Bond of Power (Private with Athena)

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Storm felt the beat of his heart in his chest as he walked. The desert sand felt unpleasant underneath his talons. It suck in between his talons and bugged him. Why did he even join the Ki'Sha in the first place? He had that thought a lot. It was in the literal worst place in all of Nuira. The desert. It was TOO HOT and made everything feel as dry as a bone. He just had to keep in mind that this MIGHT be temporary. He had to figure that part out once Daydris was gone and he had Sarah again.

Oh, his beautiful daughter. How he missed her. He tried not to think about her, but it was inevitable. It felt like a piece of his heart was missing that nobody could fill. He shoved the thoughts away that maybe she wasn't alive and kept walking. He searched the faces of the dragons in the tribe, trying to swallow his hope in case it was false.

There were rumors that a new dragon had joined the tribe. A pure white dragon. An ice dragon. Why would she join a tribe in the desert,
though? his mind nagged. She's more vulnerable to heat, since she is an ice dragon. He pushed his legs forward, wondering where she would be.

There. A flash of white. Was it her?

"Athena!" he called out, knowing that he would probably look like an idiot if it wasn't her. By this time his heart beat wildly as he tried to find her.

Yes, it does! But if you'd re-read one of my posts you would have seen me clarify that...

Nah, I was referring to my previous posts. EDIT: Fyi Ayato killed five not six, lol. --

because I made an error there myself (sorry). >.< That or you could've Skyped or PMed me instead of posting first? Then you wouldn't have a short post? --

Ayato was thrown into the ocean, slamming into the water and sinking almost instantly as he had little to no strength to attempt to float. He tried to gather strength back into his limbs but failed, and opened his maw (stupid move) only to have salty, salty water fill it. His eyes he opened, squiting past the sting of liquid to see light, distorted, dancing and waving above him...

He suddenly felt something warm pressing against his back, pushing him back up to the surface, and soon the light was clear, not hazy and shining through the sea's surface in shattered pieces. Ayato coughed up more water, his mouth salty, his eyes stinging and pricking uncomfortably as air rushed into his lungs. He gasped it in gratefully, but soon realised that he was being saved. By Storm.

Now he owed a life debt to some purple drake that he barely knew. Gods above, how hilarious. He wanted to just sink back into the water, responding to the whispered promises of soothing quiet, but kept himself afloat instead, turning to tell Storm that he was fine, to stop doing whatever he was doing, then wriggled away from the male's grasp to show that he wasn't going to die anytime soon, though he did feel more than exhausted. He looked up, and saw that Athena had the female caught, wings clasped to her sides. The female was thrashing wildly, intent on getting away, but couldn't, but suddenly wind would gust around them.

The female needed to be knocked out, and Ayato yelled this to Athena.

Her talons closed around the female's wings, pinning them to her sides ad not letting go. She curled them, drawing blood from the skin. Snarling, the female twisted her head around and swiped at her with a claw. Breaking through the skin, her talons drew blood on Athena's face. She hissed, but otherwise ignored the pain.

Flexing her neck, Athena snapped at her face, clasping her jaws together with her one. Suspended by only the enemy's wings, the female thrashed wildly in her gasp, giving a muffled squeal as she mercilessly bit into her jaws, piercing the scales and sinking into her mouth. Athena growled, eyes gleaming with bloodlust, but then Ayato yelled up to her, and for a moment, her eyes shot to his.

He was alive! Storm had saved him, clearly. Bobbing up and down in the water, Ayato looked exhausted, but she couldn't do anything about that now. Knock her out! His words registered in her head and with a snarl, her tail snapped into position over her own head. For a moment, it looked as if Athena was going to slice the back of her head open, but she twisted her tail and slammed the side of the blades into the back of the female's skull, once, then twice. There was a loud thud, like a heavy piece of armor hitting a concrete floor, and then the wind-wielder's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her grimace of pain fading into an almost peaceful, serene expression.

Letting go of her jaws, Athena turned her in such a way she could carry her more easily. Flexing her wings, she twisted around to face her two allies, a calm look in her eye. The danger had passed. Blood dripped from her teeth into the ocean, staining the water a deep, untouched crimson. Her own blood raced down the side of her face, like bloody tears.


