Ky darted off like a puppy scenting for rabbits, his tail flickering. When a fat summer brown rabbit raced out from the underbrush Ky chased it roaring in delight and starting a few other cotton fluffs. He herded the rabbits out of cover and over to the clearing where he knew Nym was waiting. His chest puffed up and he looked up at Nym and sparked a grin before looping around the rabbits.
Ceral wasn't so stiff as he was when Ivy first got into his personal space, and while the contact wasn't new, he still didn't think he could ever go through with breeding. As much as she tried, and he hated to be that guy, the one was was resisting every temptation, Ceral wouldn't give into baring anything; it seemed like most of the carriers here were pretty hesitant about breeding. It wasn't as bad for the seeders, they weren't the ones who had to endure however many months of carrying a batch of kits around with them. The carriers were wary and understandably so, so Ceral didn't blame them either. So far, Ivan was the only dragon he'd seen that was pregnant, but he seemed comfortable enough with it... Then again, he'd been here for a year, and maybe this wasn't his first time being bred. For someone who'd never mated before, and similarly never carried, it was nerve-wracking, and Ceral didn't think it right that they were trying to force them into breeding.
"You eat bramble?" Ceral queried teasingly. He was purely a meat eater. Leaves and greenery messed up his system if he ate too much of it. "He caught your scent on me I think." Ceral wondered if maybe that's why he hadn't given chase, but that was okay because Ivy was enough for now. Ceral rubbed at his face and shook his head. "In their cave? I don't think so. I don't normally sleep with others." While the cave looked nice to hang out in, he didn't see himself nesting with the group.
"I just sleep wherever I go." Ceral opened up the jaws of the gator, checking inside momentarily before he glanced back towards Ivy. "You do the same, don't you?"
When Nym saw the rabbits and then Ky burst out of the brush, he couldn't help but get a little excited. This was all new for him, and seeing the little mammals darting across the ground aroused some primal instinct inside him to leap after them and chase.
Quickly he dove for one of the rabbits, and with surprising ease, snapped it up. With one swift motion and a snap, it was lifeless and Nym was after the next one. It made his adrenaline rush to hear Ky behind him, roaring after their prey, and it egged him on to be even faster. It wasn't long before he'd caught two, then three more of the little creatures and swiftly executed their untimely demise.
After that, it seemed as if the rest of the rabbits had dispersed and Nym skidded to a halt to look behind him at Ky. "Four isn't bad for me." He laughed, still reveling in the feeling of pursuit. He suddenly felt ferocious, free, excited like he'd never experienced before. "You catch anything, Ky?"
"Hey they're good!" Ivy faked indignation. "Plus it keeps my venom potent." She grinned, showing off very human teeth at the moment. "But I agree that it's a lot easier to sleep by yourself. You don't have to worry about waking anyone up in the middle of the night or your nest mate's obnoxious snoring. I have my own nest on the eastern side. Still," Ivy looked at Lago then Ceral. "sometimes it's nice to share. If either of you ever want to stop by that's fine by me." She wasn't interested in Lago that way, for now she merely wanted to get to know him, but it would be rude not to invite him. She didn't know about other dragons, since their customs were often different, but forest dragons slept in clans. It was a bit odd that she slept by herself, not that she minded. It was nice to wake up alone at night and listen to the quiet buzz of the forest overlapped with her heartbeat and breath. She kissed Ceral's neck. "It doesn't hurt to have someone to cuddle with. I promise I won't bite..." some of the humor left her expression and she became a more serious. "also if you ever want to sleep with me... I promise that's all we'll do. Sleep. Nothing else, not if you don't want to." She had noticed that while Ceral didn't reject her touch he never initiated it himself either, and he had said he wasn't sure how he felt about breeding and she wasn't going to be that kind of seeder. Not like the ones in Valhalla that Ivan told her about.
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"So Han," Reva said that evening as they she was packing up for the end of the workday. "Will you file a request for hormone dose?"
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Ky flopped to the ground near Nym and rolled onto his back panting a little. "No," he grinned. "You must be the better hunter." Honestly Ky'd been too focused on watching Nym streak through the sky on feathered wings. He liked the way Nym's scales shifted over muscle and the light in his eyes as near his prey. Ky hadn't even tried to catch one. He was having too much fun. "Maybe we should try again, so I don't have to come home empty handed." He tilted his muzzle back to look at Nym. "You were a natural. Just like a wild dragon."
