Chapter three. Ta-da... just in case you forgot, One-Ear-Black is being followed by Cerulean, a young Blue. Niddhoggr and Nemesis are waiting for One-Ear-Black to return from his hunt.
[On the Dragon Plains, outside of Kull]
Niddhoggr watched the immense Blue with a mix of curiosity and distaste... it had become quite clear to her that Nemesis was totally crazy. He was currently pawing the water in the tiny creek, trying to 'catch' it. Earlier, he had amused himself by braiding strands of grass, tying them to sticks, dropping the sticks into the water, and sending a jolt of electricity through the braided grass. When she asked him what he was doing, he had cheerfully told her he was trying to catch a fish. Niddhoggr hadn't the heart to tell the old dragon that there were no fish in this creek, since there was a dam upstream that kept it pretty devoid of aquatic life.
The heavy Black dragoness yawned... she had, after all, been in the middle of a nap when One-Ear-Black had suprised her. The throbbing in her head had quieted to a dull roar, and with a final glance to make sure Nemesis was occupied, she curled up again and fell asleep.
[Seventy miles due West]
Sly had never really fit in... he'd never had a clan, or for that matter, a family. The earliest memories the feminine White had were of he and his 'brother,' a Red dragon named Cunning. They had named each other, using words they felt best described themselves. Sly had definitely lived up to his title... Cunning had died before his 100th birthday. Living on wits, treachery, and carrion, Sly had become a truly evil dragon. He had chosen a mate... a Red Scaled dragon nearly three times as large as he. She had been in season, and Sly had never turned down a female in heat. She had tracked him down a few years later. Sly had only ever had to worry about himself... he had no idea how to raise the tiny cub she'd abandoned to him. Sly had an honorable streak, and it bothered him that he couldn't provide for his daughter. In desperation, he sought the aid of Clan Talon. They had begrudgingly accepted him and his half-breed offspring, although they had also made it clear he was somewhere near the bottom of the social order of things. For almost seventy years he had lived on Talon's territory, trying to give his daughter a chance to have a better life than he had. It had crushed him when she dissappeared.
She wasn't a normal Furry Dragon... although she had the correct shape of a White and she breathed frost, her fur was red. It made her stand out, and she was often mocked because of it. Sly had tried to make her proud of it, naming her Vixen and telling her that when winter came, rabbits turned white, but foxes stayed red, and weren't foxes lord almighty to the snow hare? He had told her many times that she would be a great and powerful dragon one day... she hadn't believed him, and had run away in shame. Sly's reaction had been immediate: he had to find her and bring her back.
He had flown all night, and was exausted. Still, he kept moving, walking swiftly across the grassy plains, hoping he would catch a glimpse of his tiny red-furred Vixen. He had lost her trail somewhere, he couldn't remember where... there was no longer any rhyme or reason to his desperate searching. Sly was simply trying to find his precious needle in the haystack of the Dragon Plains.
Hopefully, he thought misrebly, Sniper still lives in this area. He'd know where to look... If I'm lucky, he won't tear off my wings and feed them to me for calling on him.
[Near the outskirts of Kull]
"Come on, we have to get moving... humans are on their way, they want our hides. Come on, Blackavar, up and at 'em!"
Niddhoggr kept her eyes closed tightly. She didn't want to get up, she was too warm and comfortable. Nearby, she could hear the sounds of multiple dragons eating... it smelled like horse. At that, Niddhoggr opened her eyes and turned to look.
"By Blizzard's claws, why did you kill a horse?!? It has a saddle and all... One-Ear-Black, you are a fool. Of course the humans want our hides... a horse like that would be very expensive!" She halted at the sight of the pathetic Cerulean, blood crusting her fur. "Blizzard hang you, One-Ear-Black, who is this? What happened to her?!" Niddhoggr began to lick away the dried blood, cleaning the dirt from the young Blue's body. "Nemesis? Where are you? Oh, there you are... could you heal her?"
"Yes, certainly." Nemesis replied, watching One-Ear-Black eat the remainder of the horse's intestines... the old Blue had already eaten his fill, leaving the grey animal without haunches and shoulders.
"My name is Cerulean, Lady," Cerulean said, bowing to Niddhoggr as best she could. "Sir One-Ear-Black saved me... he had to kill the rider of the horse, and the horse just got hit too. I'm sorry... it's my fault the humans are tracking us."
"Nemesis, I asked you to heal her, please!" Niddhoggr's patience was just about up. She had a soft spot for young dragons. Nemesis frowned. "No, you didn't... You never asked me to heal her, you asked if I could heal her, and I answered yes."
Niddhoggr closed her eyes and turned her head skyward. Please, gentle Blizzard, give me the patience not to try and thrash them all. When she spoke, it was through clenched teeth. "Nemesis, please heal Cerulean."
