Dreamer stared wondrously at the absence of the thing he was looking at.
Not that it was an absence, really. It was more like… staring at a reflection in still water. Rock formations, the horizon, anything that drew a line in the background all ended abruptly, as if someone had cut a shape out of a painting and stuck it on top of a different one. He could see lines in the rock and such, they just didn't match what was behind it, and were warped and a little blurry. Very obvious up close, but almost imperceptible from even a short distance.
But the strangest thing was that he couldn't see himself. He was certain it was a reflection, because he could see other things around him, but it didn't reflect himself. It was as if the reflection warped in the middle, he had to get fairly close and flare his wings to see any black. It did not hide the Lightstriker's eyes, bright blue orbs floating in the air, but when she blinked there was practically nothing visible.
Rising faded back into view, and he realised he was a little closer than was respectful for an alpha of the nest, staring at her side, his head practically under her wing… not that she herself observed such boundaries. "Thank you," he purred gratefully, stepping back. "That very interesting. How long you can do that for?"
She purred back to him, visibly unbothered by his proximity. "We choose how long. We use fire to fade, but that only make it easier. Most not can fade without fire." He gaped at her, fascinated all over again, as she started disappearing again from the tip of her nose, the mirror coating creeping slowly up her face. But it was slow and clearly took a lot of focus for her to do, and she let it recede before it even reached her ears.
"It is useful," she hummed, walking to the edge of the rock shelf they were on to gaze out over her nest.
By Dreamer's best guess, about forty mated pairs were engaged in various activities around the mountain, some in small groups. Far below, Wanderer wrestled with a duo of females while the others looked on, none of it even remotely serious and looking very fun… The eighteen unmated males from the previous light were nowhere to be seen; which didn't necessarily mean they weren't there, but it was more likely they were just off doing something elsewhere.
"Useful for killing Long-Paws?" he guessed, doing his best to keep any accusation out of his voice.
"Filthy things," she spat, baring her teeth and tensing her wings. "They know they not should come here. But sometimes they try."
Hearing her words for it, Dreamer was suddenly struck by her perspective, so obvious in hindsight. She was just protecting her pack, her nest, and their land, in the only way she could. What peaceful options did she have? He knew better than any dragon exactly how stubborn Long-Paws were. "We found the nest they tried make," he rumbled. "Killed while they slept."
She huffed and flicked her wings, tail twitching agitatedly. "That was two hot-seasons past. They had many big claws, bad things that shoot further than our fire. Was too dangerous. Even I not knew what we should do…"
The sheer hopelessness with which she spoke was piercing, and he hated how she drooped, how vulnerable she sounded. He hesitated, a dozen outcomes flashing through his mind, but took the chance and shuffled over to put a wing over her; she was pleasant company, someone he definitely saw himself being friends with, and he didn't think Breaker would take offense to that.
Rising purred and lifted her head. "Not was all bad. One light, many just… left. Took their claws, also their shooting-things, went back to their territories. We were swift."
He needed to think about this. There had to be a better way to protect their territory without resorting to just murdering everyone in cold blood; only, everything he could think of on the spot suffered the same problem, that Long-Paws were exceptionally good at communicating and absolutely atrocious at listening. Rising's response had been vicious, but he could not blame her for putting the safety of her pack first.
"Killing them not will keep them away always," he said sombrely.
"I know that," she sighed, drooping again. "This is my fourth hatching. I have seen many seasons. Long-Paws always needed reminding they not can nest here, but now…"
"They have things now they can use for fighting," Dreamer guessed, and she wearily grunted affirmative. "You not can use your fire?"
She huffed, then fired out over the nest, and for the first time he got a good look at a Lightstriker's fire. Like his own it launched itself from her mouth, the recoil rocking her body. But while his fire was tidy and angular, like the head of an arrow, her fire was a writhing streak of pure energy that snarled as it flew out over the nest. It detonated maybe only a dozen body-lengths away, a bright blue flash preceding a massive ball of fire.
"Your fire not like mine," he whispered, awestruck. He recognised it as the same plasma, and… somehow knew that it was similar to when he and Wanderer had fought Drago's Bewilderbeast, that same volatile state. Similar, but whatever mechanisms controlled and fired it were inferior in all ways except sheer power.
"Not can fire further than that," she rumbled, gesturing out to the dissipating wisps of smoke. "Also only can fire two. Four, maybe five if made smaller."
Somehow, that wasn't all that surprising. "You need get close," he observed; she had half the range of the average ballista or net thrower. "Too close."
