The Meeting Of Two (Private Artemis)

(Post Tempest Pyr Topic (Pyrrhus walked around the brisk outskirts of the Icewing territory. Here, trees could be found, which gave the reptilian proper protection and cover against dragons. He walked hastily under the trees, as to not be seen by any unwanted attention from above. He hurried around as in the distance he could see dark clouds, and that could only mean one thing, heavy snow.

He saw a cave in the distance, darting into it he made it to safety and out of harm's way. The little reptilian set down his bag, taking out a rather large bear fur and laid it on the ground. After this he took out some the rest of his dried meat rations, he'd have to get more food soon or else he'd end up starving here...

But then, instead of getting out and trying to find more meat before the incoming snow storm, he just waiting. Looking out of the mouth of the cave as it began to lightly snow he'd wait here until it passed.

However what he did not know was that he would soon meet eyes with a rather unwanted foe, an Icewing...

Artemise folded her wings and dived, spiraling down at a deadly speed. She landed on the soft white snow with a muffled thump, sending a puff of snow into the wintry air. She looked around. She hadn't explored this part of the IceWing territory before. It was a while before she noticed a creature with a wolffish head looking out of the mouth of a large, brown-gray cave. She peered at it curiously. It had two arms and legs, like a human, some armour wrapped around its muscular body, a shield and a sword, and the head of a white wolf. What kind of animal is this? Is it a new species? she wondered, and suddenly the answer struck her. The creature was a reptilian. Hmm. So this was how a reptilian looked like? The dragoness had read about them in scrolls, but had never actually met one. She lashed her tail, leaving whip-thin marks in the snow, wondering if she should approach it.

Yeah, and scare it off. Very smart, Artemise, said a snide voice in her mind. I think it's better if you stayed still and observe it. You'd probably learn more about reptilians that way. Much as she hated to admit it, that voice in her head was right. So she sat back on her haunches, gazing at the reptilian.

Pyrrhus looked out into the storm. All he was was snow... And it was getting worse, Much worse. He felt like something was watching him... But what would be watching him in such a storm? Nothing, That's what. But inside he still couldn't help but feel slightly unsettled by the possibility. What if something was watching him? What if he was its next meal? He quickly dismissed the thought.

Soon he found himself sitting in a dark cave as the fire went out. Drifting into a sleepy state... But he couldn't fall asleep. What if there was really a thing there? He'd surely be dead by the time he woke up, If he woke up again at all. He had to stay awake, He had to! But, He just couldn't.

Before he knew it the little reptilian was curled up on the bear skin, fast asleep as the blizzard went on outside.

Artemis watched the reptilian glance around one more time before retreating into the cave. When it didn't appear for a while, the dragoness assumed that it was asleep, and she trudged through the snow towards the cave, and then peeked inside. She was right - the reptilian really was asleep. She sat back on her haunches and watched it. It looked much more peaceful when it was asleep. She felt a cold breeze blow into the cave, and she spread her wings to shelter the reptilian from the bitingly cold wind, wondering when it would wake up.

Pyrrhus stirred in his sleep, he felt a presence was near him. But what could it be? It must be a dream, he was sleeping after all. A little bit later with more sleep he finally woke up. Was something near him? Why was the wind much softer? Was his fire out?

He finally opened his eyes, And there was his answer. His death. Well, To be fair, He'd have to give this dragon a fair chance before he could decide if it would kill him. But from what he could tell, it most likely would. Most dragons wanted to, or tried to anyway.

The little reptilian sat looking at the dragon. From what he could tell it appeared to be a she, and she towered over him like he was an ant. He couldn't tell what she'd do to him, be friendly? Toy with him? Enslave him? Kill him? He'd been through so many scenarios that by now most of those were routine.

Although the fact they were Icewing comforted him more than other dragons, he still couldn't be sure. What if this was her cave?

Artemise had been drifting to sleep, her eyelids fluttering shut, when she saw the odd wolf-like reptilian stir, and she immediately snapped to attention, spreading her wings wider as she felt the strength of the wind grow. Then she attempted a smile when the reptilian open his (she would assume it was a male for now) eyes, in a way of greeting. She watched him assume a sitting position, and both of them just stared at each other, the silence stretching. She broke the uncomfortable silence and said, "Hello, reptilian. How may I address you?" Curling her tail around a haunch, she peered curiously at him.

