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.

I nodded. The explanations made sense, but it almost sounded like a cool thing we could use. No more broken claws, that was always annoying. "Yeah, you're right," I admitted. I wondered how long it was going to take to get to the place, but I didn't want to seem in a rush. Personally, I was enjoying my time with him... Maybe more than most dragons. He was smart and sophisticated, I liked it.

Loque couldn't really answer anything after this. Kaora had some great ideas, but this one only led to a dead end. Well, this happened.
After a last stair, the two dragons finally emerged outside. They now were on top of the castle's remparts, with quite a breathtaking view. On the one side there was a really good view on the Nightwing territory, the castle already being higher than the rest of the land. On the other side there was the ocean, endless mass of water attacking the cliff beneath the castle.
"And there we are. These ramparts were originally where the human defenders would strike with their bows and some other contraptions, but now it is much more peaceful. And there's quite a sight, too." he said.

Once we broke the top stair I let out a gasp. The cool air didn't bother me as I walked out close to the edge. The sound of the ocean hitting the wall of land drew my attention. The waves were fierce, but the countless expanse of water still looked calm. My gaze was then drawn back over to the NightWing territory on the other side. It seemed as if we were flying, but my feet were held on the ground. Overtaken by the view I barely heard him speak, only catching on the sight part. "I would've never thought that the remparts would look like this," I took my gaze off the scenery and turned, looking at him, "You never cease to surprise me." The light danced in my eyes, and a small but happy smile on my face.

((I got images of Loque and Kaora! They're here : http://sta.sh/02eb4hwjzdoj and http://sta.sh/01dptjaa5zpg Aren't they cute? ^^))

Loque had a small grin as Kaora visibly enjoyed the landscape that could be seen from the remparts. It reminded him the first time he climbed those very same stairs and witnessed the landscape. Due to the unpleasant memories a certain part of the gardens were bringing him, it was his favorite spot to relax.
"It wouldn't seem from below those remparts are actually quite high. I like coming here when I need a short pause in my work, far from any agitation. Most people prefer the gardens, as they are more suited for relaxing, but the calm and view here are worth the stair climbing. I especially like looking at the ocean. So calm, yet so strong..." he said, looking toward the water.
Loque remained in this position, watching the waves crash against the cliff right below the refuge. Yes, that view really was soothing. He didn't realize it, but he had put himself in quite a handsome pose. Standing proudly, his head raised and thoughtfully looking the ocean... It wasn't unlike the kind of pose the dragons painted in the main hall were in.
"It is almost lunch time. I'd suggest we enjoy the view here and head to the kitchens whenever you want." the black dragon added.

I nodded as he talked, my gaze going back to the scenery. "I'd come up here too." Looking back at the waves there were some birds flying in the distance. Watching them fly off a bit I turned back to Loque. I blinked at him. Maybe I didn't notice it earlier, or his pose was just showing him off. The midday sun was reflecting off of his black scales, looking thoughtfully out over the ocean. Thinking back to the halls he almost seemed like a painting. I barely even realized I was staring. There was something about this dragon that set him off from the others, something that I liked. It took me a moment to register what he said, and another to reply. "Uh yeah, that sounds good."
I blinked again before putting my head up and quietly walking over to him. I stood by him, our wings almost touching. I glanced at him and smiled, more of a guilty smile, before looking back out at the ocean. I almost felt like leaning on him, or coiling my tail around his. Even though those thoughts surprised me, I didn't try and stop them. I put my tail out, almost inviting him to if he noticed. After realizing what I was doing I started to lightly blush, hoping he wouldn't think of this to weirdly.

((According to your answer, Loque is going to be completely oblivious about that kind of stuff. Good luck making him notice :p))

Loque didn't see Kaora was looking at him as he was himself deep in his thoughts. Why was he showing her those places? Usually when doing the visit of the refuge dragons were interested in the history of the place and its inhabitants, not the leisure places. Not that Kaora wasn't interested in the history part, but she would just get bored quickly as it wasn't the most interesting stuff. Since the beginning he felt like something was off, but what? Maybe it was just because he enjoyed the discussion himself? After all not many dragons were as witted as she proved to be.
After a moment the black dragon noticed Kaora was closer from him, their wings almost touching. He blinked, seeming to realize something.
"Oh, are you feeling cold? The wind can be a bit fresh at that time of the year. If you want we can head back inside and head to the kitchens?"

