Those Who Dwell in Paradise
By StormDrake

"In the name of everything holy… I'd rather fight a dozen dragons than breathe the air in this room for another moment!"

The room Aimee referred to was large - at least thirty feet to a side, longer than it was wide. The ceiling had collapsed long ago, but it would have risen at least fifteen feet above the floor. A set of double doors lead into the room, which had no other entrance or exit. And in the middle of the room, atop a great pile of debris and the remains of a monstrous nest, lay the heavily decomposing body of a green dragon. It was of an average size for its species, forty feet from snout to tail tip and with an even greater wingspan. Its head was barely recognizable; it looked like someone had ignited a pound of gunpowder inside the monster's mouth. And, of course, six weeks worth of rotting had done little to improve the dragon's complexion. Or its odor.

Without another word - and without taking her right hand from her nose - Aimee withdrew from the room, closing the double doors behind her. The room had no windows, and despite a lack of ceiling, the stench of rotting dragon remained thick. Thankfully, the smell of the rotting dragon did not really permeate the rest of the complex; it was somewhat noticeable right outside the door, but that was the worst of it. And everyone knew well enough to stay away from the area.

Aimee slithered away from the doors, heading in the direction of the Entranceway. She propelled herself along with her tail - twelve feet long and quite strong. It was green on the top and sides, yellow underneath. Those green and yellow scales continued up past her waist and covered most of the rest of her body. Only Aimee's head, neck, and right arm and shoulder were human. Serpent's scales bound the rest of her - including her left arm and mitten-like hand. They were a gift from an angry naga, a serpentine monster whose blood had transformed the nineteen-year-old three years previous. Aimee had gotten used to her hideous body long ago - indeed, she had come to realize that it had the occasional benefit to temper its curses. But not a day went by that Aimee didn't regret sneaking out on that camping trip, three years ago…

Of course, Aimee was far from the only one in the complex who suffered from regrets and self-loathing.

Aimee reached the end of the hallway, turned right, and continued on another fifty feet or so, passing several doorways on her left. Some still had doors in them, but most did not. A few had curtains or large pieces of moth-eaten cloth covering the entrances. These were smaller rooms, set at the outside perimeter of the complex, and served as living quarters for those who called the building home. The complex - dubbed Haven, as it served as one for each of its seven permanent inhabitants - was quite large, and after six weeks they still hadn't fully explored it. At the end of the corridor Aimee made another right, and about fifteen feet later she turned left, passing through another set of double doors.

"There she is!"

Aimee had barely gotten half of her body through the doorway before being besieged by her best friend. Tara was a chimaera blood mutant; where Aimee had been transformed by the blood of a naga, Tara has a fearsome lion-goat-serpent monster to thank for her new form. She had two heads between her shoulders - her right head resembled that of a goat, while her left was similar to that of a lion. Her torso reflected the same dichotomy, with a black cloven hoof in lieu of a right hand and a large paw instead of a left hand, and two different colors of fur split down the middle. Below her waist, Tara's body was covered in scales instead of fur - a more brownish shade of green than Aimee's and bearing a black diamond pattern. The scales ended at around knee level, where the remainder of her legs and feet were still human. And sprouting from her rear as an extension of her spine was a long tail, four feet from buttocks to tip and ending with the fully functional head of a serpent. It was completely self-aware, a separate animal bound to Tara by flesh and bone. But somehow, the two managed to operate in unison, and even get along. Most of the time.

"It's about time you woke up," said Tara's left head wryly. Despite having two heads, Tara made sure people were aware that she only had one personality. "What ever happened to the fearsome monster hunter who was up with the first sun's light?"

"She stopped hunting, found a place to call home, and got lazy," replied Aimee with a smile. "Besides, I've been up for a little while. I was over by the dragon, trying to figure out what the heck we're going to do with five tons of rotting dragon flesh."

"Wow, you really do have a death wish," laughed the chimaera girl's goat head. "Well, hopefully you still have an appetite left. Mitch caught a wild boar last night, and it turns out that Tim isn't that bad of a cook. At least, he's better than I am."

"That's not too hard, you know."

Tara glared sarcastically with both sets of eyes, and turned around, and Aimee followed her to one side of the room where several chairs and a table had been reconstructed. The Entranceway had become the closest thing to a social center in Haven. It had been the first room to be totally cleaned up and repaired. Even the broken panes of glass in the windows had been replaced; the kitsune-blooded boy Kyle was remarkably skilled when it came to repairing doors and windows. He claimed to come from a long line of carpenters, and it showed. Aimee remembered first discovering the complex, and could still see the ruined Entranceway in her mind's eye. But now the floor was clean, the walls scrubbed clear of mold and moss, and even the fountain in the middle had been restored to surprising beauty. It was circular, about eight feet in diameter, and at its center featured a white marble statue of a winged woman, robed and blindfolded and holding a set of scales in one hand. It looked like water might have once flowed from her mouth, or even from the scales. Unfortunately, the mechanism by which it had functioned was lost to all those who dwelled in paradise. But it looked beautiful nonetheless.

