hearts that no longer beat, and flames that no longer burn [malak]

[Bree]

She knew it wasn't a place for a young woman to be alone. She knew dangerous things could happen to people to came here. Bandits, murderers; the list went on and on, and yet it did not concern her. The world was a bad place, and bad things happened. Either you curled into a ball, gave up, cried about it, and got killed, or you fought. That being said, she was unconcerned for an entirely different reason-- she wasn't a person. Hadn't been for fifteen years. Oh, sure, on occasion she wandered as an elven maiden with long red hair and stunning eyes with tattoos all over her body and scars that invited curious stares; but still, she wasn't a person.

She was a dragon.

Fifteen years she'd lived with scales, wings, horns, claws, and a tail. She was massive even at her young age, and would only continue growing. Her body was the invigorating red of blood, darkening to wine in some places and lightening to near-pink in others. Her eyes were the only remnants of her elven body, retaining their color despite the transformation. It didn't help to ground her in that identity, though. Her eyes didn't make her Kassir'a the Elf, not as her parents had hoped. She'd given up on Kassir'a the Elf, Kassir'a the Lady, Kassir'a the anything that wasn't animal. She was Kassir'a the Dragoness, the untamed beast who scorched any who dared come too close.

There was only one creature allowed safe passage; Kallu'shir, her wolf. Her son. She'd rescued him when he was but half a year old, and had raised him as her own. She took him everywhere as a precaution-- a safeguard against any who might wish to use him against her. Currently, he was clasped delicately in one of her massive forepaws, a cage to hold him aloft. He still had yet to overcome all his fear of flying, and he definitely preferred the ground, but he hated being separated from her and that overruled his wolf instincts.

As she headed to land in a clear patch that looked clear of pesky humans--or other humanoid species--she flew a few circles and gradually made her way down, touching her back legs to the ground first. She lowered her front half carefully, using her massive wings to help her balance. Opening the paw that held her wolf-son, she watched him scamper out. Then she tucked her wings in close to her back and settled to the ground, watching Kallu'shir play with a stick he'd found. If her muzzle would've accommodated such a gesture, she might have smiled. Instead, she simply observed with soft eyes and a warm heart.

[Rhindeer]

Malak had been trailing the dragon for some time from a distance, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get close. Some men were too impatient and took the first shot that presented itself, but Malak always took his time, because every shot was crucial. You didn't just want a shot; you wanted the perfect one, and if that meant stalking a beast for several days to get it, he would do it. It was better to do it right, than to do it, scare the prey, and lose the opportunity entirely.

Dragons weren't like deer. They were valuable for more than just their meat. People paid fortunes for their scales, their claws, their teeth and blood and even their bile. Bones were ground up into virility potions, livers used for healing. Every part of them was considered magical and precious.

And, to the Adelans, sacred.

But Malak would worry about the state of his soul when he was dead. Right now while he was still living, he was more concerned with making a living, and one dead, adult dragon was worth a fortune.

While the dragon was distracted playing with her wolf pup (which was quite convenient, because there were buyers for that sort of thing, too), he crept closer, using the cover of the long grass and taking up position among a group of boulders. He was behind her, out of sight and downwind, so he just had to hope she didn't hear him as he loaded a bolt into his crossbow, propped it atop a boulder for stability, took aim, and fired.

He didn't go for a killing shot. There was no way to kill a dragon in one go like that, unless you were very, very lucky, or had something more powerful than a crossbow. Instead, he aimed for her folded wing. First, take away their ability to fly, and go from there.

[Bree]

She hadn't seen him. She hadn't heard him. And then she felt him. The bolt ripped into her wing membrane and one of the bones, shattering said bone and ripping a hole in the membrane. She screamed, a dragon's cry of potent fury and anguish. Her son ran for the injured wing and she pushed him away with her muzzle. She then proceeded to turn and examine the wound, shutting her inner eyelid to protect it--dirty rat might try and blind her.

She opened her massive wing and keened low in her throat with agony. Her son made another move for her wing, trying to understand what was wrong. She growled low and swept him to her chest with a massive paw. It was dangerous for him to be exposed-- the hunter obviously wasn't stupid and would kill her son to further incapacitate her.

The bolt was lodged tight in her wing, and hurt bad. Her eyes searched for him, her nose and ears seeking signs of life. She snarled, muzzle wrinkled angrily to expose massive teeth. The bolt had to be removed, or she couldn't heal. She couldn't get the bolt out without partially shifting forms to pull it out. Another scream tore the air, frustrated and violent. She rose to her paws and roared a challenge, snapping her jaws angrily.

