Scales and Honor: Swirling Storm
Chapter 13:
Ramakox flew through the air across his countryside, letting the wind batter against his blue snout as he gazed down to the plains and forests dotting the landscape. He took a deep breath and shivered as he remembered the scent of Fremra on the wind. It had awoken a primal urge within him to seek her out and mate her, but he managed to control himself for that month. It had taken everything he had to not swoop down when he had spotted her close by, peeking in on him from time and time again. It had taken all he had to not brush up against her and start to put the moves on the dragoness' eager body. He understood it was only natural for him, but it made him grit his teeth and knead his claws against the ground. He instead had pushed each erotic thought from his mind by tending to his own needs. This allowed him to focus on patrolling his territory and ignore the alluring dragoness.
He landed softly with a back-wing in a large rolling field of vibrant green grass, highlighted by the bright sun above. It had been a week since the end of her heat, and the dragoness was still following him wherever he went. When he would go hunting, relax, or inspect his territory, he would often find her close at claw. She would be just at the edge of his vision, spinning in the air, lazing around, or swimming in the water. He got the sneaking suspicion that the teal dragoness was following him for some reason. He pushed the thought from his mind as he settled down onto all fours, grumbling to himself as he curled around himself. He had just got done with discussing guard patrols with the council in East Cliff, and those meetings always left him drained. He let out a sigh as he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat that was spreading around his scales. He imagined he could stay there forever with the sun's rays warming his scales, and the occasional soft breeze that would make him shiver and sigh in content.
“You kept your word about my heat.” the singsong voice, and the scent of the ocean signaling the arrival of the teal dragoness only a few feet away. “T-that was unexpected.” He heard her start to pad over, taking a few deep breaths as she did so.
“You asked to be left alone.” he snorted, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. “And I don't make it a habit to rape people. No matter how attractive and alluring they smell at the time.”
“So you were checking my scales out the other day.” She chuckled, settling down near him, and flopping down onto her back. She flopped her head back onto the grass, and let out a pleasured croon escape from her mouth. “Come here often?” she asked with a soft sigh, wiggling her tail in the grass.
“When I need to relax. When I need to cast off the stresses of the day...Yes.” He opened one of his eyes to see her pawing at the empty air with a smirk on her snout. “And If I recall, you were checking out my scales the other day. You even lingered on certain....areas if I recall correctly.” He chuckled internally, remembering how she had stared right at his slit.
“I think your male ego is getting to you Rammy. I think you wish I was staring right at your maleness.” she flicked her tail, as she closed her eyes gently.
“Rammy? Why would you call me that?” he tilted his head to the side. He tried to push down the feeling of irritation working it's way up from his chest at the nickname.
“Easier to say than Ramakox, and less silly than The Swirling Storm.” She gave a growly laugh that made her fine scales clink together softly.
“Well..if my title is so silly, what is yours?” he wrinkled his snout, and narrowed his eyes at the still giggling dragoness. The irritation bubbling to the surface with each passing moment.
“Don't have one.” she smiled, rolling away from him with a grin.
Ramakox pulled his head back in surprise. He flicked his tail as the feeling of irritation melted away to only be replaced with one of confusion. He placed a claw to his snout, as it felt like his world was about to spin around him. “You...don't have one?...So what do the mortals call you then?”
“Uh...My name, Rammy...Honestly, are all dragons around here this slow? Or is it just you?”
“Watch it.” he snapped at her with a taught voice bordering on a growl.
“You just give your name to the mortals freely then?”
“Why not?” she held up her snout, and placed a claw to her scaled chest. “It makes things thousand times easier too. None of that worrying about whose going to say it.” She released a loud chuckle as she looked passed him and to the trees. “Why do you give them a title then Rammy?”
Ramakox swallowed down his next words, wracking his brain for the answer. It was something that had been told to him by his parents when he was just a wrymling, and they having been told by their parents. It was a tradition passed down to all dragon's. “It's just the way it is..Names are for friends, family and dragons, and titles are for mortals.”
“That's a stupid reason if I have ever heard of one.” She rolled away, laughing as though she had been told the funniest joke she had ever heard.
