Love with a Shadow (Private with Sly)

First topic message reminder :

Tall trees helped to conceal her rather large form as she swiftly moved between their rather thick and sturdy branches. Her long whip like tail followed gracefully, dancing among the trees as she jumped from branch to branch. She continued along in the branches, following a rather worn path beneath her. She was rather curious as to where it would lead her, and maybe she would find something from it. However, it wasn’t here day today as it just led to a clearing.

Mythryl released a bit of a sigh of frustration as all of her efforts had just been in vain. She turned away, looking for something else to investigate as she was rather bored on this day. Mythryl greatly disliked that she would sometimes have to engage with other dragons, often finding them annoying, but seeming they weren’t exactly a threat to her or they didn't exactly anger her, she only misted them to make them forget ever seeing her. Sadly though, she was still left with their annoying conversations blabbering in her mind. Still though, it was rather helpful when she needed to obtain information, she could just waltz up to somedragon, have a chat, then poof, they forget instantly. But, naturally, the NightWing found that she really did prefer her own self-inflicted isolation, as it was the state her parents had left her when she had hatched all those years ago. However, she had heard rumours from other dragons about another somewhat mysterious figure. But they were rumours, probably false knowing her luck.

She flicked her tail, clicking her tongue slightly as she turned her head away from the scene and went back into the forest. The rumours were false then, I should have known better than to trust them...  She thought rather bitterly, before she shook her head. Continuing along her way, she just wandered through the paths, finding her way onto the main runway between different places in the large NightWing land. The reason as to why she was so curious was that this dragon had a particular place, and she was rather curious to find out who he was under that mask he always seemed to wear.

Mythryl felt her foot collide with something-hard. She hisses, pulling it up as she then staggers with her other paws and falls into a rather ungracious heap. Snarling to herself, she quickly brushes it off and acts like nothing happened. She ignores little strips of crimson on her paw, shrugging it off as there wasn’t much point to her in sulking about it. And it wasn’t like anyone was watching either.

He had to wait. That was unexpected, especially if she were the one who had been blanking his memories with intention. In her magenta eyes, he could see she was having doubts. He chose not to inquire her any further. At this point, it was all up to her on what she would do next. As he waited, he thought back about what she had said. They were in the forest together, Mythryl hurt her claw and Sly was the one who treated her on scene, only for her to come back to him in this clinic due to an allergic reaction. Really, nothing much to go on to figure out what Mythryl was hiding from him. But if this was her business only, then Sly would not intrude any further.

After a brief moment of silence, Mythryl placed her claw on Sly's shoulder. She felt rather warm that it tingled his neck. Though the response she gave was far from it. He just needed to forget her and then he would be safe? He fought against his curiosity when he saw something gleaming in her eye. A tear? Before he could think any further, her maw was against his and he took a bit of her air into his lungs. At first, it made him blush, but then he felt... empty.

He blinked, and he was in his room in the clinic. Sly looked around. Was it a dream? That was weird. He swore some of it felt real, especially when he heard an echo in the wind of an apology. This happened to him in the forest not long ago. A purr. And then an apology. Either he was insane, haunted by a ghost or someone was trying to reach him from his dreams. A fragile soul perhaps, because of the apology? Either way, it would have explained why he had been getting amnesia. Someone was doing it intentionally. Sly peered outside his clinic and knew a significant amount of time had passed with him in the clinic by himself.

Hurriedly he went to the reception and finish the rest of his shift.

---

It was difficult trying to find a facility with decent equipment for alchemy. Magic was the specialty of the Nightwings but a lot of well-known and reputable places were either full or too far from where Sly lived. It did not help that he was living within the middle-class of dragons and that the fewer alchemy facilities there were sub-optimal for him. It was like a luxury most available to nobles and rich folk. He made do with one decent facility and worked there for his research into herbal medicines.

In one of the rooms, dimly lit by numerous illuminiscent crystals, Sly was standing before a bench full of carefully organised herbs and an assortment of apparatuses. He was to test if one of the potions would work. The doors to his room were locked due to him occupying it, but there was a window on the other end of the room for any sleek dragons to sneak in. Sly was facing it, making sure to keep his senses open for any intrusion. Even if it were one of Delillah's assassins.

He was near finishing and was in the process of packing everything up while he waited for a reaction....

Time slowly passed by, dragging along like the days normally had. She had been hurt, her paw still wrapped and bandaged as she tentatively walked on her sore leg. Thankfully, it was nothing more than a fracture. And some torn skin. But it would heal in time, and Mythryl just had to be patient. Her mind and paws took her to where she had last visited Sly. Tilting her horned head, Mythryl experimentally pushed against the door with a single claw. It resisted her strength more than normal, and the NightWing quickly dashed away from it.

Either he's out... Or he doesn't want to be disturbed... Mythryl thought to herself, before quickly dashing to the outside of the wall. She hugged it, before ducking behind a few stands. The window was quite high, and she quickly looked from her hidden position, trying to find the best way up. She groaned when she saw it. Mythryl looked for anything else which could be easier, but no. She couldn't find it.

Groaning to herself, the dragoness used her claws to grip a tiny ledge, before she pulled herself up. A small jump here and there, and Mythryl quickly climbed to near his window. Seeing it was open, a small smile creased in her muzzle. But it was dusk. She didn't want him to see her so easily... Mythryl somewhat wanted to see if he would notice. Calling on her darkness, it slowly came to her, covering his window and the majority of the room which Sly was in. Theoretically.

Quickly, the slim dragoness crawled through the window, her paws lightly stepping on the ground before she scurried deeper into the room, keeping her form close to the ground. She was only partially nervous but in a few moments, Mythryl saw what she was after. Backing away from it, to make sure that he wouldn't kill her out of fright, Mythryl called out to him from her still kept darkness.

"Hello, Sly. Why on earth was your door locked." She scolded, releasing her darkness and having a rather disapproved look on her face.

After he placed the last of the herbs into his knapsack, he looked up to the open window. The wind picked up and was howling rather eeriely, not like before where it was just gentle breezes. He thought he was falling asleep. Or losing conscious when the room suddenly darkened. No, he was wide awake. Sly pinched his other claw and knew he was fine. Was it just an eclipse? It would have to be a very quick one of he did not manage one step before the room lit up again. That was weird.

