The White Mountains.
Cassius woke with a sense of unease. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if something was wrong. He craned his neck to scan his surroundings, only to realize that Chuck was gone. His monstrous bear-friend had disappeared at some point during the night. This set Cassius on edge. For the months that he had known Chuck, the bear never left during the night. He slept as long as Cassius, and only woke to take care of his business. But he never woke before Cassius, or left without warning.
His first instinct was to summon his sword. With the large sword in his hands, he felt much more comfortable. He knew that he may not truly be able to wield it yet, but it was still comforting in his grip. As he scanned the mountain, and the surrounding early morning fog. His unease strengthened. Something bad was about to happen, and here he was. Standing on a chilly mountain, butt ass naked. Cassius shook off his amusement, he knew that he couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment.
His senses had naturally strengthened once he bonded with both Chuck and the Sword. His blue eyes contracted, narrowing in to allow his vision to be more precise. His hearing tuned in, allowing him to notice even the slightest of noises. As a Dragon, he was an apex predator. Capable of detecting even the slightest change in smell. This information came to him from some primal place in his mind. The basic instincts that any Dragon had.
As he scanned the dense fog, his nostrils twitched. A new smell had found it's way to him. Something in his mind clicked, and the strange smell registered. A female in heat, looking for a mate. This caused something to stir in his loins, his body warmed and he found himself slowly walking towards the source. Before he could enter the fog, he regained control of himself and growled. Something was trying to lure him in, and whatever it was; definitely did not have good intentions. "Show yourself." He growled in a deep voice laced with venom.
A sweet laugh echoed across the mountain face, originating from the fog. His eyes narrowed with caution as a form took shape. It was the body of a woman. Her form was truly incredible. She had a sultry body, and voluptuous curves. Her face was elegant, and her skin dark. She was truly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, this was only enforced when his body once again warmed with desire. Something about this woman demanded he have her. Maybe it was the Dragon in him, a beast that demanded others submit to him. Or just himself, a man who had long been deprived, only to come face to face with the most beautiful woman in existence.
The woman smiled seductively, and walked closer to Cassius. Her hips swinging suggestively. She wore little in the way of clothing, a strap that barely covered her chest. Cassius was entranced, completely incapacitated by his desire. Her smooth fingers traced his jaw line, her eyes gleaming with lust. "You are truly the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Never in my existence have I met a creature who could make me, Goddess of Lust, feel such strong emotions. You indeed live up to your name, Irian."
Cassius's body froze, the runes on his naked flesh flaring with incredible heat. His mind came back to him, and he quickly danced away from the Goddess. The woman's face contorted in surprise, "Interesting." She whispered to herself, Cassius's enhanced hearing allowing him to both hear her words and smell her desire.
Cassius frowned, he finally knew why he woke with such a terrible feeling. Chuck's disappearance finally came to mind, "What did you do with Chuck, woman?" He asked with barely suppressed rage and desire.
The woman quickly regained her composure, and laughed innocently. Shivers ran down his spine at the sweet sound of her laugh. Her aura once again consumed Cassius's mind and body. "Oh, don't you worry about your bear. He'll be just fine. You and I, on the other hand, are going to have some fun." She smiled wickedly, her white teeth shining in the early morning sun.
****
Chuck rarely woke during the night, he greatly enjoyed the art of sleeping. If it weren't for Cassius, Chuck would most likely slumber the days away. This morning had been different, he had been sleeping as always; when a strange scent assaulted his nose. It was warmish, and caused his heart to speed up. The smell consumed his mind, desire heating his body. He stood, oblivious to Cassius's laying naked in the frigid air. His legs carried him forward, into the gloom that was early morning. It was as if some strange magic had seized his very heart.
Chuck had never experienced such a feeling, until a few days ago; he would of been considered a cub amongst God-Beasts. He followed the scent for several miles on the mountain, passing between boulders and loose dirt. As the sun began to rise, he had found the source of his lust. A dark cavern appeared on the mountain face, the smell of a she-bear in heat provoking him to march onwards.
Upon entering the dark cave, Chuck stopped to observe his surroundings. He may be currently under the spell of lust, but his instincts of preservation did not desert him. Such intelligence would not allow him to fall victim to a lesser creature. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he was able to make out the distinct shape of a bear. This female was much smaller than him and had brown fur instead of his previous white. This alone told him that the bear was nothing more than a wild animal. She was not a God-Beast, and thus, did not posses any sort of advanced intelligence. Yet, her scent had still consumed his mind; forcing him to seek her out. He would have her, such was his right as the King of Alphas.
As if disagreeing with this sentiment, the she-bear growled deeply. Threatening Chuck, her white fangs were bared in preparation for a fight. Chuck had previously decided against verbal communication, such a dim beast would have no concept of the meaning behind his words. Instead, he simply focused on his aura. All God-Beasts had a form of magic, most of the time it manifested in the shape of a powerful aura. This helped incapacitate enemies, and stake his claim as an Alpha. He wasn't sure how he knew this, seeing as he had spent his adolescence roaming the Great-Wood. He had yet to meet a creature that possessed any true intelligence, so he had never been properly educated.
