Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates on everything. I don't have much time to write as much, so long chapters and overly detailed stories are a big no-no. I'm not sure when I'll update anything, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The scarlet wyrm had stayed beside her wounded mate, gingerly nursing his wounds as she licked the jagged scrapes done by violent talons.
Her mate had grunted softly in discomfort, head rested upon the bloodied ground as his talons shook, golden hue drained. The female had paused in her nursing to look upon his shaking body, her cardinal orbs shining with worry as the sun began to fade behind the jaws of the earth.
Slowly, she extended her neck, snout gently touching a front talon in an attempt to cease his small seizures. She had kept her snout upon his larger paw for sometime, feeling the coldness of his calloused forepaw that had frightened the young mother.
He had slowly moved to gaze upon her, amaranthine eyes looking upon her, tired and pained. His wounded eye was bloodshot, and unfocused as his talons softly grasped her snout that had seemed far too hot. After several seconds, however, his grip had faltered, and his mate had slowly beckoned her neck back. She watched helplessly as his paw began to tremor once more.
A quiet moan had escaped her scaled maw, the dragoness once more attempted to clean his wounds. The golden male had almost distantly looked off into the skies, breath shallow and swift as the dying rays of the sun cast shadows among the forest floor. The moss was stained red with his blood, dry dirt upturned and softened from his talons scraping into the earth in pain. A cool wind had fell upon the pair, signaling a chill darkness wrought by the moon that would surly come.
His bloodshot eye was vaguely aware of forms cast by the faltering rays and dancing trees, the male attempting to look in unease for fear of danger. The scarlet drake had paused in her cleaning to halfheartedly nip at his jaw, the male issuing a soft yelp at her scolding.
The female's nostrils flared as she smelled a chill front approach, rising to her paws. Her mate had looked upon her in curiosity and confusion as she briefly circled him before pushing their sole egg gently into his chest. The golden wyrm almost hesitantly looked towards the hardened shell, his shaking talons loosely grasping their unhatched young in an attempt to pull the egg closer to his body.
The dragoness cocked her head, eyes almost judging the situation before turning her head toward the cliff above the film of trees that harbored their dead clutch, now appearing like a haunted shadow in the failing light.
Breathing deeply, the female circled her partner and affectionally rubbed her body against his, circling once more to nuzzle his cool snout, scales hard. He had returned her affections as best he could, gaze slowly losing focus. The sight had caused his mate to cry softly.
She had paused, nuzzling him gently once more before pulling away, wings unfurling. With a feline leap, the dragoness extended her wings to their full length, giving a powerful stroke as she launched into the skies.
Soaring above the forest, she road upon the winds that had carried her home, the ruined face of their cliff evidence of the attacker's sheer size. Curiosity had taken over the mother, and she had lowered to the base of the rock cliff, several slabs of rocks, boulders and ruined trees lay at the bottom. And after landing, she could see the assailant of her family dead, crushed underneath the earth and root. His black scales were bruised and bloodied, wings broken and ribcage crushed, body broken. A pool of blood lay just underneath his open maw, open eyes glazed over and dull.
The female had slowly approached, seeing the egg and yolk still smeared upon his gaping jaw, as if the bull were still trying to strike her. Sniffing, she nudged the black male, his stiff muscles telling her that he was indeed dead.
She had then stepped back slightly, head cocking before briefly looking around. Only a few minutes of light remained, and she needed to get back to her mate swiftly lest she lose both mate and child.
Her jaws opened, and the scarlet dragon began to feast upon the corpse of her offsprings' murderer, feeding until her stomach was full. Talons and head covered in blood, the female had ripped out the liver of the dragon, clamping the organ firmly in her jaws before launching into the skies once more, the moon now rising.
The golden drake had been fighting the beckon of sleep for quite some time, eyes heavy and lidded. However, the beating of wings on the wind had awoken him, his mate landing as she emerged from a break in the treetops.
Breathing deeply, she had approached him, laying the mound of flesh near his form. The male had briefly looked at the organ, yet had made no move. The female had waited several seconds before pushing the flesh towards him with her snout, the male not making any move. Slowly, however, his nostrils flared, and a deep growl escaped his stomach as he sniffed the mound of flesh, maw opening to feed.
Content, the scarlet dragon had turned her attention to their egg, she nuzzling the shell gently, though found it a bit too cold for her liking and smearing blood.
Circling around once more, the dragoness' lay behind her mate, pressing her body against his as much as possible to keep him warm, her wing out stretching over both mate and child. Laying her head over her paws, the female sighed deeply, feeling the chill of the night arrive. Her mate had gently nudged his snout into hers, his forked tongue flicking out to wipe the blood from her maw. She had almost snapped at him, yet made no move, finding the warmth of his tongue and breath comforting as she purred softly.
The dragoness' eyes grew tired, she fighting to stay awake. The constant lull of her mate's gentle licks did nothing to help keep her on edge, yet instead comforted her. Slowly, her tired eyes had failed to remain open, and she had fallen asleep, breath slow.
The male had continued to gingerly lick her maw, his talons wrapped around the precious egg, kept warm by the combined efforts of the parents. The male had paused in his actions, however, as he felt a rustle within the egg, he turning his gaze in curiosity. The egg had made no movement for sometime, yet soft chirps could be faintly heard from inside.
Alert, the male sniffed the egg, licking the hard shell as the chick stirred within. Excitement had fueled his tired body, the male nudging his mate awake, who had angrily snapped at him. Her fit was quieted, however, as soft chirping reached her ears, the dragoness now becoming wide awake. However, both knew that they could do little for their chick. All they could do was wait and see if their young was strong enough to break from it's prison.
The cool mists of morning had arrived, dew coating the grasses and winds echoing with the calls of songbirds as many creatures just awoke from their slumber.
The coupling, however, was wide awake, having stayed up the whole night. With the birth of a new dawn, came the meeting of their daughter, a pink dragoness. Both parents sniffed and nuzzled the chick, whose newly hatched scales were slick with fluid. The pink chick had called softly, footing unsteady and wings tightly tucked against her body. Her mother had cleaned her scales gently as her father sniffed her in curiosity. For this tiny dragoness, her mere survival depended upon her parents, and only time would tell if she was born to die.
The birth of Ember! Yay! Might be a little rushed, but whenever I have time to update I'll go into more detail on the new family. Thank you for reading!