Kyle was sitting on the edge of the fountain, gnawing on a large bone with several shreds of meat still attached. He was fifteen, a year younger than Tara and several years less mature. His entire body was covered in a thick coat of reddish brown fur, save his hands and feet, which bore black fur. Kyle didn't bother with clothing, especially given the late summer's heat, but his fur kept him decent. And if nothing else, the inhabitants of Haven were far more accepting of each other's physical idiosyncrasies than humans typically were. Kyle's head resembled that of a fox more than that of a human being, and both hands and feet ended in thick paws. But Aimee had watched the boy work remarkable feats of creation with those paws, so obviously he had adapted. Kyle also had a large fox's tail, the same reddish brown as most of the rest of his body, with a dark black tip. Kyle had run afoul a wounded kitsune, an intelligent fox with anywhere from three to nine tails. Kyle ended up with only one tail, however, leaving him looking like…

"Like an anthropomorphic fox," said the girl sitting at Kyle's feet.

"What the heck does that word mean?" Despite having a fox-shaped head and muzzle, Kyle was perfectly capable of human speech.

"Anthropomorphic means having human characteristics," explained the girl. Her name was Lisa, and no one could tell just by looking at her that she was a blood mutant. She had shoulder-length black hair, straight and lank, and her eyes were dark brown. Both contrasted sharply with her pale skin - what little of it was visible. Lisa wore long pants, boots, and a long-sleeve tunic. She wore gloves as well; Lisa was better dressed for cool autumn weather than the heat of late summer. But even though her body had not been transformed by blood, Lisa was still a blood mutant. A basilisk blood mutant. The merest touch of her skin or hair was enough to turn any living creature into stone. And she was acutely aware of this fact; despite being totally covered by clothing from the neck down, Lisa was sitting several feet away from Kyle.

"Human characteristics?" asked the kitsune blood mutant. "You mean like… like Tara?"

"Well… Lisa paused, thinking. "I don't think so. Anthropomorphic doesn't just mean having human parts, like feet or an arm or anything like that. It's more… it's more of a gradual similarity to a human. Like a piece of clay molded into a human shape would be anthropomorphic clay. Umm… if a cat had a general human shape, if it could walk on two legs, use its front paws like hands, speak… that would make it an anthropomorphic cat. You are like an anthropomorphic fox. You look like a fox, but have a human shape. You can stand on two feet, use your hands as well as any human, you can speak…"

"Wow," said Kyle, obviously impressed by the girl's knowledge. "Where did you learn all this?"

"At school," replied Lisa. Then her attitude shifted, and the smile on her face faded. "I… I had a good education."

Seeing their conversation take a sudden turn for the worst, Aimee decided to change the subject. "Good morning, you two. Sleep well?"

"Morning?" asked Kyle. "It's practically noon!"

"So then am I in time for breakfast, or lunch?"

Everybody smiled - even Lisa couldn't suppress a grin - and Aimee curled her long tail beneath her, coiling up and 'sitting down.' Tara sat down on the floor next to her, leaning forward slightly, her tail automatically moving out of the way to avoid being sat on. Animal it might be, but Tara's serpent was definitely smarter than your average snake.

At that moment, the group of four was approached by three more. Ironically, they were the two latest additions to Haven's population and the one who had been there the longest. Daniel was also the youngest member of the group - a boy of barely eight years. He and his parents had discovered the complex now known as Haven a week before Aimee and Tara arrived. Unfortunately for them, the green dragon had claimed the complex as its home long before. It killed Daniel's parents, the boy becoming blooded in the process. The right side of the boy's head and face were covered in green scales, and very reptilian. Daniel's left foot below the knee was also draconic, equipped with large claws, forcing the boy to walk with a slight limp.

Accompanying Daniel were the most recent additions to paradise. Mitch was a teen blooded by a griffon shortly after leaving his walled village for the first time. He had the tan-furred body of a lion from just above his navel down, complete with digigrade legs, leonine paws, and a tail. Fur continued farther up his back, where it became a coat of brown feathers. Feathers covered the back of his neck and the top of his head like a cowl, stopping just at the bridge of his still-human nose. His ears were larger, pointed and furred. And sharp claws sprouted from his fingers. The other was Tim, a few years older than Mitch was but still a kid in Aimee's eyes. Tim had horse's fur covering his body from mid-side down, including a horse's tail, feathered shoulders, and an avian claw in lieu of his right hand. In his left, he carried a round sheet of metal, currently serving the role of plate, atop which was a large portion of charred meat.