I smiled when he asked if I was cold. I guess it was getting a bit chilly up here. "Sure, we can head down to the kitchens. Is it lunchtime already?" I asked, glancing at the sky. I'd lost track of the time it was since I've been here. I actually forgot what time I even arrived here. I walked towards the stairs, glancing back to see if Loque was following. I could at least manage to make it down the stairs before Loque had to take the lead again.

Loque nodded at the black dragoness, noticing her smile. Yes, she maybe was a bit cold.
"Yes, it should be around lunch time right now. Let's get to the kitchens then." the black dragon said.
He followed as Kaora took the lead on the first stair, leading again when they reached its end. Once again the two dragons navigated through the castle, but this time climbing all the stairs down. The narrowest of them were not that easy to climb down, and Loque was often glancing back at Kaora to check if there was any problem.
A few stairs later the two dragons arrived at ground level, back in the main hall. The guards were still there, watching the difference entrances to hallways and the main gate. Most of them greeted Loque as he went past them, the black dragon always making sure to greet back. However, despite Loque having quite a rank in the Shadow Refuge, most of the greetings were rather informal.
Loque and Kaora soon reached the main dining hall. The room was rather impressive, being as high as the main hall and the walls decorated with black and silver tapestries. It was filled with long tables on which some dragons were already eating. It seemed mostly the higher ranked dragons were eating there, as none of them looked like a guard or a normal scholar. But Loque didn't stop there. Instead, he headed inside one of the smaller doors on the side. Totally opposite to the main dining hall, there were several smaller rooms made for four dragons at most. The rooms felt rather intimate, with tables made of raw wood and two benches.
"There we are. Take whichever room you prefer, I'll get to the cook." Loque said, heading toward another door.

I followed him back through the endless castle. Even if for some it might seem tiresome and boring, it was right for a tracker like me. I was used to running and walking all day, so I was barely tired after all of this, if tired at all. Problems did come at going back down the stairs, if going up them wasn't enough. It was sometimes hard to get my paw on a good place, causing a bit off a slip but nothing I couldn't recover from. Everytime he looked back I just flashed him a smile, almost saying 'I'm alright.'
When greeting the guards, I found it interesting that he didn't have a big formal greeting for them, it was just like he was anyone else. It made me smile to know that not all high up's were all high and mighty. I greeted the guards with a smile and a nod as I passed by them.
As we went into the dining hall I couldn't help but look up. There were tapestries that seemed to flow on the walls, making them look like something you'd see in one of the many paintings in the refuge. As we passed by a few long tables with dragons sitting down and eating, I was expecting him to find a stop to sit. Instead, he lead us through a smaller door on the side. Inside the door was multiple rooms, ones that looked small enough to accommodate no more than four with space. I looked at him as he spoke, a bit surprised that he had taken us back here. Were these tables used on special occasions, or just a normal thing they used from time to time. Looking around the room I took a table to my left, sitting down and watching for Loque to come back. As I waited I glanced around, feeling the table and chairs and sniffing the wood scent that still lingered on them. It was pretty nice in here.

Loque entered the kitchen, closing the door behind him. As usual at that time the place was crawling with activity, but that didn't prevent one of the dragons to come toward him.
"Oh, hello Loque. How are you today?" the dragon asked.
"I'm good, what about you?" the black dragon greeted back.
"The usual business. Tell me, I take it you're here to ask for a meal for you and your date?"
Loque blinked, surprised by the rather sudden comment. He slightly frowned, almost blushing.
"I'm not having a date. Just an acquaintance." he replied a bit sharply.
The other dragon let out a chuckle at Loque reaction.
"That's not what the guards told me... Anyway just take place, I'll be there in a minute." he replied.
Loque nodded and turned back, getting out of the kitchens.

