Dragoncrest Cliffs only the brave

Dacio woke with a start, sucking in a breath to fill his lungs as though something (someone) had been crushing his chest. He pulled himself up onto his elbows, wild grey-green eyes searching the darkness of Hougeda's deepest caverns. It took some long moments of discomfort to realise that his attacker was not upon him, that he was entirely alone, and the sterling youth allowed himself to slacken.

He took the time to breathe again, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, before carefully gathering onto his dark paws to loosen his pelt with a quick shake. Wincing at the sting of the scabbed marring behind a charcoal lobe, Dacio chose to ignore the wound by gritting his fangs and making his way calmly through the hollows toward the forest beyond.

The young Gona chose no path in particular, but naturally made to avoid his late mother's more favoured haunts. It was the crack of a branch nearby that made him pause to listen, an ear canting in its direction before his cool gaze followed. He felt torn: anxious that he might find something he didn't want to see, yet fiercely protective as he considered Rusalka's attempted raid on their land just the week before.

Hackles lifted, the peppered Drakru arched his feathery tail and prowled through the trees to find a long-legged girl attempting to climb one. Dacio's nostrils flared to test the air as he failed to recognise the young wolf and while she bore their pack's scent, he maintained some uncertainty and kept his distance to observe her hunt in silence.