Reunification: Part 1
I've been registered here since YiffStar, but have only been reading stories and viewing art, never even commenting or contributing in any way or form. This story is the first I've ever written by my own accord, and is the first to be uploaded by me, so I'm highly interested in feedback. This is only part one, and if people actually read it and want me to, I'll continue the story. Sorry if its not that great, I am just starting to explore my writing talent.
Without further adeu, I present Part One of Reunification_._
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The green dragoness glided through the air, her wings occasionally flapping to maintain altitude. To her sides were trees, and below her, running water. She was flying through a ravine, though the water that had built such a deep, narrow valley had long since receded, leaving only a small river at the bottom. Attentively, she searched the area for signs of movement. She was a bounty hunter, after all, and an experienced one at that. Though she had collected bounties on a variety of species, her expertise was in slaying the rebellious black dragons. They had, long ago, committed treason against the kingdom of Cretos, attempting to overthrow the Lord of that time. It was a long war, but the blacks were no match against the united strength of an entire kingdom. They eventually retreated, and now all of the remaining black dragons had a bounty on them, though those who were alive had become very good at hiding. And so the dragoness flew on. The ravine she was travelling in was months of travel away from Cretos, and it seemed a likely place for anybody to live at. There was bountiful deer from what she had observed, and fresh water was necessary to survive. The gentle flow of the river below was, of course, an excellent source. With the thought of food and water now on her mind, Everius dove, the air splitting as she plummeted toward the earth below. As the beach approached, she began to flap her wings furiously, slowing her descent. She landed somewhat clumsily, as she was more accustomed to landing on solid ground, not sand. Not that grace matters, she thought to herself. Who would even be watching me anyways? __________________
Telzar had been watching the green dragoness with extreme caution and with a pang of interest. He had been enjoying the warm summer air while flying when he noticed the green flying below him. At first, he exploded in fear, as he had not seen another dragon in the area for atleast a decade, and being a black dragon was more than enough reason to be afraid. The fact that this one had shown up with him completely unprepared and in flight left him completely vulnerable. But when he realized that the dragoness was searching the ground below instead of the air above, he knew he was safe. Atleast for the moment. That's why he continued watching her. He stood out in the air like a coal left in the snow, but her obliviousness to the entirety of her surroundings left him with the advantage of secrecy. Telzar decided it would be best to hide himself now, however. Now that she had landed, it was almost gauranteed that she would spot him if he didn't shelter himself from her sight. He descended toward one of his favorite basking spots - A cliff that branched from the narrow wall of the ravine. Tree's with freshly sprouted green leaves layered the sides of the sloped hills. Telzar landed with precision and skill, and a surprised hare scattered away at the sight of the horse-sized dragon. A calm breeze blew by, carrying the fresh scent of pine trees and flowers to his nostrils as he laid down on the sun-basked outcrop. A mother bird chirped a melody to its freshly laid eggs nearby. He noticed a cluster of small violet flowers had grown in the moist soil nearby since the last time he had came here. He brought his attention back toward the dragoness on the beach below. He would have more time later to enjoy the beauties of life if this dragoness departed without noticing him. Her slender, yet dangerously well-toned body was a good indication that his nearby guest was, in fact, female. With her around, his very life could be at stake. It might be a better idea to simply hide and let her pass. After all, a dragon does not fly this far from home without purpose. It was best to be better safe than sorry anyways. Besides, if the dragoness was hostile, it would lead him into an inevitable fight he had no interest in. Even still, he couldn't stop gazing at her. It had been a very long time since any member of his species had been this close to his presence. As far as he could remember, this was the most interesting thing to occur in this lonely ravine in years. He kept his head low, watching her as she took slow gulps of cool water from the river he frequented. __________________ Water ran down Everius's throat, relieving the fire in her throat from hours of flying under the hot sun. The river wrapped around her legs as she waded into the cold river. Her muscles relaxed as the water gently willed her downstream. Grime and sweat loosened from her scales and washed away with the flow of the current. She floated in the water, letting her body be suspended without having to constantly beat her wings to remain unattached to the ground. In her state of bliss, she realized she had shut her eyes. Reprimanding herself mentally for losing her attention in the middle of no where, she lifted her head from the water and gazed towards the sky. The sun still beat down from overhead, revealing itself to be only early afternoon. Tree's swayed in the wind, shaking their leaves in a way that resembles waves. Several cliffes dotted the sides of the ravine, their bright surfaces shining against the sun. And a black flicker disappearing from one of them. Was it her imagination? Surely her mind was playing tricks on her. What she saw had been there for only a second and then it was gone. But she wasn't even sure what she saw. She focused at the cliff vigilantly now, determined to see whatever might be lurking above the crag. Time seemed to creep