In hindsight, not my most elegant title... but it suited the series... here is one of this month's commissioned pieces, a continuation of a long set aside series that began with a standalone, The Indomitable Fence, and then began it's own series with Times of Plenty. A story about a village with a very strange relationship with their local dragon... they accept his rules, the rules of nature in the territory he calls home, and in return... he respects theirs, in their territory, their village...and never hunts any of them, once they are within their fence.

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Triel regarded, with notable disappointment, the… pitiful meal he had before him. It was his share, and while once, when he was smaller it might have felt suitable, after a day in the woods, it felt decidedly meagre…
The times of plenty were long past. Now was the worst time of the year. The trees had stopped bearing fruit, the animals had begun to ebb from their growth in numbers thanks to constant hunting, and it was becoming time to settle down and endure the coming winter. Triel had acquired a home of his own, more to the point, inherited the empty one he perched on so often to meet with the dragon. It had been his choice, and had felt… appropriate. Of course, a home of his own meant that eyes were on him to start needing the space, for a partner and children perhaps, or at least a pet. As it happened, he had no such warm bodies to stuff his home with, and it seemed colder with each passing day. Winterproofing was proving a chore. He wondered how Aegis did it.
The dragon he’d come to know, wasn’t fond of the cold. While he had a coat of scales, unless the stories were quite false, he didn’t have a home beyond some cavern in the hills. He only hoped dragons weren’t the sort to build themselves up to sleep out the winter… otherwise they might expect even more hunting. The seasonal dip in their numbers had come and gone; now it was back to normal. Occasionally they lost someone, maybe two or three people a year, not counting the ones they lost just after the times of plenty. The newest generation, maybe a third lived to be adults. Half of those lost to illness at some point in life, half of what remained lost to some assortment of unpleasant reasons, be it accident or otherwise, and the remaining sixth to the woods… most of those assumed to be the dragon. After the times of plenty, the young and headstrong who thought themselves good hunters, would find the dragon culled them quickly. Triel had been lucky… he’d been caught many times during plenty, but not since.
He ate his portion quickly, the evening meal, and moved out of his house, scaling up to the roof in the low light. It wasn’t quite night yet, late evening though. He sat, and looked out over the village, to where light pulsed at the centre. People would be gathering, but he wasn’t in the mood, not tonight. He might have improved at the hunt enough to not become dragon food, but he wasn’t the best hunter. His kills were few and far between. His village wasn’t so harsh as to chastise him for being a burden, but he knew the harsher tongued of his fellow hunters would half joke that hunters who couldn’t bring food would serve the village better by distracting the dragon from the real hunters. He wasn’t sure they were wrong.
He could remember still the faces of some of the other young hunters who he’d known when he had gotten started. There had been, as he recalled, five of them who had begun at the time. One had decided he wasn’t meant to hunt, and was learning to make arrows. Two more had been lost shortly after the time of plenty was over. Overconfident. Hunting in the woods was the ultimate role. Sure every child wanted to be a hunter, striding forth into the woods to bring food home, risking their lives for the good of the village. The term, extending to any who gathered food, really. The hunters were both predators, and scouts for other, less mobile sources of food. No reason to risk too many out there. The woods were the domain of nature. Foxes hunted rabbits, hawks struck down their fellow birds, and below the earth moles ate worms. The deer ripped leaves off the plants that were equally trying to survive, tugging up whole some of the smaller ones to chew up. Everything hunted something out there. They could only take so much space for their own, where nothing hunted anything. And, in truth, they could only survive having a small amount of space with such a decadent luxury.
That was the rule of the world they knew. If you were to stride out into nature and claim the lives of other creatures for yourself to live, you had to accept that it went both ways. So long as there was something bigger than you, you could be on the menu too… It was what generations of learning had taught them to accept, and Triel found he accepted it easily. It was only fair. Not, that he’d let himself go easily, mind you, and the hunters had their tricks, warning signs to each other left on trees, to note where the dragon liked to roam and hunt. They survived well, all in all. Some younger hunters even took great enjoyment in evading the snapping jaws, letting the adrenaline surge through them, and of course, relating their tale later by the fire. Every hunter had their own near miss stories. Every living hunter, that was.

