Walking had been such a hard feat for him. This body was so much heavier than he had been as a mere larvae. So much bigger too. It was strange, to see things that had once towered over him now be rather pathetic in size. Especially roots and leaves. They were so...small to him now. Very puny. Just like his would be predators. Birds were small. Scavengers were small. He towered over them all at his absurd height. Astiar almost, almost could feel humored by such a thing.

Right now all he could feel was hunger. It twisted at his gut and made him feel irritable. What was he to eat? He had gone exploring a few days ago, and had found that around the jungle there was nothing but desert. There was absolutely no way he was going out there. His black scales, instinct told him, would bake him in the heat. He was used to the coolness of living underground- that's where he had been for seventeen years, after all. He had tried nonetheless, venturing out into the sand for a few hours. He had returned spitting and hissing and guzzling down the first source of water that he could find.

Astiar still wasn't used to his size. He had been trying to clamber up a tree, in a way that a bug usually would. It was something that was done without thinking- not that Astiar truly thought. It had creaked from his weight, and his claws scrabbled as he fell to the ground. An angered bellow parted his jaws, followed by him harshly smacking the tree with his tail.  He wasn't sure what he was to even eat- instinct argued with itself over such issue. Mandibles loudly clicked together as he swung his head, shooing away a fly. His head shake had turned his attention to the tree that he had collapsed under. Red eyes squinted, and a clatter sounded from him. There was the tilt of his head, and then he bit into the bark of the tree.

His digestive system, while bigger, still required the food that cicadas ate. Wood pulp, roots, and smaller insects or grubs had all fallen into that category. While smaller insects likely wouldn't sate the hunger due to the difference in size, such a massive tree surely would. Talons rested against the bark, and he slowly began pushing. Something deep down said that this was an equal revenge for him not being able to clamber up the tree with ease. He roared in anger when he failed to fell the tree with his slow pushing. Moving backwards, the dragon then charged into the tree, knocking into it with a scaly shoulder. He continued until finally the tree somewhat had capsized. Roots were now easier for him to access, and Astiar again sunk his teeth in.

Such a large creature certainly could eat a lot. He had eaten quite a lot of the tree in a swift mannerism, having begun with the roots of the thing and then continued on. His wings were noisily buzzing behind him, lifted in the air as his body arched over the tree. His mandibles and beak-like mouth pecked away bark to reveal the softer pulp of the tree beneath. The long tail of the beast flicked slowly back and forth behind him as he feasted upon the felled tree. It truly wasn't a normality, to eat a tree- even then the noise was absolutely horrendous. Astiar, never in any context, could be considered a sneaky dragon. Especially not when it came to the loud noise of a tree against the dirt, and then said tree being heartily consumed by a dragon, with the noise of a cicada multiplied a good couple times over accompanying the crunch and splintering of wood.

FOURTHWALL & GLITCHHOP
BLACK-GOLD MOTTLED HELLHOUND / BROWN-GOLD MOTTLED HELLHOUND
MALE - 22 - SOCIAL & VIOLENT / FEMALE - 17 - OBEDIENT & CHEERFUL - THE PITT

______________________________________________________________________________
THEY SAY THAT I AM THE SICK BOY
EASY TO SAY WHEN YOU DON'T TAKE THE RISK, BOY

"What the fuck are we lookin' at here, Glitch?" would come the confused voice of Fourthwall, only it was more of a shout as he tried to be heard above the deafening buzzing of the creatures wings. It was said buzzing that had initially drew the pair in to invesitgate, but now that they'd found the source of it all, neither was really sure what to do.

"I dunno. I mean, it kinda looks like a bug..." she'd say, brows furrowing as she shouted back over the sounds of wings flapping and wood cracking. But what the hell kind of bug was that? She, certainly, had never seen anything like it. It's face was what was most peculiar, because it was reminiscent of a dragon. "Think it's a 'dragon'-fly?" she'd call out to him, a wide grin plastered on her lips at the cheesy pun. Fourth would swat a large paw at her ears in a playful manner as he rolled his eyes. Geeze, she was so lame sometimes.

WELCOME TO THE NARCISISM,
WE'RE UNITED UNDER OUR INDIFFERENCE

"SPEECH

Astiar initially did not notice the three that had approached him eating the tree. His talons lifted to scrape away bark so that his sharp teeth and mandibles could more easily sink into the teeth of the tree. Having such appendages made eating the pulp of the tree far easier than it would have been at his previous size. At that size he wouldn't be having to eat the entire tree. One of his legs had the massive plant pinned down, instinct telling him that such was necessary if the tree moved. Yet the tree was a plant, it wouldn't move, and it was debatable if there was anyone else present that would even consider eating such a strange concept of nourishment.

The buzzing of his wings ceased for only a moment, and that was when the massive bug finally took note of the three that had approached. His orange head lifted from the bark while his blue antennae gave a minute twitch. There was nothing going on behind those red eyes- it was the mere blank stare of the eyes of an insect. The mandibles that extended from his upper jaw gave a few clicks, scraps of the wood's fibers hanging from their jagged, tearing portions. Perhaps there was a little glint of confusion, but with how his red eyes were constructed it was difficult to tell. They were compound eyes, the same as nearly any other insect. He did blink, although it was far less than most other living creatures did. If anything, blinking made his head suddenly jerk back, as if surprised.

