[Courtship] Merlin x Zephyra
Merlin had been watching the sky for nearly an hour. There wasn't a cloud anywhere, not even a thin streak of white to break up the evening. The meadow stretched around him beneath a vast, clear expanse, the fading sunlight painting the distant horizon in soft shades of gold and orange. Small insects drifted lazily through the grass, their wings catching the last rays of daylight whenever they passed through an open patch. Nearby, Zephyra rested comfortably on a low branch, her feathered scales shifting subtly whenever she moved. The colors across her body caught the remaining sunlight, while her enormous wings remained folded neatly against her small frame. Merlin occasionally glanced toward her, then quickly returned his attention to the sky, his crooked witch hat sitting atop his little lizard head as he considered what he was about to attempt.
He wanted to summon lightning. Not ordinary lightning, either. Anyone could watch lightning during a storm, when clouds gathered overhead and thunder rolled across the land. That wasn't impressive enough for Merlin. He wanted to create lightning without a storm, without clouds, without anything in the sky providing the energy for him. He wanted to pull that power into existence himself, and more importantly, he wanted Zephyra to see him do it. The thought made his tiny chest tighten with nervous anticipation. Merlin was barely larger than a lizard, and the task he had chosen seemed absurdly ambitious for a dragon his size. Still, the desire to impress her outweighed his uncertainty. He planted all four feet firmly against the ground, claws pressing into the earth as he turned his attention completely toward the empty sky.
At first, nothing happened. Merlin concentrated until his entire body felt tense, reaching for the energy he knew existed within the world around him. The meadow remained peaceful, the insects continued their quiet flight, and the evening breeze barely disturbed the grass. Then, between two of his tiny claws, a spark appeared. Merlin's eyes widened as a faint crackle of energy danced across his scales, but the spark vanished almost immediately. His head lowered, disappointment settling heavily over him. Lightning was supposed to be enormous, powerful enough to illuminate an entire landscape in a single flash. He was so small that even producing that one tiny spark had felt like an enormous effort. For a moment, Merlin wondered if he had simply been foolish to think he could accomplish it.
Then he glanced toward Zephyra.
She was still watching.
Something inside Merlin straightened. He couldn't give up now. He closed his eyes and tried again, reaching deeper this time. The spark returned between his claws, but instead of disappearing, it remained. It crawled from one foot to another, growing brighter as Merlin gathered more energy. His body trembled with the effort, and the air around him seemed to vibrate with the power he was pulling together. Even his witch hat began to tremble atop his head, but Merlin refused to break his concentration. He gathered the energy until his entire little body seemed charged with it, then finally raised his head toward the cloudless sky and released everything at once.
A brilliant bolt tore down from the clear sky.
For one breathtaking instant, the entire meadow was illuminated in white-blue light. The lightning struck several yards away with a tremendous crack, sending sparks scattering across the grass and leaving a smoking mark in the earth. Merlin froze completely, staring at the place where the bolt had struck. His heart raced as the realization settled over him. He had actually done it. He had created lightning from an empty sky, with no storm to aid him.
Slowly, Merlin turned toward Zephyra. She had lifted her head, her attention fixed entirely upon him. His nervousness returned immediately, but this time it was accompanied by an overwhelming rush of pride. He puffed out his tiny chest and carefully straightened his crooked witch hat, trying very hard to look dignified despite his excitement. One bolt was enough to prove he could do it, but Merlin found that he wasn't satisfied anymore. He wanted another. He wanted her to see that the first hadn't been luck.
He turned toward the sky once more and concentrated. This time the energy came more easily. Sparks danced across his claws before a second bolt flashed overhead, followed by another. Lightning continued to dance across the perfectly clear sky, each brilliant flash appearing from empty air and illuminating the meadow around them. Merlin stood beneath the spectacle, impossibly tiny against the enormous bursts of light, his witch hat silhouetted against the glowing sky. He glanced toward Zephyra again, warmth fluttering through his chest as he saw that she was still watching. Maybe he didn't need to be large to make an impression after all.
