The Hunt (Private Loque)

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Today I was out hunting, the air was warm and humid, I could almost feel water acumulating on my scales. I was in a good mood this morning, getting to hunt alone was always the best, you didn't have to act like someone you weren't, so I was my happy self. I scented the air, smelling a lingering scent of deer and maybe a dragon, either way it wasn't a rogue, it didn't smell wild so I consetrated on the deer. I saw it, in the meadow by a small lake. This was what I was hunting for. I shook out my playfulness and got serious, stalking behind it like a cat and almost read to jump at it.

Loque moved out of the deer as Kaora moved out of him... rather clumsily. But the black dragon didn't really notice that. No, he was more bothered by how he had crashed into Kaora yet again - and quite literally. This sure was unexpected. Well, unexpected? Kaora was a tracker, was it unusual for her to be hunting? Loque's mind was racing as he tried to find a way to reply to the dragoness.
"It seems like we got the deer, yes. It wasn't the most... elegant way to do so, though." he replied with a small smile.
He grunted a bit as some of his limbs were a bit painful, but hopefully it was nothing serious. That was already a good point, two dragons colliding at full speed could cause quite a few bruises.
"I'm fine today. I needed a break from the work at the Refuge, so I came hunting. I swear one day those Magistrates are going to make me crazy." he replied, sighing.
He was half lying, of course. But he couldn't tell her the true reason behind his break was that he wasn't able to concentrate on his work after her visit...
"Well then let's bring this deer to the storage building." the black dragon suggested.

I lightly chuckled at his reply, looking away for a second before back to him. I had one foot lifted off the ground and was gently setting it back down before removing it with a slight hiss. Part of my tail also hurt and a bit of my side, but nothing too bad should come from it... I hoped.

I was in my own thought until Loque mentioned storage. I turned my head towards him, a look of not of my face before giving a light nod. "Uh yeah... Let's take it to the storage..." If it was bad before with their teasing about the 'date,' then it was going to be worse when he was actually here. I attempted to try and bring the deer on my back, even though I was rejecting using one of my paws. Anytime it would hit the ground I'd let out a small hiss, but continued to try and get the deer on.

Loque frowned as he noticed Kaora was letting out a slight hiss everytime she was putting her paw on the ground. Did she get hurt when they crashed? In any case, she seemed to be determined to take the deer on her back despite hissing every time her paw touched the ground. No something was wrong, but why was she trying to make it look like nothing was?
"Kaora? Are you okay? Is your paw hurt?" he asked her, stepping toward the dragoness.

I looked up at him before shaking my head. "No, everything's f-" My hurt leg caused me the fall on my side, my opposite hind leg still standing. The weight of the deer and the fact that my paw hurt every time I moved it made it impossible to stand back up, but I still tried to stand. I winced, but not from pain. How was Loque seeing all of this? Finally I stopped and let out a light whimper, "Maybe I'm not okay... I might have tweaked my paw in that landing..."

Loque's eyes widened as Kaora fell on her side, her paw not being able to withstand the charge of the deer on her back. The black dragon rushed at the Tracker's side, worried she might have hurt herself even more. He felt relieved when he saw it wasn't the case. But still, that paw of hers was quite worrying.
"Stop moving. Trying to get back on your paws with that deer on your back is only going to make things worse." he ordered.
The black dragon removed the deer from Kaora's back, laying it back in the grass nearby. As soon as he was done, he went back toward Kaora, frowning as he eyed at her paw. He was no healer, so he couldn't tell what was the best thing to do right now. Apart from stop pushing on it, that is.
"You need to see a healer. Can you stand up?" he asked her, offering a paw to help her stand up again.

I listened to him, stopping moving as he started to remove the deer from my back. This was almost embarrassing, having a hurt paw and trying to act like it was nothing. What was I thinking? After he got the deer off I sat on my hind legs, holding my paw up. "Thanks... And I might just be a bit slow at walking. How far is the healer?" I asked, slowly standing up. In case I fell, I lightly rested my side against his, although not enough for him to get affected by it. I lightly blushed, feeling his warmth over mine. Maybe I should wish he was far away...

