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.

The guard slightly nodded at Kaora's request.
"Yes, Magistrate Loque is here, but he is busy at the moment. I can notify him of your arrival if you wish. May I inquire your name ?" the guard replied.

I was a little sad to hear that he was busy, but that was expected. "Oh yeah, I'm Kaora. And tell him not to worry, I'll be here." I gave him a smile. Did that sound to needy? And why was I worrying about it? It was going to be fine. I took a seat and waited, wondering what he was doing.

The guard nodded as Kaora answered.
"Alright I will tell him so. Please wait here while I go notify him." he replied before leaving.

Loque was working on a document as someone knocked on the door. A guard opened the door, slightly bowing.
"Mister, someone has arrived and asked to see you. Her name was Kaora. She said not to worry if you were to be busy, she is waiting for you downstairs." the dragon announced.
Loque couldn't help but get a smile at the news. So Kaora came after all! He was maybe more happy about that than he should.
"Oh, perfect! Guide her to my office, please." the young Magistrate happily replied.
Tye guard nodded and was about to leave when he marked an hesitation.
"If I may inquire... Is this Kaora a friend of yours? If so I'd say you've got a pretty good taste." he inquired.
Loque blinked, a bit surprised by the question. Not because of the familiarity the guard had been showing. Ever since he reached his rank, he had made sure not to snob the guards. Sure his rank was above theirs, but that meant little to him and they all were dragons before everything. This made the relations a lot easier. Sadly not every Magistrate was like this, and too many acted like the guards were their slaves...
Loque regained his composure, frowning.
"Merely an acquaintance." he sharply replied.
The guard couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Apparently he had hit a sensitive point...
"If you say so. I shall lead her here then." the guard replied, leaving the office.

The dragon soon reached the hall, heading toward Kaora.
"Magistrate Loque has asked to see you. Please follow me." he said.

I smiled as the dragon came back. Getting up I gave a nod and followed him to Loque's office, thanking him before entering. "Hello?" I asked, poking my head in. My tail was flicking with excitement to see this place. I hoped I wasn't interrupting anything important, but then again why would they bring me up here if he was busy?

Loque lifted his head from his note as Kaora poked her head inside his office. He had a sincere smile at the idea to spend some time in her company. Not that he was feeling alone or anything, but the other Magistrates weren't good company at all.
"Good afternoon, Kaora. Come in and take a sit. I'm sorry I'll have to make you wait for a bit, I really need to finish this document. It should only take a few minutes." he told her.
Loque's office was quite simple, despite his rank. A single window was giving the room its needed light, and the space was mostly occupied by shelves and a large desk set under the window. Some pillows were set on the other side of the desk, serving as a place to sit down. The desk was covered by papers of different sizes. The black dragon continued to write on a paper that wasn't filled yet, the sound of his claw scratching the paper echoing through the room.

I gave a nod and came in, looking around at the room as I came to sit by him- or, somewhere. Looking at the shelves I wondered if this was what I was expecting. Maybe something more messy, with papers everywhere, books, writing utensils and maybe other things. Or maybe that'd be how I'd imagine my office looking like. Looking at the pillows I wondered which one to sit on. Narrowed down to two, I could either sit one away from him or sit on one right by him. Walking forward I just decided to sit next to him. "Don't worry, take you time." I said, smiling. I watched him write for a few minutes before finally asking, "What are you working on?"

Loque continued to work on his document, not showing any reaction as Kaora sat next to him. But he actually got surprised by the act. There were pillows on the other side of the desk that were intended for the guests, the pillows she sat on were some extra that himself didn't sit on... His ink-stained claw continued to scratch on the paper, forming new words on the paper.
"It's a report from a reunion with some other Magistrates. Every reunion has to be written down for further consultation. Rather boring, if you ask me. Especially considering how illogical some of those reunions turn out to be..." the black dragon sighed.

I nodded, watching as he wrote more of the large paper. "Did you have to remember all of that? Because wouldn't it have made been logical to write it down when they were talking in the meeting?" I wasn't exactly sure how their meetings went, the ones I've been to were with instructions and more like becoming a hunter from a trainee. Looking over the table I noticed the pillows on the other side, but glancing back at Loque it almost... Felt better to be on the same side as him.

Loque shook his head at Kaora's comment, continuing to write on the paper.
"There's a lot to write, and also a lot to say during the meeting itself. It wouldn't be possible to do both correctly. And besides, it's easier to structure the report after the meeting itself. It would be a mess if I was to write it during the meeting itself..." he replied with a sigh.
A few sentences more and Loque put the final point of his report. The black dragon quickly read again what he wrote and, with a swift movement, reached the stamp that was on his desk and stamped the document. He then moved it on top of a pile of already written documents and looked at Kaora.
"And there. Sorry for the wait." he apologized to her.

