Wanderer shifted a little to give Fleeting a bit more room to alight in the rocky cave, nuzzling her side as she passed him and getting rewarded with a wing roughly knocking him on the back of the head as she folded them. "How she is?" she asked, looking to the shadow at the back.

He shrugged with a noncommittal rumble, resuming his vigil of the mid-afternoon sky. The strange female had barely so much as moved since she'd hidden away back there the previous night. She hadn't said anything or made any noise, and while Dreamer had said her breathing was initially rapid and panicked, then deep and heaving, it had been calm and steady when he'd arrived to take over. Outside the cave, there was no change, nothing looking for her or even passing through, same as always.

Fleeting padded to the back of the cave and scented the other female, though Wanderer knew there were no clues to be found there – she only smelled of herself and rock, though she reeked of stress, fatigue, and sorrow. She hadn't eaten, not even when Wanderer had offered her some fish from his own meal. Fleeting clearly noticed this, and brought up some of whatever she'd last eaten. "Eat," she huffed. "You are weak enough already…"

There was no response. Fleeting turned with a huff, and Wanderer nuzzled her side again as she passed back outside, leaping into the air and flying out over the forest. Dreamer must have woken and taken Leaper, which meant he'd probably come take over again before long. Wanderer was happy to keep watch at least until night fell, but he suspected Dreamer's curiosity would take over before then; not that she was giving them much to think about, besides her presence and unresponsiveness.

His ears pricked at a minute shuffling behind him, the barest sounds of movement, though he didn't dare look. He just listened intently while the female slowly withdrew her wing and sniffed the fish Fleeting had left, then gently took it in her teeth and gulped it down; her movements were so slow and quiet, he'd barely heard them at all. When he chanced a glance back, she was back under her wing, and there was now only a damp patch on the ground next to her from the fish.

He sighed quietly as he went back to watching the sky. What could have done this? His first thought was a particular type of hunter that had run him and his parents to exhaustion, but this wasn't like that. She didn't smell of other hunters or fighting, she didn't smell of anything, which was strange enough in itself. They couldn't watch her forever, they had their own responsibilities to their son and each other; not to mention keeping watch was mind-numbingly boring. Sooner or later she would need to talk, and provide for herself.

But broaching that issue with her seemed like something Dreamer would be much better at, in this case. Wanderer flexed and stretched his wings, yawning with boredom, and rested his head on his paws. Nothing had come yet, and his mates were awake and alert, so he could relax a little. And hopefully all this wouldn't be necessary much longer.

Dreamer took a deep breath of the evening spring air, focusing on the budding life of the trees and insects, various prey that had been through this area and were maybe hiding, the faint trace of eggshell drifting on the breeze…

The inhale turned into a massive yawn, which subsequently made him feel slow and lethargic. He probably needed more sleep. But as usual, when there was a massive question hanging over his head, sleep became elusive. Or, perhaps a multitude of big questions was a better description, because he had many. What was this female fleeing? Where had she come from? Why was she still hiding away and refusing to so much as acknowledge them? Who was she?

He tried to focus on Leaper, as there were no answers to be had yet. The fledgling was stalking through the branches of the trees, scenting them as if tracking prey, probably hunting for those eggs Dreamer could smell. Of course, eggs wouldn't be leaving tracks, but Dreamer was more than familiar with the way he thought. It was incredible how much he'd grown in the last few months, still small and able to ride on their backs but no longer the tiny hatchling that had broken from his egg.

Leaper jumped to the next branch, firmly wrapping his claws around it, flinging his tail under it and throwing out his wings to find his balance. Once he was steady, he scented the branch, then let his nose drift around in the air, searching. He seemed to be getting the idea. Hrrr, how long had it been since Dreamer had eaten an egg? The little wing-prey eggs would barely touch his tongue now, even the slightly larger ones like those of seagulls. But for Leaper, an egg was a decent snack, and three or four would make a good meal.

Dreamer watched as Leaper hopped to the next branch, again flaring his wings and wobbling for a heartbeat. He seemed to be on the right trail now, staring at something through the trees. "Watch for wing-prey," Dreamer reminded him, and Leaper's tail twitched in response; normally it was better to let him learn from his mistakes, but wing-prey had a nasty habit of pecking at eyes.

Only a few moments after that reminder, branches started shaking and there was an affronted squawk. A somewhat large black and white bird darted through the lower branches, swiping and pecking at Leaper as it passed over him. It quickly darted around to make another pass, and Leaper flinched and pawed at it as it attacked him again.

"Stop!" Leaper barked as it came around for a third pass. "I just want eat egg!" He swiped at it, then wobbled again, nearly losing his balance – the wing-prey lunged at him, flapping its wings in his face while it grabbed at him with its talons. He backed up, trying to shake it loose, then misplaced a hindleg and yelped as he slipped off the branch, claws leaving pale little marks as he dropped.

He hit the ground with another yelp, and immediately scrambled to his paws, looking up at the canopy. The wing-prey squawked at him, perching on a lower branch, and he squawked back at it. It eyed him and Dreamer warily, but wisely did not persist the chase, recognising the larger and significantly more dangerous predator below.

Dreamer exhaled, feeling his wings lower to his sides. Being a parent was tough, it was very difficult not to jump in and make sure his son didn't get hurt… but Leaper would never learn if everything was done for him. Dreamer just had to trust that his developing instincts and reflexes were enough to keep him from getting injured.

"Siiireee," Leaper yowled petulantly, glaring up at the wing-prey, then snorted at it when it squawked again.

"Leaper!" Dreamer barked happily, remaining where he was.

"I want egg!" Leaper barked back, sitting on his haunches to stare up at the wing-prey while he shuffled his paws.

"Then go get it," Dreamer chuffed. The wing-prey squawked again, as if in protest, and Leaper grumbled at it. "Come here," Dreamer hummed, and Leaper reluctantly padded over, keeping an eye on the wing-prey. "I not can feed you always. You need learn hunt, find food. Wing-prey not like you taking their eggs, will fight you if you try."

"Why?" Leaper asked, eyes wide and innocent. "I not hunting it." He glared at the wing-prey, still watching them from its branch. "Maybe that one…"

How to put this…? Dreamer hummed thoughtfully while he affectionately nuzzled Leaper's head. "I would fight bad thing hunting you," he rumbled, giving him a lick. "That wing-prey fights you because you hunting her eggs, her little Leapers. Not want you eat them."

Leaper looked up into the trees, his tail twitching back and forth. "I want eat them," he said emphatically.

"We need to eat," Dreamer agreed. "Is why we hunt prey. They not want us to hunt them, but we need to eat. Not make us bad. Just, not make prey suffer when you hunt."

"Suffer?"

"Suffer mean feel much pain," Dreamer explained. "You not like pain."

Agreement, Leaper grunted. "Not like pain. I not like when Dam swats me!"

"Dam not will swat you if you do what she says," Dreamer chuckled, playfully batting the fledgling's snout, and Leaper startled back with an annoyed growl. "Prey not like pain also. Always kill prey quickly, if can, also only kill prey to eat." There was much more he needed to know, such as to predominantly hunt males so that it had less impact on breeding, but baby steps.

