Lance took a deep breath; his target in sight. A big buck, maybe the leader of this pack was not that far away. He had enough meat on him to last a little bit, even with as many people as he had to feed. "Focus, Lance." It was starting to get cold. Night was approaching rapidly, and Lance didn't want to spend another night camped out in the mountains. Not when he knew his family was counting on him to bring home at least a little bit of meat for everyone to enjoy.
He did his best to suppress a shiver as he pulled out an arrow. Nights were always too cold, and he hated it. Lance took a deep breath, trying to stop his shivering. It wouldn't do to have his aim suffer because he was shaking. After a moment, he aimed, taking extra caution about where he'd be firing. He had to be certain with his shot, or this would all be for nothing. Lance took another deep breath. "Focus…" It would take just a moment.
So he thought. Even as Lance aimed, he saw a flash of red. It was something that definitely wasn't an animal. It only took Lance a moment to figure out just what (who) it was. "Keith!" Oh… Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Yelling only startled the animals, causing them to bolt. "Shit…" Lance mumbled, shaking his head.
"Oh. Just great job there, Lance!" Keith scowled, his arms crossed. "You scared them all away! What were you thinking? Oh, wait. Don't answer that. I know. You weren't thinking! Because you never do!" He huffed and started towards Lance, glaring as he did.
Lance frowned and set his bow down, not wanting to ruin it in this encounter with Keith. "What was I thinking? What were you thinking? For one thing, we're hunting, and you have a knife. A knife of all things! Secondly, I've been tracking this group for a long time now. You should have found your own! Get out of my space!" He crossed his arms and took a step towards Keith, frowning. Why did Keith always seem to put him in such a bad mood?
"This is a mountain, Lance. It doesn't belong to you." Keith's glare only intensified. "And I've been tracking this group. Says something that you didn't notice me 'till now." He scowled as he stepped in front of Lance.
"Yeah? Well… Well you didn't notice I was here either!" He leaned down glowering. Why did Keith always have to rile him up? It wasn't fair. "That must mean I'm a better hunter than you. After all, you didn't see me until I started yelling at you." He grinned, feeling good about that. Sure, he was taunting Keith, but what harm did that ever bring?
Maybe it wasn't actually a good idea to taunt Keith, considering the other practically slammed their foreheads together when Lance finished speaking. "I didn't notice you" he started, voice quiet, yet threatening, "because I was actually focused on hunting. If you had been focusing, then it wouldn't have mattered that I was there. Because you would have been hunting!" He almost seemed genuinely angry about it. Keith probably was.
Lance glared. He glared because maybe Keith had the tiniest little bit of a good point there. If he hadn't yelled, and ignored Keith and actually hunted, then he'd have something to bring back to his family. Sure, Keith wouldn't have something eat, but that would be his problem. Besides, this mountain was free for everyone to use, so Keith could have kept hunting. However, Lance also glared because of how close Keith was. He could see Keith's eyes, and how they were a soft grey that almost appeared violet. Keith's eyes were full of emotion. Lance didn't want to see it, so he did the only thing he could think of. He spit in Keith's face.
In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best thing to do. Not when Keith was so close. Not when that emotion in Keith's eyes all turned to anger. "What the hell, Lance?!" Keith's voice wasn't quiet anymore. He was yelling, He was angry. Lance didn't even get a chance to answer before he felt something him hit. Keith hit him. His hand was curled up in a fist, and was extended slightly to show where he had hit Lance.
"Oophf!" Lance doubled over, clutching his gut. He really should have just taken a step back, or laughed it off, or anything other than spitting in Keith's face. He just had to spit in Keith's face instead of literally anything else. As soon as Lance caught his breath, he acted. He didn't even think about what he was doing. He just jumped at Keith, using both hands to push him to the ground. A bit of rocky footing meant he fell down on top of Keith, but that didn't stop the flash of satisfaction Lance felt when he successfully attacked the other.
Keith groaned in pain when he landed on the ground and the rocks digging into his back. Lance's entire weight on top of him didn't help. "Get the fuck off of me!" Keith was angry. He knew fighting wouldn't fix anything, and wasn't the way to go. Yet he brought his knee up, aiming to get Lance off of him. His eyes flashed with satisfaction when he got Lance's side, only to be disappointed when it didn't knock Lance off of him. Lance groaned before glaring at Keith. Oh… It was on. Lance didn't think about anything before curling his hand into a fist and punching Keith. It was satisfying when his hand connected with Keith's face. A part of Lance hoped he had broken the other's nose.
