EyeWatch: Five Adeed

I listened to the sounds of birds tweeting around me as my head hanged back and my eyes closed, staring up to the blue grayish mixture of skies above me. The forest trees were swaying to one side. All was silent within the realm, but my mind kept thinking back to the overall clues that we had obtained. Honestly, everything was weird from the merging of the two realms and we were in no position to make the arrest just yet to bring peace to both Order or Chaos. Everything had kept on moving on, interjecting one case after the other like a belt delivering goods to a truck. As my eyes opened and looked to some of the trees vibrating and birds moving about, I lowered my head and gaze upon the other dragons. All of which were standing about, muttering something to one another. Their voices were low, it was impossible to hear them at all. But it did not matter for me, considering that it was their private conversations.

As peace was shattered, we all perked our ears. And rose our heads glancing at the source of the rapid footsteps sounds. We looked, spotting Yang and her unit. They were miserable and sweaty. Their faces scream exhaustion as I got up onto my feet and the conversations stopped leaving silence upon our tongues. With breaths emerging from the other dragons, Yang spoke to us. “The forest. Dragons were killed. We saw knife wounds on them. But no weapon upon where the wound was." “Anything else Yang?" I asked suddenly. I was interested in the case after all. We never got a case like this for many days and most of them were just investigations of several crimes. Yang shook her head, frowning in an answer as she started “Nothing. Just that." “Have you check the perimeter, Yang?" Lutica responded, Zander, nodded his head answering for Yang “We did. But no clues were about." “We will find something," I responded to them before glancing to my unit as they said nothing before nodding in agreement. Thus, we had allowed Yang to carry us through the forest and towards the crime scene where they saw the corpse dragons.

We went through the forest and a short distance later that we ended up upon the scene. There before us were five dead bodies. All of which had wounds upon their scales. Some of the dragons had wounds upon the wings, seemingly ripped apart easily like paper. As we looked upon the scene, We stepped over the yellow tape and entered in. Lutica, Doax, and Quichie all walked forth towards the corpse, kneeling on one knee before stretching their claws towards the scales. They later confirmed that the bodies were cold which meant they were dead for hours which does conclude that the murder spree did happen either last night or some other nights ago when we were investigating the xenodermus problem. Regardless of the thought, Lutica Doax and Quichie all turned over the bodies and laid them all upon their backsides. Gazing onto the wound upon their scales, they confirmed but argued amongst themselves about the different sizes of knife wounds which astonishes me. As I stepped forth and yelled at them, the three dragons turned their heads to me and blinked momentarily as I asked them. “What were the sizes of the wounds?" “medium. About six to eight inches deep with a two-inch width." Lutica confirms, “Medium. Ten inches deep, one-inch width." Doax argued. “Large. Two-inch deep, one-inch width." Quiche remarked. I turned to Ling who frowned muttering something underneath her breath as silence fell seconds afterward.

'Why were there many different sizes?' I wondered, blinking at times as I hang my head back and gaze at the skies above. 'What would the culprit accomplish with that sort of cheap tactic?' I added onto my list of problems while my brain ached suddenly but I kept at it again. But within several seconds and more, nothing came to me. With frustration, I grounded my fangs while grunting out in frustration. Yet Ling suggested, “Maybe our culprit had one knife but interchanges its width and length to fool us?" “If that were the case." Zander pipped up looking to Ling “Then why? Is there something else he or she is hiding from us?" “Is there?" I asked them both, confused yet concerned as my tail wagged in interest. Both Yang and Zander shook their heads, no clue in support of their answer. I just sighed. “Alright, so we have five dead dragon bodies. Three different sizes of wounds. Nowhere close in solving this case." I continued and shifted my eyes back onto the bodies again as I walked to one of them closes to me. I also kneeled and glanced closely at the wounds. Before doing the unthinkable.