Now, there was silence. Just the sounds of the waves.

"Ayato, can you fly?" she demanded. If he said yes, she'd be reassured, since she needed to get information out of this female. If it was a no, her brow would furrow, a look of slight annoyance and worry turning her calm expression hard.

She shifted her attention to Storm, who also looked tired. "Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes softening at the sight of her friend. The female hung limp in her claws, head hanging down as if she were dead, but Athena could feel her life pumping through the skin beneath her talons. She was alive. For now, she thought darkly.

// I re-read your post, but it seemed like in your guys' rp posts that there were two enemies. Sorry for the confusion!

Storm mentally sighed with relief as Ayato suddenly started moving, showing him that he wouldn't drown. He let go and and pushed frantically to the surface. His head broke above the water, gulping in air as fast as he could so he could help Athena fight.

To his surprise, he found the opponent limp in her talons. Obviously knocked out, because of she were dead, she would be in the ocean with the rest of the bodies. Storm jumped out of the water, his wings complaining with fatigue. He hovered in the air next to his icy companion. She first asked Ayato if he could fly, before turning to Storm, asking if he was okay.

He tried to look over his shoulder at the claw wounds, but he couldn't while he was flying.
"I'll be okay, I just have to get back to shore so that I can try to clean up this wound." The salt was really making it burn, and he hoped that it wasn't bleeding too badly, but it was hard to tell. He was starting to get nervous that he would lose too much blood if he didn't treat it soon.

In his mind, he hoped that they wouldn't have to torture the female to get information. Hopefully she'd see that she lost the battle and that she had no choice. In some ways, that seemed worse than killing her. Torturing dragons was always another thing he despised. He was a very compassionate dragon, and cared about others. He couldn't help it, it was just the way he was.

Storm turned toward the shore. The beach wasn't too far away, and they definitely needed to get there. There was no way that they would get across the ocean in the condition that they were in. The ocean sparkled below him. He wondered if he would ever get bored of the beautiful sight. Sky above and the ocean below, going on for what seemed like infinity. He wished he could just lay on the beach and watch it forever. "Come on, guys. We need to go back to the shore and rest for the night. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are exhausted."

Also partly my fault. Sorry! :c --

Ayato wouldn't describe his emotions as embarrassed at being saved, or angry. No, he was fuming over a number of reasons, one of them being how he had only one dagger left, the rest presumably buried hilt-deep in their targets. Much to his relief, those he lost weren't the sturdy daggers he treasured, having used them since childhood. The ones that he lost were, however, fancy and brand-new ones that had cost quite a bit. Oh well, it was probably a lesson from the gods about how he should get throwing knives instead. Or maybe they were telling him to stop being so dependent on such small (but deadly, pretty) things.

Also, being saved by Storm. No, he wouldn't kick up a big fuss, Ayato assured himself; though the male was unlikely to ever hear a word of gratitude from the Aliugaan. Worry, too, mingled in his heart, though everything was smothered by a distinct feeling of fatigue, intensified by the fact that he was neck-deep in an object that weakened him. The water continued lapping at his neck, a feeling he felt quite uncomfortable with...

Ayato watched as the female's consciousness gave way to heavy blackness that he himself was accustomed with, her body going soft and limp and her wings drooping down. "Duh," came his confident (fake, fake, all pretense) response to Athena's question, though he was quite sure he could not. He would, however, try, though it would likely end in disaster.

At the mention of wounds, the big ones that split his scales apart at the chest and face began a long whine of pain, especially as the salty water snatched at them with greedy, frothy hands, while the smaller ones stung, though he gave no sign of his discomfort, only grunting a reluctant agreement with Storm. With desperation lining his muscles, he once more separated himself from the sea that reluctantly loosened its hold around his body, his wings flapping desperately and sending water droplets flying everywhere, shimmering and sparkling as they caught the sun's light. Speaking of which, the orb of light was already sinking down towards the horizon, taking away the light and warmth that it offered the world.

His eyes threatened to drift closed but he kept them open, and hovering in the air obviously seemed to take much more effort than necessary for Ayato, with his unsually ungraceful flapping of wings and drooping of tail. "Let's go," he said to them, waiting for one of them to lead the way. His eyelashes were crusted with salty crystals that stung his eyes, and he could barely see, though he did force some tears out in an effort to remove the remnants of the sea that clung to his body.

