Dragons of the Wild

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon's eyes brightened as he began to eat, and dragged her own sheep close to Cloud, laying beside him as she began to eat. She ate slowly, allowing her body to adjust to the food she was finally giving it. She wanted to tear into it, rip it to shreds as she ate, but she knew she'd only feel ill later by doing that. So instead, she ate slowly, occasionally pulling back to lick the red off her snout, before returning to eating. She practically ignored her surroundings, focussing on her small feast that she was hungrily eating.


She slowly curled her tail back around Clouds in thanks, finishing with her sheep as she pulled the last piece of meat off the bones. Licking her snout again to make sure it was clean, the thin creature snuggled up to Clouds side, warm and now fed.

 

[Lord Sia]

The first mouthful of hot, bloody flesh was perhaps the sweetest thing Cloud had ever tasted. Even as he thought that, Moon dragged her own morsel closer and sidled up to him before she began to eat, and the memory of her taste when he'd licked her snout - cool and crisp - danced through his mind. As he continued suckling on the same first bite, his eyes lingered over the dragonette, watching her eat. It was curious how she could make the act of stripping flesh from bone with her claws and teeth look neat, almost dainty, but she did. Slowly, carefully, she removed every scrap from every bone, only pausing occasionally to lick her snout clean... Cloud felt his guts twist again, with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.


Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to feeding the hunger that did involve food. Normally, he would have swallowed the sheep in only a few bites, maybe pausing to enjoy sucking the marrow out of the bones rather than just swallowing them whole, but with Moon right next to him the thought of ripping it apart and gulping it down somehow felt... Embarrassing. Instead, he forced himself to take his time, and if he was not as neat as Moon, it was still miles ahead of how he would usually feed.


All to soon, the sheep was gone, and Cloud's hunger was only sated for the moment - he could almost hear his stomach call out for the cow, lying just out of easy reach. That Moon was finishing up her own sheep, leaving behind a neatly stripped skeleton as she contentedly snuggled into his side, only made his reluctance to move all that much stronger. Still, much as he enjoyed finally eating, never mind the company, he was not at all comfortable resting around humans - especially not ones as well-armed and tricky as the current set. They had to move before he could eat his fill of the cow, so that they would not be left completely defenceless while he digested.


Of course, that left the issue of getting Moon - who was clearly well on her way to sleep - along with the cow back to... Wherever. He'd seen a couple of hills that might make good lairs, temporarily at least. He decided he might as well ask her, and gave her a gentle lick across the snout, cleaning off some of the blood she hadn't been able to get at herself.


"Hey, you up for walking back to our lair?" Cloud murmured, not wanting the humans - those who still remained, either standing guard or just gawking at the dragons - to overhear.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon looked up at him sleepily. Eating so much food had oddly made her tired, and she yawned with a lick of her snout, looking rather cute. She blinked as if to wake herself up, and nodded slowly, "Y-Yeah" She said softly, licking Clouds snout gently, slowly pushing herself to her paws. She shook herself, glancing over at the humans, who was gawking at the two creatures, before she looked back at Cloud, then at the cow. She was no longer hungry, but knew that Cloud likel;y wanted the cow, which meant they would have to drag it with them

 

[Lord Sia]

"Good." Cloud murmured, giving Moon an encouraging lick before turning to the crowd.


"We return in one week." He declared, a promise, a reminder and a threat all at once. With that said, Cloud stretched his jaws wide and, with an undignified grunt of effort, and hoisted the cow carcass into the air by its shoulders. While a whole cow was rather more than what most dragons could carry in their mouths at all, let alone comfortably, Cloud was a dragon who lived and thrived on his size and strength. While not easy nor comfortable, the hardest part was knowing how to lift it so that he did not tear it apart with his teeth. Luckily, the shoulders had plenty of bones he could dig his teeth into without shredding them. Well, so long as he did not bite down hard enough to crack them. Which was really the hardest part, with a mouthful of hot flesh and teeth scraping bones just enough that he could almost taste the marrow.