Ramakox turned away from the dragoness as the irritation that had been bubbling up reached its height. How dare she come over here and poke fun at him again. “Have you come over here for a reason besides getting on my last nerves?” He growled, his tail flicking behind him and cutting several blade of grass.
“Oh.” she came to a stop mid tumble. Her smile instantly vanished from her snout. “You're really upset aren't you.” she stated softly, her voice almost a whisper.
What? “Did you think this was a game?” he found himself growling again, and instantly regretting it as she looked away from him quickly. “Why even come to my territory if all you're going to do is find everything I do silly?”
She said not a word as she fidgeted in the grass. It seemed like she wanted to say something, it seemed to be right on the tip of her tongue, as her tail brushed the grass around her. “Will you still show me the hunting grounds you talked about?” she asked clearly avoiding the question. Her voice rose ever so slightly as she did so.
“I...” Ramakox's anger came to a dead stop as he looked to the dragoness gazing out to the fields around them. It was like it melted away like ice on a warm summers day. He watched her peak to him several times as he contemplated in silence. It would always be accompanied with a nervous twitch of her tail, or fidget of her right forepaw. “Why would you want to see it now? I asked you last month and you seemed to brush it off like it was nothing.”
“Didn't want a reason to go hunting in your areas. Especially with my heat on the rise. Who knows what could have happened with us being in constant contact. It only takes one mistake to suddenly have me swollen with your clutch.” She let out a sigh as she rose her talons to her snout and started to drum them against the pebbly scales.
“That did not seem to stop you during it. I spotted you several times following me.” he pointed out with a satisfied tap of his tail. “What was with that?” He waited for her to respond, but she seemed to ignore the question and remained in silence. After several minutes of her not responding he got onto all fours and let out a sigh. Perhaps she would open up to him in time. “Come on Fremra.” he strode passed her confidently, gesturing to the sky with his serpentine neck. “I can show you those hunting grounds now. I have the time in my schedule.”
“Lucky me.” she replied, her voice returning to the singsong that he had known. “You looked ever so busy just a moment ago.” She raised a brow and shot him a sly grin across her snout.
“Most busy.” he snorted, and spread his vast wings wide before her. He felt pleased when he saw her eyes widen at his membranes, and it sent a growling rumble of approval through his throat. “So follow me.” he beat his wings against the air and bounded into the sky without another thought. With his next joyous breath he was high above the fields, and passed the treetops. He could feel the irritation that had been lurking somewhere in his bones be cast out with each beating of his wings upon the air. He even smiled as the wind brushed against his cheeks. The dragon opened his maw and let electricity dance around his teeth for a brief moment. He slowed down his wing-beats to cast a look back to her, make sure she had followed him after all. However as he did so, there was a teal blur that suddenly passed by his snout and almost struck him.
“So where are these hunting grounds that I must see.” she roared out, angling her wings and circling around to look at him. It appeared that she was just as home in the sky as she was in the water. “Cause afterwords I could show you some of mine, and I bet they are way more interesting.”
“You already have hunting grounds?” he asked, catching up to her with his next series of flaps. “You've only been here a month how do you..”
“Of course I do...How do you think I kept myself fed silly?” She tapped her skull with one of her talons. “Got to use the thing between the horns Rammy...Besides...I doubt you were hunting the oceans around here for food anyway.”
“I..” he shut his snout as thoughts failed him. That was certainly true, and he felt embarrassment run through his scales at the face it had not occurred to him. When he did not reply she just let out a loud laugh into the air. He felt himself smiling as she brushed against him, her wing-tips briefly touching his own. He pushed her playful flying from his mind as he gazed out to the fields of viridian, focusing on a large black stone pillar that jutted up from the earth like some charcoal eyesore. It was there that the best hunting spot could be found, whenever the dragon would come here in the morning,he was almost certain to find prey.
“You're not used to company are you?” Fremra asked him, taking position beside him again and flashing him a look of concern on her snout, and breaking the sound of his wings with her singsong voice.
“No.” he admitted with the next flapping of his wings. He thought back to to all the long days he had been spending without Jandar to break up the boredom. “I am not.” he wrinkled his snout, and ignored her eyes.
