The Queen scanned the endless sand dunes below, searching for any sign of a mercenary camp. Her head hurt from dehydration, and it felt like the harsh rays of the sun were searing her sensitive wing membranes. She glanced over her right wing to see her King losing altitude.
"I can't!" He cried out, and then fell.
The Queen roared and dove to land beside her mate. He had plowed through a sand dune when he crashed, and his head and neck were covered in sand.
"My King... We are so close." The Queen nudged his snout with her own encouragingly. "I think... Their settlement moves often, right?"
"Water," was all he managed to croak.
The Queen lifted her head and stared around. Her piercing gaze was unable to find anything other than sand for miles, and her wings were too tired to carry her now that she had landed. Her wings drooped, and she shed a single tear.
"So, this is how it ends..." The Queen stared directly at the sun, roared weakly in defiance, and fell on top of her mate.
- - -
Water engulfed the Queen's head, and she coughed and spluttered, suddenly alive. Her eyes shot open, and all around her Melynx wearing thin tattered hides stared at them.
"What?" The Queen bared her teeth but stopped herself from lunging at the one holding the water bucket.
Melynx! She couldn't believe their luck. Could this be...?
"Slow down, wyvern." A Melynx strode forward with confidence, and the others parted to let her through. "We are not your enemies. At least, not yet. Give us a reason to let you live," The crafty cat drew a sword and jabbed it painfully into the Rathian's throat. "Or you are as good as dead."
The Queen could feel her pulse against the sharp metal blade, and knew this cat meant business. Literally.
"We come seeking your services." The Queen croaked, remembering the frantic scene as her and her mate tried in vain to save their eggs from those ruthless hunters.
The Melynx's eyes shone with greed, and she sheathed her weapon.
"I am listening." She said calmly and sat down on an overturned barrel half-concealed in the sand.
"Where is my mate?" The Queen said urgently, "You found me, you must have found him, too. I will not speak until I hear him speak."
"King of the Skies," The Melynx called, looking slightly agitated. "Your Queen is awake. She refuses to speak until she knows you are alive. Get out here so we can get on with business."
The King strode out of a gigantic tent near the center of the clearing. The sun reflected off his red and black scales. His claws and teeth had been cleaned and sharpened, and his eyes no longer looked tired, but invigorated and energized.
The Melynx must have taken good care of him. But why... When she was still covered in sand?
"Your time for pampering is coming." The Melynx spoke, seeming to notice the look of confusion and slight jealousy on her face. "Your mate here woke up first, and also refused to speak until he heard you. It seems as though you two are of one mind, so we decided to treat him to the good life. You will be cared for in the same way later."
"Food?" The Queen asked.
"This is a desert," The King said, coming over and nuzzling his mate. "I was offered some, but I declined. I want our mercenaries to be at full strength. We can catch our own later, and maybe a bit extra for the camp."
The Melynx chief looked impressed, and the Queen guessed that they aren't used to many guests who request services and are also willing to help out around this small shady camp.
"What is it that you need?" The Melynx chief asked.
The King and the Queen glanced at each other.
"Our clutch was destroyed by hunters." The Queen snarled, though a choke of grief slipped out at the word destroyed. She steadied herself, and she felt her mates tail resting comfortingly on her back. "The hunters of Kokoto need to pay for what they have done. We need you to send a message to them, telling them that we wish to see the hunters responsible so that we can smash them just like they smashed our eggs."
"So you need us to get the hunters here, so that you can kill them?" The chief said. She did not sound upset. In fact, she sounded quite giddy. "We can arrange that, but of course with less aggressive wording. My flying friends, you've got yourselves a deal."
The King spread his wings, his eyes hungry for blood.
"Thank you. How much?" he asked.
The chief smirked. "Oh, you've lost so much, poor dears. It's on the house. Just make sure to bring back enough prey for the camp every now and then, and we'll call it even."
The Queen sighed in relief, but her King looked worried. As the chief showed them to their quarters, which was basically a secluded oasis patch behind the next dune, she turned to him.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"No." The king said shortly. "These Melynx are up to something. They always, always want their payment up front. I came prepared." He lifted a talon to reveal many loops of gold and silver embedded with diamonds curled around his claws. "But I think they have something bigger in their sights. Just... What could it be?"
"It does not matter, my love," the Queen decided out loud, "It will be worth it to feel their skulls crush between our jaws."
"Agreed." Her King lay down, and she curled into him.
Together they slept, completely unaware of the activity continuing well into the night just a dune over.
- - -
"THEY SAID WHAT?!"
The King and Queen were swelled up to three times their size, their spines flaring and wings half open in outrage. Before them, a small scraggly Melynx called Oddball had just finished reading Kokoto Village's reply to their requests.
"They said," Oddball clears his throat and reads again, "We find your request absurd. You are monsters, no more than boots and helmets to us. Do you really think we would allow you to kill the last remaining hunter? You had your chance back in that cave. She wakes with terrors every night, after the trauma you put her through. Our poor Palamutes won't be the same, either. One needs to be shipped off for some special rehabilitation, and the lives you took in the form of those Palicos, well, those are not cheap. If anything, you should pay us."
"ARE THEY JOKING?" The King roared, flames threatening the entire encampment.
"They killed our offspring," The Queen wailed, "And they want us to pay for their losses? Tell them no way! If they keep acting like this, we might as well torch their entire town!"
"Will do, Ma'am. Will do." Oddball's eyes shone with pride and he left the enraged couple to duck into a nearby tent.
"Well?" The chief sat at a small box desk, reading through a stack full of paperwork. "Did it work?"
Oddball glanced at the box full of gold sitting beside the chief. That gold had come from the Kokoto Village, and if they played their cards right, there would be far more where that came from.
"Like a charm," Oddball sneered. "They are furious and, if they don't torch down our entire settlement first, will be ready to send out a strongly worded letter soon."
"Good, good." The chief reached down and pulled a letter out from underneath her seat. It was sealed shut with the Kokoto Chief's stamp. "Remember, bring that to us, and we will alter it accordingly. We need to make this last as long as possible."
The chief tossed the unopened letter into the trash. It landed among dozens of other client-related mail that had gone unread.
"Got it!" Oddball saluted his chief, then turned to leave. But as he stepped outside, he hesitated, then ducked back in. "Uh... Chief?"
"What?" The chief slammed down her paperwork, clearly done with the conversation "Is the camp on fire?"
"No, it's just... What happens if this turns into a war?"
"A war...?" The chief looked stunned. "A war between monsters and hunters, you mean?"
"They said they would be willing to burn down Kokoto Village, and I know the other hunter town and settlements will not take kindly to that."
The Melynx chief sat back, rubbing her paws together in thought.
"Interesting..." She mused. "The monsters are growing increasingly restless. This pair of grieving parents is not the first we have received this month, nor will it be the last, I wager."
"The hunters have become stronger and bolder." Oddball chimed in.
The chief glanced up at him.
"Oddball, you are to oversee the exchange of messages between the hunters of Kokoto and the King and Queen of the skies."
"By 'exchange', you mean alter the messages?"
"Now you're thinking like a Melynx." The chief stood up and walked around to stand in-front of him. "I know you are new here. I know your parents did not want you. But I do. I can see what you are capable of. And if you do this right, which I know you will, we may just be able to make an endless supply of cash and gold. Enough to last us a lifetime. Who knows... Maybe we can even retire after the war?"
Oddball beamed at his chief's words.
"I won't let you down!"
The tiny Melynx left the tent, undoubtedly on the way to manipulate the poor grief-stricken wyverns once more. The Melynx Chief narrowed her eyes. Things were getting... Interesting.
Very interesting.