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The dragon turned to sniff at the body and licked at it like she would a wound on her own flesh. She shook her foot several times in irritation before Pete's body worked free and slid off her talon.
His blood stained the sand red. Not much was left that looked like a man or a wolf, except shreds of fur and skin.
The dragon moved away from the body. Breath huffed out of her nostrils.
Dex and I exchanged a glance.
I nodded.
I paused for no longer than a heartbeat before I rushed at the dragon. I slashed where Pete had scored her. The carefully placed blows opened the upper layer of scales, widening the slit. Fresh scales underneath flashed wet in the morning sun.
The sand dragon's tail whipped.
I ducked, but the knob of bone glanced off my shoulder. I gritted my teeth against the pain and kept low. My shoulder throbbed, but another few centimetres and she would have connected with my head. Dex would probably joke that my head was so hard, she'd do no damage. I didn't want to find out.
The dragon turned, neck stretched as far as it could go. She bared her teeth. Her whole body stiffened. She shook herself like a dog after a bath. Her head and tail swished back and forth so violently we had to throw ourselves to the sand to avoid being hit by one or the other.
The breach in her scales widened until the top layer hung like ripped fabric. It swung with each movement and slapped against her body. This made her angrier than ever.
Dex darted forward and grabbed hold of the edge of her skin with his teeth. He gripped hard and tugged before he let his muzzle slip free. He threw himself away as her tail swung around at him. It missed his face by a couple of centimetres, and he bared his teeth so it looked like he was grinning.
Irritated, the dragon growled, then flopped down, rolled onto her back and rubbed herself against the sand. Piece by piece, her old skin peeled away to reveal shining, fresh scales with only a minute hint of green.
She rolled back over and shook again. Most of her skin had slid away, but some remained tangled around her back foot. She grabbed on with her teeth and tugged until her foot popped free.
With a grunt, she stepped away from her shedded skin, burrowed under the sand and was gone.
Dex let out a howl of triumph, and shifted back to human form. His expression sobered when he looked toward the dead wolf, but he glanced away as others moved to gather the body.
I took a moment to ask Hades to look after the fallen man's soul, then bounded up the dune to shift back and dress.
From inside my jacket, I pulled out a knife and started back down the dune. I was the first one back down while others still shifted, or stayed as wolves. I understood their reluctance to go back to human form. My inner wolf was more natural, free. It would also die out here if we stayed for too long, especially covered in thick fur.
I crouched beside the skin and began to cut. One by one, I worked each double-hand sized scale free and handed them to the other hunters. Highly valued by paranormals, they were worth a couple of thousand bucks each. Some were damaged by scores and others by teeth marks, but many were still in perfect condition.
Dex waved me away when I offered one to him. The Keeper didn't need the money.
The rest of the hunters happily accepted theirs. Oliver took several for Pete's widow. She wouldn't go without the scales, and Dex would make sure of that. The pack looked after its own.
I pocketed my own scale and dug a hole in the sand for the rest of the skin. Left out here, it would draw predators.
"A good-sized dragon," Dex commented when I stood.
"She was," I replied. I didn't sense her now, but I looked in the direction she'd gone; toward the feeding grounds where she'd feast on her usual prey—desert worms, sand dogs and the like.
"Thank Hades we didn't have to kill her."
Dex nodded his agreement before we headed back up the dune.
* * *
At the sightof our triumphant return, hundreds of people flooded the narrow streets on the edge of the desert to welcome us. Those on the terrace cheered and waved. The sound of music and revelry suggested the celebration which always preceded the hunt, was well underway.
I was sure it had been for several hours already.
We stepped through the gates and clattered into the city, boots ringing on paved roads.
Dex raised a hand to wave at the throng.
