Night Hunt

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Rakal crouched low in the underbrush. He had spotted a leopard lounging in the branches of a nearby tree. Leopards, with their forward facing predatory eyes, were easy to catch. They had less awareness than most prey animals. Unfortunately that meant hunting them was limited by the elders. If they weren't protected, they would've gone extinct by now. Rakal would have to get permission if he wanted to go hunting leopards, permission he did not have at the moment. It wasn't against the rules to stalk protected species, to imagine exactly how one might knock the smug looking creature out of that tree, so that's exactly what Rakal was doing.

Rakal was a male dragon, and a proud one at that. Four powerful legs, two leathery wings, and a long tail that tapered off to a point. He had emerald green scales with a few dark green specks scattered throughout. Light green streaks ran along either side of him from the corner of his mouth down to the tip of his tail. His wings were a slightly darker green, fading to black towards the tips. Rakal's golden eyes were transfixed in a concentrated scowl as he watched the leopard.

"Only a mother could love that scowl," Zarell pointed out with a stupid grin on his face.

Zarell, also male, had bright orange scales with yellow highlights along his limbs. His wings were bright yellow at the base and transitioned to a warm red at the ends. Zarell's amber eyes, unlike Rakal's, were staring directly at Rakal. Zarell was crouched next to Rakal, seemingly more interested in poking fun at Rakal than focusing on the hunt. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant only your mother."

"Well excuse me if I'm trying to find us something to eat," Rakal retorted with a jab at Zarell's ribs.

Thyra decided to speak up, "we don't have permission to hunt leopards, it's the only thing you've been staring at since we got here." Thyra, a female, had blue scales, darker on her back but lighter along her underbelly. Her wings transitioned from a blue base to a deep teal and her silver eyes watched over the two males crouching down in the brush in front of where she stood.

"I wasn't planning on hunting it, but I haven't seen anything else," Rakal defended himself. He turned around to look at Thyra, "and what about you? You've just been standing there watching me. Why aren't you looking for prey?"

"Well, you said you were going to catch something big today," Thyra replied, "why get my claws dirty when I can just share your catch?"

"Hey, can I have some of your catch too?" Zarell interjected.

"Absolutely not," said Rakal, "maybe if you hadn't insulted my face." Rakal turns back to Thyra, "I would consider sharing with you, but I already said I'd give Kaera part of my catch."

Thyra turned to look at Kaera who had been lying on all fours, silently watching the chaos unfold. Kaera, also female, had a mix of swirling, soft lavender, and pale blue scales. She had white highlights on her limbs and accenting the swirls. Her wings were purely lavender and her deep blue eyes lazily watched the group.

"Fine, I'll find my own prey," Thyra said with a huff.

"Sorry, but he's repaying me for tutoring," Kaera explained, "he's not the smartest of dragons."

"I'm doing better," Rakal snapped.

"Thanks to me," Kaera countered.

"Are you sure we're in the right spot?" asked Thyra. "I don't see anything but that leopard."

"Yes, I'm sure," said Rakal. "What I may lack in book smarts, I more than make up for in instinct. I've been learning so much with the Fire Scouts, you wouldn't believe it. Vekar told me that this area has plenty of kudu, maybe they just don't come out until later in the morning. I'll admit, hunting shortly after high moon might not have been the best idea."

"Have the Fire Scouts taught you what to do when you see a falling star?" Zarell questioned.

"Excuse me? The Fire Scouts haven't taught me how to read the stars yet if that's what you mean," Rakal offered.

Zarell shook his head and pointed up towards the night sky, "No, I mean what do you do when you see a falling star?"

"What in the big blue is that?" Kaera exclaimed, already looking where Zarell was pointing.

Confused, Rakal looked up at the night sky where Zarell was pointing. To his surprise and utter disbelief, he saw a bright, burning object falling from the sky towards them. 

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