"Alright, who's up for seconds?" asked Tim.

"I'll settle for firsts," replied Aimee. "This is real nice of you guys, cooking for us like this."

"No problem," said Tim. "Besides, Daniel here seems pretty interested in cooking. Not that sticking a boar's leg into an open fire is a major feat of food preparation or anything… But it beats stewed rabbit and root vegetables."

"Cooking is fun!" added Daniel.

Everyone chuckled. Mitch brought over a small stool, and Tim set the platter on it. Mitch carved several chunks of meat from the leg bone, and Daniel helped distribute some to Aimee and Tara. Kyle and Lisa were already full - Lisa usually didn't eat much to begin with - but they stuck around anyway, and the seven blood mutants had an uncharacteristically relaxed morning. Aimee waited until they were all done eating before bring up the matter of the dragon.

"I have no idea what we're going to do with that thing," she said. "I mean… this place is never going to be any sort of paradise with a monster decomposing in the middle of it. But it's so big… I honestly can't figure out how to dispose of a dead dragon.

"What about burning it?" asked Lisa.

Tara chuckled with both heads. "I was going to do that last month," said her goat head. "But Aimee talked me out of it."

"I've put six weeks of sweat and effort into fixing this place up," said Aimee. "I'd rather not take the chance of a fire spreading to the rest of Haven. Some of the stuff that makes up this building is… strange. I don't know what this place's builders used to build it, but I don't trust it to be nonflammable."

"That's the biggest reason why we haven't just lit a few torches and explored the Catacombs as a group," added Tara.

"Catacombs?" asked Kyle.

Tara smiled. "Well… something like that. The dark areas deeper in the building."

"Besides, think of the smoke that burning a carcass that large would create," added Mitch. "I only found this place by sheer chance… but a thick plume of smoke could attract the wrong kind of attention, if you know what I mean."

"Okay, okay," said Lisa. "Too bad, though… it would be the easiest thing to do."

"Can't you, like… couldn't you turn that dragon to stone, or something?" asked Kyle hesitantly. "I mean, that would stop the smell."

Lisa's eyes darkened, but kept a straight face. "No, I… my curse doesn't work that way," she explained. It was obvious that Lisa did not like thinking about her blood mutation, let alone talking about it. "Only living animals and… only living creatures turn to stone when they touch me. Not plants, and not dead animals. Otherwise, I would have starved to death months ago."

"This is going to sound pretty gross," started Tim, "but we could always just chop it up and cart it off, one piece at a time."

"That might work…" muttered Tara, a thoughtful look on her goat head while her lion's head spoke. "Not that I would look forward to cutting any monster into little bits, but at least none of us have to worry about coming in contact with the monster's blood."

"Unfortunately, dragon scales are impervious to most physical damage," interjected Aimee. "The only way I was able to kill it was to shoot an arrow down its throat. Granted, six weeks of rotting will have soften it up a bit… maybe… but I'm still not sure if we have anything hard enough or sharp enough to cut through that hide. All we have are a handful of knives and daggers, and an axe. We don't even have a real sword."

"Has anyone searched the rear of the complex yet?" asked Kyle. "Maybe there's something here that we could use."

"Haven is built into the side of the mountain," said Tara's lion head. "The front portion here has enough windows to give us light. But go back far enough, and it's pitch black, even during the day. I don't think even your eyesight would be enough to see where you're going in the Catacombs."

"Besides, we still have plenty of work left fixing up this front section of Haven up," added Aimee. "The Entranceway looks fantastic, and we've got most of the debris in the corridors cleaned up. Some of the living quarters still need some work, though. Kyle, you've been great with the windows. Now we just need to work on putting some doors together."

"I need some more wood for that," said the kitsune boy. "Tim and Mitch are going to go down the mountain with me this morning, to help get what I need. Or afternoon, I guess…"

"I'm going to be helping Daniel clear the rest of his room," said Lisa.

"I've got some minor chores to do here and there," added Tara's lion head.

"And I want to see what we can do about the outside of this building," finished Aimee. "Well, it seems like we all have our work cut out for us. You guys can keep relaxing, but I'm going to start the day. Thanks for breakfast, you guys."

"Lunch," corrected Mitch with a smile.

"And you're welcome," added Tim.

And with that, the seven got up and went about making paradise a little more hospitable.

