a historian, I understand the march of time. I’ve studied this town's history from its beginning, I suppose it's only right that I be around to document its end too.”

“If I may,” Cloudy interjected. “As a historian, you must also know that endings are merely new beginnings.”

Oak smiled at her wisdom. “That they are, ma’am. Whatever happens, all I can do is make sure that it's remembered. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, you know where to find me.”

Stellar thanked him again and they stepped back out onto the main road. “Well, that was informative. We have some idea of where the other stakeholders are coming from. Knowing that there is a mine here is pretty noteworthy as well.” She glanced over at Cloudy. “Your family gets off on rocks, how much do you know about mines?”

“Most of what I know actually comes from Maud, she shared a great deal of knowledge with me when we would talk of her college courses.”

“We’re going to have to check it out,” Stellar said with a sigh. “Another thing to look forward too; but for now, I’d say it’s lunch time. Let’s see what there is to eat around here.”

The only true restaurant in the town was the Dust Bowl; an all in one diner that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. Upon entry, they found two other booths that held some of the only other creatures visiting the town at the time; a rack stood before them instructing customers to take a menu and seat themselves. The pair sat in the corner, thumbing through the themed list of lunch items that were offered. Two glasses of watered appeared on the table and Stellar glanced up, a youthful but sizable dragon standing over them; his scales a palette of aquamarine with darker hues of purple and royal blue accenting the denser scales of his crown, backside and tail.

“Hello, welcome to the Dust Bowl,” He greeted, a long smile running the length of his beak.

“Uh… hi,” Stellar reset herself in the booth, pausing in her response as she looked him over. “Sorry, I just didn’t expect to see a dragon all the way out here.”

“I get that a lot,” He confessed. “My name is Arcus, I’ll be your waiter; can I get you started with anything?”

“I’ll start out with a lemonade,” Stellar noted. “Cloudy?”

“I will start with a sweet tea, please.” Cloudy requested.

“No problem, be right back.” He left them to retrieve their drinks.

Stellar took a drink of her water and sighed as she returned the glass to the table. “Okay, so I’m thinking we start with this Hathaway guy.”

“The farmer?”

“Yeah, he may have a vested interest in keeping his farm going, but if he’s a family stallion to boot then he may be easier to reason with. He’s got to want what’s best for his family, pointing that out could be the easiest way to get him on our side.”

“Perhaps, although as a farmer myself, I know the bond that one can share with land,” Cloudy said solemnly. “It is a bond as strong as family.”

“Then coming from you should make the message all the more impactful,” Stellar considered. “You speak his language.”

“Here you are,” Arcus returned with their drinks. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yeah,” Stellar quickly opened her menu again. “I’ll have the avocado club with sweet potato fries.”

“Perfect,” Arcus wrote it down. “And for you, ma’am?”

“I shall try the waldorf salad.” Cloudy answered.

“Alright, I’ll have those right out.” He smiled down at Stellar, eyes lingering on her for a noticeable moment.

“See something you like?” Stellar asked with a light smirk.

“Uh… no ma’am.” He flustered. “I mean… yes…” His eyes widened. “I mean… sorry.” Arcus quickly turned tail and hurried into the kitchen.

Stellar chortled as she tasted her lemonade, eyeing the glass sourly. “Kid’s sweeter than the lemonade, that’s for sure.”

The remainder of lunch passed by and as the high sun began moving westward, Stellar and Cloudy made a trip back to the old town hall. Ridgeway was walking the building when they entered, making his way over at the sound of the door.

“Ladies, how has everything been so far?” He asked.

“Quaint,” Stellar noted. “We spent some time with Oak.”

“Ah, Oak is a good stallion,” Ridgeway nodded. “I trust he gave you all the backstory.”

“Pretty much,” Stellar confirmed. “Listen, we’re going to want to talk to Hathaway tomorrow; where is his farm located?”

