What The Heck (Priv/Ayato)

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It was.. Hot. Hotter then she expected. Or maybe that was just her Ice Wyvern blood talking. The humid heat was washing over her like a wave over sand, heating her till she was at boiling point. At any moment, Athena half expected to burst into flames. She wouldn't be surprised, considering her luck.


Her feathers were damp with sweat, leaning over each other to press against her back, their once bright cyan colour reduced to a dark blue. Her breaths no longer came out in misty white clouds, no, the air she was breathing out was warm too. Great. The wind brought no cold, and the sand that was swept up from the ground stung her eyes like a thousand bees. Why? You're probably asking. Why, in the name of the Gods, is she out here?

Curiosity.

Yes, it was curiosity that led Athena to the borders of the Ki'Sha. She was wandering along one of their edges, wondering how savagely she would be torn apart of she so much as stepped into their lands. The Ki'Sha weren't like their peace loving neighbors, the Stormcallers, but they weren't very nice either. It was a hard life, only the strongest survived.

Funny, that was rather appealing to her.


If one had looked, they would, have seen a white Wyvern, sticking out like a sore thumb against the sandy dunes, looking rather weakened from the heat, staring into the territory of the Ki'Sha as she paced their borders. A rather strange sight, one might say.

The urge to mess up Ayato's face was written in every inch of Athena's expression, as clear as ink against parchment. Realising her control may or may not snap soon--regardless of the presence of Ki'Sha's strict rules--he shot her one last amused glance before turning to the others, sparing her the pain of having to control herself any further.



Much to his dismay, Athena's laugh stopped, and he looked up at her. There he found his answer. Cheeks dusted a faint red, Athena was demanding to know why everyone was staring at her, and he shook his head. He spoke for all of them, for Tophi who wouldn't stop laughing and Ventarros too busy with his act. Ventarros, who was spewing a stream of cries and grumbles and all sorts of weird noises. Even the coldest assassin would be laughing, with this a burly male reduced to such indignities. "No, it's just that you don't laugh or smile often, and it's nice when you do." He said honestly, feeling like Larkum's "Nothing" was barely sufficient to set Athena's heart at ease.

Speaking of which. Why was Larkum looking at him like that? Staring hard at her with his eyes narrowed, he dared her to hold his stare, his claws tapping impatiently against the ground. What was up with everyone today? Why had he suddenly become something to giggle at? Was his scarf crooked? Unable to help it, he glanced down at his scarf. Perfectly fine. He shifted uneasily, the motion causing his back wound to stretch, and he bit back a hiss. White glinted between his parted lips, the only sign he was ever in pain.

He watched Ventarros sympathetically, shaking his head a bit. Perking when Amalyn's name was called, he flicked an eye ridge up. This would be interesting... Especially since she chose a dare. Ventarros's voice, muffled, came through his wings: "Declare in a high pitched voice alllll the reasons why you love your mate. DON'T SAY YOU WANT TO KILL HIM, HER, OR ANYTHING. I know you probably don't have one, but pretend that you do."

Athena started tensing up to lunge for the twins when a certain Aliugaan opened this mouth. Her head turned to glower at Ayato as he began to speak, readying for some smart aleck remark that would result in the removal of Ayato's teeth. Instead, he... Complimented her. She stared at him, arching a brow slightly. Her belly gave a funny twist, not an unpleasant one.

"Uh... " unsure of how to respond, she lowered her head almost bashfully, not meeting his eyes. "Thank you I guess." Her tail twitched with embarrassment. MY laugh is nice? she hadn't been amused often enough in her life to judge her own laughter. Still, hearing Ayato say something NICE was a surprising change. A nice one.

Shifting awkwardly, Athena turned her head towards Ventarros, not making eye contact with anyone. She eyed Ayato out of the corner of her eye.

Larkum quickly looked away at her superior's cold gaze, but a smile still lingered on her face. She returned her attention to her brother, giggling at his amusement. "You okay there?" she asked him, laughing at his wheezing.


Athena was still pondering Ayato's words (surprised sd she was) when she noticed his lip curl back slightly as he moved his body weight. "You alright?" she asked him quietly, unsure if she was asking out of curiosity or out of genuine concern.