His claws unhooked from the tree, face and gaze still trained upon the Pittians that had approached him. His mandibles clicked together a few more times, a little bit faster that it had been prior. His head turned back to the tree that he had been feasting from. For but a moment, the dragon almost experienced a thought. Such a thing was not viewable. No flicker of thought in those red eyes, no altering of his expression. The large form of the dragon turned away, diverting his attention back to the fallen tree.. Sharp talons dug into the bark once again, and a chunk of the tree was broken free after a brief struggle. The massive head of the insect lowered and grabbed onto the broken chunk of wood with his jaws. His wings buzzed as he lifted from the ground, then fluttering closer to the trio that had come to inspect the noise. Astiar dropped the wood before them.

Briefly Astiar had considered the small stature of the three. It was a considerate buzz through his body that had made him decide to try to share the tree that he had been feasting upon. One of his feet nudged the chunk of wood closer to Kydobi- the one present that he was familiar with. Another clatter sounded from his mandibles, as well as a brief surge of chatter. His wings thankfully had quieted when he approached. The buzzing was still there, of course. The wings twitched rapidly behind him as he came to a halt, almost standing fully rigid. The expression Astiar held present on his face almost mimicked that of being curious, and a tilt of his head accompanied another nudge of the wood chunk was given. It was splintered and almost cleaned of any of the tree's rough bark, jagged gashes present from it's removal from the tree. He remained standing, staring at the three. The only movement was his head barely turning to look at the chunk of wood he had presented to them.

we'll see the sun come up again, we'll climb higher than we've been

A loud clattering noise came from the cicada looking dragon. His head lowered to watch the other accept his ever gracious offering. The surge of pity had died as quickly as it had came- the pity for their small size, for how they wouldn't be able to eat the trees if he had struggled with it. His mandibles clicked together as he stared. The six limbs of the dragon moved, letting his body arch. It allowed for his head to rest against the ground, staring with his once again blank expression at the wood chunk. Astiar merely was waiting for the other to eat the chunk of wood.

Red eyes watched the feline pull the chunk closer. The dragon's weight shifted, moving back a little. Soft clicks sounded from Astiar as he continued observing and staring at the one that had taken the chunk of his food. The words the other spoke went over his head, just as all attempts at speech did. There was no twitch of an ear or barest of recognition in his compounded red eyes. His wings gave a fitful buzz, watching, waiting. He was growing a little irritated now- that he had shared his food and all the other was doing was merely staring at it. Astiar's lumbering form raised up. The faint buzzing of his wings grew louder, fiercer, snapping his teeth. He could not convey his irritation with words. Even the illest sentience could feel irritation. The cicada looking dragon was no exception.

Astiar moved closer. A talon stepped forward, bringing himself closer to Kydobi. His mandibles were clicking together more rapidly while his red eyes neared an unblinking state. A long sweep of his tail accompanied the motion, stirring up dirt and the other components of the jungle floor. There was a sharp hissing noise coming from his barely parted maw, one that he deemed content to be his irritated noise at this point in time. Another step dragged him closer, trying to stand towering over the feline. It was strange, to be tall after his time as a nymph. It wasn't as if his memory then had been of grandeur- rather most of his thoughts were turned towards the present. The memory of a dragon was far better than that of a mere bug. It allowed the space and power for deeper thought, those that Astiar deemed foreign and refused to embrace. It was instinct he needed. Even that could be overrun, to where he let irritation of the other not eating from his bestowed gift run rampant.

The dragon reached forward with his talons, jabbing in the direction of the wood chunk that he had provided. The motion was jagged, the body's owner not used to being able to craft such definitive motions. His wings let out a surge of louder buzzing, the hissing continuing throughout the awful noise of his wings. His red eyes squinted and narrowed- if he had a lick of greater sentience, one could almost say the expression he bore was near judgmental. He hissed again. Astiar turned suddenly to return to the tree he was eating. Finished was his attempt at communication, where his instincts had finally reclaimed him and reminded his barren and lackluster thoughts that he needed to eat. The dragon was positioned so that he could still stare with his blank expression, teeth and mandibles again sinking into the flesh of the tree that he had felled.

we've got a fire that burns within, we are the dragon hearted

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we'll see the sun come up again, we'll climb higher than we've been

The dragon didn't seem to notice the swift movement that sent the wood chunk flying. His attention was settled on the tree that he had knocked down to eat. He had eaten quite a decent portion by now. Sharp talons pried the bark away so that his mandibles and teeth could sink into the softer flesh of the tree beneath. Astiar did pause and raise his head, and stared at Kydobi for a good, long moment. He gave a rumble, seeming satisfied with the lacking presence of the wood chunk. His mind swiftly supplied that the other had eaten such, despite the noisy protests. They barely registered as protests in the simple barren mind of the insect. Just noise, irritated noise at that.

It was the approach of another small creature that made him shuffle up into a stand. His mandibles clicked together once, lowering his head. Astiar remained hunkered over the tree, and his face scrunched up in what could be considered the barest of thought. Talons sunk into the bark, tearing out a section of the bark. He was again offering up some of his food, carrying it over to the small terrier that had approached. The comment of not liking his presence was ignored. Astiar dropped the splintered piece of wood before the newcomer, and nudged it forward with his head. It was done in the near same demeanor as it had presented the wood to Kydobi. A small and gentle buzz of his wings followed. It was a notion of pity for the creatures smaller than him, that they wouldn't be able to have access to the food. Astiar did not comprehend the protests that no one but him was able to eat the pulp of the trees. The tail of the dragon moved slowly back and forth, resting on the ground. His head remained lowered, waiting and watching for the wood chunk he had offered to be taken.

we've got a fire that burns within, we are the dragon hearted