Ah, I've been anticipating posting this one... as our little story of the lone, lost dragon Cayas heats up, and he gets his first taste of, bipedal primate blood. Don't miss it -_^

Stormblown Chapter 4

The two-legged hunters were vigilant, Cayas noted as he pressed himself a bit lower to the ground, keeping his focus on the lone of the bipedal primates. The posture really was, shockingly upright. No tail for balance, but yet, the very lack of that was likely what allowed them to be so, straight up. No need to lean forward to counterbalance a tail, but no tail to adjust their balance. Till now, he hadn’t gotten to observe one in motion to such a detail, or more, till he saw this one moving, he’d barely thought about it.
Quietly, his tongue rolled out, wetting the scaly lips. Some little part of his instincts wanted to ensure there was no, friction to impede its smooth entry to his maw, he supposed. This one was unfortunate, to have been right in his way while he sought breakfast. With such an opportunity, how could he resist finally sampling one.
Still, he got the feeling the hunting mammal was, aware it wasn’t alone. The vigilance had been gradually rising. But Cayas had gotten closer, close enough. His tensed hind legs released, the large reptile launching himself at the staggering mammal. It reacted quickly, faster than he expected. His jaws snapped shut where it had been, one eye tracking it as it darted to his left. Predatory reflex knew what to do. Instead of landing down, his left forepaw swiped, impacting weightily with the creature, batting it off it’s paws. Cayas’s jaws spread again, lunging up and forward. The warm weight hit his tongue, and his teeth sealed shut, just before he landed less favourably than planned, his right shoulder striking the earth before his hind paws fully caught his weight.
The dragon snorted out his nostrils, tongue flicking briefly out, gathering in the hind paws of his meal. His head swam, dizzy for a moment. The impact a little stunning, he assumed. Still, he got his paws under himself, and gave his head a shake, the shifting mouthful slamming to his hard fangs when he did so. Its turn to be stunned.
Cayas sat, and sighed, bobbing his snout as it contemplated the weight on his tongue. A strangely muted flavour… or, as he licked it to his palate, more, the outer fabrics had little taste, and a rough texture. Not that prey had much of a deep taste unless he tore into them. This one, was the right shape to swallow, and just small enough. Still, Cayas considered, it’s chest would probably cave in quite lethally when his throat got a good grip. With barely a thought beyond that, he tipped his head back, curling his tongue to shunt the twitching meal back for his throat. His stomach gave a needy pang, demanding no more hesitation.
Pain lanced through Cayas’s jaw, a shudder running his wings, jaws parting a fraction on reflex as his eyes watered… it was so sudden, a sharp pain in his tongue. For those moments, his mind went blank with the flare of it, his head lowered, spitting out the primate, his only impulse to clear his mouth. His head shook, and the pain ebbed to a dull throb.
In the corner of his eye he saw the, soggy primate making its escape into the brush. Pity. He felt something hard, drift down his tongue. His probing tongue tip recoiled slightly, whatever it was, was sharp. He spat it out, looking. It shone in the sunlight. Metal? His lowering view took in the object. No, not metal, But bright, polished bone. it reminded him of a claw. The primate must have had it… he recalled now, the smaller one had, possessed such a thing. It hadn’t occurred to him. Prey had never held such a weapon before.
Feeling sorry for himself, he licked at his left paw, grimacing at the thin line of red left upon the scales. His tongue was bleeding. A cursory probe around his mouth settled his fears. He could feel the wound. Unpleasant, that was going to bother him all day. Still, he’d bitten his tongue worse than that, and though deep, surely such a clean cut would heal quickly. He hoped.
With a morose look in the direction his escaped breakfast had gone, Cayas turned to pad back for his… den. Most hunts did end in failure, he reminded himself. It still didn’t feel good though.

Cayas arched his back with a yawn, swaying into the dark cavern, blinking a bit as his own markings began their steady glow, reinvigorated by the sun. As had become his habit, he sat before the wall and rose a claw to carve into it. Both wings spread to cast their faint glow on the stone. The one still gave him an ache to move it, but he was content it was healing, bit by bit.
“My new day is begun, sadly with misfortune” Cayas scratched in the stone slowly “My first hunt for one of the primates, ended with its escape. A pity as I had it in my mouth, ready to swallow. They may be more difficult prey than I hoped. Concealed on its body was, a weapon, a sharp edge, a blade of bone. Thinking back, I have seen them with sharp tools, but this is the closest I have seen one. It reminded me of the leg bones of those, creatures I first hunted, broken in two, sharpened. Used as a weapon, it is quite intriguing” he swished his tail slightly. He couldn’t remember if he had assumed their tools were metal before he got a close look “It is a pity it got away, I must hope the whole troupe doesn’t move on. I suppose I will have to kill them before I eat them” he concluded to the wall “Although, once my wing heals, it won’t matter as much if prey moves away from my local region, the convenient hunting grounds will increase accordingly. With my wing on the mend, I feel so much more, energized. It’s almost shocking how, low one feels when constantly bracing against pain” He found himself hesitating just a little, before adding “I find myself quite hopeful the smaller primate will visit again today. Now I feel a bit brighter, my curiosity is reigniting. And what else holds such potential to hold my interest” he eased back from the wall, feeling he had little else meaningful to add. His plans were simple, rest, heal, try to eat something before too long, and amuse his bored mind as much as dragonly possible. With luck, using that small, bright eyed mammal.

