Choices to Make [Life or Love]

Today had been a crappy day. One of those ones that made her hate society and crave the forest. She'd been working all day, trying to sell her hand made jewelery and so far she had only received the bored glances of the busy bodies who passed by.

"Just one of those days Lark, keep calm and move on" she coached herself, knowing that she'd lose her cool if she dwelled.

To be honest, she hated sitting through these little fair sales that the city put on.. but a girl had to make money somehow. It wasn't that she really disliked people.. she just preferred to be alone and sitting out in the center of the bustling city while droves of other creatures buzzed by like crazed bees.. Well, it wasn't exactly her idea of a fun day.

"The fly home will help" she muttered to herself as she cleaned up the folding table she'd borrowed from the fair organizer and packed her things away into a black duffle.

It was not in the nature of a dragon to live in the city with demons and humans all of the time, she didn't care how many of her kind did it. She never felt at home in the city; no matter what city it was. There was something cold and dead about the concrete and glass of the cities.. it felt so incredibly empty even when it was filled with people. Not to mention, she didn't know how anyone could feel safe when they were constantly surrounded by other bodies and closed in by towering structures.

She shuddered at the thought, grabbing her bag and hurrying away from the fair space. The more she stayed in the city, the more she needed to be away from it. Inside of her thoughts, her dragon prowled in silent impatience.

*We'll be in the sky soon* she thought; hoped really, practically sprinting through the street. *Flying over the forest* she promised and heard the murmur of pleasured expectance from her other half.

She made it to the outskirts of town in a short amount of time and disappeared into the forest there, using a quick charm to send her things back to her den ahead of her, so that she didn't have to try and carry them. Stretching, naked now, she lavished in the feeling of the cool air caressing her skin.

One of the many things that she disliked about the city was the need for clothing.. it was oppressive and annoying. Dragon's were naturally large, even in their human forms.. and she found that it was exceedingly difficult to find clothing for her seven foot form.. and that wasn't even accounting for her natural curviness.

Every dragoness that Lark had ever met was built like a Goddess.. very curvy, with supple muscle tone and bodies made for speed and power. The males were different.. they were still giants of course -more so than the females even- but they were usually very broad and stacked with sleek musculature. Her own creed -Fire Creed- were some of the largest of all of the different kinds of dragons and they carried the physical appearance that the humans associated with the Native Americans.

Lark herself was the pinnacle of the Fire Creed breeding standard; or so her Mother had taught her. She wasn't proud of that exactly.. but it had kept her parents from killing her as they had assured her they would have done if she hadn't been 'perfect'.

She knew that among her kind, her parents had been seen as barbaric and she knew that they had followed the very old ways.. but none the less, she preferred to avoid others for reasons that all stemmed from her parents.

Having stretched and enjoyed the fresh air for a few moments to relax, she let her natural magic flow from her and watched as it cascaded over her body in black and blue flames that danced over her human body and allowed her full dragon form to come forward. She was all black, as was common for her kind, with electric blue eyes; which was not common at all for the Fire's. Her mother had warned her that her eyes gave away her strength.. as only the most powerful of the Fire Creed had blue eyes, especially ones as electric and neon bright as hers.

Stretching once more now that she had shifted, she extended her long wings and shook them out. Her wings were so dark that even the membrane was completely opaque, which was unusual. Trotting around the clearing she was in, she murmured a quick concealing spell in dragon-speak and once the magic settled over her, she took off without a second thought. Though she was still considerably larger than most females, she was a lot faster than she looked and she reveled in her speed more than anything else.

Once she'd made it up above the cloud level, she dropped the concealing charm and flew steady for a moment as she peered around at the big fluffy clouds that she was drifting over. This was where she belonged, she knew that without a doubt.

She flew for quite a while, deciding to let out her stress and just enjoy her favourite pass time. It had been early afternoon when she had started out, but it was getting quite dark out now and she flew lower, allowing her midnight black skin to hide her in the sky.

She dove over the forest she was above and glided for a few moments, watching the field up ahead and scanning the ground below just before she struck out and stole a huge buck straight out of the clearing that she'd run him into. After her lovely snack which she momentarily lit down in the field to devour, she cleaned up and took off again.

It wasn't long after she had taken to the skies again that her senses were suddenly bombarded with powerful and erratic energy. She went higher and tried to focus on the source and find out where it was coming from, but it was so out of control that she couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the dragon that it was attached to; for it surely had to be a dragon because of the intensity of the energy and the way it made her spine tingle. Her own dragon was on alert in her mind and it was actually her innate sense for finding her own kind that allowed Lark to spot the massive male who was winging towards her through the night sky before he was too close.

She had never seen a male as large as this one and she immediately turned away and took off at top speed, hoping that he was as slow as he looked.

There were few reasons for a dragon to interact with another dragon while they were in their full forms and none of those reasons appealed to her in any way, for they would not herald good things.