“About ten miles east of the town,” Ridgeway informed. “Just take the main road back out and turn at the green marker, it’s a straight shot from there.”

“Thanks,” Stellar rested an elbow on the front desk. “Another thing, Oak told us about a mine; he said it went dry but is that really true?”

“As far as anyone knows,” Ridgeway answered. “The mine was worked so deep that eventually it become too dangerous and it was officially labeled as dry as the equipment at the time wasn’t sufficient to continue work. It’s been abandoned for a long time now.”

“I’ll need to see it for myself at some point.”

“Well, that can be arranged.” He said, a hint of hesitation in his voice. “It isn’t exactly safe though, we don’t even let tourists visit it anymore after an accident about ten years ago.”

“Well I’m not a tourist,” Stellar retorted. “Thanks for the information.”

“Good luck with Hathaway.” Ridgeway offered as they left.

“You seem to be greatly interested in the mine, do you believe it could be a factor in some not wishing to sell?” Cloudy asked as they started walking back to the car.

“Maybe,” Stellar nodded slowly. “Like he said, it was only deemed dry because the equipment at the time wasn’t good enough. Mining has come a long way since that decision was made, that mine may still have lots to offer and some of these parties may be secretly banking on that fact.” She shrugged. “It’s a possibility anyway, just something to keep in mind.” Her hands reached up to the sky as she stretched. “We’ve done enough for one day though, let’s just relax and prep for tomorrow.”

Stellar and Cloudy spent the early part of the evening together, discussing everything they had learned so far. Eventually they parted for the night to get some sleep; that sleep was not fully sound though as Stellar was jolted awake by the sound of a scream. Groggily, she jumped from the bed as the sound of a huge crash followed. As she rushed out onto the porch she noticed that Cloudy and some of the other guests had come out to investigate as well. Stellar could see a crashed cart on the dirt path with a fallen Dandelion at its front. Before she could make a move, Ridgeway and several others came running with lanterns.

“Dandelion?” Ridgeway rushed over to her and held up the lantern.

“Ridgeway,” She sat up and looked around, fear and panic in the normally cheerful mare’s eyes.

“What happened?” He asked as the creatures with him began checking the area.

“It was that… thing again!” She shouted up at him.

“That…” Ridgeway pursed his lips and looked over at the spectators. “I’m sure it was just a wild animal that startled you.”

“No, Ridgeway.” She ignored his offer to help her up and stood. “You need to stop pretending that thing is just some animal; this makes over six times now.”

“Please, Dandelion.” He tried to calm her as the others gathered around. “Anything?”

“Nothing, not even a foot print.” A griffon in their company noted.

“See, Dandelion. It was just your imagination; now, you don’t want to scare the guests do you?” He gestured to their audience.

Dandelion took a composing breath as her cart was righted. “Fine, can you just help me move this stuff for the night?”

“Of course,” Ridgeway motioned for his crew to aid her as he turned to the lodges. “Sorry about that folks, seems there's still some excitement to be had in this old town sometimes. Everything is under control.”

Stellar watched him follow after Dandelion, glancing across the way to Cloudy whose eyes bore the same suspicion at the event.

Chapter 4

Dawn saw Stellar up earlier than usual; she knew she needed to go apologize to Cloudy for blowing her off yesterday so she quickly got dressed and headed over. She rapped on the door and made sure she was smiling when it opened.

“Hey, partner.”

“Stellar,” Cloudy observed her closely. “You seem in better spirits.”

“Yeah, just needed to clear my head; I’m good as new and ready to keep moving.”

“Are you certain?” Cloudy asked.

“Yes,” Stellar nodded. “I’m sorry I got pissy with you yesterday, I’m over it; let’s get this show back on the road.”

“Very well,” Cloudy stepped back in to collect her bag. “What is our plan for today?”

“Well, we’ve got one more creature to talk to,” She shrugged. “Wheeler.”

“Do you know where to find him?”

“He introduced himself in the bar the other night, said his work office is in the old bank,” She laughed. “Pretty cliche, huh?”

