Post by Jafira on Apr 30, 2012 6:15:50 GMT -5
Emerald Wings, Eternal Love,
(The Life of the Dragon, Rashau.)
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I cannot remember my earliest moments, only waking up to my family, and how I would play with my brothers and sisters, and how our parents would watch us diligently, life was new and each day bright, I and my sisters would hunt my brothers, and vice versa, hiding within the tall grass our green scales merged with our surroundings, I remember how we would eat of our parents kills, and drink from the nearby stream, how we would play in our forest clearing and our family would sleep curled as one in unity, how we grew and learned as one, as well I remember the day that was destined to come.
I remember that I woke up alongside my siblings, our parents had gone to hunt, we waited for their return and hunted and fought, I remember how time passed, and day turned to night and they had not returned, and night turned back into day and we were still alone. As time went by I and my siblings became hungry, without food, we would have to hunt for our own, it was that or death, from that point on, my siblings became rivals for land and food, I traveled by through the forest away from them, I knew I had wings, but I could not use them, so I traveled long distances until once more night turned to day.
Sleeping and hunting within the grass and forest brush, I learned to hunt small food, and was made healthy and strong, I lived like this, small and vulnerable to predators, and yet a predator myself. I would hunt in the day, and sleep curled in the brush at night. As hours turned to days, and days into weeks, my body grew larger. I had more difficulty hunting, and was forced to find better positions and locations to conceal my form from the wilderness and prey around me. Weeks turned to months and my body grew larger and longer, I knew soon that I would not be able to hunt this way much longer, I would have to learn to fly.
I was still quite young only nearing a year’s age, but my body was growing quickly and I had no choice but to learn. Traveling to a rocky outcrop which I had seen in the past, I came to the ledge, looking down to the tree tops several feet below, I instinctively knew what I would have to do, I stretched my wings to test them, then with a leap, I flew over the ledge and begin to plummet in a dive, frightened I outstretched my wings, and begin to glide, with a few mild flaps I rose some height and catching weak thermals, was now flying, confident now in my abilities, I searched for prey and finding an indescribable rodent dove for the kill, I caught it in my mouth but landed with too much force and fell into a painful roll, I had great injuries but the prey was dead and I would heal.
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Life went on in that manner, I bettered my skill at flight and had some errors and injuries, but nothing that did not heal, I learned to take off from the ground, and to land and hunt with higher coordination and with increased territory's from flight found new locations to rest and to sleep. In time the temperature begin to drop and the rains begin to grow, I felt greater hunger then in the past, insatiable was my appetite, yet as well, my strength and energy would wane by the day. As the cold took hold over the following weeks, I found that I could no longer function, my exhaustion and lack of strength greatly apparent I was powerless, I could no longer hunt and was vulnerable, when I could, I would try to fly, to search out a dark place to hide, somewhere safe, in time, I found a depression in a mountain side, a small cave not very deep but safe from the outside world, exhausted I landed within it. I felt helpless, and afraid, I could not fight the exhaustion, the cold, I could not go on, I curled up for warmth and comfort, and fell into darkness.
I would awake at times, to see white outside, and cold air drafting in, but I would always be too fatigued to act upon being awake, the cold and exhaustion always forcing my form and eyes back into darkness, so frustrating, so frightening, what if I was found, I could not escape or fight, I'm small, I'm young, what if I become prey, I am alone, and powerless. I do not know how long I slept, or what had happened in that time, but after what seemed like an eternity of darkness I awoke, I could move and was well. It had been so long since I could move without the exhaustion, or threat of descending once more into the darkness of sleep and hibernation. I looked out the entry of the cave, the forest was bright and green below me, the wind blew at me, still cold but non-threatening.
I flew from the cave, and fled far to new lands, hoping to escape the frightening experience of that cold winter, I flew past mountains and plains, forests, and swamps until I found a new territory to settle, one rich with prey, I hungered once more, as it had been long since I had last eaten. When I found another one of the rodents of the past and descended in attack. It came to my attention that my form had grown much larger, I was surprised, but too hungry to care, aware of my increased size I hunted larger prey and became well fed. I lived on hunting and traveling for that year, with little to few events, I grew, I aged, I matured, and I learned. In time, history repeated, as the air became cold again, I begun to hunger once more, I begin to hunt more, and as the cold grew I begin to weaken again, with remembrance of the last season, I knew to seek shelter before it became too late, with my increasing size, I had difficulty finding shelter this time, but once more found another crevice within a cliff side and found safety within it.
As of last time, the events were the same, I was forced to sleep within my cold rocky prison and unable to react or escape from my physical entrapment, my mind and spirit screamed fight but my body would always succumb to the exhaustion and darkness of hibernation, in time my great sleep ended and I was freed again to hunt, to fly, to live, I awoke to the cold breeze outside the entrance and scents of wilderness and prey below. Moving to leave, I discovered I could not get out, my form had grown again and I could no longer fit. After some determined force I was able to escape the confines of that space, and was once more free to fly the blue and cloudy skies.
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As I took flight for the first time in what seemed like ages, I found that my eyesight would often times be obscured by my mane, red feathers or fur which had always ran from my head past my long neck had over the years grown immensely long compared to when my body was smaller and younger. From that point on in my life it would always be a great source of warmth and comfort, as well as a terrible curse to my sight at times. If ever the wind blew wrong or my head looked down to target prey it would be there in my vision such anger, such frustration I would sometimes feel.
This year had many things that were different then the years before, for one my form had become larger having finally reached full maturity, unlike the small body of my youth that had hunted rodents and small beings, this new form was tall, long, and wide, it required immense amounts of substance to be comfortable, I needed larger prey, that which at one time hunted me, was now to be hunted by me instead. As well, my wings which in the past were mere kite extensions, had at some point tripled in length, wrapped around me they were my blanket my warmth, my shield, in flight they were my speed, my force, my life. My teeth, now sharper as I licked them with my forked tongue, my light green scales of the past, darker, thicker, my eyes, more focused, my snout, more keen to sense, my tongue tasted that which was around me, and my talons and claws were sharper, more durable, longer and deadlier then before.
