Leering Into Unexplored Caverns [Private/Shudaar]

Okay, now Xasheski knew he was lost. Well, not totally lost, just somewhere he had never been before. Much more rocky than he was used to. How had this happened? Well, while he been lounging about, he had stumbled upon a herd of deer. Why was this so surprising? Because lately, the deer he had been finding had been deathly ill.

Normally, this wasn’t a problem, but their sickness had been unlike anything the young Xasheski had seen before. He had steered clear away from them, in case it was dangerous, and something that needed to be avoided. Thus, he had ended up desperately hungry. He had been laying in a tree near his little cave, tired from lack of food, when he had heard the stampede of hooves, and the screeches of dragons.

Instantly, he had perked his ears up, and had cautiously approached the scene. Two dragons were chasing after a herd of deer. The herd had split into two, with the second being much smaller. The dragons, seemingly too focused on a specific target, hadn’t noticed it, and so Xasheski had taken it as his opportunity. He had rushed forward, licking his lips in anticipation, as he began to skulk towards the deer.

Because of his hunger, Xasheski hadn’t wanted to chase after them like the other ambitious dragons had. He prefered to lay low for a while, until they tired. Perhaps they would realize the larger dragons were gone, and slow down, not anticipating a smaller, young night fury to pounce on them.

This ended up taking longer than the young Xasheski had thought it would. Darn, since when were deer this resilient? But after a while, the animals finally began to slow down. Smiling in victory, Xasheski would creep forward. He then launched himself forward, only for the deer he was targeting to see him too soon, and dart off. Snarling in frustration, Xasheski would chase after the pesky animal, spreading his wings, and flying after it. The young deer made a noise of fear, and continued. At this point, most of the deer had fled, so this was Xasheski’s one chance at a meal.

He would continue swooping after it, and, after a while, he managed to leap down, biting into its neck. The animal would struggle for a moment, before it finally fell limp, dead. The night fury nodded his head in triumph. He would pick the animal up by the neck, and look around. The area he was standing on was much rockier than where he had settled. He blinked cautiously. Had he wandered too far out of bounds?

Well, he couldn’t carry this thing all the way back home. So, he decided to walk over to a nearby tree, setting the deer down, and feasting on it there. He was also dreadfully unaware of how close he was to Vuari territory.

There had been a hunting group formed in the Vuari, and as per his usual helpful self, Shudaar did not show up with the group before they headed off, finding it too cold for his taste to go out on an early morning flight. Instead, he stayed in his nice warm nook against the mountain as the hunting party left, dozing for a few more minutes before stretching the cold out of his joints. With a few test flaps to get the blood flowing into his wings and shaking out his limbs to ensure warm blood flow, Shudaar crept out of his little crevice and went to the nice rock that was sheltered from the wind, but in direct sunlight and laid there, sunbathing a bit. He did not stay there for more than 30 minutes, as someone may ask why he wasn't hunting with the group. The good part about not really being integrated with the others of the tribe was that he could leave at a moments notice, and most wouldn't even look or wonder where he went.

Taking his time on the warmer rock, Shudaar stretched further, before stepping off the rock and into the air. The wind swirled around him as he descended, and only as he extended his wings out did the flow of air become aerodynamic, snapping his body forward and out of the dive. Being at such altitude the air was cold and bitter, biting at the membrane of his wings. Going down the mountain in circles, Shudaar observed the area below him, noticing the hunting party off in the distance. Making mental note to not interfere and stay away less he get lectured, he went off towards a rocky area with a freshwater spring nearby.

Feeling the ache in his wings from the sudden cold to warmth, Shudaar landed along the rocky ground... landed as in all parts of his body came into contact with the ground with much grace. A rock he did not quite see had caught his front right paw as he came down, throwing him all off balance and causing him to tumble. Shaking his head, he swore in Vuari as he rightened himself, patting dust off all the while in view of the tree with the other Nightfury as he went off towards the spring to dust off, unaware of his surroundings.

Quietly, Xasheski would eat. He took each bite very slowly, and cherished the flavor. With the way hunting had been lately, he wasn’t sure when the next time he would receive a good meal would be. He adored the sweet taste of the deer, and swallowed it with a satisfying purr in his throat. After not eating for some time, it was heavenly. Xasheski had managed to get himself into a nice position under the tree, so that he was comfortably concealed against its trunk, hidden by the shadows it’s branches casted. And for a moment, he would be in peace. He finished up about half of the deer when he was disturbed.