Keith wanted to knock that stupid, smug look right off of Lance's face. The best way to do that would be to get the upper hand. Lance had, stupidly in Keith's opinion, lowered his guard after the punch, which made it easy to roll to the side, knocking Lance off. Keith quickly bounced to his feet, and wasted no time before he kicked Lance. Lance howled in pain and clutched his eye. Keith stared for a moment, surprised. He hadn't meant to get Lance's face, but it what the other deserved for spitting in his face and then punching his face.
"Fuck you, Keith!" His mother was going to kill him when he came home with a black eye and nothing to eat. This really had been a terrible idea, hadn't it? He insulted Keith too. That was not the smartest thing he could have done. Not when Keith still had the high ground, and was easily able to kick him again if he wanted to. Keith probably would have left him alone if he hadn't spit Keith's face too. Well, he wasn't going to back down. Not yet.
Lance was trying to figure out what he wanted to do when he noticed the weather. Usually, there were tells about how the weather was going change. It'd be a gentle roll. Winds would change, slowly as the weather came to its next form. He had always been able to tell when the weather would change, which is why he hunted instead of his siblings. Now though, the clouds rolled in fast. Thunder was rolling. It was, in Lance's opinion, a very unnatural storm. He didn't have time to think about it, seeing as Keith was yelling again.
"I should be the one saying that to you!" Keith's glare intensified, and he crossed his arms again. Lance could have gotten up, but he was trying to think of what to do. "I got upset because you scared away all the animals! Then, for no reason what so ever, you had to spit in my face!" He huffed and pulled his foot back, getting ready to kick Lance again. However, Lance noticed the light gathering in the sky, above them. Lance knew that sign, and it wasn't good.
He didn't think. Lance just acted. He rolled to the side, and into Keith, causing them to both tumble away, and over the edge of a small hill. Keith cussed as they tumbled down the slope. Bits of rock and twigs tore at their clothes and got stuck in their hair. It was probably more painful than whatever their fighting had been, considering dirt got into their cuts too. It was a good thing that Lance had gotten them both to move, seeing as not a moment later, lightning struck the spot they had been standing. Both Lance and Keith's ears rung with the sound of thunder. Small fires clung to whatever small branches and shrubs hadn't been completely blown away or destroyed.
While he waited for his hearing to return, and the ringing in his ears to stop, Keith stood and brushed himself off. He pulled the twigs and branches from his hair and scowled, shaking his head. When he had finished, he offered a hand to Lance, so he could help him up. "You…" He could hear his own voice, which meant Lance probably could. "…Saved me. Thank you, Lance."
Lance blinked a couple of times, before nodding and taking Keith's hand, glad for the help. "Yeah… No problem." He shook his own head now, and ran a hand through his hair before speaking again. "I noticed it was gathering and well, I couldn't just let it hit you too." He shrugged his shoulders before glancing back up the slope. "Bet'cha I can get back up there before you could!" Lance didn't even give Keith a chance to respond before he started to scramble back up the slope.
"Huh? Lance, wait!" Keith frowned before scrambling up after Lance. The other laughed when he reached the top before Keith, like he had obtained a victory. "You can't say you won. You were halfway up before I had time to process anything," Keith huffed, wanting to wipe the smirk off Lance's face. It wasn't working.
"Aww. You're jealous. Don't worry, babe. I know I'm amazing." Keith could only roll his eyes at Lance's antics. Yeah sure. Lance amazing? That was hilarious. Keith almost said something, wanting to shut Lance up but, unfortunately, Lance started speaking again before Keith could get a word in. "Oh look!" He laughed as he stared at the spot. "The lightning unearthed some gemstones!"
"I… Really don't think that's how lightning works, Lance." Keith frowned, but Lance was right. The lightning had already blown away some of the branches and bushes, so it wasn't a stretch to say it had blown away some dirt, revealing the gems. It had to, seeing as there was what looked to be a ruby and sapphire sitting there. They were honestly beautiful. Keith had never seen an uncut gem so smooth or rounded. It didn't seem natural. Keith still wanted one though, and reached for the closer gem, which was the sapphire.
Lance slapped his hand away and snatched both stones, shaking his head. "Nuh-uh. These are mine. My sisters would kill for jewelry made with the stuff. Plus! I can sell the extras and buy some meat." Since he had scared away all the deer. Whoops. Well, anything that was left in the area would have run when the lightning struck anyway, so he didn't see it as a loss. "Besides, I totally saved your life. So I deserve both gems as a reward."
Keith rolled his eyes and sighed. Typically Lance. Always thinking he was more deserving than he was. "Yeah. Sure. You did. However, if I hadn't been here, you would have gotten the meat and been on your way. Then you wouldn't have found the gems at all. So let me have one." Which one he got didn't matter. He didn't care.
