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The night was young as the lumbering male had stepped into the cool atmosphere, his steps hindered by sore and healing limbs...wounds still burning under haphazard scabs. Lon's eyes were dull today in comparison to their usual golden hue; sleep had been elusive the first while worried about the condition of his companion; that she was not able to receive the healing benefits of that unicorn. Most of all, he was mad, mad at himself for having little to no control of the chaos which had ensued with that skinwalker. It was is realm, his domain....he didn't fully grasp that when he became mortal he truly lost his centuries and decades of living for the one thing which had remained present in his life. It became a sore point for him, but if he was to dig deep, deep down...he'd been little use to Io other than a meat shield. At least he'd been able to keep her from getting that final blow which in hindsight...there would have been no second chances like he'd gotten.

Lifting his head he let out a soft sigh, his tail cracking a little more weakly tonight with the dark energy; his scarf billowing and curling in the breeze. It felt nice, to be once more enveloped in the darkness; and once more his thoughts drifted to the mare he'd not left in over a week. Although it was his norm to wander, explore and gather information....but now his heart ached at the mere thought of leaving. What was happening to him?

Feeling the pain subside for the time being, the stallion walked the mere distance between the cave he'd dragged as tenderly as he could the dragoness to; needing to get her away from that bloodbath of a battleground. Since then he'd slept when he could, stayed mostly alert since the dragoness had yet to awaken. His body was tired, but his mind refused him sleep...how could he when the other day remained a fresh reminder even when he breathed? With hooves reaching the bank he dipped his head and drank the cool waters, and as if ritual had dictated his life he reached over to the human bowl he'd salvaged from a near by abandoned village; probably thanks to the skinwalker territory they had slipped out of but had meant disaster for the village. With the wooden carved bowl in his mouth he dipped it into the waters before carefully walking back to the cave. He tried daily to get Io to awaken, to drink...but the most he could do was get a few drops down her throat at a time.

She had to pull through....

Within minutes he was back into the cave, the hollow thuds of his hooves and the white noise of his crackling tail echoing against the walls. Eyeing her over he set down the bowl off to the side and loped behind her as she lay motionless aside from the soft rises and falls of her chest. He felt another gentle sigh escape his lips as his legs buckled so he could lay behind her; wing unfolding to drape over her torso. He didn't know much about dragons, but he figured she would need to keep warm like anyone else; and maybe the heat would heal. He didn't know...he found it hard to think as of late of anything but her. At least she was looking a little more peaceful today than the prior days.

Within her mind, Iolanthe stiffened as she began to feel an odd warmth. She hadn't felt something like this since her mother's womb, and it was only within her mother's womb she felt such... kind... gentle... warmth. To say the least, it was another... first. Iolanthe sighed in irritation. She was used to being an intimidating creature and a lone one at that. That she was feeling this kind of gentle flame meant one thing: she was alive, and most certainly recovering. It almost meant many other things Iolanthe did not want to stop and consider, despite the fact she knew what it was in the back of her mind.
She was NOT some sniveling, whimpering little Soquili mare that always turned into goop as a stallion-turned-knight-in-shining-armor rescued them. Please. She could fight. She could care for herself. She had no other to care for. Iolanthe spent the rest of the next hour convincing herself that Lon was nothing special; nothing more than an interesting male that just happened to capture... All right. Fine. She would admit, at least to herself, that she was horrendously attracted to the Lord of Nightmares. Though he seemed a gentle stallion, he was far from such, considering how... how he—Well, for Epona’s sake, Iolanthe, the stallion has you good and good—she grumbled to herself.
And then she finally opened her eyes to see the roof of the cave she and Lon had spent the night in before the great battle of the skinwalker. She groaned aloud, not caring if Lon heard her. Of course she’d open her eyes once she’d admitted to herself she lo—liked Lon as more than something; as more than mere prey.

In the night, time remained lost within the depths of the cave, unable to see the moon's position to gage how long it had been. However, when you've spent near eternity as an immortal, hours could feel like mere seconds in comparison. Peace and serenity often escaped a soul like he...he often lived amongst pain, havoc and carnage...and wasn't innocent of causing such. However, a temporary change of pace was interesting...so say the least; especially since he crossed paths with the fire breather. Flicking his ears as she groaned his head nearly whipped over to look at her from his prior position of gazing out the cave. Seeing her eyes focus on the roof he could slowly feel the weight melt off his shoulders...the concern, worry and guilt slip away as her body came back to life...back into the world of the consious.

He hated to admitted, but he was utterly....happy she had finally awoken. "Good Evening, Sleeping Beauty..." He purred cheekily, alright, not the most wise opener for someone who had saved his a** and was just awakening from battle induced coma. Yet if he'd said anything well...appropriate it would have been forced and unnatural. He didn't need to fuss over how she was doing, feeling, if she needed anything, how incredibly sorry he was or how much he'd missed her mere voice. He had a feeling she knew damn well if she asked him anything he'd be the first to jump, and what was the use of asking such a proud soul how she was feeling after battle. "I was wondering when you'd wake, I was beginning to wonder if there was anything more attractive than a goddess with the length you've been out....it would have been concerning to find out." He teased, feeling some of the glow and colour return to his golden orbs as he gazed down at her intently.

