A deadly cold

[Syrrus]

Sothe was wandering through the deep snow up the great northern mountain, his arms surrounding him like a hug to protect his skin from the cold. His cloths was not made for these sort of climates, clearly his fur which looked an awful lot like a white tiger’s fur, was not made for snow and winds of ice.


He had traveled far to get away from the big war. His home was no longer a safe place, and even though he clearly was big enough, and looked strong enough, to be a warrior he had decided to leave instead of joining the forces. The war was about racism, the humans wanted to get rid of them who scared them. His people.


Sothe did not wish to fight any more battles, but he didn’t wish to travel these cold lands either. He needed to find a cave and lit a fire before the blizzard became the death of him. And he didn’t wish to die, not now anyway. He was only two hundred years old, still young enough to find a mate and build a family – not that he wished to do that either.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

The scent on the wind wasn't a strong one, but it was noticeable enough to wake her from her slumber. With a recently full stomach, she had been satisfied to sleep it off. Being she was still young, she would grow. She had chosen to sleep under a snow drift almost directly outside of her cave. Her cave consisted of an opening, not large but enough so for her for a couple more years at most. She had made it's entire surface smooth with an ice that looked very much like the stone underneath. She shifted not at all, her snout just barely poking from under the depths of her icy bed. As a naturally cold creature, her heart never needed to beat that fast. It would be difficult to detect her for most, as she made no steam when she exhaled either.


Her nose twitched as she sought the scent again. Human? Most likely. Intruder? Definitely. She had no desire to move from her comfortable confines, though she felt she had no choice. It was her territory and that was a simplicity she enjoyed. Her wings were the first to move. They ached. She closed her eyes as she moved each individual wing muscle. It felt lovely. She slowly stood and shook herself off. In a cloud of white, all snow had removed itself from her shimmering visage. She sparkled. She was nearly blinding to look at, though more so than the rest of her surroundings. Every part of her gleamed. In such an environment, it was difficult to become or remain filthy.


Next, was the task at hand. She needed to find the intruder. Her eyes narrowed as her wings pressed themselves against her and she appeared smaller. Much smaller than the nine foot ten creature only moments earlier. Now she was very nearly six foot eleven. She began her search.

 

[Syrrus]

Sothe then came to the conclusion that is animal form would suit the weather better. He stretched out his arms and leaned forward to the point he fell and landed on all four with his tail striped standing straight up into the air. As soon as his palms touched the ice cold ground his fur got thicker, as well as his limbs. His nose transformed as well as his whole face, quickly taking the form of a tiger in its prime. The first thing the giant cat did was to shake his head, shaking snow out of his white fur, causing the black stripes to stay black and not get coloured gray.


Walking around in the plush snow as a giant white-tiger was a lot easier. Sothe had never thought that his paws would have an batter time walking on top of the snow instead sinking deep into it like his human feet had done. His fur seemed to stand the cold a lot better now than it had earlier, but ten again... It was a lot longer than it was on his human-form. The fur hon his human-form was so fine it was almost unnoticeable and simply made his skin look crystal white with the occasional black stripe. In this for he also manage to see through the blizzard with greater ease, his green eyes glowing like emerald through the heavily falling snow. He usually could see pretty well, but this was a great improvement. He could see why his people usually walked around like this. He could also hear things a lot clearer, of course that was a small difference from his human-form, but it was also noticeable. He could hear something coming for him, something that seemed larger than him. How could anything be bigger than a five feet tall white-tiger. He just hoped It wasn't a giant.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

Her movement was quiet, if not silent. She felt the need to growl, but didn't. It would give away her position. She paused mid-stride (Like my picture). The scent changed. She inhaled deeply, nose to the wind. Feline. It had smelled odd, perhaps mixed before. She snorted, a heavy exhale of breath. She had another form as well, but it was utterly useless in this weather and she knew it well. That's what she liked most of all about it. It meant no human hunters. Though for those with animal forms such as this, it wasn't too difficult. She scanned the area around her. It was silent, nicely so, and her ears and eyes were more finely tuned than that of a wolf on the hunt. Oh, how her wings longed for the sky. She resisted the urge, just barely, keeping them from moving more than their slight twitch. She would use them to scare and intimidate the feline that intruded.