Her mind opened and she felt for another presence--finding it, she lashed out at Malak's mind, allowing her rage and pain to coalesce into a whiplash she sent straight for him via her telepathic abilities. She was powerfully gifted,  but the lash wasn't meant to kill. She wanted him to hurt like she did, not die. Words ripped themselves out of her and followed the whiplash--

If you shoot me again, I will kill you. I won't even have to go over there to do it. You know that. I know you can feel my mind, feel my power. I will crush your brain in seconds. Don't even think about trying for my son. If I hear you load that crossbow--and I will, believe me, I will now that I'm listening for it--you're a dead man. Even if you're strong enough to resist my mind, I can still weaken you. Slow you. We both know what happens if I have to chase you down. I can use telepathy and run at the same time. Attacked on two fronts. How about we make nice instead?

I mean, if not, I could always use a snack.

She listened warily for a response, eyes locked on his position with uncanny accuracy despite the fact she couldn't actually see him--she went off what she could feel in her head, turning to face him head on. Her tail blocked access to her son, and the thick scales on her head and chest would make it hard to so much as wound her. Inner eyelids were shut, distorting her vision a little bit but ultimately protecting her eyes.

She wasn't stupid. She knew there was a possibility he'd try something like going for the eyes. If he could blind her, he had a chance to kill her and her son. She wasn't going to take that chance. Her head lowered, dropping to one side to give him a harder target to hit if he was indeed going to try and put out one or both of her eyes.

[Rhindeer]

If she hadn't known where he was before, she certainly did now. Because when she sent that mental whiplash straight to his brain, Malak let out a cry of pain, dropped his crossbow, and clutched at his head. For a moment nothing else existed but the blinding agony, like the worst migraine he'd ever experienced, and he thought he might vomit--

And then it was over, and words were thundering inside his head. With his mind still sore and sensitive from the assault, he winced at the "sound" of them as they made his brain ache, like the hangover after a terrible headache. Dammit...he hadn't known dragons could do that. The ones he'd hunted before hadn't been able to.

That, or he'd just killed them before they could. Those ones had been younger.

Biting back a groan, he sat back on his heels and kept one hand pressed to his temples, the other braced against the rock. He didn't dare go for his crossbow. He wasn't about to test her after that show of might.

"Make nice," he laughed, though it came out more of a groan. "So you're saying you're willing to kiss and make up? Is that it?"

[Bree]

A satisfied sound hummed through her chest as she savored the cry she heard from him. While he was distracted, she began shifting forms. Eventually she stood in the clearing as a winged Elf. She tucked her injured wing close and broke the bolt so she could pull it through. Blood spurted--he had apparently cut a vein as well. With a low growl of irritation, she cauterized the wound by using fire magic to burn herself.

When his voice rang out, she looked up from her wing and grinned. "I don't see why that can't be arranged. Do you prefer a muzzle or lips?" She didn't really like mortal men all that much, but this one was....different. "You're lucky you didn't shoot my little sister. She'd catch you and make you her pet..or worse, use you as practice to brush up on her torture skills."

She focused then on healing her wing and then shifting fully into her Elf form once finished. "I'm Kassir'a. Don't worry, I don't hold grudges...at least, not if the offending party understands the error of their ways." A slender eyebrow rose near her hairline. "Do you understand, or do I need to help you?"

[Rhindeer]

...A muzzle or...what?

Malak froze, his fingers motionless on his temple. She was no longer speaking inside his head, but outside it. Could dragons even do that? Like other animals, he didn't think they had the right mouth shapes for speaking!

And was she seriously just willing to let it go? Just like that? His mind boggled.

Slowly, cautiously, he raised onto his knees and peeked over the top of the top of the boulder, because really, it didn't matter if she could see him or not. She knew where he was, so it was pointless to pretend his cover was actually cover. But as soon as he looked into the field, he had to do a double-take, because she was gone.

And then he had to do a triple take because no, she wasn't gone, actually.

He'd just been looking for a bigger object.

But there she was, a woman with red hair the color of the dragon's scales, and she was still speaking. A shapeshifter, then. Damn. Add that to the list of Things He Didn't Know Dragons Could Do, which...

Huh.

Malak tilted his head, eyes squinting, hardly hearing the last of what she said, because he was too busy thinking, Shit, she's actually pretty, and that this...sort of complicated a dragon hunt a little.

He didn't realize she'd stopped speaking until the silence began to stretch a little too long. Then he gave a small start and blinked. "Do I understand...wait. I'm confused. Are you a person that turns into a dragon, or a dragon that turns into a person?"

Yeah, he was a little hung up on this part.

[Bree]

Her lips twitched in amusement as he looked out at her, and then registered surprise. When he finally spoke, she threw her head back and laughed, a genuine sound that surprised her because she hadn't truly laughed in a very long time.