The black dragon quickly spotted Kaora and entered the small room, sitting on the other side of the table. Looking at her, it was right that one could assume he was having a date... The idea was somehow making him uncomfortable. No, this was everything but a date.
"There, sorry for the wait. Is this room to your convenience? I tend to eat here, with the guards and other staff, rather than in the dining hall with the other Magistrates. A lot of them are just so arrogant I make my best to avoid them... And besides I like it here. These rooms feel more intimate and calmer than the hall." he explained.
A few seconds later the two of them got interrupted by the cook getting near their table.
"Good morning." he politely greeted Kaora. "Today's menu is duck magret. Is this fine for you two?"

I nodded, my tail slightly moving behind me. I could understand that, as some of the other hunters could just be arrogant jerks too. "The rooms are very nice here, the tables even have a slight scent of wood on them still..." I only slightly noticed the dragon approaching until he welcomed me. "Duck margret? It sounds great!" I said, glancing over at Loque. He did asked both of us, but I was sure he'd say yes anyways. I wondered how much the meals changed, or if they ended up being pretty expected each day.

Loque couldn't help but start salivate as the cook mentioned magret. He loved that. And it wasn't on the menu that often, since it was a lot of work - and log of ducks to provide the meat for a dragon.
"I'll have it was well." the black dragon said.
The cook nodded.
"Alright I'll go prepare that then. It should be ready in about twenty minutes." he announced, leaving the room.
Loque followed him with the eyes until he entered the kitchens, then looking back at Kaora. He was kind of right, all this seriously looked like a date. After all, he had been showing her nice places and invited her to eat some good cooking... Had Loque wanted to date someone he wouldn't have done much different. The thought was somehow making him feel uneasy. Of course Kaora wasn't thinking about it as a date, but would she have the same feeling as himself?
"Have you ever eaten magret before? It's not exactly common, since well we need quite a few ducks to make a reasonable portion. You'll see, we really have an excellent cook here." the black dragon said, breaking the few seconds of silence that had settled.

I followed his gaze, glad that he seemed excited about the meal. Well, maybe not excited but not disgusted at it. How bad would it be if the meal was just terrible? I let that thought slide to the back of my mind as my gaze went back to him. "I haven't had duck magret before, but I have tasted duck. How often do the meals cycle though here?" I asked, tilting my head. I licks my lips, realizing I felt a bit parched. I'd have to ask about a drink later.

Loque couldn't help but smile as he saw Kaora seemed to be looking forward to the meal. He was sure that she wouldn't be disappointed, after all they really had a great cook here at the Shadow Refuge.
"They don't really cycle, the cooks decide what meal to make based on the stocks we have. Some of the simplest meals tend to be served often, but the rest is rather random. At least it always makes it a surprise what today's meal will be." he explained.
Right as he finished, another dragon entered the room, bringing some water and glasses. As he disposed them on the table, Loque couldn't help but notice those weren't the usual glasses, those looked like a bit fancier. He frowned a bit, wondering what was that supposed to mean.
He got his answer as the dragon whispered "Good luck, Loque." right before leaving.
Did all the staff believe he was on a date? Visibly the news spread pretty quickly...

Nodding as he spoke, my gaze got directed to the dragon bringing out the drinks. I licked my maw again, smiled at the dragon before taking a sip of water. The water was cool and tasted fresh. After lifting my head I looked at the glass, not hearing the words and any looks the other two dragons gave each other. I glanced back at another table, seeing that they had some plainer-looking glasses. I didn't think too much about it, maybe they just ran out and had to use these? "Thanks for taking me here today, it was really amazing. We should do it again sometime. Are there anymore places you plan on taking us?" I asked, trying to start another conversation while we waited for our food.

Loque had a small smile as Kaora thanked him for the tour. He was glad to know that she had enjoyed it. Maybe a bit too glad... It was just a tour of the Refuge after all. Why was he caring soo much about that? Could it be somehow linked to all the others thinking of it as a date? No, no, he was getting ideas. He was just enjoying the dragoness's company, that was all. It changed from all those other Magistrates that were too imbued of themselves... Ugh, now he was getting confused.
"You're welcome. I'll have to admit such a pleasant pause in my functions was more than welcomed. I was thinking about showing you the library next, I don't know if you have been taught to read but in any case we do have a rather impressive collection of books, some coming from the other side of Pyrria." he replied.
They got interrupted as the cook entered the small dining room, carrying two plates.
"And here you go, there is your duck magret! Have a nice meal, you two. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything." he announced as he served the plates.