Up close, the reptilian looked slightly skinny, as if starved, but his fur was smooth and had a clean, white sheen. However, she noticed his eyes watching her warily, as if expecting her to kill him, and wondered what had happened to make him think that way.

The little reptilian looked at the dragoness more intently as she spoke. She seemed soft hearted and spoke smooth and easily. The light from the small nearly dead fire glistened off her scales with a glistening aurora. Thats one of the things he loved about Icewings, they always looked so pristine and elegant.

Pyrrhus wanted to speak but he just couldn't... Something in his mind prevented him from doing it. Was he shy? No... That couldn't be it. He was rarely if ever shy. But she was so pristine and elegant and huge and he was small and tiny and... shy... He was shy...

The little reptilian turned and covered the fire with snow to put what remained of it out. Then after that he packed up all his things and moved deeper into the cave, going well around a corner to get out of the wind and give the dragoness more room.

It was obvious she meant to harm to him, That was for sure. He still wasn't sure if she would toy with him or not, most did, because of his size, but he'd gotten used to it by now.

Artemise watched the reptilian walk into a corner where the wind wouldn't reach him. He still hadn't given her his name; maybe he didn't want to. If so, she wouldn't push him; no one liked being forced. But she didn't know what to do now. Just walk out, or stay? Or... "What is your business here?" Yes, another question would do. If he didn't reply... Well, she would deal with that later on. Hoping for an answer, she stared at her white talons, digging them into the dirt ground slightly.

"Do you not trust me?" she asked after a while, once again hoping for an answer. The wind howled in her ears; she spread her wings to its maximum now, but some wind still entered the cave, which was starting to get colder. And... the scent of prey. Deer, her favorite.  But she would stay here. She was pretty curious about this wolf thingy standing a few feet away from her, and she would not just go away until she was satisfied.

Pyrrhus looked at the dragon as it spoke. It's speach fit its appearance, Highly elegant and pristine. He didn't reply to her remarks, but nodded his head slightly at the last on. He wished he could trust her, but after his past he just couldn't.

The little reptilian's attention was turned otherwise to his now growling stomach. He opened his bag to look for any food he might still have, but then it hit him. He ate it all before the storm, and he sure couldn't survive in a blizzard like that.

He was going to either starve here or be eaten by this new dragon he'd just met. Form what he could tell her intentions weren't hostile, but they seemed to become slightly aggressive.

Once again, Artemise was disappointed; the reptilian merely nodded and didn't say anything else. Are you sure you trust me, reptilian? I don't think so. If you really did, you would have spoken by now, the dragoness thought. Then she saw him reach for what seemed to be his food bag; the scent of food lingered in it. However, it was empty, and judging from the growl that came from the reptilian's stomach, he was hungry. "You're hungry," she said. "Can you please, please stay here while I go get some food for you? Please?" Artemise looked at him, silently pleading with him.

She stood up, waiting for his response, though not expecting much. He'd probably stay silent and not answer her, and then escape while she was gone. But... there was a fierce blizzard raging outside. She knew he couldn't go far without food; maybe he would stay. The chance was slim, but she would hope.

Pyrrhus turned back to the dragoness as she spoked. She wanted to get him food? Barely any dragon wanted to get him food, none the less dragons that were over 10x as tall as he was. It was unsettling almost, by how rare the event was. But hey, He couldn't complain.

She wanted him to stay in the cave, and he would do just that. The little reptilian couldn't survive outside with the blizzard. So either way he had no choice but to stay. He nodded in compliance and sat down.

When she came back he would still be waiting right here, just like he was told. Nearly pet like in compliance.

Artemise narrowed her eyes and scrutinised the reptilian. After a moment of thinking, she decided to just go. If she returned and he wasn't there, too bad for her; if she returned and he was still there, ...yay? Turning her back on him, she walked out of the cave and launched herself into the air, spreading her wings wide to catch the air current. The wintry chill of the wind cooled her body, which had started to warm in the cave. Scanning her surroundings for prey, all she saw was snow and ice. Annoyed, Artemise beat her wings harder, propelling herself forwards; finally she saw a herd of deer smack in the middle of a clearing. Good.

