[in the past]
Jimmy flitted high in the air, his jaw dropping at the millions and millions of rows of empty seating of the Arena. Farther behind him, Eva and Nosferatu flapped their wings in sync, tails curled together. Nosferatu and finally gotten the nerve to tell Eva of his feelings for her, which caused her great joy, her ruby eyes widening in bliss. Barely a moment later Jimmy asked them to join him in an excursion in the Coliseum. Eva immediately excepted, which caused Nosferatu to accompany them only to watch out for his love.
"What quality Nocturne bonding time we're having, huh guys?" Jimmy called out excitedly.
Nosferatu parroted Jimmy's remark under his breath, matching the other Nocturne's voice, but with an added mark of sarcasm to the statement, surveying the empty space around them, his dark green eyes darting around the empty space. The three of them were the first Nocturnes to join Hydea's clan since the species left their shadowy homeland a few short days prior, and Jimmy was apparently anxious to show the strength of their species to their clan leader.
Turning to Eva, Nosferatu commented, "I don't like that he is just blatantly telling the BeastClans our location by speaking loudly. I've heard of their ferocity, and they pose a danger not only to us, but to our clan should they follow us back..."
"Don't worry, dear," Eva said, her soft voice soothing Nosferatu's nerves somewhat. "No dragon has attracted BeastClans back to their lair by simply attacking them on their own turf. From what I know about this part of the Coliseum, they invited us here..."
As though her last remark was foreshadowing, Jimmy's voice broke their conversation. "Here they come!"
A trio of Longneck Magi rushed toward the dragons, their blue cloaks billowing around them. Their staves were circling through the air in preparation for firing off elemental attacks.
Jimmy's pale green eyes began to glow, and he beat his crackled wings furiously, kicking up a tornado of gale-force wind. It spun toward one Magus, sending it flying through the air and finally hitting the ground with a loud thud. A cloud of dust floated up around the fallen BeastClan creature.
Nosferatu's gaze flicked to Eva, her eyes glowing a bright red as she readied an elemental attack of her own. Nosferatu smiled at her bravery, but his happiness quickly faded when she was hit by a bright white bolt of light, crumpling her deep silver body and blue wings and sending her to the ground, unmoving.
Enraged, Nosferatu took in a sharp breath and his emerald eyes began to glow. He watched as his claws lengthened, viney foliage sprouting from his forearms and encircling them. His deep crimson wings shot him through the air at the Magus and he slashed visciously at the creature. In a moment the Longneck was merely a pile of shredded blue robes lying on the dusty Arena ground.
In his state of anger Nosferatu was unaware of the final Longneck Magus behind him, speaking in gutteral tones and swinging its staff, forming a dark purple rune in midair. Upon the spell's completion, the Magus' goat-like face grinned maniacally as it pointed its staff at Nosferatu, flinging the sinister rune at him. It landed dead center on Nosferatu's back, sending him flying forward. Nosferatu landed in the dust a few feet from Eva, who had regained consciousness and was fanning the dust off her with her striped wings.
Nosferatu howled in pain and began convulsing as his skin pattern began to transform, its original platinum tiger stripes gaining a more sanguine tinge, seeming to flow up toward his already red wings like blood, though no blood spilled from him. All color drained from his face but for a few splotches of the same red, leaving his visage like that of a skull. Curiously the platinum stripes adorning his head spikes, extremities and tail remained.
After he chased off the final, cackling Longneck, Jimmy rushed to his fellow Nocturne's side, where Eva was already trying to calm Nosferatu's seizing body.
"Hey Nos man, are you Ok?" Jimmy asked, but no reply came.
Eva grabbed Nosferatu's shoulders and held him to the ground until he stopped moving. She checked him over, but he had no physical injuries.
"Jimmy! Grab his right wing! We gotta take him back to the lair!" Eva called worriedly. Jimmy swiftly placed Nosferatu's crimson wing over his own crackled one, and together he and Eva dragged him out of the Arena back toward the safety and darkness of the Hewn City.