Dreamer half expected some sort of moral quandary, whether it was right to eat prey if it didn't want to be eaten, but his words were simply accepted without question. Leaper was still very young, not quite old enough to be questioning the universe; to be fair, in Dreamer's experience that usually seemed to come after a number of decades, if at all. "Now go get eggs," he chuffed, nudging Leaper forwards.

"But wing-prey not will let me," he grumbled, firmly planting his paws.

"Then bite its head off," Dreamer chuckled, and nipped the fledgling's tail. Leaper yelped and lurched forwards, then jumped back away from the wing-prey, though it remained perched on its thick branch. Dreamer rumbled amusement as he watched the beginning of a second attempt. "He is trying," he said over his shoulder.

Agreement, Fleeting purred as she walked out from where she'd been hiding behind him. "You are good sire," she rumbled, pressing her head against his.

"I am trying," he sighed, using as much of his face to nuzzle as much of hers as he could. "I should go let Wanderer rest."

"Go," she chuffed, settling down next to him, and he licked her appreciatively as he stood and crept away, not wanting to distract their son from his hunt.

The flight to the cave up the mountain felt slow and arduous, mostly due to his impatience for answers. He wanted to go in and demand them, if there was danger around his territory then he needed to know about it to better protect his family, his son. But that was unreasonable, nobody responded well to that sort of attitude… though it did not lessen the need to know. He huffed to himself. He and his family had been kind and understanding, but it had to go both ways. They were giving her shelter and protection, allowing her to stay in their territory, the least she could do was tell them what they were protecting her from.

Wanderer stood and backed into the cave to give more room to land. His expression, bored and a bit frustrated, said there hadn't been any progress. The faint scent of fish, completely absent on Wanderer, said otherwise, though that was a very small thing.

Taking a deep breath, Dreamer sat on his haunches and channelled his frustration to overcome his sympathy as he faced the dark bundle at the very back of the cave. "Hey," he barked quietly. Somewhat frustratingly, he couldn't just start talking with her while she hid behind her wing, but that wasn't going to change as long as she didn't want to talk. Dreamer sighed, then huffed and glanced at Wanderer. "She can come to us when she wants," he reasoned, shaking out his wings for emphasis-

A long, miserable whine echoed through the cave. Dreamer shared another look with Wanderer, then huffed questioningly at the female. Tentatively, the wing withdrew a little to reveal a single wide eye, watching almost fearfully.

"We not will hurt you," Dreamer immediately reassured her, even if she didn't seem frightened of them; certainly not if she was more frightened of them leaving her here on her own. "But we not can stay here always. Maybe, if you tell us, we can help."

"I want know about dangerous thing near our territory," Wanderer growled. "What do this to you?"

Calm, Dreamer crooned gently; that attitude wasn't going to help her open up. "You are hurt?" he asked her.

For a long moment, she just stared at them. But then a paw slid out from under her wing and twitched to the side, so withdrawn and timid it was more like a human shaking their head rather than saying the actual word. But he could work with this. "That is good," he hummed. "You were running from something?" Another pause, then a slight lift of the eye watching from the shadow of her wing. "Is still chasing?" Neither confirmation nor denial, she just looked away, drifting back behind the wing a little. "You not know?" Another small toss of her head.

"What is hunting you?" Wanderer growled, his claws digging into the rock, and she shied away a bit.

Dreamer certainly understood the dire need to protect their territory, to ensure their family was safe, but if they actually wanted answers they needed a much gentler approach. "Long-Paws do this to you?" he asked quietly, and a long heartbeat passed before she gave another tiny toss of her head.

Long-Paws… Dreamer took a deep breath, focusing on how he was holding his wings to stop them flaring aggressively. "They not will find you here," he promised, then clenched his teeth at the tiny whine in response. "We know Long-Paws," he said, gesturing to Wanderer, "we fought them much, but also lived with them, know how they hunt." Admittedly, he was having trouble figuring out what the land equivalent of a dragon hunting ship might look like, but he'd undoubtedly know it when he saw it.

"We have fledgling to care for," Wanderer added. Dreamer startled a little at that admission – as sympathetic as he was, he didn't entirely trust this random female who had flown into their territory screaming her lungs out. But then he remembered his relations were written all over his body, for any dragon with a nose to discover, so that caution was pointless anyway. "We still not can watch you. But yes, you are safe here. We will protect our territory."

She watched them silently for a few heartbeats. Then the wing slowly receded, and she rose, though she remained low to the ground, to creep towards Dreamer, her eyes wide, pleading, uncertain. He reflexively lifted his wing as she hesitated by his side, and then she slowly curled up against him, her back pressed against his flank and foreleg. Dreamer glanced at Wanderer with a mildly annoyed but ultimately defeated sigh, and settled onto his chest to cover her with his wing. A faint purr was barely audible shortly after.

"What they do to her?" Wanderer asked quietly.

Dreamer could only stare outside, his thoughts running rampant. How had they caught her? Restrained her? What they had done was but one of many questions he had added to the old ones.

He blinked, then lifted his wing a little to peer under it. "She is asleep," he whispered incredulously, and Wanderer huffed surprise. Slowly, so as not to disturb her, he withdrew his wing and stepped back to get his first good look at the stranger.

The lack of fins on her head and back told him she was female, as if her scent was not clear enough, and at a glance she looked normal. Getting a closer scent did not reveal anything he had missed before, except now she smelled exhausted, stressed, and grieved. But on closer inspection, she was littered with little scars, probably not deep enough to scale over but… the more he looked, the more he found, haphazard little marks all over her torso, and some on her wings.

"Something was hunting her," Wanderer rumbled under his breath, walking around her. "Even after catching her…" He looked up at Dreamer. "Like that Long-Paw with you?"

Dreamer blinked at him, taking a moment to make the connection. "You think that what happened?" he asked quietly, resuming his inspection. Dagur had been hunting him on Berserk for sport, but also to learn how to hunt Nightstrikers. If someone had managed to do that with an adult… That was a frightening thought.

But they would still only be human. Dagur had been a terrifying and relentless force, one they had never truly beaten, but they hadn't fallen to him either; and that had been before they were fully mature, effectively still lanky teenagers.

Abruptly, Dreamer needed to leave, and stalked to the mouth of the cave to leap into the air. Wanderer took a little more time, but was soon pulling up next to him, his expression grim.

Dreamer led them down towards their den, but not quite to it, instead setting down by the treeline a short way along the mountain. His claws dug into the ground, a burning fire creeping through his legs. "Why," he growled as Wanderer landed beside him. "Why!?" he roared, lunging at Wanderer – their chests collided with devastating force while they snapped and snarled at each other, trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Historically that had not been a favourable position for Dreamer, but their size difference had remained the same while they grew, becoming less of a disadvantage, and with the rage boiling under his scales he kept his balance with ease.

