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Octavian didn't leave his vine-covered home much anymore. His broken mind refused to let him leave his clan for fear that the females would escape, with his illegitimate son Vespasian keeping a lookout on the rare occasion that the halfbreed was forced to rest. Today, though, the chilling bite in the desert air gave him some cherished moments of clarity, as though coming to life out of a long dream. The huge male made his way up to the roof of his home and made an effort to survey the territory. It was coming to the time of year that new dragons would start appearing in the desert, and a clan leader couldn't have too many females. The demon Vespasian watched his father go with a promise to keep things in line.

Leathery wings beat in powerful strokes as Octavian flew out of the old town. Angelic wings were kept folded, but his fluffy tail gave him away as a halfbreed anyway. The myriad of voices in his mind kept him company on his lone flight. Once he was well away from the view of buildings, the predator started slow circles about the area at the base of the stardust mountain range. Lost souls could often collect here, he knew. Also, the place was... sentimental. Sweeping rounds grew lower and lower, and at length Octavian did in fact spot a flash of purple in the grass. Tucking his wings, he swooped low towards it, and at the last possible moment flared all four appendages out to cease his motion and come to rest on the ground, heavily scarred front legs leading the charge to the earth.

Damn. It was a male. Octavian's expression twisted from mild amusement into a deep frown as he looked the other over. Three legs. The frown got even more exaggerated, but the over-sized half-blood said nothing.

Xephius had been wandering aimlessly around the wilderness for more than a few days, his leg not slowing him down as much as it used to, though it still made getting to certain high places more troublesome then the effort was worth. Today he'd managed to climb into a lone fruit tree and had the delight of knocking down many of the seeded delights, which he had gorged himself on.

He'd only just gotten himself up and moving again when he heard something land behind him. At this point, he almost wished he could run away, but he merely peered over his shoulder to see the winged male behind him. Turning, Xephius moved to lower his body to the ground, bowing himself low to show respect to the much larger male, and so as to not come off as a threat.

"Sir." He said softly, wondering if he had inadvertently wandered across the male's territory. Surely just passing through wouldn't bring about too harsh a sentence, right? He felt his phantom limb twitch, and his eyes softened. Well...whatever the lord did wish, wasn't it his command? "Might I be of service to you, Lord of the Skies?" He asked softly, offering himself to the whims of the male.

Inside his mind, Octavian tripped over himself. Perhaps he was too used to having to fight for superiority.

What?

Who is this, where did he come from?

Kill him and be done with it, that can be his service.

He shook his head as if trying to dislodge something. Slowly, the arguments quieted. The halfbreed began to make loops about the purple male, watching him more closely. He called you lord, how laughable, you can't even hold your own family together. Octavian wrenched his beak into a snarl. "Service?" he growled softly, stopping behind the other and looking over an amethyst back. From this angle he looked rather sturdy, for a cripple. Curiously, he took an open-clawed swipe at Xephius' back legs, just to see. "I can't decide if that's a come-on or cowardice," the gravel voice continued, "Stars have been falling, I came this way to expand my harem." Regardless of whether the strike at Xephius' legs connected or not, Octavian would continue back around to the front of the other dragon and sit, with his wings flared slightly out to emphasize superiority.

You should take his other leg, it would be funny.

Annoyed, Octy swatted at his own head. Just once, one time in years, could he have a half-civil interaction? It was beginning to seem unlikely. Fluffy pink tail lashed, smashing into the long grasses surrounding the two. Gritting his teeth, the sun and moon dragon attempted to continue. "What took your limb?"

Xephius lowered his eyes as the other male lashed out and struck him. He didn't move when he was hit, instead focusing his eyes to look at the ground where his front left leg should have been, but hadn't been for a while now. "Serpant." He answered softly, as if he didn't quite like the memory as much as he felt he should. He'd helped the other star creature out, even at the loss of his limb. It should be something he was proud of, and inwardly he felt conflicted by shame over his own image and appearance, instead of shame at what he had done and let be done to himself.