“Cliches exist for a reason.” Cloudy quoted.

The two of them traveled back into the center of town and towards the historic structure that once served as the town’s bank. The door opened as they neared and Legerdemain emerged, as soon as he noticed them he smiled and made his way over.

“Hey, nice to see you again.” He greeted.

“Ledge, what are you doing here?” Stellar asked.

“Getting my ideas shot down again,” He chuckled. “Wheeler keeps saying he wants ideas to help revitalize the town, but he never seems to care for mine all too much.”

“Are they magic related?” Cloudy inquired.

“Well… not all of them,” He muttered. “Maybe you’ll have better luck.” He waved and continued on his way with a farewell for the time being.

Stellar and Cloudy stepped through the old wooden door and onto the teller floor; the counters still protected by iron bars. The floors creaking under their hooves was all the announcement needed to draw Wheeler from the back office.

“Ah, good morning,” He greeted. “I see it’s my turn.”

“That it is.” Stellar smiled.

“Then please, step into my office.” He extended his hand back the way he came. Leading them into his work station, Wheeler sat in his chair and folded his hands on the desk. “I’ve got a feeling you and I are cut from the same cloth, Ms. Flare. We’re both modern minds on the edge of how things work nowadays.”

“If that’s the case, then how come you seem to be having trouble reading the writing on the wall when it comes to this town?” She countered.

"As my father used to say, a sinking ship makes a great aquarium.” Wheeler stated.

“Meaning?” Stellar asked.

“Meaning that as one use fades away another comes into being,” He explained. “Just because this town’s time as an attraction is coming to an end doesn’t mean that it no longer contains opportunity. Ridgeway has lost sight of that; he and the others only see this town as one thing but that doesn’t have to be the case.” He sat back. “I take it you’ve spoken to Oak by this point?”

“Yes, we have.” She nodded.

“Then you know, this town has been many things over the course of its history; evolution is as true in business as it is in nature and I understand that well.”

“So what exactly are you intending to happen?” She asked.

He politely raised his hands. “My intentions are not part of the current situation and hence are not necessary for the discussion. Suffice to say, they are enough to prevent me from wishing to part with my ownership of the town.” He looked at her with a sincere curiosity. “Did Ridgeway tell you that I was the first one to offer buying out the town?”

"No, he didn’t.” Stellar shook her head.

“I was willing to buy out his part of the ownership for a fair price, relieving him of the responsibility and taking majority control. At first, I was understanding of his hesitance but imagine my surprise when he turns around and begins entertaining offers from outside hands.” He made a dry laugh. “To be honest, I was hurt; he and I have worked together for over fifteen years and that felt like a betrayal.”

Stellar thought about his explanation of events. “Do your “intentions” involve Hathaway or the buffalo? Or would they just be shit out of luck if you took majority ownership?”

“Hathaway is removed enough from the situation to not interfere; I would gladly leave him and his family to their farm and would likely continue to rely on their crops. The buffalo… well, they are even more stuck in their ways than Ridgeway. I doubt anything would truly make them happy other than leaving the land as natural as possible.”

Again, Stellar paused to think about his words. “It’s the mine, isn’t it?” She finally asked, her question causing the faintest of flashes to run across his eyes which was all the proof her intuition needed.

“What makes you say that?” He asked back.

“Like you said, we’re similar minds.” She smirked. “Even based on the limited amount I know, I understand that there is a very good probability that the mine isn’t as dry as they say and that modern mining operations could revitalize the site.” She shrugged. “Hell, even if I was just able to prove that fact on paper, that could jack the market value of the land up hundreds of thousands of dollars. That wouldn’t involve Hathaway as you said and the buffalo sure wouldn’t be happy, but wihout majority control they wouldn’t truly be able to do anything because of the grandfather clause this place exists under. The only real obstacle to that is Ridgeway, who either doesn't understand or doesn’t care about the possibility in the first place.”