by as she began think with uncertainty that nothing was there. The water rocked her body back and forth slightly while she continued to watch the rock. The black shape slowly emerged from the top of the rock again. Her vision adjusted as the familiar shape of a dragon head became recognizable. A black dragon head. It sat there, almost mocking her that she hadn't noticed him or her before. Or it seemed to, as it withdrew its head more quickly. She wasted no time bolting for the shore and taking into flight. Adrenaline filled her veins at the thought of another easy fortune from slaying this black-tainted beast. Do not think that rock will hide you, fool, she thought slyly. She beat her wings ferociously, the lushious water and thrill of the hunt having reinvigorated her previously exhausted body. The rock drew closer to her, as she emerged above the rock. Surprise filled her when nothing was there after all. But she was certain there was something up here. She landed, noticing claw marks everywhere on top. "Come out, wretch," she challenged. "Meet your death with whatever dignity lingers in your hollow soul." Without waiting for a response, she looked over the edge of the cliff. A large black dragon was falling quickly towards the shore below, farther upstream where she had been. It was obvious by the size of him that the dragon was male. How did he...? He must have dove off the opposite end of the cliff. Clever. She smiled as she dropped off the edge of the cliff. But it saves you mere moments of life. Air rushed at her face and she spiraled towards the ground. She fell with efficiency and eagerness, prepared to face her opponent face-to-face. He reached the ground first, of course, with her already being halfway from the cliff to him. He must have seen her, because he stopped and turned around, waiting. She landed with some distance between him and her. "Hoping the water will help to wash your blood away, treasonous one?" She called to him. "My scales may be black, but it is your heart that is dark and cold as coal. I committed no treason." "You existing is treason to begin with. I am simply a vigilante who brings justice to criminals," she retorted. "Living a life slaughtering innocents must be truly worth it to you. If I am to die this day, I will die having lived my life with no regrets. I hope you can say the same about yours," he responded, an edge of pride in his voice. "Enough! How dare you presume to judge me?" With that, Everiuses powerful legs launched her forward, eager to end this intolerable dragon. Her opponent barely had enough time to jump back her as her jaws closed where his neck was. Acid shot from his mouth, and Everius cursed as she jumped. Most dragons breathe fire, but it is known that some are born unable to produce the enzymes that cause the acid to combust into flame when exposed to air. She needed to change her strategy, and fast. Everius had seperated herself from him, now uncertain as to how to approach the predictament. The river would become essential should she be hit by the acid. He is larger, spits acid, more familiar with the environment than she. Her best bet would be to somehow get him into the water. After all, it's hard to fight without a decent grip on the ground. She began to circle around where he had been standing, alert and ready to defend himself. "You can't even breathe fire. You are no dragon. You are nothing but an outlaw, evading his execution," she jeered. "Call me what you will. But I will rely my trust on the judgement of whatever spirits are watching this day," he stated stoically. His attitude was beginning to get on her nerves. She continued to walk until he turned his back towards the river. Then, without notice, she lunged forward again. The black trumpeted a thundering roar as her quick feet brought her closer and closer to her enemy. His neck arched back, preparing to spew more acid at her. But he would be too late, as she was too near him. She launched into the air, expecting a torret of acid to fly below her as she crashed down on her opponent. Instead, he bolted forward, running underneath and past her as she landed where he had been moments before. She swung around, and screeched in shock as hot sand was flung into her eyes. Blinded, she lashed out erratically, hoping to keep the black from attacking her. A large weight crashed down on her back, and her legs in front gave way. She felt his jaw close down around her neck and his tail twining around her own. She was pinned to the ground, blinded, and disabled. She had slaughtered dozens of black dragons in her career as a bounty hunter. For the first time, she had lost. "Submit," he muttered around her neck. "No. Kill me," she responded. "No," he replied. She was surprised. If she were in his position, her head would already be seperated from her body. "No? You have dishonored me. Kill me." "No," he said once more. "Submit." "I will not submit. You have defeated me, now spare me from further humiliation and end me." "I refuse to kill you," he said. His words slurred with his jaw around her throat. "We are at a stalemate." "You cannot be serious," she grunted. Her back legs finally collapsing under his weight. "Why do you refuse?" "It is a waste of life. What do I gain by murdering another, even one as corrupt as you? Life is far too precious to waste over petty differences. As long as you cannot injure me, I will continue to find a non-violent end to this dispute." Everius listened with interest. When Telzar finished, she broke into laughter. "You must be joking! You would rot away if you didn't eat meat. If life is 'too precious', then how do you hunt?" Saliva ran down the sides of her neck as he spoke. "I said it was too precious to waste over petty differences. I give my respects to the beings who give me sustinence. But I do not resort to cannibalism, so all I would gain by murdering another sentient being is a guilty conscience. Your corpse does not benefit me." With what little room she had to, Everius shook her head. "You disappoint dragons everywhere with your backward views and opinions. Get