Greatwater Lake It all belongs to me, everything that I see

@Atshen

With the air around them warming and some of the snow melting, Airi took the opportunity to slip out of the Lair for the first time. Making sure that her mother and sisters were asleep, the vessel rose with the midnight darkness, her dark fur blending in with the night as her paws crunched through the snow. She slipped down the slopes of the mountain range, her indigo eyes locked on the vast valley below. After a life of mountains and rocks, she thought it time to feel something different.

With some bumps in the road that she would never speak of to anyone, she landed in the flatlands, her eyes blazing with excitement as the dawn rose. In the distance, something glittered, blue and large and shimmering: a lake! The eldest Draconid trotted regally to the Lake, as if she owned the entire body of water; which she did, given that she is the vessel of a water Dragon.

He had found himself meandering for quite some time, his thoughts all too involved with the idea of ripping Potema's children limb from limb. Though he was sure of how he would kill the children, and fantasized such tactics often, the dimwitted Silencer was still at a loss of just how to get the children away from their mother. Unlike his siblings, Atshen had not been given the same wit as they had and he often found himself unable to formulate proper plans. Instead, he found himself launching himself into a scuffle with little thought on the matter. 

Speaking of having little thought, the child soon found the territory underpaw sloping towards the lake. Distracted from his thoughts, Atshen looked to his paws as if he were just discovering that he had wandered all the way to the lake. In this recognition of his current location, Atshen looked around slowly, his eyes eventually settling on the child that strutted towards the lake. 

Watching carefully, Atshen lingered as thoughts of mutilation suddenly came to mind.

Airi walked to the lake's shore, smiling as her visage appeared in the lake's reflection. She had seen her reflection here and there, but not in the past few months. Damn, how she's grown. The vessel smiled at herself, flicking one ear, then the next. Kon'nichiwa utsukushī josei, She crooned to herself, making what she thought to be a "sexy" face at the lake's surface, batting her eyelids, before pulling a face and giggling, splashing the water. That turned out to be a mistake — the water was still freezing. As quickly as she jumped in, Airi jumped out, shivering.

I know you're there! She said to no one in particular. A part of her sensed a presence, but she had not yet seen it — Zennyo, perhaps. Koko ni dete kudasai. She said softly, sweetly, then she waited. For only a moment. Come out right now! She eventually screeched.

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The air had begun warming, the winds having faded until they were but mere sighs falling from Mother Nature’s lips. It was a time to celebrate, and surely she would have if not for the continuous dripping of water from the ceiling. Whilst the snow and ice covering the various openings started to melt, the water cascaded down through the cracks and into the lair below. It made sleeping difficult, the noise so persistent and seeming to not be anywhere near to stopping. Able to roll over and simply ignore it no longer, the vessel rose from the ground slowly and glanced around, counting the smaller bodies that surrounded her out of habit—two. Tensing, she looked around some more but was unable to locate the eldest of the Draconid girls. With a quickened heartbeat and a hardened expression, she set out in search of the child.

Trailing after the girl’s scent, she’d found herself not only exiting the lair but traveling beyond where she would have thought Airi to stop at. No matter how often she inhaled the air around her, there was only one scent on the wind, but that did little to put her heart at ease. Danger had visited the mountains, and she’d yet to find the time to patrol and investigate to ensure that it had gone. The idea that some ill fate might befall the younger vessel pushed her to cover distances at a quicker pace than she would have liked, the cautions that came with traversing mountains having been thrown to the wind. Several times she’d slipped, but luck had been on her side during each instance; the dragoness had yet to be harmed, or, if it had, she hadn't noticed.

When the flatlands had been reached, at last, she’d hardly a moment to catch her breath before pushing onward. The path she walked was familiar underfoot, having visited the area before whilst meeting Damien. Knowing how near his home was made her feel less safe, well aware of the sorts of unruly wolves that resided within. The feeling of panic increased when she heard a screech, towards which she ran, only to find the child unharmed. Relief flooded her system and a sigh escaped her, but she kept herself from approaching. Rather, she watched to see what Airi was up to, as well as keep an eye out to ensure her least favourite woman didn’t make an appearance.

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Though Atshen had set his attention to the child, he also kept his attention to the surrounding territory. Even in the comforts of the shadows, Atshen knew he was vulnerable as he was beyond the comforts of the woods. Attempting to keep the span of the lake-bound territory, Atshen heard the bilingual chatter of the child. Drawing his attention to her solely at that moment, Atshen's head tilted head as he attempted to make sense of what she was saying and just who she was talking. When he couldn't make any sense of it, he drew his attention away from her and towards the older wolf who arrived suddenly. 

From a distance, they looked similar in their pelts, but, Atshen still did not make the connection at that point. Regardless of it all he was intrigued and he watched, wondering what would come from this interaction. Would they fight? Would there be blood? He could only hope such actions would occur to entertain him.

Who ever it was, lurking in the shadows, it did not want to come out, even though she demanded it. Airi snarled in indignation. How dare they ignore her! Her! Come. Out. Now! She slammed her paw down, anger making her rear paws dance foot to foot as she contained her rage. She wished that the sky above would rumble with anger mirroring her own, and than a bolt of lightning would illuminate the lurker. She wished, she wished, she wished.

Instead of simply standing there, she strode in the general direction of the presence, the rising sun slowly illuminating the land around them. Her eyes began to adjust to the brightening surroundings, peering out into the dark, trying to find the form of something.

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SORRY, GUYS

The child began moving but, though she made sure to alter her position when it was necessary to keep an eye on her, Asterr kept her distance. Her daughter had spoken, demanding something of a stranger that she’d yet to set her eyes on. Curious, her ears remained upright atop her crown, seeking to pick up on any and all chatter that might be made available to her. Her muscles remained tensed as each second ticked by, ready to spring forward at any given time, should she be needed. Just below the surface, she could feel the dragon awakening, his own strength being offered just in case. Whilst she was loath to depend on him and risk losing control, she would do so should the situation call for it, as it was a far better option than risking the life of her eldest.

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Demands were put forth as the female before him voiced what she wanted. He felt himself coil to these words, making sure that he would not do as he had been told. Atshen had never been a wolf to abide by the rules-- especially the rules set forth by a little girl. Voicing his own commands in reply to hers, Atshen set forward a ragged noise that scraped the depths of his chest; a warning for her to get away. If she lingered, the child knew what actions would come of this, and would not hesitate to act on such feelings.