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Dragons of the Wild

Cloud met Moon's gaze, recognising from her embarrassment that she understood what she'd done wrong - or rather, what her actions had cost their position. All the same, he could not bring himself to blame her, and when she slunk back to his side, head submissively held low as she nudged his side. Then she turned to glare at the humans, letting out an impressive roar as she did. Clearly, what she lacked in terms of intimidation was the motivation... And practice, which she proved as she once again tried to raise her hackles, looking like nothing so much as a giant kitten.


The rush of humour washed away Cloud's bad mood, his embarrassment and frustration, and suddenly it was all he could do not to burst into laughter. He quirked his head to the side, a dozen thoughts rushing through his mind all at once - but at the same time, crystal clear. The situation was crazy, she was crazy, he was crazy, the little human was crazy and so was his mother and all the rest of them as well; everything was crazy. So why fight it? There was no way he'd be able to salvage the negotiations; he'd never been in a situation even remotely similar, and trying to act as if it was would be doomed to fail. So why bother? He had nothing to lose - nothing except a slow, painful, shameful death - and everything to win. Tribute to give him the time and energy to heal, a place he could claim as his new home, even - and this was the craziest part of it all - a mate; not just any mate, but the most gorgeous dragonette he had ever laid his eyes on.


Deciding to just wing it and enjoy riding the storm, he gave his partner a quick lick across the face and sat back on his haunches, a roaring purr of amusement rumbling from his guts.


"So what now?"
 
Moon looked at him, tilting her head as he licked her cheek, "I...I don't know." She said quietly, "I've never done this before" she mumbled, looking up at him then pressing her small, thin body against his, watching the humans warily. Many of them were now holding weapons, and once again there was a group at the rear of the humans eyeing her and muttering to each other. She didn't like the bad attention, and moved closer to her companion, shaking slightly.


Any motivation she had once had to act intimidating was gone, replaced by a sudden fear. She only wished to be safe and warm with her mate, with full bellies if at all possible. But instead the two were caught in a awkward stalemate with weapon holding humans
 
Noticing his new - first and only - mate's fear and nervousness, Cloud felt his amusement dampen slightly, taking the somewhat hysterical edge off of it. Wrapping one protective wing around her, he gave her another lick across the nose - idly noting that she tasted of spring water and winter wind - before nuzzling her ears.


"Don't worry," he murmured softly, "it'll work out." Giving her another lick, he turned back to the humans, who still seemed as if they didn't quite know what to do. Some of the ones with weapons were bustling closer, but one of the negotiators - the old female - had turned on them and seemed to be telling them to back off, her voice firm and her gestures bold. Her two companions, the young and the old male, seemed to be arguing quietly - enough so that even his draconic hearing couldn't tell what they were whispering.


"So," Cloud tried again, this time projecting his voice at the humans, "let's stop wasting both of our time."
 
Moon seemed to relax as his wing wrapped around her, and she pressed herself against his warm body, cooing softly like a bird as he licked her nose and nuzzled her ears. She couldn't believe that she had been so lucky as to simply stumble across him in the forest, and just to get along with him so well.


The two men stopped arguing at Clouds sudden announcement to them, and stopped in their argument, nodding silently to each other as if saying that they would continue it later, before turning to the dragon. The older man stepped forward slightly, watching the dragon silently, "Prove to us that you two aren't just lovebirds, and can protect us" He returned to the dragon, watching the two silently
 
Cloud suddenly felt as if he had flown into an air pocket, his whole body responding with a shiver. He hugged Moon closer, drawing strength from her frail form - from her trust in him, from her need of him. He could not remember the last time he was trusted, and he had never been needed. It was a frightening, yet heady sensation, and made even worse by the knowledge that he was likely going to fail. He felt his own doubt, his fear and hesitation and shame, and beneath it all, a surging rage. Rage against himself, for his weakness, against his brothers, for instilling that weakness, against his mother, for coddling him, against his old humans, who betrayed him, against the world, which denied him... And right now, against the humans before him, especially the grey-haired one in front of him, mocking him, threatening him, questioning him, reminding him of his weakness and trying to force him - no, forcing him - to reveal it before his mate!