Grinning now, she tilted her body downwards, soaring downwards in a kill spiral; she extended her front talons, aiming for the largest buck in the herd. Artemise was seconds away from catching the male when it turned around, a look of alarm flitting across its face; it tried to escape, but the whole herd followed, making them an easy target. Desperate to save its herd, the buck reared up, and like its name, bucked. Artemise frowned in annoyance as the buck's hooves managed to hit her chest; it did no harm, though, and the ice dragoness swung her tail around, coiling it around it. Now she spread her wings again, and turned her back on the panicking herd, flying back the way she had come.

"Here." Artemise released the carcass and nudged it with her talon, encouraging the reptilian to eat. "Err... I'm sorry but I couldn't cook it..." According to the information she had read about reptilians, most of them preferred cooked meat. Maybe this one in front of her would cook it using that small fire he had. It would take a long time, though. Oh well. She'd watch and see; Artemise retreated a few steps and lay down.

Pyrrhus's ears perked up as the huge dragoness came back to the cave. She had a whole deer with her... an entire buck... for him? He practically drooled as he looked at the deer. If he smoked it and cooked it, it could feed him for weeks. But of course as payment, He'd share a fair portion of it with the dragoness that just caught it for him. It was the least he could do, and it wasn't much considering just one deer wouldn't fill her, none the less 5.

He started the fire, making it cover a decent area, Then set up a spit through the deer and put it across the fire, slow roasting it. In about 3 hours it should be ready, and it would have to take much more time than that for the blizzard to go away. When he was gone preparing the animal he set his stuff down and walked over to the dragoness who was currently laying down.

The little reptilian sat down next to abdomen of the dragoness and laid his back against it. He listened to the snow outside and the crackling of the fire as it cooked the buck. For just a moment, after so long, he was at peace. He felt safe, like nothing could go wrong. He let out a slight sigh and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

Artemise watched the reptilian impale the deer on what seemed like a spear; he then set it above the fire. So it was true. Reptilians really ate cooked food, unlike dragons; most of them didn't care if their prey was cooked or not. As long it was food, it was fine. The fire wasn't that large, though, and it would probably take around 2 or 3 hours; the dragoness wished that she breathed fire, so she could make the fire larger, reducing the amount of time needed for the reptilian to eat. She did not understand her urge to ... well, be so nice to this reptilian, but whatever.

She didn't care.

Artemise was astonished when the reptilian lay down close to her, much less laid his back against her and closed his eyes; his current position would make him vulnerable to surprise attacks, but she wasn't going to harm him anytime soon. Smiling, she curled her tail around the reptilian, wishing to provide him some warmth; once again, the cold from her scales turned warm as her body heated. So you trust me now, eh? she thought, laying her head on her claws contentedly. She closed her eyes and drifted into semi consciousness.

Pyrrhus was taken a little by surprise as she wrapped her tail around him. He was never used to things like this happening, and he never would be. When it happened he couldn't really escape, and part of him always hated that. But what happened had happened, and anyway, what would she do to him?

He had learned to trust this dragoness. She acted gently and caring, and she even brought him an entire deer! That was something that had happened maybe once before. The little reptilian went limp as she got warmer. He may be an Ice Claw from heritage but he wasn't used to these temperatures after being gone so long, and none the less could he survive in a blizzard had he always stayed in the territory.

He closed his eyes once more as the warmth lulled him to sleep. He may of just slept, but it was not for long, maybe 30 minutes at most. The soft sound of the heavy snow falling make him entirely relaxed as he went to sleep again.

Artemise, though only semi-conscious, could feel the little reptilian's body go limp. A faint smile tugged at her lips; he really trusted her now. Trusted her enough to sleep next to her, trusted her enough to let her try to warm him. She'd inquire his name later; for now, she would just rest with the reptilian. It was a pretty long time since she last met a soul, for she had kept herself in solitude, and she was kind of surprised to find that she missed the lively chatter of others. However, she felt that this silent reptilian was much more interesting than the lively dragons of her tribe. Maybe he would trust her enough to speak. Maybe.

She wondered, though rather distantly, what his name was. Wolf? Nah. What an ironic name. Fenrir? It was a popular wolf name, was it not? But it didn't suit this reptilian. Comet? Storm? Her guesses were rather pathetic, and she soon gave up. He would give his name sooner or later, right?