"Certianly, of course." Nemesis pushed Cerulean to the ground, rolling her on her side. He placed his paws over the injuries and began to cast a healing spell. Niddhoggr watched untill she could see that it was working, then she stormed over to One-Ear-Black.
"Tell me what happened, Red, right now."
One-Ear-Black spoke around a mouthful of gut. "Not very nice... you didn't say please."
"PLEASE!" Niddhoggr added a warning growl to it. One-Ear-Black raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"She was trying to raid a cattle herd, and the humans who owned the cattle tried to kill her. I didn't want them to think I was going after their cows too, because they'd follow me back here to you, and since I didn't know if you'd be awake yet, and I didn't want them to kill you while you were unconscious, I attacked the humans that were attacking that little Blue. I didn't want her to follow me, but she did anyway... her blood trail will lead them right to us." He paused to tear out the horse's liver and swallowed it whole. "Well get going in a minute or two."
Niddhoggr glanced at Cerulean. The young Blue was fully healed and was profusely thanking Nemesis, who was watching a small bird pick at a dead cricket and simoutaneously ignoring Cerulean. She was gazing up at the huge Blue with a certain awe... it made Niddhoggr smile. The tiny, light colored female standing next to a dark, dark male nearly twice her size... the one eyed Black couldn't help but laugh. One-Ear-Black licked his lips clean and stood.
"We'd better get going. Niddhoggr, you fly ahead a bit and scout out the area... Nemesis, see if you can slow down our pursuers. You, what's your name? Cerulean, you come with me, and keep up. I don't have any problems with you getting left behind. Let's go, now!"
[Seventy miles to the West]
Sly had spotted the huge rock that marked the entrance to Sniper's lair... he feverishly hoped the ugly dragon was still calling this area home. If Sniper had moved out and shifted hunting grounds, he'd only be slightly easier to find than Vixen.
The thin White pawed the tall grass away from the entrance to the shallow cave. It wasn't a good sign... the grass wasn't bent or crushed, the way is should be if a dragon were coming and going with any frequency. Still, there was the musty smell of dragon... the scent would be lessened if there wasn't a dragon living here. Without pausing, Sly dove into the mouth of the cave... only to be dragged out by the tail. He winced as he felt teeth grind into the bone.
Sniper was just about the most naturally unatractive dragon Sly had ever met. Unlike most Reds, he was a drab rust color, bordering on brown. His ears were like cattle's ears, never standing erect. His eyes were a beady mean brown color, and his head was boxy and pit-bullish. Sniper's body had grown to be thick and muscular, too short and bulky to be handsome. His mane never grew in, and the fur that normally runs along a dragon's legs was totally absent. The ridge of fur running down his back was only an inch or so tall. Even the bone wedge at the tip of Sniper's tail was thoroughly unimpressive. On the right side of his face, he had two slender scars, caused by a fight when he was a pup. The scars had been there ever since Sly had met the ugly Red roughly a century ago.
"Sniper, it's me! Sly! I need your help," he said, scowling as he tried to pull his tail out of Sniper's thick jaws. "Let go, I'm no enemy."
Sniper grunted and turned to one side, spitting the White's tufted tail as if it were nothing more than a wad of mucous. "You are no friend either, Sly." Sniper's voice matched his appearance; gruff, hoarse, and not at all melodious.
Sniper had always hated Sly... he had always hated those who had been born more handsome than he was, and the White was certainly handsome. Sly's gleaming white coat and long, blue, black and purple head fur were very good looking. Furthermore, the pretty White's body was slightly feminine, slender and curved, not bulky and dispropoprtionate. What made Sniper the most jealous was Sly's eyes, one gold, one purple. It grated on Sniper's nerves that Sly was not only beautiful, but intelligent. It was very uncharacteristic of the crafty White to charge into a cave without pausing to make his safety certain.
"Why do you need my help? Are you being followed?" The angry Red snarled. "If you have led another to my home I will-"
"No, nothing like that. I don't really feel like telling you all the gory details... lets just say I have a missing cub to find and leave it at that." A soft scraping sound behind him made Sly turn and peer into the cave. A pair of fearful green eyes stared back at him. "What have you got down there?"
"My adopted daughter, Myztek. Come, my little one, meet Sly." Sniper sneered, and watched as Sly closed his gaping jaw.
"You? Adopting a dragon? I never thought you'd..." Sly's voice trailed off as the young Myztek stepped out of the cave. She was lovely, and Sniper had made sure that she dressed as richly as royalty. Her ears were weighed down by fine jewelry, her ankles laden with bracelets and golden chains, her throat sparkled with gemstones of all colors. A headband of woven gold, silver, and copper was holding a diamond as big as a human's thumbnail to her skull. However, it was her fur that shone most brightly... Sly had never seen a dragon the exact color of an emerald. The young Green smiled and bowed elegantly. Her voice was as beautiful as she was. "Greetings, Sir Sly."