Wanderer gave up wrestling and hopped back with a shove, then darted aside and lunged at an angle. Dreamer ducked under him and grabbed an outstretched leg in his teeth, heaving up and over to violently shove Wanderer onto his side. Hindpaws twisted around and just as violently clawed at his flank, and then he was forced to release the leg to fight off the sharp teeth snapping at his neck.

They snapped at each other's faces, muzzles colliding in glancing blows, snarling all the while. At the same time, Dreamer was fighting to keep Wanderer pinned, trying to make an opening for his neck, but the kicks and slashing claws were not making it easy. He didn't care that he could taste blood, nor about the multitude of scratches accumulating on his hide; he was inflicting as much himself. It just made him so furious, thinking about what could possibly have been done to a strong, proud Nightstriker to make her cower in abject fear for nearly a whole day, to have her huddle up against a complete stranger and only then fall asleep. Who would do such a thing, how had they done it, why!? Why was the world so intent on being cruel!?

A heavy paw clapped the side of his head and he stumbled back, a flood of bright stars obscuring his sight. He lunged in the direction he thought Wanderer was coming from, but his paws found empty air – he kept going, darting aside, not a moment too soon to avoid the claws that raked off his flank and wing, telling him where Wanderer was. They leapt at each other again, a flurry of paws swatting away heavy strikes and darting around snapping teeth.

A scent suddenly caught Dreamer's attention, and they pushed off each other in a mutual draw; a rarity, when fighting with no holds barred, though they hadn't done that in a long time. Wanderer snorted, while Dreamer gave his head a shake, and then they both sat on their haunches and turned to the trees to see four bright green eyes.

Though only two of them were watching. "You smell strange," Leaper rumbled as he nosed at his dam. "Is because Sire fighting Sire?"

Affirmative, Fleeting chuffed absently as she stood and walked over, staring hungrily at Wanderer and… somewhat disappointedly as she looked at Dreamer; her slow panting and heady scent would be driving him wild at any other time, but right now he felt numb to it, and she could see that. It didn't stop her walking right up to him and pressing her head into his chest, nuzzling him with a hopeful purr…

Her ears went up, and she followed her nose down to his flank. Enquiry, interest, she warbled, glancing up to the cave in the mountain. Dreamer had a moment of worry that she would be jealous, finding another female's scent on her mate, but there was nothing of that in her tone. Come to think of it, he was physically incapable of being unfaithful anyway, his body wouldn't let him if he wasn't entirely certain that his mates approved. That was convenient.

"She… not really talked," Dreamer said with a huff. "But we learned something was hunting her. Long-Paws have hurt her much. She is scared." He sighed. "She not know if she still is hunted. Probably not."

Fleeting chuffed, accepting that, then pressed her head to his side, not so subtly enjoying his scent. "You need fight again when you not feel bad," she complained, then reluctantly withdrew and walked over to Wanderer, her tail swaying slowly with anticipation. "Maybe you can satisfy me alone," she shot snarkily at him, her tail tensing-

Wanderer snarled, ruthlessly tackling her and violently driving her to the ground. Dreamer huffed, turning and walking away. "I will scout our territory," he said to nobody but himself. "Want fly?" he then asked Leaper, who was watching the scene behind Dreamer with more than a little confusion.

"I wait for Dam," the fledgling replied hesitantly, tearing his gaze away to look at Dreamer. There was a bit of worry in his eyes, but then he tilted his head and seemed to understand a little, before getting distracted by something on a nearby tree and bounding over to investigate.

Dreamer huffed to himself and took wing, beating the air to more quickly put some distance to the snarling and howling. He still didn't like the idea of them mating for Leaper to see, but he wouldn't undermine them, and just had to trust that this was best. Leaper had to understand his sire wasn't really hurting his dam, and that he had no reason to worry. And then he would see the reassurances afterwards, the tender love and care they would show each other.

He shook his head and flapped his wings a few more times to climb, heading east along the mountain and riding the wind blowing up it. Nothing seemed to be hunting the strange female now, but something had been, and this was the direction she had come from.

The conclusions Dreamer was coming to were not good ones. It was unlikely she was deceiving them somehow, he couldn't think of what reason she might have to lie, but he wasn't ruling it out. Assuming she was genuinely traumatised and fleeing, how had she got here? Simply flying here didn't explain the strange scars all over her; not unless she'd won an insane number of fights, which didn't fit with her demeanour. But if Long-Paws had been the ones to do this to her, had they released her here? And why did she not smell of them?

He capped the mountain and huffed into the warm air, flapping lightly and continuing to rise with the updraft. A distance behind him was the Long-Paw nest, on their side of the mountain. There had been no fire with the first full moon, which was to be expected, and the next full moon was still a bit over a week away so he wasn't surprised to see that the rooftop was dark. He doubted they had anything to do with the strange female… They had been too afraid, too panicked, to have been keeping one locked away somewhere, and the lord hadn't been nervous beyond his expected fear.

No, it wasn't them. Dreamer let his gaze drift over the dark mountain below, piercing the shadows made by the tall jagged rocks in the light of the sky-ice. Nothing grew this high up, and there was no movement, just a littering of rocks on both sides of the slope that stretched off into the distance. Their den was protected by the large area they claimed and the size of the mountain they nested in, but likewise, he had no idea where to look for clues. He was certain there was some scent or such down there somewhere, some indication of what was going on, but it would take a lifetime to search for it.

He did a pass over the mountain anyway, scenting the wind on the off-chance something had marked territory here somewhere, keeping an eye out for disturbed rocks and large tracks; carting a big cage over any sort of distance would leave signs. He flew well past the boundary of their territory, mulling the situation over in his head while he searched, but he was no closer to any answers when he eventually turned around to head back. There was nothing more to do but wait.

Wanderer sighed happily, just soaking in the peace of the moment. The light of the fading sky-fire was no longer particularly warm, but lying on the bank of the lake, listening to Fleeting purring beside him and Leaper splashing in the water, was very relaxing.

He cracked an eye as the splashing intensified, seeing Leaper trotting up the bank with a sodden branch in his mouth. He dropped it in front of Wanderer before shaking himself, pelting both parents with cool droplets of water. "This for you!" he announced proudly, then turned and dove back into the water with another splash.

"Why he shake himself if he just go back in?" Fleeting grumbled, rolling from her back to her side and staring at the water.

"Because he fledgling," Wanderer chuckled, pawing at some of the more annoying droplets on his face.

They resumed their peaceful silence, savouring the sounds of their son playing in the water, until dusk fell and unfamiliar wings pricked Wanderer's ears. He immediately rolled upright and twisted to look at the source of the sounds, relaxing a little at seeing the familiar shape of a Nightstriker.

The strange female drifted down into a landing by the lake, quite a distance around it from him and Fleeting. She walked up to the water and put her snout to it, by all appearances just a normal Nightstriker – but then she wilted, hunching in on herself, and looked around furtively.