It wasn’t particularly surprising that he didn’t need to wait long. Sprawled on the warm stones outside his den, Cayas basked in the light, resting, and watching the surrounding brush. The sun was half way up on its arc, when the small face poked into view, watching his strewn body for a moment, before breaching into view.
The familiar, hairless primate pup easing closer. It showed enough sense to approach with caution, Cayas mused. Some instinct must still realise he was huge, even though it had seemingly decided he was part of its troupe.
Cayas had decided this pup was probably male. Partly due to what he saw as differences in those of the breed he had seen, and this young one’s lack of those. Of course, it could be due to age, immaturity perhaps. Though, in his experience nature was, a biased thing. If one of these creatures was going to be so foolishly bold as to approach him, he assumed it was probably the sex nature liked to consider expendable. Maybe he was just looking for something in common with the scampering creature.
His kind lacked the bonding empathy of such creatures as these, but Cayas couldn’t help a delicate fondness. It was natural, he supposed, to feel drawn to one who would give, without asking.
Rumbling, he watched it, as it shifted back to its haunches, and folded its hind limbs beneath itself. Their eyes met for a long moment. This creature reminded him of a cat, the way it sat, and watched, and listened. He’d never been fond of eating the mountain cats around his old home, too many claws, and so scrawny under the fur. They were, about the same size, a bit larger perhaps. But some of those that prowled near his old home had sat like that and watched him as he watched them.
Something was different this time, Cayas gradually noticed, in the creature’s manner. It seemed more alert, its pose more, upright. The small, dextrous digits of its forepaws were in constant motion. It seemed agitated in a way. Their mutual stare lasted a time, though the primate broke it first, eyes moving to the, dusty soil that settled by the edge of the rocks Cayas sprawled on. The creature’s focus seeming to be on its own paws as it scratched at the dirt. Foraging, now?”
Cayas snorted slightly, watching it with fading interest, until, something about its scratching took his notice. There was a strange, pattern to it. His ears perked against his horns, curiosity returning as he was reminded of his own morning routine. Instead of a claw to the stone, a single digit of the primate was making patterns in the dirt while it chattered at him, slowly, seeming to linger on certain sounds in their, odd communication. It was clear it wasn’t writing, when he observed its patterns. But the shapes seemed deliberate. A single line, with a circle at one end, and four, smaller lines, two from the other end of the longer line, two from, somewhere near the middle, but closer to the circle.
His gaze turned back to the creature as its digit lifted. It met his eye again, repeating a, single sound, and tapping its own chest with the dusty digit, then tapping on its pattern shape, repeating the same sound.
For a moment Cayas flicked his gaze between the creature and its depiction, before it started to click. The shape was… well, exceptionally crude, but a representation of the creature’s own body shape. The creature repeated itself a few times, before it started scratching again.
This time, Cayas felt he knew quickly what it was doing. It looked, terrible, but in its next, larger, more complicated set of patterns, he saw, something that he was sure was meant to be himself. What seemed his body shape, a, head full of jagged lines for his teeth, a big wing drawn out, sharp claws and tail. It was quite a savage depiction, he noted. Lots of attention to the claws and teeth. When the creature lifted it’s paw away, Cayas carefully eased back enough he could free a forepaw, tapping one claw to his chest, then to the image, cocking his head as he watched the small creature.
It seemed excited, the way its teeth bared, and head bobbed. He gathered it was happy he had done what it wanted. Was this some sort of, greeting, he wondered.
Quickly, its flat paw wiped its own self-image out of the dirt, flattening the soil, before, after a moment with paw hesitating above the crude drawing of Cayas, drew that same shape again, between the jagged lines in the drawn mouth.
Cayas cocked his head, listening to the, more sedate chittering of sound from the creature as it shot him looks as it drew this time, and staring at him once it was finished. Its single digit tapped the dirt beside the new shape, shaking its head slowly back and forth. It’s sounds were, distressed. The dragon hummed faintly to himself. He knew the sounds of a distressed mammal from his prey, and this one had just, depicted itself being… eaten, hadn’t it?
He watched the image, as the creature stroked a single line through its own new image, and the jaw of the drawn dragon.