She suddenly awoke, blinking her eyes open. She had fallen asleep. Artemise lifted her head and swiveled it to look out of the cave; the scarlet sky was streaked with violet and navy blue; it was evening. She had fallen asleep and slept for hours. She returned her attention to the reptilian. He was still sleeping, and she wondered when he would wake. She couldn't move without waking him, so she stayed there, deciding to just gaze at the sky and watch the blood-red sun set; it soon disappeared behind the huge mountains of the IceWing home. Before she knew it, she had slipped into another daydream, and once again, she watched the sky semi-consciously.

She snapped back to attention. It was now dark. The full moon was high, high up in the velvety night sky, and she found herself smiling again that day. Admiring the stars of the night, she remembered how much she used to love the stars ... and the moon. How she would squeal whenever she caught a glimpse of the moon if it was obscured by clouds. How she always bugged her mom and yelled at her to look at the sky!

The memories brought a tear to Artemise's eye, and she fought back the incoming tears, but one teardrop made it past her defences; it leaked from her eye, making its way down her cheek slowly. Mom ... Dad ... Snowstorm ... How are you guys? Are you all watching over me? she thought sadly, and another tear leaked from her eye.

The little reptilian stirred in his sleep. He dreamt of what it would be like if he didn't have to live in fear almost all the time. It was nice to live like this, very, very nice. He didn't always have to be on alert, didn't always have to be ready to run, didn't have to salvage. He could live like the dragons did, with homes, actual homes, with actual shelter and protection.

But he was suddenly woken up by a small splash of water next to him. When he opened his eyes he saw the large dragoness crying. But why? What caused her to cry like this? Looking out of the cave he saw it had stopped snowing, which was good, but he couldn't help but feel bad due to the sad dragoness.

He slowly climbed out of the coil of the tail he was in and walked over to the deer. The fire under it had gone out now. He cut off a large piece of deer out and cut it in two, wrapping one piece of it in a cover and putting it in his bag, and eating the other rather quickly. Then he took the spit out of the deer and brought the carcass to the crying dragoness.

Setting down the cooked carcass in front of her the little reptilian walked up to one of her forelegs and hugged it, trying to make her feel better. He didn't know if she'd like the cooked meat, most dragons hated cooked meat, but it was worth a try, wasn't it?

Artemise was too absorbed in the memories which had suddenly rushed back to her, one by one, to notice that the reptilian had awoken; she also did not feel feet climbing over her tail. But she did feel arms wrapping around her foreleg, and she glanced down, startled, only to see the reptilian hugging her. She had never been hugged before, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that she could feel her insides warming, a smile spreading across her face yet again. Then a dark, wet spot shone; one of her teardrops must have splashed onto him. She didn't want anyone to see her cry, not even her sworn sister, much less a stranger, a reptilian. But this reptilian was an exception; the IceWing did not know why.

Artemise lifted a claw to wipe away the teardrop on her cheek, and then placed her claw under the reptilian's neck and lifted his head up slightly, gently. "Thank you," she whispered; the two words meant everything in the world, and she knew the reptilian knew that. She was a lost, sad dragon who put on a brave facade; this reptilian, a stranger yet a friend, saw through her mask, to her raw, inner self.

He would make a good friend, she was sure of that. And she would treasure the time she spent laughing with him. The silence stretched, but this time it wasn't an uncomfortable one; it was, in fact, a silence of understanding. Her smile turned a little wistful; once again, this particular little wolf-reptilian reminded her of Snowstorm. Her younger sister loved wolves; she often went out to tame them.

[I hope it doesn't sound romantic Cx]

The little reptilian backed away from the sad dragoness. He hoped she'd feel better now. He looked at the deer and then back to her, a feeling of uncertainty spread across him. Did she not like the deer? Was it too much? Was it her that did not trust him? He hoped she would accept his gift, or none the less deny it. Then he realized where he made his mistake, he was putting things onto a dragon's mind that was 10x his size and could crush him in a second if she deemed fit.

Taking precautions he backed away a little more and tended to the fire. Pyrrhus tried to act like he wasn't nervous but in hindsight he was insanely nervous. What if she didn't like what he made her think? What if he offended her by accident? This always happened. He'd try and be nice and it would backfire.

Little did he know that she was not mad at him, not at all, and that he was still within no danger.