She smirked, a toothy grin to herself, barely possible. She lifted a paw and split the sapling nearest to her in two. It was nice to know her claws were still sharper than the sharpest needle. It gave her confidence. A yawn surprised her. Was she still tired? Was the thought of an intruder the only thing keeping her awake? There was possibility and likeliness of that statement. She shrugged off the drowsiness she was beginning to fell and began to creep forward again, keeping her head and neck parallel to the ground to seem yet further smaller. (Please send a reply soon. ^ ^)

 

[Syrrus]

Sothe had no interest in getting into trouble. And the smell he scent was none of a human. He felt far too tired to deal with humans, and that only meant that whatever this thing, which caused this heavy scent into the air, was would be far too tiring for him at this very moment. He was a very skilled warrior and a big cat beyond that, but he didn't enjoy fighting. He had escaped his home for that exact reason, to look for a better solution.


The big scar crossing his face, which used to be a tiny mark upon his lips in his human-form, reminded him of the only down fall he had had in battle, in over seventy years! If this creature, whatever it was, wanted to fight him, at least he would have the ability to defend himself with some ease. And if he would fall in battle he would try his best to make as much damage to the being as possible.


It was then he saw it, through the smoky whiteness of falling snow, he noticed the shape of something big and realized quickly what it was. He had battled dragons before, countless times. It wasn't something he had enjoyed but it hadn't killed him. Sothe just hoped this creature wouldn't want to pick a fight, he was far too cold. Instead he decided to test out an easier approach.


“Greetings.” He said, with a voice swept inside a strange echo and a low growl. The giant cat would meet the dragons eyes and he would not look away, not even once. He was going to prove his power and confidence by looking the creature straight in the eyes, for he would not buckle down to anyone. Dragon or human.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

She saw this large feline and narrowed her eyes. It was no human, that was a certainty, though it also didn't seem to want to battle. That was good. She supposed. Wouldn't be fun that way. "You intrude. You stride upon my territory. I am not fond of such... actions." She raised her head and continued to glare at him, awaiting reactions. She was impressed that he had not flinched. However, she was holding her wings close to her body, actively seeming to shrink her total size by nearly half. This occurred to her, and suddenly they were free. They moved up and out of seemingly their own control, and a look of almost pure frustration and anger blossomed on her face for less than a second. However, she was aware it would be noticeable. She wasn't good at this dragon stuff. She knew that. But she also knew many were afraid of her and she used that to build courage as well as confidence.


She gave up being small. She stretched to her full height of nine feet and ten inches of bulk and muscle, all very sleek and shining. She was in good health, though she found that she was still very tired. It hit her like a brick after her mind subconciously brushed over the faint thought. A wave of fatigue hit her and it made her blink with surprise. There was no danger here. The adrenaline of the assumed fight was the only thing that had woken her as well as kept her awake. She would not show it. She didn't let her legs wobble as they wanted to, she stood her ground, stretched her wings, and watched him once more. Her confident self once more returning, even though it was simply a facade. She'd thought she'd slept enough. Apparently, nearly a day and a half of rest hadn't been enough to satisfy her. She'd keep up the facade until it made her fall with the effort of supporting it.

 

[Syrrus]

Sothe did not let himself flinch when the dragon showed her full size. After being a soldier in a war for seventy years, you learn ways to avoid fear. Fear is good, it stops you from taking foolish risks, but fear for them who is challenging you would prove little use. His general and uncle had taught him that. Therefor Sothe stood tall and still, looking the creature straight in it's eyes without blinking. His green eyes finding the heavy snow quite annoying indeed. But no matter how much you have been trained, if you're nothing but a goof, you'll always be a goof. This was why the giant cat looked around, slowly before looking back up at the dragon. “I didn't see a single sign or other proof of this place to be anyone’s territory. I suppose it's hard to keep your scent up in a place that continues with washing it away. But that hardly would be my fault.”


