[Skeetzybug]

It was quiet. The air was hot and still and there was no sound but the faintest whistling of wind and the pounding heartbeat in her ears. She breathed, in and out, as deeply as she could while making no noise herself. She moved forward, every footfall a steady placement, and her ears strained for some hint of a sound. Another heartbeat passed in utter silence before she heard it. It was nothing but the faintest of breath, but it was enough.

She flung a leg out behind her, her paw coming in heavy contact with something much lighter than herself. She heard them yelp, and she whirled around. Her elbow stretched out and slammed hard into a ribcage. There was the sound of a body hitting the dirt, and she pounced after it, her entire weight slamming downward. They tussled briefly, the smaller form trying desperately to wriggle its way out of her grasp. She was unrelenting. She pinned the chest down with her arm, teeth bared in a snarl, and the creature beneath her went still.

A few more moments passed, echoing with nothing more than their heavy breathing, before a much louder noise broke out several yards away. At the sound of a familiar whoop and holler, her snarl gave way to a grin, and with great relish Corva reached up to peel her blindfold away from her face. She shook her head, a small laugh escaping as she leaned backwards let her opponent sit up.

[Skeetzybug]

“Maybe next time, hmm?” she said, raising one eyebrow at the small white fox that was trapped there. He smiled slightly back, looking disappointed, but not entirely unhappy.

“I thought for sure I had you that time, ser,” he said, placing the pads of his fingers together in a thoughtful gesture. “But you never cease to come out on top.” Oh, she couldn’t resist.

“Yes, well, that’s where I like to be, you know?” Corva added a wink for good measure, and the poor fellow was absolutely mortified. She threw her head back, her own howling laugh finally escaping at that. Poor little Finnegan - he really should know better than to make it that easy by now, shouldn’t he? The whooping kicked up again, and they both turned their gaze to the huge panther who stood on the sideline, both hands thrown up in the air as he cackled.

“You showed him, ser!” he crooned, hands coming back down to slam together in booming applause. “Even with your eyes closed you’re better than the rest of us!” She snorted, shaking her head again as she got to her paws once more.

[Skeetzybug]

“For now,” she assured, reaching down to help Finn up as well. “Nothing that can’t come with practice, Rege.” Taking a moment to readjust to her sight, Corva glanced around her. The ring they stood in was familiar, used almost daily for the group’s routine practices. It was small but quiet, with walls of varying height and type, and a number of disheveled looking dummies tossed in a corner. It wasn’t much, but it was plenty for them. You didn’t need a fancy training area or special equipment to sharpen your senses and improve your combat skills - a dirt ring and a smidge of creativity was just fine.

They’d only just begun the sightless drills recently, but already her team was improving vastly. Corva had learned a few new tricks herself, a thought which pleased her in itself. It was just another leg up on any opponent, and in the field, that could make all the difference. She hummed contentedly at the thought, her focus shifting back to the others as Finn moved away from her.

“Not a bad day’s work, boys,” she stated, finally padding over to join them. They all turned to face her, Finnegan quickly falling into line beside Reginald. Heh, it made him look even smaller, didn’t it? “Keep it up. This wolf won’t be around forever, hm? Someone is going to have keep this place running when I’m gone.”

[Skeetzybug]

“Perish the thought, ser,” a quieter voice replied to her jest this time. Dwarfed by the shadow of the immense panther they stood beside, the field mouse looked at Corva with steady eyes, head tilted just slightly. They stood as confident as any predator she’d laid eyes on. “We’d be nothing without your lead.”

“Such a flatterer, Leolin,” Corva said, grin returning once more. “I knew you’d learn quickly.” The newest teammate gave a small nod, a little grin creeping up their own whiskered face. “Alright, boys.” Corva stepped back again, looking over the three of them with her sharp blue eyes. “That’s enough for today. Let’s pack it in.” They all nodded in time, a practiced gesture, before their forms relaxed. Their voices mixed together and echoed outward as they left, departing the practice ring for the day.

Outside their own reserved space, the entirety of Dragonwatch spread out around them, the path twisting down between its own mix of practice rings and small buildings. The walls of the outpost stood tall around it all, the new brick and old stone intermixing to form their surroundings. The padded down the rough cobble, the feeling comfortable beneath all of their paws. It was strange to Corva to think that this place had once been unfamiliar to her - almost as strange as it was to think about no longer being here.

[Skeetzybug]

“Say, Corva, ser?” Finnegan piped up as they passed a smaller, open ring where a pair of recruits were sparring. “How did you know I was there, during that last session? I was sure I was quiet enough, I practically couldn’t breathe for fear of the noise!” His tail was flicking back and forth furiously, betraying just how curious he really was about the answer. Corva laughed clapping him on the shoulder with a strong grip.