Amalyn hissed like a cobra at Ventarros' dare. She gave him a look that he could probably feel through his wings and sighed,clearing her throat. Just get it over with. She gave Larkum a sharp look as the latter began to snigger. Larkum quickly shut up.

The dark purple dragoness counted to three inside her head. I don't have a mate! What does romantic love feel like? What kind of mate would I even want?! For some reason, her eyes darted to Ventarros out of their own free will.

"I love my mate soooo much!" she cried in a high pitched voice. Larkum giggled and received a glare for the noise.
"He's so unassuming, patient and wise!" Amalyn was blushing but thankfully her dark scales concealed the colour. "He's soooo big and strong!" she added as an afterthought.

Athena arched a brow. She glanced at Ventarros, then looked at Ayato and gave him a look that said: you thinking what I'm thinking?

While the glowering look was something he could do without, he understood why Athena's initial reaction would be so hostile. After all, nine out of ten things Ayato said were totally unhelpful remarks aimed to tease or provoke, but this time, his tongue said sweet words, and he had the enjoyment of watching her seem embarrassed--for the first time since they'd met, too.

He shrugged, and replied almost indifferently, "It's just the truth. I'm sure everyone else agrees." Of course they couldn't, under the expectant look Ayato passed each of them when Athena's head was still lowered. There was a murmur of agreement. Even though it was under the weight of Ayato's gaze, they genuinely agreed.

Wisely, Larkum averted her gaze, and Ayato turned to Ventarros, who was a sorry heap on the ground. He could hear Tophi managing a "P-p-priceless!" through his seemingly unending snickers, something that he privately agreed with, but decided not to voice to avoid embarrassing Ventarros further. Tophi's snickers died down eventually, but started anew at Ventarros's dare.

He nodded once to Athena, taking advantage of Tophi's laughter to mutter, "It's just a small wound, never mind it." Ayato dismissed this partly because he didn't wish for the Ugaans to worry about him... But also because he saw something far more interesting than his wound (not that it ever was, anyway). Not the sharp look Larkum received, but rather how Amalyn glanced at Ventarros before starting her act.

Ayato was smiling broadly by the end of it, and leaning towards Athena, whispered, "Isn't she just describing Ventarros?" Who looked up, not laughing but rather staring at Amalyn in a sort of queer manner. Then he relaxed and began laughing with Tophi, who was a bundle rolling around on the ground.

Athena only grew more flustered when everyone else AGREED with him. Her feathers lowered, pressing flat against her back as her ear drooped. "Shut up," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth at him.

"Tophi, control yourself or you'll pass out," she chuckled, watching as her comrade struggled to breathe. Her eyes glimmered with fondness for the smaller male. She admitted, the twins had her charmed, even if they annoyed her with their whispering and giggling. The team seemed much more relaxed, as if they'd known each other for years.

The smile disappeared from her face when Ayato responded to her. "Alright. Don't let sand into it." An infection would make things five times worse. She'd found that out the hard way. Still, knowing Ayato probably didn't want to discuss his pain, she dropped the subject and left him alone.

Athena noticed the glance too, as subtle as it was. She extended her ear towards Ayato as he leaned in, quietly chuckling. "Yeah." She'd had a funny feeling about those two from the start. "It's cute."

Amalyn met Ventarros' eyes, concealing her emotions behind a smug smirk. "Are you satisfied now?" she asked him,before looking at Tophi. "Tophi, truth or dare?" she glanced at Athena, and the latter knew she was going to give him an awful dare if he picked it. Revenge for laughing so hard at our expense.

If Tophi picked truth, Amalyn would deflate slightly, but would shrug and say, "What's the most embark thing your sister caught you doing?"

If he picked dare, oho. Amalyn would give him an evil smile.

"I dare you to steal Ayato's scarf and run off with it."

The smirk returned, feeling more like an old friend than anything else. "I didn't know the great Athena who can fend off multiple opponents in a fight can't handle a compliment. Alright, I'll back off..." he said, a teasing note entering his voice. Then he couldn't help but add, "It's true, though. It's nice to hear you laugh."