I suddenly threw one of my claws upon the scales of the dragon and stabbed the wound with my claw. Everyone around me was disgusted with Yang shouted at me some words. But I never knew what she said. I went deep inside the wound, feeling the dry blood staining against my claws. As I gagged and held my breath including my lunch, I felt something within the deep and grabbed it. Pulled out suddenly and from the wound where I held it above my head for some reason alone. With dry blood covering my claw, I pulled it close towards me and stared down onto it. Doax walked over to my side with curiosity in his eyes before shrieking in surprise and exclaiming “That is a part of the claw." “A nail of a dragon," I remarked in answer shifting my eyes to Doax as he shivered and frowned. “A part of a claw, you two say?" Yang asked, looking interested as everyone else blinked and muttered amongst themselves again. I nodded and rose to my feet, tossing the bloody nail over to Yang who grabbed it with her own. My wings were spread by instinct and so were my unit, as I spoke to Yang with a stern voice “We will be back. There is something we have to see around the perimeter." “And what is that?" Yang asked me, I just smiled in response before waving a claw at my coworkers who responded in kind.

For we all flapped our wings, bringing ourselves in altitude as we hovered in the air. The great winds blew in every direction, gusting about upon the trees as they sway violently before our eyes. For once we were upon the desired height, we split off into different directions and became isolated as we looked for other clues around the forest. I fled westward while Doax and Lutica headed eastward. Quiche started southward. With the great winds blowing against my face and scales, I lowered my head and gaze at the grounds below me. To my surprise, I was able to spot the second clue. A bunch of apples was gathered into a pyramid yet every one of them was already eaten. I tuck my wings close to my scales, flying down at faster speeds while I closed in onto the grounds below me. For once I grounded, I slowed to a stop and landed with my feet touching the surface as my wings folded behind me. I kept my eyes upon the pyramid of apples and walked to it. Indeed, all of them were eaten. But it did not leave the stem of an apple. Oh no, all of the apples took only one bite. A big one that only half an apple remains. But it was rotten to its core that worms had started entering in, making the apple it is home. As disgusting it was to touch and finish them with worms inside, I shivered uncontrollably and said nothing before taking one of the apples and stored it in my pocket.

It was common to see the apples already eaten and then discarded away like they were rotten or something along those lines. But to see a pyramid of them? That was uncommon, to say the least, and brought up some red flags in answer after all which brings me to the corpse we saw earlier before heading westward. 'Were they that hungry in chasing down the five officers and killing them? For what purpose do they have with those officers? For sport or to eat-' I shook my head, it was definitely for sport. No question needed to further that explanation after all. As I stared onto the piles of apples in front of me, my ears perk at the sounds of my walkie broadcasting static. “Ling?" Yang questioned, I drew my claw towards the walkie. Grabbed it and rose it towards my face where I responded Yang. “Yes?" “Have you found other clues?" “Yeah. Are my officers already back to your position?" “Not all." She stated which left me concerned. As I stared at the walkie in silence with a frown hanging off from my face, I exhaled and answered back, “Alright. I will be back. Just need to go further." “What why?" Ling exclaimed, a bit surprised by my answer as I supported my decision persuading her why. And after a while, she just fell silent. A low voice was heard over the walkie, but it was hard to hear what it says.

I ignored it and turned my attention towards the clue momentarily before raising my eyes towards the cluster of trees that were adjacent to it. They were nearby. Not one space was left, however. As I stared onto the trees then glanced back to the apples again, I spread my wings and flew off backtracking to the gathering where the other officers were there. After landing alongside them, I pulled out a half-eaten apple and spoke. “Do foxes even eat apples?" “What kind of stupid question is that, Ling?" Zander asked with a growl attached at the end of it. I argued back at him, “It is a stupid yet curious one." “Foxes do not eat-" “Shut up both of you." Yang interrupted the rest of us as silence settled in afterward while I and Zander glared at one another like rivals. “Anyway, why do you have an apple in your claw?" She asked me, snapping my thoughts away from the thoughts of Zander. I returned my eyes to the apple I held and spoke, “This is a half-eaten apple. There is a pyramid of them not too far from where I flew through." “A pyramid?" Kyro suddenly started, a little surprised as he stared at me adding “Why is there a pyramid of apples there?" “Someone probably has OCD and decided to pile them up," Zander commented with a harsh tone in his voice that Quichie and Doax glared at him momentarily before Yang nudged Zander, urging him about the clue they found.