Cayas snorted faintly, his mind swimming in that long moment, tail drifting, back and forth. He hadn’t seen these things communicate like this before. He dared say he understood it’s meaning. Curious more than anything, Cayas lowered his own claw to a fresh spot in the dirt, and, seemingly expectant, the primate eased closer, watching his claw intently. It knew he meant to communicate… so these patterns must be quite intentional. He wondered if it could even understand new patterns it had never seen… but then, surely dragons weren’t amid their pattern memory before he got here… were they?
Exhaling, he decided to try, lifting his claw, to gesture in a wide arc around them, seeing the primate peer around obligingly. He brought his claw down, and drew a circle, and beside it, a dome of a shape, depicting for himself, the shapes of an island, or a peninsula. He hummed, and looked to the primate, finding it’s gaze was intent on the images. It stared, intently… was it waiting for something? Some signal, or sign?
Cayas grunted, maybe it wasn’t detailed enough. He waved his claw slightly, finding it looked up immediately. He gestured behind him, to the high cliffs and the cavern into them, and then, lowering his claw, drew a small arc on the island shape, then the peninsula, adding a smaller arc to each to depict the cave.
The primate’s head bobbed faintly, before its digit came over the images, making, odd, almost, soft zigzag lines in the space around the images. It sounded at him, pointing out, over the lowering forest canopy, to the distant water, then tapped the lines it had made.
Cayas considered where it had drawn. Indeed, it had drawn, where the sea was meant to be. He made a show of dipping his head up and down like they did. The primate bore its teeth again, tapping insistently at the circle, and gesturing around like Cayas had.
He exhaled slowly. Well then, this was something he could test. If this really was an island…
After a moment of stillness, he noticed the primate’s paws high, waving around, though they lowered once he focussed his gaze on it.
It pointed, and he followed its gaze, to his own body, or more to the point, the strewn wing on his flank. Slowly he spread it and rumbled at the moment freeze of the primate. Its eyes moving rapidly, along the patterns that glowed in the shadow of the wing. But then it bobbed its head, with the teeth baring again. Once more it pointed at the wing, then straight up at the sky, before making it’s two limbs, pulse up, and down.
Flapping, Cayas mused. Was it wondering if he could fly…? He hadn’t flown since he arrived. He supposed, he’d be curious why a creature with wings hadn’t flown.
He snorted and rolled a claw along the bound injury of his wing, gesturing his claw up, before reaching to the still mostly remaining picture of himself, and drawing a line through the wing.
The creature didn’t bare it’s fangs this time, but its head did bob, as it looked at the image of the dragon.
A long moment passed, but then the small primate rose to its hind legs, dipping it’s forebody towards Cayas in a, surprising display of balance for one without a tail. But then, much to Cayas’s disappointment, it began to move away. The exchange had intrigued him, although, it had also left him feeling, quite unsure.
As the small primate made a high-pitched call back at him, and disappeared into the brush, he found his mind was racing. Had he really been communicating with a beast, it had seemed so, responsive.
His tail tapped to the stone, a conflict raging in his chest. That one was the only one to approach… could it be special, brighter than the rest? Slowly Cayas eased to his paws, keeping low as he set off to pursue. He’d just make sure it got back to the troupe safely. He wanted, needed to test the primate again, he had to make sure he got the chance, or his mind might never settle.
It didn’t take long to find it, but a breeze brought to his senses a billow of scents, more of the primates. He kept low, peering through brush to, a leaf shrouded view of the small creature. He heard its voice, high, inquisitive… distressed?
Another voice of the creatures rose, sharper, louder. Cayas shifted his position, cautious lifting his muzzle. He saw, many of them, there were many, larger ones, standing as one, facing the small pup. The pup was gesturing the way it had come from, its voice making quick, indistinguishable sounds. The louder voices of one or another of the older primates cutting through its high, weak voice. The forelimbs of many were in motion, sharp, fast, agitated. He lowered his head again. He had a feeling his presence wouldn’t benefit things. Somehow, he felt this was about him. Every gesture had been in the direction of his den. Could it be they didn’t recognise the scent of their own pup…?
A sharper, shrill cry echoed out, though his view was largely blocked. He heard the scurry of small paws, desperate whimpering, and the thud of, something on trees. The deeper voices made long, loud calls, before he saw their shadows retreating. Everything went still, and quiet. Cayas snorted. He could smell blood.
For a long moment he waited, but he heard nothing. No whimpers, no footfalls. In time, he rose and skulked for the spot where the troupe had been. He saw the broken plants, and what looked like, the long weapons the primates often wielded, their pointy sticks, embedded in the trees and trapped in bushes. The scent of blood grew stronger. An easy trail, and a familiar scent. He felt a sickening wave in his stomach but lowered his snout and followed it.
