Fly With Me - A Story of Survival ((IC))

[NatureG9]

When he found no reply from Deirdre, Azrael felt a bit insulted, unwanted and a lot like a burden, and he didn't have any case to argue otherwise, he began to fly up. He would have to use the alpha scent trails to pinpoint the territory boundaries, and run them long and wide for at least 3 times to make sure no more intruders are in the LOC. That should give the drer enough time to gather everything, regroup and begin moving. The Vak dared not make any more conversation to the dragoness, his pride taking over any emotion he had towards her, or in general. Duty came first, the rest is just fen'zi shit.



Azrael began to move farther out as he found the scent markings and the boundaries. He ran them up and down, left and right scouting the entire area for any sign of tradu'rs. Having seen, heard, or smelled none, he decided to recheck them a fourth time. Having checked the territory clear he returned to the drer, he landed on a perch on top of the drer, keeping an eye on the horizon in all directions.



" All clear for now Airease, no sign of any more breach inside our AO. Which makes me think maybe this is a trap. You know, they would never just send 2 dead dragons and 1 of whatever the hell controlled them. Unless they were sending a message, or leading us into a trap and an ambush as we flee. Catching us off guard, then again that could be my mind thinking too much. " Azrael bit back before he vomited any more sentences. Keeping his eyes on the horizon he began to think again.



This was an attack that almost killed the packs alpha female. Every single living soul of the pack had contributed somehow. Valos and Airease took down the dead dragons, Zendyr and Syril'th absolutely saved Rya's life, Deridre defeated the tradu'r himself, and even the kids were of help in their own way. All Azrael did was blither like an idiot, attack a pack mate, feel sorry for a bastard who wanted him dead, and rant about possible visions which may or may not be visions or just his mind finally starting to fail him, wouldn't matter anyway because nobody seemed to listen or want to listen to what he said. He laughed quietly to himself, " perhaps Valos is right, too right to be honest." He came to settle with the fact that he was at the moment a totally useless piece of garbage that, quote, is absolutely "just another f#cking mouth to feed".



He kept his head high though, perhaps once this pack is out of danger, and this threat is eliminated, he may ask to leave the pack, and stick to being alone instead of trying to find a place for him, a puzzle piece that really doesn't fit anywhere, what he usually did with those was burn them. " for now do what you can Vak, and try not to look like a useless idiot anymore, oh and also the overly dramatic princess crap has to stop, we are not in a drama play, and your unstable emotions have no place in a world like this, so we either get over this problem or die."



Azrael hovered in the air, looking for movements in the tree and any dots in the sky. Not wanting to talk, look, or even be in the peripherals of anyone in the pack. Be it because of shame or because of his growing realization of his emotional and mental instability. " Perhaps, I will be killed in a fight soon, at least die a warrior's death."

 

[BookWyrm]

The last of the Drer hissed and groaned under it's own weight. The heat radiating from the collapsing metal burned away the years of natural growth that had taken over the ancient structure. Valos hovered just a few feet over Drer. The heatwave coming from Malok's work made for easy effort to stay aloft, albeit rather warm though. But Valos' mind was elsewhere. He felt the absolute strain of the task Airease had assigned them to; Collapsing and dissolving such a massive Drer was no easy effort. The effort in heating and melting the right points on the Drer to collapse it was one thing, but to completely dissolve the place they once called home was no easy feat even for them.

The sharp whine of metal on metal called out from below, prompting Valos to shout a warning as the Drer finally collapsed in upon itself. Now that that was finished, though, the challenging part was just beginning. Valos tucked his wings and gently floated into the broken rib cage of metal and nest, spraying everything in sight with caustic mire. By the time he'd reached the bottom blood welled up in his mouth, dribbling out from panting jaws to stain pale scales crimson.