“That's alright. I'm not used to it anymore either.” Fremra said flatly, the look of happiness on her face instantly darkening. It only lasted for a moment before she angled her membranes and entered several spins in the air. “Can you spin Ramakox?” she shouted, her joyous attitude infectious to the blue dragon. “Or..” She arched her neck back to him when she returned to gliding. “Are you scared?”
“Did you not learn this the first time you dared assume that?” he found himself laughing. He angled his wings like she had done, and did several spins for good measure. “There.” he flew over to her, as she gave him a pleased trilling noise from her throat.
“So why the boy?” she asked suddenly, raising a brow.
“Why the boy what?” he replied with a slight chuckle, the euphoria of the spin still lingering in his scales. His wing-tips passed through a low hanging cloud, his membranes collecting several droplets of water along their surface.
“You know...” she pounded her wings against the air, and did a flip over him with her next maneuver. “Why did you raise him like a wrymling? You don't see or hear of many dragon's doing that...Especially males.”
“Why so curious about my life?” he looked away from her with a slight grumble and raise of an eyebrow.
“You're the only one around that I find interesting to talk to.” she chuckled from the back of her throat. “Also figured I would get to know the dragon, whose territory I am currently staying in.”
“Why not the mortals?” he asked like it was obvious. “Why have you not introduced yourself to them? They can be quite entertaining or sweet at times.” Ramakox smiled as he thought to all the interactions with the mortals of east cliff, their pleasing words and gifts. It made him all warm and fuzzy as he looked to Fremra, who was once again frowning.
“No.” she replied flatly. “I may tolerate one mortal or two...But I hate groups of them.” she suddenly wrinkled her snout and snarled.
“Why is that?” he went to ask, but as he said the final word she had already bounded away with a series of wing flaps. He watched her tail for a moment before heading after her. Once again he felt the feeling of curiosity linger in his bones. More than ever did he want to know more about her. “H-hey!” he roared out. “Who is leading who?” He quickly closed the distance between the two in a matter of moments. She may have been the faster one in the water, but up here in the sky, Ramakox was quicker.
“So you can catch me up here!” she cried out, suddenly changing direction and entering a nosedive towards the ground far below. Her tail almost smacked against his nose by inches as she dove. “But I think I am the more maneuverable one!” she laughed as Ramakox renewed his efforts to chase her down.
This continued on for several minutes until with a final beat of his wings his claw reached out and brushed against her smooth scales. “Got you!” he roared out, blood pumping in his chest quickly. He felt like he was a younger dragon of at least a hundred, as he flashed her a cocky smile full of teeth.
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“Oh very good Ramakox. You can catch females.” she laughed, taking wing beside him again without another word. “Although, I only let you catch me mind you.” She turned to him and stuck her tongue out him quickly.
“Sure you did.” he chuckled, taking a few deep breaths to settle his excitement. It was when he looked down to the ground he realized he had lost track of the pillar. In all the excitement he must have simply forgotten about it. He entered a hover in the air as he scanned the ground with each turn of his neck.
“Get lost?” she circled him with a playful laugh. “Too much attention on the attractive and alluring dragoness hmmm?” She circled one last time before joining him in hovering.
“Why all the playing?” he asked, tracing the green trees. It was not long before he once more found the large onyx pillar. “Why the swimming, the catch, and the teasing?” he angled his wings and flew towards the stone.
“Why not?” she caught up to him, flashing him an irritated look. “Is there a rule book somewhere on how I am supposed to act? Like a section that is full of stats and various numbers?”
“No.” he laughed at the crazy thought. “Fremra...How old are you?” the question came out the moment it popped into his head. He knew she was roughly his size, so she was around his age. However by the way she acted, he could have believed she was a very young dragon, just a bigger one than normal. “I never asked when we first met.”
“Twelve hundred seasons.” she raised her snout, closing her eyes and letting the wind batter her face, and make her frills flutter. “Why...How old are you Ramakox?”
“Twenty three hundred twenty seasons.” he said without skipping a beat.
“So why are you not playing these games? You're not that old Rammy.” She smiled, brushing up against him once more.