Sly thought about checking what was out the window, but he sensed someone was in here. Before he could investigate, the one sneaking in spoke. Sly whipped his head to the corner of the room, and there he saw a dragon of red and black. Mythryl. He had been seeing a lot of her rather frequently, though he did not recall being well acquainted with her. She did not seem happy to see him.

Hello Mythryl, Sly said, giving her a quick bow. I have been indulging in my research and did not want to be disturbed. But I have finished for today, and seeing that you are here... Sly thought of his next question carefully. He already hurt her a lot by bringing her into the palace without using the front door. Because of that, he did not want her to get into any further troubles, or getting caught in Sly's mischief. Sly huffed a sigh. How... is your arm? Probably not the best start. He waited for her to answer before moving on to the next question. What brings you here?

Mythryl, at his introduction also quickly returned the bow. She dropped her facade of anger and mock annoyance, realising that she had done too much of a good job with trying to be angry. "Well, you didn't NEED to lock the door if the window was right open. I mean, anyone can still come in just as I did to come and say hi." Mythryl teased lightly, a small and mischievous glint in her eyes. As Sly had questioned her leg, she glanced at it and held it up slightly as she never really had considered exactly how it was going. From crawling across the tricky rooftops and ledges, it ached considerably.

"Well, aside from scaling the walls to actually get to you in order to say hello... There's a somewhat of a pain from it now. But nevertheless, it shall be fine." Mythryl stated, waving away his concern. However, she felt that he almost was still feeling guilty for what had happened and she allowed a sympathetic smile to form on her muzzle. "And I'm fine Sly, I... Somewhat decided to pay you a visit to see how you were, if I am honest. As my leg can heal in time, so I'm not concerned with that."

Mythryl offered him a small smile, before remembering that he had mentioned his research and she gestured to the piles of packed items with a claw. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you looking at?" She inquired, however she didn't move to try and read one of the books he had put away. It's not like she was able to read easily anyway, so she saw no point in doing so. Carefully, Mythryl opened her wings partially and resettled them against her side, almost being able to swear that they groaned from misuse. She felt her cheeks flush at the feeling, but she knew he probably didn't see.

"If it's alright with you, umm, can I ask how you were accepted by your fellow NightWings? Aside from Oreo, as you apparently have some... Disrespect for him." Mythryl inquired, a tad of amusement in her tone.

He watched as her expression changed, like she had already forgiven him. It was a little awkward for him, that he would meet someone who was much more forgiving within the walls of the Empire. Still, he could not help but ponder why the two kept crossing paths despite not being well known to each other. Or at least he thought. Then again, a strange feeling inside him made him feel... uplifted. Like he was happy to see her. And in the same time, he was more curious to know more about her.

She addressed his hidden concern for her leg, telling him to forget about it. If only forgiveness was ever that easy. They still have yet to face the wrath of consequences for their actions. Sly would welcome whatever the Emperor would throw at him, but it did not mean he wanted to drag Mythryl with him.

Anyone? Sly repeated with a snort. If anyone means assassins or spies in general. He said this with a smirk. It was rather unlikely anyone would come up here by the window anyways unless Oculus had taken too much interesr in what he was doing. Your leg just need a few more days rest. He paused when Mythryl asked aboit his research. Again, it was rare for anyone to ask that he found himself a bit lost for words. He looked at the books, which he had packed and ready to return to the library. You... really want to know? It is just on the next herbal remedies for another sickness. I do not use magic to heal others, but my research is on natural remedies aside from antibiotics for all sorts of ailments. Sly stopped here, wondering if she was still interested.

But then she asked another surprise question. His past, and how he was accepted within the Nightwings. Did she know he was abandoned since an egg? How? It was not even recorded. It had to be a very strange question asked on a whim. Everyone else took no note of him and knew him since he was an orphaned hatchling surviving in the poorer districts of the Empire. It would be the first time he spoke of his past. But it was no secret to him.

It was just that no one ever asked... until now.

I intergrated myself into the Empire on my own dince I hatched from an abandoned egg, left in the swamps like waste of the Empire. So I was never accepted. Just tolerated to be behind the walls. I care little for acceptance, especially from that zebra royal guard who could not keep his pointed snout of my business and keep sticking it in my... Sly stopped there, not woshing to complete that sentence. He huffed a sigh, thinking he had rambled too much of his past. Simply, there is hardly anything of interest in my acceptance. But I am curious. Why do you pose such a question? Did you require acceptance? It would make sense, since he hardly saw her until recently.

Mythryl partially rolled her eyes in the mock sense of annoyance at the reminder of spies. It was most likely that Oculus and Oero had though her of that the moment she was hit through the table. "Then it would be considered fitting that an evil spy such as myself broke into your... Study." Mythryl smirked, flicking her tail in a sign to show her rather rare amusement. However, at the mention of more rest, an audible sigh escaped between Mythrys razor sharp fangs. She really didn't want to rest, but the dragon really didn't have a choice.

As he questioned her about her question dealing with the books, Mythryl gave him a small incline with her head to confirm that she was being genuine. It wasn't often that she would see these leather bound pages and Mythryl was curious as to what they had been written about. As he had answered her, her magenta eyes glistened with curiosity. She hadn't really heard of the things which Sly had talked about, but she couldn't help herself when she asked; "Would you mind explaining what you mean by natural remedies? As I'm... Not very gifted in the ways of reading. To me, reading is a great gift for others which I had never been taught myself."

Mythryl flushed the slightest as she looked away, not exactly having talked about her previous experiences with a wide view. However, she wasn't expecting the next question to stump him. A silence drew in, one which was only broken by the sound of her breathing. She would have spoken soon, but Sly had beaten her to it as he opened him maw to answer.

And his answer hit her like a ton of bricks.

Mythryl inhaled sharply at the first part of his response, a frown creasing in her forehead as she looked at him. Thoughts dragged through her mind as she watched him with wide eyes. Was he lying to her or had she been foolish enough to wipe the memories of the one who she had been searching for? Was he really like her? Questions would torment her mind as he continued, but the sleek dragon knew not to open her muzzle and speak the things which she wanted to say. Instead, her eyes were cast down upon the ground as she found great interest in her scared claw.