None of them were in good shape, especially Ayato, with deep claw marks dividing his flesh in two. Athena eyed him for a moment, knowing how the salt must be paining him, before her eyes shot to Storm, where worry revealed itself in her facial features, her lip curling as she realised he reeked of blood. Uh oh. "Well, don't exert yourself," she said quietly, hiding her concern beneath a mask of formality with Ayato watching. She didn't want to appear a worrying, bumbling idiot in front of him. And why do you care for his opinion? asked a tiny voice inside her head. Perhaps it was her ego, refusing to let her show her softer side in front of a stranger.


Ayato responded to her concern with a 'duh,' something that hardly surprised her. Still, it was mildly irritating that he didn't even say it in a less arrogant tone. Athena glanced at him now. He looked less then healthy, what with the blood seeping out of the various wounds tainting his blue scales a deep crimson. She inclined her head slightly in a nod, watching with a raised eyebrows as he launched himself out of the ocean, wings beating desperately to keep him in the air. He spoke curtly, speaking only two words. Athena, for a moment, thought he was crying when she seen the tears slipping down his cheeks, but then she realised; oh. The seawater. Of course he wouldn't cry over a few wounds.

Taking a glance at Storm, Athena nodded and, after reestablishing a comfortable grip on her their new 'companion,' turned towards the nearby shore, that in her state seemed so far away. "Come on," she said, and then she started flying, flapping her wings to send her into a steady path towards the beach.



----------------------------




She touched down on the sands just as the sun sunk below the horizon, plummeting the world into darkness. Shaking out her feathers, Athena left the female on the shore and went looking for firewood, knowing the other two were in no fit state to do anything except watch the prisoner. Or at least, that was how she seen it when it came to Storm. Ayato was reckless, he would do what he liked, it was Storm she was worried about.

Snapping off several branches of trees, the warrior twisted around and made her way back to the beach, found a suitable spot just in front of the trees and set down the branches. They were thick, but short, enabling her to make a crude but workable fire. Once she was done, Athena sighed and sat back. She looked at Ayato expectantly and gestured to the unlit fire.

She glanced at the limp body of the wind wielder. She lay on her side, breathing steadily as she rested unconscious near the fire. Wonder how you got dragged into this.. Athena wondered. She flicked her tail and returned her attention to the two males. "Need me to patch up any cuts?" she asked, although the question was more directed at Storm, but she did glance at Ayato.



(I CANT BELIEVE THIS. THIS IS SO SHORT. AAHHHHHHHH)

//Sorry I haven't replied guys. Still getting in the school groove the past couple weeks and haven't had much time or haven't had the creativity or inspiration to RP.

Each wing-beat made Storm feel all the more tired, but he kept himself going. The sea wind pushed and pulled at his wings, making it kind of hard for his tired body to stay hovering in one place for very long.

He watched Ayato as he replied to Athena's question. "Duh," he replied in his obnoxious tone. Storm sighed in frustration and exhaustion and looked out at the horizon. The sun was hanging low in the sky, making the sky a range of beautiful colors. Warm oranges lowest on the horizon, surrounding the giant ball of flame. As you went further up the sky, the colors turned more blue, getting darker as it went along. The clouds were a light pinkish orange. He just watched for a moment, almost hypnotized by the beautiful sight. He had never seen a sunset so beautiful. He almost forgot all of his pain for a minute.

"Come on," came Athena's blunt command, snapping him out of his awe. He flipped around in midair and flew right alongside her, making sure not to get too close as to bump wings. He then took one of their captive's talons from Athena, helping her carry the dragon to shore. He didn't ask her first because he knew she would probably try to be all arrogant and carry her herself.

-------------------

The sun set seemingly the second they landed. Storm carefully lowered the unconscious body to the sands before flopping on them himself, taking deep breaths of exhaustion. He just wanted to fall asleep right there, but he knew he couldn't. He had to make sure that he wasn't going to bleed out, or the dragon might wake up any second now and run away. He reluctantly stood up and reached over his shoulder to touch his wound tentatively. It seemed like it was starting to seal, the blood clotting over the wound slowly. It wasn't bleeding much anymore.