It took some time for Valos to climb his way out of the ruin. He'd had no desire to fly, especially not with the coming exodus. By the time he cleared the sizzling remains the exhaustion could even be seen in his eyes; The usual glint of predatory intent was replaced with simply, but acute, weariness.
"Alright old one," Valos sighed as he looked up at Malok. "We're now adrift on unfamiliar winds without eerie to fold our wings in." A coughing fit seized him, sending sizzling red out onto the ground.
"I won't be able to eat for at least a week now. I hope it's worth it."​

 

[KnightsCalatrava]

Having the alpha serve you the fruits of a hunt was an honor reserved for those that the head of their pack considered to be members of great value. Back when Zendyr still wore his own pride-laced mantle of alpha in the Mistwalkers, he would never stoop to the level of giving to his members if they had not earned it. Hunting and foraging for food was the job of the Hunters, perhaps even the Betas. For his old and obsolete philosophy of dragonflights, the lesser ranks always served those in the higher echelons of the pack. The alpha was to be served, never to serve. And, now, as he could hear Arieas tenderly providing whatever remaining game he could hunt to the flight members, he couldn't help but feel ashamed of his past even more. Though robbed of sight, the magical pulses emanating from his heart could feel the genuine affection that their Auburn King held for the flight and all who soared with it.

Arieas. Rya. Deirdre. Malok. Aise. Marahute. Valos. Azrael. Syril'th.

Zendyr recited the names of his flight members, assuring him that he was awake and that the things that drove him to near-fatal exhaustion were real. The horrors that Lith spoke of were real. The rotting, coagulated corpses of dragons long-dead attacking them were real. The notion that their Drer was about to be destroyed was real. It was a grim realization but a reality that he must face if he wanted to become stronger, to serve the flight better. As he awakened from his slumber with a plethora of grateful words for Arieas, Zendyr tested out the newfound strength in his limbs and in his wings. With each step he took, it was as if a coil of pulses flooded from him, bathing the pool of darkness in his surroundings in an ethereal burst of colors. These colors turned out to be vague and abstract representations of his flightmates' locations, something he confirmed when he bumped into the indigo and pearl dragon whose spines jutted out proudly in deadly grace.

"It is certainly strange," Zendyr spoke after he had profusely apologized to his spined flightmate and backed away. "I had an inkling a few hundred years ago that our Drer may fall in due time. Restless dreams of shattered towers and hewn stones. I just never expected that it would be by our hand that our own home would be riven." The golden dragon felt another pulse within him, witnessing a large, raven creature with two clawed legs and a pair of mighty onyx wings. Malok, he thought. "Unfamiliar winds, indeed. Sometimes I wonder where it all went wrong, Valos."

Zendyr sighed as a burst of the white healing mists fell from his wings in a gentle cascade. With a flourish of his wings, he launched it towards the two, noticing the exhausted wheeze of Valos who he knew worked hard in accordance with Arieas' commands. He could still hear the ghosts of the sizzling steel bars and the cracking concrete, giving much sorrow to his thoughts.

"Not all is lost, brothers," Zendyr turned to the wyvern and the other dragon with a grin, his pale icy eyes bright with enduring hope of a brighter tomorrow. "We gained two additional members to our family. Strong and gentle souls that have devoted themselves to the pursuit of life," He chuckled, letting the white mists continue to fall from him and into the desecrated ground. The rotten needles of grass began to spark to life, a colorful shade returning to their verdant faces. "Sure, they may not be perfect but no one really is. I would know. But, that is what it means to be a member of a flight. To come to the defense of the family when it is threatened without a thought for one's safety," Zendyr said as he turned towards Valos. "To care for the least of us, especially the young," His blank eyes swirled in Malok's direction. "To accept each other's weaknesses. To help them fly above and beyond the storms."

 

[Equusheart]

Marahuté still worried over the Sa'Zur's condition, not knowing how seriously she had been hurt. But she took some comfort in knowing that Rya was awake and alive. She nuzzled back at her mother and father, returning their affections. Her small bit off happiness faded as she looked over to see Valos and Malok begin the destruction of what had been their home.

