Raven

I looked around the room, taking in all the different costumes on the dragons masquerading tonight. Some were just simple masks and suits, like they thought they were the Phantom at the Opera, and some were much more fanciful. After all, the female wildclaw dressed as the Tidelord himself certainly turned heads, and the dancing pair of goblins, one Light and one Shadow, also earned their own attention. I readjusted my feathers a bit, making sure my mask was still in place. I was a pro at going through crowds like this undetected. After all, you can’t grow up with as many siblings as I had without learning how to blend in.

A sad attempt at an assassin costume walked by, and I had to hide the scoff. I was raised in the Blight Gaze pack, and I knew that was just a costume. I had been raised since my hatchday on how to fight, how to thrive and survive in tough situations, how to blend in and stand out and everything in between. My pack had been persecuted and chased from the Labyrinth itself all the way across the continent to finally land in the Southern Icefields. I had this history drilled into my skull sine I was young. No, that wannabe assassin did not walk the walk, did not have the swagger or the confidence, to know what he was doing with any of those blades.

Scanning the room again, I debated about striking up a conversation with the bartender. After all, I hadn’t found anything amiss yet, and was under the assumption that I probably wouldn’t find anything wrong. Sure, the party was being held by some high and mighty rich dragons, but that did not automatically mean there was going to be an assassination attempted, right?

When I saw her, I knew what I was looking at. An Angel of Death had graced me with her presence, and I was in awe. She was tall, beautiful in her plumed costume, her gaze serious and focused. The way she held herself, the very way she took in a breath and held it before letting it out told me that she would be my adversary, and for a moment I found myself wishing I was not part of the pack. Was it such a bad thing to just want to be able to appreciate someone for who they were for a moment?

But duty called, as it always did. I made my way over to her, rehearsing lines in my head, throwing them out and trying new ones. I settled on trying to charm her with my credentials, tell her I was a prince of some far off city or something, wait for her to fall into my arms. However, when I got close enough, all I could do was study her. She tried to step around me, and my brain finally worked. “I’m sorry, my lady. It’s just…I have never seen anyone so beautiful before in my life. If I may be so humble to ask for a dance?”

It was such a stupid thing to say, thinking back on it now. I mean, it was such an obvious pick-up line! But at the time, I didn’t mean it as one. It was one of the few times that I was truthful, that I really put myself out there. And since I was a master at flirting, of course she was going to say yes, right?

“No.”

Her voice was abrupt, hard, brooking no nonsense and demanding that she be left alone. On a lesser soul, it would have sent them running. To me, it sounded like a challenge, one I gladly took up. Here was a female that would not simply fall into my arms, one that demanded better than my half-thought out phrases. I tried again.

“Your words wound me, my lady! If not a dance, then perhaps a drink? Or even a walk on the terrace? I assure you, my intentions are pure and honorable.”

She seemed to become more annoyed by my presence, which I must admit was a new sensation for me. But then I followed her gaze. Abruptly I knew that she wasn’t just pretending to be here, she was out to take the life of the one I was set to protect. She wasn’t just a challenge, she was the adversary! A bit stunned by this revelation, I almost missed her smile.

“Very well. I will allow you to escort me to the balcony, if it pleases you.”

I knew now what she was after. She wanted to be where she could see the layout of the room, could tell just how to dispose of me. I could have called her out right there, ended the whole masquerade, but instead I said, “Very well, my lady. This way, please.”

I turned, showing her my back, giving her every opportunity to lunge. It was a gamble, but it paid off, She didn’t attack at all, confident in her control of the situation. At that point, I was pretty confident in her control of the situation as well, even though I knew something she didn’t. The game abruptly seemed less fun and more grating than normal, and I leaned against the railing. The stars were shining over the great ocean, seeming to laugh and talk amongst themselves. With a soft sigh, I decided to try and actually talk to her. “Don’t you tire of all this, my lady?”

The silence that stretched on told me that she was caught off guard, and that suited me just fine. After all, it would be easier if she was off guard should we need to battle, though I hoped it would not come to that. She finally answered me.

“Tire of what, exactly?”

I moved my head enough to drink in the sight of her, memorizing every part of her form standing there. She was open, curious, her eyes shining brightly in the dark. I could tell she was intelligent, used to staying a few steps ahead of everyone, accustomed to being on the top. It made me feel more tired, knowing that she was wasting her time doing this with me. If she wanted to kill me, I would let her. I did not want to raise claw against her. I realized that she was still waiting for an answer from me, and I sighed again.

“Don’t you tire of being here, pretending to be someone you’re not, listening to the rules of others? Don’t you wish that, just once, you could just be yourself without all the glamour and paint to make you more approachable?”

I wanted to ask her if she was as tired as I was of listening to others, fighting others’ wars, of just being a drone, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“I’m Summer.”

I’ll admit, I was caught off guard. I thought she’d laugh, or attack, and yet here she was opening up. We were really making a connection over this dislike for how we made our lives. Of course, I couldn’t just leave that unanswered. I mean, that would have been rude.

“I am Raven.” I paused, taking in her look, her smile, her pure beauty. “Would you care to dance?”

She was an excellent dancer, and I found myself actually having fun. It had been a long time since I had just relaxed and enjoyed something as simple as a dance with a beautiful partner. I knew that it wouldn’t last forever, yet I still wanted to try to get as much as I could. Finally, I knew that enough was enough. I needed to tell her what I knew or we’d never move past this.

“I’m here to protect the one running the party. The one you’re here to kill.” She immediately went on guard, but I just smiled. After all, if she was going to kill me, I wasn’t going to stop her. I thought that would be the end of it, but now that I was talking, I just couldn’t shut up. “However, I don’t really want to be protecting here. After all, there are a lot of big crimes that lead back to this area, and I don’t want to keep them happening. If I fail, however, I can’t go home, so I have that to think of.”

Through the whole conversation we continued to dance, spinning around the room, staying close, and it helped make me braver than I think I normally was. Of course, she also surprised me. “If I kill him, I can return to my clan, but…I do not wish to go back. I tire of this too. I need to know who I am, what I am meant to do, not just be a drone.”

It echoed my thoughts and feelings so perfectly, and I knew that I finally understood all those books about finding a place to belong. This wasn’t love at first sight, or even lust really. This was trust at first sight, at least for me. This was a chance at a fresh start, a way to get away from the pack and their thoughts on the world. I jumped on it. “I know where we can go, if you are sure. And if you decide that it’s not meant to be, then I wish you luck when you leave.”

For some reason that I still don’t understand, she decided to trust me back. She has never rescinded that trust in me, and I do my best every day to try and earn it. My Summer and I mated soon after, and have been enjoying an ever-growing family since. We both still keep our training up, and our young all know how to at least defend themselves, but gone are the days of moving from bloodbath to bloodbath. In the Scarred Wasteland, near the Wyrmwound my parents once hated with a passion, we have found our home.

By SmilingDarkness


By EchoSymphony



Lore by ShadesofChaos