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Skydust was busy yesterday, finally got to finish him today. he's a handsome boy.
"You'll never catch me alive," he purrs.
Not good, not good, Virgil. That sounds like something out of a trashy Earthen novel.
"I know, but we're kinda short on time here. What sorta catchy one-liner should I have said, then?" the aforementioned Virgil snaps, seemingly at no one. From his eyes falls a large, rolling drop of water.
The sheriff, a young Skydancer too tender for the job, readjusts the brim of his hat. "Who are you talking to, outlaw? I won't fall for your games, not this time!" Although the two dragons in question were twenty paces away from each other, he could still hear the tremble in the sheriff's voice.
"Yes, keep telling yourself that," he goads the Skydancer on and on. "Maybe you'll get lucky and the Earthshaker'll pity you one day."
That was pretty good. You know, if you hadn't chosen a life of crime I could see you play the jester very well. It's extraordinary, how good you are at annoying people. Virgil shrugs the notion off, whispering a quiet "shut up" to whatever was goading him on in his head.
"This won't be like last time, criminal scum. J-just you see."
"Mhm. And last time wasn't like last, either. What kinda new trick are you gonna pull today, hm? Whatever it is, I could bet next week's findings it won't wo-"
That is exactly when the "bullet"-- really, a hardened pod of some plant-- tears through the edge of his wing, just barely missing his neck.
So, so good at annoying people. With the blood rushing through his veins in more ways than one, he takes off towards the offending Skydancer, nursing a threat laced in expletives. "Cocky, aren't you," he growls, wiping another tear from his eye. He dodges another bullet again and lands on the sheriff, who'd tried to run away a moment too late. They engage in a brawl that ends in a nearby prickly bush, Virgil expectedly on top.
Look at him, Virgil. He's clearly no match for you, just slit his throat and get on with it already. You know you want to. "No," he hisses.
And why not? You've killed a derg before, what difference does killing another make? He can still hear the sheriff below him, still squirming for the bullets. He pins him down harder, relishing the yelp as the burrs dig deeper into his feathers. "I won't because you're telling me to." A tear lands onto the Skydancer's beak, gets lost in his fur.
"You got lucky today, sheriff. Go home and send your thanks to the Earthshaker for pitying you," he hops off and backs away. "Don't try any funny business either," and before the Skydancer could ponder the change of heart he is gone.