Tribe Life? [Private Hyruu/Fate]

Xasheski was trailing through the woods, his head hung low, his steps slow and labored. Man, hunting had just not been going well for him. Not to mention the temperatures had skyrocketed. It had to be at least 90 degrees out right now, and Xash didn’t even live that far down south. He actually lived kind of close to the mountains. Maybe the heat was to blame for the disappearance of so many prey animals? The night fury couldn’t guess, and he didn’t really care. He just wanted food, he thought, with an annoyed sigh.

A thought had occurred to him, though, while he had been out flying. The last time he had been searching for food, he had found a herd of deer farther up north, closer to the Etcan mountains. So maybe, if her flew up farther north to a more alpine forest, he’d be able to find some food again. Of course, this was also a warrant for caution. Two very large tribes lived up north, the Kaamil, and the Vuari. Xasheski had no idea how they treated intruders, so the small night fury would simply try to stay out of their way as long as possible, avoiding their territory markers as best he could.

Groaning a bit, the small night fury would spread his wings, looking up at the sky. It appeared to be just around noon, or just before noon, judging on where the sun was positioned. With a quick stretch, spreading his legs and wings out to help loosen his muscles, the young black dragon would launch himself into the sky. At first, flying was a bit awkward, due to his hunger, but after a while, he started to get the hang of it. He would swiftly soar through the sky, twisting and turning, enjoying the air as it would begin to bite his scales, as he would approach colder climates.

After a while of flying, Xash would spot some pine trees. The temperature had dropped to a good 70 degrees, so it was more enjoyable. He would start to fly over the forest, scanning the ground for any prey items. He was pretty sure he wasn’t in Vuari territory, as he could still only see the Etcan mountains in the distance, but he had to keep his guard up. If he smelled anything unfamiliar, at least if it was another dragon’s territory, then he would instantly turn back. He was too hungry for a fight, after all.

Hyruu spread his wings, and with a small leap took flight. The grey dragon hadn't been lucky with his hunt as for now. It seemed the preys prefered staying further down the mountain at the moment... It was a rather worrying fact considering it was summer, and the moment preys were usually there. Hopefully Hyruu could get lower in the mountains without needing any breathing aid, unlike most other Vuari.
Without really thinking about it his fur took the exact same blue as the sky above him, making the furred dragon nearly invisible. Maybe if he was lucky he'd be able to dive on a prey unnoticed. There was no such thing as too easy preys after all. And so he started to glide lower down the mountains.
But soon he spotted another form in the air, too big to be a bird. A dragon! There was someone flying at a lower altitude than himself was. The camouflaged dragon decided to remain hidden, continuing to fly way above the other dragon. Before doing any action he'd like to know why that dragon was taking risks...

Xasheski would continue his flight, soaring over the trees. The young dragon remained oblivious, even as the camouflaged dragon above him would approach, watching the small night fury’s movements. Xash would continue in blissful ignorance, swooping over the trees, tasting the air. He was still trying to locate a good meal. Perhaps that herd of deer was still around? Maybe? Probably not. They had likely migrated already….

But it seemed like not all of Xash’s luck had worn thin. Just a few miles away, in a grassland outside of the forested area, he spotted big, brown blobs. As he grew closer, he realized they were a mix of bison and wild horses. His eyes widened. If he could bring down one of those, he’d be good for the next month! Give or take a few.

The small dragon would swoop down to the ground, landing as quietly as possible. Considering he was black as night, he would swoop to the outskirts of the forest, before he entered the grassland. He eyed the animals cautiously. Due to his small size, he might have trouble taking down a bison. Sure, he could use his plasma blast, but it might just be more work than it’s worth.

His gaze drifted over to the wild horses. Perhaps one of them would do. But how would he creep over there without being spotted? He was pitch black, after all, and it was early afternoon, with the sun still high in the sky.