“Because I am not a younger dragon?” he replied. The words had seemed right in his head, but as he looked to the playful dragoness around him they started to sound wrong. Like he had no idea of what he was talking about.
“That's funny because I knew...” She suddenly snapped her mouth shut and looked away from him. The look of joy once again faded from her face, causing him to want to question her about it. 'How much further?” she asked once again in a flat voice, as they passed through a collection of large ducks. The birds honked their disapproval and scattered in several directions from the large dragons.
“Not far.” he pointed to the stone that they were practically on top of at this point. He admired the pristine onyx stone. It was perfectly smooth on all it's side, with various rune carvings on it's surface. Ramakox did not know who had made the runes, but it had looked like it had been done with a claw. If he had to put coin to his snout he would guess that ancient dragons had made this pillar to mark something down of great importance. However for Ramakox it meant a good meal. “We are actually here.” he rumbled. The thoughts of a successful hunt already entering his mind and filling his limbs with warmth. He could already feel his blood starting to pump faster, and his muscles ready in anticipation for the hunt.
He tilted his membranes to enter a turn. He brought her lower and lower until they came to a large hilly spot near the stone. Ramakox thought to how good of a spot this was, since he could lay down on his belly and gaze out all around him in different directions. He could already taste the meal on his mouth as he licked his snout absentmindedly. He imagined a nice deer, elk, or moose would satisfy his appetite. He back-winged with a slight bump as his paws settled down onto the warm grass. He held up his snout slowly, closing his eyes as the bright sun's rays struck them. He released a small sigh before he flared his nostrils and took a large lung filling breath that made his scales shiver. He wiggled his tail at the delightful smell of pine that was wafting it's way all the way up to this spot from the forest. He gave a low rumble of approval when the scent of the ocean was soon mixed with the forest, signaling Fremra's arrival.
“So this is it huh?” she asked flatly as she strode passed him and gazed down to the large hill dotted with flowers of all colors. “I hate to break it to you...But I don't see anything worth hunting around here.”
“This is where we wait to find our meal.” he grumbled as she settled down onto her haunches with her tail curled around her. He shifted his gaze to the tree-line, to sections that he had usually spied a meal or two creeping around. However this time it was as she said, nothing was skulking around. “We may just have to wait a tad longer than I'm used to.” He chuckled, settling down next to her.
“So you just sit here and wait?” she turned to him, rolling her purple spheres. “In the ocean...I swim around when I hunt...None of this waiting business.” The dragoness lowered herself to her belly and placed her snout into her paws with a snort.
“You are as impatient as a wrymling.” he chuckled, tearing his view away from her scales to the forest once more. He wondered if she was trying to distract him so that he could not hunt. He closed his eyes once more, taking in another breath and focusing on the scents. Everything he had smelled before was still there, lingering in the air, however there was a new scent mixed in with them. It was the scent of deer that he had come to know oh so well over the years. He sniffed again, looking like a dog as his tail flicked. He may not be able to see them anywhere, but it was good sign. He opened his eyes and found that Fremra had rolled away from him. He scooched himself closer towards her in order to share the good news.
“Decided to give up and enjoy basking in the sun with me?” She flopped onto her back, throwing her head onto the grass.
“No.” he replied, returning his attention to the scent of deer. After several minutes he began to wonder if they had simply moved away from this section of his territory. If the creatures had spread the word about how the dragon that lived here liked to frequent this spot. But that's impossible...Isn't it? He was about to give up on this spot, and show the dragoness another such spot. That was until she spoke again.
“So why the human?” she asked again, tail thumping the grass. She rose her snout slowly to look at him, and grinning at him from ear to ear. “Why did you raise him like a wrymling? You did not say so before...I was paying attention.”
“I did not raise him.” Ramakox snorted, pulling his eyes from the forest once again to the amused dragoness before him. He realized as the words left his maw, that he really did not believe them. When she said nothing and cast him a coy smile he looked away quickly.
“Uh-huh...So the blue scales are simply a fashion statement? I did not know mortals could grow scales in such a way...Must be oh so flattering he chose your colors.”