"Nah." Nym instantly disagreed, flopping onto his side. "I'm the farthest thing from wild... These rabbits are just fat and slow... Probably used to not having to worry about much, being pampered here in this enclosure. I'm just lucky that my wings are faster than their legs." He grinned a bit. "I can try flushing them out this time... If you want." He asked Ky tentatively. "I'm sure you'll be able to catch more than I did."
With that Nym stood back up, and once he was sure his kills were all gathered together and out of the way, he began to cricle back towards where Ky had flushed the rabbits out before. "You wait here, I'll scare some out for you." Nym said. He mostly was just excited to chase something again.
Ky rolled back over into a crouch shivering with unbridled energy as he watched Nym loop off to herd the rabbits. Nym seemed to shed all his inhibitions as he raced off. Ky would have to remember to take Nym hunting often. Maybe next time they could hunt a deer or a hog or something more sporting.
So Ivy was venomous. Was it venom he had to worry about? Or poison? Maybe he should keep an open eye out either way. He didn't want to be caught off guard. Despite his stubborn attitude, Ceral wasn't particularly strong in any way. He was built for speed and agility, but if he ever had to defend himself physically it would likely take a toll on him unless he could get away. A lot of the dragons here had cool things, unique talents that might even be sought after, but the only thing Ceral had going for him was his looks. Next to their laziness and isolationism, cave dragons were well known for their beauty; they were fragile, however, and Ceral can even recall times where a small wound took weeks to heal when it should've been all patched up and done with in a few days.
Ceral thought it might be a good idea to make a nest somewhere. As it was now, he simply slept wherever looked comfortable for him for the night, but a nest might be a nice place to relax. Not that he really knew how to build a nest... A bunch of twigs and leaves looked like the norm, but he was worried he'd just get scratchy. Maybe he could find something else. Moss? Algae? Something a bit more native to him, and actually, moss didn't sound too bad. It was soft (not the most pretty thing in the world) and it would surely serve its purpose as a bed.
"Maybe... I might have to make one of my own since everybody seems to have one." Ceral laughed a little awkwardly at the kiss, the feeling making him squirm. He wasn't used to such a touchy dragon. It was a new experience. "I might come over sometime," he said calmly, standing and taking the gator under him by one of its hind legs and tugging it up. "Don't wanna stay at the cave if it's gonna be a breeding madhouse there." Ceral stretched some, stifling a yawn as he hunched over afterwards. "Wanna walk back with me? Ky and Nym might still be hunting, so you don't have to worry about... y'know." Ceral nodded. "And you can come too if you'd like," he said, addressing the swamp dragon.
"Of course." Han nodded at Reva. He was cross legged, sitting in his chair. Their lab wasn't too far off from Avalon. It was probably the closest enclosure to them actually. "I'll put in an order to head quarters, we should already be granted a few doses for out monthly limit, so I wouldn't be surprised if the hormones are handed over to us immediately..." He said thoughtfully. "If not, it shouldn't take more than a day or two."
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Stalking through the thicket of the forest around them, Nym stayed quiet and close to the ground as the scent of rabbit became stronger. It made him excited all over again, and once he was near the burrow, he caught sight of the first of the foolish rabbits. He was a little surprised to see them already venturing out again... How unfortunate for them.
With a growl that was almost like a purr, Nym dashed forward, scattering the rabbits once again and ushering them forward where Ky was now waiting. He snapped at the heels of a couple of the rabbits, spurring them on even faster. He leapt and glided without much issue over the terrain, and he couldn't help but let out a roar, that sounded somewhat like a laugh as he caught glimpse of Ky again.
Ivy didn't really expect Ceral to accept her offer, but she was as little surprised that he hadn't already made his own nest. "Where do cave dragons sleep?" She followed Ceral and motioned for Lago to follow, but didn't look back to see if he followed or not. She had his scent, so if she wanted to find him later she would. She was still determined to get to know him, but if it came between quality time with Ceral or Lago for now she'd choose Ceral. She followed him back to the cave, glad that she probably wouldn't run into Ky. Ky would still be mad about her going inside though, but what was new? Maybe she'd rub her scent all over the nest and walls just to annoy him. She caught up to Ceral and reached down to help him with the gator.
