[Kallile]

Ever since his hatchling years, Jael had dreamt of one thing. A life free of restrains and humans, a life lived as it was meant to be—free. Killing for food, carving out your own shelter, fighting to earn your right to live…all of it sounded so appealing amass the dwellings of nonsense proportions and the pantries of excess he had grown up watching.

These two legged creatures had no rights that they earned through natural born means. They lived off exchanges of metal and paper bits that they seemed to so easily gain. Yet for many years he could only sit back at watch the pathetic exchanges and the build-up of mindless excess from his captivity. Being born in a lab and raised to be a pet—the little fellow thought often of how different his life could be if he took what should be his. If he stole his freedom…



The noon-day sun often sent some into hiding, but on this particular day one creature braved the heat of the merciless sun. It had been a long time since Jael had seen the walls of humanity or been force-fed their excess foods. He had stolen his freedom from their hands with pain and blood, and now he walked towards a new land.

Whispers of a place where wild Paragon banded together to survive had slowly trickled down towards the solitary creature’s crude layer. It hadn’t been pretty—living mostly in the swamp lands where there was plenty of mud to roll in and mask his otherwise threatening coloring. But today the blood red scales shone proudly in the sun as the massive male continued his quest across the Plains. These were creatures who would surely understand his plight and be of like mind. While freedom was sweeter than he had ever dreamed possible in those young years it came at the cost of loneliness.

With the mountains that had once been in the distance drawing ever closer, Jael slowed his pace and treaded more lightly across the land. He didn’t have the advantage of wings, but what the brute lacked in extra appendages he made up for in size and sheer bulk. But it also made him stand out like a sore thumb—a moving red mass against an amber sea of plains grasses.

Inhaling deeply the Void tried to establish scents—anything that might give indication that he was within another’s territory. And if so, just how many “others” there might be dwelling in the space as well.

[Jaykobell]

The large mountain itself was surrounded by a thick forest, giving it the illusion of a natural shield protecting the area.

But the "shield" of the mountain was actually elsewhere.

A small group of Paragon was flying up ahead, keeping a close eye on the plains just outside their territory. They were flying so high that anyone from ground-level would have a hard time seeing them at all — shown only as little colorful specks moving about in the sky.

While scouring the area for potential danger, the group eventually noticed the red intruder walking about the plains. Upon seeing him, the group leader motioning for them to fly lower in order to identify the stranger; with careful subtlety, the group lowered their altitude and slowly got close enough to identify the stranger as a bright-red Voidbringer. Upon closer inspection, they also noticed that he was aiming straight for the Hive — the mountain ahead. Realizing this, the group leader quickly motioned towards the mountain, and the group regained their altitude and sped off towards the mountain area.

Unbeknownst to the red Voidbringer — if he had noticed the flying group at all — the flying Paragon had made their way back to their commander to report the findings. The other group was walking on the plains, far enough from the red Voidbringer that both parties couldn't see each other. "Commander Harlow!" the group called out as they made their way to a specific Paragon of the group. "We're spotted someone on the plains heading this way."



The commander of the group stopped in his tracks when the flying scouts returned from checking ahead. He frowned at the mention of a stranger on the Plains. "Who is it? Are they part of Jezebel's rebel group?"

The flying leader shook his head. "No, we don't recognize him. We've never seen him before."

"You've never seen him before?"

And once again, the leader shook his head at his commander's question. "Never, Commander."

With a wary frown, the Ambia nodded and started heading down the plains once more. "We need to stop him from reaching the Hive, then. In the meantime, keep scouring the plains from where you stopped. If there is one stranger, he might not be alone. Make sure you do a thorough aerial search," he instructed to the flying group and with a brisk nod, the leader lead the others up in the sky once more.

Making their way down the plains, the Ambia lead a small group of Paragon as well, which would come to his aid should that red stranger be a threat. You could never be too cautious when it came to strangers coming across the Hive; you had to make sure whoever was coming their way was only passing by, or if they were planning to invade them.

It didn't take too long for the group to eventually notice the red Voidbringer from afar. Harlow craned his neck forward, trying to get a better view of the stranger. It would take sometime to eventually come closer to the Voidbringer, and close enough for the two parties to talk to each other with relative ease. "Stranger!" the Ambia called out powerfully, stopping in his tracks in order to be an obstacle to the Voidbringer. "State your name and your intentions!"

