Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204461) ~Morana~ the now humanish nox draconian had been messing with her shadow abilities, finding it fun to make necklaces and bracelets from the shadows. she enjoyed this element. it was a dangerous element, sure, but she loved it. the sun bothered her a little, but she wouldn't let that mess with her abilities. she was bullied often, for her strange antics, but she just kept with what she wanted to do. @WingedShadow

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow Brokenshadow had been watching the flock from an outcropping on the mountain that bordered the forest. It was a warm day with a cool breeze, and she had been soaking up the sun when she could see movement in a part of the forest about half a mile from where her flock was resting. Snapping her head up, she got to her feet to try and get a better view. Realizing that whatever it was is too far away she chirped to Ash, the Solus guardian, bobbed her head in the direction of the disturbance, before spreading her wings and taking off. Camouflaging herself, she circled above the area, looking sharply around for the intruder, and that’s when she saw her.

A human, on her territory?? This was not to be tolerated. Deep hatred settled into her scales, swirling dark memories in her mind. Humans had taken so much from her, and for what reason? Nothing, except for their innate desire to kill anything they didn’t understand. They’d killed her parents, and taken her brother away, there was no chance she would let one near her flock, the one thing she had left.

Landing near the clearing, she crept silently up behind the human, claws unsheathing, lips curling in a snarl to reveal razor sharp teeth. Muscles shaking from tension, she stalked closer, preparing to spring and end the threat to her flock then and there. That’s when she realized what was happening. The human was controlling shadows, which meant she wasn’t a human at all. This was another draconian. By the looks of it, she seemed to be a juvenile.

Anger and aggression morphed into curiosity. Why was this draconian in human form? And why was she alone? Caution began to creep in. What if this was a trap? What if there were humans with their diamond weapons ready to lunge in and kill her the second she approached the juvenile? But then, if she stayed, she would never get the answers she wanted. Caution and curiosity waged a war in her head until she finally gave into her curiosity. Uncamouflaging, she made a low growling sound to make her presence known.

“Who are you, and why are you on my territory?”

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204557) ~Morona~ the shadows of the world. delicate and beautiful. warning her of the draconian. "my name so far is morona. i am here because i got pushed out of the territory of my flock. because i'm weird. i prefer looking like this, because i can use the shadows to my advantage. i feel much more powerful," she said, standing and turning to face the draconian, her eyes sharp on the other. she sighed and switched into her draconian form. "does this make you a bit more comfortable?" she asked, flicking her tail a little angrily. she was rather enjoying her peaceful time with the shadows of the area.

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow blinked. Considering that Morona was a Nox draconian, and would someday be a guardian, it was possible that her flock had pushed her out to find a new one to guard, if her flock already had two guardians. The only reason she hadn’t been cast out of hers was because she’d proved herself to be dangerously adept at defending the flock, and their territory. That, and the current Nox guardian had been getting old, and couldn’t protect the flock anymore.

Pushing that aside, what kind of name is Morona? “Morona? What’s a Morona?”She transmits, genuinely confused. Was it some strange human thing? She doesn’t react to Morona’s act of aggression. She’s older and more experienced than the juvenile, and she doesn’t feel threatened by her. Willow does move farther into the clearing, however, both to size up the juvenile in case she decides to attack anyways, and to get a better vantage point.

The sun glints off of her dark amber scales, but only dully off of the black patches that litter the entirety of her hide. Molten amber eyes lock onto the other draconian as she tries to decide what to do. There is no way the juvenile could survive in her own, and left to her own devices, she could accidentally find herself attacked by a human. Not that she wanted Morona anywhere near her flock until she could trust her.

“How ‘bout this.” She transmits thoughtfully. “I will allow you to hunt on my territory until you find another flock to join, or I end up trusting you enough to join mine. You aren’t experienced enough or old enough to survive on your own.” She transmits firmly. “However, if you get near my flock without my permission, I will not hesitate to injure you. Do you understand?” The last part is growled, as she makes it clear that approaching her flock is not an option.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204564) ~Morona~ "morona. it means death or illness. i was apparently a bad omen to the flock," she hissed, sighing and nodding. "yes, i quite understand. i wouldn't dare anyways. i prefer being alone," she said, shaking her head and stretching, yawning slightly. "anything else you're going to threaten me about?" she said, rather sarcastically. she never mean't for it to come out this way, but it did. always did. her wings spread, creating more shadows, and she sighed. they were beautiful. she hated the light for destroying the fragile nature of the dark spotting the ground.

