A harsh sound escaped the wicker dragon--a sort of cross between a bark and a cough. It was, in fact, a laugh, torn out of him unexpectedly, touched with bitter savagery. "That I understand," he said, thinking back with disgust to Leo. Not the cave--but the ever-present, oppressive overwatch of his parents.

"Come. Lead me. Let us find some place less..." and maybe if Vastator were older and more eloquent he'd have found a better way to phrase this. As it was, he fell back on parroting Wolf-Rayet's own word. "...Boring."

This dragon needed a damn thesaurus.

Vastator stretched his wings, and glanced around. The moment the culpeo moved, he would follow, but as he did he spoke. "Eyes?" he echoed back. He did not know what Wolf-Rayet meant, and truth be told, it sounded ominous. His own eyes narrowed, faint alarm in him. Are we being watched-? If so, by whom--and to what end? Magicka sparked behind his pupils, feeding extra light into them, but even in the darkest corners of this short tunnel he saw nothing particularly alarming.

@Wolf-Rayet

It shakes itself off, before pulling back again at Vastator's laugh. It wasn't exactly that sure what that sound was supposed to be, and it kinda sounded like a husky, wheezing growl. Though, the larger Gembound didn't advance anymore, so Rayet calms down quickly.

"...somewhere else. We can do that." Though that begs the question, of where to go. There's back to Orion, but Rayet doesn't want to go there. Maybe it'll just have to explore as well.

It turns to head down the tunnel, but pauses when Vastator asks about the 'eyes.' "Feeling. Feels like eyes, watching. Sometimes the bats watch too," it tries to explain, not able to elaborate past that. It doesn't know about Order, why it always feels like it has an audience in Canis. It can't really say more.

image credit: oskenund

@Vastator

The dragon grunted, shook himself and set off after Wolf-Rayet. It helped some that one of his strides was worth a dozen of the culpeo's but truth be told, he wasn't meant for trundling along on the ground. It was a slow and lumbering gait, and when Wolf-Rayet stopped abruptly again, he nearly stepped on the other Gembound. He grunted again, jerking an arm back just in time, peering down with irritation. But--ahh. His question was being answered, and the answer distracted him from any of his (entirely unreasonable) annoyance.

Vastastor glanced around, pondering this. Were they being watched? Certainly the Lessers did so--and he remembered now that some of the bats were probably bigger than Wolf-Rayet. Definitely more savage. Maybe dangerous to it-? "Is it... disconcerting?" he asked, peering down at the culpeo. "Knowing the Lessers may be watching, and can eat you? Are large enough to eat you?" he clarified. There wasn't really sympathy in it; there was curiosity, and anything else Vastator might have been feeling wasn't showing at all. He might've been amused, or concerned, or nothing at all. But certainly he could not remember being that tiny, even as a hatchling. Maybe he had been, but his bestial savagery at that age had blinded him to it? Or maybe he'd started even a little larger. It was hard to tell, now. He'd grown so fast.

For the time being, he lifted his head and glanced around with a grunt, the tangled foliage-like structure of his beard dangling beneath his jaw and throat. Eyes picked at the shadows, scouring the upper corners of the short tunnel, and at length he shook his head. "I don't see anything watching us now, at least." Maybe it would be reassuring--or not.

Vastator didn't know, and quite possibly he didn't care.

@Wolf-Rayet

Rayet isn't looking back, so it doesn't notice Vastator's irritation. An ear flicks as it listens, before it replys, "Sometimes, but most leave me alone. Though some of them just stare. They sit like statues and watch, and watch, and watch."

When Vastator scours around, confirming that no one else is there, Rayet nods. "Okay. We go then," it states, starting to walk off towards Canis. It's pace isn't exactly the fastest, due to it's limp, so Vastator shouldn't have too many issues keeping up.

image credit: oskenund

@Vastator (Exit here or next posts maybe? We can go to a new thread if you want)

The dragon huffed a little, but there wasn't any reason for it. Habit, really. He clawed his way along, itching to flex his wings instead of plodding along the ground. "When we reach open space," he decided, with the imperious air of a magnanimous emperor, "I can carry you in flight, if you want. It will be faster." Admittedly he meant 'in his claws' (anything else would be dangerous, and not even something he'd consider); and admittedly it was more so he didn't have to wait, than anything.

He tried to set his magic to keeping closer watch on the shadows, but this time it didn't come.

"We will find food, first," he decided, his mind moving on to the important things.

exit Vastator

I'm down for a new thread if you are!! you can post one last time here for an exit if you wanted to hit Medium length :3
@Wolf-Rayet

Its ears prick at Vastator's huff, but it's more a reaction to the noise than anything else. Wolf-Rayet is starting to get used to his constant voicing of irritation, however small. "Fly?" it chirps in question, the idea unfamiliar to it. Though it makes the wings make sense in hindsight. "Fly. Never tried it," it decides on. It doesn't feel like refusing its supposed new king.

"Food. Food sounds good," it agrees, trying to pick up the pace a little bit, even on uneasy legs. It was so terribly hungry.

image credit: oskenund

exit Wolf-Rayet
@Vastator (for visibility)