[Kallile]

So far, everything was going as Jael had hoped it would. It had been a long and uneventful trek, but even the earthbound dragon could tell when there was a flock of creatures far too large to be regular birds. While he couldn’t make out any features to know exactly what had just descended to give him a once over, he did know what they weren’t. But they were gone back up to heights even his four eyes could not see in no time. With a hmph the male continued onwards while preparing himself mentally. He had to be tough and assertive but respectful. He had to be strong and brave but not intimidating. How he was to balance all the elements of what a gathering of his brethren might be looking for with the qualities of the honest inquiry he was making was beyond him. But he would have to make it work somehow if he ever wanted a chance at true freedom.

At first the specks in the distance were just that: specks. It could be potential prey or something larger, but Jael had no interest in it for the moment. His mind was much too preoccupied to be bothered by specks. Until he noticed they were growing larger at a quick rate—too quick for just his pace alone. Something was coming out to meet him. The male drew himself up and widened his strides to make the two-mile showdown something more intimate in nature. When they were finally close enough to make out the small platoon of other Paragon had the lone male on edge. It was an exciting prospect, really, to know the fabled Hive had such immediate defenses to deploy. However those defenses were out to work against him and that did dampen his spirits just slightly.

The Ambia’s voice rang out clearly as both parties slowed their paces and kept a wide and respectable distance from one another. Jael knew he was not as impressive as the large earth-tone male before him—he lacked horns and wings and most other things that could aid in making him look impressive. The only attribute in his favor were the flames that licked harmlessly at his tail.  Clearing his throat jael called back, trying to keep his tone even. “I am called Jael, and I intend to prove my worth to your leader in order to join your ranks.”

A strong and clear purpose, he hoped. But still the Voidbringer dug his back claws into the earth and kept one set of eyes on the paragon in the background acting as enforcement. Should they not appreciate his intentions near their home, he sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight.

[Jaykobell]

The commander waited patiently for the Voidbringer to state his intentions, claws ready to strike and body ready to jump if the stranger proved to be a threat. The other Paragon were a little more obvious in their defensive positions, hackles raised for some and bodies prepared and standing in threatening ways. Harlow remained straight, but his mental defenses were certainly raised; however, as their commander, he had to be the face and so, he had to be intimidating and stern in front of this stranger that could be a problem to the Hive.

The Voidbringer's request surprised Harlow as much as it surprised the others behind him. The Paragon behind him lowered their defenses almost immediately and started looking at each other quietly. They didn't know this Paragon, yet Jael seemed to know them. How was that possible? Wild and outsider Paragon were very unheard of the dragons of the Hive, so to have a wild one asking to be part of them was extremely unusual.

Noticing his troops falling for a possible trap, the Ambia glanced slightly over his shoulder with a cold stare. "Don't drop your defenses," he warned briskly, his voice serious and intimidating, and his troops reacted accordingly by getting back into their respective defensive positions.

Turning his attention back to Jael, the Ambia looked nothing short of uninterested, and even extremely doubtful. It felt like the dragon could just bounce at the Voidbringer at any second, judging from the feeling his presence from giving off. It wasn't out of fear or foolishness, it was only in order to prevent trouble from reaching his home. "I have no reason to trust your words," the Ambia replied, not even giving Jael a name or an introduction. "Why do you seek to live with us? Who is it that you work for?" Harlow knew far too well that their previous tyrannic leader, Jezebel, had been exiled and so, she still lived close to the Hive, ever scheming. He had never seen this Voidbringer, but he could've very well been hired by Jezebel in order to infiltrate the Hive, passing off as a stranger looking to live with them and striking once he had their defenses lowered.

Maybe Harlow's wariness was unfound, or maybe he had hit the bull's eye — but even he couldn't be sure.

[Kallile]

The way the small posse reacted to his words perplexed the younger Voidbringer. Of course, they seemed just as perplexed by him at the moment. But he stayed where he was and poised to take action. It could be a way to test his character after all, he didn’t know firsthand how clans worked. It was the thus far nameless leader who put an end to the lollygagging and kept the situation from becoming too comfortable and friendly. Jael was halfway thankful for the—he would have questioned just being allowed in outright. Clans just as loners had assets to protect he was sure.