The night drew on, bit by bit, and his attention turned out to the wilds, wondering if he’d see Aegis tonight. He’d been seeing the dragon slightly less with the time of plenty over. It made sense. The dragon needed to put more effort into hunting, and was probably tired, but all the same he missed the dragon’s company. He enjoyed being around Aegis. He could gaze at the dragon’s handsome scales forever, and the sheer awe of the dragon’s size sent his heart beating in a way he liked, when he was safe. All of the adrenaline thrill without the following death or near death.
He waited a long time, and just as he was wondering for the third time if he should call it a night, he heard the sound of scale on scale, and sat up sharply. Sure enough, Aegis’s muzzle loomed into sight, and the dragon sat, yawning and turning his gaze full on Triel.
“Hello Aegis”
“Greetings, human”
“My name is Triel you know”
“I prefer not knowing the names of my food” the dragon stretched and yawned again “that said, I haven’t eaten human for some time, your kind adapt swiftly”
“Hope we’re not putting you out” Triel knew that statement wasn’t entirely true, but it felt the polite thing to say “Hard to believe sometimes you’ve been so generous with us, letting us be safe in here”
Aegis rolled his shoulders “it adds an extra challenge to my day. Besides, the better your kind do, the better you breed. You’ll be with young like rabbits soon enough… That’s the balance”
Triel nodded slowly, he’d seen that happen, sure enough “Not to question your honour, but would you really spare us if it came right down to it? You’ve given us quite the boon”
“Don’t be foolish, human” Aegis rumbled with a smirk “I am not a fool; I wouldn’t have made this deal with your kind if I didn’t think I could survive it amicably. It makes me feel good, knowing I could, but knowing I do not, and that I thrive despite that. Do you never have such things, your kind?”
Triel thought about it a while “we do actually… there’s pleasure at denying yourself something, exerting your willpower, or, setting yourself a challenge and accomplishing it. Makes you feel big”
The dragon grinned “exactly so. Every time the hunting it hard, I look here, and know that you are an option, but one I deny myself. I’d shame myself to break my deal, but I triumph in my capability. It spurs me, makes me roar my dominance all the louder, allows me to face challengers with confidence”
Triel chuckled “that’s what we are to you then, when it boils down to it? A little daily morale boost?” he shook his head with a good natured smile “ah well, a part of me wonders if I should feel affronted, but it’s hard to look down on any reason that keeps us sleeping safe at night” he looked off “though… if I was doing such a thing myself, I might get too tempted at times… and I’d not die for it”
“I take great pride in my willpower” Aegis huffed with a rumble “but… if I was to die? I know not. I dare say if I was dying, your kind would be also, from the same cause. It would be a moot point, I imagine… but, maybe. I cannot know in truth how I would react if I felt myself dying. Can any make that claim?”
“I guess not” He sighed “But this has taken a morbid turn… how bad is the hunting, exactly?”
“Survivable” Aegis huffed “I’ve survived worse. Fret not, this time will pass, the time of new life will bloom, and the valley will fill up with meat once more”
“Now there’s a sentiment I can share” Triel leaned back on the roof, looking up at the stars “Hey, Aegis… have you ever let prey go, when you were hunting, ever had a human you liked enough, for example, to make an exception for?”
“It would be a foolish dragon who let a meal escape when they were hunting”
“You didn’t answer my question”
“Did I not?” Aegis asked heavily, before the sound of his paws echoed, and Triel sat up to see the dragon had gone.
“Did you…?” he asked to the night, trying to think back on all the dragon had said that night.

Another day, another hunt. It was the life he knew, and he was content with it. That said he did like it a lot more if he actually caught something. He’d finally started catching things at the end of the time of plenty, but now they prey was leaner and harder to find. It was just about all he could do to pick up a trail these days.