Wanderer sighed, then barked invitation. The female startled, further hunching in on herself, before slinking around the water, her head and wings held low. Fleeting huffed. "I see what you said last night, feel angry just watching her…" She hid it well, but Wanderer knew her well enough to see it in the tip of her tail flicking back and forth, which usually only happened while she stalked something. "You are up," she crooned pleasantly to the female as she neared. "Feeling better?"

The female lifted her head and shoulders a little, as if about to say something, but then drooped again and just warbled sullen, grateful, her gaze falling to the ground.

Wanderer shared a concerned look with Fleeting. "You can tell us more about what was hunting you?" he asked gently, though it curled his tail to hold back his impatience. Regret, apology, the female whined quietly, pawing at the ground. Wanderer bit back a pawful of things he'd like to say, and instead hummed understanding. "When you can. But soon, please."

She chuffed agreement, her gaze drifting out over the water… and took a step back at seeing the fledgling watching her from the shallows, just his eyes and the top of his head above the surface. With his presence acknowledged, Leaper pushed up out of the water and clambered up the low bank towards her, where he shook himself off again; Wanderer gave him a low growl.

The female shied from the spray, backing up a step, then held her head down to his level, her eyes dilating. Adoring, she purred, and both Wanderer and Fleeting watched very carefully while they exchanged scents, Leaper's tail swaying behind him. Confusion, Leaper warbled, walking around her and continuing to sniff along her side. Enquiry, she hummed, turning her head to follow him and then the other way when he passed behind her, hopping over her tail.

He completed his loop and tilted his head at her, rumbling wary, uncertain, backing away a few steps. Calm, safe, assurance, the female warbled, carefully lying down and kicking her hindpaws out to one side. Uncertain, curious, wary, Leaper hummed, creeping forward to scent her again… then chuffed to himself and bounded back to his dam to dive under her wing.

Wanderer relaxed, only now realising how tense he had been, ready to react to the barest aggression; being a sire was exhausting. "You think she nice?" he hummed, poking his nose under Fleeting's wing.

"She smell different," Leaper said timidly, huddling to his dam's side.

Wanderer needed more than a few moments to figure out what he meant. "She not is your blood-kin," he explained, "not smell like you." Leaper just further curled up and pressed against Fleeting, so Wanderer withdrew to let him hide and rebuild his confidence.

"What your name?" Fleeting asked the female, shuffling her wing to hold Leaper close.

The female rose to sit on her haunches, opening her mouth – and sat there silently, before whining grief and backing up a step, turning her head. Fleeting warbled reassurance, "You not need…" She trailed off as the other female shook her head and leaped into the air, flying back up towards the cave she had been hiding in so far; her wingbeats were forced and a little unsteady, she had to be hungry.

Agitation, Fleeting huffed. "I will bring her food later," she rumbled quietly, then ducked under her wing. "You want nap?" she gently asked Leaper, who sleepily mumbled affirmative.

"I will take him," Wanderer offered, then shuffled to offer his back. Fleeting chuffed, standing and grabbing Leaper's scruff in her teeth to lift him there. The fledgling grumbled before curling up on Wanderer, little claws digging in. "We should tell Dreamer," Wanderer hummed, "he maybe will think something…"

"You should wake him if he still is asleep," Fleeting agreed, stretching out her wings. "If not, I will find him." With that, she took flight off over the forest, and Wanderer gently took wing himself, towards their den. If anyone could get through to a Nightstriker who could not even speak, it would be Dreamer. Wanderer just hoped he could do so soon, this stress was starting to wear on all of them.

Dreamer hummed amusement as Leaper dropped another stick in the pile and bolted off again, disappearing into the trees. He seemed to have decided it would be a fun game to find as many sticks for Sire as he could, though there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what he considered acceptable. Dreamer really couldn't tell if there was some sort of logic behind ignoring that one stick poking out of the grass for ones further away, or if it was just fledgling nonsense.

"Leaper," he hummed as his son returned with yet another stick, "why you bring these sticks? Why not that one?" He gestured to the nearby stick.

"These good sticks," Leaper chirped, shoving his nose into the pile and turning over the lot by grabbing one from the bottom and briefly chewing it. "That stick is too windy." He bounded off again, hopping over tufts of grass, but paused by the 'windy' stick to swat it with a growl.

Dreamer gave up with a laugh; he could spend all night trying to figure out what kind of crazy logic that was, or he could shrug it off and retain his sanity. Thoughtful, he hummed as another stick clattered to the pile. "What you doing with these sticks?"

Leaper looked up at him with a sort of hurt confusion. "These for you," he whined, as if the significance of collecting a pile of sticks should have been obvious.

"Yes, for me," Dreamer chuffed as if he'd known all along; he couldn't actually remember if he'd been told already, maybe he hadn't been paying attention. "But what I should do with them?"

"You need lots sticks," Leaper explained, walking his forepaws over the pile. "You big Sire, have big teeth, big belly. Need lots sticks. I get more!"

Dreamer put a paw on his head as Leaper ran off again. Some misinterpreted offhand comment, perhaps; Leaper still occasionally had nightmares about a big rock that always tried to squash him because Wanderer had told him to be careful around one before the cold-season. Again, it was probably best to just be amused and not think too hard about it. "I know thing I can do with many sticks," he hummed as Leaper returned again, this time with a much thicker stick. He rearranged the pile a bit, ignoring the questioning warble, and fired an empty shot at it, which hit the sticks with a flash of light and immediately set fire to several without even disturbing them. The flickering light banished the immediate darkness, highlighting the unevenness of the ground and casting interesting shadows into the forest.

What he had failed to account for, however, was his son's expectations around the matter. Distraught, Leaper yowled, pacing around the fire and trying to take sticks out but shying away from the spreading flames. Dreamer hummed consolingly, "This is good thing," he explained, "very warm. Remember we do this in cold-season?"

"No Sire!" he roared, glaring back and looking hurt and betrayed. "That too warm!"

Warning, Dreamer growled, thankful he didn't have to do more than that; proving that a warning would lead to a swatting made it just as effective. "I think you are tired," he rumbled, leaning to pick up the fledgling – then darted forward and grabbed him by the scruff when he tried to avoid it. Discomfort, Leaper whined miserably before Dreamer dropped him against his side and covered him with a wing. A purr built in his chest almost automatically, radiating through his body and hopefully soothing the unhappy fledgling held against him; the twisting and fighting going on under his wing didn't last very long. He made a mental note not to burn Leaper's sticks again, in hindsight that had been stupid.

Dreamer lay his head on his paws and closed his eyes, not expecting to sleep but just enjoying the quiet, the peace… except that now without the distraction of his son, his thoughts were inevitably drawn back to the latest conundrum. But after nights of picking it apart, he was stumped, unable to come to any new conclusions without…

Movement caught his eye, a lithe shadow weaving between the trees, graceful but shy. The strange female approached hesitantly, her curious eyes on the dying short-lived fire. "Good for staying warm," Dreamer warbled pleasantly. "This how Long-Paws stay warm. Also they hide under prey-skins. But this is nicer." He reached out with a paw to adjust the sticks so that they would burn more evenly. "Normally I make these bigger."