Willow Brokenshadow

“Interesting.” Willow muses. What kind of flock believed in omens? Only humans were superstitious, or so she’d thought. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you are a Nox draconian?” She transmits, curiously, before Morona can ask her second question. Willow’s pupils contract and her lips curl in a snarl due to her annoyance. “Don’t test me, juvenile.” She warns. “I’ve had more blood on my claws than you can comprehend.”

Just then she sensed something. An erratic movement of the lower branches of a tree, the sudden, faint rustling of leaves-

Her response is immediate. She crouches in a predatory stance, a conscious warning snarl erupting from her throat as her spines shoot upwards and begin to rattle. It was an attempt to warn whatever was stalking them. Human or lone draconian, it didn’t matter. It was in her territory, and that meant a fight.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204572) {yep!} ~Morona~ "yes, i'm sure," she said, before sensing it. she lowered into the shadows, almost invisible, remembering sounds, before remembering a commonly hunted prey. toucan. she opened her maw and mimicked the noise, waiting for the creature. her calls could last much longer then most could. she was powerful, just never acknowledged.

Willow Brokenshadow

Draconians are predators, always have, and always will be. When Morona made the toucan call, Willow’s head immediately snapped to the side, trying to find the bird. That was her mistake. The lone draconian exploded out of the bushes with a roar, and fastened its jaws on Willow’s throat.

That, in return, was it’s mistake. Willow has more than enough experience with fighting, and she knew the second that the draconian had its jaws locked, that it would most likely be to the death. More to the point, it wasn’t just her life in the line here, it was the welfare of her flock. Willow immediately began to thrash violently, screeching in anger as she began to tear at the draconian with her claws, jaws snapping audibly as she tried to gain purchase.

Desperation has a way of making someone stronger.

She ripped herself away from the draconian, leaving a dripping chunk of flesh, and one of her spines, In The draconians mouth. Now she was pissed. She began to circle the other, noting strengths, and weaknesses, with a well trained eye. Everything from the way it moved to its vocalizations would tell her what it was going to do next, and when. Pain pulsed from the wound on the back of her neck, and she hissed viciously.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204664) ~Morona~ the nox thought as quickly as she could, slowly creeping out of the shadows, unnoticed. she raised her head and leaped, landing on the lone draconian, fastening her teeth into its skull, her claws on its throat. she stood from the now limp draconian, backing a bit away from it. just to inspect it from a distance. she wouldn't see much that could tell her anything important about it. at all. she glanced at the guardian, before looking back at the limp body.

Willow Brokenshadow

The Juvenile had been lucky. A split second slower and the now dead draconian would have slashed her face open. Willow had seen the tensing of muscles and the twitch of movement in the foreleg. She glared at the draconian as she listened for anything that might indicate it had another draconian with it. Nothing.

Blood covered the green, grass covered ground with crimson red patches, blood from the other draconians wounds soaking into the dirt. Her own wounds sent blood pumping down the back of her neck and dripping onto the ground, leaving dark red droplets on the grass. The wound would take some time to heal, even with the natural healing salve, and it was placed where she couldn’t get to it. She would have to go back to the flock.

She turned to survey Morona, pain throbbing from the wound. “Nice job.” She transmitted, grudgingly. “Probably shouldn’t have done the mimicking, but I guess you did well. For a juvenile.” Praise wasn’t something she gave sparingly, and she was reluctant to give any of it to this loner. She turned to head back, spreading her wings.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204674) ~Morona~ she smiled before saying, "you should probably get that healed from back in your flock. it might be easiest!" she smirked before sighing and sitting in the shadows, spreading her wings. she felt the shadows absorb her, and smiled. it felt much better than in the sunlight. {so sorry this is so short!}

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow merely growled in reply. What did Morona think she was doing? Being cocky wouldn’t get the juvenile anywhere, Willow thought to herself before flapping her wings and taking off into the air, leaving Morona in the bloodied clearing to soak in the shadows.

