A dangerous training [Private with NightFlare]

Loque landed in a small clearance inside the rotten forest, where he had been indicated he would find NightFlare's den. Needless to say, he was a bit nervous at the idea of what could follow. The surroundings were spooky, but it wasn't what was worrying him. Tenebris insisted enough on how dangerous NightFlare could be, as any mistake could be lethal for him, for his sanity at least.
The black dragon put a paw on his chest, where the silver pendant was hanging. If NightFlare wasn't stupid, it wouldn't take long for her to realize it was his only protection for his sanity. He would have to play it clever if he didn't want to be separated from it.
Anyway, for now he had to make his presence known. He voluntarily hadn't been really discreet in his landing, that should already help. Loque loudly cleared his throat, and then sat inside the clearance. Now all he had to do was to stay alert and wait for NightFlare to arrive.

"Come in, little one," Spoke a voice from within the cave, cold and maleficent, yet with an odd string of compassion tied into it. The winds outside seemed to grow colder, rougher, as if an invisible dragon had just let forth a gust of wind upon Loque. The trees started to rattle as the wind danced within their branches, making odd, ominous sounds. Ravens cawed, their cries full of malice, almost as if warning Loque that he's made a terrible mistake.

A large, black raven suddenly flew in front of Loque, startling him, as it flew to the top of a high branch. It then perched there, staring at him with those cold, soulless eyes, before it cawed at him, warning him. It then motioned its beak towards the entrance of the cave, which loomed ominously in the shadows of the black forest.

Loque started to feel extremely uneasy as only a cold voice answered his call. He could feel the wind getting colder, or maybe it was just him ? All this felt like a cliché, but was nonetheless slightly scary. A raven suddenly flew past him, surprising him enough for his heart to miss a beat. The black dragon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. This gloomy ambiance was just getting on his nerves, that was all. But seriously the dragon that lived here had to be mentally ill to actually live here. No wonder Tenebris had warned him. He instinctively put a paw on the locket the scholar gave him before walking toward the cave.
"I've been told that you were... special, but I wasn't expecting it that much. You're not getting a lot of visits, aren't you ?" he asked, regaining his composure.

Surprisingly, when Loque enters the cave, he is surprised to find a fancy, polished oak door, surrounded by polished, beautiful wood. On either side of the door are two absolutely stunning quartz lions, standing in an upright position with one paw held out, claws unsheathed, and their mouths opened in a gruesome snarl. They are all perfectly cleaned and polished, and the white of the statues gleams in the moonlight that glitters in through the cave entrance. As for the floor, well, in front of the door, about the same width as the door, was a beautiful cotton-red rug. The rug wasn't perfect, though, and if you looked closely, it was almost as if the rug was red from blood, which made entering the building all the more suspicious and wary. And if you noticed the blood on the rug, it would make you realize the statues weren't perfect, either. They were chipped into, almost as if a dragon had been clawing at them, desperate to escape. The wood that lined the door on either side was also cut into. Apparently, Nightflare just liked to keep the place clean so that dragons wouldn't be wondering about all the cuts and bruises all over her decorations outside. Or maybe that was why they had been put their in the first place. It would really make you wonder how Nightflare had called to Loque in the first place, considering the fact that this fancy door was here.

But that was just the front of the cave. Loque still needed to enter the cave. As he cupped his hand around the door handle, he could feel that even it, too, was dented, almost as if a dragon had clutched at it, trying to hold on for dear life. There were even scratched near the handle, as if they had tried clawing it to get a better hold on it. Either way, the entrance wasn't exactly a pleasant sight, once you took a good look at it. As Loque entered the cave, or house, as would be an more appropriate term for it, not knowing what to expect, he would have gaped at the sight that stood before him.