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Nym was adorable! Ky couldn't help but laugh as he watched him. The winged dragon had the cutest roar. He pounced and broke the necks of about six rabbits, before he got caught up in the excitement. With a wicked grin Ky switched targets and pounced tackling Nym to the ground and rolling them down the hill until he finally pinned Nym's smaller form beneath him. "Caught you," he purred and licked the gray horn in front of his face affectionately.
Nym was so distracted chasing the rabbits, that when Ky switched his target and tackled him, it completely blindsided him. Suddenly he and Ky were a tangled mess of limbs and tails, and when they finally came to a stop, Nym found himself pinned between the ground beneath him and Ky who was firmly on top of him. It sent a jolt through him to realize that he was basically trapped.
"Uh- Yes, you did do that." Nym said quickly and shifted a bit, hoping that Ky would let him up. He couldn't tell what the other dragon's intentions were, if he was simply just being playful, or something else. "H-how about we go back and meet Ceral?" He suggested, it suddenly becoming how nervous he now was. He really didn't want to have to snap at Ky, he had been so kind to him so far, but he wasn't going to hesitate if he was pinned here for much longer.
Ky shifted to human and grinned. "Yeah, okay. Let's go." Ky interpreted Nym's nervousness with shyness and leaned down to give him a quick peck before laughing and rolling off. He went and collected all the dead rabbits, frowning when he realized that he didn't have a bag or anything to put them in.
Nym bristled when Ky kissed him. It made his breath freeze in his chest, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. He simply blinked for a moment, and felt himself grow warm. He instantly relaxed however as Ky rolled off of him, and followed suit shifting back to his human form.
"Here-" Nym reached an arm out for some of the rabbits, he was obviously flustered, but he was trying not to let it hinder him, or being able to help. They hadn't brought anything to bag their kill with, but he was sure that they'd be able to carry them just fine if they shared the load. "I'll carry a few, and we can head back..." He nodded, grasping a couple of the rabbits and promptly heading off back towards the nesting cave.
Ivan was in the nesting cave when Ky and Nym returned. He was sitting on the floor with a half full basket and he'd set out a large white glow stone on the floor in front of him. It let off a clean white light that lit Ivan and the surrounding area. Ky dropped his rabbits on the floor and ignored the way Ivan's face scrunched up.
"Hello Honey," Ky purred as he kissed his snowy hair and rubbed a hand over his stomach. "Nym and I found food."
"I see." The water dragon looked at the meat in distaste, but turned his head to give Ky a peck on the mouth.
"Ceral's going to come over in a bit to eat." Ky pulled Ivan's legs straight and started to massage his tender feet. They looked a bit swollen. "Hey, Nym come sit down." Ky nodded to the spot next to him and grinned.
"So how was hunting?" Ivan asked. He pulled some fruit and fried fish out of the basket and the nudged the rest toward Nym. "I think the humans meant that for you." In the basket was some bread, cooked meat and other decidedly humanish food.
(Sorry everybody, I was out having dinner with my family. I'll try to catch up)
Lago just lazily nodded his head to Ceral's question. "Yeah...they put me here last night." He'd been really looking forward to that gator, and now it was getting torn up by this other aquatic dragon. He wasn't about to raise a fuss though, not when he was the newbie. Especially since it looked like Ivy was rather fond of Ceral. You didn't need good eyesight to see that she was hot for him. The last thing he wanted was to be on anyone's bad side. He just hated drama in general. Besides, Ivy looked pretty nice. At least he thought she looked nice. She certainly smelled nice. He couldn't quite put a finger on how she smelled, but it was like tree bark, berry bushes, grass with dew on it, and fresh leaves all thrown together. Ceral smelled like...wet rock, mushrooms, and fish. Not a bad combo if Lago thought so himself.
Lago just kept to himself as the other two conversed. Venomous huh? He thought he smelled something extra on her breath. Well, he'd definitely want to stay on her good side. Swamp dragons were naturally resistant to most naturally occurring toxins, but that didn't mean it was pleasant to put up with said toxins. He nodded his head in understanding of Ivy's invitation to her nest. "Uhh, thanks". Right now he was just interested in getting himself situated in this new habitat. Not that he was opposed to Ivy's invitation. After all, swamp dragons could be quite affectionate when they wanted to be, especially with mates.
