Raztilan stretched out in sun, the warmth of it's golden rays soaked into his thick black scales warmed his blood. The open plains were beautiful, a sea of rolling grass as far as the eye could see. The only problem was the lack of people. Of course he enjoyed his solitude as much as the next dragon but after a while it got so... dull. If only something would interupt this rather boring afternoon....
The small figure of a human - with noticible differences graced the scene, carefully slithering over a rolling hill of grass, her tongue flicked out to scent the area. She gave a glance about at the smell of another - yet unfamilar to her, she cautiously proceeded on her way, alert to whom/what-ever may be about.
It remained difficult for her to concentrate as the sun beat down on her cold-blooded skin, warming her to activity.
(never did get his pic..)
(Sorry bout that my email is wonky... but he is my avatar)
Raztilan sensed the Naga coming closer, he had heard it but a moment ago but wasn't worried. If it had meant to attack him he was sure it would have been on to him long before he sensed it. In fact he wasn't even sure it knew what exactly what or where he was yet.
The female came atop a large knoll, overlooking the plains. The immediate object taking her attention was the great beast laying at the base of the hill, her slit eyes widened as she looked over the creature, hesitating with a flick of her tongue.
"No.." she shook her head, turning around as quietly as possible, glancing back to the horizon she had come from with a small sigh, this would mean she would have to backtrack someway to circle around the creature safely..
The naga was going to go around him and spoil the chance for a meeting. Damn it he was bored and he waned to meet that Naga! Rolling over he blocked the path the Naga was taking soundlessly shifting to meet her.
She squeaked in light suprise as the tail of the beast swept in her path, rearing up slightly in her shock. Slowly, she glanced over to its head, relaxing to find it was still doing whatever it was before she came - so it must've been an accident or natural or whatever, she kept kidding herself.
((*bump*))
(( "Huh?!? What I'm awake" Sorry bout that my internet has been down for about 4 days.
Now he was annoyed the Naga was trying to go around him again! God What did it take? Shifting his body he brought his long Serpentine neck around to see the Naga.
"Whats Your name?" he asked politely.
She tightly pulled her eyes to the voice, biting her lower lip before opening them and slowly turning to face it.
"D-Deska" she quietly replied, unlike her to be filled with such lack of confidence, although she had never come across such a creature. Feeling somewhat warmed by his polite question, she brushed up the courage.
"And you?"
"Raztilan" the large drake replied warmly. Stretching his wings to make himself look more impressive. With a large fang filled grin Raztilan laid his head on his claws so that he was only a few feet from the Naga.
She watched his movements carefully, slight admiration for the showoff. She watched his wings in particular, possibly jealous until he set his head down nearby, taking not of his size, intimidating as it was.
"So.. Raz. Your a dragon?"
"No actually I'm that other kind of flying, firebreathing, reptile" Raztilan laughed. "Yes I am a dragon, or at least I am now... so your a naga Deska where are you from? Not here surely?"
"For now..?" she questioned before replying to his own response "Oh - no, not from around here.." she trailed off, glancing about the horizon but still nervious around the much larger creature.
"Are you scared of me?" The dragon asked "You seem very nervous... though is suppose that is to be expected me being a dragon and all" he said bitterly. "Perhaps I've been to pushy?" Raz looked at Deska expectantly noticing that she was quite pretty to his way of thinking though he couldn't tell which side of his mind it came from human or dragon...
She blushed softly at his gaze, looking across his body with slight interest and particularly the wings "Well..." she started, trying to answer his initial question as he continued. The coils of body that was below her waist curved into a wrap, nestling her in - what could be best described as a seating position as she looked up at him, letting out a deep breath.
"I suppose i shouldn;t be nervious, since if you wanted to eat me, i'm guessing you wouldn't talk.."
"Eat you?" Raz blinked, "Ahh I avoid eating reptiles warm blooded creatures have so much more flavor, and yes if I was hungry I Would hardly waste time with idle conversation... so where are you headed?
She half-chuckled, knowing what he ment about the diet thing.. but still feeling a little disadvantaged.
"Headed? Um.. Nowhere really. Just.. travelling." She couldn't really lie, afterall for all she knew he was a dragon with telepathic abilities - afterall, little is known about them.