He found the pup not far from the spot. The bloody scent made him both hungry and ill. It was crumpled in a heap, breathing, collapsed against a tree. The leaves of the brush around it were fiery with its bright blood. Every breath was uneven and pained.
Slowly he loomed above it, noting its head turned once in his shadow. Its voice sounded, weakly, unintelligible, no distinct sounds amid it. The small creature’s body was trembling, the fabrics had a spreading redness.
Cayas exhaled, looking around himself, scenting the air. No scents of the troupe. His head lowered, jaws slowly parting, his tongue probing beneath the small primate. It felt, helpless and limp across the muscle as he lifted it into his mouth and sealed his fangs.
Cayas’s tail whipped at a tree, carving a slash in the bark, before he turned and padded for his den, his lower jaw hanging with the weight of primate meat.

The sun was sinking down it’s arc as Cayas sat himself inside his den, lifting his muzzle away from the heap of splintered wood as fire crackled to life amid the broken branches. A delirious chittering murmured from the heap of leaves and twigs and blood that the small, trembling shape was now strewn upon. I’s flavour still lingered in the corners of his mouth.
Cayas sighed to himself, padding a step closer to the strewn primate, and lowering the sharp tip of a claw above its soft belly. Carefully he hooked the fabric, plucking till it tore and could be pulled away.
A damp wipe of his tongue ran along tender flesh, casting away the drying blood to reveal the reddened, enflamed hide. And the wound. Seeping red juices, so dark with red it looked black, the hole in the small creature’s flank. He’d spotted the offending weapon on his way home, fallen from the pup in its flight.
It felt quite official to him. The troupe had cast it out. Perhaps because it smelled of him, or, perhaps something less primal. The creature looked so helpless. With a claw he nudged it a little closer to the fire. He was sure much of it’s trembling was pain, but he didn’t want it to grow cold.
Cayas sighed a breath through his fangs and raised a claw to his wall as he always did, taking a moment to try and compose his thoughts.
“It seems the best reward I could have offered the small primate who tended my wing, would have been to have roared and scared it far away from me. For now, it lays, dying perhaps in my den, curled up in pain from the wounds inflicted by its troupe, as they drove it out. This morning I’d have felt sure it was simply due to scent but, I am no longer so sure” He paused, to spare the small creature a glance “My mind reels with my meeting with it today. It’s whistles and croaks are still meaningless to me, but, perhaps in mimicry of what I do right now, it took its paws to the dirt outside and, made images. In a way, we spoke, and questioned. Now I must ask myself if I should have approached their intellect differently” he snorted softly “I followed what I was taught. All the actions could be explained as, just following instinct, following a set of beneficial, learnt behaviours. But this, I struggle to explain so simply. If it realised, I didn’t understand, and altered its communication to fit me, doesn’t that show an awareness for my mind? If it can learn a new communication system so quickly, based on, a previous framework, isn’t that intelligent, deductive reasoning. But as much as how, what it asked me is telling. It showed an awareness of the differences between us, and the risk of my predation. And yet it still came close to communicate, and to help me. It saw my wings and expected me to fly regardless of never having seen me do so, or presumably having seen wings without feathers” He tapped his claw at the wall for a thoughtful moment “I am still certain it’s initial approach was misguided instinct, misplaced empathy, but perhaps my teachings were wrong. Thinking to my own survival. I’m guided by my own instinct, why wouldn’t I be. Intelligence, and instinct are entirely separate, and one doesn’t override the other. Or so I’m coming to realise” he shook his head “I wonder how many of my own behaviours could be explained as, just an instinctive beast if I approached looking for reasons to call myself such” he spared the strewn pup a forlorn look “or maybe I’m just getting attached to this one and want it badly to be thinking through it’s attachment. Ironically, I begin to feel the lack of logic in its actions could be the greatest proof of war between instinct and a mind. Instinct is logical, because otherwise the bearer dies. And a mind is, in theory, logical. But together”
Cayas removed his claw from the stone, his claw hovering before returning to the stone “I feel I should help it regardless, a repayment in kind for how it helped me. But my claws are too large, and its body is unknown to me. Maybe the rational option is to just bite quickly and end its pain”
Cayas stepped back from the wall, lowering his head closer to the primate to sniff at it, stretching his body out along the cave floor, his tail flopping to block the entrance.
His luminous eyes watched the rise and fall of the primate’s chest, listened to the uneasy, laboured breathing, and the sharp way it inhaled right at the end of each breath. Cleaned or not, the scent of its blood flooded the cave. It would die without tending, Cayas concluded simply. He closed his eyes, as his tongue briefly drew a wet line along his scaly lips. The small guest in his den smelled, quite delicious. The carnivore in him told him he should really eat the fresh meat before it spoiled…