Artemise watched the reptilian back away from her cautiously. Had she offended him? If so ... She'd better apologise now. "If I had somehow offended you ... I'm sorry." She watched him turn his back to her and tend to the fire. She could judge by his tense shoulders that he expected to be eaten by her at any moment. But what had brought that thought into mind? Maybe she shouldn't even have touched him in the first place. Not expecting a reply, she said, "May I know your name?" The IceWing didn't even know what she was expecting. A reply, maybe.

If he didn't reply ... She might as well have come here for nothing. She would leave if he wished. Artemise let herself flop to the ground, not knowing why she was expecting a reply, especially when silence was all the reptilian had replied with.

The little reptilian was overcome with the sudden realization that he would have to speak. Speaking to a new dragon scared him, he was extremely isolated and anti social while he traveled unless he ran into someone else... He was hardly able to speak very well at all. But none the less he would have to do it.

Pyrrhus took a deep breath, "My... My name is... Pyrrhus" He said hardly above a whisper. He looked away and focuses intently on the fire, as if it would somehow hide him from his shyness. He never knew why he was so shy, he always loved to talk to others... When he managed to.

His focus was now entirely on the fire, stoking it as the small dots of orange rose into the air. They took his mind off what just happened... He spoke... To a new dragon... He soon realized what he'd just done. It wasn't bad per say, but to him, it was awful.

Artemise was surprised when the reptilian finally spoke; she had expected silence as a reply. Her surprise was soon replaced with joy, though. She had finally earned his trust. Pyrrhus. It had a nice ring to it. "That's a really nice name," she said. "The name 'Pyrrhus' is kind of close the the word 'Pyrrhia', don't you think so?" After a moment's hesitation, she added, "My name is Artemise, by the way."

Getting up and shaking the dust from her scales, she walked over to Pyrrhus and sat down next to him, careful not to knock him. Watching the fire, she was mesmerised by the way the flames leaped and danced; as mysterious as its dance seemed, she was careful to keep away from the flames; she could get burned.

Pyrrhus felt embarrassed and uncertain. He just spoke... To a dragon... A new dragon... She seemed to not mind it, especially the fact it was barely above a whisper. Was she really this much of an acquaintance? Dragons always seemed to be more willing to be friends with each other anyway, considering they would talk over a meal and even construct castles and buildings he could never even think of making. Whereas for him, He was the meal.

Then she said something that caught him off guard... He had a nice name...? The little reptilian wasn't used to compliments like this, none the less talking in the first place... But maybe he could do it again if he put his mind to it. It was rather impolite anyway to leave a conversation unfinished...

He closed his eyes and put all his mental strength to it. "I... I'm not close to P-pyrria... This world provides life... I-im nothing but a snack really..." He said a little louder, but still hardly above a whisper. It was clear he was uncomfortable, his voice was slightly shaky as he did his best to speak.

Artemise managed to look slightly reassuring. "Don't worry, Pyrrhus, I won't eat you. If I did want to eat you, I'd have done it long ago, instead of trying to talk to you." She sighed. "I don't know what happened to you to make you think this way, but I promise I won't eat you. You can trust me." She edged backwards a little before leaning down and laying her head on the floor comfortably, closing her eyes. "If you like," she said softly, her eyes still closed, "I can bring you for a flight. Would you like that?" If he denied ... well, that was also expected. She just felt sleepy. Again. Jeez, was she turning into a pig?! With that thought, she hurriedly sat up, refusing to turn into a pig.

Pyrrhus looked at the ground, still uncomfortable with the situation. Her words comforted him, but they wouldn't take it off his mind for good. He needed it on his mind, his uncertainty was like a blanket of comfort, if it wasn't there something must be wrong. He almost needed it, even tho he would be even more 'healthy' without it.

The little reptilian was not prepared for her next offer. She wanted to make him... flying... He'd always wanted to fly, but was uncertain if it would be the best idea. He didn't want to be rude... But he wasn't sure how it would go... What if he fell off? What if he couldn't breath? What would it even feel like? All these questions and no answers...

Pyrrhus managed to let out a meek, "Y...Yeah... I guess I could... Go f... flying..." He said trying not to be rude. He was scared to to be honest. So many things could go wrong... No human or reptilian had ever flown before to his knowledge, He had no idea what it would do to his body.