My mind, as well had changed over the long sleep, my skills and instincts became stronger, more powerful, I could hunt quicker, with more force and speed, I could target safe havens faster, I could calculate, think, and react faster, for the puzzles of life which I would encounter, they were solved quicker, I could think clearly, feel emotions other then fear, I did not just live, In that year, I became alive. For the first month free from the cold I traveled once more to new hunting grounds, a pristine forest of green, surrounded by meadows, flowers, prey and water. In this new land at this time, something within me longed for the past, I remembered my father, my brothers, I do not know why only the males, but I longed for them, for a return to that distant past, my family, and hoped to someday return to that state. As time passed, the heat warmed the grass and the flowers died; those thoughts of my brothers and family passed as well. I continued my instinctual existence, with the newfound maturity to reason, to experience, and to live.
This year was a new life, I was huge and more aware of myself and power, I hunted when I needed, explored when I could, and slept in comfort among the beautiful lands, I met other dragons males, females, aggressors and victims, I both lost and stole territory's, and in time the cold begin to return, I had experienced this before, the fear was less than in the past, I knew what I had to do, I hunted great beasts, grew large and begin my long desperate search for shelter, with my immense new form and competition from others of my kind, it was more difficult than in years passed but in time, I found a shelter, and frustrated, weak and exhausted once more fell into the cruel grasp of that frozen darkness of hibernation, unable to move, to fly, to live, trapped once more, lost, a prisoner in my own form.
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In time, I finally awoke again from my long forced slumber; I left the sanctuary of that crevice and flew the blue skies before me, once more free to live, to hunt to be free once more from the cold dark sleep. I landed stretched my wings, whipped my tail and stretched, strong and well, I hunted and ate eagerly, warmed myself on the rocks of mountain tops and begin once more my seasonal search for new lands and territory. I flew across the green meadows and flowers below me as I had years before, to far away lands, I in time, found a sparkling lake surrounded by grass and streams, forests nearby and meadows with prey and life. This would be my home for the present time. As in the year ago, in the times that I would peacefully lounge throughout this peaceful land, I would gaze at the flowers and life and remember once more my family and siblings, I would long for my brothers, sisters, father and mother, the warmth and protection I had felt when we were together, compared to the fear that I would often have as I aged..
Shortly after claiming this spring flourished land as my own, I met another of my kind, having just finished hunting I landed among the flowers and grass at the lake shore to drink, as I lapped up the water I sensed from behind me activity, turning around to look I found that there was another of my kind descending to land nearby, this was not a threat, the dragon was a younger male, I was larger, I had chased others both male and female from my territory in the past, this one would be no different so I ignored him and finished my nourishment. Afterwards I noted that the male was still nearby drinking from my lake, I looked at him to size him up, he was green like myself, but he lacked my long flowing mane, his horns were like my own as well as his general appearance, his body was strong but I was the greater threat, I should have confronted him as I had done countless others the year before, but for some reason I allowed him to drink, there was life around us and the long sleep had ended, I could deal with him another time. I do not know why I left him, but I did, I let him stay and returned to my forest cove to sleep.
As days passed, I found that the male would come to drink from my lake at times, he kept his distance and I did not confront him, I still could not understand what it was, why I allowed him to trespass, perhaps he reminded me of my family, perhaps I was still lonely from the cold, another fact remained as well, he was a male, a powerful part of me was fascinated by that, I was female, I was larger, stronger, superior, but this male, what makes him different, what can he do, strange thoughts pressured me in unfamiliar ways, I felt sensations both pleasurable and tempting, and fought to ignore them with flights and hunts, but in my peaceful moments the strange sensations and thoughts would return, and each day he would return to drink from my lake, and each day I would do nothing to banish the trespasser for his thefts.
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One morning I was drinking from my lake when he showed up again, he landed very close and begin to drink as well, I stopped and watched him, I did not understand, but I had to be with him, I trusted this male, and the more I watched him drink and lurk the more I wanted to be closer to him, I was curious, I wanted to know what it would be like to be with him, he was strong, he could protect me when I was weak, he could warm me in the times of cold, lost in emotion I had suddenly noticed he had stopped drinking and was watching me. I do not know what happened next, instinct took over, I don't quite remember what I thought I was doing, only that it felt right, and that I had to do it, I needed to show the male this gesture.
What happened next was sudden, I allowed him to have me, I beckoned the male to me, and I had experienced intimacy for the first of many times with what would become my mate for the remainder of my lifetime. From that first experience of intimacy, I awoke sometime later curled warmly around the male, no, my mate, he still slept curled around me, his tail wrapped gently around mine, his wings gently laid against my side, I watched in wonder at my sleeping mate, his form was smaller than my own, but strong, he could protect me well, he lacked my mane, but I could be his warmth, he must have been curious of me as well, the past week, he knew the risks of coming to my territory, he must have wanted to be with me, why else would he risk returning? He would have had to be brave to risk my anger, if he would risk such to be one with me, then he would be strong and brave in protection of me, he is young, but he has likely been alone and afraid as well, if he will stay with me, we will never be alone again, in love, he had me in submission, he could have killed me at that time, I can trust him with my life, I will learn to know him, and from that sudden act of instinct, and our two forms having united to become one, we would never be apart again.
I continued to watch for sometime as my mate slept snuggly around my form, his body moving gently with each breath, his face and eyes so at peace, I could only imagine what the future would hold for us, I wanted to learn everything of my mate, and most importantly I wanted to know that I was no longer alone, with him, each new experience the good and the bad would be shared not as separate lives, but as one life through our unity and oneness. I could feel the warmth of his body around mine, as well as my warmth and trust in him, within me, my hopes and expectations flared and I could not wait for our new lives to begin. As I stared, he begun to awake, slowly opening his green eyes and lifting his head to confront me, I licked him gently alongside his face and he returned the affections, though both awake, we laid there in the grass, curled alongside each other, sharing our affections and warmth long into the night.
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The following days we flew and hunted as one, and I learned more of him, I longed to explore my mate to know all there was to know of him. We would spend our days in the grass sharing affections and learning all there was to know of each other, there would be times that he would wish to connect again, and every time I obliged, though at many times, it may have been uncomfortable, or even unwelcome, it was always a growing new wonder to be able to experience anew the trust and unity which had brought us together and united us as mates, with each time the two of us connected, my love for him only grew, and each time afterwards I would awaken safe and warm, curled comfortably in his protective form, tail and wings wrapped lovingly around my own, each time our love renewed and strengthened. I had pride and confidence in my mate, our love grew by the day, we hunted, we drank, we rested, and we slept in the cool grass, all of these things we did together as one, never to be alone again, in the mornings I would awake to his deep eyes and warmth, and each night I would drift away in his loving touch.