“Oh right." Zander started, remembering suddenly as his eyes met with Yang. Then pulled out a snapshot photo of some droplets upon the ground. They were green and toxic gas was coming out from them. Straight aligned through the trees and towards the horizon skies where they stopped as indicated by the photo itself. As I stared onto it, I spoke to them “Green acid and gas trail upon the woods?" “That is right, Ling." Zander boasted yet Kyro growled in response and Zander blushed in embarrassment. “These droplets were forming a trail towards the horizon. But we do not know its end tracks." “Or where it had ended." Yang corrected as I nodded, “But we do know that these are gross and make your stomach turn upside down. It is also acid so drinking this thinking it is water is bad for your stomach." “Did you even try it?" I commented on Zander with a raised brow as he shrieked and stepped back. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Yang who picked up where Zander left off.

“The green droplets were smelly like rotten cheese or something expired. They do make your stomach turn, you know Ling. Just by smell alone." Yang explained, touching on Zander's statement as I nodded and frowned afterward, “Well that is three clues so far that we had found upon the forest grounds. But we are nowhere close to solving who killed these fellow dragons." “It does feel like we are missing something," Doax commented, glancing my way as I nodded in answer with him and added. “Just hope we can find some more somewhere else." “Then let us go deeper into the forest." Suggested Zander with all our eyes looking at him. Yet no one complained as our wings instantly spread out and flew off Northward. To where we are headed, we are not sure ourselves. But we hoped to find a clue somewhere here later on.

Arriving onto an isolated town that is somewhat similar to ours, we landed upon the silver solid grounds beneath our feet and rose our eyes towards the horizon. The streets were abandoned. Cars and other vehicles remained in their spots. The buildings' windows were darkened. Yet we thought eyes were watching us from the inside. Within the silence, I turned to Yang who then rose her claw and pointed ahead. Northward to about three blocks about was the building that we were supposed to find more clues or answers for our little investigation. But the worries of the haunted abandoned streets and crossroads, not to mention the buildings that surrounded us gave us the creeps. Yang remarked a little laugh exited from her mouth as she took the lead leading us forward to the building. For along the roads, we spotted building after building in a variety of sizes. The majority of them had mailboxes in front of the buildings. Some of those mailboxes were stacked one over the other. All of them were opened. Nothing remained inside. We continued walking.

On the next block, I stopped and called out to the others. They remained in their spots and shifted their heads my way as I pointed westward towards something interesting. Two cars were broken and beyond repairs. Their windshields shattered and a huge hole remained in front of the driver seat. Not one of the cars had any seatbelts. Both the cars were the same color but a different shade of it. One of the two had a small thin rod sticking out from the corner of the car rooftop. Dry blood was upon the flooring. But the bodies were missing. In their place was a white written note; but it remained unfinished. Slowly, I walked towards the crash site and grabbed the note. Returning to the other dragons, I lowered my head and gaze at the note momentarily as Zander asked impatiently “What is it? Out with it already." “Quiet!" Doax growled with Quichie snapping his mouth shut. Neither of them said anything more as I turned to Yang and handed her the note. To the groans of the black dragon, Yang responded to everyone by raising her claw and pointing towards the nearby building. We all looked and spotted it at the corner of one block. Close by of where we were located.

Thus we were not hesitant to run towards the building and enter. But before either of us could, Kyro pointed out “Guys, the lights are all shut off. No one is inside these buildings. We can perhaps surprise her or whoever the culprit is by ambushing him or her at the certain floor with all doors locked." The other officers muttered agreeing silently with the plan with me and Yang nodding at the red dragon. “What if it was a trap although?" Quichie asked, piping out as Lutica shook her head. “If it does. We go with Ling and Yang's adoptive plan." There was silence and grunts in the answer as everyone nodded except me and Yang, repositioning themselves under Kyro. When everyone disappeared, I grabbed Lutica by the arm and spoke to her. But before letting out a word, she just smiled back and released herself from my grip before spreading her wings and flew up. Joining with Zander while leaving me and Yang alone. I turned to her, she said nothing in response but held my claw tightly. We slowly spread our wings and gently rose ourselves towards the floor. Looking through the dark windows, searching for the name “Doe Collax". We eventually found her minute afterward upon the tenth floor. Boy, this was tall.

