The Dragon Princess Will Stay Alive!

//Warning: Gore

Sonata was crouching at the shoulder of a tree branch, one hand on another of the jutting logs, while the other supported her weight. Her long, straight pale hair dropped down over her face as she stared blinklessly into the snow below. Light stray strands would dance now and then to the blow of her warm breath.

RUSTLE.

Sonata stiffened, canceling the small movements that would draw attention to her presence, becoming one with the tree. She willed the pull of gravity on her body to be almost suspended, made it soundless as she leaned forwards to attack. She could feel Sophia's claws hold tightly to her, beneath the cloak. That was fine, though. They both needed to eat.

CL.A.P.

Sonata's b.a.r.e foot clapped off the frosty branch, barely leaving it to sway back and forth in reaction before she was bounding towards the bushes beneath. The small, light brown animal that had just barely left the obscurity of the bush looked something like a chubby mouse the size of a hare, with minuscule baby antler-like protrusions and three sets of folded-in creases going diagonally on its back. Her shadow loomed darker and darker over the small animal from above, her hands extended to snap over it's neck the moment she touched the floor. It suddenly noticed her and looked up before she could get to it, though, and quickly turned and dashed out of the way.

Sonata gritted her teeth, hitting the ground with an "ugh." She could feel Sophia's tail and shoulders wrap a little tighter around her neck. She was too small to be of much discomfort, though.

"I'll get you," Sonata threatened, following her prey with outstretched hands, her long, pointy pale green claws jutting out from the scaled tips of her fingers. The bonelike crowns of armor on its back jutted out in defense as the little thing scampered away with all it's might, it's stomach pounding air furiously into it's tiny lungs. It crossed the grassy pathway into another set of bushes at the base of a tree, where the ground pinched downwards, and ducked into the shelter.

"No you don't!"

Sonata ducked into the bushes after it, squeezing her eyes shut and snorting away the tiny leaves and branches that scr.a.p.ed against the scales on her face. She squinted to see the little skycke peek back at her with its beady eyes and dash further into the bush. She squealed in frustration at the many little poky things prodding at her and obscuring her movement. She kept her hands up to her neck, shielding her sister as she pushed her way through with all her force, finally coming out from the other end. She glanced back just in time to see how massive that wall of bushes had built up to be from the other side, lower in elevation. If it'd been smaller, she would have just tore it out of the ground for all that effort. She turned around and scanned her surroundings for the skycke, the light strands of her hair cutting the air and slapping her cheeks with her brisk, hurried movements. She barely saw the creature dash across from a pair of thin conjoined trees to a more denser cl.u.s.ter of them, further away. She wasn't going to let it get away.

She felt like she was one with the wind as her feet quickly propelled her across the ground, down slopes and over crevices, from rock to rock and pile to sturdier looking ground to other ones. She barely noticed her c.h.e.s.t heaving to keep up with the exertion in the elation running have her, the dull ache of her ankles from so much jumping and direction changing. She chased the small animal with all her might, almost grabbing its stubby chipmunk-like tail at one point, hitting her hand on one of it's back-ridges but missing the actual animal, another time. From time to time she would reach a hand up to make sure her sister was still safely there'd but Sophia seemed calm and secure by the occasional feeling of her body breathing that she picked up on, the occasional swishing of her tail when she took a leap in the air. Was she having...fun? A tiny smirk threatened the side of Sonata's lip. She had to concentrate.

Sonata stopped running, her vivid green eyes moving towards the deep brown oak the creature had ducked behind. She bent her back forwards, approaching carefully, her arms in a hawklike 'V' behind her, her knees bent.

She rounded the oak tree crouched like a predator, it's old, dark form as thick as four or five of her human-form heads. The animal had scurried up the tree to be around the usual height of her shoulders. It clung to the wood, it's back arched and it's horns exposed and ready to attack. It hissed at her as she approached, stopping and hesitantly walking again. From the opening of its small mouth she could see two proportionally large, flat front teeth. It clicked at her. It wasn't much of an attack cry to faze the dragoness. The moment's wariness in her eyes quickly faded to deprecating concentration.

Sonata let her claws stretch out as far as they could unsheathe from her fingers.

She raced forward unflinchingly towards the tree. And in the last moment, the animal sniffed, hesitated, and fled up and out of her reach.

No.

Sonata winced as her body lightly struck the treetrunk, reorienting herself to just watch the small animal scamper up and out of her reach.

Her breath quickened, her mouth hung slightly open in loss, her breath coming out in warm clouds against the cold, cold air.

Sonata glowered as she pulled herself up behind the creature, digging her claws into the wood and scraping against it to scamper up the tree until she reached the first branches. The feisty eleven year old progressed higher and higher up the tree out of sheer determination. She trailed after it, pulling herself up from branch to branch and scraping her nails into the wood to keep her balance when a smaller one would break out from under her feet or give way from her fingers, almost sending her plummeting to the ground below, getting further and further away.