She groaned good-naturedly (good!?) at her first greeting from the stallion that had imprisoned her once cold heart. She reflected that it was ironic she had a cold heart and yet could burn almost anything to a crisp. "Evening...?" she managed through a hoarse, dry voice. Iolanthe paused briefly as she wondered why she could have a dry throat considering she was a dragon—but then again, even dragons like her needed water now and again to maintain their "fuel" within their stomachs; the fuel which ignited their flaming breaths. It would also help if she had food... but she digressed. "How long have I been out?" Iolanthe finally said after a long moment of random thoughts; the raspiness and weakness of her voice irritated her.
It occurred to Iolanthe that Lon had spoken to her with a cheeky, concerned, but—dare she say it?—flirtatious tone. Perhaps he returned her, ah, feelings then? Iolanthe could handle pain, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to deal with anything emotional. It just wasn’t in her blood to deal with such nonsense. That’s what most of her prey was for; the emotion and the food. Still, Iolanthe figured some “support” would be fine. She supposed. She shifted slightly, muffling a pained moan as she turned to stare into Lon’s golden gaze with her dark one. “You’ve been here the whole time?” She assessed him quickly. “Unicorn took off, did he? Well, at least you’re alive.” She refused to admit to herself how relieved she was feeling seeing that Lon was utterly fine and healthy; almost back to how she first saw him.

"Yes...Evening." Lon confirmed, his eyes parting from the dragoness to peer back to the inviting darkness outside the cave with but a hint of moonlight to allow him to spot anyone foolish enough to come into the cavern. "Quite a number of days, its a little blurred since the night, its been hard for me to distinguish the hours from being here and barely consious thanks to sleep deprivation...but I do recall at least four sunrises since I moved you here." He was bagged, that was an understatement. Yet at least now that she'd awoken, he assumed his sleep would be a little more bareable...once he moved past this umpteenth wind of energy. Her weakened tones didn't discourage him at all, for even in her moment of submission he knew the lengths she was capable of...she was every bit of mighty dragon he'd imagined when told of such mystical beasts.

"Of course. Our initial evening was ruined by a crazed halfbreed and bloodmongering skinwalker. Its very hard to make company with someone who's passed out." He mused, although a part of him sombered quickly, his eyes changing from that mischevious calm soul to something more...menacing. "He did. I was unpleased nothing could be done." Alive? That was becoming a funny word. He'd been alive, and was still thus thankfully....but the fact he'd tossed that aside to ensure that she would live on....well, it had taken some strange tolls on him. While he was more than fine with allowing her own posessive nature of dominance to rule their time together; he did fear he was nearing a breaking point. That point where mild chaos broke into horrifying nightmares, it was occasional before where the Lord would really live up to his name; but he had nothing to fear back then. Yet now...the one thing he'd feared in this life had been snuffed out by the mare laying beside him. The ends of the earth was just the starting line to where he'd go for her. Sighing gently to calm the storm in his soul, he looked back down to her as he shifted his wing to pull the cracked bowl closer so she could drink. "Of course I am, I had no doubts you wouldn't prevail." Truth, it was...and perhaps it was time for a little more. "Besides, There has never been, and never will be anyone else I would toss away my life for. Now drink..." He nodded his maw towards the bowl his wing had brought right beside her.

"So I have come to learn..." Lon added, moreso a pondering of his own accord. He'd never realized there were rules here for what was light and what was dark, but it made sense. Light made shadows, but to be filled with light would wipe out all shadow. Shadows overtook light, and would not be dark if even a hint of light remained. He supposed it could be applied to magic, although in chaos, light and dark mixed and flourished in the frenzy. Nothing escaped chaos. "Maybe he was swayed by your looks" Of course, another harmless tease. Lon knew he would have followed even though he had no ability to heal in the slightest.

As he watched her struggle in her silence to get up, he could see that the nourishment she was lacking from her time unconsious took a hard toll. Even the way she swallowed the water was something of a starved coyote on the hottest day of the year in a desert. No matter, there was plenty more of that close by...food, another story. He pondered if she would be able to hunt successfuly, with the blood still in the surrounding areas game would be on edge; if she held any less grace as she knew she was capable of...well she might collapse before. Of course this would be something he'd never admit out loud, but his concern remained an edging thought in the back of his mind. Shifting in his position despite the tired groan of his bones he rose, glancing her way as she whipped around with such force he was surprised her neck didn't snap.
Although he seriously took it into consideration that yes, he shouldn't be so stupid...he supposed this mortal heart beat for a reason; and she was the best one he'd come across so far. "Do you think of me so little, Iolanthe?" He shot at her point blank, his lips curling into a defiant smirk. "I would never leave you with baggage, for what I hold close is mystery, like you. I only let a select few - if not no one at all to view in its entirety. Maybe someday, but that would ruin the fun we're having, wouldn't it? Just like you, Kitten, withhold what I seek. I am but a mouse waiting for opportunity to learn what is behind the claws and fangs." Chuckling darkly, he folded his large wings back against his side, tail giving a sway to crackle and leave what looked like a burn mark against the side of the cave as he turned to face her. Yes...the calm was slowly eroding into old habits. "Now...more pressing matters, your meal. How do you think you will fair with the game around here? Perhaps we should attempt to relocate somewhere not heavy in blood?" Golden orbs locked onto her, reading and pressing for anything his ears might have missed. It didn't bother him much she had nothing to really return of his truth...but he found it highly amusing how posessive even her words were beginning to sound.