He watched Athena walk off to get firewood. He followed her, grabbing some more sticks for fuel on the fire. He wasn't about to let her do everything herself when she was probably just as tired as him. "Need me to patch any cuts?" She seemed to direct the question toward him.

"I think the bleeding is stopping, but you can look and see if it is bad or needs herbs on it or something." He sat down with his back toward her. The cuts were near his right shoulder and were pretty deep. He wasn't sure if it was going to get infected or not, though. That was the part he worried about.

Everyone has their own lives. It's fine. --

Ayato could hear Storm's sigh of frustration, hissing out from between his clenched teeth, and rolled his eyes as he shook the remaining droplets of water that were clinging insistently to his body and his wet, wet scarf. "Got a problem?" he snapped irritably, turning his head around; exhaustion was weighing him down and his mood was worsening by the second. He didn't bother wiping his tears away - no one would be able to tell, anyway; it looked no different from the water that dripped down his body, falling to rejoin its brothers in the dark waters below. More seawater slid down his face, mingling with his tears, and he blinked rapidly and shook his head.

Damn the stupid stinging in his eyes...

He paid the sunset no attention save for an accusing glance; if they didn't reach the shore in time, they would have to fly in pitch-black darkness, not exactly good conditions to fly in. He didn't want to think about how vast the sea was, how it stretched on and on, neverending, and the prospect its largeness stole his hope away from him. Being near it was taking a strain on his mental strength, knowing that being submerged in the water could be the death of him, and yet his body was tiring, wanting to fall into the water and embrace its (salty) darkness...


The shore was actually closer than he'd thought, an island that first started off as clean white sand that soon rolled into grass, from which sprouted large trees and mountains that towered over them all. The timing was just right, the sun disappearing right over its watery horizon as they landed, taking away the blue colour of the sea and turning it dark like the sky above them. Stars from their hiding holes and the moon appeared, a crescent white orb that seemed to glow at them mockingly.

Ayato didn't regret coming with them, but did hate the uncertainty flooding his veins. How long, how far...? he wondered as he flew down too low, his paws skimming over the water. He landed, his world spinning a bit. The sand he was standing on darkened slightly as the water from his paws washed away into it. He flopped onto the sand, not bothering to be graceful, and stopped breathing for a few seconds, the action making him feel... lighter. He would normally not feel so exhausted, but being in the water had taken a huge toll on his energy.

Water had always been his weakness.

He watched through half-open eyes as Athena dumped the rogue onto the sand and walked around, gathering branches and building them into... Oh. He huffed some fire out and the branches ignited, orange flaring up into the beautiful, flickering dance of flames. Ayato got up, brushing sand off his scales, and responded to Athena, "No need. Attend to him." He jerked his head in the direction of Storm before wandering off to the water and rinsing his cuts. The salt stung like hell, but whatever, it was preferable to having dried red crusted over his body. His neck stung with the scratch marks over it, a scar marring his face, but the one in his wings and paws hurt. Never mind, he'd just endure through it.

His world spun into darkness and he fell asleep sitting upright, his wings curled close to him.

The tension between Storm and Ayato was steadily growing, coming off in waves as their personalities clashed like two titans. For a moment, Athena was reminded of ying and yang as she observed their interactions. It worried her, nagged at her subconscious. The last thing they needed, the last thing she needed, was two dragons of a three-member team butting heads.

The rogue barely stirred, only giving a soft moan every once in a while as her head tilted on the sand. Athena watched her carefully, scrutinizing for a change in breath, a flicker of eyelids, anything that would suggest she was regaining consciousness. After a moment, her paranoia got the better of her and she roughly dragged her closer, setting her next to the fire.

Deep marks lacerated the female's sides, blood steadily spilling from the wounds. Athena's talons had done some amount of work, tearing open the flesh like swords. The dragoness' expression was twisted into a mild grimace. Even in sleep, the pain plagued her. Good. Still, they needed to keep her alive, and for a moment she felt rather heartless just leaving her there..