"I not know what we will do when they return," she sighed. "Hope they leave again. Maybe fight them. Their floating-things are easy to break, but if they walk…"
That explained the lack of ships in the region too; every competent helmsman knew to avoid the routes that swallowed ships without a trace. "Tell me if any come while we here," he requested.
"What you know about Long-Paws?" she asked sceptically, narrowing her eyes up at him.
"Wanderer… We… were separated from our sire, dam. I never knew them. He raised me, far north from here. But cold-seasons there… we nearly not survived."
"You say you grew in nest," she hummed curiously, "but I not knew how you never know another Nightstriker… Also you have same scent. That very strange."
He rumbled, impressed. "Yes. I was weak, then we were hurt. He… hatched me again also, with his body. Then Long-Paw nest helped us. We nested there for much time."
"I not know Nightstrikers could do that…" Her gaze drifted away, eyes wide and thoughtful, staring into the distance. "You know Long-Paws," she said quietly. "You not needed fight them?"
"Some," he chuckled fondly. "They… can be stupid, sometimes. But they learned our words, also we learned theirs."
"Stay here always," she murred, pressing herself to his side and rubbing herself against his shoulder and neck. "Please… You be alpha, you can protect us."
He laughed nervously, shuffling his paws. "I left that nest so I not needed be alpha. I not want that."
"Nobody want be alpha," she huffed, settling back down and going back to staring down over the nest, at the Lightstrikers dotting the rocks and flying around. "I not even remember how I became alpha."
"Need do much as alpha," he agreed.
She glanced quizzically at him with a scoff. "Then you were terrible alpha. Alpha not need do much. Only say when need fight." A warm purr rumbled against his side. "Also greet Nightstrikers."
"Not was that simple," he huffed. "Why you like Nightstrikers?" He asked the question impulsively, enjoying talking with a female without freezing up or anything; he didn't even feel any trepidation at the likely response to his question.
"Why not," she purred deeply, burying her nose in his shoulder and deeply inhaling. "You so big, so strong… You also very strong for Nightstriker, many scar-scales, mmrrrr, also strong claws, strong teeth for holding…" She trembled, then stood and shrugged his wing off. "I need find my mate," she said breathlessly, then dropped from the shelf and spread her wings, quickly becoming another white shape drifting on the wind blowing through the mountain; albeit one moving much faster than the others.
Dreamer watched her go, lost in thought. She clearly found him attractive, but was perfectly happy taking it out on her mate… No wonder Breaker didn't take issue with her interest in Nightstrikers.
Here he was, thinking about mating, and not totally freezing up! Spontaneously spurred with confidence, he stood and dropped from the shelf, dropping low into the nest and pulling up just short of the ground. Gliding around the slight curve of the step, he gradually flared his wings to slow, then dropped into a blustery landing in the middle of the group of females crowding around Wanderer. "What you doing?" he asked excitedly as everyone looked to him, faces lighting up.
"Playing hunting!" a nearby female barked, then crouched and waggled her hindquarters, eyes narrowing – she lunged and tackled him, dragging him to the ground and holding him in a decent pin by basically standing on him. "I caught you!" she crowed gleefully, chewing his shoulder and then lowering herself to lie on him, her warm underside pressing firmly down the length of his back… "You mine now."
Dreamer stared wide-eyed at the ground in front of his nose, his thoughts totally derailed by the intermittent pressure of her breaths on his shoulder, her purring rumbling through him, her warm hindquarters pressing against his flanks, and a highly questionable feminine scent on her breath that wasn't even hers, trying to push away the mental images that came with it and remember what he'd done last time to… do… something…?
He couldn't even remember what he'd been thinking two minutes ago. All he knew was that this hadn't gone the way he'd imagined it would.
Wanderer descended into the nest in the warm afternoon light, eyeing the females worriedly. They looked more organised than usual, sat on the ground watching him and Dreamer and all carrying something silvery in their mouths…
"We fished for you!" one female crooned excitedly, muffled by the fish she was holding out for him to take.
He and Dreamer both looked around at the pawfuls of females eagerly waiting for them to take their fish. "We not can eat all these," Wanderer rumbled.
"Only ones you like," Shining said confidently, tilting her head and waving her fish enticingly.
She certainly wouldn't be one of the ones he took a fish from… but that still left far too many, and they were now all edging forwards, all looking completely confident that they wouldn't be one of those left out. Wrrr, not all, there were two… no, three, who looked downcast, almost miserable, not expecting their fish to be taken.