What Athena said to Tophi only confirmed his earlier guess. Athena really was a softie--and had already warmed up to the other Ugaans. Even without looking at her, Ayato could tell that she was feeling fond towards Tophi, despite the smaller male having spent a good few minutes giggling at her. It was all working out well, he thought with a small smile. These kinds of bonds would help with their teamwork immeasurably, and they would be able to smoothly carry out tasks together. As their... teacher, of sorts, he was happy to watch them grow. But that's what he was--only their teacher. He couldn't help but feel distant and separated, and gave a quiet sigh.

He stared at Athena, and said with a tinge of amusement in his voice, "It's bandaged. How in Nuira will it get in?" Snorting, he turned away, silently glad that Athena understood that he didn't want to discuss his wound. The next minute, he was once more speaking to Athena, though of different matters. "Do you think they'll ever get together?" It would be interesting if they did, and a joyful occasion for the Ugaans to celebrate.

Tophi sighed, meanwhile, knowing that his demise would soon descend upon him. He deliberated between truth or dare... On one claw, Ayato had picked the former, so it was fine, right? On the other claw... If he picked truth, he would be the only Ugaan in his group to pick "truth", and would definitely be teased for ages afterwards. Knowing Larkum, she would pick truth if he did to share his pain, but he couldn't make her suffer through that because of his cowardice!

Realising that everyone was waiting, he sighed and picked dare, with no shortage of reluctance in his voice. "I, ah, don't think that's wise," he said haltingly upon hearing what he was to do, glancing repeatedly at Ayato. This was possibly life-threatening. Ayato loved his scarf, and to snatch it off him? Aha...ha... haha... He inched towards Ayato, and yelled, pointing at the sky, "Wait a minute, is that Aliugaan Yk'skez? What's he doing here? Is it a sudden test?" Everyone feared the tests. They came randomly and without warning, to catch you off guard and see how well you'd cope with the suddenness.

Hopefully everyone would look up. That was when he would dart over to Ayato, yank his scarf off, and scampered away. Why was the damn thing so hea- Oh! There were knives inside? Of all things... Aliugaan Ayato was never caught off-guard, it seemed. But he had to drop the knives or be caught early. Fumbling, he removed them and made towards the town.

Athena snarled at Ayato, releasing a cloud of mist from her mouth. She was about to retort with some very choice curses when he complimented her again. Her feathers stood on end as she fumbled for a response. Unable to find one, she grumbled and returned to watching the others, cheeks burning and heart racing.

She only grew more embarrassed when Ayato pointed out the obvious; the wound was bandaged. "Oh, just-" she stammered. "Just shut your mouth or I'll, I'll-" cutting herself off, she released a quiet growl, squirming.

She relaxed when the topic shifted. "I don't know," she responded quietly, giving a small shrug. She didn't know how Ventarros felt about Amalyn, who quite clearly liked him. "I hope it works out for them." She did wish the best for them if they did love each other, but she hoped they understood the risks. Loving someone in a tribe, in a lifestyle, like this meant waking up every morning wondering if the other is going to be still alive by the end of the day. It meant sleepless nights, horrific nightmares of being unable to protect the one you loved.

And fear. Fear of failing.

And for some, the fear of losing control.

She thought of Storm, thought about holding him dead in her wings, but the emotions that suddenly hurled themselves at her were so powerful she had to shut them out almost instantly. Her eyes flickered, darkened, for a moment. I brought him into this mess.

She shook her head slightly and focused on the pleasant present.

Athena had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she had missed Amalyn's dare. She only realised what it was when Tophi move towards Ayato. She glanced up at the sky, mainly to humour him, and watched as the sandy coloured dragon fled like hell from the scene, discarding several knives tucked away in the scarf.

Athena looked at Ayato, arching a brow. He certainly likes sharp objects. She waited for him to react, almost certain he was going to go nuts and attempt to maim poor Tophi.

Ayato waved away the cloud of mist that had accompanied Athena's snarl, completely unaffected by her anger. Instead he focused on the effects that his second compliment produced, and watched, with a widening smirk, how she sought words to reply with. In the end, unable to find any, she turned away, but not before Ayato glimpsed a faint tinge of red on her cheeks. He chuckled quietly. "Funny what a compliment can do to you," he remarked dryly, finding endless entertainment in her flustered state. Spotting Athena squirming, he took pity on her and shut up, though was unable to stop smirking.