Athena's eyes hardened. You're one of them, she spat at her inwardly. You can die for all I care. Returning her attention to her two allies, she swept her tail to her side, spraying a light amount of sand as Storm replied. "I think the bleeding is stopping, but you can look and see if it is bad or needs herbs on it or something," was his response as the smaller male twisted around, exposing his back, and his injuries, to her.

Athena gave a low hiss of sympathy as her eyes trained on the deep tears that marked Storm's shoulder. She knew he was putting on a brave face, but it looked very painful. "Owch," she said quietly, almost hypnotized by the way the deep crimson splashed against the bright amethyst scales.

"Put some salt water on it," she commanded swiftly. "And wash it out. I'll patch it for you." Her own injuries throbbed in time with her heartbeat, but she refused to complain. She'd clean them when she was ready and the others were healed.

Ayato had spoken curtly, denying her offer, and had walked off to the water. Athena observed as he cleansed his wounds, feeling a tad sorry for him. A part of her wanted to patch his wounds, considering they all needed to be healed and battle ready for tomorrow, but she knew he'd refuse and then get annoyed if she persisted.

Sighing, Athena observed as he abruptly fell asleep and walked to the sea, a slight limp in her step. She worked quickly, rapidly washing out her wounds and biting her tongue as they stung like a thousand bees. Within a minute or two, she was clean and free of excess blood. She watched as the red substance disappeared into the ocean, dissipating rapidly into the endless blue, before she moved back to the trees, snapping off leaves and fixing herself a crude but workable cast of bending sticks and large leaves. She hissed as it pressed against her sides, but it would stop any further bleeding.

Muttering about 'stupid mercenaries,' Athena raised her eyes to Storm. "You don't like him," she stated, awaiting the signal for her to patch his wounds.

Storm watched with concern and pity as the dragon they brought with them groaned in her sleep, blood starting to pool around her. He barely heard Athena as she said to clean out his wounds. He hoped that she wouldn't get mad at him for doing this, but he had to say it anyway. "Athy," he said quietly, noting that Ayato was going to sleep, "we need to help her. She's going to bleed out if we don't do anything." His eyes were still fixed on the wounded female. "And I understand if you don't want to help me, but I am going to try to help her. I really don't want to argue right now." He was exhausted and his back hurt like crazy, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from helping her, even if she was their enemy.

He got up slowly and trudged over the sand to the fire where the female was lying, who was still groaning occasionally in pain. Storm wished that sometimes he wasn't so sympathetic towards others, but it was who he was. He cared about other dragons. He felt like he was alone in the world sometimes, though... Especially without Sarah...

The female was about his size and looked to be about his age. He carefully put his front legs under her's and dragged her across the sand to the water. He brought her into it just enough so that her whole body was under the water, except for her head, which he held up above the water in one of his front talons as he sat down next to her. Fortunately, the waves were calm that night, making it easier for him to clean her without being smacked by waves.

Looking at her wounds on her sides, he winced. Blood was still oozing out of them, staining some of the water red. He wiped the excess dirt away to clean the wounds off, not sure what else he could do to help. He looked down at the females face. She was actually quite beautiful. She was light grey and had a slender, elegant face. Don't worry, Storm thought, I'm doing everything I can to help you.

He wondered how the female got dragged into all of this. For all he knew, she was forced into trying to kill them by Daydris... That was Storm, though, always trying to think the best of others. It honestly bugged him sometimes. But he couldn't help it.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Athena talked to him. "You don't like him," she stated, referring to Ayato.

Storm hesitated, trying to find the right words. He lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. He looked over at Athena. "Well... He sure knows how to push my buttons. Plus I find him extremely obnoxious... But maybe he'll get better as he gets used to us." He would have to tolerate him, otherwise this mission could be a lot worse if he kept letting Ayato get on his nerves.

For now, he ignored the pain in his back and just concentrated on making sure that the female's wounds were clean and washed out.

(Artemise gave me permission to skip her turn, as Ayato is sleeping.)

The fire glowed pleasantly in the late evening, illuminating the surrounding sand with it's orange light. Athena was glad they had a fire breather on their side. For a moment, her eyes wandered to Ayato. What could he do, magic wise? She knew he could breathe fire, but apart from that.. well, he'd given no indication he even used magic. Perhaps he was like her, preferring to use claws and teeth to get a point across rather then tricky spells. She could respect that.

