The Dragon Prince: A Dumb Lump and Salty Dragon

Protector

SL: So this was a prompt Ray thought up. Below is a shorter version of the prompt but, warning; if you don't like seeing our babies getting hurt, look away.

While doing a perimeter check, Soren comes across a rogue western dragon, an old clan member of Pyrrah's. Pyrrah senses something's wrong and follows her instincts to find him.

RK: I wrote most of this one. Though, towards the end, I was getting a little bit stuck, and I had to ask Story to help me out with finishing it up. ^^;

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The last few weeks' patrols were not yielding good results. There were occasional reports of traveling thieves camping and scouting out the castle entrances. This was obviously alarming news to the kingdom, so King Ezran declared the number of patrols to be doubled. Soren understood that they were necessary precautions, but it wasn't easy on him or his men. Not only was this taking more time away from Soren spending time with his wife, it was also making him increasingly exhausted.

His patrol covered the entire east side outside the castletown wall, and his legs were already starting to get sore. He pushed on with a sigh, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. The guard was about to continue on the patrol route until he heard a low, rumbling noise further up the way. With a confused look, he slowly made his way closer to the sound, a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Pushing past some thick foliage, he finally saw the source of the noise, but by the time he registered what it was, it was too late.

It lashed out and Soren was launched backwards. He hit the trunk of a nearby tree and fell to the ground gasping, the wind knocked straight out of him. He looked up, seeing a dark-scaled sun dragon towering above.

It's sage-green eyes glistened with sadistic delight. "Oh how I've waited for this," it growled.

Managing to get his voice back, Soren shouted up at the dragon. "W-waited for what?! Who are you?!"

With an amused chuff, the dragon smirked, revealing his sharp fangs. "You wouldn't know me, you pathetic whelp of a creature...but I'm sure the dragoness who calls you her 'mate'...does." Soren glared at male dragon towering over him. This must've been an ex-clan member of hers or a previous suitor.

Soren got to his feet and drew his dragonblade, taking a stance. "Okay, I don't know what your relation to Pyrrah is, but if you're here to claim her, you can't! She's mine, and I've already mated with her!" Despite his determined glare, he couldn't stop the bit of blush flushing his cheeks. He could have worded that a bit more subtly.

With a hiss, the dragon quickly spun around, whipping his tail. Soren's sword was knocked away, and he winced as he gingerly touched his face. He looked down at his fingers to see blood covering them. A big scratch marked his left cheek where the dragon's tail spines had grazed.

The dragon snarled. "She was going to be mine! But you, a pathetic human, took her from me! She was the strongest female in the clan, and because she decided to mate with...with a human, we lost the most precious of our female bloodline!"

"It's been over a year!" Soren held his ground. "She left your clan! Now leave her be!"

"Perhaps I could...but if, say, her current 'mate' were found dead in the woods by a mysterious circumstance, she'd be ready for the taking by a proper male." The dragon examined his talons for a moment before charging forward to strike.

~#~

Pyrrah was picking up some food in the Katolis market for when Soren finished his patrol. They planned on having lunch together, talking over his morning shift while enjoying some sandwiches, but she refused to have any more of the 'bread sandwiches' he insisted on making. The town square was busy with citizens bustling about, getting food of their own and purchasing other household supplies. While she did get a few looks, no one really cared that there was a hybrid dragoness among them.