Disclaimer: Not mine. No happy bishies for me, so I'll have to be conent playing with them in my writing. No harm meant. ^_^
Oh, and I don't like the title, either. ^_^
~*~Death and the Dragon: Prologue~*~
Justice slipped inside his lair, carefully settling his black scaled, sinuous body on the pillows. He was tired and frustrated, and very much looking forward to a bit of sleep. He and two other Virtues had been called to deal with a territory dispute between the green and silver dragons, and the whole mess had left him with quite a headache.
Supposedly, a favored nesting site of the silvers, bordering the territory of the greens was the source of the problem. The greens had swooped in, trying to bully the mothers and hatchlings out of their homes, claiming that it had been discovered that the territory was within their boundaries.
Naturally, the mothers were worried for the safety of their hatchlings. Considering it was only just the beginning of the hatching season, the few that had hatched were not yet ready to be moved, and moving the eggs so close to their time of hatching would be dangerous as well.
Normally more peaceful and willing to compromise then the aggressive greens, this time the silvers would not budge. And so their dispute had been brought before the council
It was incidents like this that made him wonder why he'd ever agreed to become a Virtue in the first place.
Virtues were dragons chosen to serve as the representatives of the gods in the matters of mortals. Typically, one was chosen from each clan, though there had been instances where such was not the case. They were granted near immortality for as long as they chose to hold their office, and if was seen as a great honor among their kind to be chosen. Justice was beginning to think it was more of a nuisance then it was worth.
The dispute could have just as easily been solved by one Virtue as it could have three, and, in this particular situation, one might have been better. While the Virtues were supposed to be impartial in such matters, he had to admit that sending Honor and Patience, green and silver respectively, had been an error in judgment on the part of the council. Or perhaps they had meant it to be a lesson. One could never tell with the council.
The whole matter went straight to hell within a matter of minutes. Honor and Patience nearly came to blows in their anger, and it was all Justice could do to keep them and the other dragons present from an all out brawl. Luckily, at that point Wisdom, an old and highly respected white had wandered in, disrupting the argument and allowing Justice to end it swiftly.
It was decided that the nesting site would remain in possession
of the silvers, as it had been for many centuries past, and that in recompense,
the greens would be granted an extension of territory in the North. The
greens were hardly happy with the arrangement, and Justice imagined there
would likely be troubles related to this in the future.
Justice shook his head, banishing the thoughts lest he
get another headache just thinking about it. Yawning hugely, he shifted
his bulk slightly as he prepared for sleep. His eyes drifted closed. ::Sometimes
I think I should relinquish my status as a Virtue.::
Light laughter, followed by a solid whack on his snout, pulled Justice from his peaceful drowse. The dragon's eye snapped open, narrowing as he recognized his assailant. He wondered if it would be worth incurring the Gods' wrath for the pleasure of disemboweling the figure before him. Deciding against it, he settled on a malevolent glare.
Violet eyes sparkled in amusement. "Now, now. Don't look at me like that." Another laugh. "Besides, if you gave up your status as an immortal, you'd die, seeing as you've already lived three times as long as a mortal dragon."
Justice snorted. ::Then I'll remain a Virtue. Damned if I'll ever let you get your paws on my soul.::
Death smirked. "Wouldn't much matter. I'm retired. Got that nice little blonde kid to take my place."
Justice stared at him in surprise. ::Last I heard, the bearer of souls wasn't allowed retire::
Shrugging slightly, Death amended, "Well, not quite retired per se...more like an extended vacation of sorts. I imagine I'll be called back into service one day. However," he grinned, "that won't be for a very long time. Giving me that much more time to spend with you!"
Justice groaned and pulled a pillow in front of his eyes. ::Go away you little beast!:: While Justice would never admit it, he and the bearer of souls were friends after a fashion, and he rather did enjoy Death's company, infuriating as he could sometimes be. At the moment however, tired and irritable as he was, the thought of Death pestering him for the next century or two was not a pleasant one.
Settling down comfortably beside him, Death yanked the pillow away. "I have a proposal for you."
::No,:: Justice grumbled, sounding rather akin to a cranky toddler, ::I'm not going to marry you.::
Death blinked in surprise, then began to laugh, eyes tearing up as he leaned against the dragons head, giggling helplessly. "Oh, the council would have an absolute fit!" After a few moments the laughter began to subside, and Death wiped his eyes, smiling broadly. "I knew you had a sense of humor buried underneath all that grumpiness."
::I am not grumpy. You are simply irritating. Now make your proposal and leave me be.::
"Temper, temper." Death admonished. "You, my dear friend, are as bored with the squabbles of your kind as I am with the politics of the gods. Don't bother to deny it, I know you are. So, Here's what I propose. A game."
Justice blinked, curious in spite of himself ::What manner of game?::
"A game of...tag, I suppose you could call it."
Something about the way his eyes glittered told Justice that Death meant no simple child's game. ::The rules?::
Mischievous smile curling his lips, Death settled himself comfortably among the pillows once more and began to explain.