Still, he pressed on, easing through the tall ferns and weaving between the shielding trees, looking for any signs of prey. The pickings were slim. Nothing big had come this close to the village for a while, and it was getting too dangerous for overnight hunts following trails. There were some signs of smaller animals… a rabbit or wild hen might suit…
Keen to bring back something, anything, he noted the faint forked trail of a game bird and stalked after it, keeping his bow ready. They were fast and easily spooked creatures, he didn’t like his chances. A bigger target would have been nice, for reasons of simplicity and of course for more meat, but he shrugged it off, engrossing himself in the trail.
As was always the case, the ambush was a sudden thing. In an instant the whole forest changed, light bursting from the canopy, a cacophony of cracking branches as from above the dragon descended. Triel acted on instinct to spring back from the descending creature, and as he saw the head strike down in front of him, right where he’d been and with such speed he could only pale. Had he been thinking, he realised, he might not have moved.
“Aegis” he gasped as he scrambled back, looking to the dragon as the muzzle rose, the dragon spitting out a wad of ferns. But then the dragon was advancing. Not a word, no hesitation, and before Triel’s eyes the jaws opened wide, saliva stringing between teeth with the dragon’s hunger. He was lucky, that once more instinct grabbed him, to shake him from his perceptions, and make him run. Aegis was serious…
He didn’t try to reason, what would be the point. The dragon wasn’t, after all, being unreasonable. He was hungry, but Triel’s heart felt it might burst. He felt in danger, really in danger… he wasn’t sure he had before. The speed his legs managed to conjure surprised but delighted him, and he sped with all his effort, running through the trees as the crashing echoed behind him, getting closer, making the dragon sound ten times larger and spurring Triel to not slow down even for a moment.
Thudding of paws, the hot wash of the occasional breath as Aegis got closer. For a long moment Triel was sure he would die, his eyes would be watering if his body had any resources to spare on such things, but at last, he heard the turning of the tide. The dragon’s paws slowed, a frustrated snort echoing as the chase was abandoned. The ambush had missed, the first chase hadn’t worked, and they both knew the human had more stamina. Humans were built for running after all, for hours if they had the experience. Dragons simply weren’t capable of that, and Aegis seemed smart enough to realise that before wasting any more energy. Yet Triel didn’t stop running, and he knew he wouldn’t stop till he felt safe again.

“Here you are, boy, get this down you”
Triel shivered by John’s fireplace and took the earthen mug, looking inside briefly before sipping. The drink was warm, and at first was revolting, but it grew on him. It was bitter, some concoction they’d been sold a few years back by some passing traders, or so he was told.
“It should stop the quivers, with luck” John sat opposite Triel and looked the boy over “So, want to tell me what happened?”
“Aegis” Triel murmured the name, it felt like it was made of lead when he spoke it “he almost got me…”
John slowly nodded “you’re quite friendly with the dragon aren’t you?”
He simply nodded to the words, staring into the mug as he sipped again
“At least you had the sense to not mistake his conduct to us here, with the conduct out there”
“I… I almost did” Triel sighed
“I’m torn on what to tell you, kid” John noted gently “on the one hand, it’s good you’re a bit shaken, those who get too friendly with dragons get tucked away under their scales… but, don’t let this get you down”
“Get me down?”
“You’re not the first to get friendly with the dragon, and then have to remember the harsh reality out there. I’ve seen it before, and, if you’re anything like the others, you’re asking yourself, was it real?”
Triel sighed “yeah… exactly” he looked off. It was the question, after all… he’d considered them friends, he… would almost have been eaten because of that, had instinct not known better.