Giving Moon one last nuzzle, embedding her scent in his nose, he unwrapped his wing from around her. He began stalking forward, drawing upon what little magic he had and putting it in his glare, his every step, his very posture.


"You. Doubt. Me?!" He ground out, and if his voice had been like grinding boulders, it was now the dull roar of the mountain. Thick black smoke dripped from his maw with every word, a hellish red glow shining in the back of his throat and from behind his eyes. Every step pounded into the earth, his feet sinking deep into the soft dirt as his weight increased, the dragon-magic normally used to fly reversed to make him that much more massive. There was a strange, dream-like clarity to Cloud's thoughts as he projected his doubts and fears onto the old human, allowing him to finally rage at them - to rage outwards, rather than inwards.
 
Moon sensed Clouds anger toward, not only the humans, but to many others, at least so it seemed. She hoped that he didn't hate her for failing, and she shrank slightly, wings curling around her small frame as she watched him. The smaller creature then made herself look bigger, still not realising that she looked like a kitten trying to impress its mother with its size.


She watched as her mate stalked toward the humans, seeming to grow and glow with anger and magic as he neared them. Even from behind him, Moon could somewhat imagine that his eyes were glowing red like a demon, smoke billowing from his great maw. She noticed that he seemed to be sinking, and noted the rage in his usually calm voice.


The man's eyes widened, yet he still stood his ground, "Well any dragon can put on a display like that. Its the proof that its real that we need" He sounded scared and unsure
 
Cloud glared at the man. The halting admission was just the sort of opening he had hoped for, the opening he needed to start the actual negotiation for the protection they would offer and the tribute they would receive. But his very spirit was burning now, and his wrath smouldered in his chest; would not be denied its rightful prey.


"Sure you don't want... another..." Cloud growled, his voice lowering as he dragged out each syllable until he ran out of breath. Then he filled the silence by rearing up, wings spreading as he drew a deep breath, filling his lungs until they felt like the would burst. "... Proof?"


The last word came out as little more than a harsh whisper, but still seemed to echo across the field and town.
 
The mans eyes widened, and he carefully took a step back, but made no move to stop the dragon. He watched calmly, as if simply waiting for the large beast to finally show his breath. He wasn't scared, but a few of the women and men behind him were, and it went unnoticed by most that a small group of men had moved behind the dragons, hidden in the trees just in case it went wrong. At least then they could catch the female and make her heal the wounded, and then possibly sell her to the next town.


Moon herself watched Cloud, eyes wide. She seemed to stand taller, watching him in awe
 
It took only a moment, a single, long moment, for Cloud to realise that the human was not backing down, still questioning, still doubting. The worry in the pit of his stomach disappeared under a tidal wave of rage and humiliation, years of frustration and shame coming to the surface and stoking the white-hot embers of his wrath into a roaring blaze.


And as that fire roared, so too did Cloud.


Head tilted upwards, jaws wide open, he let out a thundering roar, pouring all his magic and emotions into his breath. And from his throat it emerged, the reason for his shame; not a white-hot jet of destruction, or a yellow gout of flame, or even a crimson ball of fire. All that came out was a stream of black smoke, thick as pea soup and dark as a moonless night. Day almost seemed to become night once more, as the thick cloud of shadow hung heavy in the air above them; dark, ominous... And utterly useless.


Slowly, Cloud lowered himself down, focusing on the humans before him with all of his power and concentration, lest he glance back and see Moon's expression. At the moment, he would gladly die rather than face her again. And though a tiny, hopeful, treacherous voice in his heart whispered "Coward!", he was simply too tired of hurting to invite pain once more into his heart.
 
Even though the smoke looked entirely useless, many of the people backed up, holding in their breath in case they were choked by the thick substance that clung to the air. They watched in utter silence, many having expected something…more. THe man at the front however, hummed and turned, speaking softly to the other two leader like figures, before they nodded in agreement on something. The man then turned back to the dragons, "Perfect" He told the dragon, as if it was some amazing feat that he had just created.