He looked helplessly to Dreamer, hoping he had one of his brilliant Dreamer ideas…
"That is much fish!" Dreamer barked excitedly, darting around to sniff at a few of them but not actually taking any. "Maybe we can eat all…" He rounded on Wanderer and growled challenge. "I will eat faster than you!"
Wanderer blinked at him. Where was he going with this? "How you eat more when your belly so small," he growled back, not understanding but flying on it anyway. "I bigger. I can eat much faster."
Disbelief, Dreamer barked, then pawed at the ground. "Put some fish here. We see who better."
The Lightstrikers hesitated. Wanderer did not, walking to the nearest uncomfortable-looking female and gently taking her fish, much to her disbelief and surprise. He then tossed the fish to land at Dreamer's paws. "You can eat already. I will catch up-"
That had them rushing forwards, depositing their fish in a pile and, when Dreamer was completely blocked off, surrounding Wanderer and making a pile of fish in front of him as well. Amazingly, nothing got squashed, though he and Dreamer had to shoo the females back to make room again.
"Wait," Dreamer huffed, "you have less fish."
Wanderer huffed, still not really following but trusting Dreamer and just playing the game. "Give me more then."
Dreamer hummed, inspecting his pile closely. "They different sizes also… I just not want you say you had bigger fish when I win." He paused, then glanced at the females. "Also there would be one left. Not can have same size pile."
That sounded like they were back where they started. The females were all watching the piles carefully, most probably knowing which fish was theirs. "I think I will win because you not can decide how eat your fish."
"Just put them all here," Dreamer grumbled, pawing his pile forwards…
Some of the females started looking alarmed, while others sighed or drooped, and Wanderer finally figured out what he was doing. All that just to mix the fish up without them complaining about it. He probably should have just told them to put them in a pile… maybe. That might have been a bit confrontational, they had all looked so certain in their plan.
He shook his head and pawed at his own pile, mixing the fish as he pushed them towards Dreamer's, until there was a single pile of nondescript fish with no way of telling which was from whom. "Now we eat," he growled, and grabbed the nearest fish.
The first and second disappeared down his throat, just the two soothing his hunger. They were not small, the females clearly having hunted the largest ones they could find, and there was no way he was making it past maybe seven or eight. But they had to at least look convincing or this would backfire, and that would mean…
He smirked and slowed down, sitting back and taking his time to eat the third. "I not need win," he explained casually to the nearest female as he slowly took his fourth. "Just get him too full for play, then I can have you all-"
Dreamer barked and leaped over the fish to tackle him, and they engaged in a semi-serious scuffle that probably looked fairly intense to these Lightstrikers who had likely never been in a true fight before. After exchanging pawfuls of strikes, Wanderer reared onto his hindlegs and Dreamer reared to meet him, putting them in a stand-off, claws digging into each other's shoulders and teeth bared to strike.
With neither giving the other any openings for several heartbeats, they pushed off each other and mutually ended the fight. Wanderer snorted, then gave himself a shake and stretched, pleased that he was full but not completely stuffed. That would have been annoying.
Some of the females had started milling about the rest of the fish, pawing at them and probably trying to find their own, as if they might recognise it. He rolled his eyes and turned his back on them, he had no interest in anyone like that.
The female he'd taken the fish from approached him timidly, head held a little low but her eyes staring widely up at him. "Thank you," she purred quietly. "I not wanted do that, but they not listened… They thought it would show them who you like."
Wanderer purred back at her, then leaned in to scent her. "I not remember your name," he admitted. He probably should, she was one of the much younger females, perhaps his own age or otherwise only a cold-season or two older.
"Soaring," she purred, her tail swaying happily behind her.
"I will remember this time," he promised. He wasn't too impressed with her having still gone along with the idea, he would be far more interested had she refused to participate, but she was very young and he didn't fully understand how things worked here. "You want fly with me, Soaring?"
He ignored the various reactions of surprise around him, purring warmly at Soaring's disbelief and exhilaration as she squeaked under her breath and bounced nervously on her paws. She was quick to follow him into the air, then touched their wingtips together as they levelled off and glided out over the fields.
Dreamer watched his friend fly off with a female, his heart twisted by a curious mix of pride, happiness, and a touch of envy. If only he himself could just turn to the nearest female and casually ask if they wanted to take a romantic flight somewhere…
He shook the thought from his head before it could give him too many ideas about where it might end. "What we do with these fish?" he asked nobody in particular, sniffing at the pile; he'd already eaten four, and that was more than enough.