“It’s natural… if I hung a sword above your bed, you’d be terrified, thinking, what if it falls while I’m sleeping… but if you saw it there, day after day, you’d slowly stop fearing it. It would become normal. It would have been there for a long time and never done you any harm. Then one day you come home to see it has speared through your pillow while you were out, and you say to yourself, I could never trust it to hang above my bed again” John sighed “What you had with Aegis was real, lad… is real, rather. He likes you, or he’d not come back night after night to talk with you. We’ve all had our talks with him, over the fence. But there are two sides to him, as to all of us. Look at me, I’d never hurt a fly when I’m here, when I’m normal. But on the hunt I do kill, and I do it without hesitating. The Aegis you know over the fence. That’s the real Aegis, that’s the… dragon he is, the person he is I guess. The hunter in the woods, that’s nature, that’s his stomach needing filled, and the harsh reality we both face in the food chain. Take some time, but don’t push him away, or you’ll regret it. As I said, I’ve seen this before; I’ve been here before myself”
He looked to John and nodded. It was hard to imagine seeing Aegis again but… did he want to? He felt he did. He really did actually. He wanted to see the Aegis who spoke to him on the roof again. He loved that Aegis; he didn’t know what he’d do without that fascinating Aegis in his life.
“Our deal with him makes us very lucky” John spoke more slowly, looking into the fire “not just because we get to have our space, our sanctuary from reality. But also because we get to see the dragon outside the context of predator and prey, and see the real personality of him. We’re lucky, to get that perspective. For me at least, it means we can know… know for certain that he’s not a cruel creature, that there’s nothing personal in his hunts, he doesn’t hate us. It’s just… nature”
Triel stood slowly, finishing his drink. It had helped… He gave the mug back to John, and they nodded to one another as Triel left. The path to his home wasn’t far, and he hurried there in the fading light, moving inside where he could relax. He was safe here. The dragon wouldn’t come into the village; his home… was safe, and familiar. He reminded himself of the kindness of this place, but though he kept his thoughts light, the dark spot today had marked him with was just there, on the edge of his thoughts, pushed away, but lingering there. He knew eventually he’d have to reflect that Aegis had tried to kill him today. He didn’t blame the dragon, not really, he knew it was just hunting, but… he still didn’t know if he’d be able to look at the dragon now without just picturing those spread jaws… he’d have to try, he felt… he had to face this, come to terms with it… not that it was an easy thought.
He spent much of the evening in his room, tidying, doing anything to procrastinate from having to think about the day. He’d shut the door on it. Yet as the sky darkened and he was considering just going to bed early, he felt it… the ever so slight tremor that spoke of the large reptile moving towards the village… and quite close. He had to really…
He eased outside slowly, and clambered up onto the roof, seeing the dragon by the faint village lights. It was… familiar, the same sight, same place… almost, he could almost forget what happened earlier.
“Greetings, human”
“Hello, Aegis” he sat down and stared at the huge muzzle, letting the silence linger as the dragon began to look a little uncomfortable
“It was you earlier, yes?” Aegis asked at last
“It was…”
“I am… glad, you got away”
“Are you?” Triel looked to the dragon’s eyes… he didn’t know Aegis for dishonesty, yet…
“I am. I enjoy our talks”
“If that’s true, why hunt me at all?”
“It would not be fair to break rules for one human” Aegis huffed faintly “and even were I able; I cannot tell one human apart from the sky”
Triel sighed “I understand, Aegis, really I do… but you tried to eat me today… I could have died in your stomach by now. It’s… hard to put that image aside”
The dragon was silent for a long moment “do you wish me to not seek your company anymore?”
“I don’t know…” Triel admitted finally “I just don’t know. I need time…”
Aegis nodded slowly “as you need” He shifted and padded off, tail swaying a little as Triel watched him
“Wait… Aegis. A week, give me a week… Let me think about this”
The dragon glanced back with a hum in this throat “if you need time to separate my parts, then I will give it. I will return when the hunting allows”
Triel sighed as the dragon wandered from sight, and he huddled up, before going inside to flee the cold. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the dragon. The good feelings were there too, but that muzzle held fangs. He sighed out, deciding he’d have to sleep on it… but he’d already decided he wanted to forgive Aegis, because, there was nothing that needed forgiving. He just wanted things to go back to how they were… but, he just wasn’t sure if it was possible…

A couple of days passed with the only sight of the dragon being the distant shape amid the clouds. No chases, no disappearances. It was enough to raise the temptation of fatal complacency…
For his part, Triel had managed to catch a few rabbits, hardly enough to inspire anyone, but it helped him feel he was pulling his weight, or partly at least. Still his mind swam with the dragon. Every step was more tentative, every sound alerted him more. It was strange. His alertness was being eaten at by real fear.