Aimee enjoyed basking in the sun almost as much as the reptile she resembled, but the noonday heat was just too strong to work in direct sunlight for long. So she started with the side of Haven still in the shadows. The entirety of the exposed building was two stories in height and more than a hundred feet to a side. It was situated on a plateau, jutting out of the side of the mountain and somewhat shielded on another side by a high cliff. The front of the building faced southwest, approximately, and the cliff shielded the southeast side. It was here that Aimee began her work.

For several hours, Aimee carted off pieces of metal, glass and even rocks that had accumulated around the building. The side of the building where she worked didn't get enough sunlight to allow any plants to grow, but that was no excuse to let the grounds surrounding Haven go without maintenance. Who knew what use the facility might hold in the future. The rocks and stones Aimee threw off the side of the cliff, letting them clatter down to the foot of the mountain or whatever nook or cranny they discovered on their journey. Aimee placed any manmade materials she found in a pile by the front door of Haven, with the intent of bringing it all inside and seeing if anything could be used to repair the building. The wall itself was in relatively good shape; if it had been painted, weather had long stripped it bare, though only a few sections bore any real damage.

By mid-afternoon, Aimee had managed to completely clear one side of Haven - the easy side. Unshielded as they were, both the front of the building and the northwest wall had suffered seemingly hundreds of years worth of nature's fury - water stains, mold, rust, and even cracks in the metal and stone promised to make this a more-than-one-day task. Not to mention that both areas got enough sun that they were overgrown with forests of ivy and weeds the size of small shrubs. The ivy she would leave, as it gave the walls it covered a certain sense of charm. At the very least, it helped grant an unnatural manmade building such as Haven a more organic feeling.

This building is quite the mystery, isn't it? Aimee thought to herself as she continued doing her best to fix up the face of paradise. She still had no idea who had built it, or why. No one in Haven did. As near as anyone could tell, the facility had once served some sort of purpose for a large number of people - not enough to make it a city, though they still hadn't explored the rear of the building, so that was always a possibility. Tara had suggested that it might have once been a school of some sort, though neither she nor Aimee could imagine a school of such size. It would take a village dozens of times more populous than any she knew to provide enough children to fill a school that large. But they had found rooms that definitely bore more than a passing resemblance to classrooms. What other use would a room with a dozen chairs and desks, all appearing to be oriented in the same direction, serve than as a classroom?

Aimee's mind wandered as she picked up debris, pulled weeds, and soaked up the afternoon sun. She barely even noticed the hours slipping away until Mitch, Tim and Kyle returned from the foot of the mountain, a large bundle of wood in tow.

"Hey, can you give us a hand?" asked Tim.

"What? Oh, of course." Aimee rose from the human-sized shrub she had been digging up and slithered over to the returning males. Mitch tossed her a strand of rope, and together the four pulled the bundle through the front opening (now a rather attractive set of double doors reconstructed by Kyle) into the Entranceway.

"We were able to get enough wood for three or four doors," said Kyle. "At least, I think so… it'll take me a few days to cut these logs down to the right size and get them fitted together… but I think they'll work well."

"Excellent," remarked Aimee.

"And we managed to bring back some fruit along with us," added Tim. "Although it's a little early for any sort of noticeable harvest. But maybe a few apples will add some variety to the usual rabbit and potatoes."

"Sounds good to me," said Aimee with a smile. "I'm about done out here for the day… I'll help you guys carry this stuff inside."

Aimee took a large bag full of apples and berries from Tim, and the three boys pulled their shipment of wood next to the fountain. Aimee slithered over to one corner of the Entranceway, which had been designated the 'kitchen,' and placed the fruit next to several other bags and boxes of food, most caught or picked or otherwise acquired around Haven. Turning back to the middle of the room, she saw that Daniel had entered the room from the corridor, with Lisa following behind. The teenage girl was carrying a bundle of broken pieces of wood in both arms.

"Put those over here, Lisa," said Kyle. "We can sort through all the wood tomorrow."

"Sure," replied the dark-haired girl. Lisa drew close, but wouldn't actually approach the pile of wood until Mitch and Tim had stepped away from it.

"My room's almost done," said Daniel cheerfully. "I've got a spot for my bed all set up, and I even have a chest for my toys."

"That's great, Daniel," said Aimee.

Lisa put down the wood she had carried in, and cautiously approached Aimee. "Hey, Aimee? Have you seen Tara?"

"Tara? She said she was going to be working inside today."

"Well, Daniel wanted to show her something earlier, but we couldn't find her. I figured she had gone outside to help you or something."