"I do too," he agreed quietly. "I would be very happy for them. I'm not saying life in Ki'Sha is miserable, but moments of joy are few. It's a kill or be killed situation most of the time. Any semblance of security--that is not by violence--or some sort of inner warmth... That would be nice." A wistful tone crept into his voice.

The next moment, Ayato was roaring in outrage as his scarf was stolen right off him. His neck felt exposed, vulnerable. And uncomfortably light. Without the weight of his knives and the warmth of his scarf, he felt naked. His eyes widened at the audacity of Tophi to dump his carefully cleaned and polished knives onto the ground, and hissing in anger, sped after Tophi. Paused to pick up his knives, then chased after the Ugaan, little orbs of fire bursting at the heels of the chased. "Give that back, you dung-faced wretch!"

His anger only made Tophi run faster, the sands a blur over him. The heat licking at his ankles didn't help with his fear, and he didn't need to turn back to know Ayato was drawing closer. Was it too late to stop and plead mercy- Oof! Skidding to a halt, he spewed a thousand apologies to the Aliugaan towering over him, bowing his head. Ayato came to a halt next to Tophi, and frowned. "What is it?"

She regarded him with her cool, unperturbed gaze. "Numerous rogue attacks along the borders. We need all Aliugaan to report to the castle immediately to lay out a plan to deal with this problem." Ah. Taking his scarf from a suddenly submissive Tophi, he slid his knives back in and wound his scarf around his neck, before making towards the castle. Tophi scampered off, back to the tent. "I nearly lost my life, okay?" he yelped once he was back. "Aliugaan Ayato's really darn scary! Speaking of which... There was a mention of trouble brewing at our borders. Aliugaan Ayato was sent back to the castle to formulate a strategy with others."

Athena was warm all over, and not from the stifling heat from the sun. She shifted her weight from one side to the other, tail swishing slowly back and forth. She managed to beat back the blush on her cheeks by focusing on her environment; grains of sand wafting through the air, a cool breeze, everyone's hysterical laughter, Ayato- The blush returned, stronger this time. I hate that dragon. She avoided eye contact with him at his remark, angry he had discovered a verbal weakness of hers. Compliments always caught her off guard, mainly because she never expected to get them except perhaps regarding her fighting skills. Certainly not about her looks -because she knew she was rather hideous and intimidating with the scars marring her face- and most certainly not about something to do with her laugh.

The blood washed away from her snout once the topic shifted to Amalyn and Ventarros. Ayato's accurate description of the Ki'sha -"kill or be killed"- she wholeheartedly agreed with. It was a tough lifestyle, love was a rose that found it hard to blossom in the sands of this battle ravaged territory.

"Any semblance of security--that is not by violence--or some sort of inner warmth.. that would be nice," he continued, and she detected longing in his voice. Athena looked at him. Didn't take you for the type who wanted a more secure lifestyle, she thought, but she kept her opinion to herself. She just hummed in agreement. "It is nice, being able to take comfort in and feel secure with someone else." She thought of Storm and a tiny, fond smile appeared on her face.

The next second later, her superior was so enraged she was convinced he'd explode. She watched as Tophi broke into a sprint and Ayato gave chase, firing red hot orbs that exploded the ground at the poor boy's heels. Larkum gasped and ran after the pair in case Ayato tried to kill her brother.


Athena arched a brow at Amalyn. "That's a bit cruel," she commented. The dark purple dragoness shrugged.
"He'll live," she purred, watching through cat-like eyes as Tophi was pursued by Ayato, Larkum following close behind.

Larkum skidded to a stop too as Tophi knocked into the female Aliugaan, eyes widening as apprehension filled her gaze. Poor Tophi! she thought, seeing him trapped between two Aliugaans, one of which furious with him. Thankfully, Ayato didn't maim Tophi and instead took his scarf back, striding off towards the castle. Releasing a breath, Larkum walked back with Tophi, nudging him on occasion to comfort him with touch.