The new day was misty, cold, clinging, and miserable to be out in. There had been a time when he enjoyed the sweep of the mists up the valley, the cold tingle on his face. But of course, that was when he was young, and a nice warm fire was a hop and skip away. And when he didn’t need to reflect on how it dimmed his field of view. Still, mist was a hunter’s friend in their regions. It smothered those senses their prey had that they did not, emphasising their ears, not noses. It was a time to be slow, quiet, alert. It suited Triel’s mood. And as an added bonus, the mist hindered the dragon more than them. Aegis could fly above it, certainly, but peering through it was another matter. Aiming a dive in the mist was both difficult, and dangerous. It not only hid prey, it hid obstacles. Only a foolish dragon, or a desperate one would risk spearing a wing on a hidden spikey tree, or getting caught such that they lost their balance, and hit the ground at full force. A dragon’s legs were amazing things, absorbing the impact of their landing. Their torso wasn’t built to do that.
Still, much as the dragon haunted his thoughts, it wasn’t the only risk. So, he minded his footing. If he twisted an ankle or broke his leg… he’d be as doomed as a falling dragon.
The mists devoured him, or so it felt. Surrounded, brushed by ethereal wet walls, pushing deeper into the gloomy forest. Freezing with every snap, every thud and forcing himself to be still, even as his clothing soaked and muscles grew tight in the oppressive cold. He wasn’t optimistic. His aim would suffer in the mists too.
But then he heard something that made him pause again. This was a sound he wasn’t going to test. A thud, a loud thud… a thud felt through the feet. A dragon landing, or a tree falling, only those sprung to mind… and a tree screeched going down.
Triel crouched lower, looking out into the gloom, moving only to bury himself into a bush, sharply cold drops of dew running down his collar as he pressed into the damp branches, but it was better than being seen… and sinking instead to the far warmer wet of a dragon’s insides.
All was quiet, very quiet. At times, he felt he heard, something in the forest, a brush, a tread, something big. But it was so quiet… he wouldn’t notice, if he wasn’t listening for it. It had to be the dragon… stalking on foot.
There was a scuffle of a sound, a crackle of branches, the swish of a bush. He winced as he heard a voice.
“No, no, stay away!”
The voice babbled, less coherent, but louder, sharper, all but a shriek as the ground trembled slightly, a double thud, like the racing heartbeat of the wilds, as the dragon bounded. The shriek ended, suddenly, and so did the steps.
Triel exhaled, shaking his head slowly. No way the hunter survived. His ears picked up a brush of sound, a wet click, and the thuds resumed, softer, harder to distinguish, a more casual gait.
For a moment, through the trees, he spotted Aegis, swaying along. The dragon must assume no prey was around… and certainly, everything would be long gone, or hiding well after that, chase. Triel caught only a glimpse of the immense lizard, the sleek frame, the wide chest, and thin belly. He didn’t see, a lump in those scales… a scrawny hunter… wouldn’t be a gorge for a dragon. A meal yes, but… not enough to stop.
So Triel stayed put, shivering, waiting. He knew, he’d have that fate too… if Aegis saw him today… today he hoped they just lost one.

