The wet morning fog hung low over the meadow; dew clinging to the grasses and gentle calls of small birds wavering from the trees that surrounded the clearing. The air was thick with the scents of prey.

In the grasses a flash of bright blue appeared and a low yawn sounded, before a large figure rose up into clear sight.
Bright golden eyes blinked sleepily and white fangs flashed when yet another yawn escaped the creature. A dragon.

Rala was awake.....but barely. Looking around she ruffled her wings, then stretched like a cat. The meadow hadn't been the most comfortable places to sleep.....but without a territory there weren't many options.

Standing the dragoness growled softly and moved towards a small stream that ran through one end of the clearing. Bending down she lapped at the cool water, then raised her head and sniffed the air.
Birds. A Stag.......a dragon.....

When the smell of another dragon nearby came to her senses Rala's nose wrinkled and a hiss edged from her throat. She didn't need this now......

Every muscle in her body tensing the female backed away. Then, going still, she waited should the dragon appear.

stormy snorted as she started to land in the trees. her wings ached with a small drumming pain as she landed.
stormy had been flying all night. the day before she had raided a human village, eating some of the cattle they had. the villagers didn't really like her doing so, so with weapons they started to run her out.

she snorted and arched her back as one foreleg had a long cut on it. the work of one brave hunter with a sword had gotten to close. it ended with stormy getting a long and painful cut, and the hunter getting fried to a crisped. it was the worst off, of her wounds. she was beaten and battered.

she landed in the tree line, just able to see the little opening she had been going for. a meadow. with long soft grass, and food. and by the sound of it. water, with some fish maybe.

the small dragoness moth started to water at the thought. with a limping stride, and sleep filled eyes she walked in to the open. stormy's blood mixed with her black blue scales.

she got half way in to the meadow and crashed to the ground. a lament wail came from the female as she was mere feet from the cold water she was going for. her body was to weak to do any thing. with a wail she tried to claw her way to the water, to no avail.

it was then, as she was trying to get to her goal, that she smelled dragon.

Rala went wide eyed when a blue female came limping out of the tree line. Dropping to the ground she pressed her belly against the earth and stared with wide golden eyes at the wounded dragoness. Her scales....what could be seen beneath the blood.....were colored similarly to hers. She was smaller.....much smaller....

Shockingly, it wasn't long before the wounded female collapsed.....probably from either exhaustion or blood loss.

Rala almost left; turning to leave. But she heard the desperate wails and froze.
At the sound of it pain shot through her heart and Rala glanced back in the direction of the dragon.

She shouldn't risk being attacked......but then....was this female in any condition for battle?

Letting out a low huff Rala rose from the ground; turning on her hind legs and stepping cautiously towards the dragoness. Speaking she arched her neck and ruffled her wings, "What happened?"

stormy looked up with pained sea blue eyes. the dragoness before her had scales all most like her own. but lighter, with a hint of purple in them.

she hissed in pain as she sat up a little. "humans." was all she could say. her mouth was dry from the winded flying. She arched her neck trying to get a better look a the much taller dragoness. stormy arched her neck, trying to pull her self closer to the life giving water, she needed so much. but the wounded foreleg stopped her with a roar of pain.

there was little she could do now. if this female wanted to kill her for being on her land, then stormy would have to take it fully, she was to weak to fly.
with a dime thought she all most smiled. with all the pain she was feeling it wouldn't be that bad. sleeping for the rest of her life.

Rala winced at the condition this unfortunate dragon was in. How she hated the humans.....

Looking over to the water she sucked in a breath, then made a small cooing sound. This dragon was no threat to her.....the least she could do was help her drink.
Stepping close Rala reached down with a taloned forefoot, digging into the bank and creating a trench towards the wounded female.

After a few moments of gentle work she managed to guide the water until it flowed near the dragoness' snout.
Stepping back Rala nodded, "Drink."

stormy looked up gratefully. her bloodied muzzle made the water pink, or a minute or so. as she drank the cold ice water stormy let out a grunting sound. bubbles came up from her nose.

when she was done the small dragoness moved in a half arch, all most a horse shoe shape, and started to lick her wounds on her back .
"thank you."she said stopping from her licking."could I know the name of such a kind dragoness?"she asked half winching at the pain of a deeper wound

Rala relaxed slightly; sitting back on her haunches and curling her tail around herself. She stared at the female for a moment, then sighed, "My name is Rala..."
Ruffling her wings she flicked her tail back and forth before tilting her head, "You look familiar......I don't know why but....."