There was once again movement against his side, and Leaper squeezed his head out from under the wing. "Sire eat my sticks!" he complained.

Dreamer chuckled at the female's confused expression. "My belly is big," he explained with an amused purr, then ducked down to look at Leaper. "You not are tired?"

"No," Leaper said forcefully, then crawled his way out, and Dreamer sighed; he was tired, but stubbornness was winning out for now. "Now I need get more sticks for give you."

Impressed, the female rumbled, tipping her snout at the fire; Wanderer and Fleeting had described her communicating with Leaper, but it was still interesting to see. Enquiry, she then warbled, looking between Leaper and the fire.

Curious, Leaper hummed, approaching the fire and inspecting it… Proud, he then chuffed, sitting on his backside and splaying his hindlegs out in front of him to stare at the low flames.

"You are good with him," Dreamer observed with a purr. Modest, she crooned back, looking away as she sat on her haunches. He was beginning to form a bit of an understanding of what was going on with her… She seemed reasonably happy now, except for not talking, but he knew that pushing her, asking any sort of questions, would have her withdrawing into herself again.

So, instead, he decided to just talk. "I, also Wanderer, flew here from very far north," he said conversationally, and her eyes returned to him, alight with interest. "We… not had good lives, then," he admitted. "My nest hated me. Sire… tried, but he needed ensure our nest had food. It not was easy." He warbled sad, regret; he doubted his sire would have suddenly been the best dad in the archipelago if Dreamer hadn't been so difficult, but he did regret making his job as Chief so difficult. "Wanderer was trapped in bad nest. But we became friends, made our nests good. We do that together. Then we fly here, find Fleeting." He purred warmly to Leaper… who was drooping more and more, his stubbornness slowly eroding to fatigue. "Come sleep," Dreamer purred to him, offering his wing again, and Leaper grumbled sleepily before crawling over to him and curling up against his side.

When he looked up again, the female was watching them, looking on the verge of tears, and more pieces fit into the puzzle. Dreamer lifted his other wing, offering her a place under it with a tip of his head… and there was only a moment of hesitation before she slinked over and huddled up against him.

As his wing descended over her, he realised how small and weak she was, those things usually hidden by how her wings drooped by her sides. He was also very aware she was a female, and that since she had arrived he hadn't done anything with Fleeting, but those were just background concerns about either getting worked up over it or Fleeting getting jealous, neither of which was going to happen.

He might have offered to keep talking, but he didn't really know what else to say – most of his life had involved Long-Paws in some way, which would probably be something of a sore topic for her, if they had hurt her so much. He didn't consider himself much of a conversationalist anyway, especially not with someone who couldn't even talk.

"What?" he asked gently, sensing some discomfort in the way she was holding herself. Frustration, the female growled, shuffling her paws. Dreamer tilted his head to better look at her, but she wasn't meeting his gaze, staring off to the side…

"Fleeting," she said quietly with a whine, the first thing she had said since arriving here and who knew how long before then, "re-mi-inds, me… o-of my f-friend, friend-ma-a-"

She trailed off with a long, distraught, keening whine, burying her face in his shoulder, while his eyes went wide with horror. He felt sick with rage and grief on her behalf, numb to her weakly pawing at his leg, pierced by her muffled wailing, but couldn't fathom what she must be feeling herself. That would be akin to losing Wanderer, which just seemed… so impossible, it simply couldn't happen. But it had happened to her…

Reassurance, sympathy, he hummed and purred, holding her tightly with his wing, while she sobbed and keened so much grief into his shoulder it felt physically painful to bear. Realisations were lining up for his attention, but he couldn't focus on them, far more preoccupied with re-evaluating this female and deciding that not only did he trust her, but also that she wasn't going to be sleeping on her own in some random cave again.

He waited for a lull in the grieving – which seemed more because she was choking than calming – to gently interject. "Sleep with us this light," he crooned, "you not should be alone…" Of course, had she wanted to be alone, she wouldn't be hanging around strangers' territory at all, which seemed kind of obvious in hindsight. He anticipated Fleeting would probably argue with him bringing her into their den, but he didn't care, he was not going to just leave her after she'd finally opened up like this.

The female choked out a few more sobs before rubbing her head against him, letting out a long keening noise that bordered on painful. It was a wonder Leaper was sleeping through it really, but his breathing remained steady against Dreamer's other side, thankfully not forcing any difficult decisions. Dreamer gently nuzzled her, picking up his comforting purr again, trying to think of something to do or say… but he was probably already doing all that could be done. "I am here for you," he murmured, though it only kicked off another round of keening wails.

That wasn't entirely true, there was one more thing he could do. He could be patient, find out who would have done this, who could have done this, and claw them to bloody ribbons.

All frustration and confusion bled out of Wanderer with a few simple words.

He trusted his Dreamer. When Dreamer had stated this female would be sleeping in their den, and seemed to think she could be trusted without a doubt, Wanderer and Fleeting had trusted him. He had refused to explain why, but they knew he had to have a good reason to not immediately explain. Still, it hadn't made for an easy light. Upon finally waking from fitful rest as the female slinked out into the late afternoon light, that frustration had made itself known in bared teeth and growls.

And now they knew. She had lost her friend-mate. The person to her that Dreamer was to Wanderer, probably someone she had grown up alongside and gone out looking for mates with given she was mature enough to have done that. Someone she had expected to spend many lives with. Sympathy, Wanderer keened quietly, and Dreamer drooped even further than he was already, bowing his head.

"Sire?" Leaper warbled, and Wanderer looked down to see him looking up with wide, innocent eyes.

"Not worry," Fleeting hummed quietly, nuzzling him. "That female is very sad, will be staying here until she feels better."

Leaper chuffed an agreement. "When I sad, I chew my sticks," he explained obliviously. "I will give her some!" He bounded and pranced over to the wall of the den, selected a stick from a pile there, then bounded outside with it, clipping the wall of the den with it and stumbling on the way out.

"I will go with him," Fleeting said with a groan. "You both should clean this den," she then growled before trotting outside.

Wanderer shared a look with Dreamer, then sighed and put his nose to the ground. He didn't want to clean the den, but then he didn't want to do anything, so he might as well do something productive while he wasn't enjoying whatever he was doing.

"Fleeting not feel much bad for female, maybe," Dreamer said slowly, stalking around the other half of the den, then flamed something on the ground.

Wanderer had just found a stale old scent himself, and let his mind drift while cleansing it. He felt for her now, but he probably wouldn't have before he'd hatched again… "Fleeting not had friend-mate," he huffed, cutting off his fire and moving on. "She has us, but she not known us all her life."

"She… is comfortable living alone," Dreamer agreed, then whined. "When I say like that… I think this female not know how live alone…"

"Being alone not is nice," Wanderer agreed quietly, then flamed at a moderate scent that probably didn't need flaming just for something to do. "You think… she want stay with us?"

"Be our mate?" Dreamer warbled. "I not think that. I not want that, not even know her. She not even talks to us." He sighed. "But maybe she not will want to leave. I not know. I think we should just wait, maybe we will know later."