“I seek no trust for the moment, it must be earned not freely given.” Jael retorted. “Though I would gladly take any test to assure you of my intentions.” He had never expected to walk straight in, he was expecting battle or a task of varying danger before being allowed such a privilege. He was prepared to give any request his all so long as it was not ridiculous or unreasonable.

“I have travelled from beyond the Plains based on rumors that a group of Dragons lived in the mountains beyond the plains. None had ever truly believed in your existence, but I could not pass up the chance for a life with others of my own kind if the rumors were true.” A bit of smoke was blasted from his nostrils as he snorted at the final question. Who was he working for? The very question seemed pointless to Jael but the big male would humor the ringleader. “I work for no one but myself. I have been a loner ever since escaping my enclosure with the humans as an older hatchling. I feel I have spent enough time in solitude.”

[Jaykobell]

The words of the Voidbringer weren't enough to sway Harlow's thoughts in any way. They were true: trust certainly shouldn't be given freely, and it should be earned. Those who trust too easily usually meet with a terrible fate. His willingness to pass a test to be accepted within their ranks was very unimpressive and very expected. It was a common request, as if battling with them or doing some sort of test would prove anything. If he were the enemy, he could still pass the test; obviously, he would have to be able to in order to infiltrate the Hive and invade it when the time was right.

However, even the Ambia remained surprised at Jael's explanation of how he came to discover the Hive. At the mention of living with humans, Harlow's troops gasped quietly, dropping their defenses again; Harlow didn't feel the need to tell them to keep their defenses up. He narrowed his eyes, tail swiping from one side to the other busily, showing the commander thinking carefully about this situation. "You were raised by weak humans... yet you seek to live with us in the wild?" What a foolish and ignorant request. Even some of the Paragon born and raised in their wild environment had a hard time coping. How could this human-born and -raised Paragon even think, for a single moment, that he would be able to cope with their environment?

With a dark grin, the Ambia continued to stare in Jael's direction. "Heh. Humor me, then." Spreading his wings, the commander turned to his troops. With his wings spread out, and so up close, anyone could see that the Ambia only had the frames of his wings left to his name. Despite that, short and ripped up pieces of what appeared to have been wings were still stuck to parts of his framed wings. "Surround him. We're bringing him to Izotz," he instructed briskly, his troops reacting immediately to his words, quickly surrounding the red Voidbringer carefully so that the stranger was trapped from the back, front, and both sides. "You'll never survive with us," Harlow said once Jael was securely surrounded. "Do anything funny, and I'll have my troops make you pay for even trying anything suspicious," the Ambia warned, voice serious and his eyes matching the tone and weight of his words. This Ambia was ambitious and serious, and his words shouldn't be taken lightly, from the looks of it.

[Kallile]

Jael had no way of knowing such sneaky enemies might have plagued the Hive, and when his request at a test was not answered he gave a slight lash from his tail in irritation. The idea that one had to be born into a Clan to belong had never been spoken of or even occurred to him—but the male was weary from his journey and not in the mood for games. Either he was to be given a chance or turned away, but this skeletal winged Ambia had best tell him quickly.

The demeanor of the posse shifted again, but this time there was no remark to draw them back into line. Suddenly the Voidbringer felt as if he was being mocked; the nameless leader’s words confirmed that feeling and drew a slight snarl to his face. “My upbringing was outside of my control—my parents are the ones to blame for where my life began. But I am striving to change that, and as you can see I am beyond my hatchling years.” It was not his choice in whose hands his egg had ended up in. It was in fact presumptuous of this earth-toned male to assume he was weaker because of it.

He remained still and silent as the group took up positions around him. To those who were bringing up the rear he turned his head ever so slightly to that half of his four eyes could view them, and remarked calmly “I would avoid the flames—they will do minimal damage but I do not have control over them.” He didn’t want to give them any reason to think he was trying to worm his way out or attack—if he had given fair warning, then there was considerably less to accuse him of.

“I have no such intentions, I only wish the chance to prove I am worthy of your ranks.”