The comment directed to Oreo allowed an amused chuckle to come from Mythryl as she slowly shook her head. Of course he would think that of the rather handsome guard. "Surely this zebra isn't as bad as you say he is, I mean he was rather kind to me." Mythryl stated with a glint in her eye as she smirked at Sly. Oh she was getting good at smirking. But his question caught her unprepared and the dragoness bit her lip, somewhat casting her gaze away from him.

"Well... I myself hatched from an egg out in the wilderness. But when I hatched, the first thing I saw was a look of disgust and anger from my parents eyes. Before that year was out, they threw me from a ledge which would snap my wing. They left me to die out there, all due to my patterned hide as I wasn't as pretty as they wished for me to be. I wasn't the perfect child they dreamed of.

So in a way, I wandered alone for years and kept my presence hidden with a certain mist which concealed my movements. But when I had heard rumours of another dragon who had also been somewhat abandoned I wanted to know them. Alas, I never found them.

I injured my paw in the forest searching for them, but a healer came across and didn't exactly know I was allergic to a herb that they had put in a concoction... And applied that to my paw to heal my wounds. So I had to go back and see them." Mythryl somewhat explained, before giving a half shrug, "The worst thing was is that that dragon actually treated my like I was more than just a failed hatchling. So... I suppose yes, in a way, I was somewhat looking for acceptance by someone or how to be accepted as living alone out in the wilderness... It's not the best thing to do."

Mythryl laughed uneasily, nervously rubbing her forearm with a few claws from her opposing paw. "Sorry... I-uh... I rambled a bit there."

He blinked. This feeling was quite unfamiliar to him, that for a moment he was lost for words. It was very rare for him to feel this way. Not knowing what to say when another asked him a question. She asked him about the natural remedies. Of course he had to revise some knowledge before, but to let them out from his maw like a teacher was an odd feeling. He allowed a moment’s pause, trying to gather what he should say. Very well, he said. Basically my research focuses on medicinal herbs that are grown naturally around us. This is far different to medicines or healing arts that are made artificially or by magic, in a sense that I only use what is naturally occurring. Such is the focus of my research. He had also picked up that she did not know how to read. It was not news to him, for he had met many of the lower classes who could not afford the luxury written in pages. Nowadays, learning to read was not as important as knowing how to kill. It was not much of a requirement to survive in the Empire anyways.

When he offered her a bit of his background, he was met with a wide-eyed stare, like he had insulted her. Was his history really that interesting? Now that he thought about it, he understood why it would inspire pity with some people. An abandoned hatchling, who never knew the love, the names or even the faces of his own parents. Even to this day, such hardship from childhood carried over to make what he was now. But seeing a Nightwing capable of compassion was rare. She looked down to the ground after her moment of daze, and Sly was ready to hear her apology.

Instead, what he got was a snicker as she the commented about what he said of Oreo. Kind, Sly said rather quickly and sharply, his eyes having a tinge of yellow in them, or manipulative. I do not trust him, as he gets in the way of things. If I have to say anything, it is that he is enjoying the luxury of his title far too much and have yet to know the true burden of his role. As of date, he has done little of value since his promotion as far as I am concerned. Sly pulled the stack of books into the shaggy bag strapped over his shoulders, ready to be taken back to the library.

He did not leave though. Not yet. He sat down as he heard and thought about her history. An abandoned hatchling as well, but of a worse state. She knew the faces of those who discarded her. It was perhaps the only pain worse than not knowing. Sly dropped his smirk as he heard that story, then he slowly relaxed when she somewhat went to the present and talked about how she was looking for someone. She met a healer who made a mistake with is concoction at first that caused an allergic response, but seemed to have fixed his mistake. When Mythryl apologised for rambling, Sly only blinked. Then he gave her a gentle smile. Not at all. I am glad you have got it off your chest and shared your pain. It must have been very tough for you, having to survive out there, not only thinking of food and shelter, but also why they… Sly slowly drifted a bit, his eyes wandering to the side. He felt a pit sinking in his stomach as he thought about parents again. His own parents were a complete mystery, and had yet to really show themselves. But they were not there when he hatched. He would never know his parents, and his parents would never know the kind of egg Sly hatched out of.

I suppose… I am looking for acceptance as well. Sly quickly shook his head. There was no point having these sort of thoughts in the Empire. Life had always been cruel and unfair, with only the lucky born in royalty and the unlucky in the life of the poor or forgotten. All he could do now was make the most of it, and not sulk about what things could be. After all, he needed no parents to get to where he was now. Though if anyone asked if he was ‘happy’, he would have gave an odd answer. But enough about that. Is there anything else you would like to ask of me? If not, maybe we can walk to the library together?

Mythryl intently had listened to his basic explanation about his research, her eyes glinting in curiosity. She would have delved into more of a discussion about it, however, Mythryl knew that she didn’t have the background understanding to even consider talking to the larger dragon about this. One day, I’ll see if he can teach me... Or if he had the time, The dragoness thought to herself. However, the regret of not being able to talk further about this topic would only show for a few moments as conversation slowly changed as he talked about his past. She somewhat felt bad as she had somewhat stared at him, however, she knew she had pricked a nerve when she mentioned Oreo.

A light gesture of somewhat of a tease was met with a flicker of yellow, something which Mythryl had associated with him being rather annoyed or displeased. Her gaze fell for a moment, recoiling away from him instinctively. ”I can understand that you do not trust him, sorry for saying that.” Mythryl answered nervously, shifting her weight from paw to paw uncomfortably. She felt the shuffle of a bag and she glanced to him, watching as he took the books into his paw. Quickly, he somewhat stuffed them into the bag across his shoulder.

But before he had a chance to leave, she finished her explanation, and expected him to smirk. Tell her off for rambling to the dragon who caused her to be tackled off a balcony, scold her for actually trusting him enough to say. She nervously looked up to him, but, surprisingly, he offered her a small smile. Confusion furrowed on her face for a few moments, but Sly stated that he was glad that she had managed to share it with someone. She didn’t look for sympathy, but Mythryl felt stinging tears, something that had an increasingly regular occurrence around this strange dragon who she barely knew.