As the flowers begin to fade and days turned to weeks, I found my belly to be expanding and my hunger insatiable; instinctively I knew by these signs that I would bare young soon, my mate must have known as well, his protection and caress's grew as I neared time. I was excited, soon I would bare young, I would have a family, from my uniting with my mate, his seed had found fertile soil within me, the result of our oneness would be new life, each new life a hybrid of my mate and I, the ultimate reward of our having become one form, would be that I and him would now exist in one single form through the birth of our children, and that in caring for them I would be caring for the future of “us” this was frightening, but as well, emotionally overwhelming, the joy and hope I felt, my mate could see my worry, he would nuzzle me, and when we would sleep, he would rest his head protectively upon my swelling belly.
As time passed, I knew it was time to release that which was growing within me, I made my way into the woods, my mate not far behind, I found a patch of bushes and plants, and hollowed out the center, a wall of life surrounding me, the nest was made. I could not restrain that which was within me any longer, the pain and sensations were growing unbearable, I struggled and gasped, clenched and fought, with great agony I carried on forcing the first egg from my form, the pains and fight seemed eternal, but all the while I was filled with hope and excitement, the pain would pass and new life would have a chance, the pain was a small price, I fought on, as that which was within me tore and ripped my form, and in time I felt the first of many drop to the ground, the pain turning to relief, but I was not finished, three more were to follow, they were difficult, but not nearly as painful or exhausting.
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With the eggs out of my form and released to the world, I wrapped around them and pulled them close to my body, I blanketed them in my form, and though exhausted, and in great pain, felt such insurmountable hope and pride, I would soon be a mother, I longed to rest, to sleep, to heal from my pain, but I waited expectantly for my mate to return from a hunt, before I could sleep, I had to see him when he learned of the fruits of our love, in time he returned, dropping his kill nearby he timidly came close, and examined the eggs, then laid gently beside me and gazed at me proudly, he licked me and gave me affections, I looked down, and exhausted fell into the depths of sleep.
From that moment, I stayed curled lovingly around the fruits of our love, protecting them from predator and prey alike, from the heat of the sun, and the rain of the sky, from the light of the day and the shadows of the night, I would not leave their side, my mate could join, but could not touch, he was clumsy and dumb, I loved him and needed him, but could not risk the future of our love, so was forced to be distant at times. Even still he would bring me meat from his prey and wet leaves to drink, and even still if not sleeping beside me, he was right outside the nest and never outside my site, he was male, his job was to protect me while I wait for the new lives to break free, and though it would be a long time, I trusted him.
After what seemed like an eternity of expectation and hope, I awoke one morning to movement beside me, one of the eggs was shaking, cracking, my mate was in sight, I watched for some time as the egg rolled and jolted, cracked, and a small green claw broke through, then a leg, then another, then the snout and horns until the egg shattered and a light green hatchling lay curled in the grass below me, I reached down and begun to lick it clean, its eyes slowly opening to gaze upon me its mother for the first time, and I to, looking into the eyes of my child, the eyes of both myself and my mate as one, I was overcome with emotions, love for my mate, pride in myself, hope for this hatchling and its future, fear for its present, sorrow that my mate was not near, and anticipation for the hatching of the others.
As I cleaned and examined the first born, my mate soon arrived, timidly entering the nest, I allowed him to see his first hatched young, it was male, it was his son, and watching his eyes and gaze, I knew inside, that he was feeling the same storm of emotions that I was, throughout the day slowly in time, one after another over minutes and hours, all four of my eggs had hatched, the fruit our uniting as one in love had born us two males and two females, a balance. I was surprised by our young, so small and defenseless in the world, their features so strange and unique two had manes like my own, the coloring dark green, the length relatively short compared to my own, but mine was once short as well. The other two, they had the form and spines of their father, one of the males, and one of the females each had dark green stripes down the scales of their back, an unfamiliar trait that both I and my mate had lacked, but it did not matter, their appearances, I and my mate had united to form them, they were our future, and I loved and would protect each one of them.
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I was now free after many weeks to leave the nest and move freely, but still, I would not go far, my young could not fly, or fight, they were still vulnerable, I could not leave them, my mate would bring prey as he had before, and I would present portions to the young, they would fight, struggle and play for their shares, and grew strong, when I would leave, my mate would guard them, but I would never leave far. As they grew over the weeks, they became more outgoing, independent, one morning I awoke to find one of my sons missing, In maternal terror I nudged my mate awake, he noticed as well and stayed to watch the others as I searched, I failed to find the missing young, and returned to the nest to recover in my sorrow and fright, as I waited and mourned with the other young, the missing one came out of the brush behind me, I felt relief and love, and brought him close to curl in sleep with myself and its siblings, my mate returned and upon discovering the missing young with me, he became aggressive and angry, but as I pretended to sleep and the young took to the shadows of my protective wing, he was forced to put aside his rage and join the family as one.
As the weeks passed, and the young became more independent and strong, I realized it was time, it would hurt me, to leave our young, but I had hope for their futures, and that they would find love like ours someday and live happy lives, it was time for them to be free to the world, the cruel lessons, and waiting pleasures and joys, as the young slept curled with I and my mate I looked down one last time at the future of our love, with longing and pain, immense regret and lead by hope for their futures, I awoke my mate, fighting back the emotional pain I signaled him to look one last time, he stood beside me, and we watched our future sleep peacefully, innocent, young, and so full of hope, we would fly far and never look back, they would have to learn to live and experience, grow and mature away from beneath our wings, they would be alone, but they like us, had the potential to grow strong and find love. With that last painful good bye, with broken hearts we took to the skies, and I lead my mate far, far from the past and our young, that which our love had created, I remembered our uniting, the weight, the pains of laying, protecting our clutch, the expectations, the good and the bad, and I longed so hard for our young, we had to fly far away, so as to never go back, the pain was unbearable, but hope kept us alive.
We flew for the entire light of the day, until we came to a grand expanse of water, a lake without end, it was atop a cliff side along the shore of this eternal lake which we had landed, I collapsed in exhaustion and emotional pain, eyes closed in hurt and sorrow, my mate curled alongside me and comforted me, we shared affections and held each other close, I lifted myself from the ground to be close to him, and nestled against him we gazed into the eternity before us, as the sun sank into the eternal lake and the night fell upon us. I held him close with every limb and in every way, I did not let him go, the new land we had found was amazing, and the affections he gave me at that point, and at that time and place, only enhanced it, but still I felt alone and hurt again, he was male, how could he ever know, he could comfort and warm me, but still our young were now alone, abandoned as we were when we were young, there futures would never be known to us, the future of our love was now at risk to the world, I feared for them, the wounds existed in forms that he could not nurse, he was male, he could not understand the pain I felt.