“And that’s what did you in,” she told him. “You were holding your breath too long. It makes your exhales harsh, hard to control.” He frowned at that, ears pressing back as he looked thoughtfully down at the ground. Corva gave him a reassuring squeeze. “What do I always say? We make mistakes so we can learn. Isn’t nothing but another lesson, snowball.” Finn’s ears perked slightly at that, though he still looked a little disheartened. Ah, well. The kit was young yet - he’d learn.

[Skeetzybug]

“Ack, look at that one!” Reginald suddenly cut in, throwing his clawed hand out in front of them. Corva looked followed his hand, just barely catching sight of a serval running down one of the other roads before it cleared a small fence and vanished from sight. “Full kilter down these streets, and with no form, either! That one is going to pull something, I just know it!” His heavily accented complaint echoed around them, and Corva couldn’t hold back a snort as Finnegan attempted to hush the rowdy panther. “Don’t you hush me, I will sit on you and that puffball you call a tail! This is not a playground, it is a military operation!”

“Down boys,” Corva hummed, perking her ears as her gaze lazily returned to the road. “You just worry about you, alright? They’ll learn in their own time what not to do.”

“A sprained ankle is a wonderful teacher,” Leolin quipped in, not missing a beat as they hopped easily over a dip in the road. Reginald howled again at that, throwing his head back in laughter. Corva joined in, though more at his expense than anything else. Really, it was a mystery to half the recruits how Reggie had made it into a stealth-based team in the first place. You could hear him halfway across Dragonwatch - but when he went quiet, he went dead silent, and that was what counted.

[Skeetzybug]

The sun was just touching the reaches of the far mountains as the group finally dispersed. Finnegan and Reginald first, trotting off together towards the lower barracks, then Leolin, nodding to Corva before making their way towards the eastern towers. Corva continued on alone, humming quietly to herself as the path turned and lead upwards, the few sparse buildings along the way tucked into their own outcrops. She came to a stop near the top of the path, digging in one the small pockets near her belt for a moment before procuring a small silver key. She unlocked the heavy door and pushed against it to open it. It opened slowly, creaking as it went, and she stepped into the small dwelling.

It wasn’t much. The tiny kitchen was directly to the front, finicky gas stove and leaky icebox taking up most the space, and the pair of chairs around the little table filling the rest. She moved to the right, passing through the small sitting space into the smaller still bedroom. The large bed was made neatly, though Corva wasn’t even sure why it mattered, personally. You were only going to mess it up again the next night anyway. She left a trail of dark clothing and worn leather behind her as she went, enjoying the feeling of it peeling away from her. Her long claws made a clicking noise on the hard flooring of the bathroom, her humming echoing in the small space as she shut the door behind her.

[Skeetzybug]

The hard blast of hot water felt good on her dusty skin. Corva let the room fill with steam and the water sink through her dark fur, muscles twitching in response. She could feel a few bruises forming from the day’s work, and a few scratches let themselves be known as they stung sharply beneath her coat. She never minded - every scar was a reminder of a day’s work, and the bruises meant that her team was getting better. It was a rough life, living here, working as hard as she did every day, but Corva wouldn’t change it for anything.

She stayed there until the water began going cold. She stepped back out, giving her entire body a shake. The water splattered all over the mirror and walls, making her grin. She threw a towel loosely around her shoulders as she exited, tail still dripping on the floor behind her.

[Skeetzybug]

She wasn’t alone anymore. Splayed over the opposite side of the bed was a point-marked cat, legs tucked up close to her body with a book balanced delicately on her knees. She looked up as the bathroom door opened, eyes flicking once over the wolf before returning unbothered to the pages. Her long, metallic tail gave a relaxed twitch, responding as naturally as a real one would have to the situation.

“You’re dripping on the floor again,” Kimber said pointedly, flipping to another page. Corva chuckled, purposefully giving her tail a quick wag so that more droplets fell to the carpet.

“It’ll dry,” she responded, and the cat sighed in response. Corva’s face stayed in a lazy grin, taking the towel to her hair as she walked over to Kimber’s side of the bed. “How was the crew today?” Kimber’s tail gave a more active twitch at that, and her ears went back slightly.

[Skeetzybug]

“It was.. fine,” she said carefully, reaching up to run her fingers through a long, dark lock of hair. Corva gave a quiet hum, sitting down on the edge of the bed and earning a look of mild exasperation from the occupant.

“I know that fine,” Corva said quietly, reaching out to set a hand on Kimber’s knee. “Come on now, let ‘em have it. No one can hear you here but me, sugar.” A quick flick of her ear, a guilty glance sideways - and Kimberlynn was off.

“How hard is it to switch a simple pipe valve?” she burst out, slamming her book shut and sitting up. “I mean, we do this every day! It’s our barking jobs, so why is it that me and Mel are the only competent ones in this entire place?” Her tail was twitching out of control, the tip of it flicking wildly in irritation. She went on for awhile, Corva nodding and smiling gently. Kimberlynn was a very gentle soul. Corva knew how difficult it was for her to speak negatively of anyone, so she was glad to be the one that she could let off steam to.