[Jaykobell]

Harlow had already started making his way towards the Hive's mountain when Jael brought up that his upbringing hadn't been a choice. The Ambia stopped in his tracks and turned around, slowly, to face the stranger. "Your point?" the commander asked, far from being impressed or even annoyed at Jael's words. "I'll give you credit for trying, but regardless of what your intentions are, there's certain things that can't be changed. You weren't raised in the wild: you have no idea what it's like." He took a few steps towards Jael, slowly, until he could lower his head to the red Paragon's, so close that their noses almost touched. "Because you want something doesn't mean you'll get it. I would keep that in mind, if I were you," Harlow added quietly, probably just loud enough for just the two of them to hear. The Ambia stared in Jael's eyes for a few more seconds before finally moving away and turning tail so the group could make their way towards the Hive.

The trek to the mountain wasn't as tedious or long as it seemed. The heat didn't really help, but it was bearable. While still hot, the plains offered quite a few cold breezes to keep the group chilly and comfortable as they made their way in silence. The ones behind Jael made sure to keep their eye on the Voidbringer's flames; they were used to this kind of tail, so at least, they knew better than to poke at it out of curiosity.

The small trek through the forest was easier in terms of temperature, since the tree did offer shades and blocked the sun's rays almost completely. It was a harsher terrain, however, from the roots sticking out of the ground, twigs and rocks that could make you prone to falling, and other such obstacles. Even some of the Paragon watching Jael from all sides sometimes found themselves tumbling over certain obstacles; the ones that did, however, were smaller and looked a lot younger than the Ambia leading them. It was probably fair to assume that they were new at the job and that they were still in the process of getting the hang of the terrain.

Finally out of the forest and straight into the Hive's territory, Jael soon found himself in a huge clearing crowded by both flying and wingless Paragon, all sporting colors from the entire color spectrum. The slightly round-like clearing was circled by the forest they'd come from and the Hive itself on the other side, which was a large, enormous mountain hollowed out with countless dens. Some paths rose up against the mountain, for the wingless Paragon, for them to reach their dens. At a certain height from the ground stood a plateau that lead into a much bigger den inside the mountain.

Upon seeing Harlow coming back with a stranger, some of the Paragon turned their attention towards Jael, all with mixed feelings. Some looked genuinely curious at the new face, others looked extremely wary and unwilling to approach him — and then everything in-between.

Without wasting any time, Harlow immediately made his way towards the imposing plateau, stopping a few feet away. "Izotz!" the Commander called out powerfully, all the Paragon around the clearing keeping quiet as he spoke. "We are back earlier than expected. We have a Paragon here who wishes to join the Hive," the Ambia explained briefly, and upon his words of someone wanting to join the Hive, the dragons around them started whispering and observing Jael ever so closer.

It took very little time for a Paragon to appear from the den, seemingly answering the Commander's call. In fact, together with the leader of the Hive was also his supporting leader, following closely behind him.



The male Paragon spread his wings as he stepped forward to the edge of the raised plateau, with the female Sailfin following closely behind, her expression and presence serious and careful.

"Welcome back, Harlow," Izotz, the white and blue male Frost, spoke. Before long, he took note of the stranger the Ambia had referred to. "I take it you're the one who wants to join us?" he asked directly to Jael, tilting his head with curiosity. "I am Izotz, leader to this Hive. Tell me, what are your intentions?" It would probably be annoying for Jael to repeat his intentions again, but this was the leader; if his words hadn't been enough to impress Harlow, they might be enough to convince the leader, since he seemed genuinely curious and open to Jael's request.

Blinking, Izotz also noticed how tightly the others were keeping Jael confined. "You all, leave him be," Izotz ordered as he waved them away dismissively with a paw. "Don't make him feel like a prisoner. Let him state his intentions."

Looking at each other with uncertainty, the Paragon that had been keeping Jael confined slowly stepped away from the Voidbringer, giving him a lot more space to move about, as a crowd of Paragon slowly started creeping up towards the stranger to see and hear everything that was happening.

[Kallile]

Jael remained quiet the entire trip, wanting to give his makeshift “escort” have absolutely no reason to quell his chances. They were bringing him deeper within the territory…it was a huge risk on his part he knew but one well worth taking. Details on the leader had been fuzzy in rumors and often drastically conflicting. So whether he was to be meeting a saint or a murderer had yet to truly be seen. For all the big male knew he was being marched to a swift death to be made an example of.

The clearing and the paths to the dens were gazed upon hopefully, as were the other Paragon who stopped to watch the little precession. The rumors had at least had one thing right—there were many more like him, more than Jael had ever dared to hope for. If all of them could belong, then maybe there was hope for him being given a place here as well.