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But as the sun sank into the eternal lake, his efforts to tend my emotional wounds were enviable, and I held him close and we mourned for our young together, he gave me love and trust, and I found sanctuary within him, as the night enclosed around us, I fell into a mournful sleep curled tightly in his form, I could only hope for the future, that they would survive as we did, and that so long as I had the love and warmth of my mate, I would never truly be alone. In the morning we would continue our flight away from the past and into our future, so long as I had his protection and love, I would never be alone again; I held him close and awaited the future ahead.
Time continued on, the days passed and time soothed the emotional wounds, hunting, traveling, and surviving once more became the norm and we carried on. The love and protection of my mate was comfort, and the faith of the survival of our young made us strong, he stood by me through the months that followed and I drew strength from him, I was never alone by his side, he was my life, and we were one. In time, the seasons changed and the leaves begin to fall, the prey became scarce and we knew the winter would come soon. We traveled far, hunting while we sought out a suitable shelter to wait out the cold. In time as the weather changed and we tired, we found our shelter, another cavern found on a rocky mountain, I curled up close alongside my mate, sharing his warmth, and he did the same with me, he showed me loving affections, and I returned my own, and so we curled and wrapped around each other as one, and warmed by our love, slumbered deeply once more through the cold.
Time passed once more and I awoke slowly from my great sleep, blanketed by my mate I rested calmly and watched lovingly as he slept beside me, after some time had passed I peacefully nudged him awake, he woke slowly, and we exchanged loving affections. Awake from our long sleep, we returned to the mouth of the cave, the cold breeze outside bringing fresh air to our senses, we stretched our wings and limbs, and took flight to search out new prey and lands. Dancing in the sky, with the green beneath our forms, the wind beneath our wings and clear sky above us, it was pleasurable to once again be free from the darkness and sleep of the cold. We ate, we slept, we celebrated and we were happy, loving and free, the world was ours once more. Days leisurely passed, and life was pleasurable, at times my mate desired intimacy and I would submit to his desire for unity, the days were bright and long once more and all was new again.
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As months passed and our life together went on, I grew once more, heavy with young once again, at first there was pain, sorrow, anguish, all of the memories of our first clutch, but the pains soon turned to longing, and realization, our young are strong and can survive, each one proof of the union of myself and my mate, they are to be desired and loved, in as such, the eggs within me became eagerly awaited, conditions repeated as they had in the past, much pain, much expectation, much faith, and most importantly of all much patience, leading up to the day in which our second clutch of eggs had begun to hatch. I was once again overwhelmed with the experience and realization that these new lives had come from our union, I cared for them deeply, and my mate watched over us protectively, I knew not what thoughts and feelings he felt, but trusted that he would never leave our side, I knew our love was strong, for each other, and for our young.
This clutch, much like the one from the year before, had an incident, the same circumstances as the year before, I awoke to find one of our young missing, one of the males was missing from our offspring and I went out to wander and search, filled with fear and desperation I traveled the vicinity by air but could not find movement, so I landed and sought by foot. Following a path with familiar scents I arrived at a stream which we had drank from many times before I did not find anything, but heard the cries and calls of the missing young nearby. Upon traveling upstream for a short distance, I discovered the male pinned beneath a branch of an aged and fallen tree. I was harmed immensely to see the child in such a pained situation, and pushed the branch aside with my weight, I checked the injured child and found it strong, knowing it would survive I carried it back to the nesting area in my maw, returning to my mate and the others to nursed its wounds. The injured male had a clearly damaged wing which no longer aligned with the healthy one on the opposing side of its fragile form. It was painful to see, but there was little which could be done to correct such. The injured one was cared for well, as were the others, and they all aged and matured normally.
In time it became time to leave our young once more, they were strong and mature, there was great fear for the injured one, but he was strong and healthy, he would survive it was time for me and my mate to once again leave our offspring to their individual futures, their own lives, and so once more I and my mate left, and flew long and far, leaving behind yet another past and flying towards another new future, the pain was great, as it was the year before, but it was our nature, and any other way would only stunt chances of survival, and so we flew.
The seasons passed and time repeated, as was becoming the pattern of our life, the love between myself and my mate was the meaning of our existence, our purpose was to each other, we were together and our nature, acts and ways mattered not, through the good and the bad, the cold and the warm, through pain and through health, our bond could not be broken. Years passed, and time flowed like a river, there were many years of affection, and many clutches, many experiences, and many sorrows, but we were together through it all, and for this I loved him. After many seasons and successions of birth and young, life, growth, and new experiences, and after reaching what seemed a matured and great age alongside my mate, I had experienced much and was proud and content with our life.
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After sleeping through another cold season things did not occur as they had in so many times in the past, my mate awoke strong and vibrant, but I awoke weak and tired. I followed him from our shelter into the flourishing paradise outside, but could not keep up; I could not frolic or dance the skies in freedom as he was doing now, or as we had in the past. I remained weakened on the ground unable to join, this had not happened before and I was alarmed. Days passed and I did not improve, I could not hunt, my mate brought me food, but I could not bring myself to eat much, my form did not hunger, and could not retain much. I could drink water but could not draw strength from such. I could not move and was in need of much sleep. My mate would try to nudge me forward or support me, but the strength was not there, I could not respond well.
After many days of growing weakness, I became unable to continue on, I was not in pain, I simply lacked the strength to move, to continue on, my mate fought to keep me moving, he brought me food, but I could not eat, he tried to nudge me but I had no strength, he brought me water, but I had not thirst, I could sense his frustration, his pain, but I had little strength to respond, and so he curled around me protectively, lovingly, as he had many times in the past, and held me close, I wearily returned the closeness, I was having difficulty keeping awake, I was being pulled towards darkness, I felt him, but the feelings were distant, but I knew he was with me and I felt safe, I was falling asleep, I remember his affections, he stayed with me, the darkness was becoming thicker, I could not keep my eyes open, I looked to him one last time before they closed. I could not open them again. The darkness was becoming thicker, I could not move, I had lost all strength; I knew my mate was there, but I could no longer feel him. I was afraid, I didn't know what would happen, I wanted to feel him more but I couldn't, but I remembered his love and our past, and was soothed. The darkness, enveloped me, and I existed no more, now a memory nothing more, but I would not forget the love we felt. It was eternal.