"Hmmm, that sounds exciting..." Raztilan shook his overly large head and looked at her with a curious expression. "Are you hungry? There is a small group of grazing animals just over the ridge there, they would make a fine meal.... if your interested"
Yes he could smell the beasts, and sense their primitive thoughts. As a rule he tried to keep out of sentient creatures minds but for prey such as these creatures, he didn't bother.
He sensed the males driven only by hunger and their thirst for dominance over the herd. The females and their single minded devotion to their young he felt the intense curiousity of the young who were barely walking. To live a life so simple Raztilan thought sadly, his eyes misting as memories of his family came rushing back, his human family of course as he had never tried to have a draconian one.
"So how about the food? I find most people are far better company with full bellies and a satisfied sense of curiousity.
She chuckled softly, looking up to the beast with a nervious demeanour.
"My species sleep after eating, but i would accompany you. Besides. I have eaten recently." She smiled, her arm stretched across the back of her head as she rubbed it in a typical movement for uncertainty.
She looked across the ridge he had reffered to, nodding to herself after her arm dropped to her side, much more confident in this new aquiantance.
"I'd be delighted to join you." She answered strongly, much more certain of her words as she looked back to him, clearly outsized.
"Well then I shall take to the sky and drive the herd this way" Raztilan lept into the air, wings beating hard to get his massive frame airbourne. With a twist of his wings and tail he caught onto a thermal updraft and shot up a little before gliding away toward the animals.
He couldn't quite tell what they were, Gazelle maybe or Cape Buffalo? He flew over fast angling his body so that his shadow fell away from the herd. He circled in behind them they were indeed Gazelle. Diving down in a rush of wind he roared as loud as his lungs would permit sending the herd into an uproar. They bolted away from him toward Deska. Even that didn't save a few some of them however, as Raztilan landed among them tail and Talons flashing stunning and breaking limbs.
Deska watched as he became airborne, shielding her eyes from the recoil of gusts and upshots of dirt until he moved off. She glanced about for a while, moving to a better location, closer to the herd he left for before hearing the roar. That was her warning. Like only a snake can, she laid down flat, her body nearly perfectly camoflaged among the tall grass. Totally invisible as she waited for the scent and vibrations of the incomming prey.
She was laid there for maybe a few minutes at most before the pounding of hooves to ground caught her senses, confirmed by the flicking of her forked tongue. Moments later, she sprang from the grass, fangs bared as she landed her fangs on a fleeing gazelle, it collapsing from suprise and the effects of the venom nearly instantly. She was lucky to latch on near it's neck before dropping off to watch it stumble, wiping her mouth with her forearm to get rid of any traces of blood or venom as the beast collapsed to the ground nearby, the rest of the herd was now fleeing to the distance.
Blinded by the sheer thrill of the slaughter Raztilan thrashed and snapped at the gazelle, taking two down in his talons and a third between his powerful jaws. As the blood rushed down his throat Raztilan closed his eyes tight. Preparing for the flash of nausea that always accompanied killing.
The human part of his mind rejected the amount of blood that raw food provided. And a sudden though short episode of nausea always accompanied feeding. As it passed he shot down the rest of the gazelle chewing only twice before swallowing.
Then he looked to see how Deska had fared.
She watched him, looking to the creature she had taken down, before looking back. He seemed to not care too much with eating out in the open, she was a little more cautious of this, since humans thought her eating habits disgusting.
She shrugged, only one way to find out..
She leaned over the head, stretching most of her body behind her as her jaw dislocated, typial of snake species. She proceeded to keep her body in-line as she consumed the prey whole, certainly bloated afterwards, she couldn't do much more than remain still, she wasn't massive, but noticibly bigger in width, it would digest while she slept it off, but keeping the resources for weeks.
(bump)
Raztilan was sated, he looked over to his new friend and saw her beginning her meal. Wow she really could do everything a snake could he thought as she dislocated he jaw to eat. It was odd to watch but he felt oddly envious, if he could do that imagine how much more he could eat! Tossing down the last of the gazelle he moved to speak with her
A somewhat drowzy gaze looked up to the approaching dragon, sartling her into an awakened state before she realised it was him again, having likely forgotten what he was as he sped off.
"Enjoy yourself?" she yawned, not bothering to hide her agaping mouth as she stretched her arms out, still laid out on her underside.