“We’re changing our hunting pattern today” John noted, considering the hunters in the morning light, sighing to himself as he rolled a thumb down the sheet in his hand. He was the only one who knew his writing… or most of the letters anyway, it was one reason he led the hunt
“We’re three down today, two sick, one… gone” his eyes flicked to Triel “and we’re pretty sure it was Aegis’s appetite that took that one… We don’t know his movements today however… it was our youngest he caught, he may well be on the prowl again… or he may have caught other prey and be resting… don’t get complacent” He set the sheet aside “and do be careful… we’re lucky those two are only hurt. We need the food, but it’s better to miss today and hunt tomorrow, than hurt yourself missing and be down tomorrow”
The remaining hunters nodded silently. Triel did the same, considering his… fellows. They were gaunt, it was a hard time of year. Equal parts essential and honoured for the risks they took… and blamed for the hunger. They needed a good day soon, for morale if nothing else…
“For the next while, keep your routes away from the heart of his territory” John added “We’re encountering him more and more lately. Back off his regions, hope he finds whatever is there, hunt further afield where he’s less likely to stray… I know it’s further to go, but we’re more likely to get lucky… and not get eaten”
John nodded to end his talk, hefting his thick bow over his shoulders, and moving past them, leading by example… Triel sighed, and stood, stretching. It was still cold, even if the sun’s rays felt nice… he was stiff and sore from the deep cold in his bones and the tight ball he’d been in to hide yesterday…
The rest of the hunting group began to disperse, as he looked over his shoulder towards the high reaches they knew the dragon nested in. Aegis… it was strange. He’d always known the dragon lurked… always… known the dragon ate people, ate hunters. He’d spent his whole time out there evading the dragon, but… it had been like a game. Get caught and lose, like hide and seek. He’d known it was true but… it hadn’t sunk in, till now… the game would kill him now, if he got caught. In some ways, that was the bitterest point. He missed that fragile feeling. It, had felt like Aegis protected him, guided him in those woods… told him where he went wrong, found him, and brought him home if he got lost… but now… Triel shuddered, and hurried after the other hunters. He had to see where they went so he wouldn’t step on their toes… or provide Aegis too tempting a clustered target…
The woods further from the dragon’s den were less known to Triel. Generally considered safer, but also home to less suitable prey. The dragon had placed his nest where food was rich, and while his presence did drive animals away, it was still more bountiful than the woods Triel wandered now. Still, in days like these where prey was scarce, who knew what the dragon’s habits would become.

His hunting was progressing poorly, few trails of note… He followed the path of some rabbits, to a dug out warren, and the gait of a fox… followed deer… and stopped when he realised the trail ended at a, gaping hole in the canopy, backing away to search elsewhere. Competition was fierce this time of year… and if possible, he had no wish for the saying to become, literal, should he meet the competition face to muzzle. Prowling the woods was decidedly… boring, when he had nothing to follow. Hours tracking a trail, while tedious, provided some, mental and sensory challenge. The constant state of alert, checking but with no results was wearying on his mind.
The sun’s arc was ebbing, as was his patience. Grudgingly, bearing the bitter brand of empty hands, he turned, and started to stalk back the way he’d come… it wasn’t too late to stumble on something... but it was too late to move further from the village. If the dragon was hungry enough, he’d stalk into the night… and his vision was a lot better than a human in those hours…
His failed hunt weighed on his mind as he made his way home, engulfed his focus and his thoughts. Every step he strained to sense prey as frustration grew. But nothing, there had been no sign of prey, no marks to see, or cries to hear. He hadn’t seen or heard the faintest hint of anything he could hunt for a while. The thought lingered in his mind. Mentally he batted at it, before he froze, letting the ignored significance of it wash over hm. He hadn’t heard a sound for a while… but he heard one now, now that he stopped. It was faint, muted, indistinguishable, and behind him.
He leapt, a sharp clack sounding behind, a bestial growl with it. A voice he knew well… even if such savage sounds were novel to his ear. Triel didn’t need to look to know it was Aegis, didn’t dare waste the moment to look. He had already let the dragon stalk too close.
Bolting for his life, he leapt to the side to get a tree between himself and his pursuer. The crashing of dragon in chase was clear to him… heavy breathing, hot panting gusts almost billowing across his back as he moved. All he could focus on was running, not tripping, not falling… a missed step would be his death. He moved when he could, not letting the dragon gain momentum, trying to swerve to use his size to his advantage. It was just keeping him ahead of the dragon’s long, powerful gait. Already he felt his breath growing ragged but had to trust the dragon was faring worse. The dragon was built to pounce, not run. And yet… still he heard Aegis on him. Familiar trees were in view, the dragon’s sounds were growing more desperate. The village wasn’t far. But… Aegis was still chasing him. Normally he gave up by now…
Triel braced himself, not giving in to complacency as he burst from the trees and saw the village ahead. It was still a distance… and his situation had just gotten worse, not better. The ground around the village was flat and clear of trees. Aegis would be unrestricted. More a benefit to the dragon than he.