Agreement, Wanderer chuffed, then started clawing up the ground, digging his claws deep to bury the hard powdery dirt and unearth the soft, fresh layer beneath. It was a long and tedious job, and they'd need to flatten it all down again afterwards, but it was something to do. And the thought of a clean, fresh-smelling den was lifting his spirits again… just a little.

Dreamer's tail absently flicked back and forth behind him in a futile attempt to keep him awake. Something about the warm, stuffy air was draining him this night, sapping the strength from his body and weighing on his eyelids, and only his nagging tail was keeping him awake.

"Sire!" Leaper barked, running up to him, then proudly dropped a mangled stick in front of Dreamer's snout before staring hopefully and expectantly at him.

Impressed, Dreamer hummed with absolutely no idea what he was supposed to infer from that, and Leaper gleefully bounded off again and pounced the still unnamed female, who roared dramatically as she fell onto her side.

Dreamer had asked her name, once, after a few weeks when she had seemed a bit more comfortable. She had even tried to tell him… but that had only led to her stuttering into another bout of keening her grief under his wing. She seemed comfortable enough with them just calling her 'female' for now. She tended to keep to herself, mostly hunted her own meals though Dreamer was fairly certain she did so outside their territory, and spoke infrequently and timidly. When she did speak, she avoided talking about her life and whatever had happened to her; if simply asking for her name was any indication, it was probably too painful for her to think about.

Although she did now occasionally seek him out for comfort, huddling under his wing to keen and sniffle. She had done so this night, which was probably part of why he felt so drained now. He still didn't quite understand how just lying there could be so physically exhausting, but his life was full of that. The regular sparring with Wanderer to vent frustration and anger probably wasn't helping, though it was one of the few things currently keeping him in shape.

He shuffled his paws under his head and contemplated getting up, but didn't get further than that. Leaper was jumping on and over her while she pawed at him from her back, weathering the teeth in her paws and lightly nipping at him on occasion, which he did his best to avoid. It wasn't as if he sought her out, but he was more than happy to play with her, and Dreamer was more than content to let him if it meant lazing around a bit more; it made him feel a little guilty, he shouldn't be shirking his responsibilities as a Sire like this, but it was outweighed by lethargy.

"Ask Sire," the female warbled in reply to something Dreamer had missed.

"Sire!" Leaper barked happily, bounding over. "Female wants fly!" He hopped over Dreamer and flew a tight circle through the trees, landed in a run, and tackled Dreamer's side.

"I not said that," the female huffed as he sat on her haunches. Dreamer looked sideways at his son.

"I want fly!" Leaper corrected himself, stretching his wings out to their fullest, though Dreamer just kept staring at him. Leaper stared back expectantly, until Dreamer tipped his head forward a bit and sternly narrowed his eyes a little. "We can fly?" he asked politely, eyes dilating hopefully.

"We can fly," Dreamer agreed, a cavernous yawn cracking his jaw as he rose. Leaper barked glee, and then Dreamer sagged with a small wheeze at the weight of his son bodily climbing onto his back. "You getting heavy!" he barked, crossing his paws and putting himself off balance to stagger around.

"Siiire," Leaper drawled, cackling, "not this! Fly!"

"Yes, I fly," Dreamer chuffed, then threw his wings and waved them ineffectively. "You too heavy!" he groaned dramatically, pretending to sag with the weight.

"No Sire!" Leaper laughed, reaching up with a paw to bop him on the head.

Dreamer stopped and stood up straight, slowly turning his head to look at the fledgling with narrow eyes. Leaper shrank down, staring back at him with eyes that wavered between narrowed and dilated, ears and frills flattening to his neck. Dreamer grinned, baring his teeth. Concern, anticipation, Leaper growled.

Claws hastily dug into Dreamer's shoulders as he leapt at the nearest tree, his own claws digging furrows in the bark as he clambered up it. He leaped at a thick branch, bounded off it, and then his wings scraped over leaves and twigs as he flung himself into the sky, Leaper squealing and scrambling to secure his grip. Dreamer pushed his wings into hard flaps to ascend, a sharp burning erupting in his shoulders as he worked them in their lethargic state that he would probably regret a bit later, but he needed to keep the energy of the game going, not allow Leaper to relax and become complacent.

He needed height before they could really start playing, of course, and it wasn't until they were high above ground and Leaper was just starting to find his grip that Dreamer threw them into a wild spin, feeling weight slip along his wing while wild shrieks and squeals rang in his ears. He abruptly levelled off, Leaper carrying on up and over to slap against his other wing, then folded his wings to plummet, Leaper tightening his grip and squeaking concern, dread, while they fell. With as little warning as possible, Dreamer threw out his wings and wrenched them into the most oblique turn he could manage, wincing at the claws digging into his shoulders and midway down his back.

In the end, Dreamer resorted to the cheapest but also perhaps funniest method of throwing him off – tilting forwards a little bit and snapping his wings back to brake firmly against the wind. Leaper's yelp started off loud, right above his head, and trailed off into a distant howl as he sailed on ahead, twisting and scrambling at the air while he tried to catch himself.

He did catch himself, of course, his wings finding the wind and righting him while Dreamer chuckled to himself. He then flapped his little wings – not so little now, but still small compared to his parents' – and soared back up. "Si-re!" he howled, affronted, which only made Dreamer laugh more.

The female glided up to them, and Leaper barked happily before swerving over to her, showing off his developing skill of flying with stiff rolls and shaky spins. Impressed, she crooned to him, and he roared happily, pulling ahead to zip around.

"You are good sire," she hummed while they watched him with warm purrs.

"I am told that," he mumbled back, abashed. "I try. He is good fledgling, also I have much help…"

"You are good sire," she repeated. He had no response to that.

They lapsed into silence while Leaper played around them, wearing himself out in time for his midnight nap. Dreamer was already starting to regret such sudden activity, his shoulders and back aching sharply, but it was worth it. Maybe Fleeting would groom him later…

His mind was wandering along those lines when he suddenly snapped back to the present and hastily scanned the sky for the sky-ice, remembering it was near to full. Its glow shone through a thin but obscuring layer of cloud that didn't look like it was going away any time soon, but what he could see looked very round. "I need check something," he barked, glancing between Leaper and the female – whether he wanted to leave Leaper with her or not was irrelevant, as she angled a little closer with a curious warble.

Fine, he just needed to fly over the mountain and look for the fire anyway. It had been a few months – he'd lost track, honestly, the nights were just blurring into each other. The sky-ice probably wasn't quite full moon, but it was easier to check over the mountain than fly above the clouds. Summons, he barked, and Leaper immediately banked around to pull up beside him as they angled for the mountain.

"What you need check?" the female warbled as they flew, tilting her head curiously at him.

Dreamer hesitated, not sure how much to say. Long-Paws were most likely still a sore subject for her, though they were hardly a common topic. On the other paw, leaving gaps for her to fill in with her own imagination could give her the wrong idea… "Long-Paw nest over there," he said, gesturing forward, and she tensed with wide eyes. "Not worry, I, also Wanderer, know much about them. Tell them stay there. Just need ensure they stay there. Not worry."