"Could make males fight for them," someone suggested, laughing.
Dreamer rolled his eyes and ignored them. "Any fledglings here?" He hadn't actually seen any, though Lightstrikers were generally smaller anyway so it was possible he just hadn't recognised them.
"Yes, Pouncing," another female replied, using the sharp inflection indicating a name and the -ing suffix to denote a female. "But she will be sleeping now."
"Her sire, dam maybe not want you get close," another added.
Dreamer hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe they will want fish. Can offer." They might appreciate a meal delivered to them, having a fledgling to look after. And maybe they would be worried about the outsider approaching them and their fledgling… "Maybe you should come," he said to the two who had spoken.
"What we should do?" yet another female asked petulantly.
"We not be that long," Dreamer huffed, taking a pair of fish from the pile. "Maybe think what you should do with this," he said around them as the two females he'd picked out grabbed a fish each. "Eat if you want."
He followed into the air and flew up the big stepped plateaus that led up the inside of the mountain, towards the cave at the back where most seemed to sleep. There, the two females ducked into the entrance and delicately folded their wings, purring and beckoning him inside.
During that first night, they had slept near the entrance. This time they were leading him much further inside, towards the dark interior that he just noticed sloped up very slightly, and grew progressively warmer, though the rock remained cool to his paws.
As he was starting to wonder how deep this cave was, a white shape appeared in the gloom ahead, a Lightstriker with his wings held a little nervously. Dreamer warbled politely to hopefully put him at ease. "We bring fish," he said quietly.
"Why?" the male asked, eyes partially narrowed.
"We caught too much," one of the females with him chirped, sounding a little too happy about it. "Thought maybe you, your mate, your daughter want some."
The male turned to look behind him, his odd rounded ears twitching tensely, then seemed to relax… mostly. "She is sleeping," he said quietly, but beckoned them further in. Dreamer felt his wings press to his sides and his gait change as he approached, little details to make himself appear smaller and less threatening.
He gave his fish to the male, who quickly tossed them back before taking one from one of the females and eating that as well – Dreamer was initially shocked, but only for a moment before realising he would probably bring it back up later. So weird… He took the third in his mouth, glared at the females, then beckoned to Dreamer and turned his back to lead him even further in.
Dreamer looked significantly to the two females, who didn't seem surprised or particularly bothered, then followed the male up the short incline. Almost immediately another white form became visible, this one curled up and resting. The cave was smaller here, and seemed to narrow to a point where this Lightstriker lay.
The male trotted ahead to give her the last fish, then exchanged a few quiet words, the conversation quiet and hidden behind his body. Then he stepped to the side, eyeing Dreamer carefully, while the female purred and lifted her wing.
Dreamer felt his eyes dilate, and crouched low to shuffle forward as far as he felt was respectable. He could only see the back of the little dragon curled up against her dam's side, the soft, continuous fin down her back rising and falling with her tiny breaths. She had to have hatched only a few sky-ice-cycles ago, barely the size of her Dam's foreleg… He caught sight of her little tail and his heart melted all over again, an adoring purr working its way through him.
The wing descended again, and he blinked, disappointed but understanding; he didn't want to disturb her. He gave the sire and dam a grateful purr, and they purred in reply, before he turned and silently trotted back towards the entrance. He was joined by the females, but barely even noticed, lost in thought.
As they emerged into the late afternoon light, an enquiring warble brought his attention to one of them staring at him, curious and a little concerned. He gave his head a small shake and purred. "Just thinking," he rumbled.
"About hatchlings?" the other female purred, sidling up against him.
He stopped and glanced at her, then sat on his haunches and stared out at the nest. "About when I was that big, with Wanderer. We not had sire, dam." He lifted a paw and held it above the ground, about three-quarters of the height of his foreleg. "We needed hunt tusked-land-prey this big. He would jump on its back, I bite its throat." He sighed and shook his head. "To see how big we were then…"
He trailed off, not even knowing what more to say. How neither of them had been grievously injured on those hunts was a mystery, but the most they had suffered was a bit of a beating.
Not even looking to see the females' reactions, he took a few steps to spread his wings, taking to the air and soaring above the nest, riding the thermals. That fledgling would live a good life here, protected and provided for by her pack, very safe and comfortable. The only way he himself could be a dragon was with the harsh life he had lived, it wasn't as if he could wish for anything to have been different… and yet…
A resolution settled within him. He wanted that. For himself, but it was too late for that, so for another instead. For one to give that to. He wanted to provide everything he had missed out on, so that another would not suffer as he had.