***********************************************
Nosferatu could hear muttering around him. The voice was female, and had no inflection, indicating that it was Red who spoke. "I used cleansing waters to seep out any malignant magic as best I could, but I am not sure how successful I was."
"You did your best," replied another female voice. "And that's all we can ask for." Nosferatu immediately recognized it as Eva, and his eyelids flicked open. He was lying on the floor of the lair in a small room of the cave, dimly lit by glowing insects in spheres strung around the wall. Small vials and bottles decorated a shelf to his left, their mutlicolored glass catching the light and creating tiny rainbows in the carved stone crevass.
Eva saw his return to consciousness and her worried expression changed to that of relief. "Oh, you're OK!" she said and embraced him quickly. "We are all so worried about you! Especially me." Her crimson eyes glinted joyfully in the glow of the room.
"I'm... So tired..." Nosferatu breathed. He surprised himself with his speech, as he almost didn't recognize his own voice. It was deeper than he remembered, the slight lilt of it accentuated much more than before. In her worry, however, Eva did not take notice. "That's alright, you rest some more, and call me or Red if you need anything." Red was hovering in midair at the mouth of the entrance to the room, her dark blue eyes still showing concern and confusion. Eva rose off the ground and accompanied Red out of the small toom, leaving Nosferatu to himself.
What spell did that Longneck hit me with? He wondered. It obviously caused significant physical changes to the victim, but what mental changes, if any? Was it a Shade-touched curse? Nosferatu couldn't question his limited knowledge for long, as his body was still so exhausted he fell back into a deep sleep, curled on the stone floor and wrapped in his crimson wings.
*************************************************************
Many months had passed since the incident, and it was nightfall outside the lair of the Hewn City. The main cave was nearly pitch black, as all but a few dragons were preparing to rest for the night. The only source of light was that of the full moon pouring through one of the cave entrances.
Eva shifted enough in her sleep, though she was perched near the ceiling, that part of the pale blue light landed in her face, awakening her. She blinked multiple times, letting her ruby eyes get accustomed to the cave. Soundlessly, she swooped out of her resting place through an opening in the cave, where multiple nests of Light eggs rested peacefully. Her eyes rested on the nest with a single egg, its yellow glow illuminating the otherwise empty nest. Small scratches in the floor marked the egg as hers and Nosferatu's. Smiling now, assured of the safety of her unborn hatchling, she exited the cave as swiftly as she had entered. Before she alighted herself back in her place near the ceiling, she noticed an empty sleeping space adjacent to hers: Nosferatu was missing.
She turned her head toward the cave opening outside, where the moonlight was streaming in, and saw a small form sitting in the clearing nearby. Eva quietly darted outside, closer to the figure. Upon closer inspection of the shape, she noticed the deep hue of the wings and the dark swirled pattern of the otherwise pale body of her mate. His back was facing her.
"Nos?" She called softly to the form. "Is everything alright?"
Nosferatu whipped around to face her, and Eva's eyes widened in horror. In place of his normally deep verdant eyes were black, almost souless orbs, only showing depth from the moonlight glinting off them.
"I'm... So... Hungry!!!" He roared, without the usual soft lilt in his voice. He sounded to Eva more like a monster from the Coliseum than a dragon.
Immediately after he lunged at Eva, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her lengthy neck. She shrieked in pain and terror and began kicking and clawing at his chest, but to no avail. Each strike she landed only tighened his grip on her throat. Oddly enough, however, her blood didn't flow out of the wound. Instead, it seemed to vanish, being drawn into Nosferatu's mouth.
Eva felt her strength sapped. Her vision began to darken as she lost the ability to resist Nosferatu. The last thing she saw before she permanently lost her vision was her mate's eyes regaining a slight tinge of their normal green.