Moon watched Cloud in amazement. She didn't care that he had no flame, no power in his breath that hung in the air like a dark cloud of shame. Instead, the smaller dragon loved the fact that he had done it, he had shown his true self in front of all the humans with a confidence that Moon had never had. She slowly moved to his side, and nuzzled her head against his neck in a loving manner.
 
Cloud mentally braced himself for the humans to mock or even attack him, for Moon to scorn and abandon him. Seconds dragged out into eternity as the negotiators in front of him held a hastily whispered conversation, before the elder turned toward him with a wide, taunting grin and exclaimed-


"Perfect!"


-and... The humans... Did not attack? Did not insult, or even question his lack of flame? They thought it good? They thought it was Perfect?! They- they actually- they thought-!?


Cloud's confusion, a hurricane of thought and emotion tossing his mind every which way at once, reached the eye of the storm - a perfect, unnatural calm at the centre of it all - as Moon, the dragonette he thought he had just lost forever, once more attached herself to his side, filling a hole in his being he had not even known about until a handful of hours ago. Her cool breath washed over his burning hot skin - blushing like a smith's furnace with shame - as she nuzzled his neck.


So thoroughly discombobulated by the way everyone was reacting the exact opposite to how the should be reacting Cloud did not even realise that he had turned his head around until his eyes locked with the admiring - Admiring!?! - gaze of the small dragon at his side. His face was utterly blank, not from carefully controlling his expression, but because that was exactly how he was feeling.
 
Moon gazed up at him, and a small, rumbling purr came from her chest. She was proud of him for revealing his breath, no matter how odd and useless it was, in front of her and the humans. She doubted that any other dragon with Clouds breath would do such a thing, and if she was in his position she would of stayed in a cave for a thousand years, maybe more. It also helped her to understand why Cloud had been alone when she had found him. Joining a flock meant showing your breath, and if Cloud was to show his…. he'd be slaughtered. She shuddered at the thought, and instead nuzzled against him, her tail fins folding in. Before they had been out, ready to fly off at any sign of attack, but now she relaxed slightly as the humans lowered their weapons. She was glad that the humans also seemed to think it perfect, even when she didn't really understand why they felt that way.


Said humans had lowered their weapons, and watched the two dragons have their silent moment, before the man at the front spoke up, "So….negotiations?" He asked, unaware that some of his men were still behind Moon, hiding, ready to ambush the female
 
Shaking his head in a futile attempt to dispel the lingering confusion, Cloud gave Moon a reassuring, rumbling purr before turning back to the human before them.


"Yes." Cloud agreed unnecessarily, pausing to gather his thoughts before continuing, equally unnecessarily. "Negotiations." The second pause was somewhat longer as his tail brushed up against that of the dragonette, and he was momentarily distracted by the feeling of them twisting around one another - mostly hers around his, as his tail was thick and stiff, built for power, unlike the serpentine grace of her rearmost appendage. It took quite some effort of will for the young dragon turn his focus back on the task at hand and not loose himself in the reassuring presence of his mate.


"Two cows every week." Cloud finally rumbled out, quoting the number he'd calculated during their walk to the town. He would need about one cow per week until he was healthy enough to hunt on his own; about two or three months, given the state of his wings. Maybe less, if Moon's breath actually helped heal and not just sooth. After that he would need maybe half that, not to mention he'd be able to catch his own food as well. Moon was much smaller than he, not even taking her currently half-starved state into account he thought she'd be hard-pressed to eat even half as much as he did when not injured. Though she could certainly use all the food she could get.


All of this rushed through his mind in a moment, the cold logic of calculation cutting through the storm of emotion like a diving hawk through a flock of pigeons. He centered his gaze on the humans, trying to read their expression.


Let the haggling begin, he thought. He had several more coins to bargain with, after all.
 