"No…" Aimee felt her stomach drop slightly. "I haven't seen Tara either. Hey, Kyle!"

The fox boy had been sifting through the collected wood, and looked up. "Yeah, Aimee?"

"Did you guys run into Tara while you were out today?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she said she was going to be working inside today."

"Did she say where?"

"No… no she didn't. Why? Is everything okay?"

"I don't know…"

"Tara's never failed to show up at the end of the day without letting us know beforehand," said Lisa quietly.

"Maybe she went to go work in the dragon's room," suggested Mitch. By now, all six blood mutants present had gathered together. "I know she's mentioned having plans for that room more than once before…"

"I'll go check," said Aimee.

"I'll go with you," suggested Kyle.

"Sounds good. The rest of you guys stay here, just in case Tara comes back. Odds are she's just off working in one of the side rooms and lost track of the time. But after that boy broke in here last week, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Let me come too, then," said Lisa quietly. "If there is something wrong, I… my curse might… it might come in handy. Hopefully not, but…"

"Of course," said Aimee quickly. She was almost surprised by Lisa's volunteering, but didn't say anything further on the matter. "The rest of you stay safe."

Aimee and the two younger blood mutants left the Entranceway and took the right corridor towards the dragon's room. Aimee took the lead, darting into her own room just long enough to grab her bow and quiver. She led the way, with Kyle following behind and Lisa taking the rear, being sure to walk far enough back to avoid either of the other blood mutants' tails. The trio made their way to the door to the dragon's room - it was early evening, light enough for them to see where they were going, but definitely darker than earlier in the day.

The doors were closed, but the smell was noticeable nonetheless. Kyle, who had a stronger sense of smell than the two girls' combined, stayed back, and Lisa stood several feet to his side. Aimee pushed the door open with her bad hand, and peered in.

The room looked exactly as it had that morning. There was no sign of the chimaera girl.

"Tara?" called out Aimee, just in case. "Tara? Are you in here?"

There was no answer. Exhaling, Aimee closed the door and slithered a few feet away, breathing in again.

"Do you think… do you think she might have gone farther in?" asked Kyle.

All three turned in unison to face the double-doors opposite the entrance to the dragon's room. They were larger, heavier, and led into the back areas of Haven. The Catacombs, as Tara affectionately referred to them as.

"Tara can be a little naïve sometimes, but she's certainly not stupid," said Aimee. "It's pitch black in there. It's unexplored. There's no telling what is back there…"

"Well, if she didn't leave Haven, and she's not in any of the settled areas… there's nowhere else she could be," argued Kyle.

"Tara has mentioned the Catacombs a few times over the past couple days," added Lisa. "I mean, she even gave them that name… maybe she's been exploring it when no one else was around."

"But why?" asked Kyle.

"I don't know," said Aimee. She drew close to the doors, and opened them. Light penetrated the gloom, illuminating the floor of another corridor. Several doors were visible on either side, but the corridor itself went farther back than Aimee's human eyes could see.

"Tara!" called Aimee. "Tara! Are you back there?"

Aimee listened. Nothing.

"Look at that!" Kyle's head was foxlike, and so were his eyes. He had the best night vision of anyone in Haven, though even he couldn't see in complete darkness. He took a step into the corridor and dropped to his knees.

As Aimee's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw what the kitsune boy had discovered.

Footprints.

"Those look like Tara's footprints," said Aimee, using her tail to hold the door open while she bent down to take a closer look at the prints. There were several sets of prints, as if someone had made multiple trips down the dusty corridor. But the majority of them followed a definite path. "Yes… they're definitely the right size and shape to be hers. Either that, or we have another barefooted teenage girl walking around Haven."

"Let's follow them," suggested Kyle, rising to his feet. "I can see a little bit…"

"I'll hold the door open and let as much light in as possible," said Lisa. "There's no way I can follow you guys in there."

"Why not?" asked Aimee.

"About the only way you two are going to be able to stay together, besides sound, is touch. And… and obviously, that's not going to work for me."

"True." Aimee felt a twinge of pity. "Alright… hold these doors open as much as possible. We only have a few hours of daylight left, and I'm hoping Tara didn't go that far back."

"If she's not that far back, then she would have heard us calling out," said Lisa simply.

"Maybe she's… asleep. Or something. Anyway, we have to try. Tara'd do the same for any of us."

Lisa flashed a sad smile, and then stepped to the side. Aimee drew her tail into the dark corridor, and Lisa took position behind, standing in the middle of the doorway with both arms spread. She couldn't quite hold both doors all the way open at the same time, but she was able to open them wide enough to illuminate most of the corridor, if not dimly so.