It was a large room that extended quite a long way into the cave, until coming to a halt at another door on the farside. To Loque's left their was a large basking rock-like couch, and directly above there was an artificial sun roof. To his right there were stairs, that lead up to a homemade second floor, built on obviously-enchanted wood, designed to fit perfectly into the cracks of the cavern wall. Directly to his left, in the corner, was a freeze, and an intricate work of shelves and counters made of polished ivory and birch wood, giving it a fancy gleam. There was also a pond a little ways behind the basking light. The pond was big enough for two dragons to relax in peacefully. It was lined with quartz, once again, and tinted with purple lines made from amythist for the pool floor, keeping the water in. Speaking of floor, the floor of the house-cave was made of wood, more specifically, oak wood, just like the door. Directly on either side of Loque, beside the door, sat two pretty plants, only about as tall as he was. They were littered with flowers. There were also a few painting up on the walls. The walls themselves were made of stone, obviously, but it was painted white and gold. Behind to the stairs- which were made of a bright light brown wood, probably made from aspen trees-, running down the wall, was an air conditioner. Cool air rushed throughout the room, making it feel as if they were outside. By the pond were artificial plants, to add to that affect.

Standing by the heat rock was a pure black dragoness, her eyes glowing a deep purple color. She seemed almost pleased that Loque had arrived safely. She didn't seem like an overall monster, like she had been made out to be. She had smooth, black scales, with a soft, yet hard feel to them, like snake scales. She didn't have any spikes, except for the small, skinny spikes that started at the back of her head and ran down her back, thinning out as they got close to the tail. Her claws were ivory, polished and clean, like everything else in this house. Her wings were folded by her sides, and she held and almost inquisitive look as Loque stepped in. She stood about 60 feet tall, and she had strong legs. She blinked at Loque, and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Loque. Tenebris had told me you were coming. We aren't exactly....... friends, but we do know each other from...... past, experiences. Are you ready to start your training?" her voice was smooth, soft, like honey, or cotton, yet it had a deep tone to it, and older, dignified tone to it, and pausing a few times. It was beautiful, with a slight British accent. Her eyes glowed, half-closed, as she watched Loque carefully, almost as if examining him for an answer. Her tail flicked back and forth, gently scraping against the heating rock. It might have even been a surprise. From all the stories that had been told about Nightflare, you'd think she was some kind of bloodthirsty demon, with a torn up house, blood everywhere, blood all over herself, crazy eyes, and spikes all over the place! But instead, Loque got this calm, level-headed dragoness. It was almost as confusing as to why Gemini let her cousin get another high position, after what had happened with the throne last time. And believe me, that is not something people like to remember.

It was impossible to tell what Nightflare was thinking just by looking at her. She could have been thinking a variety of things, but she kept a pretty calm face, almost unblinking as she watched Loque, casually standing up and walking towards him, her tail flicking back and forth, her strong muscles flexing, showing off her powerful legs, that she used for hunting and tracking.

Loque got surprised when he reached the cave and saw the fine wooden door and the realistic quartz statues. The statues were nicely crafted and the door nicely ornamented, totally not what he would have expected from someone who used such a creepy method to call him. By the way how was it possible she wasn't right there ? He would have bet her voice had been calling from where he was. The black dragon examined the statues from a bit closer, curious, but suddenly noticed the claw marks on them. This looked really odd. Almost as odd as the color of the rug he was stepping on. The red was a bit too dark to his taste, this looked like... well blood. Finally this nice entrance had a kinda disturbing side.
The black dragon stepped forward and walked past the door, still alert. When he finally entered Nightflare's cave, he couldn't help but stop and gaze at what he was seeing. The inner of the cave seemed like a completely different world. Bye the creepy welcome and the worrying statues. The cave itself looked extremely cozy, practical and decorated with a seemingly good taste. It sure changed from his rustic cave. He actually didn't think such a level of refinement was possible. But somehow, this wasn't reassuring him. The contrast between the outside and the inside was just too strong to be real. Tenebris had warned him Nightflare almost was insanity itself. If she really was, was he only seeing one of her faces ? Probably. If she really behaved like this normally, the scholar wouldn't have warned him. Staying alert probably was the best thing to do.
"The pleasure is shared. And I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready for the training." he replied, not letting his thoughts show on his face - even though because of his movements and tone it was obvious he wasn't relaxed.

(*Apologizes for the short post* )

Nightflare smiled slyly at Loque's enthusiasm. She could work with this. She always enjoyed training dragons who were eager to be taught. It always thrilled her. After all, what was the point of one's work if they did not enjoy it, she had always thought to herself. She sure did enjoy her work, and because of her beautifully formed figure, which was perfect thanks to the fact she hadn't aged (for reasons she refuses to tell the public). She wondered what Loque would become once he was old enough to graduate his test and become a higher rank. Surely, it would be intriguing either way. She was sure he would grow up to become a strong, and feared, dragon.