The pain increased as the adrenaline began to wear off, and the wind rushed against the wound, causing her to wince in pain. The flock wasn’t far, and she landed in the clearing they were in, relieved to see that Luna was still there guarding them. She crouched warningly as the others tried to crowd around her to see what had happened, and she gave a few agitated flaps of her wings to indicate she wanted to be alone.

The others took the hint and backed off, leaving her to slink over to the edge of the clearing and lie down. She picked a shady spot and fanned her wings out to catch the full feeling of the shadows. They soothed the wound, and the pain began to ebb away slightly.

Looking back up, she made a trilling call, trying to catch Luna’s attention. As much As she hates to depend on others, she had to admit that the wound was ina place she couldn’t reach, and she needed help to clean it.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204843) {yes lol} ~Luna Stareyes~ she sighed and lifted her head to see the other guardian land, not far off. she shook her body, her wings flapping softly, before she called for her help. she flew up, before landing next to willow, her eyes going to the wound. "i'm guessing you need help?" she asked flicking her golden tail as she walked over softly. "it's in a strange spot... mind telling me what happened?" she asked, getting herself ready to help the other.

Willow Brokenshadow

She avoided the others eyes, unused to being helped. “A lone draconian attacked me.” She said, shortly. “Tore off a good chunk of flesh, and got one of my spines.” She mutters sullenly. “And yes, I guess I do.” She says, shifting slightly to a better position.

“We’ll have to be extra careful now. If one draconian wants this territory, there could be others.” She remarks, glancing around the clearing. “Maybe we should move the flock to a better place. One that’s easier to defend and watch.” In theory, it was good idea, except for moving the entire flock somewhere new, that is.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204852) ~Luna Stareyes~ "no, willow, the flock can do well in battle, and we're powerful. if the issue gets out of hand, we will," she said, collecting some of her saliva and placing it on the wound, letting it glob up, if it wishes to. "anything else happen?" she asked, carefully examining the rest of willow, making sure she had no more wounds. "and what type of draconian was the loner?" she asked, looking at willow carefully.

Willow Brokenshadow

Could they? The drakes would certainly help, but they were more accustomed to hunting than fighting, and the Ferox would stay with the nestling and Juveniles to guard them from harm. Willow drew back as Luna went to inspect her for other wounds. “No. I’m fine.” She says bluntly.

The wound taken care of, she got back to her feet. “I’ll go back into the outcropping to keep an eye on the surrounding forest.” She said casually. “As for what kind? Let me see . . .” She trailed off, trying to remember. Shiny, smooth hide, that was what had stood out. “It was an Ignis.” She said, finally.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204872) ~Luna Stareyes` "no, willow, you need to rest," she hissed, sighing and blocking her path. "listen, i know you want to protect this flock, but right now, you need to rest, okay? i promise to tell you if anything happens that shouldn't happen," she said,nudging her to her nest, befre going to the edge of the clearing, watching the surrounding land.

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow growled in response. “I am perfectly fine!” She snapped, tail lashing slightly, spines half raised. “The injury will be healed by tomorrow. It’s fine, I’m fine, okay?” She said heatedly, jumping up onto the outcropping defiantly. The last thing she needed was to be babied by a Solus draconian.

Agitated, she paced the outcropping like a caged tiger as she kept a sharp eye on the surrounding land. She could take care of herself. She didn’t need anyone, it was the flock that needed her, not the other way around. Right? She snarled under her breath as she glanced down where the others were.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204921) ~Luna Stareyes~ she sighed and said, "the flock needs you, willow. they need you well rested, especially after a fight where you were wounded." the solus stared at the nox for a few moments, before sighting the surrounding land. "i'm going to go do an attendance check, i'll be back," she said, grabbing a rock and making claw marks to check how many draconians were there. she rushed back over to willow, saying, one of the juveniles is missing. i checked the area they're allowed in, and no sign of him," she had wide, panicked eyes.