"It… it looks like the corridor goes back a good… maybe a hundred feet or so," said Kyle, squinting into the darkness. "There might be a door at the end. It looks like the corridor splits off to both sides, too. Umm… there are a few doors along the sidewalls, like in the front section of Haven. Four on each side, in pairs."

"I don't care what anyone might have told you before you came here," said Aimee, "but right now that mutation of yours is a godsend."

"…thanks," said Kyle, looking uncomfortable. "Umm… we should check these side rooms."

Aimee and Kyle stuck their heads into the first door on their left. Aimee's eyes were adjusting, and she could just barely make out the far wall.

"It looks like all the other side rooms back in the front section," said Kyle. "I don't see Tara."

"Tara!" Aimee tried calling the chimaera girl's name again. "Hey! Tara!"

There was no answer, and Aimee trusted Kyle's observations that the room was empty. Or at the very least, Tara was not in there. The two blood mutants withdrew, turned to the opposite door, and repeated the process. Once again, the room was empty.

"Tara's footprints definitely go farther back," said Aimee.

"Maybe, but we should still check these side rooms on our way back," countered Kyle. "You know, just in case."

The light wavered slightly, and then grew the slightest bit brighter. Naga woman and kitsune boy turned to see Lisa lying down, her legs stretched out holding one door open, her torso leaning back and holding the other.

"Sorry," said Lisa. "My arms were getting tired."

"That's fine," said Aimee. "Thanks for shedding some light on things."

Lisa smiled. Aimee and Kyle turned back towards the darkness, each pausing momentarily to let their eyes readjust. Then they moved farther down the corridor, farther into the darkness.

By the time they reached the second pair of doors, Aimee's vision was almost useless. She waited in the middle of the corridor while Kyle checked each room. He called out Tara's name into each, startling Aimee with his yelling voice's similarity to a canine bark.

"It took me a while to teach myself how to speak normally, after my transformation," explained Kyle. "I can bark or growl, though I'd rather not. No sign of Tara in either room."

The two moved onto the third pair of doors, approximately sixty feet from Lisa and the doorway. Aimee had to keep one hand on Kyle's shoulder as he led them down the corridor. "I'm going to have to step into these rooms in order to see what's inside," said Kyle. "Don't worry… I'll be careful."

"You better be," said Aimee, as if it were a threat.

And suddenly, Aimee was alone in the dark, listening to Kyle's padded feet step away from her.

Aimee listened. She heard Kyle enter one of the rooms. "Tara!" he yelled.

"…hey…"

Aimee's heart literally skipped a beat. She recognized Tara's lion-head's voice. It was very faint, as if far away, but it was definitely her.

"Aimee, she's in here!" cried Kyle. "At least, I think so…"

"Yeah, I heard her," said Aimee. "Call her again."

"Tara!" bellowed Kyle even louder. "Tara! Where are you?"

"…own… …ere…"

Aimee heard Kyle walking farther into the room. She heard him yell "Tara!" one more time. And then Aimee heard the kitsune boy scream.

"Aahhh!!!" Kyle's cry was more animal than human. And it faded out suddenly, as if…

…as if he had fallen down a hole.

"Crap!" swore Aimee. She turned back towards Lisa, who had a frantic look on her face but was afraid to leave her post at the doors. "Lisa! Go get… go get rope! There's a big coil in my room! Go get it, quick! And get the others!"

"What about you?" called Lisa.

"I'll be fine! Just do it!"

Lisa leapt to her feet and ran back towards the front section of Haven. The doors swung shut on their own, and suddenly there wasn't a mote of light anywhere to be seen.

Alright, Aimee... she thought to herself. What are you going to do now?

The serpent woman removed her quiver, and put it on the floor next to her. Taking her bow, she held it out in front of her and moved it around until she felt the doorway Kyle had stepped through. Once she had a good idea where she was oriented, Aimee started slithering forward, using her bow to feel the ground in front of her.

For almost ten feet, Aimee felt nothing but small rocks or other debris. But soon after the tip of her tail had entered the room, she felt it: a sudden drop-off, as if the floor had collapsed into the room below.

"Tara!" Aimee used her bow to determine that the hole ran from one side of the room to the other - or at least as far as she could feel - and then placed it on the floor next to her. She crouched, pressing her belly against the floor, and leaned over into the invisible hole. "Kyle! Can you guys hear me?"

"Yeah…" came the response. Aimee heard Tara's voice - it sounded like she were several floors down. "Kyle fell on me."

"I'm okay," added the kitsune boy's voice. "Bruised, but okay."

