Unto them a plague had been cast, stealing away with it their greenery and yearning for their deaths.

The events of the days prior had left the girl distraught, her usual demeanor having been shed, replaced by frantic movements and absurd notions. Ideas had struck her, and as of late she'd found herself considering taking the long journey back to whence she'd come. With her she'd wished to bring her tribe, to merge them with her family's in the hopes that they could all thrive and live a life of luxury. Yet, as she'd allowed for more of her time to be wasted upon the thought, it dawned on her just how cowardly doing so would be. They had survived the encounter with their neighbours so long ago, they had survived the journey to the lair, and so she wished to believe that they would survive this, too. Even still, her hopes did not ease her worries, for she knew right away what types of hardships they'd be forced to endure. Without the flora of the land to attract the herds, they would be deprived of the grand meals they'd grown accustomed to having. Without the herds, they would feel the sharp pangs of hunger in their stomachs each night, but she believed they would survive it all. Somehow, someway, they would manage. They would pull through until the land could flourish once more, until their herds returned and they were well enough to hunt. They were dragons, every last one of them, and they would not hang their heads and accept defeat.

While she felt certain, it was still with a heavy mind that she'd departed from the shelter of the lair, ascending along the ridges of its side until the space overhead was reached. She was comfortable moving over the rough terrain, her pads having since grown used to the feeling. Asterr was comforted by the gentle breeze that swept passed her, embracing her briefly before billowing out around her elfin frame. The sounds of the lingering locusts could still be heard if one was silent enough, but she paid little mind to them, wanting for nothing more than to banish them from the earth altogether. Yet, such a power was not one she possessed, nor was it in her nature to go on such a violent rampage. Thus the idea was dropped and her walk continued, her next stop occurring only when she'd spotted a familiar, dark and looming form. To his side she'd gone, giving no verbal indications of her approach, and then beside him she had settled. To the stars his gaze could be traced, and so she'd glanced at them for a moment or two, before directing her optics back to him. Still, she did not speak, admiring his stature in silence as a mass of questions invaded her mind. Finally, though, she'd settled upon one, having plucked it from the crowds and allowed it the time to process correctly. To Noctura the dragoness then spoke, her question few in words, but just as necessary as one of great lengths.

It was often that she felt drawn to him, even when he was far from her immediate sight. She'd felt it time and time again, how the dragon within had given the male his approval, and how she felt at peace when next to him. Beneath the stars was their domain, and for every time the bright lights dappled the sky, she wished to settle near and gaze up at them with him. While she held knowledge of the plane they walked, he knew more of the plane overhead than any being she'd ever met before. Together, she felt that both of their minds were complete. The emotional aspect of their encounters was, however, one she was often reluctant to comment on, for still was it new and strange to her. Never before had she felt the same type of pull towards anyone as she did Noctura, his presence being one that she sought for reasons unknown. For all that she'd been taught, never had she been given lessons of the heart, and never could she for such was a wisdom one must almost obtain on their own—or, if they were lucky, with the soul that had captured their affections.

The voice she'd grown to cherish had rung through her ears, filling her mind with the answer and its meaning. For ages could she sit and hypothesis, considering all of the possibilities, but in that moment she neither did nor said anything. The silence was embraced, for within it comfort was found, and to her companion did she look with a tender gaze. To him she'd been motioned, his gesture drawing her forth so that she'd resided then with her form gently touching his own. Gingerly, she'd leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder as a sigh slipped past her lips. It was the stars that held the dragoness' gaze, but he who relaxed her in their time of great upheaval. And so naught a single word made its way past her lips, as her mind was cleared and her spirit set at ease. With Noctura there beside her, she felt as if all of her troubles could be forgotten, even if only for a moment.

Being so near to him, her body pressed close to his, caused for her mind to practically go blank. While she had never been so close to another before—she'd never felt the need, really, for the mind had always overpowered emotions—she could not help but feel as if she were in a position reserved specially for her. That next to Noctura was where she was meant to be, for eternity and beyond, during their current lives and those that would surely follow suit. It was a sense she'd never experienced before, and while it had confused her greatly, she'd refused to question in. What she was feeling did not require answers, it was not some problem that was meant to be solved. What she was feeling was the workings of her heart, as naïve as such words might seem to be, and for that very reason she'd resisted the urge to treat it as anything else. The moment would not be ruined by her thoughts, for naught a single notion of rational standings was permitted entry into her mind. For in the world, beneath the stars, it was only they who currently existed.

