02-03-2019, 03:45 PM
He was shining, glittering in the summer sun. Caught somewhere between forms, scales and ice bled into the warm muted gold of his equid coat. With his leathery wings outstretched across the sky, he was as beautiful as a stallion could hope to be. Beautiful, if not humble. A work in progress, if nothing else.
The lowlands were getting too warm to be comfortable. The fire that burned in his chest kept him comfortable in the dead of winter, and it burned no matter what the weather was doing. So when the sun beat down on his back and pinkened the skin of his nose, he knew it was time to seek cooler berthing.
The woods drew him, as they did many of the world's predators. Where the trees climbed thickly into the sky and the air moved in clean rivers over the loamy forest floor. That's where the sun drove him. His tail swept pine needles and decaying leaves with a rustle, the muscular appendage borrowed from his draconic form. Hunger welled in the pit of his belly, a low rumble responding to the odors filtering to him. Deer, hare, fox, assorted birds. Small reptiles, innumerable insects. All was noted and catalogued.
His eyes blinked in the half light, turning the dim scene into a tapestry of gentle blues and greens punctuated with tiny flares of orange and red. Mice and squirrel, most likely. Nothing large enough to tempt him. His muzzle raised to cast about, searching for something more interesting. A different scent caught his attention. Warm and sweet with a bitter undercurrent... unique.
Sparks played along his lips as his excitement rose. Fluid, predatory steps carried him through the forest, weaving gracefully among the towering trunks. A warm peach glow appeared through his sight, dappled through a stand of young poplar.
His elegant head dropped low, inhaling the strange scent deeply and exhaling lightly over his tongue. The aura was closer now, myriad golds and reds. Mother's hair. Brother's hair. Pretty prey. Teeth elongated and sharpened into tearing weapons. A steady breath, an adjustment in stance. A single, catlike leap with wings half-splayed, and he was on top of it. Her.
Her?
Her. His eyes blinked hard, sight returning to its normal ability, of light instead of heat. His forelegs had shifted midleap, muscular limbs now sheathed in hard scales, and tipped with ivory talons. Now they twined about a slim barrel, claws just shy of breaking the skin. Likewise, his teeth now rested against the softly moving stream of blood beneath her skin. Up close, it was obvious that her scent was equine. But now the conflict made sense. Reptilian, similar to his own. Serpentine. Beautiful.
His maw stretched open, relaxed into an amused smile. "Hello, gorgeous. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He growled gently. "Don't you know all kinds of beasts roam these woods?"
@[cosmos]
The lowlands were getting too warm to be comfortable. The fire that burned in his chest kept him comfortable in the dead of winter, and it burned no matter what the weather was doing. So when the sun beat down on his back and pinkened the skin of his nose, he knew it was time to seek cooler berthing.
The woods drew him, as they did many of the world's predators. Where the trees climbed thickly into the sky and the air moved in clean rivers over the loamy forest floor. That's where the sun drove him. His tail swept pine needles and decaying leaves with a rustle, the muscular appendage borrowed from his draconic form. Hunger welled in the pit of his belly, a low rumble responding to the odors filtering to him. Deer, hare, fox, assorted birds. Small reptiles, innumerable insects. All was noted and catalogued.
His eyes blinked in the half light, turning the dim scene into a tapestry of gentle blues and greens punctuated with tiny flares of orange and red. Mice and squirrel, most likely. Nothing large enough to tempt him. His muzzle raised to cast about, searching for something more interesting. A different scent caught his attention. Warm and sweet with a bitter undercurrent... unique.
Sparks played along his lips as his excitement rose. Fluid, predatory steps carried him through the forest, weaving gracefully among the towering trunks. A warm peach glow appeared through his sight, dappled through a stand of young poplar.
His elegant head dropped low, inhaling the strange scent deeply and exhaling lightly over his tongue. The aura was closer now, myriad golds and reds. Mother's hair. Brother's hair. Pretty prey. Teeth elongated and sharpened into tearing weapons. A steady breath, an adjustment in stance. A single, catlike leap with wings half-splayed, and he was on top of it. Her.
Her?
Her. His eyes blinked hard, sight returning to its normal ability, of light instead of heat. His forelegs had shifted midleap, muscular limbs now sheathed in hard scales, and tipped with ivory talons. Now they twined about a slim barrel, claws just shy of breaking the skin. Likewise, his teeth now rested against the softly moving stream of blood beneath her skin. Up close, it was obvious that her scent was equine. But now the conflict made sense. Reptilian, similar to his own. Serpentine. Beautiful.
His maw stretched open, relaxed into an amused smile. "Hello, gorgeous. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He growled gently. "Don't you know all kinds of beasts roam these woods?"
@[cosmos]