THE END
(The Life of the Dragon, Rashau.)
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I cannot remember my earliest moments, only waking up to my family, and how I would play with my brothers and sisters, and how our parents would watch us diligently, life was new and each day bright, I and my sisters would hunt my brothers, and vice versa, hiding within the tall grass our green scales merged with our surroundings, I remember how we would eat of our parents kills, and drink from the nearby stream, how we would play in our forest clearing and our family would sleep curled as one in unity, how we grew and learned as one, as well I remember the day that was destined to come.
I remember that I woke up alongside my siblings, our parents had gone to hunt, we waited for their return and hunted and fought, I remember how time passed, and day turned to night and they had not returned, and night turned back into day and we were still alone. As time went by I and my siblings became hungry, without food, we would have to hunt for our own, it was that or death, from that point on, my siblings became rivals for land and food, I traveled by through the forest away from them, I knew I had wings, but I could not use them, so I traveled long distances until once more night turned to day.
Sleeping and hunting within the grass and forest brush, I learned to hunt small food, and was made healthy and strong, I lived like this, small and vulnerable to predators, and yet a predator myself. I would hunt in the day, and sleep curled in the brush at night. As hours turned to days, and days into weeks, my body grew larger. I had more difficulty hunting, and was forced to find better positions and locations to conceal my form from the wilderness and prey around me. Weeks turned to months and my body grew larger and longer, I knew soon that I would not be able to hunt this way much longer, I would have to learn to fly.
I was still quite young only nearing a year’s age, but my body was growing quickly and I had no choice but to learn. Traveling to a rocky outcrop which I had seen in the past, I came to the ledge, looking down to the tree tops several feet below, I instinctively knew what I would have to do, I stretched my wings to test them, then with a leap, I flew over the ledge and begin to plummet in a dive, frightened I outstretched my wings, and begin to glide, with a few mild flaps I rose some height and catching weak thermals, was now flying, confident now in my abilities, I searched for prey and finding an indescribable rodent dove for the kill, I caught it in my mouth but landed with too much force and fell into a painful roll, I had great injuries but the prey was dead and I would heal.
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Life went on in that manner, I bettered my skill at flight and had some errors and injuries, but nothing that did not heal, I learned to take off from the ground, and to land and hunt with higher coordination and with increased territory's from flight found new locations to rest and to sleep. In time the temperature begin to drop and the rains begin to grow, I felt greater hunger then in the past, insatiable was my appetite, yet as well, my strength and energy would wane by the day. As the cold took hold over the following weeks, I found that I could no longer function, my exhaustion and lack of strength greatly apparent I was powerless, I could no longer hunt and was vulnerable, when I could, I would try to fly, to search out a dark place to hide, somewhere safe, in time, I found a depression in a mountain side, a small cave not very deep but safe from the outside world, exhausted I landed within it. I felt helpless, and afraid, I could not fight the exhaustion, the cold, I could not go on, I curled up for warmth and comfort, and fell into darkness.
I would awake at times, to see white outside, and cold air drafting in, but I would always be too fatigued to act upon being awake, the cold and exhaustion always forcing my form and eyes back into darkness, so frustrating, so frightening, what if I was found, I could not escape or fight, I'm small, I'm young, what if I become prey, I am alone, and powerless. I do not know how long I slept, or what had happened in that time, but after what seemed like an eternity of darkness I awoke, I could move and was well. It had been so long since I could move without the exhaustion, or threat of descending once more into the darkness of sleep and hibernation. I looked out the entry of the cave, the forest was bright and green below me, the wind blew at me, still cold but non-threatening.
I flew from the cave, and fled far to new lands, hoping to escape the frightening experience of that cold winter, I flew past mountains and plains, forests, and swamps until I found a new territory to settle, one rich with prey, I hungered once more, as it had been long since I had last eaten. When I found another one of the rodents of the past and descended in attack. It came to my attention that my form had grown much larger, I was surprised, but too hungry to care, aware of my increased size I hunted larger prey and became well fed. I lived on hunting and traveling for that year, with little to few events, I grew, I aged, I matured, and I learned. In time, history repeated, as the air became cold again, I begun to hunger once more, I begin to hunt more, and as the cold grew I begin to weaken again, with remembrance of the last season, I knew to seek shelter before it became too late, with my increasing size, I had difficulty finding shelter this time, but once more found another crevice within a cliff side and found safety within it.
As of last time, the events were the same, I was forced to sleep within my cold rocky prison and unable to react or escape from my physical entrapment, my mind and spirit screamed fight but my body would always succumb to the exhaustion and darkness of hibernation, in time my great sleep ended and I was freed again to hunt, to fly, to live, I awoke to the cold breeze outside the entrance and scents of wilderness and prey below. Moving to leave, I discovered I could not get out, my form had grown again and I could no longer fit. After some determined force I was able to escape the confines of that space, and was once more free to fly the blue and cloudy skies.
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As I took flight for the first time in what seemed like ages, I found that my eyesight would often times be obscured by my mane, red feathers or fur which had always ran from my head past my long neck had over the years grown immensely long compared to when my body was smaller and younger. From that point on in my life it would always be a great source of warmth and comfort, as well as a terrible curse to my sight at times. If ever the wind blew wrong or my head looked down to target prey it would be there in my vision such anger, such frustration I would sometimes feel.
This year had many things that were different then the years before, for one my form had become larger having finally reached full maturity, unlike the small body of my youth that had hunted rodents and small beings, this new form was tall, long, and wide, it required immense amounts of substance to be comfortable, I needed larger prey, that which at one time hunted me, was now to be hunted by me instead. As well, my wings which in the past were mere kite extensions, had at some point tripled in length, wrapped around me they were my blanket my warmth, my shield, in flight they were my speed, my force, my life. My teeth, now sharper as I licked them with my forked tongue, my light green scales of the past, darker, thicker, my eyes, more focused, my snout, more keen to sense, my tongue tasted that which was around me, and my talons and claws were sharper, more durable, longer and deadlier then before.
My mind, as well had changed over the long sleep, my skills and instincts became stronger, more powerful, I could hunt quicker, with more force and speed, I could target safe havens faster, I could calculate, think, and react faster, for the puzzles of life which I would encounter, they were solved quicker, I could think clearly, feel emotions other then fear, I did not just live, In that year, I became alive. For the first month free from the cold I traveled once more to new hunting grounds, a pristine forest of green, surrounded by meadows, flowers, prey and water. In this new land at this time, something within me longed for the past, I remembered my father, my brothers, I do not know why only the males, but I longed for them, for a return to that distant past, my family, and hoped to someday return to that state. As time passed, the heat warmed the grass and the flowers died; those thoughts of my brothers and family passed as well. I continued my instinctual existence, with the newfound maturity to reason, to experience, and to live.