Wheeler grinned as she concluded. “I knew there was something about you I liked,” He laughed. “Fair enough, I admit that the mine holds my interest. I’ve asked Ridgeway to investigate it many times but he refuses because he deems it too unsafe; and we can’t exactly afford a professional evaluation.” He sat back in his chair. “But I do believe it has potential, potential I wish to explore before I’ll decide whether or not to part with my interest.”

“Okay then,” Stellar nodded. “I understand your position. That being said, if I could prove whether or not the mine had value, would you make your call?”

Wheeler eyed her in surprise. “How would you do that?”

“As a party sent here to evaluate the land, it falls within my jurisdiction to have the mine surveyed.” She detailed.

“I see, and if you should find that the mine could still produce?” He inquired with interest.

“Then that would call for a change in the terms,” She said plainly. “The value of the mine would have to be considered and added to the offer.”

“Well,” He made a short laugh. “How can I say no? If you can get a definitive answer on the mine, you’ll get a definitive answer from me.”

“Alright then,” Stellar stood, causing Cloudy to do the same. “I’ll get to work.” Shaking hands, Stellar and Cloudy left the bank and began walking down the road.

“Forgive me for being of little use,” Cloudy apologized. “If you claim I speak Hathaway’s language, then you truly speak Wheeler’s.”

“Not something I’m proud of,” Stellar wiped her hand on her skirt. “I can feel the slime on that guy.”

“You were right, however,” Cloudy reminded. “The mine was a point of contention that needed to be explored. Just how exactly are we to explore it though?”

“I need Ridgeway’s OK and then I can put in a call to have a licensed surveyor come out and inspect the work site. I’ll need to see it for myself, as much as possible anyway.” She sighed. “Guess we’ll be here a little longer than I thought; let’s go talk to Ridgeway and get this ball rolling.”

The two of them returned to the city hall, knocking on the door as they entered. Ridgeway emerged from the back and smiled as he saw them. “I was hoping to see you today,” He noted. “I spoke with Hathaway on the phone and he’s decided to put his hat in on the sale. Whatever you discussed really moved him, thank you.”

“That’s good to hear,” Stellar smiled, nice to see some headway being made. “Job isn’t done yet though, I have a favor to ask.”

“Of course.” He opened his arms.

“I need to call in a survey of the mine.” She explained.

“The mine?” He repeated.

“Yes, Wheeler’s decision is hinging on it.” She continued.

“I see,” He sighed. “I had a feeling that’s what he was holding out for.”

“He said he offered to buy you out before all this.” Stellar noted. “You turned him down?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Wheeler and I have worked together a long time and he's my friend.” Ridgeway assured. “Which means I know him well enough to know when not to trust him; if the town has to go then it has to go, but I knew that Wheeler would do something that wouldn’t sit well with the buffalo and I couldn’t do that to them.”

“Spoken like the last living descendant of Light Spur.” Cloudy applauded.

“Oh… you heard about that?” He rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a fine bit of trivia, but I don’t consider myself on par with the type of stallion that lived back in the day.”

“I think he would disagree.” Cloudy added with a small smile.

“Thank you, ma’am,” He tipped his head. “Back to the mine though, what would a survey do exactly?”

“Wheeler knows that if the mine is still a viable source of ore then the land is worth more than what’s being offered.” Stellar detailed. “A survey will help confirm the status of the mine, if it turns out to be worthless then he’ll fold. If it turns out that the mine is still profitable, well then the terms of the deal will have to be renegotiated from scratch based on all of your decisions.”

“I knew there was a possibility, we just didn’t have the means to check it for ourselves.” He said through a long breath. “It was too dangerous, I don’t want some creature getting hurt or worse over gold that may or may not exist.”

“Well enough intentions,” Stellar commended. “But this needs to happen, for my employer’s side as much as yours. So, do I have your permission?”

“Yes, do what you have to do,” He nodded. “If we can help, we will.”

