Hunting for a Meal

[Operea]

Ooc: [Everyone is welcome to join. Sorry my banner stretches the page - I'll fix it.. eventually.]

It had now become a gorgeous winter upon the school grounds, and everywhere were obvious signs of the season. A grand, thick blanket of snow covered the land, leaving not a single blade of grass or branch untouched. Snowstorms had come frequently, and now the snow measured at least a foot deep, allowing for a bit of winter fun for the students - snowball fights, snow sculptures, snow angels.. All were present on the grounds closest to the castle, and between classes more and more sculptures, angels, and piles of snowballs could be found. The days seemed short, though the appearance of so much snow made things much more eventful during the daylight hours, though at night the temperatures dropped far below zero, providing a wicked torture for the creatures of the Forbidden Forest who were not meant for such climates or hadn't a den to warm up in.

Fortunately for Operea, a recent beast who had settled within the Forest, he'd been able to find a cozy cave to call home. He'd found his way around the wildlands quite easily, though lately his hunting supply had grown low and hard-to-find. Because it was winter, everything seemed to be deep in hibernation in deep dens and burrows, which prevented the great indigo-and-alabaster dragon feeding upon them.

Now, leathery wings propelled the lithe, smoothly-scaled body powerfully through the air, nares flaring and scenting the roasting turkeys and chickens, the lambchops and porkchops, and oh! the steak! The dragon's mind reeled at the gorgeous scents that rose from the small shops of Hogsmeade, making his body move more quickly than before through the white, overly-cloudied skies. A great bugle bellowed out from his throat, echoing richly through the lands. The wide array of shops were just below him now, and eventually his wings pulled tightly against his strangely-marked form. In moments, the draconian began to fall, diving dangerously as if a bomb to the earth below.

Suddenly, his leather-like appendages opened in a flash, whipping the body out of the deadly dive and allowing the beast to parachute gently downwards. Talons escaped their sheaths along each digit, and the dragon grasped at the roof of a particularly towering store, three stories high and one of the highest in Hogsmeade. Dollop upon dollop of snow fell from the roof at his landing, possibly hitting a few passersby - if the streets hadn't already cleared, for there was no way he would have managed to land upon a building in such a populated area unnoticed, for he was a particularly monstrous beast.

Operea clambered to the very edge of the establishment keen occuli of lime-green darting up and down the street in front of the shop, studying the displayed goods. Eventually, a grill-like device where numerous bits of meat were roasting caught his sights, and he settled atop his perch, merely staring hungrily at the food - he couldn't dive in for it now, it wasn't worth the risk.. but it wasn't like he hadn't already roused the attention of the witches and muggles wandering the streets of Hogsmeade whilst landing, right? Flight appendages snapped against his sides, and the dragon perched stock-still, merely waiting for a chance to steal the roasting meats.

[Mina]

The young dancer was entirely unaware as to whether classes were finished, still going, or just beginning. She lost track of all the responsibilities in the year, and only managed to notice the seasons changing in addition to the fact that she never attended any classes. Mina was puzzled to know why she had been sent to the school in all honesty, for although she had an uncanny ability to create and manipulate ice at her fingertips, she really didn't know a spell to save her life, nor did she have an interest in learning any.

White ugg boots with pom poms on their laces were crunching with effort through the streets of Hogsmeade, and a long slim-fitting coat of a pale blue hugged her slender frame, flying about her ugg boots in the chilly breezes that rushed past. Mina's mid-back, naturally curled, strawberry-brown hair bobbed with energy in delicate waves over her shoulders, mostly settled in the eskimo-style hood on the back of her coat.

Buried in her ears were two ear-phones, connected to a muggle device known as an iPod which was pushed deep inside her coat pocket, her white-gloved fingers flicking through the songs as she hummed along - seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world. As she struggled her way through the thick snow, her aquamarine eyes took on a disgruntled look and she fished around in her pocket for the device, muttering irritably all the while.

"Stupid thing, why wont you work, so much for magic." She mumbled on and on, pressing buttons and trying to get rid of the loud snapping sound she could hear. Finally, the girl pulled the ear-phones from her ears and stuffed the whole lot in her pocket, crossing her arms and walking on as she shivered in the cold. A piercing in her nose glittered in the light, as well as silver hoops in her ears and a few bangles on her half-hidden wrists.

Mina frowned suddenly, and stopped walking, just as a large clump of snow landed right beside her. She blinked, listening carefully, before noticing the enormous shadow reflected on the ground around her. Her lips parted in surprise and she slowly gazed up, inhaling a short gasp as she spotted...A dragon?!

"Oh!" She exclaimed, before glancing around quickly to see whether anyone else had noticed. A few people had, but most seemed unsurprised - much to Mina's utter confusion. She looked up again and fixated the magnificent creature with amazed aqua eyes. Following the beast's gaze, she spotted a barbeque-like contraption cooking all sorts of meats. Smiling to herself she rushed over to it and hastily put several tens of gold coins in the hands of the seller.