She returned the smile, ”Why they left their own child out in the wilderness? It’s simple... my parents were perfectionists, and seeming their child had these circles, I was therefore a failure.” Mythryl explained, using her tail to gesture to a few of the crimson spheres, tapping them with the tip of her scythed tail. ”It’s something which I have come to terms with a long time ago. I had to, otherwise I would have died out there-and that’s not exactly ideal.” Mythryl gave a small laugh. However, it was short lived as she could see that Sly was deep in thought, and was about to apologise to him for what she had said.

However, Mythryl stunned him with his reply.

She never would have guessed that the renowned healer, an assassin in training, would have been looking for acceptance. Mythryl would never have guessed that he was alone as everyone seemed to know of him in one way or another. Feeling somewhat bad, Mythryl took a step forward and would go to nuzzle the side of his neck to give him a slight reassurance. Afterwards, she would take a step back and mutter an apology.

At the offer to change the subject-and accompany Sly to the library, Mythryl smiled to him. ”As long as I don’t have to go back out through the window, I would love to come with you.” Mythryl laughed slightly, before she thought for a few moments to consider his other question. Mythryl didn’t know of many things about him, maybe he would be willing to tell her about himself? Or maybe not, some things would be considered personal... But she’d never know if she didn’t ask. ”Well, if I may ask, what sorts of things do you do in your spare time?” Mythryl inquired, and would then go to open the door for Sly, if they would use that to leave.

The other option was the window, but Mythryls leg throbbed painfully as she didn’t want to climb down the wall, nor actually walk that much either.

It caught him unaware that she decided to finish what he left behind while he was thinking about his own parents. His expression did not change from curiosity as he heard her talking about the perfectionism that is her parents, and that she was casted out because of her appearance. He did not need a second look at her to know that she looked absolutely... stunning. The red was a brilliant addition to the plain colours of darkness. Sly smirked a bit. Complete black is perfection because it is basically nothing. She could be a rose glowing in the night, the blood that seeps from her prey in the dark, or a ruby in a sea of obsidian. At least Mythryl seemed to have accepted that this is a part of her.

Sly chose not to let her know of his thoughts on her appearance. It was not in his place to do so anyways, and he predicted it could do more damage than good. As he thought of this, a warm touch brushed over his neck. He looked down, only to meet her apology as she had just nuzzled him there. Sly suppressed a chuckle when she mentioned having to come out of the window. He turned towards the door instead, and as the pair made their way to the ground floor, he thought about what Mythryl asked of him. Outside of clinic duties and research? Assassin training with Delillah. Sly held his tongue from there. Assassins were meant to be a classified group of dragons chosen to linger in the shadows and perform their deeds at the moment where one would least expect. He doubted Delillah would be pleased if Sly freely offered information of his training to another dragon.

Once they stepped outside, Sly stiffened as he looked up into the air. The lamps were lit, lighting the road ahead as it seemed to go towards a palace surrounded in the tiny specks of light. Nightfall. He shivered a bit as a cool breeze brushed over his shoulders before making his way to the library. As they walked, Sly could not help himself but crane his head to the stars every now and then. They were very familiar to him. The first thing he ever saw the moment he hatched from his egg. He thought the world was just this endless vast space of these tiny flecks of dust. But the more he looked up to them, the more he was considering that they were his parents. And that they were always watching him every night.

Sly shook his head before the thoughts got to his heart. Then he turned to Mythryl. It is a very starry evening, he said calmly, slowing his walk. When you look upon the stars, what do you think of?

Mythryl was more than pleased when Sly didn't choose to go through the window, a small smirk appearing on her face for a few moments as she quickly moved go follow him-after opening the door for the NightWing as well. Mythryl tilted her head to the side, the fins under her head swaying with the movement as she tried to keep eye contact with him. It was a small struggle as she had to keep an eye on where she was going, as well as pay attention to the handsome dragon.

Inwardly, Mythryl felt wretchedly bad as she had destroyed his memories countless times, and yet, he had shown nothing but kindness to her. His actions repeatedly displayed an underlying care that this dragon seemed to have, which could explain the reason as to why Mythryl kept coming back to him. She had found that this smirking dragon was one-If not the only one who Mythryl had enjoyed spending at least some time with. She shook her head slightly, becoming aware rather quickly that he had answered her question. Again, the name 'assassin' was mentioned. To her, Mythryl knew nothing about it, but due to Sly's sudden stance to cut out almost as much information away as he could, Mythryl decided to accept the rather vague answer.

"That sounds rather interesting, but at the same time, it seems that you have very little to do. Do you not have a mate that you spend time with, or have you ever had someone who you would consider to be that close?" Mythryl asked. A few moments later, realising what she had said, Mythryl felt the blood drain away from her face as she was terrified that she just asked that. It seemed that even idle thoughts which dwelled in the back of her mind could be triggered by this dragon. Thankfully, her red scales were able to hide the blush that threatened to burn her face off as she suddenly found a great interest in averting her gaze from the eye catching dragon by studying the cobbled ground.

Soon, quite shortly after she had asked her rather awkward question, Sly slowed down, the soft ticking of claws against stone becoming quiet. However, Mythryl didn't apologise, her throat and voice lost as she still struggled to come to terms with what she just, rather foolishly, did.

As Mythryl looked up to him while he inquired about the stars, Mythryl drew a blank. Although she could agree that it was a brilliantly starry night, Mytrhyl never took the time to stop, sit back and look up to them. Feeling foolish again, Mythryl took a few moments to calm her racing heart as she turned her gaze to the skies. After a few quiet minutes of contemplating, she sighed quietly.

"In my eyes, I think sober thoughts... they all have one another and never would they be alone. They have people who gaze upon them from any place, and think of how gorgeous they are. Something to admire and reach for, the countless dreams that everyone had..." A small spark of curiosity glinted in her eyes as she looked up to the masked dragon, "What do you think of Sly? And what are your dreams that you have yet to accomplish?"

The more he was close to her, the more he seemed to be drawn to her as well. More than just in a literal sense. But he had been holding himself back for quite some time. He did not know much of her, but there was some strange feeling in. Some yearning, that he should have seen her more than just the encounter in the library. He did hurt her after all, and he predicted that that incident may have destroyed whatever chances he had at potentially being with her. He was an idiot.