“Those...” Guilt punched it's way through his armor to his heart as he thought to Jandar, and the lie he had told him that day. Granted the spell had worked, and the boy was better off for it, but he could still not shake the feeling from his scales. “Were the after effects of a ritual to help him cast spells.” he waved to her dismissively as he brushed his tail against the earth.
“Uh-huh.” she said again with a soft giggle. She started to wiggle her tail again along with the entirety of her back. “So how often did you see this human...Who has your scales and eyes?....But did not raise.”
“He saw me once a week...At first...Then everyday...” he grumbled as the smirk grew on her snout with each word. “And then he started to live with me...It only seemed more convenient.”
“AHA! You did raise him!” she shouted out, filling the air with her growly laughter soon after, like she had not a care in the word. When she did this, it was hard not to admire her scales in the golden sunlight.
Ramakox found his eyes drawn to her bright orange under scales, that seemed to be cast aflame in the afternoon sun. He found himself avoiding looking at her gender as her tail briefly brushed against his face. He traced every scale leading up to her snout, once more focusing on the scars she bore. “So...whats with the scars?” he asked casually, looking back to the forest like it was no big deal.
Her laughter suddenly ceased, and she grew more quiet than she had been previously. “Oh it's a long and boring story.” she said with her singsong voice. “One we have plenty of time to talk about later... Now what about this bit of you having him around...Cause it's clear that you miss the human dearly.”
“So what?” he smacked her tail away with a grumble from his throat. “Of course I miss him home. How could I not miss the human that was my son?” He snapped his snout towards her, “He is always on my mine no matter where he is. I find myself wondering if he is eating right, getting enough sleep, making friends, getting hurt...” Ramakox trailed off and rose to all fours. He could feel his blood starting to boil with each thought about Jandar and his absence. “Do you even know what it's like?”
The dragoness to his surprise sat upright, all the giggling and wiggling gone from her body it seemed. Her eyes glanced to him, and then to the tree line. He saw the brightness that had been in her eyes fade away in an instant, as she seemed to be recalling something in her mind. For a brief second he was sure he had seen her scales tremble slightly as she hung her head and released a long and drawn out sigh. “Oh..Hey look a deer.” she shot her snout up, her mood suddenly returning to it's normal and cheery self. “Now you can show me how to hunt properly.” She rose to all fours, stretching like a cat. “Than I can show how I do it better.” She smirked, after giving him a tongue curling yawn.
“Do it better?” he rumbled, disappointment lingering in the back of his mind. He had been close to something, he just knew it. Something was lurking beneath the surface of that dragoness' scales he just knew it. He just had to figure out how to get under her defenses and figure out just what it was. He shifted his eyes from the now happy dragoness, to the form of a large stag by the treeline. The brown furred creature was just grazing away,unaware he had just strolled into the sights of two dragons.
Ramakox swelled up his chest in pride as he took a few steps towards the thing. “Get ready to watch me work.” he said proudly, turning slightly to her with a smile and a gesture to the stag with his wing talon.
“Don't go waiting on my account.” She laughed, “Go ahead and make a fool of yourself...Then I can show you how to properly hunt.” She flashed him a great tooth filled smile, showing off her bright white pointed teeth, as her tail started tapping the ground behind her to a tune only she knew.
Ramakox would have thought she was up to something by the way she was grinning at him, but he pushed it from his mind as he lowered his haunches and prepared himself for the hunt. He stretched his wings out wide, letting out a pleased sigh as he kneaded the dirt with his claws. He could already feel the ground that was going to be ripped from the earth as he bounded towards the stag in his sights. He pictured grabbing at the things neck with his mighty jaws, and with a quick snap ending the things life. He wiggled his tail and pulled himself from the thoughts as he let out a long hiss into the air.
“Just go already. I think I might actually be dying from anticipation.” she laughed, growling in the back of her throat.
“I'll show you!” Ramakox bolted from his position like an arrow loosed from a taught bow. His world narrowed to the stag that had not detected his presence as he bounded across the field with several wing-flaps. He could taste the thing on his tongue as he opened his maw, his anticipation building with each paw that struck the grass below him. His eyes widened as the stag rose it's head and wrinkled it's black nose. It had a moment of terror as it's eyes found the dragon that was almost on top of it. Thats right...run his mind whispered to him, let me give chase. He could feel the thrill eating away at his nerves as the thing went to leap away from him. However the stag never got a chance to do that.