This year was a new life, I was huge and more aware of myself and power, I hunted when I needed, explored when I could, and slept in comfort among the beautiful lands, I met other dragons males, females, aggressors and victims, I both lost and stole territory's, and in time the cold begin to return, I had experienced this before, the fear was less than in the past, I knew what I had to do, I hunted great beasts, grew large and begin my long desperate search for shelter, with my immense new form and competition from others of my kind, it was more difficult than in years passed but in time, I found a shelter, and frustrated, weak and exhausted once more fell into the cruel grasp of that frozen darkness of hibernation, unable to move, to fly, to live, trapped once more, lost, a prisoner in my own form.
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In time, I finally awoke again from my long forced slumber; I left the sanctuary of that crevice and flew the blue skies before me, once more free to live, to hunt to be free once more from the cold dark sleep. I landed stretched my wings, whipped my tail and stretched, strong and well, I hunted and ate eagerly, warmed myself on the rocks of mountain tops and begin once more my seasonal search for new lands and territory. I flew across the green meadows and flowers below me as I had years before, to far away lands, I in time, found a sparkling lake surrounded by grass and streams, forests nearby and meadows with prey and life. This would be my home for the present time. As in the year ago, in the times that I would peacefully lounge throughout this peaceful land, I would gaze at the flowers and life and remember once more my family and siblings, I would long for my brothers, sisters, father and mother, the warmth and protection I had felt when we were together, compared to the fear that I would often have as I aged..
Shortly after claiming this spring flourished land as my own, I met another of my kind, having just finished hunting I landed among the flowers and grass at the lake shore to drink, as I lapped up the water I sensed from behind me activity, turning around to look I found that there was another of my kind descending to land nearby, this was not a threat, the dragon was a younger male, I was larger, I had chased others both male and female from my territory in the past, this one would be no different so I ignored him and finished my nourishment. Afterwards I noted that the male was still nearby drinking from my lake, I looked at him to size him up, he was green like myself, but he lacked my long flowing mane, his horns were like my own as well as his general appearance, his body was strong but I was the greater threat, I should have confronted him as I had done countless others the year before, but for some reason I allowed him to drink, there was life around us and the long sleep had ended, I could deal with him another time. I do not know why I left him, but I did, I let him stay and returned to my forest cove to sleep.
As days passed, I found that the male would come to drink from my lake at times, he kept his distance and I did not confront him, I still could not understand what it was, why I allowed him to trespass, perhaps he reminded me of my family, perhaps I was still lonely from the cold, another fact remained as well, he was a male, a powerful part of me was fascinated by that, I was female, I was larger, stronger, superior, but this male, what makes him different, what can he do, strange thoughts pressured me in unfamiliar ways, I felt sensations both pleasurable and tempting, and fought to ignore them with flights and hunts, but in my peaceful moments the strange sensations and thoughts would return, and each day he would return to drink from my lake, and each day I would do nothing to banish the trespasser for his thefts.
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One morning I was drinking from my lake when he showed up again, he landed very close and begin to drink as well, I stopped and watched him, I did not understand, but I had to be with him, I trusted this male, and the more I watched him drink and lurk the more I wanted to be closer to him, I was curious, I wanted to know what it would be like to be with him, he was strong, he could protect me when I was weak, he could warm me in the times of cold, lost in emotion I had suddenly noticed he had stopped drinking and was watching me. I do not know what happened next, instinct took over, I don't quite remember what I thought I was doing, only that it felt right, and that I had to do it, I needed to show the male this gesture.
What happened next was sudden, I allowed him to have me, I beckoned the male to me, and I had experienced intimacy for the first of many times with what would become my mate for the remainder of my lifetime. From that first experience of intimacy, I awoke sometime later curled warmly around the male, no, my mate, he still slept curled around me, his tail wrapped gently around mine, his wings gently laid against my side, I watched in wonder at my sleeping mate, his form was smaller than my own, but strong, he could protect me well, he lacked my mane, but I could be his warmth, he must have been curious of me as well, the past week, he knew the risks of coming to my territory, he must have wanted to be with me, why else would he risk returning? He would have had to be brave to risk my anger, if he would risk such to be one with me, then he would be strong and brave in protection of me, he is young, but he has likely been alone and afraid as well, if he will stay with me, we will never be alone again, in love, he had me in submission, he could have killed me at that time, I can trust him with my life, I will learn to know him, and from that sudden act of instinct, and our two forms having united to become one, we would never be apart again.
I continued to watch for sometime as my mate slept snuggly around my form, his body moving gently with each breath, his face and eyes so at peace, I could only imagine what the future would hold for us, I wanted to learn everything of my mate, and most importantly I wanted to know that I was no longer alone, with him, each new experience the good and the bad would be shared not as separate lives, but as one life through our unity and oneness. I could feel the warmth of his body around mine, as well as my warmth and trust in him, within me, my hopes and expectations flared and I could not wait for our new lives to begin. As I stared, he begun to awake, slowly opening his green eyes and lifting his head to confront me, I licked him gently alongside his face and he returned the affections, though both awake, we laid there in the grass, curled alongside each other, sharing our affections and warmth long into the night.
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The following days we flew and hunted as one, and I learned more of him, I longed to explore my mate to know all there was to know of him. We would spend our days in the grass sharing affections and learning all there was to know of each other, there would be times that he would wish to connect again, and every time I obliged, though at many times, it may have been uncomfortable, or even unwelcome, it was always a growing new wonder to be able to experience anew the trust and unity which had brought us together and united us as mates, with each time the two of us connected, my love for him only grew, and each time afterwards I would awaken safe and warm, curled comfortably in his protective form, tail and wings wrapped lovingly around my own, each time our love renewed and strengthened. I had pride and confidence in my mate, our love grew by the day, we hunted, we drank, we rested, and we slept in the cool grass, all of these things we did together as one, never to be alone again, in the mornings I would awake to his deep eyes and warmth, and each night I would drift away in his loving touch.
