Silent Nights

The sun was setting, the evening air cool and refreshing as the evenings mist rolled in over the hills and into the surrounding plains and forests. The fog brought an ere feeling to the area but the way the sun was setting and how the last of the days light shimmered and shone on the trees and blades of grass made it only peaceful to any available to the sight.

Ami was relaxing on one of the many jagged mountain cliffs edges. The one she was currently on was big enough to fit two or three more dragons on the fluffy; and slightly damp grass, comfortably. Off the edge of the 'throne' Ami had acquired, the remains of a recently killed moose lay in nothing but bones and small slivers of meat still stuck on the blood stained bones. The dragoness looked out at the scene, closing her eyes and taking a large whiff of the dampened air before breathing it back how with a small smile while opening her eyes once more. Ami unfurled her wings and stretched them out high and wide into the free air, earning a few small pops here and there before she curled the back into her sides. Safely tucked away from most dangers. Lifting her head to the distant setting star, Ami noticed just how small she was compared to it despite being one of the largest creations in Pyrrhia.

Shaking the thoughts away; Ami laid her head down on the wet blades of green before closing her eyes and waiting with a faint glow of her bio-luminescent markings. Letting the sun kiss her darkened scales with final goodbyes until the it could rise once more from the other side of the sky where the moon now lingered.

(Idfk ;-; RIP)

Life out here without the protection of the walls meant having to keep ones ears perked to all sorts of danger. One mistake was enough for someone to send a spear through his chest, with nothing to wake him. This was especially important for any rogue, for they now lived in unknown territories that could be claimed by humans at any instance. He was captured once. But not by the two legged rats. Instead, by his own kin. The supposed Nightwings left scars on him that would lasted longer than the physical wounds they left that were long ago healed. Still, it was more than enough reason for him to stay as far from them as possible. This meant he had to move from his usual cave.

It was not too long ago that they got used to the new territory, but this place had been riddled with human encampments. Their purpose here was unknown, and surely they were equipped to fight any wandering dragons. But not against a large dragon of ice like Lead, for they would not expect any Icewings here. Everyday, Lead would go pillaging any new outposts, passing merchants or patrols who dared to investigate the wreckage he left behind. Today, they were more prepared with facing a bigger threat. He was able to get rid of them, but at quite a price. Beating his wings under the sunsetting sky, his bristly fur were stained with blood of who knows what. He was hurt, enduring a number of deep cuts, and he had pulled a harpoon out from under his wing. Flapping his wings was very difficult, with every flare a new experience of pain.

When he found Ami, well outside her cave and resting upon the cliffedge, Lead soared around the mountain and landed on the path leading up to her. His heavy claws slammed against the dirt, and a few drops of blood rained from his chest. He took a few breaths, trying to settle the rising agony after the landing before limping his way up to her. The wounds may be severe, but it was nothing compared to what the Nightwings had done just to suppress him. The very thoughts made all four of his claws weak, the stinging pain with even a flinch after they had tore through them like dogs.

Just like that, with time, these fresh wounds would heal by itself. When Lead found Ami again, standing behind her, the sight before him made him understand why she decided to leave the safety of her cave for this. The sun was about to set, yet the stars were impatient, and they gleamed at the darkened skies. In front of him, a sunset. Behind him, nightfall. The caress of the sleeping sun was warm, but still cold as night, as Lead gave one final look at the pink and orange skies, the memories of his raid earlier fading to the distance. Ami, Lead said, lying next to her. Her markings glowed before the night could be complete, and nothing could be more stunning than the mix of her purple glow to the vastness of the orange, blue and pink skies combined behind her. What...brings you here?

While she laid resting in the fading suns light, Ami heard the all to familiar beating of wings she had grown to know like the grass below her talons. But when she felt the residing thud of the large icewing landing did she notice the scent of his blood. Was he hurt bad? Was it just some minor cuts from a rather pesky thorn? Ami opened her eye at the sound of her name being spoke by the large male; helping her escape her thoughts. Turning to watch as he laid down, Ami had to hold back asking him how he ad become so injured and why he was acting so casual about everything. Her markings flared with alert and distress at seeing her mate all torn up but she beat it down to answer his question.

"Obviously watching the sunset from this magnificent view brings me out from my cave of shadows. But what about you, god you look awful. What happen?" Ami instantly after speaking shifted so she could tend to his wounds that were still bleeding. The once green grass now stained with drops of red and the damp air now covered in the scent of iron as Ami went to work. Gently and slowly she started to lick Lead's wounds, trying her hardest to not cause him to much pain but with the depth of some wounds, there was no avoiding it. Ami's brows where pinched together in worry as she worked. God, what a trouble maker her mate was. Next time she would need to join him; maybe then he wouldn't get this hurt. The dragoness had to hold back the unending feeling of wanting nothing more then to smack Lead on the head for being such a brute but he was injured enough as it was; he didn't need her harping on him added to the plate. "What am I going to do with you; you're worse then a newborn hatchling." Ami smiled faintly as she looked Lead in the eyes, showing him just how worried she was for his well being before she went back to her work of cleaning his wounds.

He longed for the much needed rest as he carefully laid beside her. In the same time, he did not want to because of the flaring pain it brought as the grass, at first, prodded at the open cuts as if out of curiosity. When Ami reminded him of how badly he was hurt, he checked his wounds again. He had seen better days, but of all the human raids, this had to be the worst by far. The things he had to do to keep the two safe from the foul hands of humans. Every day they grew stronger, and it seemed no matter how much he had done their numbers continued to rise.

