So... Cold....

Shadara's eyes flickered. The world was red again. She was curled up, again in the stone wall that had guarded her before. But it felt wrong.

The crocodile swung her head, cracking the barrier that held her. Shadara thrashed once, twice more, and the chrysalis shattered. The cavern greeted her like it had the first time. The walls gleamed, shimmering a brilliant blue.

Shadara began to drag herself out of the fallen shards of her chrysalis. She quickly noticed that something felt different. She had difficulty holding up her weight. As she slithered past a rather reflective crystal. She was larger. She had larger teeth. She had more pointy scales.

How long has it been?

It had roamed away from the Spire, but only for a moment. To feed. To search. To witness.

Witness it did, indeed, the re-hatching of a slumbering dragon. Amazing spectacle, if a bit immodest. The dragon seemed confused.

It felt obligated to fill the beast in on its purpose, now.

It all but slithered up to the creature, shifting to stand in front of it, unafraid and undaunted despite their noticeable size different; where the hybrid was longer, by tail mostly, this dragon was larger in general. Cool, unwavering gaze settled with direct eye contact.

"Welcome back." It sounded so smooth, welcoming, with a voice so rarely used. Almost gentlemanly, if not for a feminine undertone lacing through each word.

@Shadara Error's up to no good; feel free to think it's fking creepy. XD

Shadara had been contimplating her reflection when a lean, proud-looking creature appeared before her. Golden eyes stared into hers.

It seemed calm, but something seemed off. The beast's voice called her. Invited her. But Shadara was unwilling to believe this beast immidiately.

"Who are you?" she asked. "I am Shadara."

(( @error ))

It was patient. Endlessly patient.

"Spire." It spoke the false name without pause or thought and was well practiced by it now. "Are you hungry?" It had plenty of food back at its namesake homestead.

Surely the newly woken dragon would be absolutely starved for meat.

Such dangerous teeth did not eat plants.

"There is food." It stood like a gracious host and waved a charismatic paw to encourage her to follow its direction.

@Shadara

Shadara didn't really trust this Spire, but she was hungry. The call of food was enticing. "Yes I am. Thank you," she said, starting to follow the beast.

But Shadara could not shrug off the feeling of fear inside her. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything off. However, the stone floor remained constant, and so did the rocks around her.

((@error ))

The dragon followed, walking into the hypothetical snare it had laid out with its clever plan.

"Apologies. I get little company." It soothed, and with the first stage of its plan underway, the hybrid could ease into its role more naturally. "You have likely been sleeping for some time." Words came more fluidly. "I too fell asleep. I suppose I have yet to shake off the dregs."

It tip-toed its way up the sloping path that led to the true Spire. At its base was clear evidence of its residence here. Odd, to find a gembound so unbothered by the wandering dangers so close to the spire, and yet, so out in the open. It didn't seem to think so, trotting over to a hole in the floor, carefully dug out, corpses of rats inside.

It casually grabbed one up in its teeth, and as it did so, made use of the spire's light shining through its stone already to try something, so careful not to let its actions show...

...it would set the rat down before the other gembound, turning back without any sign of devious intentions or evidence to the fact that, on the hybrid's tongue, glazed across those savage but tucked away teeth...

...was something less than pleasant.

"I have a few stored. You are more than welcome to them. I have eaten, and was just hunting when I found you." It rolled another rat to rest beside the first, and reached for a third with his claws, to offer it rather than assume she'd want more than two to start with.

@Shadara

The beast seemed too welcoming. The voice was unsettling. However, Shadara had excepted the Spire's offer, and it was offering food, just like it said it would.

She sniffed at the cave rat, but it only smelled slightly musty from sitting in the hole for a while.

The crocodile then grabbed it in her teeth, threw back her head, and swallowed it whole, completely unaware she'd been tricked. But the rat tasted delicious...

It was good.

She took another, greedily devouring it.

So good...

(( @error ))

The dragon ate the offerings and it rolled another rat out of the pile, picking it up with its teeth again to offer more.

Well, to offer more and...

...apparently choke on its own spell. He sputtered and coughed, dropping the rat a few inches shy of the reptile's snout. Perhaps it still coated the rat with that nasty germ of its own design, but it had certainly failed to spread it over the fur effectively. Bile sat wet on the rats fur from the coughing fit, which resided finally with the fox hybrid grinning sheepishly, though not showing off its teeth- those were threatening regardless of intention.

"I inhaled some fur." It explained, in regards to the coughing. "Did you still want more?"

@Shadara