((Too lazy to describe the magret, a quick Google search will be enough. Hope you're not too hungry right now ^^))

I smiled and replied to him, "Yes, I know how to read a little, another thing my mentor taught me. Although I haven't read in awhile so I might be a bit rusty." Before I could add anything else the cook came out with our plates. I eyed the duck, it looking savory and delicious. "Thank you sir, this looks great!" I commented before he left. Turning back to the duck I sniffed it before taking a bite. It was still hot and it tasted amazing. I closed my eyes for a second before opening them again.

The dragon had a smile and politely bowed to Kaora.
"Thank you, miss. I hope the cooking will be to your convenience." he replied before leaving the room.
That didn't prevent him from making a quick blink to Loque. The black dragon managed to maintain his smile despite this starting to annoy him. Everyone here definitely decided Loque was on a date with Kaora.
The young Magistrate regained a more sincere smile as he saw Kaora enjoyed the magret. He took a bite at his own piece, savoring the taste as well. It was cooked to the perfection, just enough for the fat on the top to be grilled. One thing was sure, today Kaora was tasting one of the finest foods one could find inside the Nightwing territory. The idea occurred to him it was too much of a coincidence to truly be one. Did the cook chose this menu for them? Somehow it wouldn't surprise Loque... He would have to thank them later, while insisting on the fact it wasn't a date...
"Well you came on the perfect day to taste the Refuge's cooking. Magret isn't often on the menu, and it surely is one of the finest meals they serve here." the black dragon said. "Should I take it you are enjoying it?" he asked.

I nodded "It tastes fantastic!" I still didn't notice the weird stuff that was happening, like the silent winking. I continued to eat the meat, not caring as I felt my stomach get fuller. It was nice having him around, he was smart and not like other dragons. Plus... I glanced up from my meal and at him before smiling and continuing to finish my meal. Maybe there was something about him.

Loque continued to eat his meal, enjoying the fine piece of magret. The lunch continued in a rather peaceful silence as the two dragons just ate, no words being needed at that moment. It was just he and her, enjoying some fine cooking. For a moment Loque forgot about his problems, just thinking about how nice that day had been. Kaora was an interesting dragoness, her thinking about human weapons proved it. Quick witted and graceful, her thin body build for agility and elegance. Not everyday had he the chance to meet someone like that, between the arrogant and narrow-minded Magistrates and the more friendly but not really subtle guards.
Soon enough the two dragons finished their meal. Loque was about to invite Kaora to the library, but a messenger entered the room, interrupting them.
"Magistrate Loque, I'm sorry to bother you in such a nice moment but your presence is required for an urgent matter." the messenger said.
Loque let out a sigh, knowing what this meant. Another pointless meeting was probably about to happen and he'd have to slap some common sense in... The black dragon stood up, looking at Kaora.
"I'm sorry, it seems I will not be able to show you the library today. What about we see each other again sometime for this?" he asked her.

I was silently enjoying my meal, enjoying the peacefulness of the quietness. Sometimes talking was nice, but this reminded me of the hunt, where silence is your only friend. I looked up and saw another dragon approaching, lifting my head as he come closer to the table. I looked over at Loque to see he wasn't happy, either frustrated or annoyed at this. "Sure, we can meet up again." I said, almost hoping that could be true. It startled myself a little, making me wonder what about this place I liked so much. Or maybe it wasn't the place... maybe it was the dragon I was with.

(Is this an ending for now then?)

((End of that particular meeting, but beginning of the fun part ^^))

Loque nodded with a smile as Kaora confirmed she wanted to meet up again. It would have been sad to lose the opportunity to visit the Refuge's library just because of an interruption like that, wouldn't it?
"I'll be busy the rest of the week, so it will have to wait until next week. Let's say the beginning of next week, then." he told Kaora.
The black dragon then turned toward the messenger.
"Could you guide my guest to the entrance of the Refuge? I know where the meeting room is, I don't need a guide for that." he asked the other dragon.
"Of course, Magistrate Loque. Please, follow me, milady." the messenger offered, politely bowing to Kaora.
With a last sigh, Loque headed outside the kitchens toward the meeting room. That pause had felt like a soft breeze in his day, and he was more than reluctant to head back to work. But well, the Nightwing Empire wouldn't operate itself...