Though it did not occur to him that Mythryl would then ask if he had a mate or a close friend, like she had just read his mind. A mate. Sly ****** at that, but then he lowered his head, wondering about his aspects of ever finding a friend in the Empire. Let alone a mate. I am not that lucky. Have been also cooped up in work and training. What of you? Sly asked. The only thing driving him to ask was the vague familiarity that he had seen her countless of times, yet none at all. The feeling that he knew her the most out of anyone in the Empire, yet also nothing at all. It was a real puzzle.

He listened carefully to her view on the stars. There were many potential answers, but hers was the first that entered his ears. The stars as a sign that they were looking after one another. It was not like Mythryl who was alone, or Sly for that matter. Sly thought about walking closer to her, to hold her close, a hug at least. But would it be appropriate of him? She dis walk up to nuzzle him before. Maybe he could repay her? He carefully unfurled his wing, making sure to do so she could see him do it. Then he let it hovered, offering her the warmth under his wing.

Then he looked up to the stars again. They are... like family to me. The first glimmer of light I see when I hatched. They were... the only things that cares for me. Watched over me, when no one else would because I am a dragon on the streets of the Empire. In a way, they are my mother and father.

Perhaps more than that as well. Recently, I have been having strange dreams every night. That I was floating high up there, surrounded by those stars. Sly blinked, as if he had just snapped from a daze, then laughed it off. Oh look at me rambling. It is probably some strange coincidence after staring at them for too often. Sly adjusted his bag again, stopling before the large old building with a number of columns. This was the library, but the doors were closed for the evening. At least there was a tray next to the door for those returning the books. Sly turned his bag around and emptied the contents onto it before walking back to Mythryl. Would you...like me to walk you back home? He asked, blushing a little and looking at the ground next to her.

Mythryl was relieved when Sly seemed to find what she had said at least partially amusing. She raised an eyeridge to him as he lowered his head to her question, but he almost seemed to be distant for a few moments. Mythryl innocently watched his expression, her normal inner desires to just leave him there and suffer somewhat being overthrown by the fact that Sly was actually answering her questions. She also found him rather curious as to why he would treat her the exact same way as she knew the effects of her mists would wear away from him if she used it too many more times... Then he’d remember everything.

At the denial to the mate, Mythryl was surprised as her heart lurched forward, as if a giant weight had been lifted from her. She tried to hide the look of relief from her eyes, taking to looking at the mask instead of at him directly. Mythryl wasn’t expecting the question from Sly, but she chuckled quietly, shaking her head as she did so. “No, there is no dragon who would consider me to be their mate, or... vice versa. Neither has there been a dragon who remembers me for more than a one nights stand.” Mythryl added with a bit of a shrug. If she had known that Sly had been the dragon who she had wanted to question all those times, she never would have doused him with the mists. The cursed mists that made literally everyone forget her at a moments notice.

The thing which her beloved father had gifted her.

Mythryl sighed quietly, it was the thing that she held to her like both a curse and a blessing. The ability to move around unseen or noticed by most people was a gift, but not being remembered by anyone was the curse. She had been incredibly lonely during her childhood, and unable to actually do anything during her youth aside from hunt and kill. Mythryl was similar to Sly in the regards that they were both basically orphans, but one thing that Sly would never understand was the feeling of utter rejection. The pain of having even the ones who were meant to love and care for you turn their backs on him. Slychotic, even though he was still an orphan,  would never understand the feeling of complete rejection.

Mythryl suddenly was snapped back to reality as she heard the soft unfurling of his wing, and she slightly watched as he opened his wing out towards her. Frowning for a few moments as she didn’t quite know why he would offer her this, but as the bite of the cold night chewed at her scales, she shifted herself under his wing. Awkwardly, Mythryl wasn’t sure of his reaction if she would nuzzle him, but the somewhat painful memories of her parents burned into her mind.

As she quietly listened to Sly’s explanation, she felt the dagger drive home. Mythryl fell silent, her heart aching as he spoke as if they were his parent, then of his dreams... But she felt her normal questioning nature failing her as the memories of her parents refused to leave her.

Raising her gaze to him, she moved to allow Sly the manoeuvrability to put place the books back onto the tray. A few moments later, Mythryl felt the need to suddenly dash away from him, close herself away and turn her back to the world once again. As Sly spoke again, she realized that she had remained silent for far too long, and she offered him a sad smile, "Would you mind telling me about your dreams?" Mythryl asked, before quickly holding placing her shackles on her emotions, not allowing them to be shown.

"Well, if you wished to walk me to where I've been staying for the past few weeks, I'd really love the company." Mythryl smiled to him, noticing his embarrassment. To try and reassure him, she would nuzzle him gently, before she would begin to lead him down where they had came, however, she would turn left at the first opportunity and take him through dark alleyways.

"I'm sorry if this feels... weird to you, but going through normal ways and where everyone can see you always has felt wrong to me." Mythryl apologised to him, before slowing up as they came to a rather thin alleyway. A small sigh came from her and she stretched her paw to get rid of the ache as she always needed to use it. "You don't need to come with me, as my home is a great distance away." Mythryl would say, glancing across to him.

He nodded to her reply about not having a mate. However, he would not have seen her as a dragon who is... forgettable. For him, it was true that he could not remember at all, even though his gut feeling kept telling him that he had met Mythryl before. He did not ponder on this any further and let it be. It was strange that they asked one another if they have a mate or not. He would not mind being closer to Mythryl, but it would be difficult for him if he did not know, or even remember, anything about her. He huffed a sigh. Besides, it was not like he had any better chances than other males in the Empire. The only impression he could remember putting in her was trying to make her sneak into the palace that nearly broke her leg. He was already at a terrible disadvantage.

When Sly tried to welcome her into the warmth under his wing, she slowly accepted it. This was a start. Her touch was cold at first, but the warmth quickly came through. Sly remembered her nuzzle back at the lab, a memory that remained deep in him when he thought of Mythryl. Despite the pain he brought her before that, she was still willing to bring her snout intimately to his neck. He slightly turned his head away, trying to hide his blush. It was not like him to do that.

After a silent moment of him putting away his books, Mythryl surprised him once again. She wanted to know about his dreams. Sly stiffened, eyes widened a little. Again, he was not really used to talking about things that were personal to him, and was akin to the usual kind where only the important things matter. To him, it was a silly dream. Sometimes weird stories were made, and he ruled them out as such. Then again, it could be a good way to burn some time with storytelling as they walked away.