The giant beast seemed to smirk at her as it tilted his head, swaying his tail back and forth. He looked a lot more playful now than how he had acted earlier. This could either be because he was a youth who pretended to be of higher stand than he was. Or, he was a silly adult male who simply saw no reason to stay serious no matter the circumstance. He had to admit the second option. He had to be true to his actual feelings. After staying in a battle zone for a big chunk of his life, and a even bigger one had been spent training for the day he could join the front lines, Sothe simple felt this was his chance to be who he wished to be. And he certainly didn't wish to be like neither his father or his uncle, the way they acted, as if there was only one way to end a way.


Sothe stood still however, except his tail which moved from side to side as if trying to kick away the snow that was now painting him into a giant white-cat, instead of a white-tiger. “I am not here to stay either, do not worry. I was simply trying to escape some stubborn humans who has decided to turn my fur into a coat or a very, very large set of socks. I mean no harm, but I am not going to turn around either; not after I've come this far.”

 

[Viska Deszeld]

She glared at him, forgetting about her wings before she finally spoke once more. He had many good points. She'd have to start leaving claw marks in everything again if this started to get out of hand. Hunters were after him too. She didn't like him at the moment as he would be leading them to her home. However, they were alike in that regard. He'd be a powerful ally, or an annoying enemy. She sighed, a quick, powerful exhale of cold air, and turned to go back the way she came. It would be close, as she was near to blacking out. "Come this way. I've no need for a big cat around here. However, you can get out of the wind and snow." She simply wanted to get to her cave without appearing weak. She had no idea about what was going on, and it frightened her lightly. She didn't let her fear permeate her scent, and kept it under control.


She wasn't going to hold out much longer. She needed to lay down, almost desperately. Shifting to human crossed her mind if only temporarily, but she had a feeling that would only make things worse than they already were. Humans were weak, and she'd accepted this since she'd hatched. She wasn't sure why, but almost hoped that he would follow, if only to tell her what was wrong with her. She didn't feel ill, just like her stomach was full and simply wanted to rest. But it was becoming overwhelming. It was needed now, not just simply an urge. She pressed her wings against her, not as before, but normally. It distracted her a few moments more. She continued to walk through the thick snow with ease.

 

[Syrrus]

“Are you heavy with eggs?” Sothe asked and hurried after her, jumping into each and everyone of her foot prints, to try his best and not create his own, would the humans still try to follow him. He didn't believe what she said though, that she could need someone like him around. He wasn't going to stay in these mountains for long, especially not together with a dragon. No offense to her, but he had other things he needed to do and other places he wanted to see. “And if you are, where is your mate?” Sothe looked around, confused for a moment. There had to be another dragon around if that was the reason for why she acted so strangely. He didn't know that she felt ill, clearly, but she didn't act like the dragons he was used to. Maybe they simply belonged to a different type? He hadn't been everywhere in the big world so he hadn't seen anything, yet.


“And I can't stay for long.” He added quickly, this time trying his best to walk beside her. This form had started to itch. He loved his animal-form but he was far too used to look and walk like a human, it was confusing to feel so double sided, for the first time in his life. It was all down to habits he supposed. He only used this form to hunt and fight his battles, battles he no longer wanted to fight. And the scar over his mouth was annoying him, every-time he noticed it in his reflection he would flinch. Stupid scars and their ability to make him feel hurt.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

(That would make the roleplay a bit more interesting wouldn't it? Not what I was going for, but okay. And She said she had no use of a big cat. Also, I thought that others would be allowed to join? Or is that not the purpose of a closed roleplay? Heck, inviting others to be hatchlings would be neat too. =D) She made a sound deep in her throat that sounded a mixture of annoyed and of a growl. She did not wish to reply to his question, but felt as though she had to. "Murdered. Killed. Hunted. However you wish to state it." A hard edge had appeared in her voice. She simply made her way to her cave, a short while of socialization was better than nothing at all as she felt it was needed at that point. Dragons, or her breed at least, was very social. Though she still despised humans with an absolute vengeance. She was young still, and this would be her first clutch of eggs, and she'd no idea what to expect. Though she was an ice dragon and in her element. Perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult? She needed to rest.