Tearing off her gloves and shoving them in her pockets, Mina quickly collected up an entire roast turkey, two cooked chickens, and a goose, and shovelled them - with some difficulty - into several bags. Grinning at the seller, she spun around and began rushing down the street to a more deserted area, hoping the dragon's gaze was following. Nervously, she kneeled and pulled one of the chicken's from the bags, raising it toward the top of the building - and looking rather silly.

"Oh, please, please come down. Don't be afraid." She whispered to herself, only now realising how utterly beside herself she was about seeing a real dragon. If there was one thing besides music Mina absolutely adored, it was dragons. And this dragon was nothing less than extraordinary.

[Operea]

A dragon was indeed a rare sight anywhere in the country, though not many seemed to be on the streets, either that or his shadow had been thought to belong to that of, perhaps, a gryphon or some other smaller, more docile winged beast. Operea's sharp, cunning eyes glinted as the girl on the street beneath his sitting shadow moved to what he was staring at, obviously amazed with his appearence - but then, who wouldn't be? He was the only wild dragon to roam these lands. A sudden hunger stabbed at the draconian's stomach - she was buying many roasted birds and stuffing them hastily into a few bags.. Perhaps she would take them to the Great Hall and allow her friends to feast with her, or perhaps she was going to take them to a class to have a Christmas party?

Then it dawned on him what she was doing; why would a person - much less a student - buy so much meat unless she was going to feed some creature? Though as he watched her move about, he couldn't help but hungrily follow her along the ledge of the building, sharpened talons digging into the bricks and cement as if it were mere clay.

Suddenly, the colossal, strangely-marked beast found himself faced with a choice - Mina had taken one of her recently-bought chickens from a bag.. And was offering it to him. Unfortunately, he was made to look like a fool, for she was speaking kind, soft words to him, as if he were some kind of stupid animal or a clueless housepet. Anger bubbled up in his soul and a wisp of dark smoke arose from both nostrils before he turned his back to her, securely gripped the edge of the building.. And swung backwards. Wings thrust outwards, stopping him from falling back and smashing his spine into the side wall - he was now hanging like a roosting bat, upside down.

With a soft snarl, the indigo-and-bleach drake stretched his neck out so that his nose was merely centimetres from Mina's offering hands. A lengthy, slithering tongue of raven snaked out from his scaled maw, wrapped itself around the chicken, and tugged it back into his mouth, where he chewed thankfully. His plan: He would allow her to feed him as if he were a stupid animal first.. Then, once his hunger had been satiated, he would scold her, let her know what it was to speak to a dragon and how honourable the creatures were over mere muggles or wizards. 'Foolish girl..' He thought.

A low hiss sounded, and Operea's maw was suddenly wide open - he'd swallowed the chicken, bones and all, and had opened his jaws in hopes of receiving another treat from the obviously mindless - and clueless - school student. Was he friend or foe?

[Mina]

Mina felt a rush in her stomach as the dragon moved along the rooftop toward her, and it took her a few moments to realise it was overwhelming adrenaline. Suddenly the girl seemed to conclude how much danger she was in fact in, and her smile faded to a nervous expression, her hands beginning to shake slightly. Although those enormous talons gripped the building, there was no saying when the dragon could launch himself at her and kill her with but one flick of his clawed feet. But she could not move, and surely that would be a far more stupid action to make.

Besides, she was paralyzed to the spot; now in fear.

A fool he may have thought he appeared to be, however the girl saw him nothing less of clever. For two reasons chiefly. One: if she were a dragon, she doubted she would have the courage to leave the shelter of her abode to hunt, especially during broad daylight. Two: perching on a rooftop in Hogsmeade was bound to get attention and thus food - such as his current situation - or he could take his pick from the crowd.

Mina saw the smoke escape his nostrils, and she inhaled sharply, swallowing in a frightened manner as her eyebrows marked her forehead worriedly. When the dragon turned it's back, she felt the muscles in her arms lax ever so slightly, but she let out an automatic cry as it fell backward and opened it's gigantic wings, sending her hair and coat flying wildly behind her.

Silencing herself, she stared through glassy, aqua eyes, astounded at the creature's position. Had he been a much smaller animal, she would have broken a smile, but her current concern over the poultry not being the only meal was keeping her expression strung quite obviously with shock.

The dragon snarled gently and moved his nose out to her. The girl brought her teeth down on her bottom lip and scrunched her eyes closed; quite positively terrified now. Her hands shook violently, and as soon as she felt the tug, and the lapse in weight between her hands, she fell backward and scrambled away over the snow, using her hands as her support as she leaned back, staring at the beast.

Her mouth fell open again as he hissed and revealed his jaws, had she been weak-hearted she would certainly have fainted. But kept a grip on herself and shakily moved over to the bags, keeping her unsure gaze on the dragon all the while. Pulling the remaining poultry from the bags, she laid them all out for him on the snow, knowing that the cold wouldn't affect them because he would no doubt snatch them all up in seconds.

"Wow.." She choked out, as she crawled back a little ways again, leaning back on her hands and staring in frightened awe. "Just, wow.." She whispered again, as the grounded area of her mind began wondering what was going to happen once the dragon had finished eating the cooked birds.