He grit his teeth, and ran, springing on his toes, bounding for the village as he saw faces turn to watch. It almost threw him, almost made his muscles freeze and his heart quaver. This moment… the village called it, running the jawline. More hunters were caught on this last stretch than anywhere in a prolonged chase with Aegis. Already he felt the heat behind him rising, the dragon closing in as he sped along the dirt trail for the white arch in the fence
He was so close… but he could feel Aegis closer to him than he was to the fence. He leapt, springing, hands reaching for the village. A sharp pain grasped his foot, a deflating cry escaping his lips. His momentum stopped, foot sliding half out of his boot as his movement met the grip. He fell to his belly by the fence. Looking up, into the village and… to the arch. It was close. Quickly he moved his hands, already forward, to grab the archway, and pulled. Muscles developed from his archery pulled him well. He felt the dragon pull also and, he felt his boot snap away. He slid along the ground, collapsing inside the village line, panting as he shivered, looking back at last, to see Aegis, right by the arch… one boot hanging between his fangs, dripping. His gaze flicked to his foot with a wince. He saw blood… but also, all his toes, in the right places.
Far, far too close.
Aegis snorted, spitting the boot by one of his forepaws, tail lashing sharply behind him “I thought I had you” he noted sourly “a meaningful use for those, revolving garbs… typical”
“Don’t mind me if I relish in not dying, Aegis” Triel shivered, but sat himself, feeling a hand to his shoulder to help
“And do not mind me, if I reflect bitterly, on a meal escaped” Aegis’s sharp eyes focussed on him “I am not bitter to you, human, you have all right to try and evade. I scold myself…” he snorted “you should have been an easy meal, that time”
Triel bristled… a part of him knew it was true, he’d let his guard down, when the signs were there, but still… “you could have fooled me, saying you were hoping not to catch me… but then, maybe you were”
Aegis’s muzzle lowered to the edge of the fence, huffing a hot breath in at him “mind your words, human. Behind that fence you may be, normally, charming, but on this side… you are delicious. Do not assume you hold any power to deflect my hunt”
“Maybe all I’ve done it help you predict me… is that all our talks were, I wonder… a way for you to learn how best to eat me”
The dragon’s head dipped, fangs gripping the fallen boot, before he stood, turning “I am keeping this…”
“That’s my boot!” Triel exclaimed “give it back… what use have you for it, but to spite me? Is that in your code, Aegis?”
The dragon paused, turning his head to look back at Triel “If you want it back, you know where my home is”
“What is this…?” Trial grunted “hurt my pride so I come up to your den, so you can eat me?”
“Yes” Aegis responded simply, meeting Triel’s eye for a moment, before turning his head, and padding away.
Triel felt a shiver run his spine, suddenly, so very cold from the simple answer. He flopped to his backside, only vaguely aware as someone crouched to attend to his wound, eyes locked on the vast reptile that wandered back for the woods. Deep inside, he felt sick… he’d almost died, and it was Aegis… trying to kill him. He felt such, sickening confusion, roiling deep inside him.

The day passed. His wound wasn’t as bad as it might have been, the tooth cutting the side of his foot, quite badly… but barring infection, it would heal without impairment. Still… he was off the hunt, for a day or two anyway. The evening found him sitting on his roof, as so often was his habit, looking up at the night sky, the chill easing the ache in his foot. But, he felt tense, his chest was tight. He couldn’t enjoy it here… for fear Aegis would visit. He didn’t want to talk to Aegis… he didn’t know what he wanted to say… if anything. Thinking about the dragon made him both pine and quiver… Eventually he clambered down to the ground, to head inside away from the chill. A week, he remembered saying to the dragon before… if Aegis did sit by the fence one night soon… for the first time, Triel wasn’t sure he’d climb up to talk…