She did look worried, though more confused than anything. He huffed to himself, he'd probably have to explain once they returned to let Leaper sleep… but as they drifted over the mountain, and he narrowed his eyes in the direction of the nest, he immediately saw the glow in the expected place high up the nest.

That complicated things. He dropped down to land near the peak of the mountain, Leaper and the female gliding down to land with him. "We fought these Long-Paws before," Dreamer explained, anxiety welling within him at what he might find when he descended the mountain. "They not can fight us. I, also Wanderer, we… fought Long-Paws much, when we firelings. We know how fight them. Killing them not work, they only return, but I can stop them. Just need you stay here with Leaper. Please."

"I not like this," the female whined, shrinking back and curling her tail.

"Not worry," he crooned confidently. "I just want see. Not will be much time." He could decide what to do afterwards, as he hadn't thought to discuss what they were going to do with Leaper yet.

He eyed a tall rock and jumped up onto it, finding he could just about see the fire on the distant roof down the slope of the mountain if he stretched for it. "I would feel better if you watched me," he admitted, "but that is just caution." He then leaped into the air and flapped a few times while he picked up speed, quickly hurtling down the mountain. It wasn't ideal, he was already regretting not calling for Wanderer and Fleeting, but he was committed now. Just take a quick look, then turn around and figure out what he was going to do once he knew what he was dealing with.

The rooftop was apparently bare, other than the fire itself. Though as Dreamer approached, he saw that wasn't quite the case, there was an odd thing next to it, a wiry frame that resolved into what appeared to be a stand with a scroll in it.

Wary, he churred to himself. The rooftop was bare, some ornamental bits hanging off the edges but ultimately providing nowhere to hide. Likewise, nowhere offered a vantage point of the roof that he did not already have good visibility of, and he knew the sort of things to look for. There was good reason to be wary this time, they were expecting him and had time to prepare, but there was nothing. He could be quick.

He silently glided down to the roof, not wanting to just snatch the scroll of parchment in case it hid something within it. Likewise, he kept his nose sharp, but there was just the old scent of stone and dust, the smoke and heat of the fire, and the stench of the nest below. A path had been tracked to and from the fire, from where they had carted the wood to it.

Nothing happened when he swiftly but gently set down on the roof. A quick inspection of the scroll later, he confirmed there were no surprises and figured out how to unhook it from its stand, though he used his paw – he wasn't putting any of this near his mouth – and immediately leapt off into the darkness again.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he put distance to the nest, the scroll clutched firmly in his claws, and hasted back up to his son. The female was, as requested, watching avidly from the rock while Leaper stood next to her, looking tired and confused even from this distance. Dreamer growled under his breath, he really should have called for backup, but it had all ended well enough.

Though he still didn't trust this scroll. He alighted a few rocks away with a confident bark, then held his breath and carefully unravelled it against the ground with his claws; maybe he was paranoid, but he felt it warranted given the situation.

Meet in the western forest with the fourth setting of the sun.

The word 'fifth' had originally been written in on its own line, but had been scratched out and replaced with 'fourth', so he knew it was accurate as of this night. That was the full contents of the message.

He swiped it aside and leapt over the rocks to Leaper and the female. "We should go back," he rumbled absently, "I need talk with my mates…" He met her confused gaze, seeing a thousand questions in her eyes, and sighed. "We will explain. But we should go now." He leaned down and nuzzled Leaper, then offered his back to him. "Come, I will fly you back to our den."

Weary, agreement, Leaper mumbled, climbing up Dreamer's shoulder to huddle on his back. Dreamer then took off, feeling as if he should scrub his paws in the river before doing anything. He might just do that, but they would be more prepared for this meeting. They knew where, and they knew when. Just tell a Long-Paw to stay away and he wouldn't obliterate their nest. Nothing to worry about.

"You not look confident."

Dreamer shot a glare at Fleeting, who sat beside him, before returning his gaze to the patch of forest below, at the foot of the mountain, focusing on the leaves rippling with the wind. The sky-fire had only just touched the horizon, but whatever the request had been, he wasn't going down until it was dark; Fleeting was going to be watching from the sky, and Wanderer from the trees.

"He is Dreamer," Wanderer chuffed. "He not confident now, he never is. Not until he flies down there. Then he will dominate them." Dreamer shot him a glare too.

Fleeting warbled thoughtfully. "Now you say like that, yes, he does that with me also…"

Dreamer's ears stood upright. "I not want talk about this," he complained, pointedly fixing his gaze on the forest below, though nothing was happening and nothing had changed since a single small wagon pulled by a prey-thing had entered and subsequently left again. They had scoured the whole forest the night before, finding it bare of so much as human tracks, and no tracks had been made in the tall grass around it since then aside from the wagon.

"But I like when you dominate me," Fleeting purred, brushing a wing against his side. "You should do that more. Maybe will make you more confident."

Frustration, Dreamer barked. "Not talk about this," he growled at her. "Also," he growled at both of them, "not talk like I do with you what I do with them. Maybe I then will… do that, after I talk with them."

Fleeting purred to herself, shuffling her paws and going back to watching over the land below. It wasn't a surprise her scent did not spike with interest, she was worried and tense, they all were, but hopefully after this night they would be able to fully relax again, go back to living their peaceful lives. He was tired of dealing with Long-Paws, and this nest of them was not in his good graces to begin with. At least that was probably a good mindset to go into this meeting with.

The sky gradually darkened, the first of the sky-sparks beginning to shine. Dreamer wondered how Leaper was doing. Still asleep, probably, but how would he handle waking up to just the female in their den? It had been discussed with him at length, of course, once they had decided on it, but talking about it and living it were two different things.

He chuffed. They'd be fine. She had been sincere in promising to look after him, sincerity that was impossible to fake to a Nightstriker, though they all felt they could trust her word. And she had been more than happy to take that responsibility if it meant staying back in the safe and cozy den, away from everything they were getting themselves into here.

"There," Wanderer huffed, and Dreamer strained his eyes. "Fire."

As Dreamer watched, a light began to glow a short distance into the trees on the side of the Long-Paw nest. "I guess we go now," he rumbled, spreading his wings, and the three of them leapt into the air.

They circled overhead a few times, but the scant glimpses of the light in the otherwise dark forest betrayed nothing. Seemingly reading each other's mind, Dreamer and Wanderer both dove, flaring and folding their wings right before crashing through the canopy.

Dreamer flared his wings again and hit the dry ground hard, listening through the sound of brown twigs raining down around him. A slight rustle above, as Wanderer found his footing in the branches, but otherwise, nothing. They shared one last glance before heading towards the light, moving slowly so that Wanderer could traverse the trees in silence. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could laugh about how excessive this all was.

