Shadows of Vengeance [Private Primalus]

Ferrum lay stretched out next to a rock when he felt pebbles from above falling on him.  He looked up and saw a graceful figure leap over him, landing softly on the ground.  He sat up and yawned, showing the razor sharp fangs hidden in his maw.  He had slept the whole day away, and figured that it would be best to get up and see what this dragoness was up to.  He stretched and quietly walked behind the dragoness that had leapt over him so rudely.  He couldn't see very well yet, so he couldn't quite make out who he was following, but he recognized her scent.  She was just an ordinary citizen.  It's like she's looking for something, he thought as he continued to follow her.

It was quite a beautiful night out. Despite having moved to the edge of the NightWing territory, where most of her alchemic creations were dealt out, away from the prying eyes of the capital, she rather enjoyed the focus being taken off of her. Due to heavy security, her first plan would be quite difficult to enact now. But her second.... she'd just have to wait and see.

A faint glow caught her eye, and a sly smirk would part her lips. "Found you," Nightflare would say with a chuckle, approaching the small, glowing white orchid, and carefully lifting it from the earthen soil.

Gently dusting it off, Nightflare had stopped in a slightly crowed location, filled with trees. She could hear the rattling of the wind against the branches. With another small smirk, she'd raise up her head. Not even bothering to look behind her, she'd call out in a smooth, calming voice, chuckling slightly"You know, it's rude to follow people."

So that's what she's looking for, Ferrum thought as he stared at the beautiful white flower.  As soon as he heard the dragoness address him, however, he stood in shock.  How could she have known? he thought worriedly, Even I couldn't hear myself!  He slowly and quietly backed away from the dragoness and turned around, only to run right into a tree.  As he rubbed his head, he looked back towards Nightflare and sighed.  There was no getting away from her now. He stood up and shook his head clear from the thoughts rushing through it. "That's a nice flower you've got there," Ferrum said stupidly, not knowing how to properly communicate with a female that was so enchanting.

"Y- You woke me up, so I decided to follow you. But now that you're headed back, I'll just go," Ferrum said, worried about what might happen to him if he stayed any longer with this mysterious, yet beautiful dragoness. He turned around and began to head back to the rock where he was sleeping earlier when he stopped and asked, "If you don't mind my asking, what's that flower for?" He stared directly at it, still hypnotized by its beauty. It was like it was made of light. Even though he couldn't see very well with bright lights, this one didn't seem to affect him. It was as if the flower had some special property that made him able to stand it.

She watched quietly, her burning, purple eyes, seeming to pierce into the male drake's soul. Her tail would swish ever so slightly. Her eyes would trail him, and she seemed to every word he said intently. As he would walk away, she remained quiet, visually expressionless. But on the inside, a plan was beginning to formulate in her mind. A variety of possibilities.

As the dragon paused, again, a small smirk would appear on her face, and she'd straighten her body. This gave her an even more intimidating factor, as the moon rose behind her now, shining down, making her body appear as nothing more than a shadow, with her purple eyes staring down at the male.

"Ah, this beautiful thing? It's actually a useful herb. For medicine," The dragoness would chuckle, twisting the stem of the flower in between her paws. "I apologize if I woke you, but please. I rarely get any visitors out here. Tell me, young one, what is your name? I would love to be graced with your presence this fine night, if you don't mind.

"M- Me?" Ferrum asked, looking around as though there was someone else there.  He knew that she was taking to him, but he was beginning to get scared by this dragoness.  Her eyes seemed to pierce into his soul.  It was as though she could see everything that he had ever done, just by looking into his eyes.  "I'm Ferrum," he said, trying to stand a little straighter.  He didn't want to talk any more than he had to, so he tried to keep his mouth shut as much as he could.  He hadn't seen this dragoness around in the town, so he wasn't sure if she could be trusted.  Was she exiled?  Is she a rouge? he thought, thinking of all the secrets that this dragoness might be hiding.

Nightflare tilted her head, watching the dragon. Mortals were quite bad at hiding their emotions. Her smirk began to soften, as did her posture. He obviously appeared scared, just by watching his eyes flash, his irises catching the light of the moon as Nightflare stared down at him. Her eyes would illuminate warmth, and an oddly inviting aroma would begin to seep around them. She'd chuckle, her voice smooth and calm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ferrum. The name's Nightflare. Tell me, what are you doing, so close to the border?" she'd ask with a friendly smile, though she still stared him down, a sense of authority and charisma hinting and dripping from her tongue.

There was an odd air of trusting. But some part of Ferrum would still tell him to run.

"I- I was following you," Ferrum said, still confused as to what secrets Nightflare was hiding.  He made sure to keep a great amount of distance in-between them in case she tried to attack.  He tried moving back even more, but he was pinned up against a large tree.  There was no way out.  He had no idea that they were near the border.  He had been wandering aimlessly for the past few days, as he had nothing to do back in town.  "I- I'd better... um... get going," Ferrum stuttered uncomfortably.  He didn't feel like he should trust Nightflare.  She seemed like the type to want to take advantage of other dragons.

