Chapter 5

Present day

“CANYON!”

A voice ripped through the silence. He spun around and saw Iguana, his chosen partner, approaching. She looked quizzically at their surroundings and then her gaze settled on his talons, buried in the salty waves. She tsked, and then reached for them.

“You know, it’s not necessary to hide your injuries,” she said, taking a mixture of healing ointment out of a pouch on her back.

“It just shows that you have been through a lot and survived. And you have the scars to prove it,” she said, but then froze as she realized what she said. “I’m sorry—”, she started.

“No,” he growled. “I know you didn’t mean it that way, its fine.”

“Canyon—”

“It’s fine,” he said sternly.

Iguana sighed, and then went back to work, spreading the salve over the scars. Canyon hissed as a stinging sensation resulted from the medicine coming in contact with the wound. It only lasted a few seconds, however, and then a soothing numbness took over, and the pain subsided.

He sighed gratefully and Iguana gave him an amused look.

“Let me guess, Moonglow didn’t go down without a fight?”

He nodded, a weird feeling forming a pit in his stomach. He couldn’t figure out what it was. It only happened after he completed an assignment. He thought, but no, it couldn’t be….it couldn’t be…pity?