Luring sahrot dovah (Nikolai/Mihai)

[Deleted]

It was early in the morning. The sun barely having risen, with the new dew covering the grass and leaving a chill in the air that pricked the hairs on the back of his neck. Leather boots crunched rocky terrain as he made his way the mountain to the location of a beast he had chosen long ago to protect. The people in the small village complained of a dragon who had been stealing cattle, the men in an uproar had demanded his services of ridding them of the beast. He agreed, but he wasn't planning on killing it so much as convincing it to relocate. The Zemys would be damned if he would let a grand creature be killed, and for what? All because it was hungry and doing what it was born to do, hunt and feed.
Honestly, people can be so small minded...
Okay, maybe he was being a little harsh, but if he didn't do this many idiotic farmers and wannabe hunters would come traipsing up this mountain only to lose their lives. He'd been doing this for years, new how to hide...and had a hefty some of burn healing salve on his person. There was no reason some village women should lose their husbands.

The mountain side he was climbing was rough. That was to be expected, the lairs were never easy to get to, considering it was for protection. His hands were already scuffed up, heaving himself up every ledge until finally he reached the top. Rolling to a kneeling position, his hand reached for the thick leather pouch at his side. He had collected a few raw gems that was sure to draw out any treasure loving dragon, but he had to make sure it was safe. Glancing around, Nikolai spotted a few large rocks to hide behind, a good vantage point that would keep him far enough away from the entrance but close enough to see. Grinning, the tamer slowly made his way towards the caves entrance. Peering inside he couldn't see any movement, even with his sharp eyesight it was difficult. Looking behind him he noticed the sun was slowly rising up, the light would hit the opening...perfect!
Quickly, he pulled a gem out - a sapphire the size of his fist- and positioned it at the entrance. Making a few calculations the man quickly left and ran for his hiding spot, waiting for the moment.

An hour later the sun finally reached the sky. Rays of golden light set the trees and area bellow into a bright array of color; the rays hit the entrance, causing the sapphire to sparkle brightly, colors of blue and little specks of green reflected off the caves entrance. It would have been a beautiful sight. Even if the dragon was far away they would spot the twinkle of something bright and shiny in the spot. Now, all Nikolai had to do was wait silently.

[Mihai Roșu]

He supposed that, by the standards of dragons, he woke late. Of course, the only other being he'd been able to compare notes with was Drabe'druh, who seemed to do more things under the light of dawn than himself. He considered himself something of a nocturnal being, preferring the haunts and mysteries of the night, but the days he felt hunger would usually drive him out shortly after the sun reached its highest point. The livestock were out at that time, and they made for easy snatching along with a poor shepherd or lonesome traveler or two.

Apparently that day was going to be such a day, where he was roused with an empty stomach and no leftovers in sight. The cave was deep underground, enough that his lair was perpetually shrouded in dark, but the air was just slightly warmer; the sun must have been up for a few hours now, and he'd need to hunt before the livestock were ushered back into barns, but his shortening window inspired no urgency. He liked to enjoy the benefits of a long life, which entailed he could take his time, and he woke the same way as he did every day–in the slow and leisurely manner that only very old predators had the luxury to do.

He rolled over in his bed of coins and bones and jewels, and closed his eyes again until it seemed that his hunger would not let him sleep any longer. Then, he got to his feet, and lumbered through the maze of underground channels until he could see sun. He saw its glimmer before he saw it, and once the tunnel was wide enough, he leapt to the opening to inspect the curious sparkle that had found its way to his home.

It was a sapphire, and it sat innocently on the rocky entrance of the cave, bright and seductive. Perhaps if he were any other creature, less inclined to grab whatever pretty thing pleased his eye, he would have dealt with the possibility that this was a trap before scooping up the bait. As it were, he was a Zmeu, and Zmei were weak to pretty things, so before he cared to deal with a possible trap, he curled his tongue around the sapphire and swallowed it. It didn't satiate his hunger otherwise, and the next signal his body sent to his brain was that something nearby smelled very human, and very delicious.

Zyraxes did not feel intimidated by humans, so while his eyes, reptilian, slid towards the origin of that scent, he took a moment to stretch, a low purring issuing from his throat. If the human were smart, it would run when it saw the sharpness of his claws, the length of him enough to rival a tree. Not that it would save it when he started to hunt in these familiar woods. "There's no usssse in hiding," he rumbled when his bones felt lax. "I could ssssmell you all the way acrossss these woodssss. Your timing is good, I'm jusssst in the mood for lunch…"

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@bulgarianlord : Auuugh another late one I'm sorry