The meeting had been even more boring than in his worse fears. Who needed a full meeting for such a trivial common sense matter? This was only a waste of time and energy. And somehow, the time he spent with Kaora wouldn't leave his thoughts a single second.
The black dragon went to his office, enjoying a stroll after a long hour sitting. He had another report to make, now...
"Oh, hey Magistrate Loque. So, how did the date go?" a guard asked him with a smile.
Loque stopped in his tracks, shaking his head.
"Oh stop that already, this wasn't a date." he growled.
The guard dropped his smile, seeing Loque was quite in a bad mood.
"Did anything go wrong?" he asked.
"No. No, I was in a really good mood until that stupid meeting." the black dragon sighed.
The guard had a small chuckle, understanding what was going on. Loque glared at him.
"What is so funny?" he growled.
"I hope you will understand that yourself, Magistrate. Just give it some time... And don't get too aggressive when people ask you about your date. They might assume things..." the guard advised.
The young dragon realized how aggressive he had just been toward the guard. This wasn't like him...
"You are right. My apologies, I have been rude toward you." he apologized.
The guard had a smile.
"Don't worry, there's probably a lot going on through your head right now. You just need time for the situation to settle." he replied.
Loque was about to nod and head back to his office when it suddenly hit him.
"Wait are you giving me advice as if I was in love with her without knowing it? I already told so, it wasn't a date!" the black dragon protested.
The guard chuckled once again as Loque turned back and headed toward his office. What had happened seemed pretty obvious for everyone but the young Magistrate. He hoped for him some thinking would lead him to the correct conclusion.


Loque opened his eyes, letting out a sigh. Already time to wake up. He had a strange dream, but he couldn't quite remember what it was about. He only could remember that it was rather nice, and that reality had a slightly bitter taste after that. Two days of work had passed since he made the visit of the Refuge with Kaora, and Loque had felt rather distracted during those days. His work barely advanced, and he couldn't seem to focus properly on any thought. Hopefully after the initial afternoon the guards had stopped to ask him how the date went. It seemed the message had finally spread that it wasn't a date. Even then, he couldn't help but feel something was amiss in their behavior. Did they assume the opposite instead? Oh well he didn't care. Any rumor this could have caused would soon disappear.
But it still didn't address his attention issue. Was Loque ill? No, physically he was good. Maybe just tired? Maybe a few days off was what he needed... The black dragon headed toward the Refuge, if he worked hard today he maybe could manage to take a few days off without delaying urgent matters.
Once he arrived at his office in the castle, the Magistrate began his work. He managed to focus a bit more, but it was obvious he was distracted by something. Someone suddenly knocked at the door, and Loque raised his eyes, surprised.
"Yes?" he called.
Another dragon entered the room, a scribe he knew well.
"Loque, I need you to edit the paper you submitted yesterday. You forgot a few things." the scribe said.
"Oh, okay, just leave that here..." the black dragon replied.
Something in his tone surprised the scribe. He was about to put the document on a pile when he noticed several other ones also in need of edits. It wasn't like Loque to miss so many details on his documents...
"Are you alright, Loque? You don't seem really good..."
Loque sighed, stopping what he was writing.
"I was thinking about taking some days of. Lately I can't seem to focus correctly on my work." he said.
"Something is on your mind?"
"Maybe, but I don't exactly know what." Loque sighed.
The scribe was about to go when he got a hunch.
"It began after the last meeting, right?"
"Uh, how do you know?" Loque replied, surprised.
The scribe got a smile. With the guards gossiping about the event, everyone in the Refuge knew about his date, despite him protesting so much about it. At this point, it was all about simply linking the events.
"I got it. Loque, I take it you enjoyed that... meeting with that guest of yours, am I right?"
"Well, yes, I did, but how does it relate to..."
"You've fallen in love, Magistrate."
Loque was about to protest, when the events suddenly started to make sense. His eyes widened, and the scribe smiled. Someone had to smack the truth at his face as some point.
"Well I'll leave you to think about that. You should indeed take a few days of, and you'd better have a plan for your next meeting!" the dragon blinked at him before leaving the room.