Hyruu quietly flew over the small dragon, following his movements. At first the grey dragon was cautious and on the edge. Who was this dragon, and what was he doing so close from the Vuaris? But as he continued to watch the other dragon, he became a bit more reassured. His suspicions got confirmed as Xavier dove toward a nearby forest, near a herd of preys. That was just a dragon needing some food and hunting higher than usual. This was nothing Hyruu needed to act against. They were still fairly low down the mountains, so not quite in the Vuari territory yet, and not many dragons would hunt in these parts. Most because they didn't want to draw the Vuari's attention, and the Vuari's themselves as it was too low for them to descend confortably with the increase of air pressure.

The grey dragon decided to follow Xavier, diving while remaining invisible. He chose the other side of the clearance, hiding among the bushes and waiting for the rogue to make a move. He was curious as to how he would try to hunt, and maybe his move would let him catch one of those preys...

Xasheski would watch the wild horses with an intent look on his face, shaking his hind side a bit in anticipation. He was painfully aware that in order to get them, he would need to get closer. But they were so far out in the grassland, and he was so noticeable, he would need to go fast. He would remain completely silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on them intently. He wanted to wait for the right moment, when they got just a little closer. His eyes were slit now, similar to a cat. He was watching one horse in particular, which was starting to get a little closer to where he was hiding. Just a little closer....

Suddenly, the horse's head darted up, its ears perked. Xash knew it was now or never. With great stealth, the night fury burst forth from the trees. He couldn't help but let out a roar, hoping to startle the horse enough to make it freeze in terror. This didn't work, and the horse took off. Xash, of course, followed, taking to the air, as he was much faster in the air than on paws.

He had the horse in sight, and was gaining on it. As fast as horses were, they weren't faster than a night fury in flight. He would roar, diving, and leaping onto its back, digging his claws in. The animal let out a whinny of pain, collapsing to the ground from the force. The attention had startled some of the surrounding horses, sending them running to the opposite side of the clearing, which happened to be right where Hyruu was. The bison seemed a bit startled, and would also make their way away from the dragon, heading instead down the hillside, to lower elevations. Xash, however, was happy for the time being.

That was, until one of the startled bison came rushing right towards him in a blind stampede. Xash yelped, barely ducking out of the way. He shot a blast of plasma energy at the bison stampede, though he only succeeded in getting them to not run him over.

Once the bison had ran off, the dragon limped back over to his prey, collapsing by the horse's side, and getting some much deserved food. He still had not yet seen Hyruu. Xash would have taken his food back to the forest brush, but his leg had been wounded from the stampede, so he'd rather just sit and rest for a moment.

Or perhaps the injury was the reason he should focus more on getting back to the forest...

Hyruu continued to watch the horses, alert of any movement they would make. Visibly as for now the rogue hadn't acted and didn't alarm the herd of horses either. The grey dragon scanned the bushes, trying to spot where he would be, but to no avail. At the distance he was at and the density of the bushes it was almost impossible to spot someone else, and if he did then the horses would have spotted him too. No, the rogue was patient and waiting for the right moment to strike.

A loud roar made his head perk, instantly turning toward the direction it came from. The rogue had finally chosen to act and was aiming at one of the horses that strayed away from the others. Good move, even though the roar was discutable to say the least. And to make things perfect the other horses were heading straight in his direction.

Hyruu waited for the horses to come closer, almost letting them reach the bush he was in. It was only at the last moment that he pounced out of hiding, straight into one of the fleeing preys. His target didn't even have the time to slow down that the furred dragon was biting its throat, killing it on the spot. Has he been with more dragons around he would have chased another, but he knew one was all he needed and could cary back to the Tribe.

However another noise drew his attention when he was done. He instantly crouched in the grass, his fur turning light green to match it, as the stampede made its way through the clearing. The Vuari couldn't help the rogue with that, and considering the yelps he heard it had been much too close for the other dragon's liking.

And then as sudden as it started the stampede went away, leaving the clearance in a relative silence. Hyruu remained crouched a bit longer, slightly cautious of the rogue's actions, but visibly the other dragon was merely enjoying the meal he hunted. Hyruu just couldn't help noticing his wounded leg with a smirk. Considering the way he had limped back to the prey that was serious. And considering how close the two were right now, maybe it was better for the Vuari to reveal himself.