It made him… uncomfortably aware of certain parts of himself, things he would need to do. Some of it would even be very enjoyable. The first part… maybe not so much, in some ways, but he wasn't going to do anything without first finding the right partner; he knew too well the life of growing up without a dam.
Which put him pretty much right back where he'd started, but feeling better about it. He had an idea of the future, and a purpose beyond just following primal desire. He also had a better idea of what he was looking for here, someone strong, kind, and caring. Someone he enjoyed being with, for what were parents who were not affectionate with each other?
He looked down at the females, most staring up at him as he circled and thankfully giving him some space. He knew what to look for… but he also had eternity to find it. And he would feel awful if he found a mate and Wanderer didn't, the other Nightstriker was definitely more deserving… and Dreamer held hope he could observe, learn how Fury families worked before jumping into one himself.
Still, he resolved to learn about these Lightstrikers. It would take time, but he had an abundance of that.
He folded his wings and dove to the ground, where he landed amongst the females. The fish were gone, nice to see they hadn't been wasted, but the thought of their ill-thought plan still made him feel a little sour.
"You good?" one of the females asked – he had to catch her scent to recognise her as Searching.
"Yes," he said sobrely. "Was… just reminded of some things. Wrrr, what else you do here?"
"Play in sand," someone suggested happily, and there was a general hum of agreement.
Hrrr, he hadn't really paid much attention to the beach while passing over it, multiple times, as he'd flown out to fish. From memory it was fairly wide, a long stretch of sand backing up against a rock wall. "That sound fun," he agreed, then jumped back into the air to beat the rush. Once up, he glided around a long circle until they were all up with him, then flew in a loose formation over the lip of the wall, into the light of the sky-fire, and around the mountain.
His head swam, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut, just guided by the sounds and the air currents around him. It felt as if something was squeezing the top of his chest, but his thoughts were locked to the fact that he was the sole male flying with a veritable pack of females. And up here they were flat and streamlined, as opposed to on the ground where their wings, fins, tails, and legs were generally pretty good at obscuring… anything too exciting.
The subtle rhythm of wingbeats soon changed, and he chanced a peek to confirm they were descending down the back of the mountain towards the shore; he tried not to wonder too much about if the females at the back were staring at him the way he was trying not to stare at the ones ahead.
He relaxed somewhat as they swooped down to the beach, landing in the fine sand. Another group of Lightstrikers, probably the males by the looks of them, were further along, but neither group acknowledged the other's presence. Dreamer shrugged and pawed at the sand, curious – it was nothing like what he was used to, lighter in colour, very fine, and very dry.
"You not see sand before?" a nearby female purred as she brushed up against his side.
"Not sand like this," he mumbled, then took a long breath. For having been here a few days, he still was not accustomed to the contact, and his heart still beat erratically at the touch of her wing against his.
He shook his head, frustrated with himself. He had to get over this stupid anxiety, there was no reason for it! All it did was make it difficult to think, and pass time in a haze. He and Wanderer were still only getting up at early afternoon just because he needed to spend the night calming down and relaxing again.
The females were already engaging in various activities, though most were content to just lie on the warm sand; the afternoon was still young, and the sky-fire shone bright and fierce in the startlingly blue sky. Some ran through the shallow surf, a few wrestled in pairs, and two were very intently digging a hole.
"What you want do?" someone asked him, and he noticed every ear lift expectantly.
What did he want to do? The activities looked fun and engaging, but…
"We could play hunting," another chirped excitedly, then turned, her hindquarters and tail swaying enticingly. "You chase us… and catch us!"
He stared blankly at her. He would love to chase a female down, grab her flanks-
"Maybe something else," he mumbled, looking away and wondering if they could tell his ears were burning hotly. "I think I would catch you too easily."
Yet another female, though this one he recognised as Shining – she only really stood out because so far he liked her the least of them – purred haughtily, sauntering in front of him. "You think we easy to catch? Maybe we should chase you…" Oh no, that sounded almost as-
He blinked, and then a smile crept across his face. "Yes, you can try catch me," he agreed, then stretched his body and wings.
"What we get if we catch you?" Searching asked slyly amidst the chorus of purring.
"If someone catch you," Shining purred, "they can groom you."
Her expression said it would be a very thorough grooming, but she didn't realise she was only making it more difficult for them. Dreamer looked around for any objections, finding none, then chuffed agreeably-
And bolted, kicking up sprays of sand as he sped along the shore. The loose ground took a moment to readjust to, it had been a long time since he'd chased Wanderer around their little beach back on Berk and he was a lot larger and heavier now. All quickly accounted for in his stride.