Xasheski’s ears would perk up, when he heard the sound of crunching leaves, and rocks being tumbled down the side of a nearby hill. His body instantly tensed up, his tail curling around his prey protectively, and trying to make himself smaller than he actually was. He would hear the sound of some birds chirp, startled, as a strange, black dragon came tumbling down. For a moment, Xasheski remained quiet, eying it from a distance. Then, it got up, shaking itself off.

The first thing that the young dragon noticed was that it was a night fury, like him! This caught him a bit off guard. Xash had never seen another dragon so similar to him, except for his mother. But regardless of what the dragon looked like, he would be wise to try to stay as unnoticed as possible. The second thing he noticed, which came as a relief, was the fact that the stranger hadn’t yet noticed him. He was downwind from him, and thus, his smell was coming Xash’s way. But with that smell activated a new alertness.

He had smelled that before. When he had been at that stream, that dragon whom had said he was king! Did that mean… this dragon was a Vuari? Xasheski would watch him wearily, as the other night fury remained seemingly oblivious to Xash, and walked off. Xasheski had never really interacted with any tribe dragons around here before. He had actually picked a pretty good spot to stay away from all that. But still, part of him was curious where the young dragon was going.

And then there was always the fact that Xash might be in tribal territory. If he was, he was screwed. He looked up. The dragon seemed to be going in the same direction he had came. Cautiously, Xash grabbed his half deer, and started in the direction the other dragon was going, doing his best to remain quiet, looking for any signs of something he recognized so he could head back to his own home.

Shudaar groaned, shaking himself off as he walked to get some of the dust off as he followed a rocky trail towards the spring. The gravel was somewhat loose, causing him to almost lose his footing as he headed towards his destination. There were only a few trees nearby the spring, and it wasn't a big spring, only about 40 feet in diameter. There was a moderate breeze blowing into his snout and flowing behind him as he moved. Gazing at the water, Shudaar realized he had not yet eaten, and would most likely need to go towards a larger water source to find fish to catch, or stumble across something on the way. Before that though, he wanted the dust off. Trotting down a small lip to the water, he got to the water's surface, touching it and shivering a bit. Cold, meaning most of this water was probably diluted from snowcaps. Letting out a sigh, Shudaar scooped up a pawful of water before splashing his face, feeling the cold sting of water hit his skin as it crept under his scales. An involuntary shiver rolled across his spine as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, debating how fun this was going to be, and if he should even bother. Taking in a deep breath. He leaped and jumped into the water, completely submerging. Not even a half second later, he burst from the water, landing on solid rock and shaking. "C-c-cold.... sh-should have just k-kept the dust...." he muttered to himself, shaking like a dog and spraying little ice cold droplets of water off his hide, before searching for a warm rock to sunbath on.

Xasheski would stay on Shudaar’s trail, watching him hesitantly, as the slightly larger night fury would walk towards a small lake. The tiny, black dragon felt the soft breeze brush up against his scales, and he shivered a bit. Man, it was colder over here than it had been in the woods, he thought to himself. Because he didn’t want to get spotted, he looked around the lake, and back in the woods. Maybe he would just manuever his way out of this situation. The night fury Vuari hadn’t seen him yet. Instead of doing the logical thing, Xasheski decided to sit within the trees, watching the other dragon.

From what he could smell, it didn’t seem like he was within Vuari borders anymore, since he didn’t smell anything else that smelled like the night fury. Xash watched as the other dragon would dive into the water, sending droplets flying everywhere, only to immediately get out again. This made him smile, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe he could say hi…..? The night fury shifted awkwardly. Or maybe he could just enjoy his food here? He contemplated what to do, still holding the half of a deer in his mouth.

After all, he had no idea what the temperament of this other dragon was. He could be aggressive, who knows. Xash just wanted to play it safe.

Still dripping wet, Shudaar looked up at the sky and the sun, figuring out where the sun would move, before looking down at the surrounding. He was looking for a spot that was going to be out in the sun, and would remain in the sun the longest. The first three rocks were no good, but a rock behind him seemed good enough, so he gently trotted over to it, before sitting down. Lifting a paw, he shamelessly began to groom the cold water off of his scales, not worried at being seen as he was alone after all. Settling down from his grooming, he lifted his nose to the air, catching the nice smells of the lake as the wind began to shift, most likely from the pressure differences and the ocean winds being messed with by the large mountains. Leaning down and lifting his tail into the air, Shudaar stretched his back like a house cat would, before settling down onto his stomach and curling his tail to the right of his body, gently resting the extended tailfin on the tip of his snout. Letting out a deep sight, he let the solar rays warm his hide and help dry him.