Hyruu stood up, his fur regaining its usual grey color. He calmly headed toward the rogue, not showing any aggressivity in his stance.
"Your leg. How bad is it?" he merely asked for the moment, in a perfectly fluent common language.

Xash was beginning to debate heading back to the underbrush, where he wouldn’t be out in the open for a potential attack, when he began to hear the footsteps of an approaching dragon. Consider they were out in the grassland, Xasheski spotted the dragon before he had a chance to speak, but also it was close enough so that the injured night fury wouldn’t be able to get away. The dragon was about three times taller than Xasheski, and considering Xash was laying down, it made him look even bigger. The dragon instinctively scrunched up, staring up wide eyed at the stranger.

And judging from the smell, this dragon wasn’t a rogue.

But oddly enough, the dragon didn’t seem to appear threatening or anything like that. Rather, he looked calm, though his fur was standing on edge. Huh, dragons with fur. Xash couldn’t say he’d seen a whole lot of that. Back on Shveki and Verula, fur hadn’t exactly been something anyone needed, especially not on Verula; too hot, after all. But maybe since the climate up north was so much colder he’d see more dragons with fur. Strange…

“U-uh, hi….” Xash would reply awkwardly, shifting in such a way to pull the downed horse closer to him. He looked back at his leg hesitantly, flicking one of the frill like appendages on the side of his head, much like an animal would flick their ear. His wound was bleeding a bit, now that he looked at it. He turned back to the stranger, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s, um… well I can move it,” Xash explained, looking back at it once more. At least it wasn’t broken, which was good. He wasn’t sure how he would have fixed a broken leg, “B-but it hurts to put pressure on it…..” the dragon wasn’t sure if he should be saying this to a stranger. Well, he couldn’t keep calling him stranger. That would get tiresome real fast.

“So, um, w-who are you?” Xash asked, trying to take attention away from his injury, not yet sure if this dragon was friend or foe...

The first thing Hyruu noticed about the new dragon was how fearful he seemed to be. Clearly he was evaluating his ways out in case Hyruu was hostile, and trying to judge how well his wounded paw would hold if he needed to use it. About three times smaller than himself - which was unusual, considering Hyruu was on the rather short end of the size spectrum - the black dragon showed some quite unusual frame. Clearly built for flight and agility.
But right now it wasn't what was preoccupying Hyruu the most, especially seeing how the small dragon was putting himself in a state of inferiority.
"My name's Hyruu. Let's keep the formalities for after we've dealt with this wound. Let me see your leg." he just replied.
The grey dragon sat next to the small dragon and grabbed his leg, inspecting it with a careful look. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight of it. The wound was deeper than it first appeared, not enough to make it dangerous but enough to slow down the healing by quite a bit. But the most worrying point was that it was really dirty. That wound was bound to get infected without any treatment.
With a movement of his shoulders he exposed a satchel that was hidden within his fur, and grabbed some ointment and bandages from it.
"That wound will get infected if you don't treat it. Thankfully I have the right ointment for that. It might hurt a bit..." he warned.
With precise movements Hyruu applied the ointment on the wound, trying to not hurt the other dragon in the process. If he recalled well that ointment also was supposed to numb the pain, so at least it would make the other dragon feel better. Hyruu bandaged the wound once he was done, quickly inspecting his work. That should do it.
"There. That should heal nicely now. Just try not to force that much on your paw for a good week though." the grey dragon instructed.
With a sigh he flopped not too far from the rogue, resting his paws after the hunt.
"I already saw you before, no? Weren't you there when that black smoke arrived?" Hyruu wondered.