"I guess… I guess. There's a point there." Or maybe he would have gotten both anyway. Or maybe he would have been so focused on the animals that he wouldn't have noticed the unnatural lightning. The storm was already gone, and it never even fell. "Fine. Fine. I'll give you one. But I get to choose which." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. Keith had reached for the sapphire first, so Lance handed over the ruby.
"You do know you're an idiot, right?" He sighed as he held the stone, and frowned as his fingers brushed the surface. Something felt off. "It's like it's breathing…" That was strange. "What about your sapphire?"
Lance's eyebrows knit together as he held his sapphire. He was concentrating on it, and just holding it. "I… Yeah. I think it is breathing. Gems don't breathe though, Keith." He was scared. This… This wasn't how things were supposed to go. "Keith… The lightning wasn't natural. The clouds gathered too fast, and now there's nothing."
"So… What?" Keith raised an eyebrow, not sure what Lance was getting at. So what if the lighting wasn't natural? "Wait… Shit. Magic?" That was impossible. Only the Galra Empire had access to magic. Anyone else was gone; taken to join the Galra Empire or else just disappearing. "These gems aren't magic, are they? Lance, we can't keep them!" He shook his head, hands clutching the ruby tight. "The Galra Empire will be after these, and us too if we have them!"
Lance frowned and looked down at his sapphire. It practically hummed under his fingers. It called to him. It was asking, no, begging him not to go. Not to leave it or abandon it. It wanted protection from the Galra Empire. It was afraid, and that fear shook Lance. It took over, making him shake and shake his head. "We… We can't." He just barely gasped out. "The Galra… They can't have these. Too afraid. Bad things. I feel it." It was down to his core. "We need to protect them."
"You're crazy." Keith spoke without hesitating. The gems, afraid? That was ridiculous. Though, they were magic. Who said they didn't have some sentience? Some knowledge of what was going on in the Galra Empire? Knowledge of what the Empire wanted to use them for? Keith couldn't help but shiver. There were traces of fear in the ruby he was holding, begging him not to go and not to abandon it. "I… Damn it." He shook his head. "You're right. We can't just leave these gems. That's so annoying."
Lance grinned at that, nodding. "Yeah. So… We gotta hide these. No selling them or making jewelry or anything." But where? "Hiding this sapphire will be hard for me though. There's too many people at my house. It'd be found almost immediately." He sighed and ran his hand over the sapphire, almost calming it. He didn't want to leave it though. He couldn't leave it alone for someone else. He had to have it.
"Well, just hide it away from your house? Like in the woods somewhere or… Keep it with you in a rucksack or something." Keith sighed and shook his head again. At least he didn't have a problem like Lance did. His own place was rather empty. It was no problem keeping his stone safe and away from prying eyes. Thank goodness. "Or just leave it here. It's your call really, Lance."
Lance frowned and looked down at the sapphire. "Right… Yeah. I think… I'll keep it with me. A rucksack seems good. Or… Or something." His fingers brushed against the sapphire, and he closed his eyes so he could just feel its life. Keith frowned as he watched… Though the warmth under his own fingers was so comforting and calming.
They stood in silence now. Neither boy moved. There was nothing to say or do. The warmth of the gems encompassed them. It filled with a sense of purpose. But… What purpose? What did these sentient gems want them to do? Go against the Galra Empire? They'd be killed before they set foot outside of their village. Keith struggled to move. He had to get home… Figure out something to eat, but it was like his feet were rooted to the ground.
"Shit!" Lance yelped and dropped the sapphire before rubbing his hands together. His eyes were wide. "What the fuck dude? This thing is freezing now!" His hands felt like ice, and no matter how much he rubbed them together, they wouldn't warm up.
Keith raised his eyebrow, but before he could say anything, he yelped and dropped the ruby. "What the fuck is right!" His wasn't freezing but… Keith looked at his hands, and the burns that snaked across his fingers. The smell of burnt cloth was there too. Keith had no doubt that it was from his gloves.
Keith and lance glanced at each other, unsure of what to do before glancing down at their gems. The gems that were practically pulsating with energy. They were shaking, and cracks appeared on their surface. Lance's eyes were wide and panicked, and Keith could only stare.
Neither of them could say anything as the gems, the eggs broke open, and tiny reptiles clawed their way out. One was red and one was blue, matching the eggs' shells. Both reptiles made a crooning noise in the back of their throats before awkwardly jumping to them. Lance and Keith instinctively caught them, and as they did, one word entered both of their minds.
Dragons.