[Skeetzybug]

“Sounds like someone needs another lesson,” Corva put in as Kimber took a break from complaining to scrub at the metal of her tail and grumble. The feline let out a deep sigh, sitting back again and closing her eyes for a moment.

“They need a swift kick in the tail, is what they need,” she finally muttered, smiling as she earned a good laugh from Corva. Her eyes opened again, hazel falling on blue as she looked back at the wolf. She paused for a moment, whiskers pursing as her gaze flicked up and down. “...now, for goodness sake, please put something on. You know I can’t take you seriously like that.” Corva’s grin widened, her jaw opening to let her tongue loll out in a satisfied expression.

“I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long, sweetheart,” she teased, patting Kimber’s knee once more before getting up. A low hiss echoed out behind her, and she just wagged her tail back in response. There was the flutter of heavy paper through the air, and the book that Kimber had been holding hit the wall beside Corva’s head. Howling laughter broke out in the room, and before long it was joined by a second voice despite herself.

It wasn’t always easy, but life was good for them in Dragonwatch.

[Skeetzybug]

...mand… come.. mander, come in… Commander!

The buzz of the bedside radio was most unwelcome in Corva’s ear this early in the morning. She growled and reached out with a clawed hand, swiping in a blind attempt to find the unit. No luck. Her growling increasing, she dug her muzzle in between two of the pillows, burying her head up to her ears. There, perfect - you could barely hear-

Commander Blackstone! Get your lazy ass out of that bed and answer, that’s an order!

“Alright!” she snarled, though the voice couldn’t hear her. Her reach fumbled out in the dark room, hand closing around the radio’s microphone. She pulled it close, padded finger closing on the button as she growled into it. “This better be good, Fletcher. Today was my day off.”

Too bad, soldier. We’ve got a situation, and I’m calling in the Crows. Her ears shot up, tired eyes blinking as alertness began to filter in. Gear up and meet me at the gates with your team. This is not a drill. Over and out.

[Skeetzybug]

The bed creaked loudly as Corva heaved herself off the mattress, trotting quickly across the room to gather up the armor she’d left scattered the night before. She could hear Kimber stir behind her as she began pulling on dark cloth and tying knots in leather cording, everything fitting together with a familiar ease.

“Morning, sugar,” she said, breath a little short as she paced across the room, double and triple checking that every bit and piece was in order. “Gonna have to cut our day short, I’m afraid. Duty calls.”

“I heard,” Kimber replied, her voice still heavy with sleep. The sound of shifting sheets and soft paws made Corva turn as her partner also stood up, brushing off her nightclothes. Worry was heavy in her face, weighing down already tired eyes. “Get going. I’ll head to the lab and man communications.” Corva gave a questioning hum, inclining her head. Kimber padded over, a gentle hand on Corva’s arm as she give a tired smile. “This sounds important, and I don’t trust the other recruits a whisker’s length right now. Better to handle it myself.” Corva nodded.

[Skeetzybug]

“We’ll keep updated when we can.” She reached her other hand up, setting it over Kimber’s with a gentle squeeze. Their eyes met, a calm settling in between them as their smiles matched. As quickly as flipping a switch, they broke, Corva turning and moving quickly towards the exit and Kimber retreating towards the wardrobe.

The morning air was still cool on Corva’s cheeks as she ran, paws hitting the stone ground with practiced ease. Her mind was still racing as she cleared a barrier, breath huffing from the return impact. There had been strange occurrences in the wildlands outside the outpost lately, but she could think of nothing that would warrant action as swift and sudden as this. Her brow furrowed, mental gears clicking in time with the sound of her claws on the rock.

“Commander, ser!” Three familiar voices chimed as she arrived near the front gates, pace slowing down to an anxious trot. Her team saluted at her arrival, lined up perfectly to the right of the gate. Finn looked vaguely drowsy, the energy only accentuated by Reginald, who was positively bouncing with energy. Leolin stood between them, one arm tucked behind and one pressed respectfully to their shoulder, stance perfectly still.

[Skeetzybug]

Across the gate stood Captain Zane Fletcher, helmet tucked under one arm as he watched her approach. The sun was barely rising over the far peaks behind him, deep and strong, coloring the clouds with vivid hues. It cast deep shadows down across the keep and across his sharp muzzle and sloping stance, making his tan coat look almost black from afar. The atmosphere gave Corva pause in his presence, if only for a moment. He gave a respectful nod to Corva as she came to stop, saluting him in turn before dropping the stance and shifting uneasily.

“Well?” she asked, as short on formalities as always. “I expect we’re not here just to compliment each other, Captain.” Zane grunted, ears turning back slightly in irritation.