At first, Xasheski remained a bit cautious as the dragon approached, examining his injury. He didn’t like how exposed he was. As a rogue, he was use to solitude, and usually got himself out of his own problems. That being said, he had never been run over by a bison before. He never usually hunted this far up north, or where the big beasts lived, and there weren’t any bison back on Shveki, and certainly there were none on Verula. It would probably be way too hot for them there, knowing how hot the desert could get.

He would nod his head when the dragon told him his name, and asked to see his leg. It seemed like this dragon wanted to help, but he was still weary. Still, even as the dragon began to lift up his leg, Xasheski had an odd feeling he’d seen him before. But the question was, where had he seen him? He decided to try to ignore this for now, and focus on the dragon in front of him.

The dragon would pull out a satchel, and take out some ointment. Xasheski braced himself when he explained that it might hurt a bit. He bit his lower lip a bit as he began to feel a soft burning in his lower leg. As the numbing began to take effect, this pain would wear off. Then, the fluffy Hyruu would bandage the wound up. Xash was a bit surprised, seeing how prepared Hyruu had been. Was this a medicine dragon? He had to be, or at least an apprentice….

After his leg had been bandaged up, Xasheski pulled himself into a more comfortable position, gazing up at the dragon appreciatively. “Thank you…” he said. He was surprised the dragon was being so nice. He’d make sure not to apply too much pressure to that. Quietly, Xash wondered what to do, holding his caught meal in his paws, when the dragon spoke up again, mentioning seeing him when the black smoke came.

Suddenly, it all came together. Xash blinked, “O-oh, yeah! I did see you….” he commented awkwardly, “That fog sure did spread pretty far. I saw it heading up towards the mountains…”

Hyruu nodded at Xasheski's comment, keeping an eye on his own prey. He wasn't particularly weary, just making sure nothing would try to get a piece of it while he wasn't looking. Few creatures were bold enough to dare approach dragons from that close though... And a few of them would make excellent additions to the hunting loot.
The grey dragon stretched his paws, relaxing a bit after everything. It had been a long hunt, and resting felt extremely nice. Especially considering he would have to bring that prey back up to the rest of the Tribe...
"Yeah it really went quite high. Thankfully for us it was right above the peaks, and not at the same height. That would have been a catastrophe for the whole Tribe... The strong winds helped scatter the ashes before they could do any real damage, so we were good." he sighed, stretching his shoulders.
"Now that your wound it taken care of though, I didn't ask for your name." he enquired.
One thing Xasheski would notice is that Hyruu was really fluent in common language. Most Tribe dragons had small hesitations, but not Hyruu.

Xash nodded at Hyruu’s words, as he explained what had happened. It had only been like, a week or two since the black smog had appeared. It had been quite strange, really. The smoke had seemed to come in like a pack of wild dogs, coating the sky. It had been hot to the touch, but only for the first day or so. Then, like a phantom, it had seemed to vanish. But the strange heat and smell had still thickly coated the air. But things had certainly been strange since that smoke had arrived. He was sort of happy to hear the stranger hadn’t been affected, even though he didn’t know him very well…

He blinked when he was made aware that the dragon didn’t actually know his name. This made Xash blush a bit out of awkwardness. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! Gosh, so rude of me I know your name but you don’t know mine!” he said, chuckling nervously, “Uh, my name’s Xasheski, but you can call me Xash. I’m very glad to have r-run into you…. Y-you seem very well versed in medicine….” he added, eying the fluffy dragon’s satchel.

It didn’t really occur much to Xasheski that the dragon was so fluent in universal. Xash himself was pretty fluent in it, though that had come from circumstance. Though, he was usually more comfortable in his native language...

