long had he been out here? Dragons were nocturnal, so if they waited too long, it'd be ready to hunt again--
He glanced at the sun and told himself, firmly, that they weren't going to wait until evening. It was only midday.
Slowly, counting each breath to try and keep himself calm, Ashe turned and looked at the dragon again.
It was sleeping. Of course, it had looked like it was sleeping two seconds before it ate that raven, but...
With a deep, bracing breath, Ashe put the tree between him and the dragon, made sure he had all the leaves he could gather, and began to pick his way back toward the cave.
Katsu lay inside, flat on his stomach, watching with impossibly dark eyes. His narrow jaw was clenched, his mouth a tight line. As Ashe moved, Katsu's gaze never strayed.
Ashe paused still under the shelter of the trees, checked the dragon once more, then inched his way across the sun patch right in front of the cave. The claw marks where the dragon had tried to get in were jagged and deep, cutting through dirt and granite. A buried boulder seemed to have stopped it at last, but Ashe realized with a sinking sensation that it could probably burrow in on either side, if it just realized the boulder didn't extend very far.
Dragons were definitely that smart.
He dropped and crawled into the cave, at once relieved to have shelter and all too aware of how precarious their shelter was. He emptied his tunic of the rockroot, feeling patches of skin go numb where the edges had touched. "Please tell me that's enough."
Katsu pawed through it, sorting big leaves and little leaves, taking out the stems that were attached. "Yes," he said, drawing the word out slowly. It hissed, sibilant, around the cave. "I think this'll work."
"Think? I'd rather get more and be sure. Did you see that raven?" That was going to be him in a minute. How fast did this smoke work? Not fast enough, surely. He was going to die. "I've been thinking about this--"
"I think I should drug the dragon."
Ashe stopped speaking, mouth still partway open. "What?"
"I think I should drug the dragon. I have an idea. It's going to wake up momentarily before it stops moving, and I saw it eat this crow a minute ago--"
"I saw that too," Ashe interrupted. "And that makes you think you should do it? You can't even run!"
Katsu soothed the air between them, palms down, and glanced warningly toward the opening. "I think running would be a bad idea anyway. Look -- just trust me. I know a thing or two about dragons."
" Your country's dragons, not ours! They might be different!"
There was that usual acerbic expression, full of vague annoyance and completed by a piercing glare. "Give me a little credit, would you?"
That was a difficult statement to argue with. Frustrated, Ashe settled back against the cave wall, glowering. "What's your plan, then?"
Katsu's gaze traveled over the leaves, then his hands followed suit, picking out pieces here and there and layering them in some pattern Ashe couldn't begin to fathom. "I'm not going to tell you. I don't think you'll like it."
That didn't make him feel any better. "The point of me gathering all that was so we could both leave here alive," he pointed out dryly.
Katsu didn't look up at him. "Believe me, that's still the goal. I just don't think you have the ability to do what needs to be done."
That stung. "I have--"
"Stop arguing," Katsu hissed, eyes narrowing briefly. "I'm under some stress here. Don't fucking argue with me while I'm trying to save our skins." He gathered the plants, holding them tightly to his chest, and started for the opening. Then he paused and looked back. "And no chakra. Magic. Your pathways are barely functional as it is." Before Ashe could figure out what Katsu meant, Katsu had crawled out of the cave and was shuffling on all fours across the sun patch.
Ashe flopped down on his stomach, head poking just outside so he could see what was going on, and watched Katsu's slow, very loud , journey toward the
He glanced at the sun and told himself, firmly, that they weren't going to wait until evening. It was only midday.
Slowly, counting each breath to try and keep himself calm, Ashe turned and looked at the dragon again.
It was sleeping. Of course, it had looked like it was sleeping two seconds before it ate that raven, but...
With a deep, bracing breath, Ashe put the tree between him and the dragon, made sure he had all the leaves he could gather, and began to pick his way back toward the cave.
Katsu lay inside, flat on his stomach, watching with impossibly dark eyes. His narrow jaw was clenched, his mouth a tight line. As Ashe moved, Katsu's gaze never strayed.
Ashe paused still under the shelter of the trees, checked the dragon once more, then inched his way across the sun patch right in front of the cave. The claw marks where the dragon had tried to get in were jagged and deep, cutting through dirt and granite. A buried boulder seemed to have stopped it at last, but Ashe realized with a sinking sensation that it could probably burrow in on either side, if it just realized the boulder didn't extend very far.
Dragons were definitely that smart.
He dropped and crawled into the cave, at once relieved to have shelter and all too aware of how precarious their shelter was. He emptied his tunic of the rockroot, feeling patches of skin go numb where the edges had touched. "Please tell me that's enough."
Katsu pawed through it, sorting big leaves and little leaves, taking out the stems that were attached. "Yes," he said, drawing the word out slowly. It hissed, sibilant, around the cave. "I think this'll work."
"Think? I'd rather get more and be sure. Did you see that raven?" That was going to be him in a minute. How fast did this smoke work? Not fast enough, surely. He was going to die. "I've been thinking about this--"
"I think I should drug the dragon."
Ashe stopped speaking, mouth still partway open. "What?"
"I think I should drug the dragon. I have an idea. It's going to wake up momentarily before it stops moving, and I saw it eat this crow a minute ago--"
"I saw that too," Ashe interrupted. "And that makes you think you should do it? You can't even run!"
Katsu soothed the air between them, palms down, and glanced warningly toward the opening. "I think running would be a bad idea anyway. Look -- just trust me. I know a thing or two about dragons."
" Your country's dragons, not ours! They might be different!"
There was that usual acerbic expression, full of vague annoyance and completed by a piercing glare. "Give me a little credit, would you?"
That was a difficult statement to argue with. Frustrated, Ashe settled back against the cave wall, glowering. "What's your plan, then?"
Katsu's gaze traveled over the leaves, then his hands followed suit, picking out pieces here and there and layering them in some pattern Ashe couldn't begin to fathom. "I'm not going to tell you. I don't think you'll like it."
That didn't make him feel any better. "The point of me gathering all that was so we could both leave here alive," he pointed out dryly.
Katsu didn't look up at him. "Believe me, that's still the goal. I just don't think you have the ability to do what needs to be done."
That stung. "I have--"
"Stop arguing," Katsu hissed, eyes narrowing briefly. "I'm under some stress here. Don't fucking argue with me while I'm trying to save our skins." He gathered the plants, holding them tightly to his chest, and started for the opening. Then he paused and looked back. "And no chakra. Magic. Your pathways are barely functional as it is." Before Ashe could figure out what Katsu meant, Katsu had crawled out of the cave and was shuffling on all fours across the sun patch.
Ashe flopped down on his stomach, head poking just outside so he could see what was going on, and watched Katsu's slow, very loud , journey toward the
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