BlackBlood

impassive, for the moment. "Oh darling! How did you get so far? I thought we told you to never pass the Snapper skeleton!" His first instinct is to hiss. But it is quashed as the female drags him close and squeezes him. "Oh, it doesn't matter now. You're safe now, my son." Son. Male child. This was his mother then. The Mirror let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and leaned into the embrace. "Of course, Mother. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

☠---☠

"Hakiri, please. Listen to me. You're sick." From behind him, a Guardian is attempting to speak. But Hakiri refuses to listen. Below him is the frill he'd stolen from that damn Fae that wouldn't stop bouncing around. There's a dark liquid on the edge of it, on his muzzle; the Mirror licks at it, gets almost drunk off the taste, off the smell. It's just...intoxicating.

He wants more of it.

The Guardian's at his back now, still spouting nonsense. Louder though. "Hakiri, listen! You must fight this sickness in you! You are stronger than it is, I know this."

"You know nothing," the Mirror growls. His four bright red eyes narrow at the weight of presence coming closer behind him. How dare this elder drake tell him what is and isn't there. What is and isn't wrong with him. He doesn't know. The Mirror turns his head in a minute jerk, one that might be considered spastic. At this point, the Guardian wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility. There was no telling what had happened to Hakiri now.

He'd maimed at least half a dozen dragons in the last week. Dozens more in the months that had passed since his first hunt. It was a shame that nobody else knew how to deal with it. It simply hadn't become a problem until recently. Truly, Hakiri had been a problem long before now, but he was growing evermore heartless, cruel to those around him.

Before, it was simply apathy and callous words. However, it has since grown. He's hurt several clan members in recent months, and now maimed one of the clan leaders. The Guardian had to try something. Anything.

The Mirror hissed. He whipped around and snapped. His jaws closed around the Guardian's neck. His needle-like teeth wedged into the protective scales like dirt particles, and his jaws continued their journey downwards until they met in the center of the Guardian's neck. The heady smell and taste enveloped Hakiri's senses. His eyes went glassy with the wave of sensation assaulting him.

☠---☠

"Hakiri... Hakiri, my child, please."

"Are you going to tell me I'm sick, too? I'm not sick, Mother! I'm... I'm more alive than ever!" Pride flushed through the Mirror's already-red scales. He couldn't see through the haze in his eyes. The female, the same that greeted him years ago when he emerged from the cave of glittering lights, looked at him with such horror. Hakiri's proud display faltered, wings drooping.

"Hakiri... You can no longer be here."

"What?"

"You are no longer my hatchling. You do not belong to this clan. Do what is right, Mirror, go to the Plaguebringer, and hope the Mother will forgive your sins." Breath halted as the female turned away, Hakiri felt a ghost of an urge to run after her, to beg her to take him back, give him his name, anything. Yet it was a ghost. And nothing more. As it passed, it was replaced with a flood of rage and bloodlust.

Whoever stood in his way would not be safe tonight,

☠---☠

Black Blood kneaded the earth beneath his talons. The serthis was weak. Its tribe had moved on a few days before, shed a few snake tears in farewell, and left the sickly thing to die. Black Blood wasn't hungry, had fed recently on a crippled Wildclaw that traipsed too far into his sight, but there was no reason not to. It was a free meal, and if he couldn't eat it, there would always be later.

Just as he leapt from the cover of the massive skull left behind by some ancient beast long since dead, the bushes rustled, startling the serthis, and it fled. Black Blood was quick to turn on the new annoyance. He bared his teeth and hissed as the annoyance itself bounded from the bush, hot on the tail of a one-legged cricket. It was swiftly snapped up - no nonsense, simply gone as soon as it was caught. Squarely between Black Blood's forelegs. He growled down to the Fae, but she simply stretched out her frills and relaxed.

Black Blood shoved his snout directly into her personal space and growled again. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Get out of my territory," Black Blood snarled, snapping as the Fae fluttered just out of reach. "But I'd rather not," she quipped back. "It's nice here. The Mother graces this area with bounties of insects for my taking." Black Blood snickers at that. "The Mother," he blandly repeats. As if the insects didn't overpopulate in the Boneyards anyway, having all manner of carrion to feast upon. "Get out," Black Blood growled again, stomping off in a huff. The Fae, slightly miffed, simply flaps her tiny wings to catch up, alighting sprightly between the Mirror's shoulders.

"But I don't want to. I'd like to find a clan. Would you like to found a clan with me?"

"Why, in the eleven hells, would I do that?" The Fae ponders for a moment, gauges how the Mirror walks, how he acts, and says, "You seem in need of treasure, friend. Treasure and good company." Good company is the last thing I need, Black Blood thinks, but grunts instead. "How would you like a proposition?" Black Blood pretends to ignore her.

"If you found a clan with me, and we have a clutch together, I will find the greatest challengers for you." Black Blood freezes. "Every manner of beastclan, dragon, whatever you desire, my friend. I'll find them and send them to you. And you can brawl to your heart's content." Black Blood continued his wandering with the Fae, finally settling atop a flat rock some distance away from where he found her. She slides off his back to land across from him, extending a tiny claw in offer.

"...Do we have an accord?" Her bright eyes glinted with mischief and deception.

Black Blood placed a talon in her tiny claw in a handshake. "We do."

Whatever. He can always kill the whole lot if he gets tired of it.