Shaking her head she chuckled, "Forgive me....." She had never seen this dragoness before in her life. And she had seen plenty of dragons.

stormy half smiled."i'm stormy. I once had an older sister named rala. but she's long gone some were."the smaller female wiggled tell she could sit up some what. she arched her neck a little.

"have we met before?" she said with a tip of her head. this female made a shadow in her mind. of a time long ago. when she was young and in the care of her mother.

Rala blinked, golden eyes shadowed with surprise and pure confusion. Stormy? But it couldn't be....could it?

She looked at the dragoness, "My youngest sister was named Stormy......Stormy White....."

Standing she stepped ever so carefully towards the other dragoness, examining every scale upon the surface of her face. Speaking softly she almost purred, "We were born in a cave by the sea; during a storm."

Either this female was her long lost sister.......or....

Rala began to smile brightly, "By the skies is that you?!"

stormy gasped."by the sea, on s stormy day, mother would sing to take the pain away." it was a song her mother would sing if the young dragons were fearful of a big storm.

"my sister, was rala, my full name is stormy white. I was named after the water." her sea blue eyes wide with all most an awe,she tried to get up.

"is it really you?"

Ivory clouds scattered the painted hues of the sky, the light whistle of wind trickling in the trees below as a hefty mass cast a shadow from above. The sun behind him as wide limbs rippled and barely motioned for lift, the gentle complaining of hunger lingered over his spin as emerald hues scanned the earth for a clearing of sorts.

Hind legs dangled behind him as he shook his head with a frustrated snort, the shrieks of a distressed sheep wrapped in one foots talons echoed downwards as the lightly colored form began to circle a large clearing split by a stream. His descent halted by the appearance of two dark figures lingering about. A quick thrust downwards of those powerful wings cast him around as he emit a deep shrill of a call, testing his grounds off approach as the little figure upon him went quiet, molding to blend before being spotted she new the routine.

Ace glared downwards, he continued to circle above, like a vulture over dying prey, but he grasped that still living meal tightly below him, he made no descent and merely watched, listened and waited.

Rala went wide eyed and grinned, "Stormy!"

Leaping foreword she gently bumped the smaller female's snout, then licked it and sat back to chuckle. Her chest was bubbling with excitement and she found herself purring.....it had been years since she had ever purred to anyone....

"Oh Stormy! I thought I would never see you again!"

But, her excitement was abruptly interrupted.

Above she heard the distant yet definite call of a dragon; the tone in the roar heavy with what Rala's instincts told her were anger and defensive hostility.
Immediately the dragoness tensed and her lips curled, before she looked up and saw the dark form soaring in the skies above.

Curse the storms how was she to deal with this?! Now of all times.

Shooting her gaze to Stormy she nodded, "Let's go."

She didn't like to back down from a fight; especially if it meant protecting her sister. But at the moment she wondered if retreating was the better choice.

She lunged foreword and gently nudged beside Stormy, giving her body to lean on as she pointed them in the right direction, "Hurry."

stormy jumped to her weak feet and limped as fast as she could to were rala told her to go. but as her sister loped faster and faster. as she ran after rala she didn't see the log in the tall grass.
stormy tripped and fall,face fisrt, in to the earth.

her wings fanned out and she crashed down. there was a loud and pain filled yelp from the smaller dragoness as she did so. she looked up with pain filled eyes."rala!" she wailed seeing the dragon over head

Rala nearly tripped on herself when Stormy collapsed, glancing back with wide eyes and slowing. She growled, "Hold on."
Spinning on her haunches the hurried back to her sister, nudging her gently. If needed to they would go slower...Rala hoped the dragon above had as much mercy as to let them leave peacefully.
Taking a glance above she snarled and flicked her tail until it made a whiplike crack in the air. Reaching down she nuzzled her sister, "Can you walk?"

She hoped so.....otherwise she wouldn't have a choice if she wanted to fight or not.

Suddenly began a quick descent, bright eyes watching as the figures began to retreat, his throat rocked lightly as he rumbled, non threateningly downwards. He didn't expect such a retreat, but his frustration made him sound harsher than intended.

As the larger figure disappeared within the tree lines he began to circle once more, halting his descent as he witnessed the smaller dragoness collapse over a log, the cry of pain followed by a voice calling to the other dragoness made the male slow down. The sheep clasped below him still shrieking loudly as he moved.