Humans, Lead explained, hissing as one of the wounds throbbed. But the sensation of pain was quickly soothed, and instead replaced with warmth and soothness as Ami licked and cleaned his cuts. At first, he had to wince a bit every time she worked on new wounds, but slowly that faded and the gentle licks from her tongue earned a deep thrum from him. As she worked in areas below his head, Lead returned the favour with licks of his own and nuzzled her neck. He had to do it carefully, else he stretched a cut even wider.

Still, he could not change the worrying expression on her snout. Lead looked down at his claws, then the trees below the cliff. When he thought of Ami, she was like the true princess of the night, her beauty rivalled only that of the moon emitting its blue light. Though the two were together, he felt he had to be her guardian. Since they were not living within the tribes, their home could be found by unwanted guests possessing all forms of danger. They could not run forever. They have to stand and protect what they have.

Lead snickered when she said he was worse than a hatchling, but a weak one, seeing the serious glint in her eyes. He would have joked at it, but knew better not. Thanks, he said. They... are getting stronger. Lead said, trying to break away from any silence between them.

Ami tried her hardest to keep Lead at ease while she worked and it seemed to work as  he chuckled at her halfhearted pun. Continuing to work on his wounds; Ami felt him return the gesture of affection by nuzzling and licking her back. Indeed it helped to sooth her rising anxiety but it could only do so much when he said it had been the humans. Ami paused only momentarily from her work from the slight shock of the news but quickly went back to what she was doing. Ami wanted to ask more questions of what had happened but felt Lead didn't want to go into to much detail and decided to leave it as it was. "They are evolving. Every thing must to survive; and we will do the same, no?" Ami smiled after replying to Lead's statement. Having finished the last of the deepest wounds, Ami nuzzled her snout against Lead's own in reassurance. "We've made it this far; I doubt we will end at the hands of others weaker then our own selves." Ami soothed, stretching out her wing and placing it over Lead's back much like he would do to her. Although she could only reach about 2/3 the way over him considering the size difference.

Ami silently chuckled to herself at the thought of her trying to be the 'man' of the relationship with how Lead did this so often; almost like a protective hug. While she mused over the thought, she wrapped her tail around Lead's own before nuzzling gently into the furry and warm neck of the large icwing. Careful of any cuts that may linger in the area. With a sigh; Ami turned to watch the last rays of sun disappear into the dark blue and speckles of white of the night.

By this time, the worse of his wounds would have been licked and tended by the night princess, making the next ones a lot more soothing to him than painful. He continued to lick and nuzzle her back, in repayment for the kindness she showed. Perhaps she was the only one who was willing to offer such in a world where its nothing but fighting for survival. Dread washed over him once again as he thought of the humans. They were evolving? Only their ambitions and idiocy, but they were persistent. He could not keep fighting them forever. But neither could he afford to seek the help of the tribes. He was far too...

...different.

Weak. But our world is filled with rats. They grow in number. His claws dug into the dirt. I have made sure to give them a clear message. Lead shook his head before nuzzling Ami again as she embraced him once again. He shivered briefly at the cool appendage that coiled his tail, but slowly curled his over hers as well, holding her close under the warmth of his wing as they watched the sunset together.

It was a beautiful scene, something to remind that an even greater scene awaits them under the stars. Do you have any plans for tonight? Lead wondered, testing a deep cut near one of the joints on his foreleg. The pain was well manageable until he got to twisting them to their ends.

Sicarius had noticed blood, and being the psychopath he was, he followed it. There was quite a bit of it, so this wasn't just a scrape on a branch, somebody had been attacked.

So now, Sicarius was eavesdropping on a lovely romantic scene. Why? Because Sicarius was the type that just loved ruining things like this.
In all honesty he thought there was injured prey but he likes to tell himself that he knew it was a Dragon.

Anyways, he now sat at the bottom of the cave entrance, barely out of view., and the only way up for his plan involved going in between them. He knew he'd be seen by what sounded like two Dragons if he tried to fly past them, but if he was smoke, they would never notice.... Eehhhhhhhhhh....probably....

Sicarius phased into his little smoke snake, hovering his usual 50 ft off of the ground. The head as big as his eye, with the rest trailing behind him.
He glided up the mountain a bit, reaching the level where the two were, and moved in around them. He'd probably be noticed, but hopefully the abnormality of smoke moving like that would throw them off a bit.
Unless they watched it.
In which case Sic would probably be thrown down a mountain at some point.
He made his way around, getting up to a higher ledge on the cliff mountain type thingy.

Plopping back onto the ground in his physical form, he crouched down and glared at them in the shadows. They both seemed pretty lean and thin. Probably sprinters. Long distance marathoners or short distance bursters he couldn't tell really, all he knew is that they now classified as a threat
He refrained from swishing his tail, as that would cause noise. Noise is bad.
Upon further analysis, which really wasn't difficult to see, one of them was injured, although the wounds seemed to have healed slightly.
Judging by the conversation he had 'politely' made himself a part of, the wounded one was the male, and the other one was the female.

For some strange reason he began to grow uncomfortable, so he shifted a bit, letting out a quiet, practically inaudible hiss.
Before he had come up here he had heard the word 'humans'. Now, even though he had never had an encounter with humans, he had seen them off in the distance before.
The word of them getting stronger and greater in numbers just increased the chance of Sicarius getting the chance to test how strong they really were.
In the sense that he was going to see how long they lasted with his Sickle claw driven through their body.

So here he was, for some reason eavesdropping on a lovely romantic scene. Why was he here? He didn't know, he was just here because he could be.