The whispers did not escape him as the Skeletal-winged male called out into one of the larger dens. Jael half expected a behemoth to appear from the way the nameless leader of the ones surrounding him spoke. But, to his surprise, it was a white Frost and a female Sailfin that appeared from within the den. Before Izotz could even lay eyes on him Jael had his head dipped so lowly that his breath disturbed the dust and smaller rocks under his nostrils. When the Frost finally did speak Jael slowly rose back up and nodded, listening patiently to the words of his elder.

“Izotz, I am Jael. I have travelled for several days to find this place which is nothing but a rumor in my origin home.” He began, pausing as the leader spoke again and waved off his living cage with mere words. Jael held the utmost respect for one who held such command without using brute force—this Izotz must be truly wise for them to hold such respect for him.

“I come here to ask for the blessing of joining this Hive. Though I was raised by humans, I have since been carving out a life in the wild and alone. I can no longer bear the solitude of that life…I wish to start anew alongside my own brethren the way we are supposed to live.” He paused, closing his eyes as if waiting for the call of either life or death to be called upon him.

“I will face any test, any challenge you wish to prove I can be worthy of a position this clan…and should I fail I will accept whatever fate you deem me worthy of.” It was a larger risk, but Jael had not walked for days without stopping to hunt for nothing. All his chips had to be in; his deep desire to live the rest of his life as a wild Paragon had to be known and he had to show that beyond a doubt it was something he pursued whole-heartedly. After all, he had left his territory and home on nothing more than hearsay and hope, tat had to count for something.

He could only hope Izotz saw it the same way.

[Jaykobell]

Izotz listened carefully to the Voidbringer's words, tilting his head as he listened. He let Jael speak, uninterrupted, the whole time and for as long as the red Paragon needed. As he tried to explain his reasons for being here, many Paragon started whispering about him with questions that ranged from genuine curiosity, to friendly interest, and to intense wariness. Overall, the looks Jael was getting were neutral, though both pleasant and unpleasant looks managed to find their way onto him as he spoke.

"Raised by humans... that is very interesting," was the first thing Izotz piped in once Jael was done speaking. "I won't deny this is probably the first time I've heard about a human-raised Paragon," he admitted, although his tone wasn't condescending, but instead, genuinely intrigued by the particular Paragon in front of him. Without adding anything more, the Frost tilted his head towards the female Sailfin and the two started whispering together, exchanging brief sentences and words.

"I think you'll find," Harlow eventually interjected, noticing that the leader and supporting leader were seemingly considering allowing this stranger in, "that there is no way this housepet 'Paragon' could survive in the wild among us." There were some whispers of agreement, but also some whispers of doubt, that maybe, if given the chance, Jael could survive? "Not to mention," Harlow continued as he surveyed the others, just one look from him being enough to silence the louder ones, "that there's no telling this story is true. He could be one of Jezebel's new recruits for all we know!"

The mention of their former tyrannic leader was enough to rustle almost the whole group of Paragon circled around the newcomer. Wary and scared whispers started spreading like wildfire, more and more Paragon thinking that allowing Jael in might be a very bad or dangerous idea. Among those whispers, Harlow found himself smiling to himself; there was no way this housepet could be allowed in.

Realizing how loud the watchers were becoming, Izotz interrupted his conversation with the Sailfin and spread his wings to the dragons below. "Enough!" he called out, the single order plenty enough to get the others to quiet down almost instantly. He also looked down at the green Ambia, his eyes showing mixed feelings.

The leader was considering saying something in reply to Harlow's arguments, when one particular Paragon beat him to it.

"You don't know that."



A large Rockbeak made his way towards the front of the amassing group, the others moving aside to lead him walk through. The Rockbeak's age spoke through the multitude of battle scars his body sported, especially by the large, thick scar coursing through his chest, from neck to chest. There was a carefree presence to that Paragon, but judging his appearance, thinking he was a weakling would be the worst mistake someone could make.

Nonchalantly approaching the scene, the Rockbeak turned his head towards Harlow, a slightly cocky look on his face. "You're just jumping the gun, Harlow," the black Paragon commented as he shook his head. "Not to mention, I know how to judge whether this guy is real or not," he added, then turning towards Izotz and the supporting leader. "If that's fine with you, Izotz."