He had been taking it easy these last weeks, but he had certainly not been lazy, and his body was still fit and toned. He got a little caught up in it, occasionally bouncing to sail over body-lengths of ground at a time, and when he glanced back, he was so far ahead that some of them had taken to flying and still hadn't caught up yet.
That wouldn't do, they had to think they had a chance. He trotted to a halt and turned to lie on his chest, crossing his front paws and panting lightly. The females flying after him carried straight on overhead, landing some distance behind him… That was smart of them. If they flew after him and forced him into the air, they would only be giving him another dimension to outrun them, and they wouldn't be able to hem him against the cliff or water.
Maybe a full minute passed before he needed to hop to his paws again, lightly trotting towards the water… then, when they angled to cut him off, he spun around and kicked up more sand as he ran around them in a wide arc. He admired them as they sprinted alongside him, their long, thin bodies stretching into each strong leap off the sand.
They were impressively quick and nimble, more so than he'd expected as they again angled to cut him off, forcing him even further around and closer to the sheer cliff. They even came close to catching him, one female passing within a body-length of his tail, but he had strength and motive to outrun them – although, at this stage, he decided if someone did manage to catch him he would concede the reward out of sheer respect.
He was soon regretting that conviction though, discovering they were quite intelligent in their hunting of him. They repeatedly boxed him in, working together, and on multiple occasions he only slipped away by the narrowest of margins. With their obscene numbers advantage making up for his superior speed, their only downfall was that they turned selfish at the last moment, each trying to cut off the others and ensure that they would be the one to grab him, and every time he abused the sudden discord.
The afternoon wore on. Dreamer had to have fled them for the better part of an hour, though that could be his exertion skewing his perception of time. He was panting now, stopping and taking short breaks where he could, though it was becoming easier. Some had dropped out, a few taking short rests but others in no state to continue chasing. To his satisfaction, Shining was one of the ones collapsed on her back, her chest heaving as she gasped for air; she had been fast, her confidence was well-placed, but her endurance was terrible.
They were wearing him down, but he was wearing them down in turn. More dropped out, and fewer of them chased him at a time, some moving to box him in and then merely trotting after him as he escaped, just looking for opportunity.
But, when most had all but abandoned the chase, he messed up. They were littering the beach like white traps, ready to grab him if he ventured too close, but he remained within the group as part of the game, darting around them. A pawful still doggedly pursued him, all spread out and forcing him into complex paths around those lying in wait. One female stuck to his tail, always spurring him on and limiting his options, but she was worn down and panting heavily.
And then, as he darted around one resting female that lunged for him as he neared, the one behind him suddenly leapt at him with unexpected speed, her exhausted gait snapping into something far faster and more efficient. He saw it in his peripheral, trapped, only able to push himself further-
Claws grabbed his hindleg and he faltered, pulled out of his stride, but reflex kicked in and he pulled the limb back and up, suffering a moderate stumble as the claws slipped off his scales. He just barely recovered, then narrowly dodged no less than three opportunistic lunges and splashed into the paw-deep edge of the surf.
A frustrated, disappointed howl sounded behind him, and he trotted to a halt, panting heavily. His pursuers had all given up the chase, also panting with their tongues hanging out and many collapsing onto their sides with defeated groans. That had been very close.
One of them stumbled towards him, her paws dragging. "I… caught you…"
A female lying nearby snorted. "How you eat if you catch prey like that?" Several others groaned their agreement.
"What your name?" Dreamer panted, walking back up to dry sand.
"Racing," she purred coarsely, pawing at the sand and glancing coyly at him. First Searching finds us, and now Racing nearly catches me… But then he remembered they were named, or named themselves, for their traits, so that made sense.
"Racing," he repeated, catching her scent on the breeze to remind himself of it, vaguely remembering when she had introduced herself on the first day; she had been coy then, too. "You not caught me," he agreed, and she groaned and dropped her head, "but…"
Maybe it was his exhaustion, perhaps the way his heart was skipping just talking to her, but he spontaneously leaned forward and licked her, just in front of her ears.
She moaned and shuddered, practically melting at the gesture, then purred deeply up at him. "Maybe," she said quietly, "I can lick you also…?"
He smirked wryly even as his ears folded back. Cheeky little… Muh, why not. He chuffed agreeably, not that committed to thinking over the next half hour anyway.