He watched as his two new acquaintances walked off with the gator. He waved to their backs and said, "I'll see you two later." So there were at least 3 other dragons in this habitat besides Ivy and Ceral, and he knew 2 of their names Ky and Nym. He also smelled last night that one of the dragons was expecting. Lago lazily walked back to his makeshift nest and began naming off the other dragons on his hands, "Ivy...Ceral...Ky...Nym...someone else...and me. Then why am I smelling a seventh scent?" He leaned his head back and took in a deep breath. "Whoa...that's a potent smell." He could tell this other dragon was rather powerful, and heavily sedated. "It'll probably be a while before he's up. Oh well...time to take a nap." He got back into the bushes and drifted off to sleep until it was night time.
Nym sauntered over to the place indicated for him and sat down. "Hunting was... Stupendous actually." He tried to find a word with enough bravado to explain it. It had been so thrilling, he definitely wanted to do it again.... Maybe without the pinning and being kissed next time though.
"Oh that's for me?" Nym looked to the bread and other food and smiled a bit. His master's son musth ave requested this for him, the kid knew what he liked... Maybe he hadn't been quite as forgotten as he thought. He picked up the loaf of bread and broke it apart before shoving a piece of it in his mouth. He watched as Ky massaged Ivan's feet... The poor water dragon definitely seemed to be feeling the effects of pregnancy, and Nym was finding that he wasn't exactly looking forward to experiencing any of that himself. The longer he could put it off, the better.
"Where did you traipse off to today, Ivan?" Nym suddenly asked. He was realizing just now how long he and Ky had been out... It had been a while.
"Oh!" Ivan sat up straight and pulled his feet away from Ky. "There's a new seeder and he's huge!" Ivan spread his arms in a mock demonstration. "I found him by the gate all tied up and sedated. It's like the humans are terrified of him or something and I can see why!"
Ky pulled Ivan onto his lap, his eyebrows and mouth drawn down. Seeders tended to be territorial. It was bad enough with just him and Ivy.
"He had tar black scales and a scarlet crest right here," Ivan motioned to his chest. "He has horns, like you Nym, but much bigger and they curve like this," Ivan rotated his fingers from his temples to his mouth. "He radiated power. I was afraid to go near him, but he was all tied up and... so I released him. Ky stop growling, he didn't touch me. He didn't even wake up. He's so drugged up."
"Another seeder?- He has horns like me?-" Nym suddenly became visibly concerned, even while he thoughtfully touched a hand to his head. According to Ivan, now not only was there another seeder to worry about, this one sounded like he was gigantic, and menacing, and- All the types of things that Nym wished to avoid... Granted he hadn't met the other dragon yet, he hadn't even seen him, but if Ivan was nervous about him... Then Nym was doubly so. Ivan didn't need to worry about being overpowered and knocked up by some oversized seeder... He was already pregnant, and he had Ky if he wished to breed again.
"He's asleep though?" Nym prodded. Why Ivan had untied the dragon he couldn't comprehend, now he could just wake up and barge in here if he wanted to or something. It made Nym ten times more nervous to venture around Avalon now... This place was like a double edged sword, wonderful and full of thrills one moment, and then utterly distressing the next.
((Maan I passed out last night. xD Sorry about that.))
"By the water, in the water... on rocks." Ceral shrugged. There weren't many places in a cave that cave dragons could sleep. Ceral knew of a place deeper in the cave that he once called home; it was filled with little glowy bugs that hung from the ceiling, looking like weird, luminescent slime. He tended to sleep there a lot because he preferred not to sleep in the dark if he could totally avoid it. Caves were dark, but there were small crevices and little areas, such as the slime cave, that offered light, either from the sun or moon outside or the other creatures in the cave. The only downside to the bug cave was that Ceral would occasionally wake up with some of the slimy critters on him and they were a bitch to clean off. Other than that, though, it was really relaxing. Maybe that counted as a nest? It wasn't a nest in the literal sense of leaves and twigs and something to sleep on other than plain rock, but it was a nest in the way that it was a place to sleep which was close enough.