His energy didn't fade as she flew and she knew that he continued to follow, so she went higher and higher until she was out of the cloud bank and into the clear upper range of the sky so that she would be able to see him if he was coming at her. Despite his size, he seemed to be good at sneaking up on her and he was using his erratic energy to his advantage. Without being able to pinpoint him, she couldn't say exactly which way he was coming at her.. she also couldn't sense his intention. If he was putting off aggressive energy, warning her away from his territory.. she just didn't know.

Because of this sense blindness that she was experiencing, she didn't catch onto where he was until he was plunging into her back with his massive body and collapsing her wings.

She screeched angrily at him, plummeting away from him and flailing as her aerodynamic form caused her to sink faster and she was thankful for her speed when she was able to snap her wings out and catch herself only a few miles from the ground.

It hurt, a lot.. but it stopped her fall and she was able to get herself higher again.. for a minute. His massive form had only just reappeared in her peripheral when he slammed into her with bruising force, sending her off kilter. She tried to fly away from him again, but he'd gotten close enough now that he wouldn't let her get away.

After about the fifth time that he smashed into her, she realized that he was herding her roughly towards the ground. He wanted her to land and she realized that the only way to get away from him at this point was to do what he wanted... for the time being.

She landed finally and crouched into a defensive position, facing his enormous form as he landed in front of her hard enough to shake the earth.

"What do you want?" she growled in dragon-speak, glaring at him. He hadn't really hurt her, even after all the times he'd smashed into her.. She was already healed from the bruises. She didn't take it kindly that he'd ambushed her though.

He didn't answer and she took a moment to inspect him. Aside from being massive and clearly a hybrid -a mixture of Fire and Earth Creed-.. he also had really gorgeous mismatched eyes. One was a crazy vibrant colour of green that defied all natural shades and the other was the white blue of a super hot flame.

Dragons were not scaled as many of the tales said that they were, they were simply covered in extremely thick skin a lot like a lizard only even stronger, almost impenetrable. Dragon bones were also as strong as titanium or stronger and only another dragon or some very extreme impact could break them. This dragon in particular looked like he could destroy a city, like the dragons of lore. He was a dusty black and gray with deep emerald and bronze swirls of colour, surreal and unlike anything she had seen before.

Due to his silence and the fact that he was just standing there silently allowing her to check him out, she finally relaxed out of her crouched stance and peered at him in confusion, cocking her head. His mismatched eyes flickered, moving over her form.

She sensed that he was clearly in his Prime; which was what happened to male dragons after they went through the Transition, which took their emotions. Males who were just coming into their Prime were swamped with a sudden wash of emotions and instincts that made them lose some or all of their control. This male; despite the erratic energy that he was putting off, seemed to be in complete control of himself. It confused her, because his energy suggested that he was newly into his Prime.. but his control bellied that fact.

"Why did you make me land?" she asked him, confused as to what his intentions were since he wasn't being aggressive in any way.

She was a little annoyed when he didn't answer her, simply continued to inspect her with his confounding gaze. Finally fed up, she stretched her wings out, intending to take off again. He took a step forward and she took a couple back, lowering her head suspiciously.

"I'm not going to attack you" his voice was like nothing she had ever heard before. Almost all dragons had deeper and huskier voices, but this ones voice was actually like listening to the earth shift or a standing in the middle of thunder storm. His voice was so low that it actually vibrated over her senses like an earthquake.

She thanked her lucky stars at his proclamation, for she very much disliked the idea of fighting this mountainous beast and feared what may have become of her if she had been forced to defend herself against him. None the less, she knew that a fight was probably not the only thing she had to worry about and his assurance still didn't do much to clarify his intentions.

He took another step forward, his long legs easily devouring the space between them with minimal effort. She really didn't want him any closer to her though.. he was already intimidating with a good forty feet between them.

She had just about run out of space in the clearing though and she could feel the forest closing in behind her, impeding her ability to get any further away from him if need be.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked suspiciously. He made a sound then that actually made the trees shake, it was so low and rumbling. She tensed, but she didn't sense aggression in the sound.

"That, is entirely up to you" she shivered at these words, swallowing hard. His tone made it unclear of exactly what he was saying, but she held some pretty strong suspicions.

He took another few steps forward and the wind shifted, sending his scent in her direction. She tilted her head slightly, inhaling the spicy, earthy scent of him. Strangely, the warmth of his scent made something inside of her melt a little and she swallowed hard. He had crept closer she noticed and she tensed, keeping alert as he finally came to stand within a few feet of her.

Watching him as closely as she was, she couldn't help but notice the way that his narrow pupils dilated as he breathed in her scent. He rumbled heavily at her, the sound so filled with lust that it made heat flush through her system like a fire storm. He moved forward again and she growled softly, taking a half step backwards and feeling her long thin tail brush against a tree.

"I will not hurt you" he rumbled and she shivered, swallowing hard once more. Ironically, she wasn't really afraid of him hurting her.. However, she knew what he had in mind now and she wasn't looking for a mate. In fact, she was actively avoiding finding one. She had seen her mother and father fight and nearly destroy each other through out her entire life and she had no intention of getting herself into a relationship, only to find that she could not live with a male any better than her mother had been able to.