As the flowers begin to fade and days turned to weeks, I found my belly to be expanding and my hunger insatiable; instinctively I knew by these signs that I would bare young soon, my mate must have known as well, his protection and caress's grew as I neared time. I was excited, soon I would bare young, I would have a family, from my uniting with my mate, his seed had found fertile soil within me, the result of our oneness would be new life, each new life a hybrid of my mate and I, the ultimate reward of our having become one form, would be that I and him would now exist in one single form through the birth of our children, and that in caring for them I would be caring for the future of “us” this was frightening, but as well, emotionally overwhelming, the joy and hope I felt, my mate could see my worry, he would nuzzle me, and when we would sleep, he would rest his head protectively upon my swelling belly.
As time passed, I knew it was time to release that which was growing within me, I made my way into the woods, my mate not far behind, I found a patch of bushes and plants, and hollowed out the center, a wall of life surrounding me, the nest was made. I could not restrain that which was within me any longer, the pain and sensations were growing unbearable, I struggled and gasped, clenched and fought, with great agony I carried on forcing the first egg from my form, the pains and fight seemed eternal, but all the while I was filled with hope and excitement, the pain would pass and new life would have a chance, the pain was a small price, I fought on, as that which was within me tore and ripped my form, and in time I felt the first of many drop to the ground, the pain turning to relief, but I was not finished, three more were to follow, they were difficult, but not nearly as painful or exhausting.
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With the eggs out of my form and released to the world, I wrapped around them and pulled them close to my body, I blanketed them in my form, and though exhausted, and in great pain, felt such insurmountable hope and pride, I would soon be a mother, I longed to rest, to sleep, to heal from my pain, but I waited expectantly for my mate to return from a hunt, before I could sleep, I had to see him when he learned of the fruits of our love, in time he returned, dropping his kill nearby he timidly came close, and examined the eggs, then laid gently beside me and gazed at me proudly, he licked me and gave me affections, I looked down, and exhausted fell into the depths of sleep.
From that moment, I stayed curled lovingly around the fruits of our love, protecting them from predator and prey alike, from the heat of the sun, and the rain of the sky, from the light of the day and the shadows of the night, I would not leave their side, my mate could join, but could not touch, he was clumsy and dumb, I loved him and needed him, but could not risk the future of our love, so was forced to be distant at times. Even still he would bring me meat from his prey and wet leaves to drink, and even still if not sleeping beside me, he was right outside the nest and never outside my site, he was male, his job was to protect me while I wait for the new lives to break free, and though it would be a long time, I trusted him.
After what seemed like an eternity of expectation and hope, I awoke one morning to movement beside me, one of the eggs was shaking, cracking, my mate was in sight, I watched for some time as the egg rolled and jolted, cracked, and a small green claw broke through, then a leg, then another, then the snout and horns until the egg shattered and a light green hatchling lay curled in the grass below me, I reached down and begun to lick it clean, its eyes slowly opening to gaze upon me its mother for the first time, and I to, looking into the eyes of my child, the eyes of both myself and my mate as one, I was overcome with emotions, love for my mate, pride in myself, hope for this hatchling and its future, fear for its present, sorrow that my mate was not near, and anticipation for the hatching of the others.
As I cleaned and examined the first born, my mate soon arrived, timidly entering the nest, I allowed him to see his first hatched young, it was male, it was his son, and watching his eyes and gaze, I knew inside, that he was feeling the same storm of emotions that I was, throughout the day slowly in time, one after another over minutes and hours, all four of my eggs had hatched, the fruit our uniting as one in love had born us two males and two females, a balance. I was surprised by our young, so small and defenseless in the world, their features so strange and unique two had manes like my own, the coloring dark green, the length relatively short compared to my own, but mine was once short as well. The other two, they had the form and spines of their father, one of the males, and one of the females each had dark green stripes down the scales of their back, an unfamiliar trait that both I and my mate had lacked, but it did not matter, their appearances, I and my mate had united to form them, they were our future, and I loved and would protect each one of them.
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I was now free after many weeks to leave the nest and move freely, but still, I would not go far, my young could not fly, or fight, they were still vulnerable, I could not leave them, my mate would bring prey as he had before, and I would present portions to the young, they would fight, struggle and play for their shares, and grew strong, when I would leave, my mate would guard them, but I would never leave far. As they grew over the weeks, they became more outgoing, independent, one morning I awoke to find one of my sons missing, In maternal terror I nudged my mate awake, he noticed as well and stayed to watch the others as I searched, I failed to find the missing young, and returned to the nest to recover in my sorrow and fright, as I waited and mourned with the other young, the missing one came out of the brush behind me, I felt relief and love, and brought him close to curl in sleep with myself and its siblings, my mate returned and upon discovering the missing young with me, he became aggressive and angry, but as I pretended to sleep and the young took to the shadows of my protective wing, he was forced to put aside his rage and join the family as one.
As the weeks passed, and the young became more independent and strong, I realized it was time, it would hurt me, to leave our young, but I had hope for their futures, and that they would find love like ours someday and live happy lives, it was time for them to be free to the world, the cruel lessons, and waiting pleasures and joys, as the young slept curled with I and my mate I looked down one last time at the future of our love, with longing and pain, immense regret and lead by hope for their futures, I awoke my mate, fighting back the emotional pain I signaled him to look one last time, he stood beside me, and we watched our future sleep peacefully, innocent, young, and so full of hope, we would fly far and never look back, they would have to learn to live and experience, grow and mature away from beneath our wings, they would be alone, but they like us, had the potential to grow strong and find love. With that last painful good bye, with broken hearts we took to the skies, and I lead my mate far, far from the past and our young, that which our love had created, I remembered our uniting, the weight, the pains of laying, protecting our clutch, the expectations, the good and the bad, and I longed so hard for our young, we had to fly far away, so as to never go back, the pain was unbearable, but hope kept us alive.
We flew for the entire light of the day, until we came to a grand expanse of water, a lake without end, it was atop a cliff side along the shore of this eternal lake which we had landed, I collapsed in exhaustion and emotional pain, eyes closed in hurt and sorrow, my mate curled alongside me and comforted me, we shared affections and held each other close, I lifted myself from the ground to be close to him, and nestled against him we gazed into the eternity before us, as the sun sank into the eternal lake and the night fell upon us. I held him close with every limb and in every way, I did not let him go, the new land we had found was amazing, and the affections he gave me at that point, and at that time and place, only enhanced it, but still I felt alone and hurt again, he was male, how could he ever know, he could comfort and warm me, but still our young were now alone, abandoned as we were when we were young, there futures would never be known to us, the future of our love was now at risk to the world, I feared for them, the wounds existed in forms that he could not nurse, he was male, he could not understand the pain I felt.