Moon made a soft purring noise as she felt his tail brush against her own. Responding, her own tail slowly wrapped around his, her tail fins fluttering gently against his scales. She was glad to have him at her side, feeling as though she didn't deserve such a strong and perfect mate. But then, here she was, settled beside him, haggling with humans. She looked up in surprise at Cloud when he mentioned two cows. She knew Cloud himself could likely eat one, needing it to gain his energy and heal correctly, but Moon was sure she'd barely be able to eat half, let alone a whole cow.


She didn't argue however, knowing that the humans would try and lower the price anyway, and that these negotiations could go on for a while. So, instead, Moon busied herself with quietly sitting at Clouds side and breathing a gentle mist over his closest wing, at least so it would help with the healing that could take two, maybe three months.


Correct to Moons thoughts, the main human shook his head, "Thats too high for two dragons. One cow per week." He claimed, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest
 
Cloud was somewhat surprised that the humans were not trying to insist on something lower still. One cow a week would be somewhat sparse for him and Moon while he was still healing, but certainly doable; he'd lose more weight before he could hunt again, but he would definitely live - and so would Moon. Of course, this did not mean that he had to tell the human this.


"Three every two weeks." Cloud countered smoothly. "It is no more than you gave the last flock." Admittedly, Cloud did not actually know how much they had given their previous flock, but even the smallest flock would not have less than six members, and unless they collected from several other towns, they would likely have taken that much every week.
 
The man frowned, "One cow each week, and a sheep once every two weeks" The man countered. Whilst a sheep was smaller, it was practically the same deal, just without as much meat. Plus the village needed cows, and sacrificing one sheep instead of a cow seemed fair to them all. He crossed his arms, and watched the two again. Whilst the female seemed overly skinny, the male seemed fine
 
Cloud tilted his head back and forth as he considered the offer. It was certainly plenty enough once he could hunt again, but it would barely be enough while he was still healing. On the other hand, it would not do to get too greedy... Or too dependent and lazy. Besides, while he was not about to trust them any time soon - once burned, lesson learned - he did hope to make their relationship not openly antagonistic or exploitative.


"One cow and one sheep every week, for the next six months; one cow or two sheep every week after that." If he were to stay for more than one year, that deal would actually be better for them, but the important part for him was to secure food now for Moon and him. And giving the humans a bit of flexibility on the nature of the tribute cost him nothing, and the variation in cost would be good. Besides, they could always renegotiate later, in any case; it certainly would not hurt their position to regain their strength first.


Who knew? If they behaved, he might even consider offering his services, the way he occasionally had the traitors. It was a bit below a dragon's dignity, true, but it was a good way to build one's hoard... And he did so miss his. It had been impressive, for a lone bull barely out of the nest.
 
The man hummed, then turned to once again discuss with his colleagues. It seemed like the best deal they would get from the dragon, and there were two of them after all. Turning, the man finally nodded, "Deal" He stated, staring up at the dragon and motioning to the men behind him to lower their weapons to show that they didn't want a fight to begin. As he did so, the men behind Moon slowly came out of hiding and passed her, one even going as far to run his hands across her thin side like she was a pet.


Moon clearly didn't like the stroking, and moved all the closer to Cloud, whimpering softly. She didn't want to hurt the human, not when a agreement had just been made, but she didn't want anyone but her mate touching her. She gave the human a low, warning growl, watching as he rolled his eyes and followed after the others
 
Cloud nodded his agreement, fighting the urge to relax. There would be plenty of time for that once they were back to their lair...


Come to think of it, Cloud realised, I don't even know if Moon has a lair, let alone one in this territory- Cloud's introspection was interrupted as he noticed the appearance of humans - human soldiers, to be precise - from behind them. He could not help but stiffen, betraying his sudden alarm, but he quickly forced the reaction down, forcing himself to act as if he'd known they were there, even as he mentally cursed. He was tired, hurt, and had just gone through an emotional tempest, but that was no excuse, no excuse at all for his lack of awareness. First the Traitors, then Moon, and now these humans. He was going to have to start paying attention before it killed him - or worse, hurt Moon.