The forest didn't so much open up as just thin out a bit as Dreamer emerged into the meeting place. The light was flickering from a large fire in a rough ring of stones next to a low table that had been set up with a box of sand on it, behind which sat a very pompous Long-Paw in a simple chair. Four guards with spears stood behind him – they looked familiar, and had the same garb and equipment of the guards that had accompanied the lord. Dreamer puzzled over that for a moment… Wouldn't he have brought his own guards? Unless, perhaps, he was expecting Dreamer to make an example of them.

It wasn't as if it mattered who he brought with them, there was only one Long-Paw who Dreamer respected as even close to an equal in combat, and that was due to his condition as much as his experience. There wasn't any point assigning motives to something that was essentially irrelevant.

There certainly wasn't any questioning that the man sat languidly behind the table, legs crossed and appearing at ease, was from elsewhere. Dreamer had only occasionally wondered what a monarch might look like – well, regardless of his appearance, this man exuded an aura of superiority and control befitting of such a title. When Dreamer stepped into the light of the fire, the guards all tensed and tightly gripped their weapons, but the Long-Paw sat in the chair remained calm and collected, his eyes locked firmly to Dreamer's.

He made a quick three-note whistle while Dreamer approached the table. "I admit," he said in a light rolling accent with clear enunciation, "I was not expecting you to come. Truth be told, I was expecting an attack. You could gain much by killing me."

Dreamer snorted as he approached the table, towering over it and the king… Wrrr, that title had different connotations to Dreamer, ones he didn't want to associate here. It was easier and more comfortable to think of him as just a man. WHY? he wrote in the sandbox, sitting on his haunches. YOU ARE LEGION.

"True enough," the man agreed, tipping his head with a thoughtful frown. "But I am curious how this came to be. Nobody has ever spoken with a Night Fury." He moved his hands to his lap and touched his fingertips together. "Why you? Why now?" Dreamer just growled at him; he wasn't here to explain his life story, and certainly not by scrawling it in a box of sand. "I presume you learned in the North?"

That snatched the wind from under Dreamer's wings. He rocked back, bewildered at that leap of logic, and the man grinned. "Word travels. Two Night Furies flying with Vikings riding dragons… Fanciful nonsense, but perhaps not…" His keen eyes bored through Dreamer, who suppressed a shiver creeping down his spine. "A matter I will address another day," he said with resignation, then folded his arms. "So tell me, Night Fury. What is it that you want?"

Something about this man wasn't right. Dreamer narrowed his eyes at him, tuning out everything else and just focusing on him. It was difficult to get a read on his age, but he was probably somewhere in his forties, given his obvious experience and the greyness of his short hair, but not much more than that judging by the ease with which he moved, though he had done little enough. He was confident, or at least didn't appear worried, though nothing would help him against a Nightstriker; he had to have realised this already, to meet one in a dark forest. There was no greed or anticipation or anxiety or anything in his eyes, nothing to suggest stalling for time or waiting to spring a trap. Hrrr…

PEACE, Dreamer wrote. MY TERRITORY. ONLY THAT.

"Your territory," the man repeated as he looked down his nose at the words, "the wilderness on the other side of this mountain." Dreamer nodded with a huff. "And what do you offer?"

Superiority, politics, whatever game this man was playing, Dreamer didn't care for it. He dropped a heavy paw on the table, baring his teeth and holding his fire to shine from his throat for a moment before letting it die off.

The man grunted. "I will interpret that as you will kill us all otherwise. Although, as you say, we are legion."

SMALL SOLACE TO THE DEAD, Dreamer wrote with a growl as he suppressed another uncomfortable shiver.

"No rest for the wicked," the man countered levelly. "Here is the problem. The city here was founded, at great expense, to establish a trade route with the southern coast. Within what you call your territory is a river feeding directly to sea. The terrain for miles beyond either end of this mountain range," he made a small wave in its direction, "is impassable."

Dreamer growled to himself, staring off to the side while he thought. He hadn't thought about that, and indeed the mountain range led directly into canyons and dense rocky forests in both directions, like a giant scar across the land, for nights of flying, to say nothing of how long that would take on foot. From their perspective, this location was perfect to mine out a tunnel, coming out on the river which would provide fast transport down to all those Long-Paw nests along its length. He had a decent concept of trade, knew that the more difficult a route the more profitable it tended to be, and placing themselves squarely in control of an easy way through what was to Long-Paws very hostile terrain…

I NOT CARE, he scratched out in the sand. He wasn't willing to compromise here, wouldn't allow them to pass through his territory and use his river. There was absolutely nothing they could offer to make that worth it, he had nothing to gain and everything to lose.

"Not unexpected," the man agreed. "But we are at an impasse."

SIMPLE, Dreamer wrote, snarling all the while. IF WE SEE HUMANS, YOUR NEST DIES. That was always the deal, and there was no negotiating it. Humans would take and take until there was nothing left, well, for once in their miserable history they could just leave well enough alone, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I ONLY HERE BECAUSE HUMANS TOO STUPID TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

The man leaned forward at that, staring disdainfully down at the words. "We are more resourceful than you know," he said levelly. "You may not find that so easy."

Dreamer bared his teeth in a feral grin, for once feeling actually good about his long life of fighting. I FOUGHT WORSE.

"Word travels," the man replied, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "But I will tell you one thing." All traces of humour left his face, replaced with deadly seriousness. "You have never faced-"

The table exploded, throwing up a huge cloud of dirt and dust and pelting Dreamer with shrapnel in the instant before he could get his wing up to shield himself, hopping back with a second shot already screeching in his throat while the trees above erupted into motion. He knew what was bugging him about this man, despite his lack of greed or anxiety or fear or anger. It was his lack of anything, while meeting a Nightstriker in an isolated forest at night. Humans always had motives, schemes, plots, at the very least they had desires, interests, protectiveness, and nobody was an exception, especially not those with far more than they needed.

His own shot was still ringing in his ears, he couldn't see properly with his fire, and so lowered his wing a little to… try to work out what was going on. There had been a second explosion almost immediately with the first, he was sure, but… He shook his head, trying to focus, but the world kept spinning…

"I do not recall the last time a Night Fury drew blood," the man gleefully called out as he strode through the dust and smoke now billowing from the fire, fitting something to a wiry contraption, a smear of blood staining his cheek. Shoot…! There was snarling in the trees, familiar and unfamiliar both, shrieking far above… Something heavy hit the ground nearby and remained motionless. Shoot him!

Contrary to his demands, Dreamer's fire died off in his throat, his whole body slowly slumping and ignoring his sluggish mind. He looked down to see something protruding from his chest, a small dart filled with blue liquid… that was slowly draining somewhere. When had…? The cold numbness spreading through his chest was suddenly extremely concerning.

He tried to bark, to warn someone, but he only succeeded in staggering and dropping to his haunches. He raised a paw to his chest, but it took him a few attempts to slide his claws either side of the dart and pull it from his body, grunting with the twitch of pain.

Something slipped over his head, another twitch of pain in his neck, and he was being pulled… His darkening mind tried to fight it, but he wasn't in control of his body anymore. He barely managed to spare a worried thought for his family before he slipped into darkness.

(( kjRWG0tKD4A ))
"Indestructible"