"Where I want?" she added hopefully, tail swaying. He blinked at her… then dropped to the sand, lying firmly on his front, before reluctantly chuffing again.
She leaned forward, and an entirely reflexive purr worked its way from him as she licked up his cheek. That had been… surprisingly chaste, he almost wished she had licked his neck or something now.
Adoring, she purred, giving him a light nuzzle. "I would love be with you," she murmured, quietly and subtly enough for only his ears, and then withdrew to trot away with a spring in her step.
He rolled onto his side, limply flopping to the sand. His thoughts hadn't seized, they had floated away on a gentle breeze, leaving him feeling warm and happy… Her scent clung to his nose – or maybe it was from where she had licked him – and his claws flexed with every inhale, digging into the sand.
All this time he had been suffering the affection that all these females were trying to show him, it wasn't the least bit surprising that the one who had been polite and respectful about it had been so much more effective… He wondered if it would be too forward of him to go find her and put a wing over her or something. Hrrr, probably… That was what these females had all tried to do with him at the start, and he still wouldn't appreciate it… from most of them. Then again, they would all probably love for him to just snuggle up against them, it wasn't as if he needed to win them over.
That thought snagged in his mind like a hook. But his headspace was otherwise pretty much empty, still revelling in Racing's scent, lacking the tools or motivation to poke at it. He instead halfheartedly tossed his head, shaking the thought loose and going back to fantasies he knew he wouldn't act on and just enjoying the warmth on his scales while he rested…
The sky-fire was losing its gloriously warm bite by the time Wanderer returned to the Lightstriker nest with Soaring. He looked around, wondering how Dreamer was faring with the rest of the females all on his own… but they didn't seem to be around.
At his enquiring warble, Soaring angled them back up and led around the mountain, lazily riding the updrafts rising off the rock. He gave his wings a few long, firm downstrokes, feeling a desire to stretch for all that he had been gliding around half the light.
A pawful of Lightstrikers in the air over the water tipped him off, and then they were gliding down to the beach, towards where Dreamer was lying in the sand; the other group further up the shore appeared to be the males, keeping their distance.
As they neared, he purred politely to Soaring before swooping down and speeding over the remaining distance, then kicked up gusts of sand as he backwinged into a landing next to Dreamer. "Why you sleeping?" he chided, prodding the prone Nightstriker.
Dreamer purred deeply, stretching and dragging his claws through the fine sand. "We did much running," he rumbled happily. "Then sky-fire was warm…" He lifted his head and lethargically looked around at the females lazing around them, starting to show interest now that he had returned; Soaring was talking excitedly to a small group, who listened intently. "Not much warm now…"
A scent distracted Wanderer, and he sniffed at Dreamer's cheek, surprised to find a female's scent. Dreamer had usually been fairly firm on them getting too close, and certainly wouldn't normally have just left it there like that. Wanderer couldn't quite remember the female's name… It was just at the edge of recollection, but she smelled a bit like Striker and his name was the only one coming to mind.
"Racing," Dreamer purred – that was it. Grrr, they were going to be here a while if he still could even remember their names. "She was very nice… Nearly caught me."
"She nearly caught you?" Wanderer rumbled, impressed. He resolved to get his own impression of her when he could.
"How your light?" Dreamer asked, rising to his paws, and then yawned widely.
Wanderer hummed noncommittally. "We flew. Soaring is nice, but she like slow, calm flights." He flicked his restless wings a few times. "We should fly when night. I need challenging."
"Maybe chase Searching again," Dreamer suggested with a light chuckle.
"Hrrr, maybe." He didn't mind Searching, she was an interesting and active female. Currently, the main issue was that she blended into the crowd a bit, and if she tried to do anything more forward then it prompted others to get more pushy. But that was more a problem with the nest than her, he just hadn't figured his way through its nuances yet. "I want do something." Something exerting, but something that wouldn't take too long.
Dreamer churred thoughtfully. "We could make fire." Wanderer stared flatly at him. "Not like that," Dreamer growled, swatting at him. "Like Long-Paws make fire. Big fire that burn for long time."
"You can do that?" Wanderer asked incredulously. Why hadn't they been doing that all along!? He'd just assumed it was some mysterious Long-Paw trickery; he himself had always just been told not to set fire to things carelessly.
"Just need things for burn," Dreamer huffed, swatting at him again. Then a smug smile crept across his face. "I want make thing," he announced loudly, grabbing the females' attention. "It good thing. Need many dead branches brought here. Big branches."
