Penumbra

Complete and Thorough
-in which Penumbra simply does her job. Nothing more, nothing less.


In the late night, only a few hours before dawn, feathers burst into the air over a small field in an otherwise quiet area on the windswept plateau. A small group of Raptorik farmers had recently settled by this field because of the quality soil and the gentle breeze that helped stalks strengthen and kept the air clean. They made one fatal mistake. They didn't notice that their new homestead was encroaching upon the territory of a very aggressive dragon clan. There was one muffled scream, but most of them were snuffed out quickly before they could raise their voices.

Penumbra had always been a killer, trained since hatching. How to blend in, and how to stand out. How to kill loudly to send a message, and how to kill quietly so as to leave no evidence. She never left her den without a sharp implement, never walked through a market without scanning around for threats. Clients sought her out for everything. She didn't ask questions, and did her work quickly. She always did a thorough, complete job. Most importantly, she never killed for free. So when a clan offered her a hefty sum for the job they wanted done, she agreed. Lots of treasure for an easy job usually meant that she ought to make extra sure to keep ask no questions and involve herself no further. She didn't know why this clan wanted their new Raptorik neighbors gone. She was in it for the money. That's all.

Her eyes gleamed that night as she put her weapons on and checked her information over one last time. A few small, unprepared, untrained targets in the middle of the night. Easy work. And tomorrow I'll be a much, much richer dragon. She was excited to get the job done quickly so that she could get a little shut eye in before heading into the settlement to collect her reward in the morning.

Feathers were still floating through the air.

Walking silently though the field, she sniffed the air, trying to smell something else besides the metallic scent wafting out all around her. The heat signatures from the few bodies in front of her were quickly fading. As she lifted her talons up and over the small pile of crumpled bodies around her she paused, looked for more heat, more potential targets. I hope that was the last of them. She wasn't afraid of her prey, she was confident in her techniques. She just wanted to get back home as soon as possible. As she scanned around the field one more time just to be sure, already reaching to take her muddied gauntlets off, she paused again. . . . Hmmm. She thought she could see a small heat spot fairly far from her position, moving slowly away from her towards the hastily constructed farmhouse. Craning her neck so swiftly that it cracked, she stood up on her hind legs to see over the long grasses in the field. The figure spotted her and started towards the farmhouse at full sprint.

A feather landed on her nose.

She snorted as she jumped forward, racing towards the source of the heat signature. Her target wasn't moving quickly enough to escape her, so she didn't try to hide the steady thump of her feet hitting the ground as she ran. The grasses were thinning as she reached the edge of the field, and she could finally see the heat signature clearly without straining or leaping over the tall vegetation. Almost done, almost done. As she neared closer she could hear small panting breaths. Another feather floated into one of her eyes, and she snorted again in irritation as she shook it off mid-stride. Her claws dug into the wet soil underneath her with every step, giving her extra traction. The small figure rounded the corner of the farmhouse.

You can't outrun me!

As she leapt around the corner, snarling, she slid to a halt. Straightening up and standing still, she could finally get a good look at the figure she had been pursuing. In front of her was the the source of the heat signature she had been chasing. . . . a child ?

Surely her client hadn't wanted her to kill this little one. Or perhaps they didn't know he was a part of the Raptorik's group. Or perhaps. . . Oh

It was in poor form to kill children, of course. Cruel and usually not necessary. Penumbra suddenly understood why her client had promised her such an unusually large sum for this job's completion.

She smiled as she thought to herself,
For a complete and thorough job. . .


The grass squelched beneath her feet as she slowly walked forwards. The young raptorik trembled with his back against the side of the barn, wings covering all but one fearful eye. "Sorry kid," she said softly as she drew closer with each slow and measured step, "but this just isn't your night".

A sharp edge glinted in the moonlight and a small scream filled the air for a split second in that still and lonely field.

Feathers drifted through the air