Nightflare blinked, listening to him with a cool, apprehensive expression. He started to back up. Foolish dragons. She wouldn't get anywhere at this rate. She let out a small sigh, glancing up at the moon. Oh, sweet sister, I know you're watching. A small frown would trace itself across her lips. That cursed thing. Oh well. You couldn't shoot the moon out of the sky.

Her aura seemed to shimmer and shine as the moon made Nightflare's face visible. Her soft features were once again visible, no longer exaggerated by the darkness cast upon her by the moon.

Gently holding the flower, Night would move, though, not towards Ferrum. She held the flower in her paw, placing it gently into her satchel, and heading back towards her house, a gentle expression on her face. She paused as they were next to each other.

"I suppose that rude awakening is what you get for sleeping so close to the rogue territory, Night would chuckle, her charismatic tone making her seem approachable, her scary factor having gone down a tad bit, "Though I am dreadfully sorry. I suppose I could repay you with a relaxing walk through the forest. I could show you some more of those beautiful Ghost Orchids. They are quite beautiful in groups. They shine like the stars in the sky."

"Uh... Okay, I guess I could go for a walk," Ferrum said, not trying to cover up the fact that he was no longer as scared of Nightflare.  He followed closely behind her and asked quietly, "So why have I never seen those flowers before?"  Ferrum's bright green eyes shone through the night as he stared into Night's.  She was stunning in the moonlight, but he began to shake those thoughts from his head.  She's obviously too old for me, why would I even think of that? he thought.  He wasn't even completely sure about what gender he liked.  There were males that were plenty attractive back in town, but he had never built up the courage to ask one of them to be his mate.  No.  I have to keep my mind straight right now.  She could attack at any moment, and I won't be able to see it coming.  I've got to stay alert.

"Yes. It is quite nice out," Ferrum commented, looking up at the night sky. Looking back at where they were headed, he asked, "So what's that up ahead? It looks like it's glowing." As they got even closer, the small nightwing had to squint to see what was up ahead, seeing as the glow was incredibly bright the closer they got to it. He couldn't quite make it out though. Turning to face Nightflare, he asked, "What is that? I can't quite see it. The light is too bright for my eyes."

Ferrum closed his eyes and bent down to sniff the flowers. The scent was incredibly strong, but he felt like he had smelt them before, he just didn't know where. "So what is this place? I do t think I've ever seen it on any of the maps that I've come across," he asked Nightflare, not able to look at her because of the glow of the flowers. He bent down and sniffed them once more before he finally remembered.

It had been a clear night out, and Ferrum had only been about seven at the time, but was wandering aimlessly about the forest in search of an animal to eat. He was weak and couldn't keep going much longer, but had tried his hardest to get as far away from the human village as he could. The humans had been chasing him for miles, trying to capture him and sell him to a willing bidder. He fell asleep in a clearing with the same flowers that he was smelling now. He couldn't remember what had happened after that, though, and decided to clear his mind and focus on the present.

"So what's the real reason you dragged me out here?" Ferrum asked, staring deep into Nightflare's eyes.  He could tell that something was up, he just didn't know what.  He turned away from the orchids and began walking back to the rock where he slept when he stopped and said, "I know that you're looking for something, but what is it?"  Without waiting for a response, he began to walk back into the woods, away from the light.  Ferrum's scales were beginning to get dry, and he needed water, or else he would begin to crack, which was extremely painful for him.  He took one last look back at Nightflare, secretly hoping that she would follow him, before continuing on his walk.

"R- Really?" Ferrum asked.  It was quite a long ways back to his rock, and the cabin was probably much closer, so he replied, "Uh... Thanks!" and quickly ran over to Nightflare.  He stared up at the tall dragoness and wondered, How old is she really?  She can't be just a little older than me.  She's much wiser than that.  He looked around, looking for any signs of water, since his scales were beginning to get dry. He didn't have much longer before they would begin to crack, which he couldn't allow to happen again.  "Do you... uh... know if there's a creek or something nearby?  I'm... uh... really thirsty." Ferrum asked awkwardly.

"Okay, thanks," Ferrum said, obviously parched. His voice was beginning to get raspy, and he wouldn't be able to carry on much longer. The moonlight shining through the trees made him feel slightly better. The light from the moon was one of the only lights that he didn't mind.

As he followed Nightflare through the forest, he saw a small, trickling creek up ahead. As he began to run towards it, he tripped over a tree root and face planted into the ground. Coughing, he went to drink from the stream. After a few minutes of drinking, he felt much better and was ready to resume on their journey. He went up ahead of Nightflare and began to walk backwards, asking, "So why have I never seen you before? Your scent is familiar, but I don't believe that we've met before."

"It's okay," Ferrum smiled.  He still knew to be alert, but Nightflare seemed safe enough.  As he looked closer at the cottage, he saw vines trailing up the sides, seeming to enclose the house in a sort of cage.  Looking up at Nightflare, he smiled.  She was probably the nicest dragon that he had ever met. "Shall we head inside, or do you want me to stay out here?" he asked.