The numerous roars and growls interrupted all of a sudden as the sound of claws scratching the tough rocky surface and the flutter of wings slowly became dimmer as the two mates left the cave. Realizing that his parents finally prepared to do the thing which they awaited for ever since they were split, Sinedar placed his head on his paws, thinking about the recent events he had endured.
The clumsy attempt of a hunt, which lead to Serkath's arrival and then to the crash that could have cost him his life was still vivid in Sinedar's mind as he pondered upon it, thinking how it should have been if he spent his time with his parents. Although his age was still frail and he was mature enough to fend and provide for himself, Sinedar was still very attached to his parents.
With his mind drifting towards the two dragons that nurtured him with their care and gentleness ever since he was a hatchling, Sinedar couldn't help but feel the frail yet noticeable grip of loneliness as he sat there by himself.
A joyful squeak forced the golden dragon out of his trance, who stood up in response for the high pitched sound that came from nearby. In front of him, an emerald colored hatchling sat on her haunches, her sparkling verdant eyes staring at him intently. The hatchling squeaked once again and ran towards Sinedar with all the speed she could muster, fluttering her tiny wings in the process. Sinedar lowered his head to meet with her emerald head, and the moment they made contact, her little tongue poked out of her mouth and began to lick at his snout frantically while numerous squeaks of happiness continued to sound through the cave.
I almost forgot you were here, little one, he said with affection while nuzzling her soft neck scales. Verana could hardly stay in one place as she moved around Sinedar's snout, showing for him with gentle touches of her snout and tender licks using her tongue that, due to her age, was not as rough as her brother's.
The golden dragon hummed with happiness due to the extravagant greeting of his sister, who had yet to cease in touching his snout with hers. However, as much as Sinedar liked the affection displayed by his sister and wished this moment would never end, his tired body ached and his legs almost threatened to give up. With hesitation, Sinedar raised his head, interrupting the contact, much to his sister's displeasure. Without knowing the cause of his actions, Verana threw him a puzzled look, adding a low squeak to emphasize her confusion.
I deeply care for you and I wish we could stay together more, but my body aches and tiredness is quickly numbing down my senses, he growled faintly. Too young to understand something, Verana showed no signs of interest in meaningless words for now, so she squeaked sharply, apparently offended by her brother's action.
After she let out another high pitched squeak, she circled a few times in front of him, squeaking and jumping in the air while fluttering her wings to convince her brother to pay attention to her. Sinedar looked at her briefly and exhaled loudly as the urge to rest slowly overcame his senses.
Due to Sinedar's lack of reaction, Verana suddenly stopped and dropped on her haunches, staring at Sinedar through saddened emerald eyes while her tail slowly swished from side to side. Pleased with the temporary silence, Sinedar walked towards the deeper parts of the cave. His unsteady legs almost caused his belly to make contact with the ground were it not for a fast intervention that prevented it. A squeak coming from behind, followed by the familiar sound of claws clicking on the stone reminded Sinedar of his pestering sister, who probably remained behind as the golden dragon increased his pace.
Sinedar's moment of silence was short lived, for another squeak accompanied by the familiar flap of wings reached the golden dragon's ears. Shortly after, Verana was behind him, squeaking in annoyance at his brother's actions. She had no plans to be left alone, and Sinedar settled with the thought of being followed by his sister for the time being. Maybe she just wants to accompany me to the nest, he thought with a bit of doubt.
The tight entrance to the cave and what followed after paled in comparison to the whole size of the cave's interior. As Sinedar moved deeper, the cave seemed to expand, offering more and more room that complemented the apparent lack of space. This cave had only one entrance, so there was no wet air current that could bring the cold air in during winter, making it the ideal place to raise a healthy family. Due to his enhanced eyesight, Sinedar could difference the ragged, uneven walls which were impaled by different rocky protrusions and the high ceiling of the cave was decorated with sharp-long-rock-sticks that seemed to come out of the rock itself.