"He was hungry, and didn't want the food I offered. When I asked what he wished for, he...requested my leg." Xephius answered truthfully, looking back at the winged male, wondering if he was going to laugh because of the reason behind his missing leg. Xephius knew he was pithetic by most other creatures point of view, but he didn't regret giving his leg to the serpant. "He was starving, and I helped him get stronger by letting him eat my leg."

He smiled slightly, his beak opening in amusement. "I guess you think me daff, or possibly stupid and foolish. But I helped one of the star children, and it is my purpose in life to help the star born. So even without my leg, I am happy. I did a good thing." Xephius looked back up at the other male, his eyes soft.

The sky-pelted male blinked. And stared. And cocked back his head to bellow a toothy laugh at the setting sun. The howling noise robbed him of his breath, gasping, sunrise and night sky fell into the long grass, unable to cease the onslaught of his own amusement. It was just... so... ridiculous! Though Xephius had proven himself sturdy on three legs, the halfbreed still thought him a fool. Just the idea that such a low creature as a serpent could be allowed to eat the leg of a dragon left Octavian roaring with cackles at the insane gesture of misguided kindness. "Didn't like... the food..." Scarred forelegs slapped against the rocky ground and unwilling tears started to stain his cheek ruffs. "Ahaha, star-ving!" The bully dragon rolled through the grass, unable to contain himself for many long moments.

"You got taken for a fool, you silly masked wonder." Still chukling, Octavian wiped the wetness from the soft featherfur about his cheeks. Creeping sting of far-off memories brought his demeanor back to earth. "Oh yes, I'm sure the snake couldn't catch his own food," with a stretch, he stood back up and spun once where he had flattened the grass, dragging that pink tail across Xephius' face.

Still, in spite of his foolishness, I bet...

That we could use him? For what?

I bet... that others would follow him back to you.

Octavian quirked his head to the side, hearing some far-off conversation, and stared straight through the other male for the duration of the inner monologue that followed the initial suggestion that the devil on his shoulder gave. "Hmm," Octavian rumbled, deep tone vibrating his chest visibly. "You might be daff, but you're likable, to the right dragons," the evil brute mused aloud. Ocean eyes felled their gaze harshly onto amethyst. "Perhaps," head tilted slowly to one side until the angle was extreme, "you can be of service after all." The features of the halfbreed wrenched into a sick grin, the nature of his madness starting to ooze through the expression.

In measured steps, Octavian began his thoughtful pacing. How best to use such an eager masochist? Lashing tail drove more of the tall grass to the ground as he passed over the greenery.

If you shelter him in the clan, it could cause a disruption.

Octavian nodded in a manner that seemed as though he was answering Xephius' question. "Yes," he rumbled into the wind, whipping his body back in the other direction as he continued his erratic movements. Bat like wings flitted as the evening breeze picked up over the night-fur of the halfbreed's face. He didn't think the other male stupid, just naive. Stupidity would have made Xephius into a disposeable toy for the evening.

I know!

Pink and blue froze mid-step. Slowly, eyes that mirrored the sky looked up, and Octavian's head twitched to the side, listening to the conversation that was only in his mind. Everything suddenly seemed to fall into place. "Yes..." he repeated, "yes, YES!" Octavian leaped to face his audience, "You want to help, correct? Fix the wrongs of the world? I need to find someone. He would flee from me, but you," he pointed at Xeph, words picking up speed, "you could find out where he is!" Strong claws ripped the plants up at his feet by the root. How exciting! Vengeance at last!

Actually, this one time, Octavian did seek a wrongdoer. If he couldn't find his love again, then he could certainly rip apart the one who had tried to take her from him. The most lovely yellow angel. Auriel made a poor replacement. "Good," the mad dragon rumbled, "yes, he is afraid, for good reason. He seduced my mate." Again talons clutched the earth reflexively, scarring the earth beneath them. Blue beak snapped once at the memory of him. The b*****d would die, Octavian would see to it. Slow pacing began again across the ground where grass was now worn flat from the halfbreed's movements.