over your guilty conscience and stop wasting my time." "No." _______________________ Everius awoke sometime during the night. Her eyes had watered the sand away, yet all she could see was blackness. The beast on top of her refused to oblige her demand and she had refused to submit to surrender even as the sun fell. At that point, Everius had become so exhausted and unmotivated from the days events that she fell asleep, no longer caring that the black dragon on top of her was still there. Everius stared forward, unable to fathom why she couldn't see. She was tired and drowsy still, so it took her a few moments to realize that her opponent had eventually let go of her neck and laid his head down on top of hers. Did this mean he fell asleep as well? His front legs loosely clung at her own. He had relaxed from last night, an action that would prove fatal. With the energy she gathered from having slept, she forced her body to roll over. The black gave a yelp of surprise as the support from under him gave way. Both dragons were on their feet, but the dragon was still coming to terms with where he was and what was happening. By the time he realized he was in real danger, Everius was already digging her claws into his side. Shards of scale flew to the side as her sharp talons tore into his flesh. Blood sprayed on her face and on the sand, leaving her green scales and the golden sand tainted with red. Her victim roared in pain and fell onto his side, blood oozing from the wounds. Everius immediately pounced on him, taking his neck in her claws. "Submit!" Everius yelled triumphantly. He hissed. "It seems I had too much hope for my own species. To believe that I could bring an end to your senseless killing spree, it seems to be my last mistake," Telzar shuttered as he laid his head in the sand, his voice sad. "I submit." Everius wasn't even sure why she made him submit. She planned on killing him, after all. But she had her doubts now. Regardless of his reasons, she objected to the idea of murdering a dragon that had spared her life. It seemed...dishonorable. Disgraceful. But she felt like there was another reason she didn't want to kill this dragon. She couldn't think of what that reason was, and it disturbed her. But then what was she going to do with him? She was a bounty hunter, after all. Killing this dragon was exactly why she had travelled all the way out here to begin with. If she wasn't going to kill him, then what was she doing to do? It was obvious he wasn't planning on attacking her, as he had a great opportunity to end her last night, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to get off of him. He had submitted, after all. Everius backed away from Telzar to his surprise. He raised his head slightly, cocking it sideways in confusion. You cannot be any more confused then I am, she thought to herself. She was used to killing. Letting something live for a change was an unfamiliar and odd sensation. "I...You're not going to kill me?" He asked, his eyes blinking intermittently as the situation became progressively more strange. "Quiet, you. That decision is still up for debate." Though she knew that wasn't true. In a way, that decision was made the moment she made him submit to her victory. She sat there silent for a few moments, unsure of what the result of letting him live would actually be. She couldn't afford to travel all the way home without something to trade for gold. Yet, she didn't want him to become the source of that gold. Finally, with a sigh, she said, "You live to see another day, dragon." The black dragon visibly relaxed. It wasn't until then that Everius realized he had been tense with fear the entire time. The wounds had begun to clot already, but blood was still flowing from the wounds. "You should clean your cuts in the river," she said. "Yesterday you would have gladly killed me for my hide. Now you let me live and seem concerned for my hide instead. I don't mean to question a good thing, but why?" "Why, your hide won't make me a coin with all that blood on it," she smiled to show she was joking. He either didn't understand that it was a joke or didn't think it was funny, as he tensed up again, fear blatant in his eyes. "I wasn't serious," she said. Again, he relaxed, though not completely. "Oh. Sorry, talking to a bounty hunter about how valuable my hide is isn't something I tend to discuss very often." She chuckled, the awkwardness of the situation getting to her. Maybe she should've just killed him. It would certainly have made her life a lot easier, though not as interesting. Instead, she sat by and watched as he slowly rose to his feet, streams of blood trickling down his side. She followed behind as he limped to the river. Water engulfed him as he laid down again in the shallow water. Water bounced against his side, seperating blood away from the wounds. "The wounds will heal in their own time," he said, breaking into a yawn. "As of right now, there is little I can do. It is still night, and I am still tired." Everius couldn't tell if he was talking to her or himself. Either way, she watched as he laid his head down in the sand with the rest of his body laying in water. Everius continued to gaze at the dragon that was no longer paying her any heed. The moonlight gleamed off his black scales, giving them a radiant, shiny look. His tail swayed slightly as the current drifted slowly past. He was very intimidating, yet looking at him now, he seemed more defenseless and innocent then anything else. To her surprise, she found herself admiring him more than she ought to be. She hunted black dragons like these, not ogled them. Wondering what predictament she had placed herself over the last day, she decided on waiting. Right now, the black dragon had a good point. She, too, was tired, and her body demanded sleep. Laying down next to this new friend of hers, she ponderered where the future would take her. Then, out of the blue, she realized she didn't even know his name. "My name is Everius," she said, not knowing whether or not if he had heard her. "Telzar," he whispered to her.