“Thank you, I’ll start making phone calls and get things started.” She informed. “With that, I’ve spoken to everyone involved, we’ll have to wait for this to wrap up before we can continue.”

“Understood,” He smiled. “You’re considered my guests until the job is done, however long that takes.”

“Appreciated,” Stellar headed for the door. “I’ll update you as soon as I have news.”

The two mares started the walk back to their lodges. Along the way, Stellar caught sight of Arcus with an armful of boxes, no doubt heading for the diner. Her mind immediately drifted to the prior night and her conflicted feelings about kicking him out. She had to put it aside for the time being though as when they got back to the lodges she set herself to her phone to put the necessary wheels in motion. After over two hours of conversations and phone tag, she happily threw the device on the bed and left it there so she could get some air. Wandering over to Cloudy’s, she checked in with her friend to let her know that they were on standby until the surveyor team arrived. Deciding to give her a break for the time being, Stellar drove back into town and returned to Ridgeway to tell him the same. With the rest of the evening free and nighttime settling in, she meandered back to the bar although not looking to drink this time. Passing through the old doors, she headed for the bar where Legerdemain was talking with Stormy.

“Hey there.” She greeted as she neared.

“Hey,” Stormy grinned. “Already becoming a regular.”

“How’d it go with Wheeler?” Ledge inquired from behind his glass.

“Good, oddly enough,” Stellar replied as she sat. “Long story short, I’m having a survey done on the mine. Turns out he’s interested in knowing whether or not it’s still profitable."

“Oh, really?” Ledge lowered his glass. “That mine is a deathtrap.”

“So I’ve heard,” Stellar looked between them. “But it’s got to be done.”

“What will you have to celebrate then?” Stormy asked.

“Actually…” Stellar paused. “Is Arcus around?”

“Yeah,” Stormy pointed towards the back corner. “Corner booth, as always.”

“Thanks,” Stellar left the stool and made her way to the back of the bar. She found the dragon on his phone, huddled quietly in the less active area of the room. “Hiding from anyone in particular?” She asked as she slid in across from him.

His head whipped up at the sound of her voice. “Oh… Ms. Flare,” His eyes brightened. “I was e-mailing my dad, just keeping in touch.” He set the phone down on the table. “How did today go?”

“Good, got a bit of a speed bump that’s going to extend my stay though.”

“Really?” He asked, not doing a good job containing his excitement at the news.

“Glad someone is happy about it.” She smirked.

“Oh... well,” He immediately shied.

Stellar laughed and kicked his leg under the table. “Hey, I wanted to say sorry for last night. I wasn’t trying to be cold; I really did have a good time.”

“Me too,” He smiled. “Can you… stay for a while?”

“I think I can manage that,” She smiled back. “Mind getting me a drink?”

“Not at all,” He slid out of the booth. “What do you want?”

“Tequila.”

“Okay.” He started making his way towards the bar; returning a few minutes later with a pair of drinks. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” She took the glass and had a sip. “Mm, nice.”

“So what’s this speed bump?” Arcus inquired as he got comfortable again.

“Going to be doing a little mining,” She explained. “I’m having a team come in to verify if the mine is really dry or not.”

“Please be careful,” He immediately countered. “That place is dangerous.”

“What happened in there?” She asked, recalling mention of an accident.

“Well, Ridgeway used to offer tours of the area that included the mine,” He began. “Hatch and Earnhardt handled them.”

“The bull?” Stellar scoffed. “He doesn’t really seem the tour guide type.”

“I know, he was mostly there to handle anything that might go wrong.” He detailed. “But on one tour, one of the foremost shafts in the mine had a collapse and a tourist was pinned under the rock and wood. Earnhardt was able to muscle it off of him, but he wound up losing his hoof from the damage.”

“Shit,” Stellar muttered through another sip. “Did he take legal action or something?”