With the cow problem solved, Cloud began the long, slow walk away from the small town, taking care to stomp properly as he did. No need to give away the game too much, after all, even if it was somewhat trickier than he was used to, carrying a whole cow and putting on a show at the same time.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

The men all nodded, watching the dragons leave silently, before beginning to disperse the crowd that had gathered, shooing them off back to their jobs and homes, and leaving the bloody remains of the sheep to warn off other dragons, who would know that the town was protected by more dragons if they were to see the remains and find the scents of the protecting creatures.


Moon watched Cloud pick up the cow, and smiled slightly as he again tried to act big and tough. She attempted to do the same, trotting to his side before making herself look bigger, keeping her wings still to avoid showing her thin form. Her tail swished like a cats, as if ready to pounce at any moment. She never once seemed to realise that she looked like a puppy trying to be a wolf, and instead continued, moving along slightly faster than Cloud in order to keep up with him

 

[Lord Sia]

After backtracking almost halfway to the place where they had met, Cloud stopped by the river and dropped his cargo. He then began twisting his neck, opening and closing his jaws as he worked out the kinks and stretched the muscles. The forest seemed to echo with pops and cracks, until he finished with a shiver. Turning to Moon, Cloud flicked his crest with slightly embarrassed amusement.


"It's a pain," he admitted, his voice somewhat scratchy from forcing himself to rumble all through the negotiations, "but keeps them on their toes." He bent down and took a quick sip of the water, only to cough dryly. "You-" He paused, swallowing, "-you have a lair?" He asked.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon watched him, wincing at each pop and crack. In truth, she had never heard someones body make so many noises, but then she had never been around many dragons. She tilted her head silently, but smiled as he turned to her with a look of embarrassed amusement. It made her happy to see him relax, and her own wings fluttered joyfully.


She nodded to him, "Its close by…. and rather big." She replied, "Well, big for a dragon my size" She gave a small chuckle, before turning in the direction that she knew her lair to be, before looking at him and flicking her tail, "Come on" She said softly

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud felt a bit intrigued by her answer - how would "big for a dragon her size" stack up to one of his? - he decided that there was only one way to find out. No longer hampered by the need to impress the treacherous two-legs, he no longer had to carry the cow in his mouth. Instead, he hoisted the carcass onto his back, between his shoulders where he could use his wings to keep it in place. Cargo secure, he began following the dragonette.


And if following her meant staring at her tail swaying back and forth as she stalked through the forest, well... Who was he to complain?

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon smiled happily as he started to follow her, and began to walk along, tail swaying side to side with the movement of her hips. Her tail fins would flick in and out in excitement, as she led him toward a hole in the ground. It was hidden by a group of bushes and vines, and simply looked like a shallow cave.


But, hopping into the hole, Moon quickly found herself in a level tunnel. The tunnel was huge, and angled downward. Padding along, she came to a large cave. Blue and purple crystals lined the walls, reflecting off light that streamed down through smaller, narrow tunnels that nothing but light and rain could get through. It was because of this that a clear pool of water laid in the middle of the gigantic cave, and she looked to Cloud proudly, "I accidentally fell into this one day" She told him

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud liked to think of himself as a fairly mature and experienced dragon, especially considering his age and... Particular circumstances. However, nothing had prepared him for Moon's lair to be so... So...


"... Beautiful..." Cloud muttered, his voice echoing in the silence. Even as he spoke, he wasn't sure if he was talking about the almost mystical cave, or the dragonette standing in it - a dark silhouette against the underground lake, lit up by glittering crystals, the only clear light two disks of silver.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon cooed as he said so, and fluttered her wings happily, trotting up to him and nuzzling against his chest, happy to have him at her side. Whilst unsure what their relationship really was at the moment, she could surely say that she would be honoured to have him as her mate. She hummed, and disappeared into the darkness, and gently blew ice where the light beams hit, creating two large ice pillars, that reflected the light all around the lair.