A sentiment which soon became relevant as one of the passing men ran his hand - his filthy, sweaty, grubby human hand - over Moon's scales, causing her to shy away as she reflexively whimpered and burrowed into his side. Her warning growl of displeasure was not simply not heeded, but mocked as the human rolled his eyes and moved to join the others, who were not quite as foolhardy and stayed a respectful distance away.


Cloud felt the urge to pin him down, to make him grovel and apologise and beg for Moon's forgiveness, and his entire body jerked slightly forward as he fought to restrain the impulse. This was not the time to jeopardise the new agreement, and more importantly, catching the man would mean moving away from Moon's side - which was not happening, as evidenced by the black wing once more hugging her tight, warming her cold petite frame with his own almost fever-hot bulk. Instead, he made a point to memorise his smell and appearance, and to teach Moon how to make the two-legs show respect.


Deciding to distract himself from his anger and annoyance while they waited for the humans to bring out the first tribute, Cloud turned his head and began to nuzzle Moon, hoping to distract her as well from the insulting little man.
 
The men disappeared to go and collect the tribute, trying to find a medium sized cow from their flock, not wishing to give one of their largest, but knew the dragons would notice if they gave their smallest.


Moon meanwhile relaxed against Clouds side, nuzzling him in return. She loved him, and was happy to have his by her side. She loved him with her entire being, her tail still curled around his one. She snuggled under his wing, loving the warmth that her mate gave off, and closed her eyes, relaxing against his large body.


Moments later, the men returned leading the tribute toward the dragons, unsure if they would like to kill the cattle
 
As they waited for the humans to present the cattle, Cloud found himself struggling somewhat to keep his calm. The eye of the storm had passed, and he was again starting to feel the storm of emotion - desire, anger, shame, love, fear, rage, doubt, surprise, triumph - making him feel light-headed and weak-kneed, as he tried to sort out how he should feel. Luckily, the presence of Moon cuddling into his side gave him a brilliant beacon to navigate by, so he focused on his... Mate? Not yet, perhaps, but she'd seemed interested when he'd started displaying - another wave of desire and shame flashed through him, along with anger at the interruption - and had not left him despite his shame, so maybe, just maybe...


Cloud hugged Moon tightly to himself, and tried focus on enjoying her presence, tried to ignore the little voice whispering that she was only doing it because she was desperate, because she needed him now - and that she would turn on him or just leave as soon as she had gotten what she wanted...


With Moon snuggling into his side, it was surprisingly easy to suppress the venomous voice which had followed him since long before he'd left the nest.


Another distraction soon presented itself, as the humans finally returned with the first tribute. Cloud was pleased to note that, while likely not the largest of their herds - unless they were poorer and more stupid than he'd thought - neither were they the smallest - again, unless they were richer and even more stupid. He also noted the human handlers' hesitation, and any desire to let them wallow in frustration was thoroughly overruled by hungry anticipation.


"Leave the kill to us," Cloud commanded, and waited for them to tie the cattle down. It was equal parts practicality, taste and showmanship. Humans were weak and clumsy, so letting them kill the food would always be slow and messy. On top of that, they would usually do so by bleeding them dry, wasting all the fresh blood - and worse, if they got in the habit they might even start slaughtering the tribute before presenting it, leaving the flesh cold and stiff. What was the point of accepting tribute if you could not get the meat hot and fresh? Finally, it was a good reminder for the two-legs, about what a dragon is - what they can do. The humans were stupid and had short memories, so if you did not remind them - both often and blatantly - they were prone to forgetting why they were paying you tribute in the first place.
 
Moon focussed on her companion, her ice cold scales pressed to his warm, armour like ones. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent that smelt of smoke, and gave a soft chirping noise happily. She had no plans of ever leaving his side, but began to wonder if he just felt sorry for her, and if, when they both were well, he'd simply leave her to defend for herself. The thought made her shudder, soft mist escaping her mouth as she reopened her eyes and gazed up at his handsome form. She nuzzled gently against him, eyes moving over his larger, muscled body, finding all of the scars that were visible from where she was stood, and silently creating stories of great battles for each and every one.


