|| 𝐚 𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 ||

It has been a few days since Blue and Ripper entered our sacred realm.

Our king let them stay here if they upheld themselves in the forest and never trod in on our palace grounds. When I told this to the two raptors, they seemed content with it. But, at the same time, I wasn't so sure. There was something odd in king Dodroirag's decision. he was more cautious now. But then again, it was a long while since we had visitors in this realm of ours. Dragons from other tribes sometimes, but most from the Ocean Tribe, mean to make peace with us.

They might not have liked our ancestors, but as far as I know, their rulers are willing to put that behind them and focus on a better peaceful future where fledglings and hatchings alike can fly freely between our kingdoms without scorn or being shot down from the sky simply for trespassing.

I sighed. I flapped my wing to keep myself afloat. I wasn't in teh forest today, for I had to take my brother to the grasslands beyond the forest, the Jaded Meadow we called that peel of grass and earth. It was peaceful, more than not. And brother loved going there, and so did i. it would give me time to think and relax without being surrounded by other dragons that would bug me with their problems.

"Are we there yet?" my brother whined from a few paces behind me. I could hear the strain of his muscles and chuckle. He never liked flying far, but the grasslands beyond the forest of Shadows were far away. The forest stretched for many miles, but somehow, my family always went there whenever they needed to go out.

One would've thought we would like a closer spot where you are inside the palace borders, but we didn't. My family enjoyed the peace more than our brethren. "not much," I told my brother and slowed down the pace of my wings so that the young rascal of a fledging could keep up with me.

"tell me again, sister, why did mother want you to take me here?" he asked once we flew wingtip to wingtip. I smiled at him and let our wings touch as we glided on the air current that would lead us to the great grasslands. "she thought you would enjoy it, dear brother," I told him as my eyes once more focused on the path before us. The trees passed under us like great tawny fingers reaching to touch us.

I knew if I were to fall from teh sky, those pointy spears would not slow my fall but rather make it more unbearable. But I wouldn't fail now.

At least, I do hope I won't.

Brother stayed quiet after that, and we soon found ourselves in the grasslands touching down on the soft soil cushioned out landing. "go and play," I told Dietu as I curled up. He hurried off, tipping happily as butterflies and insects flew to the heavens at his interruption. I soon found myself falling into a light slumber, not noticing the red eyes on my form and the playing shape of my brother.

What a fine specimen, thought the beast darkly and licked his chops as saliva dripped from the corners of them.

She will make a fine queen for my nation and then slithered off, planning how he would attack and catch me.

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In Leovern Woodland, the forest Ripper and Blue are bound to stay in until they must travel, a heavy dark air settles over.

What was one alight with the sun's rays that are now shrouded in the darkness that starts to descend from a seemingly invisible place? Ripper, sleeping in the moss-filled clearing he, Blue and Dazyn were in days prior, wakes up by the sudden loss of the warmth at his back and shoots his head up, scarlet eyes open to indicate that he is fully awake now. The scent of Blue, his new companion, is lesser in magnitude now, meaning that the gray raptor is not there.

This panics the male beast, and he stands uprising to stand on two legs. His long, sable tail brushed the moss-covered soil as he sniveled his head around his nares, flaring, trying to locate his friend.

"Blue?" he calls out. No answer. This makes Ripper growl as he remembers a similar event with Seven, a white indoraptor that he met before he met Blue. she was beautiful, but he... he failed her and ran away. And then fate decided that he would be given a new chance to take care of a friend and lead them on the right path, whatever that was.

And then Dazyn had come, and he had felt an overwhelming sense of peace from the dragoness. He knew that he and Blue would be safe here. But maybe he was wrong. "Blue?" he tried again. This time though, he did receive a reaction from the forest. The sound of talons or tiny pottery claws caught his attention, and he whipped around to the source of the sound seeing a familiar gray head emerge from the bushes and cricket.

"you needn't shout, Ripper," Blue said calmly as he stepped out into the light, making the bigger hyrbid relax visibly. "I am sorry I care for you then," he huffed, sinking inside four claws. Blue just rolled his eyes and started to look around the clearing. "you haven't seen Dazyn around, have you?" he asked, thinking back to how the dragoness had promised them that she would meet them today when the sun was at its highest.

Ripper frowned and shook his head, his quills raising in alarm "no, and the sun is gone," he said, gesturing to the clouds that shrouded the sun away from all living life. Those dark clouds could either mean rain or something terrible would happen. Ripper hoped for the first. "I fear she is busy..." Blue started but trailed off when a sudden SNAP! Filled the air.

Both predators whirled around, trying to spot teh culprit of that dread-filling sound. But they could see only two red eyes staring at them from the darkness. Both raptors sunk to a defensive stance, and Ripper let a growl ripple from his throat.

the being in the shadows growled back before a deep dark voice filled their ears. "you are looking for a dragoness, am I right?" it asked, and this got both Blue and Ripper to stiffen "what have you done to her?!" Blue growled out, surprising Ripper for a moment. The gray raptor was usually calm in fear of danger, but it seemed the friendship with Dazyn was changing him in a way that Ripper never thought it would.

But to spurpot his friend, he moved his head to hover above Blue's more diminutive form. The being in the shadows snorted and blinked away, leaving the two raptors to relax a bit but as soon as it was gone, the eyes came3 back and threw something out into the clearing before the raptors.

It was a small beast, a dragon, Ripper guessed. It had familiar s/c covering his whole form, and the sunset markings on his wing membranes were too tight. It is Dazyn's little brother! Ripper realized with a start. Blue did the same and padded quickly over to the unmoving heap of the fledging. "I thought you would like a message," sneered the eyes, and Ripper stepped closer to Blue to look at the young male dragon whose eyes were closed like he was sleeping.

By the rising and falling of his chest, he was alive but uncoinuos. "come near me again, and not only that little one will get it, but you both will. The dragoness is mine," the eyes hissed and, before long, were gone leaving Blue and Ripper alone in the growing darkness with dread creeping over their scales.

All Ripper could think of was, Who that creature was, and what would he want with Dazyn? But it seemed like his questions would have to wait for Blue to snap at him to lift the little feeding, and they had to get away from this clearing before the darkness would close in more.

And so he did, and the two walked away from the clearing where splotches of dark white blood had started to gather, and a cruel cold air seeped over the forest.

Something dark had arrived, and we were not going to leave by the first dawn.

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