Sunday Snuggle's - "Challenge"
Since so many people implied they would like to see more of Rabeih and Ferul (and some didn't so much imply as demand with great enthusiasm) I figured why not. So here's some more of our favorite dragons.
If it's a bit rough around the edges I apologize. I spent most of the day helping my friend move and didn't get home until late.
Rabeih hissed, head low to the ground and wings folded tight to his back. His tail whipped to and fro, the blade at the tip scarring the earth with deep gashes of black earth and torn grass. Blood tipped claws flexed; sharp fangs bared in defiance. Green eyes narrowed to slits, a slow snarl worked up the back of his throat and shivered through gold scales, a warning backed by black fury.
Lemarn responded with his own snarl, broad wings opening with a sharp snap. Head held high, he loomed over Rabeih, revealing the vivid green scales that patterned his neck and chest. From there the color lightened, shimmered beneath the sun until forest green faded to palest jade.
The demand to submit was strong, and instincts so recently given life in flesh and bone were desperate to curl Rabeih’s lips back over his teeth, to give way beneath the bigger dragon’s will. His back and sides ached, bones bruised so every step hurt, and blood trickled where the scales had split beneath sharp claws.
Rabeih fought the silent pull, snarled at instinct and Lemarn as he clutched the memory of sunlight playing off black wings, of dark eyes full of promise as Rabeih struggled to stay one wing beat ahead of his mate.
Lemarn had come to the valley shortly after Rabeih’s first Change, and Rabeih had not been unaware of the way the older dragon watched him. He had not given it much thought, for where was the draw in the way light shimmered off shades of green when dark eyes watched him with heat enough to rival a dragon’s flame unleashed.
Choosing Ferul to guide him through his first flight had not ended Lemarn’s interest, and Rabeih had felt eyes on him every time he left the village to hunt, neck prickling a silent warning that he was being hunted. This hunt had started like the others, changing when Lemarn appeared from between the trees, his intent clear.
Rabeih had not hesitated, had known what Lemarn intended from the way his eyes glittered, the set of his shoulder as he stepped out to block Rabeih’s path. Man in body, they were dragons beneath the skin. He met Lemarn’s challenge with teeth and claws, embracing the fire that twisted his shape from man to beast. As Lemarn had the right to challenge Rabeih’s choice of Ferul as his mate, so Rabeih had the right to defend it.
Rabeih responded to Lemarn’s display with a growl of contempt. Green would never measure up to glimmering black, and his tail struck the dirt with a final thump, followed with a sharp hiss.
Lemarn lunged, and Rabeih twisted out of the way, his claws tearing through green scales with unbridled fury. A shriek of pain goaded Rabeih further, and he slashed at Lemarn’s face with the natural blade of his tail, claws tearing through the soft ground as he scrabbled out of reach.
Rabeih had turned to continue the attack, wings flared when a roar split the air. Black scales streaked overhead before smashing into Lemarn, making the earth shake as the two dragons twisted together, snarling and biting. Rabeih waited, poised to leap in at any moment should Ferul falter.
The moment never came, and the fight ended with Ferul’s teeth clamped tight around Lemarn’s throat where neck met chin. Blood trickled down his foreleg, but Ferul ignored it, growling as he waited for Lemarn to admit his defeat. It came in time, the sharp threat of teeth overcoming any desire to continue. Lemarn whimpered, his head falling back against the torn earth as he surrendered. Ferul did not let him go immediately, determined to drive the lesson home before releasing his hold.
Taking several steps back, Ferul watched Lemarn get to his feet with narrowed eyes, tail lashing back and forth the only sign of his continued fury. Lemarn slunk away with a defiant hiss, head low to the ground. His wings fluttering open as he prepared to take to the skies, but a snarl sent him loping off into the trees.
Only once Rabeih was confident that Lemarn had indeed left did he release his hold on his shape, grunting as bones shifted and muscle pulled. Once more standing on two legs, he sagged to the ground, breath ragged.
Ferul knelt before him, dark eyes wild and blood staining the corner of his mouth. Their eyes met, green clashing against deepest brown before they came together. The kiss was brutal, their hands rough as they clutched at one another.
“I should have come sooner,” Ferul growled, voice rough as it carried the echo of a dragon’s fury.
“You didn’t know.” Rabeih murmured, trembling as he struggled to contain the anger that made him want to sink his claws into vivid green scales and rip them away until bloody flesh remained. He shuddered, closing his eyes against the snarl that sat heavy in the back of his throat. “I would have killed him given the chance.”
“He should never have challenged you.” Ferul’s fingers sank into golden hair, and Rabeih did not fight as he was tugged against a broad chest. “So soon after your first Change, the laws do not apply.”
“Any mating can be challenged.” Rabeih’s fingers crept up until they hooked over Ferul’s shoulders, holding him close as his heart continued to pound. “Everyone knows I will dance through the skies with you alone. In their eyes we are mated.”
The tension left Ferul’s broad shoulders, and he pressed a gentle kiss to Rabeih’s forehead. “And in your eyes, Rabeih?”
Rabeih nuzzled against the warm skin beneath Ferul’s chin. “There is no joy amongst the clouds without you.”
