"We're lost aren't we," these words were as tight as the hands that gripped the wheel in an agitated manner, the knuckles showing bone white through weathered tan skin.

The man sitting next to him pulled out the Ring Pop from his lips with an audible pop. There was a rustle as he straightened the map on the dashboard, flicking away a chip bag that had been resting there for who knows how long. "Don't you trust me?" he asked in a slightly pouting voice.

"You know- you know what?" the man driving snapped, his left eye twitching. "Point to where we are on that map!" He demanded so loudly that the passenger's green elf ears lowered.

"Sheesh you could just ask nicely." He said as a long forked tongue slipped between his parted lips to rake up the ring pop, making the driver's face scrunch in annoyance. "Here." He pressed a calloused finger on a lonely looking squiggle.

"Shardas." The driver said in a tight tone, like he was barely keeping a scream. "That is a map of Georgia. We're in New York!"

Shardas frowned and turned the map over, peering at the letters. "Wow, you're right." He smiled sheepishly, pointed fangs visible as he did so. He laughed a bit nervously.

The driver exhaled slowly, his nostrils flaring as he tried to calm himself. "You knew that the whole time didn't you." He said in a deadly monotone.

"Come on James," Shardas said. "You know that going here is a big mistake." He shifted uneasily in his leather seat, adjusting the seat belt. "We don't have to live in New York.... I mean... it's so crowded." He whined.

James grit his teeth so there was an indent on his jaw, his eyes narrowed and steely as he put the blinkers on and slid to the side of the road. Then he parked. "Shardas you know why we have to go. This job could get you more diamonds..." He drawled, knowing that the dragon's greed was his soft spot.

"Well, yes. But I hate New York," Shardas grumbled before sticking the Ring Pop back in his mouth and sucking on it grumpily.

"Won't you throw the stupid ring pop away?" James said crossly, tempted to bop it out of his mouth. "Act like you are two hundred something, not two."

Shardas stuck out his forked tongue which was now blue. "Whatever James." He curled a scaly green tail around himself, the finned ends flicking on his lap as he sucked on the sugary ring. Suddenly his eyes flashed with lightning as his gaze was captured by a flash of movement. "James! Don't go!" He said as James started to shift gears to drive.

"What." James said in a monotone, his expression grumpy and his lips in a thin line. Shardas had pointed out every bird on the way here and he woud lose it if the dragon was making him wait just to point out a rare chick-a-boo or whatever.

"It's a cat!" Shardas cried. Oh great. Now much worse. Before James could stop him, he opened the door and jumped out, trotting over the cracked ground. It had been a record breaking harsh summer and the grass crunched underfoot like pretzels.

James sighed as he watched his dragon crouch down in front of a rock. It was hard to imagine this slightly childish person could turn into a scaly terror in a split second flat. Sometimes he wondered how he could live with this guy for so long. I mean seriously, what grown man takes bubble baths instead of showers and eats three cartons of ice cream a day? But then again, he wasn't a man. He was a dragon. James' dragon. James was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Shardas raise the weirdest looking blue cat, the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. James groaned and facepalmed. "No.. freaking way.." he mumbled.

Shardas hopped back in with the fluffy creature. "Look, isn't he cute? I'm going to name him-"

"We are not keeping it so don't even bother naming it." James said firmly. "Kick it back out."

"B-but, it's just a little cat and it's so dry outside..." Shardas said softly. "What if the cat dies of thirstation?" He whined and his pupils got all huge like a sad puppy.

"I don't care." James said in a monotone, trying not to look at the cat. He was tempted to say thirstation wasn't a word, but he knew the argument would be futile. He sighed heavy and tapped his large, jewel encrusted army ring against the steering wheel, waiting for Shardas to put out the cat.

"Just look at him!" Shardas protested, holding out the blue ball of fluff.

James cast a glance only to be met by enormous blue eyes. James blinked. The cat blinked and hooted softly. The cat had a beak.

The cat had a beak.

"AAAAH!" James screamed, his hand scrambling for his pistol. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT THING!?"

"EEEEP!" The creature spread it's blue wings and screeched flying around frantically and bonking its head on the window, the door, James' nose, Shardas' face. Shardas covered his face as he felt the wings slap him as the creature squealed and circled them like a crazed planet in orbit around their heads. "James you scared him!" he yelped.

"The cat has a beak!" James yelled back, finally pulling out his big black .44 Magnum and pointing it at the squeaking mass of blue as it tried to land on Shardas's head.

"James- noooo!" Shardas yelped and quickly pushed his hand away.

BAM!

James shot blindly, breaking the windowshield directly in front of him. The creature screeched, gripping it's claws onto the top of Shardas's head.

"Ouch ouch.." Shardas said, face scrunching up. "Ok. Get it off.. without shooting it!" He said with grit fangs.

James looked at it as his back pressed to the door, grey eyes huge as he stared at the creature. It had huge owlish eyes that stared right back. Kitty ears were now pinned back on its pom-pom shaped head, and a tiny beak curled down over the fluff. Its stubby legs hugged the sides of his dragon's head, and a fluffed up blue tail swished in agitation. Broad blue wings extended, trying to make itself look bigger as it plopped on the dragon's head. Shardas looked at him with wide eyes. "Get him off." He whispered.

James reached out slowly, a bit nervous. The owl cat creature stared at his hands and slowly arched its back, making Shardas wince more. James suddenly made a grab at it and the creature jumped off Shardas' head, effectively ruining his glossy hair style, and flapped for the kitchen.

"Get it!" both of them said at the same time and scrambled between the seats simultaneously, sandwiching each other in a mad struggle for the kitchen. James flopped on the ground as Shardas surged forwards, emerald eyes swirling madly as he searched for the creature.

Suddenly James felt the floor move under him and his eyes got huge. "Shaardasss?" he called tentatively. "Do you-?"

Shardas slowly turned around. Sure enough they could see through the front window that a stop sign was rapidly approaching. "You put it into drive!" Shardas yelled as he raced for the front, completely bowling James over.

"The cat!" James yelled back just as the RV swerved off the road into a ditch, pots and pans flying of their hooks and landing on his outstretched fingers as he faceplanted on the floor. "SHARDAS!" he roared, cheek pressed to the tile. It tasted of last night's chimichangas.

"I've got this!" Shardas yelled as he jumped into the driver's seat and pressed the pedal to the metal, eyes narrowed and knuckles white as he turned the wheel rapidly to the left, putting the RV on two wheels for a terrifying moment. The dresser James had bought last week at a garage sale skittered across the floor to fall onto James's back, spilling its contents on him.

James made a kitten noise.

"Hah we're back on the road- hey dipstick!" Shardas yelled when he realized a cherry red smart car wouldn't let him in. "Well guess what little buddy?" He laughed before veering onto the road. "I'm bigger than you!" he laughed.

There was a BUMP that completely crushed the bug of a car, and sent the last frying pan teetering off the counter to land on the back of James' head and knocked him clean out.