Once they arrived to her cave, she entered and left to the very back. Her talons created deep gouges in the smooth ice, though new ice was quick to replace it. She shot ice at a small circle-like area, an impulse she'd never had in the past, and simply curled on it. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

 

[Syrrus]

(Yeah I apologize for both. I read your thread wrong and I completely forgot that this role-play was suppose to be unlocked, you may still invite people if you wish. And just because Sothe stated it doesn't mean she had to be pregnant.)


The first thing Sothe did was to sit down upon the cold cave floor. He then looked around, considering his options. “I shouldn't stay. I have things to do, and I need to hunt soon...” He felt awfully hungry and he knew if he reached the point to starved he'd get very, very grumpy. Not even his own mother enjoyed his mood when he was hungry. And he didn't much care for the dragons company either, she wasn't his type. And Sothe was quick to judge. “I was actually traveling across the mountain, because I've heard the human capital exists beyond it.” He needed to find and speak to their ruler, maybe he could stop the war by simply talking to their alpha. At least it was worth a try.


Sothe stretched and yawned loudly, making himself sound like a mighty lion king. He was big enough to be one, that was for sure. But he was also too kind to be able to make the sacrifices a ruler had to do. No, Sothe was fine just being Sothe, it made him feel happy with life.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

(Makes things interesting. xD I mean, I could edit it, and redo everything so that she's just ill. Wouldn't mind doing that, though it also gives me more experience with something I have none in either way. I might just do that, then. I'll redo it and post further here afterwards. That okay?)

 

[Syrrus]

(You may do whatever you like! After all, it's your character and I enjoy it either way)

 

[Viska Deszeld]

(Hmmm, then let's see if the first scenario works. And if people would be willing to be hatchlings. ^ ^ Though, where would I go to do that? Or could you?)

 

[Syrrus]

(Search in the forums.)

 

[Viska Deszeld]

(Could I just go under roleplay recruitment?)

 

[Syrrus]

(Yes, we should really discuss this in the Out of character chat, heh.)

 

[Viska Deszeld]

She lay where she was, however and unbeknownst to her, there was a method for this process of first time mothers. The process would take place when she was sleeping, therefore the urge to sleep, and would not wake her until the process was completed. It would reduce the stress and the discomfort greatly of the entire ordeal and would be over sooner than if she had been awake for it all.


She dreamed.


She was soaring above the mountain, gliding, flying, with four little ones clinging to the scales on her back, in front of and behind where the wing's base muscles attached. They squeaked and chirped, sounding and looking much more like small birds than reptilian creatures. She felt pure joy, and little issue or problem. She wasn't certain what their genders were of yet, though that would take a while yet. Here they were freshly hatched. She, as a dragon, needed to show them early on, the sight of the sky, the expanse they called home, and the tranquility of their natural element. Her dreams taught her the beginnings of motherhood, and she learned quickly. (I'm kinda liking this so far. xD )

 

[Harbinger]

Valyn was the first one to be born of the hatchlings and he appeared a few hours after his mother had fell asleep. He began to chirp and whine for his mother afterwards. Trying to get her attention his tone would pick and become higher as he wanted to be next to her knowing that he was one of her children .

 

[Syrrus]

Sothe blinked a couple of times. This was just embarrassing to witness, he wasn't even sure if he could have liked to do so would he even know the dragon. Instead he decided to slowly back away, out of the cave. It was for the best that she left them, he was not a dragon person. Not that he was much of a cat person either, but it was easier to handle something he was used to.


The giant cat left the cave, turning slowly and completely silently, mainly not to wake the sleeping mother, but also to be able to be unnoticed by her hatch-ling. He turned around and vanished into the blizzard with speed. He was late anyhow and had to reach the other side of the mountain, just as well as he really needed to hunt.