(bump)
"Yes very much so a bath of blood is always welcome" Raztilan replied stretching his wings and smiling a fang filled grin. "I suppose you wish to sleep now?"
If he recalled correctly snakes often slept after feeding, he supposed it would be the same with a Naga.
She stretched again, restisting a second yawn. "That would be nice, although in the middle of nowhere?" she hinted, perhaps he knew somewhere quiet and/or safe to stay a couple hours.
"Of course not, I've a den a ways south of here" Raztilan pointed a huge blood caked talon toward the south. "I could take you there if you wish? Of course we have to fly to get there before nightfall but I doubt you'd weigh more than I could carry"
Without really waiting for an answer Raz began to move slowly lowering himself to the ground and extending a foreleg so she could climb onto his back.
She sat up with another stretch, nodding sleepily to him "Sure, but.. ah. I'm not one to fly much.." she said, another nervious pitch in her voice as she approached slowly, hesitant to climb onto his foreleg for this reason, completely ignoring the remark about her weight.
Raztilan was pleased that she trusted him enough to let him fly her to a safe place to sleep. He smiled internaly (OOC: Because I don't think a dragons mouth could form a smile) lifting Deska easily off the ground he set her on his back.
With a flap of his powerful wings they were airbourne, a thermanl updraft carrying them up in a huge swooping spiral.
"What do you think of the view Naga?" Raztilan asked. His voice booming over the rushing wind. With a few more beats of his wings they set off south. Catching thermals and flying slowly across the Plains. After an hour or so of flying Raz, spotted his den, and began a fast diving descent.
Pulling his wings to his sides he dove tearing through the sky plummeting at what seemed an uncontrollable rate. When they had dropped to two hundred feet Raz snapped his wings open and dump his diving speed hoping he hadn't dislodged Deska in his attempt to show off.
She squeaked in suprised as he pratically threw her on his back, her arms and slender figure wrapped around what she could without interfearing with his flight, her tail securely around the base of his neck and her eyes closed tightly until he had asked her about the view.
Slowly, she opened an eye, looking down at the hundreds of feet in awe, slowly relaxing as she realised it was fairly safe, her first reply being "I have a name you know.." and a nervious response at that, must be due to the altitude..
Suddenly, he began a nosedive, her muscles tightened, she gauped in suprise with a quick scream as her hair became more spikey than usual, only to be partially flung off when he opened his wings, lucky she had a good grip. She now looked something like a large tie on a large beast, wide eyed and scruffy.
Raztilan smiled at her attempt at an answer "I'm sorry Deska I where have my manners fled to?" As they landed he noticed her wrapped rather tightly around his neck showing none of her former sleepiness.
"Wow I'm amazed it worked this time... last time I tried a dive like all of my passengers were turned to mush" Gently wrapping a huge talon around her Raz lightly attempted to pry Deska of his throat as her rather powerful grip was starting to worry him.
She chuckled wearily to his response before jumping at the touch of his talons, quickly releasing her coiled muscle so he wouldn't hurt her as he attempted to wrestle her off.
"So, home..?" she looked about, adrenaline keeping her from falling asleep there and then.
"Yup" said Raz gesturing grandly to the den dug diagonally into the earth behind him. With an energetic little hop he spun around and trotted inside. Poking his head back to see if Deska was following he gave an impatient little tut and disappeared into the darkness of the den. A light cool breeze wound it's way out of the shadows and the smell of freshly turned earth was strongly wafting out the entrance.
Her attention turned to the den he gestured to, ducking as he hopped around so his tail swept over her rather than knocking her down. She watched as he slowly faded from sight in the dim light that was within the walls. Luckily, she had a kind of sight that involved moreover flicking her tongue (much like a normal snake, but with far better natural eyesight), so the darkness wasn't a problem.
The small breeze made her shudder, forcing a yawn before she slowly began slithering behind the creature that lead on. Her tongue flickering every-so-often to make sure she didn't 'walk' into his hind leg.. or tail.. or a wall.
Raz was happy for the first time in his recent memory he hadn't been since... well he couldn't quite remember. He had a new friend here, and he was happy to show her around his large den which consisted of three chambers. One was his nest a large pile of fresh greenery arranged comfortably as his bed. The second was a natural spring of cool murky water were he often lay in the hottest part of the day and the final Chamber was his treasurey which at the moment was empty.