In the cold of the winter night, Terek and Jayce sat by a fire near a cave to stay warm. The cave had been long abandoned by who ever once lived inside it. Having once lived in the desert, Jayce knew how to purify water from a river while Terek knew how to cook. Above their fire sat almost from rabbits since Terek didn't want to put anything too large on the fire yet. The two sat by the fire, both their eyes focused on flames while they kept their ears open to their surroundings.
"Always listen while you're in the forest or beyond it." Those words now began to make sense to Terek as they sat in silence. The more he focused, the more he could hear the animals that resides in this forest. Terek looked over to Jayce who had laid down on his back looking up at the wintery night sky. "Night one is almost over. If you wanna get some sleep you can. I'll take first watch."
"You sure?" He asked l looking over to Terek. He gazes out toward the trees looking for the slightest movements.
"Yeah. I've got a weird feeling so I'll take first watch." He replies. His tone unchanged but clearly he felt something was off about the area. The animals around this area are quieter than hen they were in the village.
Jayce closed his eyes and began to doze off. He really wasn't wanting to goto sleep yet because of the dreams.
Hours have now passed, Terek still sat in silence listening for the slightest movements. His senses were correct, the forest was now too quiet. The nocturnal wildlife around them had gone silent like himself. "Jayce… Wake up…." He said quietly trying not to freak him out. At first he didn't budge, but he slowly opened his eyes and looked up to the cautious watcher.
"Is it time to rotate?" Jayce questioned and got no response.
"No… There's something out here with us…" For a second, the hair on the back of his neck rose, sending chills down his back. Jayce slowly got on one knee and looked around, while Terek scanned the surrounding area. As they look around, a cold wind blew hard, putting out the fire with bunches of snow and dies down. Now they were on alert, ready to spring within an instant if need be.
In the corner of Jayce's eye a large dark shadow slowly crosses between trees. He reaches up and quietly points in the direction of the east side of the cave. Terek sees him pointing and looks over seeing a pair of crimson red eyes staring the duo down. The figure stood taller than a normal man, no. It was even taller than a Lycan or Guardian. This figure could've been only one from old tales. It stood like a Wolf on all fours and it's head low, but horns and spikes littered from its head down its spine. "An Arctic Drake… It's too far south…"
Connor once told Jayce a story about drakes and dragons from several thousand years ago but never imagine he'd be this close to one. "Why is it here?"
Terek looked at him without a word then looked back at the Drake as it slowly circled around to the other side of the cave. The moonlight peaked out of the clouds and shimmered down onto the beast. It's fur white like the snow and it's spikes shimmered like crystals. "It seems to be only one… But these hunt in…" He heard a twig snap on the side where the Drake once stood and sees another set of red eyes.
"You we're saying…?" Jayce kept his eyes on the first one so Terek could turn to the other. The two young men kept low to the ground as the two Drakes grew closer now. "We should keep them apart…"
Terek smirks "I'll go in for the grab on mine, you get some distance between us with yours." The two acknowledged the plan and hid a bump on the forearms before setting the plan on motion. Terek leaps in as his Drake jumps at him, baiting the beast in time to slide under and grapple it.
Jayce stares his down for a moment then gets into position sprinting as fast and hard as he can through the trees, heading west of the cave. He knew the beast was following as he could hear the clumsy sounds of it hitting trees behind him. Ahead of him are thicker trees giving him an idea to trick it. As he gets closer he leaps into the air and kicks his right leg forward, landing on it and pushing himself to the next and the next after. Now having done a full circle around the Drake, he swiftly turns around and kicks it full speed in the jaw, sending it several meters away from himself.
Terek on the other hand wrestled his Drake down to the ground as it claws the ground around him, trying to bite him. As each bite grows closer to his face, he decides to throw it off of him into the nearest trees, causing them to crack and fall on top of it. The young man stands up and brushes the snow off himself and stretches. "I didn't even get to stretch yet." He tells himself as he pops his back. "Oh well, I guess this will do." He stands ready, his feet apart and his arms up, clenching his fists. The Drake be just threw, stands up and shakes off the trees from its spiked back then glares to Terek. "Didn't like that did you?" He jokingly asked the beast ready as it bares its fangs and growls.
Hours pass as the two young men fight the Arctic Drakes. Neither of the two struggled with their fights but little did they know, they soon will have to work side by side rather than splitting up.
Terek comes back with minor cuts on his arms and bare chest and now bore a long cut then crossed his cheek and past his right eye. He then leans against and slides down the side of the cave wall they were sheltered in. He had gathered some of the ice crystals from the beasts body and stored them in his torn up shirt, using it as a sack. As he counted the crystals, Jayce walks out of the woods with the head of his Drake, the hot blood of the beast still dripping down his hands and drops it on the ground outside the cave and sits down.
"You always managed to get out of practiced unharmed…." Terek says looking over to Jayce… "I'm kind of jealous."
"Maybe if you didn't just focus on strength you wouldn't be so cut up, brother." He looks back to Terek with a smirk. "It could have been worse…."
"Don't say it…" Terek rolls is eyes and looks away.
"There could have been a pack. Or two." Jayce slightly joked and leaned back against the rocky wall.