“Yeah,” Arcus nodded. “Ridgeway wound up paying all the medical bills and another ten thousand in damages as part of the settlement. It was a big hit financially as things were already slowing down; so, he decided to shut the mine down permanently.”

“Makes sense,” Stellar admitted. “Can’t blame him.” She stared down into her drink. “Hey, how we talk about something other than work?”

“Sure.” He said understandingly.

The two of them spent the next hours just chatting about randomness; as with their previous night, Stellar genuinely felt more relaxed around him and after a few drinks her mind and body began arguing again. Her mind told her to just leave the night at this, that going in for a second dip into the pool of their lust would be a bad idea. Her body, however, was already reacting to him; its memory of how good he felt inside her making her damp with desire. As their time went by, she slowly worked her way around the cushion of the booth and against his side; setting her final drink down she looked up at him with a comfortable smile.

“I never do this,” She laid her hand atop his claw and squeezed. “But if you want to follow me home again, I’m pretty sure I won’t say no.”

“I’d really like that.” He lowered his head to hers.

“I promise I won’t kick you out this time,” She caressed his beak and brought it to her lips, kissing the tip. “So how about we get out of here?”

“Okay.” He whispered, nuzzling her lips.

They paid up for the night, Stormy smiling as she watched them leave together yet again. Arcus managed to fit into the back of her car and she drove them to the lodge; unpacking himself, he followed her in and her arms were around his neck the moment the door shut. Arcus stumbled back as they kissed, claws working to undo his clothing. Stellar quickly shed her outfit and undid her bra, hooking it around his neck with both hands and using it as a leash to pull him to the bed. As her thighs hit the mattress she fell backwards and dragged him on top of her, his cool scales pressing against her body. His beak dug into her neckline as he kissed and nipped her lovingly, she pet his head and let out a restrained laugh at the tickling sensation.

“You know, I’m dying to know what that tongue of yours feels like.” She not so subtlety hinted.

“Good, cause it’s dying to know what you taste like.” He countered, the alcohol removing much of his shy demeanor as he gave into his need for her. He knelt beside the bed and stripped away her salivating loins last line of defense. Beak parting wide, he yanked her waist off of the bed and dipped his long tongue inside of her; Stellar immediately jerked at the bizarre feeling of the thin, wiry appendage snaking around.

“Holy hell,” She hooked her hooves together around the base of his neck. “Don’t stop!” Arcus closed his eyes and focused on his movements, sweeping broadly across her vaginal walls before pushing deeper to seek out her most sensitive areas. The beautiful moans ringing in his ear guided him and once he mapped out her interior the forked end began to tickle and tease the right spots. His cock hardened between his legs as his senses drank all of her in; the feel of her hands gripping his head and thighs squeezing his neck, the smell of her arousal, the taste of her essence and the sound of her passion. “God!” Stellar growled. “I’m cumming!” Back arching as the orgasm hit her, Stellar's body locked; held in place by Arcus’ strong grip she bucked as his tongue ceaselessly pleasured her through the experience.

Arcus sat back and eased her lower body up onto the mattress. His tongue slid out and wiped the sides of beak clean, savoring every drop it collected. “How was that?” He asked as he stood.

“You kidding me?” Stellar laughed through a hard breath. “You’re a fucking a pro at that,” She sat up and stared down the bed at him. “Get a lot of practice?”

“Well… a little.” He admitted.

“Uh huh,” She smirked, eyeing his bobbing erection. “How about I show you what I can do?” She shimmied forward and sat on the edge of the bed, gliding her fingers along the underside of his shaft and prepping her lips with a quick swirl of her tongue. Arcus watched as his cock disappeared into her muzzle; he hissed in pleasure, gently holding her head as it bobbed in staggered tempo. Her fingers gripped the base, lips pursing around his shaft and sucking hard as her head slowly rose; tongue coiling around his tip, her head quickly shot back down until he hit the back of her throat.