Well, Sly began, frowning a little as he organised his thoughts. I have multiple variations of them every night, but they seem to share a recurring theme or message. It is not something I can make out. At one point, I find myself floating up there. With the stars. In another dream, I was standing on what was probably a giant chessboard because of large pieces sitting around me. But those pieces are not black and white, they have multiple colours. In another dream, I was in a very dimly lit cell, like I was in a dungeon ad in perhaps the only cell there before an endless dark hallway. At first, I thought they are just random flashes of dreams, but I heard the same voice in those dreams over and over again. It was asking if I have chosen my path yet. Sly ended it there, after giving what was a basic summary of those series of dreams. He chuckled, stopping at an alleyway after realising he had probably lost his way a bit. Now that I think about it, they are strange dreams.

Once the alleyway was starting to narrow, Mythryl seemed to have changed her mind about letting Sly follow her. He frowned a little when she said that it felt wrong to her, to be in sight of everyone, and that he did not need to follow her. He let another moment of quiet slipped by, moving a little closer to Mythryl as the silence of the alleyway was getting to him. He could bombard her with more questions, but it would not be sensible of him to do so. Sly had to respect her decision regardless. He nodded to her once. Alright Mythryl. If that is what you wish, I suppose my escort ends here. Oh! And... thank you... for listening to my dreams. Sly perhaps should have hold his tongue on that. He did not want to hint that he was feeling a little uneasy with these recent dreams, thinking he was just being very paranoid. But at least he got it out of his system and shared it with someone.

Carefully, Mythryl would guide him through the undisturbed alleyways, his voice easily heard between the cold stone buildings. However, she didn't miss him trying to look away to cover something up. But what she didn't know was what exactly this mischevious NightWing would hide from her. Originally, she would have guessed anything, but after she found herself slowly trust him, she didn't know what he would hide.

Probably everything. Including what he was really like.

As Sly slowly spoke about his dreams, Mythryl would watch him. Her magenta eyes glistened with interest, her mind forming what he spoke about with crystal clear details. Mythryl was a little puzzled for a few moments, what exactly a chessboard was, she had no idea. Whatever it was though, the black and red NightWing would have to try and find out so that she could really appreciate the dream which he had had. However, she realised in a few moments that what she had said was taken the complete wrong way. She felt her heart quicken in her chest – which surprised her slightly.

With a small shrug of her shoulders, she knew that she had to deal with the stupidity of putting her words wrong and she gave him a sad smile. “The pleasure was mine Sly, they seem like rather unsual dreams which you have been having. Maybe try to answer them some time – maybe try doing as those repeating dreams have been saying... Choose a path or say that you have.” Mythryl said with a small shrug of her shoulders, “I would like to know what happens next.”

It was an honest suggestion as well as an honest answer. But sadly, as the moon rose over the high above the skyline, Mythryl turned her gaze away. With a heavy heart, she realised that she would have no excuse to come back and visit him. For both of their sakes. Even if she searched for it, she knew there was nothing that she could do to change the fact that she might have to leave him for months to become a distant memory. Her paw would have been healed, and she had solved her own personal puzzle. The puzzle to confirm the rumour which she had based months of searching and time to, the theory which stated one thing that she had clung to as if her life had depended on it.

That she wasn’t alone in the world, the only one to be without a family... However, she was still alone as no one really had to worry about their parents always trying to murder them. However, she cast those thoughts away and she gave him a gentle nuzzle against his neck. “Thank you for taking me as far as you have.” However, a slight gut feeling made her pause. Quickly she pulled away, had she been... nuzzling him?  

She shook her head, an uneasiness building in her as Mythryl suddenly stepped forward and would embrace the taller NightWing. It would only be for a few moments before she had to let him go before anyone had seen, or if he would seem awkward. She gave him a sad smile, “Thank you for everything. I hope I see you again some day, Sly.” Mythryl said, before she would turn away to vanish through the alleys, her slender form fitting through gaps which Sly obviously couldn’t. She didn't want to hear his parting words, as they would be like a dagger to her heart.

However, during the time that she had hugged him, Mythryl slipped a small note in his pouch, a small message that she had written on it. She couldn’t be seen with him for his own sake. If this NightWing was clever, he should be able to figure out the main reason she would avoid crowds could be found in what she had read. If Sly ever bothered to read it, it would say;

The note:

She stumbled back into her misfit den which was, well, more of a temporary thing if anything. They always were. Mythryl had a tendency to jump locations, avoiding her scouting parents. She knew that they had been in the area recently, their tell tale sign of passing through the town quite obvious to her. Word must have spread about her incident in the palace, which caught their attention. With a sigh, Mythryl grabbed her few belongings, stuffing them in a black sachet which she would sling around her neck. It wasn’t much, just a few books and some spare change.

She solved her mystery-but hopefully her parents didn’t know what she was trying to solve. But a voice chilled her to the core as she heard a voice near the entrance of her cave; “Mythryl, why do you even bother?”

Spinning to face the intruder, Mythryl felt her scales morph and shift, hard plating covering her body as she snarled at them. "Just because you abandoned me doesn't mean that I cannot try to fit in!" Mythryl growled at her, glaring at the taller dragoness. The stranger tilted her head to the side, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “You know that you don’t belong... you never have Mythryl. Now, stop running my child...”

Mythryl had gone to open her mouth, to hiss and scold at her mother, but a sharp crack on the back of her head from her father’s hard tail would stun her so she could hear every word they said. His familiar white spheres glowed on his hide as he looked down at the disappointment child beneath him. He looked to her mother, “It’s a shame that she had to inherit your red stripes... Without them, she would have been perfect.” He clicked with mild annoyance as her mother walked over, her black hide tainted by the familiar red stripes. “Sadly, we cannot always have our children inherit the genes we want them to. She was simply a disappointment case.”

The father gave a small snort, his talons glinting dangerously as he bent down to grab one of Mythryls horns. He bent her neck backwards, exposing her throat, "You are sure no one will notice her absence? It would be a pain for us to have to patch anything which she has done and come up with a reason as to why she cannot be there anymore..." He grumbled, his razor talons pressing against Mythryl's armoured neck.

The mother nodded slightly, "She doesn't have anyone we need to worry about. Just get rid of the evidence of our mistake, she's been around too long already. So hurry up and get rid of the stupid thing, it's not like anyone would notice her absence anyway." She growled, and the father nodded.