She cooed happily to herself, and her tail flicked happily, as she looked over at Cloud

 

[Lord Sia]

When Moon came up to him and nuzzled against his chest, Cloud could only nuzzle her back. Just as he was about to lick her muzzle, however, she hummed and darted away, disappearing into the darkness so fast he had no time to realise what she was doing before she was gone. Quickly taking the opportunity to shuck off the cow on his back, Cloud looked back up just in time to catch Moon breathing onto the cave floor where the light hit, creating a pillar - not a patch, or a small lump; an actual pillar! - of ice, perfectly faceted so as to reflect the light around the cave. This new light allowed Cloud to make out Moon as she danced around and created another pillar.


If the cave had been mystical before, it became downright magical with all the light reflecting off the crystals, both rock and ice, as well as the surface of the lake itself. And Moon herself was no longer just a dark silhouette, but a beautiful dragon perched, cooing, between the twin pillars of her own making.


Cloud met her eyes again, the openness, the lack of judgment calling to him, making him feel... Light, happy, wonderful... Playful.


Flexing his crest in a display of happiness, he began stalking slowly towards Moon. He did not stomp, as he had with the humans, but rather he strutted, exaggerating every movement in the very picture of a cocky young drake showing off for a dragonette.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon stared at him as she met his eyes, and watched as he moved. She watched his crest flex, smiling softly as she watched him stalk toward her. She noticed his cocky strutting, and gave a soft giggle, that rebounded off the walls of the cave and echoed softly around. She made her ears stand tall to attention, flicking her tail fins out as far as they could go, and flicked it in a elegant fashion.


Slowly, the female moved toward Cloud in her usual graceful manner, only this time she put more movement into her hips, letting them sway with her tail as she moved slowly toward him, teasing him. She felt oddly warm, excited to be so close to him. Her movements were graceful and taunting, and her tail flicked as she came to a stop, allowing him to approach her. The pale light gleamed off her midnight scales, her brilliant silver eyes seeming to glow

 

[Lord Sia]

Moon's giggles rang throughout the cave, echoing back and forth as she stalked forward, her hips swaying enticingly until she suddenly stopped. Her position clearly inviting Cloud to approach her, and approach her he did. The cocky strut faded with each step, replaced with something more serious, more cautious, yet also infinitely more sincere.


Cloud's eyes were wide open, tiny sparks of red lighting the otherwise pitch black pools from deep within as he focused intently on the dark-scaled dragonette before him. His steps were slower, almost hesitating, as he turned - neck bending, eyes still focusing on Moon with all the focus of a hawk tracking a lone dove.


Slowly he paced around her, body stretched out on display, wings reaching upwards to show off their whole span. Behind his jaws, over his head and all the way along his spine, his crest began to rise, flushing bright with blood and heat under the female dragon's eyes.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon purred, never once taking her eyes off him. She watched his crest rise with awe in her silver eyes, tempted to just reach out and nuzzle him now. Instead she restrained herself, and brushed her elegant tail down his side as he passed her, amazed by his large body and the fearless way that he presented himself to her.


And so, in response to his actions, the female slowly opened her own wings, raising them high in order to show off her lithe body. Mist seeped from her mouth, her body's way of setting her temperature back to cold, showing how warmed she was by his enticing body. She twitched her tail, watching him

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud slowly circled Moon, taking in her elegant form from every angle. The dark shimmer of her scales in the mystic light, the shine of her brilliant eyes, the elegance and grace she exuded simply sitting there in place. Then her wings began to spread, long and narrow, so different from what he was used to - but also so perfect for the dragon who carried them. Her stomach was ever so slightly bloated from the recent meal, a fact made noticeable only because she was so thin, but the result looked almost as if she was gravid.


Cloud felt something twist in him at the thought, a strange, jealous possessiveness and need.


As Moon began to breathe her misty breath, Cloud began to respond, only for the smoke to hitch in his throat. He'd never gotten this far before, this close to another dragon. In large part it was because he was afraid of what the reaction would be when his prospective partner saw his breath. Fear and shame had kept him from others; those few attempts to overcome his handicap had only ended in pain, both in flesh and in spirit, until he began to actively drive away everyone who approached him, before they even had a chance to hurt him. In the end, that had only left him lonely, a different but far more familiar pain, until treachery had robbed him of even the meagre comforts of having a home.


