All at once every creature of the forest grew silent. It was not the comfortable quiet that settled with nightfall, nor the peaceful one that enjoyed the serenity of a snowy day. This was the kind of silence that brought a taste of unease to the tongue, whispered of fear and unknown things. Something different was within the Edge today, and whatever it was the smallest inhabitants of the land did not like it.

The stallion raised his head from the patch of wilted grass, ears twitching and muscles tense as he sensed the worry that seeped through the woods. Through the bond he consulted the white dragon that was his constant companion, his other half and the extension of his senses. She had been busy hunting all day, finding it more and more difficult to find prey as winter progressed. Now, when the days gradually were becoming longer once more, it was harder than ever, and she sounded slightly grumpy when she replied, confirming that indeed something was amiss.
Lace snorted and frowned, for a moment actually contemplating to ignore the matter. It was not his task to guard the borders, nor was it a duty of his to examine all the strange occurrences that took place in the Edge. But the recent kidnappings revealed that the Qian had grown perhaps a bit too comfortable within the borders of their stolen home, and he had a feeling that there were more retaliations to come. With a sigh he threw a final longing glance at the grass, pushed the feeling of his gnawing stomach to the back of the mind and turned, stretching the legs out into a steady but ground covering trot.

He had to search for a while to find the source of the disturbance, but when he did a crawling feeling along the back made him wish he hadn't. Quietly the gold-marked stallion slipped into the shadows and regarded the giant black snake as it made its way through the woods, making sure to stay out of reach. It would not be pleasant to have those massive coils slip around the body, crushing bones and squeeze the breath out of the lungs until his heart stopped... A thought from him caused Fajira to abandoned her futile search for a meal and return, wings cutting through the air as she headed his way. It would take a while for her to find him though, and during that time the snake might very well cause trouble in some way.

Golden eyes looked about the area, trying to find something to slow the beast down with. There weren't much to use though; rocks, trees, the occasional patch of ice where snow had blown away or been reduced by the warmer mist that always hovered over the land. Fajira made a mental sigh in their mind and reminded him of what he had discovered earlier, the thing that caused the dreams? Lace suddenly grinned, slightly sheepish. How was he supposed to remember something so obscure, that he'd never had before? It was a perfect solution however, and without further ado he settled in where he stood, relaxing until the lids drooped halfway over the pale orbs. It took time still, had yet to become a second nature. He focused on the trees around the snake, allowed the mind to sense the wood, the bark, the trunk all the way up to the branches where buds rested, awaiting the warmth of spring. Then he returned, trailed down into the cold earth, slipped into the trees and commanded them to move.

Without warning, the roots of the trees suddenly came alive. Thin, tenacious roots sprung out of the soul and snow to wrap around the body of the snake, clasping tight enough to hopefully ensure that not even the slender body would be able to slip out of the grasp. Maintaining the mental grasp on the trees, Lace then slipped out of his hiding place and cautiously stepped closer, examining the massive predator with slight unease.

"It was an unfortunate decision, to choose the World's Edge as hunting ground" he mumbled, half to himself and half to the reptile, like one might speak to a mouse or bird trapped in the confinement of a cage. "At least Fajira will stop complaining about being hungry... This should feed all the dragons for a while." If she deigned to eat snake, that is. Sometimes she was strangely prejudiced about what could be eaten and not; like birds. She'd have to be starving to even consider going after the feathered critters.