There was a quiet glare from the Ambia, and a surprised look from Izotz. "What do you have in mind, Quasar?" the leader inquired from the Rockbeak, whose expression quickly changed to an excited smirk.

"I'll fight with him," Quasar replied right away, adopting a fighting stance almost instantly.

Before anyone could say anything, Harlow burst into laughter. "You want to fight the housepet?" he asked the Rockbeak, finding the whole ordeal to be ridiculously funny. "Be my guest! You'll send him running home."

With that said, Quasar made a few steps towards Jael calmly, the watching group of Paragon withdrawing from the scene so that the two males would have plenty of space to fight. "You wanted a test, right? Show me what you're made of, then," the Rockbeak inquired as he took a fighting stance. "And, tell you what... I'll even give you the first move," he added with a confident grin, quite literally inviting Jael to jump right at him.

[Kallile]

Nervously Jael gave a single nod to the question. It hurt his chances, he was very well aware of that, but besides lacking a few days food he was fit and healthy. He hoped that would speak for his abilities to some degree. “It happens with greater frequency than anyone would care to admit. But humans have ways of making their pets bear eggs for their benefit. I am one such offspring, but I have come far to escape the fate I was born into.”

Harlow’s interjection turned Jael’s head, and worry entered his eyes as he heard the listening crowd grow louder and angrier. He was not sure who it was the Ambia lumped his alliance in with, but the name would be one he would have to avoid in the future. If this crowd got much more agitated, they may just decide his fate without question. He was relieved when Izotz put a stop to them rather than jumping in with their worry and doubts.

A third voice entered the mudslinging, but this time it seemed to be on Jael’s behalf. The Voidbringer looked towards the aged male walking towards them, dipping his head in a silent greeting and in thanks. His scars were easy to notice; Jael respected the older male instantly for the vast experience he must hold. But, it seemed, his respect would need to be doubled in battle.

The circle around them loosened considerably further as the exchange of words took place between old warrior and leader, and then the Rockbeak was focused on Jael. “If I can have the chance to prove myself then I will take it…and I thank you for this chance.” Sliding his legs out slightly into a more battle-appropriate stance, Jael looked the old male up and down trying to decide on a weak spot. But this was a battle—there wasn’t a lot of time to be spent in analysis.

Gathering his muscles into bunches, the Voidbringer sprang from his spot and took a bounding leap to reach the Rockbeak. But his aim wasn’t to pounce on Quasar, oh no, an aerial attack straight away would only leave him open to a painful blow. Instead he used the leap as a misdirection and as his massive form thudded back onto the ground just shy of Quasar, Jael moved to lunge forward and try to take out the opposing males front legs.

[Jaykobell]

From then on, the whole battle would be an intensive observation of the Voidbringer in front of him. Quasar's blue eyes were focused on Jael like a famished animal looked at a piece of food. Seemingly nothing could distract the Rockbeak from his prey.

Waiting carefully for the Voidbringer to make his move, Quasar stood still as a statue, eyes observing Jeal's skills. There was a certain number of things the Rockbeak was trying to catch from this battle. First, he wanted to see Jael's fighting style, if any; if he truly were a pet Paragon raised by humans, it was very likely that he had no battling style, or that he had no idea how to fight at all. In that same vein, the Voidbringer would betray his true identity if his style proved too close to Jezebel's fighting style, where hurting or even killing the other was the primary purpose. Quasar fought solely to measure himself against others; while injuring others sometimes happened, severe injuries and death were never his intentions when fighting another Paragon. You could learn many things from a single battle with someone, and many more by repeatedly fighting with them.

Second, Jael's behavior would speak for itself. Was the Voidbringer cowardly? Was he trying to trick his way into a victory? Those who were gentler and refused to fight still managed to find a job within the Hive, although their choice was fairly limited; in this particular case, however, Jael would have to prove that he wasn't a cowardly little housepet that couldn't fend on his own.

That said, the Voidbringer's first move proved satisfactory for a start. Many Paragon gasped at the idea of making such a bold move against Quasar in particular — of course, that was because they all knew who the Rockbeak actually was. He wasn't just a random Paragon from the Hive who wanted fifteen minutes of fame; Quasar was, in fact, the Commander of the hunters, the particular faction of the Hive that focused on hunting, but also primarily on battling. Needless to say, Jael's chances of winning against, arguably, the most experienced fighter of the Hive were next to nil.