"I think I sprained my ankle," added Tara. "And… and I cut my hand. But I think I found some swords or something. I can't really tell…"

"Lisa is getting help," said Aimee. "And rope. Do you think you guys will be able to climb out?"

"Yeah…" said Kyle.

"I think so," said Tara.

"Tara… what the hell were you thinking?" demanded Aimee. Now that she knew her friend was safe, anger began to replace concern. "We have no idea what is back here… and you went exploring alone?"

"I'm sorry, Aimee," came Tara's voice from the darkness. "I… I just wanted to help."

"…ey…" Aimee heard Mitch's voice from far behind her.

"I'll be right back," Aimee told Tara and Kyle. "Don't go anywhere."

"Very funny," replied the chimaera girl.

Aimee pulled herself up, took her bow, and made her way back to the entrance of the room. Once in the hallway, she could see Tim and Mitch at the open doorway, with Lisa behind them. "I'm alright," called Aimee. "And so are Tara and Kyle. But they fell down a hole… I need rope to pull them up."

Aimee saw the trio converse briefly. She saw that Daniel was there also, off to one side. Then Mitch took the coil of rope that Lisa had been carrying, and began padding down the corridor towards her. Tim hesitated for a few moments, then followed after. Lisa and Daniel held the doors as wide open as possible. But it was already getting late in the day, and there was not enough light as there had been earlier.

"Just walk straight ahead, towards me," called Aimee. "The floor in here is pretty clear of debris."

Eventually, the griffon and hippogriff boys had reached Aimee. "I can barely see my feet," said Tim.

"There's not much to see," said Mitch. "I mean, besides your feet. Here's the rope, Aimee."

"Thanks," said Aimee. "Tim, you stay here just in case. Mitch, come with me. Take the tip of my tail, below the scar tissue, and walk carefully. There's a big hole in this room, and it's too dark for even your eyes to see. I'll use my bow to feel my way forward."

"Will do," replied Mitch. Aimee slung the coil of rope over her serpentine shoulder, and used her bow to find her way back to the edge of the hole. It was amazingly disconcerting having to navigate in total darkness. But she inched forward, Mitch's clawed hands grasping onto the end of her tail a foot or so from its tip.

Aimee reached the edge of the hole, and put her bow to one side. "Tara! Kyle! Mitch is here with me. We have rope. I'm going to lower it down, and you have to tie it around your waist. One at a time. Mitch and I will pull you up. Okay?"

"Pull Kyle up first," said Tara. "I may have a hoof for a hand, but I'm still pretty good with knots. Tying them, at least."

Aimee took the rope from her shoulder, and uncoiled it carefully, sending one end into the darkness. "Let me know when you feel the rope," she called. Then she began sending it down, counting each coil she unwrapped, hoping that it would be long enough.

Aimee estimated that she had uncoiled around twenty feet worth of rope before she heard the kitsune boy cry out. "Got it!" he said.

"Give us a few more feet, so I can wrap it around his waist," said Tara.

Aimee obliged, and then waited. After a few moments, she heard the chimaera girl's voice. "Alright… go!"

Aimee passed the end of the rope to Mitch, took grip with both hands, and started pulling. Aimee's long body provided enough weight to counter-balance the kitsune boy, and combined with Mitch the two had more than enough muscle to lift Kyle up. Still, they were careful, and it took more than five minutes before the boy had reached the top of the hole.

"I'm up!" he cried, his voice reverting slightly to a more animalistic tone. "I'm up… thank you!" Aimee and Mitch were in the hallway with Tim, but once Kyle was up, Aimee returned to the room. She felt around until her scaled hand touched fur. Kyle stood up, and gave Aimee a hug.

"Thank you!" he cried.

Aimee hugged him back. "You're welcome. Now, let's get this rope off you.

Tara had indeed tied a good strong knot, but Aimee had little difficulty untying it, even in the dark. Then she sent Kyle back into the hallway, felt around with her hands until she found her bow and the edge of the pit, and used her tail to guide Mitch to her side.

"Alright, Tara… here comes the rope."

"Thanks, Aimee," called the other girl. "I… I'm sorry…"

"We'll have plenty of time for apologies once we're all out of the darkness and back in the light," said Aimee.

The naga woman lowered the rope again. Twenty feet later, she felt Tara fiddling with it. It took somewhat longer than earlier, before Tara announced that she was ready.

Once again, Aimee and Mitch pulled back on the rope, hoisting Tara out of the hole into which she had stumbled. She felt surprisingly heavy, but it was nothing the naga woman and griffon boy couldn't handle. After a few minutes, Tara had reached the top.

"Oh thank God," she gasped. "I swear I'll never go wandering the Catacombs alone again."