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But as the sun sank into the eternal lake, his efforts to tend my emotional wounds were enviable, and I held him close and we mourned for our young together, he gave me love and trust, and I found sanctuary within him, as the night enclosed around us, I fell into a mournful sleep curled tightly in his form, I could only hope for the future, that they would survive as we did, and that so long as I had the love and warmth of my mate, I would never truly be alone. In the morning we would continue our flight away from the past and into our future, so long as I had his protection and love, I would never be alone again; I held him close and awaited the future ahead.
Time continued on, the days passed and time soothed the emotional wounds, hunting, traveling, and surviving once more became the norm and we carried on. The love and protection of my mate was comfort, and the faith of the survival of our young made us strong, he stood by me through the months that followed and I drew strength from him, I was never alone by his side, he was my life, and we were one. In time, the seasons changed and the leaves begin to fall, the prey became scarce and we knew the winter would come soon. We traveled far, hunting while we sought out a suitable shelter to wait out the cold. In time as the weather changed and we tired, we found our shelter, another cavern found on a rocky mountain, I curled up close alongside my mate, sharing his warmth, and he did the same with me, he showed me loving affections, and I returned my own, and so we curled and wrapped around each other as one, and warmed by our love, slumbered deeply once more through the cold.
Time passed once more and I awoke slowly from my great sleep, blanketed by my mate I rested calmly and watched lovingly as he slept beside me, after some time had passed I peacefully nudged him awake, he woke slowly, and we exchanged loving affections. Awake from our long sleep, we returned to the mouth of the cave, the cold breeze outside bringing fresh air to our senses, we stretched our wings and limbs, and took flight to search out new prey and lands. Dancing in the sky, with the green beneath our forms, the wind beneath our wings and clear sky above us, it was pleasurable to once again be free from the darkness and sleep of the cold. We ate, we slept, we celebrated and we were happy, loving and free, the world was ours once more. Days leisurely passed, and life was pleasurable, at times my mate desired intimacy and I would submit to his desire for unity, the days were bright and long once more and all was new again.
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As months passed and our life together went on, I grew once more, heavy with young once again, at first there was pain, sorrow, anguish, all of the memories of our first clutch, but the pains soon turned to longing, and realization, our young are strong and can survive, each one proof of the union of myself and my mate, they are to be desired and loved, in as such, the eggs within me became eagerly awaited, conditions repeated as they had in the past, much pain, much expectation, much faith, and most importantly of all much patience, leading up to the day in which our second clutch of eggs had begun to hatch. I was once again overwhelmed with the experience and realization that these new lives had come from our union, I cared for them deeply, and my mate watched over us protectively, I knew not what thoughts and feelings he felt, but trusted that he would never leave our side, I knew our love was strong, for each other, and for our young.
This clutch, much like the one from the year before, had an incident, the same circumstances as the year before, I awoke to find one of our young missing, one of the males was missing from our offspring and I went out to wander and search, filled with fear and desperation I traveled the vicinity by air but could not find movement, so I landed and sought by foot. Following a path with familiar scents I arrived at a stream which we had drank from many times before I did not find anything, but heard the cries and calls of the missing young nearby. Upon traveling upstream for a short distance, I discovered the male pinned beneath a branch of an aged and fallen tree. I was harmed immensely to see the child in such a pained situation, and pushed the branch aside with my weight, I checked the injured child and found it strong, knowing it would survive I carried it back to the nesting area in my maw, returning to my mate and the others to nursed its wounds. The injured male had a clearly damaged wing which no longer aligned with the healthy one on the opposing side of its fragile form. It was painful to see, but there was little which could be done to correct such. The injured one was cared for well, as were the others, and they all aged and matured normally.
In time it became time to leave our young once more, they were strong and mature, there was great fear for the injured one, but he was strong and healthy, he would survive it was time for me and my mate to once again leave our offspring to their individual futures, their own lives, and so once more I and my mate left, and flew long and far, leaving behind yet another past and flying towards another new future, the pain was great, as it was the year before, but it was our nature, and any other way would only stunt chances of survival, and so we flew.
The seasons passed and time repeated, as was becoming the pattern of our life, the love between myself and my mate was the meaning of our existence, our purpose was to each other, we were together and our nature, acts and ways mattered not, through the good and the bad, the cold and the warm, through pain and through health, our bond could not be broken. Years passed, and time flowed like a river, there were many years of affection, and many clutches, many experiences, and many sorrows, but we were together through it all, and for this I loved him. After many seasons and successions of birth and young, life, growth, and new experiences, and after reaching what seemed a matured and great age alongside my mate, I had experienced much and was proud and content with our life.
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After sleeping through another cold season things did not occur as they had in so many times in the past, my mate awoke strong and vibrant, but I awoke weak and tired. I followed him from our shelter into the flourishing paradise outside, but could not keep up; I could not frolic or dance the skies in freedom as he was doing now, or as we had in the past. I remained weakened on the ground unable to join, this had not happened before and I was alarmed. Days passed and I did not improve, I could not hunt, my mate brought me food, but I could not bring myself to eat much, my form did not hunger, and could not retain much. I could drink water but could not draw strength from such. I could not move and was in need of much sleep. My mate would try to nudge me forward or support me, but the strength was not there, I could not respond well.
After many days of growing weakness, I became unable to continue on, I was not in pain, I simply lacked the strength to move, to continue on, my mate fought to keep me moving, he brought me food, but I could not eat, he tried to nudge me but I had no strength, he brought me water, but I had not thirst, I could sense his frustration, his pain, but I had little strength to respond, and so he curled around me protectively, lovingly, as he had many times in the past, and held me close, I wearily returned the closeness, I was having difficulty keeping awake, I was being pulled towards darkness, I felt him, but the feelings were distant, but I knew he was with me and I felt safe, I was falling asleep, I remember his affections, he stayed with me, the darkness was becoming thicker, I could not keep my eyes open, I looked to him one last time before they closed. I could not open them again. The darkness was becoming thicker, I could not move, I had lost all strength; I knew my mate was there, but I could no longer feel him. I was afraid, I didn't know what would happen, I wanted to feel him more but I couldn't, but I remembered his love and our past, and was soothed. The darkness, enveloped me, and I existed no more, now a memory nothing more, but I would not forget the love we felt. It was eternal.
THE END