Her heart twisted in sadness as the steel beams buckled and bent as the Drer collapsed. Did they really have to leave it? She hadn't even had the chance to get save something from her collection. Sighing, she looked back up at her mother.

"Where will we go know?" Marahuté asked.

 

[Mini]

Aise's tail swiped at the dirt as she sat back on her rear legs, her front legs planted firmly in the ground. Her gaze was fixed on Mara's and her's mother, a heavy glare laced equally with love and determination. She only flinched once, when the large crashing of metal reached her ears. Her wings shot out and she braced her legs against the compacted ground, decades of instinct yelling at her to flee the large sounds. The bright-scaled female relaxed and folded her wings back in once her eyes found Melty and Goldy at the structure she had called home.

"FATHER. I REQUIRE YOUR EARS FOR A MOMENT." Aise suddenly yelled, after hearing her younger sister's question. She continued, wether or not the male had come over or not, knowing that Mother would at least somewhat listen to her. "I wandered for a long time before coming here, and I may know a spot that we can gain shelter at until we find new lands. The dragons there know me...I stole their food for a while, and they blamed it on the wildlife!" She laughed under her breath, her maw creasing with amusement. "When they figured out it was me, they might've beaten me a bit, but relented when they saw how young I was. Weird dragons, RIGHT? But I made friends with them and they might help, if we need, if not, they'll leave us alone. OH! And there's a bunch of medicinal plants there and stuff that might help Mother and Melty...and ya know, the others too-! CAUSE DRIPPING BLOOD OUT OF YOUR MOUTH ISN'T GOOD." The last part was aimed at Valos, and the mess dripping from his mouth.

Aise nodded to herself and listened to anything Mother or Father might have to say, then abruptly stood up and bolted into the trees, ignoring the frozen corpses as she went. Her tail stabbed a tree as she went by, shaking a small wrapped bundle out of it. She continued and climbed another tree, her claws digging into the trunk and leaving behind deep gashes in the wood. The female nudged through the branches until a vine finally revealed itself to her. It was a deep green, with reddish leaves. She measured a long length of it before biting off the end and letting the looped vine hang from her maw. She made her way back to the group, hooking her tail around the bundle and dragging it behind her.

Leaving the bundle beside her mother, she made her way to Melty and sat beside him, dropping the vine. She sliced off a portion and wrapped the rest around her neck, leaving it there as she pulled the vine apart with her teeth. The vine's inside was a dark red pulp. She pushed the vine's pulp towards Valos, her eyes wide and concerned. "Spread that on your gums and teeth, oki? It should help with the blood and soreness." She touched a claw to his maw gently, opening his mouth and looking inside. "Your fleshy parts look irritated so try and drink lots of water if you can, don't overdo it, and stop if it hurts. And absolutely NO going around spray acid, ya hear? You have to let it heal if you even wanna think about eating or using your acid anytime in the next quarter moon." Letting go of his head, Aise stepped back and grinned at Valos, her eyes squinting shut. "Get better soon Melty!"

Aise stood up and spun around to go back to her mother, leaving the open vine with Melty so he could do it himself and not have her poking around in his mouth unwanted. She laid down by Mara and spread her wings out, absorbing a bit of the sunlight before tucking them in again and flopping on her side. One leg flicked out and drew the bundle close to her chest and she closed her eyes. She nudged the bundle towards her parents without opening her eyes. "It has enough healing and energy herbs in it for Mother and everyone else. Either eat them or chew on 'em, works either way. If they don't work, then I can try and find something else." She yawned and draped a leg over her eyes, the sun making her feel more drowsy and slow then usual. Small beads of water started to build and freeze on her scales as her body tempature fought to keep her scales cool. Aise didn't mind though. If loosing a few scales meant staying with her family longer, she would risk it.