Heading back towards the cave with Ivy, seeing that the other dragon had instead stayed back by the pond, Ceral paused when he noticed both Nym and Ky already there. "Oh. I thought they'd be longer." He glanced back towards Ivy, frowning a little and scratching his head. "You can't be around Ky even for a little bit?" He hated to leave Ivy alone even though he knew she tended to watch them from afar. Ceral picked up the carcass of the gator into his arms and hummed. "I might not stay long... Or if I do, I won't be sleeping in their cave. I'll be around." Ceral nodded to Ivy, smiling some before he headed in the direction of the trio. He was sure he'd run into her again before long.
Ceral greeted the group when he arrived, placing the gator down and sitting next to it. "Here's this." He turned his kill over. "Not as big as I hoped, but it's something?" He was just happy he'd came back with anything at all.
(No prob :) We're human. We still need to eat and sleep. lol)
"Yeah," Ivan was glad that he was already pregnant, so it would be awhile before the new monstrosity would bother him. He hoped that the large dragon would react like most seeders and be uninterested in dragons that were already bred. "He's still asleep. He looks like he belongs in the Valhalla enclosure with those eggheads. He'd probably beat the crap out of the them and become their leader." Then he'd probably claim all the carriers as his own harem that he'd only lend out to the other seeders as a reward. Ivan shivered. From living in the Valhalla enclosure he knew all about aggressive seeders that still followed the warped up traditions of the ancient savages. The dragons who preferred to live isolated from humans instead of in mutual alliance (before the humans betrayed them of course) Ivan really really hoped that he was mistaken. That this knew dragon would turn out to be a kind noble creature under all those scars and miasma of power.
Because if the new seeder was anything like the savages of the past then he doubted that Ky could protect him once he gave birth. At least he had a couple months before he needed to worry about that. Nym and Ceral though... he hoped for their sakes that he would at least be gentle and kind to them. That he would treat them like the treasures they were.
Ky could feel Ivan's tension and he tried to soothe him with gentle touches and by humming softly into his skin. Ky didn't like Ivan's description of the new dragon, at all. His mind churned as he tried to think about why the humans would place someone like that here instead of in Valhalla where he would fit in more.
He was distracted from his thoughts when Ceral came in. "Hey," Ky said trying to sound enthusiastic although his stomach felt cold and heavy. "Nice catch. We've got some rabbits if you want to share and Ivan has some fish and greenery that he picked up from the gate."
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Ivy bit her lip. She didn't really want to leave Ceral, but she wasn't in the mood to start a huge fight either. She found a nice sun warmed ledge by the nesting cave and stretched out for a nap.
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Reva was editing the footage of Ky and Nym hunting. She made sure to include parts that showed off Ky's speed and strength as well as Nym's agility and dexterity. She pulled up a close up of Nym's face when he'd purr/roared with his snout wrinkled and fangs showing. It was adorably non threatening. The footage would be perfect for advertisement. She'd sent it to Nym's master and a few perspective customers so that they could get an idea of what the two's kits might turn out. She showed off Ky and Nym's playfulness and added some notes about how playful and energetic their kits would be. She edited in Ky's playful pounce, but took out Nym's response of distress. She frowned Nym was still avoided all of Ky's advancements.
She wanted to start lining up potential buyers, but knew that would be unwise until Nym had at least showed interest in being bred. Don't count your chicks before they hatched sort of deal. Maybe they should order a second dose for Nym if he didn't improve in the next few days. They would send extra handlers to keep him in check and to make sure he didn't cause any trouble when he came in for the injection.
Ceral watched the others cautiously for a moment, curious as to what they'd been talking about and hoping they would all simply continue so he wouldn't have to inquire about it. He sliced an easy claw through the thigh of the gator and either of its arms; he wasn't sure if Ivy could eat meat, but he thought it might be a nice offering to her, sharing some of his kill. He might just take some of the fish that Ivan had retrieved instead. It tasted better than gator and rabbits, and it actually settled much easier as well. "Mm, I'll just take a fish." Ceral reached forward and grabbed one of the smaller fish, tossing it into his pile of gator legs. "Impressive batch of rabbits," Ceral noted, nodding towards the dead critters on the ground. He definitely wouldn't have been able to catch all those alone.
"I'm gonna keep these... For Ivy." Ceral pat the gator legs. "She was at the pond when I got this thing. There's another carrier there. He said he's new?" Ceral shifted to sit down more comfortably, cutting up the fish with his claws neatly. He tried not to be a messy eater. "He's kinda funny looking. I told him he could come meet you all, but I think he stayed at the pond."