Different corridors that were more stretch contrasted with the wider ones that forked along, leading into the deeper parts of the cave. Sinedar's parents decided to build a nest in a place where the corridor had naturally ended so the warmness which had gathered during the cold winter days would be easily preserved. After a few short moments of walking, Sinedar finally reached what he searched for. In front of him there was a pile of branches, grass, hay and leaves, a mass that was supposed to look like a nest. However, after Verana's hatching, the nest lost all of its purpose. Now it was just the most comfortable location to sleep, and it was always contested by the tired dragons that enjoyed the soft bedding.
The desire to rest forced Sinedar to increase his pace, leaving his sister behind as if she was not even there. The moment he sat atop the nest, the branches cracked under the weight that pressed them to the ground. Wasting no time, Sinedar dropped into the comfortable nest and curled his body, a growl of pleasure escaping him as his belly made contact with the cushy surface.
Facing towards the entrance of the corridor, the golden dragon could see Verana, which was swiftly approaching him. By the looks of it, she was definitely not happy, and this could spell trouble for the tired dragon that only wanted to get his well deserved moment of peace. His fears were unfounded, when Verana slowly approached him. After she nuzzled his snout gently, Verana sneaked her body under Sinedar's wing and made her way towards his belly, where she curled into a ball. I was mistaken to judge you so hastily, growled Sinedar with love as he craned his neck to reach for his sister, nuzzling her. Now that Verana would not bother him, and with his parents away to express their love in a different way, Sinedar placed his head on his paws and fell asleep shortly after.
Pain…pinch… was it a dream? Usually, one could not experience pain while sleeping, yet Sinedar felt something. He slowly opened one golden eye before it happened again, the stinging sensation causing him to instinctively repel the source of the annoyance through a soft growl. Now that he was roused from his sleep, the dragon could notice the culprit behind this ridiculous attack as he slowly turned his head around. The emerald hatchling squeaked in amusement and moved towards his side, planning something else as she left his field of vision. With his vision still unclear due to the unexpected awakening that ripped him from his moment of relaxation, Sinedar looked around to find and put an end to the troublesome sensation. His tail twitched as he felt a sting at the base of it, the bothersome feeling alerting his senses that seemed to recover from the premature awakening.
Without a warning, the golden dragon turned his head around and snarled in irritation at his sister, revealing rows of sharp teeth that instantly instilled fear into Verana's heart. The hatchling backed away and covered her head with a velvety wing at the imminent attack.
However, it never came as Sinedar merely wanted to show his frustration to his sister, not hurt her. The method was quite elementary but effective, and the result was instant. However, a niggling sensation did not cease to trouble him as he looked upon the small form of his sister. Realizing that the little dragon was probably horror struck by the reckless answer dictated by his emotions, Sinedar lifted his body slowly and neared his sister, nuzzling the wing that covered her head. How mistaken he was.
As soon as his snout closed in, Verana lashed out with her claws, scratching in between his nostrils with her sharp claws. Sinedar hissed, both in anger at her foul trick and the throbbing pain that followed soon after. Because the sensitive area on his snout offered little protection, a thin layer of blood slowly made its way down his scales before it splashed onto the cave floor, the strong metallic smell of blood overpowering his sense of smell.
Roaring threateningly, Sinedar spat his dislike at his sister like she was an enemy that needed to be intimidated in order to surrender. A squeak of submission came from the little dragon, who immediately acknowledged her brother's fury. Crouching in defeat, Verana trudged her body slowly towards Sinedar, nuzzling his snout briefly before she rolled on her side to prove that this time, she was bearing no ill intentions.
Accepting her gesture of submission, Sinedar growled faintly and closed his eyes, drifting into sleep before he even had the time to think about his parents.
This was about it folks. The next chapter will pick up from where this one left and it will feature a heart-warming moment between Sinedar and his mother.