 

[Viska Deszeld]

She woke slowly. When she had, fully, she was a little startled by how fast this one had hatched. She'd thought it would take a while, and yet here it was, squeaking. She got up slowly, careful to not harm it as she moved to stretch. When she yawned, her many teeth were easily visible. When she was finished, she went over to the other three eggs and gently nudged them, shifting their position lightly. She then paid full attention to the singular hatchling. Both the eggs and it had been relatively small, more so than she had anticipated. She stretched her wings before speaking to the young one mentally, using telepathy. "Little one, I must hunt now so that you can grow quickly. I ask that you stay put and keep an eye on your siblings."


After she was almost certain that it would, she opened her wings and left the cave. Her movements were slow, and achy. She moved her wings a couple times before she lifted from the ground, sending snow in every direction. She took a couple minutes to just fly for a short while, before she went over a forest, thick with food. She peered downwards. There was an elk. She started the dive-bombing process. From her altitude, she bent forward towards the elk and folded her wings closer to her. She began to plummet towards her would be prey. It hadn't even crossed her mind that the tiger could be hunting the same creature. She was simply hunting the way that was easiest for her. A stealth attack was not available, so she simply broke every bone in the prey's body. It worked very well. When she was close enough, she opened her wings to slow slightly and simply landed on it with a shuddering thud. Momentarily stunned, was a drawback, but it would not hurt her. After a moment, she made sure the thing was dead before she picked it up with her taloned forepaws, opened her wings and leapt from the ground to reduce the counter weight. She was quick to return to the cave. Her little ones would have a voracious appetite. This would be a common occurrence.

 

[Harbinger]

Valyn understood his mother and went closer to the little ones and watched over them. He laid close to them and closed his eyes drifting back to sleep. But when he was almost asleep she could see that his mother had returned, he squeaked and yelped seeing the food and his mother back. Heading over to her and seeing that she had some food he got excited and began to bite at the skin with no luck not knowing that he had no teeth. Little growls emitted from him while he was trying to pull the skin. After a few minutes of trying he got tired and stayed near her feeling comfortable near her.

 

[Abyss]

Deep within the confines of the egg. A hatchling began to stir. After waiting so long the dragon was beginning to grow restless. The urge to break free of its confinements and burst forward into the outside world was growing stronger by the second. The dragon struggled to make room. Pushing against its surroundings, routing out the weakest sections and exploiting them with tooth and claw—Almost there—Faint light was now visible behind the thinning shell. Taunting the little dragon who could not yet reach it. Feeling closer to breaking through, the dragon's spirit was renewed enough so that it focussed all it's strength into widening a small puncture made by the pointed growth on the tip of its snout.... Until finally, with the last of its energy. The puncture widened to become a crack, and fell forwards— the hatchling not far behind.

Spoiler

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[Viska Deszeld]

She smiled lightly, watching him. It didn't take her much to split the creature's hide, spilling it's intestines. She herself was ravenous, though, it wasn't her time to eat. Her hatchlings would come first for a while. She glanced upwards towards a small movement. She made a sound similar to a purr in a large animal's body. A second successful hatching. She'd dreamed of instances where hatchlings didn't hatch sometimes simply because they were not strong enough to break from their protective environment, and missed the opportunity to get out before their lungs wanted oxygen. It wouldn't be too much longer before the other two hatched. Once they all did, and fed themselves, she'd take them to the sky like her dream had instructed her.


But until then, it was time to hunt again. She spoke to them telepathically. "Play to your hearts content, though do not hurt each other. Look after those that have not hatched yet as well as one another. Do not leave the cave." For now, they were too little to go too far, but at some point, they would try. She'd have to seal the cave at that point. She strode meaningfully out of the cave and opened her wings. She'd also have to tell them to move and exercise their, so far, tiny excuse of wings. The movement and practice would help them grow strong and in size. Those muscles would be needed one day. She took off in a gust of cold air and snow, off to dive bomb another large herbivore

 

[Viska Deszeld]

(Will anyone post again? It's been a while... ^-^")