Unfortunately, relaxation and inattention means it’s going to be very quiet, and even at his most inattentive Starscream’s ability to detect threats is unusually keen when he’s got a brood to watch over. The sound of something moving in the bushes caught his attention, and he quickly moved outside to find the source of it.
And who do you think you are?
He feels the sudden change in mood as his not-quite-careful-enough motions stir the foliage, hears the larger dragon hastening his way- and knows instantly that there’s no escaping confrontation this time. At this close range, his blue scales stand out too much for the underbrush to hide him, and he doesn’t have enough of a lead to be certain of fleeing successfully.
All he can do is to step out into the open and try to appease his pursuer with submission. Look at how small and scrawny and underfed he is, compared to you- he couldn’t hurt you or your pack even if he tried. (Not that he was even thinking of trying, large-scary-dominant grey.) He just wanted to pass through your territory without attracting attention or aggression.
…It’s a poor excuse, but at the moment it’s the best he’s got.
Uh-huh. You climbed atop a mountain to “just pass through” the territory, and are lurking by Starscream’s eggs as coincidence, he takes it? Sure.
But you are a rather scrawny dragon, clearly not here for a fight. What is it you want, then?
...Okay, you've got him there. If he had just been passing through, he would never have allowed himself to come this close to another's lair, let alone one belonging to a mated pair. He's here because a territory that can support multiple dragons generally means abundant food sources and he was hoping to either hunt whatever prey was small enough for you to ignore, or to scrounge from your leftovers.
He just hadn't expected your discards to be so fiercely defended... or to include anything like this.