(Btw, is the healer just going to be another NPC? )

Loque stood as firm as he could while Kaora difficultly stood up, taking care not to put her injured paw on the ground. The black dragon had a small shrug at her question.
"Well there's always the healer at the Tracker's camp. They should be able to fix this fairly easily." he replied to her.
Loque suddenly felt weird as Kaora rested her flank against his. This was normal since she was making sure she wouldn't fall again, but why was Loque feeling so... awkward? Loque started to blush as well, even though with his scales this wasn't visible.
"Erm... Don't worry. Take your time, we are not in a hurry anyway. Let's bring you back to the camp, I'll bring that deer back later." he told her.
The black dragon initiated a first step, waiting for Kaora to start walking in order to adjust himself to her rhythm. One step after the other, they would make it back to the camp.

((Yeah, the only non-NPC healer I know is at the Refuge and that's way too far ^^))

I lightly smiled when he said to 'take my time...' It was a bit hard to walk with three legs, but at least I enjoyed leaning on him to help me walk. Eventually I figured out a rhythm to his, and the progress became smoother.

It almost felt like too soon when we got back to the camp, and I tried to avoid the gazes and whispers of the other trackers getting ready to head out. I wondered how they'd feel if I even did start to date him. That thought surprised me, so I just turned to asked him, "Do you know where the healer is? I forgot for I've never seen him much."

((You have the honor to receive my 1000th post !
And yay for least imaginative NPC dialog because it's 3AM))

Loque walked forward, his steps soon syncing with Kaora's. Despite the injury, they were still getting at a nice rhythm. It wouldn't be too long before they reached the base camp and get the help of a healer.
The black dragon blushed as while walking, his flank was brushing against Kaora's. He would lie if he said he didn't enjoy the contact. During the trip, no words were exchanged, just a rather comfortable silence. In a sense Loque was feeling guilty to enjoy that. After all, it was his fault if Kaora was hurt in the first place. He really would have to make it up later.
The two dragons soon arrived at the camp. When Kaora asked if he knew where the healer was, he simply nodded, guiding her there. Loque entered the building, with Kaora at his side. A dragon looked at them as they entered, soon noticing the problem.
"Oh, so you messed up with your paw ? Thank you for accompanying her here, I will take care of that." the healer said.
Loque nodded at the healer, and then looked at Kaora.
"Well, while you're getting that taken care of, I'll go and get that deer we killed. I'll be back in a few minutes." he said.
With that the black dragon left the building.

A few minutes was all it took him to get back to where the deer was and bring it back to the main camp. The whole situation was totally unexpected. He didn't meant to crash into Kaora like that, and his mind was racing. What should he do ? Between all what he had been told and the trip back to the camp, it was obvious there was something between them. Loque had to make a move. But what ? He had planned to finish that visit of the Refuge, but this would be for another time. Then what ?
Well anyway for now he was back to see how the dragoness was doing. He entered the healer's building.
"There, I brought the deer back. Are you feeling better, Kaora ?" the black dragon asked.

I felt like they got to the healer's hut too soon. I was enjoying his warmth, and when he pulled away I felt cold. I wanted to take a step back to him, but didn't, and nodded at him, going with the healer.

I sat as he began to examine her paw, wrapping it in some bandages. I kept glancing out of his building, waiting for Loque to come back. The healer took notice and smiled. "Waiting for your date to come back?" I turned her head back to him, slightly bristling.
"He's not my date, why would he sprain my paw?"
He chuckled, "To be near you, of course."
I snarled, "We just crashed in a hunting accident, he's even getting the deer right now."
The healer looked like he was going to say something else but stopped, looking at where the approaching Loque was. "She's all patched up, but you should keep her off that paw." He winked at him before going deeper into the building.

I looked back at Loque, giving him a smile. "Yes, I'm feeling better. I hope the deer wasn't too much trouble."

Loque had a blink as the healer winked at him, unable to refrain a slight blush. Was this so obvious that someone having never seen them before could tell it? The black dragon wondered if Kaora was having her own doubts, just like he did, or if she was oblivious of what was going on. Did someone slap the truth in her face like someone did for him?
"Don't worry, that's just a deer. I'm really sorry I ruined your day like this..." the black dragon sighed. "What do you say we spend the day with your paw resting? Maybe we could... spend some moments in the forest? There... erm, there are quite a few nice spots there..." he awkwardly suggested.

I shook my head. "No, you didn't ruin my day." I listened as he suggested going back into the forest. "That would work... but I'm still not supposed to use my paw so... you'd have to help me again." I said, feeling myself getting hotter as I blushed. It would be nice to feel his hide again...