The grass around the stag's hooves suddenly rose up like little green tendrils to hold the thing in place. It gave a cry of terror moments before Ramakox latched his jaw around the thing's neck, and in a single forceful yank, snapped it. His eyes looked to the grass, wondering what had made them rise up from the ground.
“See? It's much easier when you use magic.” Fremra laughed, landing beside him with a gust of wind. “Just had to use an entangle spell and your hunt was over almost instantly.” she smiled, playfully shoving him with her claw.
He felt a small tingle of disappointment flash through his mind as he dropped the dead stag to the ground. He was reminded about the time he had gone fishing with Jandar, and had done practically the same thing to the boy. He wrinkled his snout as he did not like being on the other side of it for a change. “You took the fun out of it.”
“Oh you're just jealous.” she laughed, pushing him again. “Did I ruin your chance to show off for me? To show the dragoness how powerful you are?”
Ramakox said not a word as he looked away and replied with a small snort. “No...You did not.” he lied.
“So...all that talk about having me watch you work was just normal talking for you?” She lowered her snout towards the stag and pushed it towards him gently with her nose. “Well..you killed it, might as well partake in your kill.”
“You first.” he gestured to the stag with a wave of his claw. “You're the one I was showing the grounds. It is only fair that you get first helpings.”
“You're sharing?” she replied with a pleased croon, smiling and tapping her tail. “How polite of you Ramakox.” She bared her teeth and ripped a chunk out of the stag, quickly gobbling it up in her jaws.
“So..where did you learn to cast magic like that?” he asked her after ripping a section of the flank off for himself and swallowing it down. He for a brief moment wished the thing was cooked and had pepper, but reminded himself he was around a fellow dragon. Lets not share that little oddity. He chuckled internally to himself.
“Hmm?” she raised her snout, blood dripping down the sides like water. “You mean the spell I used on the stag?”
“Yes. I have not seen a dragon cast that kind of magic before.” He took another bite of the stag, once more gobbling down the delectable meat, and crunching bones in his jaw.
“That's because it's nature magic.” She replied casually.
“Nature magic?” that would certainly explain the grass thing she had done. “I usually only hear about dragon's being able cast arcane magic...How is that you can tap into that section of magic?”
“Always have been able to.” She shrugged. “You should have seen my brothers. They teased me something awful when we were growing up. All four of them would laugh and point with their claws. But oh the moment they hurt themselves. Suddenly my gift was a blessing from the gods.” She laughed, tracing her talon in the grass.
“You can heal with it then?” he tilted his head to the side, and wiped his mouth with his claw.
“Mmhmnm.” she nodded, clicking the last traces of blood from her snout as she shook herself casually. “I can even feel the plants around me...Talk to animals...Heal wounds...Control the weather at times...It has been quite fascinating really.”
“That's wonderful.” he smiled at the unique specimen of a dragon before him. “So did you always live on land? I thought dragon's of your scale color usually lived in the oceans.”
“That..is true.” she said softly, looking out to the trees as a breeze brushed against her.
“So why did you choose to live on land?” He asked, watching her fidget slightly at the question.
“Graaah..” She gasped out, her mood darkening once again. She looked away from him and spread her wings wide. “I'll see you later Ramakox..” She bounded into the air without another word, her tail flicking behind her as she flew quickly away from him.
He had the feeling to follow her when he saw the pained look on her snout when she flew overhead. One that his mind screamed at him to not do. With a quick uttering of a spell, the blue dragon touched a claw to his snout and made himself turn invisible. He sighed at the cooling sensation and bounded into the air after the worried looking dragoness. He quickly found her flying in the air, and kept a good distance behind her. One where she not smell him,but he could still follow her wherever she went.
His mind screamed to him with each beat of his wings. This is a mistake...You are going to upset her...She is going to claw you...You will scare her from your territory...Than you will be alone again. He shook them as they sprang to him, accepting the consequences. He had to know what this was about. Why she had suddenly darkened, and why she suddenly bolted away. So he ignored the good advice of his mind and continued after the dragoness with his next wing-beat. He imagined the scenario in his head as she began to descend towards the coast of his territory. He would swoop in, ask his questions, and the dragoness would answer him quickly and without little fuss.