Still, even that said, a victory wasn't what Quasar wanted out of this battle. Whether Jael won or lost mattered very little to him.

With the Voidbringer jumping right at him, Quasar observed him, standing still. The Rockbeak had to observe his opponent's moves quickly and effectively; there was no way the leap would cover the distance from his spot to land an aerial attack, but the option was still possible. Judging the distance as quickly as possible, Quasar answered Jael's move by immediately stepping backwards, leaving a little bit of space between the two as Jael landed and Quasar stepped back. With just enough distance between the two, Quasar copied Jael's move and bounced, aiming straight for the back of the Voidbringer.

[Kallile]

The reasons for the battle mattered little to Jael. He could have stood there all day and questioned why it was a battle he desired over anything else, but in the end it would get him nowhere closer to what he desired. He had to focus on the battle itself, though it was the last thing he had truly hoped they would have asked him for. Jael could hunt to feed himself, he could look intimidating with his flames and bright coloring to scare away would-be threats to his home and food supply. But he had never needed to face one of his own kind before.

All he could think to do was treat Quasar as prey…or try very hard to see the large black male in such light. However the experience he had instantly respected the Rockbeak for would be his downfall. As he landed and sprang again the other male had already stepped back and in a mirror attack was leaping towards his tail. Diggin his claws into the earth as best he could, Jael propelled himself forward on his belly to try and avoid the attack, just as quickly trying to roll over and let the other be faced with clawed feet rather than a defenseless back.

He tried to hold his tail enough at bay that it would not scald Quasar, though it was difficult to focus on teeth, claws, and tail all at once. Wriggling like a serpent he tried to keep himself in some sort of motion to avoid a counter while trying to formulate what exactly to do next other than keep the elder kicked off of him.

[Jaykobell]

Jael's quick reaction to Quasar's mirror move excited the Rockbeak. A quick reaction, although a very bad idea; Quasar had a spiked tail which, unbeknownst to the Voidbringer, was his main weapon. A single well-timed lash from that spiked tail, and it became a deadly weapon against any opponent. Leaving Jael's belly exposed was an excellent opportunity for Quasar to just quickly flip around and land that spiked tail straight into Jael's belly, or at least, straight at him in general. However, hurting the Voidbringer wasn't his intention, so Quasar quickly tried to find a different approach.

Quickly, the Rockbeak flipped in the air and tilted himself slightly to the right in order to land back-first right next to Jael. This left both males lying on their backs right in the middle of a battle. Despite that, the Rockbeak looked relaxed and comfortable. "Well, this might be getting a little too intimate," Quasar whispered to the other before quickly withdrawing only his head. "But I don't mind being this close." Without further warning, the Rockbeak opened wide and started sucking in air until he managed to breathe in enough to breathe out a light blue fire, the element going straight for Jael's face. Jael's tail was a testimony to a common myth: every dragon could breathe fire, couldn't they?

Still, there was little time for Quasar to judge how much, if at all, his fire would hit. If Jael was quick, he would've realized that staying still right next to his opponent would be a terrible mistake. If not so quick, the Voidbringer had probably ended up with a mouthful of fire right into his face. Breathing it out, however, Quasar couldn't quite see how much he'd gotten the Voidbringer, especially not from that sort of position.

[Kallile]

Jael had been ready to fend off the opponent from crushing him. It wasn’t the perfect pose, no, but it was the best he could do on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. Put all his defenses forth; at least it seemed like a good idea. He had no way of realizing the deadly tail could have easily dealt a lethal blow or much anything else for that matter because, at the present moment, the Rockbeak was flipping.

As the other male hit the ground beside him Jael could just lay there—wide eyed, panting, and looking absolutely bewildered. Slowly his eyes moved over to look at the black paragon who looked far too comfortable at his side with a look that told every detail of his shock. “Never would have guessed.” He replied bluntly, not really knowing how else he was supposed to respond. It appeared, however, that he would have to think faster.

As the Rockbeak began sucking in air it took Jael a few precious seconds to register what was about to happen. By the time the Voidbringer was rolling to get out of the way he would find his shoulder licked by the blue flames. Giving out a short roar of pain he continued in his momentum and used the fact that his opponent was blinding himself to try and sweep his tail in to catch Quasar under the chin with it.