Loque's heart missed a beat as Kaora spoke, but she did accept his invitation. Why was he suddenly so nervous? Why did he fear so much she'd turn him down after what happened? Well that was stupid, if he had to be rational the answer would be "because he was stupidly in love". And damn was that making him think irrationally.
But she did accept. The black dragon shrugged as calmly as he could, despite his heart racing in his chest. He wouldn't mind helping her again... No, even worse he would enjoy helping her. It felt nice to have her at his side like earlier. It hit him that Kaora might also think this way and wasn't minding it at all either.
"Of course. We will try not to go too far anyway." he replied, having regained some calmness.
Loque positioned himself next to the dragoness, waiting for her to get up and lean against him.
"Ready when you are, then." he smiled at her.

Leaning against him I slightly purred before stopping, hoping he wouldn't have noticed it. His scales just felt so nice next to mine. So shiny and cooling me off from my blushing earlier, although him next to me wasn't helping much. Maybe I was living in some fantasy, he didn't actually like me... did he? Maybe he was just helping me because he was being friendly not because he 'just wanted to be around me.' But most of me still wanted to believe he might actually have some feelings back.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now." I said, looking at him. Maybe this injury was a good thing. I waited for him to start moving and for us to get back into rhythm again.

Loque smiled as Kaora leaned again against him, signalling him she was ready to go. The black dragon took a step forward, making sure they were in sync before increasing the pace to about the same pace they had when coming back from the forest. Loque felt she was leaning a lot against him, maybe more than she really needed to. Or did he just imagine things ? He glanced a few times at her during the trip, feeling his heart beat faster each time he did. He hoped Kaora wouldn't notice these occasional glances...
Loque guided Kaora to a place he had discovered back when he still was only a Tracker. Coming back here reminded him of those rather simple times, when all he had to care about was himself. He had gone quite far since then. The place itself was a little haven, a very small clearing with a small stream of water that was making a tiny cascade. It wasn't much, but it was a calm place that had its charm. Loque guided Kaora to a patch of grass that would be comfortable to lie on.
"There. I hope the walk wasn't too long." the black dragon said.

It was pretty easy to get back in sync. As we walked I kept glancing around, mostly finding my eyes laying on him for a second before moving away in case he noticed. I hoped he didn't. It took a while but they got there. It was calming, a little stream too small for fish ran through it, unless there was a fish small enough to be able to. Maybe a lost fry separated from a lake, but it was unlikely.
He guided me over to a small patch of grass where I laid down, resting my three legs. It was cool and soft, the soil still refraining a little bit of water to not make it hard and dry. I looked up at him with a smile to reply. "Even on three legs I'm still a tracker. Now, come and relax, I feel bad for you having to practically carry me." Maybe I just secretly wanted him to be by my side again.

Loque smiled as Kaora ordered him to relax and get near her. The black dragon lied on the grass as well, near Kaora so he wouldn't seem distant but far enough not for it to be too intimate. All in all, he was just close enough for his folded wing tips to accidentally touch hers, making him slightly blush.
"You don't have to. After all, I'm the one that caused your injury in the first place..." he replied with a small smirk.
Loque simply enjoyed the moment, feeling his heart beating faster than usual in his chest. Alright, he brought Kaora to this place, but what next? What should he do? Loque blushed a bit harder when he realized what he should do. His heart began to beat even faster, now feeling nervous. But first thing first, he should let her enjoy the place.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Loque laid down next to me. Maybe it was because I thought he might not want to lay down, or that he wasn't going to lay right next to me. "W-well who knows. May-b-be I was the one who caused i-it." I made a face after I spoke, my tongue mixing up my words. Slightly blushing I wondered if it was because of him. He took us off into a secluded part of the forest, all alone. It was peaceful and relaxing, and it was just us.

Taking a second before acting, I slowly put me head on his shoulder, pulling up slightly in case he didn't want me before putting it back down. I smelled the scent of the water rushing by, the birds in the trees, the wet grass. I could hear the stream and the birds as they chirped a little song, and feel the sun hitting spots of her scales through the trees. It was nice here, it was relaxing, especially with him here next to her.