Your being WAAAAY too optimistic. The sound of Jandar's voice filled his head and made him wrinkle his snout. Well your being too pessimistic. He replied to himself, landing silently on a section of dark grey stone scattered among a field of sand. He saw her enter a cave, that sat between two large rocks, and had a section of ocean that came all the way to the entrance. The waves licked at the stone, and made Ramakox want to sit here and just listen to their pleasing sounds all day. However that was not why he was here. He was not here to bask in the delightful smells of the ocean, it's breeze, or take pleasure from the sound of crashing waves. There will be much time for that later. He crouched himself, and tried to silently follow after the dragoness.
He followed her scent through the winding stone that was her home. It seemed the cave went on for longer then it should have been, and went further down. The thought occurred to him that she had shaped the stone with her magic, making a section large enough for him to walk on that was lit by glowing sections of algae. Occasionally he would hear the slow dripping of water on the stone echo through the cave. It would make him stop, sniff the air, and listen for any other noise to grace his senses. Ramakox finally came to a large section of the cave with a quick breath filled with her scent.
The section of the cave had been hollowed out to fit nearly three dragons of Ramakox's size from wing tip to wing tip. The vast cave was empty save for sections of rocks that jutted up from the ground like little pillars. The place was lit up by the soft glow of turquoise algae, that smelled salty, and reminded him of ocean water. He looked up to see the cavern ceiling was at least twice his height above his head,and was covered in stalagmites. He briefly considered if any of them were a monster called a roper, some beast that disguised itself as such a rock, and devoured it's foes with its large teeth. He was drawn from his thoughts to the sounds of crying. It made his next steps softer, as his felt ice start to weave it's way to his heart. For he had heard that type of crying before in his life. It had been the same sound he had made when Infinity had been tore from him, and how alone, empty, and destroyed he had felt inside. Ramakox crept around one such pillar, and he stopped in his tracks.
Fremra was huddled over what appeared to be a large leather bound book. One that was at least the size of her claw. She was tapping her tail gently on the stone as she was humming to herself, tears flowing down her cheeks as she gazed down to the pages before her. Her scales trembled softly, as she would raise a shaky limb and turn the large pages. She wiped her eyes with a talon, and continued with her mournful hum. She broke down crying when she turned to a page that seemed to have three paw prints stamped onto the page in black ink. There were two smaller ones, and one larger one that nearly dominated the page.
“Are...you okay.” he asked softly out of instinct. Forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be quiet, and that he had not been welcomed in this place.
“What....are you doing here?” She snarled out, tears instantly fading away from her eyes she snapped her jaw at him. “You followed me?” she snarled, scraping her talons against the stone.
Ramakox took a step back, regret finding it's way to his mind as he stumbled with how to explain himself. “I just wanted...to..know...help..” he stammered, bumping against one of the stone walls. He cursed to himself for not paying attention.
“That..was incredibly rude!” she snarled, pointing a claw at the exit. “Now get your scaly ass out of my sight before I rip into your hide!”
“But...” he stammered. “I was only trying too..”
“I SAID NOW!” she roared, causing the stone around them to shake from her fury. “LEAVE BEFORE I STRIKE YOU RAMAKOX!” She thrashed her tail against the stone, her breaths short and ragged.
The blue dragon bolted from her sight without another thought. He did not want to see how far she would follow through with that threat. Especially since it was he that had barged in on her unannounced. What did I tell you? You should have left it well enough alone. His mind laughed at him as he stumbled up the stone. Now she hates you, and she will leave.. Ramakox arched his head to see that she was not following him, having decided to stay in her section of the cave it seemed. When he broke the entrance and was back onto the surface he had more questions than he had arrived with. What was that book? Why was she crying about it...And why was she really here?”
He hung his head with a heavy sigh, hating himself for his on the wing decision. “I will have to apologize to her.” he stated flatly to himself. “Than maybe...I can find a different way to get the answers I seek.” He snorted, spread his wings, and bounded into the air.