Grand Performance
Above them, the hints of an aurora lit the skies. Its last dance fought valiantly against the rising sun. Firefall was first to reach the island, followed swiftly by Caliban. As expected, the heavy beast crashed. Caliban at least furled his wings to keep from damaging them, but the bruises and scrapes would likely get him a scolding from Prospero when they returned. He was currently looking at the ground for tracks—something completely unnecessary for a dragon with a good sense of smell. Firefall flicked his tongue out and tasted for anything nearby. Other than the scent of destroyed lumber from Caliban, the musk of a bear drifted from inland. Marshasp’s eyes revealed a warm figure in the brush, followed closely by two cubs. A bear was strong, but not as strong as a dragon.
Marshasp shifted slightly, his talons growing longer and his face lengthening into a snake-like snout. It was easier for him to hunt this way. Caliban saw the two locking onto their target and trudged up to them, tail thumping the foliage as he tramped through it. They paid him no mind, both alighting to approach their prey from above.
The bear spotted them quickly when they hit the skies, but she was old enough to know there was no running from dragons. There was only hiding and fighting, and there was nowhere to hide—not with her cubs in tow. She grumbled to her cubs, who returned to her without protest. Was it time for a drink? They playfully rolled and tussled at her side. Caliban crashed through and offered a surprise; The mother shouted its battle cry as the cubs scrambled behind her.
Firefall took the opportunity to snap at a cub. His teeth sank into its neck and he felt it snap between them. Lifting the cub would give the bear time to counter, so he left it where it was. Their hunt was far from over.
The mother swiped at Firefall with rage fueling her strength. Marshasp flew behind her and tagged her with his fangs. The bear’s thick fur kept him from getting in a proper bite, but the venom would subdue her soon enough.
Caliban used his jaws to crush the bear’s hind leg. She roared and swiped at the dragon in fury. He caught the full force of the blow, though he didn’t act like it. He ignored the gashes across his face and moved on to the soft areas of the belly. The bear bit his neck and wrestled with him, but even that wasn’t enough to faze him. The venom was acting on the bear and its movements became more sluggish. The cub yelped in confusion at its mother. What was going on? Why wasn’t she fighting anymore?
Firefall swooped in and dealt the final blow to her neck, his bite aiming for the bone as his claws scratched at the lungs for a sure kill. As the mother ceased twitching, he lifted his blood-soaked jaws and growled at Caliban. “You must not let them suffer. End it faster next time.” He motioned towards the cub with his snout. “Practice on that one.”
Caliban grumbled in disdain, clearly hoping for a different reaction. He approached the cub as it mewled next to its mother. It didn’t flee. Its mother was silent, but she always knew what to do. She had killed many deer. She was invincible, and as her cub, so was it. The dragon sniffed at his quarry and it snapped angrily at him. That’s what she did, so it’s what it would do. Caliban swiveled his head to and fro, groaned and grumbled and looked up to his companions. “A small,” he whispered quietly.
Marshasp was tearing chunks of meat out of the mother and eating as if he was starving. Perhaps he was. But Firefall heard him and stopped his feasting out of curiosity. “Yes, a small. A small morsel. The first of the hunt for you.”
Caliban groaned and wiggled uncomfortably. “Very small. Let go?”
Firefall hissed in amusement. “No. You kill it now and eat it now. Of course, if we don’t find enough food, you are free to eat Prospero.”
As quickly as he had said it, Firefall felt a sting beneath his neck. Barbed quills stuck into his skin where Caliban had rammed him. The smaller dragon bared its fangs and hissed out, “What a horrible accident that was. It would be a shame if you threatened my Rider again—I might find something worse to do to you.” His eyes were sharp and focused. They glinted with hatred and a cleverness he had never shown before. He peeled his eyes away and struck at the cub. Caliban bit through its throat, but not deep enough to kill it. He ignored its protests as he sliced it open with the claws of his feet. He ate it as it screamed.
At the feeling of pain, Marshasp had snapped out of his bloodlust. He wasn’t fond of Firefall’s words, but he was even less fond of Caliban’s. They watched speechlessly as the dragon tore apart the cub. When it stopped twitching, Caliban looked up and locked eyes with Firefall again. “Delicious. Make sure to eat your fill, too, you stupid beast.” His voice dripped with poison.
“Do as he says, Firefall.” Marshasp’s thought held a sense of urgency; His desire was to continue the hunt, even if Caliban was acting strange. Firefall acquiesced without protest. The beast before him was a stranger, and he ate without looking away. Caliban turned to the woods, ignoring the unfinished cub and his two feasting companions. The two ate the meat of the mother and cubs to the bone.
As they finished, Caliban sniffed at the wind and then looked for tracks on the ground. His tail wagged as he picked up a scent, and he barked towards what was most likely a rabbit. His body language was relaxed again, his guard completely down, but his eyes still pinned with anger.