Yang released her grip from me as I hovered to the window and grabbed the bottom edges of it, pulling upward. As the window was opened, Yang flew inward and I shut the window behind her. Everything was in place under Kyro's plan. But with each growing second, I was anxious and worry about what had become of Yang as I flew up to the rooftops and joined Zander and Kyro as they waited nearby the white door. I landed upon the rough grounds beneath me and both dragons turned to me. A mixture of smiles and worries was reflected upon my face as Zander assured me that everything was fine. “But was it?" I argued walking to them and remained in position.

Hours had gone by with the sun fallen from the horizon. Replacing it was the full moon and stars that twinkled overnight. We were still in our positions. Standing or sagging with complaints about our legs hurting and wings cramping about. Regardless despite our complaints and the whining that came from the grounds below the building, everyone was silent. No one had talked or striked up a conversation as our eyes were kept out to the horizon beyond us where the buildings stood tall. The streets remained silent. And the street lights flickering about with some dead after years of going. It was a peaceful silent yet dull day for us officers. As we waited with more time off the clock, the more I grew anxious and worried that my heart was pounding against my chest. Like a horror movie or something similar in between, I remained fidgeting and shaking as Zander and Kyro continued to stroke my back, hoping to calm me down.

As the next hour strikes and still no signs of Ling, my scales remained hot and moist. Sweat fell from my back, damping my wings while Zander and Kyro looked on with surprise. I was fidgeting more and given often glances towards the door. In ponderance if Yang was coming out at all. Tightly screwing my mouth, I turned away from the door and glanced to the sidewalks below where Doax and Lutica were gathered. They were calmed and cool; their voices were barely above a whisper. Their eye never met as their wings hanged behind themselves. I watched, opening my mouth and repeatedly exhaled and inhaled. Calming myself down. I gave a thumbs up towards Zander and Kyro. Both of which nodded in silence and stepped back. Locking themselves adjacent to the doors as they raised their foot against the wall of bricks behind them. I sat upon the cool grounds below me and crossed my legs. Folding my wings while hanging my head and stared at the floor in silence as Zander whispered,

“Have you ever gotten a move towards Yang yet, Ling?"

I gave a nod and assuring smile which was reflected from Zander and Kyro as they answered with their own nods. “I see." Zander commented. “What did you guys do in off-duty?" “A lot of things actually." I remarked with a smile again, glancing and meeting their eyes adding “Although I do plan on mating with her eventually." “'Eventually?'" Both replied with shocked, I blushed and gazed away from them. A slight nod again while wagging my tail slowly. “Best do it when we get back to Order, Ling. You and Yang have a lot of things common with one another. We can see it." “I know that." I reassured, “You two were with me all the way before I branched out from your group." “And look at you now." Kyro smirked with confidence, crossing his arms as he stared at me with those fireced eyes of his. “The second best after Yang, the leader of your own unit." I said nothing in answer but kept staring at them while Kyro turned to Zander and playfully nudged him.

For while the play had still kept going, we perked our ears and heard something going on inside the building. Rapid footsteps sounded, slowly growing louder as it came closer to us. All three of us knew the play was over and discharged anything distracting as we remained tensed and alerted while our eyes were kept to the door. We even heard some flapping and knew that my unit was coming to aid us all. For as we all gathered, we kept our eye upon the door. It bang once, twice, then three times before silence. I blinked but remained steady as Kyro and Zander reached for the knob of the door. Tilted it to one side and opened it. Thus out from the darkness came Yang. She was soundly exhausted and her chest was rising and falling. Her wings damped by water, small holes appeared upon it while we all gathered around her. Kyro and Doax rushed to help her up to her feet as she catch her breath speaking to us.

“You were right Ling. It was a trap set up by Doe Collax. Just got a message from her desk inside the main office that she had now trapped a detective in a desert somewhere. This is the final confrontation and the answers to all your problems." But before she could say anymore, she fainted from exhaustion.

Thoughts remained in my head as we rushed to get her out from the building and flew quickly into the night. Back into Order where we hoped that she finds rest for the time being. Up until we find out what she meant by what she had said. “And the detective…" Trailed Lutica as she read my mind, I nodded in answer with her as I turned to the unconscious Yang. Wondering about the events that had happened.