"Alright, darling. I see you're eager to start your training. But first I must ask you a question, to make sure your mind is determined. Tell me, what rank do you hope to achieve? Do you have high ambitions for lieutenant - maybe even leader. Or are you content with being a tracker? And tell me, what do you plan to do when you gain this rank? What will you do that will prove that you are loyal to the NightWings, and what will you do to help benefit them?" she asked, her eyes half closed as she watched his face, waiting for his reply.

((Just clarifying a thing, the training took place before the shift in power. It might change a few things for you, that's why I'm mentioning it))

Loque slightly tilted his head, thinking about the dragoness's questions. Some of them were a bit tricky to answer. Him, ambitions to be leader ? This could backfire if he was to say yes. Not that he intended to of course. What could Nightflare actually hope to hear ? That he only wanted to be a tracker and make the best out of her training, or showing ambitions ? There was no real way to know.
"My mind isn't really set on that matter. Not later than a few days ago I was a rogue, living for myself. I wasn't ruling anyone, but no one ruled me. And to be honest I was kinda satisfied with that part. I want to keep this independence. Tracker happens to be what fits this at most. As for proving myself loyal to the Nightwings, I think I already did by deciding to follow Tenebris. I will do my duties as a Tracker, hunting for the tribe and spying when needed." he replied.

Nightflare smiled, her eyes half closed as she listened to Loque with a nonchalant, lain-back attitude, not at all appearing menacing. However, she was closely examining every single word Loque said. Trainees were arrogant, and they often said things that could be valuable. She heard something that interested her. Tenebris. That was her ticket. And spy? That was interesting that he would mention spy and Tenebris in the same wording? And what did he mean by follow Tenebris? All very interesting details....

"I see then.... well, dear.... Loque? Follow me," Nightflare then headed towards the uppstairs portion of her home, flicking her tail so as to get Loque to follow her. All the while she contemplated what Loque had said. She was no goddess, so she didn't have that magical sense of reading she had once had.

Loque watched as Nightflare began to head upstairs, following as she gestured him to come with a flick of her tail. For some reason she seemed highly interested in what he had just said, but he couldn't tell why. Was it the fact he said he did follow Tenebris and henced was a Neutral Nightwing ? Or was it his lack of high ambitions ? It was impossible to guess if she was interested for the best or the worse. Well, for the moment he only could step forward and hope it was for the best. In the worse case he could still escape. After all there was a reason being a Tracker suited him better than the rest.

(Woof, short post, sowwy.)

Nightflare lead Loque upstairs, up towards the top of the cave, and up into the cold night air. She raised her head, closing her eyes, and letting the wind press against her body. The moonlight seemed to perfectly reflect itself off of Nightflare's scales, making her appear more beautiful then ever, and making her purple aura really stand out against the moonlight. But enough show, time for some tell. Nightflare told Loque to stand where he was on the top of the cave, and she slowly walked towards the other side of the rocky mountain. Once she reached the end, she called over to Loque, half way to the edge of the mountain, saying.

"Loque, dear. We're going to start with some fighting techniques. I will come at you, and you will have to react the way you see fit. Don't worry, I won't go easy on you," she then smirked, and ran over to the other side of the mountain. But in a split second, she spun around, and started stalking closer to Loque.

She temporarily vanished amongst the shrubs. But she purposely rattled the branches when she got closer, giving Loque some time to respond before she proceeded to attack him. Her claws were unsheathed, just as you'd expect from Nightflare.

Loque looked around as Nightlfare led him at the top of the cave and then to the outside. It was interesting to see a cave that actually had more than one exit. He stood at the exit as his new mentor ordered him to do so, waiting for her to get where she wanted to go. Her scales were beautifully reflecting the moonlight, but the purple aura felt a bit disturbing. Another reminder she was not a normal dragoness... He briefly wondered what kind of exercise she would have him make before she explained it. Alright so this was fairly basic training.
When Nightflare started to stalk toward him, he kept his senses focused on her. He soon lost her as she disappeared into the shrubs, but he still could hear some occasional movements - even if it now was hard to accurately pinpoint her position. However soon a few branches rattled, a bit too obviously at his taste. Was she going easy on him or was it a distraction ? He kept an eye on the location and soon Nightflare emerged from the location. So she was merely testing him. Well then he would show her what he could do. The place was dark after all. By instinct, he used one of his particularities. Nightflare would suddenly have an hard time seeing Loque, as if he was blending in the shadows. Loque used this moment to make a quick jump on the side, evading her attack and then striking from her side at the same time he became fully visible again.