Loque let out a content sigh as the two dragons settled onto the soft grass, enjoying a moment of calm. It had been long since Loque last enjoyed a moment such as this one... Even though actually the moment was special this time. Kaora. The dragoness also seemed to enjoy the moment of relaxation. Even at her sight, the calmness of the place managed to calm down the storm of thoughts that had previously invaded his mind. Yes, he was just good, enjoying a moment of calm with a sweet dragoness.
Loque blinked in surprise as he suddenly felt something touching his shoulder. He turned his head to see what it was... and froze in place when he saw Kaora leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulders. That was so unexpected the black dragon was taken off guard. But he didn't do anything, he just let her rest her head. That... That was fairly intimate... Was she hinting at him, or did she only do so because she wanted to? Well, in any case, Loque had to think of something. Blushing, the black dragon extended his wing and shyly placed it above Kaora's flank. He just hoped he wasn't being too fast with this and that she wouldn't reject him...

I was slightly surprised when he started to put his wing around us. After the initial shock, I calmed down, holding down a purr. It was nice, keeping the heat in and just making us... closer. Slowly, I scooted a bit closer to him, letting our sides touch gently. Maybe if he felt like it he'd come closer, but I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

It felt nice with him by my side, a feeling that I could see lasting forever. Who cares what other dragons said, I was happy here, with him. I let out a little humming purr that wasn't really heard, but more of felt.

Loque closed his wing on Kaora as the dragoness scooted closer to him. Now their sides were touching, and Loque could feel Kaora was purring. The black dragon's blush remained, but a smile stretched on his face.
With that movement from her, Loque now knew the dragoness also felt something for him. His heart started to beat faster as he did realize that. While he wanted to tell her about it, he didn't want to break the moment. This was just so calm, words weren't needed right now.
After a few minutes the black dragon started to grow a bit impatient. This was unusual from him, who was able to stay for hours on an ambush. But it wasn't his head that was impatient, it was his heart. He was feeling like he would explode if he didn't tell her.
"Kaora ? You know, since the first time I saw you... I couldn't help but think about that day. How we hunted, how we got rid of those thieves together, and then your visit to the Refuge... Not only you're beautiful, but I also like how you think. I know it's sudden, and you deserve a better declaration than this, but... I love you, Kaora. I... I'd be honored if you accepted to become my mate." he declared, unsure of himself.
Screw all his plans about a nice speech and a romantic dinner. His heart had pushed him to an improvised but sincere declaration.

I smiled in the few moments of silence between us. I could hear my heart as it beat in my chest, feeling as my scales grey warm in between us. His wing held a nice weight on my side, blocking any wind that would want to spin by. If I was paying more attention, I might have noticed the animals hiding in the forest becoming quieter, but still chattering.

Loque calling my name opened me from falling asleep, and I turned my head towards him. As he spoke, I could feel my heart beating faster, as if it knew what he was asking. His words came as a shock and a surprise, but at the same time not at all. It was like I was expecting this.

After a heartbeat of silence I spoke, only having to say one simple word. "Yes." After that, I lightly nuzzled his cheek before looking into his eyes, full of happiness and the future to come.

Loque's heart missed a beat as he waited for Kaora's answer. What if he had been wrong? What if...
His worries were cut short as Kaora suddenly replied. A single word. Loque 'ever expected a single word could light his heart like this. A wide smile appeared on his face as the word made its way from his heart to his brain. She... She had accepted. Never in his life had he felt so happy. He felt his face becoming hot as the dragoness nuzzled his cheek. Loque reached to her shout and gave her a small lick on it. He then nuzzled her snout, their mouths getting closer... Loque couldn't hold it anymore. Slightly tilting his head, he engaged a delicate kiss.

I blushed as he licked me, still feeling his warmth on my face from when I nuzzled him. My heart was fluttering like a dove, and then... he kissed me. At first, I was surprised. Then I relaxed, closing my eyes and embracing it. My face was on fire at this point. Maybe in the future we'd be able to be near each other without blushing. But, for now, it would have to do.

Loque felt a warm feeling invading his face as Kaora embraced the kiss. He continued with passion, feeling lighter than he ever has been. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and all he wanted was for this moment to last forever. The black dragon tightened his wing around Kaora, embracing his new mate in a passionate hug. All this was so new for Loque. So new, but so good.
At some point, though, the kiss had to stop. None of them really disengaged, they just seemed to stop on a common silent decision. How long did that kiss last? Seconds? Minutes? Hours maybe? He didn't care. It felt like an eternity, and an eternity was what he wished for that kiss to last.
With a large, vague smile, the young Magistrate gazed into the Tracker's eyes, loosing himself in it. That kind of smile wasn't really like him, but well you know what they say, love had that kind of tendency to induce stupid faces and looks...