Hyruu smiled warmly at the smaller dragon, listening to his name. Xasheski... He had visited may Tribes in his life, actually all of them, but that kind of name was not feeling like one of the continent's Tribes. It reminded him of some Ki'sha names, or something like that. Maybe Xoyan.
The grey dragon had a smile, almost chuckling as the other dragon blushed and apologized for not having introduced himself.
"Don't worry about that. I was the one that interrupted you when you stated engaging the conversation. I just didn't want to start the introductions with you still wounded." he reassured the other dragon.
When Xasheski mentioned him being well versed in the arts of healing, he couldn't help but leave out a small laugh.
"Oh, not exactly. It's just that my mate is an Emara, one of the Tribe healers. And so she taught me the basics and won't let me go out without carrying medical supplies for almost all possible accidents, just in case. You know how dragonesses can be..." he chuckled.
The grey dragon thought again about that small dragon's name. What could bring him so far from his home continent?
"But tell me, how come you are here? I mean, judging by your name and appearance you have Xoyans origins, if I'm not mistaken. It's quite a distance from here to the Xoyan territory..." he wondered.

Hearing Hyruu's relaxing tone seemed to help Xasheski relax, but he was still weary. Then again, if the stranger had wanted him dead, he could have done it instead of helping to heal the young night fury. It wasn't like Xash would have been very capable of flight. Or, rather, he probably wouldn't have been able to get himself up in time to be able to flee. But that wasn't important now. Now he had his leg bandaged, and he was talking with this nice stranger.

Man, the strangers on Layrian were certainly better than back on Shveki.

Xasheski nodded intently at Hyruu, chuckling a bit, "Ah, of c-course..." he said. He would be brought to confusion when Hyruu started chuckling after he asked the question about him being a medicine dragon. Once Hyruu elaborated, he'd nod understandingly, smiling a bit. Though, he tried to dip his head so Ruu wouldn't see his smile. He'd let out a quiet, absent "Yeah... sure do...", unaware he had accidentally said that in Xoyan.

All of Xash's relaxation went down the drain, however, when Hyruu mentioned Xoya. Xasheski tensed up, his eyes narrow. "X-xoyan territory? N-no, I-I don't h-have Xoyan origins!" he said quickly, and perhaps a bit too defensively, as well. The very thought of the Xoya sent chills down his spine. Shaking his head quickly, he's attempt to change the subject.

"So, uh, you! You have a mate, right? What's that like?" he'd ask, folding his arms to make him look innocent, staring up at Hyruu with large eyes.

Hyruu couldn't help but smile wider when he saw Xash trying to hide his own smile. Hehe, could the little dragon have a lover in sight? He was only half surprised to hear him mutter his answer in his native tongue. Definitely a lover. And also definitely Xoyan. He didn't know much of the tongue, but there was a few distincts traits he picked up in Xash's words.
However Hyruu's smile faded when all of the sudden Xasheski panicked. His panic was so obvious it meant he hit bullseye, but something was seeming to worry the smaller dragon. Opening his maw, he was about to ask for more details before stopping himself. Not only was it probable he wouldn't get more answers from the small dragon, but on top of that it wasn't his job to remind him of whatever events were enough to startle Xasheski like that. So he decided to play his game and switch topics.
"Oh, that... Well, it's... Kind of hard to describe. It arrives suddenly and without warning, and the next thing you know you live with your love and get ready for hatchlings. But... Wouldn't you be pulling a bit my leg there? That smile you got earlier, you don't happen to have a lover don't you?" he teased the smaller dragon.

The smaller night fury seemed to calm down once Hyruu agreed to join his dance. He was glad that the Vuari didn’t seem to want to pry any further. Xasheski wasn’t really all that good at lying. It was pretty easy to tell a lie from a truth when you were talking to him. He thought briefly about Hyruu’s comment about dragonesses, and winced. Maybe he had accidentally spoken Xoyan, and that’s how the question had come up. Regardless, that was over now, and hopefully they could move on to more pleasant topics.

The dragon would talk about his mate, mentioning hatchlings and the like, before he turned and mentioned Xasheski’s smile. Xasheski blinked a bit, her face turning a bit red at the mention of a lover, “A-ah! No, no, I’m far to young to have a lover like that…” he said distantly. Though, his calmer attitude became a little more droopy, as he looked away.

“A-actually, I was thinking about my mom….” he said distantly. Well, he guessed he wouldn’t be able to avoid unpleasant topics with this dragon, what was that all about?