“Then let them come.” Ferul pulled Rabeih’s head back and claimed his mouth with bruising force, dark hair sliding over gold in an echo of their first dance across the sky.
If it's a bit rough around the edges I apologize. I spent most of the day helping my friend move and didn't get home until late.
Rabeih hissed, head low to the ground and wings folded tight to his back. His tail whipped to and fro, the blade at the tip scarring the earth with deep gashes of black earth and torn grass. Blood tipped claws flexed; sharp fangs bared in defiance. Green eyes narrowed to slits, a slow snarl worked up the back of his throat and shivered through gold scales, a warning backed by black fury.
Lemarn responded with his own snarl, broad wings opening with a sharp snap. Head held high, he loomed over Rabeih, revealing the vivid green scales that patterned his neck and chest. From there the color lightened, shimmered beneath the sun until forest green faded to palest jade.
The demand to submit was strong, and instincts so recently given life in flesh and bone were desperate to curl Rabeih’s lips back over his teeth, to give way beneath the bigger dragon’s will. His back and sides ached, bones bruised so every step hurt, and blood trickled where the scales had split beneath sharp claws.
Rabeih fought the silent pull, snarled at instinct and Lemarn as he clutched the memory of sunlight playing off black wings, of dark eyes full of promise as Rabeih struggled to stay one wing beat ahead of his mate.
Lemarn had come to the valley shortly after Rabeih’s first Change, and Rabeih had not been unaware of the way the older dragon watched him. He had not given it much thought, for where was the draw in the way light shimmered off shades of green when dark eyes watched him with heat enough to rival a dragon’s flame unleashed.
Choosing Ferul to guide him through his first flight had not ended Lemarn’s interest, and Rabeih had felt eyes on him every time he left the village to hunt, neck prickling a silent warning that he was being hunted. This hunt had started like the others, changing when Lemarn appeared from between the trees, his intent clear.
Rabeih had not hesitated, had known what Lemarn intended from the way his eyes glittered, the set of his shoulder as he stepped out to block Rabeih’s path. Man in body, they were dragons beneath the skin. He met Lemarn’s challenge with teeth and claws, embracing the fire that twisted his shape from man to beast. As Lemarn had the right to challenge Rabeih’s choice of Ferul as his mate, so Rabeih had the right to defend it.
Rabeih responded to Lemarn’s display with a growl of contempt. Green would never measure up to glimmering black, and his tail struck the dirt with a final thump, followed with a sharp hiss.
Lemarn lunged, and Rabeih twisted out of the way, his claws tearing through green scales with unbridled fury. A shriek of pain goaded Rabeih further, and he slashed at Lemarn’s face with the natural blade of his tail, claws tearing through the soft ground as he scrabbled out of reach.
Rabeih had turned to continue the attack, wings flared when a roar split the air. Black scales streaked overhead before smashing into Lemarn, making the earth shake as the two dragons twisted together, snarling and biting. Rabeih waited, poised to leap in at any moment should Ferul falter.
The moment never came, and the fight ended with Ferul’s teeth clamped tight around Lemarn’s throat where neck met chin. Blood trickled down his foreleg, but Ferul ignored it, growling as he waited for Lemarn to admit his defeat. It came in time, the sharp threat of teeth overcoming any desire to continue. Lemarn whimpered, his head falling back against the torn earth as he surrendered. Ferul did not let him go immediately, determined to drive the lesson home before releasing his hold.
Taking several steps back, Ferul watched Lemarn get to his feet with narrowed eyes, tail lashing back and forth the only sign of his continued fury. Lemarn slunk away with a defiant hiss, head low to the ground. His wings fluttering open as he prepared to take to the skies, but a snarl sent him loping off into the trees.
Only once Rabeih was confident that Lemarn had indeed left did he release his hold on his shape, grunting as bones shifted and muscle pulled. Once more standing on two legs, he sagged to the ground, breath ragged.
Ferul knelt before him, dark eyes wild and blood staining the corner of his mouth. Their eyes met, green clashing against deepest brown before they came together. The kiss was brutal, their hands rough as they clutched at one another.
“I should have come sooner,” Ferul growled, voice rough as it carried the echo of a dragon’s fury.
“You didn’t know.” Rabeih murmured, trembling as he struggled to contain the anger that made him want to sink his claws into vivid green scales and rip them away until bloody flesh remained. He shuddered, closing his eyes against the snarl that sat heavy in the back of his throat. “I would have killed him given the chance.”
“He should never have challenged you.” Ferul’s fingers sank into golden hair, and Rabeih did not fight as he was tugged against a broad chest. “So soon after your first Change, the laws do not apply.”
“Any mating can be challenged.” Rabeih’s fingers crept up until they hooked over Ferul’s shoulders, holding him close as his heart continued to pound. “Everyone knows I will dance through the skies with you alone. In their eyes we are mated.”
The tension left Ferul’s broad shoulders, and he pressed a gentle kiss to Rabeih’s forehead. “And in your eyes, Rabeih?”
Rabeih nuzzled against the warm skin beneath Ferul’s chin. “There is no joy amongst the clouds without you.”
“Then let them come.” Ferul pulled Rabeih’s head back and claimed his mouth with bruising force, dark hair sliding over gold in an echo of their first dance across the sky.