Her mismatched eyes sparkled with mischief as she tossed her long braid over her shoulder so that it hunt down her back. "I'm a Blood Elf, so...person to dragon, though in truth the Dragon feels more natural."

She'd forgotten how enjoyable it could be to shock mortals like this. He was obviously surprised she was going to let it go, too, but she'd taken her pound of flesh already. "In case you missed my introduction, I'm Kassir'a. You are?" She walked toward him, a hand resting atop the head of the wolf that trotted at her side. The closer she got, the more apparent details were.

As she moved, she lifted her free hand and conjured clothing--though it didn't do much in the way of covering her. It was a dress, with her back and sides and stomach wrapped in transparent film. Her arms were wrapped the same way, with a cloak of glittering gold trailing behind her. Her long legs could be seen through the same transparent film that wrapped her elsewhere.

As she drew close to his hiding spot, she offered her hand to him, expressive eyes studying him with interest. He was actually kind of...cute. She'd never really noted whether the mortals she brought to her sister were attractive or not. Then again, they'd been food.

"I've taken my pound of flesh out of you already, so I'm letting it go. But try not to shoot me again, mm? Oh, and if you see a dragon that's such a dark red she's nearly black, don't shoot. That's my sister, and she is not nearly so forgiving a creature."

[Rhindeer]

Malak didn't answer her at first, because he was too busy watching her walk. You know, being she was naked and all. It was a rather distracting sight, and it was almost easy to forget that she'd been a dragon practically seconds ago. But soon clothing was covering her, though it left little to the imagination--not that Malak had to be imaginative, since he'd gotten a good look at everything!

How...odd.

Was it wrong for him to look at her like that? Considering she could shapeshift? Was that some sort of bestiality, finding a dragon-woman attractive? Or did it not count because she was a person-to-dragon shifter? Would the opposite count or not count? Guess this meant hunting her was off the table, because that would be murder--well, the murder of one of them, at least, considering the abilities she'd displayed.

He had a lot of very important questions.

But he asked none of them, instead clasping her hand with his own gloved one and hauling himself to his feet.

"Duly noted!" he said, brushing himself off as he straightened up. "Name's Malak, by the way, and--whoa."

He stopped, blinked at her, and raised both eyebrows. "You're bloody tall."

[Bree]

She liked the human, despite the first impression of a crossbow - wielding jerk. If she put a little extra sway in her hips, well...it would suit her purposes to have him see her as a woman, not an animal, so it was for totally altruistic reasons, definitely not because she thought he was in any way good looking.

Right.

She wasn't bothered by anything so trivial as modesty, but she found herself flushing a light pink at the look in his eyes. Despite all the memories in her head, she herself was inexperienced and new to seduction and the ways of man. However, she didn't plan on having him right there in the plains, and wasn't sure she'd have him at all, so that gave her plenty of time to review memories of her ancestors.

He introduced himself, and then seemed to notice her height for the first time. "Astute observation, Malak." She pulled her braid forward and began unwinding it, reclaiming the hand she'd offered to him. "My sister is only five feet, and voluptuous to boot." She sent him a glittering look from beneath her lashes. "Sometimes I find myself jealous of her." Were her sister there, Kassir'a would be called a liar for saying such a thing.

[Rhindeer]

"I'd say you have nothing to be jealous about," Malak said, arching a knowing eyebrow as he gave her another once over. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say there are plenty of women who'd turn green at the sight of you."

He paused, realizing how awkward that sounded, and quickly added, "Green with envy, that is! Not with, uh, illness. Envy."

Dammit. Seemed his head wasn't working correctly, and he knew for a fact it had nothing to do with the blow she'd given him--because his other head was working just fine! Perhaps the problem was that it wasn't his Northern head that was doing the thinking right now.

What could he say? He spent a lot of time alone in the wild. Wasn't everyday a dragon turned into a naked woman and made eyes at him! Sure, he'd heard plenty of old hunter's tales about that sort of malarkey, but that was all he'd thought they were.

Scratching at the stubble on the side of his cheek, he cleared his throat.

"And anyway, everyone likes different things as it is. I've always preferred my women on the taller side. I'd be afraid of hurting someone tiny like that."

[Bree]

His blundering words only cause amusement, and she inclines her head to hide a smile. "Thank you, sir Malak."

I'd be afraid of hurting someone tiny like that.

She slid her gaze down to his groin, and then back up to his face. "Mhm." Her hair finally fell free of its braid, and with a flick of her wrist, the threads woven through her hair vanished, along with her cloak. "Not much in the way of company out here. You must get lonely." She turns and walks a few feet away before settling easily to the ground. "Join me?" A relatively innocent question, and she even kept her eyes relatively free of less appropriate things. Kallu'shir grunted and trotted into the trees, earning a grin from his adoptive mother. "Be safe, my son." She called after his retreating tail.