Chuck warily approached the she-bear, not that he was worried. He was easily five times her size, and his massive body nearly filled the expanse of her cave. No, any intelligent creature would be cautious around even the lowliest of beasts. Any mistake could result in an untimely death. As the she-bear gave herself to him in submission, his mind wandered to Cassius. Would he worry without Chuck? They were still able to mentally communicate, but Chuck wasn't sure what the maximum distance for this was. He shook his head and waved off thoughts of his friend, Cassius could make due for now; besides, Chuck was busy.
****
Ivan closely followed the trail of the giant bear, he suspected that Irian was traveling alongside this beast, most likely upon it's back. They were making impressive time, despite the hazards of the terrain and high altitude. His green, reptilian eyes, were able to closely follow the prints. It was still rather dark on the mountains, but thankfully due to his night vision he had no problems following his father's path. He was very curious about such a thing, his father rarely traveled by foot. He would either take his Dragon form, or use his magic to transport himself where he needed to go. He had used his magic for most of his life. When Irian lost part of his essence, he lost most of his magical abilities. Ivan knew that most mortals used spells, tomes, and items to cast their magic. Ancient Ones did not need such trivial methods, in fact, their imagination gave shape to their magic; a much more effective way of using it, not to mention more powerful.
As his mind wandered over such things, he failed to notice the dense fog that had rolled in over the mountain. Once he had finally returned his focus to the ground, he had lost track of his father's trail. Ivan grimaced, his leathery lips pulling back, revealing his deadly fangs. He stopped flying forwards, but hovered in the air above where he lost sight of the trail. Many Dragon's would make incredibly loud noises when flying, but Ivan had long ago trained to limit the sound of his giant wings. This allowed him to stealthily stalk his targets and prey.
Ivan enhanced his senses and focused. He may not be able to practice magic, but it neither affected him nor harmed him. He sniffed the air and frowned. It was filled with a familiar magic, the magic of an Ancient One. But not just any Ancient One, a God. The scent of the magic was strange, unnatural, and tainted with a dangerous smell. A female in the midst of her cycle. He only knew of one being who could create such a strange and powerful aroma, the Demoness. If it weren't for his manifested magical resistance, then he would likely be entranced by the scent.
Ivan shook his head and slowly allowed himself to descend on the mountain top. His body transformed, and he crouched behind a boulder in human form. He silently drew his Item of Power, a battle scarred, bastard sword. The steel blade was chipped and scorched, but it had never lost it's edge. This blade was widely spoken of in Telon's myth and history. It was seen as the third most legendary sword in existence; right behind Irian's and Vano's.
He crouch walked from behind the boulder, moving silently in the fog. Now that he was on the ground, the fog did not affect his vision. It was spawned from magic, and his abilities were never affected by magic. Many among his people saw this as a disability, but he had learned long ago; that he would much rather be immune to magic than affected. Numerous foes had met their end by fighting him with magic, rather than cold steel. His resistance allowed him to stand tall under onslaughts of magic, and illusions that manipulated the mind. This eventually earned him the title of Supreme General, only below the King and Queen in authority.
He moved smoothly over the rough terrain, his black boots never once making a sound. Dew had gathered on his bald head, causing it shine in the early morning light. Luckily, his skin was a smoky grey, camouflaging him in the fog. The green runes on his body were also dull, an ability he learned many years ago. He was neither detectable by magic, or affected.
He crept across the rocky mountain face for what seemed an eternity, the green hilt of his blade gripped loosely in his hand. The closer he got to the source of the magic, the stronger the scent of desire became. He grew worried, his father had always resisted the Demoness, but something seemed off. The aura kept growing stronger, and he never heard the sounds of combat or mating. He swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat, his father had always remained faithful to the All-Mother. Never once had he been with another, this alone worried Ivan. Was this truly his father? The scent was the same, but more powerful. He would sometimes detect traces of something else in it, but he would disregard the scent. As he grew closer to the Demoness, he began to wish he had given the strange disturbance more heed.
He had finally reached the general area of the Demoness's aura, the fog here was lighter. The sun shone threw it and revealed a clearing. He hid himself and watched the confrontation before him. The man was definitely his father; the familiar crimson skin, the blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. Yet, something was different about him. His aura was much more powerful, and his visage was that of a young man, instead of a middle aged man. What disturbed him more was the sultry woman before him. Irian seemed unable to move as she approached him. Irian's aura flared and he backed away from the Demoness. This seemed to surprise her, they then conversed. Ivan frowned at their words. Irian didn't seem to recognize the Demoness. The Demoness once again incapacitated Irian, and began moving towards him. Ivan stepped from the fog, it was time to intervene.