Once back, Larkum glared at Amalyn, something that made Athena arch a brow.
"He was almost mauled!" the small female cried, outrage in her face. Amalyn sighed, rolling her eyes.
"He's fine. I doubt Ayato would have slaughtered one of his best Ugaans over a childish game. If anyone's going to be berated, it's me," she huffed, a careless edge to her voice. Larkum drew herself to her full height and hissed indignantly. The air between the two females was suddenly unfriendly. Athena tensed, ready to intervene if a fight broke out, but Larkum took a deep breath and sat down, far away from Amalyn.

Amalyn arched a brow. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?" she asked. Athena's eyes narrowed. She couldn't help feeling a flare of... concern, for Ayato. Was it concern? Or just morbid curiosity? She looked in the direction of the castle, feathers standing on end.


"Is he being sent to fight?" she questioned, not adverting her eyes. Larkum looked at her and arched a brow.

"Why do you care?" the sandy female asked, a teasing glint in her eyes. Athena shifted her icy gaze to her.
"I don't care, I'm just curious," she said, a defensive edge creeping into her body language and voice. "There's a difference."
Larkum nodded sagely, but there was still a small smile on her face. "Suuuuure." Athena looked away, choosing not to respond.

Truly, her discomfort ran deeper than he'd thought. The small blush he'd glimpsed and found amusement in returned with a vengeance, standing out brightly against her pale cheeks; the intensity with which she blushed made him wonder something. Was she not complimented often? It seemed likely, given how flustered she was, evidently unaccustomed to such praise. True, there was nothing wondrously gorgeous about her scarred body, her ragged wings; but there was something in her determined, intelligent gaze and unbreakable will that was hard not to like.

If Ayato were honest, he would prefer her skill over beauty any day: A swift spinning whirlwind of teeth and claws in battle, Athena was deadly, and there was something lovely about tha- He cut off the thought. What the hell was he thinking? Was there something wrong with him? Disgruntled, he clenched his teeth and avoided eye contact too, trying to hide his discomfort as Athena was doing, but for completely different reasons.

Hearing his comment, Athena shot him a strange look. What was she looking at? he thought defensively, eyes narrowing. Was there something wrong to long for a sense of security? Didn't everyone want that, or was it just him? What exactly was she thinking, to smile like that? Ruffling his wings, he switched his attention to the other Ugaans. And found something to explode in anger at.

--

Sensing the tension between the two females, Tophi opened his maw to speak up, but Larkum drew away first. He went to her and patted his twin's shoulder, whispering, "Don't worry, it's all good, I promise. I'm unhurt. Like Amalyn said, Aliugaan Ayato wouldn't have killed me over a game. I'm one of the best Ugaans here, you know!" Tophi smiled proudly, then added, "Thanks for caring, though."

Ventarros had no time to wallow in humiliation as Tophi was chased by their enraged Aliugaan, then came back with news that not only worried him, but provoked an interesting reaction from Athena. He watched closely, and so did Tophi, but the words he uttered weren't teasing at all. "We'll have to wait and see," he said gravely, "but I'm sure our Aliugaan will be alright. He's very strong."

--

"And this concludes the end of our meeting. Return glorious," said the emotionless Elian, rolling up the scroll of Ki'Sha and tucking it into a hidden space underneath the table that only the Aliugaans and higher-ups knew of. The way she said it was as if Ayato and the rest were heading off to wage war, and not settle simple skirmishes. Not a single word was uttered as everyone hurried out of the room, and the air was full of wings of the Ki'Sha's Aliuugans as they headed to the places they were assigned to settle.

Ayato swept past the barracks that Athena and the rest were in, but didn't look down. Knives in his front paws, he zipped towards the borders of the Ki'Sha, alone to deal with a small band of five. All of them went alone; the numbers of rogues attacking were few. Ayato didn't think much of it as he sent arcs of flame sweeping towards the nearest rogue, neatly burning an "X" on their back and earning a screech of pain. A thin blast of flame hit between the eyes of one who turned to look at him, killing them instantly, and he spun in the air to avoid a bolt of lightning lancing towards his chest from the one who had an X burnt into her skin.

