Valkiros

Fear. Terror. Chase them. Kill them.
Swift steps silent in the dark. Stalking prey. Soon to bury claw within flesh. The eagerness of the hunt danced in his blood like licks of flame.
Beating of another heart. Beats with mine. We hunt together. My hearth, my home.
A dark form much like he, gliding through shadows unseen. Unparalleled in the hunt, moving with no sound, the true terrors of night. Like tales of old, to keep hatchlings in line, but all too real, they move in no light.
Panic. Trapped. Delightful.
The pair, like liquid darkness, slipping into position, poised and ready to strike.
~~~
The mirror twitched their tail nervously, glancing up the massive cliff face before them, encircling them like the walls of a cup, not unlike the insects they would catch in their den and play with as a pup.
"I told you they'd lead us to a trap!" The mirror hissed, barely audible.
"If you shut up maybe they won't find us!" The sleek wildclaw retorted, their crest fanning up in agitation.
The mirror only hoped that was the case, but raspy chittering from somewhere nearby that they could not pinpoint, even with their heat-sight, proved them so terribly wrong. Their blood went colder than the deepest caverns of the Southern Icefields. They tucked themselves further into their armor, hoping, praying to all Eleven that the fine steel would save them from this. They prayed to all Eleven that they would go away, so they could return home and meet their lover again, to huddle in their embrace. They prayed to all Eleven that someway, somehow, this wasn't real, that it was a dream, some crazy dream they were dreaming, that they'd wake up. But reality came in the form of a sudden weight upon them, and a razor sharp sickle claw found it's mark in their ribs, as if the armor wasn't even there. They opened their jaws to screech, but razor teeth to their neck choked the sound to a short gurgle, the last thing their eyes could make out were the fiery crimson orbs of their hunter, their killer.
~~~
The wildclaw had their eyes pressed shut as soon as they heard the scream of their comrade caught in their throat, instead a wet, dying sigh before utter silence. They were frozen in complete fear, even though they could not see their lifeless friend sprawled nearby, nor the blood pooling in the dirt, they could almost imagine it. Their heart raced, and questions flew through their mind, wondering whether to try and run away, perhaps with no way out, or to try and fight back, and hope their attackers would be satisfied with one sacrifice. The wildclaw decided to open their eyes. Two crimson orbs stared straight at them, and their heart jolted at the sight. The creature made no move towards them, and as their eyes adjusted to the low light, they could see the form of a dragon very much like themselves. But this one was easily two times their size, carrying their larger weight a bit differently, and chills traveled down to their tail with the realization. Raptors. They grew up on these stories, to keep hatchlings in check, later learning the myths were entirely false. Or so they'd thought. But where have they been hiding? The dread hanging heavy around them seemed to have time at a stand still. They felt their last breaths slipping by, and carefully took a step back. The eyes kept on them, unmoving. The smaller claw decided to pace back, baring their teeth with a low hiss, hoping the beast would consider twice to engage. The raptor made no move, no reaction. They could escape after all. Suddenly it occurred to them, there were two of them in the initial chase. The orbs glaring at them glanced slightly behind them, and a hot breath on the back of their neck illicited a shrill whimper, the prey forced their eyes shut again, tears streaming down. Claws rended the smaller dragon's abdomen to ribbons of flesh, hot blood seeped into the ground.
~~~
Flowing blood. Warm flesh. Sustenance. Another moon to live. Another hunt to find.
~