“Ms. Flare… that’s… fuck…” His head hung loose in the air, stuttered grunts falling out of his beak as his body melted under her expert attentions. Her other hand took hold of him, sliding up and down his saliva coated length alongside her mouth. Stellar quickly found that his taste was just as addictive as everything else about him; her outright passion for him continued to rise and her technique grew more animalistic in kind. Arcus' head swam as she worked and just as he felt a deep swell in his gut, she pulled away and chuckled up at him.

“No you don’t,” She grinned, sensing how close he was. “I’m more than ready to have this bad boy inside me now.” She flipped onto her hands and knees and served her ass up to him, tail raised high. “Now fuck me!”

Arcus roughly gripped her hips, body dead set on getting the release it was screaming for; he took a step forward and pushed himself inside of her, going all the way down to the knot in a single thrust. Stellar got her wish as now, in control this time, the powerful dragon proceeded to take her without restraint. He forcefully pulled her back into him with each thrust, repeating the process again and again with impressive speed and stamina. Stellar choked and cussed into the sheets, her body reeling from a fucking more intense than she had ever experienced before. A part of her mind was both scared and excited by the feral sounds he was making; it heightened her already mind wracking pleasure and she begged and screamed for him to go even harder.

“You want more!” He huffed.

“Yes!” She cried. “More! Fucking break me!"

Arcus reached and hand up and took her shoulder, using it for even more leverage. Stellar cried out as he slammed into her, his already thick shaft expanding even more as his climax built. His growling intensified as he finally felt himself ready to blow. “Fucking take it!” He roared as he forced his swollen knot inside of her; Stellar let out a throaty gasp as hot cum began filling her up. Arcus kept thrusting as much as he could while tied to her, his beak resting on the back of her head as he drained himself dry; muttering his pleasure into her hair. Stellar climaxed with such intensity that she almost passed out; her arms went out from under her and her torso crashed onto the bed, body quivering as it processed what just happened. They stayed in that spent position until he finally popped out of her; Stellar collapsed onto her side as Arcus sat on the floor.

“Son of a bitch…” She panted. “I can’t remember the last time I got off that hard.”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Arcus asked, his sweetness returning now that his beastly need had been satisfied.

“A little pain in the bedroom is nice,” She answered. “And fuck do you hurt me in all the right ways.”

Arcus rubbed his cheek. “Not sure how I feel about that.”

Stellar laughed and managed to sit up. “Come here,” She motioned for him to get closer, taking his head as it came up to her and kissing him. “It’s a good thing, kid.” She stood from the bed and prepared her ritualistic shot and cigarette.

“Not to be that guy,” He slowly began as he watched her. “But smoking is terrible for you.”

“So I’ve heard,” She laughed as she took a long drag. “I appreciate the concern, but if you want to be up my ass I can think of better ways.” She winked.

“Sorry.” He laughed.

“It’s fine, you’re just sweet; can’t be mad at you for that.” She downed her shot. “Well, I promised you could stay so how about we get cleaned up and hit the hay?”

“Sounds good.” He got up from the floor as she temporarily extinguished her smoke in the ashtray.

Cramped in a good way in the shower, they cleaned each other thoroughly before making it back to the bed. Stellar sat on the side of the mattress and sighed, mind considering the fact that she hadn’t shared a bed with a man since Sunburst’s father. She laid down and stretched out, rolling onto her side and curling up. “Night, kid.” She suddenly felt his claw on her hip as he spooned against her, his head laying just above hers; she immediately twisted back in surprise which made him back off.

“S…sorry,” He apologized. “Is this too close?”

Stellar settled and gently shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just… been a long time.”

“Oh,” He toned. “I can move over if you want.”

She reached back and grabbed his wrist, dragging his arm across her body and settling back down. “No, it’s okay.” As Arcus got comfortable again she allowed herself to nestle against his body. Her mind once again argued with her body, but after a few minutes she couldn’t deny how good it felt to have him against her; she could feel his big heart beating against her back and the rhythmic thumping soon caused her to drift into sleep.