"DON'T KILL, DON'T KILL," screamed the female who'd used lightning, and Ayato glanced at her, confused, just as a blast of wind slammed him to the ground - or tried to. He dropped a few feet in the air, then rolled aside. The blast of wind was like something heavy thrown onto him; while he couldn't shake it off, he could certainly move and let it continue its course downwards. Diving downwards, he whipped his tail, five orbs spraying to batter two others, only to have water douse them. A jet of water attacked his sides; roaring, he spun to spit fire at the offensive water-user, only to have a wall of liquid stop his attack. Damn it, they know me-!

Spinning to one side, he opened his maw, only to have water gush in and choke him. He writhed in the air, spitting, as  he carved more fire in the air, burning to death the unfortunate "X"-marked dragon who'd risen up to knock him out, and more orbs of fire sprayed, missing their mark completely. The one who'd used wind was one of the two who he'd initially tried to attack with his orbs, and they cut at his legs, rendering him unable to walk. But he could still fly, and dove towards the wind-wielder, who was completely taken by surprise, hesitating for one second - Enough for Ayato to burn a black line across their throat. But the water-user was completely unaffected, and another one appeared, also a water-user...

He made to dive towards them, only to be faced with a wall of water that rose up above Ayato, engulfing him and gushing into his throat. The wall of water expanded rapidly, becoming a large block suspended midair, and a water dragon swum in to wrap a net around him. Once this was done, and the water dragon was out of the block of water, it disappeared, causing Ayato to land heavily on the ground. The water was still choking him, who saw black stars and thought, I'm gonna die-

But a blow to his head knocked him out, and the moment his eyes fluttered closed, the water disappeared, and his chest rose desperately, making way for air.

He was to meet worse fates.

Larkum was still bristling like a hedgehog, shooting an uncharacteristic glare at Amalyn. She sat next to her brother, still steaming from a few minutes ago. She rested her tail across his and nudged him gently. "You're my brother, of course I care," she murmured.


----

Athena was suddenly tenser than a bowstring. She couldn't figure out why. It was like, there was this urge to fly out there and help him. Oh gods, you're not actually starting to care about this guy, are you? a scornful voice that reminded her of Aphrodite snorted inside her head. She dismissed it, refusing to believe she could hold any sort of concern for her mentor. He was an Aliugaan. He'd brought her to the tribe and given her a headache, that was all he was to her... Wasn't it?


Whatever about that. She waited in tense silence for minutes that felt like hours. She didn't join in on any conversation that took place, engulfed by her own thoughts. Larkum occasionally tried to bring her out of her own head but was met with a brick wall. Eventually, the sandy dragon just sighed and rested her head on her paws.



Wingbeats approached from above. Athena stood up and turned her head. A dragon, what rank she could not tell, landed a few metres away. He inclined his head slightly, and then he broke the news;

"Half an hour ago, Aliugaan Ayato went missing in action. We believe he has been captured."

She didn't know what she felt. A wave of emotions crashed over her; numbness, shock, anger. Anger at what she couldn't tell. Herself? Ayato? The dragons who had captured him? She curled back her lip in a deep grimace as Larkum leaped to her feet.

"What?!" she cried, trepidation in her expression. Even though he was a hard driving jerk at times, she liked Ayato. She looked around at her squad mates, breathing heavily. "We have to go after him," she said, without a second thought. Athena's head snapped around, as did Amalyn's.

"And get ourselves killed?" Amalyn said, not a shred of emotion in her voice.

Athena never seen Larkum turn that colour red before. "How can you be so heartless?! We can't just LEAVE him!" she cried. Amalyn's expression suddenly hardened. Her talons flexed and her tail twitched.
"That's NOT what I meant," she said, an icy edge in her voice. "If we go rushing blindly after him in some sort of heroic crusade like you want to, we'll all be killed, and they might kill him too, if they haven't already." Larkum still looked outraged, unable to see what she really meant. "We need a better plan than flying in like headless chickens." Now the sandy dragon's features slackened. She still looked as if she wanted to get going right that second, but she forced herself to sit down. Athena mirrored her actions, already calculating and scheming.

The messenger stood there awkwardly, blinking rapidly.