*********************************************
Nosferatu became aware of the strong metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. As he regained his sight he realized with horror that he stood above the corpse of his love, an enormous gash in her long grey neck oozing blood and staining her scales and neck frill deep red. The contrasting colors were stark beneath the pale moon's glow. With disgust mingled with pure terror, Nosferatu almost fainted, but he held on by a dark thought that surfaced in his mind: someone from the clan surely heard him murder Eva, and soon they would come out of the lair to investigate.
He picked up Eva by the wings and dragged her through some trees, her body strangely light. He found a crumbling shape of an ancient building a good distance from the lair and he tenderly laid his mate's body on a flat stone.
Another thought rose to the forefront of his mind. These thoughts, they seemed foreign to Nosferatu's brain, but they overpowered his personality enough that he automatically acted on them as if they were his own thoughts.
He raised his head to the bright orb of the moon, fixing its gaze on its unearthly beauty, and began to pray. "Blessed Lightweaver," he said slowly, deliberately, "bringer of knowledge and curiosity, please exalt Eva to your mighty ranks. I pray that she may help you discover all manner of beauty of this world and all others. I also ask that you forgive my heinous act this night, as I was beyond my own control. Lastly, I ask that Eva forgive me, for I love her far too much to have wanted to lose her in this insane way."
Hoping his adopted deity would understand, Nosferatu glanced one final time at the bloodied form of his mate before turning away and flying back to the lair. His dark thoughts told him not to look back, forget his victim, but his own willpower fought that horrid idea and he glanced back again as he flew. Her body was entirely gone, absolutely no trace of her existence.
"Thank you, Queen of Light," Nosferatu breathed as he silently flitted into the resting place. Apparently all the dragons were in such a deep sleep that they didn't know of his attack on Eva.
He perched himself back in his place, next to a snoring Jimmy and the vacuous space that was Eva's, and fell asleep from exhaustion and grief. He had no peace all the rest of the night, as nightmare after nightmare plagued him, each replaying the horrid events of the night of the full moon.
*************************************************
Nosferatu awakened the next morning feeling like a completely different dragon. The foreign thoughts from the night before seemed to have taken over his mind fully, and he felt like a spectator within his own body. He blinked, as the daylight streaming through the cave opening seemed infinitely brighter to him than he was used to, and the sounds of his clanmates milling about were like a cacophonous din. His deep green eyes darted from side to side, making sure no one would notice his actions and he darted swiftly through the cave and into the vault, bypassing Scherzo, who was about to enter the same area himself.
Even though there was nearly zero light in the vault at that moment, Nosferatu could see perfectly. He shot up along the back wall toward where the apparel was stored, and found exactly what he was looking for: a dark grey cowl, its edges slightly shredded, with enough material to shield his eyes and back from the brightness of daylight.
*************************************************
[in the present]
The heat from the sun beat down harshly on the arid, empty space of the Arena. This, however, did not bother Nosferatu as he glided through the air, near the armored head of Larry, whose large red form tread carefully through the dry dust of the grounds. Small puffs of particles erupted into the air with each step Larry took. Behind the iron-clad Guardian flew Red, whose deep blue eyes searched around them for any signs of attacking Beastclans.
"So, I hear you Nocturnes originate from the Shadowbinder's domain?" Larry asked. Nosferatu thought it a bit terrifying that Larry had appeared out of nowhere, unexalted, one day, and being around him brought a sense of unease. If those who had left this world could so easily return to it, and bring all their memories and personality back with them... Nosferatu didn't want to think about it.
Besides, his entire reason for joining them was to keep good face with Hydea, since he hadn't gone into the Coliseum for a long time.
He gazed at Larry from beneath his dark cloak. "Yes. My breed comes out of the Tangled Wood once a year, during the longest nights, to explore the rest of Sornieth."