But Moon... Moon had seen him, his breath, she knew his shame and his weakness. She had not driven him away, rejected him, snubbed him or even teased him. He might have suspected - rather, that quiet, hateful voice in the back of his mind tried to convince him - that with only her healing breath she was weak enough that pure need overcame her disgust. But two glittering pillars of ice, perfectly sculpted, showed the lie for what it was. She was strong, not so strong as to not need him at all - but definitely strong enough that she did not have to feign interest in him.


That meant it was real; she was real. She was actually responding to him, showing interest in him, him! Of all dragons.


Black smoke, thick as mud and darker than a starless night began to flow.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moons eyes gleamed as she noticed the smoke, and turned to face him, getting closer to him, wings still open wide. She noticed the slight worry in his eyes as his smoke appeared, but she just seemed happy that he wasn't afraid to show it to her. She moved closer to him, close enough that her mist curled around his smoke in a odd display and, keeping her wings wide, lifted her head, presenting herself to him completely, in a show that trusted him with her life


Any second he could attack her and kill her, yet she wasn't afraid of that, and trusted him to do what he believed was right. She stayed in the same position, staring up into his eyes before she closed her own, breathing in his scent that smelled of smoke and ash. It was a beautiful scent, and one she would recognise anywhere. For most fire dragons would smell of bitterness, and death. Their scent smelt of burnt animals, yet Cloud was unique, and his scent smelled amazing to her

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud shivered as Moon breathed out as well, her thin white mist curling around his black smoke, almost as if it was solid. Stranger still, where wisps of black smoke and white mist actually mingled, they still did not mix - instead, the weight of his black smoke seemed to compress her white mists into tiny, sparkling crystals, like tiny stars or shining snowflakes, visible even through the murk of his breath.


What little attention he had for the strange behaviour of their breaths disappeared completely as she presented herself once more, wings spread wide, head raised and neck bared in submission. This time, with food in his belly and no humans to distract him, Cloud did not hesitate, did not fight his instincts as they took over.


A deep rumbling filled the cave as he began to purr. His crest flared wide open, bony spurs spread wide, the skin between them taught. The brilliant patterns of colour were practically invisible in the mystic gloom of the cave, but instead, the blood shone through. Heat and magic both lit up the branching veins to dragon-sight, a halo of red light around two glowing crimson orbs of Cloud's eyes. Tattered wings spread wide, he leaned forward, nuzzling, snuffling, licking his way up Moon's neck, body moving closer until they were almost touching, mirror images of one another.


Finally, his ministrations reached her head, and with a last, lingering nuzzle of the soft skin just behind her jaw, he reared back and met her eyes.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon watched as his crest flared, her eyes gleaming as she watched him show off. She purred as he moved closer, licking her neck. Her purrs grew louder, and her tail twitched in excitement as he continued to make his way up her smooth neck, trusting him not to kill her, though she knew he wouldn't.


Her wings fluttered as he licked her neck, almost as if wanting to curl around Cloud and pull him closer to her, but knew that she was the submissive one of the pair, and thus had to let him move as he wished. She watched as he stopped nuzzling her, and reared back, studying his large and muscular body.


It sent shivers down her spine to watch him do so and, without a second thought, lowered herself in front of him and rolled onto her back, showing complete submission to him. It left her thin form completely unprotected, her wings splayed wide on either side of her elegant body, as she gazed up at him

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud felt like he was dreaming, or possibly died - either way, Tiamat seemed to have sent one of her daughters to welcome him to her flight. No sooner had he stopped nuzzling her, rearing back to drink in her beauty, than she lowered herself to the ground and rolled over onto her back, leaving her soft, vulnerable belly completely bare to him, her wings spread out on the cave floor. There was no mistaking her actions, no possible way to misinterpret what she was doing. She was giving herself to him.


Completely.


Unconditionally.


She was making him her alpha.


Cloud could not help but let out a loud, rumbling croon of desire, of triumph, making the water in the lake ripple. Carefully, he moved himself over the dragonette, embracing her, pinning her in place. His jaws gently closed around her neck, razor teeth not even scratching her scales as he accepted her surrender and cemented his dominance. She was his, his flock, his treasure, his mate.