Xasheski would watch the other dragon with caution, his tail coiling around the tree he was hiding behind. He would dig his claws into the bark, mostly out of nerves. But, as he watched the other dragon begin to relax, he, too, would relax. Maybe it was just the calming scent of the nearby lake? The soothing, tranquil atmosphere? Whatever it was, the normally tense Xasheski, who probably should have left already, seeing as this dragon wasn't paying him any heed. If he was anywhere near tribe territory, being here could be dangerous.

But yet.....

He stayed.

For some odd reason, he stayed. He would observe as the dragon would walk over to a smooth rock, laying out in the sun, and splay himself over it. The dragon would then begin to groom himself, before stretching, and finally settling down for a nap. The calming nature of all this made Xasheski just want to go take a nap himself. He would finally manage to pull himself free from the tree, placing his paws on the ground, and thinking.

Maybe he could just walk out there, and act casual? This lake couldn't be under Vuari rule, could it? He would remain, hidden in the shadows, absolutely quiet. Then, Xash would shake his head. No, if he just played it cool, and strayed away from the other dragon, maybe he could just enjoy the lake without being disturbed? Or maybe, deep down, he wanted to be disturbed, and that was why he wasn't running off. Who knows....

Picking up what was left of his deer, Xash would awkwardly walk into the clearing near the lake, making his way to the crystal blue waters. He tried to avoid looking at the other dragon, and sort of walked a good distance away from him, should he decide to attack.

Breathing in deep, relaxed breaths, Shudaar enjoyed his warm rock sunbathing. The heat warmed his scales and blood in turn, a nice change from the freezing cold winds of the Vuari mountains. Taking in deep breaths, he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, with the nice scent of water mixing in with different flowers, trees, and herbs. His tailfin lightly waved back and forth with each deep breath that escaped his snout, the warm breath against his tail feeling good. Rolling onto his side, he lazily cracked an eye open, then froze as he noticed the other dragon. His alertness spiked as adrenaline shot through his veins, heart thumping hard in his chest. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he backed off the rock as thoughts shot through his mind. Was this a rogue? Would they attack him? He wasn't in Vuari territory per say, so it very much could be one.... As he was stepping back, a twig snapped just below him, specifically along his back right foot as he had not been paying attention to where he was walking.

Xash would calmly lay down, trying to ignore the fact that there was another dragon so close to him. A dragon that may or may not be hostile. For a moment, there was quiet, and Xash actually felt like he might be able to peacefully enjoy his meal. Gently, he would start ripping small strips of meat from the deer’s flank, enjoying its savory flavor. The way the meat melted in his mouth. It was scrumptious.

Meanwhile, Xash started to become distracted with his meal, so he didn’t happen to notice with Shudaar did spot him. He also didn’t notice how the other night fury sort of leaped off the rock, eyeing the rogue just as cautiously as Xash had been eyeing him a few moments before. Had it not been for the twig, Xash might not have noticed him slowly attempting to leave.

When he heard the soft snapping of the twig, Xasheski looked up from his meal, a bit of blood dripping from his chin from the deer. He blinked. The night fury seemed on edge. This, in turn, caused the smaller, younger night fury to tense up. Hesitantly, without getting up, Xash would call over to Shudaar, “A-ah, don’t worry. I-I’m just here to relax, not cause trouble,” he explained, hoping that would sooth both their nerves.

Hearing the sound of a twig crack under his foot caused a feeling of dread to shoot through his entire being. Shudaar froze, staring at Xasheski, his fear coming true. The look on Xash's face was terrifying, seeing blood drip from his maw as he was eating flesh. His own ear fins flexed backward, going flush with his skull as he watched the other night fury, the scales on his back rising. The other night fury, male judging from his voice, even if it was warbled. The night fury seemed to not want any trouble... but he was in rogue lands. There would be no help if this dragon was hostile from the Vuari. He did not seem hostile.... but not every dragon was what they seemed. Gulping, he slowly worked his jaw to speak, adrenaline still spiking through his bloodstream. "Ah... I d-did not know other came to fre-equent the area. Just came here for... some rest and relaxation. If th-this is your h-home, I a-apologize, I will l-leave. " Taking a few steps backward, he kept his eyes focused on Xash, wings slightly spread in case he had to take off in a hurry.