((Just out of curiosity, how old is Loque, how tall is he, and what are his powers? o3o))

((Loque has reached his maturity not long ago, so he is a young adult. He is a bit shorter than average as he's not at his definitive size yet. As for his power, he is able to "blend" in the shadows. He can turn totally invisible, hide his scent, walk without leaving paw prints and even "disappearing" inside the shadow, meaning you can't even touch him. However his senses are affected as for example turning completely invisible makes him blind, walking without leaving prints would make him unable to feel his surroundings correctly and disappearing into the shadow cuts him entirely from the world, so that he wouldn't even be able to tell how long he spent like this. This is why he only blended a little, just enough for the attacker to be disturbed but not enough to be hindered too much, and why he went fully visible again when striking to have his full senses.
Just know the names in my signature are links to the character sheets.))

Considering how large Loque was compared to Nightflare, anything he did wouldn't really faze her, but she decided she wouldn't go easy on him, seeing as he was an adult. Leaping to the side, she waved her paw in the air, a fire ball beginning to form in her paws. Since this was magic, it was much weaker then actual FireWing fire, but that didn't mean it couldn't wound you. She then started shooting several balls of fire at Loque, creating a small wall behind him, made of fire. After the wall was created, she shot another ball of fire at Loque, then hesitated a moment to see how he would react, her claws unsheathed, ready to attack if he managed to dodge. The wall of fire was mainly a distraction, since the fire was hot, and would hurt if you made contact with it, going so far as to burn the scales and skin. With the confusion, there was an unlikely factor he would be able to dodge..... but that doesn't mean he couldn't deflect.

((Wow you mean Nightflare is extremely small ? I actually tend to imagine him smaller than almost all the adult dragons))

Loque was about to blend in the shadow once again but a strange light emerged from Nightflare's paw. He couldn't really afford to use this trick once again if he wanted to know exactly what was going on. And he was glad he did so when a fireball suddenly formed and dashed toward him. He barely managed to dodge it but caught a glimpse of Nightflare preparing yet another. He tried to step back, creating some distance between him and the dragoness, but stopped as he felt an unusual heat near his tail. A glance back taught him the fireball had landed and continued to burn, cutting his attempt to escape. And while he had glanced back, the second fireball was heading toward him. The dragon made a desperate roll on the side, the fireball getting close enough from him to slightly burn his scales - not a lot, but enough to imagine what would have happened if he didn't escape. While he rolled, he tried his best to blend in the shadows, but the light from the fire wasn't making it easy. His vision was now completely blurred, but it proved enough for Nightflare not to aim her fireballs inaccurately and enough for him to detect the balls. But fireball by fireball, he was getting cornered and he didn't have many directions to dodge. The last fireball almost hit him as he made a desperate roll, burning his belly scales. The fires were bright enough for his camouflaging not to be that effective, but he didn't have much a choice. He had nothing to deflect a fireball. However he couldn't see Nightflare unsheathing her claws as he was expecting yet another fireball.

"Remember. If a FireWing attacks, they aren't going to give you mercy. You need to be prepared for anything. A good tactic to use is to use your wings, so you can blow the fire back. If you're cornered, stay calm, and trick the opponent into a sense of false security, so that you can get the jump on them and escape." Nightflare's voice radiated, before she decided it was about time she leaped forward, ready to claw Loque. With what she had justs aid being said, Loque had a variety of escape roots, but the most logical would be to roll underneath her, and claw her underbelly, then leap out of the wy before she couldc rusgh him.