His tattered dark wings swept down, covering them both, and the world faded away.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon woke what seemed like hours later. She slowly opened her silver eyes to find herself curled on the floor, snuggled up to Cloud, her mate, and protected by his large wings. They were laid side by side, her alpha seemingly asleep as she took in his relaxed features. He looked younger in his sleep, and vulnerable, and it made her coo softly. Her tail was curled around his, keeping the contact between the two lovers. She smiled slightly at the realisation that she was now carrying the children of her alpha, and it made her coo happily, and tuck her wings close to her body.


She was his now, and she had no problems with it at all. In fact, she was excited to be his, and snuggled closer to the larger dragon. No one could ever break them apart now, for she loved him more than anything in the entire universe.


Slowly moving her head under his chin, she licked along his snout in order to wake him

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud was dreaming. It was a wonderful, beautiful dream. He had stumbled across the cutest dragonette he'd ever seen, one whose breath magically soothed his injuries and conjured glowing pillars of ice. Together they had marched to a town, and successfully claimed a large tribute - despite a brief, interrupted mating dance - and, after eating half of their bounty, they had traveled to her lair, a mystical cave of wondrous beauty. There, beneath glittering crystals, on the shore of an underground lake, they had danced again, this time without interruptions. She even made him her alpha.


It was the best dream he had ever had, and that was what made it so horrible and cruel; it was only a dream. Lying beside her, half-asleep, he felt his consciousness slowly returning, the faint aches and gnawing hunger making themselves known once more, and for the first time ever he fought it, fought the cold, cruel, waking world. He could feel his mate snuggling into him, licking his chin, and he clung to the sensation with all his might - rolling onto his side so that he could hug Moon's petite frame against himself, wrapping them both protectively in his wings.


It was strangely enough working, because the more awake he felt, the more real the dragon in his arms felt; her cool, smooth scales against his skin, her icy tongue tracing lines of cold fire along his neck, her long, flexible tail wrapped around his own, even one of her knees digging uncomfortably into his stomach...


Cloud's groggy eyes suddenly snapped open, his body stiffening as the last vestiges of sleep disappeared without a trace.


It was not a dream.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon watched him wake slowly, then watched his eyes snap open as if he had suddenly realised something terribly important. Not bothering to ask what it was, sure that he would tell her if it was that important or if he wished to, she instead licked at his warm neck scales, purring softly. She absently wondered what he had been dreaming about, his wings now tightly wrapped around her tiny frame, hugging her close to his larger body. She continued to say nothing, simply watching him think, her wings rubbing against his as he gently trapped her against him


She didn't mind, but it was getting rather uncomfortable to be trapped so close to him, and she gave a soft coo, not wanting to anger or upset her alpha and mate. She gently nudged his chest with her snout, and pushed her wings out slightly to give herself more room, before settling comfortably in his hold.


"Good dream?" She asked softly, gazing up at him

 

[Lord Sia]

Cloud stared at his cooing mate, struck silent by the realisation that she was not a figment of his imagination - that his dream was in fact real. He watched her numbly as she squirmed around in his embrace, before finding a comfortable position and settling down again. Finally, her soft question brought him back, and he blinked rapidly as he tried to focus.


"The best," he rumbled, nuzzling her cheek. "Wasn't a dream, though." He felt himself flush a bit at the sappy line, but shrugged it off. If there was ever a time to be sappy, after all, it was when lying in a wondrous cave with his mate cuddled against him.

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Moon gave a small smile, and nuzzled against him, rubbing her head gently against his neck in joy. A low, sweet sounding purr rumbled from her throat, as she ran her tongue over Clouds snout, her cold breath hitting his warm scales. She couldn't be happier, with her mate curled around her, and little dragonlings to be born. It made her want to roar with joy, but she refrained from doing so, instead continuing to purr happily.


She curled all the closer to Cloud, wondering absently why such a large, strong and handsome male would go after her, a tiny, thin female. With the strength and the magic that Cloud held, Moon was sure he could go after any female in the land. So why her?