She was almost above the forest when she finally reached the skycke, a cold, welcome breeze blowing against her hair and cupping a warm chill against the sweat that dripped down her scales. From the corner of her eyes that flickered she caught the sight of the wind blowing against the tops of the multicolored, bronzer and balding trees. The cloudy, grey blue sky was beautiful against them from so high up, but she was too absorbed in her catch to stop and observe it.

The skycke was backed into one of the thinner branches, breathing panickedly as it pressed it's back against the bark of the tree. It tested the branches near it, pacing back and forth, but they were too thin to go any higher and he was trapped. It inches forward to the edge of the tree, considering making the leap to another tree. Sonata's eyes bore into the already scared creature. She tore her way up the remaining branches. The skyke mid-lept to a branch on the other end of the tree when she caught it in her hand, nearly toppling herself off the tree in her haste. Sonata gasped, clinging to the trunk she'd just barely grasped with her other hand, frozen with fear until she could find it in her to slowly, slowly back herself away from the steep angle she was leaning into.

Exhale.

She lowered at the flailing, thrashing creature squeaking and hissing in the grip of her pointy-clawed hand. She began to slowly trace the blade of her nail against it's c.h.e.s.t, then stopped, realizing that wouldn't quell her bloodl.u.s.t for all the hassle this pitiful mound of meat had put her through.

She moved her hand down to grip it just below the neck, and other to hold it firmly just above it. Her green eyes dark with anger and frustration, the tiny animal frozen in fear she effortlessly twisted, and it was dead. And she twisted. And she twisted over and over, and the creature twisted horrendously like clay in her arms.

SNAP. SNAP. SNAP!

Blood flowed onto her hands. Flesh seeped out from the bruising wounds she'd inflicted, needlessly cruelly, excessively forcefully.

Sophia wriggled, restless against her shoulders as though sensing something.

Sonata froze. She didn't want her to see this. "Don't come out." Sonata's cold voice commanded, unfamiliar and a little scary. The smaller dragon froze.

Sonata's eyes were trapped upon the sight of her bloodied hands, the needlessly mangled skycke in her hands. Her head felt so empty, the fury in her c.h.e.s.t was gone and left little in it's place.

...Huh? Had she just done that? She couldn't understand why she'd just done that. Was it rage? What could she possibly be angry about, the creature was fleeing for its life. Was she just that caught up in the chase? Her hands trembled. Regret flooded her c.h.e.s.t. She felt horrible. She felt like a monster. She didn't want Sophia to see her like this.

...How has she known, just now? Was it the sound of cracking that alerted her? Could she hear the rhythm of her heartbeat from her spot so close to her c.h.e.s.t? Sonata exhaled, trying to calm herself down from the rage of the hunt, trying to cool the face she hadn't realized had become so hot. She felt the blood slowly leave her reddened cheeks.

Sonata surveyed the layout of the tree below her, turning her head from side to side until she found a trail of footholds she could use. The head of the skycke snapped off by its final strings. She tore away the fur and quickly bit off whatever little meat it had on it, then left the small animal skull to drop to the ground. Sonata licked the blood off one of her hands, wiping it off on her skirt so it was free for her to use again. She took a deep breath to calm herself again, reaching a hand up to pet Sophia's head through the thick fabric.

"I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized, her voice still in the process of falling back to her usual tone.

Sonata held the body of the skyke out and far away from her body as she could leave it. She didn't remember where she'd left the water jug. She could probably find something else in the cave to use, but she shouldn't get in the habit of losing things when they didn't know how long they'd still be left here for.

"Be careful," her voice was gentle again, "I'm going down."

Sonata straightened up and hopped down to one branch, then another, and then another, carefully balancing herself so she didn't toss Sophia off with the force of the impacts.

THUMP.

She was on the ground.

Sophia fidgeted a little, as though soundlessly asking for permission to come out. Sonata held her catch as far out as possible to be out of Sophia's range of right if she suddenly came out.

"No, not yet. I got us something to eat. Let's go home." She spoke. One of her ankles hurt a little. She closed her eyes, fortifying her scales around it to keep it from moving and hurting as much. She couldn't walk as easily like that, but it wasn't like she needed to run any more for one day. Still, her catch was a little bigger than the last, this time. Although it scared her that she was becoming like her parents, she was getting better at it.

Sonata began to walk, beginning the long task of finding her way back to the cave from wherever she'd ended up, when she got too caught up in chasing things. She sniffed the wind, wrapping the cloaks tighter about herself with her one free hand, looking carefully for marks in the trees and tracks in the dirt until she finally found her own trail to follow back.