The little dragon bobbed rapidly up and down in the air, gaze flicking over the silver flashes just beneath the water's edge. With a hiss he dived, little jaws opening, needle-sharp teeth glinting in the cave's light. He summoned up his magicka in an instant, feeling the flash of heat flaring through him.

Shimmering hot air burst forth; his usual hunting tactic was to stun or even kill his prey with heat, and only then risk himself at close range. Otherwise, things--he had found through hard experience--had a tendency to either flee, or to fight back, and neither of those situations tended to end well.

Only one of the fish seemed bothered--and even then, only slowed, so that he only barely got his hind legs' talons into the scales, lifting it, his tail thrashing as he struggled to keep his balance. His keeled chest and webbed spine-ridges guided him through the air, and he landed not far off from Asimona. It was only after he'd flailed the fish around for a time, bashing it on the stones--then losing his grip, chasing it, and repeating--that he noticed Asimona had made her own kill. He blinked in surprise, still perched on his own kill--now fallen still, thankfully--and hissed in surprise, and just a little bit of jealousy. Quickly he leaned down and began to strip away bits of the fish flesh, rapidly consuming it.

"HUNGRY," he agreed in a sharp squeak, between swallowed bites. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he quite accidentally and very immediately associated it with this burning-belly feeling that drove him to hunt.

@Asimona

Asimona nodded and dug into her own fish. Every second she stayed in this cave, she felt sweat begin to accumulate on her skin. She was not built for warm, damp places, but for the coldest parts of the caves. Her skin was thick, insulated, and warm and only made it more uncomfortable to be in Fornax. There was a reason she didn't go through this cave often.

Once she was done with her fish, she couldn't stand it anymore. She focused back on her gem and forced a layer of magic to spread across her skin. Freezing ice armor appeared, glistening in the lights above and rapidly began to cool her off. She sighed with relief as the cold ice pressed down and chilled the top layer of her hide. That was much better.

But she knew that she couldn't stay here. The ice wasn't going to last forever and it wasn't exactly comfortable to wear. She turned to the little dragon, her heart aching to have to say goodbye. She didn't think he would want to go with her - this place was its home and definitely a good place for a fire dragon.

But, still, there was something she had not yet asked. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Do you have a name?" She realized that the dragon probably had no idea what a name actually was. She pointed at herself. "Name, Asimona." She then pointed at the dragon and asked, "Name?"

"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Dread
notes:

Dread stared.

And, in typical "too young to understand" format, entirely misinterpreted Asimona's meaning.

His thoughts didn't exactly have words--that would be beyond him--but if translated into speech, they might have come across something like 'Ahh, so THAT'S what I am called. Name!' With a bright chirp and a final gulp--in which he swallowed down the rest of the fish, bones fins and all--he hopped over to Asimona.

"Name!" he agreed. "Name! As-ee-moh-na! Name name name, hungry!" He then turned his attention back to the water, young and easily distracted as he was.

Another leap over the water and billowing of little wings, and the tiny dragon was bobbing in the air over the school of silvery fish once more, aiming his magic to stun them. First one, then a second, floated and thrashed weakly at the surface. Dread snagged one in his talons, one in his teeth, and landed roughly in the stones. One he shook rapidly, killing it, and then lobbed it loosely toward Asimona--a gift, apparently--before starting in on his second of the day.

@Asimona

Asimona smiled fondly as the young dragon completely misinterpreted her question. It was difficult to work with young ones, as she had learned, but she would miss this young creature, even if she didn't know his name.

Se gratefully pulled the fish he had thrown to her close and ate it in a few quick bites. It was surprisingly a lot tastier warmed by the dragon's fire. It was too bad that she would not be able to do that herself.

When she was done with her meal, she stood, carefully picking up the rocks and pressing them against the back of her neck. She twisted the magic so that it encased them in ice against her skin so that they would not move while she was traveling. She leaned down and gave the little dragon a friendly nuzzle. "I leave now," she told it, sadly, "I can't stay here. I am cold and it is too hot. I hope I see you again sometime."

She stood back up and gave it one last look before turning away. She spread her wings and took off into the sky. Once she had gained some altitude and a bit of distance, she turned and steadied herself in the air. She blinked at the dragon before raising her head and letting off a loud roar, followed by a stream of icy breath into the air, one last goodbye.

She turned away towards the exit of the room, sad that she had to leave.

*exit

"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Dread
notes:

Dread flinched in surprise, then turned to blink up at Asimona as she nuzzled him. He wasn't afraid of her--not any longer. He squeaked quizzically, tilting his head, listening to her words. "Hot," he understood, and "cold," but the rest--not so much. He could tell, however, from something in her body language, that she was uncomfortable. He eyed her over curiously. Frost was covering her, slicking her scales. Was that it? She was cold? But it was so warm, here--

Suddenly she was rising into the air, wings beating. Dread blinked, gulping down the last of his fish, as Asimona's roar split the cave's air with a shattering bellow. He squeaked in response, leaping into the sky after her, expecting another game--a friendly challenge, perhaps, in her roar.

Emboldened, the little dragon took a deep breath--and then coughed. Why did he keep trying to make fire? This never worked out for him. Whenever he attempted to spew forth vast heat, and whenever he was excited enough to try and make it real, it backfired.

That was the case now; he simply turned and dove back into the water, probably seeming merely to play, as he sought to quench the sudden burning in his mouth with cool water. For once he wished, if only briefly, that he was an ice dragon like Asimona instead.

When he finally emerged, wincing, from the water, the white dragon was gone, and Dread found himself again alone.

It didn't matter--he was lonely, but he was sure she would come back. Wouldn't she?

//exit Dread