She was startled out of her thoughts when his wing wrapped tightly around her, and she instead turned her gaze to the leathery appendage. Breathing her soft mist over it again, she studied the tears and scars over them, imagining a amazing battle between him and an alpha. Somehow, Moon herself ended up in the story, cowering behind Cloud as he defended her. In her thoughts, once he had stopped fighting, he padded to her and licked her muzzle, nuzzling her and telling her she loved him.


Once again she was shook from her thoughts at the smell of fresh meat. Turning her silvery eyes toward the humans, she was rather excited to see the cattle they had brought. Her wings fluttered in anticipation for food, having not seen any in so long, at least no food that was that large. She didn't move however, knowing Cloud should be the one to make the first kill, and instead waited.


She watched as the men nodded, and took the ropes around the cattles necks, tying the rope to a strong pole that seemed to be made for this sole purpose. Once it was done, they backed away to join the crowd that stood quite a bit away, weary that feasting dragons could make quite a mess
 
Cloud felt Moon perk up at the sight of the food, and felt himself relax in response, the venomous whispers fading with the last whisps of his smoky breath. The future was the future, and no one could ever know for certain what lay in wait - but the present was good, better than he could remembering it being in a long time, and he would enjoy it while it lasted.


Feeling Moon almost twitch with anticipation, and knowing that they both knew he should be the first, Cloud decided not to wait. As soon as the humans began backing away, he was moving forward. The two sheep were bleating in panic, but it was not they he was after. The cow only had time to let out one despairing moo, straining against its bonds, before he wrapped his jaws around its neck and bit down. There was a loud crunch, the moos abruptly ceasing as the bovine fell limp. His mouth began to fill with the flavour of blood, hot and juicy, making the void in his stomach yawn even wider than before as he once more realised how hungry he was. It was only with a supreme effort of will that he let go, dropping the now-dead food to the ground.


His tongue snaked out, cleaning his snout of every single drop of blood, as he turned toward Moon expectantly.
 
Moon watched Cloud move forward, marvelling at the way he moved. He was the opposite of her in body, she was small and thin, and he was large and muscled, and it made her want to open her wings and present herself to him. Again.


At his expectant look, she realised that once again she had been dreaming, and slowly stalked forward towards one of the sheep. She chose the smaller one, knowing that her starved form wouldn't be able to eat much compared to what Cloud would eat. So, as the creature bleated, she leapt forward gracefully, tail flying behind her like a kite as she just in front of her kill, and snapped her jaws tightly around its neck. Instantly she too was met with the flavour of warm blood, and she purred happily, but pulled away as she looked to Cloud, waiting for his signal to eat, tail twitching as she waited to eat her first real food in ages. She licked her snout in a almost sad fashion, not liking death, but knowing she had to kill to survive
 
Cloud watched Moon stalk up to the sheep, again marveling over how graceful she was - far more so than any other dragon he had ever seen. The way she moved was almost hypnotic, sinuous, almost unnaturally silent. The small part of him which had been upset about being snuck up on by another dragon - long since overruled by other concerns, especially with regard to said dragon - finally gave up, surrendering to the fact that there was likely no way he could have noticed her unless he was actually looking at her.


Cloud simply resolved to look at her as much as possible, and found himself well pleased with the resolution.


While all of this passed through his mind, he noticed the dragonette intentionally selecting the smaller of the two - not that there was much of a difference, both being fairly similar in size - but was pleased to see her make the kill, as quick and clean as his own. He could immediately tell when she tasted the blood, not only because of the pop of the bleater's neck, but also from how the petite dragon immediately began to purr, only to stop as she forced herself away from her kill, licking her snout sadly as she waited for him to signal for them to start eating.


Cloud had no intention of keeping her waiting any longer than necessary, and quickly darted forward, killing the second sheep with a swift bite. Rather than letting it go, he instead turned around and carried the lump of meat in front of Moon, before lying down and signalling the start of the feast by ripping into the carcass.
 

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