[Rhindeer]

"It's a lonely profession, but it pays well," Malak agreed, answering her invitation by settling down on the ground next to her, one knee up with arm draped over it, his other hand braced against the ground. Part of him thought this might be a trick of some sort--she was being far too nice after he'd literally shot her!--but he reasoned that if she'd wanted to do more, she could have.

And after all, she wasn't the first non-human he'd met with. In his experience, some of the more long-lived races did have a tendency toward being a little more patient, and a little more forgiving of human stupidity. Humans were usually the ones with the grudges. He was no different there.

"Sooo," he said after a pause, looking her over. "We're really good here? That is, you and me? Forgive and forget and all that? You're really not angry? Because boy, let me tell you, I'm still feeling rather sheepish here." And then he paused and flashed her a wide grin.

"Get it? Because you're a dragon?"

[Bree]

"I would imagine so." She leaned toward him for a moment to move her hair out from under her, tossing it back and out of the way before settling back down. He still seemed nervous, questioning her and then making a joke, and she chuckled in response. "Yes, Malak." And to prove it, she attempted to press a soft kiss to his stubble - coated cheek.

She liked him. She wouldn't kill him and eat his carcass with her sister, which would probably relieve him had he known it had been a consideration in the first place. "I suppose you've been cheated out of a dragon carcass to sell. Sorry about that, but I think I enjoy being alive a bit more than I'd enjoy being an ingredient in a potion."

[Rhindeer]

Did she just...

Kiss him?

Malak blinked several times at that turn of events and reached up to lightly touch his cheek, as though that would confirm its reality. Huh! Guess she was one forgiving elf. He couldn't say he'd be so quick to kiss up to a guy that just tried to murder him--but then again, he supposed he was still friends with the blokes he'd traded punches with, sometimes in fun and sometimes in legitimate anger, so...he supposed if you could still be friends with a guy who broke your nose, you could forgive a guy who shot you with an arrow.

Or something like that.

Maybe he was thinking too much.

"To be honest," he said when he could speak again, giving her a crooked smile, "I think I prefer you better alive, too. Otherwise, I'd be carving up a smelly carcass right about now, elbow deep in offal, instead of talking to a pretty lady. So, you know. Ya win some, ya lose some."

He gave her a wink, and then cocked his head. "Also, just throwing it out there, but that kiss and make up thing? I'm totally down for that."

[Bree]

The human was apparently shocked at her gesture, but not offset by it--if anything, encouraged--and when he finally retrieved his tongue from wherever it had run off to after her kiss, he agreed that she was better alive. "Yes, I should think--not to come off as conceited, mind you--that talking with me would be more enjoyable than carving up a carcass," a grin flickered on her lips, and then, "though my sister would probably say the opposite." She loved Sche'zan'i, she did, but her sister wasn't exactly right in the head. Neither was Kassi, of course, but that's beside the point. His last statement made her chuckle softly, and she rose to her knees and moved closer to him.

"Good. Then you won't mind if I do this." With that, she proceeded to press her lips to his. A real kiss this time, instead of the chaste one she had previously given. Her first real kiss, actually, though undoubtedly it would not be her last. He amused her, this hunter, this mortal man. It was funny, really--he had to think her experienced, perhaps centuries old, yet she's barely twenty. He couldn't be too much older, but still she had to wonder how surprised he'd be if she told him. One of her slender hands reached up to frame his face, her thumb moving gently across his cheek. Then she pulled back, her eyes downcast and shy, a light dusting of pink across her pale, tattooed face.

[Rhindeer]

If this is a trick, then let me play the fool, Malak thought as her lips closed on his, for she hadn't thought she was serious about that and had only been half-serious himself. But hey! Far be it for him to complain if a pretty woman wanted a make-out session--or more--though he usually found those sorts of hookups at seedy taverns with far less classy people.

This, definitely, was a first on many levels.

He pressed into her kiss and was surprised that, despite her boldness, confidence, and obvious lack of prudery, she kiss felt rather timid, unpracticed. When she pulled back, he didn't miss the way she blushed and looked away, and something clicked in his mind. For such a fierce creature--person!--she was certainly shy in this area. Perhaps it was her first time kissing a stranger?

It couldn't be her first time kissing at all!

With an amused smile, Malak took her chin in his hand and turned her face back toward him. "Don't kiss many hunters, do you?" he asked playfully, before he brought his mouth back to hers, their lips almost touching. "I certainly don't mind fixing that."

And then he pressed his lips to hers, his own kiss bolder, deeper, as he nibbled and lightly sucked on her lips. His hand went from her chin to the side of her neck, drawing her hair out of the way the process before resting there so his fingers could stroke along her ear.