"You better not. What's that?"

Aimee couldn't see Tara, but she heard something jingling, like a bag full of silverware.

Tara stepped out of the corridor and into the fading light, the rope still tied around her waist. She was limping, and her serpent looked angry, but otherwise she appeared much as she had earlier in the day. Her pawed hand clutched some sort of large box or bag, which looked heavy. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it appeared to be bloodstained.

"Something to help deal with the dragon, I hope," said Tara. "Umm… can someone please untie this rope?"

Back in the Entranceway, enough moonlight and starlight poured through the windows that the seven inhabitants of Haven could see one another. Tara's left ankle was wrapped in bands of thick cloth, and her paw was similarly bound.

"I cut myself on one of these," she said, showing off the spoils of her adventure. The bag she had carried up was filled with shining metal blades of various sizes and shapes. "It hurt like hell, and my ankle didn't feel much better," she continued. "But I figured that anything sharp enough to cut through flesh and fur with barely a touch might do pretty well against six week-old dragon scales. I managed to find a bag of them, with just a few on the ground around it. I didn't get cut up too badly… whatever this bag is made of, the blades don't seem to have much of an effect on them."

"I've never seen anything like these," said Aimee, who had taken one of the larger blades in her hands. She was careful not to touch the cutting edge. "Everything else in here is old and damaged… these look like they were forged yesterday. And out of some sort of metal I've never seen before. Look at how shiny this is…"

Aimee turned the blade in the moonlight, and it almost sparkled. Curious, she took the sharp edge and swung it against a piece of wood that was lying within arm's reach.

The blade almost literally passed through the wood, cutting it cleanly in two.

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Daniel.

"Yes indeed," muttered Aimee. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Do you think it will work on the dragon's scales?"

"Let me go find out," suggested Tim. Aimee carefully handed the blade to the hippogriff-blooded boy, who left the Entranceway in the direction of the dragon's room. Mitch followed.

"They'll work," said Tara. "I know it."

"Dammit, Tara, why did you just wander off like that?" demanded Aimee. "That was completely stupid! Why did you do that?"

"I… I just wanted to help," said Tara, both faces looking downcast in the moonlight. "I… I've been exploring the Catacombs a bit over the past week. I was hoping to find something useful. I didn't want to worry anyone… but I wanted to go and do something by myself. Or as by myself as possible… Anyway, I'm sorry, and I promise I won't go back there by myself. At least, not until we figure out how to shed some light back there."

"At least you're alright," said Kyle.

"Yeah," added Lisa.

"I'm definitely glad you're okay," said Aimee. "But still… be careful from now on, alright? There's still so much about this place we don't know. I definitely agree that we need to figure out best to explore the rest of this complex. But from now on, we do so as a group. Okay."

Tara nodded with both of her heads.

"It works!" cried Tim, bursting through the rear doors, Mitch close behind him. "Tara was right! The blade cuts through the dragon scales. It's still pretty tough… like cutting through leather or sawing through wood… but it works!"

"See? Aren't you glad I was stupid?" asked Tara's lion head with a laugh.

Aimee merely shook her head, but couldn't suppress a smile. Sometimes, the chimaera girl was so positive and optimistic it was scary.

"Now we can get rid of that smell," said Mitch, coughing. I'm glad I still have a human nose. Umm… no offense, Kyle."

"None taken," replied Kyle. "We should try and save some of that hide. I mean, it would make some pretty strong armor."

"That's a good idea," agreed Aimee. "I'm definitely not looking forward to skinning a long-dead dragon and cutting it up into pieces small enough to carry out of Haven. But the sooner we do so, the better. Then we can do something constructive with that room."

"What can we do with it?" asked Tim. "Without a roof, it's not going to make a good bedroom or storage room or anything like that."

"I think I'm going to turn this room into a garden," said Tara, her lion's head speaking this time. "I think it would be fitting that a room that has seen such death be transformed into something that gives life."

"Besides," added her goat head, "It would be nice to have some fresh vegetables once in a while."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Lisa. "I could help you. I used to have a garden back home…" Lisa turned away. "I mean, if you want help…"

"Hey, I can use all the help I can get," said Tara's goat head. "Aimee's been telling me that since we got here."

Aimee chuckled.

"Alright," interjected Mitch. "I know that it's late and all… but I can't be the only one who's hungry. Who's up for some more roasted boar?"

"Weren't you just saying that the smell of that dragon was almost enough to make you lose the contents of your stomach?" asked Tim, turning to the griffon boy.

"Yeah, but then I realized that I had nothing to lose," retorted Mitch.

And those who dwelled in paradise couldn't help but laugh.