Hazard pulled up in his step van to the site of the call and ran as fast as he could to the captain.

“Hazard. We need you on containment.” Yelled the captain as he saw the dragon run towards him.

“Got anything for me to wear sir?” asked Hazard.

“Don't think it made it on,” he bellowed in reply, “Get with Belatrix on the south side.”

No time to think about modesty, Hazard took off his loincloth and tossed it into the back of the truck. He may be fireproof, but his clothing and the items on his belt weren't and would melt and burn from the heat of the fire. Running to the south side of the building he found Belatrix on a hose with a group of firefighters sweeping the side of burning from the end of the space between the two buildings. The building on fire was already a total loss before anyone was able to respond, the roof had already collapsed into the building, the goal at this point was to simply keep the fire from spreading.

“I'm here Belle,” Hazard yelled over the noise of the fire and water.

“I need to get water in those windows,” Belatrix replied, “Shield me.”

Shutting the water off for a moment, Hazard stepped in front of Belatrix, dipping one wing while Belatrix lifted the nozzle so the stream would go over his wing. Once they were in position, Belatrix opened the nozzle again and continued hosing down the burning building. Hazard adjusted his skin to block heat and protect himself and Belatrix.

“OK, follow my lead.” Hazard yelled over his shoulder.

Now that Belatrix was shielded from most of the heat by Hazards fireproof skin she was able to move up between the two buildings, getting much more effective streams of water deep into the burning building, bringing down the intensity of the flames. One volunteer tagged along behind both Hazard and Belatrix to help advance the hose and brace Belatrix against the force of the stream of water. The others had to stay back and help advance the heavy hose from their position, there just wasn't room for more than two behind Hazard without things getting crowded.

Pulling the hose behind her, Belatrix yelled at Hazard when they were about a third of the way down the length of the two buildings, “This is good. On the radio they are coming behind us with a bigger line and they're getting the small boom truck around the other side. We stay here and we can keep things manageable.”

The scorching heat felt pleasant against Hazards skin, but he had to be mindful of Belatrix's needs. She could be seriously burned if he let her be fully exposed to the heat, her gear only gave her so much protection. “Sounds good to me, are you overheating back there?” he asked.

“If you could lay your tail across my hooves, they're not covered and getting a little warm.” Belatrix replied while moving the hose from window to window.

“Just don't step on me please.” yelled Hazard back as he felt behind him with his tail, finding both of Belatrix's hooves and laying his tail so it covered both of them. “How's the other guy doing?”

“I'm doing fine sir,” said the tabby cat standing behind Belatrix.

Belatrix radioed their status as she continued to douse the flames, their small line making the difference between the fire getting hot enough to spread and being cool enough to be contained. As she was talking, her aim with the hose faltered for a moment and got a dribble of cold water onto Hazard's wing arm.

“YEOWCH!!!” yelped Hazard, who dipped his wing down and away slightly in reaction to the cold, “Belle, be careful. My body's a good 140 degrees right now. You know I don't take sudden cold well.”

“Sorry, sorry,” said Belatrix as she turned her attention back to hose.

“It's OK, I just don't wanna get knocked out by the cold and leave you two exposed.” Hazard replied.

“I'll take care of the radio,” said the Tabby.

“Sounds good,” Belatrix answered, her attention now back to being completely focused on the fire.

As the fire continued to burn, the strategy turned to their own safety, “Do you think that wall is gonna fall outwards onto us or inwards?” asked Hazard?”

“Looks like it's getting pulled inwards by what is left of the roof,” Bellatrix shouted back, “we should be good where we are.”

“Yea, we'll probably only get a few small pieces get anywhere close to us,” said the tabby behind the two of them, “Shouldn't be anything to worry about.”

“OK good,” Hazard replied to the two of them, “So we'll stay here for now.”

A few minutes later the second line came up behind them and took the corner the three of them had been at originally and the boom truck soon came up on the other side, bringing some serious water onto the fire. Once the boom truck was fully setup and pumping at full pressure, word came over the radio that the fire was finally fully contained on all sides.

“Nice job everyone, lets keep it up and get this put out,” said Belatrix to the other two.

“Works for me,” said the Tabby.

The three of them stayed in position until the fire was out and then things turned to cleanup, Hazard went to carefully step through the wreckage looking for any hot spots that could rekindle and Belatrix was muscling the hoses that weren't needed anymore back onto the trucks after draining them. As the two of them were finishing up their respective duties, they walked towards each other.

“Nice work with that line Belle, you kept things cool enough so it didn't spread.” said Hazard.

“Couldn't have done it without my stripped heat-shield,” Beatrix replied as she reached to wipe some soot off his shoulder, but jerked her hand away as she touched his scaly skin, “Geese, you're skin is hot.”

“Oh yea, I guess my body temperature is still way up there. I absorbed a lot of heat from that fire and then I was stepping through all that hot ash afterwords.” Hazard said with an embarrassed tone, not intending to surprise Belatrix like that. “I was just letting myself cool off gradually, the whole passing out thing from rapid cold and all that.”

“Eh, not a biggie. I just know who I won't be asking to tag along in a watergun fight.”, Belatrix teased.

“Nope, no desire to tag along for that,” laughed Hazard. “Anyway, have you seen my loincloth? My keys and phone are in there and I'd rather not just fly home without them.”

“It's in the back of truck 2. I think you tossed it there when you got here. You leaving already?” Belatrix asked.

“No No, I should stick around. I was just gonna give Toulia a call and let her things are winding down.” Hazard replied, “I hope she got the page and started making some snacks for the crew, you want anything specific?”

“Nah, I'm good,” said Belatrix, munching some leaves from the bush the two were standing next to.

Hazard perked an eye at the herbivore’s antics, “You're a bad liar Belle.”

Belatrix swallowed the leaves before answering, “Yea, you're right. Those taste like soot. You better have her bring me some oat hay.”

Hazard began walking towards the trucks while teasing, “Horsie gotta have her hay.”

“Darn right, these muscles don't grow themselves,” Belatrix retorted, flexing her arm muscles as she walked with Hazard.

“So you're saying I'm good for calling in catering and not just good for a heat shield?”

“You silly drake,” Belatrix giggled, “You're good for lots of things, not all of them useful.”

“Sounds like an apt description,” laughed Hazard, “ We better get Toulia called before everyone here gets grumpy.

Belatrix stuck out her long horse tongue and licked her lips in reply as the two of them made it over to the truck to called for emergency snacks to the scene. Toulia would be on her way in no time at all.


Art done by  flinters furing a stream on www.tigerdile.com . Story by me.