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In the Footsteps of Dragons

Started by DragonSong, March 11, 2018, 12:53:04 PM

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DragonSong

@Kalak




Storms in the mountains were terrifying, even if you were used to them. This one had caught Vara unprepared, out on a hunt, and she was forced to scramble to find shelter. The rain wasn't too intense yet, but the wind was already howling and she could see the blackness of heavier clouds approaching quickly from the horizon, lightning flickering in their bellies.

A crack of thunder rippled over the mountains and she hissed, shooting a glare skyward before renewing her search with more fervor. If she didn't find a place to hide from the storm soon she was in big trouble; no amount of practice in survival would save her from being caught out in the open during a Thunderblacks rager.

Heart pounding, she peered into the darkness, stumbling through the sheets of rain and the ever increasing gale. Finally, she caught sight of a crack in the rocks, possibly the entrance to a cave.

Even if it wasn't, at least it would provide rudimentary shelter from the wind and rain. She stumbled toward it and ducked inside, shaking water from her hair.

Kalak8538

The man had known the coming of the storm long before it appeared in the overcast sky. Each of his golden scales pulsed slightly from the feeling of static forming in the air. Such a sign foretold the great intensity of the coming tempest, and warned the man to find shelter before it arrived.

He knew of many holes in the rocky terrain, many places that would stay dry even during the most severe of storms. He traveled up the rocky incline towards the closest of these hideouts, his spear serving as little more than a decorative silver walking stick. On is way, the man collected spare bits of wood under his arm. Twigs, fallen branches, dried saplings, all the makings of kindling he would need. The night would be long, but more pleasurable with the warmth of a fire.

By the time that the gale began to blow, the golden-scaled man was already well established in his natural earthen shelter. His power over lightning created the first spark that had since evolved into a small flame. More wood lay along the cave wall, fuel for maintaining it. The man did not even blink as the first drops began to fall outside. He simply tended to the growing blaze as he sat comfortably beside it.

He did look up, however, as something unexpected happened. All he could do was watch silently as his mind made sense of the sight. He had a visitor.

DragonSong

The little wildling woman suddenly froze, instincts kicking in. She was not alone here.

"Who's there?" she called into the darkness, squinting as her eyes started to adjust. One hand went toward the dragon tooth dagger at her hip and she sank into a defensive crouch.

Kalak8538

The half-dragon sat still, unmoved by the trespasser. He simply prodded at the small blaze before him. Moments of silence passed before he responded plainly.

"This is my shelter... go find your own."

DragonSong

Vara blinked.

She'd never seen anyone quite like him before.

But she didn't have the mind space to dwell on that. Her brow furrowed and she shifted her weight deliberately, standing her ground. "There's plenty room enough for two. You got a problem, you leave," she bit out.

Kalak8538

A rumbling, almost bestial growl began to rise from the back of the man's throat. His grip tightened somewhat around the prodding stick. He looked up at the woman, the onset of annoyance making itself clear.

"I was here first... and I don't share with humans..." he said with a low, irritated voice.

He did not even flinch as a great bolt of lightning struck nearby, illuminating the cavern's interior for less than a moment. As the thunder reverberated off the stone, he budged just as much as it did.

DragonSong

The wild girl bared her teeth and held her ground. She flinched at the sudden crack of lightning, but didn't move from the mouth of the cave.

"Well, get used to it," she snapped. "I'm not going back out in that." With a huff, she sat against the stone wall, squinting out into the rain.

Kalak8538

The only thing the half dragon could feasibly do was grumble to himself. He did not have the will to rise from his comfortable spot on the cavern floor, especially to confront someone he did not see as a threat.

"Fine..." he huffed.

"...but stay over there. If I have to get up, you'll regret it."

With that, he lifted another thick branch and placed it into the fire.

DragonSong

Vara curled her lip at him, but didn't argue. She was out of the rain, and that was all she really needed for the time being.

"Same to you," she grumbled as she curled onto her side, preparing by all appearances to go to sleep. "Come near me and I'll gut you," she warned with a meaningful flick of her wrist toward the dagger on her belt.

Kalak8538

Despite his surety that the intruder was no real danger to him, the man took umbrage to the woman's threat.

"You would try!" he retorted. At the same time he subconsciously reached for his spear.

DragonSong

She scoffed and curled tighter onto her side. She saw no reason to continue posturing-- she was tired, and she wanted to try to sleep through the storm.

Kalak8538

The man was challenged to stay awake now. With a stranger hanging around, he could not trust to sleep. Instead, he continued prodding the fire before him, the act keeping it alive being the only thing distracting him from the hypnotic monotony of his surroundings.

With time, consciousness was harder to keep a hold on. Even the storm outside seemed to calm with each passing hour. The golden scaled man struggled at times to hold his eyelids up, more so when he ran out of fuel. His breathing slowed, and he clutched his silver spear to his chest. Everything soon when dark, as he too fell into a light and uncomfortable sleep.

DragonSong

Vara was naturally a light sleeper, but she managed to sleep through most of the noise of the storm. A particularly persistent crack of thunder woke her though, she wasn't sure how many hours later.

She jerked upright with a start and a small gasp, then glowered out into the rain.

Damnit. Thunderblack storms could last for days, how long was she going to be stuck here?

Kalak8538

Deep breathing came from the man as he slumbered. In nature, it was less a human sound than a bestial one. It was as if he growled even in his sleep. With spear cliched tightly against the body, the golden scaled man slept in a very stable position. He was able to remain sitting even with lack of consciousness.

DragonSong

Vara glanced toward her unwilling companion and huffed tiredly. Seemed like he'd be out for a while.

Cautiously, she reached into the pouch at her hip and pulled out a strip of dried meat, munching on it quietly as she watched the storm.

Kalak8538

Even with the harsh weather outside, daytime was daytime. It was not much, but there was some light that managed its way into the cave.

Slowly, the dragon man came to consciousness. He looked around to take in any changes to his surroundings. Sure enough, the persistent woman was still there. However, she did not appear to be his main concern at this time. Slowly, making as little sound as possible, one hand was placed flat on the cavern's stone floor.

The half-dragon leered almost expectantly deeper into the cave.

DragonSong

Vara bolted upright, the soft sound and light enough to wake her from her wary sleep. She twisted around to see her unwilling cave-mate glaring into the cavern.

"What?" she hissed softly, eyes searching the darkness.

Kalak8538

"Be quiet..." the scaled man huffed.

There was some slight vibration in the walls and floor of the cave. A slight sound of low breathing reached his ears. There was activity from something large, its form still a mystery.

The draconic man rose and took up his spear. It was unknown just how much danger was currently present, but he believed that the maker of the tunnel resided much further inside.

DragonSong

A part of her wanted to snap at him about that, but she had a strong enough sense of self-preservation to do so.

Carefully, she climbed to her feet, reaching for her dagger as she did and flicking her eyes toward where the dragon-man was looking, trying to make out any sort of detail through the gloom.

Kalak8538

A massive form began to approach the pair, its dimensions almost as wide as the tunnel around it. The naked eye could only just spot a vaguely mammalian shape through the darkness. From what little speed it mustered, it was clear that the hulking creature was unsure of what stood before it. That, or it had only just woken up. Still, slowly but surely, it closed the distance.

The half-dragon, with spear still raised, looked to the opening behind himself. The storm outside maintained its ferocity. Without resistance, the girth alone of such a beast could drive the much smaller beings back until they were forced into the rain and wind. That is, unless it planned to eat them. The golden scaled man turned back to face the encroaching monster, contemplating a plan of attack.

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