Xash was a bit confused. He had never had other dragons be scared of him before. Usually it was him being afraid of someone else. He awkwardly averted his gaze from the night fury, swallowing. He didn’t look scary, did he? Sure, he had been eating, and there was probably blood on his face, but wasn’t that how all dragons looked while they ate. Feeling self conscious, he would gently place a paw to his snout, wiping some of the blood away, before moving into an upright sitting position, turning back to Shudaar.

“A-ah, no. I don’t usually come this far north. T-things have been w-weird down where I live… Y-you can stay, if you want…” he said, almost sounding apologetic. He didn’t want to ruin this dragon’s chance to relax… and he seemed like an okay dragon. But then again, Xash wasn’t a very good tell of character...

Shudaar's eyes narrowed at the other nightfury, trying, and failing, to read his intentions. The dragon must have snuck up on him while he was resting, and seeing how little the sun moved, it must have been right as he dozed that this dragon moved on him. But then again... if they wanted to, he could have just taken himself out without the bother of a fight, less he was looking for one... but his build said otherwise. Still gazing at Xash with scrutiny, he slowly moved forward to go back on his rock, laying down slowly while facing the dragon.

"So... you are not in a tribe? You don't look like one of those barbaric Ki'sha...
and... I haven't seen another one of my species in ... well.... long time." Slowly crossing his front paws over one another, he blinked, watching what Xash would do. He was still tense... nervous... social contact was hard for him, and with a stranger that snuck up and spooked him made it all the more a nervous situation.

It was quite a curious sight indeed, seeing the dragon that obviously looked older than him being so cautious. Xash was only about 10 to 11 years old. In all honesty, he had lost count. Not to mention, the small night fury was about a whole two feet smaller than the stranger was. He would continue to eye him cautiously. After a bit of hesitation, the night fury would perk his head up, and begin questioning Xash. Part of Xash was relieved, but another part of him was nervous. He disliked interrogations. Though judging from the stranger’s questions, he seemed more intent on figuring out if Xash was friend or foe.

Xash was visibly taken aback at the very idea he might be Ki’sha. He swallowed nervously, quickly shaking his head, “N-no, I’m not from a tribe, and I’m c-certainly no K-Ki’sha…..” he’d explain. He’d curl his tail softly around his body, relaxing himself. Though, he was still on guard. This dragon was bigger that he was, after all….

“I-I was just looking for a nice place to eat, t-that’s all. I saw t-this lake and I thought it would be a good place to relax…” he said, his anxiousness easing away slowly.

Even though the other night fury was smaller than he was, and the same species, Shudaar was no fighter and he did not want a confrontation. Part of him wanted to get up and leave right then and there, but the other part of him was very interested In the dragon, it was his own species after all. The more he watched Xash, the more he noticed how shy Xash was, which was similar to himself. Funny, both nightfuries and scardy cats of one another. With the stuttering response from Xash, a smile fell on shudaar's face. Good, no Ki'Sha war freak. "well... this lake is a pretty place... fresh glacier water from the mountains runs off here. Crisp and clean.". Slowly getting to his feet, he walked towards Xash shyly, "um... so,... what is erm... your name? I-I'm Sh-Shudaar.". He would get as close as he could without Xash freaking out, before plopping on his belly, facing Xash. His paws would be straight in line with his body, head perked and ears relaxed. If he got close enough, he would lay next to Xash instead.

It would relieve Xasheski quite a lot as he noticed the other dragon seemed to be relaxing. The way he watched his shoulders begin to loosen up, his eyes dilate, and his ears perk a bit was evidence enough that the smaller night fury was getting to him, even if it was a slow, meandering process. Both parties seemed cautious enough of each other, and this fact alone was probably the only reason Xasheski was being more social than usual. If the dragon had been territorial or extroverted, he likely wouldn't have made the same effort he was making now.

The dragon began to approach a bit more, reaching up to a certain point away from Xash, before flopping down onto his belly, staring over at him. Xash blinked curiously, his tail flicking. The dragon mentioned how clean and crisp the water was, and he couldn't help but smile. The water had been quite good, he wouldn't lie. Mountain water seemed to have that effect, as compared to still lake water, or swamp and marshland water.

"My name is Xasheski," he replied, when asked what his name was. So, this dragon was named Shudaar? That was a nice name, "It's nice to meet you. S-say,
if you don't mind me asking...... are you from a tribe?" Xasheski asked quietly. He didn't want to sound rude or anything, he was just curious.