Sunning in the swamp (1)

Somewhere in the boggy swamp on the mainland, Atteryv lies stretched over a large, sun baked rock to warm his scales and soothe his everyday aches and pains. The black drake would be quite obvious to any passerby, as his scales, though dark, glistened like volcanic glass and his chest plates were a distinct shade of blue, both abnormal in the dull earth tones of the swamp. Nearby, a large hill supports the opening of a tunnel, which leads down into his lair. Currently, he is oblivious to his surroundings and snoring ever-so-lightly, back paws occasionally twitching.

Atteryv wakes immediately, but gives no indication of it for a few long moments, scenting a dragoness and deciding to pay her back for disturbing his nap by making her wait. As he slowly wakes, coherence wipes away such thoughts and he opens one eye questioningly. "Do you need something?" He flicks his tail in agitation as he stands and starts to stretch, assuming she would want him to move for whatever it was. "If I can judge by your wings, you can fly.. So you don't need directions. Mmm.. Hungry, perhaps? There are gators around these parts, good for eating." Yawning, Atteryv finally flows fluidly off of the rock, carefully balancing his weight on the soft ground so as not to sink any. "So, looking for a hunting partner, or something else?"

Atteryv grimaces as the dragoness, still nameless to him, so demandingly inquires why he is there. "I live here, thank you." He rolls his eyes at her attempt at being enigmatic, knowing she had probably been enjoying her new wings. He also disinterestedly makes the connection that this was why she was hungry, before snorting at her question about him being able to fly. "Of course I can fly! I didn't just sit around and wait until my wings were big enough, I actually worked for it.." He looks offended at the suggestion. After a few moments, he relaxes slightly and nods to her earlier question. "The gators are good hunting, and dangerous as well. If you're soft, even a full grown dragon is food for them." He grins and quite proudly informs this aloof dragoness, "I hunt them daily, even make a coin or two from the skins." He makes a show of stretching as he waits for her to acknowledge him as her better, feeling it was his due after her annoying questions and waking him up.

Atteryv gradually relaxes as she speaks, seeming oddly reassured at her growl for some reason and calming further as she asks him for advice, not one to withhold things on a first impression. "They have soft underbellies, rather like some dragons, and they can snap their jaws shut faster than either of us. If you can get one out of the water and flip it without getting bitten, you just stand on the jaws, they don't have much opening power, and from there you're free to tear at the underside." He nods in the direction of the largest nearby pool. "There's one in there, been trying to draw it out just to make the area around my lair safer, but it won't have it." He sighs and shrugs. "What I really need is for someone just as fast as me to dip their tail in there and get out of the way in time to keep it. From there, I can handle it, but not if it slips back in the water... And it's certainly big enough to share."

Atteryv chuckles at her thought that they would need more than one gator between them. "One usually lasts me a couple of days, and this is a big one. As she dips her tail into the water, he immediately falls into a hunting crouch, nodding and watching the water. A few moments later, he spots the tiniest of ripples and shouts, "MOVE," hurling himself along the gator's expected trajectory a few moments later. Should all go well, he would fly into a huge, lightly battle-scarred reptile slightly larger than he was, sliding underneath to flip it onto its back and quickly pouncing on its huge jaws, his considerable weight holding them shut. Should Marhri freeze, however, he would likely hit the gator as its jaws snapped towards her tail, pushing it away just enough to cause her only a grazing wound.

Atteryv chuckles as he tears open the soft belly of the gator effortlessly. "We only need the one. Lots of meat, and it's filling." Though his claws leave deep furrows and the creature stops moving, he makes two more similar attacks to ensure it is dead before stepping off of its jaws. "This one is big, even for a swamp gator. Should feed both of us now, and have enough left for me to eat later tonight, if I don't catch anything else." He skillfully runs his claws along the border between the soft belly and far tougher hide of the creature's back, slowly peeling the latter away with only a few scratches. Carving away a chunk of meat to gnaw on himself, he nods towards the newly carved carcass. "Help yourself. Plenty there for the both of us, and you risked your tail for it." After a few moments spent filling his belly, he goes back for another piece and smiles to the dragoness. "I'm Atteryv, by the way. What can I call you?"