"You do not need to run," The hefty, deep tone drifted downwards from the massive creature. The gleam of bright colors bouncing from his scales contrasting the dark shadow under his form.

After a moment he shook his thickened nape and began to descend once more, he aimed to land away from the pair, far enough to hastily take off if necessary. The creature upon his back between his wings barely visible upon approach, almost invisible as he slowed to land upon the fresh greenery of the field and it's scattered flower inhabitants.

With a graceful thud and sudden gush of breeze pushed under those lifting limbs the brute landed near the furthest side of the field, the sheep held in one lifted hind leg as he emit a partial hiss and shifted to glance upon the forms trying to retreat.

As the dragon, a male by voice, scent and physical appearance landed, Rala stood in front of her sister with wings fanned and a glare on her face.
When he spoke she stiffened, and once he stood on the ground she snorted, "I haven't had the best of experiences whilst meeting strange dragons....forgive me but the instinct to fight or flight has become a strong habit." More often these days it was a choice of fight.......

She heard the cries of the sheep in the large male's claws and frowned, ignoring the protest of hunger in her gut. With the lack of a territory a proper meal was rare for her....

Glancing back at Stormy, who had gone quiet and just laid there in the grass, Rala huffed, "Excuse us.....but I need to tend to my sister."

She kept one golden eye on him and began to shift to Stormy's side.

Listened to the older dragoness as she spoke, he only nodded partially as he watched her instincts to protect her injured sibling.

He tucked his wings against his sides slowly as he shifted on the three available limbs, a gentle rumble emerging as he winced at the high pitched crying of the sheep before he dropped it and spun quickly, lengthy tail knocking down a small tree as the over-sized skull dunked down and his maw parted, rippling lips baring those large, well pointed daggers before he grabbed the small creature and within seconds dropped it once more, this time silenced.

The females at this point proved no threat as he allowed a snake-like slither of pink flesh to draw down either side of his jaws, stripping them of the fresh copper tasting liquid. At that instance he'd quickly shoot a glance at the pair off on the other side, he hesitated and paced lightly around the meal. It was only a mouth full for him basically, which made it odd that he didn't eat it up as fast as many might have. He merely watched the others and hesitated some thought in his mind.

Not wanting to rush her sister too quickly Stormy huffed, then silently sat beside her and faced the male as he swiftly dispatched his prey.
Watching him, face blank with thought and caution, Rala began flicking her tail back and forth. The sun caught her scales and shifted them between a shimmering blue, and a hidden purple or green.

Trying to ignore the now dead sheep on the ground the dragoness let out a breath, heavy with the stench of sulfur. She frowned when the male didn't take to eating his meal like so many other dragons would have gladly done; mocking them with it.
He instead paced around his food and watched them, to which Rala snorted, "Don't let us stop you."

Allowed his eyes to shift over both forms of the two dragoness's, tail swaying almost like that of an agitated feline and nostrils flaring with each hefty breath. He shook his head and grunted an almost unkind snort before he placed himself in front of the bloody mess of a meal. Large figure lowering to block the pairs sights before he reached around to nuzzle between his own wings, a whisper of voice barely hear-able as he blocked further sights of partial movement.

All that the two would see would be a fine slender whip like motion from a miniature tail, followed by a faint thud of something hitting the ground. At that point, Ace brought his head around to settle firm orbs of solid emerald upon the dark figures once more. Wings tucked to his sides still as he listened now to the sound of the carcass being torn at.

He almost went statue still as he blocked vision of whatever he'd had with him. The gentle rumbles, flaring nostrils and hard set eyes daring either to try coming closer, he was visibly prepared to fight for what he had and wasn't afraid to make that known at this point where the small creature was at it's most vulnerable.

When the male sat down in front of his kill and faced them, Rala frowned in confusion. His stare was unsettling......green orbs full of what she sensed were hints of warning.....as if he was protecting something. She had a feeling it wasn't the sheep's carcass.

Sniffing the air with wide nostrils Rala frowned when she managed to catch the scent of a second being amongst them. She saw the movement and heard the sound of tearing flesh and hide. What was he hiding back there?

Trying to remain in her spot Rala leaned to the side and reached her neck out in an effort to see the creature behind the male. Her golden eyes had softened with curiosity and she couldn't help but mumble, "What is that?"

Like her; sitting in front of Stormy, this male seemed to be guarding a sacred treasure........a living thing to be exact.