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow froze, staring at the marked rock. “Check the woods down by the plains.” She instructed firmly. “I’ll check the mountainous areas of the forest. I can see better in the dark.” She said, spreading her wings. “Hurry. A Juvenile stands no chance against a lone draconian. If there’s more in the area, it’s in trouble.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, she shot up into the air and dived towards the heavily forested areas of the mountain, circling the clearings a few times before landing and swiftly making her way through the tangle of tree branches and brush to look for the missing draconian.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204927) ~Luna Stareyes~ she nodded before calling for a few of the draconians to keep watch,and flying to the wooded plains. her talons touched the ground softly as she raised her head, her eyes scanning the brighter area. she heard the bushes move, and turned, only to see a lone draconian leap towards her. she flew into the air, making a screech to make it deaf for a moment, before slitting it's neck, feeling it's claws rake against her front arms. she felt the stinging pain, but kept looking, her eyes wide and watchful. "it just had to be missing today, didn't it?" she mumbled, limping through the woods.

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow kept herself camouflaged as she snaked through the forest. Stopping every once in a while to take in her surroundings. The forest seemed calm, sunbeams filtering through the treetops to illuminate the otherwise dark woods. She carefully began to climb up the mountain, checking the shallow caves that littered the cliff face.

Why would a juvenile wander off like that? It was highly unusual, and Willow began to have a sneaking suspicion that Morona had something to do with it. A new Juvenile wanders into her territory, only for one from her flock to go missing? That can’t be coincidental. A low growl emits from her throat.

If Morona had anything to do with this disappearance, she would pay dearly. Completing her check of the mountain, she spreads her wings and takes off, intending to meet up with Luna and help her look. Then, if they couldn’t find the juvenile, she’d pay Morona a visit.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204949) ~Luna Stareye~ she sighed, before following the footsteps of the loner. and she found it. the juvenile, trapped. "WILLOW!!" she called, guarding the young dragon, fighting off another loner, getting another scar. she sighed, and watched the guardian land next to her. "i-i think it was the loners. they dragon napped her!" she said, fear in her eyes. "we need to hide the young ones, and i'll find a new spot for our flock. can you get her out?"

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow dived down sharply the second she heard Luna call out for help. Seeing a draconian creeping up in her from behind, she sent a fireball towards it with a furious roar. It hit the draconian square in the side, knocking it back and blasting a festering hole in it’s side. Screeching weakly in pain, it limped off, and Willow made no move to follow it.

Landing, she bounded up to the trapped juvenile. “Go move the flock.” She snapped. “I’ve got the juvenile. Go!” Unsheathing her claws she began to slash at the vines and branches used to trap the frightened young draconian.

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204971) `Luna Stareye~ she nodded, and flew into the air. "LISTEN. OUR FLOCK NEEDS TO MOVE. NOW. FOLLOW ME!!" she called, before hearing the beat of wings behind her as she flew off, towards another forested area with a clearing. she left the flock to prepare the land for their life, before going for willow. she landed, and said, "i moved them."

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow freed the juvenile. Knowing that it most likely couldn’t fly yet, she bent down and picked it up gently in her jaws, much like a cat would pick ip her kitten. Nodding in response to Luna’s question, she flew towards the clearing.

“Is Sunlight safe?” She asked Luna once they’d arrived in the new clearing. She knew how important Sunlight was to Luna. “She’s not missing either. Is she?”

Originally Posted by Don't Panic (Post 1204985) ~Luna Stareyes~ {isn't it funny how luna's neice is called sunlight? and yes, it does} she sighed and nodded. 'thankfully," she said, and gestured towards the feathered juvenile. "she's right there." she smiled and said, "anything else we need to do?" she folded ehr wings, looking at the other draconian.

Willow Brokenshadow

Willow shook her head. “No. The Drakes need to go hunt so we can build up our food reserves again, and we need to be extra cautious until the flock has settled down, but other than that, I think we’re fine.” She said, doing a mental count of the flock. Thankfully, everyone is there.

“It could have been worse.” She said, wearily, her wings drooping slightly. “One of the flock could have been killed, or we could have lost out territory all together.”