"How interesting!" Larry responded, his pale yellow eyes lighting up in excitement. "I'd certainly like to hear more when we're not--"
The Guardian was interrupted by approaching Longneck, who streaked across the Arena as fast as their hooves would go. Two Skirmishers, their fighting sticks raised, charged straight at Larry. Nosferatu could see that he had been caught off-guard, and so he dove between him and the frontmost Skirmisher, slashing at its chest. The green scarf around its neck came off in shreds, and the Longneck grunted as it was thrust back by the force of the blow.
In this time, Larry regained his focus, and flicked the Skirmisher far away from the two of them with his red tail. He then charged ahead toward the next Longneck, yelling a call of thanks to Nosferatu as he continued forward. Nosferatu nodded to Larry's back, unsmiling, and regained altitude, flapping his crimson wings to reach his former position in the air.
A sudden smell of moisture reached Nosferatu, just before a wave of water surged above his head and landed on the unsuspecting Skirmisher below. He glanced behind him and saw Red, her sapphire eyes still glowing from her attack.
With Larry and Red occupied with the Skirmisher, Nosferatu glanced past the battling Guardian in case there would be more Longneck coming.
What he saw next stopped him in his tracks and almost caused his flight to falter.
A Longneck Magus, clad in its usual blue and purple robes, stood far back from the ensuing brawl. It pointed its staff at Larry and moved its free, hoofed hand in various shapes. It was likely aiming a spell at Larry not unlike the one Nosferatu was told had hit him. This one spell had caused so much change, so much agony, so much suffering, so much darkness...
Nosferatu completely lost his composure and uttered an enraged howl. Whatever dark thoughts had been controlling him since he was cursed completely dissolved from his mind. He flung himself in the direction of the Longneck Magus, the hood of his cloak falling away due to the sudden blast of air. His skull-like face was entirely visible now, and contorted in fury. Without even realizing it, his deep green eyes were glowing, and vines and sharp thorns began to envelope this claws, extending them and making them more deadly. It had been a long time since he had used his innate elemental magic, and it gave him a powerful feeling. He saw the Magus look up as he approached, its eyes widening in fear and its jaw dropping in panic. Nosferatu slashed mercilessly with his Nature-infused claws, snapping the Magus's staff in half in one swipe.
"You... killed... Eva!" he shouted at the Longneck as he continued to claw at it, the lilt in his voice entirely gone. "You destroyed my life!" Clouds of dust flew into the air as the Beastclan creature was struck to the ground.
Nosferatu's anger diminished his ability to aim, and soon the Longneck Magus had ducked from an errant attack and fled swiftly in the direction it had come, trailing behind the already fleeing Skirmishers.
He could hear the flutter of wings and the thudding of feet behind him as Red and Larry joined him at his place on the dusty ground.
"It really felt wondrous to get back in the swing of battling, huh?" Larry asked the two smaller dragons, his face shining in triumph. "Last time I saw you, Red," he continued, turning toward the speckled Fae, "you were just working on healing with water, and had not come very far in your studies."
"Indeed," Red replied, nodding her head in agreement. "I have learned much in the time you've been gone. One must do what one has to..." Her voice trailed off as she gazed toward Nosferatu. Though her voice, like all Faes', lacked inflection, her head crests tilted toward the Nocturne.
Nosferatu was lost in thoughts he hadn't had for what seemed like a millennia. He saw Eva, her dark grey, striped face gleaming at him in happiness. He saw Maria, so much like her mother, as a hatchling, gazing up at his veiled form in the dark of night with her large, curious Light eyes. He saw Haema, her eyes the same as his first love, widened in fear as he preyed upon her like a vicious animal. Nosferatu had no idea how deeply ingrained this curse was in his life, and how much it affected those around him. He also hadn't seen these memories as they truly were, only darkened versions fed to him as he was trapped in the curse's grip.
Hearing his name spoken brought him back to his surroundings. His deep Nature eyes refocused, and he looked at his clanmates, who both looked at him in confusion and anticipation. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" he asked them, the signature sweetness in his voice returning.
********************** My third Nocturne