He moved even closer, his snout brushing her shoulder and causing shivers to run through her body. Instinctively, she knew that he was going to try and entice her to mate with him and her own instincts were rising, demanding that he prove himself worthy. With all of this in mind, she moved to the side and backed away from him into the more open area of the clearing. He rumbled again, the sound sending that same pulse of heat through her.

"If there is something that you want from me, you're going to have to earn it" she growled softly, a soft purr in the undercurrent of her voice which triggered another rumble from him.

He advanced on her with more purpose now, his eyes flashing as she growled once again and paced in a circle so that he was forced to turn to keep his eyes on her.

Being such a massive male, it was expected that he was powerful.. it was his speed that impressed her though. She worked him in a circle in the field, moving closer and then further away so that they were practically dancing with one another. She came close to his side, her snout brushing his shoulder before she moved away again.. she was just playing with him right now, waiting to see what he'd do.

When she stepped back in the next time, one of his long arms shot out and he caught her around the middle and dragged her into his side. She growled and twisted away, but she couldn't help the little thrill of pleasure that his warm touch caused. He was fast enough to catch her and that pleased her as well.. so she decided to step the game up a little.

As soon as she was away from his grasp, she paced a few steps and took to the air with a flourish. She could feel him following her and smiled at the low rumbling sound that he was making.

This was one activity that she had never engaged in as a dragon, having always been too committed to avoiding the males of her species, it had never come to the point of courting. Her instincts were powerful though and she allowed her dragon closer to the surface to guide her further.

Diving and swirling through the sky, displaying her own skills and challenging him to match her. She already knew that she was faster, because she had out run him before.. He did have some surprises for her though. She had taken a swift upward loop and made a circle around him, showing off and he had maneuvered his huge body quite gracefully to match her, she admired the way that he could turn himself around with just the tilt of one giant wing.

During one of her loops around him, he impressed her further with a sleek arc through the air that had them dancing as they had back in the field.

She heard the soft murmur of her own dragon and knew that she was encouraging him, letting him know that she actually was enjoying this game.

He had an unhurried quality to his movements, even though he could be quite fast and that concept fascinated her. She was beginning to wonder if he had been a warrior.. for while they had been playing in the field she had noticed that he had a pretty significant amount of scars, more than most dragons had considering how hard it was for them to scar because of their fantastic healing abilities.

One of his surprises came when she flew up from underneath and swept past him and he joined her, his wings brushing her own as his chest swept across her back. She shivered at the unexpected contact and the impressive precision of his motions. She knew that he could have accidentally hit her with his wings or even collapsed her own with the powerful draft from his inward sweep, but he controlled himself flawlessly and their bodies brushed one another each time as they glided in and out of strange little patterns in the sky. The peaceful feeling of flying so intimately with one of her own made her heart beat a little harder and gave her an unfamiliar craving for something that she couldn't name.

Probably because of these overwhelming new feelings and instincts, she forced herself to draw back from him and return to the clearing. He followed and as soon as they landed, he walked to her confidently and brushed his side against hers. She swallowed hard, glancing away from him as he came to sit beside her. There was a conflict inside of her, of what she wanted and what her dragon wanted and they were both affected by her own memories and the choices that she had made not to ever put herself through an unsuccessful mating.

With all of this swirling in her head, she couldn't decide if she wanted to rebuff him or accept his advances. Despite how she was giving him a cold reception after their sensual flight together, he was silent and still and didn't try to push her to do anything. This only made her dragon want him more, because he wasn't parading around like a ninny to get her attention or trying to force himself on her.

"Your skill in flight is very impressive" she murmured softly, glancing up at him to find that he was watching her closely. He cocked his head faintly, showing his teeth in a way that she knew was a smile. "Thank you" she glanced away again, embarrassed for what seemed to be the first time in her life.

"I have never seen a dragoness as graceful as you are, I was loath to interrupt your show" she laughed softly at this compliment, the sound coming out like a purring rumble. "Thank you.. I'm glad you decided to join me" he hummed faintly and the sound made the ground quiver slightly. Still fighting herself as she was, she felt awkward just sitting there beside him and giving him mixed messages. Sighing softly, she shifted anxiously and moved away from him a little bit.

"I'm sorry.. I don't think I can give you what you're looking for" he didn't get angry, like she might have expected from another male. He simply nodded slightly and stood again, saying "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you either way. Thank you for the flight" she sighed again and stood, rubbing against him lightly.

"Perhaps later" she murmured softly, feeling like she couldn't just leave it at no and not give him a chance at all.

He rumbled faintly and nuzzled her shoulder before moving away "I'll remember that" he assured and she watched him as he took to the sky again. She felt bad for having turned him down when part of her really did want him.. he was a powerful and gorgeous male and he actually seemed to be very nice.

Sighing to herself, she took off for home.

--End of Chapter 1.