According to the scribe's recommendation, Loque took a few days off in order to get his thoughts back in place. He just couldn't believe he would have missed something to obvious. His thoughts, his behavior since then... Well, guess what they say is true, love can definitely make one dumb. And nervous. The next time he would see Kaora he would try and make a move. But what move should he do? It was a difficult question.
Trying to get his mind on something else, the black dragon decided to go on a hunt. Not many dragons were hunting that day, and apparently Kaora wasn't one of them - or at least he didn't see her among the Trackers that were present. Loque went deeper in the forest and soon found trails of a prey that went through not long ago. The black dragon stalked the prints, getting closer and closer from their owner. His ideas got clearer, any parasite thought soon forgotten as he was concentrated on the hunt. No more interrogations, Loque was as calm as he could be. He was hunting. Suddenly he arrived where the prey was. A wild deer, like many in the region. Loque crouched, ready to leap. This prey wouldn't escape him.

((You know what to do!))

I nodded at Loque, but almost felt sad as I'd have to wait a whole week to me- to explore the rest of the refuge. I blinked at that thought. I've always had friends who I have seen more than weeks apart. I wanted to say that I just wanted to see the library, but already knew that was a cover up for what my mind actually wanted.

Shaking my head I began to follow the messenger, missing when he bowed to me. We made it outside where a group of female trackers managed to be.
"So, how was it?"  The one teased as the others tried to hold in their laughter. "How was what?"
"Oh, you know," Another said in between a bit of laughter, "Your date with the Magistrate!"
I blinked at her briefly before growling, "It wasn't a date! He was just showing me around the Shadow Refuge."
"And why do you think he did?"
Huffing, I just ran away from them.

The rest of the time I had learned that to stay away from the questions and comments I had to stay away from the other dragons. It wasn't too hard, as most of them had a set schedule, but some dragons still got in the way.  My solution was to wake up early and go out, sometimes bringing the deer back to the storage and other times leaving it in the paths of others, then go back later. At the moment, I didn't care if it hurt me not bringing in ever deer and letting someone else take it.

I had been out all day, on this one trail. There had been others with scents being closer than this one, but it was calling me. I followed its scent around, seeing a lone deer in the midst of the deep forest. It was close enough I could practically touch it. One leap and it would be all mine.

Loque leapt on the deer, the prey apparently oblivious of the presence of a predator near it. A leap was all it would take. And a leap Loque attempted.
Another blur, black shadow was all he saw before the impact. Loque crashed into the other dragon, and the whole lot crashed onto the deer. Two dragons landing in it proved to be enough to knock it out.
Loque let out a groan as he started to recover from the crash. Bumping into people was getting an habit of his... Right now he was stuck between the deer and the other dragon.
"Sorry, I wasn't really aware." the black dragon began to apologize.
Riasing his head, he suddenly noticed who the other was. He didn't bump in any random dragon. No, for the second time in a row he had crashed with Kaora. His eyes widened, and he suddenly started to get nervous, slightly blushing.
"Kaora? I... I didn't know you were there. Guess I once again wasn't aware of my surroundings..." he half stuttered.
Why was he so nervous? It wasn't like that next time. He just was feeling like being unprepared. Well it was kind of the case. He had no idea what to say right now.

I leaped, focusing on the deer until a black blur caught my eye. My head turned before crashing into it, falling onto the deer below as it tried to call out and run away. The only sound it made was from it's bones. My head throbbed as I laid on the other thing, which I presumed to be a dragon, and the deer. Before I could shake my head and talk, it spoke first.

Just the sound of his voice caused my eyes to snap open and to lift my head up. I attempted to get off of him gently, and blushing as I kept stumbling over him. "I uh, didn't know you here there either..." I said, finally able to get off of him. "At uh, least we got the deer, right?" I asked with a slight chuckle, trying to hide my slight growing blush. "So, uh, how are you doing, Loque?"