"You're right, she's just a bane to this world."

It did not really make sense to him that she had to disappear on him despite having met not too long ago. Even more so when he discovered that he was slowly being drawn to her. It could explain why he barely knew anything about her, but that mystery remained, as well as the aftertaste of a need to... just be around her more often. Perhaps this was what it is like to have a friend. Or maybe something more. To any dragon here in the Empire, talking about the dreams anyone have would have immediately be scoffed and discarded as trivial. Not unless the dreamer could prove that there was a trail of magic left in the dream, if they could have show the dream at all.

Sly listened to her suggestion to answer the voice. If he had to be honest, he tried that before after all else failed. The voice was not as responsive, or was just deaf to words from the maw. Every dream, same question over and over again. But different places. He gave her a nod, then noticed a change in her expression. It was not the same curiosity when he talked of the dream, but her eyes wandered down the alleyway, deep in thought. She was silent for quite a while, and Sly wondered what she was thinking of. Before he could ask, she suddenly stepped towards him, her snout brushing against his neck once again as she thanked him. His knapsack tugged a bit against his shoulder during the quick embrace as she pulled away almost just as quickly.

Her parting words were anything but a cheerful or hopeful one. The voice told him as much, and she had a heavy snout as she was looking a little down. The moment he realised, she was already gone. It felt strange. Like there was something missing, something that he should be expecting. No matter. Sly readjusted his knapsack, the strap holding on a few scales at the end of his shoulder. Just as he did, he saw something white jutting out from the inside. A parchment? He never kept these in his bag. Sly fished it out and noticed how neatly it was folded. Someone must have slipped it in.

Walking his way out, he found the nearest source of light and and opened the parchment. It was a letter from Mythryl. The contents of it was disturbing. He never really thought that Mythryl's parents would garner enough hatred to even track her down right after cutting her from their lives. Sly searched his surroundings when he read that they have been tracked, and stepped back and hid himself in a doorway of a shop that had long closed for the night. There, he continued reading.

She wrote a rendezvous point. Sly finished the letter quickly and memorised the place. Then he stepped out, walking as calmly as he could. He walked by the nearest torch and tossed the parchment in it, before powerwalking his way to the giant oak. The night was quiet but the wind, but still he stuck to the shadows. He could not sense his surroundings effectively, the paranoia of two dragons spying on him clouding much of it.

Sly somewhat hoped that he could find Mythryl along the way before they reach the oak. But he did not meet a sole until he was at the walls of the Empire. He could see the oak tree she referred to, and a small den well hidden in the shrubbery east of it. Sly only took one step before he heard multiple voices inside. Something about not belonging and being a disappointment.

They were here.

Sly prowled his way to the den, moving from shadow to shadow until he could see what was going on inside. The cave was poorly lit. A good opportunity for him to put his assassination skills to the test. Thanks to his natural camouflage and the shadows to his back, he was able to slither into the cave and stick himself to the wall without much of a tap of his claws.

Aside from Mythryl, the two dragons here were seemingly her parents. The mother was the one with the red marks, and the father the one with white spheres on his body. Mythryl was knocked onto the ground, but she was moving. If barely. The father grabbed her by the horns and was ready to slice her neck.

Sly gritted his fangs, his heart pounding hard against his chest as he inched himself closer towards him. He managed to sneak behind and only at arm's length to the father. Just as he finished speaking, Sly lunged forward a bit and swiped his claw at the back of the dragon's neck, using his medical expertise to strike a critical nerve to knock him clunconscious. He quickly shouldered away the father and, lowering his neck, caught Mythryl and slowly lowered her to the ground.

Now now, Sly said, wearing his smirk as he looked up to the mother. This is no way to resolve a family intervention. He dropped his knapsack onto the ground and pulled his wings close, but making sure they do not emit any light. Not just yet. If you call your daughter a disappointment case, then... Sly cocked his head to the side, his chin up, you must be a disappointing mother.

Mythryl felt tears sting her eyes from her mother's words, her heart feeling as if it were literally torn in two from their harsh and careless words. It wasn’t her fault that they had decided that she was imperfect, that her looks weren’t the most perfect in the entire world. That she wasn’t their dream child which they always had wanted. If they had invested the time and effort into getting to know her and actually be a proper parent many years ago, they would have been surprised at her personality. The resilience which she had. However, that was not what they cared about at all. They only wanted a child for their looks...

Not once in her life had she ever done anything against her parents, aside from deny them the one thing which they seemingly wanted. Mythryl could only reason one thing which they hated her for, which was surviving her own death. However, aside from their rants, their threats and their very dismissal of their child, she held onto a thin ray of hope.

However, this hope instantly faded when she felt her father’s razor sharp claws drag across her scaled throat. Her breathing quickened, a weak snarl coming from her as she glared up at him, her eyes narrowing in hatred. However, she could feel something weird stinging her eyes, something which she had been experiencing more and more of recent days, ever since she met Sly.

Sly... In a way, Mythryl was surprised that some of her last thoughts were of him, that constant smirk which he always wore. The mask which he never took away from him. Those eyes which would flicker between a yellowish and green depending on his mood. The gentle purrs which he made... Not to mention he was actually a surprisingly good kisser.

Mythryl could only pray that he had received the note and would manage to get away from the city before these psychopaths decided to try and kill him. But if he had come here, he would be outnumbered and she guessed that they would use her as bait to bring him to a position where he wouldn’t be able to defend both himself and her at once. If he even saw it in time and came...

Thud.

For a few moments, Mythryl thought that her father had slipped as she felt herself suddenly drop to the ground-only to be caught by something. Her back was to them and she closed her eyes tightly, expecting to feel something snap her neck. However, instead of anger, rage, mockery or fury, the voice of an angel would sound, and Mythryl could almost taste their smirk from where she stood.

Mythryl would try to speak, however, her voice caught in her throat and she quietly whimpered, unable to say what she wished to say. She wouldn’t be able to express her gratitude or her relief as her tears freely fell down her cheeks.

Her mother, however, was much less impressed with the takedown of her mate. With a snarl, she would turn and face Sly, her fangs glinting in the low light. Then she would raise an eyeridge to him upon seeing his smaller form. Brushing off the insult like it was nothing, she began to circle him to watch his movements, “Ahh... So you must be the unfortunate soul which this thing decided to try and get to know better.” She stated, a bit of a smirk on her face. “You really don’t know what you would be getting into if you so much as went near her. Her own parents couldn’t get her to do one simple thing...