I nodded, staying silent and watching the rest of the time he wrote. I watched as he put a stamp on the paper and moved it to a pile, a sign that he was done. I listened to his apology for waiting and gave a slight chuckle, "Waiting is the most important part of the hunt." I stood up, stretching a bit before looking back at him. "So, what now?" I asked, curious if he was actually done with his work.

((Oh my I haven't been on dA since ages and just saw what you uploaded... I love it ^^))

Loque stood up as well, slightly stretching his legs as he did so. How long had he been sitting on his desk ? Probably a few hours... A walk sure wouldn't hurt him ! Well it was the prefect occasion as Kaora was there.
"Well, I was figuring I could make you visit the place. After all, that's what we were talking about last time right ? I guess we could begin with the gardens. Seems the perfect place to begin... and warm up my paws after sitting for so long." he proposed, looking at Kaora to see if the idea pleased her.

(Oh lol, I wasn't sure what he looked like exactly but I wanted to draw them. Glad you like )

I nodded. "That sounds great!" I said, ready to follow him. I wondered what the garden looked like, or just what type of garden it was. It could just be a little cute vegetable garden or something like a flower garden. Already seeing this place I'd have to guess it wouldn't be some little thing, it'd probably be extravagant and talently made. I turned to him, my tail flicking interested and my eyes shinning with curiosity.

((Well I do have a complete reference of him, it's there : http://sta.sh/014kth62jfie
Yeah I should put that text one day))

Loque nodded, smiling as the idea visibly was fine for Kaora. Well that was settled then. The black dragon walked away from his desk, looking at the dragoness once he reached the middle of his office.
"Alright. Follow me then." he said.
He then resumed walking outside the room, just checking if Kaora was following.
After a bit of walking through the hallways of the Shadow Refuge, the two arrived at the door leading to the gardens. Loque opened it, letting Kaora go through before closing it behind them. The gardens weren't extravagant like Kaora was expecting, on the contrary they were rather sober. The talently made part was clearly there though. An alley covered by white gravel was splitting the gardens in green squares with its ramifications. Most of the squares were closed by a small line of ferns, protecting the plants behind. There were varieties coming from all across Pyrria, some of the squares looking like a sample of what you would see in other territories. A pond was showing underwater plants coming from the Seawing territory, a lush square was composed of plants from the Earthwing territories, the delicate flowers from the Skywing territories, abundant jungle plants from the Lightwings... The garden had it all. Small patches of grass were disposed here and there, visibly meant for dragons to sit on. A few squares were also devoid of any fern, only having soft grass and a few trees providing some shadow. A few dragons were strolling through the gardens, visibly on a pause as well, but overall the gardens were big enough not too feel crowded.
"There are the gardens. It is meant not only as a place of leisure but also one of the place the botanists grow and study plants coming from the whole world. They are only rivaled in term of beauty by the Imperial gardens... but unlike those, anyone can witness the gardens here." the black dragon explained.

(Oh, at least I did good on him )

I followed Loque through some halls until we were finally met with a big door. Opening it he held for me and I walked through, my eyes hitting the sight of the garden. It might not had been as extravagant as one would think, but for someone who's stayed in the Nightwing territory their whole life it was. All of the different plants from different places was almost enough in itself. I walked over to a square of plants, tilting my head curiously at the unknown plant. I lifted my head up and looked at him when he spoke. "The whole world seems so far away. I don't think I've ever ventured outside of our territory. And all these plants are amazing! Just seeing how different they are compared to the ones seen here is just mesmerizing..." I trailed off, looking over at the delicate flowers in one of them. I wondered what the other prey was like too, if the plants were so different.

Loque followed Kaora as she went from square to square, admiring the plants within. He had a frown as she stopped near the square he usually avoided. The plants within were from the Earthwing territories. This was bringing him memories he would prefer to forget. Memories from difficult times, and memories from this winter. But he couldn't blame Kaora to stop near this square, the Earthwing vegetation was a beautiful one.
"The world sure is vast, and its many places diverse. It would take one a whole life to explore Pyrria, and probably another one to tale all its wonders. But I will leave that to others. I had my share of travels in my life." Loque sighed.

After continuing to examine them as he talked I thought about the last sentence he said. 'I had my share of travels in my life.' It wasn't the sentence itself, but the way he said it. I turned to him a slightly tilted my head. He was still a young dragon, fit for ages and slim... I glanced away, slightly embarrassed before looking back at him. "Did something happen on your travels?" I asked softly, hopping not to poke up memories he'd rather forget.

Loque blinked, almost surprised as Kaora spoke after a small pause. Her tone was concerned, and he realized that he had insisted a bit too much on the last sentence. The black dragon frowned again, his muscles tensing. If something happened during his travels ? Yes, a lot of things, and among those a lot he wished to never live again.
"That's a story I do not want to tale." he replied, a bit too sharply.
And how could he ? How could he tell anyone about that winter ? That fateful winter... where he killed someone. That same claw that now was covered in ink was once slicing a dragon's throat. He could remember it as if it was yesterday. He had sliced that dragon's throat without marking an hesitation.
Him or me. Bastard deserved it.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood with my problems." he apologized.