To her the male had spoken, resting then with his muzzle lying across her crown. The words, so clear and soothing to her ears had they been, made her heart flutter. The tempo of her heartbeat had increased, and tracing down along her spine she'd felt a shiver creep. Though small had his sentence been, within her it had resonated, leaving the yearling at a loss for how she might respond. Any concoction of words that her brain had been able to formulate were tossed to the side just as quickly as they'd made themselves known, nothing seeming good enough for him. Always was he so kind, so gentle with her and noble in his was, that she felt his statement deserving only of the very best she had to offer. Yet, she'd approached the situation all wrong, calling to the reaches of her mind rather than those of her heart. Though connected they were, there were differences in the two that made one incapable of doing the other's job. Asterr had not realized this at first, but the moment she had, it was to that which hammered against her rib cage that she'd looked, requesting from it both an explanation and a response.

Never had the dragoness' former request been answered, but the latter was granted to her no more than a few moments later. It was to Noctura she'd then looked, tilting her muzzle upward so that she might steal a glance his way, and upon his refined features did she focus. "Never will I leave your side," she'd returned, feeling confident enough in that which bound them together to make such an audacious statement. "I do not understand this, for it is something that cannot be explained with words alone, but to you I am drawn. I wish that never might we ever be separated, for without you this world would be a dull place to live in. I do not want to gaze at the stars unless you are here with me, allowing me to sit just like this with you while above us shines the constellations." A world without him was one she was not fond of imagining, and often found doing so to be a rather difficult task. Without Noctura, Asterr knew not what she might do, and so beside him was where she'd wished to always stay.

The moment at which they'd met, the two had been linked together in a way that perhaps neither could have ever foreseen. With Asterr, it was something new entirely, for love had existed in her upbringing, but never so strongly. Only had it ever been familial, and so to feel something even greater that that for another being was, without a doubt, the most peculiar of things to have happened in her life thus far. She knew not what to do with the emotions that she felt. She could not figure out in what ways they might be labeled, nor could she decide how she might show them to the world around her. What she did know, however, was that they were feelings not meant to be lost to the universe. They were hers to keep, hers to nurture and witness the growth of, for it had been from something magical that they'd been birthed.

As the softness of his tongue met her cheek, she'd gone rigid, surprised by the gesture at first, before quickly relaxing into his touch. Against his body did hers melt, fitting what felt like perfectly against him, and sharing in his warmth. Never before had she truly wanted anything for herself, as selfish desires were barbaric things never to be welcomed by her conscious. Yet, in the moment, she could feel the desire for something to be hers—for someone to be hers, and she theirs. For the future she did not see, but hoped so desperately that Noctura was there at her side within it. The thought of losing him made her chest ache, almost as if some incurable sickness was inching its way through her system. She could not bear the thought of him ever being pressed so near to someone that was not herself, nor could she fathom the notion that she might be able to move past what she felt for him. Though it remained so new and so strange to her still, she could deny nothing. Further was her desire to voice what she felt resolved when he'd spoken, too, the words said to her that night being ones that she would never forget. It was because the soul that she cherished so strongly had said them to her, as well as because she had done something unbelievable that day. For naught but a moment later, she'd voiced that which brewed deep within her chest, every ounce of emotion felt coming out in a single sentence:

Such unspeakable words had felt foreign on her tongue, for though the gesture was something she knew of, it was not something so commonly practiced withing her birth tribe. A man could love a woman—or vice versa—for years on end, but never would the quietest of I love you's be exchanged between them. It was not something that was said, simply something that was done, but she'd felt that Noctura was deserving of both. The words and actions alike, they were meant for him and him alone, for he had managed to claim for himself her affections. That night, such emotions had only been made all the more real, and though it felt strange to her, never would she alter their time spent together if the opportunity to do so was offered to her. The stargazer had become close to her, and she wished only to let him inch even closer.

Towards his words, she had not uttered a single thing. Rather, she'd relaxed against him, head leaning to the side until it had made contact with his shoulder. Even if he'd not recommended doing so, she would have stayed there beside him, gazing up into the night sky. Beside him, she was home.