Storm saying her name snapped Athena out of her brief daydream. She looked at him, pupils narrowing into cat-like slits at his words. She opened her mouth to protest, but then she closed it. He was right, and besides, she could hold valuable information. She followed her gaze to the dragoness.

In the firelight, her deep blue scales gleamed like polished diamond, stained scarlet by blood. Athena's talons had buried deep into her sides, leaving long, unsightly marks that peeled her scales apart like the sides of a banana. As if on cue, she gave a soft groan of agony, eyelids fluttering for a moment. Then, she stilled.


Athena observed, saying nothing as Storm tended to the female. Deciding that his back was probably killing him anyway, she lifted her rear end to help him carry her to the sand. Afterwards, she stood back, letting him do the gentle work of assisting her, although she shot him a disapproving look every once and a while.

"I won't be nice when she wakes up," she warned. "We need to find out exactly how many dragons that ba-" she stopped herself, finding her teeth grinding themselves against each other. "Daydris, has on his side. And if they have any weaknesses. I won't touch her unless I have to, though," she added the last part to soothe his worries. She knew Storm would be totally against actually harming her, and it both infuriated and made her adore him all the more. The young dragon had a kindness in him that emerged so easily, whereas she kept her heart locked away.

At his description of Ayato, Athena would allow a small smile to tug at the corners of her lips, her eyes darting to Ayato once again in a brief but meangingful glance. She hoped he couldn't see her expression in the quickly fading light. "He's nice once you get to know him a tiny bit. Although I do agree, he's rather infuriating." Athena turned her head and spat blood into the ocean, before bending her head to wash her teeth in the surf. The metallic taste stained her breath and soured her currently content but tense mood.

"I'll go grab some leaves to patch up your back. Don't move," she commanded, swiftly rising and striding towards the treeline, tossing some nearby sticks into the fire as she went.


The female stirred slightly, a sigh escaping her as she repeatedly flinched. Her jaws started to move, but then her body sagged once more, and she was still.

Thankfully, Athena did not protest to Storm saying that he would tend to the female without giving her a say in the matter, though he saw that she didn't like it. She helped carry the captive to the water, which he was grateful for.

Storm couldn't help but start to feel relaxed. Besides the pain in his back and their many problems at hand, the night was rather beautiful, which chipped away at his previously bad mood. The waters had calmed, the waves lapping up gently onto the shore, giving the world a soothing melody. The stars were plentiful; tiny sparkles of light in an otherwise pitch black sky. The water was cool and further seemed to add to the sereneness of where they were all the more as he sat in the water with their female captive in his talons.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the sound of nature a warm blanket all around them. The slashes that Athena made in the female's side were ugly and made him wince in sympathy. He really hoped that she didn't bleed out.

"I won't be nice when she wakes up," Athena said in a hard tone, and Storm immediately went defensive. She said that they needed to find out if Daydris had any weaknesses. Though she assured him that she wouldn't touch him unless she had to, though, which gave him a little comfort. Only a little.

"Athy," he started, thinking up an alternate way to go about this besides fear and pain. "Let me talk to her first. We don't need to resort to being mean to her right away. Just please, let me try first." He looked up into Athena's eyes, desperately hoping she'd say it was fine. "Besides," he added, "I doubt that she'd want to talk to the dragon who ripped out her sides."

Storm kept looking at Athena as he talked about Ayato. She looked away towards the other male. It looked like a meaningful glance, showing that she did like him. He just wasn't sure if it was platonic or not. He decided not to banter her about it now. He'd have plenty of time to do that in the future.

He wanted to like Ayato, but the male seemed to make it very hard sometimes. Though he hoped that once he got past that hard shell, he would be kinder.

Another couple moments of silence enveloped their camp once again. Storm took a deep breath, not taking the peaceful serene environment for granted. He was once again overjoyed to be out of the awful desert. He loathed it with every scale on his body after being in it for so long. If he had a say in the matter, he would never go there again. Unless to visit Athena.

"I'll go grab some leaves to patch up your back," Athena informed him before quickly getting up.