I nodded, almost feeling bad that I asked. Even if he did something bad on them, that wasn't who he was now. "I'm sorry I asked." I mummered. When he apologized about ruining the mood I simply said, "It's okay. There's still the rest of the day to change it." I smiled, "Where to next?" Maybe getting away from here and somewhere else he liked would get us in a better mood.

(Also, I think there is an app waiting approval )

((Who are you referring to with 'them'? Loque didn' t mention anyone, that was just him thinking))

Loque shook his head as Kaora apologized.
"No worries. I guess we could head for the remparts. They're quite a sight." he suggested.
The black dragon turned around, starting to walk toward the garden's entrance. He should have expected the dragoness would want to see this particular square. So why did he get surprised like that?

(Oh sorry, them meaning his travels )

I nodded when he suggested going to the remparts. Any place in this building sounded interesting and exciting to go to at the moment. I followed behind him, head high and tail slightly wagging, excited to see this new part of the building.

Loque opened the garden's entrance door, making sure Kaora went through before closing it behind her. The black dragon guided her through another series of hallways and stairs, making their way upwards. Some of the stairs visibly hadn't been really revamped due to a lack of space, and were quite steep to climb and narrow.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about those stairs. All the stairs couldn't be renovated, so some of them still are like they were when the castle was used by the humans. By the way, you can also notice how tiny the windows are here. If you have ever seen humans, you'd know they are fond of crafting weapons to strike from a distance. One of those weapons, called bow, involves a curved piece of wood whose extremities are tied by a string. The wood is crafted in a way the user can pull the string for a certain length without breaking it. Humans then craft pointy sticks and use the bow to throw them rather far. These windows are made thin so defenders can watch a fight without risks, as it would take an incredible precision to lodge one of those sticks through this." the black dragon explained as they were going through one of the stairs.

I followed Loque from the garden back into the building. After following him through several hallways and flights of stairs I noticed some weren't like the others. Others were wide and seemed like they fit for the dragon paw, while others seemed small and narrow. While I continued to ponder about that he seemed to read my mind and answer it. As he explained it he also mentioned how they made weapons. I may not have known much about how our guardians fought, but I was pretty sure it was by tooth and claw. "Excuse me if I'm wrong here, but why don't we try and remake these weapons? Couldn't it be better than fighting with our teeth and claws? I know that humans were fond of making other various things, but I feel it would be better to break something like a bow rather than a claw." I probably sounded stupid as I said this, but I realized not everyone would be able to use these weapons. They'd have to have paws able to hold things, not one's better for running. Even so, I still felt like it would be better. I continued to follow him up the stairs, silently hoping he didn't see me as a fool. But, I normally didn't care about what other dragons thought about me, what made him different?

Loque couldn't help but grin at Kaora's immediate answer. Quick to think, wasn't she? The black dragon remembered having exactly the same thoughts when he first learned about that.
"That's a good point, but so far we didn't manage to adapt the device for a dragon. One would need two free paws to use a bow, which means the dragon would have to sit to use it. That's quite problematic as we would have to expose our bellies. Also, it would be much less effective for us than the humans. Despite being practical, these bows aren't extremely precise at long range. So since we are bigger than the humans we make a far better target. The humans also play on the fact they outnumber us, and tend to have dozens of bow users. Only one human using them isn't a threat for a dragon, but a dozen sure is. And we can't afford to have a dozen of dragons using those bows in a battle. All in all, bows just aren't adapted for us for numerous reasons. And you'll also need to account the fact most dragons are too stupidly proud to accept wielding a human weapon. So our best ranged tactic remains dropping rocks on them. For some strange reason humans like to stay in compact group, so this tactic has proved surprisingly effective." Loque replied.
It had been a long time the black dragon had an interesting discussion like this one. Most dragons wouldn't even admit the humans were able to craft some intriguing devices. Narrow minded by their stupid pride that dragons were the perfect creatures, since they are the Gods' brethren.

I nodded occasionally as he explained. He made plenty of good points, but there was still one I could see. "When dragons fly their bellies are exposed, and they're typically not doing anything with their claws. Even if they aren't accurate that would probably be when it would make the most sense to use it. And, if we were high enough their sticks couldn't hit us, but ours could hit them." I paused for a second before adding, "But I wonder what dragon would use one." I mentally sighed, glad that he didn't find my suggestion stupid. Thinking more, I liked the way he smiled. Maybe it just reminded me of approval, or maybe I saw it as more.

"Sadly you have to remain stationary while using those weapons. Precision while flying would be disastrous, which would only amplify the problem we wouldn't be able to dedicate enough dragons to use this weapon effectively. This makes dropping boulders even more effective, as the boulders are way more likely to hit an enemy and also are more damaging, while still keeping the advantage of being too high to be hit. It's not as elegant or sophisticated, but well... We're not looking at those weapons according to those criteria..." Loque shrugged.