"He had taken refuge with a larger clan, but now he's been pushed out. I believe him to be somewhere in the mountains. The b*****d is all green, and flightless, but he's well hidden and I have my family to care for, I cannot search for him as I would like to." When I get my talons in him I shall rip every bit of that fur from him one strand at a time and then stake his head to my roof as a warning.

Octavian twisted up his beak and snarled. He had a lot on his mind alright. More than he could explain. Head tilted, and night and day looked over the purple dragon carefully. The other might need protection, and he could be quite useful, "Perhaps if you succeed, I will be able to shelter you from the wilds." Though it might cause some disruption to have a male unrelated to him in the household, keeping such a useful dragon close, and relatively safe, could be much to the halfblood's benefit. That was, so long as the other kept away from his ladies. "What is your name, anyway? I've neglected to ask."

"Xephius," Night and Day repeated the word, letting it roll from his beak like a musical note. A quick, one eyed glance at the setting sun let him know that soon it may be time to return to his charges, and his son. Around ten lived under his leadership, but Caiden, now Caiden once had over thirty. Shame the old fool left and his legacy scattered to the wind, save the captive Rith in Octavian's house, at least as far as the halfbreed knew.

The look in Xephius' eyes at the mention of a clan, a home, made even the stone heart of Octavian waver for a fraction of a second. This one had no one, save those who would use him for food and... as a finder of a dragon who deserved nothing more than to be put to death. Inwardly, the demon inside was rather amused at all of this. But what a tool Xephius would make. Steady on three legs, Octavian had already tested that by trying to knock him to the ground. Indeed, finding Laurent would make the purple male more of a hero than he imagined, though the aftermath of it might turn the stomach of the most hardened creature. Oh, what Octavian would do to that green b*****d, there were not words.

Octavian tipped his beak, ever so slightly, in a gesture of respect towards the other. "I am Octavian," deep, grinding voice bounced back at them from the nearby mountainside. "I suggest," the halfblood lowered his voice so it would not carry so far, "that you begin in the valley over that peak, there," deadly looking claw pointed westward. The half demon beast could cleave a small tree in twain with perhaps two of those talons, at most. At this range, and now that Octavian was still, the self mutilation of his feathered wings would be evident. Functional, but feathers missing, torn pieces, the victims of his own fury at so much loss. Ice and stone eyes belied none of his inner pain, however. "Find him. Find him and you will be rewarded with more than you can imagine, Xephius. This I can promise you."

The halfbreed flat out grinned, teeth flashing over the rim of his beak against his will. Excitement was contagious after all. Bat wings flicked expectantly, ready for the end of the conversation and the time to wing into the darkening sky. Something told him that he should be home. "Take him to the lake," Octavian mused, glancing over the sky, "The far side, away from town. I don't want my family to see what happens after. A pair of eyes will always be turned that way, either mine or a sentry, to alert as soon as the acid snake shows up on the horizon." His family. Night and day hadn't thought of them that way for a long time, but they were. Not all of them by blood, but all of them his protection whether they realized it or not. Though, through his thoughts on them he had let a tiny indication of Laurent's looming doom slip, not that he believed that Xephius would care what happened to the rat at this point. Justice was blind, that's what they said.

Octavian smiled. "Aye, soon we shall have justice for the clan, my children, and for Vestakia. Thanks to you, Xephius. Well wishes on your journey," the half angel spoke in a sincere whisper, "return safe." He wished that he had some advice on what to say to the b*****d, how to get him to trust the other, but just the thought of the hue of his pelt brought a disorienting flame to the halfbreed's mind that blocked coherent thought as long as it was there. Damn the stars, it was killing his logic. "You will find a way," mock confidence as he turned and looked up, skies calling. Massive double wings beat several times before his bulk was lifted into the sky, and the feathered ones folded against his side, giving the male a devillish silhouette against the sky. "Good luck," came the final call before he winged like an arrow towards the soft light of the StarDust town on the horizon.