"Dead branches?" some of the females murmured, confused, while others took off eagerly.
Wanderer perked. "I will get biggest tree," he promised, then stretched his wings and launched into the air. It felt great to fly unrestrained, to unleash his strength on the wind and exert all his aerial prowess, even if it only lasted the few moments it took to reach the forest.
He was a little careless in dropping through the canopy, suffering a bit of a beating, but he was impatient to do something. Carrying the biggest dead tree he could find was a challenge he looked forward to.
Wisely, he loped along the edge of the forest, so that when he found a thick, partly-rotting tree leaning against the ones around it he could drag it out into the open. It took him two attempts to get the thing in the air, grappling the wood in a fiddly balancing act as it tipped one way and then the other, but strong claws and stronger legs prevailed.
His wings burned with the effort of hauling it back to the beach, but it was a good feeling, and he proudly dropped it by the pile of dead branches accumulating on the sand.
"That big tree," Dreamer noted as he landed, carrying his own, much smaller branch. "Hrrr… This too much dead," he said dismissively, pawing at the tree. "You need get another."
It was too what? Wanderer churred confusion. "It too much… dead?"
"Yes," Dreamer chuffed, grinning toothily – then yelped as Wanderer bit him.
"What wrong with it?" a female asked obliviously.
"Not worry," Wanderer growled, swatting at Dreamer. "He just playing stupid hatchling joke."
Dreamer ignored him, already organising the branches, working quickly to snap the smaller ones from his own branch and putting the pieces in a pile. He gathered a curious crowd while he worked, then suddenly fired at the pile and lit it.
Lightstrikers sidled up closer as he kept working, adding bigger and bigger pieces until it was a tall, crackling blaze that radiated glorious heat. Wanderer watched, impressed and amazed as always, partially listening to a conversation two females were having about how Nightstriker fire was different from Lightstriker fire.
Dreamer then stretched, flexing his forelegs and paws, and casually wandered around the females, surreptitiously scenting them as he went and eventually picking one out to lie beside.
Not having been particularly impressed with Soaring, who was still talking to others as if she had just had the most exciting flight of her life, Wanderer trotted over and lay down near to his Dreamer, close enough to be included in the conversation but not so close as to intrude if they didn't want him there. He listened to Racing talk about running through the forest, chasing her friends and occasionally males, then how she longed for someone who could catch her… but he soon found himself dozing off. The warmth was making him drowsy, and he was weary.
A light nudge from Dreamer's tail roused him, not long after the sky-fire had burned to embers. The night was heavy beyond the light of the fire, which was still going strong – there was more wood in it – and the females all looked to still be there, though some had taken his lead and were dozing in the sand. Racing also appeared to be dozing against Dreamer's side.
Dreamer tilted his head, and Wanderer noticed a distortion in the air where he had indicated, creeping slowly up towards the fire from downwind. Now that he had noticed the anomaly it was fairly obvious, with firelight glinting off certain angles, though he didn't look directly at it.
"Find me next light," Dreamer murmured to it when it neared him, and bright blue eyes widened from within the distortion to stare at him. "I will show you how make this."
The unseen Lightstriker stared for a pawful of heartbeats, then huffed acknowledgement and turned. Wanderer was barely able to make out a wing and a tail before they disappeared completely.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Male I fight," Dreamer rumbled. "I still feel bad for that…"
Wanderer grumbled wordlessly. "They deserved that."
"He say anything?" Dreamer asked challengingly, then huffed when Wanderer didn't answer. "I not needed fight that fiercely. But can show him this." He chuckled. "I like thinking they will make more fires here. Maybe Long-Paws will see them, be confused."
"Before they die," Wanderer added neutrally.
"Yes," Dreamer agreed, resting his head on his paws. "But that not will help…"
Wanderer purred encouragement. "You can try thinking of different way. If there another way, you will think it. If not…" He huffed. "Then maybe they should learn not put their paws where they get bitten off."
Dreamer only rumbled sombrely, staring into the fire.
Author's Notes
I'm missing you guys already =( but it was very necessary. I couldn't talk about it before (even here) but I've taken on the manager role of my department of IT engineers. A lot of changes need making not only to my own role but also to the department itself, processes that need setting up and responsibilities that require me to understand a lot of different systems, consuming a lot of my time and energy. It will settle down over the next few weeks, and I'm enjoying it, but between this and a highly stressful weekend I'm barely halfway through the next chapter.
So I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the struggles of our two bachelors ^_^ and I'll see you all again in a fortnight!