Atteryv shakes his head. "I only helped you with this one because you were hungry, and I needed it out from in front of my lair. Eat your fill or it will go to waste.." He considers her reasons for wanting to hunt further before shaking his head. "Everything in this swamp is close to your size.. And you have no way to store food for more than a few days. If you are starved for conversation as well, I'll talk to you here.. No need to drag me out into the outer reaches to waste energy -and- food." He stretches and looks longingly back at his sunning rock.

Atteryv winces and follows her apologetically, abandoning his hopes of returning to his rock. "I'm sorry.. It didn't sound like you had a particular one in mind. I try only to help what is put in front of me, Marhri. Not worth the extra worry... But if you would like, I can help you feed your sick young one, and possibly help with whatever the problem is." He circles around in front of her to cut her off and hopefully make her listen. "I helped you because you were hungry, and removing the danger in front of my lair was a bonus. Now, how young, and what is the problem? I can watch for herbs that might help while we hunt." His posture has changed from one of inflated superiority and slight annoyance to a more apologetic and regretful slump.

Atteryv would stand quite solidly as she went to push past him. "Go eat. You're no good to those in your care dead... And you'll need your strength for hunting." He thinks a moment on the symptoms she describes. "No, never had that happen. We can try something for fever and something else in case he's somehow gotten himself infested with worms, though. And.. If you're going to feed three, you probably want fast meat. Gators take a bit of finding, and they're heavy.. I know where there is a herd of deer, though, and I'll show you once you've put away a chunk of that gator yourself. Two or three should be easy hunting for a pair, as long as we're careful of the stag." Again nudging her towards the food, he looks around for the herbs he had mentioned, remembering his earlier attempts at planting the more useful ones near his lair. Both are in fair supply near the recently cleared pond, ironically.

Atteryv smiles lightly when she finally gives up, though he seems worried when she clutches her stomach. At her question, he nods slowly. "Yes. Everyone deserves a chance.. Especially those who have lost their parents or been turned out." He frowns slightly at the second condition, but goes on. "And you had every reason to assume the worst of me.. I'd already done it to you, and I am sorry for that. Being here has.. Toughened me, I suppose. Both physically and mentally... But you are just looking out for those who can't do it for themselves. That's enough in itself to make me want to help..." He returns to eat a bit more himself, raising an eyeridge. "What's more, you've starved yourself until you could bring back enough for them? That's.. Admirable."

Atteryv chuckles, waving away her thanks. "True, most would see it as weak... But I'm still rather young myself, and I won't tell you how often I used to wish for someone to help care for me..." He trails off sadly, recalling why he was alone. "Anyways, I'm over it now, mostly.. But glad to help care for those who don't have my strength." Thinking a few moments, he frowns lightly. "Where are their parents? Certainly they weren't exiled like I was... At least, not three of them." He waits for an answer now, tail whipping in agitation as he recalls his own parents and their rejection, stinging freshly even after so much time away from it.

Atteryv smiles and stretches his neck across the carcass to appreciatively nudge Marhri. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better.. But I'm over it, really. Just not comfortable around... You know, never mind." He waits for her to finish eating before nodding in a north-easterly direction. "The deer are that way.. Go for one and run with it, the stag is aggressive. If you can get in the air or a tree, all the better." The wind would conveniently shift and carry the animal's scent from far upwind of the pair, and Atteryv stands when he catches it. "Just so you know, because there won't be time to talk once we're close." With this, he sets out towards the herd of deer, expecting her to follow.

Atteryv snorts and launches himself into the air after her, resolving to answer her once they had finished. "Ready, then." He nods to the herd of deer and swoops down on them, knocking the stag to the ground and pouncing a doe in the same moment. As always, he takes his own safety into consideration and launches into the air, straining under the weight of his kill but managing to make it to the front of his lair with it. Then he does something abnormal, going back to help Marhri, merely circling above her if she doesn't need it.