Maybe you should actually get to know her before becoming.... attached to the wurm.”

A successful take down. The large male, which Sly also predicted to be the strongest, fell to the ground and he caught Mythryl before her head would also crash beside her father. Slowly he settled her down and looked back into her eyes with a casual smirk. So she was still conscious. It was a relief, though it meant he had broken the code of assassins for a bit. Not like anyone would mind him being spotted to desperately save someone close to him. At least she was safe now.

As for her mother, she only gave a snarl towards Sly. There was no worry for her own mate, or anything that would express her love for the one who helped bring Mythryl to this world. As if nothing had happened, she walked circles around him, opening her maw to speak again in this sort of situation. Sure, Sly was smaller than her but did she not see he also took down her own mate? Now they were on even ground. He did not relax his wings. They were still stuck to his sides and ready. What was she trying to pull now?

Sly did not take his eyes off her, but meither did he offer any look of distress that would put her in favour of this mebtal battle. Instead, he huffed a bored sigh as he waited for the female to finish. Then he backed away, eyes wide as he mocked a surprised and featful look towards her. Oh. I am so sorry. I did not know I come this way for a lecture on love... from a daughter-killing failure of a mother, Sly said the last phrase sharply. There are very few among the Empire whom I find interesting, and among such, your daughter is the one I like the most. A strong-willed ruby among obsidian I have to say, or a black rose bloomed from a pool of blood. A mysterious enigma with great potential. You cast her away, but look at her now.

And so now I ask you. Who is the unfortunate soul who threw away the newt, and cannot live their own life without the obsession of trying to kill... what has now become a dragon?

Mythryl felt tears sting her eyes at Sly's comment. Thoughts would raid her mind, her pulse racing. Was that true, did he actually think of her like that, is he just leading her on or saying things to stop her mother from killing them both from where they stood? Countless thoughts would raid her mind, and she decided to keep silent. Sly's face was a mask, even to Mythryl, but she almost could sense a small portion of uncertainty in him.

Sly was speaking still when Mythryl saw something out of the corner of her eye. Unable to give a motion with ease and, still being slightly stunned from the blow of her father, she tried to growl, which would only come forth as a small, quiet rumble in her chest. Something which she couldn't increase in volume, especially when she wanted to as the roof seemed to move...

That was when vague memories stirred in her, about a hatchling, pitch black, yet incredibly sturdy.

However, her mother seemed to be doing a good job with distracting Sly, and he lashed out at her, stating how horrible she had been. How much of a failure that she was. How pathetic it was to hunt down and kill an innocent. To this, her mother laughed lightly.

"I would be careful with what you say and who and where you said it to. You never know who could be watching." She commented, her chuckling silencing in a split second. "What the true shame is is that Mythryl tried her hardest to conceal her movements, but rest assured, this is most definitely not what we spend our time doing. It's . . . more of a hobby I suppose, to track down and rid the world of another pathetic dragon.

You claim that I am a horrible mother, but tell me, did you ever think about looking up?" She asked and at that exact moment, Mythryl remembered.

Her brother.

The roof came alive, razor sharp and deadly claws and fangs lunging for Sly's throat. The opposing NightWing was incredibly muscular in comparison to Sly, had a scythe-tipped tail, and claws which were serrated, carved to deal as much damage as they could to his enemies. As his fangs and claws would go to lash and try and distract Sly, both his mother and his tail would lash out to attack the downed Mythryl.

Their only concern was to finish what they had started.

He was quite proud with his little remark against this female, but that was it. At this point, he was not sure what to do. Mythryl was in trouble, her den discovered, and now Sly was in a stand off against Mtythryl's mother. Voices echoed in the back of his mind. The distant, echoing cries and laughter of children as they were playing in a plaza before their parents would call them for supper. Sly never knew what parental love felt like, but he knew the children were happy. Back to the present, all Sly could see was a heavy shroud of darkness that feigned the scales of this female as she did nothing more than to despise her own child. Worse was the one obsessed with finishing off what was meant to be dead in their eyes.

Sly huffed a sigh, closing his eyes. And if I were you, I would be careful with whom I am dealing with. It pains me to see a rat in a scaly pelt, pretending to be a dragon standing before me. As he said this, he was concentrating with his ears, trying to pick up anything faint that would seem out of place. There was quiet pattering on the ceiling, almost directly above them. A third dragon was in here, and it seemed Mythryl knew as well as Sly could hear her weak growl during his focus.

Sly snorted when the female mentioned this was a hobby of hers. Quite the hobby. I trust it is fairing well, after taking this long to hunt your very first target right now? It was quite the guess to think Mythryl was their first target in their sick little game, but if they had been doing mass genocide of the lower class, they would have been marked for arrest by the guards by now, if not marked for death by assassins. He did not get to delve in deeper to their rationale when the mother mentioned him to look up.

Sly merely rolled his eyes up, glaring at the shadowy figure as it descended, the glistening claws at the ready to shred his scales. Sly side stepped, twisting his claws so he would then face the two as he repositioned. He faked a recoil as he lashed his head down and slightly to the side. The claws narrowly missed his neck, but to anyone else, it looked as if he was hit. He would then stare directly at this newcomer, marking him for his orbs as they build up their energy underneath his wings.

However, the mother whipped past behind him, and Sly, with wide eyes, watched as she rushed directly for Mythryl, the newcomer slamming his tail in her direction as well. His eyes quickly turning yellow, Sly hissed as he forced to shift the mark back to the mother. Get back! Spinning 90 degrees, Sly flapped open one of his wings. His orbs, flaring and illuminating the den, came out and sped towards the female, honing in so as to collapse and explode all over her.

Though little did Sly realised that he placed two marks, one on both the newcomer and the mother. Some of the orbs would collide into this dragon instead, as there would be an unseeable force that would pull the two dragons together. Realising what happened with his orbs, Sly quickly compensated by turning the other direction, exposing his other wing as he shot out another six small orbs to collide on both of them. The explosions had the power of a standard dragon claw strike each, and Sly hoped enough would collect on both of them to cease their attack.