"Get some for her, too. I would like to try to heal her so that she doesn't bleed out" he explained, referring to the limp female in his talons. He once again hoped that his IceWing friend wouldn't argue with him and would go along with it.

Once Athena left, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the salty sea air smelling great to his nose. Once again, calmness came over him. He yawned a massive yawn, realizing just how sleepy he was. Once he patched up the female, he wanted to immediately curl up and fall into his dreams. But for now, he was just happy to enjoy the beautiful nature, ignoring the pain in his back.

He hummed a cheerful tune he had learned back when he was a dragonet in the NightWing tribe a lifetime ago as he looked up at the twinkling stars.

Sorry for making you all wait. Exams stole my muse. --

Ayato didn't know how he fell asleep like that, but he did, so there was that. As he awoke from his brief nap, nearly having pitched forward face-first into the rippling water (the abrupt sensation of tilting forward had jerked him back to reality), he recalled the events of that particular day with crystal clarity, flooding back into his headThat fight with the rogue -

They'd been outnumbered but still had survived, Ayato was glad for that, but suddenly remembered with a dull throb of annoyance that Storm had insisted on sparing the rogue's lives - a detail he really could do without. He huffed, a quiet whoosh of air exiting his maw.

Speaking of whom... Flicking the water off his curved claws, he stood and turned, his paws making a dark damp patch in the sand. He saw Athena's feathered back disappear into the darkness cast by the shadows of a cluster of trees, presumably to hunt for herbs to treat the wounds of whoever, and Storm was there, by the fire.

The female was what caught his eye, lying limp in Storm's arms; she was pretty, quite eye-catching, with bright turquoise and silvery-grey dancing on her scales - sand crusted all over it, he noted. She resembled the sea, and her expression certainly resembled it, deceptively calm, though he did remember the fight all too well and knew how relentless she was with her attacks.

Wait, what. Lying in Storm's arms? What, were they lovers now?

He snorted quietly to himself.

He didn't like the ocean for several reasons. Why couldn't it just look fierce and be done with it, instead of looking so nice and pretty and calm? This female was exactly the same, he realised suddenly, and he felt no sympathy towards the gashes that dug into her scales. She, however, might hold valuable information, though Ayato would like to know how Athena would pull the information out.

He ran an eye over Storm to check if he was alright, before turning back, dismissing him entirely. Ayato sat down again, making sure to stay far from the ocean's hungry hands, and stared out into the distance. It suddenly occurred to him that he was quite skilled at finding something in everyone to hate, and he rolled his eyes at this realisation. Though, the female in Storm's arms.

He wouldn't forget that anytime soon.

// Hey, Ayato, it seems like you got a little confused? You wrote that the female was lying by the fire, but she is actually lying in Storm's arms(if that's what you call his front legs lol) to clean her wounds and keep them dry. I was almost certain that Ayato would freak out at Storm for it. XD

CRAP. SORRY. --

EDIT: it's done.

Content to sit in silence and hum to himself, Storm continued to sit on the beach and kept the female's wounds clean. His head swiveled around quickly, suddenly alert, as he saw a flicker or movement in the corner of his eye. He relaxed when he noticed it was just Ayato. The aggravating Ki'Sha snorted when he saw the female in Storm's arms.

"I'm just trying to keep her from dying," he said in a serious tone, trying not to snap at the other male. "I have no intention of killing her." He stated this bluntly, not caring what Ayato thought of him. He had realized a while back that he just had to be himself and not let other people judge him for it. And being himself meant not letting any emotion show and killing all of your enemies. If he couldn't accept Storm for who he was, well, than that that was his problem.

He sat in in silence for a small while, turning his gaze away from Ayato as he turned away to gaze out to sea. The water Storm and the female were in helped lessen the weight of her, to his relief. He looked down at the female, a serious look on his face. He really hoped that this dragoness wasn't evil and was forced into fighting for Daydris.

He didn't know why, but he had a... Feeling about her. He wasn't sure if he was tired or if he just wanted to show Ayato and Athy that not every dragon in the world was bad. Or maybe he was lonely and wanted someone in his life like him. Maybe it was all three. He sighed deeply, looking away and back towards the sea that glimmered coldly in the moonlight. He'd just have to see.

He resumed his humming, trying again to relax until Athena came back to help heal them.