((Oh now I remember why I never calculate with absolute size, I always imagine dragons way smaller than you people. 60 feet is way more than the average, Loque would be closer from the 30-40 feet))

Hopefully Nightflare didn't immediately follow with an attack. He carefully listened to her words, realizing he could have deflected the fireballs with a quick flap of his wings. But well dodging fireballs was a first for him. The black dragon got up on his feet and stopped his blending, as it became useless anyway. He let out a grunt as a few of his scales were painful, burned from the fireballs. He wasn't really giving a good first impression...
He was ready when Nightflare jumped on him. That was something he was more used to. Loque gave a quick impulse with his hind paws and rolled under Nightflare. During the roll he tried to claw at her exposed belly. Once the roll was finished he quickly got back on his paws and made a small jump behind, getting some distance between him and the dragoness.

Nightflare smirked when Loque successfully completed what she had told him to. Because of the fact Nightflare didn't specialize in guarding, due to her agility, and despite her strength, she didn't have very strong underscales, as she didn't have a sharp chestplate, like most guardians do, so the attack did sting a little. But Nightflare was going to give Loque the best training her could possible have. Swirling around, Nightflare shot several blasts of lightning at Loque, spreading her wings out and slapping them, throwing small gusts of air at Loque. This was a test. She needed to test Loque, to see how well he would fair against the different tribes. Because of her elemental magic, she could do very weak attacks of different tribal powers, but they were nothing compared to actually fighting one of the other tribes' natural breath attacks.

Loque stood on his feet, prepared to dodge if NightFlare did anything. And he was right to be cautious as she seemed to concentrate again like she did when she threw those fireballs. The black dragon prepared his wings, planning to use them to make a quick step on the side - besides if she was about to send him a fireball he could hope to deviate it as well. As soon as light came out from the dragoness's paw, he leapt to the side, propulsing himself with a flap of his wings. However NightFlare did the same at this moment, and the air gusts it sent messed with Loque's movelent, making him leap more backward than on the side. And besides he realized too late this time it was about lightning and not fire. He tried to correct his trajectory but the first lightning bolt hit the end of his wing. He let out a yelp of pain, clenching his teeth, but he didn't break his concentration. His trainer meant business, and it wasn't a hit like that that would prevent her from continuing. Hopefully past the moment of surprise he could have a more appropriate reaction, simply dodging the bolts by leaping or rolling on the side when she cast the bolts. Due to their speed, staying at range was useless. Dodge by dodge he was getting closer from Nightflare, soon getting in leaping range. He waited for NightFlare to cast another bolt which he could quickly dodge and leapt on her before she could cast another one, his wings ready to modify his trajectory if she was to counter the same way he did a moment before.

(Sorry this took so long! Inspiration don't fail me now!)

Nightflare would watch Hyruu casually. She would then launch a bolt of lightning at him, once again leaping up on her hindlegs, flailing her wings out, and flapping them in another strong gust of wind towards Hyruu, her wings enchanted so it almost felt like an attack from a real SkyWing.

Loque dodged the next lightning bolt with a quick step on the side. He was starting to figure out the trick with them, all he had to do was anticipate when the lightning would start to quickly dodge it. Nightflare leap on her hindlegs, probably about to unleash another gust of wind. But the black dragon wouldn't be tricked twice. This time he tightly folded his wings on his side so the wind would not throw him away. This was perfect, he still was in leaping range from her and his mentor was dangerously exposing her belly to him. Now was the moment to strike. Loque leap on Nightflare, aiming for her exposed underbelly.

[Mind if I wrap this up?.]

(No, do)

As Nightflare trained with Hyruu, she decided now was about time she wrapped things up. She side stepped backwards, bringing her paws casually down onto Hyruu, smacking him into the ground, before she sat down, licking a paw nonchalantly. "I do believe now would be a good time to stop," she said casually.

((I know I'm posting a lot as Hyruu because loging an alt is a pain on the mobile version, but it's Loque you are training ^^))

Loque got slightly surprised as Nightflare suddenly stepped back, dodging his leap. Did she notice he had been getting closer and closer at each dodge ? Of course. It must have been totally obvious. Did he really believe he could surprise her with such a naive plan ? But he didn't really have much more time to think about it. The black dragon got smacked on the ground, with a surprising force considering his mentor was only slightly bigger than him. His lungs violently emptied from the air they had stored. Slightly dizzied, he didn't move for a few seconds.
"Ugh... I sure don't mind a pause to get those burns treated." Loque replied, now slightly panting. During the effort he hadn't realized it, but he sure was spent.