NightClaw

Biel Sho

The blanket of the new moon wrapped the world below in its embrace as the night began to set. Blackened shapes moved furtively, creeping through the grass towards a creek. The silence broken only by the crackling ahead and the wind singing in the grass, the figures made their way towards the creek bed. Slowly, the creatures finally dared to nudge their heads out from the blades of grass, glancing in either direction. One figure gradually stepped out into the open, signaling with his tail for the others to follow.

No sooner did the party relinquish their cover did the first creature notice something off. Stiffening, his gaze shot to the other side of the creek. He could hear it clearly now, blades of grass rustling, cracking under something's footsteps. A glance at the rest of the group proved that they had all heard it too, their gazes fixed on the other bank. Whatever it was – it was getting close. The first figure, a Mirror by the name of Nyx, jerked to his feet and stepped over the creek. Nyx tensed, folding his wings protectively and settled into a defensive stance, “Who's there – identify yourself now!” he snarled.

The rustling paused momentarily, then continued. “I'm warning you, I won't say it aga-” The rustling crescendoed as the grass parted to reveal... a deep blue nocturne. She blinked in confusion at Nyx, then at the rest of the party, then finally at the creek.

“This isn't the main path...” She murmured. Nyx opened his mouth to speak, failing to form words. He shook his head, relaxing his stance.

“What? I mean, wait – of course this isn't the main path! Who are you anyway, and why are you in the middle of nowhere... alone, I might add... For a moment his eyes narrowed with suspicion, but his eyes widened slightly, grinning. “You're alone, aren't you...?” Nyx's voice was almost a whisper. His eyes settled on an expensive-looking jewel on her tail, leering at the silver glint it gave. “Say, uh, where'd you get that pretty ornament you got there?” Nyx nodded towards the object, his eyes wide. The nocturne furrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled in understanding.

“This? Oh, I believe I got this from my parents. They always gave me gifts like this when I was a hatchling...” She trailed off, wilting slightly. “My parents... I can't find them. We were making our way to a neighboring lair to interview suitors for myself, but...” The nocturne looked up at Nyx, “You wouldn't have happened to see two nocturnes passing somewhere nearby, would you?” Her eyes pleaded with Nyx. He shrugged, turning towards the group behind him.

“Sorry, haven't seen 'em. Y'know, you could just stay with us for a while until we find them or something.” Nyx flicked his tail towards his companions. “We're setting camp up here for the night, anyway”. The nocturne stared at the creek for a moment, then nodded.

“OK”. She stepped out from the grass and padded towards the creek. The nocturne lifted a clawed foot and dipped it in the water. Shivering, she _____ over and looked up at the group around her. Many of them had already drug various materials into clumps, forming small areas to sleep on. One of them sat a small sack near the center, curling his tail around it. She coughed, walking around the group and fiddling with pebbles here and there. “We aren't going to sleep without any warmth, are we? I could start a fire, gather some-” Nyx growled.

“No! No fire, you'll just need to deal with these nests. Now pick one and go to sleep. We're going to need to get up early if we're going to find... your parents”. He crossed the creek and sat in one of the nests, a saccharine smile on his face.

“No.” The nocturne grinned. Nyx immediately stood, whirling to face her.

“No? What do you mean, 'no'? You're not getting a fire, and that's it. I really don't think it's that big a de- ack!” A heavy weight seemed to press down on his body, urging him to collapse. Struggling to look around, he could see that the rest of his party were already on the ground, writhing. Strange pink runes glowed on the pebbles around them, beginning to connect in a circle. Nyx tried to move his legs, but gasped as fuchsia chains appeared, dragging his limbs into place. The pressure increased above him, forcing Nyx to the ground.

The nocturne purred. “That should hold you.” She ignored Nyx's frustrated curses and moved towards the center of the group. The dragon from before glared daggers at the nocturne as she neared his package. Despite his vigorous struggling, she pushed away his tail with ease and snatched at the bag. “What is this? Documents? Oh this will be very useful”.